Effects of a single interprofessional simulation session on medical and nursing students’ attitudes toward interprofessional learning and professional identity: a questionnaire study

Background Participation in simulation-based interprofessional education (sim-IPE) may affect students’ attitudes towards interprofessional learning (through gaining experience with others) and their professional identity (by increasing the ‘fit’ of group membership). We examined this in two questionnaire studies involving students from four universities in two areas of the UK. Method Questionnaire data were collected before and after students took part in a sim-IPE session consisting of three acute scenarios. Questionnaires included the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) and measures of professional identity derived from the social identity theory literature. In Study 1, only identification with Professional Group (doctor or nurse) was measured, while in Study 2 identification with Student Group (medical or nursing student) and the immediate interprofessional Team worked with in the simulation were also measured. Linear mixed effects regression analysis examined the effect of the simulation session, and differences between medical and nursing students, sites and identity measures. Results A total of 194 medical and 266 nursing students completed questionnaires. A five-item subset of RIPLS (RIPLSCore) was used in analysis. In both studies RIPLSCore increased for all groups following participation in sim-IPE, although this was larger for nursing students in Study 1. Nursing students had consistently higher RIPLSCore scores than medical students at one site. Effects of the session on identity varied between sites, and dimensions of identity. Notably, while positive emotions associated with group membership (Ingroup Affect) increased for Student Group, Professional Group and Team, the sense of belonging (Ingroup Ties) and importance (Centrality) of the group increased only for Team. Nursing students had consistently higher identification scores than medical students. Conclusions Participation in a sim-IPE session can improve attitudes towards interprofessional learning. It can also enhance professional identity, particularly as related to emotional aspects of group membership, with possible benefits for wellbeing. Changes in identification with the immediate Team suggest positive psychological consequences of ad hoc Team formation in the workplace. Differences between medical and nursing students suggest their differing opportunities to work with other professions during training may change baseline attitudes and identity. However, a single sim-IPE session can still have an additive effect

Application of ICP-MS trace element analysis in study of ancient Chinese ceramics

Thirty-nine trace elements of the Song-Yuan period (960-1368 AD) porcelain bodies from Cizhou, Jizhou and Longquanwu kilns were analyzed with ICP-MS, a technique rarely used in Chinese archaeometry, to investigate its potential application in such studies. Trace element compositions clearly reflect the distinctive raw materials and their mineralogy at the three kilns and allow their products to be distinguished. Significant chemical variations are also observed between Yuan and Song-Jing dynasties samples from Cizhou as well as fine and coarse porcelain bodies from Longquanwu. In Cizhou, porcelains of better quality which imitate the famous Ding kiln have trace element features distinctive from ordinary Cizhou products, that indicates geochemically distinctive raw materials were used and which possibly also underwent extra refining prior to use. The distinct trace element features of different kilns and the various types of porcelains from an individual kiln can be interpreted from a geochemical perspective. ICP-MS can provide a large amount of valuable information about ancient Chinese ceramics as it is capable of analyzing >40 elements with a typical of precision < 2%

Wearable mobile sensor and communication platform for the in-situ monitoring of lower limb health in amputees

Monitoring the health of a residual limb in prosthesis is key to detect early signs of tissue injury, and could improve patient quality of life. However, monitoring at skin level could induce possible discomfort and irritation, making the skin susceptible for breakdown. The use of non-invasive sensor technologies within the flexible liner of the prosthetic device can alleviate these issues. The rehabilitation of lower limb prosthesis wearers can be greatly improved by a reliable continuous monitoring system that can alert both the user and health authority by early warning of the development of tissue damage. In this work, we have created a wearable sensor platform for lower limb amputees that is capable of gathering data from the sensors (placed on the elastomer), and store and transmit to a central health database, for the purpose of analyzing it. This paper explores the architecture used, as well as some of the challenges encountered when handling such quantities of data as experienced in this project

Results from EDGES High-Band: II. Constraints on Parameters of Early Galaxies

We use the sky-average spectrum measured by EDGES High-Band ($90-190$ MHz) to constrain parameters of early galaxies independent of the absorption feature at $78$~MHz reported by Bowman et al. (2018). These parameters represent traditional models of cosmic dawn and the epoch of reionization produced with the 21cmFAST simulation code (Mesinger & Furlanetto 2007, Mesinger et al. 2011). The parameters considered are: (1) the UV ionizing efficiency ($\zeta$), (2) minimum halo virial temperature hosting efficient star-forming galaxies ($T^{\rm min}_{\rm vir}$), (3) integrated soft-band X-ray luminosity ($L_{\rm X\,<\,2\,keV}/{\rm SFR}$), and (4) minimum X-ray energy escaping the first galaxies ($E_{0}$), corresponding to a typical H${\rm \scriptstyle I}$ column density for attenuation through the interstellar medium. The High-Band spectrum disfavors high values of $T^{\rm min}_{\rm vir}$ and $\zeta$, which correspond to signals with late absorption troughs and sharp reionization transitions. It also disfavors intermediate values of $L_{\rm X\,<\,2\,keV}/{\rm SFR}$, which produce relatively deep and narrow troughs within the band. Specifically, we rule out $39.4<\log_{10}\left(L_{\rm X\,<\,2\,keV}/{\rm SFR}\right)<39.8$ ($95\%$ C.L.). We then combine the EDGES High-Band data with constraints on the electron scattering optical depth from Planck and the hydrogen neutral fraction from high-$z$ quasars. This produces a lower degeneracy between $\zeta$ and $T^{\rm min}_{\rm vir}$ than that reported in Greig & Mesinger (2017a) using the Planck and quasar constraints alone. Our main result in this combined analysis is the estimate $4.5$~$\leq \log_{10}\left(T^{\rm min}_{\rm vir}/\rm K\right)\leq$~$5.7$ ($95\%$ C.L.). We leave for future work the evaluation of $21$~cm models using simultaneously data from EDGES Low- and High-Band.Comment: Accepted in Ap

The Spectacle of Men Fighting

Summaries The meaning of male violence should be a central concern of Gender and Development (GAD) discourse and practice. Explanations of the nature, and limits, of men's responsibility for such violence increasingly centre on their socialisation into a masculine identity. By counter?posing the ‘individual’ and the ‘social’, attention becomes fixed on identity as the surface that connects these two realities on which is inscribed the masculinity of men. The task of responding to the spectacle of men fighting then appears to be one of re?inscribing a new non?violent masculine identity. This paper argues that GAD practitioners should be wary of this kind of politics of identity. Focusing on identification as relation, rather than identity as boundary, clarifies the violent politics of difference at the heart of masculinity. Addressing violence means approaching a new politics of difference. This is a politics of alliance and coalition, a transgressing of sectoral and institutional boundaries in recognition of the common bases of oppression and their plural manifestations in women's and men's lives. GAD can address the politics of identification(s) by approaching questions of responsibility for and complicity in male violence as personal?communal issues. Depending on what they choose to fight for, the spectacle of men fighting can be a sight, and site, of real political potency

Politicising Masculinities: Beyond the Personal

A diverse mix of people came together in Dakar, Senegal from 13-19 October 2007, to debate issues of men, gender and power: unconventional practical academics, open-minded policymakers, reflective practitioners and activists. It was a unique gathering and offered a unique opportunity – to inform and inspire a greater engagement by men in the struggle for gender justice and broader social change. The symposium was borne out of a realization that much of the most innovative work on men and masculinities has worked at the level of the personal, such as seeking to transform men’s sexual behaviour, violence against women and relations of fatherhood. The HIV epidemic has forced an open space for greater acknowledgement of the fluidity and diversity of men’s sexual and social identities. But relatively little of the innovative thinking and practice that has taken place in relation to these issues has been carried into other areas of development work. Masculine privilege remains unproblematised in mainstream development; and within gender and development the ‘men as problem, women as victim’ discourse continues to hold sway. Both rest on essentialisms that are rarely brought into question. At the same time, work on men and masculinities in development has arguably failed to engage sufficiently with core equity issues, whether in terms of equal pay and leave entitlements, representation in politics, parental rights and benefits, or domestic work, to change the institutions that sustain inequitable gender and sex orders. Amidst recognition that HIV prevention needs to go beyond individual behaviour change and that male violence is also a structural issue, the organisers felt it was time to move the debate beyond the personal to address questions of power and politics.Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Ford Foundatio

Injury risk factors, screening tests and preventative strategies: A systematic review of the evidence that underpins the perceptions and practices of 44 football (soccer) teams from various premier leagues

Purpose: To systematically review the scientific level of evidence for the ‘Top 3’ risk factors, screening tests and preventative exercises identified by a previously published survey of 44 premier league football (soccer) teams. Also, to provide an overall scientific level of evidence and graded recommendation based on the current research literature. Methods: A systematic literature search (Pubmed [MEDLINE], SportDiscus, PEDRO and Cochrane databases). The quality of the articles was assessed and a level of evidence (1++ to 4) was assigned. Level 1++ corresponded to the highest level of evidence available and 4, the lowest. A graded recommendation (A: strong, B: moderate, C: weak, D: insufficient evidence to assign a specific recommendation) for use in the practical setting was given. Results: Fourteen studies were analysed. The overall level of evidence for the risk factors previous injury, fatigue and muscle imbalance were 2++, 4 and ‘inconclusive’, respectively. The graded recommendation for functional movement screen, psychological questionnaire and isokinetic muscle testing were all ‘D’. Hamstring eccentric had a weak graded ‘C’ recommendation, and eccentric exercise for other body parts was ‘D’. Balance/proprioception exercise to reduce ankle and knee sprain injury was assigned a graded recommendation ‘D’. Conclusions: The majority of perceptions and practices of premier league teams have a low level of evidence and low graded recommendation. This does not imply that these perceptions and practices are not important or not valid, as it may simply be that they are yet to be sufficiently validated or refuted by research

We do it Ourselves: Nijera Kori and the Struggle for Economic and Gender Justice in Bangladesh

Deep-rooted patriarchal systems uphold gender and class-based inequalities in Bangladesh, within which the issue of land distribution and use remains integral to the transformation of poverty for a large number of women and men. Nijera Kori is a national social movement organising landless people to claim their rights and challenge the discrimination that constrains their agency and development. Through qualitative research, backed up by an extensive secondary literature, this study explores how and why men and women are working together for the gender equality objectives of this movement, and how these relate to wider economic justice goals. Across two sites in Northern Bangladesh the qualitative research engaged men and women from landless groups, Nijera Kori staff, and stakeholder groups. The data indicates that by working to raise the consciousness of, and bridge relationships between men and women, Nijera Kori’s approach reflects differential entry points for analysing gendered power and the importance of synchronising work between men and women for gender equality. Furthermore, a commitment to democratic practice in the movement helps realise shared commitments to gender equity. This approach has enabled men and women to address women’s rights issues, tackle corruption in public service provision and claim land rights. Domains for change reach family and community, breaking down barriers to women’s participation in public life. At the household level the redistribution of caring roles among men and women has emerged and the community collective agreements on dowry and early marriage suggests a degree of normative change. This report makes recommendations that men and women’s shared claims for interpersonal and political accountability through collective action are critical in enabling gender equitable pathways for economic justice