A feasibility study of signed consent for the collection of patient identifiable information for a national paediatric clinical audit database

Objectives: To investigate the feasibility of obtaining signed consent for submission of patient identifiable data to a national clinical audit database and to identify factors influencing the consent process and its success. Design: Feasibility study. Setting: Seven paediatric intensive care units in England. Participants: Parents/guardians of patients, or patients aged 12-16 years old, approached consecutively over three months for signed consent for submission of patient identifiable data to the national clinical audit database the Paediatric Intensive Care Audit Network (PICANet). Main outcome measures: The numbers and proportions of admissions for which signed consent was given, refused, or not obtained (form not returned or form partially completed but not signed), by age, sex, level of deprivation, ethnicity (South Asian or not), paediatric index of mortality score, length of hospital stay (days in paediatric intensive care). Results: One unit did not start and one did not fully implement the protocol, so analysis excluded these two units. Consent was obtained for 182 of 422 admissions (43%) (range by unit 9% to 84%). Most (101/182; 55%) consents were taken by staff nurses. One refusal (0.2%) was received. Consent rates were significantly better for children who were more severely ill on admission and for hospital stays of six days or more, and significantly poorer for children aged 10-14 years. Long hospital stays and children aged 10-14 years remained significant in a stepwise regression model of the factors that were significant in the univariate model. Conclusion: Systematically obtaining individual signed consent for sharing patient identifiable information with an externally located clinical audit database is difficult. Obtaining such consent is unlikely to be successful unless additional resources are specifically allocated to training, staff time, and administrative support

Exchange bias in GeMn nanocolumns: the role of surface oxidation

We report on the exchange biasing of self-assembled ferromagnetic GeMn nanocolumns by GeMn-oxide caps. The x-ray absorption spectroscopy analysis of this surface oxide shows a multiplet fine structure that is typical of the Mn2+ valence state in MnO. A magnetization hysteresis shift |HE|~100 Oe and a coercivity enhancement of about 70 Oe have been obtained upon cooling (300-5 K) in a magnetic field as low as 0.25 T. This exchange bias is attributed to the interface coupling between the ferromagnetic nanocolumns and the antiferromagnetic MnO-like caps. The effect enhancement is achieved by depositing a MnO layer on the GeMn nanocolumns.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Nucleation at the phase transition near 40 C in MnAs nanodisks

The phase transition near 40 C of both as grown thin epitaxial MnAs films prepared by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs 001 and nanometer scale disks fabricated from the same films is studied. The disks are found to exhibit a pronounced hysteresis in the temperature curve of the phase composition. In contrast, supercooling and overheating take place far less in the samples of continuous layers. These phenomena are explained in terms of the necessary formation of nuclei of the other phase in each of the disks independent from each other. The influence of the elastic strains in the disks is reduced considerabl

The superhero gothic: The montrous hero to the heroic monster in the twentieth century.

The influence of Gothic literature and its adaptations on the superhero genre has been profound. Both genres have an ideological project of the restoration of normalcy and order after disruption and disorder, thereby reinforcing cultural norms. However, their themes and methodologies are diametrically opposed. The Gothic is an exploration of the negative aesthetics of terror and horror, which reveal human weaknesses. The superhero is a power fantasy that celebrates justice and morality. A synthesis of the two creates a paradox: the monstrous hero—a Hoppen stand hero who takes on the attributes of a monster—who evolves into the heroic monster—a monster who is a hero. The monster is an embodiment of cultural anxieties which are traditionally sublimated through negation by the monster’s defeat. The heroic monster instead sublimates fears through heroism, becoming a site of cultural negotiation where what is once othered and different moves towards becoming legitimized as acceptable by American society. The methodology applies comic book studies and Gothic studies filtered through adaptation studies and new historicism. The dissertation is divided into three chapters. The introduction establishes the intersectionality of the Gothic and the superhero through adaptation studies on a genre level. Chapters 1 and 2 are divided between an analysis of the key conventions of each genre and their respective histories. Chapter 1 examines how the negative aesthetics of terror and horror are achieved through the sublime, the uncanny, the fantastic, and the abject and then applying them to the history of British and American Gothic to demonstrate how monsters embody cultural anxieties. Chapter 2 lays out the conventions of the superhero (costume, code name, secret identity, powers, and heroic ongoing mission) and the historical ages of superheroes. Chapter 3 consists of close readings of Batman, the Incredible Hulk, Ghost Rider, and Hellboy, with particular attention to their origins, across the twentieth century. The conclusion offers a glimpse into how the superhero Gothic has continued into the twenty-first century. The arc of the superhero Gothic reveals the redeeming values of terror and horror as vehicles of individual and social catharsis and of processing social change

Learning to Feel Good and Stay Cool: Emotion Regulation Tools for Kids with AD/HD

Understanding emotions and how to cope with them is something everyone must learn. This book focuses on helping children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) tackle this task. Twenty emotions are described with real-life scenarios, noting that some emotions feel good and others do not. This work helps children identify their “feel good zone” and “upset zone” and develop strategies that will help them feel good more often. Some strategies involve building routines and habits (e.g., eat enough protein, get adequate sleep). Other strategies teach children how to deal with specific negative emotions (e.g., shift attention when frustrated). Short games and quizzes are scattered throughout to keep the reader interested and engaged. While the suggested audience is children 6-11 years old, there are sections for parents, teaching them ways to help their children set goals and appropriate rewards for their efforts. Website resources and additional readings are offered for both parents and children

Jakub Gorczyca SJ, „Zarys etyki fundamentalnej. Być dla drugiego”

Jakub Gorczyca SJ, „An Outline of Fundamental Ethics. Being for Others