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

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

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

Utah Gender Wage Gap: A 2021 Update

The gender wage gap is the difference between what women and men earn for performing full-time, year-round paid work. Nationally, women earn 16–18% less than men. Although the gap has substantially narrowed from 41% when the Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963, varying reports estimate that, depending on the rate of change, it may take anywhere from 40 to 130 years to close the gap. Estimates suggest that over a 40-year career, the wage gap can amount to a lifetime earnings deficit of $80k to$800k. In Utah, women earn approximately 30% less than men, ranking close to last in most state comparisons, which is consistent with what we reported in 2017. With approximately 60% of women over age 16 participating in the labor force, this topic is highly relevant for Utah. Closing the gender wage gap will strengthen economic stability and prosperity for families, communities, and the state. This research snapshot, an update from a 2017 report, focuses on three main areas

100 Companies Championing Women: An Analysis of Best Practices for Utah Companies

State leaders continue to boast that Utah is at the “forefront of innovative and awe-inspiring economic opportunity initiatives,”1 with its robust list of accolades (e.g., the best-managed state in America, the top state for economic outlook and recovery, best economic outlook, best state to start a business). Yet, for the past eight consecutive years, Utah has been ranked as WalletHub’s worst state for women’s equality.2 This includes being placed as 48th of 50th in “Workplace Environment,” which includes metrics such as income disparity, higher-income disparity, and the disparity in share of executive positions. Although some continue to justify or even dismiss this persistent ranking as insignificant, the metrics that WalletHub uses align with extensive research that confirms that many Utah women are not thriving in their workplace environments.3 With the current talent shortage and the rising expectations of workers today—and for the state to continue to see economic success well into the future—Utah’s workplaces must create cultures that better support all Utahns. Research on the importance of implementing flexible and family-friendly policies, programs, and practices in workplaces has been well documented.4 In fact, there is a clear, direct link between companies that implement these types of strategies and the retention and advancement of women.5 Fortunately, many Utah companies are taking the lead in offering initiatives and benefits that are making a positive difference in their employees’ lives. Highlighting the best practices of these leading organizations can help all of Utah’s employers better understand how to implement policies and to create workplace cultures that support women and families. To address the complex challenge, in 2022, the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, the Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP), and the Cox–Henderson Administration partnered to launch a one-year initiative titled 100 Companies Championing Women (100 CCW). It was part of the Inspire InUtah campaign’s mandate to support women in the workplace at all levels, including entrepreneurs. Specifically, the 100 CCW highlighted businesses around the state that have incorporated family-friendly policies and practices and have implemented programs that improve recruiting, hiring, retaining, and advancing women employees and leaders. The overarching goal was to provide resources for women (e.g., networking, training, funding, and employment) and companies (e.g., strategies, tools, and best practices) that facilitate success now and in the future. This research and policy brief provides a summary of the data collected during this one-year public campaign

Perceptions of Higher Education: Gender Differences in Utah Secondary School Students

According to 2020 US Census data, 20.6% of females 25 years or older have earned a bachelor’s degree, compared to 19.8% of men.1 Within the same age group in Utah, females show the same pattern: 23.4% have earned a bachelor’s compared to 22.6% of males. Although statistics show gains in female educational attainment, females in Utah are more likely to have participated in some college with no degree (26.2%) or have an associate degree (11.1%), compared to males in Utah (24.9% and 8.8%, respectively). Additionally, although national rates show more females (13.0%) than males (12.4%) have earned graduate or professional degrees, Utah females (9.3%) have earned them at significantly lower rates than Utah males (14.1%). Utah females can be financially disadvantaged by not completing a degree or by not pursuing an advanced degree.2 Thus, it is critical to understand and address gender-related educational disparities. A recent Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) brief referenced these statistics and reported data about how Utah women enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs perceive higher education.3 It is also important to gauge how Utah youth perceive higher education and what barriers they encounter when deciding whether to go to college. This research brief reports data from an Envision Utah survey of secondary students. Our purpose is to determine what, if any, differences exist between male and female responses. We also compare the results with national data and review applicable literature. Finally, we offer recommendations that could help mitigate barriers that Utah’s secondary students experience, prepare them more effectively for higher education, and increase their graduation rates

Poverty Among Utah Women: A 2022 Update

In 2016, the Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) released a research snapshot entitled “Poverty Among Utah Women.” At the time, 46.9% of Utah female-headed households with related children under age 5 were living in poverty.1 Since then, the overall poverty rate in Utah has decreased 2.4%.2 However, over a third (36.4%) of that same demographic still live in poverty.3 Additionally, although Utahns experience lower rates of poverty than the national average (8.9% in Utah vs. 12.3% nationwide), more women continue to live in poverty than men (9.6% vs. 8.2%, respectively).4 Many factors influence poverty among Utah women; for example, the gender wage gap is one of the highest in the nation,5 and women are more likely to work minimum-wage and part-time jobs with no benefits.6 Additionally, Utah women within certain demographics (including racial groups) are even more likely to experience poverty.7 This research snapshot focuses on three key areas: An overview of poverty rates for women in Utah, broken down by various demographic factors; An analysis of some of the issues contributing to women’s poverty rates in Utah; and A discussion of current efforts being made in the state to improve the economic circumstances of women, with links to relevant resources

Facilities for macromolecular crystallography at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin

Three macromolecular crystallography MX beamlines at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin HZB are available for the regional, national and international structural biology user community. The state of the art synchrotron beamlines for MX BL14.1, BL14.2 and BL14.3 are located within the low section of the BESSY II electron storage ring. All beamlines are fed from a superconducting 7 T wavelength shifter insertion device. BL14.1 and BL14.2 are energy tunable in the range 5 16 keV, while BL14.3 is a fixed energy side station operated at 13.8 keV. All three beamlines are equipped with CCD detectors. BL14.1 and BL14.2 are in regular user operation providing about 200 beam days per year and about 600 user shifts to approximately 50 research groups across Europe. BL14.3 has initially been used as a test facility and was brought into regular user mode operation during the year 2010. BL14.1 has recently been upgraded with a microdiffractometer including a mini k goniometer and an automated sample changer. Additional user facilities include office space adjacent to the beamlines, a sample preparation laboratory, a biology laboratory safety level 1 and high end computing resources. In this article the instrumentation of the beamlines is described, and a summary of the experimental possibilities of the beamlines and the provided ancillary equipment for the user community is give