Alarm initiated activities: Matching formats to tasks

This paper addresses the selection of visual alarm formats for different 'alarm initiated activities'. The activities under examination were alarm handling tasks. Seven such tasks have been identified, namely: observe, accept, analyse, investigate, correct, monitor and reset. One of the most important stages is the initial analysis of the alarm information as this determines the subsequent manner in which the information is processed. It was hypothesised that the format in which the information is presented will determine the success of the alarm handling task, hence the proposal to match formats to tasks. The findings suggest that text-based formats are best suited to tasks requiring time-based reasoning, mimic formats are best suited to tasks requiring spatial location and annunciator formats are best suited to tasks requiring recognition of spatial patterns. The importance of considering both reaction time and accuracy of response in consideration of task match was also noted. In summary, it is suggested that care needs to be taken to determine the appropriateness of the medium for any given task and the demands it places on the human operator

Brain death

Sections on Questions of death... and life; Defining death; A brief history of brain death; Clinical criticisms of brain death; Theological reflections of brainstem deat

Sexual health in adolescents

“Saved sex” and parental involvement are key to improving outcome

Structure of the PII signal transduction protein of Neisseria meningitidis at 1.85 Ȃ resolution

Copyright @ 2006 International Union of CrystallographyThe PII signal transduction proteins GlnB and GlnK are implicated in the regulation of nitrogen assimilation in Escherichia coli and other enteric bacteria. PII-like proteins are widely distributed in bacteria, archaea and plants. In contrast to other bacteria, Neisseria are limited to a single PII protein (NMB 1995), which shows a high level of sequence identity to GlnB and GlnK from Escherichia coli (73 and 62%, respectively). The structure of the PII protein from N. meningitidis (serotype B) has been solved by molecular replacement to a resolution of 1.85 Ȃ. Comparison of the structure with those of other PII proteins shows that the overall fold is tightly conserved across the whole population of related proteins, in particular the positions of the residues implicated in ATP binding. It is proposed that the Neisseria PII protein shares functions with GlnB/GlnK of enteric bacteria.This study is funded by the Medical Research Council UK and Europe (SPINE) consortium (European Commission Grant No. QLG2-CT-2002-00988)

The evolution of autonomy

There can be little doubt, at least in the Western world, that autonomy is the ruling principle in contemporary bioethics. In spite of its ‘triumph’ however, the dominance of the utilitarian concept of autonomy is being increasingly questioned. In this paper, I explore the nature of autonomy, how it came to displace the Hippocratic tradition in medicine and how different concepts of autonomy have evolved. I argue that the reduction of autonomy to ‘the exercise of personal choice’ in medicine has led to a ‘tyranny of autonomy’ which can be inimical to ethical medical practice rather than conducive to it. I take the case of Kerrie Wooltorton as an illustration of how misplaced adherence to respect for patient autonomy can lead to tragic consequences. An analysis of autonomy based on the work of Rachel Haliburton is described and applied to the role of autonomy in a recent bioethical debate — that arising from Savulescu’s proposal that conscientious objection by health-care professionals should not be permitted in the NHS. In conclusion, I suggest Kukla’s concept of conscientious autonomy as one promising pathway to circumvent both the limitations and adverse effects of the dominance of current (mis)understandings of autonomy in biomedical ethics

A comparison of structured and unstructured navigation through a CBT package

The advent of hypertext has opened up new possibilities in computer-based training. The design of courseware without any predetermined structure could make the designer's task easier, and allow greater flexibility for the trainee to structure the learning environment to suit their own learning style, This investigation was concerned with the exploration of performance differences in structured and unstructured training environments. In the structured condition, subjects encountered presequenced training and practice modules. For the unstructured condition, subjects determined their own sequence of modules. It was proposed that performance may be better in the unstructured condition. The findings indicate that this depends upon individual differences in cognitive style, some styles seemingly better at exploiting the unstructured learning environment than others