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Introduction COVID-19 led to global disruption of healthcare and many students volunteered to provide clinical support. Volunteering to work was a unique medical education opportunity; however, it is unknown whether this was a positive learning experience. Methods The COVID Ready 2 study is a national cross-sectional study of all medical students at UK medical schools. We will compare opinions of those who did and did not volunteer to determine the educational benefit and issues they faced. We will use thematic analysis to identify themes in qualitative responses, in addition to quantitative analysis. Results The primary objective is to explore the effect of volunteering during the pandemic on medical education in comparison to those who did not volunteer. Our secondary objectives are to identify: whether students would be willing to assume similar roles in a non-pandemic setting; if students found the experience more or less beneficial than traditional hospital placements and reasons for this; what the perceived benefits and disadvantages of volunteering were; the difference in perceived preparedness between students who did and did not volunteer for foundation training year one and the next academic year; training received by volunteers; and to explore issues associated with volunteering, including safety issues and issues with role and competence. Conclusions We anticipate this study will help identify volunteer structures that have been beneficial for students, so that similar infrastructures can be used in the future; and help determine whether formal voluntary roles should be introduced into the non-pandemic medical curriculum.

Summary The minimal genetic requirements for microbes to survive within multiorganism communities, including host-pathogen interactions, remain poorly understood. Here, we combined targeted gene mutagenesis with phenotype-guided genetic reassembly to identify a cooperative network of SPI-2 T3SS effector genes that are sufficient for Salmonella Typhimurium (STm) to cause disease in a natural host organism. Five SPI-2 effector genes support pathogen survival within the host cell cytoplasm by coordinating bacterial replication with Salmonella-containing vacuole (SCV) division. Unexpectedly, this minimal genetic repertoire does not support STm systemic infection of mice. In vivo screening revealed a second effector-gene network, encoded by the spv operon, that expands the life cycle of STm from growth in cells to deep-tissue colonization in a murine model of typhoid fever. Comparison between Salmonella infection models suggests how cooperation between effector genes drives tissue tropism in a pathogen group.

Contains fulltext : 157477.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) 3rd Annual Worldwide Nursing Conference (WNC 2015) (Singapore, June 29-30, 2015)

While a great deal of research has demonstrated that users' self-efficacy beliefs have a major impact upon both their attitudes to technology and their performance, a related construct, self-confidence, has been largely ignored within the domain of human?computer interaction. This is surprising given the vast literature on the calibration of confidence which can be found within the judgment and decision literature. In this study, 60 participants were asked to complete a novel computer-based task, and to provide measures of self-confidence in terms of their anticipated performance at each stage of the task. Users' confidence judgements showed sensitivity to their rate of improvement on the task, but were poorly calibrated with actual performance at each stage. Furthermore, confidence judgements were insensitive to the complexity of the individual task components, even though these different components led to very different levels of performance. The style of computer interface was also found to affect anticipated performance independently of actual performance. The ability of existing models of confidence judgement to deal with these data is discussed.

This study examined the potential of a retrospective video reviewing process [Burford Reviewing Process (BRP)] for enabling people with intellectual disabilities to describe their experiences of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). It is the first time that the BRP, described in this paper, has been used with people with intellectual disabilities and the aim was to assess the feasibility of the procedure and gain a picture of the information it might yield.Using the BRP, 12 clients reviewed tapes of their fourth and ninth CBT sessions and six reviewed the fourth session only. All reviews were audio recorded for later verbatim transcriptions of clients' comments. Reviews and transcriptions were conducted by non-clinical researchers. Thematic analysis was applied to the transcripts by a researcher who was not CBT-trained.All clients were able to follow the instructions for the BRP. Three broadly based themes encapsulated their responses - how they felt about themselves, how they felt the therapist was helping and how CBT was helping. A fourth theme referred to comments on issues that were currently troubling clients, which were prompted by watching the video but did not refer to actual events on screen.The BRP seems a feasible approach with this client group and gave insights into their feelings and opinions on CBT. Clinical implications of the results and the potential for further developments are discussed.

This paper describes the development of a video-based evaluation tool for use in Rett syndrome (RTT). Components include a parent-report checklist, and video filming and coding protocols that contain items on eating, drinking, communication, hand function and movements, personal care and mobility. Ninety-seven of the 169 families who initially agreed to participate returned a videotape within 8 months of the first request. Subjects whose videos were returned had a similar age profile to those who did not provide a video but were more likely to have classical than atypical RTT. Evidence of the content and social validity and inter-rater reliability on 11 videos is provided. Video may provide detailed, objective assessment of function and behaviour in RTT.

This paper focuses on the design of a super fast battery charger based on National's proprietary neural network based NeuFuz technology. In this application, we have used a NiCd battery pack as the test vehicle. However, this technology can be extended to other chemistries such as Ni-MH, Li-ion, etc. This technology allows the designer to accurately model the charge controller using a neural network, based on battery charge characteristics provided by the manufacturer. This approach continuously monitors the battery status, and modifies the charge current accordingly. It also eliminates the need for standard charge termination methods used in today's conventional chargers. The result is super fast charging in 20 to 30 minutes, and increased battery life. A low cost embedded controller (COP8) performs all the fuel-gauging and charge control functions by processing data obtained from the battery circuitry.

Girls with Rett syndrome retain a responsiveness with care-givers that corresponds in many respects with the preverbal communication observed with normal infants. This has characteristic rhythmic patterns and phrases, mutual imitation, reciprocal emotional phases and rudimentary oral, vocal and gestural expressions. After individuals with Rett syndrome have passed the critical stage in dissolution of their attention, co-ordination and voluntary control, they retain positive orientation to human faces and eyes with smiling. Video analyses show that they can engage with rhythms and phrases of conversation, sometimes showing a sense of humour and sensitivity to playful teasing. They respond to repeated patterns of expression in rhythmic/prosodic play and to certain forms in music. It is suggested that sensitive and appropriately attuned support for the rudimentary motives for human contact that survive in Rett syndrome can help stabilisation of self-regulatory states, alleviate panic and confusion and facilitate learning. The effects of the disorder may be a consequence of a genetic fault in the elaboration of an Intrinsic Motive Formation in the reticular core of the embryo brain, leading to dysregulation of differentiation in higher cognitive systems and learning, but leaving partially intact motive principles for human intersubjective response.

Nutritional deficits have long been recognized as contributing factors to morbidity and mortality of hospitalized patients. A multi-disciplinary team approach to nutritional support has been shown to be superior to non-team approaches. A formal consultive nutritional support team has been active at St. Dominic Hospital since 1991. The benefits of our nutritional support team at St. Dominic Hospital are described. Acquisition of an Indirect calorimeter has improved measurements of caloric and substrate requirements. Individualized nutritional prescriptions more closely meet assessed patient needs. Utilization of less expensive, more physiologic enteral feeding routes have increased. Also, the number of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) bags admixed and wasted have decreased, despite an increase in the percent of patients with moderate to severe nutritional risk. The nutritional support service at St. Dominic Hospital has improved patient care while reducing cost to both the institutional and patient.

PROCEDURES used to obtain, standardize, store and retrieve hydrologic data collected in conjunction with USDA-ARS research projects are reviewed. Data user direct-access procedures are announced.

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