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PubMedDate not supplied

A comparison of neural computations underlying stereo vision and sound localization.

Stereo vision and sound localization are behaviors that help organisms to orient in space. Stereo vision provides information about the distance of an object. In sound localization mainly directional signals are analyzed. Two specific cues, binocular disparities underlying stereo vision, and the interaural time difference, suited to represent azimuth in sound localization, have many computational problems in common, although they are generated in two different modalities. The extraction of both cues requires a comparison of signals that arise from two independent sensors, called two-sensor comparison here. This two-sensor comparison is achieved by algorithms similar to summation, half-wave rectification and multiplication. Since the underlying neurons are band-pass filters, the two-sensor comparison results in ambiguities. These are removed in a hierarchical way in several computational steps, involving squaring, inhibition and across-frequency integration.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Overdoses among friends: drug users are willing to administer naloxone to others.

The distribution of naloxone to heroin users is a suggested intervention to reduce overdose and death rates. However, the level of willingness of drug users to administer this medication to others is unclear. Drug users recruited from the community between January 2002 and January 2004 completed a structured interview that assessed topics including drug use, overdose history, and attitudes toward using overdose remedies to assist others. Of the 329 drug users, 82% had used heroin and 64.3% reported that they had injected drugs. Nearly two thirds (64.6%) said that they had witnessed a drug overdose and more than one third (34.6%) had experienced an accidental drug overdose. Most participants (88.5%) said that they would be willing to administer a medication to another drug user in the event of an overdose. Participants who had used heroin (p = .024), had injected drugs (p = .022), had witnessed a drug overdose (p = .001), or had a history of one or more accidental drug overdoses (p = .009) were significantly more willing to treat a companion who had overdosed. Drug users were willing to use naloxone in the event of a friend's overdose. Specific drug use and overdose histories were associated with the greatest willingness to administer naloxone.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

The importance of subjectivity in perceptual errors on the emergence of indirect reciprocity.

Indirect reciprocity is one mechanism that allows for unilateral resource giving among n-persons. Using analytical methods and computer simulations, previous studies have examined a number of strategies that make indirect reciprocity possible. In particular, previous investigations have concentrated on whether differentiating between justified and unjustified not-giving is important. However, whether or not a given strategy is ESS depends on the type of perceptual errors that are assumed. When errors are objective, regarding those who do not give to "bad" as "good" is critical. When perceptual errors are subjective, however, regarding those who give to "bad" as "bad" is critical. Since we believe that there is no guarantee that perceptual errors are shared among all individuals in a society, we argue that the latter moral principle may play a more important role in human interactions.

Biological Evolution↗
PubMed2006

In search of evidence: a small scale study exploring how student nurses accessed information for a health needs assignment.

To help students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to provide evidence-based practice in nursing, a health needs analysis assignment is incorporated within a pre-registration nursing programme. As student nurses have reported difficulties in accessing and utilising some of the information needed for this assigned task, the aim of the study was to explore their experiences of undertaking this assignment. Using a qualitative methodology data was collected from focus groups and categorised under three main themes: the challenge of evidence gathering; the nature of the support students needed and understanding the importance of evidence for practice. This paper illustrates that although accessing and utilising material was demanding and required more guidance, the biggest challenge lay in making judgements about it and there was a clear indication of the need for further support in developing their critical and evaluative skills. The quality of debate within the focus groups also led the research team to question whether educationalists are making the most of capitalising on the rich learning gained from students sharing their experiences of undertaking assignments.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2006

Facilitating undergraduate nurses clinical practicum: the lived experience of clinical facilitators.

Clinical practicum experience for undergraduate nurses remains undisputed as an essential component of any program. Exposure to the reality of professional practice and its integration of explicit, with tacit knowledge, is invaluable in producing skilled clinicians. Currently there are many issues that have arisen regarding clinical practice education for undergraduate nurses in Australia including; ongoing financial support and resourcing of clinical placements. Developing an understanding of these issues is central to the provision of quality clinical education. The aim of this study is to reveal dimensions of the lived experience of being a clinical facilitator, a popular model of nursing clinical education, to come to an understanding of how facilitation actually takes place in the clinical environment. The Hermeneutic phenomenological approach used in this study has brought to light five essential themes that elucidate the phenomena of facilitation. Those themes have been identified as; knowing your own limitations, employing the notion of stepping in or stepping back, developing alliances, acknowledging the reciprocity of the learning experience, and identifying appropriate clinical buddies. The recommendations from this study will have an impact on current issues and will inturn, influence the quality of clinical education for all stakeholders.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Helping student nurses to identify and respond to the psychological needs of physically ill patients: implications for curriculum design.

It is universally accepted that nursing practice is predicated upon the notion of holistic care, in that nurses need to address not only the physical needs of ill patients but also their psychological, social, spiritual, and environmental needs. However, there is considerable evidence to suggest that nurses often inadequately identify and respond to patients' psychological needs, sometimes with adverse consequences for physical health and recovery. This may be because they do not fully understand the concept of psychological care, or have been inadequately prepared or educated to deliver it in practice. Following a summary of relevant literature and an overview of findings from a larger study of the nature and experience of psychological caregiving, this paper discusses specific findings on preparing nurses for their psychological caregiving role. The paper proposes a curriculum framework designed to enhance awareness, knowledge, and skill in effective psychological caregiving in nursing practice, to the ultimate benefit of physically ill patients. For the purposes of this paper, psychological care is taken to mean one element of the broader concept of care, rather than being synonymous with it.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2006

Problem based learning in midwifery - the teachers perspective.

BACKGROUND: Problem- or evidence-based learning (PBL or EBL) has become more widely used in the education of health professionals. Although there has been research exploring its effectiveness and the student's perspective, there has been little research exploring the perceptions of the teacher. The objective of this study was to investigate the experiences of teachers facilitating a problem based learning curriculum in midwifery. The study took place at Thames Valley University, which has implemented this approach across the entire curriculum. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were undertaken following random selection from two groups of teachers; those more experienced as teachers and those who had entered teaching more recently. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION: Aspects of the teacher's role identified included questioning students to draw out their knowledge and understanding and to help students challenge each other, discuss and evaluate their learning. Strategies used varied depending on the stage of the programme. Difficulties encountered were mostly in relation to facilitating groups of differing backgrounds and ability and seeking to enable the students to work well together. Key challenges for teachers were in relation to developing facilitation skills, balancing input or guidance with facilitating independent learning. CONCLUSIONS: Problem based learning was perceived to be beneficial in helping students relate theory to practice and in encouraging an active and enquiring approach to evidence, but teachers raised important questions about its practice. Tensions were identified between the constructivist theories on which the model of PBL rests and the formal requirements of an externally regulated professional curriculum.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2006

Humor as a facilitative style in problem-based learning environments for nursing students.

Although the nursing and education literature confirm that humor has a role to play in the learning experience, there is little evidence available about the impact and the challenges of using humor to facilitate group process and learning in problem-based learning environments for nursing students. In this paper, we explore humor as a style of communication in PBL environments using examples from the classroom. We then propose a range of strategies to build capacity in PBL tutors and to infuse humor into the PBL classroom such as: acceptance that fun and humor are components of the ground rules in the group; appropriate humor and boundaries; mutual story sharing; and creative activities to moderate stress and build coping strategies to thrive in clinical practice. It is timely for nurse academics and researchers to examine the contribution of humor as a facilitative communication style in the PBL environment. Findings could inform evidence-based teaching of nursing students and foster life-long learning and communication skills.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2006

Chronic pain couples: perceived marital interactions and pain behaviours.

Patient adjustment to chronic pain is well known to be influenced by the spouse and his or her response to patient expressions of pain. However, these responses do not occur in a vacuum, and the aim of the present study was to investigate patient-spouse interactions in chronic pain in detail. Ninety-five patient-spouse dyads completed questionnaires relating to mood, marital satisfaction and communication, and 80 couples also took part in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Results showed that spouses of chronic pain patients reported engaging in a far wider repertoire of responses to pain behaviours than has been recognised to date. New response categories of 'hostile-solicitous' and 'observe only' were identified. Patients generally interpreted solicitous responses less favourably than spouse responses which encouraged task persistence. Male spouses identified fewer pain-related situations than female spouses but were more likely to report responding solicitously to patient pain behaviours. Marital satisfaction was significantly higher in patients who rated themselves as talking more frequently about their pain. Spouse perceived frequency of pain talk was not related to spouse marital satisfaction. There were no gender differences in marital satisfaction. The results of this study challenge some of the assumptions that have been held regarding chronic pain patient-spouse interactions.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2005

Lesbian families and family functioning: an overview.

OBJECTIVES: In the last 30 years a growing body of studies on lesbian parents and the development of children has been published. METHODS: Four computerized databases were identified studies for inclusion in this review of research on lesbian families, namely PsychInfo, Educational Resources Information Centre (ERIC), Medline, and the Social Sciences Citation Index. RESULTS: Forty-four empirical studies on lesbian families published between 1978 and 2003 were reviewed. In the research on lesbian families two phases were identified. To begin with, systematic studies on lesbian families focused on lesbian families with children who were born in a previous heterosexual relationship. More recently, studies included lesbian families whose children were born to the lesbian couple (planned lesbian families). In both phases, articles reporting results on children's development (such as sexual identity, emotional/behavioral development, social relationships and cognitive functioning), and parental functioning (such as mental psychological health and parenting skills). This paper presents and discusses major finding of the reviewed articles. CONCLUSION: Studies in both phases have emphasized that lesbian and heterosexual families are very much alike. However, it is the stigma of lesbianism that makes the family situation of lesbian families different. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Healthcare workers should be informed about the similarities and differences between lesbian families and heterosexual families, and about the non-traditional family situation of planned lesbian families.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2006

Using linguistic analysis to explore medicine counter assistants' communication during consultations for nonprescription medicines.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to undertake linguistic analysis of consultations between medicine counter assistants (MCAs) and customers for the supply of nonprescription medicines. METHODS: The linguistic corpus comprised 168 recorded and transcribed consultations. Utterances were tagged as information eliciting, information or advice giving and other. The analysis focused on triads, beginning and ending with an MCA utterance (MCA(1)-->customer's response-->MCA(2)). The use of the mnemonic, WWHAM (Who for, What symptoms, How long, Any medicine tried, other Medication taken) was also analysed. RESULTS: A total of 505 triads were identified. Of the 773 utterances, 61% were information eliciting, 13% were information giving, 14% were advice giving and 11% were "other" or unclassifiable. No consultation involved WWHAM in its entirety. CONCLUSION: MCAs do not appear to have been made sufficiently aware of the ways in which their exchanges with customers during consultations for nonprescription medicines are crucially different from natural conversation. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: In order to help customers decide upon an appropriate nonprescription medicine, the MCA has the role of both informing and advising. Training should focus on informing and advising as distinct functions, and the potential problems caused by combining them.

Communication↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The lactation consult: problem solving, teaching, and support for the breastfeeding family.

Requests from parents for lactation support have increased significantly in primary care settings. Pediatric nurse practitioners with the ability to assess the newborn as well as the breastfeeding couple are a valuable asset. This article seeks to identify early predictors of breastfeeding problems and how to perform a lactation consultation to address these concerns. Good infant weight gain and maternal comfort while nursing are described as key evaluation criteria when assessing the nursing couple. The importance of achieving a good latch at the breast is stressed. A step-by-step guide to both the lactation consultation and common latch-on techniques are reviewed.

Breast Feeding↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Parents sharing information with their children about genetic conditions.

INTRODUCTION: Nurses are in an ideal situation to help families share information with their children about genetic conditions. While many factors contribute to this decision making, little is known about how parents decide when and how to convey this information to their children. The purpose of this qualitative analysis was to examine parents' beliefs and strategies related to sharing information about a genetic condition with their affected and unaffected children. METHOD: One hundred thirty-nine parents participated in this study. Narrative analysis and fundamental qualitative description were employed to identify approaches and strategies that parents used to share information with their children. RESULTS: Parents' information sharing approaches and strategies were grounded in the goal of promoting the child's adaptation to the genetic condition. Parents shared information based on their assessment of the child's developmental readiness and interest and described information sharing as an unfolding process that continued throughout childhood. DISCUSSION: The approaches and strategies contribute to understanding the processes associated with information sharing between parents and their children and between health care professionals and parents.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Medicaid outpatient utilization for waterborne pathogenic illness following Hurricane Floyd.

OBJECTIVES: Flooding provides an opportunity for epidemics of waterborne viral, protozoan, or bacterial diseases to develop in affected areas. Epidemic levels of disease may translate into higher than average levels of health services use, depending in part on help-seeking behaviors. The authors investigated whether the flooding that occurred as a result of Hurricane Floyd in September 1999 was associated with an increase in outpatient visits for waterborne diseases among Medicaid enrollees in eastern North Carolina. METHODS: Using a difference-in-differences estimation technique, the authors examined the change in outpatient visits by North Carolina Medicaid enrollees for selected waterborne diseases following the hurricane. The study focused on counties with high concentrations of hog farming that were mildly/moderately or severely affected by the hurricane, using unaffected counties and the year before the hurricane as controls. RESULTS: Small increases in Medicaid-covered outpatient visits were found in severely affected counties for two of the six pathogens selected for analysis, relative to unaffected counties. Larger increases in visits were found for nonspecific intestinal infections in both severely and moderately affected counties following the hurricane, relative to unaffected counties. CONCLUSIONS: The large increase in visits for ill-defined intestinal infection is noteworthy. The relative lack of increase in visits with specific pathogenic diagnoses may be attributable, at least in part, to a number of factors, including incomplete diagnostic information provided by treating clinicians, low treatment-seeking behavior, and use of non-Medicaid-funded emergency services.

Adenoviridae Infections↗
PubMed2005

Religion and survival in a secular region. A twenty year follow-up of 734 Danish adults born in 1914.

The aim of the study was to analyse associations of religiosity and mortality in a secular region. The sample consisted of 734 Danish, community dwelling elderly persons, living in a secular culture, and all aged 70 when primary data were collected. Secondary data consisted of a 20 year follow-up on vital status or exact age of death. The study was designed to be highly comparable to studies conducted in more religious environments in order to compare results. Three variables of religion were investigated in relation to survival: importance of affiliation, church attendance and listening to religious media. Relative hazards (RH) of dying were controlled in models including gender, education, medical and mental health, social relations, help given and received, and health behaviour. The results showed significant and positive associations between claiming religious affiliation important and survival (relative hazard of dying=RH .70; 95% CI .58-.85) and church attendance and survival (RH .73; 95% CI .64-.87). Results decreased and only stayed significant regarding church attendance when controlled for covariates. Nearly all significant effects were seen in women, but not in men. The effect size of the full sample is less than in more religious environments in United States samples. Although the positive overall RHs are comparable to those of other studies, the mediating variables and pathways of effects seem dissimilar in this sample from a secular environment. Receiving and especially giving help to others are suggested as variables of explanatory value.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Parental treatment decision making in pediatric oncology.

OBJECTIVE: To review progress and future plans for a research program about parents' making treatment decisions for their children with cancer. DATA SOURCES: Theoretical papers, review articles, and research reports. CONCLUSION: Three important questions need to be addressed to achieve the goal of supporting parents in treatment decision making: 1) Whatfactors predict a parent's preferred role iln decision making? 2) What are the critical outcomes from parental decision making that nurses could help to improve? 3) Is it role choice, actual role assumed, or congruence between preferred and actual role in decision making that predicts decision outcomes for the parents? IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Research-based responses to the remaining questions about parent treatment decision making will help nurses develop and test interventions designed to support parents in their decision making experiences.

Attitude to Health↗