bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Viruses of grapevine in Syria
Authors: Mslmanieh T. , Digiaro M. , Elbeaino T. , Boscia D. , Martelli G. P.
Published: December 2006

Surveys for virus and virus‐like diseases were carried out in commercial vineyards and nurseries in seven different Syrian provinces (Aleppo, Dara’a, As Suwayda, Al Qunaytirah, Homs, Hamah, Tartous). Samples were collected at random from 835 individual vines (735 Vitis vinifera and 100 rootstock accessions) for laboratory testing. Grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV), Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV), and Grapevine virus A (GVA) were the only viruses recovered by mechanical transmission to herbaceous hosts. Vein necrosis developed in c. 53% of graft‐inoculated 110R indicators and vein mosaic in V. riparia inoculated with material from cv. Corna Alegra. A total of 71% of the ELISA‐tested V. vinifera plants (522 out of 735) were infected by one (14.8%) or more (55.8%) viruses. GVA was the most widespread (54.7%), followed by Grapevine leafroll‐associated virus 1 (GLRaV‐1, 47.3%), Grapevine fleck virus (GFkV, 29.7%), and Grapevine leafroll‐associated virus 3 (GLRaV‐3, 23.9%). Other economically relevant viruses were scarcer, i.e. Grapevine leafroll‐associated virus 2 (GLRaV‐2, 9%), GFLV (0.8%) and ArMV (0.1%). The most important Syrian grapevine varieties, i.e. Hellwany, Salty, Balady, and Zeiny, had average infection rates that ranged between 44% and 91%. The highest incidence of infections was observed at Damascus (90%), whereas it ranged between 68% and 79% in the other provinces, except for Hama (36%). Rootstocks were in much better sanitary condition (25% infection). GFkV (22%) was the most common virus, whilst the presence of GLRaV‐3 (3%), GLRaV‐1, and GFLV (1%) was negligible. Grapevine rupestris stem pitting associated virus (GRSPaV) was detected in 72.3% of the samples by RT‐PCR. A high percentage of the GRSPaV‐positive vines (80%) induced vein necrosis reactions in 110R, thus confirming the recently established correlation between this virus and vein necrosis.
A fresh look at psychology in nursing
Authors: Crow Rosemary A.
Published: December 2006

A conceptual framework for clinical nursing practice is outlined and then used to identify the contribution of psychology to the scientific basis of nursing care. The psychological concepts of perception and motor skills, the processes involved in understanding, motivation, social interaction and interpersonal relationships, and learning, are discussed in terms of their structure and function. A distinction is drawn between knowledge that provides a basis for understanding psychological processes and skills developed to provide care. This is to focus on the wide contribution psychology can make once one looks beyond the notion that psychology is simply concerned with what a lay person calls ‘psychological’ problems.
Educational technology… a movement for change: the future of educational technology in British nurse education?
Authors: Marson Sheila N. , Townsend Lan
Published: December 2006

A short introduction summarizes the global development of, and current trends in, educational technology in general and higher education. The main body of the text details parallel developments in nurse education and outlines a strategy for spreading its benefits more widely in the UK. The following points are discussed: (1) The present ‘state of the art’ in nurse training schools, in particular the trend towards the individualizing of instruction by such means as programmed learning, audio‐visual training packages and Learning Resources Centres, (2) The need to sustain such innovatory efforts, and possible reasons for failure, (3) Current involvement of statutory nursing bodies in developments in educational technology in the UK, (4) Work of the National Health Service Learning Resources Unit in changing attitudes towards, and furthering development of, educational technology, (5) Policies for future developments which include the establishment of Learning Resources Centres, for use by learners in nursing colleges and nursing service areas, and Media Resources Centres, for the production of learning resource materials, the in‐service training and support of nurse teachers engaged in developing such materials, and (6) The changing role of the nurse teacher in a resource based system.
A charter for caring
Authors: McFarlane Jean K.
Published: December 2006

The Charter of the Royal College of Nursing commits its membership ‘to promote the science and art of nursing’. Nursing is essentially synonymous with caring. The caring role is central to nursing but shared with patients themselves, their relatives and with other health professions. It consists of acts of helping and assisting with daily living activities which may be simple or complex. Giving help may involve not only acting for or doing something for another but guiding, supporting, teaching and providing the right environment for another. The art of helping is built on a scientific basis. Knowledge of underlying scientific principles is needed as a basis of judgement for nursing action. The implications of this view of the primary role of the nurse for education, efficiency and specialization in nursing are reviewed.
The practicum‐a learning experience in integration and change*
Authors: Bergman Rebecca , Grief Lea , Ozer Shoshana
Published: December 2006

This paper has endeavoured to describe a longitudinal learning experience required in the post‐basic baccalaureate nursing programme at Tel‐Aviv University, Israel. It grew out of the need to help students internalize and integrate studies, apply theory in practice and to function as change agents. An evaluation of the programme as perceived by students and graduates brought to light problems and suggestions for improvement and to a large degree confirmed the value of this programme.
Experience of dependency and control in work: the case of nurses
Authors: Davies Celia
Published: December 2006

This paper reviews the development of nursing in Britain in the light of an assumption that professional groups will seek to gain autonomy and control over others. Such an assumption is familiar to sociologists who tend also to argue that autonomy and control are gained via the creation of dependency. It is shown here that nurses have pursued a different occupational strategy, elements of which include subordination to doctors, acceptance of a wide range of tasks, and, in particular, routinization of their work. A range of reasons, both historical and contemporary, are suggested for this. Although not necessarily recognized in the form described here, the strategy of nursing is a coherent solution to a particular set of circumstances and eventualities.
What do dermatology patients believe?
Authors: Burton J. L , Thompson Lorna
Published: December 2006

A study of 151 new outpatients attending a dermatology clinic in Bristol, England, has been performed to determine what patients with skin disease believe and are told about their condition. The factor most commonly blamed as a causative agent by the patients was worry or emotional upset. Forty‐one percent of the patients had used self‐medication before going to their general practitioner (GP). Forty‐five percent of patients had attended their GP on 4 or more occasions before their referral to hospital. Forty‐one percent felt the GP's treatment had either done no good or made things worse, and 13% had experienced some side‐effects from treatment. Forty‐two percent of patients had been given a diagnosis by their GP but only 16% had been told whether the condition was contagious. Eighteen patients believed they had a contagious disease, but this was subsequently confirmed by the hospital doctor in only 6 cases. Six patients had a skin cancer, but none of them appeared to suspect this diagnosis.
An appraisal of the concepts of infant feeding and their application in practice
Authors: Maclean Gaynor D.
Published: December 2006

This paper outlines a survey which was carried out in the Swansea District of the West Glamorgan Area Health Authority. Midwives and health visitors working in hospitals and the community were asked to participate. The former since the survey was instigated by the midwifery division and the latter because of their close involvement and cooperation in offering advice regarding infant feeding.

Other media communicating information on this topic were not disregarded but specific advice given by these particular professional personnel was analysed in detail.

It was hoped that by looking at the content of such advice, if it differed widely, certain important criteria could be decided upon. This would only be possible by arriving at a consensus of opinion on certain issues and investigating principles or reliable experience from which such advice apparently originated.

The survey enabled a detailed examination of the prevailing conditions within a limited geographical area. Recommendations followed as a result of the investigation and enabled further decisions to be made to clarify the situation.
Sex discrimination in nursing in Israel: male or female lib?
Authors: Bergman Rebecca
Published: December 2006

It is frequently stated that the status and working conditions of nurses are low because nursing is a female profession dominated by male physicians. This paper contends that the current situation is primarily the result of the nursing education and service systems which discourage independent thinking and initiative.

In Israel, men constitute less than 10% of the nursing manpower pool, but the percent is slowly increasing. The percentage of male applicants admitted to schools of nursing is lower than that of women. However, after graduation the men have greater work retention and achieve higher positions than their female colleagues.

Nursing requires more and better candidates. Academization of nursing could, it is believed, attract both male and female applicants of stature. Graduates of such programmes should be qualified to raise the status, material and other rewards for nursing.
Sources of variation in the pressure of work index in thirty hospital wards
Authors: Moores B. , Moult A.
Published: December 2006

The daytime work load, as estimated by a nurse/patient dependency scheme, is contrasted with the hours of nursing made available in thirty different wards in three hospitals over a 3‐month period. When these two sets of figures are compared it is clear that considerable disparities exist between what might be labelled as the supply of and demand for nursing care. In order to identify the source of the variability in the ratio of these two measures the data were subjected to an analysis of variance. This revealed that in two of die three hospitals most of the explained variability arose from difficulties experienced in meeting week by week fluctuations whereas in the third hospital most was attributable to difference between days of the week.
A project for the development of credit examinations for assessing point of entry for diploma graduates into a baccalaureate nursing programme*
Authors: Parker Nora I. , Wain Olev
Published: December 2006

An important consideration in providing opportunities for graduates of one type of nursing programme to move to another type is how provisions to assess and recognize previous educational experience can be made. If the different educational institutions reflect different educational goals then the concept of ‘blanket credit’ is suspect. On the other hand, although tests of ability and/or achievement have long been used as the basis for decisions as to student placement in educational curricula, lack of valid and reliable test instruments has been identified as an important factor preventing schools from providing advanced standing. In schools which do have some type of credit by examination procedure, teacher‐made tests are highest in frequency of use.

The purpose of the project described in this article is to develop reliable and valid methods of determining the extent to which applicants with diploma nursing education have mastered the competencies which would enable them to receive credit for one or more years in the nursing subjects of a four year baccalaureate programme. The credit examinations to be developed will be based on certain assumptions regarding differences in baccalaureate and diploma nursing education and vill, in essence, be criterion referenced tests.
The moral leadership of the nursing profession★
Authors: Jacobi Eileen M.
Published: December 2006

As the largest group of professional workers in the health care field, nurses possess the numbers to command a key role among health professionals. It is, however, apparent that nurses must assume a more visible and vital leadership role in the delivery of health care if nursing is to remain a viable profession. Nursing's immediate goal must be to unite forces in an effort to bring about greater involvement of nurses in planning, delivering and assuming accountability for the nursing component of health services at all levels. The ease with which the profession is able to accomplish this goal is dependent upon the ability of nursing's leadership to evoke a sense of harmony and balance within the profession, while creating a dynamic image of nursing among other health professionals and the public.

Today, there is a need for strong moral leadership in the nursing profession. In ‘moral leadership’ the power of the leader is used to work with the group as a whole, while guiding individual members towards satisfaction and self‐fulfilment. A critical evaluation of the profession's leadership capabilities should begin with definitions of the role and responsibility of nurses for leadership in the professional association. By its very nature, the professional association stands as the leadership mechanism of the profession and, by working through the association, nursing leadership can unify nursing forces, implement plans aimed at involving more nurses in health planning activities, and facilitate the involvement of individual nurses in determining the conditions of employment under which they practise.
The use of non‐ionic detergents in sanitary cleansing: a report of a preliminary trial
Authors: Willington F. L.
Published: December 2006

A preliminary trial was carried out to establish the most suitable hygienic wipe for sanitary cleansing in incontinence and to study and compare the difference between cleansing with soap and non‐ionic detergents in incontinent patients. Four non‐ionic detergents were tested against National Health toilet soap in 290 incontinent episodes. Other observations were made on the skin condition following cleansing, the ease of cleansing, odour control, detergency, and allergenicity.

The results showed that a scrim wipe was the best for this purpose and also indicated that the non‐ionic detergent Cetomacrogol 1000 B.P.C. to be preferential to all other creams and soap in the time taken for cleansing. The skin condition, odour control and detergent ability were all superior with this cream. It was revealed by the trial that in cleansing faecal incontinence with non‐ionic detergent, an initial wipe, followed by about 7‐0 grams of detergent on a moistened wipe to achieve emulsification and then followed by another dry wipe, is all that is required. The condition of the skin was recorded as excellent and the figures indicated a possible saving of 20% in nursing time.
Bedside blues: the impact of social research on the hospital treatment of sick children
Authors: Hall David J.
Published: December 2006

The development of changes in the treatment of the welfare of children in hospital has a long history and some resistances are still to be found to unrestricted parental visiting and the introduction of play facilities. This paper surveys the contribution of social research to the care of children and argues against the uncritical adoption of‘rule of thumb’procedures. Instead, a closer cooperation between research and practice is proposed to help overcome the problems of implementing change in hospitals.
Nursing: the European Economic Community dimension*
Authors: Quinn Sheila M.
Published: December 2006

This paper is based on the Nursing Lecture 1977, delivered on the occasion of the Annual General Meeting of the Royal College of Nursing in London on November 23, 1977.

The author traces the history and discusses the implications of the EEC Nursing Directives, put into the perspective of the nursing histories of the nine countries within the European Economic Community.

She focuses, in particular, on the strengths of the nursing profession in the United Kingdom and argues that the Nursing Directives can lead to enhancement of nursing services and nursing education, better cooperation between health care professions and a stronger voice for the nursing profession, throughout the EEC.
The relevance of a philosophical perspective on education
Authors: Sheahan John
Published: December 2006

The relevance of philosophy to education is discussed from three aspects. The first concerns the nature of philosophy; the second concerns the nature of education; and the third concerns the nature of the curriculum. These aspects are then followed by an example from the practice of education. The paper ends by outlining some criticisms and conclusions about the relevance of philosophy to education.
Prenatal testing for birth defects and nursing Practice
Authors: Davies Barbara L , Boniface Wendy J.
Published: December 2006

Recent advances in the prenatal diagnosis of birth defects including amniocentesis, ultrasound and fetoscopy are discussed. Indications, technical considerations and limitations are presented. Parental reactions to the stresses encountered during the process of prenatal diagnosis are related. Implications are identified for nursing care practice in different clinical settings including prenatal diagnostic units, paediatric Services, obstetrical services and in the community.
Measuring life satisfaction in an elderly female population
Authors: Luker Karen A.
Published: December 2006

The study described in this paper was undertaken as part of the pilot work for a main study, which attempts to evaluate the effectiveness of health visitor intervention on an elderly female population in Scotland. The Life Satisfaction Index A (Neugarten et al. 1961) was modified by the researcher and tested on a female Scottish population and is subsequently being used as one of three outcome measures of health visitor intervention.
An exploration of a patient‐centred nursing approach in the admission of selected surgical patients: a replicated study
Authors: Wong Julia
Published: December 2006

It is well recognized that admission to hospital is a stressful experience for patients, and little attention is directed towards helping patients to adapt to hospitalization. This paper reports the replication of a descriptive study which explored the patient's welfare after the use of a patient‐centred nursing approach designed to alleviate stress on admission to hospital. It also attempts to determine the patient's perception of the nurse during the implementation of the admission procedure, and his general reactions toward the admission procedure.
Commitment to Nursing*
Authors: Altschul Annie T.
Published: December 2006

After a discussion of models of nursing, the author focuses on what nurses are and argues that their perceptions are significantly different from those of medical practitioners.

The commitment of nurses is discussed, debated and explored and some values shared between newly qualified nurses and the lay public.

Commitment is put into the perspective of ‘accountability’ and its effects on assessing quality of care and nurse‐patient relationships are discussed.

The author also argues that in certain circumstances she would contemplate defecting from ‘being a nurse’, particularly with regards to her personal concern for the mentally disordered. But the message that pervades the paper is that once one is a nurse, one is a nurse forever.

Finally researchers are admonished to strive for ‘an elucidation of the nature of commitment’.
The relationship between the level of nurse staffing and the patterns of patient care and staff activity
Authors: Moores Brian , Moult Anne
Published: December 2006

Data relating to patterns of nursing activity and all the interactions occurring between patients and nursing staff were obtained during observation periods of 1 week's duration on a total of 20 wards in three hospitals. When analysed these data reveal that in all wards there is a strong relationship between the nursing hours available and the various components of the nursing care provided. Indeed the linear relationship is so strong in some cases that it appears that these wards are a long way short of the staffing levels which produced the ‘saturation’ effect described by several American authors. The analysis of the interactions reveals, as one would suspect, that a disproportionate number of patients account for a large proportion of the interactions, but two further analyses will, it is hoped, shed a little more light on this aspect of the ward situation. The data are being subject to further examination to ascertain whether extra nursing staff leads to more or longer interactions and a longer term investigation is under way which is focused on patients with comparable diagnoses in different hospitals.
The rights and responsibilities of nurses and patients
Authors: Chapman Christine M.
Published: December 2006

The demand for ‘rights’ in all areas of society is overwhelming. Few consider that such rights also impose duties. This is true for both nurses and patients and if not acknowledged may result in conflict. The use of a social exchange model is considered as a pattern for this type of nurse‐patient interaction. The development of this model by social anthropologists and sociologists appears particularly relevant indicating not only the economic aspects of exchange but also its symbolic role.
Theory development and Its relevance for nursing
Authors: Craig Susan L
Published: December 2006

If the nursing profession is to continue to make advancements, it must envision new ways of perceiving the phenomena peculiar to nursing and must propose meaningful explanations for these perceptions. The approaches to nursing theory development are spread out over a theory practice continuum, ranging from Martha Roger's pure scientific approach to Dickoff and James’ practice approach. The very existence of this continuum signifies nursing's problem in deciphering the nature of the relationship between nursing theory and nursing practice. While the development of nursing theory is essential to the establishment of a theoretical body of knowledge unique to nursing as a science, this must not be its only function. Theory development must be integrated with nursing practice if the profession is to survive and grow.
Some aspects of the teaching and learning of nursing
Authors: Sheahan John
Published: December 2006

The argument on which this paper is based is that the activities of teaching and learning nursing draw on a number of disciplines and fields of knowledge. To support this argument, elements in the process of teaching and learning in nursing are set out and each one is analysed and discussed. The elements so analysed are later put together to give a synthesis of the intended outcomes of the process of nursing education. The paper is supported with an extensive bibliography.
The learning resources movement: its relationship to nurse education
Authors: Townsend Ian
Published: December 2006

The learning resources movement and nurse education

This paper addresses the place, position and potential of what is characterized as the ‘Learning Resources Movement’ in nurse education. It is based on experiences drawn from 10 yean viewing resource use in general and nursing education, and, more recently, on observations arising from a research project looking at the growth within the school of nursing, of organizational structures for their development. It claims that the true potential of the movement has nowhere been fully realized. It sees the present position as indeterminate and misconceived. It claims that further development of such resources as are and will be available is intricately tied up with the professional development of nursing in a ‘chicken‐and‐egg’ situation. It argues that the stage has now been reached where the successful development of the one cannot proceed without the successful development of the other. Drawing on a fairy‐tale analogy the paper views the Learning Resources Movement as a powerful tool for seeing through the shining surfaces of what to many are new curricular clothes and dealing with the basic truths of the situation underneath.
Whooping cough vaccination: some reasons for non‐completion
Authors: Clarke Susan J.
Published: December 2006

The decline in the number of children nationally being vaccinated against pertussis has caused anxiety and concern, both for parents and for professional workers. Publicity by the media and professional press has added to the confusion, and has been largely held responsible for the present situation. A survey was undertaken to analyse the factors which may have been responsible for the reduction in the number of children coming forward for pertussis vaccination in Leicestershire. These factors included social class, the position of the child within the family, and the reasons given by families for omission of the vaccine. Observations on the computerized record of immunization and vaccination, and the family's own record of the dates of immunization were made. The results of the survey present a more complicated picture than expected, with the consequence that solutions are difficult to find.
Ward orientation training with psychogeriatric patients
Authors: Gilleard C. , Mitchell R.G. , Riordan J.
Published: December 2006

The effects of signposts and a ward orientation training programme has been examined with six patients from a male psychogeriatric ward. The results indicate that improved ward orientation can be achieved in such patients, by the use of both signposts themselves and specific training involving the use of signposts. Implications for psychogeriatric rehabilitation nursing are discussed
The selection of students for health visitors training courses
Authors: Dellar C. J.
Published: December 2006

Fader (1976) stressed that, because of the very small number of students who actually failed training courses, selection procedures became very important in determining the final output of health visitors. In this paper a review of relevant research into their selection is made. Conclusions and recommendations are made as to how selection procedures might be improved.
Bridging the gap: liaison between nursing education and nursing service
Authors: Weatherston Lesley Ann
Published: December 2006

The integration of nursing education and nursing practice is a problem of both the British system and the North American system. Liaison between educators and service staff is often difficult. Between December 1977 and December 1978 informal observations were made at a London teaching hospital and three Scottish colleges of nursing, to determine how much liaison actually occurs between education and service. Some organizational literature gives pointers to ways education and service may be integrated. The British and North American systems are contrasted to highlight some of the differences and similarities of the systems. The integration of theory and practice is perceived as a cycle, effective nursing care leading to good learning experiences, and effective education leading to effective nursing care. The paper indicates areas for further study and approaches to solving the problems.
Nursing — the next 100 years*
Authors: Collins Sheila M.
Published: December 2006

This paper sets the scene for future patterns of nursing and nursing education and traces the ways in which the nursing profession has reached the present position It illustrates the development of nursing over the past 100 years, and examines the key influences which have affected, and are likely to continue to affect, nursing, namely: the Government, the Law and the State; wars and disasters; scientific and technological advances; and people. No attempt has been made to predict or to crystal‐gaze, yet the emphasis is firmly placed on the need to plan, to think and to recognize the trends that may determine the future of nursing. Research and education are seen as the tools that will enable nurses to adapt their function to the changing needs of society, whilst preserving the essential or central role of caring. The tapestry – the pattern or web of social relationships, that formed the professional nurse in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, and in the first and second World Wars – presents an unfinished canvas. The present generation of nurses are responsible for continuing to develop that tapestry for future decades, within the framework of the changing social scene of the present day.
Interactions of mothers with their newborns in the first half‐hour of life
Authors: Dunn Doris M. , White David G.
Published: December 2006

Eight first‐time and eight second‐time working class mothers were observed interacting with their newborn babies during the first half‐hour of life. In all cases the father was present for at least some of this period. The interactions were notable for their passivity, mothers looked for long periods at their babies and engaged in some finger‐tip touching of the babies face and head, but they engaged in very little exploration of the babies, few vocalizations and few expressive acts such as kissing. However, the presence of the father was associated with more intense mother‐newborn interaction. First‐time but not second‐time fathers tended to be excluded from interaction with either the mother or the baby at this time. These results are discussed in the light of current thinking on mother‐newborn bonding and the role of midwifery staff in promoting that bonding process.
The primary health care team: linked group discussion as a learning medium
Authors: Milne M. Ann
Published: December 2006

This paper describes the use of ‘free group discussion’ hnked to patient management questionnaires as a method of improving learning in roles by students of the professions who comprise the primary health care team, i.e. general practitioner, health visitor, social worker, district nurse. It demonstrates that the students who were involved in group discussion gave a higher level of response and were more specific in their actions than students who did not participate in discussion but who were otherwise subjected to the same experience. Although there were no significant differences which may indicate changes in behaviour, this paper also highlights the difficulty of measuring learning.
Seating arrangement as a predictor of small group interaction
Authors: Lobb Maureen O'Hagan
Published: December 2006

Nursing, if it is truly to consider itself a science, must be research‐based. This paper demonstrates how Steinzor's work on predicting patterns of small group interaction may be applied to the clinical setting. Steinzor hypothesized that seating arrangements help determine patterns of interaction. Many authors have since added to this hypothesis and their contributions are acknowledged and incorporated into this application study. This study's setting involved two nurses co‐leading a counseling group for physically handicapped adults. Findings not only supported Steinzor's work but also point to the need for more studies whose findings may he applied and tested in the practice setting.
Nursing decision making in critical care areas
Authors: Baumann Andrea , Bourbonnais Frances
Published: December 2006

This exploratory study sought to identify factors that critical care nurses consider relevant in making rapid patient care decisions; to explore the decision making of these nurses in crisis situations; and to identify critical patient care situations where rapid nursing decisions are made. The convenience sample consisted of 50 nurses in critical care settings. A semi‐structured interview with a critical care case study was utilized to examine the nurses' decision making. Open ended responses were transformed into fixed categories for tabulation. The findings suggested that:

 knowledge and experience were the most important factors influencing rapid decision making;

 although the nurses identified the appropriate decisions in a given crisis situation they had difficulty providing a theoretical rationale for their decisions;

 the given case study and the 50 crisis situations identified by the subjects indicated that many nursing decisions for critically ill patients were carried out prior to physician assistance. A demographic data questionnaire that examined age, nursing experience, formal education and continuing education of the subjects determined that the majority of the nurses were under 30 years old, had either less than 1 year of experience or 7‐9 years in critical care, were graduates of a 2‐year diploma programme, and took continuing education courses at the community college level.
Learning to nurse: the family as the unit of care*
Authors: Jerrett Mary D. , Ross Margaret M.
Published: December 2006

How can we prepare nurses who will have as their focus of practice, the health of the family unit? This paper describes the learning outcomes which were generated from a short term experience in a curriculum where the major thrust is learning to nurse families in a health promoting way. Students were provided with experience with families who were undergoing an important family event, e.g., coping with the short term hospitalization of a child. An exploration and analysis of these experiences revealed for students the content of nursing families who are in the process of dealing with this particular event of family living. This content related to the acquisition of nursing skills of an interpersonal, technical and decision‐making nature as well as the development of knowledge which provides the basis for nursing the family as the unit of care.
A description of participant observation of clinical teaching
Authors: Robertson Catherine M.
Published: December 2006

As part of a study of clinical teaching in which I am currently engaged, it was necessary to try to discover what clinical teachers do, as opposed to what they say they do, or what other people think they ought to do. In order to obtain this information I arranged several periods of observation of a number of different clinical teachers. Prior to arranging these observations, which were carried out over a period of about 2 years, I carried out a literature search in order to discover what had been other people's experience in using this research method. In the following pages I have tried to describe the various types of observation that are commonly used, and to summarize the problems which have been discussed in the literature, illustrating and amplifying these points from my own experience.
Changes in patterns of care of the mentally handicapped: implications for nurses' perceptions of their roles and hospital decision making processes
Authors: Shaw Monica , Heyman Bob
Published: December 2006

This paper reports on the findings of a longitudinal study of a mental subnormality hospital in the North of England. The focus is upon how nurses have experienced a major change in care and treatment of residents from 1978 lo 1980. We explore, through the eyes of nurses, the change in their role from a predominantly nurturant/custodial one to a mainly educational/community orientated role.

The research findings demonstrate that this change has increased nurses' self‐esteem and their satisfaction with important areas of their work. There is some evidence also that nurses/resident relationships have improved in spite of reservations felt about new forms of treatment and community care.

We suggest that such reservations may be linked to critical views expressed by nurses, particularly sisters and charge nurses, that decisions were taken about residents by other more senior personnel who had little contact with residents. One important conclusion of this study is that the traditional processes of decision making in the hospital appears to impede the full implementation of a major change which requires nurses to be involved in a potentially threatening process of altering their perceptions of themselves and residents.
Frontiers of nursing in the 21st century: development of models and theories on the concept of nursing
Authors: Adam Evelyn
Published: December 2006

In the past nursing has used a medically oriented perspective; consciously or not, nursing practice, education and research have been guided by the same conceptual frame of reference as has medicine. For nursing to justify its claim to being an independent health profession offering a particular service to society, it must adopt its own conceptual base, one that indicates those phenomena that are of concern to nursing and those health problems that nursing must try to solve. Many nurses have already chosen to base their teaching, research and nursing care on one of the existing conceptual models for nursing. The challenge for the 21st century is that all nurses adopt an explicit conceptual base. Broader than a theory, a conceptual model specifies nursing's focus of inquiry and may thus lead to the development of theories which will prove useful not only to nurses but to other health professionals as well. Since nursing exists to provide a necessary service to mankind, its conceptual base must be evaluated by using specific social criteria.
Coping strategies for managing the ineffective subordinate in nursing administration
Authors: Schniederjans Marc J. , Stoeberi Philipp A.
Published: December 2006

Ineffective subordinates exist in various degrees in every organization, whether it be the health‐care field or business. Nursing administration is no exception. This study examines the reasons why ineffective subordinates in nursing administration are retained by hospitals and the coping methods used by superiors in dealing with those subordinates. A questionnaire was used to identify both the reasons for retention and the coping methods used. Additionally, correlation analysis revealed that coping strategies are a function of the supervisor's age, his or her level of management, the perceived prevalence of the number of ineffective subordinates, organizational control of the hospital and various other hospital size factors.
Nursing science: more promise than threat
Authors: Jennings Bonnie Mowinski
Published: December 2006

This paper considers the issue of nursing science. Nursing, as an art, has long been accepted as integral to nursing. Nursing, as a science, however, is a more recent concept. Nursing science is viewed as a threat to the profession by its opponents, while the proponents of nursing science see it as a promise for advancement of the discipline. This paper examines the issue of nursing science by looking at its history and development, the definition of science, and five factors critical to the nursing science issue. The author concludes that nursing science is, in varying respects, both a threat and a promise. It is clear that the preponderance of evidence favours the promise nursing science holds for the profession of nursing. It is not a matter of choosing either art or science, but rather skillfully blending both for the betterment of nursing. Both art and science are necessary in nursing—neither, however, is sufficient.
Labile anion binding by roots of two plum clones
Authors: THERIOS IOANNIS N. , WEINBAUM STEVEN A.
Published: December 2006

The anion‐exchange capacities (AEC) of roots of intact plants of two plum clones [Marianna 2624 (Prunus cerasifera × P. munsoniana) and Myrobalan 3‐J (P. cerasifera)] were assessed with an anionic dye, eosin Y. The positively charged eosin‐specific adsorption sites were metabolically dependent and also affected by nutrient status. Myrobalan 3‐J roots adsorbed twice as much exchangeable NO3 as did Marianna 2624. Since we previously showed that net nitrate uptake by Myrobalan 3‐J persisted at half the ambient nitrate concentration as that characteristic of Marianna 2624, the data provide circumstantial support for a functional role of labile anion binding in active uptake at dilute concentrations of ambient nitrate.
Global patterns in seed size
Authors: Moles Angela T. , Ackerly David D. , Tweddle John C. , Dickie John B. , Smith Roger , Leishman Michelle R. , Mayfield Margaret M. , Pitman Andy , Wood Jeff T. , Westoby Mark
Published: December 2006

Aim To provide the first global quantification of the slope and shape of the latitudinal gradient in seed mass, and to determine whether global patterns in seed mass are best explained by growth form, vegetation type, seed dispersal syndrome, or net primary productivity (NPP).

Location Global.

Methods We collected seed mass data for 11,481 species × site combinations from around the world. We used regression to describe the latitudinal gradient in seed mass, then applied general linear models to quantify the relative explanatory power of each of the variables hypothesized to underlie the latitudinal gradient in seed size.

Results There is a 320‐fold decline in geometric mean seed mass between the equator and 60°. This decline is not linear. At the edge of the tropics, there is a sudden 7‐fold drop in mean seed mass. The strongest correlates of the latitudinal gradient in seed mass are plant growth form, and vegetation type, followed by dispersal syndrome and NPP. A model including growth form, vegetation type, dispersal syndrome and NPP explains 51% of the variation in seed mass. Latitude explains just 0.2% of the residual variation from this model.

Main conclusions This is the first demonstration of a major decrease in seed size at the edge of the tropics. This drop in seed mass is most closely correlated with changes in plant growth form and vegetation type. This suggests that the drop in seed mass might be part of a sudden change in plant strategy at the edge of the tropics.
Species richness, composition and abundance of fruit‐feeding butterflies in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest: comparison between a fragmented and a continuous landscape
Authors: Uehara‐Prado Marcio , Brown Keith Spalding , Freitas André Victor Lucci
Published: December 2006

Aim  To evaluate frugivorous butterflies as indicators of forest disturbance in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

Location  The study area is located in the municipality of Cotia, São Paulo State, south‐eastern Brazil (23°35′−23°50′ S, 46°45′−47°15′ W).

Methods  Sampling was done at four sites inside a large forest block, the Morro Grande State Reserve, and in five forest fragments in an adjacent fragmented landscape. Butterflies were sampled with portable traps, baited with a fermented mixture of banana and sugar cane juice. Sampling was carried out during the period most favourable for the capture of frugivorous butterflies in south‐eastern Brazil.

Results  All richness‐related results indicated no effect of forest fragmentation on the frugivorous butterfly guild, concurring with the suggestion of appreciable resistance of Atlantic Forest butterflies to habitat modification. However, species composition discriminated between the two landscapes, indicating that fragmentation may have effects beyond simple species richness. When species were analysed individually, clear patterns of distribution emerged, with some species that were very abundant in the fragmented landscape being practically absent in the continuous landscape, and vice versa. This pattern seems consistent even for some subfamilies.

Main conclusion  Our findings support the usefulness of the frugivorous butterfly guild as a biological indicator of forest disturbance effects in one of the world's most threatened ecosystems.
Environmental predictors of global parrot (Aves: Psittaciformes) species richness and phylogenetic diversity
Authors: Davies Richard G. , Orme C. David L. , Webster Andrea J. , Jones Kate E. , Blackburn Tim M. , Gaston Kevin J.
Published: December 2006

Aim  Spatial patterns of phylogenetic diversity (PD) aid our ability to discern diversification rate mechanisms underlying hypotheses for the large‐scale distribution of biodiversity. We develop a predictive framework for the way in which spatial patterns of PD vary with those of species richness, depending on the balance between speciation and extinction rates. Within this framework, diversification processes thought to underlie the productive energy, ambient energy, topographic variability and habitat variety hypotheses predict that gradients of increase in species richness will be associated with: (1) decreasing extinction rates where driven by productive energy, hence increasing relative PD (i.e. PD controlling for species richness, or PDrel); (2) a similar positive relationship between ambient energy and PDrel; (3) increasing speciation rates where driven by topographic variability, hence decreasing PDrel; and (4) no consistent relationship between PDrel and habitat variety when driven by the latter. We test these predictions using distributional data on parrots.

Location  Neotropical, Afrotropical, Indo‐Malayan and Australasian realms.

Methods  Spatial models were used to test the predictions.

Results  Globally, a positive association between productive energy and PDrel confirms prediction (1). However, within realms, hump‐shaped relationships suggest the importance of decreasing extinction rates up to a threshold level of productive energy, and the increasing importance of speciation rates thereafter. Ambient energy is positively associated with PDrel in Australasia, Indo‐Malaya, and globally, supporting prediction (2). However, this is driven by the coincidence of highest PDrel in areas of high ambient energy and intermediate productive energy (i.e. in seasonal tropical environments), which may be characterized by relatively low speciation and extinction rates. In the Neotropics, increasing topographic variability is associated with decreasing PDrel and increasing species richness, suggesting an increasing gradient of speciation, supporting prediction (3). Elsewhere, the signal of this mechanism may be obscured by collinearities with energy gradients. The lack of an overall relationship between habitat diversity and PDrel confirms prediction (4).

Main conclusions  Spatial patterns of PDrel in relation to environmental gradients may be sensitive to collinearities among those gradients. Nevertheless, patterns emerge which have implications for the relative importance of speciation and extinction processes in generating latitudinal diversity gradients.
Brain Free Fatty Acids, Edema, and Mortality in Gerbils Subjected to Transient, Bilateral Ischemia, and Effect of Barbiturate Anesthesia
Authors: Yoshida Shinichi , Inoh Satoshi , Asano Takao , Sano Keiji , Shimasaki Hiroyuki , Ueta Nobuo
Published: December 2006

Abstract: Brain free fatty acids (FFAs) and brain water content were measured in gerbils subjected to transient, bilateral cerebral ischemia under brief halothane anesthesia (nontreated group) and pentobarbital anesthesia (treated group). Mortality in the two groups was also evaluated. In nontreated animals, both saturated and mono‐ and polyunsaturated FFAs increased approximately 12‐fold in total at the end of a 30‐min period of ischemia; during recirculation, the level of free arachidonic acid dropped rapidly, while other FFAs gradually decreased to their preischemic levels in 90 min. In treated animals, the levels of total FFAs were lower than the nontreated group during ischemia, but higher at 90 min of reflow, and the decrease in the rate of free arachidonic acid was slower in the early period of reflow. Water content increased progressively during ischemia and recirculation with no extravasation of serum protein, but the values were consistently lower in the treated group. None of the nontreated animals survived for 2 weeks; in contrast, survival was 37.5% in the treated group. It is suggested that barbiturate protection from transient cerebral ischemia may be mediated by the attenuation of both membrane phospholipid hydrolysis during ischemia and postischemic peroxidation of accumulated free arachidonic acid.