bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ritual Sites, Offerings, and Sacrifice
Authors: Armit Ian 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
This chapter examines the disparate scales of ritual deposition in Iron Age Europe, from the individual/household to the wider region. It explores commonalities underlying different practices, including the pervasive interest in human remains, the deployment of ritualized violence, the formalization of religious practice, and the roles of natural, domestic, and monumental spaces. The Iron Age is notable for the ritualization of domestic life, with certain objects, including human body parts, deposited in houses. Watery places provided another focus; bodies showing heavily ritualized treatments have been found in bogs from Scandinavia to Ireland. From the middle La Tène period, more formal cult centres appear, some as foci for deposition on an enormous scale. Elsewhere, as in Ireland, ritual activity focused on ‘ancestral’ landscapes. Motivations behind acts of deposition are difficult to ascertain, but the material residues suggest a widespread concern with sacrifice as a means of securing benefits for the community.
Funerary Practices
Authors: Brun Patrice 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
This chapter surveys burial practices across Iron Age Europe, working outwards from the Circum-Alpine zone. During this period, only a fraction of the population was formally buried, in varying proportions over time and space. These were generally members of the political, economic, and religious elite, as is most clear in the case of richly furnished and monumental graves. Among communities of equivalent political complexity, however, some practised more modest burial, lacking clear status differentiation in their graves. Funerary practices carry ideological messages about how communities wish to appear, symbolically materializing the relations of the social group with the land on which they live and perpetuating the memory of certain people in the consciousness of the survivors. The social significance of Iron Age mortuary practices is examined: detailed analysis of differences between graves and cemeteries provides a wealth of information ranging from individual social relationships to economic and political organization.
Demographic Aspects of Iron Age Societies
Authors: Burmeister Stefan , Gebühr Michael 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
This chapter looks at the demography of European populations from the pre-Roman Iron Age to the Migration period, with a focus on central, northern, and north-western Europe. As well as cemetery data, it draws on contemporary textual and epigraphic sources, along with simulations. Given the diversity of societies in this large area and time span, regional variations are only to be expected. Palaeodemographic procedures and models are outlined, as well as the inherent problems of reconstructing prehistoric population profiles and densities. Age at death provides the starting point for reconstructing demographic composition, the life cycles of individuals generating mortality curves, which form the basis for calculating the age composition of the living community (expressed as a life pyramid). Divergences from the standard mortality curve or expected life pyramid, and variations between regions, require explanation, in terms of archaeological or cultural phenomena, migration being an obvious example.
Value Affordances in Students’ Probability of Persisting as a Nursing Major
Authors: Lindeman Meghan I.H. , Durik Amanda M. 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
This study investigated how perceptions of agentic and communal values attract students to major in and persist in nursing. Participants reported a potential major and why they were attracted to that major. Transcripts were coded for declaration and graduating with a nursing major. Results showed that students who reported being attracted to a major for communal and agentic reasons were more likely to report nursing as a potential major, declare nursing as a major, and graduate with a nursing degree. Departments are encouraged to recruit students by highlighting the communal and agentic values that nursing affords.
Universal Design for Instruction in Nursing Education: An Integrative Review
Authors: Levey Janet A. 
Published: March 2018

Abstract

AIM
The aim of the study was to explore the use of universal design for instruction (UDI) in nursing education.

BACKGROUND
Educators seek to employ innovative pedagogies accessible to diverse learners across learning environments. UDI, an inclusive strategy for meeting this goal is not well known in nursing education.

METHOD
An integrative review was used to meet the study’s aim. Five databases were searched for literature published between 2000 and 2013.

RESULTS
Of 45 articles retrieved, only three studies and 14 feature articles met the inclusion criteria. A literature matrix was used to synthesize major concepts to create theme labels: marginalized students as a vulnerable population, faculty lack of knowledge of UDI, reactive versus proactive instructional design, and best teaching practices.

CONCLUSION
The lack of UDI knowledge by educators is a barrier to its usage. Implications and recommendations for adopting universal design in nursing education are discussed.
Statewide At-Risk Tracking and Intervention for Nurses: Identifying and Intervening With Nursing Students at Risk of Attrition in Texas
Authors: Donnell Wendy M. , Walker Glenda C. , Miller Greg 
Published: March 2018

Abstract

AIM
The purpose of this study was to identify students at risk of attrition and implement interventions to decrease the risk.

BACKGROUND
The ability to identify and intervene with students deemed at risk of attrition can be a valuable tool for increasing the RN workforce. “Statewide At-Risk Tracking and Interventions for Nurses” (SATIN) involved students from 27 initial RN licensure nursing programs in Texas.

METHOD
At-risk status of each nursing student was identified, and each nursing program provided interventions based on students' needs.

RESULTS
The Weaver Reading Program was the most effective of the six intervention strategies used with SATIN participants. Lack of utilization of the interventions was the number one limitation of the study.

CONCLUSION
Use of the Weaver Reading Program as well as personal engagement with students, one-on-one mentoring, and continued time investment are recommended to all programs.
You’re Teaching Evidence-Based Practice to BSN Students…But Are They Learning?
Authors: Serfass Rebecca L. , Hagedorn Wonder Amy 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
Although baccalaureate nursing programs often teach evidence-based practice (EBP), the effectiveness of targeted education to facilitate progressive EBP knowledge development is unclear. Rigorous, objective evaluation is vital for faculty to determine if students’ EBP knowledge is advancing, stagnating, or declining as they progress toward program completion. In a study across multiple campuses of one traditional baccalaureate nursing program, EBP knowledge significantly improved between sophomore and junior levels, but not between junior and senior levels. These results highlight the importance of using evaluation to gauge the impact of curriculum on students’ learning and progressive EBP knowledge development.
Test Anxiety and Academic Procrastination Among Prelicensure Nursing Students
Authors: Custer Nicole 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
Test anxiety may cause nursing students to cope poorly with academic demands, affecting academic performance and attrition and leading to possible failure on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®). Test-anxious nursing students may engage academic procrastination as a coping mechanism. The Test Anxiety Inventory and the Procrastination Assessment Scale for Students were administered to 202 prelicensure nursing students from diploma, associate, and baccalaureate nursing programs in southwestern Pennsylvania. Statistically significant correlations between test anxiety and academic procrastination were found. The majority of participants reported procrastinating most on weekly reading assignments. Students with higher grade point averages exhibited less academic procrastination.
Trends in Research on Simulation in the Teaching of Nursing: An Integrative Review
Authors: Almeida Rodrigo Guimarães dos Santos , Jorge Beatriz Maria , Souza-Junior Valtuir Duarte , Mazzo Alessandra , Martins José Carlos Amado , Negri Elaine Cristina , Mendes Isabel Amélia Costa 
Published: March 2018

Abstract

AIM
The aim of the study was to identify and reflect on evidence regarding the use of simulation in nursing education.

BACKGROUND
The use of simulation as a teaching strategy in nursing is expanding. It is important to check the evidence deriving from research.

METHOD
Departing from a guiding question, an international literature search was undertaken between January 2008 and March 2014 in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.

RESULTS
Out of 160 articles, 68.1 percent used simulated teaching to develop clinical reasoning; 31.9 percent used it to train skills. Most (about 91.8 percent) discussed positive aspects related to the use of simulation, including support for the teaching process and increased self-efficacy and self-confidence.

CONCLUSION
The studies indicate that appropriate tools are needed to measure the true impact of the strategy on the teaching of nursing care and the training needed to use simulation as a teaching strategy.
A Comparison Study of the Effect of Type of Grading on Clinical Simulation Performance
Authors: Reising Deanna L. , Carr Douglas E. , Gindling Sally , Barnes Roxie , Garletts Derrick , Ozdogan Zulfukar 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine whether student performance in a simulation varied according to which grading method was used: pass/fail versus numerical grading with calculation into a course grade. Results showed that student performances were not significantly different when the pass/fail graded group was compared to the numerically graded group, even though students knew which grading schema would be used in their evaluation. The study challenges the opinion that students perform better when they know that they will be numerically graded in simulation.
A Factor Analysis of the Perceived Value of Certification Tool for Nurse Educators: Evidence for Construct Validity
Authors: Barbé Tammy , Kimble Laura P. 
Published: March 2018

Abstract

AIM
The purpose of this study was to examine construct validity of the Perceived Value of Certification Tool for Nurse Educators (PVCT-NE).

BACKGROUND
Preliminary testing of the PVCT-NE demonstrated content validity and strong evidence of internal consistency reliability. Construct validity evidence for the tool is lacking.

METHOD
Using data from a descriptive study about nurses' perceived value of nurse educator certification, exploratory factor analysis was used to examine whether the factor structure of the PVCT-NE was consistent with the two-factor structure reported for the original PVCT.

RESULTS
Data (n = 221) were analyzed using principal components analysis to identify factors. The observed two-factor solution and individual item loadings in this sample were consistent with the original PVCT's intrinsic and extrinsic value subscales and accounted for 64 percent of the total instrument variance.

CONCLUSION
Overall, the PVCT-NE is a valid tool to measure perceived value of certification in nurse educators.
Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes of Financial Stress in Survivors of Critical Illness
Authors: Khandelwal Nita , Hough Catherine L. , Downey Lois , Engelberg Ruth A. , Carson Shannon S. , White Douglas B. , Kahn Jeremy M. , Jones Derek M. , Key Mary D. , Reagan Wen , Porter Laura S. , Curtis J. Randall , Cox Christopher E. 
Published: March 2018

Objectives:
Little is known about the experience of financial stress for patients who survive critical illness or their families. Our objective was to describe the prevalence of financial stress among critically ill patients and their families, identify clinical and demographic characteristics associated with this stress, and explore associations between financial stress and psychologic distress.

Design:
Secondary analysis of a randomized trial comparing a coping skills training program and an education program for patients surviving acute respiratory failure and their families.

Setting:
Five geographically diverse hospitals.

Participants:
Patients (n = 175) and their family members (n = 85) completed surveys within 2 weeks of arrival home and 3 and 6 months after randomization.

Measurements and Main Results:
We used regression analyses to assess associations between patient and family characteristics at baseline and financial stress at 3 and 6 months. We used path models and mediation analyses to explore relationships between financial stress, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and global mental health. Serious financial stress was high at both time points and was highest at 6 months (42.5%) among patients and at 3 months (48.5%) among family members. Factors associated with financial stress included female sex, young children at home, and baseline financial discomfort. Experiencing financial stress had direct effects on symptoms of anxiety (β = 0.260; p < 0.001) and depression (β = 0.048; p = 0.048).

Conclusions:
Financial stress after critical illness is common and associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Our findings provide direction for potential interventions to reduce this stress and improve psychologic outcomes for patients and their families.
Dried Blood Spot Analysis for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Antipsychotics: Drawbacks of Its Clinical Application
Authors: Kloosterboer Sanne M. , de Winter Brenda C. M. , Bahmany Soma , Al-Hassany Linda , Dekker Annet , Dieleman Gwen C. , van Gelder Teun , Dierckx Bram , Koch Birgit C. P. 
Published: March 2018

Background:
Dried blood spot (DBS) sampling offers a minimally invasive sampling method for therapeutic drug monitoring of antipsychotics. To facilitate implementation in clinical practice, the aim of this study was to perform a clinical validation study of a DBS method for quantification of risperidone, aripiprazole, pipamperone, and their major metabolites 9-OH risperidone and dehydro-aripiprazole in a real-life, clinical setting.

Methods:
Paired DBS and venous plasma samples were analyzed (n = 35 for risperidone, n = 21 for aripiprazole, n = 21 for pipamperone). Estimated plasma concentrations were calculated from DBS concentrations based on hematocrit and/or Deming regression formulas. Deming regression and Bland–Altman analyses were used to determine the agreement between the calculated and measured plasma concentrations. For Bland–Altman analysis, the following acceptance limit was used: for a minimum of 67% of the samples, the difference of the 2 measurements should be within 20% of their mean.

Results:
The median venous plasma levels were 0.9 mcg/L for risperidone, 14.8 mcg/L for 9-OH risperidone, 135.4 mcg/L for aripiprazole, 54.9 mcg/L for dehydro-aripiprazole, and 56.4 mcg/L for pipamperone. All antipsychotics required different correction formulas of DBS concentrations for best agreement. Subsequently, no constant or proportional bias was observed using Deming regression analysis. With Bland–Altman analyses, for risperidone, 45% of the samples were within the 20% limits; for 9-OH risperidone, 36%; for aripiprazole, 45%; for dehydro-aripiprazole, 35%; and for pipamperone, 43%.

Conclusions:
The DBS method to quantify risperidone, aripiprazole, pipamperone, and their major metabolites did not meet the acceptance criteria in the Bland–Altman analyses. Therefore, this DBS method was not clinically valid. This study shows the importance of a clinical validation study with use of Bland–Altman plots before clinical implementation.
Pharmacokinetic Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Advagraf in More Than 500 Adult Renal Transplant Patients, Using an Expert System Online
Authors: Marquet Pierre , Bedu Anne , Monchaud Caroline , Saint-Marcoux Franck , Rérolle Jean-Philippe , Etienne Isabelle , Kamar Nassim , Moulin Bruno , Cassuto Elisabeth , Essig Marie , Woillard Jean-Baptiste 
Published: March 2018

Background:
Immunosuppressant Bayesian dose adjustment (ISBA) is an online expert system, routinely used by approximately 140 transplantation centers in the world for the dose adjustment of immunosuppressive drugs in transplant patients. This system determines the area under the curve (AUC) of the drug by pharmacokinetic modeling and Bayesian estimation. The purpose of this study was to analyze tacrolimus exposure after administration of its modified-release formulation (Advagraf) in kidney allograft recipients, to optimize its therapeutic drug monitoring.

Methods:
This is a retrospective study of exposure indices measured locally [trough tacrolimus concentration (C0), C0/dose] or estimated through ISBA (AUC, AUC/dose, AUC/C0), of their evolution over posttransplantation time, and of the correlations between them.

Results:
A total of 922 requests posted by 28 different centers for routine Advagraf adjustment in 530 different patients treated with Advagraf were studied. The exposure to, and dose requirement of, tacrolimus significantly increased across the first posttransplant months before reaching steady state. The AUC:C0 ratio (on which C0 monitoring is implicitly based) was stable across the different posttransplant periods, although with high interindividual variability. C0–AUC correlation was stronger in the late than in the early posttransplant period (r
2 = 0.75 versus 0.63; P = 0.0075). Using the regression equations obtained, AUC ranges corresponding to different applicable C0 target ranges were calculated to guide dose adjustment. When one of the doses recommended was administered, the following AUC was significantly more often in the predicted target ranges (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions:
This study improves our knowledge of Advagraf pharmacokinetic variability and relations between exposure indices and the scientific background of the expert service provided through the ISBA Web site.
One-dimensional Spatial Distributions of Gamma-ray Emitting Contaminants in Field Lysimeters Using a Collimated Gamma-ray Spectroscopy System
Authors: Erdmann Bryan J. , Powell Brian A. , Kaplan Daniel I. , DeVol Timothy A. 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
One-dimensional scans of gamma-ray emitting contaminants were conducted on lysimeters from the RadFLEX facility at the Savannah River Nationals Laboratory (SRNL). The lysimeters each contained a contamination source that was buried in SRNL soil. A source consisted of 137Cs, 60Co, 133Ba, and 152Eu incorporated either into a solid waste form (Portland cement and reducing grout) or applied to a filter paper for direct soil exposure. The lysimeters were exposed to natural environmental conditions for 3 to 4 y. The initial contaminant activities range from 4.0 to 9.0 MBq for the solid wasteforms and 0.25 to 0.47 MBq for the soil-incorporated source. The measurements were performed using a collimated high-purity germanium gamma-ray spectrometer with a spatial resolution of 2.5 mm. These scans showed downward mobility of 60Co and 133Ba when the radionuclides were incorporated directly into the SRNL soil. When radionuclides were incorporated into the solid waste forms positioned in the SRNL soil, 137Cs exhibited both upward and downward dispersion while the other radionuclides showed no movement. This dispersion was more significant for the Portland cement than the reducing grout wasteform. Europium-152 was the only radionuclide of those studied that showed no movement within the spatial resolution of the scanner from the original placement within the lysimeter. Understanding radionuclide movement in the environment is important for developing strategies for waste management and disposal.
Alpha Air Sample Counting Efficiency Versus Dust Loading: Evaluation of a Large Data Set
Authors: Hogue M.G. , Gause-Lott S.M. , Owensby B.N. , Slack T.M. , Smiley J.J. , Burkett J.L. 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
Dust loading on air sample filters is known to cause a loss of efficiency for direct counting of alpha activity on the filters, but the amount of dust loading and the correction factor needed to account for attenuated alpha particles is difficult to assess. In this paper, correction factors are developed by statistical analysis of a large database of air sample results for a uranium and plutonium processing facility at the Savannah River Site. As is typically the case, dust-loading data is not directly available, but sample volume is found to be a reasonable proxy measure; the amount of dust loading is inferred by a combination of the derived correction factors and a Monte Carlo model. The technique compares the distribution of activity ratios [beta/(beta + alpha)] by volume and applies a range of correction factors on the raw alpha count rate. The best-fit results with this method are compared with MCNP modeling of activity uniformly deposited in the dust and analytical laboratory results of digested filters. A linear fit is proposed to evenly-deposited alpha activity collected on filters with dust loading over a range of about 2 mg cm−2 to 1,000 mg cm−2.
Health Physics Society Comments to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Reform Task Force
Authors: Ring Joseph , Tupin Edward , Elder Deirdre , Hiatt Jerry , Sheetz Michael , Kirner Nancy , Little Craig 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
The Health Physics Society (HPS) provided comment to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on options to consider when developing an action plan for President Trump’s Executive Order to evaluate regulations for repeal, replacement, or modification. The HPS recommended that the EPA reconsider their adherence to the linear no-threshold (LNT) model for radiation risk calculations and improve several documents by better addressing uncertainties in low-dose, low dose-rate (LDDR) radiation exposure environments. The authors point out that use of the LNT model near background levels cannot provide reliable risk projections, use of the LNT model and collective-dose calculations in some EPA documents is inconsistent with the recommendations of international organizations, and some EPA documents have not been exposed to the public comment rule-making process. To assist in establishing a better scientific basis for the risks of low dose rate and low dose radiation exposure, the EPA should continue to support the “Million Worker Study,” led by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement.