Open Access Kent State (OAKS)

The distance of closest approach of hard particles is a key parameter of their interaction and plays an important role in the resulting phase behavior. For nonspherical particles, the distance of closest approach depends on orientation, and its calculation is surprisingly difficult. Although overlap criteria have been developed for use in computer simulations [ Vieillard-Baron J. Chem. Phys. 56 4729 (1972); Perram and Wertheim J. Comput. Phys. 58 409 (1985)], no analytic solutions have been obtained for the distance of closest approach of ellipsoids in three dimensions, or, until now, for ellipses in two dimensions. We have derived an analytic expression for the distance of closest approach of the centers of two arbitrary hard ellipses as a function of their orientation relative to the line joining their centers. We describe our method for solving this problem, illustrate our result, and discuss its usefulness in modeling and simulating systems of anisometric particles such as liquid crystals.

The distance of closest approach of hard particles is a key parameter of their interaction and plays an important role in the resulting phase behavior. For nonspherical particles, the distance of closest approach depends on orientation, and its calculation is surprisingly difficult. Although overlap criteria have been developed for use in computer simulations [ Vieillard-Baron J. Chem. Phys. 56 4729 (1972); Perram and Wertheim J. Comput. Phys. 58 409 (1985)], no analytic solutions have been obtained for the distance of closest approach of ellipsoids in three dimensions, or, until now, for ellipses in two dimensions. We have derived an analytic expression for the distance of closest approach of the centers of two arbitrary hard ellipses as a function of their orientation relative to the line joining their centers. We describe our method for solving this problem, illustrate our result, and discuss its usefulness in modeling and simulating systems of anisometric particles such as liquid crystals.

Background: There is a growing shortage of nursing graduates and faculty to prepare students for careers in nursing. One way to ameliorate this paradigm is to integrate technology such as a remote presence robot (RPR) in both clinical and educational settings.
Materials and Methods: The InTouch Health (Santa Barbara, CA) RP-7, an RPR, was deployed in a simulated, multigenerational home where nursing students and faculty interact in a variety of activities. Seventy students and five faculty members were instructed by a remotely located instructor who controlled the RP-7 from a distant site. Students and faculty, using questionnaires, provided feedback on the didactic interaction.
Results: Of the 70 student participants, 56 (80%) responded, and faculty and clinical staff were 100% compliant, resulting in 69 total respondents. Using Krippendorf's themes of (1) usefulness, (2) acceptability, and (3) impact, the data indicated the following. The majority of the students (89%) had no previous experience with the RPR, but the majority (75%) felt that the RPR was a good faculty extender. The students were initially evenly split on first exposure in (a) a positive experience, (b) a negative experience, or (c) a mixed experience. Although there were some technical challenges in operations, these were not deemed significant; nevertheless, they must be addressed.
Conclusions: The results of this study support the use of RPRs as faculty extenders to facilitate course quality assurance when the lead faculty is not on site. Both faculty and students perceive this type of technology as a potential faculty extender, but both faculty and students need preparation for the experience.

With little guidance in the literature regarding best practices, clinical institutions have used different organizational models to meet the challenges of building research capacity. This article provides recommendations regarding the most productive models based on review of historical clinical research facilitation models and the results of a survey regarding extant models conducted among research facilitators who were members of the Midwest Nursing Research Society.

The focus on evidence-based and quality-driven practices, the desire for acquisition of ANCC Magnet® status, and the need to provide affordable, competitive healthcare have created for many clinical institutions a need to not only incorporate published research findings into clinical practices but also actually conduct nursing research. With few exceptions, the conduct of nursing research has not been a typical part of the clinical institution’s culture. For most clinical institutions, the capacity for research is limited. It is rare to have personnel with the skills and educational background necessary to facilitate research. As a result, many institutions have had to create ways to meet these objectives. A common “fix” has been to identify an individual responsible for building a culture and capacity for research within the institution. The approach of most institutions has been to identify a nurse research facilitator (NRF), which may or may not be an employee of the institution.

Color in our environment is known to bring emotional, social, and physiological reactions to people. This study is about young and older adults' emotional responses to color environments using a semi immersive virtual environment. As a theoretical framework, this study explores Japanese psychologist Kobayashi's color image scale with real-scale, high-fidelity computer simulations. There are three goals of this study: (a) to test universal applicability of Kobayashi's color image scale theory in western country; (B) to understand similarities and differences of emotional responses to color environment between young and older adults group; (C) to provide a practical framework for empirical research on emotional responses to color environment. The study was carried out in the midwestern region of the United States. There were two participant groups: 34 college students (17 male and 17 female) and 10 assisted living residents (all female). Participants looked at a computer simulated bedroom in a screen and were asked to answer their emotional response using a 7-point adjective rating scale. Total 12 different color combinations of bedroom were shown to participants. Data were analyzed using SPSS program. Results indicate that compared to older groups, younger groups show significantly high applicability of color image scale, and emotional responses were different between the young and older group. Also, the result shows this experiment is a useful tool for empirical research for emotional response to color environment. The desired result of this study is to assist administrators and practitioners to make informed decisions in choosing interior colors.

Two examples of the director structure and electric field in patterned electrode liquid crystal cells are studied using a recently developed calculational model. First, a display cell that exhibits a homeotropic to multidomainlike transition with twist wall structures has been considered for a liquid crystal with positive dielectric anisotropy. The model elucidates the behavior of the electric field. Calculations show good agreement between the model and direct computer solution of the Euler-Lagrange equations, but the model is at least 30 times faster. Second, the possibility that a cell has +/-1/2 disclination lines instead of a wall defect is probed. A temperature dependent estimate for the size of the defect core is given, and the total free energy of the cell with disclination lines was calculated and compared with the corresponding value for the same cell with wall defect structure. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.

Abstract

First aid (FA) skills, including Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) are the foundation of first responder care. Best practice guidelines to educate FA trainees are lacking. The current structure of FA training programs is based on pedagogy, derived indirectly from hospital-based and Emergency Medical Services training models. Most FA training programs focus on educating the participant to function as the sole provider of care; however there may be instances when individuals providing FA find themselves suddenly engaged as functioning members of teams caring for an individual in need. Findings indicate that patients are safer and receive higher quality care when providers work as a highly effective team. As a result, teamwork training programs have been integrated into multiple health training programs. Teamwork training has been found to reduce medical errors, promote patient safety, enhance positive patient outcomes, and improve communication in a variety of medical settings; however the impact of team-based training in FA education is unknown. We describe the development of a semester long, undergraduate-level, FA educational course incorporating team-based training. Results of this project may impact the methods by which individuals receive FA education. Further investigation into the use of teamwork training as the foundation for FA training is indicated to determine the outcomes for the acutely ill and injured.