Finding time for patients: an exploration of nurses' time allocation in an acute psychiatric setting.

This article explores the proportion of work time psychiatric nurses spend in potentially psychotherapeutic one-to-one communication with patients. Twenty staff nurses from three acute admission wards in a psychiatric hospital in Northern Ireland were observed. The time spent in a selection of routine activities was recorded using a specially developed observation system Nurses' Daily Activity Recording System (NURDARS).

Evaluation of site and age of weaning on pig growth performance.

Site-segregated early weaning (SSEW) refers to the practice of weaning pigs from the sow at an early age and placing them in a nursery that is physically isolated from the breeding herd. An experiment involving 369 pigs was conducted at the Prairie Swine Center to investigate the impact of SSEW on pig performance when the herd of origin has a high health status and when housing and management conditions are kept as similar as possible across weaning regime. Three treatments were compared: weaning at 21+/-3 d and keeping the pigs on-site in an all-in-all-out nursery room (Control), weaning at 12+/-2 d of age and keeping the pigs on-site in a separate but identical all-in-all-out nursery room (OSEW), or weaning at 12+/-2 d of age and moving the pigs off-site to an all-in-all-out nursery room located 16 km from the Center (SSEW).

Sequencing and analysis of the Mmethylococcus capsulatus (Bath) solublemethane monooxygenase genes.

The soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO) hydroxylase is a prototypical member of the class of proteins with non-heme carboxylate-bridged diiron sites. The sMMO subclass of enzyme systems has several distinguishing characteristics, including the ability to catalyze hydroxylation or epoxidation chemistry, a multisubunit hydroxylase containing diiron centers in its alpha subunits, and the requirement of a coupling protein for optimal activity. Sequence homology alignment of known members of the sMMO family was performed in an effort to identify protein regions giving rise to these unique features.

Factors influencing the frequency of fluorescence transients as markers of peri-infarct depolarizations in focal cerebral ischemia.

Background And Purpose: Peri-infarct depolarizations (PIDs) that occur in ischemic boundary zones of the cerebral cortex of experimental animals have been shown to promote rather than simply to indicate the evolution of the lesion and are especially prominent in the rat. To study the influence of one factor, species, on PID incidence, we compared the frequency of PIDs in a primate species, the squirrel monkey, with that in the cat after middle cerebral artery occlusion. Plasma glucose was reviewed as a possible cause of interexperiment variability in the cat experiments.

Mutational and structural analyses of the regulatory protein B of soluble methane monooxygenase from Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath).

Background: The soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO) system in methanotrophic bacteria uses three protein components to catalyze the selective oxidation of methane to methanol. The coupling protein B (MMOB) both activates the carboxylate-bridged diiron center in the hydroxylase (MMOH) for substrate oxidation and couples the reaction to electron transfer from NADH through the sMMO reductase. Although the X-ray structure of the hydroxylase is known, little structural information is available regarding protein B.

Laboratory diagnosis of plague.

In response to an outbreak of a plague-like disease in India, the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) in the UK distributed advice on the isolation and identification of Yersinia pestis. Some of the procedures outlined were evaluated using a number of isolates of Y. pestis, complemented with in-house techniques detecting virulence genes or their products.

Efficacy of doxycycline and ciprofloxacin against experimental Yersinia pestis infection.

The efficacies of ciprofloxacin and doxycycline prophylaxis and therapy were assessed against experimental pneumonic plague infections induced by two strains of Yersinia pestis in a mouse model. When exposed to an aerosol of Y. pestis strain GB, containing 8.

Association of Phoma terrestris, Pythium irregulare, and Fusarium acuminatum in Causing Red Root Rot of Corn.

Greenhouse and field tests were conducted in 1992 and 1993 to determine the causal pathogen(s) of red root rot (RRR) of corn. Corn hybrids Dekalb DK 522, DK 572, DK 677, and DK 582 were utilized. Phoma terrestris, Pythium irregulare, and Fusarium acuminatum were used alone or in combination to infest potting mix in greenhouse tests or soil in field tests.

Crystal structures of the methane monooxygenase hydroxylase from Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath): implications for substrate gating and component interactions.

The crystal structure of the nonheme iron-containing hydroxylase component of methane monooxygenase hydroxylase (MMOH) from Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) has been solved in two crystal forms, one of which was refined to 1.7 A resolution. The enzyme is composed of two copies each of three subunits (alpha 2 beta 2 gamma 2), and all three subunits are almost completely alpha-helical, with the exception of two beta hairpin structures in the alpha subunit.

Incidence of Phoma terrestris, Causal Agent of Red Root Rot, in Corn Roots and Soil in Delaware and on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Red root rot of corn (Zea mays L.) has caused sporadic disease losses in Delmarva during the past 6 years. A survey was made between 21 August and 14 September 1995 in 11 counties in Delaware and on the eastern shore of Maryland to detect Phoma terrestris (E.

Does ice immersion influence ankle joint position sense?

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a fifteen minute ice immersion treatment influenced the normal ankle joint position sense at 40% and 80% range of inversion and to establish the length of treatment effect through monitoring the rewarming process. Forty nine healthy volunteers between the ages of 17 and 28 were tested. Subjects were screened to exclude those with a history of ankle injuries.

Patient's perceptions of quality in a Northern Ireland hospital trust: a focus group study.

Explores the value of focus group methodology in a patient satisfaction initiative intended to identify quality improvement targets in a large general hospital. Analyses the transcripts from ten focus groups selected from hospital discharge lists, using simple cut-and-paste techniques. Finds that the focus group methodology was successful in amplifying feedback previously gleaned from surveys.

The use of in vivo fluorescence image sequences to indicate the occurrence and propagation of transient focal depolarizations in cerebral ischemia.

A method for the detection and tracking of propagated fluorescence transients as indicators of depolarizations in focal cerebral ischemia is described, together with initial results indicating the potential of the method. The cortex of the right cerebral hemisphere was exposed for nonrecovery experiments in five cats anesthetized with chloralose and subjected to permanent middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. Fluorescence with 370-nm excitation (attributed to the degree of reduction of the NAD/H couple) was imaged with an intensified charge-coupled device camera and digitized.

Student midwives' learning experience on the wards.

This paper is based on an investigation into the learning experiences of student midwives in the clinical setting in one maternity unit in the Republic of Ireland. A questionnaire approach was adopted for the data collection and 42 student midwives participated in the study. A number of factors were identified which appear to influence students' experiences of 'learning on the job'.

Populations of Criconemella xenoplax on Peach Interplanted with Certain Herbaceous Plants.

Peach trees growing in field microplots infested with Criconemella xenoplax were interplanted with centipedegrass, goosegrass, sicklepod, marigold, buckhorn plantain, showy crotalaria, or perennial ryegrass, or left with weed-free soil as the control. Buckhorn plantain reduced nematode numbers, but not to levels acceptable for commercial control. Marigold, sicklepod, and goosegrass reduced nematode numbers on some sampling dates but not on others.

The effects of stimulation of the A5 region on blood pressure and heart rate in rabbits.

The effects of stimulation of the A5 cell group of the caudal ventrolateral pons electrically or with L-glutamate on heart rate and blood pressure were determined in rabbits. Electrical stimulation caused blood pressure increases and reflex bradycardia. L-glutamate caused decreases in blood pressure and heart rate which were blocked by the L-glutamate antagonist aminophosphoheptanoic acid.

The time-course of trimethyltin-induced fiber and terminal degeneration in hippocampus.

Trimethyltin (TMT) produces prominent neuron death in the hippocampus. The time-course of TMT-induced damage was studied using reduced-silver procedures for impregnation of degenerating axons and their terminals, and a modified Timm's stain procedure for visualization of hippocampal transitional metals. Standard cell body stains were also used.

Grafts containing fetal hippocampal tissue reduce activity and improve passive avoidance in hippocampectomized or trimethyltin-exposed rats.

Embryonic Day 16 or 17 rat tissue containing either hippocampus with some medial pallial anlage or cerebellar/alar plate anlage was transplanted to the site of the ablated hippocampus of otherwise normal adult rats or adult rats previously exposed to the neurotoxin trimethyltin. Ninety to one hundred five days later these rats were compared to control rats in acquisition of passive avoidance and in open field activity. Transplantation of both types of tissue produced behavioral recovery on both tasks in rats with hippocampal lesions that had not been exposed to trimethyltin.

Embryonic hippocampal grafts ameliorate the deficit in DRL acquisition produced by hippocampectomy.

Transplants of fetal neural tissue survive and develop in lesion cavities produced in adult rats. The present experiment tested the effect of grafting fetal hippocampal or brainstem tissue on the ability of rats with hippocampal lesions to perform on a differential reinforcement of low response rate (DRL) operant schedule. The DRL interval was 20s.

Cells of origin of the branches of the facial nerve: a retrograde HRP study in the rabbit.

The origin of different branches of the facial nerve in the rabbit was determined by using retrograde transport of HRP. Either the proximal stump of specific nerves was exposed to HRP after transection, or an injection of the tracer was made into particular muscles innervated by a branch of the facial nerve. A clear somatotopic pattern was observed.

Inputs to the pontine A5 noradrenergic cell group: a horseradish peroxidase study.

The noradrenergic A5 cell group of the caudal ventrolateral pons has been implicated in regulation of cardiovascular activity. The efferent fibers from this cell group have been established, but the sources of afferents into the region have not. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was injected into the A5 region in rabbits, or into regions surrounding A5.