Sensitivity and specificity of the blankenship FCE system's indicators of submaximal effort.

Study Design: Single-blinded, randomized, posttest only design.

Objective: To help contribute to the body of evidence in defining the validity of functional capacity evaluations.

Background: Functional capacity evaluations (FCEs) are tests used to help determine an individual's readiness to return to work.

Sperm transfer and reproductive biology in species of hermaphroditic bivalves (Galeommatoidea: Montacutidae).

The histology of the reproductive organs is studied in the protandric hermaphroditic Tellimya ferruginosa. In NW Europe the species reproduces from May through August. Sperm transfer takes place when mature testis follicles are transplanted to the gills or walls of the mantle cavity in recipient hermaphroditic or female bivalves.

Continued professional competence and portfolios.

It is traditionally assumed that licensure of healthcare professionals means that they are minimally competent. Many nursing specialty organizations offer examinations and other processes for certification, suggesting that certification is associated with continued competency. Can standardized examination for certification and continuing education for recertification ensure continued competency? Continuing education and testing provide a limited picture of an individual's knowledge and/or skill acquisition in a limited area at one point in time.

Effects of comfort warming on preoperative patients.

THERMAL COMFORT IS ONE DIMENSION of overall patient comfort, and it usually is addressed by covering the patient with warmed cotton blankets. WARMING HELPS A PATIENT maintain normothermia and appears to decrease patient anxiety. AN STUDY WAS CONDUCTED in a preoperative setting to compare the effects of preoperative warming with warmed cotton blankets versus patient-controlled warming gowns on patients' perceptions of thermal comfort and anxiety.

Uncovering racial bias in nursing fundamentals textbooks.

This article describes research that sought to identify and critique selected content areas from three nursing fundamentals textbooks for the presence or absence of racial bias embedded in the portrayal of African Americans. The analyzed content areas were the history of nursing, cultural content, and physical assessment/hygiene parameters. A researcher-developed guide was used for data collection and analysis of textual language, illustrations, linguistics, and references.

The efficacy of laser therapy in wound repair: a meta-analysis of the literature.

Objective: We determined the overall effects of laser therapy on tissue healing by aggregating the literature and subjecting studies meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria to statistical meta-analysis.

Background Data: Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) devices have been in use since the mid sixties, but their therapeutic value remains doubtful, as the literature seems replete with conflicting findings.

Materials And Methods: Pertinent original research papers were gathered from library sources, online databases and secondary sources.

The value of certification--a research journey.

ONE MEASURE OF NURSING EXCELLENCE is achieving specialty certification, which denotes a more advanced level of knowledge and practice. THE CERTIFICATION BOARD Perioperative Nursing (CBPN) provides specialty certification for perioperative nurses. The organization's mission is to be the leader in competency credentialing and education that promotes safe, quality patient care in the perioperative arena.

Relationship between muscle length and moment arm on EMG activity of human triceps surae muscle.

Purpose: The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of both muscle length and moment arm (MA) on the electromyographic (EMG) and force output of the triceps surae (TS) muscle.

Relevance: It is well recognized that changes in muscle length affect both the muscle's force generating capacity as well as its twitch speed. This relationship is well established in animal preparations.

It was huge! Nursing students' first experience at AORN Congress.

AN EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE of mentoring through nursing students' perspectives may enhance AORN's ability to recruit students to perioperative nursing and aid future planning for student involvement in the Association. IN 2003, four first-year nursing students attended the AORN Congress in Chicago with their nursing instructor and mentor. The students' experiences were captured using a thematic analysis to analyze their journals.

Chemosensory stimuli for the walking legs of the crayfish Procambarus clarkii.

Studies of chemoreception in crustaceans have shown that flesh-eating species can detect amino acids, nucleotides and derivatives, and amines, while most herbivorous and omnivorous species are additionally sensitive to carbohydrates. We used extracellular recording techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of a range of nitrogen-containing compounds (mostly amino acids), bile acids, and carbohydrates in stimulating chemoreceptor cells present in the second and third pereopods of the omnivorous crayfish Procambarus clarkii. When applied at a final concentration of approximately 100 microM, effective stimuli were trehalose, leucine, cellobiose, glycine, sucrose, maltose, and ammonium (from most to least effective).

Use of learning contracts in a RN-to-BSN leadership course.

Educating RN-to-BSN students can be challenging and rewarding. The diversity of these students can make designing courses quite difficult. In addition, the RN with experience in nursing practice may resent being put in the traditional role of student.

Coordinated systems of community-based health care delivery: a vehicle for health care reform.

The need for health care reform in this country continues to be high on the public agenda. Deficits in the access of United States citizens to needed health care services continues, despite recent efforts at health care reform. In addition, the health status of children in this country is of paramount concern.