Paradigms and presuppositions: the difference between qualitative and quantitative research.

The difference between qualitative and quantitative approaches to research is often said to be grounded in two distinct paradigms, each with its own, mutually contradictory, philosophical presuppositions. Quantitative research, the argument goes, presupposes objective truths and a singular, unequivocal reality; qualitative research presupposes a world which is inherently subjective, with no unequivocal reality. In this article, I try to show that the 'paradigm' interpretation of the difference between quantitative and qualitative research comes very close to being incoherent, since it either slides into extreme relativism or ends up contradicting itself.

Reproducibility of the maximum accumulated oxygen deficit and run time to exhaustion during short-distance running.

The aim of this study was to determine the reproducibility of the maximal accumulated oxygen deficit and the associated exercise time to exhaustion during short-distance running. Fifteen well-trained males (mean +/- s: VO2max = 58.0+/-4.

Asthma and dualism.

The rejection of Cartesian dualism can be taken to imply that the mind is implicated in health and illness to a greater degree than conventional medicine would suggest. Surprisingly, however, there appears to be a train of thought in antidualist nursing theory which takes the opposite view. This paper looks closely at an interesting example of antidualist thinking - an article in which Benner and her colleagues comment on the ways in which people with asthma make sense of their condition - and concludes that it places unduly stringent and arbitrary limits on the mind's role.

Multilingualism and dyslexia: challenges for research and practice.

Over the last two decades there has been an expansion of activity and substantial progress in research on dyslexia and research on bilingualism and multilingualism. But the study of dyslexia has generally focused on monolingual learners and the study of bilingualism has tended to focus on speakers who do not have special educational needs. This paper will review the strands of research to date that have a bearing on multilingualism and dyslexia and attempt to identify the major challenges that face researchers and teachers.

Beyond the rhetoric of problem-based learning: emancipatory limits and links with andragogy.

Problem-based learning (PBL), sometimes referred to as enquiry-based learning, is an approach to education that has gained increasing usage within health care in recent years. Its origins very much lie within medical education. The bulk of literature on PBL is optimistic about its potential, especially in relation to nurse education.

Analysis of the intestinal absorption of essential fatty acids in vivo in the rat.

The absorption and competition kinetics of the essential fatty acids (EFAs), linoleic acid (LA), alpha-linolenic acid (alphaLnA) and arachidonic acid (AA) in vivo were studied in the perfused rat jejunum. Uptake of each EFA on its own followed saturable kinetics at low luminal concentrations, suggesting a facilitative transport process, the affinity of which increased with chain length and degree of unsaturation. Absorption of one EFA was enhanced by low, whilst competitively inhibited by high, concentrations of a second EFA.

Colony stimulating factors regulate nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 production in rat cartilage chondrocytes.

Colony stimulating factors (CSFs) are now widely used in cancer treatment and immunological disease therapy. Both granulocyte CSF (G-CSF) and granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF) are used to increase neutrophil counts in Felty syndrome. In the present study, the effects of macrophage CSF (M-CSF), G-CSF, GM-CSF and interleukin-3 (IL-3) (10 ng/ml) on the production of nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) by cartilage explants were examined over 24 and 48 h.

Young children in A&E: a local review.

Between two and three million children attend accident and emergency (A&E) departments every year in the United Kingdom, making up one quarter of all A&E attendances (Bentley 1996). Despite government, professional and consumer guidance (Audit Commission 1996, Action for Sick Children 1997), the majority of children are not seen in a children's A&E or cared for by appropriately-trained staff. This study explored the pattern of attendance of 375 children aged five years and under who attended the A&E department in a district general hospital.

Reflection as empowerment?

Reflective practice, as an ideal model, is generally espoused as a developmental process to empower practitioners to achieve and sustain effective practice. Yet when reflective practice is accommodated into the real world of everyday practice can this ideal itself be realised? Or will reflective practice be accommodated within existing norms whereby it becomes another technology of surveillance? The paper draws on dialogue taken from a guided reflection session to consider whether reflection can be empowering and to consider those factors which limit this potential.

Unravelling the dilemmas within everyday nursing practice.

Each day, nurse practitioners are faced with clinical situations and dilemmas that have no obvious right answers. This article sets out the process of ethical mapping as a reflective device to enable practitioners to reflect on dilemmas of practice in order to learn through the experience and inform future practice. Ethical mapping is illustrated around a single experience that an intensive care practitioner shared in an ongoing guided reflection relationship.

Preparing adult branch students for their management role as staff nurses: an action research project.

Aim: This action research project aimed to investigate students', newly qualified staff nurses' and ward managers' views about the management skills and knowledge required by staff nurses, and how best students could be prepared for their management role.

Background: The importance of the staff nurse's management role is increasingly being recognized but the literature highlights the difficulties in preparing students for management, and personal experience confirmed this.

Methods: Focus group interviews were held with senior students and newly qualified staff nurses.

Managing the unmanageable: risk assessment and risk management in contemporary professional practice.

Aim: This study sets out to investigate the theories and practices of risk assessment and management in the context of contemporary mental health practice.

Background: Although risk assessment and management policies are well established for those working in the field of community mental health care, there are noticeable anomalies and regional variations, in the criteria, procedures and decision-making strategies used.

Methods: Focus group taped interviews were conducted with over 100 mental health professionals in one NHS Trust.

The effect of partial removal of yolk on the chilling sensitivity of zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos.

The effect of partial removal of yolk on the survival of zebrafish embryos and the chilling sensitivity of yolk-reduced embryos were investigated at several stages of embryo development. Dechorionated embryos were punctured with a sharp microneedle and approximately 50 to 75% of yolk content was released following multiple punctures. The survival of yolk-reduced embryos was found to be stage dependent.

Determination of glucosinolates using their alkaline degradation and reaction with ferricyanide.

Glucosinolates, a group of naturally occurring thioglucosides, are significant factors impairing the nutritional quality of rapeseed and postextraction rapeseed meal, restricting its use as high-quality protein animal feed. Currently, the European Community standards and Canola definition are being brought in line recommending cultivation and marketing of rapeseed with a glucosinolate content below 18 micromol of total glucosinolates per gram of seeds. Furthermore, some glucosinolates are of increasing interest in Brassica vegetables due to their proven cancer-preventing activities.

Electrical burn injuries.

This article examines electrical burn injuries, how they occur and the nature of the injuries caused when people come into contact with electrical currents. The aetiology of tissue damage is discussed along with the pathophysiology of such encounters. The management of patients presenting with such injuries is explored including the vital role of the nurse in stabilizing and reassuring the patient.

Awareness and attitudes towards organ donation and transplantation among the asian population. A preliminary survey in Luton, UK.

Currently the demand for transplant organs, particularly kidneys, far outstrips the supply in the UK. This problem is particularly severe for the Asian population, which has been shown to have a disproportionately large representation on kidney-transplant waiting lists in some regions of the UK. The situation is clear: there is an urgent need to address the number of Asians requiring a kidney transplant, otherwise the human and economic costs will be very high.

The attitudes and attributions of student nurses: do they alter according to a person's diagnosis or sexuality and what is the effect of nurse training?

The threat of an AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) epidemic in the early 1980s saw the emergence of strong negative attitudes from both the public and health care professionals alike. Certain 'high risk' groups in society, who were considered as susceptible to the disease, homosexuals and intravenous drug users in particular, became the victims of prejudice and discrimination. More recent research has indicated a possible shift to a more positive orientation, although the findings are far from conclusive.