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Remote Education Tutors (RETs) are central to the delivery of distance schooling in Australia and are accountable for the face-to face supervision and educational support of students. They act as the government mandated adult supervisors of Australian primary and secondary school students enrolled in distance education, including geographically isolated learners. This paper draws on statistical data from a national survey (N = 575) that was designed to map the perceptions of Australian RETs. These data confirmed that RETs act as a conduit between the distance schooling teacher and student, and that their role requires complex capabilities to be performed within a structured framework. Time restrictions with competing demands present a constant challenge to the RETs' work satisfaction. Constraining this occupation is the reality that there is no formal qualification available for RETs. Without specific credentialling, it appears that the RETs' (in)visible role risks being overlooked as a substantive educational occupation.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is affected significantly by inappropriate antibiotic use, and is one of the greatest threats to human health. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is a programme of actions promoting responsible use of antimicrobials, and is essential for limiting AMR. Nurses have an important role to play in this context.Aim: To investigate the determinants of nurse AMS behaviours and the impact of past training.Methods: A cross-sectional multi-country survey design with mixed methods was employed. Participants were 262 nurses {223 female; mean age 44.45 [standard deviation (SD) 10.77] years} of 10 nationalities, with individual survey links sent via professional networks in five countries, alongside Twitter. Nine AMS behaviours and 14 behavioural determinants were assessed quantitatively using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), and mapped to the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation - Behaviour (COM-B) model. Analysis identified differences between nurses with and without AMS training. The influence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on AMS behaviour was investigated qualitatively using free-text data.Findings: Nurses performed all nine AMS behaviours, which were significantly higher [t (238) -4.14, P<0.001] among those who had received AMS training [mean 53.15 (SD 7.40)] compared with those who had not received AMS training [mean 48.30 (SD 10.75)]. Nurses who had received AMS training scored significantly higher in all of the TDF domains. The TDF was able to explain 27% of the variance in behaviour, with 'Skills' and 'Behavioural regulation' (e.g. ability to self-monitor and plan) shown to be the most predictive of AMS actions. Both of these domains are situated in the 'Capability' construct of the COM-B model, which can be enhanced with the intervention strategies of education and training. An increase in AMS behaviours was reported since the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of previous training. Six core themes were linked to AMS: (1) infection prevention and control; (2) antimicrobials and antimicrobial resistance; (3) diagnosis of infection and use of antibiotics; (4) antimicrobial prescribing practice; (5) person-centred care; and (6) interprofessional collaborative practice.Conclusion: Nurse training has a significant beneficial effect on AMS behaviour and its determinants. Nurses who had received AMS training scored higher in all TDF determinants of behaviour compared with those who had not received AMS training, resulting in higher capability, opportunity and motivation to perform AMS behaviour. AMS education and training should be offered to nurses to enhance these factors. Future research should consider the optimal level of training to optimize AMS behaviour, with a focus on developing skills and behavioural regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Runoff from agricultural nutrient applications is the most significant human factor leading to phosphorus (P) loading and water quality issues in western Lake Erie. Recent research shows that cover crops, which can be effective at reducing nutrient runoff and preserving soil health, have a very low adoption rate among farmers living in the western Lake Erie basin compared to other recommended best management practices. In order to identify ways to improve outreach and engagement to increase adoption, we used multinomial logistic regression to assess the socioeconomic and psychological factors that influence farmers’ willingness to adopt cover crops. The model indicates that farmers were more likely to be using cover crops already if they were more willing to take risks, more educated, owned more acreage, had a higher sense of control over nutrient loss, and had greater response efficacy (i.e., stronger beliefs about the effectiveness of cover crops at reducing P runoff). Farmers were more willing to adopt cover crops in the future if they were younger, had a stronger conservation identity, owned more acreage, had less gross farm income, and had greater response efficacy. Consistent with previous findings, emphasizing the effectiveness of cover crops at achieving relevant outcomes (e.g., reducing P loss, improving soil health, etc.) and highlighting how to achieve the benefits may be one way to encourage farmers to adopt this practice regardless of individual differences in education, land tenure, and other factors. A stronger belief in the benefits over time should help minimize the short-term risk associated with cover crop adoption, and decrease the uncertainty that many farmers associate with cover crop implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts to develop the next generation of aircraft with ever-increasing levels of performance – higher, farther, faster, cheaper – face great technical challenges. One of these technical challenges is to reduce structural weight of the aircraft. Another is to look to aircraft configurations that have been unrealizable to date. Both of these paths can lead to a rigid flex coupling phenomenon that can result in anything from poor flying qualities to the loss of an aircraft due to flutter. This has led to a need to develop an integrated flight and aeroelastic control capability where structural dynamics are included in the synthesis of flight control laws. Studies have indicated that the application of an integrated flight and aeroelastic control approach to a SensorCraft high-altitude long-endurance vehicle would provide substantial performance improvement(1,2). Better flying qualities and an expanded flight envelope through multi-flutter mode control are two areas of improvement afforded by integrated flight and aeroelastic control. By itself, multi-flutter mode control transforms the flutter barrier from a point of catastrophic structural failure to a benign region of flight. This paper discusses the history and issues associated with the development of such an integrated flight and aeroelastic control system for the X-56A aircraft. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Healthcare is delivered in a dynamic environment with frequent changes in populations, methods, equipment and settings. Infection prevention and control practitioners (IPCPs) must ensure that they are competent in addressing the challenges they face and are equipped to develop infection prevention and control (IPC) services in line with a changing world of healthcare provision. A multifaceted Framework was developed to assist IPCPs to enhance competence at an individual, team and organisational level to enable quality performance and improved quality of care. However, if these aspirations are to be met, it is vital that competency frameworks are fit for purpose or they risk being ignored. The aim of this unique study was to evaluate short and medium term outcomes as set out in the Outcome Logic Model to assist with the evaluation of the impact and success of the Framework. This study found that while the Framework is being used effectively in some areas, it is not being used as much or in the ways that were anticipated. The findings will enable future work on revision, communication and dissemination, and will provide intelligence to those initiating education and training in the utilisation of the competences. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Disease risk curves are simple graphical relationships between the probability of need for treatment and evidence related to risk factors. In the context of the present article, our focus is on factors related to the occurrence of disease in crops. Risk is the probability of adverse consequences; specifically in the present context it denotes the chance that disease will reach a threshold level at which crop protection measures can be justified. This article describes disease risk curves that arise when risk is modeled as a function of more than one risk factor, and when risk is modeled as a function of a single factor (specifically the level of disease at an early disease assessment). In both cases, disease risk curves serve as calibration curves that allow the accumulated evidence related to risk to be expressed on a probability scale. When risk is modeled as a function of the level of disease at an early disease assessment, the resulting disease risk curve provides a crop loss assessment model in which the downside is denominated in terms of risk rather than in terms of yield loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is recognised that early intervention in healthcare workers’ education is important in terms of embedding effective infection prevention and control knowledge into practice. One of the most important aspects of this education is hand hygiene compliance and technique expectations. This small study was undertaken in collaboration with the University of Dundee, School of Nursing and Midwifery and NHS Tayside. It explored the differences in knowledge, attitudes and practice towards hand hygiene among second and third year student nurses with the aim of reviewing and informing the development of future educational material at undergraduate level in order to continually enhance knowledge and skills and bridge the theory–practice gap. This study concluded that third year student nurses did have a slightly better knowledge base than the second years and that although knowledge, attitudes and practice were reported to be of a good standard overall, there were still some important issues that must be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Summary: There is an increasing emphasis on the need for further patient involvement within healthcare to ensure that the voice of the patient is heard. This exploratory study utilised in-depth face-to-face interviews with patients to explore narratives from their experiences around healthcare-associated infection (HCAI). Interviews were undertaken with patients who had been diagnosed with a Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection and patients who had been in the same hospital but had not been diagnosed with a bloodstream infection. The lack of both verbal and written communications was a major concern for most patients regardless of their infection status. Some patients also stated that they were not comfortable about asking questions, and only a small number of patients and relatives stated that they would challenge staff about their practice. Although some patients retained confidence in the National Health Service (NHS), the majority had very little or no confidence in the NHS in relation to HCAI and would have serious concerns about this if they were to return to hospital. The results suggest that there are a number of issues that must be addressed in order to enhance the quality of care, safety of patients and the patient experience in relation to infection prevention and control. In addition, policy-makers, managers and all healthcare workers must ensure that patients are involved in the design and evaluation of systems change and information. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents a reflection of an Infection Prevention and Control Practitioner on the need to teach an enhanced method of preventing and restraining infection to nursing undergraduates and healthcare assistants. It provides a brief overview of the progress of creating an interactive learning strategy to instill knowledge and engage the participation of students and teachers. Gibbs' reflective approach is significant because it shows that experience is the basis for learning.

Background: Healthcare associated infection affects 9% of patients admitted to hospital. One of the greatest challenges in addressing this problem is transferring theory to practice in relation to hand hygiene. Developing the ability to reflect can promote this transfer. This study illustrates how an instrument to assess the reflective ability of final year medical students was applied to the context of hand hygiene within the infection control cleanliness champion programme (CCP) and demonstrated inter-rater reliability at all three levels of reflection. The results suggest behaviour change in relation to practice. Methods: One hundred and thirty two reflective accounts were used for this study, provided by 44 5th year medical students. Each student had written three reflective accounts for each part of the hand hygiene unit. Results show that the inter-rater agreement was consistently high for all three levels of reflection. However, the least consistent was at reflective level three. Conclusions: These results suggest that the students were able to link theory to practice following the completion of the CCP. It could also indicate that assessors might require more skills and knowledge to enable effective and consistent examination of all areas of reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective hand hygiene practice within health care is widely recognised as being one of the single most important interventions to control and prevent the spread of healthcare associated infection (HCAI). This study aimed to explore nurses' and patients' perceptions towards patient hand hygiene and determine whether patients who required assistance with their hand hygiene were encouraged and offered appropriate facilities at appropriate times. In January 2007, within an acute teaching hospital in Scotland, six observational sessions, each lasting 4 hours were undertaken, 33 nurses completed a survey questionnaire, and interviews were carried out with 22 patients who required hand hygiene assistance. 100% of nurses and 95% of patients believed that patient hand hygiene was an important part of controlling and preventing HCAI. 64% of nurses reported having offered patients facilities to decontaminate their hands during the observational period, but only 14% of patients agreed with this. Out of 75 patient hand hygiene opportunities identified, facilities were provided on only one occasion. Despite nurses believing patient hand hygiene is an important part of preventing and controlling HCAI, unless patients are able to undertake this task independently, they are rarely encouraged or offered facilities to do so. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Deals with the housing research agenda for the National Science Foundation-Partnership for Advancing Technologies in Housing. Topics of the research agenda; Impact of crosscutting on the field of research; Importance of the research agenda on housing research.

Two modifications of the selective-diagnostic crystal violet pectate (CVP) medium for soft rot erwinias were developed using a new formulation of sodium polypectate; these were a single layer medium and a double layer medium consisting of an agar base with a pectate overlayer. Both media contained 0.1% tryptone to promote growth and cavity formation by erwinias and 40 μg ml novobiocin instead of sodium lauryl sulphate to increase recovery rate and selectivity. Colonies of the three erwinias commonly associated with potatoes formed characteristic deep cavities in the single layer modified CVP. Cavities in the double layer CVP although deep were smaller but remained distinct longer. Recovery rate and selectivity with both media were better than with the original CVP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nine two-span continuous beams incorporating a stub column load were tested. The primary variable was the column load, the only other variable being tie spacing. It is demonstrated that not only the column load but also the presence of a column has a significant influence on the post-yield behavior of the beam support section. The validity of tests on simply supported experimental models is dis-puted and some of the practical implications of using strain-hardening reinforcement are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two series of seven simply supported, mid-span loaded, reinforced concrete, rectangular beams were tested. Within each series the primary variable was span length, the only difference between each series being tie spacing. Experimental results are evaluated in terms of pre-yield response and post-yield strength and inelastic ductility. The interdependent nature of flexure, shear, and strut action is demonstrated, and a criterion for nonflexural behavior is proposed. The influence of shear-span or moment shear ratio, and tie spacing are evaluated with particular emphasis on both preand post-yield deformation. Some of the behavioral implications of the use of high-tensile strain hardening reinforcement are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of electroacoustic test procedures for evaluation of hearing aids by the Veterans Administration (VA). These methods have evolved from the use of the 2-cm3 coupler with pure tones as the input stimuli to the use of the KEMAR manikin with various types of complex noise as input stimuli. Hugh Knowles served as a consultant to the VA and his efforts, both for the VA and the research and development community at large, formed the framework for the evaluation program in place today. His contribution and leadership have resulted in procedures that permit the evaluation of a hearing aid in a manner very similar to the way it will be used by the wearer. Current use of FFT analysis and strategies for evaluating noise reduction circuits and in-the-ear hearing aids will be highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To simulate actual usage conditions, it is expected that the frequency response of heating aids will be measured on the head of the KEMAR manikin over the frequency range of 0.2 to 8 kHz. The acoustic pressure around the head can vary rapidly with both the frequency and the location. In order to compare and interpret the hearing aid response at various frequencies and locations on the head, it is necessary to precisely know the pressure variations. The amplitude and phase of the acoustic pressure were measured in increments ranging from 2 to 5 mm alongside KEMAR's head with frontal sound incidence. The acoustic driver was located in front of EMAR at a distance of 1.0 and ∼ 3.5 m from the ear canal axis. The test frequencies were the octave band center frequencies from 0.5 to 4.0 kHz and the third octave band center frequencies from 4.0 to 8.0 kHz. It will also be shown that pink noise of 6% and 29% at 6.3 and 8.0 kHz has a smoothing effect on the acoustic pressure variation with location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Word lists of the CNC type were recorded on tape via a technique described by Burnett [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 34, 1997(A), (1962)] that permitted generation of a distorted signal on a second track simultaneous with the linear signal. In Burnett's technique, the signal to be recorded was first passed through a 90° phase splitter and then the distorted signal was obtained by squaring the output. The squaring process applied to the 90° shifted signal produced a phase shift of 180°, so that various of the distortion components could be canceled or enhanced by combining the squared signals from the output of the splitter. By attenuation between the linear and distorted tracks, a number of mixtures of linear and distorted speech could be obtained. The distortion process that enhanced the components most nearly harmonically related to the linear speech signal proved least destructive of intelligibility. The process that enhanced the difference-frequency intermodulation components was decidedly more efficient in reducing intelligibility, but-unexpectedly-the distorted signal produced by squaring alone without cancellation was most damaging to intelligibility. It appears that the ear is confused by the number of components as well as their magnitudes. [Work supported in part by the Veterans Administration.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarizes the results of recent research relevant to the Veterans' Administration hearing-aid program. For prediction of the behavior of hearing aids, two properties-intermodulation and ringing ('hangover')-have been found critical, and at least as important as conventional tests for gain, frequency response, harmonic distortion, and internal noise. Both intermodulation and ringing reduce the perceived signal-to-noise ratio; their effect is more serious for persons with hearing loss than for persons with normal hearing. By using a noiselike signal having a number of specific frequencies omitted, a test has been devised to detect the spurious frequencies generated by intermodulation; appearance of the missing frequencies in the hearing-aid output indicates intermodulation. To establish the clinical significance of this test, we have developed a method for generating speech-test tapes containing varied known combinations of harmonic and intermodulation distortion. Ringing in a hearing aid introduces noise that persists after cessation of the signal, and the principal response to impulsive sounds occurs at the dominant frequency of ringing. To evaluate ringing, it was necessary to design a loudspeaker itself essentially free of ringing and to develop techniques for measuring power distributions of speech and noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Diarrhea hospitalizations decreased after rotavirus vaccine introduction by 36%. • Significant reductions in the percentage of rotavirus positivity were also observed. • G3P[8] and G2P[4] are the most common genotypes detected. Abstract Background Rotavirus vaccine was introduced into the Extended Program on Immunization in Madagascar in May 2014. We analyzed trends in prevalence of all cause diarrhea and rotavirus hospitalization in children <5 years of age before and after vaccine introduction and assessed trend of circulating rotavirus genotypes at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Mère Enfant Tsaralalàna (CHU MET). Methods From January 2010 to December 2016, we reviewed the admission logbook to observe the rate of hospitalization caused by gastroenteritis among 19619 children <5 years of age admitted at the hospital. In June 2013–December 2016, active rotavirus surveillance was also conducted at CHUMET with support from WHO. Rotavirus antigen was detected by EIA from stool specimen of children who are eligible for rotavirus gastroenteritis surveillance at sentinel site laboratory and rotavirus positive specimens were further genotyped at Regional Reference Laboratory by RT-PCR. Results Diarrhea hospitalizations decreased after rotavirus vaccine introduction. The median proportion of annual hospitalizations due to diarrhea was 26% (range: 31–22%) before vaccine introduction; the proportion was 25% the year of vaccine introduction, 17% in 2015 and 16% in 2016. Rotavirus positivity paralleled patterns observed in diarrhea. Before vaccine introduction, 56% of stool specimens tested positive for rotavirus; the percent positive was 13% in 2015, 12% in 2016. Diverse genotypes were detected in the pre-vaccine period; the most common were G3P[8] (n = 53; 66%), G2P[4] (n = 12; 15%), and G1P[8] (n = 11; 14%). 6 distinct genotypes were found in 2015; the most common genotype was G2P[4] (n = 10; 67%), the remaining, 5, G12[P8], G3[P8], G1G3[P4], G3G12[P4][P8] and G1G3[NT] had one positive specimen each. Conclusions Following rotavirus vaccine introduction all-cause diarrhea and rotavirus-specific hospitalizations declined dramatically. The most common genotypes detected in the pre-vaccine period were G3P[8] and G2P[4] in 2015, the post vaccine period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]