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Background: Nearly 15 years after the introduction of the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree, stakeholders anticipate practice scholarship outcomes from graduates. Purpose: To examine the frequency of engagement in practice scholarship, the relationship between the knowledge gained in DNP programs and the frequency of engagement in practice scholarship and the relationship between engagement in practice scholarship, work role, and years since graduation with a DNP degree, as reported by practicing nurses. Methodology: This cross-sectional study recruited 306 practicing DNP graduates via a national organization and employed an electronic survey. Descriptive and inferential statistics, correlational analysis, and a one-way analysis of variance were conducted on demographics and outcome variables for 269 completed surveys. Results: The practice scholarship activity reported most frequently was evaluation of current clinical evidence and least frequently was dissemination of policy papers. Reported knowledge gained from DNP programs and frequency of engagement in practice scholarship indicate a weak positive correlation. There was a significant difference in the direct care work role and practice scholarship engagement compared with other roles, and between those practicing greater than 10 years and those with less experience. Conclusions: Results highlight the underutilization of knowledge gained in DNP programs and engagement in practice scholarship. The study emphasizes the complexity of realizing practice scholarship outcomes of DNP-prepared nurses to influence patients, populations, systems, and policy as well as the advancement of the nursing profession. Implications: This is a call to action for DNP graduates, academia, practice, and the nursing profession to support and value practice scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The American Association of Colleges of Nursing introduced the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree in 2004. To date, few publications examine the competencies and impact of nurses with practice doctorates. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine reasons for seeking a DNP degree, assess knowledge and competencies acquired from DNP programs, and to inform stakeholders about the skills acquired by nurses with practice doctorates. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to administer a self-report survey to a convenience sample of DNP-prepared nurses in practice, recruited from a national membership organization. The electronic survey was designed using constructs developed from the literature, national organization position statements, and standards of doctoral nursing education. Results: A total of 306 participants responded to the survey, 270 were used after data review. The majority of respondents did not seek a DNP degree because it was required for a job, to gain additional supervised practice, or to receive additional training with a specialty population. The majority strongly agreed that they gained competency in translating and synthesizing research evidence into practice, designing and implementing quality improvement, and identifying, measuring, and evaluating outcomes. Conclusions: Primary reasons for seeking a DNP degree were seeking knowledge, skills, competencies, confidence, and job opportunities. Implications for practice: Doctor of Nursing Practice–prepared nurses hold unique, advanced knowledge, competencies and skills to affect health care across multiple settings. Study results suggest that highly skilled DNP-prepared nurses are equipped to lead quality improvement, engage in practice scholarship, and improve clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary minerals occurring at the faces of fractures, the only reliable visual evidence of the presence of hydraulically conductive fractures in clayey unlithified aquitards, have been characterized for two uncontaminated field sites, Dalmeny, Saskatchewan, and Laidlaw, Ontario. Preliminary identification of secondary minerals and their variations with depth was made using a Munsell™ Color Chart. Subsequent microscopic analyses (petrography, electron microprobe analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction) were used to identify iron-oxide mineralogy. Iron oxides were identified as goethite, ferrihydrite, and hematite at Dalmeny, where they occur to depths of 10 to 15 m, and goethite and ferrihydrite at Laidlaw, observed to depths of 7 m. In both cases, the identification of ferrihydrite was tentative due to the problems of small sample size and peak overlap in X-ray diffraction. The iron oxides do not form coatings on the surfaces of the fractures as had been previously thought; rather they form cements linking the matrix grains. Thus there is potential for decreased permeability and increased surface reactivity parallel to and inward from the fracture faces. The pattern of iron-oxide distribution suggests that the youngest deposits, and those with the greatest surface reactivity and potential for contaminant retardation, are found at greatest depths in the fractures. Manganese oxides form in isolated clusters in larger pores and indentations, although the exact manganese minerals could not be firmly identified., Catherine A. Corrigan (1,2), Heather E. Jamieson (1), and Victoria H. Remenda (1,3) Introduction Much of the current research on clay-rich, unlithifled aquitards has been on their increased permeability due [...]

Mason would later recount his first sighting of an Allende stone in the window of the local newspaper office, with one look sufficient to convince him of the remarkable nature of the meteorite. Gene Jarosewich spearheaded preparation of the Allende Meteorite Reference Sample (Jarosewich et al. 1987) by powdering ~4 kg of Allende and preparing more than 700 splits. A 15 kg stone fell within 4 m of a house in Pueblito de Allende, Mexico, the village which would lend its name to one of the most significant meteorite falls of all time. [Extracted from the article]