Benchmarking best practices in Web-based nursing courses.

This article describes the framework and process to determine best practices in online learning communities for Web-based nursing courses. The benchmarks for best practices were determined based on evidence-based research in higher education. These quality indicators were then used to develop and pilot test a benchmarking survey across three state schools of nursing. The results of the pilot test, as well as the applications and implications for benchmarking best practices, are discussed.

Purified hematopoietic stem cells can differentiate into hepatocytes in vivo.

The characterization of hepatic progenitor cells is of great scientific and clinical interest. Here we report that intravenous injection of adult bone marrow cells in the FAH(-/-) mouse, an animal model of tyrosinemia type I, rescued the mouse and restored the biochemical function of its liver. Moreover, within bone marrow, only rigorously purified hematopoietic stem cells gave rise to donor-derived hematopoietic and hepatic regeneration. This result seems to contradict the conventional assumptions of the germ layer origins of tissues such as the liver, and raises the question of whether the cells of the hematopoietic stem cell phenotype are pluripotent hematopoietic cells that retain the ability to transdifferentiate, or whether they are more primitive multipotent cells.

Beyond correspondence, video conferencing, and voice mail: Internet-based master's degree courses in nursing.

The changing health care system and increasing demands for primary care providers have prompted an increase in nurse practitioner programs in the United States. Nurses in rural areas that are underserved by primary care practitioners often are faced with time and distance barriers to returning to school for advanced education. This article describes Internet-based courses as a unique distance learning platform for preparing primary care nurse practitioners at the University of Kansas (KU) School of Nursing. Discussion includes course development process, matching methods to course content, and other information on promoting interaction between students and faculty.

Telecommunications and rural health care.

Telehealth has many applications, including the education and training of health professionals. This article describes the use of advanced telecommunications technology to educate family nurse practitioners in rural areas of Kansas. Four Kansas universities use compressed video technology (an interactive audio and video system) to offer five common core courses in primary care to students enrolled in FNP programs at the respective institutions. Using technology to educate FNPs in rural communities has resulted in a greater percentage of graduates (approximately 67% of 258 graduates) going to work in rural underserved communities. In addition to learning the course content, students learn to use technology as a tool to access telehealth information and services Knowing how to use these technologies provides greater opportunities to rural health care providers, as well as the recipients of health care.

Case management: within and beyond the walls.

Results of this study demonstrated no significant differences in the frequency of the instrumental use of case management skills between nurses who graduated from the NAMFE program (NAMFE group) and those who were about to enter the program (comparison group); however, there was a significant difference (p < .0001 level) in the perceived preparation for performance of these skills between the two groups. Currently, few educational programs provide nurses with the essential knowledge and skills to function in the role of case manager; yet, the job market demands it of them. The program was able to fill the gap between education and service. Although the NAMFE course no longer is available for continuing education credit through the University of Kansas School of Nursing, the course currently is offered as an elective for senior level students and graduate students. Also, the curriculum materials and teaching strategies manuals, developed as part of this grant, and consultations regarding the use of these materials are available.

Impact evaluation of a statewide continuing education program.

A pre/posttreatment design was used to assess the impact of a statewide continuing education program on the case management knowledge and skills level of nurse participants. To accomplish this task, three instruments were developed and utilized: a demographic questionnaire, the pre- and postcognitive assessments for each learning module, and the Competency Behaviors of the Case Managers Inventory (CBCMI). Results indicated a significant difference (p less than .0001) in knowledge and perceived performance for the 57 subjects who participated in this study. These findings suggested that continuing education does impact the professional performance and practice of nursing.

Polychlorinated biphenyls may alter marine trophic pathways by reducing phytoplankton size and production.

Polychlorinated biphenyls at concentrations of 1 to 10 micrograms per liter reduced phytoplankton biomass and size in natural estuarine phytoplankton communities grown within dialysis bags in situ in an estuarine marsh. In polychlorinated biphenyls-contaminated waters, these changes could increase the number of trophic levels and divert the flow of biomass from harvestable fish to jellyfish and other gelatinous predators.

Effects of chlordane and heptachlor on the marine dinoflagellate, Exuviella baltica, Lohmann.

Chlordane and heptachlor at 50 microgram/1 reduced cell density, chlorophyll a per unit volume of culture, 14C uptake per cell and carbon fixation per unit of chlorophyll a in the marine dinoflagellate Exuviella baltica Lohmann. The concentration of chlorophyll a per cell was not reduced, however, by treatment with either compound. Chlordane was more toxic than heptachlor at this concentration, and caused the disintegration of many cells, thus affecting particle size distribution in the cultures. In nature, such an inhibition and shift in size class distribution could affect the availability of food for particle-feeding herbivores.

Response to polychlorinated biphenyls of marine phytoplankton isolates cultured under natural conditions.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) at a concentration of 10 mug/liter substantially but temporarily suppressed the growth rate and photosynthesis of two species of Thalassiosira recently isolated from Long Island Sound and grown in dialysis membrane bags suspended in the tidal channel of an estuarine marsh. Inhibition of carbon fixation was apparently due to reduced levels of chlorophyll a per PCB-treated cell, but no significant loss of function per unit of existing chlorophyll a was observed. Cell concentrations in all size classes (3.2- to 18.6-mum-equivalent spherical diameters) were markedly lower in PCB-treated cultures, with toal biomass equaling only 30% of that in control cultures throughout the experiment.