Excerpt: The title and conclusions of the study recently published by Jones et al. (1) concluded that monkeys were protected from dying from a form of simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) by an psoralen- and ultraviolet-inactivated vaccinia virus in a multi-envelope DNA-VV-protein (DVP). However, the findings in the study are more equivocal than indicated by the title because the effectiveness of the modified vaccinia virus was not decisively demonstrated.

The stereotype that male nurses are less masculine has existed for generations and spans all age groups. Several studies have investigated masculinity and femininity in nurses using the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, but the results are conflicting and inconclusive. Therefore, a nationwide survey was conducted across the United States that examined the sex-role identity of individuals who chose nursing as a career path. Twenty-eight males and 81 females from 37 states completed the survey. The males and females in the study both had higher mean scores on masculinity and femininity scales when compared with previous studies. The greatest percentage of participants were classified as androgynous, as opposed to masculine, feminine, or undifferentiated, with half of the males and nearly half of the females falling into this category. © The Author(s) 2011.

Objectives: To assess the use of the “Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals” standards in practice and academic work settings by public health nurses (PHNs), and to determine differences between practitioners and faculty. Design: Nonexperimental, descriptive study using a cross‐sectional survey. Sample: Three public health nursing (PHN) organizations sent invitations to all members. A total of 334 (18.7%) from an estimated 1,786 members completed the survey. Measurements: The investigators developed a 17‐item web‐based survey with open‐ and closed‐ended responses, using Rogers' diffusion of innovations as a theoretical framework. Results: Respondents are equally familiar with the competencies for public health professionals disseminated by the Council on Linkages and for PHNs by the Quad Council of Public Health Nursing Organizations (Quad Council). Two thirds of PHNs are aware of the competencies after only 2 years, primarily from professional PHN organizations. Faculty are adopting and using the competencies at a significantly faster rate than practitioners. Conclusions: Faculty and practitioners who use the competencies value them, and rarely discontinued their use after adoption. Efforts to promote diffusion among faculty and especially practitioners need to continue. Professional organizations can actively provide and share examples of useable formats and best practices associated with the competencies.

The cost and duration of cardiovascular care was studied for 4,804 episodes of hospitalization in patients between 45 and 64 years of age. Men were more likely than women to be treated in urban medical centers for shorter, more expensive hospital care; women were more likely to be treated in rural hospitals for longer, less expensive care. Cost of treatment per day was not dependent on the type of insurance, but Medicaid claims (which represent low income patients) were associated with greater lengths of stay.

Boundary conditions for the cable equation - such as voltage-clamped or sealed cable ends, branchpoints, somatic shunts, and current clamps - result in multi-exponential series representations of the voltage or current. Each term in the series expansion is characterized by a decay rate (eigenvalue) and an initial amplitude (Fourier coefficient). The eigenvalues are determined numerically and the Fourier coefficients are subsequently given by the residues at the eigenvalues of the Laplace transform of the solution. In this paper, we introduce an alternative method for estimating the Fourier coefficients which works for all types of boundary conditions and is practical even when analytic expressions for the Fourier coefficients become intractable. It is shown that terms in the analytic expressions for the Fourier coefficients result from derivatives of the equation for the eigenvalues, and that simple numerical estimates for the amplitude coefficients are easily derived by replacing analytical derivatives by numerical eigenslope. The physical quantity represented by the slope is identified as effective neuron capacitance.

The purpose of this study was to facilitate self-discovery of strengths of women who were homeless and trauma-exposed. Using an emancipatory feminist and existential phenomenological qualitative research design, seventeen women participated in facilitative dialogs exploring perceptions of strength. The dialogue focused on three aspects of strength: characteristics, strategies, and barriers. The participants’ words were represented within global themes of strength: balance, protection, and dangerous environments. Results suggest women who are houseless and abused find ways to remain strong as evidenced in their stories. Findings support strength-based discovery, patient engagement, and partnering as a health intervention with vulnerable women.

A nurse-managed clinic in Northeast Tennessee that mainly serves unstably housed patients launched a process improvement project to evaluate Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) implementation and use. These findings could guide future SBIRT efforts among vulnerable groups.

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This chapter describes the implementation of two service-learning courses within the setting of a primary-care clinic for homeless and indigent individuals. The two courses are a campus-wide Introduction to Community Service and a Community Health Nursing Practicum. Although these two courses have different learning outcomes, they both address the primary goals of service-learning, including (1) developing students' understanding about the responsibility of citizenship and preparing students for effective roles in society; (2) improving students' communication skills, problem-solving skills, and project-specific skills; (3) enhancing students' self esteem and sense of social reality; and (4) providing an interdisciplinary perspective (Kendall and Associates 1990). The sections that follow describe the setting that the two service-learning courses share, the university-wide course, and the community health nursing practicum. Common issues faced in both courses that are discussed include reflective learning practices, community/client impact, communicating expectations to the student and the site personnel, collaboration to accomplish both service and learning outcomes, and practical issues associated with service-learning in a clinic for the homeless and indigent.

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