Near-field infinity-simulating boundary conditions for the heat equation

The numerical simulation of various physical phenomena in infinite domains poses great difficulties. Truncation of the domain is usually necessary in such cases. To ensure stability of the resulting problem on the restricted domain, appropriate boundary conditions should be applied. Here, we develop a boundary condition for the case in which the heat equation is satisfied outside the domain of interest with no restrictions on the equation inside. The condition employs a thin layer encasing the computational domain. The resulting condition, combined with techniques similar to those proposed by Jiang and Greengard [Jiang S, Greengard L (2004) Fast evaluation of nonreflecting boundary conditions for the Schrödinger equation in one dimension. Comp Math Appl 47:955–966.] promises to be more accurate and computationally efficient than previously described techniques.     

Comparing professions through actor-centred governance: community nursing in Britain and Germany

Professions are increasingly studied from an international perspective, and understanding context is key to cross-national comparison of professions. This paper builds on studies of health service work in different countries and introduces actor-centred governance as a framework for comparing professions. The framework conceptualises context as institutions and, as such, offers a more systematic analysis of context and the interplay between context and actors. The framework is applied to a comparative study of community nursing in Britain and Germany, which includes a local case study of the governance of internal boundaries. Actor-centred governance helps to map out different actors and the interplay among them, to identify different types of institutions, and to trace how institutions relate to actors and vice versa. As such, actor-centred governance allows for a more systematic analysis of similarities and differences, and facilitates comparisons across different countries.     

Corrosion Properties of Nanocrystalline Co–Cr Coatings

Nanocrystalline and conventional Co–Cr (ASTM F75) coatings were prepared by plasma spraying for possible orthopedic implant applications. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to study the macrostructure and microstructure of the resultant sprayed coatings. The corrosion resistance was characterized by an in vitro potentiodynamic anodic polarization technique in a pseudophysiological solution. The nanocrystalline coating has higher porosity, lower corrosion current density, and less localized damage than that of the conventional one, demonstrating better application potential for orthopedic implants. A change in the atomic compositional difference between the grain interior and the grain boundary, the presence of residual strain in the grain interiors, and a change in the repassivation kinetics are discussed as possible explanations for the enhanced corrosion behavior observed. © 2001 Biomedical Engineering Society. PAC01: 8165Kn, 8115Rs, 6146+w, 8780Rb, 6855-a, 5277Fv, 6837Hk, 8764Ee, 8107Bc, 6172Mm, 6837Lp     

The nursing-medical boundary: a negotiated order?

In a recent paper in Sociology of Health and Illness, Svensson (1996) makes the case for adopting the negotiated order perspective as the most appropriate theoretical framework for understanding patterns of doctor-nurse interaction. Analysing interview data with nursing staff from surgical and medical wards in five Swedish hospitals, Svensson identifies key changes in the health care context which he suggests have created ‘negotiation space’ for nurses, leading to the evolution of new working relationships with doctors. In examining the relationship between negotiation processes and the wider structural context, Svensson addresses a theme that has remained an enduring interest of critics and supporters of the negotiated order perspective alike. Drawing on data generated on a surgical and a medical ward in a UK District General Hospital, this paper attempts to make a further contribution to this debate and also to sociological understanding of doctor-nurse relationships, by analysing some features of hospital work which inhibited face-to-face inter-occupational negotiations but which nevertheless resulted in the modification of the formal division of labour between nursing and medicine. The implications of these findings for the negotiated order perspective are considered, and the question is raised as to what researchers working within this tradition understand by ‘negotiation’ and how it can be studied.     

Negotiating realistic and mutually sustaining nurse-patient relationships in palliative care

Barthow C. International Journal of Nursing Practice 1997; 3: 206–210
Negotiating realistic and mutually sustaining nurse–patient relationships in palliative care
This paper uses a literature review to question the proposition that nurses will be permitted to care for the psychosocial and spiritual needs of patients in the manner that is frequently presented as the nurses role. Second, it will explore qualities in nurse-patient relationships that can be not only helpful to those who are cared for but also can be a mode of sustenance to the nurse. Issues explored are the social construction of the nurse–patient relationship, reality checking, balancing emotional and cognitive functions in nursing, focus of nursing commitment, power issues, reciprocity and boundaries. Palliative care nursing will be referred to in relation to these themes as it is an area of nursing which highlights the increasing focus on psychosocial care. For this reason questions of what is realistic and sustainable for the nurse are of prime importance.     

Interprofessional approaches to creating safe,high quality health care

Three supplementary perspectives are presented arguing that interprofessional collaboration is both necessary and desirable. Nonetheless, there are often too many serious intra-professional barriers and obstacles to interprofessional collaboration to make it successful. Some of these barriers, it is argued and illustrated, are found in the multiple ways in which professional identity is tacitly acquired and embodied in the practitioners' habitual, everyday practice. The paper then explores ways in which reflection, especially Second order reflection, can help to elucidate and overcome these obstacles, as well as increasing professional adaptability and competence.