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Biomedical subjects

P Hitchcock

Publications and source records attributed to P Hitchcock.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Interferometer-controlled scanning transmission X-ray microscopes at the Advanced Light Source.

Two new soft X-ray scanning transmission microscopes located at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) have been designed, built and commissioned. Interferometer control implemented in both microscopes allows the precise measurement of the transverse position of the zone plate relative to the sample. Long-term positional stability and compensation for transverse displacement during translations of the zone plate have been achieved. The interferometer also provides low-distortion orthogonal x, y imaging. Two different control systems have been developed: a digital control system using standard VXI components at beamline 7.0, and a custom feedback system based on PC AT boards at beamline 5.3.2. Both microscopes are diffraction limited with the resolution set by the quality of the zone plates. Periodic features with 30 nm half period can be resolved with a zone plate that has a 40 nm outermost zone width. One microscope is operating at an undulator beamline (7.0), while the other is operating at a novel dedicated bending-magnet beamline (5.3.2), which is designed specifically to illuminate the microscope. The undulator beamline provides count rates of the order of tens of MHz at high-energy resolution with photon energies of up to about 1000 eV. Although the brightness of a bending-magnet source is about four orders of magnitude smaller than that of an undulator source, photon statistics limited operation with intensities in excess of 3 MHz has been achieved at high energy resolution and high spatial resolution. The design and performance of these microscopes are described.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

A new lease of life: caring for people with renal impairment.

There are currently 5,000 people in the UK receiving dialysis treatment while they are waiting for a kidney transplant. It is conceivable, therefore, that nurses working in general practice, the community and on general wards will meet such patients. This Unit aims to enable those nurses to gain the skills required to be able to participate in the care of patients with renal impairment. This Unit is relevant to the UKCC professional development categories of Practice Development and Educational Development.

Humans↗
PubMed1996

The practical use of vision in small teams.

Sets out to demonstrate the usefulness of vision statements to self-directed work teams, taking ideas from the development of vision within teams in an organization of around 1,000 employees. Considers barriers to the creation of a shared vision in which employees have a stake, putting forward the concept of ¿team-sized vision¿ as a means of coping with the identified problems of ¿size¿ and ¿ownership¿ with regard to organization-sized vision. Outlines various advantages of team-sized vision, e.g. enabling positive discussion of change and acting as a strong motivator. Sets out a process for the generation of team-sized vision, broken down into four main steps. Concludes that the process can be undertaken with relative ease and that vision is for all levels of the organization--not just top management.

Group Processes↗
PubMed1992

Electron beam versus photon beam radiation therapy for the treatment of orbital lymphoid tumors.

Shielding the lens of the eye while treating orbital lymphoid tumors and achieving a relatively homogeneous dose can be a dosimetric challenge. There are many clinical cases of tumors close to one or both eyes, where it is desirable to spare the lens as much as possible. We will show isodose curves comparing direct anterior fields using various electron beam energies to a single 6 mv photon beam to a multifield combination. The presence of an eye shield in a photon beam may impair the dose distribution at the back of the eye to an undesirable degree. The strong in-depth dose drop-off in electrons and the ease with which the beam can be intercepted suggests that an electron beam with an eye shield may offer advantages. We designed a suspended movable lens shield .8 cm wide with a height of 4.5 cm made of cerrobend surrounded by a brass cylinder mounted to a thin plexiglass plate to insert into a Varian electron 6 x 6 cone. A 1.5 cm gap between block and eye surface was used. Verification of dose distribution under the lens shield was obtained by film dosimetry.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Smoking interventions for patients with cancer: guidelines for nursing practice.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To identify strategies for oncology nurses to assist patients with cancer in modifying their smoking behaviors. DATA SOURCES: Published research articles, conference proceedings, Surgeon General Reports, and book chapters. DATA SYNTHESIS: Cigarette smoking is associated with a variety of cancers, and persistent smoking following a cancer diagnosis contributes to increased morbidity and mortality. Smoking cessation affords numerous health benefits to patients with cancer, including improved respiratory functioning, increased activity tolerance, and a personal sense of accomplishment. To date, few smoking interventions have targeted patients with cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Oncology nurses can become more actively involved in effective smoking interventions by incorporating current research findings and theoretical models of behavior change into daily practice. NURSING IMPLICATIONS: Oncology nurses can more effectively help their patients who smoke by assessing smoking status and patients' readiness to quit; providing brief, supportive messages consistently over time; offering or referring patients to appropriate resources; and providing continued follow-up.

Behavior Therapy↗