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SUMMARY Background Continuing education (CE) is increasingly critical for nurses to keep abreast of rapid changes in patient care due to advancements in knowledge and technology. Objective The objective of this study was to explore Chinese nurses’ perceptions on continuing education, how best CE practices meet their learning needs, and the motivation and barriers nurses face in completing CE. Methods A cross-sectional study of 2727 hospital-employed Chinese nurses from ten general hospitals was conducted from September to October 2010. Nurses’ perceptions on CE, as well as motivational and preventive factors in CE were assessed. Results The majority of nurses (97.3%) attended CE activities in the last twelve months. More than 92.2% of the nurses were familiar with the value of CE. Nurses expected CE activities to take place within a five-day period and to consist of 2 h per activity. The major factors that motivate nurses to participate in CE are the desire to gain and update their knowledge of the newest nursing development and procedures, to improve their practical skills and comprehensive qualities, to maintain professional status and to receive an academic degree. Factors that hindered nurses’ participation in CE included time constraints, work commitments, a lack of opportunity, cost of the courses and previous negative experiences with CE programs. Conclusion Chinese nurses considered CE an extremely important measure to further develop their professional competency. Nurses’ actual expectations for CE and the motivation and barriers for participation in CE from nurses’ individual, family and hospital perspective must be taken into the account in order to make CE programs more effective.

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The evolution of optical properties of two types of core/multishell nanocrystals (NCs)–type A (CdSe/CdS/Zn0.5Cd0.5S/ZnS) and type B (CdSe/CdS/Zn x Cd1–x S/ZnS)with an increase of shell thickness from 3.5 to 15.5 monolayers (MLs) has been studied. When the shell thickness was 9.5 MLs and more, the stability would be greatly improved and the quantum yields (QYs) almost did not change during the process of purification. Even after phase transfer experiment, the QYs of the water-soluble NCs were still kept 70–99% of their initial level. The as-prepared water-soluble NCs with 9.5 MLs and more also exhibited high stability in varying physiological conditions under PBS buffer and continuous UV radiation. For type B core/multishell NCs, due to a consecutive change of lattice parameters from core to shells, there were almost no defects induced between the CdSe core and ZnS shell. As a result, they had higher QYs and stability than type A core/multishell NCs at the same test condition.

Our results suggest that differences in firmness of shiitake mushrooms during storage may be due to differences in cellulose and chitin concentrations. M(2) treatment may be a useful way of maintaining shiitake mushrooms texture during storage at 4 degrees C.

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We designed and fabricated POM/MOS composite photoelectrodes with light-enhanced conductivity. {Mo132} clusters act as a photo-induced electron acceptor/donor.

Background: Recent research has emphasized the importance of coping. There is virtually nothing known about coping strategies and their relationship with self-esteem, individual and environmental factors among Chinese female nursing students. This study was to identify different coping strategies, the relationship between coping and self-esteem and influencing individual factors among Chinese female students in different years of nursing school. Method: The study used a cross-sectional design. A representative sample composed of 686 female nursing students aged 14 years or older was surveyed in December 2010 using the Simplified Coping Styles Questionnaire, the Self-Esteem Scale and the Personal Data Form for assessment. Results: Nursing students more often used positive rather than negative coping styles (P＜0.001). There was significant difference in the positive coping between nursing students in different years of school (P=0.018). The positive coping style was significantly correlated to a higher level of self-esteem, good interpersonal relationships, enough free time for study alone, a sense of self-fulfillment and satisfaction, adaptation to new study methods, close friendships, help-seeking behavior of an individual, and physical health in the past year (P＜0.05). The negative coping style was significantly associated with problems in romantic relationship, relationship with parents, worry about examinations and job assignment after graduation, feeling misunderstood, and frequent surfing on the internet (P＜0.05). Conclusion: There were different coping strategies and the important relationship between self-esteem, individual and environmental factors and coping strategies among Chinese female nursing students in different years of school. The teaching strategies that promote the self-esteem and pay more attention to students' individual and environmental factors will be useful for helping nursing students develop effective coping styles.