Interest in ultrasound education in medical schools has increased dramatically in recent years as reflected in a marked increase in publications on the topic and growing attendance at international meetings on ultrasound education. In 2006, the University of South Carolina School of Medicine introduced an integrated ultrasound curriculum (iUSC) across all years of medical school. That curriculum has evolved significantly over the 9 years. A review of the curriculum is presented, including curricular content, methods of delivery of the content, student assessment, and program assessment. Lessons learned in implementing and expanding an integrated ultrasound curriculum are also presented as are thoughts on future directions of undergraduate ultrasound education. Ultrasound has proven to be a valuable active learning tool that can serve as a platform for integrating the medical student curriculum across many disciplines and clinical settings. It is also well-suited for a competency-based model of medical education. Students learn ultrasound well and have embraced it as an important component of their education and future practice of medicine. An international consensus conference on ultrasound education is recommended to help define the essential elements of ultrasound education globally to ensure ultrasound is taught and ultimately practiced to its full potential. Ultrasound has the potential to fundamentally change how we teach and practice medicine to the benefit of learners and patients across the globe.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13089-015-0035-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A series of thermoplastic polyurethanes was synthesized with varying hard segment composition or content and the effect of the hard segments on morphology and properties was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermal mechanical analysis (TMA), Fourier transform infrared analysis (FTIR) and tensile testing. The diisocyanates included 4,4' -diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and 4,4' -dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanates (H,2MDI). The chain extenders 1,4-butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol and 1,3-butanediol were used. The soft segment material was poly(oxytetramethylene) glycol of molecular weight 2000. It was found that the interchain attractive forces between hard segments affect physical properties and morphologies. The degree of phase mixing, hardness and strength increased with increasing hard segment content and with decreasing degree of hard segment crystallinity (packing arrangements) at the same hard segment content.

The nanocrystalline cubic phase of zirconia was found to be thermally stabilized by the addition of 3 to 40 mol % manganese. The nanocrystalline cubic, tetragonal and monoclinic phases of zirconia stabilized with manganese (Ill)oxide (Mn-Stabilized Zirconia) were prepared by thermal decomposition of carbonate and hy droxide precursors. Both the crystallization and isothermal phase transitions associated with Mn-SZ were stud ied using high temperature x-ray diffraction and x-ray diffraction of quenched samples. Cubic Mn-SZ initially crystallized and progressively transformed to tetragonal, and monoclinic structures above 700 °C. The nanocrystalline cubic Mn-SZ containing 25 mol % Mn was found to have the greatest thermal stability, retain ing its cubic form at temperatures as high as 800 °C for periods up to 25 hours. Higher than 40 mol %, cubic M112O3 was found to coexist with cubic Mn-SZ. The crystallite sizes observed for the cubic, tetragonal and monoclinic Mn-SZ phases ranged from 50 to 137, 130 to 220, and 195 to 450 Ä respectively, indicating, for ZrC>2, that particle size was a primary factor in determining its polymorphs. The classical Avrami equation for nucleation and growth was applied to the observed phase transformations.

BackgroundVirginia Tech and the university libraries Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, generally known as Virginia Tech, was established in 1872 and has its main campus at Blacksburg, Virginia. With 25,000+ students, it is the largest university in Virginia and one of the leading research institutions in the nation. The spirit of Virginia Tech is best characterized by its formal motto, Ut Prosim (That I may serve) and the informal motto often used in university communications,``Virginia Tech ± Sharing the Power of Knowledge''.Virginia Tech is a member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). The Libraries have a professional and classified staff of 132, a budget of $12,000,000 per year, provide services to eight academic colleges (Agriculture and Life Sciences, Architecture and Urban Studies, Arts and Sciences, Pamplin College of Business, Engineering, Human Resources and Education, Natural Resources, and Veterinary Medicine) and many research centers, support undergraduates through doctoral and professional programs, and serve constituent clients located in Blacksburg, across the Commonwealth of Virginia, and wherever Virginia Tech programs are offered. Sack's (1986) proposed model for a Copernican university library system ± one which places the user rather than the library at the center of the information services universe ± has greatly influenced the visionary and operational thinking for the University Libraries at Virginia Tech. We realize that if our operations are to be user-centric we need better assessment tools for understanding our users. The libraries have an extensive history of involvement with informal assessment activities. More recently we have formalized these practices. Participation in assessment activities in support of library decision making is now part of the position description for each member of the library staff.LibQUAL+ TM as an assessment tool for the Virginia Tech Libraries Given the university's emphasis on service and transforming knowledge, and our own internal emphasis on measurement as one factor associated with improving services for users, we were challenged to identify a reliable tool capable of supporting ongoing