Development of Engaging Whiteboard Videos to Support Head Start Teachers’ Understanding of Evidence-based Strategies for Teaching Preschool Children (3-5 years) Science in the Context of Healthy Eating

Learning Objective: Identify Head Start teachers’ and relevant professionals’ perceptions of whiteboard videos designed to support understanding evidence-based strategies for teaching preschool children (3-5 years) science in the context of healthy eating. Background: Preschool children, especially those from low-income households, do not consume adequate amounts of vegetables. It is critical to address this low consumption of vegetables in childhood, as it is associated with an increased risk of disease later in life. There is evidence that incorporating food-based learning into STEAM activities in the classroom can improve both learning and vegetable consumption. This project used educational videos to engage and educate Head Start teachers on evidence-based strategies for integrating science and nutrition concepts in their classrooms through STEAM learning activities that incorporate food. Methods: A series of 5 3-7-minute-long videos were developed, each focused upon an evidence-based strategy for incorporating healthy eating into science education in Head Start classrooms. Participants included 5 Head Start teachers working in Eastern NC as well as 5 professionals in fields relevant to video topics, including a pediatric dietitian, food safety expert, child care health consultant, health department policy expert, and an occupational therapist trained in feeding. Participants were asked to fill out pre-interview reflection sheets describing their perceptions of each video and participated in approx. 30-minute cognitive interviews. Interview questions gauged participant perceptions of the videos’ quality, relevance, and applicability. Transcribed interviews underwent thematic analysis by the research team using basic coding techniques. Results: Participants shared their perspectives on diversity and representation within the videos, relevant video audiences, their experiences and perspectives regarding representation in video content and general audiences, video strategy implementation, video content, suggestions for the addition, removal, or changing of video elements, and general video characteristics. Conclusion: Head Start teachers and professionals in relevant fields were able to provide a breadth of unique perspectives regarding a series of 5 professional development videos created in order to empower Head Start teachers to implement Food-Based Learning activities into their own STEAM curriculum. These perspectives will help to inform the future development of these videos as well as any other educational nutrition videos for early childhood educators in the future

INTERSECTIONALITY AND BURNOUT IN MEDICAL RESIDENCY PROGRAMS: NARRATIVES ACROSS THE NATION

Burnout impacts up to 75% of medical residents in the United States. Although nearly half of active medical residents in the U.S. identify as individuals with intersecting underrepresented identities including racial, ethnic minority and sexual orientation, very little is known about their unique needs and factors that help retain them throughout medical residency. This article aims to begin filling the gap in the literature regarding how medical residents with intersecting underrepresented identities experience burnout during their residency education in the US and begin exploring protective factors that alleviate burnout rates. The data for this study came from 27 participants who were selected for qualitative interviews and the following themes emerged as having influence on how medical residents with intersecting underrepresented identities experienced burnout: Healthcare culture, additive stress, the role of exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy and the influence of discrimination. Additionally, nine subthemes emerged from these themes. Medical residency programs and hospital systems should consider the ways in which their discrimination policies, wellness programs, and diverse leadership structure or the lack thereof impacts burnout rates in medical residents with multiple intersecting underrepresented identities

USING FILM TO ADDRESS THE AFFECTIVE DOMAIN OF LEARNING RELATED TO THE NURSING EDUCATION OF CARING FOR THE LGBTQ+ PATIENT

Abstract Background: Appropriate and adequate care for LGBTQ+ patients and other special populations by nurses begins with receiving proper education and a strong background in personalized patient care. Due to the lack of preparedness felt by some new graduate nurses, there is even more emphasis on the need to improve this understanding and the educational resources used to prepare for the care of some patients. Understanding what academic resources are best suited to reach an adequate knowledge for care and providing this care with emotional intelligence is important and vital to the role that nurses play in patient care of special populations such as the LGBTQ+ community. Methods: A literature search was conducted by utilizing online databases that included PubMed, and a significant impact in research resulting from Elsevier and Evolve. Study quality was assessed prior to inclusion to provide the best quantitative and qualitative research available that was deemed relevant to this research conduction. Findings from these studies were analyzed and resulted in a synthesis of conclusions from each resource to provide an integrated literature review regarding the topic. Results: Twelve studies were included in this review from over a thousand that were retrieved in the initial search. It was identified which resources supported the research of this topic and which resources showed the gap in this research that should be further conducted. This research showed that overall, there is very limited resources exploring the effects of using film in nursing education and which academic resources provide the most successful emotional connection regarding certain topics. Conclusion: After reviewing the literature, it is evident that limited research has been done on the most effective teaching pedagogy for nursing education and should be further explored. However, in the literature that has been provided on teaching through film and documentaries in nursing curriculum, it has been proven to be extremely effective in the knowledge base and emotional connection to specific patient populations that is provided. The success in certain areas of nursing education through alternative formats needs to be further explored to determine the overall effectiveness compared to traditional teaching platforms in the same curriculum areas

UTILIZING WELLBEING PRACTICES TO DEEPEN CONNECTIONS AMONG INTERNATIONAL MIDDLE SCHOOL LEADERS

“Put your oxygen mask on first� is a critical motto for educational leaders not only to espouse, but to enact. In the fast-paced environments of international schools, leaders often lack the time to make use of the wellbeing principles that keep themselves physically and emotionally healthy and connected to their communities. During a span of nine months and within two cycles of inquiry, I worked with a middle school leadership team deeply impacted by the pandemic to identify and practice wellbeing practices to deepen connections within themselves and a cohort of middle school leaders. Using participatory action research (PAR) as the methodology, I collected and analyzed data about how the leadership team used wellbeing practices and how these practices affected connectedness within the leadership team and within the middle school cohort. As a result of the PAR study, I identified two findings. First, educators who engage in emotionally centering wellbeing practices deepen connections between themselves and others. Second, international school administrators provide a holistic space in which teachers can engage in wellbeing practices and explore feelings and emotions that support them in their dual roles of personal and professional. By emphasizing the importance of leaders actively modeling practices to cultivate inclusive learning environments, study participants embraced mindfulness and reflection; as a result, the educators prioritized their wellbeing, built relational trust with their teams, and integrated their personal and professional lives and roles. The study showed the transformative potential of intentionally embedding wellbeing practices into regular practice, stressing educational leaders' importance in supporting themselves and their teams to deepen connections. The PAR study offers insights to schools worldwide, suggesting ways to improve wellbeing practices through professional learning. The findings have implications that extend beyond the study’s specific context and emphasize the importance of wellbeing practices to educators as they care for themselves so they can be effective leaders for others. The study draws attention to potential further research to explore how wellbeing practices can positively affect a more supportive environment in which leaders nurture trust among teams and ensure a sense of belonging in educational communities

Final SHP Report

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Gender Differences in Spending Habits in Young Adults with ADHD: A Pilot Study

This study was conducted to determine whether there is a significant relationship between ADHD symptoms and impulsive spending habits between men and women. The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale was used to evaluate participants’ ADHD symptoms and the Buying Impulsiveness Scale was used to evaluate spending impulsivity. Participants were also asked demographic questions, including whether they are currently diagnosed with and/or medicated for ADHD. The results showed that participants with self-reported ADHD diagnoses showed significantly higher spending impulsivity than those without self-reported ADHD. However, participants who scored higher on the ASRS showed higher, but not significantly higher, scores on the BIS. There were no significant gender differences detected in this sample. Future research should leave data collection open for a longer time frame to collect more responses and should advertise to more diverse populations

A UNIQUE MITOCHONDRIAL BIOENERGETIC PATHWAY UNDERLIES ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA SURVIVAL AND CHEMORESISTANCE

In his early research on cancer cell metabolism, Otto Warburg made the hypothesis that the respiration of cancer cells has become damaged. The insult to cancer cell respiration, Warburg proposed, was either 1) a decrease in oxygen consumption, or 2) with undiminished oxygen consumption, the coupling of respiration and ATP synthesis has become broken. Herein, using multiple models of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (i.e., chemosensitive and chemoresistant), we present evidence that supports the early hypothesis of Otto Warburg. Specifically, we discovered that 1) AML mitochondria present with defects in respiration that are masked by increases in mitochondrial content and 2) under basal conditions, AML mitochondria consume, rather than synthesize, ATP. The ATP consumption of AML cells confers a survival advantage and poises AML cells to participate in a futile cycle that mimics an alternating current circuit model. In chapter I, we provide a background on acute myeloid leukemia bioenergetics that establishes the groundwork for the research outlined in this dissertation. Specifically, our previous research discovered that relative to normal blood cells, AML cells are characterized by two important mitochondrial phenotypes: 1) AML cells present with deficiencies in oxidative phosphorylation (i.e., OxPhos) that are more pronounced in the context of chemoresistant disease; and, 2) AML import extramitochondrial ATP into the mitochondrial matrix space where it inhibits respiratory flux. In Chapter II, we discovered that, universally, the AML mitochondrion presents with 1) reductions in respiratory flux, driven by intrinsic lesions in the electron transport system, that were associated with 2) a utilization of ATP synthase as an F1-ATPase proton pump to sustain the mitochondrial membrane potential. Sustaining polarization across the inner mitochondrial membrane via F1-ATPase activity conferred chemoresistance to AML. Importantly however, chemoresistant AML were re-sensitized to chemotherapy when F1-ATPase mediated polarization was disrupted using mitochondrial-targeted lipophilic small molecules. In Chapter III, we discovered that reactivation of AML OxPhos induces BAX-independent cytotoxicity that, based on unpublished data in Chapter IV, appears to involve cytotoxic ROS production. Collectively, this dissertation proposes a unique model of AML mitochondrial bioenergetics where ATP consumption, rather than ATP synthesis, supports AML survival and confers resistance to chemotherapy. Furthermore, this dissertation presents a novel AML-specific mitochondrial pathway that can be selectively targeted by 1) disrupting F1-ATPase mediated polarization of the mitochondrial membrane, or 2) reactivating AML OxPhos

“Stripped Clean by Wind and Water�: Historical and Archaeological Investigation of a Provincetown Plum-Pudding Whaling Company and its Reaction to a Dimming Industry

Industry decline after the 1859 discovery of petroleum prompted American whalers to adopt innovative strategies for survival, such as plum-pudding whaling. Characterized by short, Atlantic expeditions, it minimized risk and proved effective during periods of uncertainty. This thesis employs social risk theory to analyze the operational history of E. & E.K. Cook & Company and the 1879 collapse of their industrial, fishing, and whaling "empire" in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Highlighting the company’s strategic shift to plum-pudding whaling in the 1860s, this study examines distinct features of plum-pudding schooners, discusses internal and external factors contributing to the company's 1879 dissolution, and establishes a theoretical framework for evaluating discrete maritime risk. Through extensive historical research and archaeological surveys of suspected Cook vessel remains, this thesis serves as a case study in understanding the impact of strategic response to crisis and risk during the whaling industry's decline

Equitable Classrooms require equitable practices

The participatory action research (PAR) aims to build educators’ culturally responsive teaching capacity to support equitable classrooms. The study focuses on the culturally responsive teaching development and decision-making process of a middle school principal, three Language Art teachers, and the culturally responsive teaching influence to create equitable classrooms. The group will work closely, learn together in the professional learning community, and intentionally select and plan diverse and inclusive text and culturally responsive teaching activities. The research participants will use community learning exchange (CLE) protocols to build trust and relationships, first among each other and then with the staff. The principal’s culturally responsive teaching development will guide the principal into planning and facilitating a CLE among the group, and eventually, the group will plan and facilitate a CLE with the staff

EXPERIMENTAL DETERMINATION OF THERMOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES IN SUPERCRITICAL HEAT EXCHANGERS

An ECU team designed, built, and is testing a pilot-scale supercritical water desalination (SWD) system that processed brine discharge from conventional desalination systems. The system completely separates the solid salts from brine wastes. However, SWD is energy intensive. This work presents the design and testing of two heat exchangers (HEXs) used to recover and reuse the waste heat produced during the SWD process to minimize the overall energy requirement. The HEXs have been instrumented with temperature, pressure and flow control components. The collected data is then used to estimate dimensionless numbers (such as Prandtl, Reynolds and Nusselt) using thermophysical properties from the NIST REFPROP database. The dimensionless numbers are useful for HEXs design and are scarce in the literature for supercritical fluids. Brine was also used as a cooling fluid to simulate three different concentrations (3.5%, 7.5% and 14%) of salt which simulate sea water and double the brine waste discharge concentration from conventional desalination processes. The dimensionless numbers are then used to calculate the convective heat transfer coefficients, thermal resistance, and the overall heat transfer coefficient (OHTC). The results show that the Nusselt number for a supercritical HEX in laminar flow conditions is 20 to 30 times greater than that of a conventional counterpart which translates to an order of magnitude higher rate of heat transfer. The heat recovery system saves significant energy with a payback period of around 5 years