The Effects of Drying Conditions on the Properties of Fines

This project was designed to study the impact of drying on the properties of fiber fines. Three different drying conditions were used: force-dry (0% moisture), force-dry (6% moisture), and air-dry (6% moisture). Fines were evaluated in the paper and in the pulp both before and after recycling. In order to study the impact of drying on the fines, fines were removed from the virgin furnish. Characteristics of the control stock containing fines and of the control stock without fines were evaluated and served as a means of comparison. Stocks were tested for wet-web strength, drainage, freeness, and water retention value. Two sets of handsheets (fines-free and fines-containing) were made at each condition. Handsheets were evaluated for brightness, opacity, scattering coefficient, absorption coefficient, density, and tensile index. Handsheets were then repulped and tests were performed, as before, on the stock. All recycled pulps were then used to prepare air-dry handsheets which were evaluated again for strength and optical properties. Results show that force-dry (0% moist) fines, both before and after recycling, contributed the most to density and tensile index because of lower fines-free values, but the least to wet web strength. Force-dried fines were less active than air-dried fines but more necessary because of this. Air-dried fines were more active and had the lowest scattering coefficient and CSF, and had the strongest wet-web and paper. Bonding potential was reduced in all cases by drying, as indicated by lower densities, tensile indexes, wet-web strengths, and water retention values

The Effects of a Preceptor Coaching Intervention on Use of Clinical Judgment by New Graduate Nurses

This work attempts to evaluate a preceptor intervention on the development of critical thinking/clinical judgment from the new graduate’s point of view as well as from the preceptor’s point of view. Manuscript 1 is a systematic review of the literature related to preceptor’s interventions and its effect on clinical judgment. Manuscript 2 describes the results of focus group interviews of preceptors and the viewpoint on clinical judgment and related concepts. Results of a pilot study: The effects of a preceptors coaching on new graduates clinical judgement, is reported in Manuscript 3. Each section includes an overview of each manuscript, a description of what the manuscript adds to the body of knowledge, and how it fits into the overall dissertation document. Each manuscript is written according to the requirements of the targeted journal and is a standalone document. Manuscript specific tables, figures, and references follow their respective manuscripts. An all-inclusive list of references is included at the conclusion of the document

Implementing Immersive Virtual Reality into a Nursing Curriculum

Due to workforce demands, new undergraduate nurses are hired directly into fast-paced units and are expected to manage complex patients with rapidly changing conditions and respond to time-sensitive situations. It is important for nurse educators to prepare undergraduate nurses for transition into clinical practice upon graduation. Simulation has been a valuable tool to provide experiential learning and promote clinical decision-making. The next iteration of improving clinical simulation as an experiential learning modality for nursing students is Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR): a realistic, immersive simulation in a 3-dimensional environment that is experienced by body movements and hand controllers. IVR can incorporate the layers of the clinical judgment model including recognizing cues, analyzing cues, prioritizing hypotheses, generating solutions, taking action, and evaluating. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of IVR in a baccalaureate nursing program curriculum. A prospective, non-randomized study design was conducted at a midwestern academic medical center College of Nursing. A convenience sample of second-semester BSN nursing students (N=83) participating in an IVR clinical experience was included in this study. Statistically strong correlations were found between learning and engagement r (81) = .746, p \u3c .001, and engagement and immersion r (81) =.517, p \u3c .001. Moderate levels of correlation were found between learning and immersion r (81) = .466, p \u3c .001, and learning and challenge r (81) = .389, p \u3c .001. Incorporating IVR into a BSN curriculum is feasible and provides an engaging, flexible, learning environment. IVR provides a positive learning experience and overall students want to continue to use it in the future. Future research establishing best practices for IVR needs to be completed

A Comparative Study of the Valence Electronic Excitations of N_2 by Inelastic X-ray and Electron Scattering

Bound state, valence electronic excitation spectra of N_2 are probed by nonresonant inelastic x-ray and electron scattering. Within the usual theoretical treatments, dynamical structure factors derived from the two probes should be identical. However, we find strong disagreements outside the dipole scattering limit, even at high probe energies. This suggests an unexpectedly important contribution from intra-molecular multiple scattering of the probe electron from core electrons or the nucleus. These effects should grow progressively stronger as the atomic number of the target species increases.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review Letters April 27, 2010. 12 pages including 2 figure pages

De novo genome assembly of Geosmithia morbida, the causal agent of thousand cankers disease

Geosmithia morbida is a filamentous ascomycete that causes thousand cankers disease in the eastern black walnut tree. This pathogen is commonly found in the western U.S.; however, recently the disease was also detected in several eastern states where the black walnut lumber industry is concentrated. G. morbida is one of two known phytopathogens within the genus Geosmithia, and it is vectored into the host tree via the walnut twig beetle. We present the first de novo draft genome of G. morbida. It is 26.5 Mbp in length and contains less than 1% repetitive elements. The genome possesses an estimated 6,273 genes, 277 of which are predicted to encode proteins with unknown functions. Approximately 31.5% of the proteins in G. morbida are homologous to proteins involved in pathogenicity, and 5.6% of the proteins contain signal peptides that indicate these proteins are secreted. Several studies have investigated the evolution of pathogenicity in pathogens of agricultural crops; forest fungal pathogens are often neglected because research efforts are focused on food crops. G. morbida is one of the few tree phytopathogens to be sequenced, assembled and annotated. The first draft genome of G. morbida serves as a valuable tool for comprehending the underlying molecular and evolutionary mechanisms behind pathogenesis within the Geosmithia genus

Exploring perceptions of healthcare technologies enabled by artificial intelligence: An online, scenario-based survey

BACKGROUND: Healthcare is expected to increasingly integrate technologies enabled by artificial intelligence (AI) into patient care. Understanding perceptions of these tools is essential to successful development and adoption. This exploratory study gauged participants\u27 level of openness, concern, and perceived benefit associated with AI-driven healthcare technologies. We also explored socio-demographic, health-related, and psychosocial correlates of these perceptions. METHODS: We developed a measure depicting six AI-driven technologies that either diagnose, predict, or suggest treatment. We administered the measure via an online survey to adults (N = 936) in the United States using MTurk, a crowdsourcing platform. Participants indicated their level of openness to using the AI technology in the healthcare scenario. Items reflecting potential concerns and benefits associated with each technology accompanied the scenarios. Participants rated the extent that the statements of concerns and benefits influenced their perception of favorability toward the technology. Participants completed measures of socio-demographics, health variables, and psychosocial variables such as trust in the healthcare system and trust in technology. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the concern and benefit items identified two factors representing overall level of concern and perceived benefit. Descriptive analyses examined levels of openness, concern, and perceived benefit. Correlational analyses explored associations of socio-demographic, health, and psychosocial variables with openness, concern, and benefit scores while multivariable regression models examined these relationships concurrently. RESULTS: Participants were moderately open to AI-driven healthcare technologies (M = 3.1/5.0 ± 0.9), but there was variation depending on the type of application, and the statements of concerns and benefits swayed views. Trust in the healthcare system and trust in technology were the strongest, most consistent correlates of openness, concern, and perceived benefit. Most other socio-demographic, health-related, and psychosocial variables were less strongly, or not, associated, but multivariable models indicated some personality characteristics (e.g., conscientiousness and agreeableness) and socio-demographics (e.g., full-time employment, age, sex, and race) were modestly related to perceptions. CONCLUSIONS: Participants\u27 openness appears tenuous, suggesting early promotion strategies and experiences with novel AI technologies may strongly influence views, especially if implementation of AI technologies increases or undermines trust. The exploratory nature of these findings warrants additional research

Generation of two mother-child pairs of iPSCs from maternally inherited Leigh syndrome patients with m.8993 T > G and m.9176 T > G MT-ATP6 mutations

We generated two pairs of mother-child iPSCs lines for Maternally Inherited Leigh Syndrome (MILS) carrying the m.8993 T > G and m.9176 T > G mutations in the MT-ATP6 gene. We delivered reprogramming factors OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC via Sendai virus. All iPSCs lines had a normal karyotype, expressed pluripotency markers, and differentiated into the three germ layers. Both patient-iPSCs retained the same degrees of heteroplasmy as their source fibroblasts (>97.0 %). In maternal iPSCs, the heteroplasmy remained 0.0 % in the case of the m.8993 T > G mutation and dropped from 55.0 % to 1.0 % in the case of m.9176 T > G mutation

Serum Concentrations of Myostatin and Myostatin-Interacting Proteins do not differ between young and Scarcopenic elderly men

Peer reviewedPostprin

Diagnosis of Taenia solium infections based on “mail order” RNA-sequencing of single tapeworm egg isolates from stool samples

Combined community health programs aiming at health education, preventive anti-parasitic chemotherapy, and vaccination of pigs have proven their potential to regionally reduce and even eliminate Taenia solium infections that are associated with a high risk of neurological disease through ingestion of T. solium eggs. Yet it remains challenging to target T. solium endemic regions precisely or to make exact diagnoses in individual patients. One major reason is that the widely available stool microscopy may identify Taenia ssp. eggs in stool samples as such, but fails to distinguish between invasive (T. solium) and less invasive Taenia (T. saginata, T. asiatica, and T. hydatigena) species. The identification of Taenia ssp. eggs in routine stool samples often prompts a time-consuming and frequently unsuccessful epidemiologic workup in remote villages far away from a diagnostic laboratory. Here we present "mail order" single egg RNA-sequencing, a new method allowing the identification of the exact Taenia ssp. based on a few eggs found in routine diagnostic stool samples. We provide first T. solium transcriptome data, which show extremely high mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) transcript counts that can be used for subspecies classification. "Mail order" RNA-sequencing can be administered by health personnel equipped with basic laboratory tools such as a microscope, a Bunsen burner, and access to an international post office for shipment of samples to a next generation sequencing facility. Our suggested workflow combines traditional stool microscopy, RNA-extraction from single Taenia eggs with mitochondrial RNA-sequencing, followed by bioinformatic processing with a basic laptop computer. The workflow could help to better target preventive healthcare measures and improve diagnostic specificity in individual patients based on incidental findings of Taenia ssp. eggs in diagnostic laboratories with limited resources