Managing a 21st-Century Newsroom Workforce: A Case Study of NYC News Media

In recent years, much has been made of the introduction of new skills into the modern newsroom. The modern business environment, including ongoing technological change, globalization, and the fluid movement of professional workers, has set the stage for significant change in industry practices. Today’s professional newsroom worker is the latest iteration in the emergence of new skills that embody the ongoing reframing of the nature of the industry as a whole. Thus, this research report examines the changing nature of the twenty-first-century newsroom workforce, focusing on the skills and job roles that exist in newsrooms today. In order to address the evolving skills and job roles, the researchers used a case study approach and examined thousands of job listings, employment postings, and company profiles for news media companies in the New York City metropolitan area. The analysis of the data utilizes social network analysis to assess the development of new genres of newsworkers, specifically job roles that represent the intersection of traditional newsroom positions with data, analytics, and platform-oriented (herein referred to as DAP) job roles. As the nature of newsrooms continues to evolve, the current definition of newswork and newsworker requires new thinking.i Specifically, the focus of this research is on understanding the employment trajectories of newsworkers such as programmers, coders, data specialists, and those dedicated solely to producing content for social and mobile platforms, as opposed to traditional newsworkers

The Effect of an 8-Minute Yoga Breathing Program on Fitness, Weight Loss and Breathing Capacity

This was a single blinded randomized study with an intervention group and a control group to examine a modification in lifestyle and an 8-minute exercise session each day to lose weight. Fifty-seven female subjects participated. Subjects underwent girth measurements at the umbilicus, hips, thigh and upper arm; weight, height (for BMI), body fat, heart rate, blood pressure, abdominal strength, leg strength, arm strength, sedentary O2 saturation, treadmill challenged O2 saturation, resting metabolism (which includes fat metabolism), and lung capacity. Measures were repeated at baseline and the end of the 6-week period. During the 6-week period, they followed a healthy recommended diet with high volumes of vegetables and fruit and 8 minutes of exercise each day. In the investigational group, the average weight loss was 4.85 KG over the 6-week period, BMI was reduced 1.79 at the end of the 6 weeks, a significant loss (p\u3c0.01). Body fat in this group was reduced by 5.87 percent, the average girth at the showed an average loss in circumference of 5.9 cm over the 6-week period. For the hip, the average loss in circumference was 6.28 cm, for the thigh the average loss in circumference in the investigational group was 5.0 cm, and for the upper arm reduced girth by 2.61 cm. For strength for the investigational group, for the abdominals the increase was 11.3 Kg, for the leg it was 6.0 kg and for the arm it was 4.8 kg. All of these increases were significant (p\u3c0.01). The basal metabolic rate, in the investigational group after the 6 weeks increased to 31.1 cc/kg lean body mass. The fat burning doubled in the investigational group. In conclusion, subjects slept better, had high oxygen saturation and better strength and excellent weight and fat loss with this program

MicroRNA miR-155 Affects Antiviral Effector and Effector Memory CD8 T Cell Differentiation

MicroRNAs are key regulators of the immune response, but their role in CD8 T cell differentiation in vivo is not known. We show that miR-155 is important in both effector and memory antiviral CD8 T cell responses. Without miR-155, there was a weaker effector response and a skewing toward memory precursor cells. At the memory stage, miR-155-deficient CD8 T cells preferentially differentiated into central memory cells and were capable of mounting a potent secondary response

Youth Shelter Bed Bugs & Lice Education

Youth Shelter Bed Bugs & Lice Education Allie Mechtel, Maddy Rettenmier, Elvina Kuzubov, Megan Joseph, Kevin Phan School of Health Sciences, Seattle Pacific University NUR 4153: Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Leah Ngoche DNP, MPH, ARNP-BC 8 November 2023 Youth Shelter Bed Bugs & Lice Education Introduction Seattle Pacific University Nursing students were assigned a fifth quarter leadership project in the greater Seattle area. Our group was assigned to a youth shelter located in Belltown, Seattle Washington. It is a thirty-bed, animal friendly shelter for young individuals looking for a safe place to stay. They offer long-term housing for those in transition to more stable housing, night-by-night arrangements and day programs as well. Day programs provide clients with lunch and dinner, hygiene supplies, clothing, computers, laundry, areas to nap/rest, activities to engage with the community, and connect with case management as well as health care providers. They partner with a local coffee shop that offers a 4-month paid job experience to clients who experience barriers to receiving employment within the community. The shelter employs several staff on site who look after the clients and support them with their daily needs the best they can. We met the site director and determined that not all of the staff are knowledgeable about pest infestations or up to date on current pest control protocols. Our project further assisted the staff with the prevention and education of bed bugs and lice. The goal for our project was for the staff at the Seattle youth shelter to show an increase in knowledge regarding bed bugs and lice and how to best support the clients that walk through their doors by November 1st, 2023. Background As a group, we worked with the Director of Day Programming at the youth shelter. After meeting with the director and discussing the needs of the community, education regarding bed bugs and lice took precedence. The director mentioned in our meeting that individuals who contract bed bugs or lice are asked to leave the facility for three days. This is an issue as many of the individuals who must leave go right back to their unsafe environment and do not have the means to treat the issue and end up back at the youth shelter, likely having to leave again for the very same reason. Pest infestations typically occur in individuals living in unsheltered areas, which reiterates the importance of providing education to the youth shelter to be able to treat the infestation otherwise the issue will continue to persist (Seattle Public Health, 2019). During one of our meetings with the site director, she informed us she had to contact pest control when they were concerned about a possible infestation. After the area was searched and treated, they had only found a single bed bug. This pest control visit was extremely costly for the shelter. Another concern with the elimination of pests is the use of chemicals that can be bad for clients and the environment. If there is not a full bed bug or lice infestation, it is more cost-efficient and safer for the staff to assist with the prevention and treatment on their own (Seattle Public Health, 2019). With that being said, we collectively came up with the plan to put together an educational poster for the clients and handbook for the staff that provided education on bed bugs and lice. The handbook targeted specific health needs of our assigned population that were addressed in our nursing diagnosis. The nursing diagnosis for the Seattle youth shelter was a knowledge deficit regarding bed bugs and lice in a communal living setting among support staff. Activities and Rational In order to create the educational poster and handbook for the clients and staff at the youth homeless shelter, we first had to determine the baseline knowledge the staff had regarding bed bugs and lice. Our assessment was done through an electronic survey sent to staff as well as having an in-person meeting with the site director. During the meeting we discussed areas to focus on in our education. The surveys were not sent out to the clients as many of them stay at the shelter night-to-night or occasionally attend the day program. The educational flyers developed for the clients focused on prevention, signs and symptoms of bed bugs and lice as well as the importance of letting a staff member know of possible infestation. The educational handbook highlights general information regarding bed bugs and lice, prevention, signs and symptoms, and treatment. Ensuring our educational material best fit the needs of the clients and staff, we sent drafts of each to the site director as well as our clinical instructor for approval. Upon approval, we held an in-person meeting to present our final material to the site director and provided education in areas of growth based on the outcomes of the pre-survey. Outcomes The use of a survey allowed our group time to customize our project to fit the needs of our site and assist us with the evaluation of our goal. Our initial survey was given to the staff during week three and consisted of six questions that centered around lice and bed bugs. Out of twenty-five staff members, eleven responded to our survey. Significant results included 55% of staff did not know how to prevent bed bugs and lice. Staff had only a moderate amount of general knowledge regarding bed bugs and lice. The survey also showed 65% of staff did not know how to treat bed bugs, 55% did not know what bed bugs look like and 72% did not know the signs and symptoms of bed bugs. After implementing our educational handbook and posters, we had the staff take a feedback survey during week seven. The survey was completed by thirteen out of twenty-five staff members and significant results showed a 100% improvement in staff knowledge of bed bugs and lice. These results showed a remarkable increase in the staff’s knowledge and indicated that our project goal was met. Our group utilized critical thinking during each step of the project to ensure all education included in the handbook and posters would be specific to our site’s needs. To assist with meeting the standards of the site and director, we kept close communication to facilitate those needs. A few barriers we encountered during our project included limited on-site time and the inability to interact with the clients. We could not be on-site without an appointment with the site director. Due to the nature of her job, she did not have time to meet with us more than twice during our time working with the shelter. Our survey allowed us to properly evaluate our project, but we would have preferred an in-person evaluation of the staff’s educational knowledge. Although our on-site time and interactions were limited, our group managed to use the survey and close communication with the site director via email to ensure our project was successful. Conclusion The goal for our project was for the staff at the Seattle youth shelter to show an increase in knowledge regarding bed bugs and lice and how to best support the clients that walk through their doors by November 1st, 2023. Our project offered solutions and provided education to the clients and staff at the youth homeless shelter regarding bed bugs and lice. Bed bugs and lice infestation are a substantial problem for shelters because of how easily they can spread. Therefore, education regarding instructions on the correct steps to take is important for both clients and staff. It was greatly important that we found a solution to these issues in order for the clients to be able to stay at the shelter without having to be asked to leave due to a pest infestation. Recommendations for the staff on how to keep education up to date included an annual review of policies and procedures and an annual education refresher for the staff. Repetition is an important part of education, so implementing these recommendations will ensure continuity of educational knowledge on bed bugs and lice. We were encouraged by the staff’s receptiveness to our project and hope the education will continue to benefit the shelter. References Seattle Public Health & King County’s Environmental Health Services Division, Communicable Disease Epidemiology and Immunizations, Health Care for the Homeless Network, King County Department of Community and Health Services, Seattle Human Services Department. (2019, December). ember). Sanitation-hygiene-guidance-for-homeless-service-providers Food Safety. Sanitation & Hygiene Guide for Homeless Service Providers. https://kingcounty.gov/~/media/depts/health/communicable-diseases/documents/C19/hch/sanitation-hygiene-guidance-for-homeless-service-providers.ashx?la=e

Impact of ‘Ideal Clinic’ implementation on patient waiting time in primary healthcare clinics in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa: A before-and-after evaluation

Background. Long waiting times are a major source of dissatisfaction for patients attending public healthcare facilities in South Africa (SA). The National Department of Health has identified this as one of six priority areas for improvement. Health system-strengthening (HSS) interventions to improve patient waiting time are being implemented in public health facilities across SA as part of the ‘Ideal Clinic’ model. The effect of these interventions on patient waiting time needs to be assessed and evidence generated for system improvement.Objectives. To determine the effect of Ideal Clinic HSS intervention on patient waiting time in public health facilities in Amajuba District, KwaZulu-Natal Province, SA.Methods. We implemented 12 months of HSS activity, including facility reorganisation and patient appointment scheduling. The major outcome of interest was the total time spent by patients in a facility during a visit. This was calculated as the median time spent, obtained through a ‘before-and-after’ intervention survey. Univariate and multivariate factors associated with waiting time were determined.Results. A total of 1 763 patients from nine clinics were surveyed before and after the intervention (n=860 at baseline and n=903 at follow-up). The median overall waiting time after the intervention was 122 minutes (interquartile range (IQR) 81 - 204), compared with 116 minutes (IQR 66 - 168) before (p<0.05). Individual facility results after the intervention were mixed. Two facilities recorded statistically significant reductions in patient waiting time, while three recorded significant increases (p<0.05). Patient load per nurse, type of service received and time of arrival in facilities were all independently associated with waiting time. Patients’ arrival patterns, which were determined by appointment scheduling, played a significant role in the results obtained.Conclusions. Implementation of the Ideal Clinic model in the selected facilities led to changes in patient waiting time. Observed changes were positive when a clinic appointment system was successfully implemented and negative when this was unsuccessful. We recommend strengthening of the appointment system component of the Ideal Clinic model to improve patient waiting time. Assessing facility waiting time performance in terms of average time spent by patients during a clinic visit was shown to be inadequate, and we suggest the inclusion of ‘proportion of clients who spent above the national waiting time threshold during their visit’ as a sensitive measure of performance

Engaging with a Prevention Approach: System Supports Needed in Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention

Public policy has been shifting from child abuse and neglect (CAN) intervention toward prevention, using public health style frameworks, which emphasize shared community and legislative responsibilities to support families (Browne, 2014; CDC, 2014). Analysis of qualitative data from statewide focus groups held in 2019 in Alabama with 99 community-based CAN prevention workers shows strengths in community collaboration, but also, struggles to help families meet basic needs because of lack of community resources, such as transportation and quality child care, and other barriers, including stigma. The results demonstrate confusion between prevention, which is intended to build family resilience to avert crisis, and intervention, meant to reunite families after child protection services involvement. We recommend researchers consistently link CAN research to prevention frameworks so as to build meaningful understanding how to create better prevention programs. Future practitioners should understand prevention, and be prepared to document their work so as to demonstrate need

Novel microRNAs are associated with population divergence in transcriptional response to thermal stress in an intertidal copepod

The role of gene expression in adaptation to differing thermal environments has been assayed extensively. Yet, in most natural systems, analyses of gene expression reveal only one level of the complexity of regulatory machineries. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs which are key components of many gene regulatory networks, and they play important roles in a variety of cellular pathways by modulating post-transcriptional quantities of mRNA available for protein synthesis. The characterization of miRNA loci and their regulatory dynamics in nonmodel systems are still largely understudied. In this study, we examine the role of miRNAs in response to high thermal stress in the intertidal copepod Tigriopus californicus. Allopatric populations of this species show varying levels of local adaptation with respect to thermal regimes, and previous studies showed divergence in gene expression between populations from very different thermal environments. We examined the transcriptional response to temperature stress in two populations separated by only 8 km by utilizing RNA-seq to quantify both mRNA and miRNA levels. Using the currently available genome sequence, we first describe the repertoire of miRNAs in T. californicus and assess the degree to which transcriptional response to temperature stress is governed by miRNA activity. The two populations showed large differences in the number of genes involved, the magnitude of change in commonly used genes and in the number of miRNAs involved in transcriptional modulation during stress. Our results suggest that an increased level of regulatory network complexity may underlie improved survivorship under thermal stress in one of the populations

Modifying and Supplementing Annie\u27s Project to Increase Impact in New Jersey and Beyond

Annie\u27s Project is a widely known risk management program emphasizing five areas of risk and creating support networks for women in agriculture. Designed as an 18-hr course delivered through a series of face-to-face classes, it can be adapted to meet the learning needs and time constraints of the target audience and instructors. This article describes modifications and additions to the traditional program delivery that were implemented by the Annie\u27s Project New Jersey team: synchronous learning at multiple locations, archived video-recorded classes, condensed 1-day workshops, a supplemental program about estate and farm transition planning, archived webinars, and international adaptations of the program