Trends in Vibriosis Transmission among the Top Four Vibrio Species, United States, 1988-2012

Background Vibrio infection (vibriosis) results from consuming contaminated seafood or exposing skin directly to marine waters or raw seafood. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 80,000 illnesses occur each year in the United States. Four species, V. parahaemolyticus, V. vulnificus, V. alginolyticus, and V. cholerae (excluding toxigenic O1 and O139), are responsible for most cases. Understanding foodborne and non-foodborne transmission routes is important for describing epidemiological trends and for directing prevention efforts. Methods Demographic, clinical, and epidemiological data for cases reported between 1988 and 2012 were extracted from CDC’s Cholera and Other Vibrio Illness Surveillance System (COVIS). Outcomes and seasonal trends were described by species and transmission route. Results A total of 10,173 domestically acquired, non-toxigenic cases of vibriosis were reported, including 4,224 (41.5%) V. parahaemolyticus cases, 1,998 (19.6%) V. vulnificus cases, 1,267 (12.5%) V. alginolyticus cases, and 963 (9.5%) V. cholerae cases. There were 4,026 hospitalizations and 795 deaths reported. When categorized by transmission route, 5,775 (56.8%) cases were foodborne and 3,317 (32.6%) were non-foodborne.. Most (52.4%) cases occurred during the summer months with peaks in July and August. Only 140 cases were reported from eight states in 1988 compared to 907 cases reported by 42 states in 2012. The overall crude incidence in 2011 was 0.26 cases per 100,000 population. Discussion The number of reported cases of vibriosis has been increasing steadily since 1988. Increased prevention efforts, including safer seafood products and consumer education, are needed.These efforts should focus on specific populations and transmission routes for each of the top four species that cause most vibriosis cases in the United States

Evolution of Level I Fieldwork during an International Pandemic: Students’ Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Virtual Simulation-based Level I Fieldwork

Fieldwork education is an essential component of occupational therapy (OT) curriculum; yet national shortages and the COVID-19 pandemic have affected fieldwork availability. To combat the shortage, some academic programs implemented simulation-based Level I fieldwork experiences. The objective of this research study was to compare the perceived knowledge, confidence, and attitude of OT students that completed a virtual simulation-based Level I fieldwork to those that completed a traditional Level I fieldwork. This study involved a sample of 26 doctorate of OT students that completed a traditional or virtual simulation-based Level I fieldwork. Students completed pre-and-post fieldwork surveys regarding their perceived knowledge, confidence, and attitude. Mann Whitney and Wilcoxin signed rank tests were used for comparative analysis. There was no statistically significant difference in knowledge or confidence between the two groups (p = .734, p = .303). Students that completed a virtual simulation-based fieldwork experienced increased attitude (p = .021) and both groups experienced an increase in perceived knowledge (p = .012, p = .003) following their fieldwork experience. This study adds to the growing body of knowledge regarding the utilization of simulations in OT curricula and proposes an alternative Level I fieldwork model to assist with the national shortage of fieldwork availability

Building professional development opportunities in data services for academic librarians

Research data management represents a significant professional development area for academic librarians –significant for its growing importance to the profession, since researchers are increasingly expected to comply with research data management requirements, and for the extent of competence needed by librarians to support researchers in research data management practices and plans. This article recounts how the Association of College and Research Libraries is fostering professional development opportunities in research data management. The authors describe two key endeavors: (1) the development and deployment of a needs assessment survey, which allowed insight into the types of librarians expressing the most need; and (2) planning and implementation of a pre-conference workshop for ACRL 2015, intended to prototype a future professional development offering. The article concludes by discussing additional assessment that was done following the workshop and how the pre-conference laid the foundation for proposing a ‘‘roadshow’’ for research data management, similar to what the Association of College and Research Libraries sponsors for scholarly communication

Alcohol-Related Consequences Among First-Year University Students: Effectiveness of a Web-Based Personalized Feedback Program

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a web-based personalized feedback program using an objective measure of alcohol-related consequences. Participants were assigned to either the intervention group or an assessment-only control group during university orientation. Sanctions received for campus alcohol policy violations were tracked over the academic year. Results indicated high-risk drinkers in the control group received significantly more sanctions than other students. Results support the effectiveness of web-based interventions

Addressing Food Insecurity: A Qualitative Study of Undergraduate Students\u27 Perceptions of Food Access Resources.

Food insecurity has emerged as a leading health care problem in the United States, impacting college students’ health, well-being, and academic performance. The aims of this study were: (1) to assess the prevalence of food insecurity, (2) to identify college students’ perceptions about food access resources, and (3) to explore students’ expressed needs from the university in improving food security status. A mixed-methods approach was used to assess the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the study aims. An online survey to gather demographic information and assess food security status using the 6-item version of the US Household Food Security Scale Module (HFSSM) was administered. Next, qualitative focus groups with subsets of participants was conducted to gain further insight into the perceptions, coping mechanisms, and resource utilization issues related to food insecurity. This study found 34.1% of undergraduate college students to be food insecure and demonstrates that students with a meal plan are less likely to be food insecure (p = 0.012; OR = 0.68; 95% CI = 0.489, 0.918). Qualitative data identified key influencers of food insecurity: (1) personal beliefs, (2) life skills, and (3) the university. The results of this study contribute to the literature focused on food insecurity prevalence in college students and presents insight from the college student perspective. Findings may support the development of relevant interventions that are congruent with students’ needs, enhancing resource utilization to increase food security status among college students

Rádios comunitárias da Região da Quarta Colônia: estratégias comunicacionais para a participação comunitária

Este estudo, de caráter qualitativo, visa refletir sobre como fomentar a participação da comunidade em rádios comunitárias. Com a utilização de pesquisa bibliográfica e observações de campo, tomamos como referência o contexto das rádios comunitárias presentes na região da Quarta Colônia de Migração Italiana, no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Nossos objetivos dividem-se em dois blocos. No primeiro, buscamos resgatar alguns aspectos do surgimento das rádios comunitárias e apontar suas especificidades como meio de comunicação cidadão; e no segundo, descrever a participação da comunidade nas rádios comunitárias da Quarta Colônia. Por fim, diante das reflexões e problemáticas levantadas, propõem-se estratégias comunicacionais para fomentar a participação comunitária nessas rádio

A Theory-Grounded Measure of Adolescents\u27 Response to Media Literacy Interventions

Media literacy interventions offer relatively new and promising avenues for the prevention of risky health behaviors among children and adolescents, but current literature remains largely equivocal about their efficacy. We propose that (a) much of this ambiguity stems from the lack of conceptual clarity in the literature regarding the cognitive process through which media literacy interventions influence their target audience, and (b) that the ability to track this cognitive process by means of valid and reliable measures is necessary to evaluating the effects of media literacy programs on their audience. Accordingly, the primary objective of this study was to develop and test theoretically-grounded measures of audiences’ degree of engagement with the content of media literacy programs based on the recognition that engagement (and not participation per se) can better explain and predict individual variations in the effects of these programs. We tested the validity and reliability of this measure with two different samples of 10th grade high school students (Study I N = 294; Study II N = 171) who participated in a pilot and actual test of a brief media literacy curriculum. Responses to an inventory of items measuring evaluation of the media literacy program underwent an exploratory factor analysis for Study I. Four message evaluation factors (involvement, perceived novelty, critical thinking, personal reflection) emerged and were confirmed through CFA (Study II), demonstrating acceptable reliability as scales as well as item-level convergent validity and convergent and discriminant validity with other measures. We discuss the implications of including process of effect measures in the design and evaluation of media literacy interventions

Using stakeholder insights to enhance engagement in PhD professional development

There is increasing awareness of the need for pre- and post-doctoral professional development and career guidance, however many academic institutions are only beginning to build out these functional roles. As a graduate career educator, accessing vast silos and resources at a university and with industry-partners can be daunting, yet collaboration and network development are crucial to the success of any career and professional development office. To better inform and direct these efforts, forty-five stakeholders external and internal to academic institutions were identified and interviewed to gather perspectives on topics critical to career development offices. Using a stakeholder engagement visualization tool developed by the authors, strengths and weaknesses can be assessed. General themes from interviews with internal and external stakeholders are discussed to provide various stakeholder subgroup perspectives to help prepare for successful interactions. Benefits include increased engagement and opportunities to collaborate, and to build or expand graduate career development offices

Farm production diversification and dietary diversity among subsistence farming households : panel data evidence from South Africa

The study data indicated a moderate level of household dietary diversity that shows a declining trend between 2008 and 2017. Farm households produced three food groups (meat, cereals, and vegetables), suggesting more reliance on food purchases than their own production. Findings suggest that encouraging subsistence farming households to produce various crop and animal species can be an effective strategy to improve dietary diversity among poor households in South Africa. Production diversity was not significantly associated with the consumption of micronutrient-rich foods such as fruits or vegetables. Higher levels of education, income per capita, food expenditure, and geographic location were factors in dietary diversity