National Learner Satisfaction Survey: Pre-employment Training

Trinh Tu, Claire Lambert, Billie Lever Taylor, Claire Lister and Angela Klei

Impact of Neighborhood Quality and Recent Life Stressors on Sleep Problems: A Longitudinal Study of Adolescents at Risk for Maltreatment

It is estimated that around 70% of adolescents are not getting sufficient sleep. The impact of poor sleep during adolescence is related to both increased psychopathology and poorer academic and social functioning. While studies have established a link at the community level between earlier school start times and poorer sleep, there remain open questions about other aspects of community such as neighborhood factors and stressful life events. In this study, we investigated the impact of three neighborhood factors (chaos, stability, and efficacy) and recent life stressors on adolescent (n = 1354) sleep habits at ages 12, 14, and 16 in a sample of children at who were either maltreated or at a high risk for maltreatment via the Longitudinal Survey on Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN). Overall, greater life stressors before age 12, led to greater sleep difficulties. Additionally, while neighborhood stability did not seem to predict more sleep problems, increased neighborhood chaos and lower collective efficacy predicted more sleep problems. These findings suggest it is important to assess the impact of various neighborhood factors separately, as the granular approach provided more nuance in understanding risk factors to poor sleep in adolescents. On a policy level, one implication is to intervene in reducing factors that lead to increased neighborhood chaos (e.g., vandalism, open drug activities) and promote collective neighborhood efficacy (e.g., developing neighborhood programs to increase interactions and trust between neighbors)

Evanescent Wave Fiber Optic Biosensor for Salmonella Detection in Food

Salmonella enterica is a major food-borne pathogen of world-wide concern. Sensitive and rapid detection methods to assess product safety before retail distribution are highly desirable. Since Salmonella is most commonly associated with poultry products, an evanescent wave fiber-optic assay was developed to detect Salmonella in shell egg and chicken breast and data were compared with a time-resolved fluorescence (TRF) assay. Anti-Salmonella polyclonal antibody was immobilized onto the surface of an optical fiber using biotin-avidin interactions to capture Salmonella. Alexa Fluor 647-conjugated antibody (MAb 2F-11) was used as the reporter. Detection occurred when an evanescent wave from a laser (635 nm) excited the Alexa Fluor and the fluorescence was measured by a laser-spectrofluorometer at 710 nm. The biosensor was specific for Salmonella and the limit of detection was established to be 103 cfu/mL in pure culture and 104 cfu/mL with egg and chicken breast samples when spiked with 102 cfu/mL after 2–6 h of enrichment. The results indicate that the performance of the fiber-optic sensor is comparable to TRF, and can be completed in less than 8 h, providing an alternative to the current detection methods

The PRECISE (PREgnancy Care Integrating translational Science, Everywhere) database: open-access data collection in maternal and newborn health

In less-resourced settings, adverse pregnancy outcome rates are unacceptably high. To effect improvement, we need accurate epidemiological data about rates of death and morbidity, as well as social determinants of health and processes of care, and from each country (or region) to contextualise strategies. The PRECISE database is a unique core infrastructure of a generic, unified data collection platform. It is built on previous work in data harmonisation, outcome and data field standardisation, open-access software (District Health Information System 2 and the Baobab Laboratory Information Management System), and clinical research networks. The database contains globally-recommended indicators included in Health Management Information System recording and reporting forms. It comprises key outcomes (maternal and perinatal death), life-saving interventions (Human Immunodeficiency Virus testing, blood pressure measurement, iron therapy, uterotonic use after delivery, postpartum maternal assessment within 48 h of birth, and newborn resuscitation, immediate skin-to-skin contact, and immediate drying), and an additional 17 core administrative variables for the mother and babies. In addition, the database has a suite of additional modules for ‘deep phenotyping’ based on established tools. These include social determinants of health (including socioeconomic status, nutrition and the environment), maternal comorbidities, mental health, violence against women and health systems. The database has the potential to enable future high-quality epidemiological research integrated with clinical care and discovery bioscience