Effectiveness of the Career and College Promise Program in Increasing College Readiness at a Rural North Carolina Community College

This study addressed the effectiveness of the North Carolina Career and College Promise (NCCCP) program using Conley’s (2010) framework for college readiness in determining and promoting college readiness for students participating in the program at a rural North Carolina community college. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used in this study. Phase I involved quantitative data collection and analysis from existing statistical data in the form of NCCCP student final course grades (n=886), general education math common assessment scores (n=98), and CCP student (n=27) and instructor (n=9) responses to perception college readiness surveys. The quantitative data analysis was followed by Phase II of the study; an instructor focus group convened to explore themes emerging from the quantitative data. Through analysis of data collected, the results showed that CCP students scored significantly higher than non-CCP students in final course grades and MAT 152 common assessment scores. There was no significant difference in MAT 143 common assessment scores between the two groups. This study found no significant differences in perception of college readiness between CCP and non-CCP student (n=13) groups; however, CCP instructors rated their students significantly lower in terms of college readiness than CCP students rated themselves. Common themes identified from the CCP instructor focus group included lack of depth in writing, deficiencies in reading comprehension, poor critical thinking skills, and lack of academic skills such as time management and communication. Dual enrollment programs have been identified as one means of increasing student college readiness (Bailey & Karp, 2003) and thus creating seamless pathways from the secondary schools to postsecondary institutions. Based on this study’s findings, the NCCCP program is effective at this rural western North Carolina community college in determining and promoting college readiness

Thematic Mapping of Apidae Holdings Within the University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum

Museum biological collections store species data that can be utilized in research on biodiversity, environmental change, invasive species, public health, and disease. The University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum, which began in 1905, houses over 750,000 specimens and has not yet been digitized. Making data publicly accessible via the internet makes the data available to the entire scientific community. The goal of this project was to create a digital resource to allow greater access to the University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum holdings. To do so, data from Bombus (bumble bee) and Xylocopa (carpenter bee) specimens were entered into a database in Excel and displayed as an interactive map on the University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum website (https://arthropod.uark.edu/databasing-efforts/). Upon completion, a total of 1,718 specimens were databased. An additional document was created to provide guidance to future students on how to further the project. The hope is that digitization will improve access and awareness of the University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum and its data. It is anticipated that this project may provide support when applying for funding for further digitization and student projects

Thematic Mapping of Apidae Holdings Within the University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum

Museum biological collections store species data that can be utilized in research on biodiversity, environmental change, invasive species, public health, and disease. The University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum, which began in 1905, houses over 750,000 specimens and has not yet been digitized. Making data publicly accessible via the internet makes the data available to the entire scientific community. The goal of this project was to create a digital resource to allow greater access to the University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum holdings. To do so, data from Bombus (bumble bee) and Xylocopa (carpenter bee) specimens were entered into a database in Excel and displayed as an interactive map on the University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum website (https://arthropod.uark.edu/databasing-efforts/). Upon completion, a total of 1,718 specimens were databased. An additional document was created to provide guidance to future students on how to further the project. The hope is that digitization will improve access and awareness of the University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum and its data. It is anticipated that this project may provide support when applying for funding for further digitization and student projects

Interviewing forensic mental health patients who have a history of aggression: considerations and suggestions

This paper discusses issues arising when interviewing men and women in forensic mental health services, noting that many patients in these settings have significant histories of aggression or violence. The differences between interviews conducted for assessment purposes and those that are conducted as part of treatment are noted. We identify some important considerations for interviewers. These relate to characteristics of the client, characteristics of the interviewer, and features of the mental health setting that might impact on the interview. Some practical recommendations are offered to assist forensic mental health practitioners who conduct both types of interview

A Versatile, Portable Intravital Microscopy Platform for Studying Beta-cell Biology In Vivo

The pancreatic islet is a complex micro-organ containing numerous cell types, including endocrine, immune, and endothelial cells. The communication of these systems is lost upon isolation of the islets, and therefore the pathogenesis of diabetes can only be fully understood by studying this organized, multicellular environment in vivo. We have developed several adaptable tools to create a versatile platform to interrogate β-cell function in vivo. Specifically, we developed β-cell-selective virally-encoded fluorescent protein biosensors that can be rapidly and easily introduced into any mouse. We then coupled the use of these biosensors with intravital microscopy, a powerful tool that can be used to collect cellular and subcellular data from living tissues. Together, these approaches allowed the observation of in vivo β-cell-specific ROS dynamics using the Grx1-roGFP2 biosensor and calcium signaling using the GcAMP6s biosensor. Next, we utilized abdominal imaging windows (AIW) to extend our in vivo observations beyond single-point terminal measurements to collect longitudinal physiological and biosensor data through repeated imaging of the same mice over time. This platform represents a significant advancement in our ability to study β-cell structure and signaling in vivo, and its portability for use in virtually any mouse model will enable meaningful studies of β-cell physiology in the endogenous islet niche

Pediatric Critical Care in Resource-Limited Settings-Overview and Lessons Learned.

Pediatric critical care is an important component of reducing morbidity and mortality globally. Currently, pediatric critical care in low middle-income countries (LMICs) remains in its infancy in most hospitals. The majority of hospitals lack designated intensive care units, healthcare staff trained to care for critically ill children, adequate numbers of staff, and rapid access to necessary medications, supplies and equipment. In addition, most LMICs lack pediatric critical care training programs for healthcare providers or certification procedures to accredit healthcare providers working in their pediatric intensive care units (PICU) and high dependency areas. PICU can improve the quality of pediatric care in general and, if properly organized, can effectively treat the severe complications of high burden diseases, such as diarrhea, severe malaria, and respiratory distress using low-cost interventions. Setting up a PICU in a LMIC setting requires planning, specific resources, and most importantly investment in the nursing and permanent medical staff. A thoughtful approach to developing pediatric critical care services in LMICs starts with fundamental building blocks: training healthcare professionals in skills and knowledge, selecting resource appropriate effective equipment, and having supportive leadership to provide an enabling environment for appropriate care. If these fundamentals can be built on in a sustainable manner, an appropriate critical care service will be established with the potential to significantly decrease pediatric morbidity and mortality in the context of public health goals as we reach toward the sustainable development goals

Artemisinin resistance--modelling the potential human and economic costs.

BACKGROUND: Artemisinin combination therapy is recommended as first-line treatment for falciparum malaria across the endemic world and is increasingly relied upon for treating vivax malaria where chloroquine is failing. Artemisinin resistance was first detected in western Cambodia in 2007, and is now confirmed in the Greater Mekong region, raising the spectre of a malaria resurgence that could undo a decade of progress in control, and threaten the feasibility of elimination. The magnitude of this threat has not been quantified. METHODS: This analysis compares the health and economic consequences of two future scenarios occurring once artemisinin-based treatments are available with high coverage. In the first scenario, artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) is largely effective in the management of uncomplicated malaria and severe malaria is treated with artesunate, while in the second scenario ACT are failing at a rate of 30%, and treatment of severe malaria reverts to quinine. The model is applied to all malaria-endemic countries using their specific estimates for malaria incidence, transmission intensity and GDP. The model describes the direct medical costs for repeated diagnosis and retreatment of clinical failures as well as admission costs for severe malaria. For productivity losses, the conservative friction costing method is used, which assumes a limited economic impact for individuals that are no longer economically active until they are replaced from the unemployment pool. RESULTS: Using conservative assumptions and parameter estimates, the model projects an excess of 116,000 deaths annually in the scenario of widespread artemisinin resistance. The predicted medical costs for retreatment of clinical failures and for management of severe malaria exceed US$32 million per year. Productivity losses resulting from excess morbidity and mortality were estimated at US$385 million for each year during which failing ACT remained in use as first-line treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These 'ballpark' figures for the magnitude of the health and economic threat posed by artemisinin resistance add weight to the call for urgent action to detect the emergence of resistance as early as possible and contain its spread from known locations in the Mekong region to elsewhere in the endemic world