Ethical and safety considerations in the use of virtual intimate partner violence (IPV) supports

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health and societal issue that has been further intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. IPV impacts individuals, families, and communities worldwide, with women-identified people at highest risk. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for virtual supports for those experiencing IPV, with service providers adjusting service delivery methods to allow for physical distancing. Virtual or online supports (email, text, videoconferencing, apps) can reduce isolation and provide remote IPV social support, advice, and counselling services, yet they remain an area for further study in practice. In particular, little is known about ethical and safety issues that can arise in providing virtual IPV services. Combining recent research and social work experience with people impacted by IPV, the authors present a commentary paper that summarises ethical considerations when using virtual IPV services. After overviewing recent research on virtual IPV services, the paper outlines five key concerns to consider in providing virtual IPV interventions: 1) service provider training and protocols for assessing safety; 2) protecting privacy and identities; 3) maintaining professional boundaries; 4) financial and access barriers; and 5) cultural and service preferences. The paper concludes with policy and practice recommendations for providing virtual IPV services

Vicarious Traumatization, Secondary Traumatic Stress, and Burnout in Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Agency Staff and Volunteers

Two constructs, vicarious trauma (VT) and secondary traumatic stress (STS), describe therapists reactions to clients traumatic material. VT (TSI Belief Scale [BSL]), emphasizes cognitive belief system changes resulting from cumulative exposure to survivors. STS, (Compassion Fatigue Self-test for Psychotherapists [CFST]) combines PTSD and burnout symptomatology explaining sudden adverse reactions to survivors. Burnout (BO; Maslach Burnout Inventory [MBI]), links emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and deficient personal accomplishment to inadequate institutional supports in interpersonally demanding work. This study investigated BSL and CFST validity, counselor trauma history, and client exposure-related VT, STS, and BO in 105 trauma counselors. Results demonstrate concurrent validity between BSL and CFST; other results dispute adequate validity. BO, and client exposure were related. Traumatized counselors scored higher than non-traumatized counselors on CFST, BSL, and SCL-90-R

Mining for the rumen rare biosphere : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Masters in Microbiology, Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand

The microbial diversity present in the gut microbiome of ruminant animals is of great interest due to its effect on the New Zealand economy. The rumen, a forestomach of ruminants, is a large fermentation chamber. The microbiome within the rumen influences production of milk and meat, and additionally impacts on climate change through the emission of enteric methane. Although, the core microbiome has been studied intensely, the rare biosphere, which is comprised of the rare microorganisms present in less than 0.1% of the abundance, is still largely unknown. Recent developments in methods for subtraction, or normalisation, of the dominant microorganisms from analysis of complex microbiomes, including treatment with duplex-specific nuclease (DSN), have enabled the increase of the number of sequences from low abundance microorganisms. Decreasing presence of dominant species and simultaneously increasing low abundant allows the exploration of the rare biosphere and discovery of taxa which otherwise would not have been identified. By applying DSN-based normalisation to a metagenomic DNA isolated from the rumen microbiome, we have demonstrated that the low abundance microorganisms, can be amplified to a detectable level while decreasing the abundance of sequences from dominant species. The outcome of DNA normalisation, primarily taxonomic assignment and phylogeny was assessed by using the gene encoding the β subunit of bacterial RNA polymerase, rpoB, as well as the “gold standard” 16S rRNA as phylogenetic markers. We have demonstrated that rpoB could be effectively used for determining the rumen microbial community profile and could become by broader adoption from researchers, a valuable resource for microbial ecology studies. We suggest that DSN-based normalisation could be utilised for in-depth exploration of the rare biosphere as a whole, resulting in the discovery of new species, new genes and increasing understanding of the role that these rare microorganisms play in the rumen microbiome. The inclusion of rpoB, alone or in combination with 16S rRNA marker, in microbial ecology studies could lead to more accurate classification of the taxa

Qualitative study of faculty perceptions of the strengths and challenges of academic advising at small, Christian universities

As student retention, persistence, and degree completion became "hot topics" in higher education, research on the influence from academic advising models and practices emerged. However, there is little research on faculty advisor perceptions of models, specifically at small, Christian universities. Such information improves academic advising and, in turn, retention, persistence, and degree completion at these institutions. Consequently, the purpose of the study was to explore faculty perceptions of the strengths and challenges of current systems of academic advising at small, Christian universitiesThis case study was conducted at three Christian universities and resulted in numerous findings for the individual institutions and as a collective case study. The four findings from the first institution were that faculty advisors knew their institution, industries, and students very well, but were busy with several responsibilities, saw the function and process of academic advising as different from that of enrollment, and were not engaged in general education courses. The first two findings from the second institution were that faculty accessibility and good customer service were vital aspects of effective academic advising and that personal relationships among faculty advisors and advisees contributed to student success. The second two findings were that FERPA slowed down the advising and customer service processes for students and that faculty advisors were busy and had little time or ability to advise students. The three findings at the third institution were that faculty advisors enjoyed interacting with their student advisees and wanted to know them well and help them succeed. They also felt limited by the technological systems that they used to enroll students and had many responsibilities that left little time for academic advising.Thus, the two findings for the collective case study consisted of one perceived strength and one perceived challenge. The perceived strength was that faculty advisors knew their students and enjoyed interacting with them, while the perceived challenge was that they were busy with multiple responsibilities and did not have the amount of time they wanted or needed to advise their students

Vulnerability of diatom communities in the Peace–Athabasca Delta to environmental change

Habitat degradation associated with resource development is a major ecological concern, particularly in Canada’s boreal zone where limited information on biodiversity is available. Habitat degradation can lead to reductions in biodiversity and ecosystem function, especially when drivers of variability and diversity patterns have not been identified for a region of interest. In this study, the distribution of diatom genera in the Peace–Athabasca Delta in northeastern Alberta was examined in relation to seasonal, geographic, and alkalinity gradients. Grab samples of six abiotic variables (total dissolved nitrogen, total dissolved phosphorus, dissolved iron, turbidity, pH, and specific conductance (SPC)) were taken from 12 remote wetlands over three sampling periods, and regressed against an ordination of diatom community composition to identify key environmental drivers of diatom community variation. Indirect gradient analysis identified two major gradients among sites. First, separation of sites among sampling periods showed successional seasonal changes in diatom community composition. Second, separation of sites from the Peace sub-delta and Birch sub-delta showed a gradient of geographic separation. Direct gradient analysis failed to explain the underlying drivers of these two gradients, but did show that alkalinity is a key driver of diatom community composition in the Embarras sub-delta, and that these sites could be particularly vulnerable to community changes associated with acidification

Getting Ahead: A Resident Led Quality Improvement Project to Increase Diabetic Nephropathy Screening in an Underserved Hispanic-Predominant Population

Introduction: Diabetes is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States (US), with 37 million having chronic kidney disease. Despite national guidelines recommendations for diabetic nephropathy screening with urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), less than 50% receive full screening. Our Internal Medicine residents led a quality improvement project to increase diabetic nephropathy screening rate with UACR in our resident clinic by 50% in one academic year. Methods: We conducted the resident-led quality improvement project from July 2021 to April 2022. We reviewed the electronic medical records (EMR) from our clinic pre-intervention July 2020 to June 2021 and compared this to post intervention July 2021 to March 2022 determining the nephropathy screening rates in patients with diabetes. Our interventions included resident education, pre and post surveys to test foundational knowledge, adding UACR in the affordable laboratory order form and establishing normal reference range of UACR in the EMR. Results: We collected 217 patients with diabetes, 27% were uninsured, 38% had Medicare/Medicaid and 90% identified as Hispanic. Comparing pre to post intervention, there was a significant change of 45 (20.7%) vs 71 (32.7%) patients screened for diabetic nephropathy with a UACR. The correct average score of knowledge-based questions was 82% on the pre survey, which increased to 88% in the post survey. Conclusion: Our study showed promising results on improving diabetic nephropathy screening. The comprehensive approach including resident education about diabetic nephropathy screening with UACR and more so facilitating the order set in the EMR were key to achieve this goal

The Journal of BSN Honors Research, Volume 5, Issue 1, Summer 2012

University of Kansas School of Nursing. Bachelor of Science in Nursing Honors ProgramExploration Of Health Care Needs Among Sudanese Refugee Women - Albin, J M, Domian, E. Is There An App For That? Developing An Evaluation Rubric For Apps For Use With Adults With Special Needs - Buckler, T, Peterson, M. The Relationship Between Nursing Characteristics And Pain Care Quality - Davis, E, Dunton, N. The Relationship Between Sleep And Night Eating On Weight Loss In Individuals With Severe Mental Illness - Huynh, Thu Nhi, Hamera, E. Examining Nurse Leader/Manager-Physician Communication Strategies: A Pilot Study - Jantzen, M, Ford, D J. Comparison Of Personal, Health And Family Characteristic Of Children With And Without Autism - Martin, A, Bott, M J. Association Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea And Postoperative Adverse Events - Nielsenshultz, Y, Smith, C, Bott, M, Schultz, M P, Cole, C. Challenges Associated With Partnering With Sudanese Refugee Women In Addressing Their Health Issues - Pauls, K L, Baird, M B. Complementary Therapy To Relieve Pediatric Cancer Therapy-Related Symptoms In The Usa - Slaven, A, Williams, P D

The impact of economic recession on maternal and infant mortality: lessons from history

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The effect of the recent world recession on population health has featured heavily in recent international meetings. Maternal health is a particular concern given that many countries were already falling short of their MDG targets for 2015.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We utilise 20^thcentury time series data from 14 high and middle income countries to investigate associations between previous economic recession and boom periods on maternal and infant outcomes (1936 to 2005). A first difference logarithmic model is used to investigate the association between short run fluctuations in GDP per capita (individual incomes) and changes in health outcomes. Separate models are estimated for four separate time periods.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results suggest a modest but significant association between maternal and infant mortality and economic growth for early periods (1936 to 1965) but not more recent periods. Individual country data display markedly different patterns of response to economic changes. Japan and Canada were vulnerable to economic shocks in the post war period. In contrast, mortality rates in countries such as the UK and Italy and particularly the US appear little affected by economic fluctuations.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The data presented suggest that recessions do have a negative association with maternal and infant outcomes particularly in earlier stages of a country's development although the effects vary widely across different systems. Almost all of the 20 least wealthy countries have suffered a reduction of 10% or more in GDP per capita in at least one of the last five decades. The challenge for today's policy makers is the design and implementation of mechanisms that protect vulnerable populations from the effects of fluctuating national income.</p