Trading Addiction: An Analysis of Prescription and Non-Prescription Opioid Abuse

Opioid abuse, addiction, and overdose is a serious public health concern that has plagued the healthcare system for the last thirty years. The compiled research in the following paper explores the rise of the opioid epidemic, the implications of more recent prescription monitoring and pain management programs, the relationship between non-prescription and prescription opioids, and the current face of the epidemic, illicit opioids. Kentucky has, unfortunately, been at the forefront of this epidemic with regard to both prescription and illicit opioids. Policy reformation and preventative action must be taken into consideration in regard to the relationship between prescription and non-prescription opioid use. Addressing the relationship is crucial to ensure by fighting one addiction we are not unknowingly promoting another in order to effectively turn the tide on the opioid epidemic

Paying for performance: the education impacts of a community college scholarship program for low-income adults

We evaluate educational outcomes from an experiment which randomly assigned performancebased scholarship eligibility to students on community college campuses. Scholarships were awarded in three payments each semester over the course of two semesters. Payments were tied to students meeting two conditions—enrolling at least half time and maintaining a “C” or better semester grade point average. We find that the program increased the likelihood a student was enrolled at the program institutions in both the first and second semesters after random assignment and increased the total number of credits attempted and earned each semester. One year after random assignment, program group students were more likely to persist at their program institution, and one and two years after random assignment, program group students had completed 3-4 credits more than the control group students. We find little evidence that program eligibility induced students to change the types of courses taken but some evidence that the program may have increased academic performance and effort conditional on enrollment.Education - Economic aspects ; Income

Rewarding Persistence: Effects of a Performance-Based Scholarship Program for Low-Income Parents

This report describes the impacts of a performance-based scholarship program with a counseling component on academic success and persistence among low-income parents. Students who participated in the program, which was operated at two New Orleans-area colleges as part of MDRC's multisite Opening Doors demonstration, were more likely to stay in school, get higher grades, and earn more credits

Which asthma patients should get the pneumococcal vaccine?

Adults between the ages of 19 and 64 years who have chronic lung disease, including asthma, should get the vaccine, as should all patients 65 years and older (strength of recommendation [SOR]: C, consensus guide-lines). Evidence doesn't support routine vaccination of children with asthma or adults younger than 65 years who don't have chronic lung disease to decrease asthma-related or pneumonia-related hospitalizations (SOR: B, 1 retrospective cohort study and 1 retrospective, case- controlled cohort study)

Laser Powder Bed Fusion of AlSi10Mg for Fabrication of Fluid Power Components

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is an additive manufacturing (AM) process that produces 3D objects in a layer-by-layer fashion by using a laser to selectively melt powdered material. Some of the advantages of LPBF include the potential for more design freedom, reduced waste, and flexible production strategies. It is possible to produce parts with complex geometries that cannot be created through traditional methods without great expense in terms of time, money, and resources. There is no need for expensive tooling, thus enabling fast production of unique designs. To implement LPBF in industry, adopters must develop personalized plans for product qualification, quality assurance, manufacturing, and post-processing requirements. The manufacturing strategy is particularly important, as the machine, material, and process parameters that are used have a large impact on the resulting microstructure and mechanical properties, ultimately controlling the quality of the end-product. The generation, control, and transmission of fluid power is critical for many engineering applications, such as the automotive transmission pump. Energy losses within the pump reduce the transmission’s ability to convert torque from the engine, so a more efficient, lightweight pump would reduce the fuel consumption of the vehicle. If LPBF is found suitable for the manufacture of aluminum fluid power components, design improvements could be implemented, and custom solutions could be offered to individual customers. This thesis aims to add to the body of knowledge for process development in LPBF of AlSi10Mg in order to improve the resulting part density, surface roughness, and material performance for fluid power applications. The material performance is evaluated through a comparison with an existing product: the cast aluminum pump housing for use in automotive transmissions. Process parameters were selected for the LPBF of AlSi10Mg on a modulated laser system to minimize porosity and surface roughness, and maximize production efficiency. This was accomplished through the use of initial process mapping, prediction of melt pool dimensions using a thermophysical model, and fine-tune adjustment of parameters. AlSi10Mg powder from two suppliers was characterized for morphology and particle size distribution. The density or solid fraction of manufactured artifacts was evaluated by optical microscopy and x-ray computed tomography (CT), and the surface roughness by laser confocal microscopy. Two process parameter sets were identified for manufacturing fluid power components. A relative density of 99.95% and surface roughness (Sa) of 11.39 μm were achieved. These process parameters were used to manufacture LPBF artifacts of various geometries for characterization of the relative density, surface roughness, and durability in terms of hardness, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance. The results were compared with benchmark values for a cast aluminum pump housing, which was also characterized for chemical composition and microstructure. The AM artifacts had a lower hardness (54.3 to 69.3 HRB) than the cast pump housing (72.8 to 81.5 HRB). The specific wear rate was determined through the dry sliding wear test, and the AM artifacts (3.92 x10-13 to 6.04 x10-13 m2N-1) had a lower wear resistance than the cast pump housing (2.50 x10-13 to 2.55 x10-13 m2N-1). Cyclic polarization testing revealed that the corrosion resistance and pitting potential were better for the AM artifacts (-0.57 to 0.48 V vs SCE in 0.001M Cl-) than the cast pump housing, which exhibited general corrosion. Linear polarization resistance tests also suggested a better corrosion resistance for the AM artifacts, as the corrosion current density was lower. The surface roughness and durability of three different surface types for the AM artifacts (upskin, sideskin, and polished) and cast pump housing (as-cast, horizontal; as-cast, vertical; and machined) were also compared. The manufacturability of design features was investigated. Thin walls were printed with thicknesses of 1.0 to 3.0 mm. The wall thickness did not have a significant effect on the part density. Slot artifacts were printed with varying gap widths of 0.5 to 4.5 mm. The interior vertical walls were characterized for surface roughness, which was marginally lower for the smallest and largest gap widths. Straight circular channels were printed with hole diameters of 0.2 to 1.2 mm, and with a height of 10 or 20 mm. Powder was successfully removed from channels with a minimum diameter of 0.5 mm. Recommendations for future work include performing further in-depth study on the relationship between process parameters and the microstructure of LPBF-processed material in order to better understand and control the resulting mechanical properties. Further development of design constraints, especially those related to non-uniform channels, would also be of use to designers of fluid power components as it would provide more design freedom and ultimately enable innovation

Interview with Dr. Lisa Brock, Part 1

Part 1 of two part interview with Dr. Lisa Brock recorded on April 29, 2015. Dr. Brock is interviewed by Kalamazoo College student Buffy Satchwell as a part of SHARE\u27s (formerly known as the Southwest Michigan Black Heritage Society) Baldwin Archive Engaging the Wisdom Project with Kalamazoo College. During the interview Dr. Brock discusses the following topics: History of parents and grandparents living in southern Ohio; Childhood memories of neighborhood, growing up in a tight-knit black community; Experiences of education from elementary through high school; Attending Oberlin college and Howard University, a HBCU; Memories of influences that motivated involvement in activism; Story of seeing Martin Luther King, Jr. speak; Memories of 1968 in Washington D.C during the riots and the Civil Rights Movement; Discussion of African American history; Stories of activist work in countries like Cuba, Mozambique, and South Africa; Discussion of work in the Anti-Apartheid movement in the 1980s and 90s. Additional files include full transcription and abstract (includes content timestamps).https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/engaging-the-wisdom/1013/thumbnail.jp

Interview with Dr. Lisa Brock, Part 2

Part 2 of two part interview with Dr. Lisa Brock recorded on May 15, 2015. Dr. Brock is interviewed by Kalamazoo College student Buffy Satchwell as a part of SHARE\u27s (formerly known as the Southwest Michigan Black Heritage Society’s) Baldwin Archive Engaging the Wisdom Project with Kalamazoo College. During this interview Dr. Brock discusses the following topics: Discussion of social justice work at Kalamazoo College with the Arcus Center; Comparison of past approaches in Civil Rights movements to current movements; Memories of high school and influential literature regarding social activism; Discussion of American history in the South and changes from the Civil Rights Movement; Examples in history of Apartheid and slavery; Story about Brock’s grandmother; Family histories learned by interviewing her grandparents; Discussion of the value of learning African-American history; Challenges faced as an African-American woman. Additional files include full transcription and abstract (includes content timestamps).https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/engaging-the-wisdom/1015/thumbnail.jp

Teaching Human Rights Inside and Outside the Classroom: Education Without Borders (abstract)

University courses addressing various human rights issues have grown exponentially at the undergraduate and graduate levels over the past 20 years. Most of these courses focus on specific issues and many programs require fieldwork and/or internships. In addition, the use of the international human rights language is increasingly integrated into professional training programs that are often labeled “social” issues; for example, labor, immigration or domestic violence. What is lacking, despite the resonance and inclusion of human rights issues in these and other areas, is the development of comprehensive human rights methods and ethics courses. This roundtable seeks to bring together people engaged in human rights scholarship, teaching and training to explore the particular skills that are needed to do theoretical and applied research on human rights, human rights violations and advocacy. It will also discuss the ethics and methods of human rights work and, in so doing, will address the consequences of doing such research poorly. The roundtable thus aims to expand the understanding of human rights education beyond issue and content to specifically address the question of how do we do intellectually robust and reflexive human rights scholarship that works to make things better in the world? As Indigenous scholarship has taught us, good research must be evaluated on the basis of respect, reciprocity, relevance and responsibility by recognizing the ethics that are involved in doing such work. Thus, the roundtable aims to work towards developing a conversation around the methods of human rights academic and applied academic work. In this way one can develop best practices as well note concerns in current practice

The Administration Of Nebraska Public Schools: Present Perceptions and Future Needs

The next generation of children will live in a world that promises to be substantially different than ours

Nurse Researchers in Children\u27s Hospitals

Little is known about the role of nurse researchers (NRs) and the structure of nursing research programs in children\u27s hospitals in the United States. This descriptive study obtained survey data from 33 NRs. Data suggest that the NR role is emerging and has both commonalities and unique components when compared with the previous studies of NRs in adult hospitals. Most participants have been in their position for less than 4 years. Conducting research, having staff development related to research, and facilitating evidence-based practice or research were common responsibilities. The structure of nursing research programs impacts both the NRs and the program outcomes