Protein and Lipid Characterization of Acheta domesticus, Bombyx mori, and Locusta migratoria Dry Flours

Cricket (Acheta domesticus), silkworm pupae (Bombyx mori), and locust (Locusta migratoria) dry flours were obtained to examine the biochemical properties and composition of the flours. This study aimed to characterize the protein and lipid components of three insect species utilizing proximate composition analyses, amino acid composition analysis, protein solubility, SDS-PAGE, fatty acid composition analysis, and thin layer chromatography to determine lipid classes, and lipid extraction efficiency. Kjeldahl determined the cricket, locust, and silkworm flours contained 72.0%, 53.1%, and 71.2% protein, respectively. All proximate composition analyses were significantly (p\u3c0.05) different between species. Amino acid composition analysis revealed that the flours contained 3.6-3.9% and 0.90-1.5% of lysine and methionine, respectively. Many countries have cereal grains and legumes as a staple in their diet that contain these limiting amino acids. Essential amino acids were 22% of total amino acids. Protein solubility revealed that the three species studied were most soluble in alkaline environments with highest protein solubility occurring at pH 13 at 66% solubility in silkworm. Lowest solubility occurred in more acidic conditions between pH 4-5. SDS-PAGE revealed five major protein fractions with estimated molecular weights of 27 (cuticle proteins), 41 (arginine kinase), which has been identified as an allergen in shrimp, 42 (actin), 71 (hemocyanin), and 220 myosin) kDa. Soxhlet extraction determined cricket, silkworm, and locust flours contained 15.4%, 33.3%, and 11.4% lipid, respectively. The only omega-3 fatty acid found in the flours was α-linolenic acid. Silkworm flour contained the most α-linolenic acid at 33.3% of total fatty acids, followed by locust (13.7%), and cricket (0.6%). TLC resolved lipids for typical lipid classes. The four major lipid classes noted were triacylglycerol, free fatty acid, cholesterol, and phospholipid. Lipid extraction efficiency found that the organic solvents chloroform and methanol had the highest lipid extraction yield in both cricket (69.3%) and locust (93.0%). Methyl-tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) extracted lipids most efficiently in the silkworm. Proteins and lipids found in insects need to be isolated to further or commercial use

Grit and Legal Education

One factor that has received much attention in recent years is “grit,” which has been defined as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals.” Although grit has been studied in a number of different contexts, grit is understudied in the context of legal education. In light of the existing research regarding grit and performance, and the ongoing interest in law student learning, motivation, and performance, we undertook a research project to investigate the relationship between grit and law school academic performance. Although we hypothesized that grit would be positively related to law school GPA, we did not find a statistically significant relationship (positive or negative) between grit and law school GPA. In addition to examining the relationship between grit and law school GPA, we also conducted exploratory analyses to compare the grit scores of women and men. These analyses indicated a statistically significant difference between the grit levels of female and male participants, with female participants having higher levels of grit. The results of our research project raise questions about the role of grit in legal education and, most importantly, point the way for future research regarding grit, legal education, and law practice. The remainder of this article will discuss our research and the implications of this research. Specifically, Part II of the article situates our research within existing research regarding grit and performance, and regarding the law school experiences of female and male law students. Part III describes the methodology of our research project. Part IV presents the results of the project. Part V of the article discusses these results and the implications of these results. Part V also discusses the limitations of this research and identifies avenues for further research regarding law students and grit. Part VI concludes

Milkguard: A Low-Cost Hydrogel Sensor for the Detection of Escherichia Coli in Donated Human Breast Milk

Breast milk is considered the gold standard of infant nutrition. However , many women around the world lack the ability to breastfeed their children due to disease, malnutrition, time constraints, or cultural considerations. Human breast milk banks exist to collect and distribute breast milk , allowing the greatest number of infants to have access to safe breast milk for optimal nutrition. To ensure the safety of the breast milk that is donated and distributed, milk banks must pasteurize and test donated breast milk for biological hazards such as bacteria. While pasteurization methods in the United States and other highly developed nations are reliable, they are often costly and resource intensive. In developing nations , high-throughput , consistent pasteurization methods are rarely available, resulting in a higher risk of donated breast milk samples containing harmful bacteria, such as Escherichia coli. MilkGuard is a hydrogel-based biosensor intended to detect Escherichia coli (E. coli) in samples of donated breast milk. The sensor functions to indicate the concentration of E. coli bacteria present in a sample of donated breast milk through a colorimetric change. In order to produce a functional biosensor, this project included iterative reproducibility and accuracy tests to confirm MilkGuard\u27s capability of consistently detecting and indicating the presence of small concentrations of E. coli bacteria. By improving the induction and lysing processes of E. coli, this project optimized the protocol through which MilkGuard\u27s effectiveness can be evaluated. Through the use of COMSOL Multiphysics software, this project modelled the physics of MilkGuard\u27s reaction to optimize the thickness of the sensor. Our goal is to improve the reproducibility and accuracy of MilkGuard to create a more robust sensor that can save lives by determining the safety of donated human breast milk before distribution to vulnerable infants

Treatment fidelity in aphasia randomised controlled trials

Background: Treatment fidelity is at the heart of evidence-based practice and treatment fidelity processes help to determine the ‘active ingredients’ of a treatment. Hinckley and Douglas in 2013 reviewed treatment fidelity processes in published aphasia trials and found 14% of aphasia treatment studies reported treatment fidelity. This led the authors to call for journals to make treatment fidelity reporting mandatory. Aims: To review the implementation and reporting of treatment fidelity processes in recent aphasia RCTs to update on practices since 2012. Methods and Procedures: Aphasia RCTs published between 2012 and 2017 were sourced from online databases speechBITE, MEDLINE, and CINAHL provided they were: a) an investigation of an impairment-based treatment for post-stroke aphasia; b) not a review, protocol, feasibility, or replication study c) not a surgical or pharmacological intervention and d) published in English. Articles meeting the criteria were rated using Bellg’s treatment fidelity areas with the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist elements. Outcomes and Results: This search retrieved 110 articles and 42 met the above criteria. Nine (21%) articles explicitly reported on treatment fidelity processes. One article (2%) contained every element of the recommended treatment fidelity areas. Totally, 37 (88%) articles addressed the study design aspect of treatment fidelity by investigating therapy dosage. The least-addressed aspect of treatment fidelity was ensuring participants used the skills gained in treatment in appropriate life settings, with two (2%) articles including this. Conclusions: The current review identified 21% of articles explicitly reporting treatment fidelity processes. This paper provides updated review evidence from recent RCTs and echoes recommendations for greater incorporation of treatment fidelity in research protocols and resulting publications

Promoting Support for Public Health Policies Through Mediated Contact: Can Narrator Perspective and Self-Disclosure Curb In-Group Favoritism?

An online 2 × 2 factorial experiment (N = 203) examined the effect of parasocial contact on support for public health policies in the context of opioid addiction. We hypothesize that because of an intergroup dynamic, individuals are less likely to engage with an outgroup character than an in-group character featured in a news magazine article. Results support the in-group favoritism hypothesis. The study examines two narrative devices for overcoming this tendency: the narrator’s perspective and amount of insight into the character’s inner world through character self-disclosure. We find support for the narrator perspective but not for the self-disclosure effect. Finally, the study compares the effects of different types of character involvement with the in-group and the out-group character on support for social policies. The results indicate that readers identify with an in-group character to assist the out-group rather than empathizing with the out-group directly

Rationale for a Media Literacy Intervention for Parents of 5-10 Year Old Children

Children use electronic screens at younger and younger ages, but there is nascent empirical research on how parental attitudes and beliefs interact with their children’s media habits and characteristics. This exploratory study attempted to better understand how parental critical thinking skills, perception of media risk, knowledge of media effects, and media self-efficacy influence parents’ mediation of children’s media use and children’s media exposure. An online survey was conducted in which parents of children ages 5-10 answered a series of questions about the aforementioned variables. We expect the results to indicate that critical thinking skills, mediation of children’s media use, perception of media risk, knowledge of media effects, and media self-efficacy will be positively related to one another, and negatively related to child media exposure, justifying the need for a media literacy intervention

Treatment fidelity monitoring, reporting and findings in a complex aphasia intervention trial: a substudy of the Very Early Rehabilitation in SpEech (VERSE) trial

Background: Treatment fidelity is inconsistently reported in aphasia research, contributing to uncertainty about the effectiveness of types of aphasia therapy following stroke. We outline the processes and outcomes of treatment fidelity monitoring in a pre-specified secondary analysis of the VERSE trial. Methods: VERSE was a 3-arm, single-blinded RCT with a 12-week primary endpoint comparing Usual Care (UC) to two higher intensity treatments: Usual Care-Plus (UC-Plus) and VERSE, a prescribed intervention. Primary outcome results were previously reported. This secondary analysis focused on treatment fidelity. Video-recorded treatment sessions in the higher intensity study arms were evaluated for treatment adherence and treatment differentiation. Treatment components were evaluated using a pre-determined fidelity checklist. Primary outcome: prescribed amount of therapy time (minutes); secondary outcomes: (i) adherence to therapy protocol (%) and (ii) treatment differentiation between control and high intensity groups. Results: Two hundred forty-six participants were randomised to Usual Care (n=81), Usual Care-Plus (n=82), and VERSE (n=83). One hundred thirty-five (82%) participants in higher intensity intervention arms received the minimum prescribed therapy minutes. From 10,805 (UC 7787; UC-Plus 1450; VERSE 1568) service events, 431 treatment protocol deviations were noted in 114 participants. Four hundred thirty-seven videos were evaluated. The VERSE therapists achieved over 84% adherence to key protocol elements. Higher stroke and aphasia severity, older age, and being in the UC-Plus group predicted more treatment deviations. Conclusions: We found high levels of treatment adherence and differentiation between the intervention arms, providing greater confidence interpreting our results. The comprehensive systems for intervention fidelity monitoring and reporting in this trial make an important contribution to aphasia research and, we argue, should set a new standard for future aphasia studies

Treatment fidelity monitoring, reporting and findings in a complex aphasia intervention trial: A substudy of the very early rehabilitation in SpEech (VERSE) trial

Background: Treatment fidelity is inconsistently reported in aphasia research, contributing to uncertainty about the effectiveness of types of aphasia therapy following stroke. We outline the processes and outcomes of treatment fidelity monitoring in a pre-specified secondary analysis of the VERSE trial. Methods: VERSE was a 3-arm, single-blinded RCT with a 12-week primary endpoint comparing Usual Care (UC) to two higher intensity treatments: Usual Care-Plus (UC-Plus) and VERSE, a prescribed intervention. Primary outcome results were previously reported. This secondary analysis focused on treatment fidelity. Video-recorded treatment sessions in the higher intensity study arms were evaluated for treatment adherence and treatment differentiation. Treatment components were evaluated using a pre-determined fidelity checklist. Primary outcome: prescribed amount of therapy time (minutes); secondary outcomes: (i) adherence to therapy protocol (%) and (ii) treatment differentiation between control and high intensity groups. Results: Two hundred forty-six participants were randomised to Usual Care (n = 81), Usual Care-Plus (n=82), and VERSE (n = 83). One hundred thirty-five (82%) participants in higher intensity intervention arms received the minimum prescribed therapy minutes. From 10,805 (UC 7787; UC-Plus 1450; VERSE 1568) service events, 431 treatment protocol deviations were noted in 114 participants. Four hundred thirty-seven videos were evaluated. The VERSE therapists achieved over 84% adherence to key protocol elements. Higher stroke and aphasia severity, older age, and being in the UC-Plus group predicted more treatment deviations. Conclusions: We found high levels of treatment adherence and differentiation between the intervention arms, providing greater confidence interpreting our results. The comprehensive systems for intervention fidelity monitoring and reporting in this trial make an important contribution to aphasia research and, we argue, should set a new standard for future aphasia studies. Trial registration: ACTRN 1261300077670

Speaking of Online Learning: Alternative Practice-Based Learning Experiences for Speech Pathologists in Australia, Ghana and Hong Kong

Speech Pathology programs usually send students to workplaces to learn clinical skills necessary for practice. During COVID-19, programs needed to respond quickly to ensure that students continued to gain the necessary experiences and skills required to progress through their program and graduate as clinicians, while simultaneously complying with COVID-19 requirements. Case studies from seven different universities in Australia, Ghana and Hong Kong described the diverse ways in which placements were adapted to be COVID-safe, taking into account local needs. Some practices which had been included in placement education prior to the pandemic, such as telepractice and simulation-based learning, were extended and developed during this time. Educators, students, clinicians and clients responded to the rapidly changing needs of the time with flexibility and innovation, utilising a variety of technologies and tools to support case-based and virtual learning opportunities. Feedback from these diverse stakeholders about the experiences was positive, despite inevitable limitations and less-than-ideal circumstances.  The positive findings provided insights for consideration in the future: could strategies implemented in response to the pandemic continue to be incorporated into placement experiences, enhancing current practices and maintaining student performance outcomes? Exceptional circumstances prompted exceptional responses; flexibility and innovation were accelerated in response to the pandemic and may transform future placement-based learning opportunities