Intervention Proposal for the Prevention of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUDI) in South Africa

Infant mortality, the death of a child under age one, is an important global public health issue. Although progress has been made, many countries still experience high levels of infant death. In South Africa, significant poverty and inequality have led to one of the highest rates of sudden unexpected infant death in the world. A literature search was conducted to identify published literature about programs, policies, and interventions that aim to decrease sudden infant death. The results of the literature review were used to propose a plan for reducing infant deaths in South Africa. The proposed plan includes an infant death investigation protocol, healthcare provider and parental education, an infant screening system, bassinet distribution, and a public health campaign. The proposed plan is designed to reach the families most in need of support and resources to keep infants safe

The Effects of Perceived Learning on Open Sourced Classrooms within the Community Colleges in the Southeastern Region of the United States

This study examined the perceived learning of students using open educational resources in face-to-face and distance education courses at nine community colleges in the southeastern region of the United States. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to determine if students using open educational resources perceive learning differently from those using traditional textbooks as measured by the Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor (CAP) Perceived Learning Scale (Rovai, Wighting, Baker, & Grooms, 2009). Students at nine community colleges in the southeastern region of the United States completed the CAP Perceived Learning Scale following the successful completion of a first-year seminar course. The researcher collected data from the student population that included the learning materials used by the students as part of the course. Students received the CAP Perceived Learning Scale via their official student email accounts issued to them by their respective college. This study sample size was 5,644; the researcher completed a series of t-tests on the data and analyzed the results. The results of this study found a statistically significant difference in the perceived learning scores of students enrolled in courses using open educational resources and students enrolled in classes using traditional textbooks. However, a statistically significant difference was not found in the affective learning scores of students using open educational resources and students enrolled in courses using traditional textbooks. The results of this study will assist educators in making data-informed decisions regarding the implementation of open educational resources in college classrooms. The researcher included future research suggestions in the manuscript

Fieldwork Educators’ Perceptions of the Revised Fieldwork Performance Evaluation

The American Occupational Therapy Association’s Fieldwork Performance Evaluation plays a vital role in occupational therapy education by guiding students and fieldwork educators in determining students\u27 entry-level competence. This evaluation tool dates to 1953 and has undergone numerous revisions as the profession evolved and changes were made to the practice framework. Revisions have included changes to the stated purpose of the evaluation tool, items to be scored, scoring scale, and number of items on the tool. The purpose of this study was to survey Academic Fieldwork Coordinators (AFWCs) to examine their perceptions of the 2020 revision of the evaluation. We surveyed 68 AFWCs in occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant programs. The majority had positive perceptions of the changes to the tool. The American Occupational Therapy Association, academic programs, and fieldwork sites should consider the findings of this study to help ensure effective and accurate evaluation of future students

Examining the Effects of Passenger Conversation on Older Adult Driving

Older adults have impaired driving performance compared to other age groups, and auditory stimuli has adverse effects on driving performance (Karthaus & Falkenstein, 2016). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to expand knowledge of driving and passenger conversation within the older adult population. Participants (n = 17) completed a drive of 7.8 miles on a driving simulator twice; once without conversation and again with conversation. Both drives used the same simulated driving tasks to examine driving performance with and without conversation. Participants exhibited poorer driving performance from the first drive without conversation to the second drive with conversation, specifically in time over the speed limit and average speed. Descriptive statistics also indicated that participants demonstrated poorer driving performance between the first drive and the second drive. Taken together, these findings indicated that passenger conversation negatively impacted driving performance in older adults. Therefore, older adults should be cautious about engaging in conversation while driving, as it can impair their safety

Human TATA-Binding Protein Interactions with DNA Characterized by Stabilized, Axial Optical Trapping

TATA-Binding Protein (TBP) binding to DNA is a critical step in gene expression. In the first step of gene expression, transcription of RNA from DNA, TBP binds DNA and recruits the transcription machinery. TBP binds DNA at a preferred sequence called the TATA box and bends the DNA at ~100°. In this work we characterized TBP dynamically bending DNA at the single-molecule level using an actively stabilized, axial optical trap. To perform this characterization, several challenges led us to develop a customized biophysical assay. Nonspecific interactions of TBP with sample surfaces required coating surfaces with polyethylene glycol. A small predicted signal size (~5 nm) and slow kinetics (~10-2 s-1) demanded high stability in our optical trap assay, leading us to implement an actively stabilized instrument. An apparent affnity by TBP for non-TATA box DNA sequences led us to use very short DNA molecules (92 nm) with carefully controlled sequences. This short length of DNA demanded the development of a novel axial trapping and detection technique, which also has the advantage of improved spatiotemporal resolution (integrated noise \u3c1 nm over 100 s at 0.5 pN, 5 fN/nm trap stiffness, Δf = 0.03-3.2 Hz). Our final assay involved custom surface-chemistry, an actively stabilized optical trap, short DNA with carefully engineered sequences, and a novel axial detection method. Using this novel assay, we measured TBP and TATA-box dependent extension changes of DNA at the single-molecule level. Under optimized conditions (short, carefully chosen DNA; optimized [TBP], [MgCl2] and [KCl]), we obtained step-wise, consistently-sized TBP- dependent extension changes. By hidden Markov modeling analysis, we quantified the extension changes and rates for bending and unbending, and we performed simulations to verify our analysis methods. We applied three different forces (0.3, 0.5 and 0.8 pN) to test the affect of force on the extension change and rates. We found a constant extension change of 3 nm, with dynamics on the scale of tens of seconds. The developed assay directly measures dynamic bending of DNA by TBP, and the techniques developed here have potential to be broadly useful for high-spatiotemporal resolution studies of many other DNA-protein interactions

Implications for Occupational Therapy Student Stress, Well-Being, and Coping: A Scoping Review

Scholarly literature and non-scholarly news sources have highlighted stressors in higher education. The rigor of occupational therapy education can compound student stress. Although the profession recognizes these stressors, insufficient literature exists regarding strategies to cope with and manage these sources of stress. This scoping review explored the literature examining stress and the implications for occupational therapy student well-being and coping, and also identified strategies for faculty to support student well-being. Using PRISMA Scoping Review guidelines, a systematic, multi-phase process was used to identify relevant literature. Databases searched included PubMed, CINAHL, PsycInfo, MEDLINE Complete, Web of Science, ERIC, and Education Database. Key search terms included components of well-being and coping. We discuss our scoping review approach to the literature search, data extraction, charting, and analysis. A sample of 15 articles met the inclusion criteria, with 1 article retracted during the analysis phase. The final sample of articles provided information about various components of stress, well-being, and coping. Analysis of these articles revealed the following themes: (1) well-being, (2) personal traits and skills, (3) stress, and (4) supportive pedagogy. Occupational therapy education is rigorous and demanding to ensure students are prepared to provide evidence-based care to their future clients. Although this demanding education may add to student stress, the profession must maintain high standards for patient safety. Results suggest there is an opportunity to support student wellness and learning within content delivery methods. By adjusting pedagogical approaches, instructors can support student wellness and impact learning

Pediatric medication use experiences and patient counseling in community pharmacies: Perspectives of children and parents

AbstractObjectivesThis study aimed to explore the perspectives of children and parents regarding: 1) pediatric patients' knowledge and medication use experiences for chronic conditions; 2) how they want to learn about medicines; and 3) perceptions of community pharmacist–provided counseling.DesignQualitative study using semistructured interviews and thematic analyses.SettingThree community pharmacies in 2 eastern states: one in rural western North Carolina, and 2 in an urban region of western Pennsylvania.ParticipantsA total of 39 study participants: 20 children using medications for chronic conditions and 19 parents interviewed July-December 2015.Main outcome measuresChild and parent perspectives regarding pediatric medication use, knowledge, experiences, and pharmacist-provided patient counseling.ResultsChildren and parents had similar perspectives on pediatric medication use and pharmacist counseling experiences. Six themes emerged: 1) child's knowledge, self-management, and medication use experiences; 2) essential medication information and sources; 3) child's frequent absence from the pharmacy; 4) patient counseling needs and recommendations; 5) use of interactive technologies to facilitate learning about medicines; and 6) perceptions of pharmacists. Participants reported that children were independently managing their medications, although they had minimal knowledge about medicines. Children and parents stated that the child's absence during medication pick-up at pharmacies was a barrier to receiving counseling by pharmacists. Children were comfortable and receptive to pharmacists educating them about their medicines, particularly how medications affect the human body, how they were manufactured, and research studies on their medications. Parents and children recommended the use of interactive and educational technologies for pediatric counseling.ConclusionChildren are frequently not present at pharmacies during prescription pick-up; however, children and parents are comfortable with and receptive to pediatric medication counseling by pharmacists. Interactive and educational technologies need to be developed and used by pharmacists to facilitate counseling and educate children about the effective and safe use of medicines