Project Recovery Evaluation Report: 2018-2019 Evaluation

Project Recovery serves individuals experiencing homelessness and substance use disorders in Ramsey and Dakota counties through drop-in and case management services, linking them to appropriate housing, treatment, and health care supports. This report presents evaluation results for the second year of grant activities. It includes data from interviews with participants, evaluations of a training session provided to housing providers, and surveys with stakeholders who work with the chemical dependency and homelessness systems

Quest to Belong: Nursing Students’ Perceptions while Transitioning from College to University

Background: Students face challenges throughout their undergraduate nursing programs. Adapting to university, accessing resources, and transitioning from one year to the next and between institutions are examples of these challenges. Limited research exists on the perceptions of undergraduate nursing students’ sense of belonging while transitioning from college to university in a collaborative nursing degree program in Canada. Purpose of the Study: The purpose of the study was to examine third year undergraduate nursing students’ perception of sense of belonging while transitioning from college to university in a collaborative nursing degree program. More specifically, the study aimed to identify factors that have affected students’ experiences of their sense of belonging and identify strategies that have influenced the college site students’ sense of belonging while transitioning to the university. Methods: Interpretive Description qualitative methodology was used to explore nursing students’ perceptions of sense of belonging while transitioning from college to university. Participants were third year nursing students who had transitioned from the college site to university site. Data was collected in February 2020 by in-depth in-person semi-structured individual interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: Thirteen students participated. Four emergent themes were identified: journey of emotions, perception of barriers and challenges, facilitators to sense of belonging, and students’ suggestions for change. Conclusion: This study highlighted the factors that impacted nursing students’ sense of belonging while transitioning. Study findings revealed perceived challenges and supports from social, program, and institutional perspectives in students’ transition journey from college to university. These findings provide insights to guide faculty, collaborative programs, and academic institutions in ways to design specific strategies and guidelines to support nursing students’ success and to enhance their sense of belonging as they transition from college to university. Résumé Contexte : Les étudiantes font face à des défis tout au long du programme de premier cycle en sciences infirmières. L’adaptation à l’université, l’accès aux ressources et la transition d’une année à l’autre et entre les établissements sont des exemples de ces défis. Il existe peu de recherches sur les perceptions du sentiment d’appartenance des étudiantes en sciences infirmières de premier cycle lors de la transition du collège à l’université dans le cadre d’un programme collaboratif de grade en sciences infirmières au Canada. Objectif de l’étude : L’objectif de l’étude était d’examiner la perception du sentiment d’appartenance d’étudiantes de troisième année du premier cycle en sciences infirmières lors de la transition du collège à l’université dans le cadre d’un programme collaboratif de grade en sciences infirmières. Plus précisément, l’étude visait à déterminer les facteurs qui ont influé sur le sentiment d’appartenance des étudiantes et à cibler les stratégies qui ont influencé le sentiment d’appartenance des étudiantes du collégial lors de leur transition vers l’université. Méthodes : Une méthodologie qualitative de description interprétative a été utilisée pour explorer les perceptions du sentiment d’appartenance des étudiantes en sciences infirmières lors de la transition du collège à l’université. Les participantes étaient d’étudiantes en sciences infirmières de troisième année lors de la transition du collège à l’université. Les données ont été collectées en février 2020 par des entrevues individuelles semi-structurées approfondies en personne. Une analyse thématique a été utilisée pour analyser les données. Résultats : Treize étudiantes ont participé. Quatre thèmes émergents ont été identifiés : le cheminement des émotions, la perception des obstacles et des défis, les facilitateurs du sentiment d’appartenance et les suggestions de changement des étudiantes. Conclusion : Cette étude a mis en évidence les facteurs qui ont eu un impact sur le sentiment d’appartenance des étudiantes en sciences infirmières lors de la transition. Les résultats de l’étude ont révélé les défis et les soutiens perçus du point de vue social, des programmes et des établissements dans le parcours de transition des étudiantes du collège à l’université. Ces résultats fournissent des pistes pour guider le corps professoral, les programmes de collaboration et les établissements universitaires dans la conception de stratégies et de lignes directrices spécifiques pour soutenir la réussite des étudiantes en sciences infirmières et pour renforcer leur sentiment d’appartenance lors de leur transition du collège à l’université

Beneficial Effects of Berberine on Oxidized LDL-induced Cytotoxicity in Human Retinal Müller Cells

PURPOSE: Limited mechanistic understanding of diabetic retinopathy (DR) has hindered therapeutic advances. Berberine, an isoquinolone alkaloid, has shown favorable effects on glucose and lipid metabolism in animal and human studies, but effects on DR are unknown. We previously demonstrated intraretinal extravasation and modification of LDL in human diabetes, and toxicity of modified LDL to human retinal Müller cells. We now explore pathogenic effects of modified LDL on Müller cells, and the efficacy of berberine in mitigating this cytotoxicity. METHODS: Confluent human Müller cells were exposed to in vitro–modified ‘highly oxidized, glycated (HOG-) LDL versus native-LDL (N-LDL; 200 mg protein/L) for 6 or 24 hours, with/without pretreatment with berberine (5 μM, 1 hour) and/or the adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) inhibitor, Compound C (5 μM, 1 hour). Using techniques including Western blots, reactive oxygen species (ROS) detection assay, and quantitative real-time PCR, the following outcomes were assessed: cell viability (CCK-8 assay), autophagy (LC3, Beclin-1, ATG-5), apoptosis (cleaved caspase 3, cleaved poly-ADP ribose polymerase), oxidative stress (ROS, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, glutathione peroxidase 1, NADPH oxidase 4), angiogenesis (VEGF, pigment epithelium-derived factor), inflammation (inducible nitric oxide synthase, intercellular adhesion molecule 1, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α), and glial cell activation (glial fibrillary acidic protein). RESULTS: Native-LDL had no effect on cultured human Müller cells, but HOG-LDL exhibited marked toxicity, significantly decreasing viability and inducing autophagy, apoptosis, oxidative stress, expression of angiogenic factors, inflammation, and glial cell activation. Berberine attenuated all the effects of HOG-LDL (all P < 0.05), and its effects were mitigated by AMPK inhibition (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Berberine inhibits modified LDL-induced Müller cell injury by activating the AMPK pathway, and merits further study as an agent for preventing and/or treating DR

Shc depletion stimulates brown fat activity in vivo and in vitro.

Adipose tissue is an important metabolic organ that integrates a wide array of homeostatic processes and is crucial for whole-body insulin sensitivity and energy metabolism. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a key thermogenic tissue with a well-established role in energy expenditure. BAT dissipates energy and protects against both hypothermia and obesity. Thus, BAT stimulation therapy is a rational strategy for the looming pandemic of obesity, whose consequences and comorbidities have a huge impact on the aged. Shc-deficient mice (ShcKO) were previously shown to be lean, insulin sensitive, and resistant to high-fat diet and obesity. We investigated the contribution of BAT to this phenotype. Insulin-dependent BAT glucose uptake was higher in ShcKO mice. Primary ShcKO BAT cells exhibited increased mitochondrial respiration; increased expression of several mitochondrial and lipid-oxidative enzymes was observed in ShcKO BAT. Levels of brown fat-specific markers of differentiation, UCP1, PRDM16, ELOVL3, and Cox8b, were higher in ShcKO BAT. In vitro, Shc knockdown in BAT cell line increased insulin sensitivity and metabolic activity. In vivo, pharmacological stimulation of ShcKO BAT resulted in higher energy expenditure. Conversely, pharmacological inhibition of BAT abolished the improved metabolic parameters, that is the increased insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance of ShcKO mice. Similarly, in vitro Shc knockdown in BAT cell lines increased their expression of UCP1 and metabolic activity. These data suggest increased BAT activity significantly contributes to the improved metabolic phenotype of ShcKO mice

Iterative reconstruction can permit the use of lower x-ray tube current in CT coronary artery calcium scoring

OBJECTIVE: CT coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS) is additive to traditional risk factors for predicting future cardiac events but is associated with relatively high radiation doses. We assessed the feasibility of CACS radiation dose reduction using a lower tube current and iterative reconstruction (IR). METHODS: Artificial noise was added to the raw data from 27 CACS studies from patients who were symptomatic to simulate lower tube current scanning (75, 50 and 25% original current). All studies were performed on the same CT scanner at 120 kVp. Data were reconstructed using filtered back projection [Quantum Denoising Software (QDS+)] and IR [adaptive iterative dose reduction three dimensional mild, standard and strong]. Agatston scores were independently measured by two readers. CACS percentile risk scores were calculated. RESULTS: At 75, 50 and 25% tube currents, all adaptive iterative dose reduction (AIDR) reconstructions decreased image noise relative to QDS+ (p < 0.05). All AIDR reconstructions resulted in small reductions in Agatston score relative to QDS+ at the standard tube current (p < 0.05). Agatston scores increased with QDS+ at 75, 50 and 25% tube current (p < 0.05), whereas no significant change was observed with AIDR mild at any tested tube current. No difference in the percentile risk score with AIDR mild at any tube current occurred compared with QDS+ at standard tube current (p > 0.05). Interobserver agreement for AIDR mild remained excellent even at 25% tube current (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.997). CONCLUSION: Up to 75% reduction in CACS tube current is feasible using AIDR mild. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: AIDR mild IR permits low tube current CACS whilst maintaining excellent intraobserver and interobserver variability and without altering risk classification

Nursing Students Desire to Belong in Online Learning Environments. Part 1: A Mixed-Methods Study

Background: In early 2020, due to the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, many educational institutions significantly modified their learning environments from in-person classrooms to online delivery to ensure the continuity of education and limit the spread of the virus. Understanding how undergraduate nursing students experience belonging during this drastic shift to online learning is an area of inquiry that has a limited amount of research. Purpose of the Study: The goal of this study was to describe nursing students’ sense of belonging in an online learning environment as well as identify strategies and supports to foster their sense of belonging. Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed method design with two phases was used for this study. In phase one, the focus of this paper, we used a mixed-method approach. The quantitative component consisted of an online survey and the qualitative component was the three open-ended questions included as part of the survey. Participants were third-year nursing students from a collaborative nursing degree program who had recently transitioned from the college to the university site and were currently taking all courses online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: This paper reports on phase one of the study conducted in April 2021. The survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the three open-ended questions were analyzed using thematic analysis. Conclusions: As more educational institutions continue with online courses during the pandemic and post-pandemic, the findings from this study will provide valuable information as to the factors that foster or hinder nursing students’ sense of belonging in an online learning environment. These findings will also assist in contributing to the development of creative teaching modalities and pedagogies which can help to enhance the quality of student learning experiences and their sense of belonging in online learning environments. Résumé Contexte : Au début de l’année 2020, en raison de la pandémie de COVID-19, de nombreux établissements d’enseignement ont modifié considérablement leurs environnements d’apprentissage, passant de cours en présence à l’apprentissage en ligne, afin d’assurer la poursuite de la formation tout en limitant la propagation du virus. Il y a peu d’études qui permettent de comprendre comment les étudiantes et étudiants du premier cycle en sciences infirmières ont vécu le sentiment d’appartenance lors de cette transition radicale vers l’apprentissage virtuel. Buts de l’étude : Les buts de cette étude étaient de décrire le sentiment d’appartenance d’étudiantes et étudiants en sciences infirmières dans un environnement d’apprentissage en ligne ainsi que d’identifier des stratégies et des mesures de soutien qui favoriseraient leur sentiment d’appartenance. Méthodes : Un devis mixte séquentiel explicatif en deux phases a été utilisé pour cette étude. Dans la première phase, qui est au cœur de cet article, nous avons adopté une approche mixte. La composante quantitative consistait en un sondage en ligne, tandis que la composante qualitative était constituée de trois questions contenue dans le sondage. Les personnes qui ont participé à cette étude étaient des étudiantes et étudiants de troisième année en sciences infirmières inscrits à un programme collaboratif qui venaient de faire la transition du collège à l’université, puis, en raison de la pandémie de COVID-19, ils suivaient tous leurs cours en ligne. Résultats : Cet article présente les résultats de la première phase de l’étude réalisée en avril 2021. Les données recueillies par sondage ont été analysées en utilisant des statistiques descriptives, tandis que les réponses aux trois questions ouvertes ont fait l’objet d’une analyse thématique. Conclusions : Alors que de nombreux établissements d’enseignement poursuivent l’utilisation de cours en ligne au-delà de la période de pandémie, cette étude permet de comprendre les facteurs qui influencent le sentiment d’appartenance d’étudiantes et étudiants en sciences infirmières dans un contexte d’apprentissage en ligne. Les résultats obtenus contribueront également au développement de méthodes d’enseignement créatives et d’approches pédagogiques qui pourront améliorer la qualité de l’expérience d’apprentissage des étudiantes et étudiants et renforcer leur sentiment d’appartenance dans les environnements d’apprentissage en ligne

Synthesis and Characterization of Copolyimides Containing Fluorine and Silicon Surface Modifying Agents

Understanding the effects that monomer chemistries have on material properties allows for fine tuning of polymer synthesis for current and future applications. In order to develop polymeric based coatings that have minimal surface adhesion characteristics when exposed to a variety of contaminants, a more thorough understanding of fundamental structure-property relationships is needed. In the aeronautics field, one concept to improve fuel efficiency of future aircraft is to modify the wing design to enable laminar flow. There is a concern that contaminants such as insect residue and other debris will adhere to airflow surfaces and have sufficient height to disrupt laminar flow thereby increasing drag with concomitant loss of fuel efficiency. One potential solution would be a polymer surface or coating that prevents or minimizes adhesion of such contaminants. As part of a structure-property relationship study involving modification of surface properties, a series of copolyimides containing both fluorine and silicon surface modifying agents (SMAs) were prepared and characterized. Based on knowledge of structure-property relationships with polyimides containing either type of SMA, it was hypothesized that the combination of two different surface-modifying agents may lead to unique surface properties as the two SMAs competed for surface area at the polymer-air interface. Copolyimides for this study were prepared through a multi-step synthesis using an aromatic dianhydride with equimolar amounts of diamino functionalities comprised of an aromatic diamine along with two SMAs. Films were cast from copoly(amide acid) solutions that were subsequently thermally imidized under a nitrogen atmosphere. Polyimide films and coatings were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultravioletvisible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), contact angle goniometry (CAG), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) to determine chemical, thermal, and surface properties. Select samples were subject to high velocity insect impacts in a small scale wind tunnel and the resulting residues were characterized for height and surface area and compared to those of a control surface

Influence of Surface Properties and Impact Conditions on Adhesion of Insect Residues

Insect residues can cause premature transition to turbulent flow on laminar flow airfoils. Engineered surfaces that mitigate the adhesion of insect residues provide, therefore, a route to more efficient aerodynamics and reduced fuel burn rates. Areal coverage and heights of residues depend not only on surface properties, but also on impact conditions. We report high speed photography of fruit fly impacts at different angles of inclination on a rigid aluminum surface, optical microscopy and profilometry, and contact angle goniometry to support the design of engineered surfaces. For the polyurethane and epoxy coatings studied, some of which exhibited superhydrophobicity, it was determined that impact angle and surface compositions play critical roles in the efficacy of these surfaces to reduce insect residue adhesion

Influence of Surface Properties and Impact Conditions on Insect Residue Adhesion

Airflow over airfoils used on current commercial aircraft transitions from laminar to turbulent at relatively low chord positions. As a result, drag increases, requiring more thrust to maintain flight. An airfoil with increased laminar flow would experience reduced drag and a lower fuel burn rate. One of the objectives of NASA's Environmentally Responsible Aviation project is to identify and demonstrate technologies that will enable more environmentally friendly commercial aircraft. While more aerodynamically efficient airfoil shapes can be designed, surface contamination from ice, dirt, pollen, runway debris, and insect residue can degrade performance

Genetic dissection of the tissue‐specific roles of type III effectors and phytotoxins in the pathogenicity of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae to cherry

When compared with other phylogroups (PGs) of the Pseudomonas syringae species complex, P. syringae pv. syringae (Pss) strains within PG2 have a reduced repertoire of type III effectors (T3Es) but produce several phytotoxins. Effectors within the cherry pathogen Pss 9644 were grouped based on their frequency in strains from Prunus as the conserved effector locus (CEL) common to most P. syringae pathogens; a core of effectors common to PG2; a set of PRUNUS effectors common to cherry pathogens; and a FLEXIBLE set of T3Es. Pss 9644 also contains gene clusters for biosynthesis of toxins syringomycin, syringopeptin and syringolin A. After confirmation of virulence gene expression, mutants with a sequential series of T3E and toxin deletions were pathogenicity tested on wood, leaves and fruits of sweet cherry (Prunus avium) and leaves of ornamental cherry (Prunus incisa). The toxins had a key role in disease development in fruits but were less important in leaves and wood. An effectorless mutant retained some pathogenicity to fruit but not wood or leaves. Striking redundancy was observed amongst effector groups. The CEL effectors have important roles during the early stages of leaf infection and possibly acted synergistically with toxins in all tissues. Deletion of separate groups of T3Es had more effect in P. incisa than in P. avium. Mixed inocula were used to complement the toxin mutations in trans and indicated that strain mixtures may be important in the field. Our results highlight the niche‐specific role of toxins in P. avium tissues and the complexity of effector redundancy in the pathogen Pss 9644