Communicating Effectively with Vaccine Hesitant Patients

Vaccine hesitancy is a multifaceted and complex public health issue, and a plethora of research has been conducted on patients’ vaccine knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs that contribute to decreased public confidence in vaccines which then decreases vaccine uptake, which ultimately has resulted in an increase of vaccine preventable disease outbreaks (for example, measles). Research also illustrates that health care providers (HCP) are patients’ primary source of vaccination information and that HCPs who can communicate effectively with these patients are more likely to encourage adherence to medical advice and the adoption of preventative health behaviours, such as vaccination. Unfortunately, the communication training resources for HCPs are limited and conflicting, and thus, there is no communication training plan for immunization HCPs at a public health unit in Ontario. This OIP presents a pathway to develop and implement a training plan for HCPs to learn motivational interviewing (MI) and presumptive language through problem-based learning (PBL) so they can communicate effectively with vaccine hesitant patients. By demonstrating Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) and Servant leadership behaviours encompassed in public health leadership practice, the author combines the ADKAR Model of Change and Kotter’s Eight Stage Change Process, as well as utilizes Duck’s Five Stage Change Curve to manage the inevitable emotions that affect the change process, to guide the pathway in an effort to decrease vaccine hesitancy in a community and improve overall vaccine coverage rates

Cessation of Nightly Voluntary Wheel Running Activity Following Exposure to a Mouse Model of Posttraumatic Stress

Regular physical activity (PA) is well known to positively impact physical and mental health outcomes. In our work to examine cardiovascular benefits of PA in a mouse model of posttraumatic stress, we stumbled upon the reciprocal relationship between PA and stress exposure, wherein stress significantly reduced healthy levels of routine PA. The aim of the present studies was to define the parameters of our paradigm. C67BL/6J male mice were divided into four groups (n=8/group): sedentary/control, voluntary running/control, sedentary/stress, and voluntary running/stress. Voluntary running groups were given unlimited access to a running wheel for 9 weeks. Stress groups were then exposed to a 5-day resident-intruder social stress that models human posttraumatic stress. Running behavior essentially ceased following stress. Habituation to stress occurred, as running distance increased by the 5th day of stress but remained significantly low. A separate study examined a single exposure to resident-intruder social stress. Plasma corticosterone significantly increased while nightly running dropped significantly but returned to normal by the 3rd night post-stress. These studies show the sensitivity of habitual running behavior to stress exposure and suggest the utility of this mouse model in exploring the means by which stress negatively impacts routine PA

Interactions among Hydrology, Sediment and Vegetation in Accreting Wax Lake Delta: Physical and Biogeochemical Implications for Coastal Louisiana Restoration

River discharge pulses, wind, waves, tides, and the presence of dense vegetation are factors that interact and regulate the transport and retention of sediment in coastal regions. In particular, vegetation structural and physiognomic traits promote fine sediment trapping during tidal and river flow, maintaining the balance between soil elevation and relative sea level rise on coastline stability and land building. Mike Island, located within Wax Lake Delta, Louisiana, USA, is part of a deltaic system created by a man-made freshwater diversion (1941) and one of few coastal areas where land is expanding in coastal Louisiana as result of pulsing river sediment discharge. Acoustic and optical sensors at upstream and downstream locations in Mike Island were deployed for 30-60 days during spring and late summer in 2015 to evaluate spatiotemporal changes in turbidity, waves, tides, current speed and direction. Sediment traps were installed 30 cm above and on the sediment surface to identify spatiotemporal differences in sediment texture and deposition. During a flood stage, most of the island is dominated by overbank flooding and high discharge from a secondary channel located upstream. When vegetation biomass was low, the downstream station received more wave influence than the upstream station. Current speeds during the spring deployment were approximately 23 cm/s at the upstream station and only 6 cm/s downstream. During peak productivity in August-October, current speeds decreased markedly in early September 2015 due to the presence of dense vegetation interference. Spatial and temporal differences in total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) and orthophosphate (PO43-) nutrient concentrations in overlying and soil surface water were evident and indicate complex nutrient availability patterns controlling vegetation production. Surficial sediments (0-5 cm) collected in April and August (2014) were comprised of approximately 20% sand and 80% mud. Bulk density (BD) in sediment cores increased with depth (50 cm) at the downstream location while BD in the upstream location peaked at shallower depths (\u3c20 cm), indicating differences in sediment deposition history and rates. This study contributes toward the long-term goal of developing and parameterizing biophysical models to manage and recommend freshwater and sediment diversions in Louisiana wetland restoration programs

Shedding Light upon the Shadows: An Examination of the Use of Voice as Resistance and Reclamation of the Black Woman from Enslavement to Freedom.

My research examines the enslaved black woman\u27s reclamation of self through the use of voice and resistance from enslavement into freedom. I argue that the enslaved black woman\u27s voice was one that grew stronger and louder, in an effort to have her story heard, through her attempts of reclamation of self and transition from slave to a free woman. I begin with an introduction to the purpose of my research. Chapter one describes my approach to my research. Chapter two describes the conditions of slavery for black women. Chapter three describes enslaved black women\u27s mechanisms of resistance. Chapter four examinations the reclamation of self in slavemade quilts and the controversial Underground Railroad Quilt Code. Chapter five examines the reclamation of voice in Harriet Jacobs\u27 narrative, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, written under a pseudonym, Linda Brent, after she escaped from slavery. Chapter six examines the reclamation of womanhood is Dr. Anna Julia Cooper\u27s text, A Voice from the South. My conclusion describes how these historical events are still relevant to present-day society

A Study of 26Al(p, γ)27Si with the Silicon Array for Branching Ratio Experiments (SABRE)

The observation of the radioisotope 26Al is an indicator of ongoing nucleosynthesis in the Galaxy due to its short lifetime (t1/2 = 7.2 × 105 yr) on Galactic timescales. It is thought to be synthesized in several different environments in our Galaxy, one of which is in classical novae. Classical novae are stellar explosions that occur on the surface of a white dwarf in a binary system with a main sequence star. The isotopic production resulting from the nucleosynthesis that drives these explosions can be modeled with the input of nuclear reaction rates. In recent years, many of the reactions of importance to classical novae have been directly measured; one of the exceptions to this is the 26Alm(p, γ)27Si reaction, which is one of the primary destruction mechanisms for 26Al in novae. Because this reaction cannot be directly measured with radioactive ion beam intensities currently available, indirect experimental techniques are required. Here one such technique is discussed, including the installation and commissioning of the Silicon Array for Branching Ratio Experiments (SABRE), that is a vital part of the detector systems of the Super Enge Split-Pole Spectrograph (SE-SPS) at Florida State University. One of the first science runs conducted on this new experimental apparatus was the 27Al(3He,t)27Si∗(p)26Alg,m reaction, which was used to measure the proton branching ratios of states in 27Si of interest to the 26Alg,m(p,γ)27Si reactions. SABRE was able to detect proton decay branching ratios from resonance energies 200-400 keV lower than previously measured. This thesis will discuss this measurement and the commissioning of SABRE, which performs as expected. This will be followed by a discussion of the measurement of the branching ratios to the isomer state, the calculation of the 26Alm(p, γ)27Si reaction rate based on the results, and the effects this rate has on the synthesis of 26Al in classical novae

Becoming Adults: One-Year Impact Findings from the Youth Villages Transitional Living Evaluation

Young adults with histories of foster care or juvenile justice custody experience poor outcomes across a number of domains, on average, relative to their peers. While government funding for services targeting these groups of young people has increased in recent years, research on the effectiveness of such services is limited, and few of the programs that have been rigorously tested have been found to improve outcomes. The Youth Villages Transitional Living Evaluation is testing whether the Transitional Living program, operated by the social service organization Youth Villages, makes a difference in the lives of young people with histories of foster care or juvenile justice custody. The program, which was renamed "YVLifeSet" in April 2015, is intended to help these young people make a successful transition to adulthood by providing intensive, individualized, and clinically focused case management, support, and counseling

Aquatic Macroinvertebrates as Sentinels of Changes in Local Stream Conditions in East Texas

Study objective: To use aquatic macroinvertebrates to assess the habitat quality and biological conditions of a stream, La Nana Creek, impacted by different land use

Welcome to Archival Practice!

Welcome to the first release of Archival Practice, a new peer-reviewed, open-access journal. Archival Practice provides a scholarly forum for discussions of real-world applications of archival theories and practices in the modern archival repository. This may include archival acquisitions, processing, reference, outreach, instruction, preservation, or management in any archival setting (special collections library, government archives, university archives, corporate archives, etc.)

Whole genome metagenomic analysis of the gut microbiome of differently fed infants identifies differences in microbial composition and functional genes, including an absent CRISPR/Cas9 gene in the formula-fed cohort

Background: Advancements in sequencing capabilities have enhanced the study of the human microbiome. There are limited studies focused on the gastro-intestinal (gut) microbiome of infants, particularly the impact of diet between breast-fed (BF) versus formula-fed (FF). It is unclear what effect, if any, early feeding has on short- term or long-term composition and function of the gut microbiome. Results: Using a shotgun metagenomics approach, differences in the gut microbiome between BF (n = 10) and FF (n = 5) infants were detected. A Jaccard distance principle coordinate analysis was able to cluster BF versus FF infants based on the presence or absence of species identified in their gut microbiome. Thirty-two genera were identified as statistically different in the gut microbiome sequenced between BF and FF infants. Furthermore, the computational workflow identified 371 bacterial genes that were statistically different between the BF and FF cohorts in abundance. Only seven genes were lower in abundance (or absent) in the FF cohort compared to the BF cohort, including CRISPR/Cas9; whereas, the remaining candidates, including autotransporter adhesins, were higher in abundance in the FF cohort compared to BF cohort. Conclusions: These studies demonstrated that FF infants have, at an early age, a significantly different gut microbiome with potential implications for function of the fecal microbiota. Interactions between the fecal microbiota and host hinted at here have been linked to numerous diseases. Determining whether these non- abundant or more abundant genes have biological consequence related to infant feeding may aid in under- standing the adult gut microbiome, and the pathogenesis of obesity

Characterization of cell-type specific responses in C. elegans experiencing misfolded protein stress: How do some cells save themselves while others die?

To maintain viability, cells must resolve misfolded protein stress; the inability to do so often triggers cell death, most notably in neurons during neurodegenerative disease. The NAC is a highly conserved translational chaperone essential for protein folding and localization to organelles throughout the cell. In C. elegans, depletion of the NAC initiates misfolded protein stress specifically in the endoplasmic reticulum, inducing a response that upregulates the HSP-4 chaperone in an attempt to prevent cell death. This upregulation is robust but not uniform, and deficient in regions containing neurons. We are characterizing this non-uniform stress response to determine if HSP-4 upregulation is cell-specific and correlates with survival. Additionally, there is evidence that the NAC may function in engaging premature and/or atypical differentiation under stress conditions. We’ve developed a protocol that characterizes the differentiation patterns and stress responses in NAC-depleted C. elegans. Our results indicate that NAC-depleted C. elegans have altered gut cell differentiation patterns when compared to control treatments. Furthermore, control studies were conducted to determine baseline patterns of HSP-4 expression in relation to the location of gut cells. Future studies will investigate differentiation patterns of muscle and neuronal cells in NAC-depleted C. elegans as well as characterizing the upregulation of HSP-4 in gut, muscle, and neuronal cells within NAC-depleted C. elegans