Literature-Based Social Studies Learning Activities for First Grade Students in the Selah School District, Selah, Washington

The purpose of this project was to develop literaturebased social studies learning activities to be used with first grade students in the Selah School District. To accomplish this purpose, literature-based social studies learning activities for first grade students were gathered and developed for inclusion in a teacher resource packet. Appropriately used, children\u27s literature can enhance learning in social studies and lead to increased teacher effectiveness

News Representations of Black Men, Post Black Lives Matter

African-American men are overrepresented as threats or criminal suspects in society. Previous studies have found that African-American men are misrepresented in news coverage and depicted in a negative way. The Black Lives Matter Movement has gained media coverage and challenged negative stereotypes of black men. Therefore, in this study I analyze whether or not representations of black men have changed since the Black Lives Matter movement started. In my research, I analyzed the Chicago Tribune using Critical Discourse Analysis to understand the language used in articles to convey the meanings of representations of black men. In my results, I found that black men are overrepresented as criminals, which fits with preexisting patterns. The misrepresentation of black men continues to have an impact on society.B.A. (Bachelor of Arts

Child health nursing in the Solomon Islands: A qualitative evaluation of the impact of the 'Bachelor of nursing - Child health'

Aim: To explore graduates’ perceptions of the impact on nursing practice of a new postgraduate course in child health, developed and implemented in the Solomon Islands in 2016. Background: The Bachelor of Nursing - Child Health was implemented in 2016 to develop nurses’ knowledge and skills in child health and paediatric care with the intent to improve national child health outcomes. Design: A qualitative exploratory, descriptive design was used to evaluate the impact of the Bachelor of Nursing - Child Health on graduates’ nursing practice. Methods: Fourteen nurses who graduated from the first cohort of students enrolled in the child health course were purposively selected to participate. Participants engaged in individual semi-structured interviews, conducted between August and December 2018. A thematic analysis was undertaken following Braun and Clarke's six-phase process. Results: Findings from the study demonstrate positive impacts of the course on graduates’ nursing practice. These include a perceived enhanced quality of care through their commitment to evidence-based practice, the ability to contribute to capacity building of colleagues, the reinforcement of provincial public health programmes and expanded participation in managerial activities. Following graduation, most alumni took on senior roles and greater responsibilities, felt more confident in managing unwell children, felt there was better access to and quality of child health care at the community and broader country levels and felt recognised by colleagues and communities. Some graduates faced resistance from colleagues to change practice and felt that despite being given greater responsibilities, nursing levels and salaries remained unchanged. This reflected a potential lack of recognition from hospital or provincial managers, the Nursing Council as the regulatory body for the nursing profession, and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services. A lack of human and material resources also impacted quality of care. Implications for Nursing and Health Policy: Findings from this study underline the need for the Solomon Islands National University, the Nursing Council, the Public Service and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services to concord and delineate formal accreditation standards for child health nurses. Overall, collaborative efforts and commitments at local, regional and global levels are required to support child health nurses in their ability and ambition to improve national child health outcomes. Conclusions: Findings from this study demonstrate positive impacts of the course on graduates’ nursing practice. The impact of increasing nurses’ knowledge and skills on national child health outcomes could be significant. Ongoing implementation and recognition of this course in the Solomon Islands, as well as more broadly across the Pacific region, are recommended

Trajectories in muscular strength and physical function among men with and without prostate cancer in the health aging and body composition study

Objectives To examine and compare changes in strength and physical function from pre- to post-diagnosis among men with prostate cancer (PC, [cases]) and matched non-cancer controls identified from the Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) study. Materials and methods We conducted a longitudinal analysis of 2 strength and 3 physical function-based measures among both cases and controls, identified from a large cohort of community living older adults enrolled in the Health ABC study. We plotted trajectories for each measure and compared cases vs. controls from the point of diagnosis onwards using mixed-effects regression models. For cases only, we examined predictors of poor strength or physical function. Results We identified 117 PC cases and 453 matched non-cancer controls (50% African Americans). At baseline, there were no differences between cases and controls in demographic factors, comorbidities or self-reported physical function; however, cases had slightly better grip strength (44.6 kg vs. 41.0 kg, p\u3c0.01), quadriceps strength (360.5 Nm vs. 338.7 Nm, p = 0.02) and Health ABC physical performance battery scores (2.4 vs. 2.3, p = 0.01). All men experienced similar declines in strength and physical function over an equivalent amount of time. The loss of quad strength was most notable, with losses of nearly two-thirds of baseline strength over approximately 7 years of follow up. Conclusions Among both cases and controls, strength and physical function decline with increasing age. The largest declines were seen in lower body strength. Regular assessments should guide lifestyle interventions that can offset age- and treatment-related declines among men with PC

Upregulation of the voltage-gated sodium channel beta2 subunit in neuropathic pain models: characterization of expression in injured and non-injured primary sensory neurons

The development of abnormal primary sensory neuron excitability and neuropathic pain symptoms after peripheral nerve injury is associated with altered expression of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) and a modification of sodium currents. To investigate whether the beta2 subunit of VGSCs participates in the generation of neuropathic pain, we used the spared nerve injury (SNI) model in rats to examine beta2 subunit expression in selectively injured (tibial and common peroneal nerves) and uninjured (sural nerve) afferents. Three days after SNI, immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis reveal an increase in the beta2 subunit in both the cell body and peripheral axons of injured neurons. The increase persists for >4 weeks, although beta2 subunit mRNA measured by real-time reverse transcription-PCR and in situ hybridization remains unchanged. Although injured neurons show the most marked upregulation,beta2 subunit expression is also increased in neighboring non-injured neurons and a similar pattern of changes appears in the spinal nerve ligation model of neuropathic pain. That increased beta2 subunit expression in sensory neurons after nerve injury is functionally significant, as demonstrated by our finding that the development of mechanical allodynia-like behavior in the SNI model is attenuated in beta2 subunit null mutant mice. Through its role in regulating the density of mature VGSC complexes in the plasma membrane and modulating channel gating, the beta2 subunit may play a key role in the development of ectopic activity in injured and non-injured sensory afferents and, thereby, neuropathic pain

A novel epilepsy mutation in the sodium channel SCN1A identifies a cytoplasmic domain for {beta} subunit interaction

A mutation in the sodium channel SCN1A was identified in a small Italian family with dominantly inherited generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus (GEFS+). The mutation, D1866Y, alters an evolutionarily conserved aspartate residue in the C-terminal cytoplasmic domain of the sodium channel {alpha} subunit. The mutation decreased modulation of the {alpha} subunit by {beta}1, which normally causes a negative shift in the voltage dependence of inactivation in oocytes. There was less of a shift with the mutant channel, resulting in a 10 mV difference between the wild-type and mutant channels in the presence of {beta}1. This shift increased the magnitude of the window current, which resulted in more persistent current during a voltage ramp. Computational analysis suggests that neurons expressing the mutant channels will fire an action potential with a shorter onset delay in response to a threshold current injection, and that they will fire multiple action potentials with a shorter interspike interval at a higher input stimulus. These results suggest a causal relationship between a positive shift in the voltage dependence of sodium channel inactivation and spontaneous seizure activity. Direct interaction between the cytoplasmic C-terminal domain of the wild-type{alpha} subunit with the {beta}1or {beta}3 subunit was first demonstrated by yeast two-hybrid analysis. The SCN1A peptide K1846-R1886 is sufficient for {beta} subunit interaction. Coimmunoprecipitation from transfected mammalian cells confirmed the interaction between the C-terminal domains of the {alpha} and {beta}1 subunits. The D1866Y mutation weakens this interaction, demonstrating a novel molecular mechanism leading to seizure susceptibility

Factors influencing time to case registration for youth with type 1 and type 2 diabetes: SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study

The development of a sustainable pediatric diabetes surveillance system for the United States requires a better understanding of issues related to case ascertainment

Poly(amidoamine)-BSA conjugates synthesised by Michael addition reaction retained enzymatic activity

Polymer-protein conjugates are key to overcome some of the therapeutic protein limitations, including inefficient intracellular delivery. Poly(amidoamine)s are bioresponsive polyelectrolytes, which can form complexes with proteins and promote their delivery into the cytosol of cells. To investigate if conjugation would affect the activity of the protein, two poly(amidoamine)-BSA conjugates were synthesised using a “grafted to” method and Michael addition reaction. Following purification, the conjugates were characterised by electrophoresis, size exclusion chromatography (Mn(C1) = 140.7 kDa ; Mn(C2) = 218.6 kDa) and light scattering (Dh(C1) = 37.5 nm ; Dh(C2) = 75.1 nm). As a result of the conjugation with the cationic polymer, the conjugates had a positive zeta potential (?(C1) = +15.4 mV; ?(C2) = +20.2 mV). TNBS assays demonstrated that 16% to 25% of the protein amine groups were modified and HPLC analysis indicated that the amount of protein in the conjugate was 0.76 mg of BSA/mg of PAA (C1) and 0.43 mg of BSA /mg of PAA (C2). Enzymatic assays indicated the conjugates displayed an esterase activity similar (C1) or reduced ~ 35% (C2) compare to BSA. Altogether the results demonstrated that the conjugation of poly(amidoamine)s to a model protein can lead to the formation of bioconjugates that retain the enzymatic activity of the native protein. Such conjugates could have some application in protein delivery and enzyme engineering for biocatalysis and biosensors