Longitudinal Effects of Prenatal Teratogen Exposure on Executive Function and Academic Outcomes

The healthy development of executive function in adolescents is essential for controlling attention and behavior, especially as children confront the challenges associated with puberty, social situations, parental pressures, academic pursuits, and the transition to adulthood. For children prenatally exposed to teratogenic substances (i.e., certain prescription medications, maternal infections or conditions, alcohol, tobacco, etc.), higher-order cognitive skills may be compromised, resulting in an increased risk of delayed developmental functioning, deficits in cognitive and executive functioning, and poorer academic outcomes. Research findings suggest that even low-to-moderate levels of alcohol and/or tobacco use during pregnancy are associated with poorer academic performance, lower IQ scores, and reduced performance on various cognitive tasks. This more common, yet less understood and under-reported, low-to-moderate level of substance use is an area of growing concern. To that end, using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD, 2021), this dissertation explored the association between low-to-moderate prenatal alcohol and/or tobacco exposure and adolescents’ subsequent executive function and academic performance at two separate time points in their development. The study examined whether prenatal teratogen exposure (i.e., parent-reported alcohol and/or tobacco use) was associated with negative effects on adolescents’ performance on various executive function tasks from the NIH Toolbox-Cognition Battery and/or their average grades in school. Furthermore, given that executive function has not been consistently defined within the psychological literature, with the field of developmental psychology defining executive function more broadly (i.e., cognitive flexibility, working memory, and inhibitory control; see Diamond, 2013; Zelazo, 2015) and cognitive psychology defining executive function more narrowly (i.e., viewing working memory as a higher-level, superordinate construct that is separate from executive function; see Conway & Engle, 1994; Conway et al., 2021), this study also examined executive function from these competing perspectives. Additionally, the study used a longitudinal approach to explore the role of timing in any associations between teratogen exposure and cognitive outcomes, analyzing data from two separate collection periods: baseline and 2-year follow-up. The overarching hypothesis was that low-to-moderate prenatal substance exposure would be associated with reduced executive function task performance and reduced average grades at both baseline and the 2-year follow-up, with a greater reduction in executive function task performance in the broadly defined models of executive function (relative to the narrowly defined models of executive function). Three separate studies, distinguished by types of prenatal exposure (i.e., Study 1: alcohol, Study 2: tobacco, or Study 3: combined alcohol AND tobacco), explored this overarching prediction using path analyses. For Studies 1 (alcohol) and 2 (tobacco), these hypotheses were not supported; no significant relationships were detected between low-to-moderate prenatal alcohol or tobacco exposure and either executive function or average grades. In contrast, the results of Study 3 (combined alcohol AND tobacco) presented mixed findings in terms of supporting the hypothesis. Prior to controlling for demographic variables, prenatal combined exposure was negatively associated with the broad definition of executive function at baseline and with average grades at the 2-year follow-up. These findings suggest that prenatal exposure to both alcohol AND tobacco had a small, but significant negative effect on both academic outcomes and executive function when broadly defined. An important aspect of this study explored executive function from two theoretical perspectives (i.e., developmental versus cognitive psychology). Analyses from these two perspectives yielded a recurring finding related to the importance of working memory, specifically as an effective predictor of academic performance. By deconstructing executive function, this study offers a novel approach to exploring the cognitive abilities measured in the ABCD Study and has provided new insights into the connection between working memory, executive function, academic performance, and prenatal teratogen exposure

The Use of an Integrative Wellness Care Plan in Primary Care

Background: The United States health care system has a segmented approach to patient care when it comes to primary care delivery. Many individuals demand new models of healthcare and choose to integrate non-traditional methods into their health regimen beyond what is typically offered in many primary care settings. This project surveyed a group of patients receiving care at an integrative clinic and explored satisfaction with services based on an Integrative Wellness Care Plan. Materials and Methods: An Integrative Wellness Care Plan (IWCP) that combines standard primary care services with integrative therapies was reviewed, and a six-question survey was developed to evaluate the patient experience. An invitation to participate in a survey was emailed to 52 patients. Each survey participant was screened to ensure that at least one previous clinic appointment incorporated the use of the IWCP. The response rate of the survey was 38%. Content analysis method of data analysis was utilized, and findings were categorized into major themes. Results: Themes identified through analysis of qualitative data suggest that patients are highly satisfied with their integrative primary care experience and believe this model of care supports wellness and achievement of individual health goals. Conclusions: Survey responses suggest patients are highly satisfied with the IWCP and value the provision of integrative care as an adjunct to typical primary care services. Respondents mention preferring this model of care over traditional primary care

Entering construction professionals: survey of work values and career expectations

2011 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.The discussion of human resources is a broad and complex one, especially in an industry as diverse as construction which employs unskilled and skilled crafts workers, clerical and professional staff, as well as a variety of construction professionals. With an understanding that employers must develop more effective ways of rewarding and developing their workforces to compete for new hires and retain their current personnel, the goal of this research is to give those construction organizations focused on strategic human resource management a better understanding of the individuals currently entering the workforce. The general research design of this study was a comparative and associational research approach or a non-experimental approach. In this particular case, this research design was appropriate as the study was centered on defining work values and career expectations of soon-to-be Construction Management graduates as related to their personal characteristics. As such, the intention of the survey employed was twofold. One aspect was to gain a personal profile of these individuals and an assessment of what values these entering construction professionals hold. The second piece was to examine this descriptive data and seek an understanding into any relationships which may exist among the personal characteristics of entering construction professionals and their stated life, behavioral, and work values. From this sample some general trends of this population were found. A review of the mean rankings of life and behavioral values shows the values associated as self-centered ranked highest of all values while social-centered were lowest. Instrumental values of moral-focused and competence-focused ranked between these two terminal values and were nearly identical. The work values associated with status and independence ranked above those associated with competence and growth and comfort and security. Those in the construction industry must recognize that the graduates of today are different than those of past generations and that what it takes to hire and retain these individuals is different than the strategies employed even a decade ago. Likewise, for the first time in American history, companies are challenged with managing four generations of employees at once, each with different values, expectations, and attitudes. For the industry to continue to grow and prosper, the leaders of tomorrow must be recruited and trained today and companies must identify a leadership succession plan, placing renewed emphasis on strategic human resource management

Careers and contingencies: Constructing careers in the music and building industries

The idea of understanding working life in terms of a "career" may seem commonsense for societies characterised by a complex division of labour and individual progressions through a hierarchy of positions. This is not always the case. The activities, understandings and contingencies associated with many careers are not widely understood, and it is these career-oriented activities and understandings that are apt to be of particular significance in establishing an identity for the worker. In this paper we explore how careers are made and understood in two workplace cultures: the orchestra and the building industry. Our argument is that while these workplaces are structured in very different ways, there are distinct similarities in the constraints and possibilities faced by their respective workforces. Through a comparative account of these two workplace cultures we seek to show that we can better understand each by teasing out ethnographic insights that illuminate features of the other

Maternal-Early-Warning-System Education to Improve Registered Nurse Knowledge of and Appropriate Responses to Triggers

The maternal early warning system (MEWS) is the single most reliable response tool to improve maternal outcomes in obstetrics. Recognition and response by nurses to the MEWS triggers was worrisome at the project site as the MEWS trigger to detect changes in the clinical conditions in obstetric patients was not applied consistently at the bedside. This project was developed to evaluate whether providing an education program on the application of MEWS to nurses in obstetrics at the practicum site would improve registered nurses’ knowledge of and appropriate responses to the MEWS trigger alarms. A literature search targeting the key words maternal early warning system, quality improvement, nursing competency, and health care outcomes in sources such as CINHAL, Medline, EBSCO, and Cochrane Reviews as well as federal, state, and local databases was used to inform the project. The four levels of the Kirkpatrick model, reaction, learning, behaviors, and results, served as the framework for educating the nurses on MEWS. The design for the project with 40 obstetrics nurses included a pretest, staff education, an immediate posttest, and a 2-week retest. Data were collected using a 5-level Likert Scale delivered on a Qualtrics platform. The responses were recoded into two categories, high confidence and low confidence, and a chi-squared analysis was used to detect any significant differences in knowledge attainment by nurses. The pretest Mean (M) = 22.00, immediate posttest Mean (M) = 36.33; the 2-week posttest follow-up Mean (M) = 35.16. The social change, supported by this project, was improvement of nurses’ recognition of MEWS trigger alarms and their reaction to reduce the occurrence of preventable maternal mortality and morbidity at the micro level

Maternal-Early-Warning-System Education to Improve Registered Nurse Knowledge of and Appropriate Responses to Triggers

The maternal early warning system (MEWS) is the single most reliable response tool to improve maternal outcomes in obstetrics. Recognition and response by nurses to the MEWS triggers was worrisome at the project site as the MEWS trigger to detect changes in the clinical conditions in obstetric patients was not applied consistently at the bedside. This project was developed to evaluate whether providing an education program on the application of MEWS to nurses in obstetrics at the practicum site would improve registered nurses’ knowledge of and appropriate responses to the MEWS trigger alarms. A literature search targeting the key words maternal early warning system, quality improvement, nursing competency, and health care outcomes in sources such as CINHAL, Medline, EBSCO, and Cochrane Reviews as well as federal, state, and local databases was used to inform the project. The four levels of the Kirkpatrick model, reaction, learning, behaviors, and results, served as the framework for educating the nurses on MEWS. The design for the project with 40 obstetrics nurses included a pretest, staff education, an immediate posttest, and a 2-week retest. Data were collected using a 5-level Likert Scale delivered on a Qualtrics platform. The responses were recoded into two categories, high confidence and low confidence, and a chi-squared analysis was used to detect any significant differences in knowledge attainment by nurses. The pretest Mean (M) = 22.00, immediate posttest Mean (M) = 36.33; the 2-week posttest follow-up Mean (M) = 35.16. The social change, supported by this project, was improvement of nurses’ recognition of MEWS trigger alarms and their reaction to reduce the occurrence of preventable maternal mortality and morbidity at the micro level

Communication Structures of Supplemental Voluntary Kin Relationships

Although scholars have constructed typologies of voluntary (fictive) kin, few have considered challenges and opportunities of interaction and relationships between biolegal and voluntary kin. This study focused on one type of voluntary kin, supplemental voluntary kin, relationships that often arise because of differing values, underperformed roles, or physical distance from the biolegal family, and wherein relationships are maintained with biolegal and voluntary kin. We examined how these family systems are constructed via interactions in relational triads of “linchpin” persons between biolegal family and voluntary kin. From in-depth interviews with 36 supplemental voluntary kin, we examined themes in the linchpins’ discourse surrounding the interaction, rituals, and ideal relationship between biolegal family and voluntary kin. We constructed a typology of four relational triads representing these relationships: intertwined, limited, separate, and hostile. We describe the structure and communication within each type, and implications for helping families with these triangulated voluntary kin relationships

The Impact of Virtual Immersion in the E-Learning Environment

Students in post-graduate programs can enhance their learning efficacy and positively impact their interprofessional collaboration skills by participating in a virtual immersion experience within their e-learning course. Students from various healthcare disciplines who participated in a virtual immersion were charged with the task to create a strategic plan for a healthcare organization. Upon completion of the course, they believed the interprofessional collaborative discussions and group dynamics utilized during the virtual immersion enabled them to communicate more effectively in their workplace, thus, improving patient outcomes. The focus of this presentation is to share the impact a virtual immersion has on the student experience and patient outcomes

Data curation issues in transitioning a field science collection of long-term research data and artefacts from a local repository to an institutional repository

The SGS-LTER research site was established in 1980 by researchers at Colorado State University as part of a network of long-term research sites within the US LTER Network, supported by the National Science Foundation. Scientists within the Natural Resource Ecology Lab, Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, and Biology Department at CSU, California State Fullerton, USDA Agricultural Research Service, University of Northern Colorado, and the University of Wyoming, among others, have contributed to our understanding of the structure and functions of the shortgrass steppe and other diverse ecosystems across the network while maintaining a common mission and sharing expertise, data and infrastructure.Transition a local 32 year project, the Shortgrass Steppe Long-Term Ecological Research (SGS-LTER), with over 100 data packages and related digital artefacts, to an Institutional Repository (IR) at Colorado State University (CSU) Libraries to ensure persistent, reliable, and interoperable access to our collection of scientific data. Our collaborative team envisions being part of a larger information environment, which enables sharing of knowledge and data - a web of repositories. Poster presented at the 9th International Digital Curation Conference held in San Francisco, California on February 25, 2014. Refereed.This work is supported by NSF Grant Number DEB-0823405, Colorado State University, and the UIUC Data Curation Education at Research Centers (DCERC IMLS Award #RE-02-10-0004-10)