Motivation to Read in the Middle Grades

This study explored the reading motivations of sixth grade students. Results from the Motivation to Read Profile- Fiction/NonFiction survey (MRP-F/NF) (Marinak et al., 2017; Malloy et al., 2017; Parsons et al., 2018) exposed a decline in sixth grade students\u27 reading motivation in both fiction and nonfiction texts. An item analysis revealed survey items relating to students\u27 desire to tell friends about good books and talk about books in groups were considered items of low motivation. As a result of the noticeable decline in reading motivation for sixth graders and the difficulty in understanding this decline based on the survey results, three problem statements were established. First, gaps in research remain in regard to how students in the middle grades describe what would make reading more enjoyable for them. Furthermore, there are few instruments that specifically measure middle grade students\u27 motivation to read and also focus on discussion. Finally, a gap in knowledge exists from a researcher, practitioner, and design perspective regarding how instructional models of book clubs can support peer-to-peer discussion of books. To address these gaps in research, the researcher selected a multiphase mixed method design in order to explore, measure, and address the problem of low reading motivation for students in sixth grade. A multiphase design examines a central problem or topic of interest through several phases of qualitative and quantitative research that builds on data discovered in earlier phases (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011). Each phase then informs or guides the adjacent phases. For the purposes of this study, the researcher separated this study into three phases: Phase I - an exploratory qualitative phase; Phase II – a quantitative instrument design phase, and; Phase III - a design-based case study phase. At the conclusion of this study a retrospective analysis revealed four theoretical assertions: (a) Choice is important; (b) Peer-to-peer collaboration is influential; (c) Time and value are related; and students\u27 (d) Self-concept is complicated. Students\u27 reading motivation is positively influenced by their ability to participate in an authentic reading experience where they are free to select texts that appeal to them; given time to collaborate in peer-to-peer discussion through a format of their choice with conversational topics that interest them; and can openly and honestly review and recommend texts to others. Based on the results of this study, these authentic experiences may have a positive influence middle grade students\u27 motivation to read

Can Social Functioning in Schizophrenia Be Improved through Targeted Social Cognitive Intervention?

Efforts to use cognitive remediation in psychosocial intervention for schizophrenia have increasingly incorporated social cognition as a treatment target. A distinction can be made in this work between “broad-based” interventions, which integrate social cognitive training within a multicomponent suite of intervention techniques and “targeted” interventions; which aim to enhance social cognition alone. Targeted interventions have the potential advantage of being more efficient than broad-based interventions; however, they also face difficult challenges. In particular, targeted interventions may be less likely to achieve maintenance and generalization of gains made in treatment. A novel potential solution to this problem is described which draws on the social psychological literature on social cognition

Synthesis and Characterization of Two Tetraarylporphyrins with Highly Electron-Withdrawing Substituents

The proposed intermediate for the heme-enzymes, cytochrome P-450, horseradish peroxidase, and chloroperoxidase, is an oxoferryl porphyrin π-cation radical. Therefore, iron porphyrins are used to study heme-enzymes and to study the influence of substituents on physicochemical properties of the porphyrin macrocycle. Spin-spin coupling (between the ferryl iron unpaired electrons and the porphyrin radical electron) is used as a criterion for comparison between synthetic porphyrins and heme-proteins. In this study, two tetraarylporphyrins with highly electron-withdrawing substituents on the meso-phenyls are synthesized, and a new method for work-up of 5-(2,6-dinitrophenyl)-10,15,20-tris-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)porphyrin (TDCPDNPP) is reported. A method reported herein provides a significant increase in yields for porphyrins with meso-substituted o-dinitrophenyls. The oxoferryl TDCPDNPP porphyrin π-cation radical is compared to the oxoferryl tetramesitylporphyrin π-cation radical (TMP). Because the oxoferryl TDCPDNPP π-cation radical has highly electron-withdrawing nitro-groups and different molecular orbital symmetry than the TMP, its spin-spin coupling was expected to be weakened, but remains strongly ferromagnetic. These results would support evidence that substitutions on the meso-phenyls do not cause a significant enough perturbation in unpaired spin density on the porphyrin macrocycle to change spin-spin coupling.Master of Science in Public Healt

The generation of cell lines permitting isolation of genetically intact human cytomegalovirus(HCMV)

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a clinically important human pathogen that can cause severe disease in immunologically deficient individuals. Studies into the virus are hindered by the rapid and reproducible mutations that occur in vitro, resulting in viruses which behave differently from those found in vivo. Mutations rapidly occur in the RL13 and UL128L gene regions, leading to increased growth kinetics and altered cellular tropism respectively. In order to work with genetically intact HCMV, genomes have been BAC cloned, and repaired to genetically match the original clinical sample. This does not, however, prevent the emergence of new mutants. To overcome this, RL13 and UL128L are conditionally suppressed during virus growth using a tetracycline repressor based system. Although effective, this requires the genome to be available as a BAC clone, preventing their use with primary clinical isolates. This thesis aimed to generate cell lines to enable work with genetically stable clinical isolates without the need for BAC cloning, to produce an indicator cell line for the rapid detection of replicating virus, and to convert existing laboratory-adapted viruses to more closely represent wild-type isolates. As an alternative to tet repression, cell lines expressing shRNA targeting RL13/UL128L were used to suppress protein expression during infection, however these attempts were unsuccessful. Indicator cell lines were produced that expressed GFP following infection, however the level of GFP induction was too weak for these lines to be used reliably. However, a UL128 expressing cell line was successfully produced, which complemented the loss of this gene from our existing bank of lab-adapted viruses. As a result, it became possible to infect a range of cell types with existing viruses, therefore enabling studies into viral dissemination, pathogenesis and disease prevention, without the need to re-generate existing constructs in new virus backgrounds

Interprofessional education for first year psychology students: career plans, perceived relevance and attitudes

Undergraduate psychology students have been largely excluded from interprofessional education (IPE) initiatives. In contrast to many health professions, undergraduate psychology students do not engage in work placements as part of their degree, and many enter careers outside the health care context. However, the collaborative skills gained through an IPE experience may well be beneficial to students who work in this wider context. This research examines whether undergraduate psychology students’ views of IPE vary according to their planned career directions, and if so, whether the perceived relevance of IPE mediates the relationships. A sample of 188 Australian university undergraduate psychology students completed an online questionnaire following completion of a first-year IPE health sciences program. Path analysis indicated that psychology students’ attitudes towards IPE are associated with both professional identification and practitioner orientation, fully mediated through the perceived relevance of IPE to future career and study plans. Stronger professional identification and practitioner orientation were associated with greater perceived relevance and more positive and less negative attitudes towards IPE. Placing a stronger emphasis on the generalizability of IP skills taught may increase students’ awareness of the relevance outside of the health context, reducing disengagement of students planning alternative careers

Kaizen: Improving Patient flow

Background: Since Cobb & Douglas Public Health (CDPH) achieved accreditation in May 2015, efforts to mature a culture of quality have been emphasized. In addition, the Adult Health Clinic moved to a new facility in Spring 2016. This move has improved many patient flow issues, but also has had unexpected consequences that spurred interest in doing several quality improvement (QI) projects. Methods: Rather than doing one QI project at a time, a kaizen event was held. Kaizen is a Japanese term for continuous improvement. This workshop allowed the Adult Health Team to plan seven QI projects and implement them simultaneously over the next several weeks. After the first six weeks of implementation, nearly 14 different projects were in various stages of the PlanDo-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle. Baseline average patient flow for 1880 patient encounters was 75.11 minutes. Results: Results are still pending. Preliminary results reflect increased collaboration among clinic staff and an increase in staff members taking the initiative to make improvements. Employee morale has improved, and employee and customer satisfaction seems to be improved. Conclusions: The Adult Health Clinic used the LEAN methodology to reduce waste in the patient flow process and used the PDSA framework to structure their 14 QI projects. A kaizen event allows rapid improvements to be planned and implemented in a short period of time

Preventing type 2 diabetes: systematic review of studies of cost-effectiveness of lifestyle programmes and metformin, with and without screening, for pre-diabetes

Objective Explore the cost-effectiveness of lifestyle interventions and metformin in reducing subsequent incidence of type 2 diabetes, both alone and in combination with a screening programme to identify high-risk individuals. Design Systematic review of economic evaluations. Data sources and eligibility criteria Database searches (Embase, Medline, PreMedline, NHS EED) and citation tracking identified economic evaluations of lifestyle interventions or metformin alone or in combination with screening programmes in people at high risk of developing diabetes. The International Society for Pharmaco-economics and Outcomes Research’s Questionnaire to Assess Relevance and Credibility of Modelling Studies for Informing Healthcare Decision Making was used to assess study quality. Results 27 studies were included; all had evaluated lifestyle interventions and 12 also evaluated metformin. Primary studies exhibited considerable heterogeneity in definitions of pre-diabetes and intensity and duration of lifestyle programmes. Lifestyle programmes and metformin appeared to be cost effective in preventing diabetes in high-risk individuals (median incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of £7490/quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) and £8428/QALY, respectively) but economic estimates varied widely between studies. Intervention-only programmes were in general more cost effective than programmes that also included a screening component. The longer the period evaluated, the more cost-effective interventions appeared. In the few studies that evaluated other economic considerations, budget impact of prevention programmes was moderate (0.13%–0.2% of total healthcare budget), financial payoffs were delayed (by 9–14 years) and impact on incident cases of diabetes was limited (0.1%–1.6% reduction). There was insufficient evidence to answer the question of (1) whether lifestyle programmes are more cost effective than metformin or (2) whether low-intensity lifestyle interventions are more cost effective than the more intensive lifestyle programmes that were tested in trials. Conclusions The economics of preventing diabetes are complex. There is some evidence that diabetes prevention programmes are cost effective, but the evidence base to date provides few clear answers regarding design of prevention programmes because of differences in denominator populations, definitions, interventions and modelling assumption