Assessing Biogeochemical Impacts and Environmental Conditions Associated with Cross-Shelf High Chlorophyll Plumes in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

The northern Gulf of Mexico is a complex marine system subject to episodic physical phenomena such as loop current eddies. Flow fields generated by these eddies can result in cross-shelf exchanges between riverine influenced shelf waters and the offshore water column. This study considers the impacts of high chlorophyll plumes (HCPs) resulting from cross-shelf exchanges to the bio-optical properties of affected waters and how these plumes are influenced by their environment. The seasonal, interannual and decadal chlorophyll cycles of the Gulf of Mexico and the northern Gulf of Mexico are described to provide context for evaluating the ecological effects of HCPs. To determine the ecological effects of such exchanges, a regional 2007 cross-shelf exchange event is investigated using remotely sensed observations. The offshore ratio of bio-optical signals observed during the exchange event implies a divergence in surface water composition from the typical composition. To explore the impact of this composition change on the regional carbon budget, net primary productivity (NPP) estimates during the exchange event are compared with the climatological estimates, revealing increases of up to 330% for the corresponding time period. Select HCP CHL fields are compared with physical parameters and environmental conditions to explore drivers of HCP formation and conditions affecting HCP characteristics. This work supports suppositions that HCPs form as the result of a complex river-wind-circulation system and adds to the current understanding of CHL dynamics in the northern Gulf of Mexico by showing an association between HCP frequency and environmental conditions

Effects of substrate and co-culture on neural progenitor cell differentiation

For stem and progenitor cells to become clinically useful, the factors that influence their differentiation must be better understood. The interaction between progenitor cells and their environment is thought to be one of the main influences on differentiation. This thesis examines the effects of media conditioned by primary astrocytes and extracellular matrix protein surface coatings on the differentiation of neural progenitor cells

Team leadership training for medical residents: results of a pilot study

BACKGROUND: Leadership in medicine is a pertinent topic in the modern healthcare system, yet many hospitals and post-graduate programs provide little to no leadership development for resident physicians. Good clinical leadership provides improved patient outcomes and a better work environment for medical staff. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to pilot a leadership training program for residents and assess it efficacy amongst three different resident groups. METHODS: The pilot curriculum contained three main elements: 360 feedback utilizing the LOFT instrument created by Dr. Eva Aagaard, four 30-minute didactic sessions, and a personal-assessment. In preparation for the curriculum, all residents were required to take an MBTI assessment and subsequent debrief. Residents were randomized into one of four groups to receive either 360 Feedback, didactic sessions, both, or none. The LOFT instrument was designed to assess leadership skills in the clinical setting. Residents selected a minimum of two and maximum of five reviewers to fill out the evaluation before and after their rotation block. Feedback was provided by a professional consulting firm and didactic sessions were lead by University of Colorado faculty. Group size for both feedback and didactic sessions ranged from 1-6 residents. The primary outcome measured was change in LOFT score before and after rotation blocks. Secondary outcomes included change in leadership tactics assessed by the personal survey, and qualitative assessment of residents’ evaluations of feedback and didactic sessions. Cross sectional comparisons of baseline characteristics between randomization groups were made with ANOVA or chi-square. Mixed effects modeling, statistical methodology accounting for clustering by reviewer within resident groups was utilized for evaluating differences in change in evaluation score between treatment groups. RESULTS: 40 residents agreed to participate by filling out an informed consent document, and 29 completed the pilot program in its entirety. We saw an improvement in total LOFT score as well as an improvement in each domain over the course of the intervention (Total: 4.86, p<0.001, Coaching: 1.62, p=0.002, Project Management: 1.81, p<0.001, Self Control: 1.41, p<0.001). However, we saw no significant change in these scores amongst randomization group. In regards to the Self-Control domain, we saw improvement in the lowest scoring group (Q1) for those that received 360 LOFT Feedback. There was no change in the self-assessments before and after rotation block. Overall, the residents rated the curriculum favorably and found it pertinent to their clinical work. CONCLUSION: 360 Feedback on the LOFT assessment was proven to be an effective means of intervention for the lowest scoring participants. While participants found them helpful, the didactic sessions did not show any significant effect on leadership behavior. This study demonstrated overall potential for 360 Feedback using the LOFT assessment as an intervention for leadership improvement in the clinical setting.2019-10-31T00:00:00

Annotated Bibliography: The Reference Desk: Grand Idea or Gone Down the River?

This bibliography is from a panel presentation at the 2017 ACL Conference. The goal of this panel was to explore different rationales or sets of values that illustrated the continuation of the reference desk and reference service as essential to the success of the academic community. We discovered that “what to do with reference” is far from a settled question. We discovered passionate arguments, diverse models, and an array of data. In this current stage of figuring out the value of academic libraries to the campus as a whole and to students in particular, it seemed that there was limited hard data connecting Reference services to how they met students’ needs. How do we make ourselves valuable, important, essential, and useful? Maybe we need to change our model? If so, how do we examine ourselves and our environment appropriately to make this happen? What factors should we examine? Which ones must we keep? What things can we discard or change? When students come to seek assistance, they generally need the short, instant, and personal help, without having to attend a whole training session or class. Individual and personalized guidance for their immediate need is the most important factor for them. How do libraries provide that

Findings from Transforming Youth Recovery’s 2017 Recovery Census

In 2013, Transforming Youth Recovery (TYR) published the 38 Assets for Building Collegiate Recovery Capacity as a guide for its early stage grant program, Seeds of Hope. In 2014 and 2015, TYR surveyed its network of grantees to further validate the initial findings. In 2017, TYR undertook new efforts to understand the diverse types of support programs and services being offered to students in recovery at institutions of higher education. In late 2017 and early 2018, TYR spent time conducting research to: (1) Validate the assumption that institutions of higher education are offering diverse types of prevention, treatment, and recovery support programs and services for students, (2) Offer an expanded definitional framework for school-based recovery support services in higher education to assist in the classification of these resources for enhanced access by students and their families, and (3) Update census data on collegiate recovery programs and services in the U.S. This session covered the findings of this research, which included responses from 118 unique institutions of higher education to the Collegiate Recovery Census. These findings provide the most comprehensive census the field has to date

Community Colleges: The Next Frontier of Recovery Support at Institutions of Higher Education

In 2016, TYR could identify only six community colleges offering recovery support programs and services. Based on this finding, TYR identified a need for pilot programs to better understand programmatic models that may be effective for supporting students in recovery at community colleges. TYR’s Bridging the Gap grant program supports these pilot programs and is intended to act as a catalyst for building capacity for recovery support on community college campuses across the U.S. The goal of the program is two-fold; first, to help more 2-year institutions initiate recovery support programs and services and second, to study what programs and services are viewed as helpful and useful to students in recovery so that best practices can be shared as the field develops. This session provided a recap of TYR’s 2016 research, observations from Year 1 of the grant program, and a discussion on survey responses on institutional attitudes and student engagement in recovery support on 2-year campuses