A Comparison of Skills Competency Test Scores Among Philippine-educated Nursing Students After an Intensive Medical-surgical Course

Objective: This study examined the effect of a 10-week intensive medical-surgical course on ability to perform 16 common, acute care skills among Philippine educated nursing students seeking licensure in California. The aims of the study were to (1) determine competency in performing skills at the start of the medical-surgical course and (2) evaluate the effectiveness of the medical-surgical course in improving skill competency. Methods: Twenty-three Philippine educated nursing students participated in a 4-hour skills competency test procedure that involved 4 patient care stations and 16 common acute care skills. During the last week of the 10-week medical-surgical course that included 24 open simulation lab practice hours, these same 23 students repeated the testing procedure. Results: At the start of the course skill competency scores were low with many of the participants unable to complete the skills stations. A significant improvement occurred in scores for 14 of the 16 skills when tested in the final week of the medical-surgical nursing course under the same conditions (p \u3c .05). Conclusions: Conducting the nursing skills competency testing procedure at the start of the course informed faculty about the abilities of Philippine educated nursing student participants. Because of potential differences in nursing education abroad, graduates of nursing programs in the Philippines might benefit from competency testing to evaluate initial skill levels, followed by intensive review of commonly performed nursing skills in the United States, if warranted by initial results

FASTER MT: Isolation of Pure Populations of a and α Ascospores from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has many traits that make it useful for studies of quantitative inheritance. Genome-wide association studies and bulk segregant analyses often serve as first steps toward the identification of quantitative trait loci. These approaches benefit from having large numbers of ascospores pooled by mating type without contamination by vegetative cells. To this end, we inserted a gene encoding red fluorescent protein into the MATa locus. Red fluorescent protein expression caused MATa and a/α diploid vegetative cells and MATa ascospores to fluoresce; MATα cells without the gene did not fluoresce. Heterozygous diploids segregated fluorescent and nonfluorescent ascospores 2:2 in tetrads and bulk populations. The two populations of spores were separable by fluorescence-activated cell sorting with little cross contamination or contamination with diploid vegetative cells. This approach, which we call Fluorescent Ascospore Technique for Efficient Recovery of Mating Type (FASTER MT), should be applicable to laboratory, industrial, and undomesticated, strains

State Education Agencies\u27 Acquisition and Use of Research Knowledge for School Improvement Strategies

Over the last 20 years, state education agencies (SEAs) have been given considerably more responsibilities for directing and guiding the improvement of low-performing schools. At the same time, federal policies strongly pressed SEAs to use research to design these supports. Very few studies have explored the SEA as an organization, or its role in accessing and using research. Likewise, few, if any, have studied the role of social networks in the organization and flow of information in SEAs. This exploratory study was designed to fill those gaps by examining where and how a purposive sample of three SEAs searched for, incorporated, and used research and other types of knowledge to design, implement, and refine state school improvement policies, programs and practices

Stratified Trajectories: Charting Equity Gaps in Program Pathways Among Community College Students

A primary focus among colleges implementing student success reforms has been to increase overall rates of credential completion and to reduce racial and socioeconomic equity gaps in completion rates. The focus on general completion may overlook inequities in the type of program students complete, which is particularly significant given the wide variety of credentials offered at community colleges—from short-term certificates to transfer-oriented associate degrees that may lead to bachelor’s and graduate degree programs—and the resulting variation in labor market returns among completers. This study examines racial/ethnic stratification among community college students as they enter and progress through different programs leading to higher- and lower-paying jobs. The authors develop a discrete-time survival analysis using longitudinal enrollment and transcript data on first-time-in-college, credential-seeking community college students from a state with more than 20 community colleges. They track student enrollment, completion, and transfer for up to nine years and examine when equity gaps in completion emerge. They also measure the student achievement of academic milestones (such as levels of credit accrual) along educational pathways that are associated with higher rates of credential completion and transfer over the long term. Results suggest that a significant gap in the likelihood of bachelor’s degree completion between Black and White students emerges more episodically, while the gap between Hispanic and White students develops earlier and remains more consistent over time. Results also suggest that while all students generally benefit from the attainment of academic milestones, such as gaining credit momentum or completing pre-transfer associate degrees, doing so disproportionately benefits Black and Hispanic students

Comparison of printed glycan array, suspension array and ELISA in the detection of human anti-glycan antibodies

Anti-glycan antibodies represent a vast and yet insufficiently investigated subpopulation of naturally occurring and adaptive antibodies in humans. Recently, a variety of glycan-based microarrays emerged, allowing high-throughput profiling of a large repertoire of antibodies. As there are no direct approaches for comparison and evaluation of multi-glycan assays we compared three glycan-based immunoassays, namely printed glycan array (PGA), fluorescent microsphere-based suspension array (SA) and ELISA for their efficacy and selectivity in profiling anti-glycan antibodies in a cohort of 48 patients with and without ovarian cancer. The ABO blood group glycan antigens were selected as well recognized ligands for sensitivity and specificity assessments. As another ligand we selected P1, a member of the P blood group system recently identified by PGA as a potential ovarian cancer biomarker. All three glyco-immunoassays reflected the known ABO blood groups with high performance. In contrast, anti-P1 antibody binding profiles displayed much lower concordance. Whilst anti-P1 antibody levels between benign controls and ovarian cancer patients were significantly discriminated using PGA (p = 0.004), we got only similar results using SA (p = 0.03) but not for ELISA. Our findings demonstrate that whilst assays were largely positively correlated, each presents unique characteristic features and should be validated by an independent patient cohort rather than another array technique. The variety between methods presumably reflects the differences in glycan presentation and the antigen/antibody ratio, assay conditions and detection technique. This indicates that the glycan-antibody interaction of interest has to guide the assay selectio

An Exploration of Communities of Practice in the STEM Teacher Context: What Predicts Ties of Retention?

The STEM teacher workforce in the United States has faced a host of pressing challenges, including teacher shortages, pervasive job dissatisfaction, and high turnover, problems largely attributable to working conditions within schools and districts. These problems have been exacerbated in high-needs districts with fewer resources and more students from low-income communities. Since social network research has shown that workplace relationships are vital for retention, this study investigates the demographic and relational antecedents to what we dub ties of retention. We explore how demographic and relational properties affect the likelihood that teachers have “retention-friendly” networks, characterized by connections important for retention. Our analysis of data from a sample of 120 STEM teachers across five geographic regions identifies key demographics (i.e., site, gender, career changer, and prior teaching experience) and relational properties (network size, positive affect, and perceptions of bridging) associated with ties of retention. We discuss the implications of our findings for the STEM teacher workforce and for teacher education programs

Enacting a Culture of Access in Our Conference Spaces

The article offers information on periodical\u27s rhetoric and writing studies conference held in September 2020. Topics discussed include prioritizing access in the service of love, justice, connection and liberation; proposing expansive frameworks for access in designing accessible writing classrooms and professional events; and major principles of definition of access, which reflect access\u27s complexity and liberatory potential such as dynamic, relational and intersectional

Caregiving can be costly : a qualitative study of barriers and facilitators to conducting kangaroo mother care in a US tertiary hospital neonatal intensive care unit

Preterm birth is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children under five and often requires a newborn to have an extended stay in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Maternal engagement, such as visiting the NICU to provide kangaroo mother care (KMC), can improve outcomes for preterm infants but requires significant investment of time and resources. This study sought to understand barriers and facilitators to provision of KMC in the NICU.; We conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with mothers of preterm infants (N = 20) at a large academic medical center in Massachusetts. A series of open-ended interview questions were designed to elicit all aspects of mothers' experiences and to understand how these experiences influence provision of KMC. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. We conducted an inductive thematic analysis to identify themes in the data with a focus on the barriers and facilitators of KMC provision in the NICU.; Findings show that engaging in KMC is heavily influenced by the mental, emotional, and physical effects of preterm birth on the birth mother, such as stress around preterm birth and difficulty recovering from birth. These challenges are compounded by structural barriers such as costly accommodations, unreliable transportation, lack of child care, and inadequate maternity leave policies that limit the frequency and duration of KMC and parental ability to provide care.; A complex array of mental, emotional, physical, and structural factors determine a mother's ability to visit the NICU and provide kangaroo mother care. Providing social supports, such as improved maternity leave policies and reliable hospital access through child care, accommodation, and transportation services, may address the structural barriers that inhibit KMC, reduce burdensome costs, and improve the health of mothers and their preterm infants

The path to universal health coverage in five African and Asian countries: examining the association between insurance status and health-care use

Despite major efforts to achieve universal health coverage (UHC), progress has lagged in many African and Asian countries. A key strategy pursued by many countries is the use of health insurance to increase access and affordability. However, evidence on insurance coverage and on the association between insurance and UHC is mixed. We analysed nationally representative cross-sectional data collected between 2022 and 2023 in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, India, and Laos. We described public and private insurance coverage by sociodemographic factors and used logistic regression to examine the associations between insurance status and seven health-care use outcomes. Health insurance coverage ranged from 25% in India to 100% in Laos. The share of private insurance ranged from 1% in Ethiopia to 13% in South Africa. Relative to the population with private insurance, the uninsured population had reduced odds of health-care use (adjusted odds ratio 0·68, 95% CI 0·50–0·94), cardiovascular examinations (0·63, 0·47–0·85), eye and dental examinations (0·54, 0·42–0·70), and ability to get or afford care (0·64, 0·48–0·86); private insurance was not associated with unmet need, mental health care, and cancer screening. Relative to private insurance, public insurance was associated with reduced odds of health-care use (0·60, 0·43–0·82), mental health care (0·50, 0·31–0·80), cardiovascular examinations (0·62, 0·46–0·84), and eye and dental examinations (0·50, 0·38–0·65). Results were highly heterogeneous across countries. Public health insurance appears to be only weakly associated with access to health services in the countries studied. Further research is needed to improve understanding of these associations and to identify the most effective financing strategies to achieve UHC

Predictors of pulmonary exacerbation treatment in cystic fibrosis

Background: Most studies of pulmonary exacerbations (PEx) in cystic fibrosis (CF) focus on intravenous (IV)-treated PEx, though most PEx are treated with oral antibiotics. Our objectives were to describe predictors of antibiotic choice and outcomes for PEx initially identified in clinic. Methods: For each patient in the U.S. CF Foundation Patient Registry, we selected the first PEx recorded at a clinic visit in 2013-14 following a clinic visit without a PEx. We used multivariable logistic regression to determine associations between clinical characteristics and antibiotic treatment choice. We determined outcomes in the 90 days after the first PEx. Results: Among 14,265 patients with a PEx initially identified in clinic, 21.4% received no antibiotics, 61.5% received new oral and/or inhaled antibiotics, and 17.0% had IV antibiotics within 14 days. Compared to IV antibiotics, patients more likely to receive new oral and/or inhaled antibiotics: were male, 10th percentile or 18.5 kg/m2, >90 days between clinic visits, FEV1 > 70% predicted at the PEx, no prior-year IV-treated PEx, FEV1 decline <10% predicted, and private insurance. Following the PEx, 30.3% of patients had no clinical encounters within 90 days. Treatment with IV antibiotics within 90 days occurred for 23.7% treated without antibiotics, 22.8% of new oral and/or inhaled antibiotics, and 27.1% of IV antibiotics. Conclusion: Most PEx identified in clinic are treated with new oral and/or inhaled antibiotics. Markers of disease severity are associated with antibiotic treatment choice. Many patients had no follow-up evaluation within 90 days of treatment