Bachelor of Nursing program enrolment sessions for newly arrived international students

The transition of International students to tertiary study is associated with high levels of anxiety as students negotiate both Australian and University cultures. Academic and administrative staff noted that many new international nursing students were confused about their enrolment patterns and/or the timetabling of classes. This resulted in poor attendance in tutorial and laboratory classes early in the semester and the missing of essential information. Uncertainty about electronic systems, missing orientation sessions, late arrival on campus, and not knowing who to contact for the specific information contributed. In response the Department of Nursing and Midwifery academic staff, the International Office and Faculty of Sciences administration staff developed and trialed supportive Bachelor of Nursing Enrollment Classes for commencing International students in Semester 1, 2009. Students were met at the International office by Academic staff at pre advertised times in the two weeks prior to, and the two weeks after the commencement of the semester. The students were escorted to a computer classroom where they were individually taught and assisted to enroll in their courses. Feedback has confirmed that this resulted in reduced student anxiety and confusion. Administrative staff also noted a considerably reduced volume of individual student enquires. Academic staff reported that International nursing students who participated in these classes were attending and engaged in courses from the commencement of semester and results in early assessment items were much improved on previous semesters. Similar orientation sessions will be conducted in future semesters

WholeTree Substrate and Fertilizer Rate in Production of Greenhouse-grown Petunia (Petunia ×hybrida Vilm.) and Marigold (Tagetes patula L.)

A substrate component (WholeTree) made from loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) was evaluated along with starter fertilizer rate in the production of greenhouse-grown petunia (Petunia ×hybrida Vilm. ‘Dreams Purple’) and marigold (Tagetes patula L. ‘Hero Spry’). Loblolly pine from a 12-year-old plantation were harvested at ground level, chipped, and further processed through a hammer mill to pass a 0.64-cm screen. The resulting WholeTree (WT) substrate was used alone or combined with 20% (WTP2) or 50% (WTP5) (by volume) Canadian sphagnum peatmoss and compared with an industry standard peat-lite (PL) mix of 8 peatmoss : 1 vermiculite : 1 perlite (by volume). Substrates were amended with 1.78 kg·m−3 dolomitic lime, 0.59 kg·m−3 gypsum [CaSO4-2(H2O)], 0.44 kg·m−3 Micromax, 1.78 kg·m−3 16N–2.6P–9.9K (3- to 4-month release), and 1.78 kg·m−3 16N–2.6P–10.8K (5- to 6-month release). A 7N–1.3P–8.3K starter fertilizer (SF) was added to each substrate at 0.0, 1.19, 2.37, or 3.56 kg·m−3. Container capacity (CC) was greatest for PL and decreased as the percentage of peatmoss in the substrate decreased with WT having 35% less CC than PL. Conversely, air space (AS) was greatest for the WT and decreased as percentage of peatmoss increased with PL containing 33% less AS than WT. In general, petunia dry weight was greatest for any substrate containing peatmoss with a SF rate of 2.37 kg·m−3 or greater. The exception was that petunia grown in WT at 3.56 kg·m−3 SF had similar dry weight as all other treatments. Marigold dry weight was similar for all substrates where at least 2.37 kg·m−3 SF was used

Examining the Experience of Teen-to-Teen Crisis Line Work for Adolescent Volunteers: A Pilot Study

Suicidal thoughts and behaviors are high and increasing among youth. Crisis lines are one of the oldest downstream approaches for suicide prevention, which have demonstrated effectiveness for adults and preliminary effectiveness for youth. Teen-to-teen (t2t) crisis lines are a unique resource where adolescent volunteers help their similarly aged peers (through texts, chats, calls, and emails). However, no research to date has examined the impacts of t2t crisis line volunteering on the youth. The goal of this pilot study is to begin to evaluate the experience of t2t crisis lines for the youth volunteers. Adolescent (n=20, ages 15-20) volunteers were recruited from two of the largest crisis lines in the U.S. – Teen Line and YouthLine. Enrolled volunteers were administered surveys assessing positive/helpful experiences, negative/unhelpful experiences, and motivations for joining the t2t crisis line. Volunteers were assessed up to five times over the course of one year; once at baseline and then every three months for up to one year (baseline, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up, 9-month follow-up, 12-month/1-year follow-up). Direct content analysis was used to examine the experiences and motivations of volunteering on the crisis line. Preliminary results indicate that all volunteers reported some positive aspects of the t2t line experience, and many reported some negative aspects as well.https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/gradposters2023_sciences/1011/thumbnail.jp

Prospective Power Calculations for the Four Lab Study of A Multigenerational Reproductive/Developmental Toxicity Rodent Bioassay Using A Complex Mixture of Disinfection By-Products in the Low-Response Region

In complex mixture toxicology, there is growing emphasis on testing environmentally representative doses that improve the relevance of results for health risk assessment, but are typically much lower than those used in traditional toxicology studies. Traditional experimental designs with typical sample sizes may have insufficient statistical power to detect effects caused by environmentally relevant doses. Proper study design, with adequate statistical power, is critical to ensuring that experimental results are useful for environmental health risk assessment. Studies with environmentally realistic complex mixtures have practical constraints on sample concentration factor and sample volume as well as the number of animals that can be accommodated. This article describes methodology for calculation of statistical power for non-independent observations for a multigenerational rodent reproductive/developmental bioassay. The use of the methodology is illustrated using the U.S. EPA’s Four Lab study in which rodents were exposed to chlorinated water concentrates containing complex mixtures of drinking water disinfection by-products. Possible experimental designs included two single-block designs and a two-block design. Considering the possible study designs and constraints, a design of two blocks of 100 females with a 40:60 ratio of control:treated animals and a significance level of 0.05 yielded maximum prospective power (~90%) to detect pup weight decreases, while providing the most power to detect increased prenatal loss

Economic Feasibility and Market Readiness of Solar Technologies. Draft Final Report. Volume I.

Systems descriptions, costs, technical and market readiness assessments are reported for ten solar technologies: solar heating and cooling of buildings (SHACOB), passive, agricultural and industrial process heat (A/IPH), biomass, ocean thermal (OTEC), wind (WECS), solar thermal electric, photovoltaics, satellite power station (SPS), and solar total energy systems (STES). Study objectives, scope, and methods. are presented. of Joint Task The cost and market analyses portion 5213/6103 will be used to make commercialization assessments in the conclusions of. the final report

The African Millennium Villages

We describe the concept, strategy and initial results of the Millennium Villages Project (MVP) and implications regarding sustainability and scalability. Our underlying hypothesis is that the interacting crises of agriculture, health, and infrastructure in rural Africa can be overcome through targeted public-sector investments to raise rural productivity, and thereby to increased private-sector saving and investments. This is carried out by empowering impoverished communities with science-based interventions. 78 Millennium Villages have been initiated in 12 sites in 10 African countries, each representing a major agroecological zone In early results, the research villages in Kenya, Ethiopia and Malawi have reduced malaria prevalence, met caloric requirements, generated crop surpluses, enabled school feeding programs, and provided cash earnings for farm families

Mutations in SLC25A22: hyperprolinaemia, vacuolated fibroblasts and presentation with developmental delay

Mutations in SLC25A22 are known to cause neonatal epileptic encephalopathy and migrating partial seizures in infancy. Using whole exome sequencing we identified four novel SLC25A22 mutations in six children from three families. Five patients presented clinical features similar to those in the literature including hypotonia, refractory neonatal‐onset seizures and developmental delay. However, the sixth patients presented atypically with isolated developmental delay, developing late‐onset (absence) seizures only at 7 years of age. Abnormal metabolite levels have not been documented in the nine patients described previously. One patient in our series was referred to the metabolic clinic because of persistent hyperprolinaemia and another three had raised plasma proline when tested. Analysis of the post‐prandial plasma amino acid response in one patient showed abnormally high concentrations of several amino acids. This suggested that, in the fed state, when amino acids are the preferred fuel for the liver, trans‐deamination of amino acids requires transportation of glutamate into liver mitochondria by SLC25A22 for deamination by glutamate dehydrogenase; SLC25A22 is an important mitochondrial glutamate transporter in liver as well as in brain. Electron microscopy of patient fibroblasts demonstrated widespread vacuolation containing neutral and phospho‐lipids as demonstrated by Oil Red O and Sudan Black tinctorial staining; this might be explained by impaired activity of the proline/pyrroline‐5‐carboxylate (P5C) shuttle if SLC25A22 transports pyrroline‐5‐carboxylate/glutamate‐γ‐semialdehyde as well as glutamate

2019 ACC/AHA guideline on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: Executive summary: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines

[Extract] Top 10 Take-Home Messages for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease 1. The most important way to prevent atherosclerotic vascular disease, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation is to promote a healthy lifestyle throughout life. 2. A team-based care approach is an effective strategy for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Clinicians should evaluate the social determinants of health that affect individuals to inform treatment decisions. 3. Adults who are 40 to 75 years of age and are being evaluated for cardiovascular disease prevention should undergo 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk estimation and have a clinician–patient risk discussion before starting on pharmacological therapy, such as antihypertensive therapy, a statin, or aspirin. In addition, assessing for other risk-enhancing factors can help guide decisions about preventive interventions in select individuals, as can coronary artery calcium scanning. 4. All adults should consume a healthy diet that emphasizes the intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, lean vegetable or animal protein, and fish and minimizes the intake of trans fats, red meat and processed red meats, refined carbohydrates, and sweetened beverages. For adults with overweight and obesity, counseling and caloric restriction are recommended for achieving and maintaining weight loss. 5. Adults should engage in at least 150 minutes per week of accumulated moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity physical activity. 6. For adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus, lifestyle changes, such as improving dietary habits and achieving exercise recommendations, are crucial. If medication is indicated, metformin is first-line therapy, followed by consideration of a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor or a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist. 7. All adults should be assessed at every healthcare visit for tobacco use, and those who use tobacco should be assisted and strongly advised to quit. 8. Aspirin should be used infrequently in the routine primary prevention of ASCVD because of lack of net benefit. 9. Statin therapy is first-line treatment for primary prevention of ASCVD in patients with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (≥190 mg/dL), those with diabetes mellitus, who are 40 to 75 years of age, and those determined to be at sufficient ASCVD risk after a clinician–patient risk discussion. 10. Nonpharmacological interventions are recommended for all adults with elevated blood pressure or hypertension. For those requiring pharmacological therapy, the target blood pressure should generally be <130/80 mm Hg