Study of the Underrepresentation of Women and Women-Identifying IP- Rights Holders, Company Founders and Senior Leadership: Final Report to Innovation Asset Collective

In 2018 the Government of Canada (Industry, Science and Economic Development Canada) launched its National IP Strategy with a view to helping “Canadian businesses, creators, entrepreneurs and innovators understand, protect and access intellectual property (IP)” 1 Among its many policy initiatives, it identified the underrepresentation of women and womenidentifying2 and Indigenous entrepreneurs in the IP system as areas of concern.3 Encouraging greater success for these and other excluded groups necessarily means facilitating greater participation in generating, protecting and strategically leveraging their IP. In 2020, the Innovation Asset Collective (IAC), which was established pursuant to the National IP Strategy, issued a Call for Proposals to launch a study of women and IP in the data-driven clean tech (DDCT) sector. In 2021, the University of Windsor was selected to conduct this study (the “IAC Study”). The mandate of this study is to engage in a consultation process to better understand women’s experiences in navigating the IP system and, pursuant to the findings of the consultation, to develop and implement specialized education and support initiatives for IAC members in the data-driven clean tech (DDCT) sector

Hsp90-binding immunophilins link p53 to dynein during p53 transport to the nucleus

The tumor suppressor protein p53 is known to be transported to the nucleus along microtubular tracks by cytoplasmic dynein. However, the connection between p53 and the dynein motor protein complex has not been established. Here, we show that hsp90.binding immunophilins link p53.hsp90 complexes to dynein and that prevention of that linkage in vivo inhibits the nuclear movement of p53. First, we show that p53.hsp90 heterocomplexes from DLD-1 human colon cancer cells contain an immunophilin (FKBP52, CyP-40, or PP5) as well as dynein. p53.hsp90.immunophilin.dynein complexes can be formed by incubating immunopurified p53 with rabbit reticulocyte lysate, and we show by peptide competition that the immunophilins link via their tetratricopeptide repeat domains to p53-bound hsp90 and by means of their PPIase domains to the dynein complex. The linkage of immunophilins to the dynein motor is indirect by means of the dynamitin component of the dynein-associated dynactin complex, and we show that purified FKBP52 binds directly by means of its PPIase domain to purified dynamitin. By using a temperature-sensitive mutant of p53 where cytoplasmic-nuclear movement occurs by shift to permissive temperature, we show that p53 movement is impeded when p53 binding to hsp90 is inhibited by the hsp90 inhibitor radicicol. Also, nuclear movement of p53 is inhibited when immunophilin binding to dynein is competed for by expression of a PPIase domain fragment in the same manner as when dynein linkage to cargo is dissociated by expression of dynamitin. This is the first demonstration of the linkage between an hsp90-chaperoned transcription factor and the system for its retrograde movement to the nucleus both in vitro and in vivo.Fil: Galigniana, Mario Daniel. University of Michigan; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica; ArgentinaFil: Harrell, Jennifer M.. University of Michigan; Estados UnidosFil: O´Hagen, Heather M.. University of Michigan; Estados UnidosFil: Ljungman, Mats. University of Michigan; Estados UnidosFil: Pratt, William B.. University of Michigan; Estados Unido

State Immigration Enforcement Policies: How They Impact Low-Income Households

Over seven million U.S. children live with at least one noncitizen parent – and 80 percent of these children are US-born citizens. Close to 5 million US-citizen children live with an unauthorized immigrant parent, potentially subject to deportation. Research has shown that the deportation of a parent has serious deleterious effects on families—emotional distress, behavioral issues, and economic hardship for children—and that even the threat of deportation can hurt a family’s well-being by causing fear that restricts mobility, access to jobs, and use of public and private supports in times of need. The election of President Trump, with his plans to increase efforts to identify and deport unauthorized immigrants, has signaled a harsher policy environment for immigrant families than in recent years. In State Immigration Enforcement Policies: How They Impact Low-Income Households , researchers at NCCP, Urban Institute, and Migration Policy Institute looked at how the changing immigration policy environment is likely to affect immigrant families. Specifically, the report examines whether immigrant families living in states that ramped up enforcement of federal policy saw any changes in their material hardship, or how often fear of deportation affected their ability to pay for essentials (such as rent, utilities, or food). The report highlights important connections between immigration policy enforcement and well-being in immigrant households

Indigenous Nursing Students’ Readiness for Practice Perceptions - Les perceptions d’étudiantes autochtones en sciences infirmières quant à leur préparation à la pratique

Introduction: Despite being well prepared by baccalaureate nursing institutions, senior students often express trepidation and a lack of confidence with respect to their upcoming nursing role. The literature has long explored readiness for practice struggles of new graduate nurses, however, no studies of which we are aware have addressed Indigenous senior nursing students’ perspectives on this topic. By understanding the readiness for practice perceptions of Indigenous nursing students and facilitating the successful transition from student to nurse, nursing education programs can honor the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (2015) Calls to Action related to: 1) increasing the number of Indigenous professionals working in the healthcare field and 2) ensuring the retention of Indigenous healthcare providers in Indigenous communities. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explore baccalaureate Indigenous nursing students’ perceptions of their readiness for practice. Procedures: A descriptive exploratory study was conducted with a convenience sample of 26 senior baccalaureate nursing students in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada using the Readiness for Practice Survey. Results: Readiness for practice perceptions of Indigenous nursing students in this study are similar when compared with nursing students from the extant literature. With regards to Indigenous students’ perceived clinical problem solving skills they believed they used evidence to make clinical decisions and they were confident in their ability to problem solve. They also felt confident identifying actual or potential safety risk to patients. Students were least comfortable knowing what to do for a dying patient. When considering student learning perspectives, students believed simulation activities assisted them in being prepared for clinical practice. The least effective learning strategy they perceived was reflective journal writing. The majority of participants were satisfied in choosing nursing as a career, however, they were less confident in their readiness for entering the nursing profession. Students were comfortable asking for help and communicating with patients and family members. Participants did not feel overwhelmed with ethical issues and believed they had opportunities to practice skills more than once. Participants specified the nursing skills they were most uncomfortable performing were electrocardiogram or telemetry monitoring and interpretation, responding to an emergency or code blue, and performing tracheostomy care and suctioning. Students indicated their level of comfort in caring for two, three, and four patients and students became less confident as the number of patients they cared for increased. When asked what could have been done to help students feel more prepared to enter the nursing profession, participants had several suggestions including additional anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and medical surgical theory courses particularly in upper years of the program, increased clinical hours, opportunities to practice psychomotor skills, and opportunities for mentorship both within school and after graduation. Conclusion: The results of the study provide insight into Indigenous students’ readiness for practice experiences and provides knowledge on supports needed to assist graduates’ transitions into their nursing careers. Strategies to enhance Indigenous nurse readiness for practice can assist in creating a representative workforce and ultimately provide culturally safe, quality care for Indigenous individuals and communities. Résumé Introduction : Malgré leur bonne préparation par des établissements d’enseignement qui offrent le baccalauréat en sciences infirmières, les étudiantes finissantes expriment souvent de l’inquiétude et un manque de confiance concernant leur futur rôle d’infirmière. Les écrits ont largement examiné les difficultés de la transition vers la pratique des infirmières nouvellement diplômées; cependant, à notre connaissance, aucune étude n’a abordé les perceptions des étudiantes autochtones en sciences infirmières à ce sujet. En comprenant les perceptions des étudiantes autochtones en sciences infirmières quant à leur préparation à la pratique et en facilitant la transition d’étudiante à infirmière, les programmes en sciences infirmières seront en mesure de respecter les appels à l’action (et recommandations) de la Commission de la vérité et réconciliation du Canada (2015) : 1) de voir à l’accroissement du nombre de professionnels autochtones travaillant dans le domaine des soins de santé; et 2) de veiller au maintien en poste des Autochtones qui fournissent des soins de santé dans les communautés autochtones. Objectif : Le but de cette recherche est d’examiner la perception d’étudiantes autochtones au baccalauréat en sciences infirmières quant à leur préparation à la pratique. Moyens : Une étude descriptive exploratoire a été menée avec un échantillon de convenance de 26 étudiantes finissantes en sciences infirmières en Saskatchewan, au Canada, par le biais du sondage Readiness for Practice ou préparation à la pratique. Résultats :Les perceptions des étudiantes autochtones en sciences infirmières de cette étude, quant à leur préparation à la pratique sont similaires à celles des autres étudiantes en sciences infirmières, rapportées dans les nombreux écrits. Concernant leur perception par rapport à leur capacité à résoudre des problèmes cliniques, les étudiantes autochtones rapportaient utiliser des faits pour prendre des décisions cliniques et se disaient confiantes par rapport à leur capacité de résoudre des problèmes. Elles étaient également sûres de pouvoir identifier les risques potentiels ou réels pour la sécurité des patients. Les étudiantes étaient moins confiantes en leur capacité de fournir des soins et du soutien aux patients en phase terminale. Quant à leurs perceptions des moyens d’apprentissage, les étudiantes croyaient que les activités de simulation les préparaient pour la pratique clinique. Selon elles, la stratégie d’apprentissage la moins efficace était la tenue d’un journal réflexif. La majorité des participantes étaient satisfaites de leur choix de carrière en sciences infirmières; cependant, elles étaient moins confiantes concernant leur capacité à intégrer la profession. Les étudiantes étaient à l’aise de demander de l’aide ainsi que de communiquer avec les patients et les membres de leurs familles. Les participantes ne se sentaient pas dépassées par les problèmes éthiques et croyaient avoir eu des occasions de pratiquer leurs habiletés à plusieurs reprises. Les participantes ont précisé que les activités avec lesquelles elles se sentaient le moins à l’aise étaient de superviser et interpréter des électrocardiogrammes ou de la télémétrie, de répondre à une situation d’urgence ou un code bleu et d’effectuer les soins et l’aspiration de trachéotomies. Les étudiantes ont indiqué leur niveau de confort à s’occuper de deux, trois ou quatre patients, et se sentaient de moins en moins à l’aise lorsque le nombre de patients dont elles prenaient soin augmentait. Lorsqu’on leur a demandé ce qui aurait pu être fait pour les aider à se sentir mieux préparées à intégrer la profession, les étudiantes ont offert plusieurs suggestions, y compris : cours théoriques additionnels en anatomie, physiologie, pharmacologie et médecine-chirurgie , particulièrement en fin de programme; augmentation des heures cliniques; plus d’occasions de pratiquer les habiletés psychomotrices; et, du mentorat avant et après l’obtention du diplôme. Conclusion : Les résultats de l’étude offrent un aperçu de la perception d’étudiantes autochtones quant à leur préparation à la pratique et de nouvelles connaissances sur le soutien nécessaire afin de faciliter la transition des diplômées vers leur carrière en sciences infirmières. Les stratégies pour améliorer la préparation à la pratique des infirmières autochtones peuvent aider à créer une main-d’œuvre représentative et, ultimement, offrir des soins culturellement sécuritaires et de qualité aux personnes et aux communautés autochtones

Saving Lives – an epic quest to promote an evidence-based approach for preventing healthcare-associated infections in the National Health Service in England

Since its inception more than half a century ago, the National Health Service has continued to transform and improve the health and wellbeing of the Nation. Now treating a million people every 36 hours, the NHS provides an unprecedented range of clinical interventions that can mend accidental damage, prevent, identify and manage or cure disease, and prolong quality life. However, hospital care and healthcare interventions are always associated with potential hazards, including the risk of acquiring an infection during care. Those patients most at risk are often the most vulnerable and chronically ill in our society and they and their families suffer needlessly because healthcare-associated infections are largely preventable. During the last decade, the Richard Wells Research Centre (RWR) in the Faculty of Health and Human Sciences at University of West London (formally Thames Valley university) has collaborated with the Department of Health and a variety of other governmental organisations and professional societies to develop an evidence-based approach to preventing healthcare-associated infections. This article describes the impact of our work and our journey in partnerships to support sustainable improvements in patient care, enhance patient safety and ultimately save lives

Development and Validation of the Microbiology for Health Sciences Concept Inventory

Identifying misconceptions in student learning is a valuable practice for evaluating student learning gains and directing educational interventions. By accurately identifying students’ knowledge and misconceptions about microbiology concepts, instructors can design effective classroom practices centered on student understanding. Following the development of ASM’s Curriculum Guidelines in 2012, we developed a concept inventory, the Microbiology for Health Sciences Concept Inventory (MHSCI), that measures learning gains and identifies student misconceptions in health sciences microbiology classrooms. The 23-question MHSCI was delivered to a wide variety of students at multiple institution types. Psychometric analysis identified that the MHSCI instrument is both discriminatory and reliable in measuring student learning gains. The MHSCI results correlated with course outcomes, showing the value of using the instrument alongside course level assessments to measure student learning. The MHSCI is a reliable and efficient way to measure student learning in microbiology and can be used both as a faculty development tool and an effective student assessment tool

The International Prevalence Study on Physical Activity: results from 20 countries

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Physical activity (PA) is one of the most important factors for improving population health, but no standardised systems exist for international surveillance. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was developed for international surveillance. The purpose of this study was a comparative international study of population physical activity prevalence across 20 countries.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Between 2002–2004, a standardised protocol using IPAQ was used to assess PA participation in 20 countries [total N = 52,746, aged 18–65 years]. The median survey response rate was 61%. Physical activity levels were categorised as "low", "moderate" and "high". Age-adjusted prevalence estimates are presented by sex.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence of "high PA" varied from 21–63%; in eight countries high PA was reported for over half of the adult population. The prevalence of "low PA" varied from 9% to 43%. Males more frequently reported high PA than females in 17 of 20 countries. The prevalence of low PA ranged from 7–41% among males, and 6–49% among females. Gender differences were noted, especially for younger adults, with males more active than females in most countries. Markedly lower physical activity prevalence (10% difference) with increasing age was noted in 11 of 19 countries for males, but only in three countries for women. The ways populations accumulated PA differed, with some reporting mostly vigorous intensity activities and others mostly walking.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study demonstrated the feasibility of international PA surveillance, and showed that IPAQ is an acceptable surveillance instrument, at least within countries. If assessment methods are used consistently over time, trend data will inform countries about the success of their efforts to promote physical activity.</p