Examining Nursing Schools\u27 Strategies for Recruitment and Retention of Nursing Faculty: An Exploratory Study

The purpose of this qualitative dissertation study was to examine the types of strategies that academic leaders utilized to address nursing faculty recruitment and retention in various universities. Four research questions were formulated, focusing on current strategies used to recruit and retain nursing faculty, the effectiveness of those strategies, external partnerships utilized, and reasons behind lack of recruitment and retention of nursing faculty. A pilot study and two case studies were conducted, in which nursing administrators and nursing faculty completed a demographic questionnaire and were interviewed using a nursing administrator interview protocol and a nursing faculty interview protocol. Participants at both case study institutions explained that low salary and high workload were the most significant factors in the lack of recruitment and retention of nursing faculty. Moreover, these individuals observed that if schools of nursing wish to increase recruitment and retention efforts, these factors should be modified. These findings were consistent with the literature. Recommendations for future practice and research were made. Further research should be conducted on the interrelationship of salary and workload with recruitment and retention of nursing faculty

Hemocyanin conformational changes associated with SDS-induced phenol oxidase activation

The enzymatic activity of phenoloxidase is assayed routinely in the presence of SDS. Similar assay conditions elicit phenoloxidase activity in another type 3 copper protein, namely hemocyanin, which normally functions as an oxygen carrier. The nature of the conformational changes induced in type 3 copper proteins by the denaturant SDS is unknown. This comparative study demonstrates that arthropod hemocyanins can be converted from being an oxygen carrier to a form which exhibits phenoloxidase activity by incubation with SDS, with accompanying changes in secondary and tertiary structure. Structural characterisation, using various biophysical methods, suggests that the micellar form of SDS is required to induce optimal conformational transitions in the protein which may result in opening a channel to the di-copper centre allowing bulky phenolic substrates access to the catalytic site

Gesture Production in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) demonstrate delayed and atypical communication development. These deficits constitute a core criterion for the diagnosis of ASD, though information regarding gestural communication in toddlers with ASD remains limited. The present investigation implemented a robust gesture classification system in order to obtain quantitative measures of gesture production in a cohort of toddlers with ASD (n = 40) and controls (n = 40) during 10-min, play-based interactions with caregivers. Children with ASD produced fewer overall gestures and gesture subtypes compared to controls. The ASD group also displayed atypical patterns of gesture production. These findings highlight the need for evidence-based screening, assessment, and intervention protocols pertaining to gestural communication in toddlers with ASD