Did you watch #TheWalkingDead last night? an examination of television hashtags and Twitter activity

This study examined on-screen hashtags and Twitter activity associated with four television programs (The Walking Dead, Pretty Little Liars, Scandal and Hannibal). Twitter facilitates real time discussions, allowing “water cooler conversations” about television to occur while shows air live. Hashtags organize these conversations around topics of interest. Active viewers will migrate to new media sources, searching for additional content that interests them. The act of complementarity increases their level of media enjoyment. The desire for this additional content dictates the viewer’s behavior. Network producers also promote media convergence, utilizing websites and social media to build word of mouth advertising for their programs. The combination of an abundance of exceptional programs and producer-driven media convergence might be causing viewers to feel a stronger urge to migrate to new media. A content analysis was conducted on three episodes per program, noting the use of any on-screen hashtags. Next, Twitter activity information was pulled using analytics software Radian6. Various comparisons were made, such as the number of mentions of title-based hashtags versus plot-related hashtags and cable versus network program hashtags. An analysis of hashtag characteristics (such as the hashtag screen location and the length of screen time it received) provided information on how networks are currently utilizing hashtags on-screen, and how audiences are using these hashtags in their Twitter conversations. Networks are placing a higher value on audience engagement. They are mining online data to improve their understanding of how existing viewers are reacting to their shows. The upcoming Nielsen and Twitter partnership will incorporate engagement in a new television rating. By understanding how viewers use sites like Twitter and Tumblr, networks can fine tune their dialogue with viewers

The impact of lipidation on the self-assembly and bioactivity of the gastrointestinal peptide hormone PYY3-36

Peptide YY (PYY) is a gut hormone belonging to the pancreatic polypeptide (PP) family, and is released by the L-cells of the gastrointestinal tract following food intake. There are two main endogenous forms: PYY1-36 and PYY3-36, with the latter having a high selectivity for the Y2-receptor which is associated with reduced food intake. The use of PYY3-36 as an anti-obesity and type II diabetes drug is therefore of great interest. Peptide hormones have short circulating half-lives; therefore it is of high importance to develop a strategy to overcome this for the development of peptide drugs. The use of lipidation is a promising method as it allows the peptide to bind to serum albumin, increasing molecular weight and thus reducing renal filtration. In this thesis the impact of lipidation, and the position of lipidation on the self-assembly of PYY3-36 and various truncated derivatives are investigated. A wide range of physical characterisation techniques are employed to understand self-assembly and aggregation. Some cytotocompatibility studies using MTT assays on human colorectal cancer cells are also carried out in order to understand cytotoxicity. It was apparent throughout the project that lipidation significantly impacted the selfassembly, by helping to drive aggregation as a result of the increased amphiphilicity caused by the addition of the lipid chain, which in this case was a palmitoyl chain. The full PYY3-36 peptide and the lipidated derivatives had predominantly α-helical secondary structures. They differed largely when they aggregated however, with the native peptide being mostly monomers with some nanotapes, and the lipidated peptides having micelle and fibril conformations depending on pH. In addition to this the lipidated peptides formed gels under specific conditions whereas the native peptide did not. Investigations into the truncated peptide fragments further enhanced the impact of lipidation, where the lipidated fragments had micelle and fibril conformation, whereas the native fragments did not aggregate at all. Cytocompatibility studies found the lipidated peptides to be cytotoxic at concentrations above the cmc, suggesting that aggregation causes the peptides to become cytotoxic

Implementing Landscape Design Principles to Improve Green Spaces and Promote Ecotherapy on a College Campus

As students in Maine are subject to harsh winters and a disconnectedness due to the pandemic, the creation of an ecotherapy focused garden may benefit the community at the University of Maine. Mental health is a rising concern within the United States, where anxiety has been the most frequent in students at 62.7% from a survey conducted by the Center for Collegiate Mental Health (Son et al., 2020). Ecotherapy is the practice of holistic psychology where healing is derived from interactions with the surrounding ecosystem (Summers and Vivian, 2018). Through literature review and gardening, this creative project provides a green space on campus with the potential to supplement psychological treatments related to mental health. Landscape design principles and horticultural practices were implemented to create a pleasant, interactive space for community. Plants were chosen based on aesthetic value, ecosystem services, and functionality with the space. Community members were invited to participate in gardening, hanging bird seed, and attend a garden tea party to promote awareness and interactions within the area. With assessments of plant health, mortality, therapeutic properties, and functionality, the space will continue to grow to be an inclusive place for all. The improved garden has therapeutic potential using ecosystem services, especially in the context of the pandemic

Stability of diluted adenosine solutions in polyvinyl chloride infusion bags

Purpose The stability of diluted adenosine solutions in polyvinyl chloride infusion bags was studied. Methods Adenosine 50-, 100-, and 220-μg/mL solutions were prepared in 50-mL polyvinyl chloride (PVC) infusion bags containing 0.9% sodium chloride injection or 5% dextrose injection and stored at room temperature (23–25 °C) or under refrigeration (2–8 °C). Each sample of every combination of concentration, diluent, and storage temperature was prepared in triplicate, yielding 36 samples. The samples were assayed using a stability-indicating, reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method immediately after preparation (time zero) and at 24 hours, 48 hours, 7 days, and 14 days. pH was measured at time zero, 48 hours, 7 days, and 14 days. Time zero concentrations were calculated from the equation produced from a calibration curve of standards ranging from 10 to 500 μg/mL. Samples were also visually inspected against a light background for clarity, color, and the presence of crystalline particulate matter. Stability was defined as retaining at least 90% of the initial adenosine concentration. Results After 14 days, all samples retained greater than 98% of the initial adenosine concentration, with no evidence of adsorption, visible precipitation, or considerable change in pH, suggesting minimal to no loss of product due to degradation or adsorption. Conclusion Adenosine 50-, 100-, and 220-μg/mL solutions in 50-mL PVC infusion bags containing 0.9% sodium chloride injection or 5% dextrose injection stored at room temperature and refrigerated conditions were stable for at least 14 days

A new perspective on the soft skills hospitality management students need to be successful in the hospitality industry: Meeting the gold standard and the Soft Skills Index

The importance of soft skills in hospitality management students’ skill set in terms of providing excellent client service cannot be underestimated. Soft skills can be acquired via specific practices in the real world: through a course tailored to giving students the soft skills they need, on-site training centers, and a proposed index to measure their readiness for the hospitality industry. This article notes the responses of hotel general managers and the corresponding responses of hospitality industry students regarding their aptitude, and readiness for, the hospitality management industry. The collected data measures students’ perceptions of the soft skills they believe they will need compared to those that general managers say are important for the hospitality Industry. The social and psychological advantages as to why students’ need such skills, and the affect upon them, the service industry, and guests of hotels are also discussed

A Prospective, Controlled Trial of a Pharmacy-Driven Alert System to Increase Thromboprophylaxis rates in Medical Inpatients

Background: Although venous thromboembolism is an important cause of morbidity and mortality within the hospital, a significant proportion of at-risk inpatients do not receive measures known to reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Objective: To determine whether a pharmacy driven alert system would, compared to usual care, be associated with a higher rate of adequate VTE prevention measures among at-risk inpatients on a general internal medicine service. Design: Prospective, controlled trial. Setting: A university-based teaching hospital. Patients: Adults admitted (Monday through Friday) to the general internal medicine inpatient service from 6/19/06-9/21/06. Intervention: Pharmacist assessment of venous thromboembolism risk; pharmacist-driven alert to treating physician. Measurements: Proportion of at-risk patients receiving adequate thromboprophylaxis within 36 hours of admission. Results: Overall, 140 patients were at sufficient risk for VTE to be included. In the usual care group, prophylactic measures were ordered for 49 (61%) of the 80 patients at moderate to high risk. In the pharmacist-alert group, 44 (73%) of the 60 moderate to high VTE risk patients received adequate thromboprophylaxis (p = 0.15). Conclusions: Although we did not observe a statistically significant difference between the experimental groups, our results are consistent with previous reports suggesting that alert systems (whether computerized or human) can increase the proportion of hospitalized patients who receive adequate measures to prevent VTE

Self-assembly of lipopeptides containing short peptide fragments derived from the gastrointestinal hormone PYY3–36: from micelles to amyloid fibrils

We investigate the impact of lipidation on the self-assembly of two peptide fragments from the gastrointestinal peptide hormone PYY3–36. The lipopeptides C16IKPEAP and C16IKPEAPGE contain the first 6 and 8 amino acid residues, respectively, from the PYY3–36 peptide sequence, with a palmitoyl C16 tail attached at the N-terminus. These lipopeptides form spherical micelles in aqueous solution, above a critical micelle concentration (cmc), which is pH-dependent. Modeling of small-angle X-ray scattering data along with molecular dynamics simulations shows the formation of micelles with a hydrophobic interior and a well-hydrated exterior. The lipopeptides have a disordered conformation over the pH and temperature ranges studied. The cmc is found to be independent of temperature, pointing to athermal micellization. In contrast to the presence of hydrated micelles in solution, β-sheet amyloid fibrils form in dried samples. Thus, the nanostructure of lipidated PYY3–36 fragment peptides can be tuned by control of pH or concentration, for future applications

Status of Southeast Asia's marine sharks and rays

In Southeast Asia elasmobranchs are particularly threatened. We synthesized knowledge from the peer-reviewed and gray literature on elasmobranchs in the region, including their fisheries, status, trade, biology, and management. Our assessment included x species of sharkes and y species of rays. We found that 59% of assessed species are threatened with extinction and 72.5% are in decline; rays were more threatened than sharks. Research and conservation is complicated by the socioeconomic contexts of the countries, geopolitical issues in the South China Sea, and the overcapacity and multispecies nature of fisheries that incidentally capture elasmobranchs. The general paucity of data, funds, personnel, and enforcement hinders management. Reduced capacity in the general fishery sector and marine protected areas of sufficient size (for elasmobranchs and local enforcement capabilities) are among recommendations to strengthen conservation

Patient perceptions of deterioration and patient and family activated escalation systems-a qualitative study

Aims and objectivesTo investigate the experiences of patients who received a medical emergency team review following a period of clinical deterioration and their views about the potential use of a patient and family activated escalation system.BackgroundDelay or failure by health professionals to respond to clinical deterioration remains a patient safety concern. Patients may sometimes identify subtle cues of early deterioration prior to changes in vital signs. In response to health professional and system failures, patient and family activated escalation systems have been mandated and implemented in Australia. However, little research has evaluated their effectiveness nor taken patients&rsquo; perspectives into account.DesignQualitative exploratory descriptive design was used.MethodsPurposive sampling was used. Semistructured interviews were undertaken in 2014 with 33 patients who required medical emergency team intervention. Data were collected from one private and one public hospital in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The framework method was used to analyse the data.ResultsAll patients stated that it was the clinician who detected and responded to deterioration. Private patient participants were unaware of the medical emergency team system, and felt escalating care was not their responsibility. These patients reported being too sick to communicate prior to and during medical emergency team review and did not favour a patient and family activated escalation system. Public patients were well informed about the medical emergency team system yet expressed concerns around overriding clinicians if activating a patient and family activated escalation system.ConclusionPatient participation during a period of deterioration is restricted by their clinical condition and limited medical knowledge. Patients felt comfortable to communicate concerns to clinicians but felt they would not activate the patient and family activated escalation system. This behoves clinicians to actively listen and respond to patient concerns.<br /

How co-production underpinned the development of a logic model and testing of novel statistical methods for evidence synthesis

Background: The CEPHI project sought to develop and test four methods for synthesizing evidence that better accounted for context than standard statistical meta-analysis approaches. To explore context, we had to understand what was important in different contexts. We identified co-production as an approach to achieve this. / Methods: Supported by the Co-Production Collective, we worked closely with an Advisory Group of people with lived, professional, and/or academic expertise. We held a series of workshops with others bringing lived, professional, and/or academic expertise, to co-produce a logic model that subsequently informed novel synthesis methods. Evaluation of the co-production element was through reflexive notes, feedback from participants, and discussions during and after the project. / Results: The impact of co-production was profound. It fundamentally redesigned the entire logic model. This enabled novel statistical methods to answer important questions about context and impact. There were emotional impacts (highs and lows) and resource implications. / Discussion: Co-production is a powerful way to develop logic models and to inform synthesis methods development, by focusing on what is important to the affected communities. We will discuss lessons learned, what we would do differently next time, and what might be some of the key conditions and mechanisms for meaningful co-production