The Lived Experiences and Challenges Faced by Male Nursing Students: A Canadian Perspective

Background: Despite the impending shortage of nurses inCanada and globally, the recruitment and retention of malesto the profession has been a challenge in the new millenniumdue to a variety of social barriers and negative stereotypespropagated by the mass and social media, and in part byschools of nursing themselves.Purpose: To examine the lived experiences of male nursingstudents in Ontario, Canada and their perceptions ofreported educational and practice barriers, and socialstereotypes.Design: A phenomenological approach was employed toexamine the lived experiences of 37 male nursing students.Methods: Purposive and snowball sampling techniques wereemployed to recruit male students from a mid-sizeduniversity school of nursing. In depth, face-to-faceinterviews were conducted and guided by semi-structuredopen-end questions. Interviews were transcribed verbatim,coded and thematically categorized to make sense of theessential meanings.Results: Barriers to recruitment and retention of males inschools of nursing included the feminization of nursingcurriculums; reverse discrimination by female nursingstudents, faculty and nursing clinical staff; a lack of positivemale role models in academia, and negative socialstereotypes including that men in nursing are effeminate,gay or are labeled as inappropriate caregiversConclusion: The active recruitment and retention of malesinto schools of nursing may help to address, in part, thepredicted global shortages facing the profession, while alsohelping to promote gender diversity and social equity in thiscritical health care profession

Titanium Alloy Lattices with Regular and Graded Porosity for Dental Implant Applications

Interconnected porous titanium components prepared by additive manufacturing technologies have a great potential in dental and orthopaedic implants, due to their biocompatibility, lower stiffness and larger surface area compared to dense structures. Therefore they should permit better bone-implant integration. Graded porosity may provide large pores for bone ingrowth on the periphery of an implant and a denser core to sustain mechanical loading. However, the optimal porosity and structure for the mechanical and biological performance of load-bearing implants remains undefined. Given the small size of dental implants it is very challenging to achieve gradations in porosity. Therefore, this thesis aimed to develop a range of lattices from the titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V of regular and graded porosity via selective laser melting. The effects of pore variance on mechanical and biological properties were investigated. These lattices were designed to be rod-shaped with dimensions representing the size of current dental implants. Surface chemistry and mechanical properties of these components were investigated. The potential to support bone in-growth was evaluated by direct seeding of bone cells on the lattices and cell viability, and extracellular matrix deposition was evaluated. To evaluate cell migration, an in vitro 3D culture model was invented; the porous Ti-6Al-4V lattices were implanted into a ring of porous polymer sponge that had been pre seeded with boneforming cells. Our results confirmed that Ti-6Al-4V lattices were duplicated from the CAD models and characterised by interconnected porosity. Mechanical tests revealed good strength properties comparable to bone tissue, but a dense core was required to maintain strength in the high porosity structures. All samples were a suitable for growing osteoblast cells and supporting bone formation with good mineral deposition. It was demonstrated that a tissue engineering approach could be used to examine optimum cell migration and extracellular bone matrix deposition on the implanted titanium in vitro and bone formation within the pores of the implanted titanium after explantation was confirmed

Irrigation demand model

Presented at the 2002 USCID/EWRI conference, Energy, climate, environment and water - issues and opportunities for irrigation and drainage on July 9-12 in San Luis Obispo, California.Includes bibliographical references.Like many jurisdictions in North America, the irrigation industry in Alberta, Canada has found it necessary to intensively examine its future state of development, in view of substantially increased competition for a finite supply of available water. In order to do so, it was recognized that available technical science and assessment tools needed to be up-dated and expanded. Specifically, the opportunity and ability to utilize state-of-the-art computer modelling techniques could allow much more detailed and varied analyses to be carried out. As part of a broad scope basin water management planning review, the development of a complex irrigation demand model was undertaken. After several years of detailed and intensive software development, a suite of data input, irrigation simulation and analysis tools has been derived. The application of the irrigation demand model component provides for very detailed projections of daily water requirements, consumptive use, conveyance and application losses, as well as return flows. Annual and multi-year irrigation demands can be determined in conjunction with water supply conditions that reflect both the interrelationship with the vagaries of climate as well as varying scenarios of development within the industry. In particular, output from the application of the whole suite of tools indicates both the projected level of water supply deficits as well as the potential impacts of those shortages

How Patients\u27 Self-Disclosure about Sickle Cell Pain Episodes to Significant Others Relates to Living with Sickle Cell Disease

Objectives: This cross-sectional study examines to whom and how fully sickle cell disease (SCD) patients talk to others about sickle cell pain, how helpful it is to talk with others about these pain episodes, and the association between talking to others about sickle cell pain episodes and patients\u27 psychological adjustment and coping strategies in managing the disease. Methods: A convenience sample of 73 African American patients with SCD (30 men and 43 women), were recruited from two SCD clinics at the time of routine medical visits. Most participants had been diagnosed with hemoglobin SS, and they reported an average number of 8.61 pain episodes in the previous 12 months. Participants were asked to whom, how fully, and how helpful it was to talk to significant others about SCD pain episodes experienced in the last 12 months. Patients also completed measures of their psychological adjustment as well as how they would manage a future sickle cell pain episode. Self-report ratings were made on Likert-type scales. Results: Based on paired samples t-tests, participants talked significantly more fully about their thoughts and feelings concerning pain episodes to God and to their primary medical providers than to either their parents, siblings, or an intimate partner/close friend. Bivariate correlations indicated that amount and helpfulness of talking about pain episodes to God and to parents were significantly associated with better psychological adjustment on selected measures. Also, bivariate correlations indicated that helpfulness in talking with siblings, intimate partner/close friend, and primary medical providers was positively related with willingness to go to a physician in the event of a future pain episode. Conclusions: The results document to whom and how helpful it is to talk with others about SCD pain episodes and how SCD disclosure is related to strategies for managing this disease

Histological evaluation of the effects of bone morphogenetic protein 9 and angiopoietin 1 on bone healing

Objectives: Bone healing remains a critical clinical orthopedic problem. Bone, which is a greatly vascularized tissue, depends on the tight temporal and spatial link between blood vessels and bone cells. Thus, angiogenesis is crucial for skeletal growth and bone fracture healing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the local application of osteogenic and angiogenic factors such as bone morphogenetic protein 9 (BMP9) and angiopoietin 1 (Ang1), respectively, and their combination as an osteoinducer in the process of bone healing. Methods: Forty-eight male albino rats, weighing 300 e400 g and aged 6e8 months, were utilized in this study. The animals underwent surgery on the medial side of the tibia bone. In the control group, an absorbable hemostatic sponge was locally applied to the bone defect, while experimental groups were separated into three groups. In Group I, 1 mg BMP9 was locally applied, Group II was treated with 1 mg Ang1, and Group III was treated with local application of a combination (0.5 mg BMP9 and 0.5 mg Ang1). All experimental groups were fixed with an absorbable hemostatic sponge. The rats were sacrificed on days 14 and 28 after surgery. Results: Local application of BMP9 alone, Ang1 alone, and their combination to a tibia defect caused osteoid tissue formation and significantly increased the number of bone cells. A gradual decrease in the number of Q3 trabecular bone, an increase in trabecular area, and no significant difference in the bone marrow area were noted. Conclusion: The combination of BMP9 and Ang1 has therapeutic potential in promoting the healing process of bone defects. Osteogenesis and angiogenesis are regulated by BMP9 and Ang1. These factors act together to accelerate bone regeneration more efficiently than either factor alone

A novel screening system improves genetic correction by internal exon replacement

Trans-splicing is a powerful approach to reprogram the genome. It can be used to replace 5′, 3′ or internal exons. The latter approach has been characterized by low efficiency, as the requirements to promote internal trans-splicing are largely uncharacterized. The trans-splicing process is induced by engineered ‘RNA trans-splicing molecules’ (RTMs), which target a selected pre-mRNA to be reprogrammed via two complementary binding domains. To facilitate the development of more efficient RTMs for therapeutic applications we constructed a novel fluorescence based screening system. We incorporated exon 52 of the COL17A1 gene into a GFP-based cassette system as the target exon. This exon is mutated in many patients with the devastating skin blistering disease epidermolysis bullosa. In a double transfection assay we were able to rapidly identify optimal binding domains targeted to sequences in the surrounding introns 51 and 52. The ability to replace exon 52 was then evaluated in a more endogenous context using a target containing COL17A1 exon 51–intron 51–exon 52–intron 52–exon 53. Two selected RTMs produced significantly higher levels of GFP expression in up to 61% assayed cells. This novel approach allows for rapid identification of efficient RTMs for internal exon replacement

Neonatal resuscitation in low-resource settings: what, who, and how to overcome challenges to scale up?

BACKGROUND: Each year approximately 10 million babies do not breathe immediately at birth, of which about 6 million require basic neonatal resuscitation. The major burden is in low-income settings, where health system capacity to provide neonatal resuscitation is inadequate. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the evidence for neonatal resuscitation content, training and competency, equipment and supplies, cost, and key program considerations, specifically for resource-constrained settings. RESULTS: Evidence from several observational studies shows that facility-based basic neonatal resuscitation may avert 30% of intrapartum-related neonatal deaths. Very few babies require advanced resuscitation (endotracheal intubation and drugs) and these newborns may not survive without ongoing ventilation; hence, advanced neonatal resuscitation is not a priority in settings without neonatal intensive care. Of the 60 million nonfacility births, most do not have access to resuscitation. Several trials have shown that a range of community health workers can perform neonatal resuscitation with an estimated effect of a 20% reduction in intrapartum-related neonatal deaths, based on expert opinion. Case studies illustrate key considerations for scale up. CONCLUSION: Basic resuscitation would substantially reduce intrapartum-related neonatal deaths. Where births occur in facilities, it is a priority to ensure that all birth attendants are competent in resuscitation. Strategies to address the gap for home births are urgently required. More data are required to determine the impact of neonatal resuscitation, particularly on long-term outcomes in low-income settings

Immobilization, stabilization and patterning techniques for enzyme based sensor systems.

Sandia National Laboratories has recently opened the Chemical and Radiation Detection Laboratory (CRDL) in Livermore CA to address the detection needs of a variety of government agencies (e.g., Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture) as well as provide a fertile environment for the cooperative development of new industrial technologies. This laboratory consolidates a variety of existing chemical and radiation detection efforts and enables Sandia to expand into the novel area of biochemically based sensors. One aspect of this biosensor effort is further development and optimization of enzyme modified field effect transistors (EnFETs). Recent work has focused upon covalent attachment of enzymes to silicon dioxide and silicon nitride surfaces for EnFET fabrication. They are also investigating methods to pattern immobilized proteins; a critical component for development of array-based sensor systems. Novel enzyme stabilization procedures are key to patterning immobilized enzyme layers while maintaining enzyme activity. Results related to maximized enzyme loading, optimized enzyme activity and fluorescent imaging of patterned surfaces will be presented

The Effects of Incorporating Ag-Zn Zeolite on the Surface Roughness and Hardness of Heat and Cold Cure Acrylic Resins

One of the most widely used materials for the fabrication of prosthetic dental parts is acrylic resin. Its reasonable mechanical and physical properties make it a popular material for a wide range of dental applications. Recently, many attempts have been made to improve the mechanical and biological properties of this material, such as by adding fibres, nanoparticles, and nanotubes. The current study aimed to evaluate the effects of adding an antimicrobial agent, Ag-Zn zeolite, on the surface roughness and hardness of the denture base resins. Ag-Zn zeolite particles were chemically prepared and added at different concentrations (0.50 wt.% and 0.75 wt.%) to the heat cure (HC) and cold cure (CC) acrylic resins. Zeolite particles were characterized and confirmed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) attached with a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Sixty disk shape specimens (40 mm diameter and 2 mm thickness) were fabricated from the HC and CC resins with and without the zeolite. All the specimens were divided into two main groups based on the acrylic resins, then each was subdivided into three groups (n = 10) according to the concentration of the Ag-Zn zeolite. A surface roughness and a hardness tester were used to measure the surface finish and hardness of the specimens. The analysed data showed that the surface roughness values significantly decreased when 0.50 wt.% and 0.75 wt.% zeolite were incorporated in the HC resin specimens compared to the control group. However, this reduction was not significant in the case of CC resin, while the surface hardness was significantly improved after incorporating 0.50 wt.% and 0.75 wt.% zeolite for both the CC and HC resins. Incorporating Ag-Zn zeolite with acrylic resin materials could be beneficial for improving their surface finish and resistance to surface damage as defined by the higher hardness