Directly Observed Procedural Skills – What do the Assessors Think?

Directly observed procedural skills (DOPS) assessments are widely used in clinical education for the assessment of competency in real-life situations. There is a growing body of evidence supporting their use in medical education and some evidence to suggest that DOPS can have a positive educational impact and provide valuable opportunities for feedback within veterinary education settings (Cobb et al 2013). DOPS assessments have been used in the Veterinary Programme for the past 5 years. The aim of this evaluation study was to establish whether the DOPS assessment is achieving the outcomes we had anticipated when it was implemented (i.e. valid and reliable assessment of clinical competency, feasibility in the clinical environment, improve feedback provided to students). Each assessor (participant) was reviewed by a peer (or by self-reflection) once during the study period (3 months). Participants completed a short written survey commenting on assessors’ performance as well as a section to rate and comment on the perceived validity of the DOPS as a form of assessment. 40 DOPS assessors participated in the study. Over 90% of participants agreed that they would recommend DOPS for use in another Veterinary School, however, several concerns were raised about the educational impact of DOPS and their ability to identify poorly performing students. The process of the DOPS audit itself has started an important discussion among assessors about what constitutes a 'competent' performance. Take home message: We recommend building a peer review process into DOPS assessment and new assessor training to improve the validity of assessment

Islamic-Catholic Relations: A Local and Global Comparison

In our modern world, religion remains one of the most important aspects of an individual’s life, no matter what faith they choose to celebrate. Given the world’s increasing interconnectedness and continuing globalization, members of different faiths are becoming more exposed to communities of one another. In modern times, the disagreements between faiths continue just as they have in the past; however there are more efforts on each side to overcome differences and establish a peaceful coexistence and mutual understanding. Two of the most prominent faiths in today’s world are Catholicism and Islam, which have many differences between them. As Americans, we have witnessed firsthand, religious discrimination and stereotyping against the growing Muslim population in the United States, especially since 9/11. Unfortunately members of each faith continue to stereotype and meet each other with hostility. Through all this ignorance and animosity between Islam and Catholicism, there are members of each faith whose goal is to establish a peaceful coexistence. We wish to shed light upon such positive efforts. This paper, written equally from the perspective of being members of the Providence, R.I. and global community promotes positive dialogue and understanding between Muslims and Catholics at home and abroad

Validation of a mitochondrial extraction and isolation technique for use in wildlife forensics.

The primary goal of this project is to provide the wildlife forensic science community with a DNA analysis protocol that is consistent across all jurisdictions. To accomplish this goal, three important objectives must be achieved: 1) validation of a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) specific extraction, purification, and sequencing method that is robust no matter the species, 2) creation of an internet web interface for the submission and analysis of sequence data from casework samples for data analysis, and 3) creation and curation of a database of mitochondrial reference genomes that are forensically-vouchered. This thesis aims to accomplish the first objective. Current protocols within the field of forensic wildlife DNA analysis require a complete redesign and validation of protocols every time a new species is encountered during casework. This practice increases the turnaround time of casework dramatically, causes challenges when testifying to findings, and relies on data from non-forensic scientists that may not be at the same high standard required for forensic applications. My research focuses on developing a mitochondrial extraction method that is free of nuclear DNA contamination and absent of primer usage and PCR. I therefore offer to the wildlife forensic community the first total mtDNA sequencing method that can be used on any animal species and is independent of prior genetic knowledge of the organism in question. The project seeks to aid the wildlife forensic science community by providing a streamlined method for the analysis of DNA which is both quicker and more robust.

Microbial Community Assembly Processes in Agricultural and Natural Ecosystems

Microbial communities can support plant and soil health through disease suppression, growth promotion, improving stress tolerance and increasing nutrient supply and cycling. The microbiome of crops has been suggested as a target to improve agricultural sustainability and crop performance. Targeted breeding efforts may allow for the selection of more robust crop microbiomes, lessening the need for additional agricultural inputs. However, how crop associated microbiomes assemble is still poorly understood. To more effectively engineer the microbiome, a more complete knowledge of the selection pressures that shape these communities over time and space is needed. Within this, an understanding of what is acting as biotic or abiotic filters and imposing these selection pressures is also needed. Once these aspects of microbial community assembly in crops are known, more effective selection of microbiomes can occur. In addition to agriculture, a more complete understanding of soil microbial community assembly processes in natural ecosystems is needed. Invasive species are expected to expend in both range and abundance with climate change. Invasive species cause decreases in local plant diversity and alter local soil microbial communities and ecosystem services. The invasive plant will also disturb native microbial community assembly processes. Understanding how invasive species impact soil microbial community assembly processes and the associated ecosystem services will provide vital information to aid in restoration efforts. Furthermore, when restoration might not be feasible, understanding these processes will allow for more accurate predictions of how ecosystem services will change and the proper remediation planning can then occur. However, the knowledge of how invasive species affect assembly processes is still unclear. This dissertation found that the primary factor affecting microbial community assembly processes in both agricultural and natural ecosystems was time. In the agricultural system, time was the growth stage of Brassica napus. In the native grassland, seasonal changes impacted bacterial and fungal assembly processes more than invasive biomass. Ecosystem services were also affected more by seasonal changes than invasive biomass. Given the annual cyclical nature of both plant growth stage and seasonal changes in a grassland, the patterns observed will likely endure from year to year

Sensory Integration Therapy for Students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

Children with autism spectrum disorders often struggle socially and emotionally in the classroom setting due to overstimulation. The purpose of this literature review is to synthesize research on the effects of Dr. A. Jean Ayre\u27s sensory integration therapy intervention for students with an autism spectrum disorder, specifically as they are applied in the classroom. Ayres was an occupational therapist, educational psychologist, and an advocate for individuals with special needs. Dr. Ayres developed the sensory integration therapy approach, or SIT, in the 1970s, and SIT has since been used by hundreds of occupational therapists around the world. Overall, sensory integration therapy has proven to be a marginally effective intervention to enhance the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students with ASD. This literature review critically analyzes research from scholarly journals and peer-reviewed articles that were published within the last decade regarding the selected topic of interest. Published research on Ayre\u27s sensory integration approach indicates some positive effects on children with autism and their overall functioning in the classroom, but additional research is needed to determine the magnitude of effect

Characterization, composition and source identification of Iraqi aerosols

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2014Soldiers that are deployed overseas are breathing ambient air containing concentrations of fine particulate matter known to cause adverse effects to human health. A study initiated in 2008 was designed to determine the concentrations and compositions of fine particulate matter in Baghdad, Iraq. This study used a Davis Rotating drum Unit for Monitoring (DRUM) aerosol impactor to continuously collect size (eight stages between 0.09 and 10 microns in aerodynamic diameter) and time (hour and a half resolution) resolved aerosol samples for mass concentration and elemental composition analyses. Results of this study show that fine particulate matter is associated with geogenic and anthropogenic source emissions. Trace metal concentrations combined with vanadium (V) can be correlated to industrial and urban source emissions, while lead (Pb) is associated with geogenic and anthropogenic sources. The mass loadings on the finest size fractions (0.09-0.26) of the DRUM aerosol impactor (0.09-0.34 microns) correlated with the mass loadings of coarse particles (2.5-10.0 microns) as both had similar elemental mass ratios, and thus were interpreted as having a common geogenic source. Brittle fragmentation theory was incorporated in this study to assist in explaining particle behavior and was effective at explaining particle breakdown in no wind/low wind situations. The aerosol particle samples collected during this study contained high total soil mass concentrations in all size stages. However, a peak in mass concentration was observed within the ultrafine (0.09-0.26 microns) stage that is not consistent with current hypotheses about the size distribution of mechanically produced soil particles through brittle fragmentation theory. The production of soil particles cannot fully be explained by brittle fragmentation theory during high wind scenarios. It is more likely that a combination of processes (brittle fragmentation, saltation, long-range transport, and midair collisions during high wind conditions) occur that result in excess mechanical grinding to produce ultrafine soil particles during high wind scenarios. A calibration study was conducted on the 8-stage DRUM aerosol impactor to ensure that the production of ultrafine particles was not a result of brittle minerals (calcium sulfate, sodium bicarbonate, and finely ground quartz) breaking down in the sampler. Mineral particles were not observed on the smallest size fractions under either 'wind' (4.1 m/s) or 'high wind' (8.3 m/s) conditions. This fact confirmed that the particles were not breaking down into smaller particles than observed in the initial size distribution characterized by an optical particle counter. These findings suggest that the increases in soil element concentrations on the DRUM stages seen in data sets from Iraq and White Sands, NM, are not a product of particle fragmentation during sampling. The production of these particles are important in that the fine particulate matter concentrations frequently exceed military exposure guidelines of 65 μg m⁻³ and individual constituents, such as lead, exceed U.S. national ambient air quality standards designed to protect human health

A cost benefit analysis for the denitrification of waste water utilizing wetlands versus wastewater treatment facilities

The purpose of this project was to not only identify current regulatory issues, as they pertain to water and denitrification, but also could be used to assist policy makers with identifying other factors to be considered when choosing the appropriate advanced treatment systems for their facilities