31 research outputs found

    Natural Bacterial Communities Serve as Quantitative Geochemical Biosensors

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    Biological sensors can be engineered to measure a wide range of environmental conditions. Here we show that statistical analysis of DNA from natural microbial communities can be used to accurately identify environmental contaminants, including uranium and nitrate at a nuclear waste site. In addition to contamination, sequence data from the 16S rRNA gene alone can quantitatively predict a rich catalogue of 26 geochemical features collected from 93 wells with highly differing geochemistry characteristics. We extend this approach to identify sites contaminated with hydrocarbons from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, finding that altered bacterial communities encode a memory of prior contamination, even after the contaminants themselves have been fully degraded. We show that the bacterial strains that are most useful for detecting oil and uranium are known to interact with these substrates, indicating that this statistical approach uncovers ecologically meaningful interactions consistent with previous experimental observations. Future efforts should focus on evaluating the geographical generalizability of these associations. Taken as a whole, these results indicate that ubiquitous, natural bacterial communities can be used as in situ environmental sensors that respond to and capture perturbations caused by human impacts. These in situ biosensors rely on environmental selection rather than directed engineering, and so this approach could be rapidly deployed and scaled as sequencing technology continues to become faster, simpler, and less expensive

    Examining the Aftereffects of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans: A Qualitative Study of Faculty and Staff Perceptions

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    Researchers have reported how Hurricane Katrina has affected teachers who work with Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12), yet little is known about how the natural disaster has affected other important K-12 faculty and staff (e.g., coaches, librarians, school counselors, and cafeteria workers). Missing from the literature is the impact that this natural disaster has had on these formal (school counselors) and informal (coaches, librarians) helpers of K-12 students. Using a focus group methodology, the authors examined the aftereffects of Hurricane Katrina on 12 school employees in New Orleans, Louisiana, 18 months after the hurricane. Informed by qualitative content analysis, three emergent themes were identified: emotion-focused aftereffects, positive coping, and worry and fear. The implications for future research and promoting hope in mental health counseling are discussed

    Comparaison des peurs chez les enfants lourdement handicapés et chez les enfants non handicapés

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    Although research on children’s fears is available, there is a gap in the literature concerning the fears of children with disabilities. We used the Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSSC-AM; Burnham, 2005) to examine age, racial, and gender differences of 404 children (ages 7–20), including 50% with disabilities and 50% without disabilities. Significant fear differences were reported across gender, age, race, and disability. For example, children with intellectual disabilities had more fears related to safety. Both younger and older children with moderate to profound disabilities had significantly more fear than their peers without disabilities. This study broadened the examination of fears in children with moderate, severe, and profound disabilities.MalgrĂ© la disponibilitĂ© d’études sur les peurs chez les enfants, on constate une lacune dans la littĂ©rature en ce qui concerne les peurs chez les enfants handicapĂ©s. Nous avons utilisĂ© le sondage Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSSC-AM; Burnham, 2005) pour examiner les diffĂ©rences d’ñge, de race et de genre de 404 enfants (entre 7 et 20 ans), dont 50 % sont handicapĂ©s (Ă  la fois intellectuellement et, dans certains cas, physiquement aussi) et 50 % ne le sont pas. On constata des diffĂ©rences significatives des peurs en fonction du genre, de l’ñge, de la race et du handicap. Par exemple, des enfants ayant un handicap intellectuel vivaient plus de peurs en lien avec la sĂ©curitĂ©. IndĂ©pendamment de leur Ăąge, les enfants ayant un handicap de moyen Ă  lourd vivaient considĂ©rablement plus de peurs que leurs homologues non handicapĂ©s. Cette Ă©tude a permis d’élargir l’examen des peurs chez les enfants atteints d’un handicap moyen, d’une incapacitĂ© grave et d’un handicap lourd

    Codependency among nurses: a comparison by substance use disorder and other selected variables

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    Previous studies have shown that the profession of nursing has inherent risk factors that may contribute to Substance Use Disorder among nurses. One of those risk factors may be codependency. This study explored the relationship between codependency and self-reported history of treatment for SUD among nurses. It also compared nurses' codependency scores by gender, race, birth order, having experienced or witnessed physical violence in the family of origin, having a parent or primary caregiver with SUD, and having a parent or primary caregiver with a history of mental illness. One thousand nurses with active licensure in a southeastern state were mailed survey packets which included the Spann-Fischer Codependency Scale and a demographic questionnaire. Two hundred and two surveys were returned. The results indicated that the nurses' codependency scores differed significantly when compared by history of treatment for SUD. Nurses who reported treatment for SUD had higher codependency scores than nurses who reported no treatment for SUD. The nurses also differed significantly in their codependency scores when compared by their having witnessed or experienced physical violence in their family of origin. Those who reported a history of witnessing or experiencing physical violence in their family of origin had higher codependency scores than those who did not. The third significant finding was that nurses who reported having a parent or primary caregiver with a history of mental illness had higher codependency scores than those who did not. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

    Implementation of features of the ASCA National Model in Alabama public schools

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    The publication of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model (2003, 2005, 2012) revolutionized school counseling by offering a foundational blueprint for unification and national support affirming a new vision for school counseling. The ASCA National Model is a developmental, comprehensive, data-driven plan that links school counselors and standards-based education reform to deliver a comprehensive school counseling program. This study utilized a stratified random sample of 159 subjects (53 in each school level) selected to proportionally represent the free-reduced lunch quartiles of Alabama public schools. The research examined the extent of implementation of the ASCA National Model in Alabama public schools across all grade levels - elementary (PreK- Grade 5), middle (Grades 6-8), and high -school (Grades 9-12), as well as data use. Qualtrics software sent electronic surveys, reminders, and analyzed responses of a stratified random sample of Alabama public school counselors. This study was the first in Alabama to use the School Counseling Program Implementation Survey (SCPIS; Elsner & Carey, 2005; Clemens, Carey, & Harrington, 2010) which is endorsed by the Center for School Counseling Research and Evaluation (CSCORE, 2013) of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the National Panel for Evidence-Based School Counseling. This research potentially offered timely evidence to facilitate the ongoing Alabama State Board initiative, Plan 2020, created to prepare all students to be successful in college and/or career upon graduation from high school. Results revealed informative demographic and related information as well as interesting comparisons with ASCA National Standard guidelines. However, the ANOVA procedures and the Kruskal-Wallis nonparametic test did not indicate statistically significant differences in the implementation of the ASCA National Model or data use by the levels of Alabama public school counselors using the three factor SCPIS analysis. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

    Theoretical counseling orientation: an initial aspect of professional orientation and identity

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    The literature on counselor development suggests that the development of a professional identity is a fundamental aspect of counselor training. The unique demands placed on counselors to integrate aspects of both personal and professional identity into the therapeutic process (Skovholt & Ronnestad, 1995) make development of a professional identity a critical component of the training of counseling practitioners. An examination of the counselor development literature suggests that the processes of developing an integrated professional identity converge with the processes by which counseling students align with a theoretical orientation. Furthermore, the significant impact of theoretical orientation on clinical work suggests that the articulation of a personal theoretical orientation is an essential component of professional identity development for counselors. The current study examined how a graduate course emphasizing a review of counseling theories impacted the identity statuses of graduate counseling students from the beginning to the end of a semester. Participants were enrolled in a counselor education program accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Identity status was explored using the identity status model of James Marcia (1964) which consists of four identity statuses, Diffusion, Foreclosure, Moratorium, and Achievement. These statuses are based on the dimensions of Exploration and Commitment in Erik Erikson's (1950) fifth stage of psychosocial development, Identity vs. Identity Diffusion. Specifically, this study investigated how the process of articulating a theoretical orientation impacted levels of Exploration, Commitment, and the identity statuses of graduate students enrolled in coursework in counseling theories. Empirical evidence of counseling student development as an outcome of this curricular activity was examined through a single group pretest-posttest design using the Ego Identity Process Questionnaire (EIPQ), which was administered at the beginning (T1) and end (T2) of the theories coursework within a given semester. An analysis of Exploration mean scores, Commitment mean scores, and identity status categories found no statistically significant differences between the T1 and T2 administrations of the EIPQ. A discussion of the findings is included, with implications for counselor educators as well as recommendations for further research. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

    Living on the down low: stories from African American men

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    This study examined the lived experiences of African American men who publicly identified as heterosexual, but privately engaged in intimate relationships with other men. These men are identified by several terminologies including Down Low (DL) and men who have sex with men (MSM). Seven men participated in the study which consisted of three audiotaped phone interviews over the course of three months. One of the participants withdrew from the study before his last interview. The participants identified themselves as being African American, over the age of 19, and having lived, or are currently living, on the DL. The participants were interviewed about their experiences including family of origin beliefs about people who were gay, influences in the African American community that shaped their sexual identity construction, their lives on the DL, mental health issues that they may have experienced, and disclosure and non-disclosure of their sexual identity. Phenomenological research methodswere used to collect and analyze and data along with the theoretical methodological framework of Critical Race Theory (CRT), which was used as a tool to identify how factors of race, gender, and sexuality play roles in the construction of African American DL and MSM. QSR NVIVO qualitative research software was also used to code categories and identify relationships that resulted from coding the transcripts. Themes that resulted from the data analysis included how the African American family and community (including the church) influenced the construction of sexual identity of African American men. Other themes included masculinity, mental health issues and the issue of disclosure and non disclosure of sexual identity among African American DL and MSM. The CRT concept of counterstories allowed the men to discuss pivotal stories that marked a defining moment in their lived experiences. Research is still needed to further explore sexual behavior of African Americans. Counselors and mental health providers are encouraged to educate themselves about the sexual identity construction of African Americans, and how factors in the African American family and community continue to shape the sexual identity of its members. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries
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