Innovation through discussion: the LibChats initiative at the University of Kent

This article outlines the new initiative that was set up at the University of Kent to encourage innovation and improve community in the Information Services department. We are a team of three para-professionals from different departments in the library who have developed the programme into a successful series of talks that has now become integrated into the culture of the departmen

Occurrence, fate and effects of polychlorinated terphenyls in an estuarine environment

Aroclor 5432, a mixture of polychlorinated terphenyls (PCT), was detected in sediment and several biological compartments including: saltmarsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), American oysters (Crassostrea virginica), red-jointed fiddler crabs (Uca minax), wharf crabs (Sesarma reticulatum) and mummichogs (Fundulus heteroclitus) collected from Tabbs Creek. This tidal creek is located in the southern Chesapeake Bay region. Species from several phyla were selected in order to examine PCT accumulation in physiologically and ecologically different organisms. In general, PCT concentrations in sediment and biota decreased with distance downstream from the PCT outfall. The organism with the highest mean concentration (18,300 &\mu&g/kg dry weight) was the native oyster, a benthic filter feeder. A second study examined the dose-response effects of PCT mixtures on levels of hepatic cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) and associated EROD activity in the mummichog, relative to a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) mixture Aroclor 1254. Fish were injected intraperitoneally with PCT formulations Aroclor 5432, Aroclor 5460, or the PCB magnitude as that caused by equivalent doses of the PCB mixture Aroclor 1254. Treatment with Aroclor 5460 did not result in significant induction. This work represents the first report of hepatic CYP1A induction caused by Aroclor 5432 in teleosts and, similar to work in mammalian systems, suggests that the effects of this mixture may be mediated through Ah receptor binding. PCT mixtures contain small amounts of PCB. Therefore, PCB may have contributed to the induction observed following Aroclor 5432 injection. The planar PCB congener 3,3\u27,4,4\u27-tetrachlorobiphenyl was identified in Aroclor 5432 by GC-MS operating in negative chemical ionization mode. Environmental induction was observed in mummichogs collected from Tabbs Creek. This study revealed CYP1A induction at the two most contaminated sites along the PCT gradient. Fish at the upper creek site exhibited inhibition of EROD activity. Definitive environmental induction by PCT could not be established due to the presence of other inducing pollutants in the creek

An Ecologically-Valid Intervention for Men\u27s Alcohol-Related Aggression Toward Women

The primary aim of the present investigation was to directly examine a theoretically-based, ecologically-valid intervention and proposed mechanism for reducing at risk men’s alcohol-related aggression toward women for the bar setting. This study was developed in response to a critical need to address barriers to interventions for alcohol-related. This literature called for research to empirically investigate (a) specific intervention techniques that reduce aggression, (b) in whom such interventions will have the greatest impact, and (c) the mechanisms that account for such effects. Results of this study evidenced that the attention-allocation model-inspired intervention, relative to control, was associated with less alcohol-related physical aggression toward a female confederate. This finding held for men who reported lower, but not higher, levels of masculine gender role stress. However, results of the study did not support the hypotheses that intoxicated men who received the intervention, relative to control, would display the lowest levels of negative cognition and that masculine gender role stress would moderate this effect. Thus, the present study successfully addressed two of the three barriers cited. Discussion focused on how these data inform intervention programming for alcohol-related aggression

Construct validity, dimensionality and factorial invariance of the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale: A bifactor modelling approach among children of prisoners

The Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (RSES; Rosenberg, 1989) has traditionally been conceptualised as a unidimensional measure of self-esteem but empirical evidence is equivocal, with some studies supporting a one-factor solution and others favouring multidimensional models. The aim of this study was to examine the factor structure, factorial invariance and composite reliability of the RSES within a European sample of children affected by parental imprisonment (N = 724). The study specified and tested six alternative factor models using conventional confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) techniques and a confirmatory bifactor modelling approach. The RSES was most effectively represented by a bifactor model including a general self-esteem factor comprising of all ten scale items and separate method effects for the positively and negatively phrased items. This model was found to be factorially invariant among boys and girls. Composite reliability indicated good internal consistency for the general self-esteem dimension but slightly less so for the positive and negative methods effects. Results are discussed in terms resolving the debate surrounding the appropriate factor structure and scoring of the RSES

Building toward an Intervention for Alcohol-Related Aggression: A Cognitive and Behavior Test of the Attention Allocation Model

This study provided the first direct test of the cognitive underpinnings of the attention-allocation model and attempted to replicate and extend past behavioral findings for this model as an explanation for alcohol-related aggression. Men were randomly assigned to a beverage (Alcohol, No-Alcohol Control) and a distraction (Moderate Distraction, No Distraction) condition. All men were provoked by a male confederate and completed a dot probe task and a laboratory aggression task without distraction or while presented with a moderate distraction task. Results indicated that intoxicated men whose attention was distracted displayed significantly lower levels of aggression bias and enacted significantly less physical aggression than intoxicated men whose attention was not distracted. However, aggression bias did not account for the lower levels of alcohol-related aggression in the distraction, relative to the no-distraction, condition. Discussion focused on how these data inform intervention programming for alcohol-related aggression

Sweeteners Unproven in Fight Against Diabetes

Medical and dietetic students often co-author a column for the Daily Reflector under Dr. Kolasa's byline. The students research the topic a reader or patient has asked. Dr. Kolasa reviews their draft for technical accuracy, patient friendly language, people first language. She fact checks the study or other evidence-based reference the student provides. If a physician review is appropriate, Dr. Kolasa requests a colleague from ECU physicians to review the article. The final draft is submitted to the Reflector with the editor having the final say. The headline is written by the Reflector headline writer. The food and nutrition column has run weekly since 1987. Starting in 2020, in addition to the Daily Reflector, the article is published in daily and weekly papers owned by the Adams Publishing Group East (https://adamspg.com)This is a weekly Q and A newspaper column under the byline of Dr. Kathy Kolasa. Today's column is discussing the use of sweetners to lower calorie intake compared to sweet and unsweetened alternative beverages in context of diabetes.non

The Gleaning Workshop Project; A Workshop Curriculum for the Heartside Gleaning Initiative of Grand Rapids, MI

The Heartside Gleaning Initiative Project, founded by Grand Valley professor Lisa Sisson, has made incredible strides in its mere one season of operation. The project gathers unsold produce from the two local Grand Rapids farmers markets, and brings it to lower-income residents of the Heartside Neighborhood of the city. These residents don’t have access to this bounty of produce regularly, and the Gleaning Initiative Project has made the possibility of regularly having such fruits and vegetables more of a reality. While this project has undeniably made great waves of progress in the well-being and nutrition of the Heartside Neighborhood, one primary issue is that many of the recipients don’t have substantial experience in cooking with a wide array of vegetables. The goal of the Gleaning Workshop Project is to provide the residents of the Heartside Neighborhood with a basis of techniques, tips, and practices to aid them in preparing the produce they receive from the Gleaning Initiative Project. The Gleaning Workshop’s plan is to conduct eight workshops per year, each focusing on a different aspect of nutrition and food preparation. Our hope is to develop a well-balanced curriculum of workshops, that will both aid and inspire the recipients of Gleaning Initiative produce in making healthy and delicious food choices

Comparison of a 2-Layer Electric Fence and a Single Strand Electric Fence in Mitigating Browsing of Impatiens by White-Tailed Deer

The objective of this study was to evaluate two electric fence configurations in minimizing damage to impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Each of 3 sites consisted of 3 plots (3mx3m), containing 16, evenly spaced impatiens planted on the perimeter of each plot. Plots within each site had a control, single strand and 2-layered electric fence. Control plots had no fencing. Single strand plots had one electrified wire attached to posts at 40 cm height, surrounding the plot. Two-layered electric fence had energized wire attached to posts at 25 cm and 60 cm height, on the perimeter of the plot. A second, single electrified wire was attached to posts at 25 cm height, 1 m to the exterior of the two strand fence. Eight plants within each plot was photographed weekly for 3-weeks. The percentage of total pixels containing plant material in each photo was used to determine changes in plant growth. The percentage of pixels containing impatiens plants was lower (

A new parenting-based group intervention for young anxious children: results of a randomized controlled trial

Objective Despite recent advances, there are still no interventions that have been developed for the specific treatment of young children who have anxiety disorders. This study examined the impact of a new, cognitive–behaviorally based parenting intervention on anxiety symptoms. Method Families of 74 anxious children (aged 9 years or less) took part in a randomized controlled trial, which compared the new 10-session, group-format intervention with a wait-list control condition. Outcome measures included blinded diagnostic interview and self-reports from parents and children. Results Intention-to-treat analyses indicated that children whose parent(s) received the intervention were significantly less anxious at the end of the study than those in the control condition. Specifically, 57% of those receiving the new intervention were free of their primary disorder, compared with 15% in the control condition. Moreover, 32% of treated children were free of any anxiety diagnosis at the end of the treatment period, compared with 6% of those in the control group. Treatment gains were maintained at 12-month follow-up. Conclusions This new parenting-based intervention may represent an advance in the treatment of this previously neglected group. Clinical trial registration information: Anxiety in Young Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a New Cognitive-Behaviourally Based Parenting Intervention; http://www.isrctn.org/; ISRCTN12166762