Ulysses Live Tweet

A live-tweet event based on characters from James Joyce\u27s Ulysses, incorporating content from the novel, external content, and posted in the real time of the novel. Link to Twitter handles:Leopold Bloom @PoldyPotato, Joyce\u27s Arranger @JoyceArranger, Molly Bloolm @mrsmarionlaredo, and Stephen Dedalus @scornfulStephen

Professional Learning of Literacy Teachers of Specialized Populations

In this article, the researchers share results from a study on teachers’ responses to professional learning experiences with a focus on balanced literacy methods to best meet the literacy needs of their d/Deaf students. The authors use theories of communities of practice, connected learning, and collective hope. Findings indicate that for professional learning to be meaningful and actionable, it needed to include the following four criteria: (1) must be relevant to the specific population of children; (2) must acknowledge and value organic, teacher-initiated professional learning; (3) must incorporate a collaboratively decided-upon shared purpose; and (4) must be joy driven and reflection oriented. This study serves as a model for school leaders and literacy professionals seeking to renew hope within their school community with the belief that all students can learn and thrive

A Practice for Sympoietic Thinking

Designing for isolated entities can lead to unintended consequences, as nothing can exist entirely on its own. There is an urgent need to recognise the interconnection and entanglement of life on Earth. Many cultures recognise these entanglements in deep knowledges learned across many generations, but some cultures with industrial practices have developed worldviews based on ideologies that separate humans from the rest of nature. Dualist ideologies that seek to understand through establishing specialist areas have revealed a paradox; we may gain insights into the functioning of a specific component, but in doing so, we lose sight of how it exists in the wider world. How might recognition of entanglement affect approaches to the multiple predicaments we and all beings of the Earth face, such as the effects of climate change, physical and mental wellness, equity and how wealth is quantified? My MA in Sustainable Design masterwork explores sympoiesis, which means to “make-with.” How do we learn to “make-with” the other beings, forms and forces we are entangled with but speak a different language to? I propose a sympoietic thinking practice as an exercise to encourage designers and researchers to consider the interconnection and interdependence of the beings, forms, and forces within their project and to challenge anthropocentric thinking. The tool is influenced by a diverse range of ontologies. It has been designed for use in industrial cultures, and I acknowledge that it might not be relevant to all people or cultures

Types of clinical outcomes and methods for their assessment in the evaluation of pharmacist-led management of minor ailments: a systematic review.

The aim of this systematic review is to review the types of clinical outcomes and methods of assessment used in the evaluation of pharmacist-led minor ailments management and identify development and the application of best practices

Library Safari and iPads: Technology to Enhance Student Learning

Poster presentation at the Mississippi State Universities Emerging Technologies Summit, August 12, 2011.The Library Safari program, at the University of Maryland, aims at reducing freshmen anxiety about using a large academic library through structured exercises and teamwork. Students enrolled in UNIV 100 – The Students in the University come to a library workshop, are divided into small teams and assigned a set of unique exercises that introduce them to a variety of service sites, print and online resources, all designed to provide a greater understanding of how the main campus library is organized. Printed team exercises and hardwired computers have traditionally been used to conduct this workshop. In fall 2011, librarians plan to experiment by incorporating emerging technologies like the iPad into the way students interface with the physical library and its resources. Using an iPad, each Library Safari team will explore the library using the catalog, other online resources and to virtually complete a set of exercises. By semester’s end, analysis will be conducted to evaluate the users experience and the efficacy of the technology by comparing the results of students using iPads in 2011 to those who used traditional means in fall 2010. Results could determine what changes should be made to improve the Library Safari program

Mass media and risk factors for cancer: the under-representation of age

BACKGROUND: Increasing age is a risk factor for developing cancer. Yet, older people commonly underestimate this risk, are less likely to be aware of the early symptoms, and are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced stage cancer. Mass media are a key influence on the public's understanding health issues, including cancer risk. This study investigates how news media have represented age and other risk factors in the most common cancers over time. METHODS: Eight hundred articles about the four most common cancers (breast, prostate, lung and colorectal) published within eight UK national newspapers in 2003, 2004, 2013 and 2014 were identified using the Nexis database. Relevant manifest content of articles was coded quantitatively and subjected to descriptive statistical analysis in SPSS to identify patterns across the data. RESULTS: Risk was presented in half of the articles but this was rarely discussed in any depth and around a quarter of all articles introduced more than one risk factor, irrespective of cancer site. Age was mentioned as a risk factor in approximately 12% of all articles and this varied by cancer site. Age was most frequently reported in relation to prostate cancer and least often in articles about lung cancer. Articles featuring personal narratives more frequently focused on younger people and this was more pronounced in non-celebrity stories; only 15% of non-celebrity narratives were about people over 60. Other common risks discussed were family history and genetics, smoking, diet, alcohol, and environmental factors. Family history and genetics together featured as the most common risk factors. Risk factor reporting varied by site and family history was most commonly associated with breast cancer, diet with bowel cancer and smoking with lung cancer. CONCLUSION: Age and older adults were largely obscured in media representation of cancer and cancer experience. Indeed common risk factors in general were rarely discussed in any depth. Our findings will usefully inform the development of future cancer awareness campaigns and media guidelines. It is important that older adults appreciate their heightened risk, particularly in the context of help-seeking decisions

Public perceptions and experiences of the minor ailment service in community pharmacy in Scotland.

Background: The Minor Ailment Service (MAS) in Scottish community pharmacy allows eligible people to gain improved access to care by providing free treatment for self-limiting conditions. Objective: To determine the perceptions and experiences of individuals using MAS and to quantify the potential impact on usage of other healthcare services. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted of patients accessing MAS across Scotland during June and July 2018. Questionnaire items included reasons for choosing treatment through MAS, which other services they may have accessed had MAS not been available, experiences of consultation, overall satisfaction, and perceived effectiveness of treatment. Those accessing MAS were given a study pack including an information sheet, pre-piloted questionnaire, and pre-paid return envelope. Participants had the option to consent to an optional one-week follow up questionnaire that focused on perceived effectiveness of treatment after seven days and any further access to healthcare services such as general practice, emergency departments or repeat pharmacy visits. Results: There were 1,121 respondents to the initial questionnaire. Most reported 'convenient Location' as the main reason for their access to community pharmacy (n=748; 67.1%). If MAS had not been available, 59% (n=655) of participants reported that they would have accessed general practice for treatment of their minor ailment. Experience of consultations was also rated highly with all ten outcome measures scoring `Excellent' overall. Satisfaction was reported positively with most participants reporting full satisfaction with the overall experience (n=960; 87.2%). At one-week follow up, 327 participants responded, over 85% (n=281) did not require further access to care to treat their minor ailment and 99.7% (n=326) said they would use MAS again. Conclusions: Positive perceptions and experiences of those using MAS demonstrate a highly regarded service in terms of satisfaction and experience of consultation. The capacity for MAS to impact on the use of higher-cost healthcare services is evidenced through the number of participants who reported these services as a point of access to care should community pharmacy not be available. This national evaluation demonstrates MAS to be a positively experienced service and outlines the factors determining access for treatment of minor ailments

Views and perceptions of key stakeholders in Qatar on pharmacist prescribing.

Background and Objective: Pharmacist prescribing has been implemented successfully in several countries around the world, with evidence of effectiveness, safety and acceptability. The Qatar Health Strategy provides the opportunity to advance further the clinical and prescribing role of the pharmacist. As part of considering this development, there was a need to gather the views and perceptions of key individuals in positions of strategic importance. The aim of this project is to explore the views and perceptions of stakeholders on the development and implementation of pharmacist prescribing in Qatar. Setting and Method: Qualitative, face-to-face interviews with indviduals in key strategic positions with policy influence (medical/pharmacy/nursing directors, hospital administrators, health academics, experts in patient safety as well as regulators and decision makers). Participants were recruited through purposive and snowballing sampling from different settings of: Ministry of Public Health, primary/secondary/tertiary health settings, community pharmacies and academic health institutions in Qatar. An interview schedule was drawn from an extensive search of the available literature, a systematic review being conducted by the investigators and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). The schedule was reviewed for credibility prior to piloting; interviews continued to the point of data saturation. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically by two independent researchers using CFIR as a coding framework. Ethical approval was obtained prior to conducting fieldwork. Main outcome measures: Awareness, experiences and views of: non-medical prescribing; clinical roles and prescribing by pharmacists; facilitators, barriers and solutions to pharmacist prescribing development and implementation. Results: Data saturation and representation of stakeholder groups was achieved following 36 interviews. Emerging CFIR themes were: intervention characteristics (evidence of pharmacist prescribing models internationally, advantages of pharmacist prescribing in Qatar, adaptability of international models to Qatar); outer setting (better meeting patient needs, degree of networking with external organisations); inner setting (quality of communication processes within an organisation, engagement of key leaders in development and implementation); ideal characteristics of pharmacist prescribers in Qatar; and process of designing, implementing and evaluating the intervention. Conclusion: Stakeholders held positive views around the potential for pharmacist prescribing in Qatar. CFIR themes will facilitate the development of frameworks for pharmacist prescribing in Qatar

Key stakeholders' views on the potential implementation of pharmacist prescribing: a qualitative investigation.

Background: An accumulation of international evidence demonstrates that pharmacist prescribing is effective, safe and well-accepted. While there is potential for such development in the Middle East, the majority of published studies are largely reported from Western countries and the perspectives of individuals in strategic positions of policy and practice in the Middle East were unknown. Objective: To explore the views of key stakeholders in Qatar regarding the potential development and implementation of pharmacist prescribing. Methods: Qualitative, face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with stakeholders in strategic positions of policy influence (i.e. medical, pharmacy and nursing department directors, health-related academics, patient safety and quality directors, professional regulators). Stakeholders were recruited via purposive and snowball sampling. The interview schedule was constructed from an extensive literature review and grounded in the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to ensure comprehensive exploration of potential facilitators and barriers. Interviews were conducted from April to August 2017, digitally recorded, transcribed, and independently analysed by two researchers using CFIR as a coding framework. Results: Thirty-seven interviews were conducted with directors of medicine (n=5), pharmacy (n=6) and nursing (n=5), healthcare policy developers (n=6), healthcare academics (n=9), and patient safety advocates (n=6). Interviewees were aware of pharmacist prescribing models internationally and generally supported development and implementation in Qatar due to perceived benefits of improved patient care, professional development and enhanced team working. While there were more facilitators than barriers, it was clear that there was a requirement to systematically plan the development and implementation of pharmacist prescribing, with reference to all five CFIR domains. The need for further training, demonstration of pharmacists’ prescribing competence, and extensive engagement of stakeholders were considered crucial. Conclusion: There is potential for pharmacist prescribing to be developed and implemented in Qatar. Further research is warranted to define the models of prescribing suitable for Qatar, and to highlight issues of education, training and accreditation

Fish Eating Birds Can Spread Bacterial Diseases Between Catfish Ponds

Severe outbreaks of Motile Aeromonad Septicemia disease in commercial catfish aquaculture ponds have been associated with a virulent Aeromonas hydrophila strain (VAh) that is genetically distinct from less virulent strains. We demonstrated that Great Egrets (Arde alba), Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), and Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) can carry and shed viable VAh after consuming fish infected with Vah. Edwardsiella ictaluri and E. tarda are considered the primary species of Edwardsiella to cause disease outbreaks in North American catfish aquaculture. Genetic analysis has determined that most isolates designated as E. tarda were actually a new species, E. piscicida. There has been an increase in E. piscicida diagnostic cases in recent years possibly due to an increase in hybrid (Channel x blue) catfish production. We conducted a study to determine if Great Egrets (Ardea alba) shed viable E. piscicida when fed catfish infected with the bacteria. Great Egrets fed infected fish shed viable E. piscicida bacteria for multiple days, (Table 1), after last consuming infected fish on day 2 of the study. Great Egrets in the control group did not shed the bacteria. Given that Great Egrets can shed viable E. piscicida after consuming diseased fish, we hypothesize that they could also serve as a reservoir for E. piscicida and could spread the pathogen while predating fish in catfish ponds. Additional research is needed to determine if this shedding could cause disease in these ponds