An analysis of demographic data and educational experiences that predict student success on the funeral service National Board Examination

Using graduate surveys, which ascertained demographic data and educational experiences of the graduates, funeral service National Board Examination (NBE) scores, program curricula, and annual accreditation reports, this study investigated the relationship between educational experiences of funeral service graduates and their corresponding NBE scores. The sample consisted of 213 graduates of accredited programs who graduated and completed the NBE during 2009. The sample was evaluated to insure it was a representative sample of the population. In addition to descriptive statistics, comparative analyses and multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine differences between values of variables under investigation and to determine if any variables (educational experiences) could predict success on the NBE. The study discovered that various educational experiences within this vocational program were not consistently offered to students among the accredited programs. The study also found significant differences between NBE scores of online and on-campus graduates. Finally, in keeping with other studies related to indicators of success on national licensing examinations, the study concluded the best predictor of success on the NBE was the graduates GPA during the program of study

The Value of Carcass Characteristic EPDs in Bred Heifer Price

This study used hedonic modeling to assess the marginal implicit value of bred heifer characteristics and of carcass characteristic expected progeny differences of bred heifer calves. Using data for 692 pens of Show-Me Replacement Heifers Inc. heifers marketed over the 2001 through 2004 period, we find heavier heifers are priced higher than lighter heifers, artificially inseminated heifer pens were premium priced, Angus animals received a premium, pens that are expected to calve at optimal period of the year and within a 30-day window received premiums, calf performance EPD birth weight was positive, only marbling carcass characteristic EPD was positive and significant, buyers prefer larger lots to smaller lots, buyers pay the highest price for lots sold during the mid-point of the sale, and buyers pay a higher price for a pen bred to the same sire. It may be that certain post-weaning carcass characteristics are not of value to buyers because they either sell at weaning or due to the co-mingling of cattle certain expected production capabilities are of little value.Demand and Price Analysis, Livestock Production/Industries,

Transfusion-Related Acute Lung Injury: What the Allied Health Professional Needs to Know about this Life -Threatening Hazard of Blood Transfusion

Transfusion-Related Acute Lung Injury (TRALI) is a rare, life-threatening hazard of blood transfusion. In the intensive care unit, 37% to 44% of admitted patients are transfused with at least one blood component. The opportunity for health professionals and students from nursing, respiratory care, and clinical laboratory science to interact directly with patients receiving a blood transfusion is likely to present itself on a daily basis. It is imperative for those caring for critically ill patients to be fully aware of the clinical signs of TRALI and have knowledge in the prevention and treatment of this clinical syndrome. Common clinical signs of TRALI include cough, fever, and dyspnea. Treatment has been mostly supportive and aimed at reversing acute respiratory distress through oxygen therapy or mechanical ventilation. In 2004, a consensus panel and the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) working group characterized TRALI as new-onset acute lung injury (ALI) occurring within six hours of transfusion in patients without preexisting ALI. Although the condition is uncommon, knowledge of this clinical syndrome may help identify those patients at risk and may prevent lung injury and possible death due to this rarely encountered hazard of blood transfusion

Implementation of an Automated Grading System with an Adaptive Learning Component to Affect Student Feedback and Response Time

This research focuses on the development and implementation of an adaptive learning and grading system with a goal to increase the effectiveness and quality of feedback to students. By utilizing various concepts from established learning theories, the goal of this research is to improve the quantity, quality, and speed of feedback as it pertains specifically to the grading of computer skills with a focus on personal productivity software. Feedback has been identified as a key component of successful learning among students. This research builds upon the previous knowledge from the cognitive, behavioral, and resourcebased views of learning as well as upon the establishment of grading rubrics. An automated grading system was developed that allows instructors to quickly grade multiple complex computer literacy assignments. Key to the success of the system is the ability of the system to “learn” the correct and incorrect responses and store them for future use. To understand the impact of the system on feedback, three hypotheses were created and experiments were developed to test them. The system was shown to positively affect the quantity of feedback and reduce the time required for grading assignments. No effect on the quality of the feedback comments was shown and may be a subject of further study

Pacific Southwest United States Holocene Droughts and Pluvials Inferred From Sediment δ18O (calcite) and Grain Size Data (Lake Elsinore, California)

Records of past climate can inform us on the natural range and mechanisms of climate change. In the arid Pacific southwestern United States (PSW), which includes southern California, there exist a variety of Holocene records that can be used to infer past winter conditions (moisture and/or temperature). Holocene records of summer climate, however, are rare from the PSW. In the future, climate changes due to anthropogenic forcing are expected to increase the severity of drought in the already water stressed PSW. Hot droughts are of considerable concern as summer temperatures rise. As a result, understanding how summer conditions changed in the past is critical to understanding future predictions under varied climate forcings. Here, we present a c. 10.9 kcal BP δ18O(calcite) record from Lake Elsinore, California, interpreted to reflect δ18O(lake water) values as controlled by over-water evaporation from summer-to-early fall. Our results reveal three millennial scale intervals: (1) the highly evaporative Early Holocene (10.55–6.65 kcal BP), (2) the less evaporative Mid-Holocene (6.65–2.65 kcal BP); and (3) the evaporative Late Holocene (2.65–0.55 kcal BP). These results are coupled with an inferred winter precipitation runoff (sand content) record from Kirby et al. (2010). Using these data together, we estimate the duration and severity of centennial-scale Holocene droughts and pluvials (e.g., high δ18O(calcite) values plus low sand content = drought and vice versa). Furthermore, the coupled δ18O(calcite) and sand data provide a generalized Holocene lake level history. The most severe, long-lasting droughts (i.e., maximum summer-to-early fall evaporation and minimum winter precipitation runoff) occur in the Early Holocene. Fewer, less severe, and shorter duration droughts occurred during the Mid-Holocene as pluvials became more common. Droughts return with less severity and duration in the Late Holocene. Notably, the Little Ice Age is characterized as the wettest period during the Late Holocene

Dexamethasone Attenuates Hyperexcitability Provoked by Experimental Febrile Status Epilepticus.

The role of neuroinflammation in the mechanisms of epilepsy development is important because inflammatory mediators provide tractable targets for intervention. Inflammation is intrinsically involved in the generation of childhood febrile seizures (FSs), and prolonged FS [febrile status epilepticus (FSE)] precedes a large proportion of adult cases of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). As TLE is often refractory to therapy and is associated with serious cognitive and emotional problems, we investigated whether its development can be prevented using anti-inflammatory strategies. Using an immature rat model of FSE [experimental FSE (eFSE)], we administered dexamethasone (DEX), a broad anti-inflammatory agent, over 3 d following eFSE. We assessed eFSE-provoked hippocampal network hyperexcitability by quantifying the presence, frequency, and duration of hippocampal spike series, as these precede and herald the development of TLE-like epilepsy. We tested whether eFSE provoked hippocampal microgliosis, astrocytosis, and proinflammatory cytokine production in male and female rats and investigated blood-brain barrier (BBB) breaches as a potential contributor. We then evaluated whether DEX attenuated these eFSE sequelae. Spike series were not observed in control rats given vehicle or DEX, but occurred in 41.6% of eFSE-vehicle rats, associated with BBB leakage and elevated hippocampal cytokines. eFSE did not induce astrocytosis or microgliosis but provoked BBB disruption in 60% of animals. DEX significantly reduced spike series prevalence (to 7.6%) and frequency, and abrogated eFSE-induced cytokine production and BBB leakage (to 20%). These findings suggest that a short, postinsult intervention with a clinically available anti-inflammatory agent potently attenuates epilepsy-predicting hippocampal hyperexcitability, potentially by minimizing BBB disruption and related neuroinflammation

The distribution of lead between sea salt dust, and lead-rich aerosols in the mid South Pacific easterlies at American Samoa

Aerosols in the South Pacific Easterlies have been sampled at American Samoa with a cascade impactor and analysed for Pb, Ba, K, Ca, Sr, and Rb by isotope dilution mass spectrometry using ultraclean procedures. Some 84% of the Pb was found in fine (≤ 0.5 μm) aerosols which were collected on the backup filter with an efficiency of only 33%. Sea salt and eroded terrestrial material (dust) containing 6% and <1% respectively, of the Pb (sea salt indexed by the metals K, Ca, Sr, and Rb and dust indexed by Ba) were collected on early stages of the impactor, although 65% of the dust, because of its larger size, was lost to surfaces of the rain shelter before reaching the impactor. The remaining 10% of the Pb was associated with plant leaf waxes of continental origin which produced Pb and Ba peaks on stage 4 (0.5 μ) of the impactor