Development of the Abbreviated Technology Anxiety Scale (ATAS)

The purpose of this research was to develop a short measure of technology anxiety and provide validity and reliability evidence for its use in a variety of studies in the social sciences. Technology anxiety is an emotion oriented towards a negative affect leading to the avoidance of information and communication technology (Wilson, 2018). We developed the Abbreviated Technology Anxiety Scale (ATAS) and applied measurement theory to provide validity and reliability evidence. We implemented the study in multiple phases that included expert panel reviews on the content and quality of the items, and three rounds of data collection and analyses to provide the needed evidence. The scores from the ATAS were found to have an internally consistent structure, as well as to correlate with other known measures of technology and anxiety. Our results support the use of the ATAS for low-stakes purposes in research studies and evaluations. A general discussion is provided looking at the potential applications of the ATAS and its relation to other existing measures

Acute toxicity of copper oxide nanoparticles to <i>Daphnia magna</i> under different test conditions

<p>The acute toxicity of monodispersed 6 nm and <100 nm poly-dispersed copper oxide nanoparticles toward <i>Daphnia magna</i> was assessed using 48 h immobilization tests. CuSO₄ was used as a reference. Four different exposure conditions were tested, to study whether the toxicity of the nanoparticle suspensions changed in a way similar to what is known for dissolved Cu: first in ISO standard test conditions (pH 7.8), second with slight acidity (pH 6.5), third in the presence of citric acid, and fourth in the presence of humic acid. For all four exposure conditions, the toxicity of Cu employed in the three forms followed the same sequence, i.e., CuSO₄ > monodispersed 6 nm CuO ≫ poly-dispersed CuO. The toxicity of all Cu forms decreased from pH 6.5, ≫ pH 7.8, > pH 7.8 + citric acid, to ≫ pH 7.8 + humic acid. This pattern is in agreement with concentrations of Cu²⁺ calculated using the equilibrium model MINTEQ. These findings show that the acute toxicity of copper oxide nanoparticles is governed by test water composition and the chemical species Cu²⁺.</p

Acute toxicity of copper oxide nanoparticles to Daphnia magna

The acute toxicity of monodispersed 6 nm and &lt;100 nm poly-dispersed copper oxide nanoparticles toward Daphnia magna was assessed using 48 h immobilization tests. CuSO4 was used as a reference. Four different exposure conditions were tested, to study whether the toxicity of the nanoparticle suspensions changed in a way similar to what is known for dissolved Cu: first in ISO standard test conditions (pH 7.8), second with slight acidity (pH 6.5), third in the presence of citric acid, and fourth in the presence of humic acid. For all four exposure conditions, the toxicity of Cu employed in the three forms followed the same sequence, i.e., CuSO4 &gt; monodispersed 6 nm CuO ≫ poly-dispersed CuO. The toxicity of all Cu forms decreased from pH 6.5, ≫ pH 7.8, &gt; pH 7.8 + citric acid, to ≫ pH 7.8 + humic acid. This pattern is in agreement with concentrations of Cu2+ calculated using the equilibrium model MINTEQ. These findings show that the acute toxicity of copper oxide nanoparticles is governed by test water composition and the chemical species Cu2+

Improving a Process to Obtain Hepatitis B Serology Among Patients Treated with Infliximab at a Large Urban Children\u27s Hospital

Background: Hepatitis B infection is a significant public health challenge despite improvements in vaccination efforts. Patients such as those on chronic immunosuppressive therapy for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or rheumatic disease may incur greater risk. The risk of reactivation of hepatitis B while on immunosuppressive therapy may have mortality rates up to 25%. These patients should be screened for acute or chronic infection and vaccinated if necessary. Our aim was to reliably complete hepatitis B screenings in patients receiving infliximab at Cincinnati Children\u27s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC). Methods: Eligible patients included all patients with gastroenterology (GI) IBD and rheumatology receiving infliximab between October 2015 and March 2016. Using quality improvement methodology and the \u27plan-do-study-act\u27 (PDSA) approach, interventions centred around education of clinical providers, previsit planning and the development of \u27talking points\u27 for patients. Results: An initial screen of the IBD population revealed that 48% of the IBD patient population had been screened for anti-HBs alone, but no patients from GI or rheumatology divisions had a complete set of hepatitis B serology prior to the intervention including anti-Hep B Core and Hep B Surface Antigen. Seven PDSA cycles were performed during the 32-week intervention period, resulting in an increase in patients screened from 0% to ~85%. By March 2016, a total of 251 patients (201 GI, 50 rheumatology) had up-to-date hepatitis B serology screening. Automated ordering of the hepatitis B serology and \u27talking points\u27 for the provider had the greatest impact on successful screening. Conclusions: We developed a method to obtain hepatitis B serology on at-risk patients on infliximab within two subspecialty divisions within a large children\u27s hospital. Next steps will be to develop a process to reliably provide vaccines for patients who are seronegative, expand this process to all patients who are identified as immunocompromised within GI and rheumatology and then expand this process to other divisions at the CCHMC

Improving a Process to Obtain Hepatitis B Serology Among Patients Treated with Infliximab at a Large Urban Children\u27s Hospital

Background: Hepatitis B infection is a significant public health challenge despite improvements in vaccination efforts. Patients such as those on chronic immunosuppressive therapy for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or rheumatic disease may incur greater risk. The risk of reactivation of hepatitis B while on immunosuppressive therapy may have mortality rates up to 25%. These patients should be screened for acute or chronic infection and vaccinated if necessary. Our aim was to reliably complete hepatitis B screenings in patients receiving infliximab at Cincinnati Children\u27s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC). Methods: Eligible patients included all patients with gastroenterology (GI) IBD and rheumatology receiving infliximab between October 2015 and March 2016. Using quality improvement methodology and the \u27plan-do-study-act\u27 (PDSA) approach, interventions centred around education of clinical providers, previsit planning and the development of \u27talking points\u27 for patients. Results: An initial screen of the IBD population revealed that 48% of the IBD patient population had been screened for anti-HBs alone, but no patients from GI or rheumatology divisions had a complete set of hepatitis B serology prior to the intervention including anti-Hep B Core and Hep B Surface Antigen. Seven PDSA cycles were performed during the 32-week intervention period, resulting in an increase in patients screened from 0% to ~85%. By March 2016, a total of 251 patients (201 GI, 50 rheumatology) had up-to-date hepatitis B serology screening. Automated ordering of the hepatitis B serology and \u27talking points\u27 for the provider had the greatest impact on successful screening. Conclusions: We developed a method to obtain hepatitis B serology on at-risk patients on infliximab within two subspecialty divisions within a large children\u27s hospital. Next steps will be to develop a process to reliably provide vaccines for patients who are seronegative, expand this process to all patients who are identified as immunocompromised within GI and rheumatology and then expand this process to other divisions at the CCHMC