Supporting Faculty in Responding to Distressed Students

The increased numbers of students struggling with mental health problems require faculty to increase their competence and confidence in working with distressed students. In this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP), I explore this problem of practice, pursuing improved mental health literacy among higher education faculty and an enhanced ability to recognize signs of distress and employ role-appropriate interventions. A mentally healthy and supportive learning environment improves student engagement and academic achievement; therefore, it is pedagogically relevant. Well-being and mental health-related knowledge and a helpful network of colleagues can help faculty respond to distressed students. This OIP is rooted in the Okanagan Charter and builds on current work and successes at College X. Incorporating new elements of strategic and intentional collaboration into the existing system yields improved student academic achievement and faculty capacity in working with distressed students. A collaborative process and community of practice, authentic and shared leadership, increased faculty competence, and confidence align the strategic plan’s vision with on-the-ground pedagogical interactions. Thus, through improved faculty competence and confidence, this change plan aims to improve faculty’s sense of being supported in their endeavor to improve academic outcomes for students struggling with mental health problems

Analysis of solutions dedicated to non-conformity prevention

Research financed from the NCN research project no. UMO-2012/05 / B / HS4 / 04139.Purpose: The purpose of the work is to analyze the use of solutions aimed at preventing incompatibilities and assess the effectiveness of these solutions to minimize the risk associated with the quality of manufactured products. The analysis presented in the work is based on the Poka-Yoke error prevention concept used in the selected enterprise. The paper presents the state of the company before and after the introduction of Poka-Yoke method. Approach/Methodology/Design: The research methods used in the paper were the analysis of company data, analysis of literature states, as well as methods using the Poka-Yoke concept. The company was surveyed in 2017/2018 during the system implementation. Findings: The results on the control card for nonconforming units of type "p" were also presented, where the analysis showed that the introduction of the Poka-Yoke system to the company reduced the number of nonconformities by 6.69%. Practical Implications: Implementation of the Poka-Yoke system will allow enterprises to create conditions in which an error cannot happen, or will be immediately visible. The result of such an action may be distracting operators from repetitive operations, reducing the number of deficiencies and induce immediate action when a problem occurs. Originality/Value: Showing how the use of the Poka-Yoke system affects the prevention of inadvertent error in enterprises, by determining the differences between the state of the enterprise before and after the introduction of the Poka-Yoke system, there is an opportunity to improve the economy and contribute to the social and economic sphere.peer-reviewe

Supervisory control and data acquisition system as a means of safety at work formation in a manufacturing company

Purpose: The aim of the paper is to present an application of the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system (SCADA) in the shaping of occupational safety by raising workers’ awareness concerning importance of maintaining high personal safety standards in a manufacturing company. Approach/Methodology/Design: Shaping work safety covers all activities that increase employee awareness concerning compliance with safety regulations and work practices with particular respect to the rules of conduct in specific situations. This article presents the use of the SCADA system in shaping of the workplace safety. It also underlines its influence on raising employee awareness of the importance of complying with health and safety regulations. Findings: It can be stated that the safety days screen meets the company’s expectations. Moreover, it can be a valuable support in shaping workplace safety and raising employee awareness of safe work. The crucial thing is to carry out a detailed analysis and then choose such a solution that is adequate for the needs of a particular enterprise. Practical Implications: It is noted that the use of any solution that optimizes processes in the enterprise (including manufacturing processes) and the opportunities that IT tools provide, greatly contributes to the growth of safety. Providing safe working conditions by employers is usually closely linked to the organization's management strategy. Originality/Value: Currently we can observe the growing use of distributed control and visualization systems (SCADA systems) in the automation of industrial processes.peer-reviewe

Analysis of risk factors in an indirect distribution channel

Purpose: The article aims to present an analysis of risk factors in an indirect distribution channel. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research methodology used are indicators that enable the analysis of risk factors in the distribution channel. The results obtained by the FMEA method enabled the use of the preventive mechanisms method in the enterprise. The purpose of using the FMEA method is to characterize the most dangerous risk factors in the surveyed entities, which will be most felt by the organization in enterprises. Findings: Numerous risk factors can arise in a network of indirect distribution channels. The applied FMEA method identified which risk factors are the most dangerous for the organization regarding probability, detectability, and significance of the risk factor. The results obtained from the FMEA method made it possible to develop preventive mechanisms for the examined company and thus reduce the possibility of risk factors. Practical Implications: Over time, new risk factors may appear, so you should constantly monitor and analyze disturbances using the FMEA method that allows you to manage risk factors. Enterprises that are part of an indirect distribution channel should develop preventive mechanisms to ensure an efficiently functioning organization. Originality/value: The studies showed that the magnitude of the effect and the probability of risk factors depend on the first activity performed in the distribution network up to the last link of the supply chain. It is also influenced by the continuity of the consequences of a given occurrence of a risk factor. The obtained data is the basis for risk management for distribution entities.peer-reviewe

Looking for perspectives! EU energy policy in context

Transitioning to less carbon-intensive energy systems involves making difficult choices and priorities. This chapter imagines three individuals who are affected in different ways by EU energy policy. Their fictional stories illustrate that energy policies are embedded in social, historical and cultural practices and need to take a broader perspective than either technological fixes or a narrowly defined goal of low or zero carbon emissions to be fair and effective. We argue that this is often not reflected in the EU\u27s energy policy frameworks, and use the Energy Roadmap 2050 to demonstrate our point. Contrary to the impression given by the roadmap, a narrow technocratic empirical basis for a policy is not enough to define and solve an energy problem. Energy issues are societal problems and need to be addressed as such

siRNAs: Potential therapeutic agents against Hepatitis C Virus

Hepatitis C virus is a major cause of chronic liver diseases which can lead to permanent liver damage, hepatocellular carcinoma and death. The presently available treatment with interferon plus ribavirin, has limited benefits due to adverse side effects such as anemia, depression and "flu-like" symptoms. Needless to mention, the effectiveness of interferon therapy is predominantly, if not exclusively, limited to virus type 3a and 3b whereas in Europe and North America the majority of viral type is 1a and 2a. Due to the limited efficiency of current therapy, RNA interference (RNAi) a novel regulatory and powerful silencing approach for molecular therapeutics through a sequence-specific RNA degradation process represents an alternative option. Several reports have indicated the efficiency and specificity of synthetic and vector based siRNAs inhibiting HCV replication. In the present review, we focused that combination of siRNAs against virus and host genes will be a better option to treat HC

Plasmid pP62BP1 isolated from an Arctic Psychrobacter sp. strain carries two highly homologous type II restriction-modification systems and a putative organic sulfate metabolism operon

The complete nucleotide sequence of plasmid pP62BP1 (34,467 bp), isolated from Arctic Psychrobacter sp. DAB_AL62B, was determined and annotated. The conserved plasmid backbone is composed of several genetic modules, including a replication system (REP) with similarities to the REP region of the iteron-containing plasmid pPS10 of Pseudomonas syringae. The additional genetic load of pP62BP1 includes two highly related type II restriction-modification systems and a set of genes (slfRCHSL) encoding enzymes engaged in the metabolism of organic sulfates, plus a putative transcriptional regulator (SlfR) of the AraC family. The pP62BP1 slflocus has a compact and unique structure. It is predicted that the enzymes SlfC, SlfH, SlfS and SlfL carry out a chain of reactions leading to the transformation of alkyl sulfates into acyl-CoA, with dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as a possible starting substrate. Comparative analysis of the nucleotide sequences of pP62BP1 and other Psychrobacter spp. plasmids revealed their structural diversity. However, the presence of a few highly conserved DNA segments in pP62BP1, plasmid 1 of P. cryohalolentis K5 and pRWF-101 of Psychrobacter sp. PRwf-1 is indicative of recombinational shuffling of genetic information, and is evidence of lateral gene transfer in the Arctic environment