Postpartum Depression: Development of a Screening Protocol in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Postpartum depression (PPD) affects approximately 19% of all postpartum women. Evidence indicates an increased risk for mothers of hospitalized infants, with estimates ranging from 28% to 67%. The American Academy of Pediatrics and Bright Futures recommend mothers be screened for postpartum depression at the infants’ well-child appointments. During hospitalizations, there are no well-child appointments; thus, no postpartum depression screening. This project aims to 1) improve knowledge of PPD in the staff of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and 2) investigate the staff’s interest level in implementing a PPD screening protocol. Utilizing the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework, a protocol was developed to screen postpartum mothers at 1-, 2-, 4-, and 6-month intervals. Staff of the NICU received a 30-minute educational presentation on PPD, the developed PPD screening protocol, and available resources for mothers who screen positive for PPD. The effectiveness of the education was measured using pre-and post-education Likert-style surveys. Outcomes, as measured by a self-reported Likert survey, indicated a ~74% increase in PPD knowledge and a ~64% increase in willingness to screen for PPD in the NICU. This project suggests that educating NICU staff increases knowledge and willingness to screen for PPD in the NICU. This quality improvement project adds to the growing body of literature that inpatient PPD screening is feasible and necessary

Circular, No. 3

Reports -- Bulletins -- Circulars -- Subject inde

The making of a chloroplast

Since its endosymbiotic beginning, the chloroplast has become fully integrated into the biology of the host eukaryotic cell. The exchange of genetic information from the chloroplast to the nucleus has resulted in considerable co-ordination in the activities of these two organelles during all stages of plant development. Here, we give an overview of the mechanisms of light perception and the subsequent regulation of nuclear gene expression in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, and we cover the main events that take place when proplastids differentiate into chloroplasts. We also consider recent findings regarding signalling networks between the chloroplast and the nucleus during seedling development, and how these signals are modulated by light. In addition, we discuss the mechanisms through which chloroplasts develop in different cell types, namely cotyledons and the dimorphic chloroplasts of the C4 plant maize. Finally, we discuss recent data that suggest the specific regulation of the light-dependent phases of photosynthesis, providing a means to optimize photosynthesis to varying light regimes

Linguistic Theories and Intellectual History in Michael Baxandall’s Giotto and the Orators

This essay examines some theoretical and methodological aspects of Michael Baxandall’s book Giotto and the Orators. Humanist observers of painting in Italy and the discovery of pictorial composition of 1971. It includes reflections on the book’s reorientations of the scholarly debate over the relationship between Renaissance/Early Modern humanism and painting, as well as consideration of the linguistic theories that either directly or tangentially inform Baxandall’s method. Sources such as Wittgenstein, Cassirer, Ordinary Language Philosophy, and the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis are discussed. Some of the book’s aims and methods are clarified by a comparison to Panofsky’s Gothic Architecture and Scholasticism of 1951

The Role of CDKs and CDKIs in Murine Development.

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and their inhibitors (CDKIs) play pivotal roles in the regulation of the cell cycle. As a result of these functions, it may be extrapolated that they are essential for appropriate embryonic development. The twenty known mouse CDKs and eight CDKIs have been studied to varying degrees in the developing mouse, but only a handful of CDKs and a single CDKI have been shown to be absolutely required for murine embryonic development. What has become apparent, as more studies have shone light on these family members, is that in addition to their primary functional role in regulating the cell cycle, many of these genes are also controlling specific cell fates by directing differentiation in various tissues. Here we review the extensive mouse models that have been generated to study the functions of CDKs and CDKIs, and discuss their varying roles in murine embryonic development, with a particular focus on the brain, pancreas and fertility

Interview with Michael Baxandall February 3rd, 1994, Berkeley, CA

The following interviews with Michael Baxandall were conducted in Berkeley on February 3rd and 4th of 1994. The content of these interviews include general responses about developments in art history in the years between 1960 and 1985, a period of dramatic modifications in the discipline. Among the issues are the rise of the social history of art and the sources from anthropology that informed Baxandall’s concept of the ‘Period Eye’. Baxandall talks about his own work, his personal intellectual history, and the scholars of past and current generations who influenced him. Other topics include Baxandall’s professional trajectory, the Warburg Library, and aspects of cultural history having to do with Renaissance Humanism. These interviews first appeared as an appendix to the PhD dissertation by Allan Langdale, Art History and Intellectual History: Michael Baxandall’s Work between 1963 and 1985, U. C. Santa Barbara, 1995

An ecological survey of the vegetation of the north mengo lowlands, Uganda

The vegetation of an area of 6000 sq.miles was studied in two stages: 1. a reconnaissance survey of a typical part to obtain general information on the distributions of the communities; 2. detailed investigations of a large number of small areas to obtain data on the interrelations of communities and habitats. The following procedure for mapping vegetation from aerial photographs is described in detail: 1. Stereoscopic interpretation of the aerial photographs. 2. Assembly of the detail to produce semi-controlled mosaics of air-photo patterns. 3. Planning and execution of traverses to sample the vegetation represented by each air-photo pattern. This procedure was used in the Reconnaissance Survey and maps on the scale 1: 50,000 were produced of the vegetation of 800 square miles. It was concluded that the distribution of vegetation types within the reconnaissance area is controlled by topography through its effects on soil type and drainage, and by burning and cutting. The Detailed Investigation was based on the phytosociological and ecological data of 174 sites located throughout the North Mengo Lowlands. It is shown that the distributions of the different communities found in this region are determined by one or more of the following factors: fire and the occurrence of fire breaks; soil type, nutrient status, texture, structure, and drainage; cutting and cultivation; climate; and the degree of uniformity imposed on the environment by the dominant species or the vegetation as a whole. While certain factors control the distribution of each community no one factor or group of factors is responsible for the distributions of all the communities in the North Mengo Lowlands. The distributions of soil types in catenary complexes were noted during the Reconnaissance and were later seen to extend over the whole of the North Mengo Lowlands. The other data of the Detailed Investigation also indicate that the reconnaissance area is typical of the whole region. Comparisons of the data of sites within each of the types mapped during the reconnaissance shown that some of those types are not significantly different either in respect of their communities or their habitats; and also that certain areas have been mapped incorrectly.. However, it is indicated that the 1:50,000 maps could be revised by merging areas of the overlapping types. Modifications to the procedure are suggested to attain greater accuracy

Interacting Turing-Hopf Instabilities Drive Symmetry-Breaking Transitions in a Mean-Field Model of the Cortex: A Mechanism for the Slow Oscillation

Electrical recordings of brain activity during the transition from wake to anesthetic coma show temporal and spectral alterations that are correlated with gross changes in the underlying brain state. Entry into anesthetic unconsciousness is signposted by the emergence of large, slow oscillations of electrical activity (≲1  Hz) similar to the slow waves observed in natural sleep. Here we present a two-dimensional mean-field model of the cortex in which slow spatiotemporal oscillations arise spontaneously through a Turing (spatial) symmetry-breaking bifurcation that is modulated by a Hopf (temporal) instability. In our model, populations of neurons are densely interlinked by chemical synapses, and by interneuronal gap junctions represented as an inhibitory diffusive coupling. To demonstrate cortical behavior over a wide range of distinct brain states, we explore model dynamics in the vicinity of a general-anesthetic-induced transition from “wake” to “coma.” In this region, the system is poised at a codimension-2 point where competing Turing and Hopf instabilities coexist. We model anesthesia as a moderate reduction in inhibitory diffusion, paired with an increase in inhibitory postsynaptic response, producing a coma state that is characterized by emergent low-frequency oscillations whose dynamics is chaotic in time and space. The effect of long-range axonal white-matter connectivity is probed with the inclusion of a single idealized point-to-point connection. We find that the additional excitation from the long-range connection can provoke seizurelike bursts of cortical activity when inhibitory diffusion is weak, but has little impact on an active cortex. Our proposed dynamic mechanism for the origin of anesthetic slow waves complements—and contrasts with—conventional explanations that require cyclic modulation of ion-channel conductances. We postulate that a similar bifurcation mechanism might underpin the slow waves of natural sleep and comment on the possible consequences of chaotic dynamics for memory processing and learning

Transition of Expert Clinical Nurse to Novice Nursing Professional Development Practitioner

Nursing professional development (NPD) is an evolving nursing specialty role that combines expertise in clinical nursing with ongoing education in acute care settings. A novice NPD practitioner may not understand the complexities, demands, and stressors that accompany a work role transition. This qualitative case study used thematic analysis and revealed four themes associated with the successful work role transition of an expert clinical nurse to the novice NPD practitioner. The conceptual framework guiding this study was Nicholson’s work role transitions theory. The first research question sought to determine the professional experiences of expert clinical nurses as they transition into the novice NPD practitioner role. The second question, guided by Nicholson’s theory, asked how the personality characteristics, self-discipline, and personal control factors influence a successful transition. Study participants were identified through a purposive sampling of 11 NPD practitioners in the United States with less than 3 years of experience in the NPD practitioner role. A qualitative data analysis was performed using a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software. The results of this study revealed four themes: (a) no orientation to role, (b) lack of skills, (c) self-directed in role, and (d) motivation to succeed. Key elements within each theme were identified that support future successful work role transitions from expert clinical nurse to novice NPD practitioner. Further examination and implementation of these elements would be impactful on the retention of novice NPD practitioners. The findings of this study may lead to positive social change in the healthcare industry by increasing retention and increased patient satisfaction and outcomes

Conservation of ciliary proteins in plants with no cilia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Eukaryotic cilia are complex, highly conserved microtubule-based organelles with a broad phylogenetic distribution. Cilia were present in the last eukaryotic common ancestor and many proteins involved in cilia function have been conserved through eukaryotic diversification. However, cilia have also been lost multiple times in different lineages, with at least two losses occurring within the land plants. Whereas all non-seed plants produce cilia for motility of male gametes, some gymnosperms and all angiosperms lack cilia. During these evolutionary losses, proteins with ancestral ciliary functions may be lost or co-opted into different functions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we identify a core set of proteins with an inferred ciliary function that are conserved in ciliated eukaryotic species. We interrogate this genomic dataset to identify proteins with a predicted ancestral ciliary role that have been maintained in non-ciliated land plants. In support of our prediction, we demonstrate that several of these proteins have a flagellar localisation in protozoan trypanosomes. The phylogenetic distribution of these genes within the land plants indicates evolutionary scenarios of either sub- or neo-functionalisation and expression data analysis shows that these genes are highly expressed in <it>Arabidopsis thaliana </it>pollen cells.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A large number of proteins possess a phylogenetic ciliary profile indicative of ciliary function. Remarkably, many genes with an ancestral ciliary role are maintained in non-ciliated land plants. These proteins have been co-opted to perform novel functions, most likely before the loss of cilia, some of which appear related to the formation of the male gametes.</p