Hack the curriculum: hug the city

Apparently the smallest city in the UK – Lincoln – effectively started to be a university city in 1996. The usual “town and gown” division soon became apparent. Spatial and cultural separation between the academic and ‘non-academic’ residents became reality which many were ready to accept. Not all, however. The new “student as producer” ethos has opened new doors and new perspectives on ways in which the city and the university could cohabit. The cooperation between tutors and a 3rd year student of the architectural course gives an example of how a practical hands on project could not only turn into an exciting research project but become a real catalyst moment in transforming the city on a cultural and social level. This project has so far been strongly related to the idea of hackspace – which as a phenomenon often takes the form of physical space serving as a social hub that allows tool sharing and interaction between people representing different interests and skills. ‘Hack-culture’ and hackspaces became an opportunity for creating practical social hubs to promote ideas of social cooperation, democratisation of technology and empowerment. Lincoln Hackspace project started as a student project but thanks to the student as producer culture it has turned into a socially relevant initiative which created a much needed active bridge between the university and the town and has a great real chance to create a qualitative change in the life of Lincoln. This project could become an intriguing example of how cooperation between students and tutors could not only open an opportunity to ‘hack’ the curriculum turning it into a socially relevant student-led project, but even more importantly, it is a chance for the university to finally hug the city

School-Based Telemedicine Interventions for Asthma: A Systematic Review.

BackgroundSchool health systems are increasingly investing in telemedicine platforms to address acute and chronic illnesses. Asthma, the most common chronic illness in childhood, is of particular interest given its high burden on school absenteeism.ObjectiveConduct a systematic review evaluating impact of school-based telemedicine programs on improving asthma-related outcomes.Data sourcesPubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL, CINAHL, ERIC, PsycINFO, Embase, and Google Scholar.Study eligibility criteriaOriginal research, including quasi-experimental studies, without restriction on the type of telemedicine.ParticipantsSchool-aged pediatric patients with asthma and their families.InterventionsSchool-based telemedicine.Study appraisal and synthesis methodsTwo authors independently screened each abstract, conducted full-text review, assessed study quality, and extracted information. A third author resolved disagreements.ResultsOf 371 articles identified, 7 were included for the review. Outcomes of interest were asthma symptom-free days, asthma symptom frequency, quality of life, health care utilization, school absences, and spirometry. Four of 7 studies reported significant increases in symptom-free days and/or decrease in symptom frequency. Five of 6 reported increases in at least one quality-of-life metric, 2 of 7 reported a decrease in at least 1 health care utilization metric, 1 of 3 showed reductions in school absences, and 1 of 2 reported improvements in spirometry measures.LimitationsVariability in intervention designs and outcome measures make comparisons and quantitative analyses across studies difficult. Only 2 of 7 studies were randomized controlled trials.Conclusions and implications of key findingsHigh-quality evidence supporting the use of school-based telemedicine programs to improve patient outcomes is limited. While available evidence suggests benefit, only 2 comparative trials were identified, and the contribution of telemedicine to these studies' results is unclear

The Current State of the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Workforce and Innovations to Improve Pediatric Care

Many hospitals and emergency departments lack resources to optimally care for ill and injured children, perpetuating risks of receiving fragmented and “uneven” care. In this article, we describe the present state of our pediatric emergency medicine workforce as well as the impact that different innovations could have on the future of pediatric emergency care. Many innovative initiatives, including physician and advanced practice provider education and training, pediatric readiness recognition programs, telemedicine and in-situ simulation outreach, and community paramedicine are being utilized to help bridge access gaps and augment the reach of the pediatric emergency medicine workforce. Advocacy for reimbursement for novel care delivery models, such as community paramedicine and telemedicine, and funding for outreach education programming is essential. Also, better understanding of our current training models for and utilization of advanced practice practitioners in pediatric emergency medicine is crucial to understanding the diversity of workforce growth and opportunity

Genetic control of photoprotection and photosystem II operating efficiency in plants

• Photoprotection against excess light via nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) is indispensable for plant survival. However, slow NPQ relaxation under low light conditions can decrease yield of field-grown crops up to 40%. • Using semi-high-throughput assay, we quantified the kinetics of NPQ and photosystem II operating efficiency (ΦPSII) in a replicated field trial of more than 700 maize (Zea mays) genotypes across 2 yr. Parametrized kinetics data were used to conduct genome-wide association studies. • For six candidate genes involved in NPQ and ΦPSII kinetics in maize the loss of function alleles of orthologous genes in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) were characterized: two thioredoxin genes, and genes encoding a transporter in the chloroplast envelope, an initiator of chloroplast movement, a putative regulator of cell elongation and stomatal patterning, and a protein involved in plant energy homeostasis. • Since maize and Arabidopsis are distantly related, we propose that genes involved in photoprotection and PSII function are conserved across vascular plants. The genes and naturally occurring functional alleles identified here considerably expand the toolbox to achieving a sustainable increase in crop productivity

Time and Out-of-Pocket Costs Associated with Respiratory Syncytial Virus Hospitalization of Infants

AbstractObjectiveThe objective of this study was to quantify time spent plus out-of-pocket costs associated with confirmed respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) hospitalization of infants not prophylaxed against RSV.MethodsA prospective survey was carried out at multiple tertiary care hospitals in the United States.PatientsThe patients consisted of a consecutive sample of infants <12 months, born between 33 and 35 weeks of gestation. One site also enrolled full-term infants hospitalized with confirmed RSV. Daily patient census identified eligible patients. Consenting caregivers of eligible subjects (n=84, 1 refusal) were interviewed on discharge day and by telephone ∼30 days following discharge regarding time and out-of-pocket costs due to RSV.ResultsTotal average out of pocket expenses were $643.69 (range$21–$16,867; SD$2,403) for premature and $214.42 (range$6–$827; SD$218) (P=.0158) for full-term subjects. Total average economic burden per admission was $4517.07 for premature and$2135.30 for full-term infants, including the value of lost productivity but excluding inpatient hospital and physician bills and lost income. Premature infants (n=48) had longer hospital stays (mean 6.9 days; SD 7.5 vs. 3.4 days; SD 2.6 days) (P=.001) with an associated mean total time spent by up to 5 adults of 281.7 hours (range 25–2819.7 hours; SD 465.8 hours) versus a mean of 139.7 hours (range 31.8–561.3 hours; SD 118.1 hours) for term infants (P=.109). Time and out-of-pocket costs continued after discharge.ConclusionsRSV hospitalization of infants is associated with substantial, previously unmeasured time and monetary losses. These losses continued following discharge. The economic burden on families and society appears heavier for infants born at 33 to 35 weeks of gestation than for full-term infants

Characterization of MOS Sensors for R-32 and R-454B Leaks

Owing to concerns about climate change, many jurisdictions are phasing out high global warming potential refrigerants in HVAC&R systems. Their near-term replacements are class A2L (mildly-flammable) refrigerants. Area monitoring detectors will be required for most future residential, commercial, and industrial HVAC systems that use these refrigerants. UL Standard 60335-2-40 requires these detectors to have a set-point of 25% of the lower flammability limit (LFL) and to detect the set-point within 10 s when exposed to a gas mixture at the LFL. Inexpensive detectors that meet these requirements do not exist, which has delayed the adoption of A2L refrigerants. A technology with good potential is based on metal-oxide semiconductors (MOS). MOS detectors are tested here, considering their response to leaks of R-32 and R-454B. They are characterized here for their sensitivity, response time, false alarms from contaminants, and poisoning. The sensors have good sensitivity with a steady-state output that is linear with respect to the logarithm of concentration. The sensors fail narrowly to meet the 10 s response time requirement for both R-32 and R-454B. The sensors do not alarm when exposed to the contaminants in the standard. However, several of the contaminants do poison the sensors, at least temporarily