Use of shuttle for life sciences

The use of the space shuttle in carrying out biological and medical research programs, with emphasis on the sortie module, is examined. Detailed descriptions are given of the goals of space life science disciplines, how the sortie can meet these goals, and what shuttle design features are necessary for a viable biological and medical experiment program. Conclusions show that the space shuttle sortie module is capable of accommodating all biological experiments contemplated at this time except for those involving large specimens or large populations of small animals; however, these experiments can be done with a specially designed module. It was also found that at least two weeks is required to do a meaningful survey of biological effects

Innovative Access to Integrative Health Education for Advanced Practice Nurse: A Pilot Project

Background: As the public continues to embrace complementary and integrative approaches to health there is a pressing need for nurse practitioners to increase their knowledge of these modalities, building on the foundation of nursing’s historical philosophy of holism. Purpose: The purpose of this pilot project is to explore the effectiveness of a learning module in increasing knowledge of integrative modalities for nurse practitioners. The resource was made accessible on a social media site or by Quick Response (QR) code to a smart phone. An interactive learning platform (www.npqrlearn.org) provided access the evidence-based module titled Introduction to Holistic Nursing and Integrative Health. The content for the module was compiled from resources that are evidence-based, authored by experts. A pre-test/post-test design was used to determine the effectiveness of the module. This pilot project also uses a descriptive survey to explore nurse practitioners’ perceptions of the value of the modular resource in increasing knowledge of integrative care modalities, and the potential for additional modules. These results will inform the intent to develop the resource for future utilization by nurse practitioners and nurse practitioner students. Results: Six responses were received from the learning management system meeting the inclusion criteria, indicating the pre-test, module, post-test, and survey had been completed. A comparison of the pre-test/post-test data demonstrated improved scores on all items, showing statistical significance. Due to small sample size (n=6), the results would not be able to be generalized and further evaluation is needed to determine if the module increases nurse practitioner knowledge. Discussion: Findings suggest that education in integrative health modalities may increase nurse practitioner knowledge related to safe, credible patient care

A Systematic Review of Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Interventions Effects on Mental Health

Abstract Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health problem. It is estimated that three out of ten women will experience IPV. IVP is associated with a variety of negative mental health outcomes, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD), depression, and substance abuse. What is not known is the depth and extent of IPV interventions and if these will improve the detrimental effects of this type of violence on mental health. Aims: This purpose of this systematic review is to examine whether interventions for intimate partner violence actually improve mental health outcomes. Methods: Three databases were searched for intervention studies (experimental studies or meta-analyses of experiments): PubMed, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and PsychInfo. The key words used in the search were “interventions” and “intimate partner violence”. The search parameters were research articles in English, human, adult, women, and published in the past 10 years (2003-2013). From a total of 301 articles found, 62 articles were chosen for closer screening. This closer screening led to a further reduction to 20 full text articles chosen to investigate further for eligibility. Two researchers reviewed these articles and extracted data about mental health outcomes. Results: Findings show that the scope of the review further narrows the results to 7 articles which examine interventions related to mental health outcomes targeting adult women. This review demonstrates: 1) interventions for intimate partner violence have indicated potential for significant improvements for depressive symptoms, and 2) there is insufficient evidence to drawl conclusive data about the effects of intimate partner violence interventions on other mental health outcomes. Implications: Existing interventions for intimate partner violence used by clinicians appear to be beneficial in improving depressive symptoms. There is a need for further research concerning potential interventions for intimate partner violence, especially those which measure mental health outcomes.No embargoAcademic Major: Nursin

Design and Analysis of a Single Stage, Traveling Wave, Thermoacoustic Engine for Bi-Directional Turbine Generator Integration

The demand for clean, sustainable, and cost-effective energy continues to increase due to global population growth and corresponding use of consumer products. Thermoacoustic technology potentially offers a sustainable and reliable solution to help address the continuing demand for electric power. A thermoacoustic device, operating on the principle of standing or traveling acoustic waves, can be designed as a heat pump or a prime mover system. The provision of heat to a thermoacoustic prime mover results in the generation of an acoustic wave that can be converted into electrical power. Thermoacoustic devices offer highly reliable and transportable power generation with low environmental impact using a variety of fuel sources. Heating and cooling sources are necessary to create the required thermal gradient. This technical strategy is environmentally friendly as it utilizes noble gases, or air, as the working fluid and does not directly produce harmful emissions. Due to the inherent simplicity and limitation of moving components, thermoacoustic devices require little maintenance and have a forecasted long operational lifespan. This research study will present the design considerations necessary to construct a traveling wave thermoacoustic heat engine. The modeling, analysis, fabrication, and testing with integrated sensors will be discussed to offer insight into the capabilities and subtleties. Performance testing and system analysis have been completed for a variety of heat input profiles. For a 300 W heat source, the thermoacoustic engine generates a 54 Hz acoustic wave with a thermal efficiency of 7.8%. The acoustic power output of the thermoacoustic engine may be increased by 81.5% through improved heat exchanger design. Potential future research efforts to improve system performance are also presented

Alien Registration- Mcgaughy, Fred (Presque Isle, Aroostook County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/33870/thumbnail.jp

The REAL School Garden Experience: Building Sustainable School Gardens through Sustainable Communities

May the end of this journey open the door to new opportunities; I would like to express my deepest gratitude for the members of my advisory committee, Dr. Jonathan Ulmer, Dr. Jennifer Williams, Dr. Landry Lockett, and Dr. Scott Burris. I can only imagine the extra time and commitment it takes to work with distance students. Dr. Ulmer, I hope I will be remembered as your first distance headache! It was a learning process for both of us, but I would not have it any other way. You are a great mentor and excellent tour guide. Dr. Burris, I cannot tell you what a difference your statistics class did for my understanding and comprehension of statistics! I was so lost before your class, thank you a million times over for giving me the opportunity to learn through your leadership. Dr. Williams, thank you for the honest feedback and for taking a leadership role when my committee fell apart. Dr. Lockett, I truly appreciate your positive outlook on everything and willingness to step in when needed. On more than one occasion you have made my day with a simple phone call or response to an e-mail. We had to overcome numerous obstacles to finalize this body of work, but please know I will never forget the support all of you have shown me. I would also like to thank Dr. Judy Warren, Dr. Laura Sanagorski, and Dr. Amber Dankert for taking time out of their busy day to look over tables and help in the editing process. I appreciate your friendship and willingness to help me see this through. A special thanks also to the staff of REAL School Gardens for supporting my work and being willing to offer insight on school gardening

Mitigating Burnout in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Burnout is defined as a “prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors on the job leading to a combination of physical and emotional exhaustion” (Lachman, 2016). The effects of burnout syndrome among nurses are well documented in the literature. Burnout is associated with an increased incidence of a variety of physical and psychological symptoms, including weight loss or gain, lethargy, headaches, sleep issues, anxiety, depression, and difficulty concentrating (Lachman, 2016). As a result of these symptoms, nurses experiencing burnout are more prone to provide poorer quality care to patients and are at heightened risk of commission of errors in practice. In 2016, the Critical Care Societies Collaborative published a call to action for members of the healthcare community regarding burnout and compassion fatigue (Moss, Good, Gozal, Kleinpell, & Sessler, 2016). In this statement, they revealed that at least 25 to 33% of nurses working in critical care display symptoms associated with burnout. This statistic is alarming and certainly calls for intervention. Nurses working in oncology, pediatrics, and critical care settings are at the highest risk for experiencing burnout due to high acuity, the great burden of need from patients in these areas, uncertainty of patient outcomes, and the impact of repeatedly bearing witness to suffering (Rushton, Batcheller, Schroeder, & Donohue, 2015). The literature supports that mindfulness-based stress reduction practices are effective methods of health promotion and reduction of stress and burnout among nurses. Those practicing mindfulness have reported improved ability to concentrate, increased attention, higher self-reported resilience, and overall improved wellbeing (Noble, Reid, Walsh, Ellison, & McVeigh, 2019). Furthermore, a study by Bong (2019) detailed the implementation of a “mindfulness bundle,” which showed positive results in decreasing rates of burnout among those participating in the bundle. This alarming data makes it clear that identification, prevention, and mitigation of burnout among nurses working in pediatric critical care ought to be a high priority. In response to this, a mindfulness bundle was implemented in a small pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to determine the impact on self-reported symptoms of burnout among the nurses working in the unit. The mindfulness bundle provides pediatric critical care nurses with printed information on mindfulness, as well as resources for local counseling services, encouragement cards, and lavender sachets to promote a sense of calm. The results of the post-implementation survey as compared to the pre-implementation survey supports the use of a mindfulness bundle to mitigate burnout among PICU nurses

Cholinergic optimization of cue-evoked parietal activity during challenged attentional performance

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/71600/1/j.1460-9568.2009.06713.x.pd

Algal Remediation of Wastewater Produced from Hydrothermally Treated Septage

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a promising technology to convert wet wastes like septic tank wastes, or septage, to valuable platform chemical, fuels, and materials. However, the byproduct of HTC, process liquid, often contains large amount of nitrogen species (up to 2 g/L of nitrogen), phosphorus, and a variety of organic carbon containing compounds. Therefore, the HTC process liquid is not often treated at wastewater treatment plant. In this study, HTC process liquid was treated with algae as an alternative to commercial wastewater treatment. The HTC process liquid was first diluted and then used to grow Chlorella sp. over a short period of time (15 days). It was found that the algae biomass concentration increased by 644 mg/L over the course of 10 days, and which subsequently removed a majority of the nutrients in the HTC process liquid. Around 600 mg/L of algal biomass was collected in the process liquid at the end of treatment (day 15). Meanwhile, chemical oxygen demand (COD), total phosphorous, total Kheldjal nitrogen, and ammonia were reduced by 70.0, 77.7, 82.2, and 99.0% by fifteen days compared to the untreated wastewater, respectively. This study demonstrates that HTC process liquid can be treated by growing algae creating a potential replacement for expensive synthetic nutrient feeds for algal production