Students Empowering Students Through Peer Mentorship: An Untapped Resource

Peer mentoring (PM) builds connections and promotes academic excellence by supporting students transitioning into higher education (Carragher & McGaughey, 2016). PM programs in nursing has also been reported to nurture nursing students’ professional identities (Lombardo, Wong, Sanzone, Filion, & Tsimicalis, 2017). Nursing students help their peers understand, critique, and resolve professional identity questions that arise throughout their undergraduate preparation (Price, 2009)..While a current PM committee within a Faculty of Nursing has successfully engaged the student body, it remains to be an untapped resource.  Students with similar experiences can offer support regarding academics and provide important insight regarding the demands of the profession.An opportunity exists for peer mentors, mentees, and faculty members to become co-inquirers in exploring the nature of nursing and influence teaching and learning experiences in higher education. With students as drivers, PM has the potential to create a self-sustaining environment where strengthened and genuine student-teacher connections are privileged

Session D, 2016 First Place: Mighty Moss: The water-holding capacity, heat retention, and debris content of local moss genera in relation to its use as a traditional diaper material

In the Adirondack region, mosses were one of many plants gathered and utilized by indigenous peoples. However, there is a limited amount of literature available that connects traditional moss usage with Western scientific methodology. Sphagnum moss was a popular resource among communities and was utilized for food preservation, cradles, insulation, furniture stuffing, and infant diapers (Harris, 2008). An effective moss diaper would be insulating, absorbent, and easy to prepare. This study attempted to verify indigenous knowledge by assessing heat retention, water holding capacity, and debris contained in four local moss genera: Sphagnum (peat moss), Polytrichum (haircap moss), Dicranum (carpet moss) and Leucobryum (pincushion moss). Processed Gossypium (cotton) was used as a control for heat retention and water-holding capacity experiments. These attributes were assessed to determine which moss was most likely used as an effective diaper material by native peoples in the region

Feasibility and Preliminary Outcomes of a Standardized Exercise Program in Adults with Down Syndrome: A Pilot Study

Purpose/ Hypothesis: Youth with Down Syndrome (DS) have limited participation in physical activity. When compared to their typically developing peers, adults with DS display decreased functional mobility and strength. Exercise has shown to improve the physical fitness, overall health, and quality of life in people with DS. The Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT® BIG) is an effective treatment approach designed for patients with Parkinson’s disease. The core components of LSVT® BIG include large amplitude movements, sensory calibration, high intensity, and maximum effort while performing the daily exercises. Due to hypotonicity associated with DS, these individuals typically display kyphotic posture, shortened step length and overall lower amplitude movements. The LSVT® BIG protocol has the potential to improve muscle tone and overall fitness in adults with DS similar to the improvements seen in the Parkinson’s disease population, but the effects have yet to be studied. The purpose of this pilot study was to test the feasibility of implementing a 4 week standardized group exercise program in adults with DS, and assess whether subjects improved after this protocol. Number of Subjects: A convenience sample of 8 adults with DS were recruited from a residential facility. Materials/Methods: This exploratory, feasibility pilot study employed a pretest-posttest design. Outcome measures were assessed at baseline and at one week post intervention. The independent variable for this study was the LSVT® BIG standardized exercise protocol. Outcome measures included: the Modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction on Balance (mCTSIB) and timed single leg stance (SLS) for balance, the 10 meter walk test (10MWT) for gait speed, the 30 second sit-to-stand test for lower extremity functional strength, and the timed-up-and-go (TUG) for overall functional mobility. Each participant completed the established LSVT® BIG protocol in a group exercise format, totaling 16 sessions. Results: LSVT® BIG certified instructors were able to lead the group exercises for all 8 adults with DS with no adverse effects. Attendance varied between 10 to 16 sessions, with an average participation rate of 13.75 days (SD = 2.17). Standard LSVT® BIG modifications were easy to implement when needed. There was a statistically significant increase in self-selected gait speed (median self-selected gait speed post-test score, Mdn = 1.01, vs. median pre-test score, Mdn = 0.78, z = 35, p = 0.02). There were no other significant changes in functional strength, balance or fast gait speed, however the median scores improved for all dependent variables except for one of the mCTSIB scores and 30 second sit-to-stand test. Conclusions: A 4 week high-amplitude standardized exercise program can improve self-selected gait speed in adults with DS, but may not have a statistically significant effect on their balance or functional strength. Clinical Relevance: The LSVT® BIG standardized exercise protocol can be used for adults with DS in a group exercise setting and may also improve the gait speed for this population

Interrater Reliability of the Pediatric Neuromuscular Recovery Scale in Children with Spina Bifida

Purpose: There is a paucity of outcome measures to assess the quality of functional mobility in children with spina bifida1. The Pediatric Neuromuscular Recovery Scale (Peds NRS) is a valid and reliable outcome measure that was developed to assess the motor capacity of children with spinal cord injury2-6. The purpose of this study was to examine the interrater reliability of the Pediatric Neuromuscular Recovery Scale (Peds NRS) to classify motor capacity in children with myelomeningocele (MMC) form of spina bifida. Subjects: Twenty-one children with MMC (1.4- 10 years of age; mean age of 5.3 years) were recruited from clinics and support groups within a 250-mile radius of Austin, TX. Four clinicians, two physical therapists (PTs) and two occupational therapists (OTs) served as the raters for the study. Raters had an average of 14 years of clinical practice and 11 years of pediatric practice. Methods: Each child with MMC was scored on the Peds NRS three times: two live testing sessions and one video recorded session. Every child was scored by two PTs and one OT. Interrater reliability was analyzed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for individual items and the summary score. Results: The Peds NRS summary score demonstrated good reliability (ICC = 0.89; 95% CI, .80-.95). For the sixteen individual items, reliability was excellent for items forward reach and grasp (right and left), static stand, and walking (ICC= .919-.969), good for supine to sit, sit inside base of support, sit outside base of support, in-hand manipulation (right), overhead reach (right and left), sit to stand, dynamic stand, and step retraining (ICC= .765-.890) and moderate for in-hand manipulation (left), stand adaptability, step adaptability (.511-.745). None of the items had poor reliability. The summary score had consistent reliability across age categories and groups defined by modified Hoffer level. There was no difference in the summary scores among all raters at F(2,60)= .220, p=.804. Conclusions: Pediatric clinicians were able to reliably administer and score the Peds NRS on children with MMC, representing a wide range of ages and functional levels. Clinical Relevance: This is the first investigation of the use of the Peds NRS in children with MMC. This study adds to the literature regarding the psychometric properties of the Peds NRS and supports the use of this outcome measure as an instrument to assess motor capacity in children with MMC

Real-time imaging of activation and degradation of carbon supported octahedral Pt–Ni alloy fuel cell catalysts at the nanoscale using in situ electrochemical liquid cell STEM

Octahedrally shaped Pt–Ni alloy nanoparticles on carbon supports have demonstrated unprecedented electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), sparking interest as catalysts for low-temperature fuel cell cathodes. However, deterioration of the octahedral shape that gives the catalyst its superior activity currently prohibits the use of shaped catalysts in fuel cell devices, while the structural dynamics of the overall catalyst degradation are largely unknown. We investigate the time-resolved degradation pathways of such a Pt–Ni alloy catalyst supported on carbon during cycling and startup/shutdown conditions using an in situ STEM electrochemical liquid cell, which allows us to track changes happening over seconds. Thereby we can precisely correlate the applied electrochemical potential with the microstructural response of the catalyst. We observe changes of the nanocatalysts’ structure, monitor particle motion and coalescence at potentials that corrode carbon, and investigate the dissolution and redeposition processes of the nanocatalyst under working conditions. Carbon support motion, particle motion, and particle coalescence were observed as the main microstructural responses to potential cycling and holds in regimes where carbon corrosion happens. Catalyst motion happened more severely during high potential holds and sudden potential changes than during cyclic potential sweeps, despite carbon corrosion happening during both, as suggested by ex situ DEMS results. During an extremely high potential excursion, the shaped nanoparticles became mobile on the carbon support and agglomerated facet-to-facet within 10 seconds. These experiments suggest that startup/shutdown potential treatments may cause catalyst coarsening on a much shorter time scale than full collapse of the carbon support. Additionally, the varying degrees of attachment of particles on the carbon support indicates that there is a distribution of interaction strengths, which in the future should be optimized for shaped particles. We further track the dissolution of Ni nanoparticles and determine the dissolution rate as a function of time for an individual nanoparticle – which occurs over the course of a few potential cycles for each particle. This study provides new visual understanding of the fundamental structural dynamics of nanocatalysts during fuel cell operation and highlights the need for better catalyst-support anchoring and morphology for allowing these highly active shaped catalysts to become useful in PEM fuel cell applications.TU Berlin, Open-Access-Mittel - 201

The Effect of Wildfire on Soil Mercury Concentrations in Southern California Watersheds

Mercury (Hg) stored in vegetation and soils is known to be released to the atmosphere during wildfires, increasing atmospheric stores and altering terrestrial budgets. Increased erosion and transport of sediments is well-documented in burned watersheds, both immediately post-fire and as the watershed recovers; however, understanding post-fire mobilization of soil Hg within burned watersheds remains elusive. The goal of the current study is to better understand the impact of wildfire on soil-bound Hg during the immediate post-fire period as well as during recovery, in order to assess the potential for sediment-driven transport to and within surface waters in burned watersheds. Soils were collected from three southern California watersheds of similar vegetation and soil characteristics that experienced wildfire. Sampling in one of these watersheds was extended for several seasons (1.5 years) in order to investigate temporal changes in soil Hg concentrations. Laboratory analysis included bulk soil total Hg concentrations and total organic carbon of burned and unburned samples. Soils were also fractionated into a subset of grain sizes with analysis of Hg on each fraction. Low Hg concentrations were observed in surface soils immediately post-fire. Accumulation of Hg coincident with moderate vegetative recovery was observed in the burned surface soils 1 year following the fire, and mobilization was also noted during the second winter (rainy) season. Hg concentrations were highest in the fine-grained fraction of unburned soils; however, in the burned soils, the distribution of soil-bound Hg was less influenced by grain size. The accelerated accumulation of Hg observed in the burned soils, along with the elevated risk of erosion, could result in increased delivery of organic- or particulate-bound Hg to surface waters in post-fire systems

Is Vision Essential to Physical Therapist Practice? Perceptions of Interested Parties in DPT Education

Introduction: The perceptions of students, faculty, staff, and clinicians regarding blindness or visual impairment (BVI) and physical therapist practice were explored before, during, and after interactions with a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) student with BVI. Review of Literature: Information is sparse about the prevalence of students with disabilities in DPT programs in the United States. Medical school programs that welcome students with disabilities report positive interactions with faculty and student peers. Subjects: 36 (20 students, 11 faculty, 2 staff, and 3 clinical instructors) Methods: A recent DPT graduate (pseudonym JM) with BVI classified as “near total blindness”, is now a licensed, full-time employee at an outpatient orthopedic clinic. We surveyed students, faculty, staff, and clinicians who interacted with JM as a DPT student, asking for perceptions about the education, clinical skills, and employment potential of a DPT student with BVI. Results: An increase toward more favorable perceptions of individuals with BVI was exhibited for all 10 of the Likert scale questions, X2(2)=38.00 to 59.42, p\u3c 0.001. Post hoc analysis demonstrated an increase between perceptions before and during interactions with JM for all questions, Z=-4.02 to -4.95, p\u3c 0.001. Six of 10 questions exhibited an increase between perceptions during and after interacting with JM, Z=-2.53 to -3.50 p≤ 0.011. Qualitative analysis revealed three themes: accommodations, personal qualities, and setting with an overarching theme of an approbative shift in perceptions. Discussion and Conclusion: The shift in perceptions about vision as essential for physical therapist practice is important and suggests that “essential functions” should be considered within the context of the individual’s characteristics and lived experiences. Reevaluation of DPT program applicant qualifications regarding vision may be warranted. Further, for clinical instructors, the benefits may outweigh the challenges of mentoring a student with accommodations for BVI

A mixed-methods feasibility study of a comorbidity-adapted exercise program for low back pain in older adults (COMEBACK):a protocol

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of low back pain increases with age and has a profound impact on physical and psychosocial health. With increasing age comes increasing comorbidity, and this also has pronounced health consequences. Whilst exercise is beneficial for a range of health conditions, trials of exercise for low back pain management often exclude older adults. It is currently unknown whether an exercise program for older adults with low back pain, tailored for the presence of comorbidities, is acceptable for participants and primary healthcare providers (PHCPs). Therefore, this mixed-methods study will assess the feasibility of an 8-week comorbidity-adapted exercise program for older people with low back pain and comorbid conditions. METHODS: The 3-phased feasibility study will be performed in a primary healthcare setting. PHCPs will be trained to deliver a comorbidity-adapted exercise program for older people with low back pain and comorbidities. Healthcare-seeking adults > 65 will be screened for eligibility over telephone, with a recruitment target of 24 participants. Eligible participants will attend an initial appointment (diagnostic phase). During this initial appointment, a research assistant will collect patient demographics, self-reported outcome measurement data, and perform a physical and functional examination to determine contraindications and restrictions to an exercise program. During the development phase, PHCPs will adapt the exercise program to the individual and provide patient education. During the intervention phase, there will be two supervised exercise sessions per week, over 8 weeks (total of 16 exercise sessions). Each exercise session will be approximately 60 min in duration. A qualitative evaluation after the last exercise program session will explore the feasibility of the exercise program for participants and PHCPs. Progression criteria will determine the suitability for a fully powered randomised controlled trial. DISCUSSION: This mixed-methods feasibility study will assess an exercise program for older adults with low back pain and comorbidities. Once assessed for feasibility, the exercise program may be tested for effectiveness in a larger, fully powered randomised controlled trial. This information will add to the sparse evidence base on appropriate options for managing back pain in older adults. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry registration number: ACTRN12621000379819p (06/04/2021; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?ACTRN=12621000379819p). TRIAL SPONSOR: Macquarie University, Department of Chiropractic, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40814-022-01097-x

Residues contributing to drug transport by ABCG2 are localised to multiple drug-binding pockets

Multidrug binding and transport by the ATP binding cassette transporter ABCG2 is a factor in the clinical resistance to chemotherapy in leukaemia, and a contributory factor to the pharmacokinetic profiles of many other prescribed drugs. Despite its importance, the structural basis of multidrug transport, i.e. the ability to transport multiple distinct chemicals, has remained elusive. Previous research has shown that at least two residues positioned towards the cytoplasmic end of transmembrane helix 3 (TM3) of the transporter play a role in drug transport. We hypothesised that other residues, either in the longitudinal span of TM3, or a perpendicular slice through the intracellular end of other TM helices would also contribute to drug binding and transport by ABCG2. Single point mutant isoforms of ABCG2 were made at approximately 30 positions and were analysed for effects on protein expression, localisation (western blotting, confocal microscopy) and function (flow cytometry) in a mammalian stable cell line expression system. Our data were interpreted in terms of recent structural data on the ABCG protein subfamily and enabled us to propose a surface binding site for the drug mitoxantrone as well as a second, buried site for the same drug. Further mutational analysis of residues that spatially separate these two sites prompt us to suggest a molecular and structural pathway for mitoxantrone binding by ABCG2