Applying a Multidimensional Strategy to Mitigate Lateral Violence in a Small Rural Community Hospital in Western New York

Providing registered nurses with education and strategies to mitigate lateral violence is an evidenced-based method for creating a culture of civility. A descriptive pilot study with registered nurses was conducted on two medical/surgical units at a small rural community hospital. Strategies included a review of organizational policies, a one-day educational retreat for unit managers and registered nurse champions, and an online educational toolkit on lateral violence for the staff nurses on the pilot units

Looking Through a Glass Darkly: Reflections on Power, Leadership and the Black Female Professional

Despite a historical record of activism and leadership, African American women have largely gone unnoticed. Authors Allen and Lewis point out that this same treatment is widely evident today in all fora: the workplace, the classroom, academia, and government. Rather, intelligence, hard work, and technical competencies have either been dismissed or displaced, relegating the African American female leader to inferior status or resulting in wholly disparate and demeaning characterizations

Transverse Single-Spin Asymmetries of Midrapidity Direct Photons, Neutral Pions, and Eta Mesons in 200 GeV Polarized Proton-Proton Collisions at PHENIX

Experimental observations of strikingly large transverse single-spin asymmetries (TSSAs) opened a window into quark and gluon dynamics present in hadronic collisions, revealing large spin-momentum correlations within nucleons and in the process of forming hadrons. Though originally measured in lower energy fixed target experiments, they have been found to persist in collisions with momentum transfer well into the perturbative regime of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and yet their origin remains poorly understood. TSSA measurements have allowed for the development of both transverse momentum dependent and collinear twist-3 descriptions of nonperturbative spin-momentum correlations for both initial- and final-state effects. Results are presented for the TSSAs of direct photons, neutral pions, and eta mesons in the pseudorapidity range $|\eta|<0.35$ from $p^\uparrow+p$ collisions with $\sqrt{s} = 200$ GeV at PHENIX. As hadrons, $\pi^0$ and $\eta$ mesons are sensitive to both initial- and final-state effects. At midrapidity, $\pi^0$ and $\eta$ measurements are sensitive to the dynamics of gluons along with a mix of quark flavors. These results are a factor of three increase in statistical precision and extend to higher transverse momentum when compared with previous PHENIX measurements in this kinematic region. Because direct photon production does not include hadronization, the direct photon TSSA is only sensitive to spin-momentum correlations in the proton. The kinematics of this result in particular make the direct photon TSSA a clean probe of gluon dynamics in the transversely polarized proton. All three of these asymmetries will help constrain the twist-3 trigluon collinear correlation function as well as the gluon Sivers function, improving our knowledge of spin-dependent gluon dynamics in QCD.Comment: Thesis submitted to the University of Michigan in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Ph.

Patient and Family Engagement and Empowerment through Prenatal Education

Abstract Background: United States maternal mortality and morbidity rates continue to rise, and the rates in New Jersey are a public health issue that must be addressed to improve patient outcomes and lower healthcare costs. Current New Jersey mortality rates are 37.3 per 100,000. Access to quality childbirth education classes along with mindfulness training have been linked to better outcomes for both mother and infants and should be made available to all patients despite economic conditions. Purpose: This DNP project addressed these disparities by showing the need for quality prenatal education for all patients and families. Prenatal education and mindfulness training can decrease anxiety, alleviate fear and lead to better birth outcomes. Methods: Evidence-based childbirth education classes, along with added mindfulness training during the antenatal period were developed. The State-Trait Anxiety index (STAI) was used to assess anxiety both before and after the education, and Nulliparous, Term, Singleton, Vertex (NTSV) rates from the previous year were compared to participants in the prenatal and mindfulness classes. Implementation Procedure: Childbirth education classes to nulliparous patients and their significant others were provided through an online forum that consisted of four (120) minute classes held weekly. Each class ended with information and training in mindfulness exercises to promote relaxation and reduce anxiety. Results: The project resulted in a 20% and 16% decrease in both state and trait anxiety scores respectively, shown by pre- and post-course survey, and a 23% decrease in the NTSV rate. Conclusion: Providing cost efficient childbirth education to all patients can reduce anxiety and adverse birth outcomes including cesarean sections

Transient microbiota exposures activate dormant Escherichia coli infection in the bladder and drive severe outcomes of recurrent disease

Pathogens often inhabit the body asymptomatically, emerging to cause disease in response to unknown triggers. In the bladder, latent intracellular Escherichia coli reservoirs are regarded as likely origins of recurrent urinary tract infection (rUTI), a problem affecting millions of women worldwide. However, clinically plausible triggers that activate these reservoirs are unknown. Clinical studies suggest that the composition of a woman's vaginal microbiota influences her susceptibility to rUTI, but the mechanisms behind these associations are unclear. Several lines of evidence suggest that the urinary tract is routinely exposed to vaginal bacteria, including Gardnerella vaginalis, a dominant member of the vaginal microbiota in some women. Using a mouse model, we show that bladder exposure to G. vaginalis triggers E. coli egress from latent bladder reservoirs and enhances the potential for life-threatening outcomes of the resulting E. coli rUTI. Transient G. vaginalis exposures were sufficient to cause bladder epithelial apoptosis and exfoliation and interleukin-1-receptor-mediated kidney injury, which persisted after G. vaginalis clearance from the urinary tract. These results support a broader view of UTI pathogenesis in which disease can be driven by short-lived but powerful urinary tract exposures to vaginal bacteria that are themselves not "uropathogenic" in the classic sense. This "covert pathogenesis" paradigm may apply to other latent infections, (e.g., tuberculosis), or for diseases currently defined as noninfectious because routine culture fails to detect microbes of recognized significance

The Role of Social Comparison in Emotional Responses and Exposure to Reality and Scripted Television Programs

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Indiana University, Mass Communications/Telecommunications, 2015The goal of this dissertation was to examine how social comparisons with entertainment television cast members influence emotional responses to reality television programming. Two studies were employed to examine social comparison processes and the relevant factors that influence those comparisons. Both studies were similar in design in that participants viewed a reality or scripted television program and then reported their emotional responses to it. However, the first study utilized a forced exposure environment and the second study implemented a selective exposure environment. There were similarities among the emotional responses to the content across both studies, where generally, viewers experienced stronger social comparison-related emotional responses to scripted programs as compared to reality programs. However, several important differences regarding exposure settings emerged. Negative emotional responses were generally stronger for those in a forced exposure environment than those in a selective exposure environment. Accordingly, positive emotional responses were stronger for those in a selective exposure environment as compared to those in a forced exposure environment. Some participants selected programs for the experience of ‘guilty pleasure,’ choosing programs featuring cast members who were clearly worse off than them and engaging in downward social comparisons with those characters. Individual differences including perceived realism of television and perceived similarity to the characters also demonstrated to be relevant factors that influenced social comparison processes, where stronger emotional responses to the content were experienced when it was either more realistic (Study One) or when the viewers felt highly similar to the cast members (Study Two). Overall, the presented findings provide evidence that directional social comparisons occur with mediated television characters during and after viewing. The findings here serve to inform future research in social comparison theory’s application in mediated contexts and to illustrate how individual differences, content factors, and exposure can influence emotional responses to mediated characters in an entertainment environment

Exploring Patterns of Genetic Diversity of a Malagasy Ant Species: Anochetus Madagascarensis

Madagascar is extremely diverse and imperiled. Close to 90% of all land dwelling species are endemic to Madagascar (plants, reptiles, mammals and amphibians). Understanding patterns of genetic diversity for species can aid in better conservation efforts. In this study, I focus on the endemic Malagasy ant species, Anochetus madagascarensis. By employing a broad geographic sample of this species from throughout its distribution and a multilocus genetic data set, I explored population structure and historical factors that affected these patterns. I tested hypotheses proposed to be responsible for generating population structure, and by extension the process of speciation in Madagascar, including geologically based models such as the Riverine and Watershed hypotheses and employed ecological niche modeling to test for evidence of ecologically driven speciation. Four genetic clusters were recovered using GENELAND; one found on Mayotte of the Comoros Islands, one restricted to the eastern coast of Madagascar, one on the northern tip of Madagascar and one along the western dry forests of Madagascar. I found no association between the position of watersheds and the population structure of this species. Rivers do appear to function as barriers to gene flow between the clusters, as major rivers (Sofia in the northwest, Antainambalana in the northeast and Mandrare in the southeast) were found to demarcate the boundaries of the three Malagasy genetic clusters. The persistence of interpopulation migration on the mainland confirms these entities do indeed represent a single species, but the magnitude and pattern of this migration reveals much about the migratory capabilities of this species and the factors that influence interpopulation connectivity. I found that the ecological niche of the four clusters are not identical, but are no less similar than would be expected by chance. Together, these data provide strong support for geographic (allopatric) diversification and the absence of significant ecological divergence despite the occupation of very dissimilar habitat

Regional Connections to National Authority Files

Journal ArticleLocal and regional authority files exist to cover gaps in national and international authority files. These types of authority files should not exist alone if they are going to be fully utilized by other institutions that may have resources about the same individuals or topics. This article discusses how the Western Name Authority File, a regional controlled vocabulary of personal names and corporate bodies, can link to larger authority files such as the Library of Congress Name Authority File and Wikidata. Workflows and issues encountered with linking this local authority file to larger authority files are discussed