New nursing graduates: A key factor in nursing supply

The Canadian nursing education system is the most significant contributor to the country's supply of registered nurses. This article provides current data on the numbers of nursing graduates produced in each province in 1994. The authors highlight some of the differences in the numbers produced and use the national average of new graduates as the percentage of the population of Canada as one method to arrive at the numbers of new graduates per year which each province could attempt to produce. This article provides a national perspective on current and future nursing human resources and will assist nursing administrators in their staffing plans related to registered nurses

Skeletal muscle contractile function in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction - A focus on nitric oxide

Despite advances over the past few decades, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) remains not only a mortal but a disabling disease. Indeed, the New York Heart Association classification of HFrEF severity is based on how much exercise a patient can perform. Moreover, exercise capacity-both aerobic exercise performance and muscle power-are intimately linked with survival in patients with HFrEF. This review will highlight the pathologic changes in skeletal muscle in HFrEF that are related to impaired exercise performance. Next, it will discuss the key role that impaired nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability plays in HFrEF skeletal muscle pathology. Lastly, it will discuss intriguing new data suggesting that the inorganic nitrate \u27enterosalivary pathway\u27 may be leveraged to increase NO bioavailability via ingestion of inorganic nitrate. This ingestion of inorganic nitrate has several advantages over organic nitrate (e.g., nitroglycerin) and the endogenous nitric oxide synthase pathway. Moreover, inorganic nitrate has been shown to improve exercise performance: both muscle power and aerobic capacity, in some recent small but well-controlled, cross-over studies in patients with HFrEF. Given the critical importance of better exercise performance for the amelioration of disability as well as its links with improved outcomes in patients with HFrEF, further studies of inorganic nitrate as a potential novel treatment is critical

Molecular methods for the genetic identification of salmonid prey from Pacific harbor seal (Phoca vitulina richardsi) scat

Twenty-six stocks of Pacific salmon and trout (Oncorhynchus spp.), representing evolutionary significant units (ESU), are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and six more stocks are currently being evaluated for listing. The ecological and economic consequences of these listings are large; therefore considerable effort has been made to understand and respond to these declining populations. Until recently, Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi) on the west coast increased an average of 5% to 7% per year as a result of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (Brown and Kohlman2). Pacific salmon are seasonally important prey for harbor seals (Roffe and Mate, 1984; Olesiuk, 1993); therefore quantifying and understanding the interaction between these two protected species is important for Morphobiologically sound management strategies. Because some Pacific salmonid species in a given area may be threatened or endangered, while others are relatively abundant, it is important to distinguish the species of salmonid upon which the harbor seals are preying. This study takes the first step in understanding these interactions by using molecular genetic tools for species-level identification of salmonid skeletal remains recovered from Pacific harbor seal scats

Dietary nitrate-induced increases in human muscle power: High versus low responders

Maximal neuromuscular power is an important determinant of athletic performance and also quality of life, independence, and perhaps even mortality in patient populations. We have shown that dietary nitrate (NO3- ), a source of nitric oxide (NO), improves muscle power in some, but not all, subjects. The present investigation was designed to identify factors contributing to this interindividual variability. Healthy men (n = 13) and women (n = 7) 22-79 year of age and weighing 52.1-114.9 kg were studied using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design. Subjects were tested 2 h after ingesting beetroot juice (BRJ) either containing or devoid of 12.3 ± 0.8 mmol of NO3- . Plasma NO3- and nitrite (NO2- ) were measured as indicators of NO bioavailability and maximal knee extensor speed (Vmax ), power (Pmax ), and fatigability were determined via isokinetic dynamometry. On average, dietary NO3- increased (P < 0.05) Pmax by 4.4 ± 8.1%. Individual changes, however, ranged from -9.6 to +26.8%. This interindividual variability was not significantly correlated with age, body mass (inverse of NO3- dose per kg), body mass index (surrogate for body composition) or placebo trial Vmax or fatigue index (in vivo indicators of muscle fiber type distribution). In contrast, the relative increase in Pmax was significantly correlated (r = 0.60; P < 0.01) with the relative increase in plasma NO2- concentration. In multivariable analysis female sex also tended (P = 0.08) to be associated with a greater increase in Pmax. We conclude that the magnitude of the dietary NO3- -induced increase in muscle power is dependent upon the magnitude of the resulting increase in plasma NO2- and possibly female sex

The Effectiveness of the Modified Expanded Rational Expectations Model to Explore Adult Consumers’ Functional Foods Consumption Behavior

Since knowledge and health consciousness have been claimed to have a great influence on dietary behavior, subjective knowledge and health consciousness constructs were added to the ERE model in order to develop Modified ERE (MERE) model. The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the MERE model in order to explain adult consumers’ functional foods consumption behavior. A convenience sample of 465 adults from a Southwestern university completed the final online survey questionnaire during April and May, 2010. A series of confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling were conducted. Validity and reliability of the measurement model of MERE were confirmed. Results from structural equation modeling revealed that the MERE is a viable model to explain functional foods intention to consume and actual eating behavior. The two new constructs, subjective knowledge and health consciousness, had significant relationships with other constructs of the ERE. In detail, subjective knowledge was a better predictor than objective knowledge in the functional foods context. Health consciousness was a significant predictor of attitude and intention to consume functional foods but not a significant predictor of behavior. However, health consciousness influenced behavior through attitude and intention

Flexible Rover Architecture for Science Instrument Integration and Testing

At NASA Ames Research Center, the Intelligent Robotics Group (IRG) fields the K9 and K10 class rovers. Both use a mobile robot hardware architecture designed for extensibility and reconfigurability that allows for rapid changes in instrumentation and provides a high degree of modularity. Over the past ssveral years, we have worked with instrument developers at NASA centers, universities, and national laboratories to integrate or partially integrate their instruments onboard the K9 and K10 rovers. Early efforts required considerable interaction to work through integration issues such as power, data protocol and mechanical mounting. These interactions informed the design of our current avionics architecture, and have simplified more recent integration projects. In this paper, we will describe the IRG extensible avionics and software architecture and the effect it has had on our recent instrument integration efforts, including integration of four Mars Instrument Development Program devices

Condylar degeneration in patients with dental open bite versus skeletal open bite utilizing CBCT

Idiopathic condylar resorption (ICR) is a condition in which either one or both condyles undergo degeneration. Bilateral TMJ involvement presents as a clockwise rotation of the mandible in the posterior-inferior direction, resulting in an anterior open bite. The purpose of the study was to assess TMJ condylar degeneration in dental open bites compared to skeletal open bites

Correction: A Feasible and Efficacious Mobile-Phone Based Lifestyle Intervention for Filipino Americans with Type 2 Diabetes: Randomized Controlled Trial.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.2196/diabetes.8156.]

Understanding Occupational Therapy Admissions Decisions Related to Diversity

The vast majority of occupational therapy (OT) practitioners are white, leaving gaps between the representation of our profession and those we serve. Admission practices determine the future of the profession. This cross-sectional study aimed to understand how admission requirements, particularly the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and interview, influenced OT graduate students\u27 application decisions, specifically those who identified as a first-generation college student (FGCS), underrepresented minority, English as a second language, or receiving public assistance. Methods included an online survey distributed to current OT graduate students. The survey consisted of background information, closed-ended questions on influence of application requirements, open-ended questions on priority factors in application decision-making, and barriers and supports to the application process. Of the 263 participants, 37.4% agreed that the GRE requirement influenced their application, most frequently citing test-taking ability and cost as reasons; 16.2% agreed that an in-person interview requirement influenced their application, most frequently citing cost and interviewing ability as reasons. Participants identifying as FGCS (