Advancing Nursing Education Science: An Analysis of NLN\u27s Grant Program 2008-2010

The National League for Nursing has responded to the increasing need for nursing education research through its grant program. Significant growth in proposals has intensified competition for funds and challenged the Nursing Education Research Advisory Council’s review process. The purpose of this article is to explore the NLN’s nursing education research proposals from 2008 to 2010 in order to improve performance and provide guidance to future nursing education researchers. Beginning with the 2008 grant cycle, a database was developed to assist in performance improvement. A total of 113 proposals were submitted; of those, 24 were funded for a success rate of greater than 21 percent. Various designs and samples were employed and all geographic regions of the United States were represented. Inter-rater reliability among reviewers remained high and the scientific rigor of proposals steadily increased. Increased funding from other sources is urgently needed to build the science of nursing education

Traffic modelling in cities – validation of space syntax at an urban scale

To understand and facilitate modal shift to more sustainable modes of transport there is a need to model accessibility and connectivity at an urban scale using data collection and modelling procedures that require less data and specialist input than traditional transport models. The research described in this paper uses spatial analysis modelling procedures based on space syntax to investigate the potential to model aggregate traffic flows at an urban scale. The research has demonstrated that space syntax modelling is an effective means of representing an urban scale motor traffic network, however, modifications to the original model were required to achieve a correlation between modelled and measured motor traffic flow comparable to other modelling procedures. Weighting methods were tested with ‘boundary weighting’ found to be effective at representing traffic crossing the boundary of an isolated urban sub-area, but not so effective at an urban scale. ‘Road weighting’ was found to be effective in improving model performance by representing traffic flows along routes according to a national classification scheme. The modelling approach has the potential to be extremely useful at an early planning stage to represent changes to flows across the network and to be useful for different mode

Patterns, Prevalence, and Determinants of Chronic Disease Disparities in Sexual Minority Women and Men

Sexual minority women (i.e., women identifying as lesbian or bisexual, or report same-sex behavior; SMW) and sexual minority men (i.e., men identifying as gay or bisexual, or report same-sex behavior; SMM) exhibit disproportionate risk for developing chronic diseases. Yet, the breadth of chronic disease disparities and unique factors that give rise to these disparities in SMW and SMM are unknown. Patterns of chronic disease and determinants may also differ by how sexual orientation is measured; however, few studies address this concern. This dissertation identified patterns, prevalence, and determinants of chronic disease in SMW and SMM. Chapter 2 systematically reviewed publicly available health surveillance programs that included sexual orientation measures. While 50% of data sources measured sexual orientation, most did not follow best practices set forth by the Williams Institute. Chapter 3 used National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data to investigate chronic disease disparities SMW and SMM defined by sexual identity, sexual behavior, and in terms of identity and behavior. SMW and SMM evidenced disparities in asthma and chronic bronchitis, arthritis (SMW only), and hypertension (SMM only). Importantly, we identified disparities in “hidden” subgroups of heterosexual men reporting same-sex behavior (MSM). Chapter 4 investigated food insecurity as a determinant of smoking in SMW and SMM using NHANES. Food insecurity was associated with current smoking and smoking intensity in SMW defined by sexual identity and behavior. In SMM defined by sexual identity and lifetime sexual behavior, severe food insecurity was associated with current smoking. SMW—including heterosexual women reporting same-sex behavior (WSW)—and gay men evidenced food insecurity disparities.This dissertation provides evidence of patterns and determinants of chronic disease disparities in SMW/SMM. Chapter 2 reviews publicly available data sources researchers can leverage to investigate sexual minority health. Chapters 3 advises researchers, medical and public health providers about inflammatory chronic disease disparities experienced by SMW/SMM. Chapter 4 evidence informs tailored cessation interventions to decrease smoking in food insecure sexual minorities. Notably, this dissertation provides population-level evidence for health-related disparities in heterosexual WSW/MSM. This underscores the importance of using multiple sexual orientation measures to identify disparities in sexual minority subgroups

Monitoring the built environment: Developing a dynamic tool to optimise renewable energy use and energy efficiency at a community scale using GIS

Within the framework of the well-recognised need for a more sustainable future, a number of ambitious targets and energy policies has been set, regarding CO2 emissions and energy savings. As buildings are responsible for the 40% of the global energy consumption, it is crucial to optimise the contribution from renewable energy resources in the built environment, as well as to use the energy in the most efficient way. It is therefore necessary to enable the ability of in-depth monitoring in the built environment, at a larger scale than an individual building. This study investigates the role that monitoring can play with regards to encouraging renewable energy use and optimising energy efficiency in the built environment, by developing a dynamic tool that can be used both at an individual building level and at community level. A bottom-up methodology will be presented that incrementally aggregates buildings into a community level tool using a set of case studies. The number of buildings included within the tool will be gradually increased to collate information about a live monitoring experience of multiple buildings, located on different sites in South Wales. Besides new ways to use monitoring in the context of sustainability, the conclusions of the study cover a variety of aspects related to the monitoring process, including choice of sensors and meters, data management (collection, transmission, storage and processing), availability by other stakeholders, choice of platform to manage the monitoring data, and cost-benefit analysis

Hypermedia computer-based education in social work education

Journal ArticleHypermedia computer-based education (CBE) is an emerging information technology that makes possible user-directed, nonsequential exploration of, and interaction with, information presented through a variety of media including text, animation, graphics, sound, and video

A Test of Feasibility and Acceptability of Online Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Women and Men at Risk for High Stress: Pilot Study

Background: In conservative and rural areas, where antidiscrimination laws do not exist, lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people are at risk for excess stress arising from discrimination. Stress-reducing interventions delivered via innovative channels to overcome access barriers are needed. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of online mindfulness-based stress reduction (OMBSR) with LGB people in Appalachian Tennessee at high risk for stress. Methods: In 2 pilot studies involving pre-post test designs, participants completed 8 weeks of OMBSR, weekly activity logs, semistructured interviews, and surveys of perceived and minority stress. Results: Overall, 24 LGB people enrolled in the study and 17 completed OMBSR. In addition, 94% completed some form of mindfulness activities daily, including meditation. Participants enjoyed the program and found it easy to use. Perceived stress (Cohen, perceived stress scale-10) decreased by 23% in women (mean 22.73 vs mean 17.45; t10=3.12; P=.01) and by 40% in men (mean 19.83 vs mean 12.00; t5=3.90; P=.01) between baseline and postprogram. Women demonstrated a 12% reduction in overall minority stress (Balsam, Daily Experiences with Heterosexism Questionnaire) from baseline to 12-week follow-up (mean 1.87 vs mean 1.57; t10=4.12; P=.002). Subscale analyses indicated that women’s stress due to vigilance and vicarious trauma decreased by 21% and 20%, respectively. Conclusions: OMBSR may be a useful tool to help LGB people reduce general and minority-specific stress in socially conservative regions lacking antidiscrimination policies

Food Insecurity Among Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Individuals in the Southeast United States: A Qualitative Study

Purpose: Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people experience high rates of poverty, joblessness, and homelessness, which drive risk for food insecurity. TGNC people also face discrimination due to transphobia and cissexism, which may contribute to these drivers. Minimal empirical evidence describes experiences with food insecurity among TGNC people. This project investigated food insecurity among TGNC people and how these experiences relate to their physical and mental health. Methods: Semistructured telephone interviews were conducted with 20 TGNC people residing in the Southeast United States (U.S.), recruited through social media. Interviews were transcribed and qualitatively coded. Results: TGNC people reported living in extreme poverty. They described how the conservative sociopolitical climate of the Southeast United States made it difficult to find and maintain employment, which was a primary driver of food insecurity. Participants experienced discomfort seeking food assistance due to discrimination and concern for reducing emergency food availability for people in greater need. Stress from unemployment and underemployment, inadequate food supplies, and discrimination was reported as a contributor to poor physical and mental health, and weakened support systems. Conclusion: Poverty and food insecurity erode TGNC people\u27s physical and mental health and support systems. TGNC people faced substantial barriers—including unemployment and underemployment and multilevel discrimination—which prevented them from affording adequate food. Public health solutions include implementing employment nondiscrimination policy to protect TGNC people in the workplace and building relationships between local food pantries and LGBT organizations to create safer environments for all persons in need of food assistance

The SOLCER energy positive house: whole system simulation

There is a global trend to deliver zero carbon buildings, with European countries required to deliver near zero energy housing by 2020. This paper presents the results of the simulation of the energy performance of the SOLCER house. The house was designed using a ‘systems’ approach to integrate the building technologies for thermal and electrical energy systems, based on the concept of buildings as power stations, using the renewable energy systems as part of the building envelope. The aim was to produce a house that achieves an ‘energy positive’ performance, which, on an annual basis, generates more energy than in consumes. The house is designed for wide-scale application, so, in addition to energy performance, the focus was also on affordability and ease of build. In order to assess the performance of the house a model was needed to assess the whole building energy performance of the building and its integrated energy systems. The paper describes the development of a simulation model based around the building thermal model, HTB2 (Heat Transfer in Buildings: version 2). A number of sub-models were constructed to simulate the innovative heating, ventilation and power systems. Results are presented relating to seasonal performance of the building, which demonstrate that on an annual basis the building is around 70% self-sufficient in its energy needs, with a grid export to import rate is 1.75

Social Media Recruitment of Marginalized, Hard-to-Reach Populations: Development of Recruitment and Monitoring Guidelines

Background: Social media can be a useful strategy for recruiting hard-to-reach, stigmatized populations into research studies; however, it may also introduce risks for participant and research team exposure to negative comments. Currently, there is no published formal social media recruitment and monitoring guidelines that specifically address harm reduction for social media recruitment of marginalized populations. Objective: The purpose of this research study was to investigate the utility, successes, challenges, and positive and negative consequences of using targeted Facebook advertisements as a strategy to recruit transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people into a research study. Methods: TGNC adults living in the Southeast Unites States were recruited via targeted Facebook advertisements over two cycles in April and June 2017. During cycle 1, researchers only used inclusion terms to recruit the target population. During cycle 2, the social media recruitment and monitoring protocol and inclusion and exclusion terms were used. Results: The cycle 1 advertisement reached 8518 people and had 188 reactions, comments, and shares but produced cyberbullying, including discriminatory comments from Facebook members. Cycle 2 reached fewer people (6976) and received 166 reactions, comments, and shares but produced mostly positive comments. Conclusions: Researchers must consider potential harms of using targeted Facebook advertisements to recruit hard-to-reach and stigmatized populations. To minimize harm to participants and research staff, researchers must preemptively implement detailed social media recruitment and monitoring guidelines for monitoring and responding to negative feedback on targeted Facebook advertisements