Baseline data of a longitudinal assessment of a Bachelor of Science in Health Science (BSHS) Program based on the core competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPCP)

Background: IPCP has been identified as essential to provide quality healthcare: so, IPE is being integrated to professional programs. While IPE is being researched in professional programs, not much is known about IPE at the pre-professional level. Purpose: Stockton’s BSHS program was built based upon the Core Competencies for IPCP. The current study assessed the following IPE-related constructs: Health Science Reasoning, Ethical Decision Making for Health, Attitude Towards Health Care Teams, and Readiness for IP Learning. Description: A cohort of students was recruited during the introductory course to the program. The following measures were administered at baseline: Health Science Reasoning Test (HSRT), Ethical Decision Making (EDM) Measure for Health Science, The Attitudes Toward Health Care Teams Scale (ATHCTS), Readiness for Interprofessional Learning (RIPLS) and demographic questions. Results: A cohort (N = 483) of students was recruited; N = 464 participated of the baseline. Results of main measures are: HSRT (M = 17.2, SD = 4.7), EDM (M = 2.18, SD = 0.20), ATHCTS (M = 4.1, SD = 0.47), RIPLS (M = 3.68, SD = 0.91). Results for subscales and demographic data will be included in the presentation. Conclusions: Results from EDM, ATHCTS and RIPLS suggest undergraduate pre-professional students’ Ethicality is at expected levels, they have positive attitudes toward healthcare teams and are prepared to receive IPE. However, the sample performed significantly below the expected level of critical thinking. Relevance: This suggests that students in an undergraduate health science program can receive interprofessional education, at least at the attitudinal and awareness level. IPE at this level can effectively foster positive attitudes towards working interprofessionally

Response of the Hepatic Transcriptome to Aflatoxin B1 in Domestic Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

Dietary exposure to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is detrimental to avian health and leads to major economic losses for the poultry industry. AFB1 is especially hepatotoxic in domestic turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo), since these birds are unable to detoxify AFB1 by glutathione-conjugation. The impacts of AFB1 on the turkey hepatic transcriptome and the potential protection from pretreatment with a Lactobacillus-based probiotic mixture were investigated through RNA-sequencing. Animals were divided into four treatment groups and RNA was subsequently recovered from liver samples. Four pooled RNA-seq libraries were sequenced to produce over 322 M reads totaling 13.8 Gb of sequence. Approximately 170,000 predicted transcripts were de novo assembled, of which 803 had significant differential expression in at least one pair-wise comparison between treatment groups. Functional analysis linked many of the transcripts significantly affected by AFB1 exposure to cancer, apoptosis, the cell cycle or lipid regulation. Most notable were transcripts from the genes encoding E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase Mdm2, osteopontin, S-adenosylmethionine synthase isoform type-2, and lipoprotein lipase. Expression was modulated by the probiotics, but treatment did not completely mitigate the effects of AFB1. Genes identified through transcriptome analysis provide candidates for further study of AFB1 toxicity and targets for efforts to improve the health of domestic turkeys exposed to AFB1.published_or_final_versio

A Model Description for the Transition from Multiprofessional to Interprofessional Courses

Transitioning from multiprofessional to interprofessional courses requires a commitment on behalf of the faculty of the programs represented within these courses. Through the development of advisory committees, creation and implementation of curricula, obtainment of pre- and post-test data and course evaluations this transition can be achieved. The Pathologists’ Assistant Department at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science is currently involved in a transition of many of its students’ courses from multiprofessional to interprofessional; one such example is the Neuroscience course which combines Pathologists’ Assistant, Physical Therapy, and Podiatry students. This transition includes the formation of an advisory group, review of course objectives, participation by faculty from each program represented in the course, the collaborative development of syllabi and exams, having students work in interprofessional teams analyzing case studies relevant to each profession, and involvement in a demonstration laboratory. This presentation will focus on our model currently being used atRosalindFranklinUniversityin transitioning from multiprofessional to interprofessional courses. We will discuss our successes and also the challenges we face in this transition process. Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, participants will: 1. Discuss the components involved in transitioning from multiprofessional to interprofessional courses. 2. Identify potential barriers in the transition process

Farmer perceptions and responses to soil degradation in Swaziland

Soil degradation is globally concerning due to its adverse effects on the environment and agricultural production. Much of Swaziland is at risk from degradation. This paper assesses farmer perceptions and responses to soil degradation in 2002 and 2014, focusing on two land uses that underpin rural livelihoods: arable land and rangeland areas. It uses repeat household surveys and semi-structured interviews, in two case study chiefdoms in the country’s middleveld (KaBhudla and Engcayini) in the first longitudinal study of its kind. We find that observations of land degradation are perceived mainly through changes in land productivity, with chemical degradation occurring predominantly on arable land and physical degradation and erosion mainly in rangeland areas. Changes in rainfall are particularly important in determining responses. While perceptions of the causes and impacts of degradation largely concur with the scientific literature, responses were constrained by poor land availability, shorter and more unpredictable cropping seasons because of changing rains and low awareness, access to or knowledge of agricultural inputs. We suggest that sustainable arable land management can be enhanced through improved access to alternative sources of water, use of management practices that retain soil and moisture and greater access to agricultural inputs and capacity building to ensure their appropriate use. We suggest collaborative management for settlement planning that integrates soil conservation and livestock management strategies such as controlled stocking levels and rotational grazing could improve land quality in rangeland areas. Together, these approaches can help land users to better manage change

Electronic stress tensor analysis of hydrogenated palladium clusters

We study the chemical bonds of small palladium clusters Pd_n (n=2-9) saturated by hydrogen atoms using electronic stress tensor. Our calculation includes bond orders which are recently proposed based on the stress tensor. It is shown that our bond orders can classify the different types of chemical bonds in those clusters. In particular, we discuss Pd-H bonds associated with the H atoms with high coordination numbers and the difference of H-H bonds in the different Pd clusters from viewpoint of the electronic stress tensor. The notion of "pseudo-spindle structure" is proposed as the region between two atoms where the largest eigenvalue of the electronic stress tensor is negative and corresponding eigenvectors forming a pattern which connects them.Comment: 22 pages, 13 figures, published online, Theoretical Chemistry Account

Land degradation and climate change: opportunities for building climate resilience in agriculture

Land degradation and climate change pose enormous risks to global food security. Land degradation increases the vulnerability of agroecological systems to climate change and reduces the effectiveness of adaptation options. Yet these interactions have largely been omitted from climate impact assessments and adaptation planning. We examine how land degradation can influence climate-change impacts and the adaptive capacity of crop and livestock producers across agroecological systems. We then present novel strategies for climate-resilient agriculture that support opportunities to integrate responses to these challenges. Forward-looking, climate-resilient agriculture requires: (1) incorporation of land degradation processes, and their linkages with adaptive capacity, into adaptation planning; (2) identification of key vulnerabilities to prioritize adaptation responses; (3) improved knowledge exchange across local to global scales to support strategies for developing the adaptive capacity of producers; and (4) innovative management and policy options that provide multiple “wins” for land, climate, and biodiversity, thus enabling global development and food security goals to be achieved

A survey of statistics in three UK general practice journal

Background Many medical specialities have reviewed the statistical content of their journals. To our knowledge this has not been done in general practice. Given the main role of a general practitioner as a diagnostician we thought it would be of interest to see whether the statistical methods reported reflect the diagnostic process. Methods Hand search of three UK journals of general practice namely the British Medical Journal (general practice section), British Journal of General Practice and Family Practice over a one-year period (1 January to 31 December 2000). Results A wide variety of statistical techniques were used. The most common methods included t-tests and Chi-squared tests. There were few articles reporting likelihood ratios and other useful diagnostic methods. There was evidence that the journals with the more thorough statistical review process reported a more complex and wider variety of statistical techniques. Conclusions The BMJ had a wider range and greater diversity of statistical methods than the other two journals. However, in all three journals there was a dearth of papers reflecting the diagnostic process. Across all three journals there were relatively few papers describing randomised controlled trials thus recognising the difficulty of implementing this design in general practice

Improving the evidence base for delivery of public goods from public money in agri-environment schemes

There is growing interest around the world in more effectively linking public payments to the provision of public goods from agriculture. However, published evidence syntheses suggest mixed, weak or uncertain evidence for many agri-environment scheme options. To inform any future “public money for public goods” based policy, further synthesis work is needed to assess the evidence-base for the full range of interventions currently funded under agri-environment schemes. Further empirical research and trials should then focus on interventions for which there is mixed or limited evidence. Furthermore, to ensure the data collected is comparable and can be synthesised effectively, it is necessary to reach agreement on essential variables and methods that can be prioritised by those conducting research and monitoring. Future policy could then prioritise public money for the public goods that can most reliably be delivered, offering better value for taxpayers and improving the provision of ecosystem services from agricultural landscapes

Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis to identify dryland ecosystem service trade-offs under different rangeland land uses

Land degradation undermines ecosystem service provision, limiting economic returns from semi-arid rangelands. We apply a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to assess the value of ecosystem services, using monetary and non-monetary techniques in semi-arid rangelands in Kgalagadi District, southern Botswana. In doing so, we provide an empirical understanding of the linkages between policy, land use and the provision of ecosystem services based on the perspectives of local stakeholders identified through interviews and a workshop consultation. Findings suggest communal grazing provides the widest range of monetary and non-monetary values linked to ecosystem service delivery. Current economic incentives and policy initiatives supporting the livestock sector, linked to fencing and borehole drilling, create perverse incentives that over-emphasise commercial food production at the expense of other services. We identify a need for policy reforms to support livelihood diversification through the provision of a wider range of ecosystem services, and for further research to explore market opportunities for veld products and carbon trading. We show that MCDA offers a useful holistic assessment framework that could be applied more widely to semi-arid rangelands globally