Assessing Methamphetamine Use among Refugee Youth in Omaha

CPACS Urban Research Awards Part of the mission of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service (CPACS) is to conduct research, especially as it relates to concerns of our local and statewide constituencies. CPACS has always had an urban mission, and one way that mission is served is to preform applied research relevant to urban society in general, and the Omaha metropolitan area and other Nebraska urban communities in particular. Beginning in 2014, the CPACS Dean provided funding for the projects with high relevance to current urban issues, with the potential to apply the findings to practice in Nebraska, Iowa, and beyond

Assessment of Methamphetamines Use among Refugee Youth in Omaha: Examining Multiple Stakeholder Perspectives

CPACS Urban Research Awards Part of the mission of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service (CPACS) is to conduct research, especially as it relates to concerns of our local and statewide constituencies. CPACS has always had an urban mission, and one way that mission is served is to preform applied research relevant to urban society in general, and the Omaha metropolitan area and other Nebraska urban communities in particular. Beginning in 2014, the CPACS Dean provided funding for the projects with high relevance to current urban issues, with the potential to apply the findings to practice in Nebraska, Iowa, and beyond

Lack of Effect of Murine Norovirus Infection on a Mouse Model of Bacteria-Induced Colon Cancer

Murine norovirus (MNV) is endemic in mouse research facilities in the United States and Europe, with a prevalence as high as 58% to 64%. Because of MNV's orofecal route of infection, clinically silent persistent infections in some mouse strains, and proclivity for macrophage and dendritic cells, its presence in mouse colonies has potential to alter phenotypes in experimental mouse models, particularly those involving inflammation and immunologic responses. Although MNV is subclinical, not causing overt disease in immunocompetent mice, we found that MNV infection can accelerate bacteria-induced inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) progression in Mdr1a^(-/-) mice. The studies presented here examined whether MNV infection also affects the phenotype of a bacterially driven mouse model of inflammation-associated colon cancer in genetically susceptible Smad3^(-/-) mice. In vitro culture of bone-marrow—derived macrophages (BMDM) was used to determine whether MNV4 influenced macrophage cytokine production. For in vivo studies, Smad3-/- mice were infected with MNV4 one week prior to infection with Helicobacter. Mice were monitored for 17 to 32 wk for development of IBD and colon cancer, and tissues were analyzed histopathologically. Although in vitro infection of BMDM with MNV4 led to increased inflammatory cytokine production, infection with MNV4 in vivo did not result in any statistically significant differences in survival, IBD scores, tumor incidence, or tumor phenotype in Smad3^(-/-) mice. In addition, MNV infection alone did not result in IBD or colon cancer. Therefore MNV infection alone or in conjunction with Helicobacter does not alter the development or progression of IBD or colon cancer in Smad3^(-/-) mice

Cognitive Disparities, Lead Plumbing, and Water Chemistry: Intelligence Test Scores and Exposure to Water-Borne Lead Among World War Two U.S. Army Enlistees

Assessing the impact of lead exposure is difficult if individuals select on the basis of their characteristics into environments with different exposure levels. We address this issue with data from when the dangers of lead exposure were still largely unknown, using new evidence on intelligence test scores for male World War Two U.S. Army enlistees linked to the households where they resided in 1930. Higher exposure to water-borne lead (proxied by urban residence and low water pH levels) was associated with lower test scores: going from pH 6 to pH 5.5, scores fell 5 points (1/4 standard deviation). A longer time exposed led to a more severe effect. The ubiquity of lead in urban water systems at this time and uncertainty regarding its impact mean these effects are unlikely to have resulted from selection into locations with different levels of exposure.

How Does Nursing Staff Perceive the Use of Electronic Handover Reports? A Questionnaire-Based Study

Following the implementation of electronic nursing records in a psychogeriatric ward, we examined nursing staff's attitudes and perceptions to the implementation of an electronic handover routine. A web-based anonymous and secure questionnaire was distributed by e-mail to all nursing staff at a psychogeriatric ward at a university hospital. Most respondents were satisfied with the electronic handover, and they believed they managed to keep informed by the new routine. The simultaneous introduction of a morning meeting, to ensure a forum for oral professional discussion, was a success. A minority of staff did not fully trust the information conveyed in the electronic handover, and a significant proportion expressed a need for guidance in using the system. Staff that had a high level of trust in written reports believed these saved time, had little trouble finding time and a place to read the reports, and were more positive to the new handover routine

Lernaufgaben als Element einer protoberuflichen Fachdidaktik

Die vielfältigen Fächer der arbeitsorientierten Bildung orientieren sich in hohem Maße an der beruflichen Bildung und an der Entwicklung der Arbeits- und Lebenswelt. Der Beitrag beschreibt Elemente einer protoberuflichen, also „vorberuflichen“ Fachdidaktik exemplarisch für das Fach Wirtschaft-Technik-Haushalt/Soziales (WTH/S) in Sachsen und konzentriert sich auf die Bedeutung von Lernaufgaben für das Fach. Ziel des Beitrags ist die Klärung des Verhältnisses zwischen allgemeiner und beruflicher Didaktik in den berufsorientierenden und lebenspraktischen Fächern unter Berücksichtigung lernpsychologischer und lerntheoretischer Aspekte

The Americanization of Karen Refugee Youth: Exploring Attitudes Toward and Use of Methamphetamine

Drug use among refugee populations is a concerning trend in many urban American cities. For instance, Omaha, Nebraska is home to an estimated 7,000 refugees from Myanmar, with at least 75% of those being Karen refugees. The purpose of this paper is to explore methamphetamine use among Karen adolescents in Omaha and to examine whether Karen youth bring their drug use habits with them from refugee camps or if they learn about drugs from their American peers. Two focus groups of Karen youth and two focus groups of Karen parents were conducted to examine methamphetamine use among this population. Findings suggest, like most youth, the Karen children were reluctant to disclose their own use of drugs, but they did see the use of methamphetamine and other drugs in their schools. It appears drug use among the Karen youth is acquired during the “Americanization” of these children in Omaha schools

The Therapeutic Camping Needs Of Children: The Hole-In-The-Hills At Wa-Shawtee

This executive summary of the preliminary report documents the major findings, to date, of the first two components of a needs assessment being conducted for the Hole in the Hills at Wa-Shawtee (HITH). The purpose of the study is to determine if a new, medically-equipped and professionally-staffed therapeutic camp in the Great Plains region of the Midwest has the capacity to be a success. There are almost 3.5 million children between the ages of five and seventeen in the 6-state HITH region, 1 an unknown number of whom are seriously-ill and/or have special medical conditions and health care needs, who could potentially benefit from a therapeutic camping facility. The first two completed sections of the needs assessment are: 1) an inventory of existing camps and camp programs for selected pediatric conditions in the 6-state catchment area and 2) an inventory of the population to be served, including the prevalence of priority illnesses/conditions and the levels of unmet need or potential camp demand in the HITH region. The remaining two components of the assessment, which will be included in the final report are: 3) the identification and ranking of the needs of seriously-ill children in the priority disease groups, and 4) the identification and ranking of the needs of these children’s parents and families

Socioeconomic Status in Childhood and Health After Age 70: A New Longitudinal Analysis for the U.S., 1895-2005

The link between circumstances faced by individuals early in life (including those encountered in utero) and later life outcomes has been of increasing interest since the work of Barker in the 1970s on birth weight and adult disease. We provide such a life course perspective for the U.S. by following 45,000 U.S.-born males from the household where they resided before age 5 until their death and analyzing the link between the characteristics of their childhood environment – particularly, its socioeconomic status – and their longevity and specific cause of death. Individuals living before age 5 in lower SES households (measured by father’s occupation and family home ownership) die younger and are more likely to die from heart disease than those living in higher SES households. The pathways potentially generating these effects are discussed.