Florida Healthcare Workers Responses to COVID-19

These two articles were published to describe the landscape of Florida healthcare professionals\u27 responses to COVID-19. These data were collected in mid-2020 when times were unpredictable. These findings shed a lot of light on how we need to better train healthcare professionals on telehealth, interprofessional collaboration and communication among each other and patients

Reduction of Salmonella choleraesuis contamination in pork carcasses by vaccination

Salmonellosis is a common clinical and subclinical infection of pigs. The species adapted serovar S choleraesuis predominantly produces a septicemic disease in swine. Disease in other species, including humans, is rare compared to enteric type infections from non host adapted serovars such as S typhimurium. However, when host adapted serovars infect alternate species, disease can be severe. Vaccination with an avirulent live S choleraesuis vaccine, Enterisol® SC-54, significantly reduces prevalence and quantity of infection in pigs. Additionally, those pigs that remain culture positive have two logs or more reduction in the quantity of S choleraesuis present. Vaccination of pigs as young as one day of age is successful. Where these infections are of concern in the human population, vaccination of pigs may provide dramatic reductions of the organism swine, reducing risk in food items of swine origin

Reduction of salmonella contamination in pork carcasses by vaccination

Two field studies and one laboratory challenge were performed to evaluate of vaccination with a live, avirulent Salmonella choleraesuis vaccine (Enterisol® SC-54) to provide cross protection, reduce the level of internal culture and fecal shedding of multiple serovars of Salmonella. Barns of grow-finish pigs were vaccinated orally, via drinking water, or left as matched controls in the field studies. Ileocecal lymph nodes and spiral colon fecal material were collected at the abattoir from field studies. Three week old pigs were vaccinated intranasally and challenged at five weeks of age in the laboratory study. Internal organ culture and fecal shedding were measured two weeks following challenge with S typhimurium. In all three studies, vaccinated pigs had significantly lower culture prevalence of non S choleraesuis serovars (p\u3c0.05), and reduced fecal shedding in following laboratory challenge (p\u3c0.05). A nominal (p=0.07) trend to improved growth rate following laboratory challenge with S typhimurium challenge was also detected

The 5f localization/delocalization in square and hexagonal americium monolayers: A FP-LAPW electronic structure study

The electronic and geometrical properties of bulk americium and square and hexagonal americium monolayers have been studied with the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method. The effects of several common approximations are examined: (1) non-spin polarization (NSP) vs. spin polarization (SP); (2) scalar-relativity (no spin-orbit coupling (NSO)) vs. full-relativity (i.e., with spin-orbit (SO) coupling included); (3) local-density approximation (LDA) vs. generalized-gradient approximation (GGA). Our results indicate that both spin polarization and spin orbit coupling play important roles in determining the geometrical and electronic properties of americium bulk and monolayers. A compression of both americium square and hexagonal monolayers compared to the americium bulk is also observed. In general, the LDA is found to underestimate the equilibrium lattice constant and give a larger total energy compared to the GGA calculations. While spin orbit coupling shows a similar effect on both square and hexagonal monolayer calculations regardless of the model, GGA versus LDA, an unusual spin polarization effect on both square and hexagonal monolayers is found in the LDA results as compared with the GGA results. The 5f delocalization transition of americium is employed to explain our observed unusual spin polarization effect. In addition, our results at the LDA level of theory indicate a possible 5f delocalization could happen in the americium surface within the same Am II (fcc crystal structure) phase, unlike the usually reported americium 5f delocalization which is associated with crystal structure change. The similarities and dissimilarities between the properties of an Am monolayer and a Pu monolayer are discussed in detail.Comment: 22 pages, 8 figure

How can project-based mentorships enhance the dietetics profession?

Research Outcomes: The RD Mentorship Program is designed to provide dietetic students (mentee) with the opportunity to gain one-on-one experience with a Registered Dietitian (mentor). This nationwide program evaluates project-based mentorships. Methods: Potential mentors and mentees completed an initial survey that indicated mentor projects and mentee interests. Mentees (n=378) were matched to a mentor (n=264) based on their project preferences and interests. Matches met virtually monthly from September 2020 to April 2021. A mid-program evaluation was sent out in December 2020. Analysis: Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data Results: The mid-program evaluation indicated that 96% (n=265) of participants found the application and matching process good to very good. The majority of mentee participants liked the variety of dietitians and projects. Some of the projects were, but not limited to, the following: social media and website development, food photography, grocery store tours, virtually shadowing, recipe development, community involvement projects, meal plans, writing and research, analyzing recipes for allergens, literature reviews, cooking classes, case studies, creating exams, resume building, newsletters, course development, interviewing skills development, public policy task force, community assessments, reviewing needs assessments, menu reviews and development, podcast development and patient education handouts. Conclusion: Through the RD Mentorship Program’s project-based mentorship format, mentees are exposed to a broad range of activities that Registered Dietitians perform across many sectors. These projects help to build relationships and offer valuable experiential learning opportunities in dietetics

Biodigital publics: personal genomes as digital media artifacts

The recent proliferation of personal genomics and direct-to-consumer (DTC) genomics has attracted much attention and publicity. Concern around these developments has mainly focused on issues of biomedical regulation and hinged on questions of how people understand genomic information as biomedical and what meaning they make of it. However, this publicity amplifies genome sequences which are also made as internet texts and, as such, they generate new reading publics. The practices around the generation, circulation and reading of genome scans do not just raise questions about biomedical regulation, they also provide the focus for an exploration of how contemporary public participation in genomics works. These issues around the public features of DTC genomic testing can be pursued through a close examination of the modes of one of the best known providers—23andMe. In fact, genome sequences circulate as digital artefacts and, hence, people are addressed by them. They are read as texts, annotated and written about in browsers, blogs and wikis. This activity also yields content for media coverage which addresses an indefinite public in line with Michael Warner’s conceptualisation of publics. Digital genomic texts promise empowerment, personalisation and community, but this promise may obscure the compliance and proscription associated with these forms. The kinds of interaction here can be compared to those analysed by Andrew Barry. Direct-to-consumer genetics companies are part of a network providing an infrastructure for genomic reading publics and this network can be mapped and examined to demonstrate the ways in which this formation both exacerbates inequalities and offers possibilities for participation in biodigital culture

Healthcare Professionals and Telehealth Usability during COVID-19

Objective: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many other health providers needed to rapidly adopt telehealth services to ensure continuity of patient care, without the opportunity to extensively evaluate the usability of the adopted technology. Therefore, this study aims to examine health professionals’ telehealth usability during COVID-19 in Florida. Design: This cross-sectional study employed the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ) to licensed healthcare providers in Florida in June 2020. Setting and Participants: A total of 399,660 selected health professionals with Florida licensure were recruited from open-access Florida healthcare to participate in a Qualtrics web-based survey. A total of 1,868 health professionals completed the survey. Multiple linear and mixed regression models were applied to analyze the overall and subdomain scores from TUQ. Results: The analysis of the overall TUQ score showed younger, female healthcare professionals, and participants who reported an increase in telehealth usage during pandemic had a significantly higher overall TUQ score. Compared with the score from physicians and nurses, the scores from the mental health group and social work group were significantly higher, while the score rehabilitation group was significantly lower. Analysis of the subdomain scores was consistent with the overall scores. Conclusion: The findings from this study indicate that the health professionals’ telehealth usability is related to age, gender, and the change of telehealth usage during the COVID-19 Page 2 of 12 Telehealth and Medicine Today® ISSN 2471-6960 https://doi.org/10.30953/tmt.v6.270 pandemic. While pandemics represent only one possible impetus for the healthcare system to swiftly switch to telehealth platforms, each profession should consider providing adequate resources to accommodate the need for change