Action Learning Cohort Series: An Innovative Community-Engaged Approach for Translating Research Into Practice

Cultivating strong partnerships among community and academic stakeholders expedites the translation of research findings into practice and communities by enhancing opportunities for research dissemination and implementation. However, the lack of systematic methods for community stakeholder engagement may decelerate the translational research process. The North Carolina Translational Research and Clinical Sciences Institute implemented an innovative approach to community engagement called the Action Learning Cohort (ALC) Series. The ALC Series, a workgroup extension of a professional conference, used action learning and systems thinking strategies to conceptualize and develop a product aimed at preventing, treating, and controlling hypertension in eastern North Carolina. We evaluated the acceptability and practicality of the ALC Series using survey, focus group, and interview pilot data. Action learning and systems thinking strategies led ALC stakeholders to develop and disseminate The Empathy Building Resource Guide: A Toolkit for Enhancing Patient–Provider Relationships in the Treatment, Management, and Prevention of Hypertension. Stakeholders rated the Series as satisfactory and acknowledged gains in knowledge and desire for engagement with fellow ALC stakeholders beyond the Series. The ALC Series approach is a potentially practical and acceptable model for systematically engaging community stakeholders in translating knowledge into a product that addresses health topics like hypertension

Light Quarks in the Instanton Vacuum at Finite Baryon Density

We consider the finite density, zero-temperature behaviour of quark matter in the instanton picture. Since the instanton-induced interactions are attractive in both $\bar{q}q$ and $qq$ channels, a competition ensues between phases of matter with condensation in either or both. It results in chiral symmetry restoration due to the onset of diquark condensation, a `colour supercondutor', at finite density. Also present is a state with both manners of condensation, however this phase is found to be thermodynamically disfavoured for equilibrium matter. Properties of quark matter in each phase are discussed, with emphasis on the microscopic effects of the effective mass and superconducting energy gap.Comment: 29 pages, 8 figures, LaTeX, minor typos correcte

Knowledge-based energy functions for computational studies of proteins

This chapter discusses theoretical framework and methods for developing knowledge-based potential functions essential for protein structure prediction, protein-protein interaction, and protein sequence design. We discuss in some details about the Miyazawa-Jernigan contact statistical potential, distance-dependent statistical potentials, as well as geometric statistical potentials. We also describe a geometric model for developing both linear and non-linear potential functions by optimization. Applications of knowledge-based potential functions in protein-decoy discrimination, in protein-protein interactions, and in protein design are then described. Several issues of knowledge-based potential functions are finally discussed.Comment: 57 pages, 6 figures. To be published in a book by Springe

An Evaluation of Alternatives for Enhancing Anaerobic Digestion of Waste Activated Sludge

Waste activated sludge (WAS) is one of the largest by-products of biological wastewater treatment. Anaerobic digestion of WAS is beneficial for several reasons. In an ever increasingly energy conscientious world the production of renewable energy resources is becoming more important, and thus the production of methane has been seen as a valuable product. To achieve efficient conversion of organic matter to methane, the biomass in the digester must be provided optimal operating conditions, as well as adequate retention times, that will allow for substrate metabolism and prevent bacteria washout. Two approaches have been taken in this research to achieve improved biodegradation. Initially microwave pretreatment was employed to improve the biodegradability of the sludge, then the addition of a submerged hollow fibre membrane separation unit was used to allow for a longer SRT while maintaining the hydraulic residence time (HRT). The impact of microwave pretreatment on WAS characteristics was assessed for both the low temperature operations and the high temperature operations. An increase due to pretreatment on the filtered to total COD ratio when comparing the feed to the microwaved feed was established to be 200 % for low temperature operations and 254 % for high temperature operations. For the low temperature operations, CODT destruction, VS destruction, and organic nitrogen destruction were all higher for the test digester than the control digester indicating that the microwaving of the WAS increased the biodegradation in the anaerobic digester. For the high temperature operation, CODT destruction and organic nitrogen destruction were improved with microwave application, however VS destruction did not support this. The measured biogas data indicated that microwaving did influence the volume of biogas produced during anaerobic digestion of WAS for both the low and high temperature operations, and hence the VS destruction data for the high temperature operations was determined to be incorrect. For the membrane operations both the CODT and the VS destruction calculations indicated that at the same SRT the test digester was capable of more biodegradation than the control digester. The control digester organic nitrogen reduction was calculated to be higher than for the test digester, suggesting that the control digester removed more organic nitrogen than the test digester, however, these results were likely due to the lower HRT of the test digester compared to those of the control digester. A greater volume of biogas was produced by the test digester than the control digester; however, the composition of the gas from both digesters was similar, although the percentage of methane produced by the test digester was higher than that produced by the control digester. The higher destruction by the test digester indicated that the presence of the membrane unit and the decoupling of the HRT and SRT improved the biodegradation capability of the digesters. The results of the membrane performance study indicated that for a hollow fibre anaerobic membrane bioreactor, stable operations could be achieved with a total solids concentration of 2.01 %+/-0.34, an HRT of 15 days and an SRT of 30 days. With a constant flux of 14 L/m2-h +/-0.68 the average TMP was 0.079 kPa/min+/-0.08. No cleaning was required to achieve this, however the operations consisted of 20 minutes of permeation followed by 5 hours and 40 minutes of relaxation. The critical flux was determined to be in the range of 18 to 22 L/m2-h

The views and experiences of suicidal children and young people of mental health support services: A meta-ethnography.

Background: Suicide is amongst the leading causes of death in young people globally and a health priority worldwide. For children and young people (CYP) attempting or considering suicide there is no agreed treatment model. Development of treatment models should be informed by the views and experiences of CYP using services. Methods: Meta-ethnography was used to systematically identify and synthesise studies reporting the views of CYP who used mental health services following suicidal behaviour. Relevant studies were quality appraised. First order (participants) and second order (original author) data were translated to identify common and disconfirming themes and concepts. Translated findings were synthesised and led to a new hypothesis supported by additional ‘linguistic analysis’ of texts to construct a novel third order line-of-argument. Results: Four studies conducted since 2006 in three countries involving 44 young people aged 11-24 years were synthesised. Translation revealed that suicidal CYP do not know where or how to access help, they cannot access help directly and when seen by mental health practitioners they do not feel listened to. Line-of-argument synthesis identified a silence around suicidality within the conversations CYP have with mental health practitioners and within academic research reporting. Use of the term ‘self-harm’ to encompass suicidal behaviours potentially contributes to this silence by avoiding the word ‘suicide’. Conclusions: CYP who are suicidal need to have easy access to mental health services. When using services, they want to feel listened to and have suicidal feelings acknowledged. This involves professionals referring explicitly to suicide not just self-harm