Communication organizational orientations in an instructional setting

This study sought to determine if the organizational orientations of upward mobility, ambivalence, and indifference applied to students in the instructional setting. The McCroskey, Richmond, Johnson, and Smith (2004) Organizational Orientation Measure was adapted to a classroom setting to measure student orientations, and then the relationships between student orientations and student perceptions of teacher credibility, teacher nonverbal immediacy, student trait motivation, student state motivation, student beliefs and attitudes toward college, student affective learning, and student cognitive learning. Results indicate upward mobility had significant positive correlations with the dependent variables except cognitive learning while ambivalent and indifferent orientations had significant negative correlations with the dependent variables except cognitive learning

Ecology and physiology of bacterial activity in a temperate saltmarsh lagoon, with an emphasis on nitrogen fixation

Heterotrophic bacterial activity and nitrogen fixation are fundamental to nutrient regeneration and nitrogen cycling in saltmarsh ecosystems. Ecological and physiological aspects of bacterial production and nitrogenase activity in marine sediments and water were examined in Langebaan Lagoon, a temperate saltmarsh ecosystem. Emphasis was placed on factors modulating rates and patterns of nitrogen fixation. Nitrogen fixation appeared to be dominated by heterotrophic bacteria. Rates of nitrogen fixation (estimated by the acetylene reduction technique), and bacterial production (estimated by tritiated thymidine incorporation, Tri) were higher in fine, muddy sediments near the head of the lagoon (Geelbek) than in coarser, sandy sediments near the mouth of the lagoon (Oesterwal). These comparisons (between sites) reflected the higher bacterial abundance and organic content of sediments from Geelbek. Examinations of five sedimentary microhabitats at each site (including those associated with beds of the seagrass Zostera capensis, burrows of the sandprawn Callianassa kraussi at Oesterwal, and burrows of the mudprawn Upogebia africana at Geelbek) showed that bacterial activity was higher in surface sediments than in subsurface sediments. Highest rates of nitrogen fixation (annual mean, 0.28 + 0.07 nmol C2H4 g-1 dry sediment h-1) were measured in Zostera bed sediments at Geelbek. Thymidine incorporation activity and nitrogenase activity were higher in burrow linings than in adjacent subsurface sediments, suggesting that burrow linings provided an improved subsurface environment for bacterial activity. Burrow linings also had a higher organic content than subsurface sediments away from burrows. Nitrogenase activity was not detected in lagoon water

Effects of EU policy regulations on ferry operation: sustainability issues in public procurement of ferry services

This report brings together the activity from the Institute for Sustainability and UCL Energy Institute to explore the effects of EU policy regulation on ferry operations. UCL Energy Institute investigated the sustainability issues related to public procurement of ferry services in the North Sea Region. This report identifies the key drivers for public procurement and identifies some of the challenges that ferry operators and procurers can face. The report begins with a brief overview of the procurement process in EU and the problems that are currently being faced in the EU ferries sector. This report highlights how different types of ‘split incentives’ can stymie attempts to improve quality or sustainability of ferry services through the tender and procurement process. Policy recommendations that can avoid, alleviate or minimise the issues of split incentives include; Policies that target the design based efficiencies, such as the EEDI, policies that incentivise the improvements in operational or in-service efficiency of ferries, revisiting some aspects of public procurement and standardising them for uniform application across all the member states This report, coupled with the iTransfer Ferry Toolkit, produced by SEStran, forms a comprehensive guidance to all operators and procurers of ferry services in the North Sea Region and beyond. This report is part of iTransfer, a North Sea Region Interreg programme project, which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund. For more information visit www.itransferproject.e

Necessity of a Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Refreshment Course Among Registered Nurses

Abstract Aims and objective: To (1) examine the level of comfort in performing CPR skills among registered nurses, and (2) assess the need for supplemental education between periods of recertification. Background: While Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and other Basic Life Support (BLS) skills are pivotal for patients experiencing life-threatening arrhythmias and cardiopulmonary arrest, there are limited studies assessing the comfort of registered nurses in performing these necessary skills. Design. A descriptive survey design was used to determine the comfort level of Registered Nurses performing CPR and perceived need for a CPR refresher course over the 24-month interval of CPR certification in registered nurses. Method: An online quantitative survey consisting of thirteen items was used to assess comfort, the need for supplemental education, and demographic variables in participating registered nurses. Results: Forty-one registered nurses (RNs) completed the online survey. Ninety percent (n=37) of the RNs responding indicated that they would feel comfortable performing CPR in an emergency situation, leaving 10% (n=4) of nurses who would not feel comfortable. Although the majority reported they would feel comfortable performing CPR, 63.2% (n=24) expressed an interest in taking a refresher course to improve their comfort. When asked about the motivation leading the need to refresh their CPR skills, 37.21% (n=16) reported due to a lack of practice, 30.23% (n=13) reported as the drive to become proficient, and 18.6% (n=8) because of their experience with witnessing/participation in cardiac arrest situations. Limitations: A small sample size (Comfort, n=41 & Need Assessment, n=24) and our tool of measurement was not previously validated. This can serve as a pilot for further research, although we would like to continue to have the survey open so as to increase the sample size and then recalculate and analyze the data. Conclusions. Ninety percent (90%) of registered nurses indicated that they felt comfortable in performing CPR, however, more than half expressed an interest in taking a refresher course to improve their comfort. Relevance to clinical practice. Providing frequent refresher courses between recertification periods is suggested as a way to increase the level of comfort among registered nurses in emergency situations where those skills are required. Key words: cardiopulmonary resuscitation, refresher course, comfort, need assessment, registered nurse

The seasonal dynamics of coastal Arctic lagoons in Northwest Alaska

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2018Lagoons are zones of habitat transitions between freshwater and marine ecosystems, providing safe and productive feeding habitats for whitefishes in Northwest Alaska, important to subsistence users in the region. However, many important lagoon processes are not understood. Therefore, the goal of this thesis was to gain a baseline understanding of two important seasonal processes of lagoons in Northwest Alaska. First, I attempted to identify environmental processes correlated with Arctic lagoon breaching for three indicator lagoons that represent a range of environmental characteristics using generalized linear models (GLM) in an information theoretic approach and model averaging. Second, I developed a habitat suitability (HS) model to identify the range of physical conditions that whitefishes may experience if overwintering under ice of these lagoons during the Arctic winter, for the same three lagoons. The GLM model suggested that lagoon breaching day of year was slightly negatively related to day of year of river break-up, but other unconditional confidence intervals for the covariate parameters overlapped zero indicating considerable uncertainty in these estimates. Further data collection and monitoring in the region is needed to improve and verify lagoon breaching modelling results. The HS model indicated that lagoons have reduced suitability as whitefish habitat in winter due to loss of habitat due to the presence of bottomfast ice and a reduction of liquid water quality due to cold temperatures, high salinities and low dissolved oxygen levels. Importantly, small lagoons without freshwater inputs were potential sinks for fish populations. The results from this research will help the National Park Service and the Native Village of Kotzebue in a joint effort to understand and manage these important habitats that are critical for subsistence fisheries as the Arctic faces an uncertain future with climate change, oil spill threats, and increased coastal development.The Biomedical Learning and Student Training group, National Park Service, Wildlife Conservation Society and the College of Fisheries and Ocean Science

Utilizing the Boston Syncope Observation Management Pathway to Reduce Hospital Admission and Decrease Adverse Outcomes

Introduction: In an age of increasing scrutiny of each hospital admission, emergency department (ED) observation has been identified as a low-cost alternative. Prior studies have shown admission rates for syncope in the United States to be as high as 70%. However, the safety and utility of substituting ED observation unit (EDOU) syncope management has not been well studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety of EDOU for the management of patients presenting to the ED with syncope and its efficacy in reducing hospital admissions. Methods: This was a prospective before-and-after cohort study of consecutive patients presenting with syncope who were seen in an urban ED and were either admitted to the hospital, discharged, or placed in the EDOU. We first performed an observation study of syncope management and then implemented an ED observation-based management pathway. We identified critical interventions and 30-day outcomes. We compared proportions of admissions and adverse events rates with a chisquared or Fisher’s exact test. Results: In the “before” phase, 570 patients were enrolled, with 334 (59%) admitted and 27 (5%) placed in the EDOU; 3% of patients discharged from the ED had critical interventions within 30 days and 10% returned. After the management pathway was introduced, 489 patients were enrolled; 34% (p\u3c0.001) of pathway patients were admitted while 20% were placed in the EDOU; 3% (p=0.99) of discharged patients had critical interventions at 30 days and 3% returned (p=0.001). Conclusion: A focused syncope management pathway effectively reduces hospital admissions and adverse events following discharge and returns to the ED. [West J Emerg Med. 2019;20(2)250–255.

What is the Agricultural Problem

51 pagesNo apology for a paper on agricultural economics in the United States is necessary. It is a recognized problem area. But there seems to be some confusion as to the nature of the agricultural problem. The purpose of this paper is to determine as nearly as possible, exactly what the problems in agriculture are. Before analyzing the economic problems of any area, it would be best to state the goals of the economy. For what economic conditions are we striving? Two main goals can be identified; efficiency and equity. Efficiency is concerned with the allocation of resources. Resources should be distributed in such a manner that the largest amount of goods and services are delivered at the least cost. If a shifting of factors of production is possible which will either increase production or lower costs, or both, the concept of efficiency would suggest that the shift be made

Oo-Mah-Ha Ta-Wa-Tha (Omaha City)

“This little book tells many important tribal stories for today and for future generations. These historic vignettes of the Omaha Nation and its leaders are shared so personally by author Fannie Reed Giffen and her col­laborators, Susette and Susan La Flesche. It has been a treasure of mine for 25 years and I hope it becomes one of yours. The re-publication of the original comes on the 125-year anniversary of the 1898 Omaha Trans-Mississippi Expo­sition and Indian Congress. Its arrival is timely as many of its stories and people are vital to our nation’s history. A sculpture of Omaha Chief Big Elk will stand proudly on the banks of the Missouri as the city of Omaha cel­ebrates its namesake this summer! Susette La Flesche Tibbles is known today for her role in the Trial of Ponca Chief Standing Bear. She is recognized as an activist for Indian rights along with her sister Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, the first Native American Physician. Their sto­ries were not part of my childhood, yet today these amaz­ing women inspire me. The stories of America’s first people are essential to an understanding of our country. More and more, books like this are shining a light on people we need to know. I want to thank Zea Books for making this little jewel of Amer­ican history accessible for more of us to appreciate and enjoy.” —From the new Foreword by Judi M. gaiashkibos, Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs, Executive Director doi:10.32873/unl.dc.zea.1342https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/zeabook/1143/thumbnail.jp