An Analysis of Leadership Programming Sponsored by Member Organizations of the National Panhellenic

Leadership development is a high priority for many National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sororities (National Panhellenic Conference, 1999) and obtaining leadership skills is a major reason why women join sororities (NPC/NIC Research Initiative, 2002). However, little research is available which summarizes leadership programs sponsored by NPC headquarters and the specific contents and effectiveness of such programs. This study examined those aspects through surveys distributed to the 26 NPC sorority headquarters. The results from the study demonstrate sorority headquarters indeed offer leadership education to undergraduate collegiate members through a wide range of programming; however, these programs may be missing critical elements associated with women’s leadership theory. Recommendations for sorority professionals, including campus professionals and inter/national sorority leaders, are included

Evidence based guidelines to improve engagement and participation for people experiencing depression

Background:Depression can have a strongly negative impact on a person’s ability to engage with and participate in activities of daily living. Clinicians currently seeking guidance on best practice in this area currently need to access and critique a wide range of evidence from a number of disciplines. While some clinical practice guidelines are available, this form of evidence presentation presents several barriers to implementation.Procedures:This article proposes a new procedure for developing guidance for clinicians, known as evidence based guidelines. The purpose of the guidelines presented here is to provide guidance on appropriate assessment and intervention strategies with people experiencing depression, who wish to improve their engagement and participation in daily activities. They were constructed using a multiple methods procedure, with five phases.Results:Evidence based guidelines for the general population, older adults and people with co-morbid physical conditions are presented at the conclusion of this article.Conclusion:The procedure described here produces evidence based guidelines with built in measures to promote implementation into practice. The resulting guidelines for depression will enable clinicians from all disciplines to engage in best practice, and assist people with depression participate more fully in their lives

When Plaquing Is Not Possible: Computational Methods for Detecting Induced Phages

High-throughput sequencing of microbial communities has uncovered a large, diverse population of phages. Frequently, phages found are integrated into their bacterial host genome. Distinguishing between phages in their integrated (lysogenic) and unintegrated (lytic) stage can provide insight into how phages shape bacterial communities. Here we present the Prophage Induction Estimator (PIE) to identify induced phages in genomic and metagenomic sequences. PIE takes raw sequencing reads and phage sequence predictions, performs read quality control, read assembly, and calculation of phage and non-phage sequence abundance and completeness. The distribution of abundances for non-phage sequences is used to predict induced phages with statistical confidence. In silico tests were conducted to benchmark this tool finding that PIE can detect induction events as well as phages with a relatively small burst size (10×). We then examined isolate genome sequencing data as well as a mock community and urinary metagenome data sets and found instances of induced phages in all three data sets. The flexibility of this software enables users to easily include phage predictions from their preferred tool of choice or phage sequences of interest. Thus, genomic and metagenomic sequencing now not only provides a means for discovering and identifying phage sequences but also the detection of induced prophages

The inflammatory potential of the diet in childhood is associated with cardiometabolic risk in adolescence/young adulthood in the ALSPAC birth cohort

PURPOSE: This study examined the association between a Dietary Inflammatory Score adapted for children (cDIS) and Cardiometabolic Risk (CMR) score in adolescence/early adulthood in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). METHODS: The cDIS was calculated at 7, 10 and 13 years using diet diary data. Anthropometric and biochemical data at 17 (N = 1937) and 24 (N = 1957) years were used to calculate CMR scores at each age [mean sex-specific z-scores from triacylglycerol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and fat-mass index (FMI)]. Multivariable linear regression models examined associations between cDIS at 7, 10 and 13 years and a continuous CMR z-score and individual CMR markers at 17 and 24 years. RESULTS: In fully adjusted models, a higher cDIS (more pro-inflammatory diet) at 7 years was associated with an increase in CMR z-score at 17 years (β 0.19; 95% CI 0.03–0.35 for third versus first cDIS tertile) and at 24 years (β 0.28; 95% CI 0.11,0.44 for third versus first cDIS tertile). There was a weak association between a higher cDIS at 10 years and an increase in CMR z-score at 17 years (β 0.16; 95% CI − 0.003, 0.32 for third versus first cDIS tertile). No other clear associations were evident. FMI, MAP and HOMA-IR were the main CMR factors contributing to these associations. CONCLUSION: A more pro-inflammatory diet during childhood was associated with a worse cardiometabolic profile in late adolescence/early adulthood. A childhood diet abundant in nutrients with anti-inflammatory properties could help reduce development of CMR factors. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00394-022-02860-9

Investigation of the Roles of Toxin-Coregulated Pili and Mannose-Sensitive Hemagglutinin Pili in the Pathogenesis of Vibrio cholerae O139 Infection

In this study, adult volunteers were fed tcpA and mshA deletion mutants of V. cholerae O139 strain CVD 112 to determine the role of toxin-coregulated pili (TCP) and mannose-sensitive hemagglutinin (MSHA) in intestinal colonization. Eight of 10 volunteers who received CVD 112 or CVD 112 ΔmshA shed the vaccine strains in their stools; the geometric mean peak excretion for both groups was 1.4 × 105 CFU/g of stool. In contrast, only one of nine recipients of CVD 112 ΔtcpA shed vibrios in his stool (P \u3c 0.01); during the first 24 h after inoculation, 3 × 102 CFU/g was recovered from this volunteer. All recipients of CVD 112 and 8 (80%) of the recipients of CVD 112 ΔmshA developed at least a fourfold rise in vibriocidal titer after immunization. In contrast, only one (11%) of the nine recipients of CVD 112 ΔtcpA developed a fourfold rise in vibriocidal titer (P \u3c 0.01). We conclude that TCP are an important colonization factor of V. cholerae O139 and probably of El Tor V. cholerae O1. In contrast, MSHA does not appear to promote intestinal colonization in humans

The State of State EITCs: An Overview and Their Implications for Low- and Moderate-Income Households

The success of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has prompted numerous states to develop and administer their own EITC programs. This brief presents the results of analyses that used data from a large sample of low- and moderate-income households to learn more about the relationship between state and federal EITCs as well as about their relationships, respective and combined, with financial behaviors and the experience of financial and material hardship. Given that many EITC beneficiaries face substantial risk of experiencing income volatility and financial shocks, insights gained from this brief can assist policymakers in understanding the importance of expanded EITCs and promoting emergency saving at tax time

School Segregation by Boundary Line in Virginia: Scope, Significance and State Policy Solutions

This research brief explores the landscape of school segregationrelated to boundary lines in Virginia and in key regions. It also analyzes common rezoning criteria and policies in a large sample of Virginia school divisions. The brief then provides a condensed overview of existing literature on school boundaries and segregation. Finally, it offers evidence-based recommendations for Virginia to combat the relationship between school-related boundaries and segregation