Start with Trust: Shifting from Pandemic-Centered to Person-Centered Leadership

How policies and procedures regarding online learning, faculty coaching, and institutional policy around COVID (and post-COVID) can create more equitable support across the university

Passive recruitment reach of a lifestyle management program to address obesity in the deep south during the COVID-19 pandemic

Obesity is a significant public health concern, especially in the Deep South and in Mississippi where prevalence is among the worst in the nation paired, with other poor health outcomes and socioeconomic conditions. Lifestyle management programs that address modifiable risk factors, such as nutrition and physical activity, can be effective mitigation strategies to halt weight accumulation patterns and ameliorate metabolic risk factors for some populations. However, there is limited evidence regarding the implementation of effective practice models to address obesity risk in underserved and underrepresented populations, such as African Americans, and people in the stage of earlier adulthood. Furthermore, there is growing evidence supporting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on lifestyle management programs that should be considered in these populations. The purpose of this manuscript was to describe the development and telehealth implementation of a weight management program during the COVID-19 pandemic and provide a preliminary examination of recruitment strategies and baseline characteristics for enrolled participants. Passive recruitment (social media, web, email, and other media advertisements) resulted in 157 screening initiations, and 79 of those participants met the study inclusion criteria. Further, of the 79 eligible participants, 38 completed all study enrollment requirements and presented with metabolic abnormalities. The study findings add to the emerging body of evidence for how the pandemic may have impacted lifestyle management programs and is representative of an understudied and underrepresented population

Implementing High-Fidelity Simulation to Meet Undergraduate Clinical Requirements

Increased demand for clinical experiences, lack of clinical sites, and shortages of qualified nursing faculty are reasons undergraduate nursing programs are seeking to utilize simulation to meet student learning needs. High-fidelity simulation (HFS) gives students the opportunity to develop technical skills, enhance critical thinking skills, and apply theoretical concepts to clinical presentations in a controlled, safe environment. There is mounting interest in replacing traditional clinical hours with simulated practice experiences, particularly in specialty nursing areas like obstetrics. Despite literature supporting HFS and the positive effects of its use in undergraduate nursing education, faculty remain unfamiliar with the process of integrating simulation into undergraduate nursing curriculums effectively. Guided by the National League for Nursing (NLN) Jeffries Simulation Theory (2016), this Doctor of Nursing practice (DNP) project aimed to create a maternal-newborn HFS to replace traditional clinical hours and resolve maternal-newborn clinical barriers for undergraduate nursing students at a rural, associate degree nursing program. The eight-hour, four station HFS was systematically created to fill gaps in clinical experiences in the existing maternal-newborn course at the college. The project introduced HFS to the maternal-newborn didactic and clinical faculty through an education session and participation in the created HFS. The project utilized pre- and post-simulation open-ended surveys to measure changes in knowledge, perception, and likelihood to adopt before and after training. Results of the project demonstrated a significant improvement in faculty knowledge after the training as well improvement in perceptions and an identified increase in likelihood to adopt HFS as part of the maternal-newborn curriculum. As undergraduate nursing programs move to integrate more simulation into existing curriculum, it is important to examine faculty perceptions and intentions toward simulation to understand and more effectively implement it as a viable replacement to traditional clinical experiences for students

Extension of the master sintering curve for constant heating rate modeling

The purpose of this work is to extend the functionality of the Master Sintering Curve (MSC) such that it can be used as a practical tool for predicting sintering schemes that combine both a constant heating rate and an isothermal hold. Rather than just being able to predict a final density for the object of interest, the extension to the MSC will actually be able to model a sintering run from start to finish. Because the Johnson model does not incorporate this capability, the work presented is an extension of what has already been shown in literature to be a valuable resource in many sintering situations. A predicted sintering curve that incorporates a combination of constant heating rate and an isothermal hold is more indicative of what is found in real-life sintering operations. This research offers the possibility of predicting the sintering schedule for a material, thereby having advanced information about the extent of sintering, the time schedule for sintering, and the sintering temperature with a high degree of accuracy and repeatability. The research conducted in this thesis focuses on the development of a working model for predicting the sintering schedules of several stabilized zirconia powders having the compositions YSZ (HSY8), 10Sc1CeSZ, 10Sc1YSZ, and 11ScSZ1A. The compositions of the four powders are first verified using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and the particle size and surface area are verified using a particle size analyzer and BET analysis, respectively. The sintering studies were conducted on powder compacts using a double pushrod dilatometer. Density measurements are obtained both geometrically and using the Archimedes method. Each of the four powders is pressed into 1/4 inch diameter pellets using a manual press with no additives, such as a binder or lubricant. Using a double push-rod dilatometer, shrinkage data for the pellets is obtained over several different heating rates. The shrinkage data is then converted to reflect the change in relative density of the pellets based on the green density and the theoretical density of each of the compositions. The Master Sintering Curve (MSC) model is then utilized to generate data that can be utilized to predict the final density of the respective powder over a range of heating rates. The Elton Master Sintering Curve Extension (EMSCE) is developed to extend the functionality of the MSC tool. The parameters generated from the original MSC are used in tandem with the solution to a specific closed integral (discussed in document) over a set range of temperatures. The EMSCE is used to generate a set of sintering curves having both constant heating rate and isothermal hold portions. The EMSCE extends the usefulness of the MSC by allowing this generation of a complete sintering schedule rather than just being able to predict the final relative density of a given material. The EMSCE is verified by generating a set of curves having both constant heating rate and an isothermal hold for the heat-treatment. The modeled curves are verified experimentally and a comparison of the model and experimental results are given for a selected composition. Porosity within the final product can hinder the product from sintering to full density. It is shown that some of the compositions studied did not sinter to full density because of the presence of large porosity that could not be eliminated in a reasonable amount of time. A statistical analysis of the volume fraction of porosity is completed to show the significance of the presence in the final product. The reason this is relevant to the MSC is that the model does not take into account the presence of porosity and assumes that the samples sinter to full density. When this does not happen, the model actually under-predicts the final density of the material.Ph.D.Committee Chair: Dr. Joe K. Cochran; Committee Co-Chair: Dr. Thomas H. Sanders; Committee Member: Dr. John Elton; Committee Member: Dr. Meilin Liu; Committee Member: Dr. Robert F. Speye

Track 2 GK-12: STEP Up!

Issued as final reportNational Science Foundation (U.S.

Cortisol Response to Relocation Stress in Garnett\u27s Bushbaby (\u3ci\u3eOtolemur garnettii\u3c/i\u3e)

Relocation of research animals, either within a facility or from one facility to another, is assumed to be stressful. Development of appropriate research methodologies may be facilitated by understanding the extent and duration of the physiological response to relocation stress and whether the stress can be buffered by environmental or social factors, such as the presence of a cagemate. To characterize the response to relocation stress in Garnett\u27s bushbaby, we assessed cortisol concentrations in nine female and six male bushbabies during relocation to a different facility; six of the animals were pair-housed at the time of the move and were moved with their respective cagemates. Fecal cortisol was assessed at three time points: 1) baseline (I day prior to moving); 2) relocation (the day the animals were relocated); and 3) post-relocation (7 days after relocation). Cortisol concentrations were higher at the relocation time point than at baseline and post-relocation, which did not differ. Cortisol concentration did not differ as a function of having a cagemate during relocation. Although relocation resulted in a significant (P \u3c 0.05) increase in cortisol excretion concentration, the levels returned to baseline within 7 days after the stressor

Handedness and Lateralised Tympanic Membrane Temperature in Relation to Approach-Avoidance Behaviour in Garnett\u27s Bushbaby (\u3ci\u3eOtolemur garnettii\u3c/i\u3e)

Studies of handedness suggest a relationship between hemispheric specialisation and emotional processing. Recently measures of lateralised tympanic membrane temperature (TMT) have identified similar relationships (i.e., the left hemisphere is involved in approach behaviour and the right hemisphere avoidance behaviour). In the present study we examined lateralised changes in TMT in response to social interaction in 10 Garnett\u27s bushbabies. Additionally, we examined whether handedness could be used as a predictor of approachavoidance tendencies. We found a positive association between temperature change and both allogrooming and affiliative approach. Social behaviour did not differ between right- and left-handed bushbabies. These findings are discussed in terms of existing theories of asymmetric emotional processing. Overall, the data suggest that there is a left hemisphere specialisation for processing approach-related behaviours, which is consistent with existing models of lateralised emotional processing. Our data also indicate that TMT is a reliable, cost-effective measure of cerebral activation that is less invasive and more practical than alternative measures such as EEG, PET, and fMRI

Additional file 2: of Cannabis for pediatric epilepsy: protocol for a living systematic review

Search strategy. (DOCX 18 kb