Development, assessment, and evolution of an interprofessional activity with senior nursing and pharmacy students: application of quality improvement in interprofessional education (IPE)

Purpose: Concurrent development IPE activities and an assessment strategy is essential for informed evolution of such initiatives. This study provides an active example of the progression of IPE at an institution utilizing an active assessment plan. Background: IPE is advocated as a method to develop students who are prepared for interprofessional practice, which is essential for optimal patient outcomes. While IPE has been integrated in many health professional curricula, focus on assessment is needed to ensure obtainment of educational outcomes and truly prepare students for interprofessional collaboration in the work place. Description of Intervention/Program: IPE activities were developed through a multidisciplinary committee consisting of health profession faculty and students. Additionally the committee developed an assessment strategy to evaluate IPE initiatives. One activity implemented over the last three years involves senior nursing and pharmacy students collaboratively addressing a complex patient care simulation. Students complete a pre/post survey evaluating the impact of the activity on their readiness for interprofessional practice, IPE perceptions, and activity impact. Group care plans and group evaluations are also evaluated. Results: Quantitative and qualitative data are reviewed by the committee annually to make informed decisions for future iterations of the activity. Conclusion: Execution of a clear assessment plan is essential to fulfill learning objectives for IPE activities. Feedback from an educational activity allowed for continuous improvement, ensuring impact on student learning, and illustrates the necessity of assessment within IPE. Relevance to IPE or Practice: The study conveys three key points that would be helpful to other institutions implementing IPE. First, the study illustrates the importance of assessment planning when implementing IPE activities. Second, the assessment plan presented serves as an example for others. Lastly, the study provides an active example of applying the assessment plan to iterations of an IPE activity. Seminar Outline/Timeframe of Presentation and Interactive Discussion: Opening discussion on IPE and assessment of IPE activities (10 minutes) Integration of IPE into the University curriculum and details regarding the senior IPE activity (10 minutes) Development of an IPE assessment plan and application to the senior IPE activity (10 minutes) Interprofessional groupwork: 5-6 multidisciplinary group members provided student feedback from an IPE activity and must determine potential adjustments to the activity for future iterations (10 minutes) Interprofessional groupwork: In the same group, discuss potential adjustments to the assessment plan for IPE activities for the activity discussed previously as well as at group members’ own institutions. Large group discussion of group work including information gleaned from student feedback, proposed changes for future activities, and ideas for assessment planning, both for the activity presented and for participants’ own institutions. Two to Three measureable learning objectives relevant to conference goals: To demonstrate successful development and application of assessment strategies in IPE activities. To guide use of student feedback in the improvement of IPE activities To stimulate discussion regarding assessment planning within IP

Interprofessional Education for Freshman Nursing and Pharmacy Students: An Application of Ethics

Purpose: The purpose is to encourage students in the health care professions to work interprofessionally to better enable them to enter the workplace as a member of the collaborative practice team. Background: In 2009, six national education associations of schools of the health professions formed a collaborative to promote and encourage constituent efforts that would advance substantive interprofessional learning experiences (IPE) to help prepare future health professionals for enhanced team-based care of patients and improved population health outcomes. By 2016, this initiative has grown significantly, even being mandated by some professions. Description of Intervention/Program: IPE activities were developed through a committee consisting of faculty and students from nursing and pharmacy programs at the institution. An activity for freshman students (N=152) was developed, focusing on each profession’s code of ethics and application to ethical situations. Students completed a pre/post survey evaluating their readiness and perceptions of IPE, as well as evaluating the activities’ effectiveness in effective collaboration using qualitative and quantitative techniques. Results: The data was evaluated by the IPE committee to determine future iterations of the activity. Conclusion: Based on both quantitative and qualitative feedback from the students, the freshman IPE activity assisted both pharmacy and nursing students to become a more effective member of the health care team, bringing students from different health care programs together to problem-solve while applying a collaboratively devised code of ethics with an application-based activity to produce a robust experience. Relevance to IPE or Practice: The study conveys two key points that would be helpful for others integrating IPE activities into their curriculum. First, the authors illustrated an IPE activity that can be implemented with lower level professional students. Second, the authors outlined a plan for continuous improvement of IPE activity, looking beyond implementation to assessment and optimization of these initiatives. Seminar Outline/Timeframe of Presentation and Interactive Discussion: Opening discussion on IPE and its integration into the university curriculum (10 minutes) Freshman activity initial ideas, design, and feedback: the value of interprofessional ethics in healthcare (10 minutes) Modifications to the freshman activity and student feedback ( 10 minutes) Interprofessional groupwork (5-6 group members made up of participants from different disciplines) to develop a shared code of ethics (10 minutes) Interprofessional groupwork (same group members) using the shared code of ethics to solve a practical, real-world problem (10 minutes) Large group discussion on the overall activity, components of the shared code of ethics, and application of the code to the problem-solving activity, and considerations for the future for this activity (10 minutes) Two to three measureable learning objectives relevant to conference goals: To create a coordinated effort across the nursing and pharmacy health profession curricula to embed essential interprofessional experience and content. To guide professional and institutional curricular development of learning approaches and assessment strategies to achieve productive outcomes for nursing and pharmacy students. To demonstrate a newly developed ethics activity for freshman students in nursing and pharmacy programs to exhibit interprofessional problem-solving

Salivary Glucose Oxidase from Caterpillars Mediates the Induction of Rapid and Delayed-Induced Defenses in the Tomato Plant

Caterpillars produce oral secretions that may serve as cues to elicit plant defenses, but in other cases these secretions have been shown to suppress plant defenses. Ongoing work in our laboratory has focused on the salivary secretions of the tomato fruitworm, Helicoverpa zea. In previous studies we have shown that saliva and its principal component glucose oxidase acts as an effector by suppressing defenses in tobacco. In this current study, we report that saliva elicits a burst of jasmonic acid (JA) and the induction of late responding defense genes such as proteinase inhibitor 2 (Pin2). Transcripts encoding early response genes associated with the JA pathway were not affected by saliva. We also observed a delayed response to saliva with increased densities of Type VI glandular trichomes in newly emerged leaves. Proteomic analysis of saliva revealed glucose oxidase (GOX) was the most abundant protein identified and we confirmed that it plays a primary role in the induction of defenses in tomato. These results suggest that the recognition of GOX in tomato may represent a case for effector-triggered immunity. Examination of saliva from other caterpillar species indicates that saliva from the noctuids Spodoptera exigua and Heliothis virescens also induced Pin2 transcripts

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure

Expert range maps of global mammal distributions harmonised to three taxonomic authorities

AimComprehensive, global information on species' occurrences is an essential biodiversity variable and central to a range of applications in ecology, evolution, biogeography and conservation. Expert range maps often represent a species' only available distributional information and play an increasing role in conservation assessments and macroecology. We provide global range maps for the native ranges of all extant mammal species harmonised to the taxonomy of the Mammal Diversity Database (MDD) mobilised from two sources, the Handbook of the Mammals of the World (HMW) and the Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of the World (CMW).LocationGlobal.TaxonAll extant mammal species.MethodsRange maps were digitally interpreted, georeferenced, error-checked and subsequently taxonomically aligned between the HMW (6253 species), the CMW (6431 species) and the MDD taxonomies (6362 species).ResultsRange maps can be evaluated and visualised in an online map browser at Map of Life (mol.org) and accessed for individual or batch download for non-commercial use.Main conclusionExpert maps of species' global distributions are limited in their spatial detail and temporal specificity, but form a useful basis for broad-scale characterizations and model-based integration with other data. We provide georeferenced range maps for the native ranges of all extant mammal species as shapefiles, with species-level metadata and source information packaged together in geodatabase format. Across the three taxonomic sources our maps entail, there are 1784 taxonomic name differences compared to the maps currently available on the IUCN Red List website. The expert maps provided here are harmonised to the MDD taxonomic authority and linked to a community of online tools that will enable transparent future updates and version control

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world

Improving Maternal and Fetal Health: A Look at Thyroid Function During Pregnancy

Maintenance of thyroid function during pregnancy is critical for both maternal and fetal health and development; therefore, knowledge regarding the relationship between thyroid hormones and pregnancy is essential. The American Thyroid Association task force has developed clinical guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disease during pregnancy. Gestational thyroid diseases are divided into two classifications, hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, which are further divided into more specific classifications based on clinical presentation. Differentiation, diagnosis, and monitoring of thyroid diseases throughout pregnancy require assessing symptoms, as well as obtaining levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4) concentration by a simple serum test. Treatment goals are based on trimester-specific normal ranges of these hormone levels. Uncontrolled hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism during pregnancy can lead to adverse pregnancy complications and have negative effects on fetal development. However, debate still exists as to the benefit of thyroid hormone level screening in all pregnant patients versus only those with higher risk