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Organic Carbon Decay Mediated by a Mesopelagic Microbial Community: The Relevance of Carbon Pools and Broad Biochemical Composition
Get PDFThe mesopelagic zone is a site of strong microbially driven particle attenuation with depth and thus plays a crucial role in controlling the transfer efficiency of the ocean\u27s biological pump. However, little quantitative information exists on the dependency of decay processes on the source material. Here we followed the decay of ¹⁴C-labeled dead particulate organic carbon (POC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from three different phytoplankton species, and two incubations of live diatoms, in mesopelagic water over 3 months. Commonly used first-order kinetics failed to adequately describe the decay of organic material as rate constants varied from day to day. Over extended periods, decay rates for organic material exhibited two distinct phases, with rates in the second phase being inversely related to rates in the first phase. Microbial biomass (measured via adenosine triphosphate and cell counts) increased substantially during phase 1 and ebbed during phase 2. Decay rates were significantly different among the three algal sources; however, differences were even more pronounced among carbon pools and followed a distinct pattern (combined average per-day decay rates at 12°C): fresh DOC (0.6) \u3e fresh POC (0.1) \u3e live cells (0.06) \u3e aged DOC/POC (0.01). Separation of POC into four broad biochemical fractions showed that components in the operationally defined lipid fraction contained the most degradable compounds for fresh material. Our research highlights the need to include the dynamics of the most easily digestible fractions of freshly released organic material, and live plankton resilient to digestion, in calculations of vertical carbon flux budgets
Preliminary Validity of a Daily Functional Status Pain Assessment Tool
Get PDFObjectives: Readiness for discharge for a sickle cell disease vaso-occlusive crisis is dictated by factors far beyond pain control, including physical function/activity. We therefore designed and tested a functional status-based pain assessment questionnaire in SCD patients hospitalized with vaso-occlusive crises.
Methods: Sickle cell disease patients on a preselected nursing unit rated 10 draft Functional status-Based Pain Assessment items of activities of daily living on a 5 point Likert scale (0-5) from “very easy” to “very difficult” daily on each day of their admission until discharge, at approximately the same time. Concurrently, they reported Numeric Rating Scale (0-10) pain intensity. For validation, we used exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and item response theory analysis.
Results and Discussion: We analyzed 503 observations from 175 admissions of 88 patients. Half were female, the mean age was 32.1+/- 11.8 years, and the mean length of stay was 7.1 +/-6.9 days. The mean Numeric Rating Scale (6.8 ± 1.9) was inversely correlated with the mean Functional Status-based Pain Assessment (0-50) score (27 ± 8.0, r= -0.4342, p
Conclusion: The Functional Status-based Pain Assessment shows strong correlation with daily Numeric Rating Scale, is multidimensional, and demonstrates strong construct validity. It may improve assessment of sickle cell disease vaso-occlusive crisis pain and may enhance vaso-occlusive crisis discharge discussions
The Past, Present, and Future of Adaptive Selling: Toward an Integrative Framework
Get PDFAdaptive selling represents a notable and influential concept in the marketing literature. Despite being discussed in scholarly research and managerial practice for over forty years and mixed findings about its impact, a comprehensive understanding of the construct of adaptive selling remains missing. To remedy this critical knowledge gap, we conduct a comprehensive review of 188 articles across twenty-seven journals. We combine three approaches in our survey of the literature, including a systematic review, a main path analysis, and a bibliographic analysis. Together, this three-prong review offers profound insights into the state of adaptive selling research by (1) mapping the key stages of evolution of research in this domain over the last four decades, (2) delineating various conceptualizations and operational measures of the construct of adaptive selling, and (3) advancing an integrated framework of the nomological network of adaptive selling. Based on these insights, we outline five major opportunities for future theoretical development and empirical research to move the domain forward
Not Exactly Perfect, But Pretty Darn Good: A Review of Michael Schur\u27s Book- How To Be Perfect: The Correct Answer To Every Moral Question
Get PDFHow to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question provides a quick-start guide to addressing ethical challenges by using humor to make complex philosophical concepts accessible. Based on the premise that traditional ethics pedagogy is often stodgy, esoteric, and depressing, the book appeals to students and professionals who find conventional texts unapproachable. By blending humor with moral philosophy, it offers a fresh way to develop ethical reasoning in students and employees. This book can help address the urgent need for managers and professionals to build the ethical capabilities necessary to tackle grand challenges
Using Community-Engaged Research to Achieve Health Equity: A Report from the Initiative for Community-Engaged Research and Health Equity (CEREQ)
Get PDFThis report discusses the scope and progress of Community Engaged Research (CEnR) among a multi-institutional network of community-engaged partners in Southeastern Virginia. It explores the pivotal role of CEnR in fostering equitable health outcomes by detailing the active partners, describing the institutional support and infrastructure in place, and highlighting growth opportunities that include the recommended development of a formal Office of Community Engagement.
The initiative for Community-Engaged Research and Health Equity (CEREQ) was launched in Spring 2023 to foster collaborations that bridge a gap between academic research and community health needs. CEREQ focuses on building sustainable community-engaged research infrastructure – people, processes, and systems – and increasing regional capacity for collaborative research. Current collaborative partners include Macon and Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at ODU (VHS, formerly EVMS), Old Dominion University (ODU), Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Norfolk State University (NSU), Sentara Healthcare, the Housing Collaborative Community Advisory Board (HCCAB), local public housing authorities, Hampton Roads residents, and various nonprofit organizations. This report can help guide research faculty, community partners, and potential collaborators in understanding the significance of CEnR, its practical applications, and its collaborative opportunities. CEnR significantly enhances research efforts and leads to meaningful interventions that alleviate health disparities and promote a healthier, more inclusive community
Social Susceptibility-Driven Longitudinal Tornado Reconnaissance Methodology: 2021 Midwest Quad-State Tornado Outbreak
Get PDFWith the impact of climate change, the intensity and frequency of tornado events have been increasing. Enhancing tornado reconnaissance methods can comprehensively capture building damage and recovery data following tornado events and outbreaks, thereby strengthening community resilience against the threat of future tornado events. Advancements in tornado data reconnaissance research have embraced remote sensing techniques to assess building damage after tornado events, supplanting traditional reconnaissance methods relying on handheld cameras with GIS mapping. Community resilience research offers a groundbreaking perspective, stressing the importance of assessing buildings throughout their recovery cycle-from damage and functionality to recovery-and considering their socioeconomic stability in the face of natural hazards. This paradigm shift in approach lays the groundwork for advancing tornado reconnaissance through longitudinal studies. This paper presents a holistic methodology for the longitudinal tornado reconnaissance study, beginning with socially driven community selection and extending through rapid perishable data collection and processing. The 2021 Midwest quad-state tornado outbreak serves as an illustrative example of these methods and tools, with longitudinal tornado reconnaissance findings presented herein. The methodology proposed marks the inception of a new era in longitudinal tornado reconnaissance, which facilitates community resilience research through model calibration and new recovery model development to provide decision-making support to stakeholders, city planners, practitioners, and beyond
Dust Deposition to the Sargasso Sea: A Comparison of Estimates Using Aluminum in the Surface Ocean Versus Aerosols and Rainwater
Get PDFAs a major component of mineral aerosol that partially dissolves in seawater, aluminum (Al) has been used to estimate time-averaged dust fluxes to the ocean, based on dissolved aluminum (DAl) concentrations and an assumed replacement time of DAl (tau DAl) in the surface mixed layer, along with the fractional solubility (Als) and mass abundance of Al in dust. We apply this method in the Bermuda region using seasonal water-column DAl concentrations, and compare our results with fluxes estimated from Al measured in Bermuda aerosols and rain. Inventories of DAl over the maximum mixed-layer depth of 200 m and empirically derived Als values yield mean dust fluxes of 5.3-11.2 g m-² yr-¹, around 4- to 9-fold higher than fluxes estimated from aerosols and rain, which average 1.2 g m-² yr-¹ over a 318-day sampling period. This discrepancy likely reflects an underestimate in tau DAl and lateral transport of DAl in the surface ocean
Uncovering Third Space in Virtual Transnational Partnership: Transdisciplinary and Transcultural Transformation
Get PDFThis qualitative case study explores how two English language teachers from South Korea and Taiwan developed transcultural dispositions as they participated in a virtual professional development program. The study employed third space as a conceptual framework and the third generation of cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT-3rd) as an analytical framework to uncover the teachers\u27 learning experiences. Findings from this study reveal the dynamic and complex process of becoming a trans-educator through transforming one\u27s professional identity and teaching practices. This study contributes to inclusive and responsive educational practices that reflect the complexities of globalized teaching and learning environments
Characterization of Microbial Biofilms on Marine Plastics: Community Development and Density Implications for Vertical Transport Dynamics
Get PDFMarine plastic pollution poses a significant and escalating threat to ocean ecosystems, with microbial colonization on plastics playing a critical role in determining their environmental fate. Despite the recognized importance of microbial biofilms, their composition, dynamics, and functional contributions on buoyant plastics remain poorly understood. In this study, we leveraged a novel integrative approach by simultaneously employing 16S, 18S, and ITS sequencing alongside microscopy, lipidomics, pigment analysis, adenosine triphosphate and biogenic silica quantification. This comprehensive methodology allowed for a thorough characterization of microbial growth and community dynamics on plastic debris in a mid-latitude, tidal sub-estuary. Our analyses consistently identified diatoms, due to their silica shells, as the sole ballast-bearing microorganisms within the biofilm. By examining the accumulation of biogenic silica on plastic surfaces, we evaluated the potential role of microbial biofilms in influencing plastic sinking behavior in the water column. Our findings indicate that the production of microbial ballast material alone is insufficient to significantly alter the buoyancy of most buoyant plastics larger than 15 or 40 μm (depending on shape) under nutrient-rich, undisturbed conditions. These results suggest that additional processes, such as metazoan colonization or sediment accumulation, are likely necessary to transport larger buoyant plastics to deeper waters
Real-World Interventional Outcomes for Cardiogenic Shock Complicating Acute Myocardial Infarction
Get PDFAcute myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock (AMICS) carries high mortality and remains a major concern. This concern drives use of interventions with marginal benefit and some evidence of harm. The configuration of hospital care and allocation of interventions for AMICS in our health system created a natural experiment to analyze interventional outcomes for patients with AMICS.
Objective
To compare clinical outcomes among AMICS patients treated with mechanical circulatory support (MCS) using a micro-axial left ventricular assist device and intra-aortic balloon counter-pulsation (IABP).
Design, setting, participants, outcome measures
In this observational study in a large health system, we used clinical registry data augmented with data from other sources to analyze 30-day and 180-day mortality as well as complications including major bleeding, and access site injury.
Results
Of 505 patients with AMICS, 73 were treated with MCS and 160 with IABP. Baseline characteristics were similar between treatment groups except infarct location. Multivariable logistic regression showed that MCS was associated with 1.92 (CI = 1.10-3.37) times higher 30-day mortality risk and 2.03 (CI = 1.17-3.57) times higher 180-day mortality risk. In MCS-inclined hospitals as compared with IABP-inclined hospitals, patients had significantly higher 180-day mortality (45.3 % versus 33.9 %, p = 0.017), and bleeding rates (15.1 % versus 1.3 %, p \u3c 0.001), with trends toward higher 30-day mortality (41.4 % versus 32.6 %, p = 0.064) and access site injury (4.7 % versus 1.3 %, p = 0.063).
Conclusion
In this real-world setting, MCS use for AMICS was associated with higher complication rates. Before using this device for AMICS, clinicians should consider tight selection criteria to minimize harm and maximize overall benefit