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Investigation of the regional innovation system in rural region of New Jersey: a qualitative single case study
Get PDFThis single-case study investigated how a partnership between a rural community college in New Jersey and a manufacturer of emerging optics equipment reflected the “regional networked innovation system,” a type of regional innovation system (Asheim & Isaksen, 2002, p.83). The regional innovation system explains a region\u27s development and competitiveness based on a set of actors within a region, developing specific forms of capital derived from social relations, norms, values, and interactions with the community (Doloreux & Parto, 2005)
“YOU HAVE TO FIRST RECOGNIZE THAT THERE’S A PROBLEM BEFORE YOU CAN ENACT CHANGE”: A MIXED-METHODS STUDY OF GENERAL AND SPECIAL EDUCATION CO-TEACHERS’ CRITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS AND AGENCY IN ENACTING SOCIALLY JUST INCLUSIVE PRACTICES
No full textInclusive education transcends the physical integration of students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms, demanding a commitment toward socially just inclusive practices. The purpose of this exploratory mixed-methods study is to investigate inclusive co-teachers\u27 critical consciousness and agency in socially just inclusive practices, specifically for students of color with disabilities. The quantitative phase, with a survey of 241 teachers, revealed a structural equation model showing relationships between critical awareness about intersectionality, attitudes toward inclusion, self-efficacy in inclusive teaching, agency, and critical action. The open-ended responses indicated two teacher profiles based on their level of critical consciousness. The qualitative phase included interviews and community of practice meetings with intervention and discussions with five inclusive science co-teachers about their beliefs, experiences, and practices. Qualitative findings demonstrated that teachers’ critical awareness of the co-construction of race and disability and its connection with normalcy, white privilege, and deficit-based assumptions and their critical reflection on their roles and responsibilities to attend to equity and justice encouraged their agency toward socially just practices. This study has implications for theory, policy, research, and practice, culminating in the proposed sociopolitical, ecological model of teacher agency in enacting socially just inclusive education
Mental health, chronic and infectious conditions among pregnant persons in US state prisons and local jails 2016-2017.
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Pregnant individuals in incarcerated settings have unique healthcare needs. Rates of mental health, infectious diseases, and chronic disease are higher among nonpregnant incarcerated women compared with those who are not, but the prevalence of these conditions among pregnant people in custody has not been documented.
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to describe the prevalence of metabolic, infectious, and mental health conditions in pregnant people to identify the medical needs of high-risk pregnancies in US state prisons and local jails.
STUDY DESIGN: This was a prospective epidemiologic surveillance of a convenience sample of state prisons (n = 20) and local jails (n = 3).
METHODS: We used purposive and snowball sampling to recruit a national sample of prisons and jails of a range of sizes and geographies. Reporters submitted to our study database monthly data on selected pregnancy comorbidities for 6 months between 2016 and 2017. Screening, diagnosis, and tracking of these conditions are derived from each facility\u27s medical record and health care delivery systems.
RESULTS: Of the 445 newly admitted pregnant people in prisons and 243 in jails, the most prevalent conditions were mental health conditions and hepatitis C. Specifically, 34.1% (n = 152) in prison and 23.5% (n = 57) in jail had a substance use disorder, and 27.4% (n = 122) of those in prison and 17.7% (n = 43) in jail had a psychiatric diagnosis. Finally, 20.2% (n = 91) in prison and 6.6% (n = 16) in jail had hepatitis C.
CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that chronic medical and mental health conditions are prevalent among pregnant people in US prisons and jails. However, significant variability in the reported number of cases of these conditions from state to state and between facility types implies a lack of or inadequate screening practices. These data indicate the need for comprehensive screening and appropriate care for the complex needs of pregnant incarcerated people
Spontaneous Intracranial Hemorrhage in a 29-Year-Old Male: A Case Report
Get PDFSpontaneous intracranial hemorrhage is rare, especially in a young patient population. Signs and symptoms of intracranial hemorrhage include facial droop, vision loss, motor deficits with extraocular movements, deficits with tongue movement, weakness in the arms or legs, sensation loss, and mental status change. This is a case report of a 29-year-old male with no past medical history who presented for a spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage. This patient\u27s only neurologic deficit was the loss of visual field on the left inferior quadrant of his field of vision. The patient obtained a CT head non-contrast which showed 21 mm acute right occipital hemorrhage medially with mild surrounding vasogenic edema. The patient’s blood pressure was lowered with a blood pressure goal of less than 160 systolic blood pressure with a nicardipine drip of 5 mg/hr. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit for further management of intracranial hemorrhage and neurosurgical evaluation. This case report helps to educate medical providers on the importance of a thorough neurologic exam and the possibility of an intracranial hemorrhage occurring despite age
The Effects of Psychedelic Microdosing on Mental Health: A Systematic Review
Get PDFThis poster explores the effects of psychedelic microdosing on mental health conditions. Roughly 5.5 million individuals in the U.S. utilize psychedelics to treat their mental health issues. The primary substances used for microdosing currently include LSD and psilocybin, but mescaline, DMT, and amphetamines are used less commonly. This systematic review included 16 unique articles. The types of articles included: observational, placebo, self-reported, motivational, literature review, and comparative studies. The studies indicated lower levels of anxiety, depression, and stress among those that microdose. However, drawbacks such as difficulty sleeping and headaches were reported. Various studies have been published on the effects of microdosing, yet studies with greater sample sizes as well as double blind studies would lead to a greater understanding of this modality of treatment
What Stigmas Still Exist for Weight Loss Medications?
No full textBackground and Hypothesis:
Medications for weight loss are becoming far more common as more tolerable formulas have come to the market with some medications offering results almost on par with bariatric surgery. However, studies show a stigma still persists around the discussion and perception around using weight loss medications. The authors of this study hypothesized that one of the biggest hurdles patients face for weight loss medications are the stigmas associated with taking these medicines and approaching the topic.
Methods:
This was a survey-based project that consisted of an anonymous, voluntary questionnaire which was provided to patients during their regular primary care office visit. Responses to the questionnaire were summarized to help determine the different stigmas associated with weight loss medications, with an emphasis on stigma towards phentermine. All data was collected amongst patients 18-89 years of age with a BMI \u3e30 and a diagnosis of obesity.
Results:
In the several months of data collection, a total of four responses were collected. Three of the participants rated the lack of information around weight loss medications being the biggest barrier to pursuing them. All the responses indicated their PCP discussed weight loss with them, while most first heard about weight loss medications from their PCP. Three participants were aware of FDA approval for weight loss medications. Finally, three participants had no preference between injection versus oral medications. Further evaluation of our data is forthcoming.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrates that most patients find out about weight loss medications from their PCP. The results demonstrated the biggest concerns with taking weight loss medications are the side effect profiles and a lack of familiarity with the different medication options.
Acknowledgement:
The authors thank Rowan Family Medicine for their support. This project was approved by Virtua-RowanSOM IRB
Sex Differences in Outcomes Among Patients with High-Output Heart Failure: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Get PDF❖ There is limited data specifically looking for sex differences in patients with high output heart failure (HOHF).
❖ We sought to examine the national inpatient sample database to describe in-hospital outcomes among female patients
The Effects of Circadian Misalignment on Astrocyte Morphology in the Nucleus Tractus Solitarius
Get PDFCircadian misalignment, as experienced by shift workers, was found to increase the number of astrocytes in the nucleus tractus solitarius (nTS) - a brain region crucial for autonomic control of blood pressure. Sprague Dawley rats subjected to a 6-hour light-dark phase delay every 2 days to simulate shift work exhibited a significant increase in astrocyte cell bodies compared to control rats, both at 9am and 9pm timepoints. The increase in astrocytes may lead to greater glutamate uptake, reducing extracellular glutamate levels in the nTS. Decreased glutamatergic neurotransmission in this region has been linked to the development of hypertension. These findings suggest that circadian misalignment induces astrocyte proliferation in the nTS, which could impair glutamate signaling and contribute to the elevated blood pressure observed in shift workers. Further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms by which astrocyte changes in the nTS mediate the hypertensive effects of circadian disruption. This research provides important insights into how shift work and circadian misalignment may adversely impact cardiovascular health through alterations in astrocyte morphology and function within the nTS
Perceived and Preferred Methods to Adult Language Learning
Get PDFThe purpose of this research study is to understand the adult language learners in formal learning setting and know what do they perceive as the main methods of teaching and what do they prefer instead. If there is a gap between preferred methods of learning and perceived methods of learning, then there is a need that needs to be addressed. This is important because many students find language learning at best ineffective and at worst impossible. I hypothesize that there will be a difference between adult student perception and preference because student focuses more on speaking and listening skill over reading and writing skill. Likewise, I predict that students prefer entertaining media as lessons materials over traditional forms of learning. To conduct this research, I e-mailed students enrolled in language courses at Rowan University and invited them to fill out a quantitative survey. The results came back with most students placing pronunciation practice, talking to other speakers, and translating as their top methods of learning. This aligns with the hypothesis that adult students prefer speaking and listening skills over reading and writing skills. However, the use of entertainment media has shown mixed results, with the use of social media scoring lower than anticipated at near end of the list often times. Comparing preferences across different types of learners based on number of languages known and the script of the language they are learning has revealed that different groups have different preferences. It would be beneficial for instructors to adjust accordingly based on the student composition in the classroom
Repetitive mild traumatic brain injury impairs norepinephrine system function and psychostimulant responsivity
No full textTraumatic brain injury (TBI) is a complex pathophysiological process that results in a variety of neurotransmitter, behavioral, and cognitive deficits. The locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system is a critical regulator of arousal levels and higher executive processes affected by TBI including attention, working memory, and decision making. LC-NE axon injury and impaired signaling within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a potential contributor to the neuropsychiatric symptoms after single, moderate to severe TBI. The majority of TBIs are mild, yet long-term cognitive deficits and increased susceptibility for further injury can accumulate after each repetitive mild TBI. As a potential treatment for restoring cognitive function and daytime sleepiness after injury psychostimulants, including methylphenidate (MPH) that increase levels of NE within the PFC, are being prescribed “off-label”. The impact of mild and repetitive mild TBI on the LC-NE system remains limited. Therefore, we determined the extent of LC-NE and arousal dysfunction and response to therapeutic doses of MPH in rats following experimentally induced single and repetitive mild TBI. Microdialysis measures of basal NE efflux from the medial PFC and arousal measures were significantly lower after repetitive mild TBI. Females showed higher baseline PFC-NE efflux than males following single and repetitive mild TBI. In response to MPH challenge, males exhibited a blunted PFC-NE response and persistent arousal levels following repetitive mild TBI. These results provide critical insight into the role of catecholamine system dysfunction associated with cognitive deficits following repeated injury, outcome differences between sex/gender, and lack of success of MPH as an adjunctive therapy to improve cognitive function following injury