3103 research outputs found
Sort by
Social Dynamics of a Newly Integrated Bachelor Group of Asian Elephants (Elephas Maximus): Welfare implications
No full textMale associations are a typical component of elephant society, allowing bulls to practice appropriate social behavior. To improve zoo elephant welfare, it is important to provide bulls with social opportunities. In fall 2018, Denver Zoo added two bull Asian elephants to its existing all-male group of three bulls, offering the opportunity to conduct a systematic behavioral study of the integration of the new bulls into the resident group. We recorded aggressive and affiliative behaviors before, during, and after the introduction of the new males. The proportion of aggressive behavior was significantly higher during the five-month introduction period compared to before their introduction. By the end of the study period, the elephants engaged in significantly more affiliative behavior and less aggressive behavior than during the introduction period, suggesting they had formed a new stable social dynamic. These results suggest group compatibility and positive elephant welfare resulting from housing male elephants together and can be used to inform management plans for bull elephants that prioritize their welfare
Factors associated with cervical arterial dysfunction: a survey of physical therapist educators in the United States
No full textObjectives: The purpose of this study was to identify the key constructs associated with symptom description and behavior, natural history of complaints, and previous medical history of cervical arterial dysfunction (CAD) according to a panel of physical therapist (PT) educators. Methods: An electronic survey was conducted of licensed PT educators currently involved in musculoskeletal physical therapy education within a credentialed program. Survey prompts queried educators to list the subjective and objective items associated with CAD, in open-text format. Responses were coded to identify unique themes (constructs). Principal axis factor analysis with Varimax rotation was performed to identify underlying constructs associated with CAD according to the panel of educators. Results: Seventy-two educators completed the survey (24.2% response rate) resulting in 50 identified unique items through thematic coding. Factor analysis (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy = .679, Bartlett’s test of sphericity (x 2(351) = 1129.06. p \u3c .001), resulted in a four-factor solution: ‘5Ds and 3 Ns,’ ‘Other Neurological Findings,’ ‘Signs & Symptoms in Rotation and/or Extension,’ and ‘General Health.’ Discussion: According to the PT educators in this study, the factors associated with CAD appear to reflect the IFOMPT guidelines. The responses and subsequent factor analysis demonstrate the lack of any one clinical finding for the identification of CAD in a patient with neck pain. Level of Evidence: V
REGULATING THE IMMUNE RESPONSE: THE ROLE OF NUR77 IN T CELLS
Get PDFThe immune system is the body’s defense against disease-causing bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and other foreign invaders. Many different cell types are involved in the defense process, including the T cell. T cells attack their targets with extreme specificity, but also have the potential to attack the body if they are not well-regulated. Failure of the regulation process can lead to autoimmune diseases such as type I diabetes. T cells undergo a process called negative selection during their development in the thymus that aims to prevent autoimmunity. During this process, the body deletes immature T cells that could cause autoimmunity. A protein called Nur77 has been implicated in the signaling pathways that lead to the death of these self-reactive T cells. Nur77 is also present in T cells after development, but it is unclear how this expression is important later in the T cell life cycle. This thesis provides a broad overview of the immune system before explaining what is currently known about how Nur77 functions in T cells. Then, it will propose a map for how Nur77 might function in regulatory T cells. Finally, it will argue for the importance of further basic research into Nur77 both in regulatory T cells and other contexts
Lone males: Solitary and group-living male howler monkey (Alouatta palliata) behavioral ecology in a Costa Rican rainforest.
No full textA Long, Loving Look at the Real: An Experiential Ignatian Approach to Immersion
No full textInternational travel is a popular and widespread practice among higher education institutions, but the pedagogy and approach to these programs varies widely. The Center for Global Education and Experience at Augsburg University facilitates international immersion programs for U.S. students, faculty, and staff focused on social justice and solidarity; this approach is particularly attractive to Jesuit institutions and has led to fruitful collaborations. This article offers an experienced immersion facilitator’s personal reflections on designing and implementing immersion programs and applies key themes of Ignatian spirituality and pedagogy to the experience of international immersion travel
Axial MRI biomarkers of spinal cord damage to predict future walking and motor function: a retrospective study
No full textStudy design: Retrospective.
Objectives: Primary: to assess if axial damage ratios are predictors of future walking after spinal cord injury (SCI), and if they add any predictive value if initial neurological impairment grades are available. Secondary: to determine if lateral spinal cord regions are predictors of future lower extremity motor scores (LEMS).
Setting: University/hospital.
Methods: Axial T2-weighted MRIs were used. Axial damage ratios and non-damaged lateral cord volumes were calculated. Each participant answered at 1 year after SCI, Are you able to walk for 150 feet? (45.72 meters) For the secondary aim, right and left LEMS were used.
Results: In total, 145 participants were selected. Individuals that could walk had smaller ratios than those that were unable. Walking and axial damage ratios were negatively correlated. A 0.374 ratio cut-off showed optimal sensitivity/specificity. When initial neurological grades were used, axial damage ratios did not add predictive value. Forty-two participants had LEMS available and were included for the secondary aim. Right cord regions and right LEMS were positively correlated and left regions and left LEMS, but these variables were also correlated with each other.
Conclusions: Axial damage ratios were significant predictors of walking ability 1 year after SCI. However, this measure did not add predictive value over initial neurological grades. Lateral cord regions correlated with same-side LEMS, but the opposite was also found, calling this biomarker\u27s specificity into question. Axial damage ratios may be useful in predicting walking after SCI if initial neurological grades are unavailable.
Sponsorship: This research was funded by a National Institutes of Health award, National Institute of Child Health and Development-NIH R03HD094577
Selection of virtual simulation products: making the right choice
No full textNurse educators may need to select quality learning activities such as virtual simulation products. Adopting the best simulations for students is expected, yet faculty may not have the knowledge, skills, and experience to make informed decisions. With the rapid shift to online learning due to the COVID pandemic, educators need to select the most appropriate materials to best support student learning. Various virtual simulation products exist yet the limited available literature provides insufficient guidance in product selection. Identifying and addressing the different selection considerations will help educators select the most appropriate virtual simulation product. Virtual simulations offer a new, innovative teaching methodology. Nurse educators can utilize the selection criteria outlined in this manuscript to determine the best product for use
A Comparative View of Reported Adverse Effects of Statins in Social Media, Regulatory Data, Drug Information Databases and Systematic Reviews
No full textIntroduction: There are few studies assessing how data on adverse drug events from consumers on social media compare with other sources. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the consistency of adverse event data of statin medications from social media as compared with other sources. Methods: We collected data on the adverse events of statins from Twitter, the US FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), drug information databases (DIDs) and systematic reviews. We manually annotated 12,649 tweets collected between June 2013 and August 2018. We collected 45,447 reports from FAERS, 10,415 from MHRA, identified 17 systematic reviews with relevant data and extracted data from Facts and Comparisons® and Clinical Pharmacology®. We compared the proportion, relative frequencies and rank of each category of adverse event from each source using MedDRA® primary System Organ Class codes. Results: Compared with other sources, patients on social media are proportionally far more likely to complain about musculoskeletal symptoms than other adverse events. Most adverse events showed a high level of agreement between Twitter and regulatory data. DIDs tend to demonstrate similar patterns but not as strongly. Systematic reviews tend to examine pre-specified adverse events or those reported by trial investigators. Conclusions: Combining the data from multiple sources, albeit challenging, may provide a broader safety profile of any medication. Systematically collected social media reports may be able to contribute information on the most pertinent adverse effects to patients
Ending the Chase: Experiences of Rural Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder
No full textBackground: The US remains in the midst of an opioid overdose epidemic. Given that rural populations have higher rates of opioid-related morbidity and mortality, it is important to understand the factors that perpetuate opioid use and facilitate recovery in rural communities. Purpose: To explore experiences of individuals living with opioid use disorder (OUD) and to analyze these experiences within a broader sociocultural context. Methods: Using a descriptive, qualitative design, we interviewed twenty purposefully sampled participants. We used thematic content analysis to identify themes and patterns. Results: As participants became dependent, the chase for opioids was to avoid the pain of withdrawal. Waking up sick became an everyday experience, leading to a lifestyle of hustling. The pursuit of opioids resulted in physical, social, emotional, and legal consequences that fed a cycle of stigmatization. In recovery, participants learned to embrace a new way of thinking, allowing them to make new choices. The strong influence of family and community in their lives was a key factor in their resiliency and opioid use experiences. Conclusions: Individuals with OUD are impacted by intersecting social, physical, economic and policy factors that reinforce the expansion of the opioid epidemic rurally. This study provided a voice to rural individuals with opioid use disorder, a group often underrepresented in the literature, providing an understanding of their struggles and the unique sociocultural dynamics that exist in rural northern New Mexico. The complex sociocultural relationships to family and community represent important adaptive factors that could support individual healing and community transformation
The Inevitability of Collision: Creating Empathy Through Fiction
Get PDFWhile the stigma for mental illnesses has greatly declined in the last decade, there is still a disconnect between individuals without neurological illnesses and those with neurological illnesses, especially those that cause individuals to lose contact with reality. The goal of this interdisciplinary paper is to create empathy for these individuals, specifically people with schizophrenia, Alzheimer disease, and post-traumatic amnesia. Through a collection of four stories told from the perspective of these unreliable narrators, I used fiction writing techniques from the field of cognitive literary studies such as gapping and defamiliarization to create more empathy in the reader. In reading stories through the first-person perspective of these individuals with neurological disorders, the reader gains a better understanding of what it would be like to experience these disorders and how disorienting it would be to lose contact with reality or your memories. The stories are followed by an appendix outlining the history, symptomology, neurobiological basis, and treatment options for each of the diseases. This helps the reader connect the behavior seen in the stories to the neuroscience behind it, as well as understand the history and stigma behind each disorder. After all, we are more similar than we think because we are all the unreliable narrators of our own stories