Impact of inactivated poliovirus vaccine on mucosal immunity: implications for the polio eradication endgame.

The polio eradication endgame aims to bring transmission of all polioviruses to a halt. To achieve this aim, it is essential to block viral replication in individuals via induction of a robust mucosal immune response. Although it has long been recognized that inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) is incapable of inducing a strong mucosal response on its own, it has recently become clear that IPV may boost immunity in the intestinal mucosa among individuals previously immunized with oral poliovirus vaccine. Indeed, mucosal protection appears to be stronger following a booster dose of IPV than oral poliovirus vaccine, especially in older children. Here, we review the available evidence regarding the impact of IPV on mucosal immunity, and consider the implications of this evidence for the polio eradication endgame. We conclude that the implementation of IPV in both routine and supplementary immunization activities has the potential to play a key role in halting poliovirus transmission, and thereby hasten the eradication of polio

Visual Vocabulary

The icons in this document are a compilation of simple drawings for a variety of business concepts and metaphors that can be used for communicating ideas using visual language. Using simple shapes such as a line, square and circle, these icons are easy to reproduce for both instructors and students. They are presented in alphabetical order for quick referencing. Detailed instructions and tips on how to easily draw basic icons are provided at the end of the vocabulary. All images are original drawings.https://source.sheridancollege.ca/business_visual_toolkit_templates_icons/1001/thumbnail.jp

Overview

The Visual Toolkit Overview covers the background, research and development of the toolkit as well as a summary of the elements of the Toolkit. The research and development of this Visual Toolkit looked at three key aspects: 1) the current use of visual tools among Sheridan College’s Pilon School of Business faculty, 2) the use of visuals in the current business environment, and 3) the effectiveness of drawing as an educational tool. Evidence of the value of freehand drawing in both business and education supported my focus on developing a toolkit for business educators that centered around hand-drawn imagery. With a goal of preparing students for the business world they are entering, the toolkit was designed to cover multiple ways that drawing and doodling could be used in curriculum to enhance the learning experience for business students.https://source.sheridancollege.ca/business_visual_toolkit_overview/1001/thumbnail.jp

International Visual Literacy Association Conference 2020 Presentation

The Visual Toolkit for Teaching Business was first presented at the IVLA Conference in September 2020. The theme for the 2020 conference was “Visual Literacy in the Virtual Realm”, focusing on issues such as equity and access with visual resources online, augmented reality, visual misinformation, data visualization, appropriating and remixing images, visual storytelling, and online representation of under-represented groups. International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA) is an organization and a forum providing the possibility for exchanging information related to visual literacy. The organization is working toward a fuller understanding of how meaning is derived from what is seen and to how we interact with our visual environment. (https://milunesco.unaoc.org/mil-organizations/international-visual-literacy-association-ivla/)https://source.sheridancollege.ca/business_visual_toolkit_conference/1000/thumbnail.jp

Biography

With a career of over 25 years in advertising, graphic design, illustration and visual facilitation, and 13 years as a professor of Advertising and Creative Thinking at Sheridan College’s Pilon School of Business, Ontario, Canada, Iryna brings a wealth of skills and knowledge including creative and visual process work to her teaching. Passionate about making a meaningful difference in the way students experience learning, Iryna is dedicated to preparing students to be creative problem solvers and co-creators in a world that is ever-changing and demands innovative thinking skills. Iryna holds a Bachelor Degree in Fine Art from York University, a Masters Degree in Creative Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Creativity and Change Leadership from Buffalo State University’s International Center for Studies in Creativity.https://source.sheridancollege.ca/business_visual_toolkit_overview/1000/thumbnail.jp

Research Survey Questionnaire and Results

Prior to the development of the Visual Toolkit, a questionnaire was sent to all full and part-time faculty in the Pilon School of Business to gather information about the current use of visual tools among the faculty. Among the 10 questions asked were inquiries into faculty and student level of comfort with visuals, whether faculty was aware of the use of visual tools in business today and whether they believe teaching visual thinking (learning and processing with visuals) will better prepare students for the current business environment. The full questionnaire and survey results are included herehttps://source.sheridancollege.ca/business_visual_toolkit_survey/1000/thumbnail.jp

Visual Templates

An important element of the Visual Toolkit is the visual template. Templates are one of the key visual strategies used in business meetings and offer structure, framework and support in leading people through a process. Templates can be customized to support the thinking at various stages of a project and are particularly suitable for systems process work where teams need to collaborate and brainstorm solutions to complex business problems.https://source.sheridancollege.ca/business_visual_toolkit_templates_icons/1000/thumbnail.jp

Population Immunity against Serotype-2 Poliomyelitis Leading up to the Global Withdrawal of the Oral Poliovirus Vaccine: Spatio-temporal Modelling of Surveillance Data.

BACKGROUND: Global withdrawal of serotype-2 oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV2) took place in April 2016. This marked a milestone in global polio eradication and was a public health intervention of unprecedented scale, affecting 155 countries. Achieving high levels of serotype-2 population immunity before OPV2 withdrawal was critical to avoid subsequent outbreaks of serotype-2 vaccine-derived polioviruses (VDPV2s). METHODS AND FINDINGS: In August 2015, we estimated vaccine-induced population immunity against serotype-2 poliomyelitis for 1 January 2004-30 June 2015 and produced forecasts for April 2016 by district in Nigeria and Pakistan. Population immunity was estimated from the vaccination histories of children 70% population immunity among children <36 mo old. Districts with lower immunity were clustered in northeastern Nigeria and northwestern Pakistan. The accuracy of immunity estimates was limited by the small numbers of non-polio AFP cases in some districts, which was reflected by large uncertainty intervals. Forecasted improvements in immunity for April 2016 were robust to the uncertainty in estimates of baseline immunity (January-June 2015), vaccine coverage, and vaccine efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: Immunity against serotype-2 poliomyelitis was forecasted to improve in April 2016 compared to the first half of 2015 in Nigeria and Pakistan. These analyses informed the endorsement of OPV2 withdrawal in April 2016 by the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization

A Creative Journey In Higher Education: The Story Of Personal And Organizational Change

This project explores my personal and professional journey as a teacher in higher education and how it parallels the unique journey of the institution where I teach, Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. This is a story about the pursuit of creativity in education and the transformation as a result of creativity. Drawing on current theories of creativity, in particular the 4 P’s (person, process, product and press), it examines what factors played a role in initiating and managing change. Presented as a narrative, this project documents the various aspects of personal and organizational change. The questions asked include: “What sparked the personal and organizational pursuit of creativity in education at Sheridan?” and “What elements fostered creativity to grow and build a community for the purpose of teaching and learning for creativity?

Clostridium difficile Associated Risk of Death Score (CARDS): A novel severity score to predict mortality among hospitalized patients with Clostridium difficile infection

Background Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a public health threat and associated with significant mortality. However, there is a paucity of objectively derived CDI severity scoring systems to predict mortality. Aim To develop a novel CDI risk score to predict mortality entitled: Clostridium difficile associated risk of death score (CARDS). Methods We obtained data from the United States 2011 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. All CDI-associated hospitalisations were identified using discharge codes (ICD-9-CM, 008.45). Multivariate logistic regression was utilised to identify independent predictors of mortality. Clostridium difficile associated risk of death score was calculated by assigning a numeric weight to each parameter based on their odds ratio in the final logistic model. Predictive properties of model discrimination were assessed using the c-statistic and validated in an independent sample using the 2010 NIS database. Results We identified 77 776 hospitalisations, yielding an estimate of 374 747 cases with an associated diagnosis of CDI in the US, 8% of whom died in the hospital. The eight severity score predictors were identified on multivariate analysis: age, cardiopulmonary disease, malignancy, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, acute renal failure, liver disease and ICU admission, with weights ranging from −1 (for diabetes) to 5 (for ICU admission). The overall risk score in the cohort ranged from 0 to 18. Mortality increased significantly as CARDS increased. CDI-associated mortality was 1.2% with a CARDS of 0 compared to 100% with CARDS of 18. The model performed equally well in our validation cohort. Conclusion Clostridium difficile associated risk of death score is a promising simple severity score to predict mortality among those hospitalised with C. difficile infection