Foucauldian Discourse Analysis of Bullying Power Dynamics in Higher Education

This study utilizes Foucauldian discourse analysis to examine how tenured faculty members and adjunct instructors experience bullying through language and micro-aggressive behaviors, a particular focus on gender bullying

Patients’ Experiences and Self-Reported Factors Identified as Important for Their Satisfaction of Home Oxygen Services

Patient satisfaction is crucial to the evaluation of the overall quality of care and is associated with better healthcare service outcomes. Understanding the forces driving patient satisfaction and healthcare-related experiences can lead to improvements in overall quality of healthcare services. Despite this, no study has been performed to explore patients’ experiences and self-reported factors identified as important for their satisfaction of home oxygen services. The purpose of this study was supported by three research questions focusing on how patients with recurring long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) prescriptions describe their experiences with home oxygen services; factors identified by patients with LTOT as important to their satisfaction of home oxygen services; and how the five dimensions of the SERVQUAL model is used in patients’ with LTOT, descriptions of factors necessary for their satisfaction of home oxygen services. Participants were purposefully selected from home oxygen-based Facebook groups and asked to perform in-depth email interviews. Data derived from the analysis of responses corresponding to the first two research questions were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step approach while directed qualitative content analysis was used for the analysis of responses corresponding to the third research questions. The SERVQUAL model dimensions were used in patients\u27 descriptions and factors identified as important for their satisfaction of home oxygen service. The major implications of this study include improvement of service quality for home oxygen services at the organizational level leading to improvements in the health and well-being as well as the social conditions of home oxygen patients resulting in positive social change for that population

Pharmaceutical induced behavioral changes in the American horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus

The American Horseshoe Crab, Limulus polyphemus, is both economically and ecologically important and has been used in the laboratory for decades as a model organism for neurobiological studies. More recently, the locomotor activity and biological rhythms of this estuarine keystone species have been shown to be strong and robust, allowing for these behaviors to be used to assess the effects of environmental and physiological perturbations. An emerging threat for marine species is the appearance of hundreds of pharmaceuticals in their environment. Over the past several decades, pharmaceutical sales have increased dramatically worldwide and over four billion prescriptions were issued in 2017 in the United States alone. Unfortunately, a large percentage of these pharmaceuticals pass through humans and wastewater treatment plants virtually unchanged and enter marine and freshwater environments. Thus, pharmaceuticals have been characterized by the EPA as “contaminants of emerging concern” and dozens are readily detected in many of these environments globally. While numerous studies have documented the prevalence and concentration of these compounds in these environments, few studies have addressed the potential harm that these chemicals may have on the development or behavior of these aquatic organisms. Since horseshoe crabs develop and often live in estuaries, this species may be especially affected by pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment. The first aim of this research was to determine the developmental and behavioral effects of three pharmaceuticals that are readily found in marine systems on juvenile horseshoe crabs, Limulus polyphemus. Fertilized horseshoe crab eggs were reared in environmentally relevant concentrations of carbamazepine (0-100?g/L), fluoxetine hydrochloride (0-1000 ng/L), and propranolol hydrochloride (0-100 ?g/L) for approximately two months and developmental observations were recorded. After metamorphosis into juveniles, a portion of these animals were further exposed to an environmentally relevant mixture of all three pharmaceuticals. After exposure to one, or all three of these chemicals, activity (linear velocity) was recorded in individuals over 10 days using a video recording system. When horseshoe crabs were exposed to a mixture of all three pharmaceuticals, linear velocity was significantly decreased. Exposure of any one of these pharmaceuticals alone did not significantly affect developmental measures, biological rhythms, or linear velocity. These findings are among the few to indicate behavioral impacts of environmental pharmaceuticals and may be especially important as Limulus is a keystone estuarine species. The second research aim was to determine if the molecular processes of transcriptional and/or post translational regulation control the circatidal rhythms in juvenile horseshoe crabs, Limulus polyphemus. Virtually all organisms, including horseshoe crabs, exhibit a variety of endogenous biological rhythms including circadian and circatidal rhythms. Protein synthesis and subsequent phosphorylation are important parts of the ubiquitous circadian clock mechanism and similar processes are likely involved in the mechanism controlling circatidal rhythms. In this study, kinase inhibitors caused significant lengthening in periodicity as the dose of casein kinase 1 inhibitors increased, suggesting protein kinases play an important role in the molecular mechanism of circatidal rhythms. Additionally, cycloheximide, a translational protein synthesis inhibitor, significantly affected the phase of circatidal rhythms in horseshoe crabs, while the transcriptional inhibitor, actinomycin D, did not. These results suggest that translational regulation plays a more important role than transcriptional regulation in horseshoe crab circatidal rhythms. Overall, the results of this thesis show that juvenile horseshoe crabs are an excellent model for investigating the mechanisms of circatidal rhythms as well as the effects of environmental toxins and pharmaceuticals. The recording system used in this investigation can also be used very broadly with other early developmental stage organisms for both toxicological and behavioral rhythm research.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio

Counter-narratives: The Importance of Our Stories in Adult Educational Research

We propose the development of counter-narratives as a research methodology in adult education to increase the visibility of Ph.D. professionals and merit the educational equity this field aspires to reach

Breastfeeding and depression: a systematic review of the literature

Background: Research has separately indicated associations between pregnancy depression and breastfeeding, breastfeeding and postpartum depression, and pregnancy and postpartum depression. This paper aimed to provide a systematic literature review on breastfeeding and depression, considering both pregnancy and postpartum depression. Methods: An electronic search in three databases was performed using the keywords: “breast feeding”, “bottle feeding”, “depression”, “pregnancy”, and “postpartum”. Two investigators independently evaluated the titles and abstracts in a first stage and the full-text in a second stage review. Papers not addressing the association among breastfeeding and pregnancy or postpartum depression, non-original research and research focused on the effect of antidepressants were excluded. 48 studies were selected and included. Data were independently extracted. Results: Pregnancy depression predicts a shorter breastfeeding duration, but not breastfeeding intention or initiation. Breastfeeding duration is associated with postpartum depression in almost all studies. Postpartum depression predicts and is predicted by breastfeeding cessation in several studies. Pregnancy and postpartum depression are associated with shorter breastfeeding duration. Breastfeeding may mediate the association between pregnancy and postpartum depression. Pregnancy depression predicts shorter breastfeeding duration and that may increase depressive symptoms during postpartum. Limitations: The selected keywords may have led to the exclusion of relevant references. Conclusions: Although strong empirical evidence regarding the associations among breastfeeding and pregnancy or postpartum depression was separately provided, further research, such as prospective studies, is needed to clarify the association among these three variables. Help for depressed pregnant women should be delivered to enhance both breastfeeding and postpartum psychological adjustment.This research was supported by FEDER Funds through the Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade – COMPETE and by National Funds through FCT – Fundaçãopara a Ciência e a Tecnologiaunder the project: PTDC/SAU/SAP/116738/2010. The sponsors had no further role in the study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the paper for publication

2,2,2-Tris(pyrazol-1-yl)ethanol

The title compound TPE, C11H12N6O, was prepared by slow evaporation from diethyl ether. In the crystal, there is a hydrogen bond between the alcohol H atom and an N in the pyrazole ring of a neighboring mol­ecule

Impact of Study Design on the Evaluation of Inhaled and Intranasal Corticosteroids’ Effect on Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis Function, Part I: General Overview of HPA Axis Study Design

Inhaled and intranasal corticosteroids (ICS and INS) are among the mainstays of the treatment for asthma and allergic rhinitis, respectively, and also carry the potential to suppress the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. Several important factors affect the interpretability of trials investigating the impact of ICS and INS on the HPA axis. This paper reviews 106 published clinical trials, peer-reviewed articles, and New Drug Application reviews of approved ICS and INS, using MEDLINE and Drugs@FDA database. The trials included in this review evaluated the potential impact on HPA axis function of eight approved single-ingredient ICS and INS (beclomethasone dipropionate, budesonide, ciclesonide, flunisolide, fluticasone furoate, flucticasone propionate, mometasone furoate, and triamcinolone acetonide) and combination products containing these ingredients. The most commonly utilized design was blinded, placebo controlled, and short term (<6 weeks) for adult trials and blinded, placebo controlled, and long term (≥6 weeks) for pediatric trials. Factors potentially affecting trial results include the choice of dose, dosing duration, assay sensitivity, statistical methodology, and the study population evaluated (patients or healthy volunteers). All of these factors have the potential to affect the level of adrenal suppression detected. In conclusion, to be informative, a HPA axis study should be well designed and carefully implemented to minimize variability in results and improve the overall interpretability of data obtained.Keywords: regulatory science, pulmonary, study design, hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, intranasal corticosteroids, pharmacodynamics, inhaled corticosteroid

English Language Proficiency and Geographical Proximity to a Safety Net Clinic as a Predictor of Health Care Access

Studies suggest that proximity to a safety net clinic (SNC) promotes access to care among the uninsured. Distance-based barriers to care may be greater for people with limited English proficiency (LEP), compared to those who are English proficient (EP), but this has not been explored. We assessed the relationship between distance to the nearest SNC and access in non-rural uninsured adults in California, and examined whether this relationship differs by language proficiency. Using the 2005 California Health Interview Survey and a list we compiled of California’s SNCs, we calculated distance between uninsured interviewee residence and the exact address of the nearest SNC. Using multivariate regression to adjust for other relevant characteristics, we examined associations between this distance and interviewee’s probability of having a usual source of health care (USOC) and having visited a physician in the prior 12 months. To examine differences by language proficiency, we included interactions between distance and language proficiency. Uninsured LEP adults living within 2 miles of a SNC were 9.3% less likely than their EP counterparts to have a USOC (P = 0.046). Further, distance to the nearest SNC was inversely associated with the probability of having a USOC among LEP, but not among EP; consequently, the difference between LEP and EP in the probability of having a USOC widened with increasing distance to the nearest SNC. There was no difference between LEP and EP adults living within 2 miles of a SNC in likelihood of having a physician visit; however, as with USOC, distance to the nearest SNC was inversely associated with the probability of having a physician visit among LEP but not EP. The effect sizes diminished, but remained significant, when we included county fixed effects in the models. Having LEP is a barrier to health care access, which compounds when combined with increased distance to the nearest SNC, among uninsured adults. Future studies should explore potential mechanisms so that appropriate interventions can be implemented

Medication reconciliation as a strategy for preventing medication errors

ABSTRACT One of the current barriers proposed to avoid possible medication errors, and consequently harm to patients, is the medication reconciliation, a process in which drugs used by patients prior to hospitalization can be compared with those prescribed in the hospital. This study describes the results of a pharmacist based reconciliation conducted during six months in clinical units of a university hospital. Fourteen patients (23.33%) had some kind of problem related to medicine. The majority (80%) of medication errors were due to medication omission. Pharmaceutical interventions acceptance level was 90%. The results suggest that pharmacists based reconciliation can have a relevant role in preventing medication errors and adverse events. Moreover, the detailed interview, conducted by the pharmacist, is able to rescue important information regarding the use of drugs, allowing to avoid medications errors and patient injury

A Randomized Community-based Intervention Trial Comparing Faith Community Nurse Referrals to Telephone-Assisted Physician Appointments for Health Fair Participants with Elevated Blood Pressure

To measure the effect of faith community nurse referrals versus telephone-assisted physician appointments on blood pressure control among persons with elevated blood pressure at health fairs. Randomized community-based intervention trial conducted from October 2006 to October 2007 of 100 adults who had an average blood pressure reading equal to or above a systolic of 140 mm Hg or a diastolic of 90 mm Hg obtained at a faith community nurse-led church health event. Participants were randomized to either referral to a faith community nurse or to a telephone-assisted physician appointment. The average enrollment systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 149 ± 14 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was 87 ± 11 mm Hg, 57% were uninsured and 25% were undiagnosed at the time of enrollment. The follow-up rate was 85% at 4 months. Patients in the faith community nurse referral arm had a 7 ± 15 mm Hg drop in SBP versus a 14 ± 15 mm Hg drop in the telephone-assisted physician appointment arm (p = 0.04). Twenty-seven percent of the patients in the faith community nurse referral arm had medication intensification compared to 32% in the telephone-assisted physician appointment arm (p = 0.98). Church health fairs conducted in low-income, multiethnic communities can identify many people with elevated blood pressure. Facilitating physician appointments for people with elevated blood pressure identified at health fairs confers a greater decrease in SBP than referral to a faith community nurse at four months