Energy Efficiency in Historic Structures

Preservation and sustainability have long shared fundamental goals. Historic structures are inherently sustainable and will continue to be if their sound construction and superior materials are preserved properly. Despite this fact, historic buildings have gained a stigma for being inefficient and therefore unsustainable in the face of modern, energy efficient structures. Historic structures are and can be energy efficient when retrofitted properly. This study tested and analyzed the efficiency of historic structures in the context of a warm, wet, coastal climate in order to determine how they could be improved without damage to their historic fabric. With this aim, the study performed energy audits on five historic buildings in Charleston, South Carolina to determine their current efficiencies and used energy modeling software to demonstrate the ease with which they could be retrofitted to decrease energy losses. These retrofitting measures were based on guidelines laid out in the Secretary of the Interior\u27s Standards for Rehabilitation and are consistent with good preservation practice. The information revealed through this analysis proves that historic structures can be both sustainable and energy efficient while maintaining their historic integrity

Your Learners, Their Devices & You: Incorporating BYOD Technology into Your Didactics

It is theorized that mobile technology, in its place alongside other “intellectual technologies” throughout human history, has contributed to significant shifts in the way that newer generations discover, interpret, interact with, and learn new information. The BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) movement in education has been touted as a means of actively and individually engaging these learners with content using technology that many of them may already own or are familiar with. The depth to which this movement has been applied in the medical and graduate medical education communities has been variable, partly owing to the fact that only recently have “digital natives” become old enough to be progressing through their graduate professional training. In this session, we discuss our experience with BYOD education software that allow facilitators to interact with, transmit, and manage content in real time on individual learners’ mobile devices and tablets in both small group and smaller classroom settings as means of improving engagement, actively gauging understanding, and allowing for guided self-exploration of evidence-based medicine concepts

Implementation of a Validated Suicide Screening Tool in a University Student Health Center

Purpose. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adults in the United States and Nebraska. Death by suicide impacts millions of adults every year in the United States but warning signs are often missed during visits with primary care providers. The University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) Student Health Center (SHC), like many other primary care clinics, did not routinely screen patients for suicide risk. According to the Joint Commission, all patients over 12 years of age should be screened for suicide using a validated screening tool if the visit is for any behavioral health concern. The project’s goals were to implement a validated suicide screening tool, evaluate the use and effectiveness of the suicide screening tool, and evaluate the relationship between the depression screening tool and suicide screening tool. Theoretical Framework. The Advancing Research and Clinical Practice through Close Collaboration (ARCC) model was used to guide this project. The ARCC model is a five-step quality improvement plan that includes, assessment of culture and organizational readiness, identification of facilitators and barriers, identification of evidence-based practice (EBP) mentors, implementation of the evidence into practice, and evaluation of the outcomes (University of Maryland School of Nursing, 2020, para. 3). Methods. UNK is a public university in central Nebraska with over 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The Columbia Suicide Screening Scale (C-SSRS), a validated six-question yes/no style screening questionnaire, was implemented in UNK\u27s SHC campus clinic for all patients who screened positive for depression on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) or by provider preference. The C-SSRS was administered to the patients by the nurse practitioners to determine the patient\u27s level of suicide risk and appropriate intervention. Interventions included a mental health resource sheet for lowrisk patients, establishing a safety plan with the provider for moderate-risk patients, or referral to an inpatient psychiatric facility for a full psychiatric evaluation for high-risk patients. Results. Over a 14-week period, UNK’s SHC had a total of 773 visits with 729 (94.3%) PHQ-2 screenings completed and 301 (38.9%) C-SSRS screenings completed. Of the 301 C-SSRS screenings completed, 69.8% of patients were at no risk, 17.6% were at low risk, 9.6% were at moderate risk and no patients were at high risk of suicide. Two hundred fifty-eight students completed the PHQ-2 and the C-SSRS screenings. Seven patients (3.7%) were at low risk and three patients (1.6%) were at moderate risk of suicide while scoring two or less on the PHQ-2 screening. Of the patients who scored three or higher on the PHQ-2, six patients (8.6%) declined the C-SSRS screening, 31 patients (44.3%) were at no risk, 19 patients (27.1%) were at low risk, and 14 patients (20%) were at moderate risk for suicide. Eight patients declined the C-SSRS but had an average PHQ-2 score of 4.25. Conclusions. Based on the data, implementation of a validated suicide screening tool is sustainable and beneficial for recognition of suicide risk in the college population. It is vital to screen for suicide risk and connect at-risk college students with appropriate, algorithm-based interventions to work toward decreasing suicide rates across the country. Of note, it may be beneficial to implement the C-SSRS to all students as there were a small number of students (n=10) identified at low or moderate risk without a PHQ-2 score of three or higher. It is also important to ensure the patients who decline the suicide screening still may need to receive intervention as if they are low or moderate risk of suicide based on provider discretion

Energy Efficiency in Historic Structures

Preservation and sustainability have long shared fundamental goals. Historic structures are inherently sustainable and will continue to be if their sound construction and superior materials are preserved properly. Despite this fact, historic buildings have gained a stigma for being inefficient and therefore unsustainable in the face of modern, energy efficient structures. Historic structures are and can be energy efficient when retrofitted properly. This study tested and analyzed the efficiency of historic structures in the context of a warm, wet, coastal climate in order to determine how they could be improved without damage to their historic fabric. With this aim, the study performed energy audits on five historic buildings in Charleston, South Carolina to determine their current efficiencies and used energy modeling software to demonstrate the ease with which they could be retrofitted to decrease energy losses. These retrofitting measures were based on guidelines laid out in the Secretary of the Interior\u27s Standards for Rehabilitation and are consistent with good preservation practice. The information revealed through this analysis proves that historic structures can be both sustainable and energy efficient while maintaining their historic integrity

Optimizing Learning Experiences: The Integration of Individualized Learning Agreements for Emergency Medicine Residents

This is a published abstract from the UNMC Spotlight on Scholarship 2024

Learning Democracy by Empowerment? A Controversial View on the Project The Chestnut Case

Kein Abstract vorhanden No Abstract availabl

Tryptophan pathway abnormalities in a murine model of hereditary glaucoma

Background: It has been shown that a possible pathogenetic mechanism of neurodegenera-tion in the mouse model of glaucoma (DBA/2J) may be an alteration of kynurenic acid (KYNA) in the retina. This study aimed to verify the hypothesis that alterations of tryptophan (TRP) metabolism in DBA/2J mice is not limited to the retina. Methods: Samples of the retinal tissue and serum were collected from DBA/2J mice (6 and 10 months old) and control C57Bl/6 mice of the same age. The concentration of TRP, KYNA, kynurenine (KYN), and 3-hydroxykynurenine (3OH-K) was measured by HPLC. The activity of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) was also determined as a KYN/TRP ratio. Results: TRP, KYNA, L-KYN, and 3OH-K concentration were significantly lower in the retinas of DBA/2J mice than in C57Bl/6 mice. 3OH-K concentration was higher in older mice in both strains. Serum TRP, L-KYN, and KYNA concentrations were lower in DBA/2J than in age-matched controls. However, serum IDO activity did not differ significantly between compared groups and strains. Conclusions: Alterations of the TRP pathway seem not to be limited to the retina in the murine model of hereditary glaucoma