Cultural experiences of immigrant nurses at two hospitals in Chile.

PubMed

Rodríguez, Gabriel; Angélica-Muñoz, Luz; Hoga, Luiza Akiko Komura

2014-01-01

to explore the cultural experiences of nurses who immigrated to Chile. The study's theoretical framework was the Purnell Model for Cultural Competence. Leininger's Observation-Participation-Reflection method was developed at two hospitals in the city of Santiago, and ethnographic interviews were held with 15 immigrant nurses. among Purnell's 12 domains, the following were identified: Overview/heritage, Communication, Workforce issues, Family roles and organization, Biocultural ecology and Health-care practices. The difficulties were related to the language and its semantic meaning, the new responsibilities and the difficult relationship with colleagues. "In search of better horizons - the decision to immigrate", "Gaining confidence and establishing a support network - employability and professional performance" and "Seeking for people's acceptance - professional adaptation in a new cultural scenario" are cultural themes that represent their experiences. the competence to offer cultural care demands the development of public policies and continuing education programs at health institutions, specifically focused on immigrant nurses.

A user-friendly, low-cost turbidostat with versatile growth rate estimation based on an extended Kalman filter.

PubMed

Hoffmann, Stefan A; Wohltat, Christian; Müller, Kristian M; Arndt, Katja M

2017-01-01

For various experimental applications, microbial cultures at defined, constant densities are highly advantageous over simple batch cultures. Due to high costs, however, devices for continuous culture at freely defined densities still experience limited use. We have developed a small-scale turbidostat for research purposes, which is manufactured from inexpensive components and 3D printed parts. A high degree of spatial system integration and a graphical user interface provide user-friendly operability. The used optical density feedback control allows for constant continuous culture at a wide range of densities and offers to vary culture volume and dilution rates without additional parametrization. Further, a recursive algorithm for on-line growth rate estimation has been implemented. The employed Kalman filtering approach based on a very general state model retains the flexibility of the used control type and can be easily adapted to other bioreactor designs. Within several minutes it can converge to robust, accurate growth rate estimates. This is particularly useful for directed evolution experiments or studies on metabolic challenges, as it allows direct monitoring of the population fitness.

Qualitative Methods in Field Research: An Indonesian Experience in Community Based Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lysack, Catherine L.; Krefting, Laura

1994-01-01

Cross-cultural evaluation of a community-based rehabilitation project in Indonesia used three methods: focus groups, questionnaires, and key informant interviews. A continuous cyclical approach to data collection and concern for cultural sensitivity increased the rigor of the research. (SK)

Developing Alnus for use in intensive culture

Treesearch

Richard B. Hall; Gregory A. Miller; Terry L. Robison; Oghenekome U. Onokpise

1983-01-01

Provenance tests and one clonal test have been analyzed to provide guidelines for the continuing efforts on the genetic improvement of Alnus. Observations also are made on the need for experiments with other silvicultural alternatives that might be applied to the intensive culture of alders.

Cell-specific Labeling Enzymes for Analysis of Cell–Cell Communication in Continuous Co-culture*

PubMed Central

Tape, Christopher J.; Norrie, Ida C.; Worboys, Jonathan D.; Lim, Lindsay; Lauffenburger, Douglas A.; Jørgensen, Claus

2014-01-01

We report the orthologous screening, engineering, and optimization of amino acid conversion enzymes for cell-specific proteomic labeling. Intracellular endoplasmic-reticulum-anchored Mycobacterium tuberculosis diaminopimelate decarboxylase (DDCM.tub-KDEL) confers cell-specific meso-2,6-diaminopimelate-dependent proliferation to multiple eukaryotic cell types. Optimized lysine racemase (LyrM37-KDEL) supports D-lysine specific proliferation and efficient cell-specific isotopic labeling. When ectopically expressed in discrete cell types, these enzymes confer 90% cell-specific isotopic labeling efficiency after 10 days of co-culture. Moreover, DDCM.tub-KDEL and LyrM37-KDEL facilitate equally high cell-specific labeling fidelity without daily media exchange. Consequently, the reported novel enzyme pairing can be used to study cell-specific signaling in uninterrupted, continuous co-cultures. Demonstrating the importance of increased labeling stability for addressing novel biological questions, we compare the cell-specific phosphoproteome of fibroblasts in direct co-culture with epithelial tumor cells in both interrupted (daily media exchange) and continuous (no media exchange) co-cultures. This analysis identified multiple cell-specific phosphorylation sites specifically regulated in the continuous co-culture. Given their applicability to multiple cell types, continuous co-culture labeling fidelity, and suitability for long-term cell–cell phospho-signaling experiments, we propose DDCM.tub-KDEL and LyrM37-KDEL as excellent enzymes for cell-specific labeling with amino acid precursors. PMID:24820872

Overcoming institutional challenges through continuous professionalism improvement: the University of Washington experience.

PubMed

Fryer-Edwards, Kelly; Van Eaton, Erik; Goldstein, Erika A; Kimball, Harry R; Veith, Richard C; Pellegrini, Carlos A; Ramsey, Paul G

2007-11-01

The University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine is in the midst of an emerging ecology of professionalism. This initiative builds on prior work focusing on professionalism at the student level and moves toward the complete integration of a culture of professionalism within the UW medical community of including staff, faculty, residents, and students. The platform for initiating professionalism as institutional culture is the Committee on Continuous Professionalism Improvement, established in November 2006. This article reviews three approaches to organizational development used within and outside medicine and highlights features that are useful for enhancing an institutional culture of professionalism: organizational culture, safety culture, and appreciative inquiry. UW Medicine has defined professional development as a continuous process, built on concrete expectations, using mechanisms to facilitate learning from missteps and highlighting strengths. To this end, the school of medicine is working toward improvements in feedback, evaluation, and reward structures at all levels (student, resident, faculty, and staff) as well as creating opportunities for community dialogues on professionalism issues within the institution. Throughout all the Continuous Professionalism Improvement activities, a two-pronged approach to cultivating a culture of professionalism is taken: celebration of excellence and attention to accountability.

Counter-Storytelling with African Proverbs: A Vehicle for Teaching Social Justice and Global Understanding in Urban, U.S. Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asimeng-Boahene, Lewis

2010-01-01

Although the current demographics of urban schools in the United States reflect a rapid growth of culturally and linguistically diverse students, curricula continue to emphasize mainstream culture; cultural and linguistic experiences of these diverse students are ignored. In this article, the author examines how the use of counter storytelling in…

The experience of nurses in care for culturally diverse families: A qualitative meta-synthesis 1

PubMed Central

Murcia, Saidy Eliana Arias; Lopez, Lucero

2016-01-01

Abstract Objective: to understand the experience of nurses in care delivery to culturally diverse families. Method: qualitative meta-synthesis. Exhaustive search in seven databases, three repositories and a manual search in references without time limit, in English, Spanish and Portuguese, resulting in 1609 potentially relevant studies. These were assessed based on the title, summary and full text, determining the final inclusion of 14 studies. Two independent reviewers used the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) to assess the quality. The interpretative synthesis implied permanent contrast and consensus among the authors, revealing four categories and one meta-theme. Results: "taking care of a culturally diverse family, the experience of crossing a tightrope". Conclusion: the experience of nurses in care delivery to culturally diverse families is demanding and challenging because it imprints a constant tension among barriers, cultural manifestations and the ethical responsibility of care, incipiently revealing elements of cultural competency. The omission of information in the participants' reports in the studies represents a limitation. The findings offer a baseline for professionals and organizations to focus their intervention efforts on the continuing barriers in care delivery to culturally diverse families and strengthens the need for cultural competency training for nurses. PMID:27384469

Beyond Medical "Missions" to Impact-Driven Short-Term Experiences in Global Health (STEGHs): Ethical Principles to Optimize Community Benefit and Learner Experience.

PubMed

Melby, Melissa K; Loh, Lawrence C; Evert, Jessica; Prater, Christopher; Lin, Henry; Khan, Omar A

2016-05-01

Increasing demand for global health education in medical training has driven the growth of educational programs predicated on a model of short-term medical service abroad. Almost two-thirds of matriculating medical students expect to participate in a global health experience during medical school, continuing into residency and early careers. Despite positive intent, such short-term experiences in global health (STEGHs) may exacerbate global health inequities and even cause harm. Growing out of the "medical missions" tradition, contemporary participation continues to evolve. Ethical concerns and other disciplinary approaches, such as public health and anthropology, can be incorpo rated to increase effectiveness and sustainability, and to shift the culture of STEGHs from focusing on trainees and their home institutions to also considering benefits in host communities and nurtur ing partnerships. The authors propose four core principles to guide ethical development of educational STEGHs: (1) skills building in cross-cultural effective ness and cultural humility, (2) bidirectional participatory relationships, (3) local capacity building, and (4) long-term sustainability. Application of these principles highlights the need for assessment of STEGHs: data collection that allows transparent compar isons, standards of quality, bidirectionality of agreements, defined curricula, and ethics that meet both host and sending countries' standards and needs. To capture the enormous potential of STEGHs, a paradigm shift in the culture of STEGHs is needed to ensure that these experiences balance training level, personal competencies, medical and cross-cultural ethics, and educational objectives to minimize harm and maximize benefits for all involved.

Dynamic cell culture system (7-IML-1)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cogoli, Augusto

1992-01-01

This experiment is one of the Biorack experiments being flown on the International Microgravity Laboratory 1 (MIL-1) mission as part of an investigation studying cell proliferation and performance in space. One of the objectives of this investigation is to assess the potential benefits of bioprocessing in space with the ultimate goal of developing a bioreactor for continuous cell cultures in space. This experiment will test the operation of an automated culture chamber that was designed for use in a Bioreactor in space. The device to be tested is called the Dynamic Cell Culture System (DCCS). It is a simple device in which media are renewed or chemicals are injected automatically, by means of osmotic pumps. This experiment uses four Type I/O experiment containers. One DCCS unit, which contains a culture chamber with renewal of medium and a second chamber without a medium supply fits in each container. Two DCCS units are maintained under zero gravity conditions during the on-orbit period. The other two units are maintained under 1 gh conditions in a 1 g centrifuge. The schedule for incubator transfer is given.

Cultural Competence of Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.

PubMed

Heitzler, Ella T

To measure the cultural competence level of obstetric and neonatal nurses, explore relationships among cultural competence and selected sociodemographic variables, and identify factors related to cultural competence. Descriptive correlational study. Online survey. A convenience sample of 132 obstetric and neonatal registered nurses practicing in the United States. Nurse participants completed the Cultural Competence Assessment (CCA) instrument, which included Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity (CAS) and Cultural Competence Behaviors (CCB) subscales, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted. The average CCA score was 5.38 (possible range = 1.00-7.00). CCA scores were negatively correlated with age and positively correlated with self-ranked cultural competence, years of nursing experience, years of experience within the specialty area, and number of types of previous cultural diversity training. CCB subscale scores were correlated positively with age, years of nursing experience, years of experience within the specialty area, and number of types of previous diversity training. CAS subscale scores were positively correlated with number of types of previous diversity training. Standard multiple linear regression explained approximately 10%, 12%, and 11% of the variance in CCA, CAS, and CCB scores, respectively. Obstetric and neonatal registered nurses should continue to work toward greater cultural competence. Exposing nurses to more types of cultural diversity training may help achieve greater cultural competence. Copyright © 2017 AWHONN, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Preparing culture change agents for academic medicine in a multi-institutional consortium: the C - change learning action network.

PubMed

Pololi, Linda H; Krupat, Edward; Schnell, Eugene R; Kern, David E

2013-01-01

Research suggests an ongoing need for change in the culture of academic medicine. This article describes the structure, activities and evaluation of a culture change project: the C - Change Learning Action Network (LAN) and its impact on participants. The LAN was developed to create the experience of a culture that would prepare participants to facilitate a culture in academic medicine that would be more collaborative, inclusive, relational, and that supports the humanity and vitality of faculty. Purposefully diverse faculty, leaders, and deans from 5 US medical schools convened in 2 1/2-day meetings biannually over 4 years. LAN meetings employed experiential, cognitive, and affective learning modes; innovative dialogue strategies; and reflective practice aimed at facilitating deep dialogue, relationship formation, collaboration, authenticity, and transformative learning to help members experience the desired culture. Robust aggregated qualitative and quantitative data collected from the 5 schools were used to inform and stimulate culture-change plans. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods were used. Participants indicated that a safe, supportive, inclusive, collaborative culture was established in LAN and highly valued. LAN members reported a deepened understanding of organizational change, new and valued interpersonal connections, increased motivation and resilience, new skills and approaches, increased self-awareness and personal growth, emotional connection to the issues of diversity and inclusion, and application of new learnings in their work. A carefully designed multi-institutional learning community can transform the way participants experience and view institutional culture. It can motivate and prepare them to be change agents in their own institutions. Copyright © 2013 The Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education, and the Council on CME, Association for Hospital Medical Education.

[Significance of cross-cultural experience for young psychiatrists--learning from "The Joint Workshop for Psychiatric Residents of Korea and Japan"].

PubMed

kato, Takahiro

2006-01-01

Korea and Japan are geographically very close, and a variety of cultural exchanges have taken place in recorded history. However, Korea and Japan have been enriched by the influence of Western cultures along with modernization, and mutual exchanges between the two countries have thus decreased in numerous fields including mental health and psychiatry. Prof. Masahisa Nishizono and Prof. Byun-Kun Min, who are leaders in the field of psychiatry in both Japan and Korea, have established "The Joint Workshop for Psychiatric Residents of Korea and Japan", which has been held alternately in Fukuoka or Seoul every summer since 2000. This Joint Workshop provides young psychiatrists with real experiences and many opportunities to learn about transcultural psychiatry regarding both countries. The participants are able to obtain a better mutual understanding of psychiatric epidemiology, recent developments in biological psychiatry while also learning about different concepts regarding the stigma of mental disorders. All participants could also increase their knowledge about the traditional culture and social changes related to the field of psychiatry in both countries. The workshop has helped to build friendship and mutual cooperation between both nations. Contemporary societies are continually becoming more and more diversified and complicated. For young psychiatrists who have to treat patients with modern difficulties and various complicated problems, such cross-cultural experiences may be useful for establishing potentially new and effective treatments for such patients. Psychiatrists and mental health experts have tried to reduce of stigma and discrimination against people with mental disorders, but even today such stigma and discrimination continues to strongly exist. The author thinks that such cross-cultural experiences by the psychiatrists themselves may help to reduce such notions. The author would like to explore the role of cross-cultural experiences in the field of psychiatry.

Cultural experiences of immigrant nurses at two hospitals in Chile

PubMed Central

Rodríguez, Gabriel; Angélica-Muñoz, Luz; Hoga, Luiza Akiko Komura

2014-01-01

Objective to explore the cultural experiences of nurses who immigrated to Chile. The study's theoretical framework was the Purnell Model for Cultural Competence. Method Leininger's Observation-Participation-Reflection method was developed at two hospitals in the city of Santiago, and ethnographic interviews were held with 15 immigrant nurses. Results among Purnell's 12 domains, the following were identified: Overview/heritage, Communication, Workforce issues, Family roles and organization, Biocultural ecology and Health-care practices. The difficulties were related to the language and its semantic meaning, the new responsibilities and the difficult relationship with colleagues. "In search of better horizons - the decision to immigrate", "Gaining confidence and establishing a support network - employability and professional performance" and "Seeking for people's acceptance - professional adaptation in a new cultural scenario" are cultural themes that represent their experiences. Conclusions the competence to offer cultural care demands the development of public policies and continuing education programs at health institutions, specifically focused on immigrant nurses. PMID:26107824

Bioprocessing in Microgravity: Applications of Continuous Flow Electrophoresis to Rat Anterior Pituitary Particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hymer, W. C.; Salada, T.; Cenci, R.; Krishnan, K.; Seaman, G. V. F.; Snyder, R.; Matsumiya, H.; Nagaoka, S.

1996-01-01

In this report we describe the results of a continuous flow electrophoresis (CFE) experiment done on STS-65 in which we tested the idea that intracellular growth hormone (GH) particles contained in a cell lysate prepared from cultured rat anterior pituitary cells in microgravity might have different electrophoretic mobilities from those in a synchronous ground control cell lysate. Collectively, the results suggested that CFE processing in microgravity was better than on earth; more samples could be processed at a time (6 x) and more variant forms of GH molecules could be resolved as well. We had also hoped to carry out a pituitary cell CFE experiment, but failure of the hardware required that the actual cell electrophoresis trials be done on earth shortly after Shuttle landing. Data from these experiments showed that space-flown cells possessed a higher electrophoretic mobility than ground control cells, thereby offering evidence for the idea that exposure of cultured cells to microgravity can change their net surface charge-density especially when the cells are fed. Collectively, the results from this pituitary cell experiment document the advantage of using coupled cell culture and CFE techniques in the microgravity environment.

Light as an Energy Source in Continuous Cultures of Bacteriorhodopsin-Containing Halobacteria

PubMed Central

Rodriguez-Valera, F.; Nieto, J. J.; Ruiz-Berraquero, F.

1983-01-01

The role of light as an energy source for slightly aereated cultures of halobacteria was studied, using continuous cultures with low nutrient concentrations and a low oxygen supply. A series of experiments were carried out with non-illuminated and differently illuminated cultures and with different oxygen transfer rates. Under low oxygen availability, light proved to be a decisively important energy source that allowed the populations to reach higher growth rates and much higher population densities. Oxygen influenced the growth over only a minimal level, below which neither the illuminated nor the dark cultures were affected by the oxygen transfer rate. From these results, it appears that the bacteriorhodopsin-mediated energy supply could have a very important role for the ecology of halobacteria in their microaerophilic habitats. In the illuminated cultures, cells that originated purple colonies on plates appeared. These cells, which could be bacteriorhodopsin-constitutive mutants, are now being studied. PMID:16346250

Does cross-generational epigenetic inheritance contribute to cultural continuity?

PubMed Central

Pembrey, Marcus E

2018-01-01

Abstract Human studies of cross-generational epigenetic inheritance have to consider confounding by social patterning down the generations, often referred to as ‘cultural inheritance’. This raises the question to what extent is ‘cultural inheritance’ itself epigenetically mediated rather than just learnt. Human studies of non-genetic inheritance have demonstrated that, beyond foetal life, experiences occurring in mid-childhood before puberty are the most likely to be associated with cross-generational responses in the next generation(s). It is proposed that cultural continuity is played out along the axis, or ‘payoff’, between responsiveness and stability. During the formative years of childhood a stable family and/or home permits small children to explore and thereby learn. To counter disruptions to this family home ideal, cultural institutions such as local schools, religious centres and market places emerged to provide ongoing stability, holding the received wisdom of the past in an accessible state. This cultural support allows the growing child to freely indulge their responsiveness. Some of these prepubertal experiences induce epigenetic responses that also transfer molecular signals to the gametes through which they contribute to the conception of future offspring. In parallel co-evolution with growing cultural support for increasing responsiveness, ‘runaway’ responsiveness is countered by the positive selection of genetic variants that dampen responsiveness. Testing these ideas within longitudinal multigenerational cohorts will need information on ancestors/parents’ own communities and experiences (Exposome scans) linked to ongoing Phenome scans on grandchildren; coupled with epigenome analysis, metastable epialleles and DNA methylation age. Interactions with genetic variants affecting responsiveness should help inform the broad hypothesis. PMID:29732169

Does cross-generational epigenetic inheritance contribute to cultural continuity?

PubMed

Pembrey, Marcus E

2018-04-01

Human studies of cross-generational epigenetic inheritance have to consider confounding by social patterning down the generations, often referred to as 'cultural inheritance'. This raises the question to what extent is 'cultural inheritance' itself epigenetically mediated rather than just learnt. Human studies of non-genetic inheritance have demonstrated that, beyond foetal life, experiences occurring in mid-childhood before puberty are the most likely to be associated with cross-generational responses in the next generation(s). It is proposed that cultural continuity is played out along the axis, or 'payoff', between responsiveness and stability. During the formative years of childhood a stable family and/or home permits small children to explore and thereby learn. To counter disruptions to this family home ideal, cultural institutions such as local schools, religious centres and market places emerged to provide ongoing stability, holding the received wisdom of the past in an accessible state. This cultural support allows the growing child to freely indulge their responsiveness. Some of these prepubertal experiences induce epigenetic responses that also transfer molecular signals to the gametes through which they contribute to the conception of future offspring. In parallel co-evolution with growing cultural support for increasing responsiveness, 'runaway' responsiveness is countered by the positive selection of genetic variants that dampen responsiveness. Testing these ideas within longitudinal multigenerational cohorts will need information on ancestors/parents' own communities and experiences (Exposome scans) linked to ongoing Phenome scans on grandchildren; coupled with epigenome analysis, metastable epialleles and DNA methylation age. Interactions with genetic variants affecting responsiveness should help inform the broad hypothesis.

How to reconcile the multiculturalist and universalist approaches to science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansson, Sven Ove

2017-06-01

The "multiculturalist" and "universalist" approaches to science education both fail to recognize the strong continuities between modern science and its forerunners in traditional societies. Various fact-finding practices in indigenous cultures exhibit the hallmarks of scientific investigations, such as collectively achieved rationality, a careful distinction between facts and values, a search for shared, well-founded judgments in empirical matters, and strivings for continuous improvement of these judgments. Prominent examples are hunters' discussions when tracking a prey, systematic agricultural experiments performed by indigenous farmers, and remarkably advanced experiments performed by craftspeople long before the advent of modern science. When the continuities between science and these prescientific practices are taken into account, it becomes obvious that the traditional forms of both multiculturalism and universalism should be replaced by a new approach that dissolves the alleged conflict between adherence to modern science and respect for traditional cultures.

Life Story of an Art Therapist of Color

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boston, Charlotte G.

2005-01-01

In this narrative, the author relates her experiences as an art therapist of color, and describes the impact of cultural beliefs and values on her life from childhood, through education, and into the workplace. She contends that incidents of conflicts between cultures in the community, in education, and in the workplace reflect the continuing need…

The influence of developmental, education, and mentorship experiences on career paths in cultural psychiatry.

PubMed

Boehnlein, James K

2011-04-01

Career paths in cultural psychiatry and other areas of medicine often are influenced by a combination of developmental, academic and training experiences. One of the satisfactions for the cultural psychiatrist is the opportunity to integrate lifelong interests that are not central to medical training, such as anthropology, philosophy, history or geography into one's daily work and career path, and this is not necessarily just applicable to clinical work or research. A background in social sciences can be very helpful in navigating the political and interpersonal challenges of working in an academic medical center or designing effective education programs across the career spectrum in medicine. This article traces the development of my career in academic cultural psychiatry and illustrates the way my clinical and academic interests were influenced both by early developmental and educational experiences and by positive career experiences as a clinician, teacher and researcher in the context of effective mentorship and professional peer relationships. The future of cultural psychiatry is exciting and its continued growth will be dependent on effective nurturance of young physicians who have a broad vision of the important place of cultural psychiatry and how it influences medicine, mental health, and society at large.

Copper (II) Removal In Anaerobic Continuous Column Reactor System By Using Sulfate Reducing Bacteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilgin, A.; Jaffe, P. R.

2017-12-01

Copper is an essential element for the synthesis of the number of electrons carrying proteins and the enzymes. However, it has a high level of toxicity. In this study; it is aimed to treat copper heavy metal in anaerobic environment by using anaerobic continuous column reactor. Sulfate reducing bacteria culture was obtained in anaerobic medium using enrichment culture method. The column reactor experiments were carried out with bacterial culture obtained from soil by culture enrichment method. The system is operated with continuous feeding and as parallel. In the first rector, only sand was used as packing material. The first column reactor was only fed with the bacteria nutrient media. The same solution was passed through the second reactor, and copper solution removal was investigated by continuously feeding 15-600 mg/L of copper solution at the feeding inlet in the second reactor. When the experiment was carried out by adding the 10 mg/L of initial copper concentration, copper removal in the rate of 45-75% was obtained. In order to determine the use of carbon source during copper removal of mixed bacterial cultures in anaerobic conditions, total organic carbon TOC analysis was used to calculate the change in carbon content, and it was calculated to be between 28% and 75%. When the amount of sulphate is examined, it was observed that it changed between 28-46%. During the copper removal, the amounts of sulphate and carbon moles were equalized and more sulfate was added by changing the nutrient media in order to determine the consumption of sulphate or carbon. Accordingly, when the concentration of added sulphate is increased, it is calculated that between 35-57% of sulphate is spent. In this system, copper concentration of up to 15-600 mg / L were studied.

An interprofessional education Russian cultural competence course: Implementation and follow-up perspectives.

PubMed

Topping, Daniel

2015-01-01

Health sciences educators are faced with creating meaningful, effective and satisfying experiences in interprofessional education (IPE) and cultural competence (CC) required of both students and professionals in practice. This study evaluated the experience and attitudes of the participants in a course combining IPE and CC. A novel, interprofessional course in the Russian language and culture was developed and delivered to a group of medical, nursing, and pharmacy students. One year after the completion of the course, an anonymous, online survey was sent to the participants. Attitudes, comfort, self-efficacy in working with other cultures/healthcare professionals, and comparison of the course to other IPE activities were assessed. The survey suggested that the course was a satisfying and effective combination of IPE and CC in a pre-professional health educational setting. Further work could be undertaken to evaluate the experiences of similar activities in the professional and continuing education arenas.

Experiences of international students from Asian backgrounds studying occupational therapy in Australia.

PubMed

Lim, Jung Wook; Honey, Anne; Du Toit, Sanet; Chen, Yu-Wei; Mackenzie, Lynette

2016-10-01

International students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds experience personal and academic challenges when studying health sciences in Australia. Given recent discussions about cultural specificity in occupational therapy and its status as an emerging profession in most Asian countries, this study aimed to explore and describe the experiences of international students from Asian backgrounds studying occupational therapy in Australia. A phenomenological approach was used to understand the experiences of participants. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight international occupational therapy students from Asian countries studying in Australia. Data were analysed using hermeneutic methods. Participants described three interlinked and ongoing experiences: (1) Discovering and engaging with occupational therapy; (2) Fitting into my new role; and (3) Anticipating my role at home. Whilst theoretical aspects of occupational therapy were seen as compatible with participants' home cultures, application was seen as problematic due to the differences in structure and institutional culture of the healthcare systems. Although students made adaptations to fit in as occupational therapy students in Australia, they continued to see themselves as different, and their adaptation also influenced how they saw themselves in relation to their home culture. Findings can contribute to creating culturally sensitive education for occupational therapy students from Asian countries. To best serve these students, educators should consider ways to facilitate transitions both out of and back into students' home cultures. © 2016 Occupational Therapy Australia.

The experiences of Western expatriate nursing educators teaching in Eastern Asia.

PubMed

Melby, Carolyn S; Dodgson, Joan E; Tarrant, Marie

2008-01-01

To describe the lived experience of English-speaking Western nurse educators teaching in East Asian countries. The study design was an application of existential phenomenological approach to qualitative data collection and analysis. Eight expatriate nurse educators who had taught more than 2 years in an East Asian country were interviewed about their experiences between January 2004 and November 2005. Narrative data were analyzed using a phenomenological approach aimed at distilling the experience of the educators. Each member of the research team analyzed the data, then through group discussions a consensus was reached, paying close attention to developing clear understandings of language nuances and maintaining the participants' voices. Four themes emerged from the data: (a) differing expectations, (b) the cost of the expatriate experience, (c) bridging pedagogies, and (d) adapting and finding purpose. The tacit meanings of cultural differences affecting participants' experiences are presented. The ways that a collectivist-oriented culture may affect nurse educators coming from a Western individualist worldview needs to continue to be researched to develop better mutual understandings that will lead to culturally collaborative models of nursing practice, education and research. Nurses providing direct care and nurse educators who work with people from cultures other than their own will find the discussion of cross-cultural misunderstandings useful.

A Transformative Experience: A Short-Term Cross-Cultural Service-Learning Immersion to Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kearney, Sean; Perkins, Timothy; Maakrun, Julie

2014-01-01

Initial teacher education programs are continuously looking for ways to grow and evolve to meet the changing needs of pre-service teachers (PSTs) who will face a diverse student population when they begin their careers. This study examines a short-term, cross-cultural, service-learning immersion undertaken by 21 undergraduate PSTs to an internally…

Concerted Changes in Gene Expression and Cell Physiology of the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803 during Transitions between Nitrogen and Light-Limited Growth1[W][OA

PubMed Central

Aguirre von Wobeser, Eneas; Ibelings, Bas W.; Bok, Jasper; Krasikov, Vladimir; Huisman, Jef; Matthijs, Hans C.P.

2011-01-01

Physiological adaptation and genome-wide expression profiles of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 in response to gradual transitions between nitrogen-limited and light-limited growth conditions were measured in continuous cultures. Transitions induced changes in pigment composition, light absorption coefficient, photosynthetic electron transport, and specific growth rate. Physiological changes were accompanied by reproducible changes in the expression of several hundred open reading frames, genes with functions in photosynthesis and respiration, carbon and nitrogen assimilation, protein synthesis, phosphorus metabolism, and overall regulation of cell function and proliferation. Cluster analysis of the nearly 1,600 regulated open reading frames identified eight clusters, each showing a different temporal response during the transitions. Two large clusters mirrored each other. One cluster included genes involved in photosynthesis, which were up-regulated during light-limited growth but down-regulated during nitrogen-limited growth. Conversely, genes in the other cluster were down-regulated during light-limited growth but up-regulated during nitrogen-limited growth; this cluster included several genes involved in nitrogen uptake and assimilation. These results demonstrate complementary regulation of gene expression for two major metabolic activities of cyanobacteria. Comparison with batch-culture experiments revealed interesting differences in gene expression between batch and continuous culture and illustrates that continuous-culture experiments can pick up subtle changes in cell physiology and gene expression. PMID:21205618

Perceptions of Home-School Continuity among Culturally Different Parents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Martha M.; And Others

In this qualitative study, the ways in which four ethnically diverse mothers' perceptions of early childhood education combined with the school experiences of their children were examined. Interviews with the four women, Mexican American, Korean American, African American, and Anglo, were recorded; school experiences were videotaped; and the…

Writing a Wikipedia Article on Cultural Competence in Health Care.

PubMed

Zhang, Yingting; Lin, Yu-Hung

2016-01-01

This article describes how librarians created a Wikipedia article on cultural competence in health care to support the medical school's curriculum. Wikipedia, often considered not as reliable as scholarly articles, continues to be popular. Rutgers librarians conducted a Wikipedia project to improve its content to benefit students. The importance of cultural competency in health care is widely recognized due to increasingly diverse patient populations. Medical schools integrate cultural competency in curricula to train students to be culturally competent. Therefore, this topic was chosen for the Wikipedia Project. It is hoped that health sciences librarians and educators will benefit from their experience.

Impact of pseudo-continuous fermentation on the ethanol tolerance of Scheffersomyces stipitis.

PubMed

Liang, Meng; Kim, Min Hea; He, Qinghua Peter; Wang, Jin

2013-09-01

In this work we conducted the pseudo-continuous fermentation, i.e., continuous fermentation with cell retention, using Scheffersomyces stipitis, and studied its effect on ethanol tolerance of the strain. During the fermentation experiments, S. stipitis was adapted to a mild concentration of ethanol (20-26 g/L) for two weeks. Two substrates (glucose and xylose) were used in different fermentation experiments. After fermentation, various experiments were performed to evaluate the ethanol tolerance of adapted cells and unadapted cells. Compared to the unadapted cells, the viability of adapted cells increased by 8 folds with glucose as the carbon source and 6 folds with xylose as the carbon source following exposure to 60 g/L ethanol for 2 h. Improved ethanol tolerance of the adapted cells was also revealed in the effects of ethanol on plasma membrane permeability, extracellular alkalization and acidification. The mathematical modeling of cell leakage, extracellular alkalization and acidification revealed that cells cultured on glucose show better ethanol tolerance than cells cultured on xylose but the differences become smaller for adapted cells. The results show that pseudo-continuous fermentation can effectively improve cell's ethanol tolerance due to the environmental pressure during the fermentation process. Copyright © 2013 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Suspension cell culture in microgravity and development of a space bioreactor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morrison, Dennis R.

1987-01-01

NASA has methodically developed unique suspension type cell and recovery apparatus culture systems for bioprocess technology experiments and production of biological products in microgravity. The first space bioreactor has been designed for microprocessor control, no gaseous headspace, circulation and resupply of culture medium, and slow mixing in very low shear regimes. Various ground based bioreactors are being used to test reactor vessel design, on-line sensors, effects of shear, nutrient supply, and waste removal from continuous culture of human cells attached to microcarriers. The small (500 ml) bioreactor is being constructed for flight experiments in the Shuttle middeck to verify systems operation under microgravity conditions and to measure the efficiencies of mass transport, gas transfer, oxygen consumption, and control of low shear stress on cells.

A Continuous Culture System for Assessing Microbial Activities in the Piezosphere

PubMed Central

Pérez-Rodríguez, Ileana

2015-01-01

Continuous culture under elevated pressures is an important technique for expanding the exploration of microbial growth and survival in extreme environments associated with the deep biosphere. Here we present a benchtop stirred continuous culture bioreactor capable of withstanding temperatures ranging from 25 to 120°C and pressures as high as 69 MPa. The system is configured to allow the employment of media enriched in dissolved gases, under oxic or anoxic conditions, while permitting periodic sampling of the incubated organisms with minimal physical/chemical disturbance inside the reactor. In a pilot experiment, the fermentative growth of the thermopiezophilic bacterium Marinitoga piezophila was investigated continuously for 382 h at 65°C and at pressures ranging from 0.1 to 40 MPa while the medium flow rate was varied from 2 to 0.025 ml/min. The enhanced growth observed at 30 and 40 MPa and 0.025 ml/min supports the pressure preferences of M. piezophila when grown fermentatively. This assay successfully demonstrates the capabilities of the bioreactor for continuous culturing at a variety of dilution rates, pressures, and temperatures. We anticipate that this technology will accelerate our understanding of the physiological and metabolic status of microorganisms under temperature, pressure, and energy regimes resembling those of the Earth's piezosphere. PMID:26209666

On Being Alive and Well and Living in English.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Katz, Naomi

Culture shock is a condition that can affect newcomers to a country as well as those who have been in a new environment for varying periods of time, and who continue to experience orientation difficulties. It is a disturbance of the organism which results from the imposition of one culture upon another, and because it is so closely allied with the…

Uniform, stable supply of medium for in vitro cell culture using a robust chamber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Juan; Liu, Chong; Jiang, Yang; Liu, Tao; Chen, Li; Liu, Bo; Li, Jingmin

2018-06-01

A uniform, stable supply of medium is important for in vitro cell culture. In this paper, a microfluidic device is presented for culturing cells inside a robust chamber with continuous perfusion of medium. The device consists of a main channel, two bifurcated channels and a culture chamber. The culture chamber connects to the bifurcated channels via multiple paths, and distributes symmetrically on the main channel, to improve the efficiency of medium exchange. Furthermore, regular polygonal chambers with various numbers of edges have been designed, to study the effects of chamber shape on flow fields. The finite element method has been employed to predict the effects of multiple paths on the uniformity and stability of flow fields in the culture chamber. Particle tracking technology has been used to evaluate the flow fields in the chambers, and PC-12 cells have been cultured using the microfluidic device, to test its validity. The results of simulation and experiment indicate that the microfluidic design could provide a continuous interstitial-like flow microenvironment, with a relatively stable and uniform supply of medium.

Everything Is Connected

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLeod, Kembrew

2010-01-01

In this article, the author shares his experience and insights gained from his experience that he continued to carry in his role as a teacher, researcher, and cultural producer. In his own work, the author seeks to blur the distinction between scholarship, everyday life, and the arts. Working alone and with other people, he has written books,…

Pericellular oxygen monitoring with integrated sensor chips for reproducible cell culture experiments.

PubMed

Kieninger, J; Aravindalochanan, K; Sandvik, J A; Pettersen, E O; Urban, G A

2014-04-01

Here we present an application, in two tumour cell lines, based on the Sensing Cell Culture Flask system as a cell culture monitoring tool for pericellular oxygen sensing. T-47D (human breast cancer) and T98G (human brain cancer) cells were cultured either in atmospheric air or in a glove-box set at 4% oxygen, in both cases with 5% CO2 in the gas phase. Pericellular oxygen tension was measured with the help of an integrated sensor chip comprising oxygen sensor arrays. Obtained results illustrate variation of pericellular oxygen tension in attached cells covered by stagnant medium. Independent of incubation conditions, low pericellular oxygen concentration levels, usually associated with hypoxia, were found in dense cell cultures. Respiration alone brought pericellular oxygen concentration down to levels which could activate hypoxia-sensing regulatory processes in cultures believed to be aerobic. Cells in culture believed to experience conditions of mild hypoxia may, in reality, experience severe hypoxia. This would lead to incorrect assumptions and suggests that pericellular oxygen concentration readings are of great importance to obtain reproducible results when dealing with hypoxic and normoxic (aerobic) incubation conditions. The Sensing Cell Culture Flask system allows continuous monitoring of pericellular oxygen concentration with outstanding long-term stability and no need for recalibration during cell culture experiments. The sensor is integrated into the flask bottom, thus in direct contact with attached cells. No additional equipment needs to be inserted into the flask during culturing. Transparency of the electrochemical sensor chip allows optical inspection of cells attached on top of the sensor. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Culturally Competent Practice: A Mixed Methods Study Among Students, Academics and Alumni of Clinical Psychology Master’s Programs in the Netherlands

PubMed Central

Geerlings, Lennie R. C.; Thompson, Claire L.; Kraaij, Vivian; Keijsers, Ger P. J.

2018-01-01

This is the first research into preparation for multicultural clinical psychology practice in Europe. It applies the theory of multicultural counselling competency (MCC) to a case study in the Netherlands. It was hypothesized that cross-cultural practice experience, identification as a cultural minority, and satisfaction with cultural training was associated with MCC. The Multicultural Awareness Knowledge and Skills Survey was completed by 106 participants (22 students, 10 academics, 74 alumni) from clinical psychology masters’ programs. MANOVA detected a main effect of cross-cultural experience on MCC for all groups and universities. The data were enriched with exploratory qualitative data from 14 interviews (5 students, 5 academics, 4 alumni). Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis revealed three themes: limitations of clinical psychology, strategies for culturally competent practice, and strategies for cultural competency development. These outcomes suggest that cultural competency continues to require attention in master’s programs. The paper makes recommendations for further research enquiry related to training clinical psychologists to practice in Europe’s multicultural societies. PMID:29899800

Older Asian Indians resettled in America: narratives about households, culture and generation.

PubMed

Kalavar, Jyotsna M; Van Willigen, John

2005-09-01

Immigration in late life can be a complex experience. Older adults who have spent a considerable part of their life in one cultural milieu face several challenges in adapting to a new societal framework. Demographically speaking, the numbers of immigrants of Asian Indian origin continue to rise phenomenally in the United States. In this project, the experience of Asian Indian elderly immigrants to the United States was recorded through home visits and personal interviews. Parents of adult immigrants often choose to immigrate late in life primarily for purposes of family reunification. Providing assistance with raising grandchildren was also an important consideration. This article explores various aspects that surfaced from the analysis of interviews; these include personal investment in adult children, language/cultural barriers, use of formal services, acculturative experience, aging in India, intergenerational relationships, and expectations for the future. The findings highlight the need for gerontological research that is culturally attuned to the needs of these elders so service delivery may be optimally provided.

Human cell culture in a space bioreactor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morrison, Dennis R.

1988-01-01

Microgravity offers new ways of handling fluids, gases, and growing mammalian cells in efficient suspension cultures. In 1976 bioreactor engineers designed a system using a cylindrical reactor vessel in which the cells and medium are slowly mixed. The reaction chamber is interchangeable and can be used for several types of cell cultures. NASA has methodically developed unique suspension type cell and recovery apparatus culture systems for bioprocess technology experiments and production of biological products in microgravity. The first Space Bioreactor was designed for microprocessor control, no gaseous headspace, circulation and resupply of culture medium, and slow mixing in very low shear regimes. Various ground based bioreactors are being used to test reactor vessel design, on-line sensors, effects of shear, nutrient supply, and waste removal from continuous culture of human cells attached to microcarriers. The small Bioreactor is being constructed for flight experiments in the Shuttle Middeck to verify systems operation under microgravity conditions and to measure the efficiencies of mass transport, gas transfer, oxygen consumption and control of low shear stress on cells.

Building a Morbidostat: An automated continuous-culture device for studying bacterial drug resistance under dynamically sustained drug inhibition

PubMed Central

Toprak, Erdal; Veres, Adrian; Yildiz, Sadik; Pedraza, Juan M.; Chait, Remy; Paulsson, Johan; Kishony, Roy

2013-01-01

We present a protocol for building and operating an automated fluidic system for continuous culture that we call the “morbidostat”. The morbidostat is used to follow evolution of microbial drug resistance in real time. Instead of exposing bacteria to predetermined drug environments, the morbidostat constantly measures the growth rates of evolving microbial populations and dynamically adjusts drug concentrations inside culture vials in order to maintain a constant drug induced inhibition. The growth rate measurements are done using an optical detection system that is based on measuring the intensity of back-scattered light from bacterial cells suspended in the liquid culture. The morbidostat can additionally be used as a chemostat or a turbidostat. The whole system can be built from readily available components within two to three weeks, by biologists with some electronics experience or engineers familiar with basic microbiology. PMID:23429717

Understanding organizational commitment: A meta-analytic examination of the roles of the five-factor model of personality and culture.

PubMed

Choi, Daejeong; Oh, In-Sue; Colbert, Amy E

2015-09-01

We examined the relationships between the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality traits and three forms of organizational commitment (affective, normative, and continuance commitment) and their variability across individualistic and collectivistic cultures. Meta-analytic results based on 55 independent samples from 50 studies (N = 18,262) revealed that (a) all FFM traits had positive relationships with affective commitment; (b) all FFM traits had positive relationships with normative commitment; and (c) Emotional Stability, Extraversion, and Openness to Experience had negative relationships with continuance commitment. In particular, Agreeableness was found to be the trait most strongly related to both affective and normative commitment. The results also showed that Agreeableness had stronger relationships with affective and normative commitment in collectivistic cultures than in individualistic cultures. We provide theoretical and practical implications of these findings for personality, job attitudes, and employee selection and retention. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Cultural Competence and Related Factors Among Taiwanese Nurses.

PubMed

Lin, Chin-Nu; Mastel-Smith, Beth; Alfred, Danita; Lin, Yu-Hua

2015-12-01

Taiwan is a multicultural and multiethnic society with a growing number of immigrants who have diverse ethnic, racial, and cultural needs. Although this diversity highlights the pressing need for culturally competent healthcare providers, cultural competence is a concept that is little understood and implemented only sporadically in Taiwan. This study investigates the cultural competence of Taiwanese nurses and the related factors of influence. An online self-report survey was used to collect data from 221 Taiwanese nurses from December 2012 through January 2013. Data from the demographic questionnaire, the Nurses' Cultural Competence Scale, and the Perceived Nurses' Cultural Competence Rating were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, independent sample t tests, and multiple regressions. The cultural competence of the participants was in the "low to moderate" range, with relatively higher mean scores for the subscales of cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity and relatively lower scores for the subscales of cultural knowledge and cultural skills. Participants generally perceived themselves as being "not culturally competent." Variables found to predict cultural competence included years of work experience, hours of continuing education related to cultural nursing care, and frequency of caring for clients from culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds. Participating Taiwanese nurses rated their level of cultural competence as in the low-to-moderate range and self-perceived as being not culturally competent. These findings support the need to further expand and enhance cultural-competence-related continuing education and to address the topic of cultural care in the nursing curricula.

Midwifery students׳ experiences of an innovative clinical placement model embedded within midwifery continuity of care in Australia.

PubMed

Carter, Amanda G; Wilkes, Elizabeth; Gamble, Jenny; Sidebotham, Mary; Creedy, Debra K

2015-08-01

midwifery continuity of care experiences can provide high quality clinical learning for students but can be challenging to implement. The Rural and Private Midwifery Education Project (RPMEP) is a strategic government funded initiative to (1) grow the midwifery workforce within private midwifery practice and rural midwifery, by (2) better preparing new graduates to work in private midwifery and rural continuity of care models. this study evaluated midwifery students׳ experience of an innovative continuity of care clinical placement model in partnership with private midwifery practice and rural midwifery group practices. a descriptive cohort design was used. All students in the RPMEP were invited to complete an online survey about their experiences of clinical placement within midwifery continuity models of care. Responses were analysed using descriptive statistics. Correlations between total scale scores were examined. Open-ended responses were analysed using content analysis. Internal reliability of the scales was assessed using Cronbach׳s alpha. sixteen out of 17 completed surveys were received (94% response rate). Scales included in the survey demonstrated good internal reliability. The majority of students felt inspired by caseload approaches to care, expressed overall satisfaction with the mentoring received and reported a positive learning environment at their placement site. Some students reported stress related to course expectations and demands in the clinical environment (e.g. skill acquisition and hours required for continuity of care). There were significant correlations between scales on perceptions of caseload care and learning culture (r=.87 p<.001) and assessment (r=.87 p<.001). Scores on the clinical learning environment scale were significantly correlated with perceptions of the caseload model (rho=.86 p<.001), learning culture (rho=.94 p<.001) and assessment (rho=.65 p<.01) scales. embedding students within midwifery continuity of care models was perceived to be highly beneficial to learning, developed partnerships with women, and provided appropriate clinical skills development required for registration, while promoting students׳ confidence and competence. The flexible academic programme enabled students to access learning at any time and prioritise continuity of care experiences. Strategies are needed to better support students achieve a satisfactory work-life balance. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A case study of cultural educational opportunities for Native students: The scientific storyteller

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valdez, Shelly Ann

2002-09-01

This case study examines cultural educational opportunities for Native Alaskan students in Native Alaskan community schools. The study looks at three components of a larger initiative of systemic educational reform efforts for rural Alaskan communities: Native science fairs, summer science camps and involvement of elders. The study focuses on six Native Alaskan students from one Native Alaskan rural village in northern Alaska. The six students ranged from seventh, ninth and eleventh grades. Additionally twenty-one teachers, five Native Alaskan elders and four Alaskan Rural Systemic Initiative staff were interviewed as a part of this study. With interviews, observations, surveys, analysis of science and mathematics achievement scores, this case study will explore the effectiveness of including the science of Native Alaskan culture in the learning environment of rural Alaskan community schools. The outcomes of this study indicate that the self-esteem and attitudes of Native Alaskan students changed positively in relationship to pride in culture, honor of elders, interest in language maintenance and concern for inclusion of Native ways of knowing in school activities as a result of the cultural-rich experiences included in the learning environment. There were no significant results that indicated these types of cultural-rich experiences impacted positive gains in science and mathematics achievement scores of Native Alaskan students. At the end of the study several suggestions are made to improve and consider continued research in this area. It is hoped that this study will provide input to the continued dialogue on Indian Education.

Massage therapy services for healthcare: a telephone focus group study of drivers for clients' continued use of services.

PubMed

Smith, Joanna M; Sullivan, S John; Baxter, G David

2009-01-01

To explore opinions of why clients use, value and continue to seek massage therapy as a healthcare option. Telephone focus group methodology was used. Current and repeat users (n = 19) of either relaxation, remedial or sports massage therapy services participated in three telephone focus groups. Audiotaped semi-structured interviews were conducted. Telephone focus group with massage clients from provincial and urban localities in New Zealand. Summary of reported themes of the massage experience and suggested drivers for return to, or continuing with massage therapy. Data were transcribed, categorised (NVivo7) and thematically analysed using the general inductive approach. Key drivers for return to, or continuing with, massage therapy were: positive outcomes, expectations of goals being met, a regular appointment and the massage therapy culture. Massage therapy is perceived and valued as a personalised, holistic and hands-on approach to health management, which focuses on enhancing relaxation in conjunction with effective touch, within a positive client-therapist relationship and a pleasant non-rushed environment. Massage therapy as a health service is result and client driven but is reinforced by the culture of the experience.

Voices of Hispanic College Students: A Content Analysis of Qualitative Research within the "Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Storlie, Cassandra A.; Moreno, Luis S.; Portman, Tarrell Awe Agahe

2014-01-01

As Hispanic students continue to be an underrepresented cultural group in higher education, researchers are called to uncover the challenging and complex experience of this diverse group of students. Using the constant comparative method, these researchers conducted a content analysis of the qualitative research on the experiences of Hispanic…

Gaming out online: Black lesbian identity development and community building in Xbox Live.

PubMed

Gray, Kishonna L

2017-11-22

As gaming culture continues to marginalize women and people of color, other gamers are also highlighting the inequalities they face within digital gaming communities. While heterosexism and homophobia are commonplace within gaming culture, little is known about the actual experiences of "gaymers" and even less about "gaymers" of color. As such, this article seeks to explore lesbians of color and their experiences "gayming" out and online. Exploring identity development, community building, and connectivity via social networking, the women within this study articulate what it means to be lesbian online and how this impacts their physical and digital experiences. The private spaces within gaming culture that many marginalized groups inhabit are the few spaces that value the articulation of marginalized interests and viewpoints. Ethnographic observations reveal how supportive communities can improve resilience by mitigating the effects of stereotyping, microaggressions, and other discriminatory practices in online gaming.

Studies on the effects of microgravity on the ultrastructure and functions of cultured mammalian cells (L-6)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sato, Atsushige

1993-01-01

The human body consists of 10(exp 13) cells. Understanding the mechanisms by which the cells sense and respond to microgravity is very important as the basis for space biology. The cells were originally isolated aseptically from mammalian bodies and cultured in vitro. A set of cell culture vessels was developed to be applied to three kinds of space flight experiments. Experiment 1 is to practice the cell culture technique in a space laboratory and obtain favorable growth of the cells. Aseptic handling in tryspin treatment and medium renewal will be tested. The cells, following space flight, will be returned to the ground and cultured continuously to investigate the effects of space flight on the cellular characteristics. Experiment 2 is to examine the cytoskeletal structure of the cells under microgravity conditions. The cytoskeletal structure plays essential roles in the morphological construction, movements, axonal transport, and differentiation of the cells. The cells fixed during space flight will be returned and the cytoskeleton and ultrastructure observed using electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy. Experiment 3 is to study the cellular productivity of valuable substances. The waste medium harvested during space flight are returned and quantitated for the cellular products. The effects of microgravity on mammalian cells will be clarified from the various aspects.

Continuous microcarrier-based cell culture in a benchtop microfluidic bioreactor.

PubMed

Abeille, F; Mittler, F; Obeid, P; Huet, M; Kermarrec, F; Dolega, M E; Navarro, F; Pouteau, P; Icard, B; Gidrol, X; Agache, V; Picollet-D'hahan, N

2014-09-21

Microfluidic bioreactors are expected to impact cell therapy and biopharmaceutical production due to their ability to control cellular microenvironments. This work presents a novel approach for continuous cell culture in a microfluidic system. Microcarriers (i.e., microbeads) are used as growth support for anchorage-dependent mammalian cells. This approach eases the manipulation of cells within the system and enables harmless extraction of cells. Moreover, the microbioreactor uses a perfusion function based on the biocompatible integration of a porous membrane to continuously feed the cells. The perfusion rate is optimized through simulations to provide a stable biochemical environment. Thermal management is also addressed to ensure a homogeneous bioreactor temperature. Eventually, incubator-free cell cultures of Drosophila S2 and PC3 cells are achieved over the course of a week using this bioreactor. In future applications, a more efficient alternative to harvesting cells from microcarriers is also anticipated as suggested by our positive results from the microcarrier digestion experiments.

Women and HIV/AIDS in the kingdom of Swaziland: culture and risks.

PubMed

Mathunjwa, Tengetile R; Gary, Faye A

2006-12-01

In Swaziland, a polygamous society in Southern Africa, the prevalence of the human immune virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is continuing to proliferate at an alarming rate. In 1992 the prevalence rate was 3.9%. However in 12 years, by 2004, the prevalence rate had reached 42.6%. This article explores some of the traditional cultural practices and experiences that increase Swazi women's vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. The traditional cultural practices fall into four categories: (1) socialization and the roles of women, (2) the minority status of women, (3) the practice of a dowry, and (4) the wife as an inheritance. The women's experiences include the Swazi men's beliefs in the virginity cure myth, the women's extreme poverty, and the Swazi men who are migrant workers in neighboring states. This article concludes with recommendations for public policy and for future research within the context of Swazi culture.

Strategic planning as a focus for continuous improvement. A case study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oneill, John W.; Gordon-Winkler, Lyn

1992-01-01

What do most of the successful people and organizations in our world have in common? Instead of worrying about the future, they work to create it. They have a plan, or a vision of what they want to accomplish and they focus their efforts on success. Strategic planning has been described as a disciplined, ongoing process to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape what an organization is, what it does, and how it will respond to a changing environment. This case study discussion will evaluate the relationship between strategic planning and Total Quality Management (TQM), or continuous improvement, through the experience of the NASA Johnson Space Center in developing a strategy for the future. That experience clearly illustrates the value of strategic planning in setting the framework and establishing the overall thrust of continuous improvement initiatives. Equally significant, the fundamentals of a quality culture such as strong customer and supplier partnerships, participative involvement, open communications, and ownership were essential in overcoming the challenges inherent in the planning process. A reinforced management commitment to the quality culture was a clear, long-term benefit.

Strategic planning as a focus for continuous improvement. A case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oneill, John W.; Gordon-Winkler, Lyn

What do most of the successful people and organizations in our world have in common? Instead of worrying about the future, they work to create it. They have a plan, or a vision of what they want to accomplish and they focus their efforts on success. Strategic planning has been described as a disciplined, ongoing process to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape what an organization is, what it does, and how it will respond to a changing environment. This case study discussion will evaluate the relationship between strategic planning and Total Quality Management (TQM), or continuous improvement, through the experience of the NASA Johnson Space Center in developing a strategy for the future. That experience clearly illustrates the value of strategic planning in setting the framework and establishing the overall thrust of continuous improvement initiatives. Equally significant, the fundamentals of a quality culture such as strong customer and supplier partnerships, participative involvement, open communications, and ownership were essential in overcoming the challenges inherent in the planning process. A reinforced management commitment to the quality culture was a clear, long-term benefit.

Fast screening of Bifidobacterium longum sublethal stress conditions in a novel two-stage continuous culture strategy.

PubMed

Mozzetti, V; Grattepanche, F; Berger, B; Rezzonico, E; Arigoni, F; Lacroix, C

2013-06-01

A central issue in the application of probiotics as food additives is their fastidious production and their sensitivity to many environmental stresses. The importance of inducible cell-protective mechanisms triggered by application of sublethal stresses for survival under stress conditions has been demonstrated. Continuous cultures could be a suitable and more efficient method to test stress factors on one culture instead of several repeated batch cultures. In this study, the application of a two-stage continuous culture of Bifidobacterium longum NCC2705 was investigated. The first reactor was operated under fixed conditions at 37 °C and pH 6.0 and used to produce cells with controlled physiology, mimicking cells in the late exponential growth phase. Stress pretreatment combinations of pH (6.0, 5.0 and 4.0), temperature (37, 45 and 47 °C) and NaCl (0, 5 and 10%) were tested in the second reactor. Of all tested combinations, only those of pH 4.0 significantly decreased cell viability in the second reactor compared to control conditions (37 °C, pH 6.0, 0% NaCl) and, therefore, could not be considered as sublethal stresses. Pretreatments with 5 or 10% NaCl had a negative effect on cell viability after gastric lethal stress. A significant improvement in cell resistance to heat lethal stress (56 °C, 5 min) was observed for cells pretreated at 47 °C. In contrast, heat pretreatment negatively affected cell viability after freeze drying and osmotic lethal stresses. The two-stage continuous culture allowed for efficient screening of several stress pretreatments during the same experiment with up to four different conditions tested per day. Optimal sublethal stress conditions can also be applied for producing cells with traditional batch cultures.

Intercultural Conflicts between Close Friends: A Case Study of Power Relations in Continuing Education in Saudi Arabia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glowacki-Dudka, Michelle; Usman, Irianti; Treff, Marjorie

2008-01-01

This study examines the breakdown of professional and personal communication and relationship through the lens of cultural differences. The case is based on the experience of two female adult educators--an American and a Saudi--working within continuing education at a private women's college in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Graduates of the same U.S.…

Effects of methadone hydrochloride on the growth of organotypic cerebellar cultures prepared from methadone-tolerant and control rats.

PubMed

Willson, N J; Schneider, J F; Roizin, L; Fleiss, J F; Rivers, W; Demartini, J E

1976-11-01

Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were given dl-methadone (5 mg/kg) for at least 3 months and then mated. The drug was continued throughout pregnancy and after delivery. The newly born pups were divided into two groups. One group was tested for in vivo methadone tolerance, while the animals in the othergroup were used to prepare organotypic cerebellar cultures. Various amounts of dl-methadone were added to the media of half of these cerebellum cultures. The effect of the drug in the medium was assessed by measuring explant outgrowth. Similar experiments were carried out with control animals. Statistical analysis of the data obtained in the in vivo portion of the experiment indicates that the pups of methadone-treated mothers tolerate methadone better than those of untreated mothers. The culture experiments revealed that the addition of methadone to the medium reduced explant outgrowth size and this was a dose-related effect. Also, there was significantly less outgrowth from explants prepared using pups of methadone-treated mothers as compared to the controls. There was no significant difference in the effect of methadone on the growth of cultures prepared from the methadone-tolerant and control animals.

A Study of Attitudes and Employment Patterns of Teachers Who Received Pre-Service Teaching Experience with Disadvantaged Groups. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zink, Theodore M.

This study was intended as a follow-up evaluation of Project COPE, a Glassboro State College program designed to provide junior year elementary education students experience in teaching culturally disadvantaged children, and to motivate them to continue this type of teaching after graduation. The procedure involved testing and collecting survey…

Women's Agency and Educational Policy: The Experiences of the Women of Kilome, Kenya. SUNY Series, the Social Context of Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiluva-Ndunda, Mutindi Mumbua

This book examines rural African women's educational experiences in Kilome, Kenya, providing testimony on the cultural, historical, social, economic, and political factors that have shaped, and continue to shape, women's educational and economic opportunities there. The author, a Kamba woman who grew up in rural Kenya and received an education in…

Developing the Systems Engineering Experience Accelerator (SEEA) Prototype and Roadmap

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-10-24

system attributes. These metrics track non-requirements performance, typically relate to production cost per unit, maintenance costs, training costs...immediately implement lessons learned from the training experience to the job, assuming the culture allows this. 1.3 MANAGEMENT PLAN/TECHNICAL OVERVIEW...resolving potential conflicts as they arise. Incrementally implement and continuously integrate capability in priority order, to ensure that final system

Plasmodium falciparum in vitro continuous culture conditions: A comparison of parasite susceptibility and tolerance to anti-malarial drugs throughout the asexual intra-erythrocytic life cycle.

PubMed

Duffy, Sandra; Avery, Vicky M

2017-12-01

The continuous culture of Plasmodium falciparum is often seen as a means to an end, that end being to probe the biology of the parasite in question, and ultimately for many in the malaria drug discovery arena, to identify means of killing the parasite in order to treat malaria. In vitro continuous culture of Plasmodium falciparum is a fundamental requirement when undertaking malaria research where the primary objectives utilise viable parasites of a desired lifecycle stage. This investigation, and resulting data, compared the impact culturing Plasmodium falciparum long term (4 months) in different environmental conditions had on experimental outcomes and thus conclusions. The example presented here focused specifically on the effect culture conditions had on the in vitro tolerance of Plasmodium falciparum to standard anti-malarial drugs, including artemisinin and lumefantrine. Historical data from an independent experiment for 3D7-ALB (5% O 2 ) was also compared with that obtained from this study. We concluded that parasites cultured for several months in media supplemented with a serum substitute such as Albumax II ® or within hyperoxic conditions (21% O 2 ), demonstrate highly variable responses to artemisinin and lumefantrine but not all anti-malarial drugs, when compared to those cultured in human serum in combination with Albumax II ® under normoxic conditions (5% O 2 ) for the parasite. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The racial and gendered experiences of immigrant nurses from Kerala, India.

PubMed

Dicicco-Bloom, Barbara

2004-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe the experience of a group of immigrant women nurses regarding their life and work in a culture other than their own. Semistructured, in-depth interviews were conducted with nurses who were born in Kerala, India, educated in India, and are actively employed as nurses in the United States. The participants told stories that were about (a) the challenges of living between two cultures and countries, (b) the racism they experience, and (c) their marginalization as female nurses of color. This study underscores the continuing inequities of our health care system. Our challenge is to establish a more just and effective environment for those who provide care as well as those who receive it.

Sensing Cell-Culture Assays with Low-Cost Circuitry.

PubMed

Pérez, Pablo; Huertas, Gloria; Maldonado-Jacobi, Andrés; Martín, María; Serrano, Juan A; Olmo, Alberto; Daza, Paula; Yúfera, Alberto

2018-06-11

An alternative approach for cell-culture end-point protocols is proposed herein. This new technique is suitable for real-time remote sensing. It is based on Electrical Cell-substrate Impedance Spectroscopy (ECIS) and employs the Oscillation-Based Test (OBT) method. Simple and straightforward circuit blocks form the basis of the proposed measurement system. Oscillation parameters - frequency and amplitude - constitute the outcome, directly correlated with the culture status. A user can remotely track the evolution of cell cultures in real time over the complete experiment through a web tool continuously displaying the acquired data. Experiments carried out with commercial electrodes and a well-established cell line (AA8) are described, obtaining the cell number in real time from growth assays. The electrodes have been electrically characterized along the design flow in order to predict the system performance and the sensitivity curves. Curves for 1-week cell growth are reported. The obtained experimental results validate the proposed OBT for cell-culture characterization. Furthermore, the proposed electrode model provides a good approximation for the cell number and the time evolution of the studied cultures.

An Examination of the Mediating Effect of Acculturation on the Relationship between Parenting Style, Academic Experience, and Resilience among Second and Third Generations West Indian College Students and Their Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greene, Makeda Jacqueline

2017-01-01

With the increase of West Indian families of African descent acculturating into new communities and cultivating spaces for their cultures and customs to flourish, there is an increased significance for continued quantitative analyses to examine the cultural patterns, values and practices that take place within the West Indian familial structures…

Acculturation and reacculturation influence: multilayer contexts in therapy.

PubMed

Abu Baker, K

1999-12-01

Clients who live within a minority culture while being influenced by a dominant culture usually bring to therapy the impact of their multilayered cultural experience. Migration literature point to separation and marginalization processes during the acculturation process as the main cause of relocators' psychosocial problems. In contrast to other studies that appreciate assimilation and integration within the dominant culture, this study shows that these processes often lead to disharmony and disintegration within the home culture, especially among those who remigrate back home or those who continue to live simultaneously within the sending culture and the receiving culture. Additionally, this study emphasizes that acculturation often happens as a multilinear and multidimensional process within the host culture and the sending culture. Therapists may help clients when they become aware of the complexity of the multidirectional process of acculturation and its various levels, such as the interfamilial, the intrafamilial, and the social. Three case studies will illustrate the theoretical framework.

How Community Organizations Promote Continuity of Care for Young People with Mental Health Problems

PubMed Central

Polgar, By Michael F.; Cabassa, Leopoldo J.; Morrissey, Joseph P.

2014-01-01

Young people between the ages of 16 and 25 who experience mental health problems experience transitions and need help from a variety of organizations. Organizations promote continuity of care by assisting young adults with developmental, service, and systemic transitions. Providers offer specific services to help transitions and also form cooperative relationships with other community organizations. Results from a survey of 100 service providers in one community describe organizational attributes and practices which are associated with continuity of care in a regional system for young adults. Data analyses show that full-service organizations which practice cultural competence offer more specific services that foster continuity of care. Larger, full-service organizations are also more likely to have more extensive and collaborative inter-organizational networks that help young adults continue care over time within the regional system of care. PMID:24833485

How do mental health practitioners operationalise cultural competency in everyday practice? A qualitative analysis.

PubMed

Mollah, Tooba Noor; Antoniades, Josefine; Lafeer, Fathima Ijaza; Brijnath, Bianca

2018-06-20

Despite continued policy and research emphasis to deliver culturally competent mental healthcare, there is: (1) limited evidence about what frontline practitioners consider to be culturally competent care and; (2) what helps or hinders them in delivering such care in their everyday practice. The aims of this article are to address these gaps. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 mental health practitioners working with immigrant patients to explore their understandings and experiences of culturally competent care. Interviews were conducted between September 2015 and February 2016 in the state of Victoria, Australia. Data were thematically analysed. There were common understandings of cultural competence but its operationalisation differed by profession, health setting, locality, and years of experience; urban psychiatrists were more functional in their approach and authoritarian in their communication with patients compared to allied health staff in non-specialist mental health settings, in rural areas, with less years of experience. Different methods of operationalising cultural competence translated into complex ways of building cultural concordance with patients, also influenced by health practitioners' own cultural background and cultural exposures. Limited access to interpreters and organisational apathy remain barriers to promoting cultural competency whereas organisational support, personal motivation, and professional resilience remain critical facilitators to sustaining cultural competency in everyday practice. While there is need for widespread cultural competence teaching to all mental health professionals, this training must be specific to different professional needs, health settings, and localities of practice (rural or urban). Experiential teaching at tertiary level or professional development programs may provide an avenue to improve the status quo but a 'one-size-fits-all' model is unlikely to work.

Feeding Frequency Affects Cultured Rat Pituitary Cells in Low Gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hymer, W. C.; Grindeland, R. E.; Salada, T.; Cenci, R.; Krishnan, K.; Mukai, C.; Nagaoka, S.

1996-01-01

In this report, we describe the results of a rat pituitary cell culture experiment done on STS-65 in which the effect of cell feeding on the release of the six anterior pituitary hormones was studied. We found complex microgravity related interactions between the frequency of cell feeding and the quantity and quality (i.e. biological activity) of some of the six hormones released in flight. Analyses of growth hormone (GH) released from cells into culture media on different mission days using gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography yielded qualitatively similar results between ground and flight samples. Lack of cell feeding resulted in extensive cell clumping in flight (but not ground) cultures. Vigorous fibroblast growth occurred in both ground and flight cultures fed 4 times. These results are interpreted within the context of autocrine and or paracrine feedback interactions. Finally the payload specialist successfully prepared a fresh trypsin solution in microgravity, detached the cells from their surface and reinserted them back into the culture chamber. These cells reattached and continued to release hormone in microgravity. In summary, this experiment shows that pituitary cells are microgravity sensitive and that coupled operations routinely associated with laboratory cel1 culture can also be accomplished in low gravity.

The Biotechnology Facility for International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodwin, Thomas; Lundquist, Charles; Hurlbert, Katy; Tuxhorn, Jennifer

2004-01-01

The primary mission of the Cellular Biotechnology Program is to advance microgravity as a tool in basic and applied cell biology. The microgravity environment can be used to study fundamental principles of cell biology and to achieve specific applications such as tissue engineering. The Biotechnology Facility (BTF) will provide a state-of-the-art facility to perform cellular biotechnology research onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The BTF will support continuous operation, which will allow performance of long-duration experiments and will significantly increase the on-orbit science throughput. With the BTF, dedicated ground support, and a community of investigators, the goals of the Cellular Biotechnology Program at Johnson Space Center are to: Support approximately 400 typical investigator experiments during the nominal design life of BTF (10 years). Support a steady increase in investigations per year, starting with stationary bioreactor experiments and adding rotating bioreactor experiments at a later date. Support at least 80% of all new cellular biotechnology investigations selected through the NASA Research Announcement (NRA) process. Modular components - to allow sequential and continuous experiment operations without cross-contamination Increased cold storage capability (+4 C, -80 C, -180 C). Storage of frozen cell culture inoculum - to allow sequential investigations. Storage of post-experiment samples - for return of high quality samples. Increased number of cell cultures per investigation, with replicates - to provide sufficient number of samples for data analysis and publication of results in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Stories from the Sharp End: Case Studies in Safety Improvement

PubMed Central

McCarthy, Douglas; Blumenthal, David

2006-01-01

Motivated by pressure and a wish to improve, health care organizations are implementing programs to improve patient safety. This article describes six natural experiments in health care safety that show where the safety field is heading and opportunities for and barriers to improvement. All these programs identified organizational culture change as critical to making patients safer, differing chiefly in their methods of creating a patient safety culture. Their goal is a safety culture that promotes continuing innovation and improvement, transcending whatever particular safety methodology is used. Policymakers could help stimulate a culture of safety by linking regulatory goals to safety culture expectations, sponsoring voluntary learning collaborations, rewarding safety improvements, better using publicly reported data, encouraging consumer involvement, and supporting research and education. PMID:16529572

Further analyses of human kidney cell populations separated on the Space Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, Robin M.; Todd, Paul; Cole, Kenneth D.; Morrison, Dennis R.

1992-01-01

Cultured human embryonic kidney cells were separated into electrophoretic subpopulations in laboratory experiments and in two separation experiments on the STS-8 (Challenger) Space Shuttle flight using the mid-deck Continuous Flow Electrophoretic Separator (CFES). Populations of cells from each fraction were cultured for the lifetime of the cells, and supernatant medium was withdrawn and replaced at 4-day intervals. Withdrawn medium was frozen at -120 C for subsequent analysis. Enzyme assays, antibodies and gel electrophoresis were used as analytical tools for the detection and quantization of plasminogen activators in these samples. These assays of frozen-culture supernatant fluids confirmed the electrophoretic separation of plasminogen-activator-producing cells from nonproducing cells, the isolation of cells capable of sustained production, and the separation of cells that produce different plasminogen activators from one other.

Cultural perspectives of death, grief, and bereavement.

PubMed

Clements, Paul T; Vigil, Gloria J; Manno, Martin S; Henry, Gloria C; Wilks, Jonathan; Das Sarthak; Kellywood, Rosie; Foster, Wil

2003-07-01

The cultural makeup of the United States continues to change rapidly, and as minority groups continue to grow, these groups' beliefs and customs must be taken into account when examining death, grief, and bereavement. This article discusses the beliefs, customs, and rituals of Latino, African American, Navajo, Jewish, and Hindu groups to raise awareness of the differences health care professionals may encounter among their grieving clients. Discussion of this small sample of minority groups in the United States is not intended to cover all of the degrees of acculturation within each group. Cultural groups are not homogeneous, and individual variation must always be considered in situations of death, grief, and bereavement. However, because the customs, rituals, and beliefs of the groups to which they belong affect individuals' experiences of death, grief, and bereavement, health care professionals need to be open to learning about them to better understand and help.

Promoting collaboration and cultural competence for physician assistant and physical therapist students: A cross-cultural decentralized interprofessional education (IPE) model.

PubMed

Oliveira, Kathleen De; North, Sara; Beck, Barbra; Hopp, Jane

2015-01-01

As the United States health care model progresses towards medical teams and the country's population continues to diversify, the need for health professional education programs to develop and implement culturally specific interprofessional education (IPE) becomes increasingly imperative. A wide range of models exists for delivering and implementing IPE in health education, but none have included the cultural components that are vital in educating the health professional. A cross-cultural decentralized IPE model for physician assistant (PA) and physical therapy (PT) students was developed. This three-part IPE series was created using an established cultural curricular model and began with the exploration of self, continued with the examination of various dimensions of culture, and concluded with the exploration of the intersection between health and culture. We assessed student satisfaction of the IPE experiences and students' engagement and attitudes towards IPE using a three-item open-ended questionnaire administered after each cross-cultural activity and the Interprofessional Education Series Survey (IESS) upon the completion of the series. IESS responses showed that PA and PT students reported benefits in interprofessional collaboration and cultural awareness and expressed overall satisfaction with the series. Qualitative analysis revealed growth in student response depth consistent with the scaffolded focus of each IPE module in the series. The trends in this three-part series suggest that institutions looking to develop culturally inclusive IPE educational initiatives may have success through a decentralized model mirroring the effective cultural progression focused on addressing exploration of self, examination of various dimensions of culture, and exploration of the intersection between health and culture.

Genetic segregation in a high-yielding streptomycin-producing strain of Streptomyces griseus.

PubMed

Roth, M; Schwalenberg, B; Reiche, R; Noack, D; Geuther, R; Eritt, I

1982-01-01

The streptomycin-producing Streptomyces griseus HP spontaneously segregated non-reverting derivatives with altered phenotypes. Clones characterized by increased spore formation and decreased streptomycin production were found. Two other types of derivatives were defective in aerial mycelium and streptomycin formation as well, but differed in the capacity to synthesize a yellow pigment. These derivatives were examined with respect to further properties. The stability of S. griseus HP was investigated in relation to conditions of continuous culture. Both at 26 and 30 degrees C, under glycerol and NH4Cl limitation a rapid segregation and enrichment of streptomycin-non-producing derivatives occurred. At 34 degrees C and glycerol limitation segregation began only after about 35 generations of continuous culture. In NH4Cl-limited chemostats the original strain was stable during 80 generations. In the course of the continuous culture experiments it was shown that the onset of genetic segregation within mycelia can be detected before it becomes obvious in colonies grown from the mycelia. This was achieved by fractionation of the mycelia by protoplast formation and subsequent plating on regeneration medium allowing colony growth and differentiation.

Cultivation of macroscopic marine algae and fresh water aquatic weeds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ryther, J.H.

1982-02-01

The ORCA clone of the red seaweed Gracilaria tikvahiae has been in culture continuously for over two years. Yield for the past year has averaged 12 g ash-free dry wt/m/sup 2/ .day (17.5 t/a.y) in suspended 2600-1 aluminum tank cultures with four exchanges of enriched seawater per day and continuous aeration. Yields from nonintensive pond-bottom culture, similar to commercial Gracilaria culture methods in Taiwan, averaged 3 g afdw/m/sup 2/.day in preliminary experiments. Rope and spray cultures were not successful. Yields of water hyacinths from March 1978 to March 1979 averaged 25 g afdw/m/sup 2/.day (37 t/a.y). Season, nutrient availability (formmore » and quantity) and stand density were found to affect the relative proportions of structural and nonstructural tissue in water hyacinths and thereby significantly affect digestibility of and methane production by the plants. Pennywort (Hydrocotyle) grew poorly in winter and its annual yield averaged only one-third that of water hyacinth. Water lettuce (Pistia) appears more comparable to hyacinths in preliminary studies and its yields will be monitored throughout a complete year. Stable, continuous anaerobic digestion of both water hyacinths and Gracilaria has been maintained with an average gas production from both species of 0.4 1/g volatile solids at 60% methane.« less

One Nation, under the Designer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terry, Mark

2004-01-01

This article is geared toward high school biology teachers. The author discusses his own personal experiences of being a biology teacher. The author discusses Intelligent Design (ID) and how it adds interesting facet to discussions of the cultural context in which the science of evolution continues to develop.

"Shattering culture": perspectives on cultural competence and evidence-based practice in mental health services.

PubMed

Good, Mary-Jo DelVecchio; Hannah, Seth Donal

2015-04-01

The concept of culture as an analytic concept has increasingly been questioned by social scientists, just as health care institutions and clinicians have increasingly routinized concepts and uses of culture as means for improving the quality of care for racial and ethnic minorities. This paper examines this tension, asking whether it is possible to use cultural categories to develop evidenced-based practice guidelines in mental health services when these categories are challenged by the increasing hyperdiversity of patient populations and newer theories of culture that question direct connection between group-based social identities and cultural characteristics. Anthropologists have grown concerned about essentializing societies, yet unequal treatment on the basis of cultural, racial, or ethnic group membership is present in medicine and mental health care today. We argue that discussions of culture-patients' culture and the "culture of medicine"-should be sensitive to the risk of improper stereotypes, but should also be sensitive to the continuing significance of group-based discrimination and the myriad ways culture shapes clinical presentation, doctor-patient interactions, the illness experience, and the communication of symptoms. We recommend that mental health professionals consider the local contexts, with greater appreciation for the diversity of lived experience found among individual patients. This suggests a nuanced reliance on broad cultural categories of racial, ethnic, and national identities in evidence-based practice guidelines. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Emerging identities: A proposed model for an interactive science curriculum for First Nations students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sable, Trudy

Mi'kmaw students face a complexity of personal, cultural, and social conditions within contemporary educational systems that affect their continued participation in the educational process offered within Atlantic Canada. Despite a variety of approaches developed by educators to address the high drop out rate and lack of interest in science, the statistics remain largely unchanged. Aboriginal educators are calling for a "new story" in education that better meets the needs of Aboriginal students. This study attempts to identify the conditions and contexts necessary to bridge the gap that currently exists for Aboriginal students in science studies. The research investigates the basic relationship between learning in general and the meaning-making processes engaged in by students of a Grade 7/8 class within a Mi'kmaw reserve school. It leads to a proposal for an alternative pedagogy, or a new narrative, for teaching science to Aboriginal students and the foundations for a culturally interactive science curriculum. For educators to understand the complexity of issues affecting Mi'kmaw student achievement in science requires a theoretical framework that allows the students' lived experience to emerge. Toward this end, the research includes both phenomenological and ethnographic approaches to understanding the lived experiences and cultural narratives based on interviews with the students, a field trip within the community, and a trial chemistry lesson. I examined how these students perceive themselves in different contexts and how their sense of identity establishes the meaningfulness of particular educational content. I also assessed how person, community/cultural and social contexts affect the students' learning. Part of creating this new narrative requires recognizing knowledge, including science, as a cultural product Taking this cultural view of scientific knowledge allows us to view learning as a process of identity formation and culture as a system of symbols including language itself This identity is based on personal, cultural, historical and social factors that come to bear on each student's definition of who they are and what knowledge is pertinent to survival and well being. Five fundamental themes emerged from the interviews and field trips---fragile ontologies, multiple layers of identity (personal, cultural, pan-tribal, and societal), border crossings, the continuing and emerging aspects of culture, and beyond borders to a spiritual narrative---and became the foundation for a culturally interactive science education model of learning. The model assists educators through a visualization of layers of identity, porous borders and seeming paradoxes, and "narrative unity" beyond boundaries---all of which affect the learning of science. The content of a culturally interactive curriculum is drawn from the cultural heritage of the students, giving them an historical context with which to identify. Working with Mi'kmaw language and notational representation is shown to assist educators in cultural border crossing and creating cultural continuity for the students. Taken into the classroom, this interactive paradigm could be adapted to pedagogical methods as "speaking together" times, in which students explore the processes of doing science while appreciating their own cultural traditions. In so doing, educators can come to know the larger narrative that gives shape to student's identities and ways of relating to the world. Then it becomes possible for educators to recognize the boundaries that obstruct or open a path to meaningful learning experiences.

Experience of migrant care and needs for cultural competence training among public health workers in Korea.

PubMed

Chae, Duckhee; Lee, Jina; Asami, Keiko; Kim, Hyunlye

2018-05-01

This study explored the experiences of public health workers (PHWs) providing health care for migrants living in Korea and clarified needs for cultural competence training. Twenty-six PHWs from five public health centers in Gwangju city, South Korea, participated in this exploratory qualitative study. Five semi-structured focus group interviews of PHWs were conducted from September to December 2016. A directed content analysis approach was conducted using four categories: perceived characteristics of migrants, interaction between PHWs and migrants, interaction between PHWs and organizations/systems, and cultural competence training needs. PHWs perceived that migrants lacked autonomy in health decisions and awareness of health behaviors. PHWs experienced difficulties in communicating and in establishing trusting relationships. They found clients hard to reach and easy to miss, a lack of continuity in health care programs, and inadequate human and material resources. They preferred passive teaching methods to activity-based simulation. PHWs believed essential training should be provided through e-learning to all PHWs, including management. PHWs reported experiencing multiple challenges from a lack of preparedness for culturally competent care and their clients' vulnerability. Development of cultural competence training is suggested through e-learning that reflects the PHWs' experiences and provides systematic support. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Physical Model of the Dynamic Instability in an Expanding Cell Culture

PubMed Central

Mark, Shirley; Shlomovitz, Roie; Gov, Nir S.; Poujade, Mathieu; Grasland-Mongrain, Erwan; Silberzan, Pascal

2010-01-01

Abstract Collective cell migration is of great significance in many biological processes. The goal of this work is to give a physical model for the dynamics of cell migration during the wound healing response. Experiments demonstrate that an initially uniform cell-culture monolayer expands in a nonuniform manner, developing fingerlike shapes. These fingerlike shapes of the cell culture front are composed of columns of cells that move collectively. We propose a physical model to explain this phenomenon, based on the notion of dynamic instability. In this model, we treat the first layers of cells at the front of the moving cell culture as a continuous one-dimensional membrane (contour), with the usual elasticity of a membrane: curvature and surface-tension. This membrane is active, due to the forces of cellular motility of the cells, and we propose that this motility is related to the local curvature of the culture interface; larger convex curvature correlates with a stronger cellular motility force. This shape-force relation gives rise to a dynamic instability, which we then compare to the patterns observed in the wound healing experiments. PMID:20141748

[Family caregivers' adjustment to nursing home placement of older relatives].

PubMed

Wang, Szu-Yao; Davies, Elizabeth

2007-06-01

The literature on the impact of nursing home placement of older parents on family caregivers is still incomplete. Family caregivers experience stress, shock, anxiety, fear, resistance, and guilt in the process of decision making. The literature has demonstrated that family caregivers continue to experience stress and problems after placing older relatives into a long term care facility. Cultural values impact on people's attitudes, values and expectations. Culture will therefore affect the care-giving experience. Relatively little information is available from Asian and multicultural societies. Identifying family caregiver experiences after nursing home placement can alert professionals to the need for family guidance prior to nursing home placement and assist in early identification of potential problems. This article reviews the literature and discusses the impact on family caregivers of making a decision for nursing home placement and dealing with the stress and challenges that persist after nursing home admission.

Algicidal activity of an actinomycete strain, Streptomyces rameus, against Microcystis aeruginosa.

PubMed

Phankhajon, Kanchariya; Somdee, Anchana; Somdee, Theerasak

2016-09-01

An actinomycete strain (KKU-A3) with algicidal activity against Microcystis aeruginosa was isolated from soil in Khon Kaen Province, Thailand. Based on its phenotypic characteristics and 16S rDNA sequence, strain KKU-A3 was identified as Streptomyces rameus. Strain KKU-A3 also exhibited algicidal activity against the cyanobacteria Synechococcus elongatus, Cylindrospermum sp. and Oscillatoria sp. A mathematical and statistical technique was used to optimize the culture conditions and maximize its anti-Microcystis activity. The single factor experiments indicated that glucose and casein were the most effective carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively, and produced the highest anti-Microcystis activity. Response surface methodology indicated that the optimum culture conditions were 19.81 g/L glucose and 2.0 g/L casein at an initial pH of 7.8 and an incubation temperature of 30 °C. The anti-Microcystis activity increased from 82% to 95% under optimum conditions. In an internal airlift loop bioreactor, the removal of M. aeruginosa KKU-13 by the bacterium was investigated in batch and continuous flow experiments. In the batch experiment, KKU-A3 displayed maximum anti-Microcystis activity of 95% at day 7, whereas in the continuous flow experiment, KKU-A3 displayed maximum anti-Microcystis activity of 95% at day 10.

Methane-related metabolisms of deep-sea sediments captured with a colonization experiment.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carr, S. A.; Wheat, C. G.; Orcutt, B.; Kopf, A.; Saffer, D. M.; Toczko, S.

2016-12-01

NanTroSEIZE is a multi-expedition project of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) designed to investigate the Nankai Trough subduction zone. In 2016, a long-term borehole instrument package known as the "GeniusPlug" was collected from Hole C0010A after a six-year deployment within the sediment of a major fault zone, at a depth of 400 mbsf. This GeniusPlug included a set of osmotically-driven pumps, which continuously pumped in situ deep seated, formation water through a microbiological colonization experiment (flow-through osmo colonization system (FLOCS)). This FLOCS experiment contained cassettes of olivine, barite, and sediment collected from nearby Hole C0004D, to serve as colonization substrates. While similar FLOCS have been deployed within boreholes in the igneous oceanic crust, this FLOCS experiment represents the first to be deployed within a sedimentary environment, and thus represents the first opportunity to observe how pore water communities colonize sediment and rock substrates. Initial geochemistry results suggest that conditions within the FLOCS experiment were similar to a methane-sulfate transition zone, and initial enrichment cultures inoculated with the FLOCS substrates demonstrate methane production. Here, we will present integrated results of culturing experiments and culture-independent genomic investigations as a means to elucidate the methane-related metabolisms of these colonizing communities.

Creating or Capturing Reality? Historical Photographs of the Progressive Era

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Callahan, Cory

2015-01-01

As pictorial-based social media (e.g., Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, Tumblr) continue to encourage and sustain contemporary culture, the future success of America's democratic experiment may increasingly depend on its citizens' ability to critique visual information and take informed action. Promoting critical, historical analysis of…

Cadmium effects in food chain experiments with marine plankton algae (dinophyta) and benthic filter feeders(Tunicata)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kayser, H.

The dinoflagellate Scrippsiella faeroense was grown in continuous flow-through cultures (10 1 turbidostat), the outflow leading into vessels containing tunicates of the species Ciona intestinalis, Ascidiella aspersa, Molgula manhattensi and Botryllus schlosseri. The culture medium consisted of natural sea water enriched only with N and P components. CdCl 2 was added to the system at sublethal concentrations. Algal growth wass affected at a Cd ++ concentration of 10 μg·1 -1; sublethal toxicity thresholds of the tunicates ranged from 5 to 10 μg·1 -1. Cadmium accumulation was much higer in the algae than in the tunicates; in spite of the continuous supply of relatively highly Cd contaminated algae, the Cd content of algae-fed tunicates increased insignificantly by comparison with unfed specimens. Only a small percentage of the Cd offered via the food algae was actually assimilated by the ascidians during the first 3 weeks of the experiment. Cd content of the tunicates remained almost constant for the next 2 weeks of the experiment, indicating that ingestion and excretion of the metal was at equilibrium. The concentration factor of Cd decreased through the trophic chain.

Photoproduction of hydrogen by marine blue-green algae. Progress report 15 August 80-14 February 81

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mitsui, A.

The growth of Miami BG 7 (Oscillatoria sp.) in seawater was studied using 2.8 liters of Fernbach batch cultures, 14 liters of Carboy batch cultures, and 7 liters of a controlled environment system. In the batch culture tests, both 'instant ocean' and natural seawater from the local environment were used. The effects of adding supplemental nitrate and ammonia to the seawater bases were also examined. The 7-liter controlled environment culture system provides for the control and monitoring of physical and chemical parameters, and can be used for continuous culture experiments. Work on the comparative study of Anabaena cylindrica and Miamimore » BG 7 indicates that their hydrogen metabolism is quite different having a direct bearing on their applied potential. In particular, this study has shown that there is a strong uptake hydrogenase activity in Anabaena cylindrica in a closed system. This differs sharply with the high rates of production achieved by Anabaena cylindrica in 'flow through systems,' where hydrogen gas is continuously eliminated from the experimental chamber. In contrast, Miami BG 7 exhibits no uptake hydrogenase activity. Consequently, a high rate of hydrogen evolution is maintained.« less

Developmental flexibility in the age of globalization: autonomy and identity development among immigrant adolescents.

PubMed

Fuligni, Andrew J; Tsai, Kim M

2015-01-03

The socioeconomic and cultural changes that result from an increasingly interconnected world have been speculated to have important implications for the nature of adolescent development. Unfortunately, the historical time necessary for these changes to take place means that definitive research on the impact of globalization necessarily will be slow in forthcoming. Adolescents from immigrant families, however, already experience the social and cultural shifts thought to typify globalization, and an analysis of their experiences could shed light on what to expect as existing national barriers become more permeable. The value of flexibility in the face of great social and cultural change appears to be the dominant theme from research on immigrant youth, although that flexibility can be constrained by socioeconomic, ethnic, and racial stratification systems in host societies. This review highlights the implications of these findings for what may lie ahead for teenagers as globalization continues to expand.

Development of tissue culture techniques and hardware to study mineralization under microgravity conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Loon, J. J. W. A.; Veldhuijzen, J. P.; Windgassen, E. J.; Brouwer, T.; Wattel, K.; van Vilsteren, M.; Maas, P.

1994-08-01

To study the effects of weightlessness on mouse fetal long bone rudiment growth and mineralization we have developed a tissue culture system for the Biorack facility of Spacelab. The technique uses standard liquid tissue culture medium, supplemented with Na-β-glycerophosphate, confined in gas permeable polyethylene bags mounted inside ESA Biorack Type I experiment containers. The containers can be flushed with an air/5% CO2 gas mixture necessary for the physiological bicarbonate buffer used. Small amounts of fluid can be introduced at the beginning (e.g. radioactive labels for incorporation studies) or at the end of the experiment (fixatives). A certain form of mechanical stimulation (continuous compression) can be used to counteract the, possibly, adverse effect of μ-gravity. Using 16 day old metatarsals the in vitro calcification process under μ-gravity conditions can be studied for a 4 day period.

Definition and dynamic control of a continuous chromatography process independent of cell culture titer and impurities.

PubMed

Chmielowski, Rebecca A; Mathiasson, Linda; Blom, Hans; Go, Daniel; Ehring, Hanno; Khan, Heera; Li, Hong; Cutler, Collette; Lacki, Karol; Tugcu, Nihal; Roush, David

2017-12-01

Advances in cell culture technology have enabled the production of antibody titers upwards of 30g/L. These highly productive cell culture systems can potentially lead to productivity bottlenecks in downstream purification due to lower column loadings, especially in the primary capture chromatography step. Alternative chromatography solutions to help remedy this bottleneck include the utilization of continuous processing systems such as periodic counter-current chromatography (PCC). Recent studies have provided methods to optimize and improve the design of PCC for cell culture titers up to about 3g/L. This paper defines a continuous loading strategy for PCC that is independent of cell culture background and encompasses cell culture titers up to about 31g/L. Initial experimentation showed a challenge with determining a difference in change in UV280nm signal (ie. ΔUV) between cell culture feed and monoclonal antibody (mAb) concentration. Further investigation revealed UV280nm absorbance of the cell culture feedstock without antibody was outside of the linear range of detection for a given cell pathlength. Additional experimentation showed the difference in ΔUV for various cell culture feeds can be either theoretically predicted by Beer's Law given a known absorbance of the media background and impurities or experimentally determined using various UV280nm cell pathlengths. Based on these results, a 0.35mm pathlength at UV280nm was chosen for dynamic control to overcome the background signal. The pore diffusion model showed good agreement with the experimental frontal analysis data, which resulted in definition of a ΔUV setpoint range between 20 and 70% for 3C-PCC experiments. Product quality of the elution pools was acceptable between various cell culture feeds and titers up to about 41g/L. Results indicated the following ΔUV setpoints to achieve robust dynamic control and maintain 3C-PCC yield: ∼20-45% for titers greater than 10g/L depending on UV absorbance of the HCCF and ∼45-70% for titers of up to 10g/L independent of UV absorbance of the HCCF. The strategy and results presented in this paper show column loading in a continuous chromatography step can be dynamically controlled independent of the cell culture feedstock and titer, and allow for enhanced process control built into the downstream continuous operations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dissimilation of [(13)C]methanol by continuous cultures of Bacillus methanolicus MGA3 at 50 degrees C studied by (13)C NMR and isotope-ratio mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Pluschkell, Stefanie B; Flickinger, Michael C

2002-10-01

Using a continuous culture of Bacillus methanolicus MGA3 limited by 100 mM methanol in the feed and growing at a dilution rate D=0.25 h(-1), transients in dissolved methanol were studied to determine the effects of methanol toxicity and the pathway of methanol dissimilation to CO(2). Steady-state cultures were disturbed by pulses of methanol resulting in a rapid change in concentration of 6.4-12.8 mM. B. methanolicus MGA3 responded to a sudden increase in available methanol by a transient decline in the biomass concentration in the reactor. In most cases the culture returned to steady state between 4 and 12 h after pulse addition. However, at a methanol pulse of 12.8 mM, complete biomass washout occurred and the culture did not return to steady state. Integrating the response curves of the dry biomass concentration over a 12 h time period showed that a methanol pulse can cause an average transient decline in the biomass yield of up to 22%. (13)C NMR experiments using labelled methanol indicated that the transient partial or complete biomass washout was probably caused by toxic accumulation of formaldehyde in the culture. These experiments also showed accumulation of formate, indicating that B. methanolicus possesses formaldehyde dehydrogenase and formate dehydrogenase activity resulting in a methanol dissimilation pathway via formate to CO(2). Studies using isotope-ratio mass spectrometry provided further evidence of a methanol dissimilation pathway via formate. B. methanolicus MGA3, growing continuously under methanol limitation, consumed added formate at a rate of approximately 0.85 mmol l(-1) h(-1). Furthermore, significant accumulation of (13)CO(2) in the reactor exhaust gas was measured in response to a pulse addition of [(13)C]formic acid to the bioreactor. This indicates that B. methanolicus dissimilates methanol carbon to CO(2) in order to detoxify formaldehyde by both a linear pathway to formate and a cyclic mechanism as part of the RuMP pathway.

[Further studies of continuous human and animal cell lines for the manufacture of viral vaccines and diagnostic kits].

PubMed

Mironova, L L; Koniushko, O I; Popova, V D

2005-01-01

Long-term experiments have provided conditions for the optimal conditions for reproduction of vaccine strains of poliomyelitis, measles, tick-borne and Japan encephalitis on the continuous cell lines. This makes it possible to solve one of the most urgent problems of modern biotechnology, namely to refuse to use primary cell cultures in vaccinology and to apply a more accessible, safe, and reference biological substrate that are stable cell lines.

Light and Shadows: A History of Motion Pictures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bohn, Thomas W.; Stromgren, Richard L.

This book presents a history of the experiences (cultural, economic, and political) which influenced artistic expression in film and those which influenced the advancement of the film industry (technological, managerial, and distribution). The book is divided into three parts. Part one presents the beginnings of film and continues through the…

Assimilation, Ethnic Competition, and Ethnic Identities of U.S.-Born Persons of Mexican Origin.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ono, Hiromi

2002-01-01

Explores processes governing the ethnic identification of second and later generations of Mexican immigrant descendants using the Latino National Political Survey. Ethnic identification arises directly from cultural continuity and lower levels of assimilation, experiences with ethnic competition, and a combination of both processes. Experiences…

Integrated biological and cultural practices can reduce crop rotation period of organic strawberries

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Approached by an organic grower and the land owner, a team of researchers conducted a replicated on-farm experiment with the break period between strawberry crops (continuous strawberries with broccoli residue incorporation, one year break, two year break, three year break, and seven year break) as ...

Raising Pasifika Achievement: Teacher Cultural-Responsiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porter-Samuels, Tute

2013-01-01

Pasifika learners, along with Maori, continue to experience high disparities in New Zealand's education system. Furthermore, it is predicted that over the next few decades, the majority of students in New Zealand primary schools will be Maori and Pasifika. The implications for classroom teachers are enormous. In reviewing a range of literature,…

Effects of Pulsed and CW (Continuous Wave) 2450 MHz Radiation on Transformation and Chromosomes of Human Lymphocytes in vitro

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-15

conditions of these experiments. In order to provide reliable quantitative data on exposure, a system with automated dosimetry was developed, and tested...exposure system and dosimetry, and (2) studies on lymphocyte cultures, and (3) conclusions. EXPOSURE SYSTEM AND DOSIMETRY Description of the Exposure... System The experiments planned in this project necessitated the design and assembly of an exposure system that would meet several engineering

Dynamic behavior of Yarrowia lipolytica in response to pH perturbations: dependence of the stress response on the culture mode.

PubMed

Timoumi, Asma; Cléret, Mégane; Bideaux, Carine; Guillouet, Stéphane E; Allouche, Yohan; Molina-Jouve, Carole; Fillaudeau, Luc; Gorret, Nathalie

2017-01-01

Yarrowia lipolytica, a non-conventional yeast with a promising biotechnological potential, is able to undergo metabolic and morphological changes in response to environmental conditions. The effect of pH perturbations of different types (pulses, Heaviside) on the dynamic behavior of Y. lipolytica W29 strain was characterized under two modes of culture: batch and continuous. In batch cultures, different pH (4.5, 5.6 (optimal condition), and 7) were investigated in order to identify the pH inducing a stress response (metabolic and/or morphologic) in Y. lipolytica. Macroscopic behavior (kinetic parameters, yields, viability) of the yeast was slightly affected by pH. However, contrary to the culture at pH 5.6, a filamentous growth was induced in batch experiments at pH 4.5 and 7. Proportions of the filamentous subpopulation reached 84 and 93 % (v/v) under acidic and neutral conditions, respectively. Given the significant impact of neutral pH on morphology, pH perturbations from 5.6 to 7 were subsequently assayed in batch and continuous bioreactors. For both process modes, the growth dynamics remained fundamentally unaltered during exposure to stress. Nevertheless, morphological behavior of the yeast was dependent on the culture mode. Specifically, in batch bioreactors where cells proliferated at their maximum growth rate, mycelia were mainly formed. Whereas, in continuous cultures at controlled growth rates (from 0.03 to 0.20 h -1 ) even closed to the maximum growth rate of the stain (0.24 h -1 ), yeast-like forms predominated. This pointed out differences in the kinetic behavior of filamentous and yeast subpopulations, cell age distribution, and pH adaptive mechanisms between both modes of culture.

Incubator-independent cell-culture perfusion platform for continuous long-term microelectrode array electrophysiology and time-lapse imaging

PubMed Central

Saalfrank, Dirk; Konduri, Anil Krishna; Latifi, Shahrzad; Habibey, Rouhollah; Golabchi, Asiyeh; Martiniuc, Aurel Vasile; Knoll, Alois; Ingebrandt, Sven; Blau, Axel

2015-01-01

Most in vitro electrophysiology studies extract information and draw conclusions from representative, temporally limited snapshot experiments. This approach bears the risk of missing decisive moments that may make a difference in our understanding of physiological events. This feasibility study presents a simple benchtop cell-culture perfusion system adapted to commercial microelectrode arrays (MEAs), multichannel electrophysiology equipment and common inverted microscopy stages for simultaneous and uninterrupted extracellular electrophysiology and time-lapse imaging at ambient CO2 levels. The concept relies on a transparent, replica-casted polydimethylsiloxane perfusion cap, gravity- or syringe-pump-driven perfusion and preconditioning of pH-buffered serum-free cell-culture medium to ambient CO2 levels at physiological temperatures. The low-cost microfluidic in vitro enabling platform, which allows us to image cultures immediately after cell plating, is easy to reproduce and is adaptable to the geometries of different cell-culture containers. It permits the continuous and simultaneous multimodal long-term acquisition or manipulation of optical and electrophysiological parameter sets, thereby considerably widening the range of experimental possibilities. Two exemplary proof-of-concept long-term MEA studies on hippocampal networks illustrate system performance. Continuous extracellular recordings over a period of up to 70 days revealed details on both sudden and gradual neural activity changes in maturing cell ensembles with large intra-day fluctuations. Correlated time-lapse imaging unveiled rather static macroscopic network architectures with previously unreported local morphological oscillations on the timescale of minutes. PMID:26543581

Narrative inquiry: Locating Aboriginal epistemology in a relational methodology.

PubMed

Barton, Sylvia S

2004-03-01

This methodology utilizes narrative analysis and the elicitation of life stories as understood through dimensions of interaction, continuity, and situation. It is congruent with Aboriginal epistemology formulated by oral narratives through representation, connection, storytelling and art. Needed for culturally competent scholarship is an experience of research whereby inquiry into epiphanies, ritual, routines, metaphors and everyday experience creates a process of reflexive thinking for multiple ways of knowing. Based on the sharing of perspectives, narrative inquiry allows for experimentation into creating new forms of knowledge by contextualizing diabetes from the experience of a researcher overlapped with experiences of participants--a reflective practice in itself. The aim of this paper is to present narrative inquiry as a relational methodology and to analyse critically its appropriateness as an innovative research approach for exploring Aboriginal people's experience living with diabetes. Narrative inquiry represents an alternative culture of research for nursing science to generate understanding and explanation of Aboriginal people's 'diabetic self' stories, and to coax open a window for co-constructing a narrative about diabetes as a chronic illness. The ability to adapt a methodology for use in a cultural context, preserve the perspectives of Aboriginal peoples, maintain the holistic nature of social problems, and value co-participation in respectful ways are strengths of an inquiry partial to a responsive and embodied scholarship.

Medical educators working abroad: a pilot study of educators' experiences in the Middle East.

PubMed

McLean, Michelle; McKimm, Judy; Major, Stella

2014-09-01

Medical education is now a global enterprise, with many medical educators working internationally, either for short or longer periods or even permanently. In parallel, many medical schools are now involved in collaborations and partnerships with schools in other countries. With this in mind, we set out to explore what motivates, supports and inhibits medical educators who wish to or might work outside their "home country". This article reports on the pilot stage (in specific organizational contexts in Middle East) of a longitudinal project aimed at canvassing medical educators on a broader global scale, using reflective accounts and a questionnaire survey. The findings from this pilot study raise interesting issues about the lived experience of medical educators who have chosen to work in a different culture from their own. Respondents identify many advantages around skills, personal and professional development. Three main issues emerged in terms of educators' experiences: the academic environment, medical practice in a different cultural context and personal matters. Adapting to the local culture, gender segregation and the impact on learning and teaching was an overarching factor. We introduce an explanatory framework to explain the development of international educator identity, a cyclical process in which, through experiences and reflection, individual world views and perspectives are continually modified and developed. This pilot study tested the methodologies and developed a new conceptual model that will be used in a wider study across different cultures.

Engineering of a Stable Whole-Cell Biocatalyst Capable of (S)-Styrene Oxide Formation for Continuous Two-Liquid-Phase Applications

PubMed Central

Panke, Sven; de Lorenzo, Víctor; Kaiser, Arnë; Witholt, Bernard; Wubbolts, Marcel G.

1999-01-01

Recombinant strains of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 carrying genetic expression cassettes with xylene oxygenase- and styrene monooxygenase-encoding genes on their chromosomes could be induced in shaking-flask experiments to specific activities that rivaled those of multicopy-plasmid-based Escherichia coli recombinants. Such strains maintained the introduced styrene oxidation activity in continuous two-liquid-phase cultures for at least 100 generations, although at a lower level than in the shaking-flask experiments. The data suggest that placement of target genes on the chromosome might be a suitable route for the construction of segregationally stable and highly active whole-cell biocatalysts. PMID:10584030

Three Dimensional Primary Hepatocyte Culture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yoffe, Boris

1998-01-01

Our results demonstrated for the first time the feasibility of culturing PHH in microgravity bioreactors that exceeded the longest period obtained using other methods. Within the first week of culture, isolated hepatocytes started to form aggregates, which continuously increased in size (up to 1 cm) and macroscopically appeared as a multidimensional tissue-like assembly. To improve oxygenation and nutrition within the spheroids we performed experiments with the biodegradable nonwoven fiber-based polymers made from PolyGlycolic Acid (PGA). It has been shown that PGA scaffolds stimulate isolated cells to regenerate tissue with defined sizes and shapes and are currently being studied for various tissue-engineering applications. Our data demonstrated that culturing hepatocytes in the presence of PGA scaffolds resulted in more efficient cell assembly and formations of larger cell spheroids (up to 3 cm in length, see figure). The histology of cell aggregates cultured with PGA showed polymer fibers with attached hepatocytes. We initiated experiments to co-culture primary human hepatocytes with human microvascular endothelial cells in the bioreactor. The presence of endothelial cells in co-cultures were established by immunohistochemistry using anti-CD34 monoclonal Ab. Our preliminary data demonstrated that cultures of purified hepatocytes with human microvascular endothelial cells exhibited better growth and expressed higher levels of albumin MRNA for a longer period of time than cultures of ppfified, primary human hepatocytes cultured alone. We also evaluated microsomal deethylation activity of hepatocytes cultured in the presence of endothelial cells.In summary, we have established liver cell culture, which mimicked the structure and function of the parent tissue.

Cultivation of macroscopic marine algae and freshwater aquatic needs. Progress report, May 1, 1979-December 15, 1979

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ryther, J H

1980-01-01

Progress for the period May 1979 to December 1979 is reported in the following subject areas: (1) the ORCA clone of the red seaweed Gracilaria tikvakiae has now been grown continuously in tank culture for two years; (2) studies were continued on the culture of freshwater plants such as water hyacinth, pennywort, water lettuce, and duckweed; (3) the loss of water from evapotranspiration of freshwater plants was measured and compared with water loss from evaporation from open water; and (4) experiments were conducted to investigate the possibility of recycling the chemicals left in the solid and liquid residues following anaerobicmore » digestion and methane production as a source of nutrients for new plant production. (ACR)« less

Comparison of human optimized bacterial luciferase, firefly luciferase, and green fluorescent protein for continuous imaging of cell culture and animal models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Close, Dan M.; Hahn, Ruth E.; Patterson, Stacey S.; Baek, Seung J.; Ripp, Steven A.; Sayler, Gary S.

2011-04-01

Bioluminescent and fluorescent reporter systems have enabled the rapid and continued growth of the optical imaging field over the last two decades. Of particular interest has been noninvasive signal detection from mammalian tissues under both cell culture and whole animal settings. Here we report on the advantages and limitations of imaging using a recently introduced bacterial luciferase (lux) reporter system engineered for increased bioluminescent expression in the mammalian cellular environment. Comparison with the bioluminescent firefly luciferase (Luc) system and green fluorescent protein system under cell culture conditions demonstrated a reduced average radiance, but maintained a more constant level of bioluminescent output without the need for substrate addition or exogenous excitation to elicit the production of signal. Comparison with the Luc system following subcutaneous and intraperitoneal injection into nude mice hosts demonstrated the ability to obtain similar detection patterns with in vitro experiments at cell population sizes above 2.5 × 104 cells but at the cost of increasing overall image integration time.

Refugee health and medical student training.

PubMed

Griswold, Kim S

2003-10-01

Cultural awareness training is an increasingly important priority within medical curricula. This article describes an academic family practice-community partnership focusing on health care needs of refugees that became the model for a medical school selective on cultural sensitivity training. The monthly Refugee Health Night program featured dinner with preceptors and patients, international sessions on special medical needs of refugees, and actual clinical encounters with patients. Students were not expected to become culturally competent experts but, rather, health care providers sensitive to and appreciative of cultural context, experience, and expectations. We worked with students to develop sensitive methods of inquiry about mental health, especially around issues of war and torture. We used problem-based cases to emphasize primary care continuity and the benefit of establishing trust over time. Over 2 years, 50 students and nearly 300 refugees (more than 73 families) participated. Students reported that their interactions with the refugees provided positive learning experiences, including expanded knowledge of diverse cultures and enhanced skills for overcoming communication barriers. Patients of refugee status were able to have emergent health care needs met in a timely fashion. Providing health care for refugee individuals and families presents many challenges as well as extraordinary opportunities for patients and practitioners to learn from one another.

Cultural Transmission and Evolution of Melodic Structures in Multi-generational Signaling Games.

PubMed

Lumaca, Massimo; Baggio, Giosuè

2017-01-01

It has been proposed that languages evolve by adapting to the perceptual and cognitive constraints of the human brain, developing, in the course of cultural transmission, structural regularities that maximize or optimize learnability and ease of processing. To what extent would perceptual and cognitive constraints similarly affect the evolution of musical systems? We conducted an experiment on the cultural evolution of artificial melodic systems, using multi-generational signaling games as a laboratory model of cultural transmission. Signaling systems, using five-tone sequences as signals, and basic and compound emotions as meanings, were transmitted from senders to receivers along diffusion chains in which the receiver in each game became the sender in the next game. During transmission, structural regularities accumulated in the signaling systems, following principles of proximity, symmetry, and good continuation. Although the compositionality of signaling systems did not increase significantly across generations, we did observe a significant increase in similarity among signals from the same set. We suggest that our experiment tapped into the cognitive and perceptual constraints operative in the cultural evolution of musical systems, which may differ from the mechanisms at play in language evolution and change.

Experiment facilities for life science experiments in space.

PubMed

Uchida, Satoko

2004-11-01

To perform experiments in microgravity environment, there should be many difficulties compared with the experiments on ground. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) has developed various experiment facilities to perform life science experiments in space, such as Cell Culture Kit, Thermo Electric Incubator, Free Flow Electrophoresis Unit, Aquatic Animal Experiment Unit, and so on. The first experiment facilities were flown on Spacelab-J mission in 1992, and they were improved and modified for the 2nd International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2) mission in 1994. Based on these experiences, some of them were further improved and flown on another missions. These facilities are continuously being improved for the International Space Station use, where high level functions and automatic operations will be required.

Sit Down to Float: The Cultural Meaning of Ketamine Use in Hong Kong

PubMed Central

Joe-Laidler, Karen; Hunt, Geoffrey

2009-01-01

From the late 1990s onward, ketamine use among young persons in Hong Kong grew rapidly becoming the drug of choice. This article examines ketamine’s attraction in Hong Kong, and in so doing uncover the cultural meaning of ketamine use. The analysis is organized around the emergence and shifts in meanings and experiences of those who initiate and continue to use ketamine. The data stems from a comparative study of the social setting of club drug use in Hong Kong, San Francisco, and Rotterdam. Here we draw from 100 in-depth interviews to examine the experiences of young persons who have used drugs in dance venues in Hong Kong. Our findings indicate that ketamine has become embedded in a distinctively working class youth dance scene, is accessible in terms of supply and cost, shared among a group of friends, and results in a stimulating yet liberating experience beyond that of ecstasy. PMID:19759834

Ideal Positions: 3D Sonography, Medical Visuality, Popular Culture.

PubMed

Seiber, Tim

2016-03-01

As digital technologies are integrated into medical environments, they continue to transform the experience of contemporary health care. Importantly, medicine is increasingly visual. In the history of sonography, visibility has played an important role in accessing fetal bodies for diagnostic and entertainment purposes. With the advent of three-dimensional (3D) rendering, sonography presents the fetus visually as already a child. The aesthetics of this process and the resulting imagery, made possible in digital networks, discloses important changes in the relationship between technology and biology, reproductive health and political debates, and biotechnology and culture.

Putting Anti-Indian Violence in Context. The Case of the Great Lakes Chippewas of Wisconsin

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perry, Barbara; Robyn, Linda

2005-01-01

The Chippewas of Northern Wisconsin continue to experience a peculiarly American form of apartheid, characterized by segregation, discrimination, cultural imperialism, and everyday violence. While the blatant stigmatization, disempowerment, and violence reached its modern day zenith in the spear fishing conflict of the 1980s and 1990s, ongoing…

Intercultural Communication Apprehension and Emotional Intelligence in Higher Education: Preparing Business Students for Career Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fall, Lisa T.; Kelly, Stephanie; MacDonald, Patrick; Primm, Charles; Holmes, Whitney

2013-01-01

Given the expanding globalized workforce, business educators continue to seek new ways to prepare students for intercultural encounters. Although immersion in other cultures is the optimal strategy, this method is not always feasible. As such, educators seek other mechanisms to simulate intercultural experiences. This study examines emotional…

Four Tips for Surviving Standardized Testing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Anna

2012-01-01

As the tenth anniversary of NCLB has come and gone, both new and experienced educators continue to wrestle yearly with the standardized testing culture that has pervaded the educational experience of nearly every American child and teacher. Despite the requests for waivers to exempt certain states from NCLB, the majority of students and their…

Conflicting Road Maps: Cross-Cultural Professional Development for Egyptian Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hammad, Waheed

2016-01-01

This article reports on findings from a qualitative research study on overseas teachers' continuing professional development (CPD). It seeks to explore the perceptions of a cohort of Egyptian teachers about their overseas training experience upon completion of a nine-month training programme in the UK. Data were mainly gathered through four…

Psychology and the Black Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Charles W.

The Social Sciences have a conceptual framework that is outside of cultural pluralism and hence, beyond a respect for the dignity of all individuals. There is a continual need to balance the control function of science with its function as a potential agent of social change. However, the scientific method is a controlled inquiry based on a…

Adult Learning and Change: An Autobiographical Portrait of a Chinese Woman in Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Chun Ge

2007-01-01

The themes of adult learning, cross-cultural learning, and transformative learning are common to many continuing educators working at universities across Canada. In this essay, I narrate my experiences as a mature, adult learner returning to university. Following a literature review and discussion of methodology, I begin this autobiographical…

Predictors of the Instructional Strategies that Elementary School Teachers Use with English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rader-Brown, Lucy; Howley, Aimee

2014-01-01

Background/Context: According to demographers, the number of English language learners (ELLs) in U.S schools has been increasing and is likely to continue to increase in coming years. For various reasons relating to language acquisition, cultural adjustment, and persistent discrimination, these students tend to experience academic difficulties.…

An improvement of surfactin production by B. subtilis BBG131 using design of experiments in microbioreactors and continuous process in bubbleless membrane bioreactor.

PubMed

Motta Dos Santos, Luiz Fernando; Coutte, François; Ravallec, Rozenn; Dhulster, Pascal; Tournier-Couturier, Lucie; Jacques, Philippe

2016-10-01

Culture medium elements were analysed by a screening DoE to identify their influence in surfactin specific production by a surfactin constitutive overproducing Bacillus subtilis strain. Statistics pointed the major enhancement caused by high glutamic acid concentrations, as well as a minor positive influence of tryptophan and glucose. Successively, a central composite design was performed in microplate bioreactors using a BioLector®, in which variations of these impressive parameters, glucose, glutamic acid and tryptophan concentrations were selected for optimization of product-biomass yield (YP/X). Results were exploited in combination with a RSM. In absolute terms, experiments attained an YP/X 3.28-fold higher than those obtained in Landy medium, a usual culture medium used for lipopeptide production by B. subtilis. Therefore, two medium compositions for enhancing biomass and surfactin specific production were proposed and tested in continuous regime in a bubbleless membrane bioreactor. An YP/X increase of 2.26-fold was observed in bioreactor scale. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cultural diversity: family path through terminal illness.

PubMed

Baider, L

2012-04-01

In trying to comprehend a culture and its ways of structuring the world, much can be learned from addressing the manner in which intimate family relationships are ordered and family crises channeled toward care. A family's experience with illness cannot be considered in isolation from the cultural milieu in which it occurs. Family adaptation to cancer diagnosis is a continuous motion between many critical strata--a fragile oscillation between hope and desperation. Processes for optimal functioning and the well-being of members are seen to vary over time, as challenges unfold and families evolve across the life cycle and illness trajectory. The manner in which the healthcare system and family manage illness and terminal care is a particularly helpful window into the cultural, religious and traditional values of every family in a particular society.

Checklists, rules and creativity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glasmacher, Thomas

2009-01-01

Universities have something that private industry wants - a unique culture of continuous learning, curiosity-driven research and international collaboration. According to an unending string of accounts in the business press, adopting this university culture is imperative for survival and success in the "technology-driven" 21st-century economy. The industry poster child for this idea is the IT giant Google. Its success undoubtedly buys the company increasing freedom to experiment with and nurture its own unique culture. But Google is routinely lauded for fostering academic-style debate in meetings, maintaining a fluid organization chart that allows employees to try other roles, and giving its engineers one day a week to pursue their own creative ideas for advancing the company's interests.

Co-cultivation of Lactobacillus zeae and Veillonella cricetifor the production of propionic acid

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

In this work a defined co-culture of the lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus zeae and the propionate producer Veillonella criceti has been studied in continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and in a dialysis membrane reactor. It is the first time that this reactor type is used for a defined co-culture fermentation. This reactor allows high mixing rates and working with high cell densities, making it ideal for co-culture investigations. In CSTR experiments the co-culture showed over a broad concentration range an almost linear correlation in consumption and production rates to the supply with complex nutrients. In CSTR and dialysis cultures a strong growth stimulation of L. zeae by V. criceti was shown. In dialysis cultures very high propionate production rates (0.61 g L-1h-1) with final titers up to 28 g L-1 have been realized. This reactor allows an individual, intracellular investigation of the co-culture partners by omic-technologies to provide a better understanding of microbial communities. PMID:23705662

Effect of dietary crude glycerol level on ruminal fermentation in continuous culture and growth performance of beef calves.

PubMed

Ramos, M H; Kerley, M S

2012-03-01

Continuous culture and in vivo experiments were conducted to measure changes in ruminal fermentation and animal performance when crude glycerol was added to diets. For the continuous culture experiment (n = 6), diets consisted of 4 levels of crude glycerol (0, 5, 10, and 20%) that replaced corn grain. Dry matter and OM digestibility decreased linearly (P < 0.05) when crude glycerol increased in the diet, and no effect (P = 0.20 and 0.65, respectively) was observed for CP and NDF digestibility. Total VFA concentration and ammonia did not change (P > 0.05) due to crude glycerol level. Microbial efficiency increased quadratically (P = 0.012) as crude glycerol increased, whereas microbial N flow did not differ (P = 0.36) among treatments. As crude glycerol increased in the diet, crude glycerol digestibility decreased (P < 0.05). Seventy-two crossbred steer calves (250 ± 2.0 kg) were assigned to 4 treatments: 0, 5, 10, and 20% crude glycerol that replaced corn grain. Animals were fed for a total of 150 d. No differences (P = 0.08) between treatments were measured for DMI. Average daily gain and GF responded quadratically (P < 0.05), with 10% crude glycerol resulting in the greatest values. In the second in vivo experiment, 100 crossbred steer calves (300 ± 2.0 kg) were assigned to 5 treatments: 0, 5, 10, 12.5, or 15% crude glycerol replaced corn grain. Calves were fed for a total of 135 d. No significant differences (P > 0.05) were measured in growth performance. For Exp. 3, one hundred heifer calves (270 ± 2.0 kg) were assigned to 4 treatments: 0, 5, 10, or 20% crude glycerol that replaced hay. No differences (P > 0.05) were measured in animal performance. We concluded that crude glycerol addition to a diet did not negatively affect ruminal fermentation, and addition of up to 20% in concentrate and hay-based diets should not affect performance or carcass characteristics.

Evidence of biogenic corrosion of titanium after exposure to a continuous culture of thiobacillus ferrooxidans grown in thiosulfate medium

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Horn, J M; Martin, S I; Masterson, B

2000-12-07

Experiments were undertaken to evaluate extreme conditions under which candidate materials intended for use in a proposed nuclear waste repository might be susceptible to corrosion by endogenous microorganisms. Thiobucillus ferrooxidans, a sulfur-oxidizing bacterium, was grown in continuous culture using thiosulfate as an energy source; thiosulfate is oxidized to sulfate as a metabolic endproduct by this organism. Culture conditions were optimized to produce a high-density, metabolically active culture throughout a period of long term incubation in the presence of Alloy 22 (a high nickel-based alloy) and Titanium grade 7 (Tigr7) material coupons. After seven months incubation under these conditions, material couponsmore » were withdrawn and analyzed by high resolution microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray analyses. Alloy 22 coupons showed no detectable signs of corrosion. Tigr7, however, demonstrated distinct roughening of the coupon surface, and [presumably solubilized and precipitated] titanium was detected on Alloy 22 coupons incubated in the same T. ferrooxiduns culture vessel. Control coupons of these materials incubated in sterile thiosulfate medium did not demonstrate any signs of corrosion, thus showing that observed corrosive effects were due to the T. ferrooxidans metabolic activities. T. ferrooxidans intermediates of thiosulfate oxidation or sulfate may have caused the corrosive effects observed on Tigr7.« less

Accessing 3D microtissue metabolism: Lactate and oxygen monitoring in hepatocyte spheroids.

PubMed

Weltin, Andreas; Hammer, Steffen; Noor, Fozia; Kaminski, Yeda; Kieninger, Jochen; Urban, Gerald A

2017-01-15

3D hepatic microtissues, unlike 2D cell cultures, retain many of the in-vivo-like functionalities even after long-term cultivation. Such 3D cultures are increasingly applied to investigate liver damage due to drug exposure in toxicology. However, there is a need for thorough metabolic characterization of these microtissues for mechanistic understanding of effects on culture behaviour. We measured metabolic parameters from single human HepaRG hepatocyte spheroids online and continuously with electrochemical microsensors. A microsensor platform for lactate and oxygen was integrated in a standard 96-well plate. Electrochemical microsensors for lactate and oxygen allow fast, precise and continuous long-term measurement of metabolic parameters directly in the microwell. The demonstrated capability to precisely detect small concentration changes by single spheroids is the key to access their metabolism. Lactate levels in the culture medium starting from 50µM with production rates of 5µMh -1 were monitored and precisely quantified over three days. Parallel long-term oxygen measurements showed no oxygen depletion or hypoxic conditions in the microwell. Increased lactate production by spheroids upon suppression of the aerobic metabolism was observed. The dose-dependent decrease in lactate production caused by the addition of the hepatotoxic drug Bosentan was determined. We showed that in a toxicological application, metabolic monitoring yields quantitative, online information on cell viability, which complements and supports other methods such as microscopy. The demonstrated continuous access to 3D cell culture metabolism within a standard setup improves in vitro toxicology models in replacement strategies of animal experiments. Controlling the microenvironment of such organotypic cultures has impact in tissue engineering, cancer therapy and personalized medicine. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Unequal cancer survivorship care: addressing cultural and sociodemographic disparities in the clinic.

PubMed

Surbone, Antonella; Halpern, Michael T

2016-12-01

The number of individuals diagnosed with cancer is growing worldwide. Cancer patients from underserved populations have widely documented disparities through the continuum of cancer care. As the number of cancer survivors (i.e., individuals who have completed cancer treatment) from underserved populations also continue to grow, these individuals may continue to experience barriers to survivorship care, resulting in persistent long-term negative impacts on health and quality of life. In addition, there is limited participation of survivors from underserved populations in clinical trials and other research studies. To address disparities and change practices in survivorship care, a better understanding of the roles of both socioeconomic status (SES) and of culture in cancer care disparities and the relevance of these to providing high-quality care is needed. SES and culture often overlap but are not identical; understanding the impact of each is especially relevant to survivorship care. To enhance health equity among cancer survivors, clinicians need to practice culturally competent care, address cultural beliefs and practices that may influence survivors' beliefs and activities, gain awareness of historical patterns of medical care in the survivor's community, and consider how barriers to cross-cultural communications may hinder communication in clinical settings. While the design and implementation of survivorship care programs emphasizing effectiveness and equity is complex and potentially time consuming, it is critical for providing optimal care for all survivors, including those from the most vulnerable populations.

The Royal College experience and plans for the maintenance of certification program.

PubMed

Campbell, Craig M; Parboosingh, John

2013-01-01

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, in 2001, implemented a mandatory maintenance of certification (MOC) program that is required for fellows to maintain membership and fellowship. Participation in the MOC program is one of the recognized pathways approved by provincial medical regulatory authorities in Canada by which specialists can demonstrate their commitment to continued competent performance in practice. This article traces the historical beginnings of the MOC program, highlighting the educational foundation and scientific evidence that influenced its philosophy, goals, and strategic priorities. The MOC program has evolved into a complex system of continuing professional development to facilitate and enable a "cultural shift'' in how we conceptualize and support the continuing professional development (CPD) of specialists. The MOC program is an educational strategy that supports a learning culture where specialists are able to design, implement and document their accomplishments from multiple learning activities to build evidence-informed practices. In the future, the MOC Program must evolve from assisting fellows to use effective educational resources "for credit" to enable fellows, leveraging a competency-based CPD model, to demonstrate their capacity to continuously improve practice. This will require innovative methods to capture learning and practice improvements in real time, integrate learning during the delivery of health care, expand automation of reporting strategies, and facilitate new sociocultural methods of emergent learning and practice change. Collectively, these directions will require a research agenda that will generate evidence for how transformative cultural change in continuing professional education of the profession can be realized. Copyright © 2013 The Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education, and the Council on CME, Association for Hospital Medical Education.

A Lab Assembled Microcontroller-Based Sensor Module for Continuous Oxygen Measurement in Portable Hypoxia Chambers

PubMed Central

Mathupala, Saroj P.; Kiousis, Sam; Szerlip, Nicholas J.

2016-01-01

Background Hypoxia-based cell culture experiments are routine and essential components of in vitro cancer research. Most laboratories use low-cost portable modular chambers to achieve hypoxic conditions for cell cultures, where the sealed chambers are purged with a gas mixture of preset O2 concentration. Studies are conducted under the assumption that hypoxia remains unaltered throughout the 48 to 72 hour duration of such experiments. Since these chambers lack any sensor or detection system to monitor gas-phase O2, the cell-based data tend to be non-uniform due to the ad hoc nature of the experimental setup. Methodology With the availability of low-cost open-source microcontroller-based electronic project kits, it is now possible for researchers to program these with easy-to-use software, link them to sensors, and place them in basic scientific apparatus to monitor and record experimental parameters. We report here the design and construction of a small-footprint kit for continuous measurement and recording of O2 concentration in modular hypoxia chambers. The low-cost assembly (US$135) consists of an Arduino-based microcontroller, data-logging freeware, and a factory pre-calibrated miniature O2 sensor. A small, intuitive software program was written by the authors to control the data input and output. The basic nature of the kit will enable any student in biology with minimal experience in hobby-electronics to assemble the system and edit the program parameters to suit individual experimental conditions. Results/Conclusions We show the kit’s utility and stability of data output via a series of hypoxia experiments. The studies also demonstrated the critical need to monitor and adjust gas-phase O2 concentration during hypoxia-based experiments to prevent experimental errors or failure due to partial loss of hypoxia. Thus, incorporating the sensor-microcontroller module to a portable hypoxia chamber provides a researcher a capability that was previously available only to labs with access to sophisticated (and expensive) cell culture incubators. PMID:26862760

A Lab Assembled Microcontroller-Based Sensor Module for Continuous Oxygen Measurement in Portable Hypoxia Chambers.

PubMed

Mathupala, Saroj P; Kiousis, Sam; Szerlip, Nicholas J

2016-01-01

Hypoxia-based cell culture experiments are routine and essential components of in vitro cancer research. Most laboratories use low-cost portable modular chambers to achieve hypoxic conditions for cell cultures, where the sealed chambers are purged with a gas mixture of preset O2 concentration. Studies are conducted under the assumption that hypoxia remains unaltered throughout the 48 to 72 hour duration of such experiments. Since these chambers lack any sensor or detection system to monitor gas-phase O2, the cell-based data tend to be non-uniform due to the ad hoc nature of the experimental setup. With the availability of low-cost open-source microcontroller-based electronic project kits, it is now possible for researchers to program these with easy-to-use software, link them to sensors, and place them in basic scientific apparatus to monitor and record experimental parameters. We report here the design and construction of a small-footprint kit for continuous measurement and recording of O2 concentration in modular hypoxia chambers. The low-cost assembly (US$135) consists of an Arduino-based microcontroller, data-logging freeware, and a factory pre-calibrated miniature O2 sensor. A small, intuitive software program was written by the authors to control the data input and output. The basic nature of the kit will enable any student in biology with minimal experience in hobby-electronics to assemble the system and edit the program parameters to suit individual experimental conditions. We show the kit's utility and stability of data output via a series of hypoxia experiments. The studies also demonstrated the critical need to monitor and adjust gas-phase O2 concentration during hypoxia-based experiments to prevent experimental errors or failure due to partial loss of hypoxia. Thus, incorporating the sensor-microcontroller module to a portable hypoxia chamber provides a researcher a capability that was previously available only to labs with access to sophisticated (and expensive) cell culture incubators.

Removal of metal from acid mine drainage using a hybrid system including a pipes inserted microalgae reactor.

PubMed

Park, Young-Tae; Lee, Hongkyun; Yun, Hyun-Shik; Song, Kyung-Guen; Yeom, Sung-Ho; Choi, Jaeyoung

2013-12-01

In this study, the microalgae culture system to combined active treatment system and pipe inserted microalgae reactor (PIMR) was investigated. After pretreated AMD in active treatment system, the effluent load to PIMR in order to Nephroselmis sp. KGE 8 culture. In experiment, effect of iron on growth and lipid accumulation in microalgae were inspected. The 2nd pretreatment effluent was economic feasibility of microalgae culture and lipid accumulation. The growth kinetics of the microalgae are modeled using logistic growth model and the model is primarily parameterized from data obtained through an experimental study where PIMR were dosed with BBM, BBM added 10 mg L(-1) iron and 2nd pretreatment effluent. Moreover, the continuous of microalgae culture in PIMR can be available. Overall, this study indicated that the use of pretreated AMD is a viable method for culture microalgae and lipid accumulation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Community Nursing Care of Chinese-Australian Cancer Patients: A Qualitative Study.

PubMed

McKenzie, Heather; Kwok, Cannas; Tsang, Heidi; Moreau, Elizabeth

2015-01-01

Providing quality care and support to cancer patients from minority cultures can challenge community nurses when language barriers and cultural complexities intersect with the need for complex care. This article reports on a qualitative study that explores interactions between community nurses and Chinese-Australian cancer patients. The research method focused on particular nurse-patient encounters and involved preencounter and postencounter interviews with the nurse, postencounter interviews with the patient, and observation of the encounters. Participants included community nurses, Chinese cancer patients being cared for at home, and their carers if present. Four themes were conceptualized: (1) the impact of language barriers on nurse-patient interactions, (2) patient understandings of the scope and objectives of healthcare services, (3) cultural complexities and sensitivities, and (4) valued care and support. The study demonstrates that, although many nurses do provide comprehensive, culturally competent care, language barriers can lead to task-oriented rather than comprehensive approaches, and other cultural complexities do have an impact on patient experiences and on the quality of nurse-patient interactions. Nevertheless, most patient participants experienced a feeling of security as a result of regular contact with a community nursing service. Cancer patients with complex care needs but limited English proficiency require support to negotiate complicated community services networks. Culturally competent community nurses can provide this support. The study highlights the need for continuing cultural competence education for community nurses and the importance of careful discharge planning to ensure continuity of care for this vulnerable patient group.

Contribution of acetate to butyrate formation by human faecal bacteria.

PubMed

Duncan, Sylvia H; Holtrop, Grietje; Lobley, Gerald E; Calder, A Graham; Stewart, Colin S; Flint, Harry J

2004-06-01

Acetate is normally regarded as an endproduct of anaerobic fermentation, but butyrate-producing bacteria found in the human colon can be net utilisers of acetate. The butyrate formed provides a fuel for epithelial cells of the large intestine and influences colonic health. [1-(13)C]Acetate was used to investigate the contribution of exogenous acetate to butyrate formation. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Roseburia spp. grown in the presence of 60 mm-acetate and 10 mm-glucose derived 85-90 % butyrate-C from external acetate. This was due to rapid interchange between extracellular acetate and intracellular acetyl-CoA, plus net acetate uptake. In contrast, a Coprococcus-related strain that is a net acetate producer derived only 28 % butyrate-C from external acetate. Different carbohydrate-derived energy sources affected butyrate formation by mixed human faecal bacteria growing in continuous or batch cultures. The ranking order of butyrate production rates was amylopectin > oat xylan > shredded wheat > inulin > pectin (continuous cultures), and inulin > amylopectin > oat xylan > shredded wheat > pectin (batch cultures). The contribution of external acetate to butyrate formation in these experiments ranged from 56 (pectin) to 90 % (xylan) in continuous cultures, and from 72 to 91 % in the batch cultures. This is consistent with a major role for bacteria related to F. prausnitzii and Roseburia spp. in butyrate formation from a range of substrates that are fermented in the large intestine. Variations in the dominant metabolic type of butyrate producer between individuals or with variations in diet are not ruled out, however, and could influence butyrate supply in the large intestine.

[Mitigating the repress of cinnamic acid to cucumber growth by microbial strain].

PubMed

Yu, Guo-hui; Xie, Yin-hua; Chen, Yan-hong; Chen, Yuan-feng; Cheng, Ping

2006-12-01

Cucumber is one of the most important vegetable species. Its continuous planting has become a common practice demand in many areas of China, but an obstacle from continuous planting made sustainable production of this crop to be prohibited. The self-toxic effect was considered as an important negative factor to continuous cropping cucumber. And cinnamic acid was found to be the main substance to cause self-toxic. Strain Ha8, which isolated from waste water estuary in Zhuhai city and has been authenticated as Cellulosimicrobium cellulans, was found to be able to degrade cinnamic acid, benzoic acid, paraaminobenzoic acid and phenol. Its biologic degrading rate to cinnamic acid was 64.1% and its total degrading rate to cinnamic acid was 79.32% . Therefore, strain Ha8 was used to mitigate the growth stress of cucumber caused by cinnamic acid in the research. In the experiment by hydroponic culturing method, it was found that the stem length, root length, stem weight, leaf weight, root weight, numbers of flower and harvest weight of cucumbers were lower than those untreated ones when added 2micromol/L or 10micromol/L cinnamic acid in culturing solution. But when added 10(7)cfu/L of strain Ha8 and 2micromol/L or 10micromol/L cinnamic acid in same culturing solution, these parameters were higher than those treated only by 2mircomol/L or 10micromol/L cinnamic acid. The result shown that strain Ha8 could mitigate the self-toxic effect caused by cinnamic acid. In edaphic culturing experiments, it was found that organic fertilizer mixed with strain Ha8 could mitigate the growth stress of cucumber caused by 100mg/kg cinnamic acid. When added 3mg/kg sterilized organic fertilizer with strain Ha8 (> or = 10(6)cfu/g dry organic fertilizer) in the culturing soil, the result was satisfied. This treatment could not only improve the growth of cucumber, enhance their root dehydrogenase activity and output, promote their nutrition absorption rate, but also adjust the microbial groups in nonrhizospheric soil of cucumber, increase the number of beneficial bacteria and actinomycete, decrease the number of fungi.

A constructivist theoretical proposition of cultural competence development in nursing.

PubMed

Blanchet Garneau, Amélie; Pepin, Jacinthe

2015-11-01

Cultural competence development in healthcare professions is considered an essential condition to promote quality and equity in healthcare. Even if cultural competence has been recognized as continuous, evolutionary, dynamic, and developmental by most researchers, current models of cultural competence fail to present developmental levels of this competence. These models have also been criticized for their essentialist perspective of culture and their limited application to competency-based approach programs. To our knowledge, there have been no published studies, from a constructivist perspective, of the processes involved in the development of cultural competence among nurses and undergraduate student nurses. The purpose of this study was to develop a theoretical proposition of cultural competence development in nursing from a constructivist perspective. We used a grounded theory design to study cultural competence development among nurses and student nurses in a healthcare center located in a culturally diverse urban area. Data collection involved participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 24 participants (13 nurses and 11 students) working in three community health settings. The core category, 'learning to bring the different realities together to provide effective care in a culturally diverse context', was constructed using inductive qualitative data analysis. This core category encompasses three dimensions of cultural competence: 'building a relationship with the other', 'working outside the usual practice framework', and 'reinventing practice in action.' The resulting model describes the concurrent evolution of these three dimensions at three different levels of cultural competence development. This study reveals that clinical experience and interactions between students or nurses and their environment both contribute significantly to cultural competence development. The resulting theoretical proposition of cultural competence development could be used not only to guide initial and continuing nursing education, but also to help redefine quality of care in a culturally diverse context. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Patient safety culture among nurses.

PubMed

Ammouri, A A; Tailakh, A K; Muliira, J K; Geethakrishnan, R; Al Kindi, S N

2015-03-01

Patient safety is considered to be crucial to healthcare quality and is one of the major parameters monitored by all healthcare organizations around the world. Nurses play a vital role in maintaining and promoting patient safety due to the nature of their work. The purpose of this study was to investigate nurses' perceptions about patient safety culture and to identify the factors that need to be emphasized in order to develop and maintain the culture of safety among nurses in Oman. A descriptive and cross-sectional design was used. Patient safety culture was assessed by using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture among 414 registered nurses working in four major governmental hospitals in Oman. Descriptive statistics and general linear regression were employed to assess the association between patient safety culture and demographic variables. Nurses who perceived more supervisor or manager expectations, feedback and communications about errors, teamwork across hospital units, and hospital handoffs and transitions had more overall perception of patient safety. Nurses who perceived more teamwork within units and more feedback and communications about errors had more frequency of events reported. Furthermore, nurses who had more years of experience and were working in teaching hospitals had more perception of patient safety culture. Learning and continuous improvement, hospital management support, supervisor/manager expectations, feedback and communications about error, teamwork, hospital handoffs and transitions were found to be major patient safety culture predictors. Investing in practices and systems that focus on improving these aspects is likely to enhance the culture of patient safety in Omani hospitals and others like them. Strategies to nurture patient safety culture in Omani hospitals should focus upon building leadership capacity that support open communication, blame free, team work and continuous organizational learning. © 2014 International Council of Nurses.

Perceived Safety, Quality and Cultural Competency of Maternity Care for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Women in Queensland.

PubMed

Mander, Sarah; Miller, Yvette D

2016-03-01

Various policies, plans and initiatives have been implemented to provide safe, quality and culturally competent care to patients within Queensland's health care system. A series of models of maternity care are available in Queensland that range from standard public care to private midwifery care. The current study aimed to determine whether identifying as culturally or linguistically diverse (CALD) was associated with the perceived safety, quality and cultural competency of maternity care from a consumer perspective, and to identify specific needs and preferences of CALD maternity care consumers. Secondary analysis of data collected in the Having a Baby in Queensland Survey 2012 was used to compare the experiences of 655 CALD women to those of 4049 non-CALD women in Queensland, Australia, across three stages of maternity care: pregnancy, labour and birth, and after birth. After adjustment for model of maternity care received and socio-demographic characteristics, CALD women were significantly more likely than non-CALD women to experience suboptimal staff technical competence in pregnancy, overall perceived safety in pregnancy and labour/birth, and interpersonal sensitivity in pregnancy and labour/birth. Approximately 50 % of CALD women did not have the choice to use a translator or interpreter, or the gender of their care provider, during labour and birth. Thirteen themes of preferences and needs of CALD maternity care consumers based on ethnicity, cultural beliefs, or traditions were identified; however, these were rarely met. Findings imply that CALD women in Queensland experience disadvantageous maternity care with regards to perceived staff technical competence, safety, and interpersonal sensitivity, and receive care that lacks cultural competence. Improved access to support persons, continuity and choice of carer, and staff availability and training is recommended.

The perspectives and experiences of African American students in an informal science program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bulls, Domonique L.

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are the fastest growing sectors of the economy, nationally and globally. In order for the United States (U.S.) to maintain its competitiveness, it is important to address STEM experiences at the precollege level. In early years, science education serves as a foundation and pipeline for students to pursue STEM in college and beyond. Alternative approaches to instruction in formal classrooms have been introduced to engage more students in science. One alternative is informal science education. Informal science education is an avenue used to promote science education literacy. Because it is less regulated than science teaching in formal classroom settings, it allows for the incorporation of culture into science instruction. Culturally relevant science teaching is one way to relate science to African American students, a population that continually underperforms in K-12 science education. This study explores the science perspectives and experiences of African American middle school students participating in an informal science program. The research is framed by the tenets of culturally relevant pedagogy and shaped by the following questions: (1) What specific aspects of the Carver Program make it unique to African American students? (2) How is culturally relevant pedagogy incorporated into the informal science program? (3) How does the incorporation of culturally relevant pedagogy into the informal science program influence African American students' perceptions about science? The findings to the previously stated questions add to the limited research on African American students in informal science learning environments and contribute to the growing research on culturally relevant science. This study is unique in that it explores the cultural components of an informal science program.

An Autonomous System for Experimental Evolution of Microbial Cultures: Test Results Using Ultraviolet-C Radiation and Escherichia Coli.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ouandji, Cynthia; Wang, Jonathan; Arismendi, Dillon; Lee, Alonzo; Blaich, Justin; Gentry, Diana

2017-01-01

At its core, the field of microbial experimental evolution seeks to elucidate the natural laws governing the history of microbial life by understanding its underlying driving mechanisms. However, observing evolution in nature is complex, as environmental conditions are difficult to control. Laboratory-based experiments for observing population evolution provide more control, but manually culturing and studying multiple generations of microorganisms can be time consuming, labor intensive, and prone to inconsistency. We have constructed a prototype, closed system device that automates the process of directed evolution experiments in microorganisms. It is compatible with any liquid microbial culture, including polycultures and field samples, provides flow control and adjustable agitation, continuously monitors optical density (OD), and can dynamically control environmental pressures such as ultraviolet-C (UV-C) radiation and temperature. Here, the results of the prototype are compared to iterative exposure and survival assays conducted using a traditional hood, UV-C lamp, and shutter system.

Kinetics of styrene biodegradation by Pseudomonas sp. E-93486.

PubMed

Gąszczak, Agnieszka; Bartelmus, Grażyna; Greń, Izabela

2012-01-01

The research into kinetics of styrene biodegradation by bacterial strain Pseudomonas sp. E-93486 coming from VTT Culture Collection (Finland) was presented in this work. Microbial growth tests in the presence of styrene as the sole carbon and energy source were performed both in batch and continuous cultures. Batch experiments were conducted for initial concentration of styrene in the liquid phase changed in the range of 5-90 g m(-3). The Haldane model was found to be the best to fit the kinetic data, and the estimated constants of the equation were: μ (m) = 0.1188 h(-1), K(S) = 5.984 mg l(-1), and K (i) = 156.6 mg l(-1). The yield coefficient mean value [Formula in text] for the batch culture was 0.72 g(dry cells weight) (g(substrate))(-1). The experiments conducted in a chemostat at various dilution rates (D = 0.035-0.1 h(-1)) made it possible to determine the value of the coefficient for maintenance metabolism m (d) = 0.0165 h(-1) and the maximum yield coefficient value [Formula in text]. Chemostat experiments confirmed the high value of yield coefficient [Formula in text] observed in the batch culture. The conducted experiments showed high activity of the examined strain in the styrene biodegradation process and a relatively low sensitivity to inhibition of its growth at higher concentrations of styrene in the solution. Such exceptional features of Pseudomonas sp. E-93486 make this bacterial strain the perfect candidate for technical applications.

Bearing the Burden of Doubt: Female Coaches' Experiences of Gender Relations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norman, Leanne

2010-01-01

Based on interview research, this study examined how master female coaches based in the United Kingdom experienced relations with men within their profession. Using a feminist cultural studies approach to examine how sport promotes and maintains a gender order unfavorable to women, we found that female coaches felt the need to continually prove…

Development of American and Foreign-National Female Graduate Students in Engineering at Research Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrison, Briana Marie Keafer

2013-01-01

Women continue to be underrepresented among engineering faculty despite decades of reform and intervention. To understand why more graduate women do not pursue careers in academia, this mixed methods study focuses on the experiences of women currently in graduate engineering programs, and how the graduate culture shapes their development and…

Sexuality and Personal Relationships for People with an Intellectual Disability. Part I: Service-User Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Healy, E.; McGuire, B. E.; Evans, D. S.; Carley, S. N.

2009-01-01

Background: Despite a recent ideological shift towards the recognition of sexual autonomy for people with an intellectual disability (ID), there are continuing social and cultural barriers to sexual expression. Part I of the current two-part study assessed the sexual knowledge, experiences and aspirations of service users through focus groups and…

Beyond Progress and Marginalization: LGBTQ Youth in Educational Contexts. Adolescent Cultures, School and Society. Volume 48

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bertram, Corrine C., Ed.; Crowley, M. Sue, Ed.; Massey, Sean G., Ed.

2010-01-01

Over time, two competing narratives have emerged to represent the experiences of LGBTQ youth, emphasizing either significant improvement or continued victimization and marginalization. This volume examines those conflicting narratives as they play out in educational settings, both formal and informal. Particular emphasis is placed on LGBTQ youths'…

How Do Personality Traits Effect Shame and Guilt?: An Evaluation of the Turkish Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erden, Seval; Akbag, Müge

2015-01-01

Problem Statement: Feelings of shame and guilt as negative social emotions have a deep and continuous impact throughout our lives, particularly on our behaviors in both intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships. It was widely accepted that these feelings originate from a person's early period of life's interpersonal experiences in the family…

The Use of Migration-Related Competencies in Continuing Education: Individual Strategies, Social and Institutional Conditions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadjed, Ariane; Sprung, Annette; Kukovetz, Brigitte

2015-01-01

Focusing especially on biographical competencies that are gained through the experience of migration and socialisation in a certain country or cultural context, this article analyses how professionals define and deploy these "migration-related competencies" when it comes to employment in the field of adult education in Austria. By means…

The Creation of a Culture of Inquiry: Engaging Teachers in Experiences with Art Objects in Museums

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Stacy

2012-01-01

The problem under investigation in this dissertation concerns teachers and their ability to continue to be lifelong learners through professional development initiatives in art museums. In this serial case study five teachers from elementary, middle and high schools visited the free choice learning environments of art museums and were interviewed…

Observations, Values, and Beliefs about Ethnic/Racial Diversity by Members of Community College Faculty Search Committees

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fujii, Stephanie J.

2010-01-01

As open-door institutions, community colleges provide access to students from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and cultures. Yet while enrollment of students of color in community colleges continues to increase, representation by faculty of color has not. This qualitative study investigated community college faculty search committee…

REPORTS ON "TEACH," TEACHER EDUCATION FOR ADVANCING THE CULTURALLY HANDICAPPED. PROJECT REPORT--IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

HANNA, LYLE; AND OTHERS

A DETAILED SUMMARY OF PROJECT "TEACH" (TO IMPROVE PREPARATION OF TEACHERS FOR INNER-CITY SCHOOLS) PRESENTS THE FOLLOWING FINDINGS--(1) SPECIAL TRAINING AND FIELD EXPERIENCE SHOULD BEGIN IN THE FRESHMAN YEAR AND CONTINUE ON THROUGH GRADUATE WORK. (2) THE ENTIRE PROGRAM SHOULD RELATE TO THE "LABORATORY" OF THE URBAN COMMUNITY.…

Kristina's "Ghetto Family": Tensions and Possibilities at the Intersection of Teacher and Student Literacy Agendas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ives, Denise

2012-01-01

Despite a growing awareness among teachers of the importance of recognizing and valuing a broader range of students' literate resources and experiences, including those that are culturally and linguistically linked, in many language arts classrooms students' literacy practices continue to be marginalized--remaining peripheral to, if not at odds…

A study of science leadership and science standards in exemplary standards-based science programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carpenter, Wendy Renae

The purpose for conducting this qualitative study was to explore best practices of exemplary standards-based science programs and instructional leadership practices in a charter high school and in a traditional high school. The focus of this study included how twelve participants aligned practices to National Science Education Standards to describe their science programs and science instructional practices. This study used a multi-site case study qualitative design. Data were obtained through a review of literature, interviews, observations, review of educational documents, and researcher's notes collected in a field log. The methodology used was a multi-site case study because of the potential, through cross analysis, for providing greater explanation of the findings in the study (Merriam, 1988). This study discovered six characteristics about the two high school's science programs that enhance the literature found in the National Science Education Standards; (a) Culture of expectations for learning-In exemplary science programs teachers are familiar with a wide range of curricula. They have the ability to examine critically and select activities to use with their students to promote the understanding of science; (b) Culture of varied experiences-In exemplary science programs students are provided different paths to learning, which help students, take in information and make sense of concepts and skills that are set forth by the standards; (c) Culture of continuous feedback-In exemplary science programs teachers and students work together to engage students in ongoing assessments of their work and that of others as prescribed in the standards; (d) Culture of Observations-In exemplary science programs students, teachers, and principals reflect on classroom instructional practices; teachers receive ongoing evaluations about their teaching and apply feedback towards improving practices as outlined in the standards; (e) Culture of continuous learning-In exemplary science programs teachers value continuous personal development, teachers are provided on-going science professional development opportunities to improve instructional practices, teachers reflect and share professional practices, and teachers establish professional learning communities within their classrooms; and (f) Culture of shared leadership-In exemplary science programs instructional leadership purposes and values are consistently shared among all stakeholders which are outlined in the standards. These results are potentially useful for understanding exemplary standards-based science programs and science instructional leadership practices as a model for science programs trying to improve science education so that all students can have a true scientific learning experience.

Medical humanities as expressive of Western culture.

PubMed

Hooker, Claire; Noonan, Estelle

2011-12-01

In this paper we articulate a growing awareness within the field of the ways in which medical humanities could be deemed expressive of Western cultural values. The authors suggest that medical humanities is culturally limited by a pedagogical and scholarly emphasis on Western cultural artefacts, as well as a tendency to enact an uncritical reliance upon foundational concepts (such as 'patient' and 'experience') within Western medicine. Both these tendencies within the field, we suggest, are underpinned by a humanistic emphasis on appreciative or receptive encounters with 'difference' among patients that may unwittingly contribute to the marginalisation of some patients and healthcare workers. While cultural difference should be acknowledged as a central preoccupation of medical humanities, we argue that the discipline must continue to expand its scholarly and critical engagements with processes of Othering in biomedicine. We suggest that such improvements are necessary in order to reflect the cultural diversification of medical humanities students, and the geographical expansion of the discipline within non-Western and/or non-Anglophone locations.

Global herbal medicine: a critique.

PubMed

Jagtenberg, Tom; Evans, Sue

2003-04-01

Herbal medicine finds itself at a crossroads. If it continues to become mainstreamed in a commodity-driven health industry, its focus will change from craft-based tradition to globalized industry. On the other hand, if the fundamental importance of tradition to indigenous and nonindigenous medicine is respected, ecologic and cultural issues arise. Central here are the issues associated with control of both land and culture. Many indigenous cultures and their local ecologies are currently threatened by globalization. Historically, successful large corporations have neither respected the environment nor easily acknowledged indigenous claims to land and intellectual property, so no easy resolution of these conflicts seems likely. Our case study of Mapuche medicine allows us to explore the social and cultural conflicts that many practising herbalists experience. We argue that because of the basic contradictions involved, the protection of cultures and ecologies that underpin the discipline must be made a clear priority. We argue that local cultural traditions are clearly at odds with a globalizing herbal industry.

Long-term memory color investigation: culture effect and experimental setting factors.

PubMed

Zhu, Yuteng; Luo, Ming Ronnier; Fischer, Sebastian; Bodrogi, Peter; Khanh, Tran Quoc

2017-10-01

Memory colors generated continuous interest in the color community. Previous studies focused on reflecting color chips and color samples in real scenes or on monitors. The cognitive effect of culture was rarely considered. In this paper, we performed a comprehensive investigation of the long-term memory colors of 26 familiar objects using the asymmetric color matching method among Chinese and German observers on a display. Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the variations introduced by culture, context-based gray image, and initial matching color. Memory colors of important objects were collected and representative memory colors were quantified in terms of CIELAB L * , a * , and b * values. The intra- and inter-observer variations were analyzed by mean-color-difference-from-mean values and chromatic ellipses. The effects of different cultural groups and experimental settings were also shown.

[Development of an incubation system for an inverted microscopy for long-term observation of cell cultures using chamber slides].

PubMed

Feicht, W; Buchner, A; Riesenberg, R

2001-05-01

Trifunctional bispecific antibodies open up new immunological possibilities in tumour treatment. Prior to clinical application, comprehensive investigations using animal models and in vitro examinations need to be done. To investigate long-term interactions between various immunologically active blood cells and individual tumour cells in the presence of antibodies, we developed an incubation system for experimental cell cultures on an inverted microscope. The system consists of a perspex box with a central moisture chamber with integrated water reservoir, external air circulation heating, and a CO2 supply. The sterile cell cultures are located in the wells of a slide positioned within a depression in the water reservoir. The newly developed incubation system enables continuous observation over the long term of experiments under optimal cell cultures conditions in combination with modern video techniques.

A Microfluidic Bioreactor for Toxicity Testing of Stem Cell Derived 3D Cardiac Bodies.

PubMed

Christoffersson, Jonas; Bergström, Gunnar; Schwanke, Kristin; Kempf, Henning; Zweigerdt, Robert; Mandenius, Carl-Fredrik

2016-01-01

Modeling tissues and organs using conventional 2D cell cultures is problematic as the cells rapidly lose their in vivo phenotype. In microfluidic bioreactors the cells reside in microstructures that are continuously perfused with cell culture medium to provide a dynamic environment mimicking the cells natural habitat. These micro scale bioreactors are sometimes referred to as organs-on-chips and are developed in order to improve and extend cell culture experiments. Here, we describe the two manufacturing techniques photolithography and soft lithography that are used in order to easily produce microfluidic bioreactors. The use of these bioreactors is exemplified by a toxicity assessment on 3D clustered human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes by beating frequency imaging.

Cell separation and electrofusion in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morrison, D. R.; Hofmann, G. A.

1990-01-01

In microgravity, free-fluid electrophoretic methods for separating living cells and proteins are improved significantly by the absence of gravity-driven phenomena. Cell fusion, culture, and other bioprocessing steps are being investigated to understand the limits of earth-based processing. A multistep space bioprocess is described that includes electrophoretic separation of human target cells, single-cell manipulations using receptor-specific antibodies, electrofusion to produce immortal hybridomas, gentle suspension culture, and monoclonal antibody recovery using continuous-flow electrophoresis or recirculating isoelectric focusing. Improvements in several key steps already have been demonstrated by space experiments, and others will be studied on Space Station Freedom.

Production of carbonate sediments by a unicellular green alga

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yates, K.K.; Robbins, L.L.

1998-01-01

This study investigates the ability of the unicellular green alga Natmochloris atoimis to precipitate CaCO3, quantifies mineral precipitation rates, estimates sediment production in a N. atomiis bloom, and discusses the implications of microbial calcification for carbonate sediment deposition. A series of N. atomus cultures, isolated from Lake Reeve, Australia, were incubated at various pH and calcium concentrations to determine environmental parameters for calcification. Rates of calcification were calculated from initial and postincubation alkalinity, pH, and calcium measurements. Replicate experiments and controls consisting of non-calcifying cultures, uninoculated media, and dead cell cultures were performed using environmental culture parameters determined in series cultures. Average calcification rates from replicate experiments were used to predict daily sediment production rates in a small bloom of N. atomus. N. atomus precipitates 0.138 g/L of calcite in approximately 4 h when incubated at pH 8.5, 14.24 mM calcium concentration, 33 ??C, 100 ??E/m2/s light intensity, and a cell population density of 107 cells/mL. Assuming continuous precipitation, this corresponds to a maximum estimated sediment production rate of 1.6 ?? 106 kg of CaCO3, per 12 h day in a single bloom of 3.2 ?? 109 L. Our results suggest that microbial calcification contributes significantly to the carbonate sediment budget.

Bricolage, métissage, hybridity, heterogeneity, diaspora: concepts for thinking science education in the 21st century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roth, Wolff-Michael

2008-12-01

The ongoing globalization leads to an increasing scattering of cultural groups into other cultural groups where they the latter continue to be affiliated with one another thereby forming diasporic identities. Diasporic identities emerge from a process of cultural bricolage that leads to cultural métissage and therefore hybridity and heterogeneity. To escape the hegemonies that arise from the ontology of the same—which, as I show, undergirds much of educational thought—I ground the notion of diaspora in the ontology of difference. Difference and heterogeneity are the norm, not something less than sameness and purity. This ontology allows framing bricolage, métissage, hybridity, and heterogeneity as positive concepts for theorizing the experiences of learning science and identity not only as a consequence of cross-national migrations—Mexicans in the US, Asians and Europeans in Canada, Africans in Europe—but also the experience of native speakers who, in science classrooms, find themselves (temporarily) at home away from home. My exemplary analyses show how the very fact of cultural and linguistic differences within themselves gives rise to the possibility of symbolic violence in science classrooms even to those whose ethos is or is closest to the one at the heart of science.

Russia: update on animal experiments and alternatives in education.

PubMed

Jukes, Nick

2008-01-01

Progress continues in Russia with growing awareness and implementation of alternatives in education. Further outreach visits and negotiations for replacement have been made by InterNICHE campaigners. Russian language information resources have been complemented by the distribution of translated freeware physiology and pharmacology alternatives; and the InterNICHE Alternatives Loan Systems continue to provide valuable hands-on access to a range of learning tools. Donations of computers and alternatives have established exemplary multimedia laboratories, with software having directly replaced the annual use of several thousand animals. New agreements have been made with institutes to abandon animal experiments for teaching purposes. Work to consolidate the successes is being done, and Russian teachers have begun to present at conferences to share their experiences of implementation. Further development and implementation of alternatives is being achieved through grant funding from the InterNICHE Humane Education Award. Using a different approach, cases of determined conscientious objection have included a campaign against the use of stolen companion animals for surgery practice in the Russian Far East, and a continuing legal challenge to experiments at Moscow State University. This multi-pronged, decentralised and culturally appropriate campaigning strategy has proved to be an effective approach to achieving sustainable change in Russia.

Enhanced biodiesel production in Neochloris oleoabundans by a semi-continuous process in two stage photobioreactors.

PubMed

Yoon, Se Young; Hong, Min Eui; Chang, Won Seok; Sim, Sang Jun

2015-07-01

Under autotrophic conditions, highly productive biodiesel production was achieved using a semi-continuous culture system in Neochloris oleoabundans. In particular, the flue gas generated by combustion of liquefied natural gas and natural solar radiation were used for cost-effective microalgal culture system. In semi-continuous culture, the greater part (~80%) of the culture volume containing vegetative cells grown under nitrogen-replete conditions in a first photobioreactor (PBR) was directly transferred to a second PBR and cultured sequentially under nitrogen-deplete conditions for accelerating oil accumulation. As a result, in semi-continuous culture, the productivities of biomass and biodiesel in the cells were increased by 58% (growth phase) and 51% (induction phase) compared to the cells in batch culture, respectively. The semi-continuous culture system using two stage photobioreactors is a very efficient strategy to further improve biodiesel production from microalgae under photoautotrophic conditions.

New way of working: Professionals' expectations and experiences of the Culture and Health Project for clients with psychiatric disabilities: A focus group study.

PubMed

Wästberg, Birgitta A; Sandström, Boel; Gunnarsson, Anna Birgitta

2018-02-01

There is a need for various types of interventions when meeting needs of clients with psychiatric disabilities and complementary interventions may also influence their well-being. The Culture and Health project, based on complementary interventions with 270 clients, was created in a county in Sweden for clients with psychiatric disabilities and for professionals to carry out the interventions. The aim of this study was to investigate the professionals' expectations regarding the project and their clients' possibilities for participating, and to investigate the professionals' experiences of the project after its completion. Focus group data with a total of 30 professionals participating were collected. A qualitative content analysis revealed four categories of the professionals' expectations before entering the project: "Clients' own possibilities and limitations for their development and independence", "Professionals' possibilities for supporting the clients", "Societal prerequisites", and "Expectations of a new way of working". Furthermore, the analysis regarding professionals' experiences after working with the project revealed three categories: "Adopting the challenges", "Having ways of working that function - prerequisites and possibilities", and "Meeting the future - an ambition to continue". Working in the Culture and Health project together with the clients in group-based activities was perceived as beneficial, although challenges arose. When implementing cultural activities, support from stakeholder organisations is needed. © 2017 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.

Cultural continuity, traditional Indigenous language, and diabetes in Alberta First Nations: a mixed methods study.

PubMed

Oster, Richard T; Grier, Angela; Lightning, Rick; Mayan, Maria J; Toth, Ellen L

2014-10-19

We used an exploratory sequential mixed methods approach to study the association between cultural continuity, self-determination, and diabetes prevalence in First Nations in Alberta, Canada. We conducted a qualitative description where we interviewed 10 Cree and Blackfoot leaders (members of Chief and Council) from across the province to understand cultural continuity, self-determination, and their relationship to health and diabetes, in the Alberta First Nations context. Based on the qualitative findings, we then conducted a cross-sectional analysis using provincial administrative data and publically available data for 31 First Nations communities to quantitatively examine any relationship between cultural continuity and diabetes prevalence. Cultural continuity, or "being who we are", is foundational to health in successful First Nations. Self-determination, or "being a self-sufficient Nation", stems from cultural continuity and is seriously compromised in today's Alberta Cree and Blackfoot Nations. Unfortunately, First Nations are in a continuous struggle with government policy. The intergenerational effects of colonization continue to impact the culture, which undermines the sense of self-determination, and contributes to diabetes and ill health. Crude diabetes prevalence varied dramatically among First Nations with values as low as 1.2% and as high as 18.3%. Those First Nations that appeared to have more cultural continuity (measured by traditional Indigenous language knowledge) had significantly lower diabetes prevalence after adjustment for socio-economic factors (p =0.007). First Nations that have been better able to preserve their culture may be relatively protected from diabetes.

An action research study; cultural differences impact how manufacturing organizations receive continuous improvement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kattman, Braden R.

National culture and organizational culture impact how continuous improvement methods are received, implemented and deployed by suppliers. Previous research emphasized the dominance of national culture over organizational culture. The countries studied included Poland, Mexico, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Estonia, India, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. The research found that Canada was most receptive to continuous improvement, with China being the least receptive. The study found that organizational culture was more influential than national culture. Isomorphism and benchmarking is driving continuous-improvement language and methods to be more universally known within business. Business and management practices are taking precedence in driving change within organizations.

Identity Development and Future Orientation in Immigrant Adolescents and Young Adults: A Narrative View of Cultural Transitions From Ethiopia to Israel.

PubMed

Flum, Hanoch; Buzukashvili, Tamara

2018-06-01

This paper examines a major aspect of identity development in the context of cultural transition. Following Eriksonian psychosocial and sociocultural perspectives, it investigates self-continuity and identity integration in light of inherent discontinuity among young immigrants. More specifically, this examination draws on three distinct narrative studies, within the framework of Dynamic Narrative Approach, with first- and second-generation adolescents and young adult Ethiopian immigrants to Israel. Their negotiations of identity, with a focus on their narrative construction of past, present, and future across life domains (education, career, military service, family), are illustrated in this article in a variety of developmental paths. Dynamics of reciprocity between early life experiences and future orientation are revealed in the narratives. A capacity to connect cultural resources in the past with challenges in the new culture is identified as a key. By processing them and bringing them up-to-date, meaning becomes relevant to current experiences and developmental challenges. Across the three distinct studies, a variety of exploratory activities and relational qualities are found to facilitate or impede the reconstruction and integration of identity. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Practice to research: integrating evidence-based practices with culture and context.

PubMed

Weisner, Thomas S; Hay, M Cameron

2015-04-01

There are ways to integrate culturally competent services (CCS) and evidence-based practices (EBP) which can improve the experiences of patients and their families and communities when faced with health problems, as well as the effectiveness and positive experiences of practitioners. CCS and EBP evidence should be jointly deployed for helping patients and clinicians. Partnership research models are useful for achieving the integration of CCS and EBP, since they involve close observation of and participation by clinicians and practitioners in the research process, and often use integrated qualitative and quantitative mixed methods. We illustrate this with 3 examples of work that can help integrate CCS and EBP: ongoing collection of information from patients, clinicians and staff, or "evidence farming"; close study and continuous improvement of activities and accommodations; and use of evidence of tacit, implicit cultural scripts and norms, such as being "productive," as well as explicit scripts. From a research practice point of view, collaborative partnerships will likely produce research with culture and context bracketed in, and will contribute stronger research models, methods, and units of analysis. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Rejecting, revitalizing, and reclaiming: First Nations work to set the direction of research and policy development.

PubMed

Ten Fingers, Keely

2005-01-01

The history and legacy of Western, colonial research methodologies and policy frameworks continue to create and maintain dichotomies of superior/inferior, and valued/not valued between Western and First Nations cultures, peoples and knowledge. This article was written to awaken discussion on how First Nations are working to shape the direction of research and policy development. It draws upon the author's personal observations and experiences of Western and Indigenous frameworks. The author also draws upon the growing body of work on this issue presented by indigenous researchers and scholars. The Health Information Research Committee of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs rejects colonial research frameworks and promotes and supports culturally-respectful research. The Dakota in Manitoba are identifying our own Quality of Life indicators and developing policies based on our own cultural values. The Mohawk of Akwesasne have developed research ethics and protocols based on their cultural principles of skennen (peace), kariwiio (good word), and kasastensera (strength). First Nations people in Canada and the world are increasingly rejecting Western, colonial frameworks of research and policy development. Instead, we are reclaiming our right to be who we are, and we are revitalizing our cultures through promotion and utilization of indigenous research methodologies and development of culturally-rooted policy. Though the response of researchers and policy-makers is not yet known, these developments will continue into the future due to the commitment and work of First Nations people.

Indigenous cardiac patients' and relatives' experiences of hospitalisation: A narrative inquiry.

PubMed

Mbuzi, Vainess; Fulbrook, Paul; Jessup, Melanie

2017-12-01

To explore Indigenous people's experiences of hospitalisation for acute cardiac care. Indigenous Australians suffer a higher burden of cardiovascular ill health and hospitalisation rates in comparison with other Australians, but there is little research that explores their perspectives of hospitalisation. Narrative inquiry. Interviews were undertaken using storytelling to facilitate participants' descriptions of their hospital experience. Data were collected during 2014-2015. A purposive sample of Indigenous cardiac patients that were admitted to hospital and their relatives participated. The narrative revealed three linked themes that characterised Indigenous people's hospitalisation experiences: The impact of the past; The reality of the present; and Anticipating the future. Hospitalisation was challenging for participants due to their sense of dislocation and disorientation, a lack of cultural and spiritual aspects to care practices, and the poor interpersonal relationships they experienced. Findings revealed that there were many unmet needs during hospitalisation for Indigenous people. Past experiences and future expectations were connected in a way that impacted on participants' current hospitalisation experience. Understanding this context, with incorporation of cultural and spiritual aspects of care may help nurses and other healthcare professionals to provide more positive interactions that in turn may contribute to improved cardiac care experiences of Indigenous people during hospitalisation. Healthcare professionals need to be aware and focused on person-specific and contextualised aspects of Indigenous people's experience of hospitalisation for cardiac care in order to impact outcomes. Healthcare professionals need to understand Indigenous people's perspectives that contribute to improved health outcomes. Stories of participants' experiences may assist in the identification of aspects which might further the development of culturally appropriate continuity models that could effectively provide support throughout Indigenous people's hospital journeys, and beyond the hospital, and help improve associated health outcomes. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Learning Experience and Socio-Cultural Influences on Female Engineering Students' Perspectives on Engineering Courses and Careers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balakrishnan, Balamuralithara; Low, Foon Siang

2016-01-01

As developed and developing countries move towards greater technological development in the 21st century, the need for engineers has increased substantially. Japan is facing the dilemma of insufficient engineers; therefore, the country has to rely on foreign workers. This problem may be resolved if there is a continuous effort to increase the…

Positive and Negative Childhood and Adolescent Identity Memories Stemming from One's Country and Culture-of-Origin: A Comparative Narrative Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bazuin-Yoder, Amy

2011-01-01

The initial cognitive ability to coordinate experience into a hierarchically organized, multi-episode narrative occurs in youth, beginning a narrative record of ego identity development that continues throughout the life span (Habermas and Bluck in "Psychological Bulletin" 126:748-769, 2000; Habermas and de Silveira in "Developmental Psychology"…

Biochemical Assays of Cultured Cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barlow, G. H.

1985-01-01

Subpopulations of human embryonic kidney cells isolated from continuous flow electrophoresis experiments performed at McDonnell Douglas and on STS-8 have been analyzed. These analyses have included plasminogen activator assays involving indirect methodology on fibrin plated and direct methodology using chromogenic substrates. Immunological studies were performed and the conditioned media for erythropoietin activity and human granulocyte colony stimulating (HGCSF) activity was analyzed.

From ELLs to Bilingual Teachers: Spanish-English Speaking Latino Teachers' Experiences of Language Shame & Loss

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winstead, Lisa; Wang, Congcong

2017-01-01

Transnationals are people who are residents in the post colony yet continue to maintain socio-economic relations in their country of origin, are hired for unskilled labor, and are often identified as immigrants. The children involved in transnational movements leave their respective countries of origin and corresponding ways of cultural, social,…

Bedaquiline and Delamanid Combination Treatment of 5 Patients with Pulmonary Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis

PubMed Central

Maryandyshev, Andrey; Pontali, Emanuele; Tiberi, Simon; Akkerman, Onno; Ganatra, Shashank; Sadutshang, Tsetan Dorji; Alffenaar, Jan-Willem; Amale, Rohit; Mullerpattan, Jai; Topgyal, Sonam; Udwadia, Zarir Farokh; Centis, Rosella; D’Ambrosio, Lia; Sotgiu, Giovanni

2017-01-01

We report the experiences of 5 patients taking bedaquiline with delamanid in combination: 1 patient was cured; 3 culture converted, with 2 continuing and 1 changing therapy; and 1 died from respiratory insufficiency. For 2 patients, QT-interval prolongation but no arrhythmias occurred. Use of this therapy is justified for patients with limited options. PMID:28758888

Two Cultures in Modern Science and Technology: For Safety and Validity Does Medicine Have to Update?

PubMed

Becker, Robert E

2016-01-11

Two different scientific cultures go unreconciled in modern medicine. Each culture accepts that scientific knowledge and technologies are vulnerable to and easily invalidated by methods and conditions of acquisition, interpretation, and application. How these vulnerabilities are addressed separates the 2 cultures and potentially explains medicine's difficulties eradicating errors. A traditional culture, dominant in medicine, leaves error control in the hands of individual and group investigators and practitioners. A competing modern scientific culture accepts errors as inevitable, pernicious, and pervasive sources of adverse events throughout medical research and patient care too malignant for individuals or groups to control. Error risks to the validity of scientific knowledge and safety in patient care require systemwide programming able to support a culture in medicine grounded in tested, continually updated, widely promulgated, and uniformly implemented standards of practice for research and patient care. Experiences from successes in other sciences and industries strongly support the need for leadership from the Institute of Medicine's recommended Center for Patient Safely within the Federal Executive branch of government.

Psychological Distress in Afghan Refugees: A Mixed-Method Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Alemi, Qais; James, Sigrid; Cruz, Romalene; Zepeda, Veronica; Racadio, Michael

2013-01-01

Mental health problems disproportionately affect Afghan refugees and asylum seekers who continue to seek international protection with prolonged exposure to war. We performed a systematic review aimed at synthesizing peer-reviewed literature pertaining to mental health problems among Afghans resettled in industrialized nations. We used five databases to identify studies published between 1979 and 2013 that provided data on distress levels, and subjective experiences with distress. Seventeen studies met our inclusion criteria consisting of 1 mixed-method, 7 qualitative, and 9 quantitative studies. Themes from our qualitative synthesis described antecedents for distress being rooted in cultural conflicts and loss, and also described unique coping mechanisms. Quantitative findings indicated moderate to high prevalence of depressive and posttraumatic symptomatology. These findings support the need for continued mental health research with Afghans that accounts for: distress among newly resettled groups, professional help-seeking utilization patterns, and also culturally relevant strategies for mitigating distress and engaging Afghans in research. PMID:23784146

Unseen disadvantage: how American universities' focus on independence undermines the academic performance of first-generation college students.

PubMed

Stephens, Nicole M; Fryberg, Stephanie A; Markus, Hazel Rose; Johnson, Camille S; Covarrubias, Rebecca

2012-06-01

American universities increasingly admit first-generation college students whose parents do not have 4-year degrees. Once admitted, these students tend to struggle academically, compared with continuing-generation students--students who have at least 1 parent with a 4-year degree. We propose a cultural mismatch theory that identifies 1 important source of this social class achievement gap. Four studies test the hypothesis that first-generation students underperform because interdependent norms from their mostly working-class backgrounds constitute a mismatch with middle-class independent norms prevalent in universities. First, assessing university cultural norms, surveys of university administrators revealed that American universities focus primarily on norms of independence. Second, identifying the hypothesized cultural mismatch, a longitudinal survey revealed that universities' focus on independence does not match first-generation students' relatively interdependent motives for attending college and that this cultural mismatch is associated with lower grades. Finally, 2 experiments at both private and public universities created a match or mismatch for first-generation students and examined the performance consequences. Together these studies revealed that representing the university culture in terms of independence (i.e., paving one's own paths) rendered academic tasks difficult and, thereby, undermined first-generation students' performance. Conversely, representing the university culture in terms of interdependence (i.e., being part of a community) reduced this sense of difficulty and eliminated the performance gap without adverse consequences for continuing-generation students. These studies address the urgent need to recognize cultural obstacles that contribute to the social class achievement gap and to develop interventions to address them. 2012 APA, all rights reserved

Evaluation of a Multi-Parameter Sensor for Automated, Continuous Cell Culture Monitoring in Bioreactors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pappas, D.; Jeevarajan, A.; Anderson, M. M.

2004-01-01

Compact and automated sensors are desired for assessing the health of cell cultures in biotechnology experiments in microgravity. Measurement of cell culture medium allows for the optirn.jzation of culture conditions on orbit to maximize cell growth and minimize unnecessary exchange of medium. While several discrete sensors exist to measure culture health, a multi-parameter sensor would simplify the experimental apparatus. One such sensor, the Paratrend 7, consists of three optical fibers for measuring pH, dissolved oxygen (p02), dissolved carbon dioxide (pC02) , and a thermocouple to measure temperature. The sensor bundle was designed for intra-arterial placement in clinical patients, and potentially can be used in NASA's Space Shuttle and International Space Station biotechnology program bioreactors. Methods: A Paratrend 7 sensor was placed at the outlet of a rotating-wall perfused vessel bioreactor system inoculated with BHK-21 (baby hamster kidney) cells. Cell culture medium (GTSF-2, composed of 40% minimum essential medium, 60% L-15 Leibovitz medium) was manually measured using a bench top blood gas analyzer (BGA, Ciba-Corning). Results: A Paratrend 7 sensor was used over a long-term (>120 day) cell culture experiment. The sensor was able to track changes in cell medium pH, p02, and pC02 due to the consumption of nutrients by the BHK-21. When compared to manually obtained BGA measurements, the sensor had good agreement for pH, p02, and pC02 with bias [and precision] of 0.02 [0.15], 1 mm Hg [18 mm Hg], and -4.0 mm Hg [8.0 mm Hg] respectively. The Paratrend oxygen sensor was recalibrated (offset) periodically due to drift. The bias for the raw (no offset or recalibration) oxygen measurements was 42 mm Hg [38 mm Hg]. The measured response (rise) time of the sensor was 20 +/- 4s for pH, 81 +/- 53s for pC02, 51 +/- 20s for p02. For long-term cell culture measurements, these response times are more than adequate. Based on these findings , the Paratrend sensor could offer automated, continuous monitoring of cell cultures with a temporal resolution of 1 minute, which is not attainable by sampling via handheld blood analyzer (i-STAT). Conclusion: The resulting bias and precision found in these cell culture-based studies is comparable to Paratrend sensor clinical results. Although the large error in p02 measurements (+/-18 mm Hg) may be acceptable for clinical applications, where Paratrend values are periodically adjusted to a BGA measurement, the O2 sensor in this bundle may not be reliable enough for the single-calibration requirement of sensors used in NASA's bioreactors. The pH and pC02 sensors in the bundle are reliable and stable over the measurement period, and can be used without recalibration to measure cell cultures in rn.jcrogravity biotechnology experiments. Future work will test additional Paratrend sensors to provide statistical assessment of sensor performance.

Recycling of Vineyard and Winery Wastes as Nutritive Composts for Edible Mushroom Cultivation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petre, Marian; Teodorescu, Alexandru

2011-01-01

Every year, in Romania huge amounts of wine and vine wastes cause serious environmental damages in vineyards as well as nearby winery factories, for instance, by their burning on the soil surface or their incorporation inside soil matrix. The optimal and efficient way to solve these problems is to recycle these biomass wastes as main ingredients in nutritive composts preparation that could be used for edible mushrooms cultivation. In this respect, the main aim of this work was to establish the best biotechnology of winery and vine wastes recycling by using them as appropriate growth substrata for edible and medicinal mushrooms. According to this purpose, two mushroom species of Basidiomycetes, namely Lentinula edodes as well as Pleurotus ostreatus were used as pure mushroom cultures in experiments. The experiments of inoculum preparation were set up under the following conditions: constant temperature, 23° C; agitation speed, 90-120 rev min-1 pH level, 5.0-6.0. All mycelia mushroom cultures were incubated for 120-168 h. In the next stage of experiments, the culture composts for mushroom growing were prepared from the lignocellulose wastes as vine cuttings and marc of grapes in order to be used as substrata in mycelia development and fruit body formation. The tested culture variants were monitored continuously to keep constant the temperature during the incubation as well as air humidity, air pressure and a balanced ratio of the molecular oxygen and carbon dioxide. In every mushroom culture cycle all the physical and chemical parameters that could influence the mycelia growing as well as fruit body formation of L. edodes and P. ostreatus were compared to the same fungal cultures that were grown on poplar logs used as control samples.

Zone-forming fungi experiment MA-147

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, T. D.; Taylor, G. R.; Brower, M. E.

1976-01-01

Streptomyces levoris was used as an experimental microorganism during the Apollo Soyuz Test Project to study specific biological considerations that may be influenced by space flight factors. Preflight, inflight, and postflight growth rates of the cultures were compared by photographing the specimens at regular intervals. Preliminary results based on visual comparison of the photographic data indicate that an increased growth rate occurred during space flight in two of eight flight specimens. The increased growth rate continued in the two specimens during the postflight period until termination of the experiment. Radiation effects may be responsible for the absence of spores in two areas of the last spore ring that was formed during the inflight period in one of the flight cultures; however, the radiation studies related to this experiment have not been completed. Distinct morphological differences in spore rings were observed when postflight spore rings were compared with inflight spore rings. Factors that are related to space flight recovery and reentry into earth gravity may have effected these alterations.

American Indian family caregivers' experiences with helping elders.

PubMed

Jervis, Lori L; Boland, Mathew E; Fickenscher, Alexandra

2010-12-01

In recent years, a vast literature has accumulated on the negative effects on family caregivers of providing care to elders, while relatively little research has explored caregiving as a positive experience. Only a handful of studies have examined any aspect of informal caregiving among American Indians. This mixed methods study explores the negative and positive aspects of providing elder care among 19 northern plains American Indian family members. These caregivers described low levels of burden and high levels of reward, attributable to cultural attitudes toward elders and caregiving, collective care provision, strong reciprocal relationships with elders, enjoyment of elders, and relatively low levels of care provision. Caregiving manifested as part of a complex exchange of assistance rather than a unidirectional provision of assistance from the family member to the elder. That caregiving emerged as such an overwhelmingly positive experience in a community faced with poverty, alcohol disorders, trauma, and cultural traumatization is testimony to the important roles that elders often continue to play in these communities.

Novel Membrane-Based Electrochemical Sensor for Real-Time Bio-Applications

PubMed Central

Alatraktchi, Fatima AlZahra'a; Bakmand, Tanya; Dimaki, Maria; Svendsen, Winnie E.

2014-01-01

This article presents a novel membrane-based sensor for real-time electrochemical investigations of cellular- or tissue cultures. The membrane sensor enables recording of electrical signals from a cell culture without any signal dilution, thus avoiding loss of sensitivity. Moreover, the porosity of the membrane provides optimal culturing conditions similar to existing culturing techniques allowing more efficient nutrient uptake and molecule release. The patterned sensor electrodes were fabricated on a porous membrane by electron-beam evaporation. The electrochemical performance of the membrane electrodes was characterized by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry, and the detection of synthetic dopamine was demonstrated down to a concentration of 3.1 pM. Furthermore, to present the membrane-sensor functionality the dopamine release from cultured PC12 cells was successfully measured. The PC12 cells culturing experiments showed that the membrane-sensor was suitable as a cell culturing substrate for bio-applications. Real-time measurements of dopamine exocytosis in cell cultures were performed, where the transmitter release was recorded at the point of release. The developed membrane-sensor provides a new functionality to the standard culturing methods, enabling sensitive continuous in vitro monitoring and closely mimicking the in vivo conditions. PMID:25421738

How a more detailed understanding of culture is needed before successful educational change can be made.

PubMed

Rosenthal, Meagen; Desselle, Shane; Holmes, Erin

2017-09-01

The profession of pharmacy is being afforded many important opportunities, and continues to face many challenges. To successfully address these issues schools and colleges of pharmacy must have a complete understanding of their current context, which includes culture. However, little of the work on culture in pharmacy education specifically defines what these cultures are, and equally importantly how this understanding of culture can be used to make changes, improve student learning, and ultimately develop pharmacists better prepared to improve patient outcomes. Organizational culture has been defined in a multitude of ways in the literature. Martin's three-perspectives approach, which combines integrated, differentiated, and fragmented understandings, offers one way to approach defining culture and leveraging that definition of change. Furthermore, the organizational culture profile (OCP), is one tool that can be used to identify and differentiate between Martin's three perspectives. Culture plays an important role in academic pharmacy, but before it can reach its highest potential in improving student outcomes, and faculty experience, it must be completely understood. Martin's approach and the OCP offer one way to achieve this objective. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Anaesthetists learn--do institutions also learn? Importance of institutional learning and corporate culture in clinics].

PubMed

Schüpfer, G; Gfrörer, R; Schleppers, A

2007-10-01

In only a few contexts is the need for substantial learning more pronounced than in health care. For a health care provider, the ability to learn is essential in a changing environment. Although individual humans are programmed to learn naturally, organisations are not. Learning that is limited to individual professions and traditional approaches to continuing medical education is not sufficient to bring about substantial changes in the learning capacity of an institution. Also, organisational learning is an important issue for anaesthesia departments. Future success of an organisation often depends on new capabilities and competencies. Organisational learning is the capacity or processes within an organisation to maintain or improve performance based on experience. Learning is seen as a system-level phenomenon as it stays in the organisation regardless of the players involved. Experience from other industries shows that learning strategies tend to focus on single loop learning, with relatively little double loop learning and virtually no meta-learning or non-learning. The emphasis on team delivery of health care reinforces the need for team learning. Learning organisations make learning an intrinsic part of their organisations and are a place where people continually learn how to learn together. Organisational learning practice can help to improve existing skills and competencies and to change outdated assumptions, procedures and structures. So far, learning theory has been ignored in medicine, due to a wide variety of complex political, economic, social, organisational culture and medical factors that prevent innovation and resist change. The organisational culture is central to every stage of the learning process. Learning organisations move beyond simple employee training into organisational problem solving, innovation and learning. Therefore, teamwork and leadership are necessary. Successful organisations change the competencies of individuals, the systems, the organisation, the strategy and the culture.

[Towards a safety culture in the neonatal unit: Six years experience].

PubMed

Esqué Ruiz, M T; Moretones Suñol, M G; Rodríguez Miguélez, J M; Parés Tercero, S; Cortés Albuixech, R; Varón Ramírez, E M; Figueras Aloy, J

2015-10-01

A safety culture is the collective effort of an institution to direct its resources toward the goal of safety. An analysis is performed on the six years of experience of the Committee on the Safety of Neonatal Patient. A mailbox was created for the declaration of adverse events, and measures for their correction were devised, such as case studies, continuous education, prevention of nosocomial infections, as well as information on the work done and its assessment. A total of 1287 reports of adverse events were received during the six years, of which 600 (50.8%) occurred in the neonatal ICU, with 15 (1.2%) contributing to death, and 1282 (99.6%) considered preventable. Simple corrective measures (notification, security alerts, etc.) were applied in 559 (43.4%), intermediate measures (protocols, monthly newsletter, etc.) in 692 (53.8%), and more complex measures (causal analysis, scripts, continuous education seminars, prospective studies, etc.) in 66 (5.1%). As regards nosocomial infections, the prevention strategies implemented (hand washing, insertion and maintenance of catheters) directly affected their improvement. Two surveys were conducted to determine the level of satisfaction with the Committee on the Safety of Neonatal Patient. A rating 7.5/10 was obtained in the local survey, while using the Spanish version of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture the rate was 7.26/10. A path to a culture of safety has been successfully started and carried out. Reporting the adverse events is the key to obtaining information on their nature, etiology and evolution, and to undertake possible prevention strategies. Copyright © 2014 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

When preparation meets opportunity: a case study exploring the feasibility of pursuing a career in biology for two Latina high school girls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García, Yeni Violeta

2013-12-01

The future of this country depends on utilizing human intellectual resources from varying viewpoints to make informed decisions on issues from conservation biology to biotechnology, or even bioengineering. An increase in Latina/o students in the biological sciences would bring a variety of viewpoints, as well as personal and cultural experiences that would advance the field. To insure that we have enough experts in biology that represent changes in demographic trends, we must look into utilizing the expertise of students in our current educational system to continue and complete careers in biology. In this study, a career in biology referred to careers that require an expertise in biology that is gained by completing a bachelor's degree in biology or an affiliated field. Using case study methodology, I explored the experiences of two Latina students, one who is undocumented, and focused on the nature of the experiences and how they related to the young women's decision to pursue a career in biology. This study is grounded on a theoretical framework of critical systems theory and the notion that there are systems and components within those systems that either facilitate or hinder students' ability to pursue various pathways. Data were generated from semi-structured interviews, artifacts, life narratives, and cultural descriptors to gain an understanding of the girls' past, present, and future decisions regarding the feasibility of pursuing a degree in biology. Four common themes emerged: (1) experiences that made a lasting positive or negative impact early in life; (2) an intrinsic desire to serve their community or people in need; (3) sociocultural support networks; and (4) opportunities or circumstances within the cultural commons associated with their legal status in the United States, which caused the girls to continue or to deviate from their path towards pursuing a career in biology.

Modifications of a Device for Maintenance of the Rumen Microbial Population in Continuous Culture

PubMed Central

Slyter, L. L.; Nelson, W. O.; Wolin, M. J.

1964-01-01

An improved and simplified apparatus for maintaining the rumen microbial population in continuous culture was constructed. All components were easily obtained from commercial sources or were simple to construct. Mechanical difficulties were minimal, and little attention was needed on the part of the operator. The deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) content of the cultures (100 to 150 μg/ml) varied little during 7 days of continuous culture, and protozoal concentration decreased from 105 per ml to a steady-state level of 2 × 103 per ml in 4 days. Volatile fatty acid and methane production followed the normal in vivo pattern for 7 days of continuous culture. DNA, protozoal concentrations, and fermentation patterns did not significantly change between 4 and 21 days of continuous culture. PMID:14201093

View of the Life Sciences Laboratory Equipment (LSLE) Incubator - Lymphocite Proliferation

NASA Image and Video Library

1984-10-18

S84-43683 (26 Nov 1984) --- This vertically positioned rectangular piece of hardware, scheduled to fly on the science module of Spacelab Life Sciences-1, is important to the immunology investigation on the mission. Called Lymphocyte Proliferation in Weightlessness (Experiment 240), the test was developed by Dr. Augosto Cogoli of the Institute of Biotechnology, Gruppe Weltraum Biologie, in Zurich, Switzerland. It represents a continuation of previous Spacelab experiments by examining the effects of weightlessness on lymphocyte activation. Cultures will be grown in the microgravity incubators on the pictured hardware.

Diabetes: a cross-cultural interview study of immigrants from Somalia.

PubMed

Wallin, Anne-Marie; Löfvander, Monica; Ahlström, Gerd

2007-11-01

To describe how diabetic immigrants from Somalia experience everyday life in Sweden and how they manage diabetes-related problems, with inclusion of a gender perspective. To treat and care for minority populations successfully, healthcare staff in Sweden must thoroughly understand the illness experiences of different ethnic groups. However, no studies have so far been reported that focus on immigrants from Somalia with diabetes. Descriptive, qualitative interview study with 19 diabetic adults born in Somalia and now living in Sweden. Cross-cultural interviews with the aid of an interpreter. The transcribed interviews were subjected to qualitative latent content analysis, resulting in sub-themes and themes. Four themes emerged: experience of distress in everyday life; everyday life continues as before; comprehensibility gives a feeling of control; and being compliant. A major finding was the variation in how the participants managed the fasting month of Ramadan. Several participants fasted and did not see the diabetes as an obstacle, others did see it as an obstacle or indicated that fasting was not compulsory for a sick person. This study provides healthcare staff with information about how a minority group experience and manage diabetes. The results indicate the importance of considering cultural background, as well as religious traditions such as Ramadan, in diabetes care. They also indicate that men and women differ in their reaction to diabetes and that care should be adapted to this. It is important to develop evidence-based guidelines for diabetes care in ethnic groups that are fasting during Ramadan to prevent complications and promote relevant self-care. Further, the prescribed dietary advice must be culturally appropriate.

US and Dutch nurse experiences with fall prevention technology within nursing home environment and workflow: A qualitative study.

PubMed

Vandenberg, Ann E; van Beijnum, Bert-Jan; Overdevest, Vera G P; Capezuti, Elizabeth; Johnson, Theodore M

Falls remain a major geriatric problem, and the search for new solutions continues. We investigated how existing fall prevention technology was experienced within nursing home nurses' environment and workflow. Our NIH-funded study in an American nursing home was followed by a cultural learning exchange with a Dutch nursing home. We constructed two case reports from interview and observational data and compared the magnitude of falls, safety cultures, and technology characteristics and effectiveness. Falls were a high-magnitude problem at the US site, with a collectively vigilant safety culture attending to non-directional audible alarms; falls were a low-magnitude problem at the NL site which employed customizable, infrared sensors that directed text alerts to assigned staff members' mobile devices in patient-centered care culture. Across cases, 1) a coordinated communication system was essential in facilitating effective fall prevention alert response, and 2) nursing home safety culture is tightly associated with the chosen technological system. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Use of culture care theory with Anglo- and African American elders in a long-term care setting.

PubMed

McFarland, M R

1997-01-01

The purpose of this study was to discover the care expressions, practices, and patterns of elderly Anglo- and African American elders. The domain of inquiry was the cultural care of elderly residents within the environmental context of a long-term care institution. The ethnonursing qualitative research method was used to conduct the study which was conceptualized within Leininger's theory of culture care diversity and universality. Four major themes were discovered: (a) Residents expressed and lived generic care to maintain their preadmission lifeways; (b) The nursing staff provided aspects of professional care to support satisfying lifeways for residents; (c) Institutional care patterns and expressions were viewed as a continuing life experience but with major differences between the apartment section and nursing home units; and (d) An institutional culture of the retirement home was discovered which reflected unique lifeways and shared care and health expressions and practices. These themes substantiated the culture care theory and revealed new modes of care for the elderly in an institutional setting.

Continuing education at the cutting edge: promoting transformative knowledge translation.

PubMed

McWilliam, Carol L

2007-01-01

As the evidence-based practice movement gains momentum, continuing education practitioners increasingly confront the challenge of developing and conducting opportunities for achieving research uptake. Recent thinking invites new approaches to continuing education for health professionals, with due consideration of what knowledge merits uptake by practitioners, who should play what role in the knowledge transfer process, and what educational approach should be used. This article presents an innovative theory-based strategy that encompasses this new perspective. Through a facilitated experience of perspective transformation, clinicians are engaged in an on-the-job process of developing a deeply felt interest in research findings relevant to everyday practice, as well as ownership of that knowledge and its application. The strategy becomes a sustainable, integrated part of clinical practice, fitting naturally within its dynamic, unique environment, context, and climate and overcoming the barrier of time. Clinician experience of a top-down push toward prescribed practice change is avoided. With an expanded role encompassing facilitation of active learning partnerships for practice change, the continuing educator fosters a learning organization culture across the institution. The resultant role changes and leadership and accountability issues are elaborated.

Space Bioreactor Science Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morrison, Dennis R. (Editor)

1987-01-01

The first space bioreactor has been designed for microprocessor control, no gaseous headspace, circulation and resupply of culture medium, and a slow mixing in very low shear regimes. Various ground based bioreactors are being used to test reactor vessel design, on-line sensors, effects of shear, nutrient supply, and waste removal from continuous culture of human cells attached to microcarriers. The small (500 ml) bioreactor is being constructed for flight experiments in the Shuttle middeck to verify systems operation under microgravity conditions and to measure the efficiencies of mass transport, gas transfer, oxygen consumption, and control of low shear stress on cells. Applications of microcarrier cultures, development of the first space bioreactor flight system, shear and mixing effects on cells, process control, and methods to monitor cell metabolism and nutrient requirements are among the topics covered.

Cultural influences for college student language brokers.

PubMed

Weisskirch, Robert S; Kim, Su Yeong; Zamboanga, Byron L; Schwartz, Seth J; Bersamin, Melina; Umaña-Taylor, Adriana J

2011-01-01

Children from immigrant families often translate communication for parents, a process known as language brokering (LB). LB begins in childhood, but may continue through emerging adulthood, even when individuals are in college. We surveyed 1,222 university students with two immigrant parents and compared non-language brokers, infrequent language brokers, and frequent language brokers on a variety of ethnic, cultural, and identity measures. Significant differences emerged for cultural heritage value orientation, ethnic identity, and dimensions of acculturation with frequent language brokers scoring highest, infrequent language brokers scoring in the middle, and non-language brokers scoring the lowest on these measures. There were no significant differences on acculturative stress among these three groups. These results suggest that LB experiences may contribute to the development of psychological assets for ethnic minority, emerging adults from immigrant families.

Adaptation, postpartum concerns, and learning needs in the first two weeks after caesarean birth.

PubMed

Weiss, Marianne; Fawcett, Jacqueline; Aber, Cynthia

2009-11-01

The purpose of this Roy Adaptation Model-based study was to describe women's physical, emotional, functional and social adaptation; postpartum concerns; and learning needs during the first two weeks following caesarean birth and identify relevant nursing interventions. Studies of caesarean-delivered women indicated a trend toward normalisation of the caesarean birth experience. Escalating caesarean birth rates mandate continued study of contemporary caesarean-delivered women. Mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) descriptive research design. Nursing students collected data from 233 culturally diverse caesarean-delivered women in urban areas of the Midwestern and Northeastern USA between 2002-2004. The focal stimulus was the planned or unplanned caesarean birth; contextual stimuli were cultural identity and parity. Adaptation was measured by open-ended interview questions, fixed choice questionnaires about postpartum concerns and learning needs and nurse assessment of post-discharge problems. Potential interventions were identified using the Omaha System Intervention Scheme. More positive than negative responses were reported for functional and social adaptation than for physical and emotional adaptation. Women with unplanned caesarean births and primiparous women reported less favourable adaptation than planned caesarean mothers and multiparas. Black women reported lower social adaptation, Hispanic women had more role function concerns and Black and Hispanic women had more learning needs than White women. Post-discharge nursing assessments revealed that actual problems accounted for 40% of identified actual or potential problems or needs. Health teaching was the most commonly recommended postpartum intervention strategy followed by case management, treatment and surveillance interventions. Caesarean-delivered women continue to experience some problems with adapting to childbirth. Recommended intervention strategies reflect the importance of health teaching following hospital discharge. Women who experience caesarean birth require comprehensive assessment during the early postpartum period. Nurses should devise strategies to continue care services for these women following hospital discharge.

Quantitative high-throughput population dynamics in continuous-culture by automated microscopy.

PubMed

Merritt, Jason; Kuehn, Seppe

2016-09-12

We present a high-throughput method to measure abundance dynamics in microbial communities sustained in continuous-culture. Our method uses custom epi-fluorescence microscopes to automatically image single cells drawn from a continuously-cultured population while precisely controlling culture conditions. For clonal populations of Escherichia coli our instrument reveals history-dependent resilience and growth rate dependent aggregation.

Behavioral, Attitudinal, and Cultural Factors Influencing Interagency Information Sharing

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-01

identify any alternate destinations if required NLT 1430Z21 July." The use of Zulu time caused great confusion, particularly between military and...civilian 11 authorities attempting to exchange information. Among participants, there was disagreement over the local time equivalent of Zulu . Time...reporting continued to be inconsistent in the experiment with participants using EST, Eastern Daylight Time, Zulu , etc. In reality, literal reading of

Mediating Knowledge through Peer-to-Peer Interaction in a Multicultural Online Learning Environment: A Case Study of International Students in the US

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadykova, Gulnara

2014-01-01

The continuous growth of online learning and its movement towards cross-border and cross-culture education has recently taken a new turn with the epic hype that currently surrounds the development of massive open online courses (MOOCs) (Beattie-Moss, 2013). This development brings to focus the experiences of international students who take online…

[Certification, on-the-ground experience of a manager and his team].

PubMed

Thibault, Catherine; Guillouët, Sonia; Havin, Marie-Pierre

2018-03-01

The certification assessment is an important stage in the life of a healthcare facility. However, instilling a quality culture within a team to lead it towards performance is a long-term endeavour. This cannot work without the existence of a partnership between the paramedical and medical teams, nor without the support of the hospital led by senior quality managers. The challenge is to not limit the quality culture to the certification assessment, which aims to highlight the areas in which the institution conforms and those in which it is failing, but rather to adopt a continuous improvement approach. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

A woman with leprosy is in double jeopardy.

PubMed

Morrison, A

2000-06-01

The double jeopardy associated with female leprosy patients is the central theme underpinning this essay. It constitutes a combination of biological factors unique to women and culturally defined bias, resulting in more stigmatization and isolation for women. Having examined the female immunological response and biological roles, the essay continues by focusing on the gender-culture perspective of leprosy. It draws upon an historical analysis of the experiences of Indian and African women to illustrate the ways in which gender roles impact upon health education and the utilization of health care services. Concluding comments suggest strategies that might improve female leprosy patient status, and views towards future research.

Patient-based cultural competency curriculum for pre-health professionals.

PubMed

Melamed, Esther; Wyatt, Lacey E; Padilla, Tony; Ferry, Robert J

2008-01-01

The diverse US population requires medical cultural competency education for health providers throughout their pre-professional and professional years. We present a curriculum to train pre-health professional undergraduates by combining classroom education in the humanities and cross-cultural communication skills with volunteer clinical experiences at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) hospital. The course was open to a maximum of 15 UCLA junior and senior undergraduate students with a pre-health or humanities major and was held in the spring quarters of 2002--2004. The change in students' knowledge of cultural competency was evaluated using the Provider's Guide to Quality and Culture Quiz (QCQ) and through students' written assignments and evaluations. Trainees displayed a statistically significant improvement in scores on the QCQ. Participants' written assignments and subjective evaluations confirmed an improvement in awareness and a high motivation to continue learning at the graduate level. This is the first evaluated undergraduate curriculum that integrates interdisciplinary cultural competency training with patient volunteering in the medical field. The didactic, volunteering, and writing components of the course comprise a broadly applicable tool for training future health care providers at other institutions.

An analysis of the productivity of a CELSS continuous algal culture system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Radmer, R.; Behrens, P.; Fernandez, E.; Arnett, K.

1986-01-01

One of the most attractive aspects of using algal cultures as plant components for a Closed Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS) is the efficiency with which they can be grown. Although algae are not necessarily intrinsically more efficient than higher plants, the ease which they can be handled and manipulated (more like chemical reagents than plants), and the culturing techniques available, result in much higher growth rates than are usually attainable with higher plants. Furthermore, preliminary experiments have demonstrated that algal growth and physiology is not detectable altered in a microgravity environment, (1) whereas the response of higher plants to zero gravity is unknown. In order to rationally design and operate culture systems, it is necessary to understand how the macroparameters of a culture system, e.g., productivity, are related to the physiological aspects of the algal culture. A first principles analysis of culture system is discussed, and a mathematical model that describes the relationship of culture productivity to the cell concentration of light-limited culture is derived. The predicted productivity vs cell concentration curve agrees well with the experimental data obtained to test this model, indicating that this model permits an accurate prediction of culture productivity given the growth parameters of the system.

Changing cultural attitudes towards female genital cutting.

PubMed

Vogt, Sonja; Mohmmed Zaid, Nadia Ahmed; El Fadil Ahmed, Hilal; Fehr, Ernst; Efferson, Charles

2016-10-27

As globalization brings people with incompatible attitudes into contact, cultural conflicts inevitably arise. Little is known about how to mitigate conflict and about how the conflicts that occur can shape the cultural evolution of the groups involved. Female genital cutting is a prominent example. Governments and international agencies have promoted the abandonment of cutting for decades, but the practice remains widespread with associated health risks for millions of girls and women. In their efforts to end cutting, international agents have often adopted the view that cutting is locally pervasive and entrenched. This implies the need to introduce values and expectations from outside the local culture. Members of the target society may view such interventions as unwelcome intrusions, and campaigns promoting abandonment have sometimes led to backlash as they struggle to reconcile cultural tolerance with the conviction that cutting violates universal human rights. Cutting, however, is not necessarily locally pervasive and entrenched. We designed experiments on cultural change that exploited the existence of conflicting attitudes within cutting societies. We produced four entertaining movies that served as experimental treatments in two experiments in Sudan, and we developed an implicit association test to unobtrusively measure attitudes about cutting. The movies depart from the view that cutting is locally pervasive by dramatizing members of an extended family as they confront each other with divergent views about whether the family should continue cutting. The movies significantly improved attitudes towards girls who remain uncut, with one in particular having a relatively persistent effect. These results show that using entertainment to dramatize locally discordant views can provide a basis for applied cultural evolution without accentuating intercultural divisions.

Influence of social experiences in shaping perceptions of the Ebola virus among African residents of Hong Kong during the 2014 outbreak: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Siu, Judy Yuen-man

2015-10-05

The outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Africa in 2014 attracted worldwide attention. Because of the high mortality rate, marginalised social groups are vulnerable to disease-associated stigmatisation and discrimination, according to the literature. In Hong Kong, ethnic minorities such as Africans are often disadvantaged groups because of their low position in the social hierarchy. In 2011, approximately 1700 Africans were residing in Hong Kong. Their overseas experiences during the EVD outbreak were not well documented. Therefore, this study investigated the EVD-associated stigmatisation experiences of African residents of Hong Kong with chronic illnesses, and how these experiences shaped their perceptions of EVD. A qualitative design with 30 in-depth semistructured interviews was conducted with chronically ill African residents of Hong Kong. The interview data showed that the sampled Africans often experienced stigmatisation in their workplaces and in the community during the EVD outbreak. Their experiences of EVD-associated stigma were correlated to the embedded social and cultural values regarding ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. These experiences of being stigmatised shaped the perceptions of the Africans of EVD, leading them to view EVD as shameful and horrifying. They also perceived EVD as retribution and was introduced by Westerners. The participants' perceptions of EVD influenced their responses to and behaviour towards EVD, which may have posed potential threats to Hong Kong's public health. The EVD outbreak was not the only cause of the participants' stigmatisation; rather, their EVD-associated experiences were a continuation and manifestation of the embedded social and cultural values regarding ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. The experiences of being stigmatised shaped the participants' perceptions of EVD. Because of their marginalised social position and isolation from the main community, the participants had extremely limited access to reliable information about EVD. As a result, they used their own cultural beliefs to understand EVD, which might have ultimately influenced their health behaviours. The experiences of the participants showed that ethnic minorities in Hong Kong were in need of more culturally responsive social and health care support to obtain reliable information about the nature of and preventive measures against EVD.

'The engine just started coughing!' - Limits of physical performance, aging and career continuity in elite endurance sports.

PubMed

Ronkainen, Noora J; Ryba, Tatiana V; Nesti, Mark S

2013-12-01

This research examines male endurance athletes' experience of aging and/or reaching the perceived limits of physical performance. More specifically, the current study aimed to explore how existential meanings attached to these experiences are connected with athletes' decision-making concerning career continuity and retirement. Life story interviews were conducted with 10 Finnish runners and/or orienteers aged between 25 and 62 and the data was analyzed with an existential-narrative framework. Four major storylines related to aging were identified: The end of an era, putting things in perspective, the attitude has to change and winning was never the only motive. Our results suggest that endurance athletes possess diverse ways of bringing meaning to the experience of aging, both confirming and resisting the dominant cultural narrative of decline. While three athletes' stories confirmed the normativity of retirement when unable to improve their results anymore, other athletes demonstrated career continuity and positive aspects in the late career years, such as lack of competitive anxiety, finding perspective and increased enjoyment in running. We suggest that through awareness of alternative narratives, sport psychology consultants may be able to help their clients to explore new meanings in the potentially challenging and beneficial experiences of aging and athletic retirement. © 2013.

Electrophoretic separation of cells and particles from rat pituitary and rat spleen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hymer, Wesley C.

1993-01-01

There are 3 parts to the IML-2 TX-101 experiment. Part 1 is a pituitary cell culture experiment. Part 2 is a pituitary cell separation experiment using the Japanese free flow electrophoresis unit (FFEU). Part 3 is a pituitary secretory granule separation experiment using the FFEU. The objectives of this three part experiment are: (1) to determine the kinetics of production of biologically active growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL) in rat pituitary GH and PRL cells in microgravity (micro-g); (2) to investigate three mechanisms by which a micro-g-induced lesion in hormone production may occur; and (3) to determine the quality of separations of pituitary cells and organelles by continuous flow electrophoresis (CFE) in micro-g under conditions where buoyancy-induced convection is eliminated.

[Effects of continuous application of bio-organic fertilizer on banana production and cultural microflora of bulk soil in orchard with serious disease incidence].

PubMed

Zhong, Shu-tang; Shen, Zong-zhuan; Sun, Yi-fei; Lyu, Na-na; Ruan, Yun-ze; Li, Rong; Shen, Qi-rong

2015-02-01

A field experiment was conducted for two years to investigate the effects of different fertilization applications on the suppression of banana fusarium wilt disease, crop yield, fruit quality and culturable microflora in a banana orchard which has been monocultured with banana for 12 years and suffered serious banana fusarium wilt disease. The fertilizers included chemical fertilizer (CF), cow manure compost (CM), pig manure compost (PM) and bio-organic fertilizer (BIO). The banana soil microflora was invested using plate-counting method and culture-dependent polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis method (CD PCR-DGGE). Results showed that, compared with the other treatments, 2-year consecutive application of BIO significantly reduced the banana fusarium wilt disease incidence, and improved the banana mass per tree, crop yield, total soluble sugar content and the ratio of total soluble sugar to titratable acidity of fruits (sugar/acid ratio). Moreover, the analysis of culturable microflora showed that BIO application significantly increased the soil microbial biomass, soil culturable bacteria, bacillus and actinomycetes, and the ratio of bacteria to fungi (B/F) , while decreased the Fusarium oxysporum. Based on the CD PCR-DGGE results, the BIO application significantly altered the soil culturable bacterial structure and showed highest richness and diversity after 2 years of BIO application. The phylogenetic analysis of the selected bands showed that BIO application enriched the soil with the species of Paenibacillus sp., Burkholderia sp., uncultured Verrucomicrobia sp. and Bacillus aryabhattai, and depressed the species of Ralstonia sp., Chryseobacterium gleum, Fluviicola taffensis, Enterobacter sp. and Bacillus megaterium. These results confirmed that the continuous application of BIO effectively controlled the fusarium wilt disease, improved the crop yield and fruit quality, and modulated the soil culturable microflora under field condition.

Cultural Norms in Conflict: Breastfeeding Among Hispanic Immigrants in Rural Washington State.

PubMed

Hohl, Sarah; Thompson, Beti; Escareño, Monica; Duggan, Catherine

2016-07-01

Objectives To examine perceptions, experiences, and attitudes towards breastfeeding among Hispanic women living in rural Washington State. Methods Twenty parous Hispanic women of low acculturation, aged 25-48 years and residents in rural Washington State participated in an exploratory, face-to-face interview. Interviews were audio-recorded, translated and transcribed, and analyzed using a thematic content analysis approach. Results Nine emergent themes were grouped into three overarching categories: (1) Breast is best; (2) Hispanic cultural and familial expectations to breastfeed; and (3) Adapting to life in the United States: cultural norms in conflict. Women said they were motivated to breastfeed because of their knowledge and observations of its health benefits for mother and child. They said breastfeeding is ingrained in their Hispanic cultural heritage, and infant feeding choices of female family members were particularly influential in women's own decision to breastfeed. Women said they experienced embarrassment about breastfeeding in the United States and as a result, often chose to initiate formula feeding as a complement so as to avoid feelings of shame. Additionally, they faced economic pressure to work, key barriers for continued breastfeeding among Hispanics in the United States. Conclusions for Practice Knowledge of the benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child and longstanding cultural practices of breastfeeding are not enough to encourage exclusive breastfeeding to 6 months among this rural Hispanic population. Continued support through family-level interventions as well as work place policies that encourage breastfeeding are needed for rural Hispanics to reach optimal breastfeeding rates.

Adapting cultural mixture modeling for continuous measures of knowledge and memory fluency.

PubMed

Tan, Yin-Yin Sarah; Mueller, Shane T

2016-09-01

Previous research (e.g., cultural consensus theory (Romney, Weller, & Batchelder, American Anthropologist, 88, 313-338, 1986); cultural mixture modeling (Mueller & Veinott, 2008)) has used overt response patterns (i.e., responses to questionnaires and surveys) to identify whether a group shares a single coherent attitude or belief set. Yet many domains in social science have focused on implicit attitudes that are not apparent in overt responses but still may be detected via response time patterns. We propose a method for modeling response times as a mixture of Gaussians, adapting the strong-consensus model of cultural mixture modeling to model this implicit measure of knowledge strength. We report the results of two behavioral experiments and one simulation experiment that establish the usefulness of the approach, as well as some of the boundary conditions under which distinct groups of shared agreement might be recovered, even when the group identity is not known. The results reveal that the ability to recover and identify shared-belief groups depends on (1) the level of noise in the measurement, (2) the differential signals for strong versus weak attitudes, and (3) the similarity between group attitudes. Consequently, the method shows promise for identifying latent groups among a population whose overt attitudes do not differ, but whose implicit or covert attitudes or knowledge may differ.

The Cultural Evolution of Structured Languages in an Open-Ended, Continuous World.

PubMed

Carr, Jon W; Smith, Kenny; Cornish, Hannah; Kirby, Simon

2017-05-01

Language maps signals onto meanings through the use of two distinct types of structure. First, the space of meanings is discretized into categories that are shared by all users of the language. Second, the signals employed by the language are compositional: The meaning of the whole is a function of its parts and the way in which those parts are combined. In three iterated learning experiments using a vast, continuous, open-ended meaning space, we explore the conditions under which both structured categories and structured signals emerge ex nihilo. While previous experiments have been limited to either categorical structure in meanings or compositional structure in signals, these experiments demonstrate that when the meaning space lacks clear preexisting boundaries, more subtle morphological structure that lacks straightforward compositionality-as found in natural languages-may evolve as a solution to joint pressures from learning and communication. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Cognitive Science published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Cognitive Science Society.

Identification of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria by fluorescence studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demchak, Jonathan; Calabrese, Joseph; Tzolov, Marian

2011-03-01

Several type strains of bacteria including Vibrio fischeri, Azotobacter vinelandii, Enterobacter cloacae, and Corynebacterium xerosis, were cultured in the laboratory following standard diagnostic protocol based on their individual metabolic strategies. The bacterial cultures were not further treated and they were studied in their pristine state (pure culture - axenic). The fluorescent studies were applied using a continuous wave and a pulsed excitation light sources. Emission and excitation spectra were recorded for the continuous wave excitation and they all show similar spectral features with the exception of the gram positive bacteria showing vibronic structures. The vibrational modes involved in these vibronic bands have energy typical for carbon-carbon vibrations. The fluorescence is quenched in addition of water, even a very thin layer, which confirms that the observed spectral features originate from the outer parts of the bacteria. These results allow to conclude that the fluorescence spectroscopy can be used as a method for studying the membranes of the bacteria and eventually to discriminate between gram positive and gram negative bacteria. The pulsed experiments show that the fluorescence lifetime is in the sub-microsecond range. The results indicate that the observed spectra are superposition of the emission with different lifetimes.

Characterization of Spirulina biomass for CELSS diet potential

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tadros, Mahasin G.

1993-01-01

Cyanobacteria, Spirulina maxima as a biogenerative photosynthetic and an edible alga for the space craft crew in a CELSS, was evaluated in an effort to increase the growth rate, biomass, yield, and chemical analysis in continuous cultures. The cell characteristics were determined for cultures maintained at steady state with respect to the substrate concentration. The productivity increased in experiments exposed to low light (30 uE m(exp -2)s(exp -1). Oxygen evolved and protein production were higher in cultures exposed to low light intensity. There was a relationship between nitrate concentration and the yield of the culture. Increasing the concentration of nitrate in the growth medium up to 20 mM was enough to produce a culture having the same chemical composition as that of complete medium. High light was inhibiting the yield of the culture. Increasing the concentration of phosphate beyond 1 mM did not improve the yield of the culture. Increasing the concentration of sodium chloride in the growth medium did not affect the growth of the alga up to 0.1 M but beyond that the culture started to be stressed. The response to stress appeared in high production of total carbohydrate on the expense of protein production. The oxygen production was also higher in cultures stressed with sodium chloride.

Trends in blood culture contamination: a College of American Pathologists Q-Tracks study of 356 institutions.

PubMed

Bekeris, Leonas G; Tworek, Joseph A; Walsh, Molly K; Valenstein, Paul N

2005-10-01

Blood culture contamination extends hospital stays and increases the cost of care. To measure blood culture contamination rates in a large number of institutions over time and to elucidate practice patterns and demographic factors associated with sustained reduction in contamination rates. Longitudinal cohort study of 356 clinical laboratories that provided quarterly data about blood culture results, using a uniform definition of contamination. Mixed linear model analysis of the 1999 through 2003 data set. Blood culture contamination was significantly higher in institutions that used nonlaboratory personnel to collect blood (P = .03) and significantly lower in facilities that used a dedicated phlebotomy team (P < .001). Higher volume of blood collection was significantly associated with lower contamination rates (P < .001). Continued participation in the Q-Tracks monitoring program was associated with significant and progressive reduction in contamination rates. By the fifth year of participation, the median institution had reduced its blood culture contamination rate by 0.67% (P < .001). Institutions that use decentralized patient-centered personnel rather than dedicated phlebotomy teams to collect blood cultures experience significantly higher contamination rates. Long-term monitoring of contamination is associated with sustained improvement in performance.

The challenge of providing infertility services to a low-income immigrant Latino population

PubMed Central

Nachtigall, Robert D.; Castrillo, Martha; Shah, Nina; Turner, Dylan; Harrington, Jennifer; Jackson, Rebecca

2009-01-01

Study Objective To provide insight into the experience of low income immigrant Latino couples seeking infertility treatment. Design Qualitative interview study. Setting Infertility Clinic at a University-affiliated urban public teaching hospital. Patients Infertile low-income immigrant Latino couples (105 women and 40 men). Interventions In-depth tape-recorded interviews. Main Outcome Measures After transcription and translation, the interviews were coded and analyzed for thematic content. Results We identified four major challenges to providing infertility services to this population: (1) Communication: Language and cultural barriers resulted in patients having difficulty both in understanding diagnoses and treatments and in communicating their questions, concerns and experiences to physicians; (2) Continuity: Because medical student and residents rotated frequently, patients usually saw a different physician at each visit. (3) Bureaucracy: Patients reported having difficulty with appointment scheduling, follow-up visits, and timed laboratory procedures. (4) Accessibility: Patients faced issues of limited availability and affordability of treatment. Conclusions At a large, urban, University-affiliated infertility clinic, challenges related to communication, comprehension, continuity, bureaucracy, accessibility, availability, and affordability impeded the delivery of optimal infertility care to many low income immigrant Latino patients. We recommend a greater availability of translators and both patient and physician cultural orientations to address these health care barriers. PMID:18710703

Voices of Native Hawaiian kupuna (elders) living with chronic illness: "knowing who I am".

PubMed

Davis, ReNel

2010-07-01

Health disparities among Native Hawaiian kupuna (elders) continues to be a major health issue. The purpose of this study was to explore the meanings, experiences and perceptions of care of Native Hawaiian kupuna in Hawaii who live with chronic illness. A qualitative design was used with in-depth interviews conducted with 15 Native Hawaiian kupuna and five Native Hawaiian health care providers. Study themes that emerged were the importance of knowing and respecting the Hawaiian culture, the difficulties of living in two worlds, knowing how to speak from the heart, and the need to learn from each other. Findings revealed that integrating knowledge and understanding of Hawaiian cultural values and perspectives are essential in designing culturally competent approaches that promote the health and well-being of Native Hawaiian kupuna with chronic illnesses.

Feasibility of establishing a biosafety level 3 tuberculosis culture laboratory of acceptable quality standards in a resource-limited setting: an experience from Uganda.

PubMed

Ssengooba, Willy; Gelderbloem, Sebastian J; Mboowa, Gerald; Wajja, Anne; Namaganda, Carolyn; Musoke, Philippa; Mayanja-Kizza, Harriet; Joloba, Moses Lutaakome

2015-01-15

Despite the recent innovations in tuberculosis (TB) and multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) diagnosis, culture remains vital for difficult-to-diagnose patients, baseline and end-point determination for novel vaccines and drug trials. Herein, we share our experience of establishing a BSL-3 culture facility in Uganda as well as 3-years performance indicators and post-TB vaccine trials (pioneer) and funding experience of sustaining such a facility. Between September 2008 and April 2009, the laboratory was set-up with financial support from external partners. After an initial procedure validation phase in parallel with the National TB Reference Laboratory (NTRL) and legal approvals, the laboratory registered for external quality assessment (EQA) from the NTRL, WHO, National Health Laboratories Services (NHLS), and the College of American Pathologists (CAP). The laboratory also instituted a functional quality management system (QMS). Pioneer funding ended in 2012 and the laboratory remained in self-sustainability mode. The laboratory achieved internationally acceptable standards in both structural and biosafety requirements. Of the 14 patient samples analyzed in the procedural validation phase, agreement for all tests with NTRL was 90% (P <0.01). It started full operations in October 2009 performing smear microscopy, culture, identification, and drug susceptibility testing (DST). The annual culture workload was 7,636, 10,242, and 2,712 inoculations for the years 2010, 2011, and 2012, respectively. Other performance indicators of TB culture laboratories were also monitored. Scores from EQA panels included smear microscopy >80% in all years from NTRL, CAP, and NHLS, and culture was 100% for CAP panels and above regional average scores for all years with NHLS. Quarterly DST scores from WHO-EQA ranged from 78% to 100% in 2010, 80% to 100% in 2011, and 90 to 100% in 2012. From our experience, it is feasible to set-up a BSL-3 TB culture laboratory with acceptable quality performance standards in resource-limited countries. With the demonstrated quality of work, the laboratory attracted more research groups and post-pioneer funding, which helped to ensure sustainability. The high skilled experts in this research laboratory also continue to provide an excellent resource for the needed national discussion of the laboratory and quality management systems.

Overcoming the Discontinuity of Patriotic Education and Moral Development by Means of Regional Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tikhonova, Anna U.

2016-01-01

The paper analyzes studies on continuing education, explains the concept of "continuity of patriotic education and moral development by means of regional culture", determines the uniqueness of regional culture as the core of patriotic education and moral development, and characterizes the model of continuity of patriotic education and…

Nonstarter Lactobacillus strains as adjunct cultures for cheese making: in vitro characterization and performance in two model cheeses.

PubMed

Briggiler-Marcó, M; Capra, M L; Quiberoni, A; Vinderola, G; Reinheimer, J A; Hynes, E

2007-10-01

Nonstarter lactic acid bacteria are the main uncontrolled factor in today's industrial cheese making and may be the cause of quality inconsistencies and defects in cheeses. In this context, adjunct cultures of selected lactobacilli from nonstarter lactic acid bacteria origin appear as the best alternative to indirectly control cheese biota. The objective of the present work was to study the technological properties of Lactobacillus strains isolated from cheese by in vitro and in situ assays. Milk acidification kinetics and proteolytic and acidifying activities were assessed, and peptide mapping of trichloroacetic acid 8% soluble fraction of milk cultures was performed by liquid chromatography. In addition, the tolerance to salts (NaCl and KCl) and the phage-resistance were investigated. Four strains were selected for testing as adjunct cultures in cheese making experiments at pilot plant scale. In in vitro assays, most strains acidified milk slowly and showed weak to moderate proteolytic activity. Fast strains decreased milk pH to 4.5 in 8 h, and continued acidification to 3.5 in 12 h or more. This group consisted mostly of Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus rhamnosus strains. Approximately one-third of the slow strains, which comprised mainly Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus fermentum, and Lactobacillus curvatus, were capable to grow when milk was supplemented with glucose and casein hydrolysate. Peptide maps were similar to those of lactic acid bacteria considered to have a moderate proteolytic activity. Most strains showed salt tolerance and resistance to specific phages. The Lactobacillus strains selected as adjunct cultures for cheese making experiments reached 10(8) cfu/g in soft cheeses at 7 d of ripening, whereas they reached 10(9) cfu/g in semihard cheeses after 15 d of ripening. In both cheese varieties, the adjunct culture population remained at high counts during all ripening, in some cases overcoming or equaling primary starter. Overall, proximate composition of cheeses with and without added lactobacilli did not differ; however, some of the tested strains continued acidifying during ripening, which was mainly noticed in soft cheeses and affected overall quality of the products. The lactobacilli strains with low acidifying activity showed appropriate technological characteristics for their use as adjunct cultures in soft and semihard cheeses.

Exploring issues and strengths of cross-cultural marriage among Korean immigrants.

PubMed

Kim, Junhyoung; Park, Se-Hyuk; Kim, May; Kim, Su Yeon

2017-10-01

Cross-cultural marriages have continuously increased in the United States. In spite of this increase, further research is needed to address the paucity of literature on cross-cultural marriage, particularly, between immigrants and their indigenous spouses. In this study, we have focused on the cross-cultural marriages between female Korean immigrants who have married Americans, aiming to identify the positive and/or negative aspects of cross-cultural marriage from the Korean women themselves. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted on a total of 14 participants. Their ages ranged from 45 to 66 years (M D 52.5 years) and the average length of time since their immigration was 25 years. Each interview lasted between 45 and 120 min and, with participants' permission, were recorded and transcribed. Based on the participants' life experiences and personal statements, we divided our findings into two sections: (a) issues and problems of cross-cultural marriages, and (b) strengths of cross-cultural marriages. With regard to the issues and problems of cross-cultural marriages experienced by participants, three major themes were identified: (a) communication barriers, (b) cultural conflicts and misunderstandings, and (c) unclear cultural identities. The strengths of cross-cultural marriages were identified as: (a) development of coping strategies, and (b) improving cultural understanding. It appears that participants developed their own coping strategies and improved their cultural understanding in order to deal with the various stressors associated with cross-cultural marriage.

Bioaugmentation for Groundwater Remediation

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-01

continually grown and harvested , in fed batch mode where a culture is grown in a vessel and harvested and then another culture begun, or in a hybrid of...the two whereby the culture is maintained in a fermentor until a volume of culture is harvested and then replaced with fresh medium. The primary...producing cultures for bioaugmentation is a semi- continuous process whereby the culture is maintained in the fermentor until needed and then harvested

Properties of electrophoretic fractions of human embryonic kidney cells separated on space shuttle flight STS-8

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morrison, D. R.; Lewis, M. L.; Barlow, G. H.; Todd, P. W.; Kunze, M. E.; Sarnoff, B. E.; Li, Z. K.

1985-01-01

Suspensions of cultured primary human embryonic kidney cells were subjected to continuous flow electrophoresis on Space Shuttle flight STS-8. The objectives of the experiments were to obtain electrophoretically separated fractions of the original cell populations and to test these fractions for the amount and kind of urokinase (a kidney plasminogen activator that is used medically for digesting blood clots), the morphologies of cells in the individual fractions, and their cellular electrophoretic mobilities after separation and subsequent proliferation. Individual fractions were successfully cultured after return from orbit, and they were found to differ substantially from one another and from the starting sample with respect to all of these properties.

Historical Trauma, Substance Use, and Indigenous Peoples: Seven Generations of Harm From a "Big Event".

PubMed

Nutton, Jennifer; Fast, Elizabeth

2015-01-01

Indigenous peoples the world over have and continue to experience the devastating effects of colonialism including loss of life, land, language, culture, and identity. Indigenous peoples suffer disproportionately across many health risk factors including an increased risk of substance use. We use the term "Big Event" to describe the historical trauma attributed to colonial policies as a potential pathway to explain the disparity in rates of substance use among many Indigenous populations. We present "Big Solutions" that have the potential to buffer the negative effects of the Big Event, including: (1) decolonizing strategies, (2) identity development, and (3) culturally adapted interventions. Study limitations are noted and future needed research is suggested.

Mentoring Faculty: A US National Survey of Its Adequacy and Linkage to Culture in Academic Health Centers.

PubMed

Pololi, Linda H; Evans, Arthur T; Civian, Janet T; Vasiliou, Vasilia; Coplit, Lisa D; Gillum, Linda H; Gibbs, Brian K; Brennan, Robert T

2015-01-01

The aims of this study were to (1) describe the quantity and quality of mentoring faculty in US academic health centers (AHCs), (2) measure associations between mentoring and 12 dimensions that reflect the culture of AHCs, and (3) assess whether mentoring predicts seriously contemplating leaving one's institution. During 2007-2009, our National Initiative on Gender, Culture and Leadership in Medicine (C - Change) conducted a cross-sectional study of faculty from 26 representative AHCs in the United States using the 74-item C - Change Faculty Survey to assess relationships of faculty characteristics and various aspects of the institutional culture (52% response rate). Among the 2178 eligible respondents (assistant, associate, and full professors), we classified their mentoring experience as either inadequate, neutral, or positive. In this national sample, 43% of the 2178 respondents had inadequate mentoring; only 30% had a positive assessment of mentoring. There was no statistical difference by sex, minority status, or rank. Inadequate mentoring was most strongly associated with less institutional support, lower self-efficacy in career advancement, and lower scores on the trust/relationship/inclusion scale. The percent of faculty who had seriously considered leaving their institution was highest among those who had inadequate mentoring (58%), compared to those who were neutral (28%) or had positive mentoring (14%) (all paired comparisons, p < .001). In a national survey of faculty of US AHCs, mentoring was frequently inadequate and this was associated with faculty contemplating leaving their institutions. Positive mentoring, although less prevalent, was associated with many other positive dimensions of AHCs. © 2015 The Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education, and the Council on Continuing Medical Education, Association for Hospital Medical Education.

An evaluation of the role of the clinical education facilitator.

PubMed

McCormack, Brendan; Slater, Paul

2006-02-01

The objective of the study was to identify whether clinical education facilitators made a difference to the learning experiences of nurses in a large teaching hospital. Strategies for enabling continuous professional development are well established in health care organizations as key components of approaches to lifelong learning. The benefits of continuous professional development include the maintenance of high standards of care, the improvement and development of services, ensuring the competency of all nursing staff and guaranteeing the accountability of nurses for their actions. The role of clinical education facilitator is relatively new and little evaluation of this role has been undertaken. This study highlights important issues to be considered in developing a 'learning culture' in a hospital organization, through the adoption of such roles as clinical education facilitators. Whilst the roles have had an important function in the active coordination of learning activities in the hospital, there is little evidence of the role directly impacting on the learning culture of clinical settings. Learning mechanisms have been identified. The results of this evaluation can be subjected to further testing through ongoing evaluation of the outcomes arising from the learning mechanisms in place. Given the emphasis on work-based learning and continuing professional development in health care, then this ongoing evaluation can yield important information about future directions for nurse education. The study highlights the importance of supported learning in the workplace. However, more importantly, it identifies the need for a culture of professional practice to be developed in order to sustain learning in practice. Classroom-based learning alone, cannot create a culture of development in nursing and there is thus a need for models of work-based learning to be integrated into practice environments.

Health-care encounters create both discontinuity and continuity in daily life when living with chronic heart failure-A grounded theory study.

PubMed

Östman, Malin; Ung, Eva Jakobsson; Falk, Kristin

2015-01-01

Living with chronic heart failure (CHF) often involves lifelong contact with health care, more or less frequently, depending on fluctuating health-generating disruptions in everyday life. To reduce the influence on continuity in life, health-care professionals should preferably focus on supporting patients in managing their daily lives, based on their perspective. The aim of this study was to describe how the interaction in health-care encounters contributes to either continuity or discontinuity in the daily life for persons with CHF. Interviews with 18 participants were carried out, using the grounded theory method, through data collection and analysis. Two core concepts were constructed from data which reveal a model that illuminates the characteristics of the encounters, the actions of health-care professionals and the normative discourse. Patient-centred agenda consists of the categories: "Experiencing a subordinate approach," "Objectifying during the encounter" and "Expected to be compliant." This describes how health-care professionals enhance discontinuity in daily life by using a paternalistic approach in the encounter. Person-centred agenda consists of the categories: "Experiencing an empowering approach," "Person-centredness during the encounter" and "Expected to be capable." It describes how participants perceive that health-care professionals enable them to deal with everyday life which enhances continuity. The findings highlight the importance of health-care professionals' attitudes and communication in encounters with patients. Health care must be designed to support and promote patients' own strategic thinking by strengthening their self-image to enhance continuity in everyday life. The experience of discontinuity is based on the prevailing health-care culture which focuses on disease and medical treatment and regards it as superior to the illness experience in an everyday life context. We therefore strongly suggest a paradigm shift in the health-care organisation and culture in order to support the patients in their efforts to live a meaningful, rich life, in spite of the chronic illness CHF.

Adaptation of a culturally relevant nutrition and physical activity program for low-income, Mexican-origin parents with young children.

PubMed

Kaiser, Lucia; Martinez, Judith; Horowitz, Marcel; Lamp, Catherine; Johns, Margaret; Espinoza, Dorina; Byrnes, Michele; Gomez, Mayra Muñoz; Aguilera, Alberto; de la Torre, Adela

2015-05-14

Latino children experience higher rates of obesity than do non-Latino white children. Family-centered nutrition interventions can slow the rate of weight gain in this population. Niños Sanos, Familia Sana (Healthy Children, Healthy Family) is a 5-year, community-based, participatory research study that targets rural Mexican-origin farmworker families with children aged 2 to 8 years in California's Central Valley. Adaptation of a culturally relevant obesity prevention program involved qualitative research to tailor key obesity prevention messages, pilot testing and implementation of key messages and activities at family nights, and continual modification to incorporate culturally innovative elements. Of the 238 families enrolled, 53% (125) attended the recommended minimum of 5 (of 10 possible) classes during the first year. A university and community partnership can guide development of a culturally tailored obesity prevention program that is suitable for reaching a high-risk Mexican-origin audience through cooperative extension and other public health programs.

Adaptation of a Culturally Relevant Nutrition and Physical Activity Program for Low-Income, Mexican-Origin Parents With Young Children

PubMed Central

Martinez, Judith; Horowitz, Marcel; Lamp, Catherine; Johns, Margaret; Espinoza, Dorina; Byrnes, Michele; Gomez, Mayra Muñoz; Aguilera, Alberto; de la Torre, Adela

2015-01-01

Latino children experience higher rates of obesity than do non-Latino white children. Family-centered nutrition interventions can slow the rate of weight gain in this population. Niños Sanos, Familia Sana (Healthy Children, Healthy Family) is a 5-year, community-based, participatory research study that targets rural Mexican-origin farmworker families with children aged 2 to 8 years in California’s Central Valley. Adaptation of a culturally relevant obesity prevention program involved qualitative research to tailor key obesity prevention messages, pilot testing and implementation of key messages and activities at family nights, and continual modification to incorporate culturally innovative elements. Of the 238 families enrolled, 53% (125) attended the recommended minimum of 5 (of 10 possible) classes during the first year. A university and community partnership can guide development of a culturally tailored obesity prevention program that is suitable for reaching a high-risk Mexican-origin audience through cooperative extension and other public health programs. PMID:25974142

Rap as a roadway: creating creolized forms of science in an era of cultural globalization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elmesky, Rowhea

2011-03-01

Even during an era of cultural globalization where diversity, hybridity, and heterogeneity prevail, educational institutions remain unchanged and economically and racially marginalized students continue to experience a sense of exclusion in school. Whereas the science education community often addresses such exclusion in terms of the achievement gap or the lack of materials and qualified teachers in urban schools, there are also more subtle ways in which these students remain as outsiders to the culture of science. The study highlights how the acceptance and affordance of students' cultural capital can encourage a sense of belonging with school science. Specifically, this paper contributes to the literature by sharing longitudinal findings that reveal students' skills of orality, in the form of rap practices, can be rich resources for developing creolized forms of school science, and how rap creates entryways for students to form and reform hybridized identities in which canonical science discourse and lyrics about non-science subjects can begin to emerge in integrated, fluid and seamless manners.

Continuous culture methodology for the screening of microalgae for oil.

PubMed

Del Río, Esperanza; Armendáriz, Ana; García-Gómez, Elena; García-González, Mercedes; Guerrero, Miguel G

2015-02-10

A basic criterion in the selection of microalgae suitable as source of oil for biodiesel should be their actual capacity to produce lipids or, more properly, the fatty acid yield. Performance assessment of 10 preselected microalgae under both batch and continuous culture points to the latter approach as the most adequate for evaluating fatty acid productivity. Differences were patent in continuous culture among strains that otherwise had analogous oil accumulation potential under batch culture. Some promising strains under batch culture (like Muriella aurantiaca and Monoraphidium braunii) exhibited, however, values for actual fatty acid productivity lower than 40 mgL(-1)d(-1) in continuous regime. The analysis performed in photochemostat under continuous culture regime revealed the great potential of Chlorococcum olefaciens, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata and Scenedesmus almeriensis as oil producing microalgae. Fatty acid productivity levels over 90 mgL(-1)d(-1) were recorded for the latter strains under moderate nitrogen limitation, conditions which led to an enrichment in saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, a more suitable profile as raw material for biodiesel. The continuous culture methodology employed represents a sound procedure for screening microalgae for biofuel production, providing a reliable evaluation of their fatty acid production capacity, under conditions close to those of outdoor production systems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The renaissance of continuous culture in the post-genomics age.

PubMed

Bull, Alan T

2010-10-01

The development of continuous culture techniques 60 years ago and the subsequent formulation of theory and the diversification of experimental systems revolutionised microbiology and heralded a unique period of innovative research. Then, progressively, molecular biology and thence genomics and related high-information-density omics technologies took centre stage and microbial growth physiology in general faded from educational programmes and research funding priorities alike. However, there has been a gathering appreciation over the past decade that if the claims of systems biology are going to be realised, they will have to be based on rigorously controlled and reproducible microbial and cell growth platforms. This revival of continuous culture will be long lasting because its recognition as the growth system of choice is firmly established. The purpose of this review, therefore, is to remind microbiologists, particularly those new to continuous culture approaches, of the legacy of what I call the first age of continuous culture, and to explore a selection of researches that are using these techniques in this post-genomics age. The review looks at the impact of continuous culture across a comprehensive range of microbiological research and development. The ability to establish (quasi-) steady state conditions is a frequently stated advantage of continuous cultures thereby allowing environmental parameters to be manipulated without causing concomitant changes in the specific growth rate. However, the use of continuous cultures also enables the critical study of specified transition states and chemical, physical or biological perturbations. Such dynamic analyses enhance our understanding of microbial ecology and microbial pathology for example, and offer a wider scope for innovative drug discovery; they also can inform the optimization of batch and fed-batch operations that are characterized by sequential transitions states.

Mapping modern software process engineering techniques onto an HEP development environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wellisch, J. P.

2003-04-01

One of the most challenging issues faced in HEP in recent years is the question of how to capitalise on software development and maintenance experience in a continuous manner. To capitalise means in our context to evaluate and apply new process technologies as they arise, and to further evolve technologies already widely in use. It also implies the definition and adoption of standards. The CMS off-line software improvement effort aims at continual software quality improvement, and continual improvement in the efficiency of the working environment with the goal to facilitate doing great new physics. To achieve this, we followed a process improvement program based on ISO-15504, and Rational Unified Process. This experiment in software process improvement in HEP has been progressing now for a period of 3 years. Taking previous experience from ATLAS and SPIDER into account, we used a soft approach of continuous change within the limits of current culture to create of de facto software process standards within the CMS off line community as the only viable route to a successful software process improvement program in HEP. We will present the CMS approach to software process improvement in this process R&D, describe lessons learned, and mistakes made. We will demonstrate the benefits gained, and the current status of the software processes established in CMS off-line software.

Cell culture chamber with gas supply for prolonged recording of human neuronal cells on microelectrode array.

PubMed

Kreutzer, Joose; Ylä-Outinen, Laura; Mäki, Antti-Juhana; Ristola, Mervi; Narkilahti, Susanna; Kallio, Pasi

2017-03-15

Typically, live cell analyses are performed outside an incubator in an ambient air, where the lack of sufficient CO 2 supply results in a fast change of pH and the high evaporation causes concentration drifts in the culture medium. That limits the experiment time for tens of minutes. In many applications, e.g. in neurotoxicity studies, a prolonged measurement of extracellular activity is, however, essential. We demonstrate a simple cell culture chamber that enables stable culture conditions during prolonged extracellular recordings on a microelectrode array (MEA) outside an incubator. The proposed chamber consists of a gas permeable silicone structure that enables gas transfer into the chamber. We show that the culture chamber supports the growth of the human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived neurons both inside and outside an incubator. The structure provides very low evaporation, stable pH and osmolarity, and maintains strong signaling of hESC-derived neuronal networks over three-day MEA experiments. Existing systems are typically complex including continuous perfusion of medium or relatively large amount of gas to supply. The proposed chamber requires only a supply of very low flow rate (1.5ml/min) of non-humidified 5% CO 2 gas. Utilizing dry gas supply makes the proposed chamber simple to use. Using the proposed culture structure on top of MEA, we can maintain hESC-derived neural networks over three days outside an incubator. Technically, the structure requires very low flow rate of dry gas supporting, however, low evaporation and maintaining the pH of the culture. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Kinetic Study of Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol Fermentation in Continuous Culture

PubMed Central

Buehler, Edward A.; Mesbah, Ali

2016-01-01

Acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation by clostridia has shown promise for industrial-scale production of biobutanol. However, the continuous ABE fermentation suffers from low product yield, titer, and productivity. Systems analysis of the continuous ABE fermentation will offer insights into its metabolic pathway as well as into optimal fermentation design and operation. For the ABE fermentation in continuous Clostridium acetobutylicum culture, this paper presents a kinetic model that includes the effects of key metabolic intermediates and enzymes as well as culture pH, product inhibition, and glucose inhibition. The kinetic model is used for elucidating the behavior of the ABE fermentation under the conditions that are most relevant to continuous cultures. To this end, dynamic sensitivity analysis is performed to systematically investigate the effects of culture conditions, reaction kinetics, and enzymes on the dynamics of the ABE production pathway. The analysis provides guidance for future metabolic engineering and fermentation optimization studies. PMID:27486663

Impulsive control of a continuous-culture and flocculation harvest chemostat model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Tongqian; Ma, Wanbiao; Meng, Xinzhu

2017-12-01

In this paper, a new mathematical model describing the process of continuous culture and harvest of microalgaes is proposed. By inputting medium and flocculant at two different fixed moments periodically, continuous culture and harvest of microalgaes is implemented. The mathematical analysis is conducted and the whole dynamics of model is investigated by using theory of impulsive differential equations. We find that the model has a microalgaes-extinction periodic solution and it is globally asymptotically stable when some certain threshold value is less than the unit. And the model is permanent when some certain threshold value is larger than the unit. Then, according to the threshold, the control strategies of continuous culture and harvest of microalgaes are discussed. The results show that continuous culture and harvest of microalgaes can be archived by adjusting suitable input time, input amount of medium or flocculant. Finally, some numerical simulations are carried out to verify the control strategy.

Gravity, chromosomes, and organized development in aseptically cultured plant cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krikorian, Abraham D.

1993-01-01

The objectives of the PCR experiment are: to test the hypothesis that microgravity will in fact affect the pattern and developmental progression of embryogenically competent plant cells from one well-defined, critical stage to another; to determine the effects of microgravity in growth and differentiation of embryogenic carrot cells grown in cell culture; to determine whether microgravity or the space environment fosters an instability of the differentiated state; and to determine whether mitosis and chromosome behavior are adversely affected by microgravity. The methods employed will consist of the following: special embryogenically competent carrot cell cultures will be grown in cell culture chambers provided by NASDA; four cell culture chambers will be used to grow cells in liquid medium; two dishes (plant cell culture dishes) will be used to grow cells on a semi-solid agar support; progression to later embryonic stages will be induced in space via crew intervention and by media manipulation in the case of liquid grown cell cultures; progression to later stages in case of semi-solid cultures will not need crew intervention; embryo stages will be fixed at a specific interval (day 6) in flight only in the case of liquid-grown cultures; and some living cells and somatic embryos will be returned for continued post-flight development and 'grown-out.' These will derive from the semi-solid grown cultures.

Design and development of microbioreactors for long-term cell culture in controlled oxygen microenvironments.

PubMed

Abaci, Hasan E; Devendra, Raghavendra; Smith, Quinton; Gerecht, Sharon; Drazer, German

2012-02-01

The ability to control the oxygen level to which cells are exposed in tissue culture experiments is crucial for many applications. Here, we design, develop and test a microbioreactor (MBR) for long-term cell culture studies with the capability to accurately control and continuously monitor the dissolved oxygen (DO) level in the cell microenvironment. In addition, the DO level can be controlled independently from other cues, such as the viscous shear-stress acting on the cells. We first analyze the transport of oxygen in the proposed device and determine the materials and dimensions that are compatible with uniform oxygen tension and low shear-stress at the cell level. The device is also designed to culture a statistically significant number of cells. We use fully transparent materials and the overall design of the device is compatible with live-cell imaging. The proposed system includes real-time read-out of actual DO levels, is simple to fabricate at low cost, and can be easily expanded to control the concentration of other microenvironmental solutes. We performed control experiments in the absence of cells to demonstrate that the MBR can be used to accurately modulate DO levels ranging from atmospheric level to 1%, both under no flow and perfusion conditions. We also demonstrate cancer cell attachment and viability within the MBR. The proposed MBR offers the unprecedented capability to perform on-line measurement and analysis of DO levels in the microenvironment of adherent cultures and to correlate them with various cellular responses.

Music induces universal emotion-related psychophysiological responses: comparing Canadian listeners to Congolese Pygmies.

PubMed

Egermann, Hauke; Fernando, Nathalie; Chuen, Lorraine; McAdams, Stephen

2014-01-01

Subjective and psychophysiological emotional responses to music from two different cultures were compared within these two cultures. Two identical experiments were conducted: the first in the Congolese rainforest with an isolated population of Mebenzélé Pygmies without any exposure to Western music and culture, the second with a group of Western music listeners, with no experience with Congolese music. Forty Pygmies and 40 Canadians listened in pairs to 19 music excerpts of 29-99 s in duration in random order (eight from the Pygmy population and 11 Western instrumental excerpts). For both groups, emotion components were continuously measured: subjective feeling (using a two- dimensional valence and arousal rating interface), peripheral physiological activation, and facial expression. While Pygmy music was rated as positive and arousing by Pygmies, ratings of Western music by Westerners covered the range from arousing to calming and from positive to negative. Comparing psychophysiological responses to emotional qualities of Pygmy music across participant groups showed no similarities. However, Western stimuli, rated as high and low arousing by Canadians, created similar responses in both participant groups (with high arousal associated with increases in subjective and physiological activation). Several low-level acoustical features of the music presented (tempo, pitch, and timbre) were shown to affect subjective and physiological arousal similarly in both cultures. Results suggest that while the subjective dimension of emotional valence might be mediated by cultural learning, changes in arousal might involve a more basic, universal response to low-level acoustical characteristics of music.

Changing the Culture of Academic Medicine: Critical Mass or Critical Actors?

PubMed

Helitzer, Deborah L; Newbill, Sharon L; Cardinali, Gina; Morahan, Page S; Chang, Shine; Magrane, Diane

2017-05-01

By 2006, women constituted 34% of academic medical faculty, reaching a critical mass. Theoretically, with critical mass, culture and policy supportive of gender equity should be evident. We explore whether having a critical mass of women transforms institutional culture and organizational change. Career development program participants were interviewed to elucidate their experiences in academic health centers (AHCs). Focus group discussions were held with institutional leaders to explore their perceptions about contemporary challenges related to gender and leadership. Content analysis of both data sources revealed points of convergence. Findings were interpreted using the theory of critical mass. Two nested domains emerged: the individual domain included the rewards and personal satisfaction of meaningful work, personal agency, tensions between cultural expectations of family and academic roles, and women's efforts to work for gender equity. The institutional domain depicted the sociocultural environment of AHCs that shaped women's experience, both personally and professionally, lack of institutional strategies to engage women in organizational initiatives, and the influence of one leader on women's ascent to leadership. The predominant evidence from this research demonstrates that the institutional barriers and sociocultural environment continue to be formidable obstacles confronting women, stalling the transformational effects expected from achieving a critical mass of women faculty. We conclude that the promise of critical mass as a turning point for women should be abandoned in favor of "critical actor" leaders, both women and men, who individually and collectively have the commitment and power to create gender-equitable cultures in AHCs.

Medical educational culture: introducing patients to applicants as part of the medical school interview: feasibility and initial impact show and tell

PubMed Central

Sims, Shireen Madani; Lynch, James W.

2016-01-01

Introduction The College of Medicine at our institution underwent a major curricular revision in order to develop a patient-centered context for learning. The admission process was revised to reflect this change, adopting a holistic review process, with the hope of attracting students who were particularly well suited to a patient-centered curriculum and learning culture. Methods Patients from a single practitioner, who were accustomed to working with medical students, were asked if they would like to select the next generation of physicians. The patient's experience included a brief didactic presentation related to the patient's diagnosis and treatment. This was followed by an informal session with the applicants and the physician, where they shared their story in a small group setting. They were encouraged to share their experiences with the healthcare system, both positive and negative. The goal was to allow applicants to glean the importance of the human aspects of disease in our institutional culture of learning. Results The response and experience were overwhelmingly positive for the patients who donated their time to participate and for our applicants. Follow-up surveys indicated that our applicants found the experience to be unique and positive. Many of the students who chose to attend our university cited the interview experience and learning culture as factors that influenced their choice of medical schools. In addition, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education cited the favorability of the admission process in their recent site visit. Discussion Now in its fifth year, we can say that the inclusion of patients as part of the interview day is feasible as part of our admission process. We continue to make changes and monitor our progress, and we have added several other faculty members and specialties in order to ensure the program is sustainable. PMID:27520404

Using critical race theory to analyze science teachers culturally responsive practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallace, Tamara; Brand, Brenda R.

2012-06-01

Culturally responsive science teaching is using knowledge about the culture and life experiences of students to structure learning that is conducive to their needs. Understanding what teachers need to prepare them to be culturally responsive is a matter of continuous debate. As the focus of multicultural education ventures farther away from its roots, advocating the civil rights of historically oppressed groups, concerns about the gravity of racial inequity on schooling continues. How will this shift in focus influence teachers' capacity to accommodate students' needs resulting from racial inequities in this society, particularly African American students? What knowledge is essential to their effectiveness? This qualitative study examined the instructional practices of two effective middle school science teachers deemed culturally responsive by their administrator on the basis of classroom observations, students' responses and standardized assessment results. Both teachers' classrooms consisted primarily of African American students. Grounded theory was used to analyze the teachers' beliefs and practices in order to identify existing commonalties. Critical race theory was used to identify whether there was any influence of the students' racial identities on the teachers' beliefs and practices. The analysis reveals that the teachers' beliefs and practices were informed by their critical awareness of social constraints imposed upon their African American students' identities. These findings communicate the significance of sociocultural awareness to informing the teachers' instruction, as well as their strategies for managing the varying dynamics occurring in their classrooms. It can be deduced from the findings that an understanding of racial inequities is crucial to the development of sociocultural awareness, and is the foundation for the culturally responsive dispositions and practices of these middle school science teachers.

Distance in War: The Experience of MQ-1 and MQ-9 Aircrew

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-01-01

ged, and psychologically impacted by the work they perform. The continuing ethical and moral relativism society uses to place new weapons and methods...outcome of such ignorance results in moral disengagement for the RPA aircrew. Within her article titled, “The End of Military Virtue,” author Laurie...imaginary precipice that we should attempt to turn back from. Based upon centuries of military technological and cultural advancements, we should

A Simplified and Systematic Method to Isolate, Culture, and Characterize Multiple Types of Human Dental Stem Cells from a Single Tooth.

PubMed

Bakkar, Mohammed; Liu, Younan; Fang, Dongdong; Stegen, Camille; Su, Xinyun; Ramamoorthi, Murali; Lin, Li-Chieh; Kawasaki, Takako; Makhoul, Nicholas; Pham, Huan; Sumita, Yoshinori; Tran, Simon D

2017-01-01

This chapter describes a simplified method that allows the systematic isolation of multiple types of dental stem cells such as dental pulp stem cells (DPSC), periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSC), and stem cells of the apical papilla (SCAP) from a single tooth. Of specific interest is the modified laboratory approach to harvest/retrieve the dental pulp tissue by minimizing trauma to DPSC by continuous irrigation, reduction of frictional heat from the bur rotation, and reduction of the bur contact time with the dentin. Also, the use of a chisel and a mallet will maximize the number of live DPSC for culture. Steps demonstrating the potential for multiple cell differentiation lineages of each type of dental stem cell into either osteocytes, adipocytes, or chondrocytes are described. Flow cytometry, with a detailed strategy for cell gating and analysis, is described to verify characteristic markers of human mesenchymal multipotent stromal cells (MSC) from DPSC, PDLSC, or SCAP for subsequent experiments in cell therapy and in tissue engineering. Overall, this method can be adapted to any laboratory with a general setup for cell culture experiments.

Insights into an Optimization of Plasmodium vivax Sal-1 In Vitro Culture: The Aotus Primate Model.

PubMed

Shaw-Saliba, Kathryn; Thomson-Luque, Richard; Obaldía, Nicanor; Nuñez, Marlon; Dutary, Sahir; Lim, Caeul; Barnes, Samantha; Kocken, Clemens H M; Duraisingh, Manoj T; Adams, John H; Pasini, Erica M

2016-07-01

Malaria is one of the most significant tropical diseases, and of the Plasmodium species that cause human malaria, P. vivax is the most geographically widespread. However, P. vivax remains a relatively neglected human parasite since research is typically limited to laboratories with direct access to parasite isolates from endemic field settings or from non-human primate models. This restricted research capacity is in large part due to the lack of a continuous P. vivax in vitro culture system, which has hampered the ability for experimental research needed to gain biological knowledge and develop new therapies. Consequently, efforts to establish a long-term P. vivax culture system are confounded by our poor knowledge of the preferred host cell and essential nutrients needed for in vitro propagation. Reliance on very heterogeneous P. vivax field isolates makes it difficult to benchmark parasite characteristics and further complicates development of a robust and reliable culture method. In an effort to eliminate parasite variability as a complication, we used a well-defined Aotus-adapted P. vivax Sal-1 strain to empirically evaluate different short-term in vitro culture conditions and compare them with previous reported attempts at P. vivax in vitro culture Most importantly, we suggest that reticulocyte enrichment methods affect invasion efficiency and we identify stabilized forms of nutrients that appear beneficial for parasite growth, indicating that P. vivax may be extremely sensitive to waste products. Leuko-depletion methods did not significantly affect parasite development. Formatting changes such as shaking and static cultures did not seem to have a major impact while; in contrast, the starting haematocrit affected both parasite invasion and growth. These results support the continued use of Aotus-adapted Sal-1 for development of P. vivax laboratory methods; however, further experiments are needed to optimize culture conditions to support long-term parasite development.

Insights into an Optimization of Plasmodium vivax Sal-1 In Vitro Culture: The Aotus Primate Model

PubMed Central

Obaldía, Nicanor; Nuñez, Marlon; Dutary, Sahir; Lim, Caeul; Barnes, Samantha; Kocken, Clemens H. M.; Duraisingh, Manoj T.; Adams, John H.; Pasini, Erica M.

2016-01-01

Malaria is one of the most significant tropical diseases, and of the Plasmodium species that cause human malaria, P. vivax is the most geographically widespread. However, P. vivax remains a relatively neglected human parasite since research is typically limited to laboratories with direct access to parasite isolates from endemic field settings or from non-human primate models. This restricted research capacity is in large part due to the lack of a continuous P. vivax in vitro culture system, which has hampered the ability for experimental research needed to gain biological knowledge and develop new therapies. Consequently, efforts to establish a long-term P. vivax culture system are confounded by our poor knowledge of the preferred host cell and essential nutrients needed for in vitro propagation. Reliance on very heterogeneous P. vivax field isolates makes it difficult to benchmark parasite characteristics and further complicates development of a robust and reliable culture method. In an effort to eliminate parasite variability as a complication, we used a well-defined Aotus-adapted P. vivax Sal-1 strain to empirically evaluate different short-term in vitro culture conditions and compare them with previous reported attempts at P. vivax in vitro culture Most importantly, we suggest that reticulocyte enrichment methods affect invasion efficiency and we identify stabilized forms of nutrients that appear beneficial for parasite growth, indicating that P. vivax may be extremely sensitive to waste products. Leuko-depletion methods did not significantly affect parasite development. Formatting changes such as shaking and static cultures did not seem to have a major impact while; in contrast, the starting haematocrit affected both parasite invasion and growth. These results support the continued use of Aotus-adapted Sal-1 for development of P. vivax laboratory methods; however, further experiments are needed to optimize culture conditions to support long-term parasite development. PMID:27463518

Patient-based Cultural Competency Curriculum for Pre-Health Professionals

PubMed Central

Melamed, Esther; Wyatt, Lacey E.; Padilla, Tony; Ferry, Robert J.

2011-01-01

Background and Objectives The diverse US population requires medical cultural competency education for health providers throughout their pre-professional and professional years. We present a curriculum to train pre-health professional undergraduates by combining classroom education in the humanities and cross-cultural communication skills with volunteer clinical experiences at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) hospital. Methods The course was open to a maximum of 15 UCLA junior and senior undergraduate students with a pre-health or humanities major and was held in the spring quarters of 2002–2004. The change in students' knowledge of cultural competency was evaluated using the Provider's Guide to Quality and Culture Quiz (QCQ) and through students' written assignments and evaluations. Results Trainees displayed a statistically significant improvement in scores on the QCQ. Participants' written assignments and subjective evaluations confirmed an improvement in awareness and a high motivation to continue learning at the graduate level. Conclusions This is the first evaluated undergraduate curriculum that integrates interdisciplinary cultural competency training with patient volunteering in the medical field. The didactic, volunteering, and writing components of the course comprise a broadly applicable tool for training future health care providers at other institutions. PMID:18979261

Test anxiety in Indian children: a cross-cultural perspective.

PubMed

Bodas, Jaee; Ollendick, Thomas H; Sovani, Anuradha V

2008-10-01

The present investigation examined test anxiety in Indian children from a cross-cultural perspective. Test anxiety has been studied extensively in western countries but much less so in eastern countries. Furthermore, the cross-cultural research conducted in eastern countries possesses significant limitations and continues to possess a western bias. The present research attempted to advance cross-cultural research on test anxiety by adopting Berry's imposed etic-emic-derived etic methodology. Participants included 231 schoolchildren. Qualitative data were collected to examine culture-specific variables (emic considerations) using structured focus groups and open-ended questions. Next, quantitative data were collected using translated and adapted versions of Spielberger's Test Anxiety Inventory and the FRIEDBEN Test Anxiety Scale. Qualitative data indicated culture-specific elements of test anxiety in Indian youth, including the high stakes associated with exam performance and future schooling as well as the role of somatization and social derogation in the phenomenological experience of test anxiety. Although quantitative findings failed to confirm the importance of high-stakes environments on test anxiety, the importance of somatization and social derogation was substantiated. Ongoing desensitization to test anxiety and enhanced coping responses were proposed as possible explanations for the obtained relations.

Improved apparatus for continuous culture of hydrogen-fixing bacteria

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foster, J. F.; Litchfield, J. H.

1970-01-01

Improved apparatus permits the continuous culture of Hydrogenomonas eutropha. System incorporates three essential subsystems - /1/ environmentally isolated culture vessel, /2/ analytical system with appropriate sensors and readout devices, /3/ control system with feedback responses to each analytical measurement.

Continuous production of monoclonal antibody in a packed-bed bioreactor.

PubMed

Golmakany, Naghmeh; Rasaee, Mohammad Javad; Furouzandeh, Mehdi; Shojaosadati, Seyed Abbas; Kashanian, Soheila; Omidfar, Kobra

2005-06-01

In the present study the growth and MAb (monoclonal antibody) production of a mouse x mouse hybridoma cell producing anti-digoxin MAb was evaluated. The hybridoma cells entrapped within the support matrix Fibra-Cel were cultured in batch and continuous mode following special protocols. Cell-culture studies were performed in a 1-litre spinner basket containing 3 g.litre-1 support matrix. Batch culture was operated with the cell density of 42x10(6) cells. During the 7 days of culture, the medium was sampled daily in order to assess glucose and MAb concentrations and the lactate dehydrogenase released into the culture medium. After a culture period of 72 h, the cell density and MAb concentration were found to be 10.4x10(7) cells/3 g of NWPF (non-woven polyester fibre) discs and 250 microg/ml respectively. This yield gradually decreased to 0.55x10(6) cells/3 g of packaging material and 60 microg/ml respectively at the end of the batch culture. In the continuous-culture studies, the batch culture was initially operated for 64.5 h and then continuous flow was started at the dilution rates of 0.15, 0.2, 0.25 and 0.3 day-1 and finally stabilized at 0.25 day-1 within 288 h (12 days). The MAb concentration at steady state was found to be 116-120 microg/day per ml, and the yield of operation was 62.5 mg/day per ml, which was 3.5 times higher than that of batch culture. In conclusion, a packed-bed bioreactor with the support matrix Fibra-Cel, operated in continuous-feeding mode, is more efficient for large-scale MAb production than a batch culture. On the other hand, by using a continuous-culture system, a better supply of nutrients and removal of inhibitory metabolites and proteolytic enzymes was obtained.

Reduced-Gravity Experiments Conducted to Help Bioreactor Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niederhaus, Charles E.; Nahra, Henry K.; Kizito, John P.

2004-01-01

The NASA Glenn Research Center and the NASA Johnson Space Center are collaborating on fluid dynamic investigations for a future cell science bioreactor to fly on the International Space Station (ISS). Project Manager Steven Gonda from the Cellular Biotechnology Program at Johnson is leading the development of the Hydrodynamic Focusing Bioreactor--Space (HFB-S) for use on the ISS to study tissue growth in microgravity. Glenn is providing microgravity fluid physics expertise to help with the design and evaluation of the HFB-S. These bioreactors are used for three-dimensional tissue culture, which cannot be done in ground-based labs in normal gravity. The bioreactors provide a continual supply of oxygen for cell growth, as well as periodic replacement of cell culture media with nutrients. The bioreactor must provide a uniform distribution of oxygen and nutrients while minimizing the shear stresses on the tissue culture.

Development of Selection Criteria and Their Application in Evaluation of CELSS Candidate Species

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoff, J. E.; Howe, J. M.; Mitchell, C. A.

1982-01-01

A total of 21 criteria were considered; nine of them fall into the realm of human nutrition and convenience (the "use' criteria), and the remaining 12 are predominantly cultural considerations. Five criteria were considered to be of great importance in the selection of plant species and were given double eight relative to the remaining criteria. "Use' criteria include the following: energy concentration, nutritional composition, palatability, serving size and frequency, processing requirements, use flexibility, toxicity, and human experience. "Cultural' criteria include the following: proportion of edible biomass, yield of edible plant biomass, continuous vs. determinate harvestability, growth habit and morphology, environmental tolerance, photoperiodic and temperature requirements, symbiotic requirements and restrictions, carbon dioxide-light intensity response, suitability for soilless culture, disease resistance, familarity with species, and pollination and propagation. A total of 115 species were evaluated and scored according to suitability for a CELSS.

Cultivation of Chlorella protothecoides with urban wastewater in continuous photobioreactor: biomass productivity and nutrient removal.

PubMed

Ramos Tercero, E A; Sforza, E; Morandini, M; Bertucco, A

2014-02-01

The capability to grow microalgae in nonsterilized wastewater is essential for an application of this technology in an actual industrial process. Batch experiments were carried out with the species in nonsterilized urban wastewater from local treatment plants to measure both the algal growth and the nutrient consumption. Chlorella protothecoides showed a high specific growth rate (about 1 day(-1)), and no effects of bacterial contamination were observed. Then, this microalgae was grown in a continuous photobioreactor with CO₂-air aeration in order to verify the feasibility of an integrated process of the removal of nutrient from real wastewaters. Different residence times were tested, and biomass productivity and nutrients removal were measured. A maximum of microalgae productivity was found at around 0.8 day of residence time in agreement with theoretical expectation in the case of light-limited cultures. In addition, N-NH₄ and P-PO₄ removal rates were determined in order to model the kinetic of nutrients uptake. Results from batch and continuous experiments were used to propose an integrated process scheme of wastewater treatment at industrial scale including a section with C. protothecoides.

Mechanism for multiplicity of steady states with distinct cell concentration in continuous culture of mammalian cells.

PubMed

Yongky, Andrew; Lee, Jongchan; Le, Tung; Mulukutla, Bhanu Chandra; Daoutidis, Prodromos; Hu, Wei-Shou

2015-07-01

Continuous culture for the production of biopharmaceutical proteins offers the possibility of steady state operations and thus more consistent product quality and increased productivity. Under some conditions, multiplicity of steady states has been observed in continuous cultures of mammalian cells, wherein with the same dilution rate and feed nutrient composition, steady states with very different cell and product concentrations may be reached. At those different steady states, cells may exhibit a high glycolysis flux with high lactate production and low cell concentration, or a low glycolysis flux with low lactate and high cell concentration. These different steady states, with different cell concentration, also have different productivity. Developing a mechanistic understanding of the occurrence of steady state multiplicity and devising a strategy to steer the culture toward the desired steady state is critical. We establish a multi-scale kinetic model that integrates a mechanistic intracellular metabolic model and cell growth model in a continuous bioreactor. We show that steady state multiplicity exists in a range of dilution rate in continuous culture as a result of the bistable behavior in glycolysis. The insights from the model were used to devise strategies to guide the culture to the desired steady state in the multiple steady state region. The model provides a guideline principle in the design of continuous culture processes of mammalian cells. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Clonal nature of spontaneously immortalized 3T3 cells.

PubMed

Rittling, S R

1996-11-25

Mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs), when plated at appropriate densities, proliferate vigorously for several passages, and then the growth rate of the culture slows considerably. If the cells are plated at a high enough density and continuously passed, the cultures will eventually overcome this "crisis" period and resume rapid growth. Here, we have addressed the question of what the changes are that cells undergo in overcoming the growth restraints of crisis. Primary MEF cells were infected with a retrovirus which confers G418 resistance and selected in G418. The resultant pre-crisis population comprised cells which each contained a retrovirus integrated at a unique genomic location. These cells were then passed according to the 3T3 protocol until immortal, rapidly growing cells emerged. The integration pattern of the retrovirus in the immortal population was examined. In two independent experiments, the immortal population of cells grown in the presence of G418 comprised two independent clones of cells, with additional clones undetectable at the level of detection of the assays used. The integration pattern was also examined in parallel infected cultures grown in the absence of selection. In one experiment the unselected immortal population contained the same labeled clone that appeared in the sister infected culture, indicating that an immortal precursor was present in the precrisis population. These results are consistent with the idea that a mutation is responsible for the immortal phenotype.

A simple method for multiday imaging of slice cultures.

PubMed

Seidl, Armin H; Rubel, Edwin W

2010-01-01

The organotypic slice culture (Stoppini et al. A simple method for organotypic cultures of nervous tissue. 1991;37:173-182) has become the method of choice to answer a variety of questions in neuroscience. For many experiments, however, it would be beneficial to image or manipulate a slice culture repeatedly, for example, over the course of many days. We prepared organotypic slice cultures of the auditory brainstem of P3 and P4 mice and kept them in vitro for up to 4 weeks. Single cells in the auditory brainstem were transfected with plasmids expressing fluorescent proteins by way of electroporation (Haas et al. Single-cell electroporation for gene transfer in vivo. 2001;29:583-591). The culture was then placed in a chamber perfused with oxygenated ACSF and the labeled cell imaged with an inverted wide-field microscope repeatedly for multiple days, recording several time-points per day, before returning the slice to the incubator. We describe a simple method to image a slice culture preparation during the course of multiple days and over many continuous hours, without noticeable damage to the tissue or photobleaching. Our method uses a simple, inexpensive custom-built insulator constructed around the microscope to maintain controlled temperature and uses a perfusion chamber as used for in vitro slice recordings. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The impact of experience on undergraduate preregistration student nurses' responses to patients in pain: a 2-year qualitative longitudinal study.

PubMed

Mackintosh-Franklin, Carolyn

2014-03-01

The management of pain is consistently reported as a problematic area of practice, with limited evidence of improvements in the past 30 years. This study explores the impact of experience on student nurses' responses to patients in pain. Sixteen volunteers from a cohort of undergraduate student nurses in the U.K. participated in a qualitative longitudinal study that used two semistructured interviews 18 months apart. Interview transcripts were analyzed with the use of thematic content analysis for each individual interview stage and then additionally to identify relationships between each stage. Participants revealed an initial lack of interest in nearly all aspects of pain. At the second stage of interviews, some participants expressed increasing discernment and empathy toward patients in pain, although some continued to have minimal interest. Findings suggest that an active interest in pain is essential so that individuals can react critically to assumptions of the clinical culture they are exposed to. Further research is needed to identify how an active interest can by developed among those students for whom experience has little positive impact. Without active interest, apathy, aversion to change, and continued poor pain management practices are likely to continue. Copyright © 2014 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Breastfeeding mothers returning to work: experiences of women at one university in Victoria, Australia.

PubMed

Gilmour, Carole; Monk, Hilary; Hall, Helen

2013-07-01

Working women need to juggle work, child care and family to continue to breastfeed. This qualitative study's aim was to explore women's experiences of returning to work following the birth of their baby. Focus groups were held with women within one multi-campus university, who had commenced breastfeeding at birth and had returned to work or study within 12 months. In addition, educators working with babies in childcare centres on two of the campuses were interviewed. Thematic analysis was employed used Rogoff's (2003) three planes of analysis, the individual, the interpersonal and the cultural-institutional. Three themes, proximity, flexibility, and communication, were identified relating to the factors impacting on women and their choices to breastfeed or wean on returning to work. From a socio-cultural perspective these themes can be understood as situated within the interrelated contexts of workplace, child care and family. Limitations of the study include the small number of participants and recruitment from one university.

Cultural perceptions and practices around menarche and adolescent menstruation in the United States.

PubMed

Stubbs, Margaret L

2008-01-01

This overview details the persistence of negative characterizations of the menstrual cycle as a feature of the current cultural context in which girls begin menstrual life in the United States. In addition, research on girls' current menstrual attitudes and experiences within this context are reviewed. Current research suggests that girls are not very knowledgeable about menstruation, and that menstrual education continues to provide girls with mixed messages, such as: menstruation is a normal, natural event, but it should be hidden. Girls' attitudes and expectations about menstruation are negatively biased and have been found to contribute to self-objectification, body shame, and lack of agency in sexual decision-making. Although preparation has been found to be associated with more positive menarcheal and menstrual experiences, specificity about what constitutes "good" preparation has not been well articulated. Implications for promoting the menstrual cycle among young girls as a vital sign in service of monitoring their health are discussed.

Continuous microbial cultures maintained by electronically-controlled device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eisler, W. J., Jr.; Webb, R. B.

1967-01-01

Photocell-controlled instrument maintains microbial culture. It uses commercially available chemostat glassware, provides adequate aeration through bubbling of the culture, maintains the population size and density, continuously records growth rates over small increments of time, and contains a simple, sterilizable nutrient control mechanism.

Transformation of carbon tetrachloride and chloroform by trichloroethene respiring anaerobic mixed cultures and supernatant.

PubMed

Vickstrom, Kyle E; Azizian, Mohammad F; Semprini, Lewis

2017-09-01

Carbon tetrachloride (CT) and chloroform (CF) were transformed in batch reactor experiments conducted with anaerobic dechlorinating cultures and supernatant (ADC + S) harvested from continuous flow reactors. The Evanite (EV) and Victoria/Stanford (VS) cultures, capable of respiring trichloroethene (TCE), 1,2-cis-dichloroethene (cDCE), and vinyl chloride (VC) to ethene (ETH), were grown in continuous flow reactors receiving an influent feed of saturated TCE (10 mM; 60 mEq) and formate (45 mM; 90 mEq) but no CT or CF. Cells and supernatant were harvested from the chemostats and inoculated into batch reactors at the onset of each experiment. CT transformation was complete following first order kinetics with CF, DCM and CS 2 as the measurable transformation products, representing 20-40% of the original mass of CT, with CO 2 likely the unknown transformation product. CF was transformed to DCM and likely CO 2 at an order of magnitude rate lower than CT, while DCM was not further transformed. An analytical first order model including multiple key reactions effectively simulated CT transformation, product formation and transformation, and provided reasonable estimates of transformation rate coefficients. Biotic and abiotic treatments indicated that CT was mainly transformed via abiotic processes. However, the presence of live cells was associated with the transformation of CF to DCM. In biotic tests both TCE and CT were simultaneously transformed, with TCE transformed to ETH and approximately 15-53% less CF formed via CT transformation. A 14-day exposure to CF (CF max  = 1.4 μM) reduced all rates of chlorinated ethene respiration by a factor of 10 or greater. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the Paratrend Multi-Analyte Sensor for Potential Utilization in Long-Duration Automated Cell Culture Monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hwang, Emma Y.; Pappas, Dimitri; Jeevarajan, Antony S.; Anderson, Melody M.

2004-01-01

BACKGROUND: Compact and automated sensors are desired for assessing the health of cell cultures in biotechnology experiments. While several single-analyte sensors exist to measure culture health, a multi-analyte sensor would simplify the cell culture system. One such multi-analyte sensor, the Paratrend 7 manufactured by Diametrics Medical, consists of three optical fibers for measuring pH, dissolved carbon dioxide (pCO(2)), dissolved oxygen (pO(2)), and a thermocouple to measure temperature. The sensor bundle was designed for intra-vascular measurements in clinical settings, and can be used in bioreactors operated both on the ground and in NASA's Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) experiments. METHODS: A Paratrend 7 sensor was placed at the outlet of a bioreactor inoculated with BHK-21 (baby hamster kidney) cells. The pH, pCO(2), pO(2), and temperature data were transferred continuously to an external computer. Cell culture medium, manually extracted from the bioreactor through a sampling port, was also assayed using a bench top blood gas analyzer (BGA). RESULTS: Two Paratrend 7 sensors were used over a single cell culture experiment (64 days). When compared to the manually obtained BGA samples, the sensor had good agreement for pH, pCO(2), and pO(2) with bias (and precision) 0.005(0.024), 8.0 mmHg (4.4 mmHg), and 11 mmHg (17 mmHg), respectively for the first two sensors. A third Paratrend sensor (operated for 141 days) had similar agreement (0.02+/-0.15 for pH, -4+/-8 mm Hg for pCO(2), and 24+/-18 mmHg for pO(2)). CONCLUSION: The resulting biases and precisions are com- parable to Paratrend sensor clinical results. Although the pO(2) differences may be acceptable for clinically relevant measurement ranges, the O(2) sensor in this bundle may not be reliable enough for the ranges of pO(2) in these cell culture studies without periodic calibration.

Influences of religion and culture on continuing bonds in a sample of British Muslims of Pakistani origin.

PubMed

Hussein, Hanan; Oyebode, Jan R

2009-11-01

This study considered the nature of continuing bonds with deceased relatives in a sample of Pakistani Muslims living in the United Kingdom. Ten participants were interviewed following a cultural psychology approach and transcripts were analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Dreaming, talking with others about the deceased, following the deceased's example, keeping memories and mementos, and doing actions thought to help the deceased were forms of continued relationship found. These were intertwined with the process of grieving and were influenced by the family, culture, and religion. Religion was a strong influence on the prominence given by participants to finishing well and on the notion of doing actions thought to help the deceased. Cultural mores, such as the community, and collectivist ethos and the expectation that emotion would be expressed around the time of death, were found to be supportive for some but sources of tension for other participants. Expressing a continuing bond through following the deceased's example so as to make them proud or happy seemed to be reinforced by cultural roots in respect for elders. Participants gave instances of tensions in areas such as expression of emotion and communality versus individualism that arose as a result of their position between two cultural frameworks, some illustrating how assimilation into the host culture set up conflict with the expected norms of their family/ancestral culture. The study highlights how understanding different cultural and religious influences may enrich the concept of continuing bonds.

Neuroscience and Global Learning

PubMed Central

Ruscio, Michael G.; Korey, Chris; Birck, Anette

2015-01-01

Traditional study abroad experiences take a variety of forms with most incorporating extensive cultural emersion and a focus on global learning skills. Here we ask the question: Can this type of experience co-exist with a quality scientific experience and continued progression through a typically rigorous undergraduate neuroscience curriculum? What are the potential costs and benefits of this approach? How do we increase student awareness of study abroad opportunities and inspire them to participate? We outline programs that have done this with some success and point out ways to cultivate this approach for future programs. These programs represent a variety of approaches in both their duration and role in a given curriculum. We discuss a one-week first year seminar program in Berlin, a summer study abroad course in Munich and Berlin, semester experiences and other options offered through the Danish Institute for Study Abroad in Copenhagen. Each of these experiences offers opportunities for interfacing global learning with neuroscience. PMID:26240528

High school student physics research experience yields positive results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Podolak, K. R.; Walters, M. J.

2016-03-01

All high school students that wish to continue onto college are seeking opportunities to be competitive in the college market. They participate in extra-curricular activities which are seen to foster creativity and the skills necessary to do well in the college environment. In the case of students with an interest in physics, participating in a small scale research project while in high school gives them the hands on experience and ultimately prepares them more for the college experience. SUNY Plattsburgh’s Physics department started a five-week summer program for high school students in 2012. This program has proved not only beneficial for students while in the program, but also as they continue on in their development as scientists/engineers. Independent research, such as that offered by SUNY Plattsburgh’s five-week summer program, offers students a feel and taste of the culture of doing research, and life as a scientist. It is a short-term, risk free way to investigate whether a career in research or a particular scientific field is a good fit.

Building a quality culture in the Office of Space Flight: Approach, lessons learned and implications for the future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberts, C. Shannon

The purpose of this paper is to describe the approach and lessons learned by the Office of Space Flight (OSF), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), in its introduction of quality. In particular, the experience of OSF Headquarters is discussed as an example of an organization within NASA that is considering both the business and human elements of the change and the opportunities the quality focus presents to improve continuously. It is hoped that the insights shared will be of use to those embarking upon similar cultural changes. The paper is presented in the following parts: the leadership challenge; background; context of the approach to quality; initial steps; current initiatives; lessons learned; and implications for the future.

Building a quality culture in the Office of Space Flight: Approach, lessons learned and implications for the future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, C. Shannon

1992-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe the approach and lessons learned by the Office of Space Flight (OSF), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), in its introduction of quality. In particular, the experience of OSF Headquarters is discussed as an example of an organization within NASA that is considering both the business and human elements of the change and the opportunities the quality focus presents to improve continuously. It is hoped that the insights shared will be of use to those embarking upon similar cultural changes. The paper is presented in the following parts: the leadership challenge; background; context of the approach to quality; initial steps; current initiatives; lessons learned; and implications for the future.

"I Am a Human Being like You": An Identification Strategy to Maintain Continuity in a Cultural Contact Zone

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Sullivan-Lago, Ria; de Abreu, Guida; Burgess, Mark

2008-01-01

In this article, we discuss a qualitative study carried out in a cultural contact zone. Irish nationals, immigrants, and asylum seekers in Cork, Ireland, were interviewed about their cultural identities and future trajectories. Cultural Continuity theory was used as a model to offer an insight into the processes and strategies of the Dialogical…

Cultural conflict: the impact of western feminism(s) on nurses caring for women of non-English speaking background.

PubMed

Blackford, Jeanine; Street, Annette

2002-09-01

Much research has been conducted for understanding the health needs of people of different cultural backgrounds and the problems they experience in seeking health care. In Australia, despite such research, it is argued that there remains an exclusionary health care culture that continues to affect equity and access for people of non-English speaking background. There was a need for research in which health professionals examined their own Anglo-Australian culture and its impact on other ethnic communities. Such concerns provided the impetus for a feminist praxis study to engage nurses in understanding and improving care for migrant women. This study was conducted with 26 nurses in a paediatric hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Five collaborative research groups were formed, each consisting of four to six nurses who were co-researchers. Together, the nurses and researchers explored the health care experiences of migrant women, using a variety of quantitative and qualitative data collection strategies. This paper explores a major finding of the study, which was the impact of liberal feminist approaches on the practices of Australian nurses who cared for women of different ethnicity and race. The study found that the efforts of liberal feminist nurses to "treat all people the same" meant that women from different cultural backgrounds did not always receive equity in care. Through the feminist praxis process the nurses were able to explore contradictions in their practice and focus on equity in care to meet the specific gendered and racially constructed needs of women of different cultural backgrounds. A number of strategies were adopted that included regular use of female health interpreters and provision of privacy for migrant women when caring for their children.

“All of Those Things We Don't Eat”: A Culture-Centered Approach to Dietary Health Meanings for Asian Indians Living in the United States

PubMed Central

Koenig, Christopher J.; Dutta, Mohan J.; Kandula, Namratha; Palaniappan, Latha

2015-01-01

This article applies a culture-centered approach to analyze the dietary health meanings for Asian Indians living in the United States. The data were collected as part of a health promotion program evaluation designed to help Asian Indians reduce their risk of chronic disease. Community members who used two aspects of the program participated in two focus groups to learn about their health care experiences and to engage them in dialogue about how culture impacts their overall health. Using constructionist grounded theory, we demonstrate that one aspect of culture, the discourses around routine dietary choice, is an important, but under-recognized, aspect of culture that influences community members’ experiences with health care. We theorize community members’ dietary health meanings operate discursively through a dialectic tension between homogeneity and heterogeneity, situated amid culture, structure, and agency. Participants enacted discursive homogeneity when they affirmed dietary health meanings around diet as an important means through which members of the community maintain a sense of continuity of their identity while differentiating them from others. Participants enacted discursive heterogeneity when they voiced dietary health meanings that differentiated community members from one another due to unique life-course trajectories and other membership affiliations. Through this dialectic, community members manage unique Asian Indian identities and create meanings of health and illness in and through their discourses around routine dietary choice. Through making these discursive health meanings audible, we foreground how community members’ agency is discursively enacted and to make understandable how discourses of dietary practice influence the therapeutic alliance between primary care providers and members of a minority community. PMID:22364189

"All of those things we don't eat": a culture-centered approach to dietary health meanings for Asian Indians living in the United States.

PubMed

Koenig, Christopher J; Dutta, Mohan J; Kandula, Namratha; Palaniappan, Latha

2012-01-01

This article applies a culture-centered approach to analyze the dietary health meanings for Asian Indians living in the United States. The data were collected as part of a health promotion program evaluation designed to help Asian Indians reduce their risk of chronic disease. Community members who used two aspects of the program participated in two focus groups to learn about their health care experiences and to engage them in dialogue about how culture impacts their overall health. Using constructionist grounded theory, we demonstrate that one aspect of culture, the discourses around routine dietary choice, is an important, but underrecognized, aspect of culture that influences community members' experiences with health care. We theorize community members' dietary health meanings operate discursively through a dialectic tension between homogeneity and heterogeneity, situated amid culture, structure, and agency. Participants enacted discursive homogeneity when they affirmed dietary health meanings around diet as an important means through which members of the community maintain a sense of continuity of their identity while differentiating them from others. Participants enacted discursive heterogeneity when they voiced dietary health meanings that differentiated community members from one another due to unique life-course trajectories and other membership affiliations. Through this dialectic, community members manage unique Asian Indian identities and create meanings of health and illness in and through their discourses around routine dietary choice. Through making these discursive health meanings audible, we foreground how community members' agency is discursively enacted and to make understandable how discourses of dietary practice influence the therapeutic alliance between primary care providers and members of a minority community.

Cultural competence among nursing students in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Cruz, J P; Alquwez, N; Cruz, C P; Felicilda-Reynaldo, R F D; Vitorino, L M; Islam, S M S

2017-06-01

This study assessed the cultural competence of nursing students in a Saudi University. With the current situation of immigration in Saudi Arabia, the cultural diversity in healthcare facilities is anticipated to grow. This presents a great challenge to the members of the healthcare team. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 272 nursing students in a Saudi university using a self-administered questionnaire consisting of two parts, namely the respondents' demographics and cultural background information sheet and the Cultural Capacity Scale Arabic version. The respondents showed the highest competence in their ability to demonstrate communication skills with culturally diverse patients and lowest in the familiarity with health- or illness-related cultural knowledge or theory. Gender, academic level, clinical exposure, prior diversity training, the experience of taking care of culturally diverse patients and patients belonging to special population groups were significant factors that could likely to influence cultural competence. The findings suggest that the Saudi nursing students possess the ability to provide culturally appropriate nursing care to patients with a diverse cultural background. Despite the good cultural competence reflected in this study, some aspects in ensuring a culturally competent care rendered by Saudi nursing students need to be improved. With the country's Saudization policy in health care (replacing foreign nurses with Saudi nurses), the findings can be used in designing training and interventions to meet the needs of Saudi nursing students regarding cultural competence development, which is integral in their preparation to assume their future roles as nurses. Policy guidelines, such as including cultural competency training and foreign languages training as mandatory continuing education for nurses, as well as integrating cultural competency and foreign languages in the prelicensure curriculum, should be developed and implemented in Saudi Arabia and other countries. © 2017 International Council of Nurses.

An Optical Oxygen Sensor for Long-Term Continuous Monitoring of Dissolved Oxygen in Perfused Bioreactors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gao, F. G.; Jeevarajan, A. S.; Anderson, M. M.

2002-01-01

For long-term growth of man1ITlalian cells in perfused bioreactors, it is essential to monitor the concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) present in the culture medium to quantitate and control level of DO. Continuous measurement of the amount of DO in the cell culture medium in-line under sterile conditions in NASA's perfused bioreactor requires that the oxygen sensor provide increased sensitivity and be sterilizable and nontoxic. Additionally, long-term cell culture experiments require that the calibration be maintained several weeks or months. Although there are a number of sensors for dissolved oxygen on the market and under development elsewhere, very few meet these stringent conditions. An optical oxygen sensor (BOXY) based on dynamic fluorescent quenching and a pulsed blue LED light source was developed in our laboratory to address these requirements. Tris( 4,7 -diphenyl-l, 1 O-phenanthroline )ruthenium(II) chloride is employed as the fluorescent dye indicator. The sensing element consists of a glass capillary (OD 4.0 mm; ID 2.0 mm) coated internally with a thin layer of the fluorescent dye in silicone matrix and overlayed with a black shielding layer. Irradiation of the sensing element with blue light (blue LED with emission maximum at 475 nm) generates a red fluorescence centered at 626 nm. The fluorescence intensity is correlated to the concentration of DO present in the culture medium, following the modified non-linear Stern-Volmer equation. By using a pulsed irradiating light source, the problem of dye-bleaching, which is often encountered in long-term continuous measurements of tIns type, 'is minimized. To date we achieved sensor resolution of 0.3 mmHg at 50 mmHg p02, and 0.6 mmHg at 100 mmHg p02, with a response time of about one minute. Calibration was accomplished in sterile phosphate-buffered saline with a blood-gas analyzer (BGA) measurement as reference. Stand-alone software was also developed to control the sensor and bioreactor as well as to acquire data. Two HOXY sensors with a single calibration were employed to continuously monitor the DO in GTSF-2 medium during a Baby Hamster Kidney (BHK-21) cell culture in a Rotating Wall Perfused Vessel (RWPV) bioreactor for 90 days. HOXY sensors were located at the inlet to and outlet from the bioreactor. One of the sensors was placed between an oxygenator and the inlet to the bioreactor. The dissolved oxygen concentrations determined by both sensors were compared with those measured regularly with the BGA reference. The cell culture was maintained for 110 days. Sensor output was found to correlate well with the BGA data throughout the experiment, where the DO of the medium ranged between 25 and 50 mmHg at the bioreactor outlet and 90-130 mmHg at the bioreactor inlet. Measuring DO with the HOXY sensors versus the BGA reference indicated bias values of -2 mmHg and -15 mmHg, and precision values of +/-3mmHg and +/-16 mmHg at the bioreactor inlet and outlet, respectively.

Cell Culture in Microgravity: Opening the Door to Space Cell Biology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pellis, Neal R.; Dawson, David L. (Technical Monitor)

1999-01-01

Adaptational response of human cell populations to microgravity is investigated using simulation, short-term Shuttle experiments, and long-term microgravity. Simulation consists of a clinostatically-rotated cell culture system. The system is a horizontally-rotated cylinder completely filled with culture medium. Low speed rotation results in continuous-fall of the cells through the fluid medium. In this setting, cells: 1) aggregate, 2) propagate in three dimensions, 3) synthesize matrix, 4) differentiate, and 5) form sinusoids that facilitate mass transfer. Space cell culture is conducted in flight bioreactors and in static incubators. Cells grown in microgravity are: bovine cartilage, promyelocytic leukemia, kidney proximal tubule cells, adrenal medulla, breast and colon cancer, and endothelium. Cells were cultured in space to test specific hypotheses. Cartilage cells were used to determine structural differences in cartilage grown in space compared to ground-based bioreactors. Results from a 130-day experiment on Mir revealed that cartilage grown in space was substantially more compressible due to insufficient glycosaminoglycan in the matrix. Interestingly, earth-grown cartilage conformed better to the dimensions of the scaffolding material, while the Mir specimens were spherical. The other cell populations are currently being analyzed for cell surface properties, gene expression, and differentiation. Results suggest that some cells spontaneously differentiate in microgravity. Additionally, vast changes in gene expression may occur in response to microgravity. In conclusion, the transition to microgravity may constitute a physical perturbation in cells resulting in unique gene expressions, the consequences of which may be useful in tissue engineering, disease modeling, and space cell biology.

Coping, acculturation, and psychological adaptation among migrants: a theoretical and empirical review and synthesis of the literature

PubMed Central

Kuo, Ben C.H.

2014-01-01

Given the continuous, dynamic demographic changes internationally due to intensive worldwide migration and globalization, the need to more fully understand how migrants adapt and cope with acculturation experiences in their new host cultural environment is imperative and timely. However, a comprehensive review of what we currently know about the relationship between coping behavior and acculturation experience for individuals undergoing cultural changes has not yet been undertaken. Hence, the current article aims to compile, review, and examine cumulative cross-cultural psychological research that sheds light on the relationships among coping, acculturation, and psychological and mental health outcomes for migrants. To this end, this present article reviews prevailing literature pertaining to: (a) the stress and coping conceptual perspective of acculturation; (b) four theoretical models of coping, acculturation and cultural adaptation; (c) differential coping pattern among diverse acculturating migrant groups; and (d) the relationship between coping variabilities and acculturation levels among migrants. In terms of theoretical understanding, this review points to the relative strengths and limitations associated with each of the four theoretical models on coping-acculturation-adaptation. These theories and the empirical studies reviewed in this article further highlight the central role of coping behaviors/strategies in the acculturation process and outcome for migrants and ethnic populations, both conceptually and functionally. Moreover, the review shows that across studies culturally preferred coping patterns exist among acculturating migrants and migrant groups and vary with migrants' acculturation levels. Implications and limitations of the existing literature for coping, acculturation, and psychological adaptation research are discussed and recommendations for future research are put forth. PMID:25750766

Exploring Middle-Eastern mothers' perceptions and experiences of breastfeeding in Canada: an ethnographic study.

PubMed

Jessri, Mahsa; Farmer, Anna P; Olson, Karin

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore from the Middle-Eastern mothers' perspective, the experience of breastfeeding and their perceptions of attributes of the health care system, community and society on their feeding decisions after migration to Canada. New immigrant mothers from the Middle East (n = 22) were recruited from community agencies in Edmonton, Canada. Qualitative data were collected through four focus groups using an ethnographic approach to guide concurrent data collection and analysis. Survey data were collected on socio-demographic characteristics via pre-tested questionnaires. All mothers, but one who was medically exempt, breastfed their infants from birth and intended to continue for at least 2 years. Through constant comparison of data, five layers of influence emerged which described mothers' process of decision making: culture/society, community, health care system, family/friends and mother-infant dyad. Religious belief was an umbrella theme that was woven throughout all discussions and it was the strongest determining factor for choosing to breastfeed. However, cultural practices promoted pre-lacteal feeding and hence, jeopardising breastfeeding exclusivity. Although contradicted in Islamic tradition, most mothers practised fasting during breastfeeding because of misbeliefs about interpretations regarding these rules. Despite high rates of breastfeeding, there is a concern of lack of breastfeeding exclusivity among Middle-Eastern settlers in Canada. To promote successful breastfeeding in Muslim migrant communities, interventions must occur at different levels of influence and should consider religious beliefs to ensure cultural acceptability. Practitioners may support exclusive breastfeeding through cultural competency, and respectfully acknowledging Islamic beliefs and cultural practices. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Music induces universal emotion-related psychophysiological responses: comparing Canadian listeners to Congolese Pygmies

PubMed Central

Egermann, Hauke; Fernando, Nathalie; Chuen, Lorraine; McAdams, Stephen

2015-01-01

Subjective and psychophysiological emotional responses to music from two different cultures were compared within these two cultures. Two identical experiments were conducted: the first in the Congolese rainforest with an isolated population of Mebenzélé Pygmies without any exposure to Western music and culture, the second with a group of Western music listeners, with no experience with Congolese music. Forty Pygmies and 40 Canadians listened in pairs to 19 music excerpts of 29–99 s in duration in random order (eight from the Pygmy population and 11 Western instrumental excerpts). For both groups, emotion components were continuously measured: subjective feeling (using a two- dimensional valence and arousal rating interface), peripheral physiological activation, and facial expression. While Pygmy music was rated as positive and arousing by Pygmies, ratings of Western music by Westerners covered the range from arousing to calming and from positive to negative. Comparing psychophysiological responses to emotional qualities of Pygmy music across participant groups showed no similarities. However, Western stimuli, rated as high and low arousing by Canadians, created similar responses in both participant groups (with high arousal associated with increases in subjective and physiological activation). Several low-level acoustical features of the music presented (tempo, pitch, and timbre) were shown to affect subjective and physiological arousal similarly in both cultures. Results suggest that while the subjective dimension of emotional valence might be mediated by cultural learning, changes in arousal might involve a more basic, universal response to low-level acoustical characteristics of music. PMID:25620935

Changing the Culture of Academic Medicine: Critical Mass or Critical Actors?

PubMed Central

Newbill, Sharon L.; Cardinali, Gina; Morahan, Page S.; Chang, Shine; Magrane, Diane

2017-01-01

Abstract Purpose: By 2006, women constituted 34% of academic medical faculty, reaching a critical mass. Theoretically, with critical mass, culture and policy supportive of gender equity should be evident. We explore whether having a critical mass of women transforms institutional culture and organizational change. Methods: Career development program participants were interviewed to elucidate their experiences in academic health centers (AHCs). Focus group discussions were held with institutional leaders to explore their perceptions about contemporary challenges related to gender and leadership. Content analysis of both data sources revealed points of convergence. Findings were interpreted using the theory of critical mass. Results: Two nested domains emerged: the individual domain included the rewards and personal satisfaction of meaningful work, personal agency, tensions between cultural expectations of family and academic roles, and women's efforts to work for gender equity. The institutional domain depicted the sociocultural environment of AHCs that shaped women's experience, both personally and professionally, lack of institutional strategies to engage women in organizational initiatives, and the influence of one leader on women's ascent to leadership. Conclusions: The predominant evidence from this research demonstrates that the institutional barriers and sociocultural environment continue to be formidable obstacles confronting women, stalling the transformational effects expected from achieving a critical mass of women faculty. We conclude that the promise of critical mass as a turning point for women should be abandoned in favor of “critical actor” leaders, both women and men, who individually and collectively have the commitment and power to create gender-equitable cultures in AHCs. PMID:28092473

Continuous xylose fermentation by Candida shehatae in a two-stage reactor

Treesearch

M. A. Alexander; T. W. Chapman; T. W. Jeffries

1988-01-01

Recent work has identified ethanol toxicity as a major factor preventing continuous production of ethanol at the concentrations obtainable in batch culture. In this paper we investigate the use of a continuous two-stage bioreactor design to circumvent toxic effects of ethanol. Biomass is produced via continuous culture in the first stage reactor in which ethanol...

An Examination of Black Science Teacher Educators' Experiences with Multicultural Education, Equity, and Social Justice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atwater, Mary M.; Butler, Malcolm B.; Freeman, Tonjua B.; Carlton Parsons, Eileen R.

2013-12-01

Diversity, multicultural education, equity, and social justice are dominant themes in cultural studies (Hall in Cultural dialogues in cultural studies. Routledge, New York, pp 261-274, 1996; Wallace 1994). Zeichner (Studying teacher education: The report of the AERA panel on research and teacher education. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, pp 737-759, 2005) called for research studies of teacher educators because little research exists on teacher educators since the late 1980s. Thomson et al. (2001) identified essential elements needed in order for critical multiculturalism to be infused in teacher education programs. However, little is known about the commitment and experiences of science teacher educators infusing multicultural education, equity, and social justice into science teacher education programs. This paper examines twenty (20) Black science teacher educators' teaching experiences as a result of their Blackness and the inclusion of multicultural education, equity, and social justice in their teaching. This qualitative case study of 20 Black science teacher educators found that some of them have attempted and stopped due to student evaluations and the need to gain promotion and tenure. Other participants were able to integrate diversity, multicultural education, equity and social justice in their courses because their colleagues were supportive. Still others continue to struggle with this infusion without the support of their colleagues, and others have stopped The investigators suggest that if science teacher educators are going to prepare science teachers for the twenty first century, then teacher candidates must be challenged to grapple with racial, ethnic, cultural, instructional, and curricular issues and what that must mean to teach science to US students in rural, urban, and suburban school contexts.

Novel device for continuous spatial control and temporal delivery of nitric oxide for in vitro cell culture☆

PubMed Central

Romanowicz, Genevieve E.; He, Weilue; Nielsen, Matthew; Frost, Megan C.

2013-01-01

Nitric oxide (NO) is an ubiquitous signaling molecule of intense interest in many physiological processes. Nitric oxide is a highly reactive free radical gas that is difficult to deliver with precise control over the level and timing that cells actually experience. We describe and characterize a device that allows tunable fluxes and patterns of NO to be generated across the surface upon which cells are cultured. The system is based on a quartz microscope slide that allows for controlled light levels to be applied to a previously described photosensitive NO-releasing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Cells are cultured in separate wells that are either NO-releasing or a chemically similar PDMS that does not release NO. Both wells are then top coated with DowCorning RTV-3140 PDMS and a polydopamine/gelatin layer to allow cells to grow in the culture wells. When the waveguide is illuminated, the surface of the quartz slide propagates light such that the photosensitive polymer is evenly irradiated and generates NO across the surface of the cell culture well and no light penetrates into the volume of the wells where cells are growing. Mouse smooth muscle cells (MOVAS) were grown in the system in a proof of principle experiment, whereby 60% of the cells were present in the NO-releasing well compared to control wells after 17 h. The compelling advantage of illuminating the NO-releasing polymers with the waveguide system is that light can be used to tunably control NO release while avoiding exposing cells to optical radiation. This device provides means to quantitatively control the surface flux, timing and duration of NO cells experience and allows for systematic study of cellular response to NO generated at the cell/surface interface in a wide variety of studies. PMID:24024168

Nursing perceptions of patient safety climate in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.

PubMed

Elsous, A; Akbari Sari, A; AlJeesh, Y; Radwan, M

2017-09-01

This study was undertaken to assess the perception of nurses about patient safety culture and to test whether it is significantly affected by the nurses' position, age, experience and working hours. Patient safety has sparked the interest of healthcare mangers, yet there is limited knowledge about the current patient safety culture among nurses in the Gaza Strip. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, administering the Arabic Safety Attitude Questionnaire (Short Form 2006) to 210 nurses in four public general hospitals. Job Satisfaction was the most highly perceived factor affecting patient safety, followed by Perception of Management. Safety culture varied across nursing position, age, work experience and working hours. Nurse Managers had more positive attitudes towards patients than frontline clinicians did. The more experience nurses had, the better their attitudes towards patient safety. Nurses who worked the minimum weekly required hours and who were 35 years and older had better attitudes towards all patient safety dimensions except for Stress Recognition. Nurses with a positive attitude had better collaboration with healthcare professionals than those without a positive attitude. Generalization is limited, as nurses who worked in private and specialized hospitals were excluded. Evaluation of the safety culture is the essential starting point to identify hindrances or drivers for safe patient care. Job Satisfaction, Perception of Management and Teamwork necessitate reinforcement, while Working Conditions, Stress Recognition and Safety Climate require improvement. Ensuring job satisfaction through adequate staffing levels, providing incentives and maintaining a collegial environment require both strategic planning and institutional policies at the higher administrative level. Creation of a non-punitive and learning environment, promoting open communication and fostering continuous education should be fundamental aspects of hospital management. A policy of mixing experienced nurses with inexperienced nurses should be considered. © 2017 International Council of Nurses.

A synthesis of the theory of silencing the self and the social ecological model: understanding gender, race, and depression in African American women living with HIV infection.

PubMed

Lanier, Latrona; DeMarco, Rosanna

2015-03-01

The challenges that face African American women living with HIV are immense. African American women continue to be disproportionately infected and affected by this chronic and life-threatening infection in a complex context of individual experience, interactions with the environment, formal and informal support systems, and cultural belief systems. This article identifies the Theory of Silencing the Self (STS) and a widely known model, the Social Ecological Model (SEM), as a synthesized explanatory framework in helping nurses understand how to address research questions and clinical care that is congruent with the experience of African American women living with HIV infection. In synthesizing the components of these two frameworks, an explanation of the relationship between disempowerment and depression in this population will be uncovered as a key component to making relationships at the individual, family, and community level better. Helping African American women living with HIV infection to explore and address how choosing to be silent across their life systems will advance healthcare adherence as we currently know it to improved self-management of a chronic, gender-specific, culturally-bound experience of depression.

Parenting and child mental health: a cross-cultural perspective.

PubMed

Bornstein, Marc H

2013-10-01

In its most general instrumental sense, parenting consists of care of the young in preparing them to manage the tasks of life. Parents provide childhood experiences and populate the environments that guide children's development and so contribute to child mental health. Parenting is expressed in cognitions and practices. However, parents do not parent, and children do not grow up, in isolation, but in multiple contexts, and one notable context of parenting and child mental health is culture. Every culture is characterized, and distinguished from other cultures, by deep-rooted and widely acknowledged ideas about how one needs to feel, think, and act as an adequately functioning member of the culture. Insofar as parents subscribe to particular conventions of a culture, they likely follow prevailing "cultural scripts" in childrearing. Broadening our definition, it is therefore the continuing task of parents also to enculturate children by preparing them for the physical, psychosocial, and educational situations that are characteristic of their specific culture. Cross-cultural comparisons show that virtually all aspects of parenting children are informed by culture: culture influences when and how parents care for children, what parents expect of children, and which behaviors parents appreciate, emphasize and reward or discourage and punish. Thus, cultural norms become manifest in the mental health of children through parenting. Furthermore, variations in what is normative in different cultures challenge our assumptions about what is universal and inform our understanding of how parent-child relationships unfold in ways both culturally universal and specific. This essay concerns the contributions of culture to parenting and child mental health. No study of a single society can address this broad issue. It is possible, however, to learn lessons about parenting and child mental health from the study of different societies. Copyright © 2013 World Psychiatric Association.

Parenting and child mental health: a cross-cultural perspective

PubMed Central

Bornstein, Marc H

2013-01-01

In its most general instrumental sense, parenting consists of care of the young in preparing them to manage the tasks of life. Parents provide childhood experiences and populate the environments that guide children's development and so contribute to child mental health. Parenting is expressed in cognitions and practices. However, parents do not parent, and children do not grow up, in isolation, but in multiple contexts, and one notable context of parenting and child mental health is culture. Every culture is characterized, and distinguished from other cultures, by deep-rooted and widely acknowledged ideas about how one needs to feel, think, and act as an adequately functioning member of the culture. Insofar as parents subscribe to particular conventions of a culture, they likely follow prevailing “cultural scripts” in childrearing. Broadening our definition, it is therefore the continuing task of parents also to enculturate children by preparing them for the physical, psychosocial, and educational situations that are characteristic of their specific culture. Cross-cultural comparisons show that virtually all aspects of parenting children are informed by culture: culture influences when and how parents care for children, what parents expect of children, and which behaviors parents appreciate, emphasize and reward or discourage and punish. Thus, cultural norms become manifest in the mental health of children through parenting. Furthermore, variations in what is normative in different cultures challenge our assumptions about what is universal and inform our understanding of how parent-child relationships unfold in ways both culturally universal and specific. This essay concerns the contributions of culture to parenting and child mental health. No study of a single society can address this broad issue. It is possible, however, to learn lessons about parenting and child mental health from the study of different societies. PMID:24096792

Adequately Addressing Pediatric Obesity: Challenges Faced by Primary Care Providers.

PubMed

Shreve, Marilou; Scott, Allison; Vowell Johnson, Kelly

2017-07-01

To assess the challenges primary care providers encounter when providing counseling for pediatric patients identified as obese. A survey assessed the current challenges and barriers to the screening and treatment of pediatric obesity for providers in northwest Arkansas who provide care to families. The survey consisted of 15 Likert scale questions and 4 open-ended questions. Time, resources, comfort, and cultural issues were reported by providers as the biggest barriers in screening and the treatment of pediatric obesity. All providers reported lack of time as a barrier to providing the care needed for obese children. Cultural barriers of both the provider and client were identified as factors, which negatively affect the care and treatment of obese children. Primary care providers continue to experience challenges when addressing pediatric obesity. In this study, a lack of adequate time to address obesity was identified as the most significant current barrier and may likely be tied to physician resources. Although reimbursement for obesity is increasing, the level of reimbursement does not support the time or the resources needed to treat patients. Many providers reported their patients' cultural view of obesity influenced how they counsel their patients. Increasing providers' knowledge concerning differences in how weight is viewed or valued may assist them in the assessment and care of obese pediatric patients. The challenges identified in previous research continue to limit providers when addressing obesity. Although progress has been made regarding knowledge of guidelines, continuing effort is needed to tackle the remaining challenges. This will allow for earlier identification and intervention, resulting in improved outcomes in pediatric obesity.

Continuous monitoring of L-glutamate released from cultured nerve cells by an online sensor coupled with micro-capillary sampling.

PubMed

Niwa, O; Horiuchi, T; Torimitsu, K

1997-01-01

A small volume L-glutamate online sensor was developed in order to monitor changes in the local concentration of L-glutamate released from cultured nerve cells. Syringe pump in the suction mode is used to sample extracellular fluid continuously from a glass micro-capillary and the concentration of L-glutamate can be determined by using a glassy carbon (GC) electrode modified with an Os-polyvinylpyridine mediator bottom film containing horseradish peroxidase and a bovine serum albumin top layer containing L-glutamate oxidase. The overall efficiency of L-glutamate detection with a sensor is 71% under optimum conditions due to an efficient enzymatic reaction at the modified electrode in the thin layer radial flow cell. As a result, we achieved a detection limit of 7-15 nM and a linear range of 50 nM to 10 microM. In an in vitro experiment, the extracellular fluid near a particular nerve cell can be sampled with this micro-pipet and continuously introduced into the modified GC electrode in the radial flow cell via suction provided by a syringe pump. The nerve cells are stimulated by the KCl in a glass capillary and the L-glutamate concentration change can be monitored by changing the distance between the sampling pipet and the nerve cells.

Adaptive evolution of Escherichia coli to Ciprofloxacin in controlled stress environments: emergence of resistance in continuous and step-wise gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, J.; Zhou, L.; Dong, Y.; Sanford, R. A.; Shechtman, L. A.; Alcalde, R.; Werth, C. J.; Fouke, B. W.

2017-12-01

Microorganisms in nature have evolved in response to a variety of environmental stresses, including gradients in pH, flow and chemistry. While environmental stresses are generally considered to be the driving force of adaptive evolution, the impact and extent of any specific stress needed to drive such changes has not been well characterized. In this study, a microfluidic diffusion chamber (MDC) and a batch culturing system were used to systematically study the effects of continuous versus step-wise stress increments on adaptation of E. coli to the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. In the MDC, a diffusion gradient of ciprofloxacin was established across a microfluidic well array to microscopically observe changes in Escherichia coli strain 307 replication and migration patterns that would indicate emergence of resistance due to genetic mutations. Cells recovered from the MDC only had resistance of 50-times the original minimum inhibition concentration (MICoriginal) of ciprofloxacin, although minimum exposure concentrations were over 80 × MICoriginal by the end of the experiment. In complementary batch experiments, E. coli 307 were exposed to step-wise daily increases of ciprofloxacin at rates equivalent to 0.1×, 0.2×, 0.4× or 0.8× times MICoriginal/day. Over a period of 18 days, E. coli cells were able to acquire resistance of up to 225 × MICoriginal, with exposure to ciprofloxacin concentration up to only 14.9 × MIC­original. The different levels of acquired resistance in the continuous MDC versus step-wise batch increment experiments suggests that the intrinsic rate of E. coli adaptation was exceeded in the MDC, while the step-wise experiments favor adaptation to the highest ciprofloxacin experiments. Genomic analyses of E. coli DNA extracted from the microfluidic cell and batch cultures indicated four single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mutations of amino acid 82, 83 and 87 in the gyrA gene. The progression of adaptation in the step-wise increments of ciprofloxacin indicate that the Ser83-Leu mutation gradually becomes dominant over other gyrA mutations with increased antibiotic resistance. Co-existence of the Ser83-Leu and Asp87—Gly mutations appear to provide the greatest level of resistance (i.e., 85 × to 225 × MICoriginal), and only emerged after the whole community acquired the Ser83—Leu mutation.

Identifying barriers and improving communication between cancer service providers and Aboriginal patients and their families: the perspective of service providers

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Aboriginal Australians experience poorer outcomes from cancer compared to the non-Aboriginal population. Some progress has been made in understanding Aboriginal Australians’ perspectives about cancer and their experiences with cancer services. However, little is known of cancer service providers’ (CSPs) thoughts and perceptions regarding Aboriginal patients and their experiences providing optimal cancer care to Aboriginal people. Communication between Aboriginal patients and non-Aboriginal health service providers has been identified as an impediment to good Aboriginal health outcomes. This paper reports on CSPs’ views about the factors impairing communication and offers practical strategies for promoting effective communication with Aboriginal patients in Western Australia (WA). Methods A qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with 62 Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal CSPs from across WA was conducted between March 2006 - September 2007 and April-October 2011. CSPs were asked to share their experiences with Aboriginal patients and families experiencing cancer. Thematic analysis was carried out. Our analysis was primarily underpinned by the socio-ecological model, but concepts of Whiteness and privilege, and cultural security also guided our analysis. Results CSPs’ lack of knowledge about the needs of Aboriginal people with cancer and Aboriginal patients’ limited understanding of the Western medical system were identified as the two major impediments to communication. For effective patient–provider communication, attention is needed to language, communication style, knowledge and use of medical terminology and cross-cultural differences in the concept of time. Aboriginal marginalization within mainstream society and Aboriginal people’s distrust of the health system were also key issues impacting on communication. Potential solutions to effective Aboriginal patient-provider communication included recruiting more Aboriginal staff, providing appropriate cultural training for CSPs, cancer education for Aboriginal stakeholders, continuity of care, avoiding use of medical jargon, accommodating patients’ psychosocial and logistical needs, and in-service coordination. Conclusion Individual CSPs identified challenges in cross-cultural communication and their willingness to accommodate culture-specific needs within the wider health care system including better communication with Aboriginal patients. However, participants’ comments indicated a lack of concerted effort at the system level to address Aboriginal disadvantage in cancer outcomes. PMID:24188503

APPEARANCE OF NEW PHAGE TYPES AND NEW LYSOGENIC STRAINS AFTER ADAPTATION OF LYSOGENIC B. MEGATHERIUM TO AMMONIUM SULFATE CULTURE MEDIUM

PubMed Central

Northrop, John H.; Murphy, James S.

1956-01-01

1. Lysogenic B. megatherium 899a was adapted to growth in a minimal ammonium sulfate medium (ASCM). 2. Adaptation took place slowly and the following changes in the culture occurred: (a) The growth rate increased from 0.5 to 1.5–2.0/hr. (b) The culture changed from diffuse to mucoid. (c) The total phage titer, and the gelatinase concentration decreased to 1/100 or less. (d) The types of phage produced changed from >99 per cent T (wild type) to 30 to 60 per cent miscellaneous clear types. The original T phage was replaced by a different smaller t, never observed in the original 899a culture. (e) Several new colony types also appeared, but the colony morphology was not correlated with the phage types produced. None of the colony types was stable on repeated transfer either in peptone or ASCM, but continued to disassociate into different colony types (cf. Ivánovics, 1955). 3. Control experiments showed that these changes in phage production and colony types could not be brought about by growing sensitive B. megatherium in the presence of the various new phages, in ASCM. It is therefore unlikely that the changes observed in adapted culture were due to infection of a sensitive cell with phage. 4. Continued growth of the ASCM-adapted strain in peptone resulted in increasing the total phage titer, and also the gelatinase concentration. The growth rate returned to its original value and the ability to grow rapidly in ASCM was soon lost. The phage types, however, remained the same as in the ASCM. 5. An improved cell for steady state growth is described. PMID:13295557

Experience of overseas-trained health professionals in rural and remote areas of destination countries: a literature review.

PubMed

Dywili, Sophia; Bonner, Ann; Anderson, Judith; O' Brien, Louise

2012-08-01

This study aimed to review and synthesise existing literature that investigated the experience of overseas-trained health professionals (OTHPs) in rural and remote areas of destination countries. A systematic literature review was conducted using electronic databases and manual search of studies published from January 2004 to February 2011. Data were analysed from the final 17 original report articles that met the inclusion criteria. The reviewed research studies were conducted in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the USA. Overseas-trained medical practitioners were the most frequently researched (n = 14); two studies involved nurses and one study included several health professionals. Three main themes emerged from the review and these were: (i) expectations; (ii) cultural diversity; and (iii) orientation and integration to rural and remote health work environment. The OTHPs were expected to possess the appropriate professional and cultural skills while they themselves expected recognition of their previous experiences and adequate organisational orientation and support. A welcoming and accepting community coupled with a relaxed rural lifestyle and the joy of continued patient care resulted in successful integration and contributed to increased staff retention rates. Recognition of expectations and cultural diversity by all parties and comprehensive orientation with sufficient organisational support are important elements in the integration of OTHPs and subsequent delivery of quality health care to people living in rural and remote areas. © 2012 The Authors. Australian Journal of Rural Health © National Rural Health Alliance Inc.

Language core values in a multicultural setting: An Australian experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smolicz, Jerzy J.

1991-03-01

While it has been agreed by the members of the European Community (except the UK) that all secondary students should study two EC languages in addition to their own, in Australia the recent emphasis has been on teaching languages for external trade, particularly in the Asian region. This policy over-looks the 13 per cent of the Australian population who already speak a language other than English at home (and a greater number who are second generation immigrants), and ignores the view that it is necessary to foster domestic multiculturalism in order to have fruitful links with other cultures abroad. During the 1980s there have been moves to reinforce the cultural identity of Australians of non-English speaking background, but these have sometimes been half-hearted and do not fully recognise that cultural core values, including language, have to achieve a certain critical mass in order to be sustainable. Without this recognition, semi-assimilation will continue to waste the potential cultural and economic contributions of many citizens, and to lead to frustration and eventual violence. The recent National Agenda for a Multicultural Australia addresses this concern.

Improving anticancer drug development begins with cell culture: misinformation perpetrated by the misuse of cytotoxicity assays.

PubMed

Eastman, Alan

2017-01-31

The high failure rate of anticancer drug discovery and development has consumed billions of dollars annually. While many explanations have been provided, I believe that misinformation arising from inappropriate cell-based screens has been completely over-looked. Most cell culture experiments are irrelevant to how drugs are subsequently administered to patients. Usually, drug development focuses on growth inhibition rather than cell killing. Drugs are selected based on continuous incubation of cells, then frequently administered to the patient as a bolus. Target identification and validation is often performed by gene suppression that inevitably mimics continuous target inhibition. Drug concentrations in vitro frequently far exceed in vivo concentrations. Studies of drug synergy are performed at sub-optimal concentrations. And the focus on a limited number of cell lines can misrepresent the potential efficacy in a patient population. The intent of this review is to encourage more appropriate experimental design and data interpretation, and to improve drug development in the area of cell-based assays. Application of these principles should greatly enhance the successful translation of novel drugs to the patient.

A co-culture device with a tunable stiffness to understand combinatorial cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions.

PubMed

Rao, Nikhil; Grover, Gregory N; Vincent, Ludovic G; Evans, Samantha C; Choi, Yu Suk; Spencer, Katrina H; Hui, Elliot E; Engler, Adam J; Christman, Karen L

2013-11-01

Cell behavior on 2-D in vitro cultures is continually being improved to better mimic in vivo physiological conditions by combining niche cues including multiple cell types and substrate stiffness, which are well known to impact cell phenotype. However, no system exists in which a user can systematically examine cell behavior on a substrate with a specific stiffness (elastic modulus) in culture with a different cell type, while maintaining distinct cell populations. We demonstrate the modification of a silicon reconfigurable co-culture system with a covalently linked hydrogel of user-defined stiffness. This device allows the user to control whether two separate cell populations are in contact with each other or only experience paracrine interactions on substrates of controllable stiffness. To illustrate the utility of this device, we examined the role of substrate stiffness combined with myoblast co-culture on adipose derived stem cell (ASC) differentiation and found that the presence of myoblasts and a 10 kPa substrate stiffness increased ASC myogenesis versus co-culture on stiff substrates. As this example highlights, this technology better controls the in vitro microenvironment, allowing the user to develop a more thorough understanding of the combined effects of cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions.

Predictors of cultural competence among nursing students in the Philippines: A cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Cruz, Jonas Preposi; Estacio, Joel C; Bagtang, Cristeta E; Colet, Paolo C

2016-11-01

With the continued emigration of Filipino nurses and increasing globalization, there is a need for globally competent nurses. Thus, the development of cultural competence among nursing students is critical in their preparation to assume their future responsibilities in the profession. This study investigated the predictors of cultural competence among nursing students in the Philippines. This is a descriptive, cross-section study. This study included 332 Bachelor of Science in nursing students in three nursing schools situated in the northern Philippines. The Cultural Capacity Scale was used to gather data from the respondents. The demographic characteristics and cultural background of the students were entered in a regression analysis to predict their cultural competence. The respondents manifested appreciably good cultural competence with a mean score of 68.98±11.73. The ability to understand the beliefs of various cultural groups received the highest mean of 3.65±0.86, while the ability to identify the care needs of patients with diverse cultural backgrounds received the lowest (mean, 3.31±0.74). Living in an environment with culturally diverse people, prior diversity training, being in the latter years of the nursing program, and with experience of caring for patients from diverse cultures and special population groups, were identified as predictors, accounting for 68.1% of the variance of cultural competence. Nursing education should devise strategies to ensure future culturally competent Filipino nurses. Considering the fact that most of the Filipino nurses will potentially work overseas, they should be well prepared to provide competent care that is culturally sensitive. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Recommendations for medical training: a Native Hawaiian patient perspective.

PubMed

Kamaka, Martina L; Paloma, Diane S L; Maskarinec, Gregory G

2011-11-01

Culturally competent health care providers are needed to eliminate healthcare disparities. In the State of Hawai'i, Native Hawaiians suffer some of the worst health disparities. Prior to implementing a cultural competency curriculum to address these disparities, the John A. Burns School of Medicine's Department of Native Hawaiian Health Cultural Competency Curriculum Development team asked Native Hawaiian patients about their experiences and recommendations. We conducted four focus groups of Native Hawaiians to obtain recommendations on physician training, to be incorporated into the curriculum. Participants came from both rural and urban areas. Classical qualitative analysis of data identified recurrent themes. Five primary themes, arising in all four groups, were: (1) customer service; (2) respect for the patient; (3) inter-personal skills; (4) thoroughness of care; and (5) costs of medical care. Secondary themes, occurring in three of the four groups, were: (1) cultural competency training; (2) the training of medical office staff; (3) continuity of care; and (4) the role of the patient. Participants specifically requested that medical students receive cultural competency training about the host culture, its history, values, and traditional and alternative healing practices. The emphasis participants placed on the need for cultural competency training of physicians supports the need to address the role of culture in medical education. Although most of the issues raised are not unique to Hawai'i, participants' recommendations to teach students about the host culture and traditional healing practices identify important themes not usually found in medical school curricula.

Recommendations for Medical Training: A Native Hawaiian Patient Perspective

PubMed Central

Paloma, Diane SL; Maskarinec, Gregory G

2011-01-01

Background Culturally competent health care providers are needed to eliminate healthcare disparities. In the State of Hawai‘i, Native Hawaiians suffer some of the worst health disparities. Prior to implementing a cultural competency curriculum to address these disparities, the John A. Burns School of Medicine's Department of Native Hawaiian Health Cultural Competency Curriculum Development team asked Native Hawaiian patients about their experiences and recommendations. Methods We conducted four focus groups of Native Hawaiians to obtain recommendations on physician training, to be incorporated into the curriculum. Participants came from both rural and urban areas. Classical qualitative analysis of data identified recurrent themes. Results Five primary themes, arising in all four groups, were: (1) customer service; (2) respect for the patient; (3) inter-personal skills; (4) thoroughness of care; and (5) costs of medical care. Secondary themes, occurring in three of the four groups, were: (1) cultural competency training; (2) the training of medical office staff; (3) continuity of care; and (4) the role of the patient. Participants specifically requested that medical students receive cultural competency training about the host culture, its history, values, and traditional and alternative healing practices. Discussion The emphasis participants placed on the need for cultural competency training of physicians supports the need to address the role of culture in medical education. Although most of the issues raised are not unique to Hawai‘i, participants' recommendations to teach students about the host culture and traditional healing practices identify important themes not usually found in medical school curricula. PMID:22235153

Managerial and professional collaboration in the provision of home care rehabilitation.

PubMed

Hollis, Vivien; May, Laura

2005-01-01

Demand for home care rehabilitation continues to grow in response to faster hospital discharges. One solution is to expand rehabilitation services using therapist assistants. Professionals voice concerns regarding many instances of assistants providing interventions outside their expertise and practicing without therapist supervision. This paper provides principles elicited from practitioners' experiences of an effective management culture and collaboration in one home care organization that effectively assimilated assistants, with reports of consequent improvements to rehabilitation service and client outcomes.

Cultural ergonomics in interactional and experiential design: conceptual framework and case study of the Taiwanese twin cup.

PubMed

Lin, Chih-Long; Chen, Si-Jing; Hsiao, Wen-Hsin; Lin, Rungtai

2016-01-01

Cultural ergonomics is an approach that considers interaction- and experience-based variations among cultures. Designers need to develop a better understanding of cultural ergonomics not just to participate in cultural contexts but also to develop interactive experiences for users. Cultural ergonomics extends our understanding of cultural meaning and our ability to utilize such understanding for design and evaluate everyday products. This study aims to combine cultural ergonomics and interactive design to explore human-culture interaction in user experiences. The linnak is a typical Taiwanese aboriginal cultural object. This study examined the cultural meaning and operational interface of the linnak, as well as the scenarios in which it is used in interaction and user experiences. The results produced a cultural ergonomics interface for examining the manner in which designers communicate across cultures as well as the interweaving of design and culture in the design process. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Interaction of Electromagnetic Fields with Chondrocytes in Gel Culture

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-02-01

biosynthesis due to applied electromagnetic fields. The results suggest that both normal chondrocytes and swarm rat chondrosarcoma cells in agarose Culture...and Swarm rat chondrosarcoma cells in agarose iii culture can, under proper culture conditions, continue to synthesize ma- trix macromolecules at a...cartilagc, and in rat chondrosarcoma cells (a continuous cell line). The overt gene expression of chondrocytes results in the synthesis and deposition of a

Graduate nurses' experiences of mental health services in their first year of practice: An integrative review.

PubMed

Hooper, Mary-Ellen; Browne, Graeme; O'Brien, Anthony Paul

2016-08-01

New graduate nurses have reported negative experiences in mental health settings, particularly during the transitional period of practice. Previous research has focused on addressing the undergraduate preparation of nurses for practice instead of the experiences and outcomes of the transitional period. Recently, there has been growing interest in exploring the experiences of graduate nurses in transition and the implementation of promising interventions to facilitate new graduates' assimilation to practice. Despite these initiatives, the overall shortage of mental health nurses continues to rise, and graduates still report negative experiences in the mental health setting. The purpose of this study was to identify and explore the experiences of new graduate nurses in mental health services in their first year of clinical practice. An integrative review was conducted with 22 studies sourced from the CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, and PsychINFO electronic databases, as well as through hand-searching the literature. Literature review findings have highlighted negative clinical experiences and increased attrition from mental health services for graduate nurses. These experiences were closely linked with the changes in the training of mental health nurses, role ambiguity, inadequate clinical preceptorship, encountering the reality of mental health services, and the role of health services in transitioning graduate nurses into clinical practice. Established research into organizational cultures demonstrates that negative organizational outcomes result from negative workplace experiences. Therefore, further research into new graduate nurses' experiences of mental health nursing and its culture might clarify the reasons why they might not be attracted to the discipline and/or are leaving early in their career. © 2016 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.

Patient Experience: A Critical Indicator of Healthcare Performance.

PubMed

Guler, Pamela H

2017-01-01

Patient experience has become a critical differentiator for healthcare organizations, and it will only grow in importance as transparency and consumerism dominate the healthcare landscape. Creating and sustaining a consistently exceptional experience that promotes patient engagement and the best outcomes is far more than just "satisfying" patients, going well beyond amenities that may be provided.Perception of care experience is often shaped by methods we use to address the biopsychosocial needs of patients. Building relationships and communicating well with our patients and families are primary approaches. In a complex healthcare situation, patients may not fully understand or remember the highly clinical nature of treatment. However, they always remember how we made them feel, how we communicated with them as a team, and what interactions they experienced while in our care.Patients who are fully informed and feel connected to their caregivers are often less anxious than those who are disengaged. Informed and engaged patients are enabled to participate in their healthcare. Organizations that focus on developing an accountable culture-one that inspires caregivers to communicate in a way that connects to patients' mind, body, and spirit while leveraging standard, evidence-based patient experience practices-find that patients' perception of care, or "the patient experience," is vastly improved.Adventist Health System has embarked on a journey to patient experience excellence with a commitment to whole-person care and standard patient experience practice across the system. Recognized with several national awards, we continue to strengthen our approach toward bringing all of our campuses and patient settings to sustained high-level performance. We have found that a combination of strong, accountable leadership; a focus on employee culture; engagement of physicians; standardized patient experience practices and education; and meaningful use of patient feedback are top contributors to excellence in patient experience.

Two- and 3-year-olds integrate linguistic and pedagogical cues in guiding inductive generalization and exploration.

PubMed

Butler, Lucas P; Tomasello, Michael

2016-05-01

Young children can in principle make generic inferences (e.g., "doffels are magnetic") on the basis of their own individual experience. Recent evidence, however, shows that by 4 years of age children make strong generic inferences on the basis of a single pedagogical demonstration with an individual (e.g., an adult demonstrates for the child that a single "doffel" is magnetic). In the current experiments, we extended this to look at younger children, investigating how the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are integrated with other aspects of inductive inference during early development. We found that both 2- and 3-year-olds used pedagogical cues to guide such generic inferences, but only so long as the "doffel" was linguistically labeled. In a follow-up study, 3-year-olds, but not 2-year-olds, continued to make this generic inference even if the word "doffel" was uttered incidentally and non-referentially in a context preceding the pedagogical demonstration, thereby simply marking the opportunity to learn about a culturally important category. By 3 years of age, then, young children show a remarkable ability to flexibly combine different sources of culturally relevant information (e.g., linguistic labeling, pedagogy) to make the kinds of generic inferences so central in human cultural learning. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The GalileoMobile Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Pilar Becerra, A.&ída; Bhatt, Megha; Kobel, Philippe

2012-07-01

GalileoMobile is a traveling science education project by an international team of PhD students and recent graduates (partnering with the Universe Awareness program) that brings astronomy to young people in remote regions of developing countries. Our primary project goals are: (1) to stimulate students' curiosity and interest in learning, (2) to exchange different visions of the cosmos and cultures, and (3) to inspire a feeling of unity "under the same sky" between people from different parts of the world. In 2009, GalileoMobile traveled to 30 schools in Chile, Bolivia and Peru, bringing hands-on activities and Galileoscopes; the team also produced a documentary movie to share the experiences and culture with the world. In 2012, GalileoMobile plans an expedition to India from the 2nd to the 13th of July in villages between Bangalore and Mysore. We will again bring hands-on astronomy activities and telescopes to the schools, and share our experiences with the world via internet resources. GalileoMobile is also collaborating with the Galileo Teacher Training Program to provide workshops for local teachers, to encourage continuation of astronomy education beyond our visit. In this way, we expect to spark sustainable interest in astronomy in remote areas that have little access to science outreach, and to share the culture of these areas with the world -- "under the same sky."

Allelopathic Interactions between the Opportunistic Species Ulva prolifera and the Native Macroalga Gracilaria lichvoides

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xiaowen; Fan, Xiao; Wang, Yitao; Li, Demao; Wang, Wei; Zhuang, Zhimeng; Ye, Naihao

2012-01-01

Allelopathy, one type of direct plant competition, can be a potent mechanism through which plant communities are structured. The aim of this study was to determine whether allelopathic interactions occur between the opportunistic green tide-forming species Ulva prolifera and the native macroalga Gracilaria lichvoides, both of which were collected from the coastline of East China sea. In laboratory experiments, the presence of G. lichvoides at 1.25 g wet weight L−1 significantly inhibited growth and photosynthesis of U. prolifera at concentrations of 1.25, 2.50, and 3.75 g wet weight L−1 (p<0.05) in both semi-continuous co-culture assays and in co-culture assays without nutrient supplementation. In contrast, although U. prolifera had a density effect on G. lichvoides, the differences among treatments were not significant (p>0.05). Culture medium experiments further confirmed that some allelochemicals may be released by both of the tested macroalgae, and these could account for the observed physiological inhibition of growth and photosynthesis. Moreover, the native macroalgae G. lichvoides was a stronger competitor than the opportunistic species U. prolifera. Collectively, the results of the present study represent a significant advance in exploring ecological questions about the effects of green tide blooms on the macroalgal community. PMID:22496758

Effect of low level laser therapy and high intensity laser therapy on endothelial cell proliferation in vitro: preliminary communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lukowicz, Malgorzata; Szymanska, Justyna; Goralczyk, Krzysztof; Zajac, Andrzej; Rość, Danuta

2013-01-01

Background: The main purpose of this study was to analyze the influence of power intensity and wavelength of Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) and HILT (High Intensity Laser Therapy) on endothelial cell proliferation. Material and methods: The tests were done on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Cultures were exposed to laser irradiation of 660 nm and 670 nm at different dosages, power output was 10 - 40 mW as well as 820 nm with power 100 mW and 808 nm with power 1500 mW. Energy density was from 0.28 to 11,43 J/cm2. Cell proliferation of a control and tested culture was evaluated with a colorimetric device to detect live cells. The tests were repeated 8 times. Results: We observed good effects of LLLT on live isolated ECs and no effects in experiments on previous deep-frozen cultures. Also HILT stimulated the proliferation of HUVEC. Conclusion: Endothelial cells play a key role in vascular homeostasis in humans. We observed the stimulatory effect of LLLT and HILT on proliferation of HUVEC. Many factors influence the proliferation of EC, so is it necessary to continue the experiment with different doses, intensity and cell concentration.

76 FR 34999 - Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Establishing the Performance...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-15

... human specimens or bacterial growth detected by continuous monitoring blood culture systems. This draft... versus SA in either human specimens or bacterial growth detected by continuous monitoring blood culture... devices that detect MRSA by growth in culture media or those devices that test for the protein, penicillin...

Gratitude and longing: Meanings of health in aging for Puerto Rican adults in the mainland.

PubMed

Todorova, Irina L G; Guzzardo, Mariana T; Adams, Wallis E; Falcón, Luis M

2015-12-01

Puerto Rican adults in the United States mainland live with socioeconomic and health disparities. To understand their contextual experience of aging, we interviewed participants in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study. Through a Thematic Analysis we identify themes and tensions: normalization and acceptance of aging; gratitude; the importance of aging within social networks; longing to return to Puerto Rico at older age. We address the tensions between 'acceptance' and fatalismo as a cultural belief, and a function of structural barriers. The experience of aging is discussed in the context of Puerto Rico's history and continued dependence on the United States. © The Author(s) 2014.

Magical thinking decreases across adulthood.

PubMed

Brashier, Nadia M; Multhaup, Kristi S

2017-12-01

Magical thinking, or illogical causal reasoning such as superstitions, decreases across childhood, but almost no data speak to whether this developmental trajectory continues across the life span. In four experiments, magical thinking decreased across adulthood. This pattern replicated across two judgment domains and could not be explained by age-related differences in tolerance of ambiguity, domain-specific knowledge, or search for meaning. These data complement and extend findings that experience, accumulated over decades, guides older adults' judgments so that they match, or even exceed, young adults' performance. They also counter participants' expectations, and cultural sayings (e.g., "old wives' tales"), that suggest that older adults are especially superstitious. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Growth and sporulation of Bacillus subtilis under microgravity (7-IML-1)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mennigmann, Horst-Dieter

1992-01-01

The experiment was aimed at measuring the growth and sporulation of Bacillus subtilis under microgravity. The hardware for the experiment consists of a culture chamber (15 ml) made from titanium and closed by a membrane permeable for gases but not for water. Two variants of this basic structure were built which fit into the standard Biorack container types 1 and 2 respectively. Growth of the bacteria will be monitored by continuously measuring the optical density with a built-in miniaturized photometer. Other parameters (viability, sporulation, fine structure, size distribution of cells and spores, growth kinetics, etc.) will be measured on the fixed samples and on those where metabolism was temporarily halted, respectively.

Risk, rationality and learning for compassionate care; the link between management practices and the 'lifeworld' of nursing.

PubMed

Goodman, Benny

2014-09-01

The nursing care experiences of older people in the United Kingdom, has been much reported in the national and international press. Reasons for that poor quality of care in hospitals often focus on the 'culture' of organisations, as well as focusing on individual failings. However, discussions about culture change are partial explanations without a deeper analysis of how cultures and leadership operates in socio-political contexts which characterise nurses' 'habitus' and 'lifeworlds'. Therefore the solutions may not address wider determinants of care such as risk governance, managerialism, instrumental rationality and of course staffing and skill mix. Instead, organisations may be exhorted to change their cultures, without addressing these wider determinants and thus poor care practices may continue to occur. If targets are abolished, this may still leave a layer of managerialist thinking. This impacts on education because students, who are 'working and learning', experience occupational socialisation through immersion in the lifeworlds of their clinical colleagues. What is required is much less manageralism in the care of older people. Instead, there is a need for clinical leadership, based on critical reflective understanding of the occupational socialisation of nurses operating in a context of risk and rationality and organisational objectives; collegiate political and moral action by health professionals and society on behalf of the older person, and support for front line staff who require more autonomy and control over care practices. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

It ain't what you say, it's how you say it: linguistic and cultural diversity in the classroom.

PubMed

Robinson, Cynthia Cole; Clardy, Pauline

2011-01-01

The disparity between the cultural and linguistic diversity of the teaching population and the student population continues to grow as teacher education programs enroll and graduate primarily white teacher candidates (83.7%). At the same time, the diversity of the K-12 student body has increased with 65% of public school students being from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (National Center for Education Statistics, 2007). This chasm between the diversity of the teaching force and student population is of concern as many teachers report that they do not have the cultural knowledge and experience of working or living in diverse environments, yet will be faced with teaching a very diverse student population. Hence, the need for teacher candidates and current teachers to be explicitly taught the skills needed to successfully teach diverse student populations is urgent. In this article, we explore the following phenomena: how linguistic and cultural diversity is regarded in teacher education programs, as well as teacher candidates' and current K-12 teachers' dispositions towards students who do not share their cultural backgrounds or language (including those who vary in their dialects). Finally, we will present strategies that teacher educators can use to embrace and empower culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) teacher candidates, as well as prepare teacher candidates to teach diverse student populations.

Knowledge and experience of young people of drug abuse 1969-84.

PubMed

Wright, J D; Pearl, L

1986-01-18

An anonymous questionnaire survey of the knowledge and experience of drug abuse among fourth year pupils in three Wolverhampton secondary schools in 1969, 1974, 1979, and 1984 showed familiarity with the names of drugs but considerable ignorance and misunderstanding about how the drugs were taken and their dangers. The proportion of pupils who knew someone taking illicit drugs almost doubled over the period from 15% in 1969 to 28% in 1984, and the proportion of those who had been offered illicit drugs almost trebled, from 5% in 1969 to 14% in 1984. Television remained the most important source of information about drugs. Peer group and social pressures continued to be the most important reason for starting to take drugs. The results of this study endorse the need for continued evaluation of programmes of education about drugs. Such programmes must be part of a wider programme of health and social education, define clear goals, and be sensitive to culture, locality, and ability.

Enrichment of denitrifying methane-oxidizing microorganisms using up-flow continuous reactors and batch cultures.

PubMed

Hatamoto, Masashi; Kimura, Masafumi; Sato, Takafumi; Koizumi, Masato; Takahashi, Masanobu; Kawakami, Shuji; Araki, Nobuo; Yamaguchi, Takashi

2014-01-01

Denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidizing (DAMO) microorganisms were enriched from paddy field soils using continuous-flow and batch cultures fed with nitrate or nitrite as a sole electron acceptor. After several months of cultivation, the continuous-flow cultures using nitrite showed remarkable simultaneous methane oxidation and nitrite reduction and DAMO bacteria belonging to phylum NC10 were enriched. A maximum volumetric nitrite consumption rate of 70.4±3.4 mg-N·L(-1)·day(-1) was achieved with very short hydraulic retention time of 2.1 hour. In the culture, about 68% of total microbial cells were bacteria and no archaeal cells were detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization. In the nitrate-fed continuous-flow cultures, 58% of total microbial cells were bacteria while archaeal cells accounted for 7% of total cell numbers. Phylogenetic analysis of pmoA gene sequence showed that enriched DAMO bacteria in the continuous-flow cultivation had over 98% sequence similarity to DAMO bacteria in the inoculum. In contrast, for batch culture, the enriched pmoA gene sequences had 89-91% sequence similarity to DAMO bacteria in the inoculum. These results indicate that electron acceptor and cultivation method strongly affect the microbial community structures of DAMO consortia.

STS-93 Flight Day 3 Highlights and Crew Activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jeff Ashby, and Mission Specialists Cady Coleman, Steve Hawley and Michael Tognini were awakened with the song "Brave New Girls" performed by Teresa. Steve Hawley, the resident astronomer, continued to work with the Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System (SWUIS) and collected images of targets associated with Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and the Moon. Collins and Ashby maneuvered Columbia in support of various experiments including observations made with the SWUIS telescope or the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX), which used sophisticated sensors to collect ultraviolet, infrared, and visible light data of firings of the shuttle's orbital maneuvering system engines or primary reaction control system jets. Collins also conducted a conversation with students at the Harbor View Elementary School in Corona Del Mar, California using the Shuttle Amatuer Radio Experiment (SAREX) system. She also checked experiments associated with the Cell Culture Module (CCM) and the Biological Research in Canister (BRIC) payloads.

Health-care encounters create both discontinuity and continuity in daily life when living with chronic heart failure—A grounded theory study

PubMed Central

Östman, Malin; Ung, Eva Jakobsson; Falk, Kristin

2015-01-01

Living with chronic heart failure (CHF) often involves lifelong contact with health care, more or less frequently, depending on fluctuating health-generating disruptions in everyday life. To reduce the influence on continuity in life, health-care professionals should preferably focus on supporting patients in managing their daily lives, based on their perspective. The aim of this study was to describe how the interaction in health-care encounters contributes to either continuity or discontinuity in the daily life for persons with CHF. Interviews with 18 participants were carried out, using the grounded theory method, through data collection and analysis. Two core concepts were constructed from data which reveal a model that illuminates the characteristics of the encounters, the actions of health-care professionals and the normative discourse. Patient-centred agenda consists of the categories: “Experiencing a subordinate approach,” “Objectifying during the encounter” and “Expected to be compliant.” This describes how health-care professionals enhance discontinuity in daily life by using a paternalistic approach in the encounter. Person-centred agenda consists of the categories: “Experiencing an empowering approach,” “Person-centredness during the encounter” and “Expected to be capable.” It describes how participants perceive that health-care professionals enable them to deal with everyday life which enhances continuity. The findings highlight the importance of health-care professionals’ attitudes and communication in encounters with patients. Health care must be designed to support and promote patients’ own strategic thinking by strengthening their self-image to enhance continuity in everyday life. The experience of discontinuity is based on the prevailing health-care culture which focuses on disease and medical treatment and regards it as superior to the illness experience in an everyday life context. We therefore strongly suggest a paradigm shift in the health-care organisation and culture in order to support the patients in their efforts to live a meaningful, rich life, in spite of the chronic illness CHF. PMID:28229746

Does the Body Survive Death? Cultural Variation in Beliefs About Life Everlasting.

PubMed

Watson-Jones, Rachel E; Busch, Justin T A; Harris, Paul L; Legare, Cristine H

2017-04-01

Mounting evidence suggests that endorsement of psychological continuity and the afterlife increases with age. This developmental change raises questions about the cognitive biases, social representations, and cultural input that may support afterlife beliefs. To what extent is there similarity versus diversity across cultures in how people reason about what happens after death? The objective of this study was to compare beliefs about the continuation of biological and psychological functions after death in Tanna, Vanuatu (a Melanesian archipelago), and the United States (Austin, Texas). Children, adolescents, and adults were primed with a story that contained either natural (non-theistic) or supernatural (theistic) cues. Participants were then asked whether or not different biological and psychological processes continue to function after death. We predicted that across cultures individuals would be more likely to endorse the continuation of psychological processes over biological processes (dualism) and that a theistic prime would increase continuation responses regarding both types of process. Results largely supported predictions; U.S. participants provided more continuation responses for psychological than biological processes following both the theistic and non-theistic primes. Participants in Vanuatu, however, provided more continuation responses for biological than psychological processes following the theistic prime. The data provide evidence for both cultural similarity and variability in afterlife beliefs and demonstrate that individuals use both natural and supernatural explanations to interpret the same events. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Bearing the burden of doubt: female coaches' experiences of gender relations.

PubMed

Norman, Leanne

2010-12-01

Based on interview research, this study examined how master female coaches based in the United Kingdom experienced relations with men within their profession. Using a feminist cultural studies approach to examine how sport promotes and maintains a gender order unfavorable to women, we found that female coaches felt the need to continually prove themselves and often experienced coaching as a hostile and intimidating culture. Participants reported a gradual reduction in such unwelcoming behavior from men, seemingly because they had proved to be no threat to the existing patriarchal structure. A critical exploration of coaching is needed to understand how masculine hegemony leads to women's relative powerlessness as coaches. Furthermore, the findings present a case for a greater emphasis on sociocultural education within the UK coaching curricula.

Retinal patching: a new approach to the management of selected retinal breaks.

PubMed

Gilbert, C E; Grierson, I; McLeod, D

1989-01-01

Restoration of retinal continuity by a patching technique is proposed as a new means of treating selected rhegmatogenous retinal detachments where established techniques frequently fail. The patch consists of a substrate and adhesive applied to the inner surface of the retina surrounding the retinal break. Bovine eye cup experiments have been performed to explore the effectiveness of a range of adhesives, and cyanoacrylates and Tisseel have been found to be effective. Studies of these adhesives on confluent cultures of bovine retinal pigment epithelial cells and glia revealed temporary cyanoacrylate toxicity and stimulation of proliferation by Tisseel. Substrate biocompatability was investigated by observing the growth of cells on various substrates in tissue culture; biological substrates such as lens capsule supported cell growth whereas synthetic membranes only did so if pretreated with fibronectin.

Methods for the cultural adaptation of a diabetes lifestyle intervention for Latinas: an illustrative project.

PubMed

Osuna, Diego; Barrera, Manuel; Strycker, Lisa A; Toobert, Deborah J; Glasgow, Russell E; Geno, Cristy R; Almeida, Fabio; Perdomo, Malena; King, Diane; Doty, Alyssa Tinley

2011-05-01

Because Latinas experience a high prevalence of type 2 diabetes and its complications, there is an urgent need to reach them with interventions that promote healthful lifestyles. This article illustrates a sequential approach that took an effective multiple-risk-factor behavior-change program and adapted it for Latinas with type 2 diabetes. Adaptation stages include (a) information gathering from literature and focus groups, (b) preliminary adaptation design, and (c) preliminary adaptation test. In this third stage, a pilot study finds that participants were highly satisfied with the intervention and showed improvement across diverse outcomes. Key implications for applications include the importance of a model for guiding cultural adaptations, and the value of procedures for obtaining continuous feedback from staff and participants during the preliminary adaptation test.

Cultural aspects of ageing and health promotion.

PubMed

Mariño, R J

2015-03-01

The emphasis of Australian Government policy is on the promotion of good health in later life and positive experiences with ageing. Conceptually, a new gerontology framework has replaced the study of disease, decline, loss and disability. Within this framework, health promotion offers a mechanism by which individuals can be assisted to create environments that offer better opportunities for continued participation in society and improved quality of health and self-care. Oral health is instrumental to older people's health, life satisfaction, quality of life and perception of self. Australia is culturally diverse, composed of numerous ethno-cultural groups coexisting within a larger, predominant culture, creating a multicultural and multiracial society. However, despite this cultural diversity, the well documented ageing profile of the Australian population and repeated calls for comprehensive geriatric assessment, the oral health of older adults remains a challenge for oral health providers and for society. A major challenge will be to translate existing knowledge and experience of disease prevention and health promotion into appropriate programmes for older adults. Health promotion is the key to improving oral health in later life as it encourages older adults to be proactive in regard to their health. Therefore, increased efforts should be directed towards identifying opportunities for health promotion activities and the development of community based models that encourage older people to improve and maintain their oral health. Ignoring opportunities for health promotion may increase inequalities in oral health and may lead to even greater demands for curative and oral rehabilitative services from these groups This article firstly provides a brief rationale for oral health promotion. Its second part explores the influence of culture on health beliefs, behaviours and outcomes in older adults and how oral health can relate to cultural background. The last section presents the results of an oral health promotion programme for older adults. © 2015 Australian Dental Association.

Transfer adjustment experiences of underrepresented students of color in the sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, June C.

Two-year colleges have long served as the starting point for many students in higher education and particularly those of underrepresented backgrounds. In recent years, these institutions have been called upon to help address the high attrition rates facing the science and mathematics disciplines by promoting interest development and transfer of underrepresented students in these fields. This study examined the adjustment experiences of underrepresented students of color after transferring from community colleges to a four-year university in the sciences. By employing qualitative interviews with students of African, Latino, Pacific Island, and Southeast Asian descent, students' perceptions of the sciences at the two- and four-year campus, adjustment process, and benefits and detriments of taking the transfer route were the focus of this research. The findings show that transfer students experience a very different science culture at each institutional type in terms of pedagogy and curriculum and interactions with classmates and faculty. While students witnessed a collaborative science culture at the community college, they faced a highly competitive and individualistic environment at the university. The greater the difference encountered, the more difficult were students' adjustment. Adjustment was aided in two primary ways: socialization experiences before transferring and the development of common identity groups with other students who shared similar backgrounds, goals, and struggles. These groups formed organically at the two-year college but were more difficult to forge at the university. When present, however, they served as niches, sites of validation, and counter spaces within the larger university setting. It appears that starting at the community college benefited most participants by providing a nurturing environment that fostered their commitment to science. Some students felt that they would have been dissuaded from pursuing their majors had they only been exposed to the academic culture of the university. Implications of this research range from changes to classroom practices and continued support of academic support programs targeted at underrepresented students of color, to transforming the academic culture of research universities to provide a supportive and collaborative learning experience for all students in the sciences.

Thought-Experiments About Gravity in the History of Science and in Research into Children's Thinking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blown, E. J.; Bryce, T. G. K.

2013-03-01

This article examines the main strands of thinking about gravity through the ages and the continuity of thought-experiments, from the early Greeks, through medieval times, to Galileo, Newton and Einstein. The key ideas are used to contextualise an empirical study of 247 children's ideas about falling objects carried out in China and New Zealand, including the use of scenarios involving thrown and dropped items, and objects falling down deep well holes (as in Carroll's Alice in Wonderland). The sample included 68 pre-school pupils, 68 primary school pupils, 56 middle school students, and 55 high school students; with approximately equal numbers in each group and of boys and girls in each group in each culture. The methodology utilised Piagetian interviews with three media (verbal language, drawing, and play-dough), a shadow stick; and everyday items including model people and soft model animals. The data from each group was categorised and analysed with Kolmogorov- Smirnov Two- Sample Tests and Spearman r s coefficients. It was hypothesised and confirmed (at K- S alpha levels .05; r s : p < .001) that cross-age and cross-cultural research and analysis would reveal that (a) an intuitive sense of gravity is present from an early age and develops in association with concepts like Earth shape and motion; (b) the development of concepts of gravity is similar in cultures such as China and New Zealand where teachers hold a scientific world view; and (c) children's concepts of Earth motion, Earth shape, and gravity are coherent rather than fragmented. It was also demonstrated that multi-media interviews together with concrete experiences and thought-experiments afforded children the opportunity to share their emerging concepts of gravity. The findings provide information that teachers might use for lessons at an appropriate level.

A multiplex culture system for the long‐term growth of fission yeast cells

PubMed Central

Callens, Céline; Coelho, Nelson C.; Miller, Aaron W.; Sananes, Maria Rosa Domingo; Dunham, Maitreya J.; Denoual, Matthieu

2017-01-01

Abstract Maintenance of long‐term cultures of yeast cells is central to a broad range of investigations, from metabolic studies to laboratory evolution assays. However, repeated dilutions of batch cultures lead to variations in medium composition, with implications for cell physiology. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, powerful miniaturized chemostat setups, or ministat arrays, have been shown to allow for constant dilution of multiple independent cultures. Here we set out to adapt these arrays for continuous culture of a morphologically and physiologically distinct yeast, the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, with the goal of maintaining constant population density over time. First, we demonstrated that the original ministats are incompatible with growing fission yeast for more than a few generations, prompting us to modify different aspects of the system design. Next, we identified critical parameters for sustaining unbiased vegetative growth in these conditions. This requires deletion of the gsf2 flocculin‐encoding gene, along with addition of galactose to the medium and lowering of the culture temperature. Importantly, we improved the flexibility of the ministats by developing a piezo‐pump module for the independent regulation of the dilution rate of each culture. This made it possible to easily grow strains that have different generation times in the same assay. Our system therefore allows for maintaining multiple fission yeast cultures in exponential growth, adapting the dilution of each culture over time to keep constant population density for hundreds of generations. These multiplex culture systems open the door to a new range of long‐term experiments using this model organism. © 2017 The Authors. Yeast published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. PMID:28426144

Newly cultured bacteria with broad diversity isolated from 8 week continuous culture enrichments of cow feces on complex polysaccharides

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

One of the fascinating functions of the mammalian intestinal microbiota is the fermentation of plant cell wall components. Eight week continuous culture enrichments of cow feces with cellulose and xylan/pectin were used to isolate bacteria from this community. A total of 459 bacterial isolates were ...

Educational Success and Surrounding Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walters, Garrison

2016-01-01

The curriculum, instruction, and services we provide in schools, colleges, and universities matter a lot, but if we continue to ignore our students' "surrounding culture," progress toward a more educated nation will continue to be disappointing.

The Influence of Cross-Cultural Experiences & Location on Teachers' Perceptions of Cultural Competence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lopes-Murphy, Solange A.; Murphy, Christopher G.

2016-01-01

The increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in academic settings necessitates greater cultural competence on the part of teachers, and enhancing the cultural competence of teachers requires a greater understanding of both the level of cultural competence among teachers and the experiences that enhance cultural competence. Teacher educators…

Investigation of endogenous biomass efficiency in the treatment of unhairing effluents from the tanning industry.

PubMed

Mlaik, Najwa; Bouzid, Jalel; Gharsallah, Neji; Belbahri, Lassad; Woodward, Steve; Mechichi, Tahar

2009-08-01

The tanning industry is of great economic importance worldwide; however, the potential environmental impact of tanning is significant. An important component in tanning is the removal of hair from the hide (unhairing), a process which generates considerable amounts of toxic effluent characterized by a high concentration of sulphur, rich mineral compounds, a high alkalinity and a high organic load. The purpose of the work described here was to evaluate the biodegradability of the unhairing wastewater by endogenous biomass in batch culture and continuous systems. The detoxification of the effluent was assessed by seed germination tests. The batch culture experiments showed that variations in COD, temperature and pH significantly affected the endogenous biomass growth and activity. The optimal treatment condition corresponded to an initial COD of 6 g/L, pH of 7 and 30 degrees C. Under continuous culture conditions, the reactor was fed for 48 days with the unhairing effluent. The optimal COD removal efficiency was 85.5%. During treatment, a transformation of sulphides into thiosulphates and then sulphates was also observed. The effect of untreated and treated unhairing wastewater on seed germination of different plant species was studied. The data suggested that treatment decreased the wastewater toxicity. Indeed, germination was inhibited when the effluent dilution was lower than 20% and 10% for treated and untreated wastewater, respectively.

PSYCHOANALYSIS IN CHINA: AN ESSAY ON THE RECENT LITERATURE IN ENGLISH.

PubMed

Scharff, David E

2016-10-01

Using extensive quotation, the author reviews the introduction and current state of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy in China from the vantage point of recent publications in English. Psychoanalysis was briefly introduced to China before the Communist era, then forbidden, and has experienced an accelerated reintroduction since the late 1980s. The author briefly summarizes the cultural and historical background of China relevant to the introduction of psychoanalysis, the traumatic history of China, and the deep structure of thought and philosophical differences from Western culture that challenge a simple imposition of psychoanalytic ideas and practice, and some psychological effects of rapid cultural change throughout China. Training programs in China, the general enthusiasm for analysis among the Chinese, and a number of notable contributions by Western and Chinese authors are discussed. Also surveyed are the use of distance technology for training and treatment, the personal experience of Chinese senior and junior colleagues, and ongoing challenges to the continuing growth of psychoanalysis and analytic psychotherapy in China. © 2016 The Psychoanalytic Quarterly, Inc.

Implementing oxygen control in chip-based cell and tissue culture systems.

PubMed

Oomen, Pieter E; Skolimowski, Maciej D; Verpoorte, Elisabeth

2016-09-21

Oxygen is essential in the energy metabolism of cells, as well as being an important regulatory parameter influencing cell differentiation and function. Interest in precise oxygen control for in vitro cultures of tissues and cells continues to grow, especially with the emergence of the organ-on-a-chip and the desire to emulate in vivo conditions. This was recently discussed in this journal in a Critical Review by Brennan et al. (Lab Chip (2014). DOI: ). Microfluidics can be used to introduce flow to facilitate nutrient supply to and waste removal from in vitro culture systems. Well-defined oxygen gradients can also be established. However, cells can quickly alter the oxygen balance in their vicinity. In this Tutorial Review, we expand on the Brennan paper to focus on the implementation of oxygen analysis in these systems to achieve continuous monitoring. Both electrochemical and optical approaches for the integration of oxygen monitoring in microfluidic tissue and cell culture systems will be discussed. Differences in oxygen requirements from one organ to the next are a challenging problem, as oxygen delivery is limited by its uptake into medium. Hence, we discuss the factors determining oxygen concentrations in solutions and consider the possible use of artificial oxygen carriers to increase dissolved oxygen concentrations. The selection of device material for applications requiring precise oxygen control is discussed in detail, focusing on oxygen permeability. Lastly, a variety of devices is presented, showing the diversity of approaches that can be employed to control and monitor oxygen concentrations in in vitro experiments.

Effect of holding technique and culture drop size in individual or group culture on blastocyst development after ICSI of equine oocytes with low meiotic competence.

PubMed

Choi, Y H; Love, L B; Varner, D D; Hinrichs, K

2007-11-01

The effect of medium-to-embryo ratio on blastocyst development of equine embryos from oocytes with compact cumuli was evaluated in the present experiment. In addition, two methods for holding oocytes before in vitro maturation were compared. In Experiment 1, oocytes cultured with roscovitine for 16-18h before maturation were fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection and cultured individually in 2.5, 5, 10 or 50microl droplets. In Experiment 2, oocytes were either cultured with roscovitine or held in a modified M199 with 20% serum at room temperature (EH treatment) for 16-18h, then matured, fertilized and cultured in groups at 5microl medium per embryo. In Experiment 3, oocytes were held in the EH treatment, then were matured and fertilized. In Study 3.1, injected oocytes were cultured individually in drop sizes as for Experiment 1; in Study 3.2, groups of 2-7 oocytes were cultured in fixed drop sizes of 5 or 50microl. Blastocyst development rates of individually-cultured embryos were not significantly different among drop sizes in either Experiment 1 or 3 (15-29%). In Experiment 2, blastocyst rates were not significantly different between holding treatments (17-23%). In Experiment 3, for group-cultured oocytes, blastocyst development was not significantly different between 5 and 50microl drops (39 and 27%, respectively). In conclusion, compact-cumulus oocytes may be effectively held in the EH treatment before maturation, and single culture of equine embryos yields acceptable blastocyst development. The greatest blastocyst rate (39%) was obtained with group culture in a 5microl droplet.

Efficient and stable production of Modified Vaccinia Ankara virus in two-stage semi-continuous and in continuous stirred tank cultivation systems.

PubMed

Tapia, Felipe; Jordan, Ingo; Genzel, Yvonne; Reichl, Udo

2017-01-01

One important aim in cell culture-based viral vaccine and vector production is the implementation of continuous processes. Such a development has the potential to reduce costs of vaccine manufacturing as volumetric productivity is increased and the manufacturing footprint is reduced. In this work, continuous production of Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus was investigated. First, a semi-continuous two-stage cultivation system consisting of two shaker flasks in series was established as a small-scale approach. Cultures of the avian AGE1.CR.pIX cell line were expanded in the first shaker, and MVA virus was propagated and harvested in the second shaker over a period of 8-15 days. A total of nine small-scale cultivations were performed to investigate the impact of process parameters on virus yields. Harvest volumes of 0.7-1 L with maximum TCID50 titers of up to 1.0×109 virions/mL were obtained. Genetic analysis of control experiments using a recombinant MVA virus containing green-fluorescent-protein suggested that the virus was stable over at least 16 d of cultivation. In addition, a decrease or fluctuation of infectious units that may indicate an excessive accumulation of defective interfering particles was not observed. The process was automated in a two-stage continuous system comprising two connected 1 L stirred tank bioreactors. Stable MVA virus titers, and a total production volume of 7.1 L with an average TCID50 titer of 9×107 virions/mL was achieved. Because titers were at the lower range of the shake flask cultivations potential for further process optimization at large scale will be discussed. Overall, MVA virus was efficiently produced in continuous and semi-continuous cultivations making two-stage stirred tank bioreactor systems a promising platform for industrial production of MVA-derived recombinant vaccines and viral vectors.

The experiences of African American graduate students: A cultural transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joseph, Joretta

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) have long been an intellectual resource for the African American community. HBCUs have provided and continue to provide an educational pathway for many Black students, particularly women who seek graduate and advanced degrees. However, despite the overwhelmingly positive presence of HBCU in the African American community, the academic training of students who graduate from HBCUs may be perceived as insufficient by predominantly White graduate institutions (PWIs). As a result, African American students who are not well integrated into their respective departmental communities and cultures at PW/is are likely to leave graduate school. Thus the continuing loss of talented people, potential research, role models for society, and the next generation of African American students in the fields of math, engineering, and the sciences (STEM) create a segregated and limited university environment. Studies in the field that attempt to provide insight in to experiences of underrepresented students are ultimately beneficial. However, often such studies do not address the process of adapting to the culture of a predominantly white institution (PWI), particularly within white and male dominated fields such as mathematics and the sciences. Research has also indicated that the first two years at a predominantly white graduate institution is the crucial transitional period for students of color, and it is this transitional moment in time that is the focus of this study. I consider how students make the transition from HBCU to majority institutions, and what impact this transition has on their persistence and commitment to their discipline. The limited amount of research that does address the experiences of minority doctoral students in math and science is usually coupled with the experiences of women. However, race and gender are not linear or additive. It cannot be assumed that the same factors that effect the under representation of women of color have are the same factors that effect the under representation of Euro-American Women and men of color. This study takes those distinctions into account. The methodology of this study relies on extensive interview data (among other sources), to fully examine the transition process of six African-American women engaged in graduate work in mathematics or science at predominantly white institutions. I examine each participant's story as a case study, outlining moderating influences and perspectives on their acculturation to the STEM disciplines and to majority institutions.

The influence of teamwork culture on physician and nurse resignation rates in hospitals.

PubMed

Mohr, David C; Burgess, James F; Young, Gary J

2008-02-01

Employee turnover is a critical concern, particularly for hospitals, because they face a very tight labour market for hiring replacements, and high turnover itself may have substantial negative effects on the continuity and quality of patient care. Hospitals with a stronger teamwork culture may experience lower turnover but this has not been formally studied. Research on determinants of employee turnover has not separated out resignations from the larger, more inclusive definition of turnover that includes retirement. This study investigated the relationship between the teamwork culture of hospitals and physician and nurse resignation rates. The study setting was the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Each hospital was assessed on teamwork culture based on a survey of current employees. Hospital-level resignation rates were obtained for physicians and nurses. Separate multivariate regression models on physicians and nurses were employed. The models included hospital-level characteristics and labour market variables. Analysis of covariance was also performed to attempt to further reveal effects in high versus low teamwork culture hospitals. Teamwork culture was negatively associated with nurse and physician resignation rates, but was statistically significant in the nurse resignation model only. Additional analyses indicated a 0.47 standard deviation (SD) difference in nurse resignation rates and a 0.40 SD difference in physician resignation rates between hospitals in the top and bottom quartiles of the distribution for teamwork culture. In conclusion, these results suggest that developing and emphasizing a teamwork culture may facilitate greater retention of health-care employees, especially nurses.

Barriers and facilitators of care for diverse patients: Nurse leader perspectives and nurse manager implications.

PubMed

Ogbolu, Yolanda; Scrandis, Debra A; Fitzpatrick, Grace

2018-01-01

To examine chief nurse executives' perspectives on: (1) the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate services in hospitals and (2) to identify barriers and facilitators associated with the implementation of culturally and linguistically appropriate services. Hospitals continue to face challenges providing care to diverse patients. The uptake of standards related to culturally and linguistically appropriate services into clinical practice is sluggish, despite potential benefits, including reducing health disparities, patient errors, readmissions and improving patient experiences. A qualitative study with chief nurse executives from one eastern United States (US). Data were analysed using content analysis. Seven themes emerged: (1) lack of awareness of resources for health care organisations; (2) constrained cultural competency training; (3) suboptimal resources (cost and time); (4) mutual understanding; (5) limited workplace diversity; (6) community outreach programmes; and (7) the management of unvoiced patient expectations. As the American population diversifies, providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services remains a priority for nurse leaders. Being aware and utilizing the resources, policies and best practices available for the implementation of culturally and linguistically appropriate services can assist nursing managers in reaching their goals of providing high quality care to diverse populations. Nurse managers are key in aligning the unit's resources with organisational goals related to the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate services by providing the operational leadership to eliminate barriers and to enhance the uptake of best practices related to culturally and linguistically appropriate services. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Quasi-continuous parallel online scattered light, fluorescence and dissolved oxygen tension measurement combined with monitoring of the oxygen transfer rate in each well of a shaken microtiter plate.

PubMed

Ladner, Tobias; Held, Markus; Flitsch, David; Beckers, Mario; Büchs, Jochen

2016-12-03

Microtiter plates (MTP) are often applied as culture vessels in high-throughput screening programs. If online measuring techniques are available, MTPs can also be applied in the first steps of process development. For such small-scale bioreactors dipping probes are usually too large; therefore, optical measurements are often used. For example, the BioLector technology allows for the online monitoring of scattered light and fluorescence in each well of a continuously orbitally shaken MTP. Although this system provides valuable data, these measurements are mainly of a semi-quantitative nature. Therefore, signal calibration is required to obtain absolute values. With the µRAMOS technology it became possible for the first time to quantify the oxygen transfer rate (OTR) separately in each well of an MTP. In this work, a device is presented that combines both techniques, to provide a hitherto unparalleled high amount of information from each single well. Because both systems (BioLector and µRAMOS) are based on optical measurements, the measurements need to be synchronized to avoid interferences with the optical signals. The new experimental setup was applied for online monitoring in cultures of Escherichia coli and Hansenula polymorpha. It has been demonstrated that the well-to-well reproducibility is very high, and that the monitored signals provide reliable and valuable information about the process. With varying filling volumes, different maximum oxygen transfer capacities (OTR max ) were adjusted in oxygen-limited cultures. The different degrees of stress during the culture due to oxygen limitation affected microbial growth and also impacted reproducibility from culture to culture. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that this new device significantly simplifies the experimental efforts: instead of parallel cultures in a shake flask and MTP, just one single experiment in MTP needs to be conducted to measure the OTR, dissolved oxygen tension (DOT), scattered light and fluorescence. The new device is a very suitable system for the online monitoring of cultures in continuously orbitally shaken MTPs. Due to the high number of parameters that can simultaneously be measured with this small-scale device, deeper insight into the investigated microbial system can be achieved. Furthermore, the experimental efforts to obtain OTR, DOT, scattered light and fluorescence signals during a culture are decreased. Ultimately, this new technology and the resulting high amount of collected data will eliminate the currently existing separation between screening and process development. Graphical abstract Picture of the combined μRAMOS and BioLector setup which allows for measurements of the oxygen transfer rate (OTR), dissolved oxygen tension (DOT), scattered light and fluorescence in each single well of an orbitally shaken microtiter plate.

Cultural Identity and Experiences of Prejudice and Discrimination of Afghan and Iranian Immigrant Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khanlou, Nazilla; Koh, Jane G.; Mill, Catriona

2008-01-01

In culturally diverse and immigrant receiving societies, immigrant youth can be subject to prejudice and discrimination. Such experiences can impact on immigrant youth's cultural identity and influence their psychosocial outcomes. This paper presents findings of a study that examined cultural identity and experiences of prejudice and…

Teacher Candidates' Perceptions of Debriefing Circles to Facilitate Self-Reflection during a Cultural Immersion Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Addleman, Rebecca A.; Brazo, Carol J.; Dixon, Kristin; Cevallos, Tatiana; Wortman, Shary

2014-01-01

This study followed 9 teacher candidates through a 3-week cultural immersion experience in which they volunteered in educational settings where they were not members of the majority culture. This learning experience was designed to help candidates better understand their culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse future students. A…

Expanding worldview: Australian nursing students' experience of cultural immersion in India.

PubMed

Charles, Loretta; Maltby, Hendrika; Abrams, Sarah; Shea, Jeanne; Brand, Gabrielle; Nicol, Pamela

2014-01-01

Abstract Increasing cultural diversity and a sense of global community has necessitated the introduction of cultural competence in the education of health care providers. Some institutions have utilised cultural immersion programmes to address this need of cultural competence. Studies have not yet described what this experience is for Australian nursing students. The purpose of this study is to describe the immersion experience of a group of senior Australian nursing students who participated in a 5-week cultural immersion programme in India.

Expanding Worldview: Australian Nursing Students' Experience of Cultural Immersion in India.

PubMed

Charles, Loretta; Maltby, Hendrika; Abrams, Sarah; Shea, Jeanne; Brand, Gabrielle; Nicol, Pamela

2014-06-27

Abstract Increasing cultural diversity and a sense of global community has necessitated the introduction of cultural competence in the education of health care providers. Some institutions have utilized cultural immersion programs to address this need of cultural competence. Studies have not yet described what this experience is for Australian nursing students. The purpose of this study is to describe the immersion experience of a group of senior Australian nursing students who participated in a five week cultural immersion program in India.

The colonial context of Filipino American immigrants' psychological experiences.

PubMed

David, E J R; Nadal, Kevin L

2013-07-01

Because of the long colonial history of Filipinos and the highly Americanized climate of postcolonial Philippines, many scholars from various disciplines have speculated that colonialism and its legacies may play major roles in Filipino emigration to the United States. However, there are no known empirical studies in psychology that specifically investigate whether colonialism and its effects have influenced the psychological experiences of Filipino American immigrants prior to their arrival in the United States. Further, there is no existing empirical study that specifically investigates the extent to which colonialism and its legacies continue to influence Filipino American immigrants' mental health. Thus, using interviews (N = 6) and surveys (N = 219) with Filipino American immigrants, two studies found that colonialism and its consequences are important factors to consider when conceptualizing the psychological experiences of Filipino American immigrants. Specifically, the findings suggest that (a) Filipino American immigrants experienced ethnic and cultural denigration in the Philippines prior to their U.S. arrival, (b) ethnic and cultural denigration in the Philippines and in the United States may lead to the development of colonial mentality (CM), and (c) that CM may have negative mental health consequences among Filipino American immigrants. The two studies' findings suggest that the Filipino American immigration experience cannot be completely captured by the voluntary immigrant narrative, as they provide empirical support to the notion that the Filipino American immigration experience needs to be understood in the context of colonialism and its most insidious psychological legacy- CM. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Continuous production of ethanol with Zymomonas mobilis growing on Jerusalem artichoke juice

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Allais, J.J.; Torres, E.F.; Baratti, J.

1987-04-01

Recent work from the authors laboratory has shown that, compared to yeasts, much higher ethanol productivity and yield can be obtained in batch or continuous cultures using the bacterium Zymomonas mobilis grown on fructose media. In batch culture, hydrolyzed Jerusalem artichoke juice with sugar concentrations ranging from 100 to 250 g/L can be converted efficiently to ethanol. The present work describes the conversion of the hydrolyzed juice to ethanol in continuous culture. The extraction and enzymatic hydrolysis of inulin from the tubers of Jerusalem artichoke is also reported.

The prevailing winds of oppression: understanding the new graduate experience in acute care.

PubMed

Duchscher, Judy Boychuk; Myrick, Florence

2008-01-01

The experience of new graduates in acute care. The majority of newly graduated nurses make their initial professional role transition in acute care. Being socialized into the dynamic culture of today's hospitals creates significant challenges not only for the nurses themselves but also for institutions of higher education, healthcare administrators, and policy makers across this country. Demanding workloads for hospital nurses, an aging nursing workforce, and the high level of stress inherent in workplaces across North America are factors contributing to an exodus of both new and seasoned nurses out of acute care. This article outlines the implicit and explicit factors that may be contributing to the dissatisfaction and distress in nursing graduates entering professional practice through hospital nursing. CINAHL, MEDLINE, Sociolit, and PubMed. Discussion is focused on the oppressive context in which hospital nursing continues to be situated and explores the ideological, structural, and relational aspects of domination that continue to surface in the work experiences of novice as well as seasoned nurses. Suggestions for addressing the issues that plague the acute care environment are integrated throughout the article, and a detailed framework of empowerment for this nursing context is offered.

Culture Wires the Brain: A Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective

PubMed Central

Park, Denise C.; Huang, Chih-Mao

2012-01-01

There is clear evidence that sustained experiences may affect both brain structure and function. Thus, it is quite reasonable to posit that sustained exposure to a set of cultural experiences and behavioral practices will affect neural structure and function. The burgeoning field of cultural psychology has often demonstrated the subtle differences in the way individuals process information—differences that appear to be a product of cultural experiences. We review evidence that the collectivistic and individualistic biases of East Asian and Western cultures, respectively, affect neural structure and function. We conclude that there is limited evidence that cultural experiences affect brain structure and considerably more evidence that neural function is affected by culture, particularly activations in ventral visual cortex—areas associated with perceptual processing. PMID:22866061

Characterizing The Microbial Lability And Isotopic (14C, 13C) Signatures Of Marine Organic Matter With A Novel Culture Vessel System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beaupre, S. R.; Mahmoudi, N.; Pearson, A.

2016-02-01

The rate at which non-living organic matter is respired in the ocean is an unconstrained and important property of the marine carbon cycle. Studies of inherent mineralization rates are complicated by the fact that marine organic matter is a mixture of compounds that vary in reactivity and concentration. While natural radiocarbon ages (14C, half-life = 5730 yr) have served as proxies for lability, they have not been used extensively to characterize that fraction of marine organic matter that is biologically accessible. To address this problem, we developed a novel batch culture system to monitor the time-dependent production rates and isotopic signatures of CO2 released during microbial degradation of natural organic matter. The system simulated a nepheloid layer by maintaining a slurry of decarbonated sediment and minimal media (M9) in a custom 2-liter culture vessel. The natural microbial community was allowed to develop within the sediment, and respired CO2 was continuously sparged from the medium with helium and oxygen, quantified in real time with an infrared gas analyzer, and isolated as a series of contiguous fractions for subsequent isotopic (∆14C, d13C) characterization. Control experiments indicated the accumulation of just 4.5 mg of background carbon per hour of continuous gas flow, which constituted ≤ 10 % of the respired carbon mass in each fraction. Since ∆14C values are conserved during molecular transformations, this low-blank system enables the detection of subtle shifts in the "age" of organic matter respired during the course of a culture experiment. Analyses of sediments from Falmouth, MA revealed both a variable CO2 production rate and an increase in post-bomb ∆14C values during a 10-day incubation. This suggests that the microbial lability of organic matter at this site decreased non-linearly with apparent 14C age, and that the least labile fraction observed was not more than 50 years old. These results underscore the complex relationship between microbial communities, organic matter composition, and its 14C age distribution.

A Comparative Study of Exceptional Experiences of Clients Seeking Advice and of Subjects in an Ordinary Population

PubMed Central

Fach, W.; Atmanspacher, H.; Landolt, K.; Wyss, T.; Rössler, W.

2012-01-01

Exceptional experiences (EE) occur frequently within the populations of many countries and across various socio-cultural contexts. Although some EE show similarities with mental disorders, it would be a mistake to identify them in general as disorders. In fact, the vast number of individuals reporting EE includes subclinical and completely healthy subjects. We conducted a comparative empirical study of several characteristics of EE for two samples – one from ordinary population and the other from clients seeking advice. We found surprisingly similar phenomenological patterns of EE in both samples, but the frequency and intensity of EE for clients seeking advice significantly exceeded those for the ordinary population. Our results support the hypothesis of a continuous spectrum between mental health and mental disorder for the types of experiences analyzed. PMID:23423775

Summary of biological spaceflight experiments with cells.

PubMed

Dickson, K J

1991-07-01

Numerous biological experiments with cells have been conducted in space, and the importance of these experiments and this area of study is continually becoming evident. This contribution is a compilation of available information about spaceflight experiments with cells for the purpose of providing a single source of information for those interested in space gravitational cell biology. Experiments focused on a study of the effects of gravity and its absence on cells, cell function, and basic cellular processes have been included. Experiments include those involving viruses, bacteriophage, unicellular organisms, lower fungi, and animal and plant cell and tissue cultures, but exclude experiments with cells that were carried on a flight as part of a whole organism and later removed for study, and experiments with fertilized eggs. In addition, experiments in biotechnology, in which the microgravity environment is employed to study cell purification, cell fusion, protein crystallization, and similar processes, have not been included. Spaceflight experiments conducted by scientists from the U.S., U.S.S.R., and other countries and flown onboard sounding rockets (TEXUS, MAXUS, Consort), biosatellites (Biosatellite II, Cosmos), and various crewed spacecraft including the space shuttle (STS) and Soyuz, and space stations (Salyut, Mir) have been included, as well as high altitude balloon flights. Balloon flights are not spaceflights but can and are used as controls for the effects of space radiation, since organisms carried on balloons may be exposed to some of the same radiation as those taken into space, yet continue to be exposed to Earth's gravitational force. Parabolic flights on aircraft during which periods of microgravity of less than a minute are achieved have arbitrarily been excluded, because even though numerous experiments have been conducted, few results have been published.

The influence of day/night cycles on biomass yield and composition of Neochloris oleoabundans.

PubMed

de Winter, Lenneke; Cabanelas, Iago Teles Dominguez; Martens, Dirk E; Wijffels, René H; Barbosa, Maria J

2017-01-01

Day/night cycles regulate the circadian clock of organisms to program daily activities. Many species of microalgae have a synchronized cell division when grown under a day/night cycle, and synchronization might influence biomass yield and composition. Therefore, the aim of this study was to study the influence of day/night cycle on biomass yield and composition of the green microalgae Neochloris oleoabundans . Hence, we compared continuous turbidostat cultures grown under continuous light with cultures grown under simulated day/night cycles. Under day/night cycles, cultures were synchronized as cell division was scheduled in the night, whereas under continuous light cell division occurred randomly synchronized cultures were able to use the light 10-15% more efficiently than non-synchronized cultures. Our results indicate that the efficiency of light use varies over the cell cycle and that synchronized cell division provides a fitness benefit to microalgae. Biomass composition under day/night cycles was similar to continuous light, with the exception of starch content. The starch content was higher in cultures under continuous light, most likely because the cells never had to respire starch to cover for maintenance during dark periods. Day/night cycles were provided in a 'block' (continuous light intensity during the light period) and in a 'sine' (using a sine function to simulate light intensities from sunrise to sunset). There were no differences in biomass yield or composition between these two ways of providing light (in a 'block' or in a 'sine'). The biomass yield and composition of N. oleoabundans were influenced by day/night cycles. These results are important to better understand the relations between research done under continuous light conditions and with day/night cycle conditions. Our findings also imply that more research should be done under day/night cycles.

Blastocyst utilization rates after continuous culture in two commercial single-step media: a prospective randomized study with sibling oocytes.

PubMed

Sfontouris, Ioannis A; Kolibianakis, Efstratios M; Lainas, George T; Venetis, Christos A; Petsas, George K; Tarlatzis, Basil C; Lainas, Tryfon G

2017-10-01

The aim of this study is to determine whether blastocyst utilization rates are different after continuous culture in two different commercial single-step media. This is a paired randomized controlled trial with sibling oocytes conducted in infertility patients, aged ≤40 years with ≥10 oocytes retrieved assigned to blastocyst culture and transfer. Retrieved oocytes were randomly allocated to continuous culture in either Sage one-step medium (Origio) or Continuous Single Culture (CSC) medium (Irvine Scientific) without medium renewal up to day 5 post oocyte retrieval. Main outcome measure was the proportion of embryos suitable for clinical use (utilization rate). A total of 502 oocytes from 33 women were randomly allocated to continuous culture in either Sage one-step medium (n = 250) or CSC medium (n = 252). Fertilization was performed by either in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection, and embryo transfers were performed on day 5. Two patients had all blastocysts frozen due to the occurrence of severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Fertilization and cleavage rates, as well as embryo quality on day 3, were similar in the two media. Blastocyst utilization rates (%, 95% CI) [55.4% (46.4-64.1) vs 54.7% (44.9-64.6), p = 0.717], blastocyst formation rates [53.6% (44.6-62.5) vs 51.9 (42.2-61.6), p = 0.755], and proportion of good quality blastocysts [36.8% (28.1-45.4) vs 36.1% (27.2-45.0), p = 0.850] were similar in Sage one-step and CSC media, respectively. Continuous culture of embryos in Sage one-step and CSC media is associated with similar blastocyst development and utilization rates. Both single-step media appear to provide adequate support during in vitro preimplantation embryo development. Whether these observations are also valid for other continuous single medium protocols remains to be determined. NCT02302638.

Continuing Professional Development in Context: Teachers' Continuing Professional Development Culture in Germany and Sweden

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wermke, Wieland

2011-01-01

This article investigates the continuing professional development (CPD) culture of teachers, and asks how it is influenced by properties of the school system. It reports the results of a questionnaire study with 418 secondary teachers from Sweden and Germany. The results show highly significant differences between Swedish and German teachers'…

Previous International Experience, Cross-Cultural Training, and Expatriates' Cross-Cultural Adjustment: Effects of Cultural Intelligence and Goal Orientation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koo Moon, Hyoung; Kwon Choi, Byoung; Shik Jung, Jae

2012-01-01

Although various antecedents of expatriates' cross-cultural adjustment have been addressed, previous international experience, predeparture cross-cultural training, and cultural intelligence (CQ) have been most frequently examined. However, there are few attempts that explore the effects of these antecedents simultaneously or consider the possible…

Robust Formation and Maintenance of Continuous Stratified Cortical Neuroepithelium by Laminin-Containing Matrix in Mouse ES Cell Culture

PubMed Central

Nasu, Makoto; Takata, Nozomu; Danjo, Teruko; Sakaguchi, Hideya; Kadoshima, Taisuke; Futaki, Sugiko; Sekiguchi, Kiyotoshi; Eiraku, Mototsugu; Sasai, Yoshiki

2012-01-01

In the mammalian cortex, the dorsal telencephalon exhibits a characteristic stratified structure. We previously reported that three-dimensional (3D) culture of mouse ES cells (mESCs) can efficiently generate cortical neuroepithelium (NE) and layer-specific cortical neurons. However, the cortical NE generated in this mESC culture was structurally unstable and broke into small neural rosettes by culture day 7, suggesting that some factors for reinforcing the structural integrity were missing. Here we report substantial supporting effects of the extracellular matrix (ECM) protein laminin on the continuous formation of properly polarized cortical NE in floating aggregate culture of mESCs. The addition of purified laminin and entactin (a laminin-associated protein), even at low concentrations, stabilized the formation of continuous cortical NE as well as the maintenance of basement membrane and prevented rosette formation. Treatment with the neutralizing ß1-integrin antibody impaired the continuous NE formation. The stabilized cortical NE exhibited typical interkinetic nuclear migration of cortical progenitors, as seen in the embryonic cortex. The laminin-treated cortical NE maintained a continuous structure even on culture days 12 and 15, and contained ventricular, basal-progenitor, cortical-plate and Cajal-Retzius cell layers. The cortical NE in this culture was flanked by cortical hem-like tissue. Furthermore, when Shh was added, ventral telencephalic structures such as lateral ganglionic eminence–like tissue formed in the region adjacent to the cortical NE. Thus, our results indicate that laminin-entactin ECM promotes the formation of structurally stable telencephalic tissues in 3D ESC culture, and supports the morphogenetic recapitulation of cortical development. PMID:23300850

Nutrient Regulation by Continuous Feeding Removes Limitations on Cell Yield in the Large-Scale Expansion of Mammalian Cell Spheroids

PubMed Central

Weegman, Bradley P.; Nash, Peter; Carlson, Alexandra L.; Voltzke, Kristin J.; Geng, Zhaohui; Jahani, Marjan; Becker, Benjamin B.; Papas, Klearchos K.; Firpo, Meri T.

2013-01-01

Cellular therapies are emerging as a standard approach for the treatment of several diseases. However, realizing the promise of cellular therapies across the full range of treatable disorders will require large-scale, controlled, reproducible culture methods. Bioreactor systems offer the scale-up and monitoring needed, but standard stirred bioreactor cultures do not allow for the real-time regulation of key nutrients in the medium. In this study, β-TC6 insulinoma cells were aggregated and cultured for 3 weeks as a model of manufacturing a mammalian cell product. Cell expansion rates and medium nutrient levels were compared in static, stirred suspension bioreactors (SSB), and continuously fed (CF) SSB. While SSB cultures facilitated increased culture volumes, no increase in cell yields were observed, partly due to limitations in key nutrients, which were consumed by the cultures between feedings, such as glucose. Even when glucose levels were increased to prevent depletion between feedings, dramatic fluctuations in glucose levels were observed. Continuous feeding eliminated fluctuations and improved cell expansion when compared with both static and SSB culture methods. Further improvements in growth rates were observed after adjusting the feed rate based on calculated nutrient depletion, which maintained physiological glucose levels for the duration of the expansion. Adjusting the feed rate in a continuous medium replacement system can maintain the consistent nutrient levels required for the large-scale application of many cell products. Continuously fed bioreactor systems combined with nutrient regulation can be used to improve the yield and reproducibility of mammalian cells for biological products and cellular therapies and will facilitate the translation of cell culture from the research lab to clinical applications. PMID:24204645

International Students from Melbourne Describing Their Cross-Cultural Transitions Experiences: Culture Shock, Social Interaction, and Friendship Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belford, Nish

2017-01-01

Drawing from a study that explored how international students experience cross-cultural transitions after living and studying in Melbourne for a few years, this paper, in particular, examines the participants' experiences with culture shock, social interaction, and friendship development. The findings include narratives of their personal stories…

Occupational therapy practitioners' perspectives regarding international cross-cultural work.

PubMed

Humbert, Tamera Keiter; Burket, Allison; Deveney, Rebecca; Kennedy, Katelyn

2011-08-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perspectives of occupational therapy practitioners who have engaged in cross-cultural work experiences. The research question was how do occupational therapy practitioners make meaning of their lived cross-cultural experiences.   This study utilised a qualitative, phenomenological design. Eleven open-ended, semi-structured interviews were conducted with occupational therapy practitioners educated in the United States and who engaged in international practice. The interviews were then coded and analysed using a constant comparative analysis approach. Three central themes emerged from the completed interviews and data analysis, including connectedness, cultural awareness and complexity. Connectedness is the process of forming relationships with others while engaging in cross-cultural experiences. Cultural awareness is the recognition and understanding of a different culture, comparing these insights with one's own culture and then responding to those differences. Complexity is the idea that cross-cultural experiences are dynamic, multi-faceted and intricate. This study helps provide an understanding of cross-cultural work experiences from the practitioners' perspective. The demands of such work require practitioners to go beyond developing basic skills related to cultural sensitivity and cultural awareness. Instead, practitioners need to embrace and integrate the ability to incorporate layers of cultural awareness, complexity and connectedness into practice. Further research is needed to understand how this is actually developed and utilised within practice. © 2011 The Authors. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal © 2011 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Cross cultural training in primary mental health care consultations in Moldova - The tEACH perspective.

PubMed

Møller, Jane Ege; van Weel-Baumgarten, Evelyn

2017-09-01

This article reports experiences and challenges encountered in a cross-cultural training project in Moldova that was undertaken by tEACH, the teaching subcommittee of EACH: International Association for Communication in Healthcare, in cooperation with local and international stakeholders. As part of a major health policy reform, the aim was to equip a group of trainers with the skills to train Moldovan professionals in skills for primary mental health care, including communication skills. The project consisted of 3 weeks of training using mainly experiential teaching methods to allow participants to practice content and methods, including interactive lecturing, roleplay, feedback and video. A majority of the participants reported that they acquired key facilitation skills. They valued the opportunity to practice and receive feedback. However, some reported that there was too much focus on communication skills, which was thought to be less relevant in a Moldovan context. Furthermore our learner-centered approach was occasionally experienced as a lack of structure CONCLUSION: The tEACH expertise plays an important role in supporting trainers in cross-cultural contexts with effective communication skills methods. Teaching in a cross-cultural context is only successful through continuous dialogue with stakeholders and demands attention to cultural differences. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Sexuality, culture and society: shifting paradigms in sexuality research.

PubMed

Parker, Richard

2009-04-01

Over the course of the past three decades, there has been a significant increase of research on the social and cultural dimensions of sexuality. This paper reviews three major phases in the development of this work. In the first phase, work focusing on the social construction of sexual experience developed an important critique of the biomedical and sexological approaches that had dominated the field over much of the twentieth century. In the second phase, increasingly detailed studies of sexual life were developed which highlighted the cross-cultural diversity of sexual cultures, sexual identities and sexual communities. In the most recent phase, there has been a growing recognition of the complex relationship between culture and power, and increasing attention to the political and economic dimensions of sexuality. In spite of the significant conceptual and methodological advances that have taken place over time, however, it is also possible to identify a number of important questions that have not yet been adequately addressed and that may have been precluded by some of the perspectives that have come to dominate the field. The paper ends by focusing on the silences and invisibilities that continue to characterize this field of research and the challenges that must still be confronted in seeking to expand our understanding of these issues.

Teaching cultural safety in a New Zealand nursing education program.

PubMed

Richardson, Fran; Carryer, Jenny

2005-05-01

Cultural safety education is a concept unique to nursing in New Zealand. It involves teaching nursing students to recognize and understand the dynamics of cultural, personal, and professional power and how these shape nursing and health care relationships. This article describes the findings of a research study on the experience of teaching cultural safety. As a teacher of cultural safety, the first author was interested in exploring the experience of teaching the topic with other cultural safety teachers. A qualitative approach situated in a critical theory paradigm was used for the study. The study was informed by the ideas of Foucault and feminist theory. Fourteen women between ages 20 and 60 were interviewed about their experience of teaching cultural safety. Five women were Maori (the indigenous people of New Zealand), and 9 were Pakeha (the Maori name for New Zealanders of European descent). Following data analysis, three major themes were identified: that the Treaty of Waitangi provides for an examination of power in cultural safety education; that the broad concept of difference influences the experience of teaching cultural safety; and that the experience of teaching cultural safety has personal, professional, and political dimensions. These dimensions are experienced differently by Maori and Pakeha teachers.

Cultural sensitivity or professional acculturation in early clinical experience?

PubMed

Whitford, David L; Hubail, Amal Redha

2014-11-01

This study aimed to explore the early clinical experience of medical students following the adaptation of an Early Patient Contact curriculum from a European culture in Ireland to an Arab culture in Bahrain. Medical students in Bahrain took part in an Early Patient Contact module modelled on a similar module from a partner medical school in Ireland. We used a qualitative approach employing thematic analysis of 54 student reflective logbooks. Particular attention was placed on reflections of cultural influences of experience in the course. Medical students undergoing this module received reported documented benefits of early clinical experience. However, students in Bahrain were exposed to cultural norms of the local Arab society including gender values, visiting the homes of strangers, language barriers and generous hospitality that led to additional challenges and learning for the medical students in acculturating to norms of the medical profession. Modules intended for curriculum adaptation between two cultures would be best served by a group of "core" learning outcomes with "secondary" outcomes culturally appropriate to each site. Within the context of the Arab culture, early clinical experience has the added benefit of allowing students to learn about both local and professional cultural norms, thereby facilitating integration of these two cultures.

Metabolomics approach to reduce the Crabtree effect in continuous culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PubMed

Imura, Makoto; Iwakiri, Ryo; Bamba, Takeshi; Fukusaki, Eiichiro

2018-04-20

The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an important microorganism for fermentation and the food industry. However, during production, S. cerevisiae commonly uses the ethanol fermentation pathway for glucose utilization if excess sugar is present, even in the presence of sufficient oxygen levels. This aerobic ethanol fermentation, referred to as "the Crabtree effect" is one of the most significant reasons for low cell yield. To weaken the Crabtree effect in fed-batch and continuous culture, sugar flow should be limited. In addition, in continuous culture, the dilution rate must be reduced to avoid washing out cells. However, under such conditions, production speed might be sacrificed. It is difficult to solve this problem with the tradeoff between cell yield and production speed by using conventional tactics. However, a metabolomics approach may be an effective way to search for clues regarding metabolic modulation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to reduce ethanol production in continuous culture of S. cerevisiae at a higher dilution rate through a metabolomics approach. We used a metabolomics analysis to identify metabolites that were drastically increased or decreased in continuous culture when the dilution rate shifted from biomass formation to ethanol fermentation. The individual addition of two of the selected metabolites, fumaric acid and malic acid, reduced ethanol production at a higher dilution rate. This result demonstrates the potential for using metabolomics approaches to identify metabolites that reduce ethanol production in continuous culture at high dilution rates. Copyright © 2018 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Culturally and linguistically diverse healthcare students' experiences of learning in a clinical environment: A systematic review of qualitative studies.

PubMed

Mikkonen, Kristina; Elo, Satu; Kuivila, Heli-Maria; Tuomikoski, Anna-Maria; Kääriäinen, Maria

2016-02-01

Learning in the clinical environment of healthcare students plays a significant part in higher education. The greatest challenges for culturally and linguistically diverse healthcare students were found in clinical placements, where differences in language and culture have been shown to cause learning obstacles for students. There has been no systematic review conducted to examine culturally and linguistically diverse healthcare students' experiences of their learning in the clinical environment. This systematic review aims to identify culturally and linguistically diverse healthcare students' experiences of learning in a clinical environment. The search strategy followed the guidelines of the Centre of Reviews and Dissemination. The original studies were identified from seven databases (CINAHL, Medline Ovid, Scopus, Web of Science, Academic Search Premiere, Eric and Cochrane Library) for the period 2000-2014. Two researchers selected studies based on titles, abstracts and full texts using inclusion criteria and assessed the quality of studies independently. Twelve original studies were chosen for the review. The culturally and linguistically diverse healthcare students' learning experiences were divided into three influential aspects of learning in a clinical environment: experiences with implementation processes and provision; experiences with peers and mentors; and experiences with university support and instructions. The main findings indicate that culturally and linguistically diverse healthcare students embarking on clinical placements initially find integration stressful. Implementing the process of learning in a clinical environment requires additional time, well prepared pedagogical orientation, prior cultural and language education, and support for students and clinical staff. Barriers to learning by culturally and linguistically diverse healthcare students were not being recognized and individuals were not considered motivated; learners experienced the strain of being different, and faced language difficulties. Clinical staff attitudes influenced students' clinical learning experiences and outcomes. Additional education in culture and language for students and clinical staff is considered essential to improve the clinical learning experiences of culturally and linguistically diverse healthcare students. Further studies of culturally and linguistically diverse healthcare students' learning experiences in the clinical environment need to be conducted in order to examine influential aspects on the clinical learning found in the review. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fabrication of a co-culture micro-bioreactor device for efficient hepatic differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs).

PubMed

Kehtari, Mousa; Zeynali, Bahman; Soleimani, Masoud; Kabiri, Mahboubeh; Seyedjafari, Ehsan

2018-04-27

Primary hepatocytes, as the gold standard cell type for in vitro models, lose their characteristic morphology and functions after few days. There is an urgent need to develop physiologically relevant models that recapitulate liver microenvironment to obtain mature hepatocyte from stem cells. We designed and fabricated a micro-bioreactor device mimicking the physiological shear stress and cell-cell interaction in liver sinusoid microenvironment. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were co-cultured with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in the micro-bioreactor device with continuous perfusion of hepatic differentiation medium (100 μL/h). Simulation results showed that flow field inside our perfusion device was uniform and shear stress was adjusted to physiological condition (<2 dyne/cm 2 ). IPSCs-derived hepatocytes (iPSCs-Heps) that were cultured in micro-bioreactor device showed a higher level of hepatic markers compared to those in static condition. Flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry analysis revealed iPSCs cultured in the device sequentially acquired characteristics of definitive endodermal cells (SOX17 positive), hepatoblasts (AFP positive) and mature hepatocyte (ALB positive). Moreover, the albumin and urea secretion were significantly higher in micro-bioreactor device than those cultured in culture dishes during experiment. Thus, based on our results, we propose our micro-bioreactor as a beneficial device to generate mature hepatocytes for drug screening and basic research.

Workplace culture and the practice experience of midwifery students: A meta-synthesis.

PubMed

Arundell, Fiona; Mannix, Judy; Sheehan, Athena; Peters, Kath

2018-04-01

To describe midwifery students' practice experience and to explore facilitators and barriers to positive clinical learning experiences. Practice experience is a vital component of every midwifery course. Course dissatisfaction and attrition of midwifery students has been attributed to sub-optimal practice experiences. Events or actions experienced by midwifery students that trigger dissatisfaction and attrition need to be identified. A meta-synthesis was based on that developed by Noblit and Hare. Students perceive workplaces as poorly prepared for their arrival and subsequent support. Students' experience in the practice setting is influenced by the existing workplace culture. Workplace culture influences institutional functioning and individuals within the culture. Enculturation of students into the midwifery culture and subsequent learning is affected by the support received. The practice experience of midwifery students was profoundly influenced by workplace culture. Students tended to have polarized accounts of their experience that were predominantly negative. To provide an optimal environment for midwifery students; midwifery managers and individual midwives need to be aware of the facilitators and barriers to midwifery student development in the practice setting. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A qualitative study investigating the barriers to returning to work for breastfeeding mothers in Ireland.

PubMed

Desmond, Deirdre; Meaney, Sarah

2016-01-01

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that mothers exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months of an infant's life. In Ireland, currently paid maternity leave is 26 weeks and the expectant mother is required by law to finish work 2 weeks before her expected delivery date. Mothers wishing to exclusively breastfeed for 6 months or longer find themselves having to take holiday leave or unpaid leave from work in order to meet the WHO's guidelines. The aim of this study is to explore women's experiences of breastfeeding after their return to work in Ireland. This study was carried out utilizing a qualitative design. Initially 25 women who returned to the workforce while continuing to breastfeed were contacted, 16 women returned consent forms and were subsequently contacted to take part in an interview. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis was employed to establish recurring patterns and themes throughout the interviews. Women noted that cultural attitudes in Ireland coupled with inadequate or inconsistent advice from health professionals posed the biggest challenge they had to overcome in order to achieve to 6 months exclusive breastfeeding. The findings of this study illustrate that mothers with the desire to continue to breastfeed after their return to work did so with some difficulty. Many did not disclose to their employers that they were breastfeeding and did not make enquiries about being facilitated to continue to breastfeed after their return to the workplace. The perceived lack of support from their employers as well as embarrassment about their breastfeeding status meant many women concealed that they were breastfeeding after their return to the workplace. While it has been suggested that WHO guidelines for exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months may be unattainable for many women due to work commitments, a different problem exists in Ireland. Mothers struggle to overcome cultural and societal obstacles coupled with inadequate support from health professionals. Encouraging and facilitating women to continue to breastfeed after they return to work will help to normalise breastfeeding within Irish culture and promote continued breastfeeding as a viable option for working mothers.

The influence of workplace culture on nurses' learning experiences: a systematic review of qualitative evidence.

PubMed

Davis, Kate; White, Sarahlouise; Stephenson, Matthew

2016-06-01

A healthy workplace culture enables nurses to experience valuable learning in the workplace. Learning in the workplace enables the provision of evidence-based and continuously improving safe patient care, which is central to achieving good patient outcomes. Therefore, nurses need to learn within a workplace that supports the implementation of evidence-based, professional practice and enables the best patient outcomes; the influence of workplace culture may play a role in this. The purpose of this review was to critically appraise and synthesize the best available qualitative evidence to understand both the nurses' learning experiences within the workplace and the factors within the workplace culture that influence those learning experiences. Registered and enrolled nurses regulated by a nursing and midwifery board and/or recognized health practitioner regulation agency (or their international equivalent). This review considered studies that described two phenomena of interest: the nurses' learning experience, either within an acute healthcare workplace or a workplace-related learning environment and the influence of workplace culture on the nurses' learning experience (within the workplace or workplace-related learning environment). This review considered studies that included nurses working in an acute healthcare organization within a Western culture. This review considered studies that focused on qualitative evidence and included the following research designs: phenomenological, grounded theory and critical theory. Published and unpublished studies in English from 1980 to 2013 were identified using a three-step search strategy, searching various databases, and included hand searching of the reference lists within articles selected for appraisal. For studies meeting the inclusion criteria, methodological quality was assessed using a standardized checklist from the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-QARI). Qualitative data were extracted from articles included in the review using the standardized data extraction tool from the JBI-QARI. Qualitative research findings were pooled using the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Appraisal and Review Instrument (JBI-QARI). This involved the aggregation and synthesis of findings to generate a set of categories, which were then subjected to a meta-synthesis to produce a single comprehensive set of synthesized findings that could be used as a basis for evidence-based practice. Fourteen articles were identified following appraisal and a total of 105 findings (85 unequivocal and 20 credible) were extracted from included studies and grouped into eight categories based on similarity of meaning. Subsequently, categories were grouped into two synthesized findings. The two synthesized findings were as follows: ORGANIZATIONAL INFLUENCES: Enabling nurses to demonstrate accountability for their own learning, along with clear organizational systems that provide resources, time, adequate staffing and support, demonstrates encouragement for and the value of nurses' learning and education. Nurses value their peers, expert nurses, preceptors, mentors and educators facilitating and encouraging their learning and professional development. An optimal workplace culture is central for nurses to experience valuable and relevant learning in the workplace. To emphasize the importance of nurses' learning in the workplace, working and learning is understood as an integrated experience. Consequently, a dual system that enables nurses to demonstrate accountability for their own learning, along with clear organizational and educational systems, is required to demonstrate the value in nurses' learning and education.

Glucose metabolism in batch and continuous cultures of Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus PAL 3.

PubMed

Luna, María F; Bernardelli, Cecilia E; Galar, María L; Boiardi, José L

2006-03-01

Periplasmic glucose oxidation (by way of a pyrrolo-quinoline-quinone [PQQ]-linked glucose dehydrogenase [GDH]) was observed in continuous cultures of Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus regardless of the carbon source (glucose or gluconate) and the nitrogen source (N(2) or NH(3)). Its synthesis was stimulated by conditions of high energetic demand (i.e., N(2)-fixation) and/or C-limitation. Under C-excess conditions, PQQ-GDH synthesis increased with the glucose concentration in the culture medium. In batch cultures, PQQ-GDH was actively expressed in very early stages with higher activities under conditions of N(2)-fixation. Hexokinase activity was almost absent under any culture condition. Cytoplasmic nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-linked glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) was expressed in continuous cultures under all tested conditions, and its synthesis increased with the glucose concentration. In contrast, low activities of this enzyme were detected in batch cultures. Periplasmic oxidation, by way of PQQ-GDH, seems to be the principal pathway for metabolism of glucose in G. Diazotrophicus, and NAD-GDH is an alternative route under certain environmental conditions.

Culture Wires the Brain: A Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective.

PubMed

Park, Denise C; Huang, Chih-Mao

2010-07-01

There is clear evidence that sustained experiences may affect both brain structure and function. Thus, it is quite reasonable to posit that sustained exposure to a set of cultural experiences and behavioral practices will affect neural structure and function. The burgeoning field of cultural psychology has often demonstrated the subtle differences in the way individuals process information-differences that appear to be a product of cultural experiences. We review evidence that the collectivistic and individualistic biases of East Asian and Western cultures, respectively, affect neural structure and function. We conclude that there is limited evidence that cultural experiences affect brain structure and considerably more evidence that neural function is affected by culture, particularly activations in ventral visual cortex-areas associated with perceptual processing. © The Author(s) 2010.

Conflicting cultural perspectives: meanings and experiences of postnatal depression among women in Indian communities.

PubMed

Jain, Anita; Levy, David

2013-01-01

A woman's cultural and social context affects her experience of postnatal depression. In this literature review, the authors explore questions regarding normal and abnormal postnatal experiences of Indian women with consideration to cross-cultural perspectives. Although postnatal distress or sadness is recognized among many cultures, it is constructed as a transient state in some cultures and as an illness in others. A major challenge for health care providers in Western countries like the United Kingdom and Australia is to develop culturally sensitive approaches to postnatal care for migrant mothers.

Feasibility of biodiesel production and CO2 emission reduction by Monoraphidium dybowskii LB50 under semi-continuous culture with open raceway ponds in the desert area.

PubMed

Yang, Haijian; He, Qiaoning; Hu, Chunxiang

2018-01-01

Compared with other general energy crops, microalgae are more compatible with desert conditions. In addition, microalgae cultivated in desert regions can be used to develop biodiesel. Therefore, screening oil-rich microalgae, and researching the algae growth, CO 2 fixation and oil yield in desert areas not only effectively utilize the idle desertification lands and other resources, but also reduce CO 2 emission. Monoraphidium dybowskii LB50 can be efficiently cultured in the desert area using light resources, and lipid yield can be effectively improved using two-stage induction and semi-continuous culture modes in open raceway ponds (ORPs). Lipid content (LC) and lipid productivity (LP) were increased by 20% under two-stage industrial salt induction, whereas biomass productivity (BP) increased by 80% to enhance LP under semi-continuous mode in 5 m 2 ORPs. After 3 years of operation, M. dybowskii LB50 was successfully and stably cultivated under semi-continuous mode for a month during five cycles of repeated culture in a 200 m 2 ORP in the desert area. This culture mode reduced the supply of the original species. The BP and CO 2 fixation rate were maintained at 18 and 33 g m -2  day -1 , respectively. Moreover, LC decreased only during the fifth cycle of repeated culture. Evaporation occurred at 0.9-1.8 L m -2  day -1 , which corresponded to 6.5-13% of evaporation loss rate. Semi-continuous and two-stage salt induction culture modes can reduce energy consumption and increase energy balance through the energy consumption analysis of life cycle. This study demonstrates the feasibility of combining biodiesel production and CO 2 fixation using microalgae grown as feedstock under culture modes with ORPs by using the resources in the desert area. The understanding of evaporation loss and the sustainability of semi-continuous culture render this approach practically viable. The novel strategy may be a promising alternative to existing technology for CO 2 emission reduction and biofuel production.

Current emotion research in cultural neuroscience

PubMed Central

Chiao, Joan Y.

2013-01-01

Classical theories of emotion have long debated the extent to which human emotion is a universal or culturally-constructed experience. Recent advances in emotion research in cultural neuroscience highlight several aspects of emotional generation and experience that are both phylogenetically conserved as well as constructed within human cultural contexts. This review highlights theories and methods from cultural neuroscience that examine how cultural and biological processes shape emotional generation, experience and regulation across multiple time scales. Recent advances in the neurobiological basis of culture-bound syndromes, such as Hwa-Byung (fire illness), provide further novel insights into emotion and mental health across cultures. Implications of emotion research in cultural neuroscience for population health disparities in psychopathology and global mental health will be discussed. PMID:26346827

Healthcare Mistreatment and Continuity of Cancer Screening among Latino and Anglo American Women in Southern California

PubMed Central

Betancourt, Hector; Flynn, Patricia M.; Ormseth, Sarah R.

2011-01-01

The aim of this research was to examine the relation of perceptions of healthcare mistreatment and related emotions to continuity of cancer screening care among women who reported healthcare mistreatment. The structure of relations among cultural beliefs about healthcare professionals, perceptions of mistreatment, mistreatment-related emotions, and continuity of screening was investigated. Participants included 313 Anglo and Latino American women of varying demographic characteristics from Southern California who were recruited using multistage stratified sampling. Structural equation modeling confirmed the relation of perceptions of mistreatment to continuity of care for both Anglo and Latino American women, with ethnicity moderating this association. For Anglo Americans, greater perceptions of mistreatment were negatively related to continuity of screening. However, for Latinas the relation was indirect, through mistreatment-related anger. While greater perceptions of mistreatment were associated with higher levels of anger for both ethnic groups, anger was negatively related to continuity of care for Latino but not for Anglo women. Furthermore, cultural beliefs about professionals were indirectly related to continuity of screening through perceptions of mistreatment and/or mistreatment-related anger. These findings highlight the importance of the role of cultural and psychological factors in research and interventions aimed at improving patient-professional relations with culturally diverse women. PMID:21391158

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility-A Personal Philosophy for Communicating Science in Society.

PubMed

Zehr, E Paul

2016-01-01

Many think that communicating science is a necessary and rewarding activity. Yet finding compelling, relevant, and timely points of linkage between challenging scientific concepts and the experiences and interests of the general public can be difficult. Since science continues to influence more and more aspects of daily life and knowledge, there is a parallel need for communication about science in our society. Here I discuss the "middle-ground hypothesis" using popular culture for science communication and applying the "FUNnel model," where popular culture is used as a lead-in and wrap-up when discussing science. The scientific knowledge we find in our hands does not belong to us-we just had it first. We can honor that knowledge best by sharing it as widely as possible using the most creative means at our disposal.

A cultural perspective on emotional experiences across the life span.

PubMed

Grossmann, Igor; Karasawa, Mayumi; Kan, Chiemi; Kitayama, Shinobu

2014-08-01

Past research suggests that older adults place a greater priority on goals of maintaining positive experiences and distancing from negative experiences. We hypothesized that these aging-related differences in emotional experiences are more pronounced in Western cultures that encourage linear approaches to well-being compared with Eastern cultures that encourage more dialectic approaches to well-being. We compared reports of positive and negative emotional experiences from random samples of Americans (a culture characterized by focus on positive and distancing from negative experiences) and Japanese (a culture characterized by its endorsement of dialectical experiences). In support of our hypothesis, older Americans reported significantly less negative emotions in unpleasant situations, relative to their younger counterparts. Furthermore, both trait-level negativity (i.e., rumination) and interpersonal negativity (i.e., recall of unpleasant relationships and intensity of an unpleasant interpersonal experience) were lower among older compared with younger Americans. In contrast, such aging-related effects were absent in the Japanese respondents. Even though older and younger Japanese reported the same amount of negative emotions in unpleasant situations, older Japanese also reported more positive emotions in the same unpleasant situations. Together, these findings highlight the role of culture for understanding how emotional experiences unfold across adulthood.

Cholesterol supplementation improves growth rates of Histomonas meleagridis in vitro.

PubMed

Gruber, Janine; Pletzer, Alena; Hess, Michael

2018-02-01

Research on the energy metabolism of various protozoan parasites showed the essentiality and benefits of cholesterol in the cultivation of these organisms. However, not much is known about the energy metabolism of Histomonas meleagridis, although such information is of high importance to improve cultivation of the parasite for advancements in diagnostics, research and vaccine development. By supplementing a serum enriched cultivation medium with cholesterol, numbers of parasites could be doubled in comparison to unsupplemented negative controls. This effect was demonstrated for two different strains of the parasite, at different levels of in vitro-passages and for histomonads under xenic or monoxenic settings. Supplementing medium free of serum with cholesterol, resulted in significant growth of the parasite over 72 h. However, there were differences in growth behaviour in serum free medium between the different histomonad cultures and continuous passaging of the cultures without serum was not possible. Monitoring the bacterial growth of two different co-cultivated E. coli strains in monoxenic histomonad cultures during these experiments showed that there was no significant impact of cholesterol on the bacteria. Therefore, a direct effect of cholesterol on the parasite itself could be demonstrated. The results of these experiments supply new insights into the metabolism of H. meleagridis and it can be concluded that cholesterol is an important component to enhance parasite growth in vitro. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The underrepresentation of Hispanics/Latinos in nursing education: a deafening silence.

PubMed

Taxis, J Carole

2002-01-01

While our national population is growing more ethnically and racially diverse, the nursing workforce and faculty remains predominantly White (non-Hispanic). Ethnic/racial minorities are seriously underrepresented in nursing and, as such, are a factor in the nursing workforce shortage. The nursing literature has addressed the need for ethnic/racial diversity for several decades, most often citing diversification as a means of providing culturally competent care. However the fact remains that the nursing population continues to be underrepresented by people of color. The diversification of the nursing profession will require culturally sensitive research and theory development regarding the recruitment and education of ethnic/racial minorities. While there is a growing body of knowledge regarding the educational needs and experiences of minorities in nursing education, much of this data generalize minorities as if they were a homogeneous group. There is a striking paucity of research regarding the underepresentation of Hispanics in nursing and the unique issues of recruitment and retention of this group in nursing education. This paper provides a review of the mostly anecdotal literature regarding the experiences of Hispanics in nursing education. It explores the underrepresentation and paucity of culturally specific knowledge regarding the recruitment, retention, and graduation of Hispanics/Latinos in nursing. The homogeneity of nursing and its consequences specifically in relation to Hispanics is discussed. The research implications are highlighted throughout.

Automatic pH Control and Soluble and Insoluble Substrate Input for Continuous Culture of Rumen Microorganisms

PubMed Central

Slyter, Leonard L.

1975-01-01

An artifical rumen continuous culture with pH control, automated input of water-soluble and water-insoluble substrates, controlled mixing of contents, and a collection system for gas is described. Images PMID:16350029

Disseminating research in rural Yup'ik communities: challenges and ethical considerations in moving from discovery to intervention development.

PubMed

Rivkin, Inna; Trimble, Joseph; Lopez, Ellen D S; Johnson, Samuel; Orr, Eliza; Allen, James

2013-01-01

The native people of Alaska have experienced historical trauma and rapid changes in culture and lifestyle patterns. As a consequence, these populations shoulder a disproportionately high burden of psychological stress. The Yup'ik Experiences of Stress and Coping project originated from rural Yup'ik communities' concerns about stress and its effects on health. It aimed to understand the stressful experiences that affect Yup'ik communities, to identify coping strategies used to deal with these stressors and to inform culturally responsive interventions. Here, we examine the process of moving from research (gaining understanding) to disseminating project findings to translation into intervention priorities. We highlight the importance of community participation and discuss challenges encountered, strategies to address these challenges and ethical considerations for responsible intervention research with indigenous communities that reflect their unique historical and current socio-cultural realities. Community-wide presentations and discussions of research findings on stress and coping were followed by smaller Community Planning Group meetings. During these meetings, community members contextualized project findings and discussed implications for interventions. This process placed priority on community expertise in interpreting findings and translating results and community priorities into grant applications focused on intervention development and evaluation. Challenges included translation between English and Yup'ik, funding limitations and uncertainties, and the long timelines involved in moving from formative research to intervention in the face of urgent and evolving community needs. The lack of congruence between institutional and community worldviews in the intervention research enterprise highlights the need for "principled cultural sensitivity". Cultural sensitivity requires sharing results that have practical value, communicating openly, planning for sustainability and incorporating indigenous knowledge and expertise through a community-guided process. Our research findings will inform continued work within our partnership as we co-develop culturally based strategies for multilevel community interventions to address stress.

A General Education Course in Cultural Astronomy: Exploring the Universe Through Human Eyes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsen, Kristine

2017-01-01

Astronomy courses for non-science majors (often referred to as Astro 101) are the bread and butter of the general education service obligation of astronomy faculty and programs across the US. Their content has traditionally been a general survey of the solar system, stars and galaxies, or even the entire universe. However, because the audience is students who will not be continuing on in astronomy, there is actually no need to cover a broad range of specific topics. Rather, it is more important to concentrate on the scientific process, and hopefully leave the student with an understanding of the relevance of science in everyday life, regardless of his or her major. As a result, some faculty prefer a more interdisciplinary focus for their Astro 101 classes, for example courses on the search for extraterrestrial life. Another option for general education astronomy courses is what has become known as cultural astronomy. Cultural astronomy focuses on the ways in which astronomical knowledge and belief influences human behavior and social structures. Under this umbrella fall two important areas of study, archaeoastronomy (concentrating on ancient cultures) and enthoastronomy (focusing on extant cultures). Such interdisciplinary courses draw heavily upon archaeology, history, anthropology, art, and other fields more traditionally aligned with the humanities and social sciences than the natural sciences, and therefore can be attractive to students in these non-science majors. In such courses, students experience the “humanity” of science: the important connections between science and the human experience, and how experts in myriad fields contribute in meaningful ways to our understanding of how astronomical knowledge has been constructed and disseminated across time and space. This poster describes the content and pedagogy of a general education course in cultural astronomy for non-science majors that stresses hands-on and experiential learning, including the use of planispheres, sundials, simple sextants, astrolabes and the planetarium, as well as the integration of mathematics, myth, and creative writing.

A multiplex culture system for the long-term growth of fission yeast cells.

PubMed

Callens, Céline; Coelho, Nelson C; Miller, Aaron W; Sananes, Maria Rosa Domingo; Dunham, Maitreya J; Denoual, Matthieu; Coudreuse, Damien

2017-08-01

Maintenance of long-term cultures of yeast cells is central to a broad range of investigations, from metabolic studies to laboratory evolution assays. However, repeated dilutions of batch cultures lead to variations in medium composition, with implications for cell physiology. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, powerful miniaturized chemostat setups, or ministat arrays, have been shown to allow for constant dilution of multiple independent cultures. Here we set out to adapt these arrays for continuous culture of a morphologically and physiologically distinct yeast, the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, with the goal of maintaining constant population density over time. First, we demonstrated that the original ministats are incompatible with growing fission yeast for more than a few generations, prompting us to modify different aspects of the system design. Next, we identified critical parameters for sustaining unbiased vegetative growth in these conditions. This requires deletion of the gsf2 flocculin-encoding gene, along with addition of galactose to the medium and lowering of the culture temperature. Importantly, we improved the flexibility of the ministats by developing a piezo-pump module for the independent regulation of the dilution rate of each culture. This made it possible to easily grow strains that have different generation times in the same assay. Our system therefore allows for maintaining multiple fission yeast cultures in exponential growth, adapting the dilution of each culture over time to keep constant population density for hundreds of generations. These multiplex culture systems open the door to a new range of long-term experiments using this model organism. © 2017 The Authors. Yeast published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. © 2017 The Authors. Yeast published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Beneath the Surface: A Narrative Inquiry into Educational and Cultural Experiences of Kenyan Adult Women Learners in U.S.A. Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gatua, Mary Wairimu

2011-01-01

This qualitative study examines educational and socio-cultural experiences of seven Kenyan women pursuing higher education in the United States. The study uses in depth interviews to explore the participants' socio-cultural experiences, how they negotiate their multiple identities, and their transformative learning experiences. Three theoretical…

[Evolution of historical and social attitudes toward suicide].

PubMed

Krajčovič, Jozef

In the article there is the repeatedly submitted experience detailing how death is a fundamental element of our lives, including by ones own hand - suicide, cases of which forensic pathologists are confronted with every day. The subject of suicide has been treated by the public as taboo, while in reality we are confronted by it every day, particularly in forensic medicine, where we are not only obliged, but also find it our duty to inquire as to the reasons, motivation and other factors that have led someone to take their own life voluntarily. The author was required to investigate the sociogenesis and psychogenesis of suicidal acts, the influence of successive social and cultural changes within society on suicides focusing on the psychiatric-biological, as well as the wider socio-cultural and philosophical connections. All major religions were and continue to be strongly against the act of suicide, which affects any who attempt suicide, but also their relatives. This state of affairs continued to develop until Durkheim, who initially established scientific research of suicides, primarily from a psychologicalsocial viewpoint. Suicide has been the final act of many world-renowned, as well as national, personalities, such as writers, artists, musicians and actors.

An Interview with Ilan Stavans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prado, Jose

2007-01-01

This interview with Ilan Stavans addresses central experiences tied to the educational and immigrant experiences of Latinos in the United States. Culture, immigration, assimilation, and language are the prisms through which this experience is understood. Ilan Stavans responds to questions concerning cultural heterogeneity and cultural homogeneity.…

Testing plasmid stability of Escherichia coli using the Continuously Operated Shaken BIOreactor System.

PubMed

Sieben, Michaela; Steinhorn, Gregor; Müller, Carsten; Fuchs, Simone; Ann Chin, Laura; Regestein, Lars; Büchs, Jochen

2016-11-01

Plasmids are common vectors to genetically manipulate Escherichia coli or other microorganisms. They are easy to use and considerable experience has accumulated on their application in heterologous protein production. However, plasmids can be lost during cell growth, if no selection pressure like, e.g., antibiotics is used, hampering the production of the desired protein and endangering the economic success of a biotechnological production process. Thus, in this study the Continuously Operated Shaken BIOreactor System (COSBIOS) is applied as a tool for fast parallel testing of strain stability and operation conditions and to evaluate measures to counter such plasmid loss. In specific, by applying various ampicillin concentrations, the lowest effective ampicillin dosage is investigated to secure plasmid stability while lowering adverse ecological effects. A significant difference was found in the growth rates of plasmid-bearing and plasmid-free cells. The undesired plasmid-free cells grew 30% faster than the desired plasmid-bearing cells. During the testing of plasmid stability without antibiotics, the population fraction of plasmid-bearing cells rapidly decreased in continuous culture to zero within the first 48 h. An initial single dosage of ampicillin did not prevent plasmid loss. By contrast, a continuous application of a low dosage of 10 µg/mL ampicillin in the feed medium maintained plasmid stability in the culture. Consequently, the COSBIOS is an apt reactor system for measuring plasmid stability and evaluating methods to enhance this stability. Hence, decreased production of heterologous protein can be prevented. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 32:1418-1425, 2016. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Prevalidation of in vitro continuous flow exposure systems as alternatives to in vivo inhalation safety evaluation experimentations: outcome from MAAPHRI-PCRD5 research program.

PubMed

Morin, Jean-Paul; Hasson, Virginie; Fall, Mamadou; Papaioanou, Eleni; Preterre, David; Gouriou, Frantz; Keravec, Veronika; Konstandopoulos, Athanasios; Dionnet, Frédéric

2008-06-01

Diesel engine emission aerosol-induced toxicity patterns were compared using both in vitro (organotypic cultures of lung tissue) and in vivo experimentations mimicking the inhalation situation with continuous aerosol flow exposure designs. Using liquid media resuspended diesel particles, we show that toxic response pattern is influenced by the presence of tensioactive agent in the medium which alter particle-borne pollutant bioavailability. Using continuous aerosol exposure in vitro, we show that with high sulfur fuel (300ppm) in the absence of oxidation catalysis, particulate matter was the main toxic component triggering DNA damage and systemic inflammation, while a very limited oxidant stress was evidenced. In contrast, with ultra-low sulfur fuel in the presence of strong diesel oxidation catalysis, the specific role of particulate matter is no longer evidenced and the gas phase then becomes the major component triggering strong oxidant stress, increased NO(2) being the most probable trigger. In vivo, plasma tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), lung superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity levels varied in agreement with in vitro observations. Diesel emission treatment with oxycat provokes a marked systemic oxidant stress. Again NO(2) proved to account for a major part of these impacts. In conclusion, similar anti-oxidant responses were observed in in vitro and in vivo experiments after diesel emission aerosol continuous flow exposures. The lung slice organotypic culture model-exposed complex aerosol appears to be a very valuable alternative to in vivo inhalation toxicology experimentations in rodents.

Factors influencing oncology nurses' approaches to accommodating cultural needs in palliative care.

PubMed

Huang, Ya-Ling; Yates, Patsy; Prior, Deborah

2009-12-01

The purpose of this study is to explore the social construction of cultural issues in palliative care amongst oncology nurses. Australia is a nation composed of people from different cultural origins with diverse linguistic, spiritual, religious and social backgrounds. The challenge of working with an increasingly culturally diverse population is a common theme expressed by many healthcare professionals from a variety of countries. Grounded theory was used to investigate the processes by which nurses provide nursing care to cancer patients from diverse cultural backgrounds. Semi-structured interviews with seven Australian oncology nurses provided the data for the study; the data was analysed using grounded theory data analysis techniques. The core category emerging from the study was that of accommodating cultural needs. This paper focuses on describing the series of subcategories that were identified as factors which could influence the process by which nurses would accommodate cultural needs. These factors included nurses' views and understandings of culture and cultural mores, their philosophy of cultural care, nurses' previous experiences with people from other cultures and organisational approaches to culture and cultural care. This study demonstrated that previous experiences with people from other cultures and organisational approaches to culture and cultural care often influenced nurses' views and understandings of culture and cultural mores and their beliefs, attitudes and behaviours in providing cultural care. Relevance to clinical practice. It is imperative to appreciate how nurses' experiences with people from other cultures can be recognised and built upon or, if necessary, challenged. Furthermore, nurses' cultural competence and experiences with people from other cultures need to be further investigated in clinical practice.

Culture and Psychiatric Symptoms in Puerto Rican Children: Longitudinal Results from one Ethnic Group in Two Contexts

PubMed Central

Duarte, Cristiane S.; Bird, Hector R.; Shrout, Patrick E.; Wu, Ping; Lewis-Fernandez, Roberto; Shen, Sa; Canino, Glorisa

2008-01-01

(a) Background The development of youth psychopathology may be associated with direct and continuous contact with a different culture (acculturation) and to distress related to this process (cultural stress). We examine cultural experiences of Puerto Rican families in relation to youth psychiatric symptoms in two different contexts: one in which migrant Puerto Ricans reside on the mainland as an ethnic minority and another in which they reside in their place of origin. (b) Methods Sample Probability samples of 10 to 13 year old youth of Puerto Rican background living in the South Bronx, New York City (SB) and in the San Juan Metropolitan area in Puerto Rico (PR) (N=1,271) were followed over time. Measures Three assessments of internalizing psychiatric symptoms (elicited through the DISC-IV) and of antisocial behaviors (ASB) quantified through a six-point index were carried out. Independent variables included scales of adult and child acculturation and cultural stress, and other putative correlates. Data Analysis Within each study site, multilevel linear regression models were examined. (c) Results Parental acculturation was associated with ASB in youth at both sites, but youth acculturation itself was not related to psychiatric symptoms. At both contexts, cultural stress was a more consistent correlate of youth psychiatric symptoms than acculturation after controlling for nativity, maternal education, child gender, stressful life events and parental psychopathology. However, the strength of the youth cultural stress association decreased over time. (d) Conclusion The association between cultural factors and child psychiatric symptoms is not restricted to contexts where an ethnic group is a minority. PMID:18400061

Production of Zebrafish Offspring from Cultured Female Germline Stem Cells

PubMed Central

Wong, Ten-Tsao; Tesfamichael, Abraham; Collodi, Paul

2013-01-01

Zebrafish female germline stem cell (FGSC) cultures were generated from a transgenic line of fish that expresses Neo and DsRed under the control of the germ cell specific promoter, ziwi [Tg(ziwi:neo);Tg(ziwi:DsRed)]. Homogeneous FGSC cultures were established by G418 selection and continued to express ziwi for more than 6 weeks along with the germ cell markers nanos3, dnd, dazl and vasa. A key component of the cell culture system was the use of a feeder cell line that was initiated from ovaries of a transgenic line of fish [Tg(gsdf:neo)] that expresses Neo controlled by the zebrafish gonadal soma derived factor (gsdf) promoter. The feeder cell line was selected in G418 and engineered to express zebrafish leukemia inhibitory factor (Lif), basic fibroblast growth factor (Fgf2) and glial-cell-line derived neurotrophic factor (Gdnf). These factors were shown to significantly enhance FGSC growth, survival and germline competency in culture. Results from cell transplantation experiments revealed that the cultured FGSCs were able to successfully colonize the gonad of sterile recipient fish and generate functional gametes. Up to 20% of surviving recipient fish that were injected with the cultured FGSCs were fertile and generated multiple batches of normal offspring for at least 6 months. The FGSC cultures will provide an in vitro system for studies of zebrafish germ cell growth and differentiation and their high frequency of germline transmission following transplantation could form the basis of a stem cell-mediated strategy for gene transfer and manipulation of the zebrafish genome. PMID:23671620

In glucose-limited continuous culture the minimum substrate concentration for growth, smin, is crucial in the competition between the enterobacterium Escherichia coli and Chelatobacter heintzii, an environmentally abundant bacterium

PubMed Central

Füchslin, Hans Peter; Schneider, Christian; Egli, Thomas

2012-01-01

The competition for glucose between Escherichia coli ML30, a typical copiotrophic enterobacterium and Chelatobacter heintzii ATCC29600, an environmentally successful strain, was studied in a carbon-limited culture at low dilution rates. First, as a base for modelling, the kinetic parameters μmax and Ks were determined for growth with glucose. For both strains, μmax was determined in batch culture after different precultivation conditions. In the case of C. heintzii, μmax was virtually independent of precultivation conditions. When inoculated into a glucose-excess batch culture medium from a glucose-limited chemostat run at a dilution rate of 0.075 h−1 C. heintzii grew immediately with a μmax of 0.17±0.03 h−1. After five transfers in batch culture, μmax had increased only slightly to 0.18±0.03 h−1. A different pattern was observed in the case of E. coli. Inoculated from a glucose-limited chemostat at D=0.075 h−1 into glucose-excess batch medium E. coli grew only after an acceleration phase of ∼3.5 h with a μmax of 0.52 h−1. After 120 generations and several transfers into fresh medium, μmax had increased to 0.80±0.03 h−1. For long-term adapted chemostat-cultivated cells, a Ks for glucose of 15 μg l−1 for C. heintzii, and of 35 μg l−1 for E. coli, respectively, was determined in 14C-labelled glucose uptake experiments. In competition experiments, the population dynamics of the mixed culture was determined using specific surface antibodies against C. heintzii and a specific 16S rRNA probe for E. coli. C. heintzii outcompeted E. coli in glucose-limited continuous culture at the low dilution rates of 0.05 and 0.075 h−1. Using the determined pure culture parameter values for Ks and μmax, it was only possible to simulate the population dynamics during competition with an extended form of the Monod model, which includes a finite substrate concentration at zero growth rate (smin). The values estimated for smin were dependent on growth rate; at D=0.05 h−1, it was 12.6 and 0 μg l−1 for E. coli and C. heintzii, respectively. To fit the data at D=0.075 h−1, smin for E. coli had to be raised to 34.9 μg l−1 whereas smin for C. heintzii remained zero. The results of the mathematical simulation suggest that it is not so much the higher Ks value, which is responsible for the unsuccessful competition of E. coli at low residual glucose concentration, but rather the existence of a significant smin. PMID:22030672

Building a global business continuity programme.

PubMed

Lazcano, Michael

2014-01-01

Business continuity programmes provide an important function within organisations, especially when aligned with and supportive of the organisation's goals, objectives and organisational culture. Continuity programmes for large, complex international organisations, unlike those for compact national companies, are more difficult to design, build, implement and maintain. Programmes for international organisations require attention to structural design, support across organisational leadership and hierarchy, seamless integration with the organisation's culture, measured success and demonstrated value. This paper details practical, but sometimes overlooked considerations for building successful global business continuity programmes.

Menopause and the influence of culture: another gap for Indigenous Australian women?

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background There is great variation in experience of menopause in women around the world. The purpose of this study was to review current understanding of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) women’s experiences of menopause. The literature pertaining to the perception, significance and experience of menopause from a number of cultural groups around the world has been included to provide context for why Indigenous women’s experience might be important for their health and differ from that reported in other studies of Australian women and menopause. Methods A search of databases including Ovid Medline, Pubmed, Web of Science, AUSThealth, AMED, EMBASE, Global Health and PsychINFO was undertaken from January 2011 to April 2011 using the search terms menopause, Indigenous, Aboriginal, attitudes, and perceptions and repeated in September 2012. Results Considerable research shows significant variation across cultures in the menopausal experience. Biological, psychological, social and cultural factors are associated with either positive or negative attitudes, perceptions or experiences of menopause in various cultures. Comparative international literature shows that neither biological nor social factors alone are sufficient to explain the variation in experiences of the menopausal transition. However, a strong influence of culture on the menopause experience can be found. The variation in women’s experience of menopause indicates that different cultural groups of women may have different understandings and needs during the menopausal transition. While considerable literature exists for Australian women as a whole, there has been little investigation of Australian Indigenous women, with only two research studies related to Indigenous women’s experiences of menopause identified. Conclusions Differences in biocultural experience of menopause around the world suggest the importance of biocultural research. For the Indigenous women of Australia, the relative contribution of culture, social disadvantage and poor general health compared with non-Indigenous women to the experience of menopause is unknown. As such, further research and understanding of the experience of Indigenous women around Australia is needed. This information could assist individuals, families, cultural groups and healthcare providers to enhance management and support for Indigenous Australian women. PMID:23234340

Menopause and the influence of culture: another gap for Indigenous Australian women?

PubMed

Jones, Emma K; Jurgenson, Janelle R; Katzenellenbogen, Judith M; Thompson, Sandra C

2012-12-12

There is great variation in experience of menopause in women around the world. The purpose of this study was to review current understanding of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) women's experiences of menopause. The literature pertaining to the perception, significance and experience of menopause from a number of cultural groups around the world has been included to provide context for why Indigenous women's experience might be important for their health and differ from that reported in other studies of Australian women and menopause. A search of databases including Ovid Medline, Pubmed, Web of Science, AUSThealth, AMED, EMBASE, Global Health and PsychINFO was undertaken from January 2011 to April 2011 using the search terms menopause, Indigenous, Aboriginal, attitudes, and perceptions and repeated in September 2012. Considerable research shows significant variation across cultures in the menopausal experience. Biological, psychological, social and cultural factors are associated with either positive or negative attitudes, perceptions or experiences of menopause in various cultures. Comparative international literature shows that neither biological nor social factors alone are sufficient to explain the variation in experiences of the menopausal transition. However, a strong influence of culture on the menopause experience can be found. The variation in women's experience of menopause indicates that different cultural groups of women may have different understandings and needs during the menopausal transition. While considerable literature exists for Australian women as a whole, there has been little investigation of Australian Indigenous women, with only two research studies related to Indigenous women's experiences of menopause identified. Differences in biocultural experience of menopause around the world suggest the importance of biocultural research. For the Indigenous women of Australia, the relative contribution of culture, social disadvantage and poor general health compared with non-Indigenous women to the experience of menopause is unknown. As such, further research and understanding of the experience of Indigenous women around Australia is needed. This information could assist individuals, families, cultural groups and healthcare providers to enhance management and support for Indigenous Australian women.

Re-thinking the complexities of 'culture': what might we learn from Bourdieu?

PubMed

Lynam, M Judith; Browne, A J; Reimer Kirkham, S; Anderson, J M

2007-03-01

In this paper we continue an ongoing dialogue that has as its goal the critical appraisal of theoretical perspectives on culture and health, in an effort to move forward scholarship on culture and health. We draw upon a programme of scholarship to explicate theoretical tensions and challenges that are manifest in the discourses on culture and health and to explore the possibilities Bourdieu's theoretical perspective offers for reconciling them. That is, we hope to demonstrate the need to move beyond descriptions 'of' culture to an understanding of cultures as dynamic, and to show ways cultural practices create contexts that have the potential to foster or impede health. In our early research, largely undertaken in Canada's multicultural context, we sought to make visible the ways in which culture shaped conceptions of health and influenced health practices of immigrant groups. In recent years this focus has expanded to include populations that reflect the cultural and social diversity of our region. From the outset we attempted to move towards a conception of culture as negotiated, unifying, transformative and dynamic. While this position continues to hold appeal we are continually reminded that, despite our leanings towards constructivism, there is salience to the notion of culture as having enduring elements. It is this tension between the view of culture as embodied and enduring and culture as constructed and dynamic that we seek to examine. We explore whether Bourdieu's theoretical perspective offers promise for reconciling these apparently competing views. Using exemplars from our research we share insights that Bourdieu's work has offered to our analyses, thereby enabling us to move towards a view of culture that holds in tension these apparently contradictory positions of culture as both essence (albeit unstable, negotiated) and constructed.

The Social Relations of a Health Walk Group: An Ethnographic Study.

PubMed

Grant, Gordon; Pollard, Nick; Allmark, Peter; Machaczek, Kasia; Ramcharan, Paul

2017-09-01

It is already well established that regular walks are conducive to health and well-being. This article considers the production of social relations of regular, organized weekly group walks for older people. It is based on an ethnographic study of a Walking for Health group in a rural area of the United Kingdom. Different types of social relations are identified arising from the walk experience. The social relations generated are seen to be shaped by organizational factors that are constitutive of the walks; the resulting culture having implications for the sustainability of the experience. As there appears to be no single uniting theory linking group walk experiences to the production of social relations at this time, the findings are considered against therapeutic landscape, therapeutic mobility, and social capital theorizing. Finally, implications for the continuance of walking schemes for older people and for further research are considered.

Understanding the role of culture in pain: Māori practitioner perspectives relating to the experience of pain.

PubMed

Magnusson, Jane E; Fennell, Joyce A

2011-01-21

As there is growing interest in the role of cultural diversity within healthcare settings it is important to determine how culture can influence such things as pain. A person's culture can impact not only how they perceive and experience pain but also how they interact with healthcare professionals and adhere to advice provided. To better assess and treat pain in different cultures the perspectives and experiences of that culture must be taken into consideration and therefore the present study was undertaken to better understand Māori perspectives of pain. Māori healthcare providers and kaumātua (tribal leaders/elders) were interviewed in order to gain insight into how pain was perceived and expressed by Māori with whom they had health-related interactions. The interviews reflected themes consistent within the greater body of literature in that as with many cultures, Māori perceive pain as a multidimensional experience impacting them physically, psychologically, socially and spiritually. While our findings indicate that there is a commonality between cultures with regard to the experience of pain, it is valuable to understand a culture's perceptions and experiences regarding pain before assessing and treating it as indicated in the findings from this study wherein cultural factors such as the role of the whānau (family) and the importance of the development of relationships with healthcare providers were points of emphasis in terms of ways to enhance Māori health.

Synergistic degradation of chlorinated hydrocarbons with microorganisms and zero valent iron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schöftner, Philipp; Summer, Dorothea; Leitner, Simon; Watzinger, Andrea; Wimmer, Bernhard; Reichenauer, Thomas

2016-04-01

Sites contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHC) are located mainly within build-up regions. Therefore in most cases only in-situ technologies without excavation of soil material can be used for remediation. This project examines a novel in-situ remediation method, in which the biotic degradation via bacteria is combined with abiotic degradation via zero-valent iron particles (ZVI). ZVI particles are injected into the aquifer where CHC-molecules are reductively dechlorinated. However Fe0 is also oxidized by reaction with water leading to generation of H2 without any CHC degradation. To achieve biotic degradation often strictly anaerobic strains of the bacteria Dehalococcoides are used. These bacteria can dechlorinate CHC by utilizing H2. By combining these processes the H2, produced during the anaerobic corrosion of Fe0, could be used by bacteria for further CHC degradation. Therefore the amount of used Fe0 and as a consequence also remediation costs could be reduced. Additionally the continuous supply of H2 could make the bacterial degradation more controllable. Different Fe0 particles (nano- and micro-scale) were tested for their perchloroethene (PCE) degradation rate and H2 production rate in microcosms. PCE-degradation rate by different bacterial cultures was investigated in the same microcosm system. In course of these experiments the 13C enrichment factors of the PCE degradation of the different particles and cultures were determined to enable the differentiation of biotic and abiotic degradation. Preliminary results showed, that the nano-scale particles reacted faster with PCE and water than their micro-scaled counterparts. The PCE degradation via micro-scaled particles lead to 13C enrichment factors in the range of -3,6 ‰ ± 0,6 to -9,5 ‰ ± 0,2. With one of the examined bacterial cultures a fast reduction of PCE to ethene was observed. Although PCE and TCE were completely degraded by this culture the metabolites DCE and VC could still be detected. Further microcosm experiments will be implemented by the time of the EGU General Assembly 2016. In the framework of these experiments other bacterial cultures and ZVI particles as well as the combination of biotic and abiotic dehalogenation will be investigated.

Issues for South Asian Indian patients surrounding sexuality, fertility, and childbirth in the US health care system.

PubMed

Fisher, Judith A; Bowman, Marjorie; Thomas, Tessie

2003-01-01

In 1998 ethnic minorities comprised 28% of the US population, and India is the third most common country of origin for immigrants. Many recently immigrated South Asian Indian patients are seen in health care settings in the United States. To deliver health care effectively to these patients, it is helpful for physicians to understand common cultural beliefs and practices of South Asian Indian patients. Two illustrative cases are reported. One author's observations of the care of pregnant and parturient women in India and similar experiences in our own office spurred a literature search of the cultural behaviors surrounding sexuality, fertility, and childbirth. A literature search was conducted in Index Medicus, Grateful Med, and the catalogue of the University of Pennsylvania Arts and Sciences library, using the terms "Indian," "South Asian," "male and female gender roles," "gynecology in third world," "sexuality," "sexual health," "women's health," "women's health education," "obstetrical practices/India," and "female roles/India." Issues surrounding sexuality and childbirth that arise during the US physician-South Asian Indian patient encounter might not correspond to the commonly held knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors of the US health care system. Common cultural beliefs and behaviors of South Asian Indian patients around sexuality and childbirth experience include the role of the individual patient's duty to society, the patient's sense of place in society, lack of formal sexual education, prearranged marriages, importance of the birth of the first child, little premarital contraceptive education, dominance of the husband in contraceptive decisions, and predominant role of women and lack of role for men (including the husband) in the childbirth process. Lack of understanding of the Indian cultural mores surrounding sexual education, sexual behavior, and the childbirth experiences can form barriers to Indian immigrants in need of health care. These misunderstandings can also lead to patient dissatisfaction with the health provider and health system, underutilization of health services, and poorer health outcomes for Indian immigrants and their families. For this reason, it is important to teach cultural issues during undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education.

Limited use of Centritech Lab II Centrifuge in perfusion culture of rCHO cells for the production of recombinant antibody.

PubMed

Kim, Byoung Jin; Oh, Duk Jae; Chang, Ho Nam

2008-01-01

Perfusion cultures of recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cells, producing recombinant antibody against the S surface antigen of Hepatitis B virus, were carried out in continuous and intermittent mode using a Centritech Lab II Centrifuge. In the continuous perfusion process, despite the absence of shear stress from the pump head, long-term operation was not possible because of continuously repeated exposure to oxygen limitation and low temperature, as well as shear stress from centrifugal force. In the intermittent perfusion processes, the frequency of cell-passage through the centrifuge was substantially reduced, compared with the continuous perfusion mode; however, the degree of reduction could not guarantee stable long-term operation. Although various operating parameters were applied in the intermittent perfusion cultures, high cell densities could not be maintained stably. In a single bioreactor culture system, a specific cell that is returned from the centrifuge to the bioreactor could be transferred from the bioreactor to the centrifuge again in the next cycle. These repetitive damages, caused by shear stress from the pump head and centrifugal force, as well as exposure to suboptimal conditions such as oxygen limitation and low temperature below 37 degrees C, were more serious at higher perfusion rates. Subsequently, damaged cells and dead cells were continuously accumulated in the bioreactor. Culture temperature shift from 37 to 33 degrees C increased antibody concentrations but showed inhibitory effects on cell growth. The negative effects of lowering culture temperature on cell growth overwhelmed the positive effects on antibody production. To protect cells from shear stress, Pluronic F-68 was 2-fold concentrated in the culture medium; nevertheless, a significantly higher concentration of Pluronic F-68 (2 g/L) may have inhibitory effects on cell growth.

Hip Hop Culture's OGs: A Narrative Inquiry into the Intersection of Hip Hop Culture, Black Males and Their Schooling Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buchanan, Ian P.

2013-01-01

Using a critical race lens, this narrative study employs a focus group design to explore the intersections between black males, hip hop culture and schooling experiences. To provide a sociocultural grounding, this study first reviews the research literature around hip hop culture.s sociocultural development and its impact as a culture force that…

Annual review of cultural resource investigations by the Savannah River Archaeological Research Program. Fiscal year 1995

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brooks, M.J.; Brooks, R.D.; Sassaman, K.E.

1995-10-01

The Savannah River Archaeological Research Program (SRARP) continued through FY95 with the United States Department of Energy to fulfill a threefold mission of cultural resource management, research, and public education at the Savannah River Site. Over 2,300 acres of land on the SRS came under cultural resources review in FY95. This activity entailed 30 field surveys, resulting in the recording of 86 new sites. Twenty-two existing sites within survey tract boundaries were revisited to update site file records. Research conducted by SRARP was reported in 11 papers and monographs published during FY95. SRARP staff also presented research results in 18more » papers at professional meetings. Field research included several testing programs, excavations, and remote sensing at area sites, as well as data collection abroad. Seven grants were acquired by SRARP staff to support off-site research. In the area of heritage education, the SRARP expanded its activities in FY95 with a full schedule of classroom education, public outreach, and on-site tours. Volunteer excavations at the Tinker Creek site were continued with the Augusta Archaeological Society and other avocational groups, and other off-site excavations provided a variety of opportunities for field experience. Some 80 presentations, displays and tours were provided for schools, historical societies, civic groups, and environmental and historical awareness day celebrations. Additionally, SRARP staff taught four anthropology courses at area colleges.« less

Purification of recombinant human secretory phospholipase A2 (group II) produced in long-term immobilized cell culture.

PubMed

Levin, W; Daniel, R F; Stoner, C R; Stoller, T J; Wardwell-Swanson, J A; Angelillo, Y M; Familletti, P C; Crowl, R M

1992-02-01

Recombinant human secretory phospholipase A2 (Group II) was expressed in long-term culture of immobilized Chinese hamster ovary cells utilizing a continuous-perfusion airlift bioreactor. The bioreactor was continuously perfused with cell-culture medium supplemented with 5% fetal calf serum at an average flow rate of 5 liters/day for 30 days. Recombinant phospholipase A2, at concentrations ranging from 100 to 500 micrograms/liter, was purified to apparent homogeneity by an efficient two-step procedure involving a silica-based cation-exchange resin and hydrophobic interaction chromatography (greater than 65% recovery of phospholipase A2). The purified recombinant protein has an apparent molecular weight of 16 kDa, identical to that of purified human placental or synovial fluid phospholipase A2, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Application of the purified protein onto several different gel filtration columns resulted in elution of the protein at molecular weights corresponding to 3.1-4.7 kDa, suggesting an interaction of the protein with the column resins. However, analytical ultracentrifugation experiments revealed that the protein behaves as a monomer (13.8-14.2 kDa) over a protein concentration range of approximately 10 micrograms/ml to 5 mg/ml. With autoclaved Escherichia coli membranes as substrate, the recombinant protein has catalytic properties (pH optimum, effects of bovine serum albumin, sodium chloride concentration, and requirement for calcium) similar to those of the protein purified from human placenta.

Culture of Macrophage Colony-stimulating Factor Differentiated Human Monocyte-derived Macrophages.

PubMed

Jin, Xueting; Kruth, Howard S

2016-06-30

A protocol is presented for cell culture of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) differentiated human monocyte-derived macrophages. For initiation of experiments, fresh or frozen monocytes are cultured in flasks for 1 week with M-CSF to induce their differentiation into macrophages. Then, the macrophages can be harvested and seeded into culture wells at required cell densities for carrying out experiments. The use of defined numbers of macrophages rather than defined numbers of monocytes to initiate macrophage cultures for experiments yields macrophage cultures in which the desired cell density can be more consistently attained. Use of cryopreserved monocytes reduces dependency on donor availability and produces more homogeneous macrophage cultures.

Cultural beliefs about health professionals and perceived empathy influence continuity of cancer screening following a negative encounter.

PubMed

Amador, Jael A; Flynn, Patricia M; Betancourt, Hector

2015-10-01

Negative health care encounters have implications for preventive medical services and continuity of health care. This study examined cultural and interpersonal psychological factors involved in health care interactions that may ameliorate the detrimental effects of negative encounters. A mixed-methods approach was implemented to examine the relations among positive cultural beliefs about health professionals, perceived professional empathy, interpersonal emotions, and continuity of cancer screening among 237 Latin American (Latino) and non-Latino White (Anglo) American women who reported a negative health care encounter. Multi-group structural equation modeling revealed that for Latino and Anglo women, positive cultural beliefs about health professionals in general were associated with higher perceptions of empathy regarding a professional involved in a negative encounter. In addition, for Latino women, perceptions of higher professional empathy and less negative emotions were associated with better continuity of cancer screening. Interventions designed to improve professionals' empathy skills and diverse patients' perceptions of professionals could improve patient-professional relations.

Multi-stage microbial system for continuous hydrogen production

DOEpatents

Kosourov, Sergey; Ghirardi, Maria L.; Seibert, Michael

2010-06-08

A method of using sequential chemostat culture vessels to provide continuous H.sub.2 production, in which photosynthetic O.sub.2 evolution and H.sub.2 photoproduction are separated physically into two separate bioreactors, comprising: a) growing a microorganism culture able to continuously generate H.sub.2 by photosynthetically producing cells at about the early-to-late log state in a first photobioreactor operating as a sulfur chemostat under aerobic and/or conditions; b) continuously feeding cells from the first photobioreactor to a second photobioreactor operating under anaerobic conditions and sulfur deprivation conditions resulting from constant uptake of sulfate in the first bioreactor and a low rate of culture flow between the first and second bioreactors, for induction of hydrogenase and H.sub.2 photoproduction to allow for continuous cultivation of the microorganism's cells in the first photobioreactor and constant H.sub.2 production in the second photobioreactor, and c) H.sub.2 gas from the second photobioreactor.

Life on the Reservation: Cross-Cultural Field Experiences and Student Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, Belinda Conrad; Dinkins, Elizabeth G.

2014-01-01

Twenty-first century classrooms are filled with increasingly diverse student populations. Effective teacher preparation programs must include explicit course work in culturally responsive pedagogies and field experiences that place educators in new sociocultural contexts. Field experiences in cross-cultural, place-based settings have the potential…

The Impact of a Cultural Immersion Study Abroad Experience in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

PubMed

Conroy, Shelley F; Taggart, Helen M

2016-09-01

Study abroad programs have increased dramatically. Most programs are short-term and include a cultural immersion as well as classroom and/or service learning. In this article, the authors discuss a study abroad program to China that included cultural immersion and classroom learning specific to traditional Chinese medicine. Participants kept journals with specific writing assignments and reflections about their experiences during the trip. At the conclusion of the trip, a qualitative survey was administered to the participants. Outcomes included the benefits of cultural immersion and a greater appreciation of cultural diversity, complementary and alternative medicine and holistic health care. Participants were able to describe transformational experiences of living in and learning from the Chinese culture and peoples. They intended to incorporate their experiences and enhanced understanding of traditional Chinese medicine and complementary and alternative therapies to provide culturally competent holistic health care in their nursing practice. © The Author(s) 2015.

Determination of Root Exudates in a Steril Continuous Flow Culture. I. The Culture Method

PubMed Central

Richter, Martin; Wilms, Werner; Scheffer, Fritz

1968-01-01

A sterile plant culture consisting of culture vessels, culture solution container, collecting flasks for percolating nutrient solution, illumination and aeration systems and a suitable pump is described. Its difference with other culture methods is a very slow, continuous percolation of the nutrient solution through the rooting medium. Well defined and controllable conditions can thus be established in the rhizosphere over long culture periods. Samples can be collected at short intervals without disturbing the rhizosphere in any way nor endangering the sterility of the culture. One of the fundamental factors determining the special ecological characteristics of the plant rhizosphere is the liberation of organic and inorganic substances by the plant root. During the study of this phenomenon it became evident that the amount of substances liberated varies within wide limits (factors 100 to 1000) according to the conditions in which the root is developing. PMID:16656966

Continuous production of lactic acid from molasses by perfusion culture of Lactococcus lactis using a stirred ceramic membrane reactor.

PubMed

Ohashi, R; Yamamoto, T; Suzuki, T

1999-01-01

A perfusion culture system was used for continuous production of lactic acid by retaining cells at a high density of Lactococcus lactis in a stirred ceramic membrane reactor (SCMR). After the cell concentration increased to 248 g/l, half of the culture broth volume was replaced with the fermentation medium. Subsequently, a substrate solution containing glucose (run 1) or molasses (run 2) was continuously supplied to the cells retained in the SCMR. Simultaneously, the culture supernatant was extracted using a ceramic filter with a pore size of 0.2 mum. The dilution rate was initially set at 0.4 h(-1) and gradually decreased to 0.2 h(-1) due to reduction in the permeability of the filter. The concentration of glucose in the substrate solution was adjusted to 60 g/l for the transition and the first period until 240 h, 90 g/l for the second period from 240 h to 440 h, and 70 g/l for the third period from 440 h to 643 h. The average concentration of lactic acid in the filtrate reached 46 g/l in the first period, 43 g/l in the second period, and 33 g/l for the third period. The productivity obtained for the first period reached 15.8 g.l(-1).h(-1), twice as much as that achieved in repeated batch fermentations. Based on the results obtained in run 1, the substrate solution containing 120 g/l of molasses was continuously supplied for 240 h in run 2. The concentration and productivity of lactic acid reached 40 g/l and 10.6 g.l(-1).h(-1), respectively, by continuously replenishing the culture medium at a dilution rate of 0.26 h(-1). These results demonstrated that the filtration capacity of the SCMR was sufficient for a continuous and rapid replenishment of molasses solution from the dense cell culture and, therefore, the perfusion culture system is considered to provide a low-cost process for continuous production of lactic acid from cheap resources.

Use of insulin pumps in India: suggested guidelines based on experience and cultural differences.

PubMed

Kesavadev, Jothydev; Das, Ashok Kumar; Unnikrishnan, Ranjit; Joshi, Shashank R; Ramachandran, Ambady; Shamsudeen, Jisha; Krishnan, Gopika; Jothydev, Sunitha; Mohan, Viswanathan

2010-10-01

All type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) subjects and the majority of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) subjects at one time or another require insulin to sustain life. Syringes and pens are presently the most popular insulin delivery devices. Though in use for more than 3 decades, insulin pumps are now being more commonly used because of their unique ability to continuously infuse insulin, closely mimicking that of physiological secretion from a normal pancreas. Unlike insulin shots with syringes, pump infusion sites need to be changed less frequently. Scientific evidence from published studies have proven added benefit of insulin pumps in improving quality of life, normalizing sugars in recalcitrant diabetes, improving sexual function, and relieving the intractable pain of neuropathy. In the western world, pumps are commonly used with T1DM subjects, whereas in India 80% of pumpers are T2DM subjects. The success of insulin pump therapy depends on selection of the right candidate, extensive education, motivation, and implementing the sophisticated programs with skill. However, all affordable patients are not ideal candidates for pump therapy because for successful continuation of pump therapy other inclusion criteria should also be fulfilled. Among the other indications discussed are a high level of insulin resistance, brittle diabetes, chronic kidney disease on renal replacement therapy, and continuous glucose monitoring pattern strongly suggesting need for a variable basal insulin infusion rate. In International Diabetes Foundation data released in 2009, estimated diabetes prevalence for 2010 is 285 million, representing 6.4% of the world's adult population, with a prediction that by 2030 the number of people with diabetes will have increased to 438 million. Considering this massive growth in T2DM and its propensity after 10–15 years to lead to an insulin-deficient state, available evidence from studies is a compelling indication not to deny the benefits of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion in selected T2DM subjects. This article aims at suggesting guidelines based on clinical experience and cultural diversity for India and developing countries.

Use of Insulin Pumps in India: Suggested Guidelines Based on Experience and Cultural Differences

PubMed Central

Das, Ashok Kumar; Unnikrishnan, Ranjit; Joshi, Shashank R.; Ramachandran, Ambady; Shamsudeen, Jisha; Krishnan, Gopika; Jothydev, Sunitha; Mohan, Viswanathan

2010-01-01

Abstract All type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) subjects and the majority of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) subjects at one time or another require insulin to sustain life. Syringes and pens are presently the most popular insulin delivery devices. Though in use for more than 3 decades, insulin pumps are now being more commonly used because of their unique ability to continuously infuse insulin, closely mimicking that of physiological secretion from a normal pancreas. Unlike insulin shots with syringes, pump infusion sites need to be changed less frequently. Scientific evidence from published studies have proven added benefit of insulin pumps in improving quality of life, normalizing sugars in recalcitrant diabetes, improving sexual function, and relieving the intractable pain of neuropathy. In the western world, pumps are commonly used with T1DM subjects, whereas in India 80% of pumpers are T2DM subjects. The success of insulin pump therapy depends on selection of the right candidate, extensive education, motivation, and implementing the sophisticated programs with skill. However, all affordable patients are not ideal candidates for pump therapy because for successful continuation of pump therapy other inclusion criteria should also be fulfilled. Among the other indications discussed are a high level of insulin resistance, brittle diabetes, chronic kidney disease on renal replacement therapy, and continuous glucose monitoring pattern strongly suggesting need for a variable basal insulin infusion rate. In International Diabetes Foundation data released in 2009, estimated diabetes prevalence for 2010 is 285 million, representing 6.4% of the world's adult population, with a prediction that by 2030 the number of people with diabetes will have increased to 438 million. Considering this massive growth in T2DM and its propensity after 10–15 years to lead to an insulin-deficient state, available evidence from studies is a compelling indication not to deny the benefits of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion in selected T2DM subjects. This article aims at suggesting guidelines based on clinical experience and cultural diversity for India and developing countries. PMID:20807118

Culturally Relevant Management Education: Insights from Experience in Nunavut

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wihak, Christine

2005-01-01

The author's experience with a Nunavut business management education program illustrates how to develop culturally relevant organizational behavior curriculum. The process initially involved interviews with Inuit Elders about culturally appropriate responses to scenarios of cultural conflicts in the workplace identified by Inuit managers. The…

Yoga Therapy for the Mind Eight-Week Course: Participants׳ Experiences.

PubMed

Kahya, Holly Hannah; Raspin, Courtney Grant

Mindfulness-based therapies are becoming increasingly common in the treatment of mental health conditions. While the popularity of yoga continues to rise in Western culture, little has been done to explore the psychological benefits of yoga from a qualitative, clinical perspective. This study explores participant experiences of the "Yoga Therapy for the Mind Eight-Week Course" (YTFTM), an international, manualized yoga and mindfulness-based intervention for depression and anxiety. Eight female participants took part in semi-structured interviews, and transcripts were analyzed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis, with four master themes emerging: "Personal Journey of Change," "Ambivalence," "Mind/Body Connection," and "Group Experience." The findings highlight potential challenges of yoga and mindfulness-based interventions and the importance of providing adequate support in overcoming these. Findings also reveal that participants experience psychological benefits from the practice of yoga asana in addition to mindfulness, such as a more holistic understanding of psychological distress, adaptive coping strategies, and enhanced well-being. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Culture and Continuing Bonds: A Prospective Comparison of Bereavement in the United States and the People's Republic of China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lalande, Kathleen M.; Bonanno, George A.

2006-01-01

There has been an increased interest and debate regarding the adaptiveness of continuing bonds with the deceased. The authors used data from a cross-cultural study of 61 participants from the United States (US) and 58 participants from the People's Republic of China (PRC) who completed measures of continuing bonds and adjustment at 4 and 18 months…

Diversity and Intercultural Communication in Continuing Professional Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ziegahn, Linda

2001-01-01

Responds to common myths about workplace diversity: (1) there is not much diversity in the workplace; (2) the way business is done is neutral; and (3) it is the responsibility of minority cultures to adapt to the dominant culture. Suggests responses for continuing professional educators. (JOW)

Between a rock and a hard place: stigma and the desire to have children among people living with HIV in northern Uganda

PubMed Central

Nattabi, Barbara; Li, Jianghong; Thompson, Sandra C; Orach, Christopher G; Earnest, Jaya

2012-01-01

Background HIV-related stigma, among other factors, has been shown to have an impact on the desire to have children among people living with HIV (PLHIV). Our objective was to explore the experiences of HIV-related stigma among PLHIV in post-conflict northern Uganda, a region of high HIV prevalence, high infant and child mortality and low contraception use, and to describe how stigma affected the desires of PLHIV to have children in the future. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 PLHIV in Gulu district, northern Uganda. The interviews, conducted in Luo, the local language, were audio recorded, transcribed and then translated into English. Thematic data analysis was undertaken using NVivo8 and was underpinned by the “Conceptual Model of HIV/AIDS Stigma”. Results HIV-related stigma continues to affect the quality of life of PLHIV in Gulu district, northern Uganda, and also influences PLHIV's desire to have children. PLHIV in northern Uganda continue to experience stigma in various forms, including internal stigma and verbal abuse from community members. While many PLHIV desire to have children and are strongly influenced by several factors including societal and cultural obligations, stigma and discrimination also affect this desire. Several dimensions of stigma, such as types of stigma (received, internal and associated stigma), stigmatizing behaviours (abusing and desertion) and agents of stigmatization (families, communities and health systems), either directly, or indirectly, enhanced or reduced PLHIV's desire to have more children. Conclusion The social-cultural context within which PLHIV continue to desire to have children must be better understood by all health professionals who hope to improve the quality of PLHIV's lives. By delineating the stigma process, the paper proposes interventions for reducing stigmatization of PLHIV in northern Uganda in order to improve the quality of life and health outcomes for PLHIV and their children. PMID:22713256

Between a rock and a hard place: stigma and the desire to have children among people living with HIV in northern Uganda.

PubMed

Nattabi, Barbara; Li, Jianghong; Thompson, Sandra C; Orach, Christopher G; Earnest, Jaya

2012-05-31

HIV-related stigma, among other factors, has been shown to have an impact on the desire to have children among people living with HIV (PLHIV). Our objective was to explore the experiences of HIV-related stigma among PLHIV in post-conflict northern Uganda, a region of high HIV prevalence, high infant and child mortality and low contraception use, and to describe how stigma affected the desires of PLHIV to have children in the future. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 PLHIV in Gulu district, northern Uganda. The interviews, conducted in Luo, the local language, were audio recorded, transcribed and then translated into English. Thematic data analysis was undertaken using NVivo8 and was underpinned by the "Conceptual Model of HIV/AIDS Stigma". HIV-related stigma continues to affect the quality of life of PLHIV in Gulu district, northern Uganda, and also influences PLHIV's desire to have children. PLHIV in northern Uganda continue to experience stigma in various forms, including internal stigma and verbal abuse from community members. While many PLHIV desire to have children and are strongly influenced by several factors including societal and cultural obligations, stigma and discrimination also affect this desire. Several dimensions of stigma, such as types of stigma (received, internal and associated stigma), stigmatizing behaviours (abusing and desertion) and agents of stigmatization (families, communities and health systems), either directly, or indirectly, enhanced or reduced PLHIV's desire to have more children. The social-cultural context within which PLHIV continue to desire to have children must be better understood by all health professionals who hope to improve the quality of PLHIV's lives. By delineating the stigma process, the paper proposes interventions for reducing stigmatization of PLHIV in northern Uganda in order to improve the quality of life and health outcomes for PLHIV and their children.

Beyond Essentialism: Cultural Differences in Emotions Revisited.

PubMed

Boiger, Michael; Ceulemans, Eva; De Leersnyder, Jozefien; Uchida, Yukiko; Norasakkunkit, Vinai; Mesquita, Batja

2018-02-01

The current research offers an alternative to essentialism for studying cultural variation in emotional experience. Rather than assuming that individuals always experience an emotion in the same way, our starting point was that the experience of an emotion like anger or shame may vary from one instance to another. We expected to find different anger and shame experience types, that is, groups of people who differ in the instances of anger and shame that they experience. We proposed that studying cultural differences in emotional experience means studying differences in the distribution of these types across cultural contexts: There should be systematic differences in the types that are most common in each culture. Students from the United States, Japan, and Belgium (N = 928) indicated their emotional experiences in terms of appraisals and action tendencies in response to 15 hypothetical anger or shame situations. Using an inductive clustering approach, we identified anger and shame types who were characterized by different patterns of anger and shame experience. As expected, we found that the distribution of these types differed across the three cultural contexts: Of the two anger types, one was common in Japan and one in the United States and Belgium; the three shame types were each most prevalent in a different cultural context. Participants' anger and shame types were primarily predicted by their culture of origin (with an accuracy of 72.3% for anger and 74.0% for shame) and not, or much less, by their ethnic origin, socioeconomic status, gender, self-construal, or personality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Regional accents. The RCN policy unit compares NHS plans across the UK.

PubMed

2003-09-01

All three NHS plans that form the modernization agenda can be characterised by three themes: Centralization Partnership Culture change. Despite the absence of a Northern Ireland plan, the issues and themes that emerge in the other three plans are prevalent in Northern Ireland too. CENTRALISATION: The tendency to centralize has led to a greater involvement of health ministers, rather than civil servants, in the day-to-day running of the health services, but ministers are preparing to hand over operational control of new policies. PARTNERSHIP: Partnership underpins many of the new structural arrangements, with an emphasis on increased inter-professional working and education, but merged health and social care structures create funding tensions. CULTURE CHANGE: Culture change focuses on creating patient-centred care and dismantling the power of the health professions, while the curbing of professional autonomy is central to enhancing and improving patients' overall experience of the NHS. The cumulative effect of these developments is likely to lead to increasing debate about the future funding, provision and accountability of the NHS as regional and country differences continue to develop.

Interfacial properties in a discrete model for tumor growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moglia, Belén; Guisoni, Nara; Albano, Ezequiel V.

2013-03-01

We propose and study, by means of Monte Carlo numerical simulations, a minimal discrete model for avascular tumor growth, which can also be applied for the description of cell cultures in vitro. The interface of the tumor is self-affine and its width can be characterized by the following exponents: (i) the growth exponent β=0.32(2) that governs the early time regime, (ii) the roughness exponent α=0.49(2) related to the fluctuations in the stationary regime, and (iii) the dynamic exponent z=α/β≃1.49(2), which measures the propagation of correlations in the direction parallel to the interface, e.g., ξ∝t1/z, where ξ is the parallel correlation length. Therefore, the interface belongs to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang universality class, in agreement with recent experiments of cell cultures in vitro. Furthermore, density profiles of the growing cells are rationalized in terms of traveling waves that are solutions of the Fisher-Kolmogorov equation. In this way, we achieved excellent agreement between the simulation results of the discrete model and the continuous description of the growth front of the culture or tumor.

A Culturally Responsive Approach to Improving Replication of a Youth Sexual Health Program.

PubMed

Mwaria, Mercy; Chen, ChiaChing; Coppola, Nanci; Maurice, Ingrid; Phifer, Mary

2016-11-01

Youth-serving agencies continually turn to evidence-based interventions that have been empirically assessed for effectiveness in influencing young people's lives, particularly those living in communities with considerable health inequities. Replicating promising evidence-based interventions requires thoughtful adaptation and modification to better fit participants' sociocultural context and to enhance their learning experiences. Due to the restrictive nature of a replication model, adaptations to the intervention curriculum must be minimized during full implementation. Implementers must find innovative ways to ensure content is relevant and engaging to participants without altering core elements of the curriculum. This article describes practical best practice strategies used in implementing a sexual health education program among socioculturally diverse youth in a northeastern city in the United States. The implementing agency applied Richard, Brown and Forde's framework for culturally responsive pedagogy as a heuristic approach to describe the application of implementation practices across three dimensions: institutional, personal, and instructional. The results not only highlight successful culturally responsive practices that enhanced the implementation process but also acknowledge areas in which such practices proved daunting to implement. © 2016 Society for Public Health Education.

Cultural Immersion Experience: Promoting an Understanding of Mexican American Nutrition and Food Traditions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilboy, Mary Beth; Bill, Debra E.

2011-01-01

A week long immersion experience in Guanajuato, Mexico provided an opportunity for public health and nutrition students to improve their understanding of Mexican culture, nutrition, and food traditions. The experience positively impacted the students' understanding of the importance of cultural sensitivity in working with the local Mexican…

Improvement on the productivity of continuous tequila fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae of Agave tequilana juice with supplementation of yeast extract and aeration.

PubMed

Hernández-Cortés, Guillermo; Valle-Rodríguez, Juan Octavio; Herrera-López, Enrique J; Díaz-Montaño, Dulce María; González-García, Yolanda; Escalona-Buendía, Héctor B; Córdova, Jesús

2016-12-01

Agave (Agave tequilana Weber var. azul) fermentations are traditionally carried out employing batch systems in the process of tequila manufacturing; nevertheless, continuous cultures could be an attractive technological alternative to increase productivity and efficiency of sugar to ethanol conversion. However, agave juice (used as a culture medium) has nutritional deficiencies that limit the implementation of yeast continuous fermentations, resulting in high residual sugars and low fermentative rates. In this work, fermentations of agave juice using Saccharomyces cerevisiae were put into operation to prove the necessity of supplementing yeast extract, in order to alleviate nutritional deficiencies of agave juice. Furthermore, continuous fermentations were performed at two different aeration flow rates, and feeding sterilized and non-sterilized media. The obtained fermented musts were subsequently distilled to obtain tequila and the preference level was compared against two commercial tequilas, according to a sensorial analysis. The supplementation of agave juice with air and yeast extract augmented the fermentative capacity of S. cerevisiae S1 and the ethanol productivities, compared to those continuous fermentations non supplemented. In fact, aeration improved ethanol production from 37 to 40 g L(-1), reducing sugars consumption from 73 to 88 g L(-1) and ethanol productivity from 3.0 to 3.2 g (Lh)(-1), for non-aerated and aerated (at 0.02 vvm) cultures, respectively. Supplementation of yeast extract allowed an increase in specific growth rate and dilution rates (0.12 h(-1), compared to 0.08 h(-1) of non-supplemented cultures), ethanol production (47 g L(-1)), reducing sugars consumption (93 g L(-1)) and ethanol productivity [5.6 g (Lh)(-1)] were reached. Additionally, the effect of feeding sterilized or non-sterilized medium to the continuous cultures was compared, finding no significant differences between both types of cultures. The overall effect of adding yeast extract and air to the continuous fermentations resulted in 88 % increase in ethanol productivity. For all cultures, pH was not controlled, reaching low pH values (from 2.6 to 3). This feature suggested a reduced probability of contamination for prolonged continuous cultures and explained why no significant differences were found between continuous cultures fed with sterilized or non-sterilized media. Concentrations of volatile compounds quantified in the distillates (tequila) were in the allowed ranges established by the Mexican regulation of tequila (NOM-006-SCFI-2012, Norma Oficial Mexicana: Bebidas alcohólicas-Tequila-specificaciones, 2012). The preference level of the distillates was similar to that of two well-known commercial tequilas. The results suggested the possibility of implementing this innovative technology on an industrial scale, attaining high productivities and using non-sterilized agave juice.

Cell culture experiments planned for the space bioreactor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morrison, Dennis R.; Cross, John H.

1987-01-01

Culturing of cells in a pilot-scale bioreactor remains to be done in microgravity. An approach is presented based on several studies of cell culture systems. Previous and current cell culture research in microgravity which is specifically directed towards development of a space bioprocess is described. Cell culture experiments planned for a microgravity sciences mission are described in abstract form.

A Cultural Immersion Field Experience: Examining Pre-Service Music Teachers' Beliefs about Cultural Differences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

VanDeusen, Andrea J.

2017-01-01

With the intent of informing music teacher education practices and developing more culturally responsive and relevant teachers, the purpose of this research was to explore pre-service music teachers' understandings of culture and diversity, and to examine the impact of a short-term cultural immersion field experience on pre-service music teachers'…

School success and participation for students with cerebral palsy: a qualitative study exploring multiple perspectives.

PubMed

Bourke-Taylor, Helen M; Cotter, Claire; Lalor, Aislinn; Johnson, Lindy

2017-05-19

This qualitative study investigated perceived successful school experiences for students with cerebral palsy in Australia. Participation and appropriate support in school are complex concepts, although few studies have investigated all stakeholders' perspectives. Phenomenology informed the study that centered on the concept of a successful school experience. In-depth interviews occurred with students (n = 7), parents (n = 11), teachers (n = 10), school principals (n = 9) and allied health practitioners (n = 10) to gain the perspective from multiple vantage points. Specific research questions, interview guides and demographic questionnaires were configured for each group. Interviews were analyzed thematically within and between groups. Three key themes emerged: Collaborative partnerships between families, schools and outside organizations; School culture and attitude is key; and, allied health practitioners are part of home and school teams. Student and school success was impacted substantially by the capacity of adults in the student's life to collaborate - family, school professionals and allied health practitioners. An inclusive school culture was crucial to students with cerebral palsy. All parties needed to prioritize promotion of an open and positive school culture built around problem-solving inclusive practices. Involved people, such as allied health practitioners, bring knowledge and skills that are not otherwise readily available in school environments. Implications for rehabilitation Students with cerebral palsy have high needs at school and allied health practitioners have a role advocating for, educating and providing support to students within the school. Teachers of students with cerebral palsy need education, training and support from allied health practitioners. The need for allied health and rehabilitation services continues for children and youth with cerebral palsy outside of school and across the schooling years. School professionals; allied health practitioners; families and students can work together to improve the student experience.

Have restricted working hours reduced junior doctors' experience of fatigue? A focus group and telephone interview study.

PubMed

Morrow, Gill; Burford, Bryan; Carter, Madeline; Illing, Jan

2014-03-06

To explore the effects of the UK Working Time Regulations (WTR) on trainee doctors' experience of fatigue. Qualitative study involving focus groups and telephone interviews, conducted in Spring 2012 with doctors purposively selected from Foundation and specialty training. Final compliance with a 48 h/week limit had been required for trainee doctors since August 2009. Framework analysis of data. 9 deaneries in all four UK nations; secondary care. 82 doctors: 53 Foundation trainees and 29 specialty trainees. 36 participants were male and 46 female. Specialty trainees were from a wide range of medical and surgical specialties, and psychiatry. Implementation of the WTR, while acknowledged as an improvement to the earlier situation of prolonged excessive hours, has not wholly overcome experience of long working hours and fatigue. Fatigue did not only arise from the hours that were scheduled, but also from an unpredictable mixture of shifts, work intensity (which often resulted in educational tasks being taken home) and inadequate rest. Fatigue was also caused by trainees working beyond their scheduled hours, for reasons such as task completion, accessing additional educational opportunities beyond scheduled hours and staffing shortages. There were also organisational, professional and cultural drivers, such as a sense of responsibility to patients and colleagues and the expectations of seniors. Fatigue was perceived to affect efficiency of skills and judgement, mood and learning capacity. Long-term risks of continued stress and fatigue, for doctors and for the effective delivery of a healthcare service, should not be ignored. Current monitoring processes do not reflect doctors' true working patterns. The effectiveness of the WTR cannot be considered in isolation from the culture and context of the workplace. On-going attention needs to be paid to broader cultural issues, including the relationship between trainees and seniors.

21 CFR 864.2280 - Cultured animal and human cells.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Cultured animal and human cells. 864.2280 Section... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES HEMATOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY DEVICES Cell And Tissue Culture Products § 864.2280 Cultured animal and human cells. (a) Identification. Cultured animal and human cells are in vitro...

21 CFR 864.2240 - Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES HEMATOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY DEVICES Cell And Tissue Culture Products § 864.2240 Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment. (a) Identification. Cell and tissue culture...

21 CFR 864.2240 - Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES HEMATOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY DEVICES Cell And Tissue Culture Products § 864.2240 Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment. (a) Identification. Cell and tissue culture...

21 CFR 864.2240 - Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES HEMATOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY DEVICES Cell And Tissue Culture Products § 864.2240 Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment. (a) Identification. Cell and tissue culture...

21 CFR 864.2240 - Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES HEMATOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY DEVICES Cell And Tissue Culture Products § 864.2240 Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment. (a) Identification. Cell and tissue culture...

21 CFR 864.2240 - Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES HEMATOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY DEVICES Cell And Tissue Culture Products § 864.2240 Cell and tissue culture supplies and equipment. (a) Identification. Cell and tissue culture...

Cultural Orientation as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Chinese American Adolescents’ Discrimination Experiences and Delinquent Behaviors

PubMed Central

Deng, Shiying; Vaughan, Phillip W.; Li, Jing

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among Chinese American adolescents’ discrimination experiences, cultural orientations, and delinquent behaviors. Data were collected from three hundred and eleven Chinese American adolescents (58% girls) and their parents when the adolescents were 7th or 8th graders and again 4 years later. The data analyses demonstrated that adolescents’ perceptions of discrimination and victimization experiences were significantly related to their delinquent behaviors conditionally based upon their cultural orientation. Specifically, adolescents’ high Chinese cultural orientation amplified the negative impact of discriminatory experiences on delinquent behaviors whereas high Western cultural orientation protected them against that impact. The significance of both ethnic and mainstream cultural orientations for understanding ethnic minority adolescents’ adjustment and improving their adjustment outcomes is discussed. PMID:19834795

Structural Equation Modeling of Cultural Competence of Nurses Caring for Foreign Patients.

PubMed

Ahn, Jung-Won

2017-03-01

This study aimed to construct and test a hypothetical model including factors related to the cultural competence of nurses caring for foreign patients. The transcultural nursing immersion experience model and anxiety/uncertainty management theory were used to verify the paths between the variables. The exogenous variables were multicultural experience, ethnocentric attitude, and organizational cultural competence support. The endogenous variables were intercultural anxiety, intercultural uncertainty, coping strategy, and cultural competence. Participants were 275 nurses working in general hospitals in Seoul and Kyung-Gi Do, Korea. Each nurse in this study had experience of caring for over 10 foreign patients. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed with SPSS statistical software with the added AMOS module. The overall fitness indices of the hypothetical model were a good fit. Multicultural experience, ethnocentric attitude, organizational cultural competence support, and intercultural uncertainty were found to have a direct and indirect effect on the cultural competence of nurses while coping strategy only had a direct effect. Intercultural anxiety did not have a significant effect on cultural competence. This model explained 59.1% of the variance in the nurses' cultural competence when caring for foreign patients. Nurses' cultural competence can be developed by offering multicultural nursing education, increasing direct/indirect multicultural experience, and sharing problem-solving experience to promote the coping ability of nurses. Organizational support can be achieved by preparing relevant personnel and resources. Subsequently, the quality of nursing care for foreign patients' will be ultimately improved. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Design and Use of a Low Cost, Automated Morbidostat for Adaptive Evolution of Bacteria Under Antibiotic Drug Selection.

PubMed

Liu, Po C; Lee, Yi T; Wang, Chun Y; Yang, Ya-Tang

2016-09-27

We describe a low cost, configurable morbidostat for characterizing the evolutionary pathway of antibiotic resistance. The morbidostat is a bacterial culture device that continuously monitors bacterial growth and dynamically adjusts the drug concentration to constantly challenge the bacteria as they evolve to acquire drug resistance. The device features a working volume of ~10 ml and is fully automated and equipped with optical density measurement and micro-pumps for medium and drug delivery. To validate the platform, we measured the stepwise acquisition of trimethoprim resistance in Escherichia coli MG 1655, and integrated the device with a multiplexed microfluidic platform to investigate cell morphology and antibiotic susceptibility. The approach can be up-scaled to laboratory studies of antibiotic drug resistance, and is extendible to adaptive evolution for strain improvements in metabolic engineering and other bacterial culture experiments.

Retroviral packaging cells encapsulated in TheraCyte immunoisolation devices enable long-term in vivo gene delivery.

PubMed

Krupetsky, Anna; Parveen, Zahida; Marusich, Elena; Goodrich, Adrienne; Dornburg, Ralph

2003-05-01

The method of delivering a therapeutic gene into a patient is still one of the major obstacles towards successful human gene therapy. Here we describe a novel gene delivery approach using TheraCyte immunoisolation devices. Retroviral vector producing cells, derived from the avian retrovirus spleen necrosis virus, SNV, were encapsulated in TheraCyte devices and tested for the release of retroviral vectors. In vitro experiments show that such devices release infectious retroviral vectors into the tissue culture medium for up to 4 months. When such devices were implanted subcutaneously in SCID mice, infectious virus was released into the blood stream. There, the vectors were transported to and infected tumors, which had been induced by subcutaneous injection of tissue culture cells. Thus, this novel concept of a continuous, long-term gene delivery may constitute an attractive approach for future in vivo human gene therapy.

Scholars versus Practitioners?: Anchor Proof Testing and the Birth of a Mixed Culture in Eighteenth-Century France.

PubMed

Orain, Arnaud; Laubé, Sylvain

In line with studies that question the conventional dichotomies between "head" and "hand," this article analyzes the emergence of a mixed naval culture, between science and technology, during the French Enlightenment. The case at issue is that of the circuitous development of an anchor proof testing protocol, an important method in the competition for maritime supremacy used at least until the first third of the nineteenth century. The story begins in the dockyard of Brest with a humble boatswain, and continues with the dissemination of his experiments thanks to prominent figures of the Naval Academy of Brest and of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Paris. The article suggests that if the findings of the latter were rather inconclusive, nevertheless, over time, a collaboration between practitioners and scientists did eventually generate a regular protocol for testing anchors.

Biodegradation of 4-chlorophenol by adsorptive immobilized Alcaligenes sp. A 7-2 in soil.

PubMed

Balfanz, J; Rehm, H J

1991-08-01

Alcaligenes sp. A 7-2 immobilized on granular clay has been applied in a percolator to degrade 4-chlorophenol in sandy soil. Good adsorption rates on granular clay were achieved using cell suspensions with high titres and media at pH 8.0. The influence of various parameters such as aeration rate, pH, temperature, concentration of 4-chlorophenol and size of inoculum on the degradation rate were investigated. During fed-batch fermentations under optimal culture conditions, concentrations of 4-chlorophenol up to 160 mg.l-1 could be degraded. Semicontinuous culture experiments demonstrated that the degradation potential in soil could be well established and enhanced by the addition of immobilized bacteria. Continuous fermentation was performed with varying 4-chlorophenol concentrations in the feed and different input levels. The maximum degradation rate was 1.64 g.l-1.day-1.

Conducting effective focus groups in the context of diversity: theoretical underpinnings and practical implications.

PubMed

Dreachslin, J L

1998-11-01

Demographic trends reveal that the socially and culturally relevant diversity of patients, caregivers, and managers in health care organizations will continue to increase. In addition, social attitudes are moving from a goal of assimilation or homogenization to one of differentiation and maintenance of subgroup identity. These shifts in demographics and social attitudes require the associated development of theory and practice guidelines for focus groups conducted in the context of diversity. Diversity has a profound impact on factors ranging from study design to the selection and training of facilitators and the analysis of results. Racial identity development theory, models of communication style differences, ethnographic studies of cultural archetypes or ethnic markers, and the author's experiences in facilitating focus groups that explore the sensitive topic of race/ethnicity provide insights for researchers and practitioners who want to ensure that focus groups conducted in the context of diversity produce valid results.

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility—A Personal Philosophy for Communicating Science in Society

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Abstract Many think that communicating science is a necessary and rewarding activity. Yet finding compelling, relevant, and timely points of linkage between challenging scientific concepts and the experiences and interests of the general public can be difficult. Since science continues to influence more and more aspects of daily life and knowledge, there is a parallel need for communication about science in our society. Here I discuss the “middle-ground hypothesis” using popular culture for science communication and applying the “FUNnel model,” where popular culture is used as a lead-in and wrap-up when discussing science. The scientific knowledge we find in our hands does not belong to us—we just had it first. We can honor that knowledge best by sharing it as widely as possible using the most creative means at our disposal. PMID:27642632

Space Station and the life sciences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, R. J.; Leonard, J. I.; Cramer, D. B.; Bishop, W. P.

1983-01-01

Previous fundamental research in space life sciences is examined, and consideration is devoted to studies relevant to Space Station activities. Microgravity causes weight loss, hemoconcentration, and orthostatic intolerance when astronauts returns to earth. Losses in bone density, bone calcium, and muscle nitrogen have also been observed, together with cardiovascular deconditioning, fluid-electrolyte metabolism alteration, and space sickness. Experiments have been performed with plants, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, tissue cultures, invertebrate species, and with nonhuman vertebrates, showing little effect on simple cell functions. The Spacelab first flight will feature seven life science experiments and the second flight, two. Further studies will be performed on later flights. Continued life science studies to optimize human performance in space are necessary for the efficient operation of a Space Station and the assembly of large space structures, particularly in interaction with automated machinery.

Cross-Cultural Interpretations of Curricular Contextual Crossings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schlein, Candace; Garii, Barbara

2011-01-01

Teachers--who are generally representatives of the cultural mainstream--are expected to use global experiences to become culturally enhanced and to bring these enhancements back to their classrooms. In this article, the authors discuss a cross-cultural exploration of investigations into the experiences of Canadian and U.S. educators with…

Effects of Asymmetric Cultural Experiences on the Auditory Pathway Evidence from Music

PubMed Central

Wong, Patrick C. M.; Perrachione, Tyler K.; Margulis, Elizabeth Hellmuth

2009-01-01

Cultural experiences come in many different forms, such as immersion in a particular linguistic community, exposure to faces of people with different racial backgrounds, or repeated encounters with music of a particular tradition. In most circumstances, these cultural experiences are asymmetric, meaning one type of experience occurs more frequently than other types (e.g., a person raised in India will likely encounter the Indian todi scale more so than a Westerner). In this paper, we will discuss recent findings from our laboratories that reveal the impact of short- and long-term asymmetric musical experiences on how the nervous system responds to complex sounds. We will discuss experiments examining how musical experience may facilitate the learning of a tone language, how musicians develop neural circuitries that are sensitive to musical melodies played on their instrument of expertise, and how even everyday listeners who have little formal training are particularly sensitive to music of their own culture(s). An understanding of these cultural asymmetries is useful in formulating a more comprehensive model of auditory perceptual expertise that considers how experiences shape auditory skill levels. Such a model has the potential to aid in the development of rehabilitation programs for the efficacious treatment of neurologic impairments. PMID:19673772

Enteric methane production and ruminal fermentation from forage brassica diets fed in continuous culture

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Brassicas provide forage for livestock during the late fall when traditional perennial cool-season forages are not productive. However, little research exists on ruminal fermentation and methane(CH4) production of brassicas fed as forage. A continuous culture fermentor system was used to assess nutr...

Effects of Organizational Role and Culture on Participation in Continuing Professional Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grzyb, Stanley W.; And Others

This study extends the investigation of professionals' reasons for participation in continuing education beyond personal and practice-based factors into the arena of organizational structure and culture. The Participation Reasons Scale (PRS) and the Respondent Information Form (RIF) were used to examine the motives influencing Army Engineers…

Lessons Learned: Engaging Culturally Diverse Families in Neurodevelopmental Disorders Intervention Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ratto, Allison B.; Anthony, Bruno J.; Pugliese, Cara; Mendez, Rocio; Safer-Lichtenstein, Jonathan; Dudley, Katerina M.; Kahn, Nicole F.; Kenworthy, Lauren; Biel, Matthew; Martucci, Jillian L.; Anthony, Laura G.

2017-01-01

Low-income and ethnic minority families continue to face critical disparities in access to diagnostic and treatment services for neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Despite the growing cultural diversity of the United States, ethnic minority children and families continue to…

Cultural Influences on the Professions in European Union Countries and Their Implications for Continuing Professional Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Anna; Thomas, Edward

1996-01-01

Although the European Union encourages professional mobility, the practice of continuing professional development (CPD) in pharmacy and law in various countries shows that cultural differences may hinder cross-border mobility. It is also surprising that universities are relatively little involved in CPD. (SK)

Multi-stage Continuous Culture Fermentation of Glucose-Xylose Mixtures to Fuel Ethanol using Genetically Engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae 424A

EPA Science Inventory

Multi-stage continuous (chemostat) culture fermentation (MCCF) with variable fermentor volumes was carried out to study utilizing glucose and xylose for ethanol production by means of mixed sugar fermentation (MSF). Variable fermentor volumes were used to enable enhanced sugar u...

Use of a novel continuous culture fermentor system for in vitro determination of enteric methane output from ruminants

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Continuous culture fermentor systems (CCFS) serve to evaluate the effect of diet on in vitro nutrient digestibility, fermentation, and microbial protein synthesis. Limitations of CCFS are: maintaining protozoa populations, and avoiding accumulation of undigested material in the vessels. Therefore, a...

International community health networking project: two year follow-up of graduates.

PubMed

Duffy, M E; Farmer, S; Ravert, P; Huittinen, L

2005-03-01

This paper presents the perceptions of graduates 2 years post-exchange in a USA-European Union funded programme. The primary goal of this 8-week exchange programme was to increase cultural knowledge and sensitivity by teaching a common module of community health assessment and planning to multi-national groups of undergraduate students in four countries. Cultural diversity and globalization are among the factors that encourage faculty in nursing to develop programmes of international exchange for students. The challenge is to combine the exchange with the teaching of other courses required by the home institution during the same semester. Twenty-one graduates of participating USA schools responded to an open-ended interview by telephone or email 2 years after graduation. Bennett's continuum (1993) of intercultural sensitivity was used to assess cultural development. Graduates overwhelmingly supported international education and described its continued impact personally and professionally. Gains in cultural sensitivity were perceived as the greatest benefit and influence on their practice. The majority of graduates were believed to be in Bennett's ethnorelative categories of acceptance and adaptation. The depth and breadth of previous cultural experiences, specific host and home schools, and previous travel were found to be related to development on the intercultural sensitivity continuum. Most important are the findings from this evaluation that provide insight into the factors enhancing growth of intercultural sensitivity. Previous travel, characteristics of the home and host institutions, and the opportunity and willingness to be a cultural outsider were important influences.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huesemann, Michael; Dale, T.; Chavis, A.

Two innovative culturing systems, the LED-lighted and temperature-controlled 800 liter indoor raceways at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and the Phenometrics environmental Photobioreactors™ (ePBRs) were evaluated in terms of their ability to accurately simulate the microalgae growth performance of outdoor cultures subjected to fluctuating sunlight and water temperature conditions. When repeating a 60-day outdoor pond culture experiment (batch and semi-continuous at two dilution rates) conducted in Arizona with the freshwater strain Chlorella sorokiniana DOE 1412 in these two indoor simulators, it was found that ash-free dry weight based biomass growth and productivity in the PNNL climate-simulation ponds was comparatively slightlymore » higher (8–13%) but significantly lower (44%) in the ePBRs. The difference in biomass productivities between the indoor and outdoor ponds was not statistically significant. When the marine Picochlorum soloecismus was cultured in five replicate ePBRs at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and in duplicate indoor climate-simulation ponds at PNNL, using the same inoculum, medium, culture depth, and light and temperature scripts, the optical density based biomass productivity and the rate of increase in cell counts in the ePBRs was about 35% and 66%, respectively, lower compared than in the indoor ponds. Potential reasons for the divergence in growth performance in these pond simulators, relative to outdoor raceways, are discussed. In conclusion, the PNNL climate-simulation ponds provide reasonably reliable biomass productivity estimates for microalgae strains cultured in outdoor raceways under different climatic conditions.« less

Endosperm Protein Synthesis and l-[35S]Methionine Incorporation in Maize Kernels Cultured In Vitro1

PubMed Central

Cully, David E.; Gengenbach, Burle G.; Smith, Jane A.; Rubenstein, Irwin; Connelly, James A.; Park, William D.

1984-01-01

This study was conducted to examine protein synthesis and l-[35S] methionine incorporation into the endosperm of Zea mays L. kernels developing in vitro. Two-day-old kernels of the inbred line W64A were placed in culture on a defined medium containing 10 microCuries l-[35S] methionine per milliliter (13 milliCuries per millimole) and harvested at 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 days after pollination. Cultured kernels attained a final endosperm mass of 120 milligrams compared to 175 milligrams for field-grown controls. Field and cultured kernels had similar concentrations (microgram per milligram endospern) for total protein, albumin plus globulin, zein, and glutelin fractions at most kernel ages. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing patterns for endosperm proteins were similar for field and cultured kernels throughout development. By 15 days, over 70% of the l-[35S]methionine taken up was present in endosperm proteins. Label incorporation visualized by fluorography generally followed the protein intensity of the stained gels. The high methionine content, low molecular weight zeins (i.e. 15 and 9 kilodaltons) were highly labeled. All of the radioactivity in hydrolyzed zein samples was recovered in the methionine peak indicating minimal conversion to l-[35S]cysteine. The procedure described here is suitable for long term culture and labeling experiments in which continued kernel development is required. Images Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 PMID:16663428

A discussion of nursing students' experiences of culture shock during an international clinical placement and the clinical facilitators' role.

PubMed

Maginnis, Cathy; Anderson, Judith

2017-06-01

This paper examines the meaning and experience of culture shock for nursing students undertaking an international clinical placement (ICP) and the role of the clinical facilitator. Oberg's four stages of adapting to culture shock were aligned to anecdotal conversations with nursing students on an ICP. All four stages were identified in anecdotal conversations with the students. Support by the accompanying clinical facilitator is pivotalin overcoming culture shock and maximising the learning experience. It is essential that students are prepared for the change in cultural norms and are supported by the academic staff to work through the processes required to adapt to culture shock. Planning and preparation prior to departure is essential to assist with managing culture shock with an emphasis on the inclusion of cultural norms and beliefs. The role of the facilitator is crucial to guide and support the students through the culture shock process.

Integrating cultural community psychology: activity settings and the shared meanings of intersubjectivity.

PubMed

O'Donnell, Clifford R; Tharp, Roland G

2012-03-01

Cultural and community psychology share a common emphasis on context, yet their leading journals rarely cite each other's articles. Greater integration of the concepts of culture and community within and across their disciplines would enrich and facilitate the viability of cultural community psychology. The contextual theory of activity settings is proposed as one means to integrate the concepts of culture and community in cultural community psychology. Through shared activities, participants develop common experiences that affect their psychological being, including their cognitions, emotions, and behavioral development. The psychological result of these experiences is intersubjectivity. Culture is defined as the shared meanings that people develop through their common historic, linguistic, social, economic, and political experiences. The shared meanings of culture arise through the intersubjectivity developed in activity settings. Cultural community psychology presents formidable epistemological challenges, but overcoming these challenges could contribute to the transformation and advancement of community psychology.

The meaning of home for ageing women living alone: An evolutionary concept analysis.

PubMed

Barry, Arro; Heale, Roberta; Pilon, Roger; Lavoie, Anne Marise

2018-05-01

The concept of home to women ageing should be visited in the light of ongoing cultural, political, temporal and disciplinary evolutions. In part, to compliment policies increasing focus on supporting older adults to age in place and a growing attention on the home as a place where healthcare is designed and provided. The following concept analysis utilises Rodgers' evolutionary method to inductively analyse literature in order to elicit the meaning and experience of home among older women who are ageing at home. Literature was collected over an 18-month period during 2014-2015 and the sample was made up of 49 articles. The analysis led to the concept of home among women ageing in communities to be defined by four attributes. These attributes are home as (i) a resource, (ii) an attachment, (iii) the precariousness of maintaining and sustaining home and (iv) a cultural expectation. This analysis of the meaning and experience of home among women ageing at home has shed light on the needs for this group of women, while highlighting the need to continue to further clarify and define the concept through research. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Limited English Proficiency Patient Family Advocate Role: Fostering Respectful and Effective Care Across Language and Culture in a Pediatric Oncology Setting.

PubMed

Gil, Stephanie; Hooke, Mary C; Niess, Dawn

2016-01-01

Patients and families with limited English proficiency (LEP) face a multitude of barriers both inside and outside the hospital walls. These barriers can contribute to difficulty accessing care and understanding/adhering to treatment recommendations, ultimately placing them at higher risk for poorer outcomes than their English-speaking counterparts. The LEP Patient Family Advocate role was created with the aim of improving access, promoting effective communication, and equalizing care for children with cancer from families with LEP. The goal of this mixed methods study was to describe the level of satisfaction and experiences of parents and health care providers who used the LEP Patient Family Advocate while receiving or providing care. Twelve parents and 15 health care providers completed quantitative surveys and an open-ended question about their experiences. High levels of satisfaction were reported. Themes about the role from qualitative responses included its positive effect on communication, trust, and connectedness between parents and staff. Continuity of care and safety were improved, and parents thought the role helped decrease their stress. The LEP Patient Family Advocate has a positive influence on family-centered cultural care. © 2015 by Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses.

The influence of social support relationships on mammography screening in African-American women.

PubMed

Fowler, Barbara Ann

2007-07-01

Evidence indicates that mammography screenings have increased in African-American women who are 50 years of age or older; however, they continue to experience later-stage discovery and poorer survival rates from breast cancer compared to White women. Although research has consistently found that social support relationships affects mammography screening in African-American women, little is known about the preventive health behaviors of individuals in these relationships that may be associated with mammography screening. This study examined that association and found that social support relationships, defined as blood-relatives and extended kinship networks, stressed personal responsibility and accountability for preventive health; therefore, supporting mammography screening. Of perhaps the greatest importance, the relationships emphasized positive strengths of African-American culture and invoked the necessity to confront prior negative experiences in health-care systems. These relationships also negated the fears or fatalistic beliefs about breast cancer that had been perpetuated by myths through informal communication and "deliberate silence" from significant others who had previously discouraged or de-emphasized the importance of mammography screening. Further research is needed to determine if the emphasis on cultural heritage was the only motivator that encouraged personal responsibility for mammography screening.

Influence of shear stress and size on viability of endothelial cells exposed to gold nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fede, C.; Albertin, Giovanna; Petrelli, L.; De Caro, R.; Fortunati, I.; Weber, V.; Ferrante, Camilla

2017-09-01

Screening nanoparticle toxicity directly on cell culture can be a fast and cheap technique. Nevertheless, to obtain results in accordance with those observed in live animals, the conditions in which cells are cultivated should resemble the one encountered in live systems. Microfluidic devices offer the possibility to satisfy this requirement, in particular with endothelial cell lines, because they are capable to reproduce the flowing media and shear stress experienced by these cell lines in vivo. In this work, we exploit a microfluidic device to observe how human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) viability changes when subject to a continuous flow of culture medium, in which spherical citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles of different sizes and at varying doses are investigated. For comparison, the same experiments are also run in multiwells where the cells do not experience the shear stress induced by the flowing medium. We discuss the results considering the influence of mode of exposure and nanoparticle size (24 and 13 nm). We observed that gold nanoparticles show a lower toxicity under flow conditions with respect to static and the HUVEC viability decreases as the nanoparticle surface area per unit volume increases, regardless of size.

Occupational therapy students' perspectives regarding international cross-cultural experiences.

PubMed

Humbert, Tamera Keiter; Burket, Allison; Deveney, Rebecca; Kennedy, Katelyn

2012-06-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perspectives of occupational therapy students who have engaged in international, cross-cultural learning and service experiences. This study utilized a qualitative, phenomenological design. Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with students who engaged in international learning opportunities. The interviews were coded and analyzed using a constant comparative analysis approach. Three central themes emerged from the data analysis. Connectedness is the process of forming relationships with others while engaging in cross-cultural experiences. Students formed relationships with faculty, other students, and people within the community. Cultural awareness is the recognition and understanding of a different culture and responding to those differences. Students attempted to understand the new culture in comparison to their own lived experiences. Complexity portrays cross-cultural opportunities as dynamic, multi-faceted and intricate. This was demonstrated as the students raised additional questions about the conflict between their own culture and the new culture they entered. Students also identified limited orientation, support and structure with such experiences and the conflicting roles between volunteer, student, and team member. The ability to connect with others when building relationships in diverse cultural contexts held meaning for the students; however, the students also expressed conflict in trying to make sense of the new culture as it often challenged personal beliefs and constructs. The complexity and challenges of engaging in these opportunities needs to be recognized and further explored to assess how curricula and faculty best supports culturally responsive care. © 2011 The Authors Australian Occupational Therapy Journal © 2011 Occupational Therapy Australia.

The influence of socio-cultural interpretations of pregnancy threats on health-seeking behavior among pregnant women in urban Accra, Ghana.

PubMed

Dako-Gyeke, Phyllis; Aikins, Moses; Aryeetey, Richmond; McCough, Laura; Adongo, Philip Baba

2013-11-19

Although antenatal care coverage in Ghana is high, there exist gaps in the continued use of maternity care, especially utilization of skilled assistance during delivery. Many pregnant women seek care from different sources aside the formal health sector. This is due to negative perceptions resulting from poor service quality experiences in health facilities. Moreover, the socio-cultural environment plays a major role for this care-seeking behavior. This paper seeks to examine beliefs, knowledge and perceptions about pregnancy and delivery and care-seeking behavior among pregnant women in urban Accra, Ghana. A qualitative study with 6 focus group discussions and 13 in-depth interviews were conducted at Taifa-Kwabenya and Madina sub-districts, Accra. Participants included mothers who had delivered within the past 12 months, pregnant women, community members, religious and community leaders, orthodox and non-orthodox healthcare providers. Interviews and discussions were audio-taped, transcribed and coded into larger themes and categories. Evidence showed perceived threats, which are often given socio-cultural interpretations, increased women's anxieties, driving them to seek multiple sources of care. Crucially, care-seeking behavior among pregnant women indicated sequential or concurrent use of biomedical care and other forms of care including herbalists, traditional birth attendants, and spiritual care. Use of multiple sources of care in some cases disrupted continued use of skilled provider care. Furthermore, use of multiple forms of care is encouraged by a perception that facility-based care is useful only for antenatal services and emergencies. It also highlights the belief among some participants that care from multiple sources are complementary to each other. Socio-cultural interpretations of threats to pregnancy mediate pregnant women's use of available healthcare services. Efforts to encourage continued use of maternity care, especially skilled birth assistance at delivery, should focus on addressing generally perceived dangers to pregnancy. Also, the attractiveness of facility-based care offers important opportunities for building collaborations between orthodox and alternative care providers with the aim of increasing use of skilled obstetric care. Conventional antenatal care should be packaged to provide psychosocial support that helps women deal with pregnancy-related fear.

Familiarising the Stranger: Immigrant Perceptions of Cross-Cultural Interaction and Bicultural Identity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Korne, Haley; Byram, Michael; Fleming, Michael

2007-01-01

As contact between cultures continues to increase, the impact that this has on cultural identity and belonging is unclear. Cross-cultural or bicultural identification remains a relatively unexplored phenomenon. Is it possible, natural or potentially good to have an identity rooted in more than one culture? If so, how is cross-cultural identity…

Doing Culture, Doing Race: Everyday Discourses of "Culture" and "Cultural Difference" in the English as a Second Language Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Ena

2015-01-01

While current conceptualisations of the inextricable connection between language and culture in English language education are largely informed by complex sociocultural theories that view culture as constructed in and through social practices among people, classroom practices continue to be influenced by mainstream discourses of culture that…

Leisure time activities of Iranian patients with multiple sclerosis: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

Hosseini, Seyed Mohammad Sadegh; Asgari, Ali; Rassafiani, Mehdi; Yazdani, Farzaneh; Mazdeh, Mehrdokht

2016-01-01

Background: Leisure time is one of the most important aspects of life, especially for people with chronic diseases. The concept and types of leisure have frequently been evaluated in different socio-cultural populations. The aim of this study was to identify the nature of leisure activities among a sample of Iranian patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and classify the identified types of activities in the context of Iranian culture. Methods: In this qualitative study, semi-structured interview was applied to gather data from 34 MS patients that were selected through purposive sampling. The interviews were continued up to the point of saturation. Content analysis was used to explore experiences of the interviewees regarding their leisure activities. Results: Six categories of leisure activities were extracted for the studied patients with MS i.e.physical, social, individual, art/cultural, educational and spiritual/religious. Conclusion: The results represented the range and heterogeneity of leisure activities amongst the MS patients. Considering participation in spiritual/religious and social activities as leisure time undertaking might reflect cultural diversity in the perception and use of time for recreation. For mental health promotion purposes, paying special attention to the types of activities that people of different socio-cultural background choose for their refreshment could help health care providers in giving tailored advice for patients with MS and other chronic debilitating disease. PMID:27123437

Teacher beliefs and cultural models: A challenge for science teacher preparation programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bryan, Lynn A.; Atwater, Mary M.

2002-11-01

The purpose of this paper is to present an argument for developing science teacher education programs that examine teachers' beliefs about multicultural issues and their impact on science teaching and learning. In the paper, we (a) delineate a rationale for the study of teacher beliefs about issues of culture and its impact on science teaching and learning; (b) assert three major categories of teacher beliefs to examine for designing teacher education programs that aim to meet the challenges of increasingly culturally diverse classrooms; and (c) discuss implications for science teacher education programs and research. Research has shown that knowing teachers' beliefs and designing instruction and experiences to explicitly confront those beliefs facilitate refinement of and/or transformation of beliefs and practices (Bryan & Abell, J Res Sci Teaching, 36, 121-140, 1999; Harrington & Hathaway, J Teacher Education, 46, 275-284, 1995; Hollingsworth, Am Educational Res J, 26(2), 160-189, 1989; Olmedo, J Teaching Teacher Education, 13, 245-258, 1997; Tobin & LaMaster, J Res Sci Teaching, 32, 225-242, 1995). Furthermore, prior to student teaching, preservice teachers need to be at least culturally sensitive teachers (Gillette, In Teacher Thinking in Cultural Contexts, F. A. Rios (Ed.); Albany, NY: State University of New York Press; 1996, pp. 104-128). Science educators need to continue to identify those beliefs and practices that undergird desirable and equitable science instruction.

Simulation of outdoor pond cultures using indoor LED-lighted and temperature-controlled raceway ponds and Phenometrics photobioreactors

DOE PAGES

Huesemann, Michael; Dale, T.; Chavis, A.; ...

2016-12-02

Two innovative culturing systems, the LED-lighted and temperature-controlled 800 liter indoor raceways at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and the Phenometrics environmental Photobioreactors™ (ePBRs) were evaluated in terms of their ability to accurately simulate the microalgae growth performance of outdoor cultures subjected to fluctuating sunlight and water temperature conditions. When repeating a 60-day outdoor pond culture experiment (batch and semi-continuous at two dilution rates) conducted in Arizona with the freshwater strain Chlorella sorokiniana DOE 1412 in these two indoor simulators, it was found that ash-free dry weight based biomass growth and productivity in the PNNL climate-simulation ponds was comparatively slightlymore » higher (8–13%) but significantly lower (44%) in the ePBRs. The difference in biomass productivities between the indoor and outdoor ponds was not statistically significant. When the marine Picochlorum soloecismus was cultured in five replicate ePBRs at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and in duplicate indoor climate-simulation ponds at PNNL, using the same inoculum, medium, culture depth, and light and temperature scripts, the optical density based biomass productivity and the rate of increase in cell counts in the ePBRs was about 35% and 66%, respectively, lower compared than in the indoor ponds. Potential reasons for the divergence in growth performance in these pond simulators, relative to outdoor raceways, are discussed. In conclusion, the PNNL climate-simulation ponds provide reasonably reliable biomass productivity estimates for microalgae strains cultured in outdoor raceways under different climatic conditions.« less

Effectiveness of cross-cultural education for medical residents caring for burmese refugees.

PubMed

McHenry, Megan Song; Nutakki, Kavitha; Swigonski, Nancy L

2016-01-01

Limited resources are available to educate health professionals on cultural considerations and specific healthcare needs of Burmese refugees. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a module focused on cross-cultural considerations when caring for Burmese refugees. A brief educational module using anonymously tracked pre- and post-intervention, self-administered surveys was developed and studied. The surveys measured pediatric and family medicine residents' knowledge, attitudes, and comfort in caring for Burmese refugees. Paired t-tests for continuous variables and Fisher's exact tests for categorical variables were used to test pre- and post-intervention differences. We included open-ended questions for residents to describe their experiences with the Burmese population. The survey was available to 173 residents. Forty-four pre- and post-intervention surveys were completed (response rate of 25%). Resident comfort in caring for Burmese increased significantly after the module (P = 0.04). Resident knowledge of population-specific cultural information increased regarding ethnic groups (P = 0.004), appropriate laboratory use (P = 0.04), and history gathering (P = 0.001). Areas of improved resident attitudes included comprehension of information from families (P = 0.03) and length of time required with interpreter (P = 0.01). Thematic evaluation of qualitative data highlighted four themes: access to interpreter and resources, verbal communication, nonverbal communication, and relationship building with cultural considerations. A brief intervention for residents has the potential to improve knowledge, attitudes, and comfort in caring for Burmese patients. Interventions focused on cultural considerations in medical care may improve cultural competency when caring for vulnerable patient populations.

An ovarian bioreactor for in vitro culture of the whole bovine ovary: a preliminary report.

PubMed

Zanotelli, Matthew R; Henningsen, Joseph D; Hopkins, Patrick M; Dederich, Aaron P; Herman, Tessa; Puccinelli, Tracy J; Salih, Sana M

2016-08-04

Improved cancer therapeutics and enhanced cancer survivorship have emphasized the severe long-term side effects of chemotherapy. Specifically, studies have linked many chemotherapy agents with primary ovarian insufficiency, although an exact insult model has not yet been determined. To investigate and ultimately solve this problem, a novel device for extended study of mammalian ovaries in vitro was developed. A bioreactor was fabricated for bovine ovarian culture that provides intravascular delivery of media to the ovary through isolation and cannulation of a main ovarian artery branch. Whole ovaries were cultured in vitro using three methods: (1) continuously supplied fresh culture media, (2) recirculated culture media, or (3) continuously supplied fresh culture media supplemented with 500 nM doxorubicin for 24 or 48 h. TUNEL assay was used to assess apoptotic cell percentages in the three groups as compared to uncultured baseline ovaries. The ovary culture method was shown to maintain cell viability by effectively delivering nutrient-enriched pH-balanced media at a constant flow rate. Lower apoptosis observed in ovaries cultured in continuously supplied fresh culture media illustrates that this culture device and method are the first to sustain whole bovine ovary viability for 48 h. Meanwhile, the increase in the percentage of cell apoptosis with doxorubicin treatment indicates that the device can provide an alternative model for testing chemotherapy and chemoprotection treatments to prevent primary ovarian insufficiency in cancer patients. An ovarian bioreactor with consistent culture media flow through an ovarian vasculature-assisted approach maintains short-term whole bovine ovary viability.

"If You Have to Ask, You'll Never Know": Effects of Specialised Stylistic Expertise on Predictive Processing of Music

PubMed Central

Vuust, Peter; Pearce, Marcus

2016-01-01

Musical expertise entails meticulous stylistic specialisation and enculturation. Even so, research on musical training effects has focused on generalised comparisons between musicians and non-musicians, and cross-cultural work addressing specialised expertise has traded cultural specificity and sensitivity for other methodological limitations. This study aimed to experimentally dissociate the effects of specialised stylistic training and general musical expertise on the perception of melodies. Non-musicians and professional musicians specialising in classical music or jazz listened to sampled renditions of saxophone solos improvised by Charlie Parker in the bebop style. Ratings of explicit uncertainty and expectedness for different continuations of each melodic excerpt were collected. An information-theoretic model of expectation enabled selection of stimuli affording highly certain continuations in the bebop style, but highly uncertain continuations in the context of general tonal expectations, and vice versa. The results showed that expert musicians have acquired probabilistic characteristics of music influencing their experience of expectedness and predictive uncertainty. While classical musicians had internalised key aspects of the bebop style implicitly, only jazz musicians’ explicit uncertainty ratings reflected the computational estimates, and jazz-specific expertise modulated the relationship between explicit and inferred uncertainty data. In spite of this, there was no evidence that non-musicians and classical musicians used a stylistically irrelevant cognitive model of general tonal music providing support for the theory of cognitive firewalls between stylistic models in predictive processing of music. PMID:27732612

"If You Have to Ask, You'll Never Know": Effects of Specialised Stylistic Expertise on Predictive Processing of Music.

PubMed

Hansen, Niels Chr; Vuust, Peter; Pearce, Marcus

2016-01-01

Musical expertise entails meticulous stylistic specialisation and enculturation. Even so, research on musical training effects has focused on generalised comparisons between musicians and non-musicians, and cross-cultural work addressing specialised expertise has traded cultural specificity and sensitivity for other methodological limitations. This study aimed to experimentally dissociate the effects of specialised stylistic training and general musical expertise on the perception of melodies. Non-musicians and professional musicians specialising in classical music or jazz listened to sampled renditions of saxophone solos improvised by Charlie Parker in the bebop style. Ratings of explicit uncertainty and expectedness for different continuations of each melodic excerpt were collected. An information-theoretic model of expectation enabled selection of stimuli affording highly certain continuations in the bebop style, but highly uncertain continuations in the context of general tonal expectations, and vice versa. The results showed that expert musicians have acquired probabilistic characteristics of music influencing their experience of expectedness and predictive uncertainty. While classical musicians had internalised key aspects of the bebop style implicitly, only jazz musicians' explicit uncertainty ratings reflected the computational estimates, and jazz-specific expertise modulated the relationship between explicit and inferred uncertainty data. In spite of this, there was no evidence that non-musicians and classical musicians used a stylistically irrelevant cognitive model of general tonal music providing support for the theory of cognitive firewalls between stylistic models in predictive processing of music.

Korean Sibling Caregivers of Individuals Diagnosed with Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Park, Mijung; Lee, Kwang-Ja

2018-01-01

Siblings of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia are an important source of family caregiving. Unfortunately, limited information is available about sibling caregivers because existing studies have focused on other family relationships such as parents, spouses, and children. To fill the knowledge gap, the purpose of this study is to describe Korean sibling caregivers’ experience with individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. Guided by Colaizzi’s descriptive phenomenological methodology, we conducted in-depth, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with eight individuals who have a sibling (1) diagnosed with schizophrenia and (2) hospitalized in an inpatient psychiatric unit. We discerned six key themes: sorrow, burnout, shame, different perspectives in life, acceptance, and responsibility. We categorized these themes into three groups: suffering, hope, and responsibility and obligation. Sibling caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia experience a mixture of several emotions. Participants loved their brother or sister with schizophrenia, but at the same time they felt shame and fear. While they were burdened by the responsibilities of caregiving, they remained loyal to their sibling with schizophrenia, continuing to help their siblings reach their full potential. Although participants were confused about the symptoms of schizophrenia, they were committed to learning more about the illness. Because we conducted the current study in Korea, the findings of this study may be unique to Korea culture. Further studies are needed to compare and contrast nuanced differences in sibling caregivers’ experience among different cultural groups. PMID:29376114

The Influence of Neuronal Density and Maturation on Network Activity of Hippocampal Cell Cultures: A Methodological Study

PubMed Central

Menegon, Andrea; Ferrigno, Giancarlo; Pedrocchi, Alessandra

2013-01-01

It is known that cell density influences the maturation process of in vitro neuronal networks. Neuronal cultures plated with different cell densities differ in number of synapses per neuron and thus in single neuron synaptic transmission, which results in a density-dependent neuronal network activity. Although many authors provided detailed information about the effects of cell density on neuronal culture activity, a dedicated report of density and age influence on neuronal hippocampal culture activity has not yet been reported. Therefore, this work aims at providing reference data to researchers that set up an experimental study on hippocampal neuronal cultures, helping in planning and decoding the experiments. In this work, we analysed the effects of both neuronal density and culture age on functional attributes of maturing hippocampal cultures. We characterized the electrophysiological activity of neuronal cultures seeded at three different cell densities, recording their spontaneous electrical activity over maturation by means of MicroElectrode Arrays (MEAs). We had gather data from 86 independent hippocampal cultures to achieve solid statistic results, considering the high culture-to-culture variability. Network activity was evaluated in terms of simple spiking, burst and network burst features. We observed that electrical descriptors were characterized by a functional peak during maturation, followed by a stable phase (for sparse and medium density cultures) or by a decrease phase (for high dense neuronal cultures). Moreover, 900 cells/mm2 cultures showed characteristics suitable for long lasting experiments (e.g. chronic effect of drug treatments) while 1800 cells/mm2 cultures should be preferred for experiments that require intense electrical activity (e.g. to evaluate the effect of inhibitory molecules). Finally, cell cultures at 3600 cells/mm2 are more appropriate for experiments in which time saving is relevant (e.g. drug screenings). These results are intended to be a reference for the planning of in vitro neurophysiological and neuropharmacological experiments with MEAs. PMID:24386305

The influence of neuronal density and maturation on network activity of hippocampal cell cultures: a methodological study.

PubMed

Biffi, Emilia; Regalia, Giulia; Menegon, Andrea; Ferrigno, Giancarlo; Pedrocchi, Alessandra

2013-01-01

It is known that cell density influences the maturation process of in vitro neuronal networks. Neuronal cultures plated with different cell densities differ in number of synapses per neuron and thus in single neuron synaptic transmission, which results in a density-dependent neuronal network activity. Although many authors provided detailed information about the effects of cell density on neuronal culture activity, a dedicated report of density and age influence on neuronal hippocampal culture activity has not yet been reported. Therefore, this work aims at providing reference data to researchers that set up an experimental study on hippocampal neuronal cultures, helping in planning and decoding the experiments. In this work, we analysed the effects of both neuronal density and culture age on functional attributes of maturing hippocampal cultures. We characterized the electrophysiological activity of neuronal cultures seeded at three different cell densities, recording their spontaneous electrical activity over maturation by means of MicroElectrode Arrays (MEAs). We had gather data from 86 independent hippocampal cultures to achieve solid statistic results, considering the high culture-to-culture variability. Network activity was evaluated in terms of simple spiking, burst and network burst features. We observed that electrical descriptors were characterized by a functional peak during maturation, followed by a stable phase (for sparse and medium density cultures) or by a decrease phase (for high dense neuronal cultures). Moreover, 900 cells/mm(2) cultures showed characteristics suitable for long lasting experiments (e.g. chronic effect of drug treatments) while 1800 cells/mm(2) cultures should be preferred for experiments that require intense electrical activity (e.g. to evaluate the effect of inhibitory molecules). Finally, cell cultures at 3600 cells/mm(2) are more appropriate for experiments in which time saving is relevant (e.g. drug screenings). These results are intended to be a reference for the planning of in vitro neurophysiological and neuropharmacological experiments with MEAs.

Adult English Language Learners Constructing and Sharing Their Stories and Experiences: The Cultural and Linguistic Autobiography Writing Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Gloria

2011-01-01

This article is the culmination of the Cultural and Linguistic Autobiography (CLA) writing project, which details narrative descriptions of adult English language learners' (ELLs') cultural and linguistic experiences and how those experiences may have influenced the ways in which these learners constructed and reconstructed their identities.…

A Case Study of Understanding the Influence of Cultural Patterns on International Students' Perception and Experience with Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paralejas, Cynthia G.

2013-01-01

This dissertation aimed to understand the influence of cultural patterns on international students' perception and experience with online learning. This case study utilized Hofstede's cultural dimension model as an interpretative framework to understand what are the international students' perceptions and experiences with online courses. Two…

The Relationship between Orientation to the U.S. Culture and Affect among Chinese International Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Jiquan

2017-01-01

Emerging literature suggests that ideal/desired emotions vs. actual emotions represent an important aspect of subjective emotional experiences that may be particularly important for cross-cultural research, as culture may influence the subjective experience of how individuals value certain emotions and to what extent they actually experience them.…

"Seeing a doctor is just like having a date": a qualitative study on doctor shopping among overactive bladder patients in Hong Kong

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Although having a regular primary care provider is noted to be beneficial to health, doctor shopping has been documented as a common treatment seeking behavior among chronically ill patients in different countries. However, little research has been conducted into the reasons behind doctor shopping behavior among patients with overactive bladder, and even less into how this behavior relates to these patients’ illness and social experiences, perceptions, and cultural practices. Therefore, this study examines overactive bladder patients to investigate the reasons behind doctor shopping behavior. Methods My study takes a qualitative approach, conducting 30 semi-structured individual interviews, with 30 overactive bladder patients in Hong Kong. Results My study found six primary themes that influenced doctor shopping behavior: lack of perceived need, convenience, work-provided medical insurance, unpleasant experiences with doctors, searching for a match doctor, and switching between biomedicine and traditional Chinese medicine. Besides the perceptual factors, participants’ social environment, illness experiences, personal cultural preference, and cultural beliefs also intertwined to generate their doctor shopping behavior. Due to the low perceived need for a regular personal primary care physician, environmental factors such as time, locational convenience, and work-provided medical insurance became decisive in doctor shopping behavior. Patients’ unpleasant illness experiences, stemming from a lack of understanding among many primary care doctors about overactive bladder, contributed to participants’ sense of mismatch with these doctors, which induced them to shop for another doctor. Conclusions Overactive bladder is a chronic bladder condition with very limited treatment outcome. Although patients with overactive bladder often require specialty urology treatment, it is usually beneficial for the patients to receive continuous, coordinated, comprehensive, and patient-centered support from their primary care providers. Primary care doctors’ understanding on patients with overactive bladder with empathetic attitudes is important to reduce the motivations of doctor shopping behavior among these patients. PMID:24502367

Final Scientific/Technical Report, DE-FG02-06ER64171, Integrated Nucleic Acid System for In-Field Monitoring of Microbial Community Dynamics and Metabolic Activity – Subproject to Co-PI Eric E. Roden

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eric E. Roden

2009-07-08

This report summarizes research conducted in conjunction with a project entitled “Integrated Nucleic Acid System for In-Field Monitoring of Microbial Community Dynamics and Metabolic Activity”, which was funded through the Integrative Studies Element of the former NABIR Program (now the Environmental Remediation Sciences Program) within the Office of Biological and Environmental Research. Dr. Darrell Chandler (originally at Argonne National Laboratory, now with Akonni Biosystems) was the overall PI/PD for the project. The overall project goals were to (1) apply a model iron-reducer and sulfate-reducer microarray and instrumentation systems to sediment and groundwater samples from the Scheibe et al. FRC Areamore » 2 field site, UMTRA sediments, and other DOE contaminated sites; (2) continue development and expansion of a 16S rRNA/rDNA¬-targeted probe suite for microbial community dynamics as new sequences are obtained from DOE-relevant sites; and (3) address the fundamental molecular biology and analytical chemistry associated with the extraction, purification and analysis of functional genes and mRNA in environmental samples. Work on the UW subproject focused on conducting detailed batch and semicontinuous culture reactor experiments with uranium-contaminated FRC Area 2 sediment. The reactor experiments were designed to provide coherent geochemical and microbiological data in support of microarray analyses of microbial communities in Area 2 sediments undergoing biostimulation with ethanol. A total of four major experiments were conducted (one batch and three semicontinuous culture), three of which (the batch and two semicontinuous culture) provided samples for DNA microarray analysis. A variety of other molecular analyses (clone libraries, 16S PhyloChip, RT-PCR, and T-RFLP) were conducted on parallel samples from the various experiments in order to provide independent information on microbial community response to biostimulation.« less

"Seeing a doctor is just like having a date": a qualitative study on doctor shopping among overactive bladder patients in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Siu, Judy Yuen-Man

2014-02-06

Although having a regular primary care provider is noted to be beneficial to health, doctor shopping has been documented as a common treatment seeking behavior among chronically ill patients in different countries. However, little research has been conducted into the reasons behind doctor shopping behavior among patients with overactive bladder, and even less into how this behavior relates to these patients' illness and social experiences, perceptions, and cultural practices. Therefore, this study examines overactive bladder patients to investigate the reasons behind doctor shopping behavior. My study takes a qualitative approach, conducting 30 semi-structured individual interviews, with 30 overactive bladder patients in Hong Kong. My study found six primary themes that influenced doctor shopping behavior: lack of perceived need, convenience, work-provided medical insurance, unpleasant experiences with doctors, searching for a match doctor, and switching between biomedicine and traditional Chinese medicine. Besides the perceptual factors, participants' social environment, illness experiences, personal cultural preference, and cultural beliefs also intertwined to generate their doctor shopping behavior. Due to the low perceived need for a regular personal primary care physician, environmental factors such as time, locational convenience, and work-provided medical insurance became decisive in doctor shopping behavior. Patients' unpleasant illness experiences, stemming from a lack of understanding among many primary care doctors about overactive bladder, contributed to participants' sense of mismatch with these doctors, which induced them to shop for another doctor. Overactive bladder is a chronic bladder condition with very limited treatment outcome. Although patients with overactive bladder often require specialty urology treatment, it is usually beneficial for the patients to receive continuous, coordinated, comprehensive, and patient-centered support from their primary care providers. Primary care doctors' understanding on patients with overactive bladder with empathetic attitudes is important to reduce the motivations of doctor shopping behavior among these patients.

Advanced technique for long term culture of epithelia in a continuous luminal-basal medium gradient.

PubMed

Schumacher, Karl; Strehl, Raimund; de, Vries Uwe; Minuth, Will W

2002-02-01

The majority of epithelia in our organism perform barrier functions on being exposed to different fluids at the luminal and basal sides. To simulate this natural situation under in vitro conditions for biomaterial testing and tissue engineering the epithelia have to withstand mechanical and fluid stress over a prolonged period of time. Leakage, edge damage and pressure differences in the culture system have to be avoided so that the epithelial barrier function is maintained. Besides, the environmental influences on important cell biological features such as, sealing or transport functions, have to remain upregulated and a loss of characteristics by dedifferentiation is prevented. Our aim is to expose embryonic renal collecting duct (CD) epithelia as model tissue for 14 days to fluid gradients and to monitor the development of tissue-specific features. For these experiments, cultured embryonic epithelia are placed in tissue carriers and in gradient containers, where different media are superfused at the luminal and basal sides. Epithelia growing on the tissue carriers act as a physiological barrier during the whole culture period. To avoid mechanical damage of the tissue and to suppress fluid pressure differences between the luminal and basal compartments improved transport of the medium and an elimination of unilaterally accumulated gas bubbles in the gradient container compartments by newly developed gas expander modules is introduced. By the application of these tools the yield of embryonic renal collecting duct epithelia with intact barrier function on a fragile natural support material could be increased significantly as compared to earlier experiments. Epithelia treated with a luminal NaCl load ranging from 3 to 24 mmol l were analyzed by immunohistochemical methods to determine the degree of differentiation. The tissue showed an upregulation of individual CD cell features as compared to embryonic epithelia in the neonatal kidney.

Cellular immunity in vitro. Clonal proliferation of antigen-stimulated lymphocytes.

PubMed

Marshall, W H; Valentine, F T; Lawrence, H S

1969-08-01

When sensitive lymphocytes are cultured with the appropriate antigen, lymphoblasts appear after 24-48 hr of incubation and the number of these increases steadily from the 2nd to the 6th or 7th day. Our problem was to discover, at a cellular level, how this increase takes place; whether it is a massive response of many cells, stepwise recruitment of cells into the lymphoblast class, or simply repeated division of a few cells to form clones. In these experiments lymphocytes were incubated with antigen in culture tubes for 2-4 days and then a few cells, usually less than 200, were transferred to special microchambers for further culture. In these microchambers the cells could be viewed continually with a microscope and their fate recorded over the next 3-5 days by time-lapse cinemicrography. Examination of the film produced in this way showed that lymphoblasts divided and redivided to produce clones of 64 cells or more. It was possible to measure generation times from the film for 301 cells; the majority were between 8 and 13 hr but the range was 7.5-38.0 hr. There was no clear difference between generation times of human lymphocytes stimulated with tuberculin, streptokinase-streptodrnase, extract of the American pokeweed, or in the mixed leukocyte reaction. Similar times were also found for rat cells in the mixed leukocyte reaction. While these observations show that clonal proliferation does occur and could reasonably account for all the increase of lymphoblasts in lymphocyte cultures, the experiments, because of their design, do not exclude the possibility that other mechanisms such as recruitment may play a role as well, particularly during the first 48 hr after contact between sensitive cells and antigens.

Visit, revamp, and revitalize your business plan: Part 2.

PubMed

Waldron, David

2011-01-01

The diagnostic imaging department strives for the highest quality outcomes in imaging quality, in diagnostic reporting, and in providing a caring patient experience while also satisfying the needs of referring physicians. Understand how tools such as process mapping and concepts such as Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma can be used to facilitate quality improvements and team building, resulting in staff led process improvement initiatives. Discover how to integrate a continuous staff management cycle to implement process improvements,capture the promised performance improvements, and achieve a culture change away from the "way it has always been done".

Psychosocial aspects of women's lives: work, family, and life cycle issues.

PubMed

Shrier, Diane K

2003-09-01

Over the past century and continuing to evolve into the twenty-first century, there have been dramatic changes in work and personal/family lives within the United States. These changes, though strongly affecting men and children, have impacted most dramatically on women's lives, particularly white, middle-class women. Psychiatrists and other mental health clinicians need to be aware of the scope and nature of these changes and to recognize that their own personal experiences and values might differ from those of women of different generations as well as different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.

Musings on our meetings: MLA conventions, 'ninety-eight to date.

PubMed Central

Hodges, T M

1998-01-01

Annual meetings of the Medical Library Association have been a part of the culture of medical librarians in North America since 1898. With only four exceptions (one during WWI and three during WWII) medical librarians have met annually for nearly 100 years to conduct their business, share ideas, present papers, attend continuing education courses, view exhibits, and have fun. Based on the writer's research and personal experience, his reflections contain a summary of the history and development of these meetings since the first one in Philadelphia in 1898, an assessment of their content and value, and recommendations. PMID:9583936

Separation of cells from the rat anterior pituitary gland

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hymer, W. C.; Hatfield, J. Michael

1984-01-01

Data concerned with analyzing the cellular organization of the rat anterior pituitary gland are examined. The preparation of the cell suspensions and the methods used to separate pituitary cell types are described. Particular emphasis is given to velocity sedimentation at unit gravity, density gradient centrifugation, affinity methods, fluorescence activated cell sorting, and density gradient and continuous-flow electrophoresis. The difficulties encountered when attempting to compare data from different pituitary cell separation studies are discussed, and results from various experiments are presented. The functional capabilities of the separated cell populations can be tested in various culture systems.

Investing in organisational culture: nursing students' experience of organisational learning culture in aged care settings following a program of cultural development.

PubMed

Grealish, Laurie; Henderson, Amanda

2016-10-01

Concerns around organisational learning culture limit nursing student placements in aged care settings to first year experiences. Determine the impact of an extended staff capacity building program on students' experiences of the organisational learning culture in the aged care setting. Pre and post-test design. A convenience sample of first, second and third year Bachelor of Nursing students attending placements at three residential aged care facilities completed the Clinical Learning Organisational Culture Survey. Responses between the group that attended placement before the program (n = 17/44; RR 38%) and the group that attended following the program (n = 33/72; RR 45%) were compared. Improvements were noted in the areas of recognition, accomplishment, and influence, with decreases in dissatisfaction. Organisational investment in building staff capacity can produce a positive learning culture. The aged care sector offers a rich learning experience for students when staff capacity to support learning is developed.

Culture and biology interplay: An introduction.

PubMed

Causadias, José M; Telzer, Eva H; Lee, Richard M

2017-01-01

Culture and biology have evolved together, influence each other, and concurrently shape behavior, affect, cognition, and development. This special section highlights 2 major domains of the interplay between culture and biology. The first domain is neurobiology of cultural experiences-how cultural, ethnic, and racial experiences influence limbic systems and neuroendocrine functioning-and the second domain is cultural neuroscience-the connections between cultural processes and brain functioning. We include 3 studies on neurobiology of cultural experiences that examine the associations between racial discrimination and heart rate variability (Hill et al., 2016), economic and sociocultural stressors and cortisol levels (Mendoza, Dmitrieva, Perreira, & Watamura, 2016), and unfair treatment and allostatic load (Ong, Williams, Nwizu, & Gruenewald, 2016). We also include 2 studies on cultural neuroscience that investigate cultural group differences and similarities in beliefs, practices, and neural basis of emotion regulation (Qu & Telzer, 2016), and reflected and direct self-appraisals (Pfeifer et al., 2016). We discuss pending challenges and future directions for this emerging field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Early experience in establishing and evaluating an ACGME-approved international general surgery rotation.

PubMed

Tarpley, Margaret; Hansen, Erik; Tarpley, John L

2013-01-01

In 2011, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Surgery Residency Review Committee first provided guidelines for elective international general surgery rotations. The Vanderbilt general surgery residency program received Surgery Residency Review Committee approval for a fourth-year elective in Kenya beginning in the 2011-2012 academic year. Because this rotation would break ground culturally and geographically, and as an educational partnership, a briefing and debriefing process was developed for this ground-breaking year. Our objectives were to prepare residents to maximize the experience without competing for cases with local trainees or overburdening the host institution and to perform continuous quality assessment and improvement as each resident returned back. Briefing included health protection strategies, a procedures manual containing step-by-step preparation activities, and cultural-sensitivity training. Institutional Review Board exemption approval was obtained to administer a questionnaire created for returning residents concerning educational value, relations with local trainees, physical environment, and personal perceptions that would provide the scaffold for the debriefing conference. The questionnaire coupled with the debriefing discussion for the first 9 participants revealed overall satisfaction with the rotation and the briefing process, good health, and no duty hours or days-off issues. Other findings include the following: (1) emotional effect of observing African families weigh cost in medical decision making; (2) satisfactory access to educational resources; (3) significant exposure to specialties such as urology and radiology; and (4) toleration of 4 weeks as a single and expressed need for leisure activity materials such as books, DVDs, or games. The responses triggered adjustments in the briefing sessions and travel preparation. The host institution invited the residents to return for the 2012-2013 year as well as 2013-2014. Detailed preparation and the follow-up evaluation for assessment and improvement of this nascent international surgery experience are associated with resident satisfaction and the host institution has agreed to continue the rotation. Copyright © 2013 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. All rights reserved.

Increased Risk of Genetic and Epigenetic Instability in Human Embryonic Stem Cells Associated with Specific Culture Conditions

PubMed Central

Garitaonandia, Ibon; Amir, Hadar; Boscolo, Francesca Sesillo; Wambua, Gerald K.; Schultheisz, Heather L.; Sabatini, Karen; Morey, Robert; Waltz, Shannon; Wang, Yu-Chieh; Tran, Ha; Leonardo, Trevor R.; Nazor, Kristopher; Slavin, Ileana; Lynch, Candace; Li, Yingchun; Coleman, Ronald; Gallego Romero, Irene; Altun, Gulsah; Reynolds, David; Dalton, Stephen; Parast, Mana; Loring, Jeanne F.; Laurent, Louise C.

2015-01-01

The self-renewal and differentiation capacities of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) make them a promising source of material for cell transplantation therapy, drug development, and studies of cellular differentiation and development. However, the large numbers of cells necessary for many of these applications require extensive expansion of hPSC cultures, a process that has been associated with genetic and epigenetic alterations. We have performed a combinatorial study on both hESCs and hiPSCs to compare the effects of enzymatic vs. mechanical passaging, and feeder-free vs. mouse embryonic fibroblast feeder substrate, on the genetic and epigenetic stability and the phenotypic characteristics of hPSCs. In extensive experiments involving over 100 continuous passages, we observed that both enzymatic passaging and feeder-free culture were associated with genetic instability, higher rates of cell proliferation, and persistence of OCT4/POU5F1-positive cells in teratomas, with enzymatic passaging having the stronger effect. In all combinations of culture conditions except for mechanical passaging on feeder layers, we noted recurrent deletions in the genomic region containing the tumor suppressor gene TP53, which was associated with decreased mRNA expression of TP53, as well as alterations in the expression of several downstream genes consistent with a decrease in the activity of the TP53 pathway. Among the hESC cultures, we also observed culture-associated variations in global gene expression and DNA methylation. The effects of enzymatic passaging and feeder-free conditions were also observed in hiPSC cultures. Our results highlight the need for careful assessment of the effects of culture conditions on cells intended for clinical therapies. PMID:25714340

A critique of the design, implementation, and delivery of a culturally-tailored self-management education intervention: a qualitative evaluation.

PubMed

Sidhu, Manbinder S; Gale, Nicola K; Gill, Paramjit; Marshall, Tom; Jolly, Kate

2015-02-07

Self-management education is at the forefront of addressing the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases. For those at greatest risk, such as minority-ethnic and/or socio-economically deprived groups, self-management education can be culturally-tailored to encourage behavioural change. Yet, the application of culturally appropriate material and expertise within health promotion services continues to be debated. We critique the design, implementation, and delivery of a culturally-tailored self-management intervention, with particular focus on the experiences of lay educators. A mixed methods qualitative evaluation was undertaken to understand self-management service provision to culturally diverse communities (i.e. how components such as lay workers, group-based design, and culturally-appropriate educational material are intended to encourage behavioural change). We interviewed lay educators delivering the Chronic Disease Educator programme along with attendees, whilst observing workshops. Data were thematically analysed using a content-based constant comparison approach through a number of interpretative analytical stages. Lay educators felt part of the local community, relating to attendees from different races and ethnicities. However, lay educators faced challenges when addressing health beliefs and changing lifestyle practices. Culturally-tailored components aided communication, with educator's cultural awareness leading to close relationships with attendees, while the group-based design facilitated discussions of the emotional impact of illness. Lay educators bring with them a number of nuanced skills and knowledge when delivering self-management education. The development and training required for this role is inhibited by financial constraints at policy-level. The interpretation of being from the 'community' links with the identity and status of the lay role, overlapping notions of race, ethnicity, and language.