Teaching civics/history and english to adult lawful permanent residents with limited english proficiency at local libraries: Challenges and practices during the COVID-19 pandemic

This chapter introduces a citizenship instruction program offered by the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program at Oklahoma City University (OCU) in collaboration with two local libraries in the Oklahoma City metro area with a grant funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. It specifically discusses the challenges that teachers and learners have encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic and the approaches utilized to address these challenges. Implications of this experience for instruction of civics/history and civics-based English, as well as the professionalization of ESL teachers, post-COVID-19 are discussed. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

New Sample Prep Products and Accessories for 2023

[...]instrument-based sample preparation technologies are presented. [...]attention is turned to other sample preparation accessories and supporting technologies. First is the Swift HLB-DPX tips. First is the Thermo Scientific AccelerOme sample preparation platform automating sample preparation for liquid chroma-tography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) proteomics.

Preparation, Exercising, and Motivation in Sports Practice during COVID-19 Pandemic among Young Football Players in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Covid-19 outbreak has also led to significant changes in football, such as the suspension of leagues, isolation, and the fact that football players are forced to train on their own. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences in the level of preparation, practices, and motivation for athletic training among young professional football players during the Covid-19 pandemic, depending on the level of competition. The sample of respondents consisted of 82 young football players from Bosnia and Herzegovina, divided into the first league group (n=47, 18.30±0.62 age) and the second league group (n=35, 17.66±0.73 age). The questionnaire for sports preparation and training (SPEQ) was used, which consists of 11 items and was created according to the existing questionnaire for self-assessment of the level of preparation and type of training of athletes during the training process in the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, a questionnaire on sports motivation during the Covid-19 pandemic was used, consisting of 18 items related to motivation to participate in sports, modified according to the Participation Motivation Questionnaire (PMQ). A five-point Likert scale was used for the questionnaire. The questionnaire was available in electronic form and was sent to the football players through a Google form. The difference was found only in the frequency of the type of exercise in two variables, while there were no differences between the groups of young football players in the other variables of training frequency, level of preparation, and motivation in sports training. It was also established that despite the Covid-19 situation, the motivation for sports training among young football players was at a very high level. © 2023 Montenegrin Sports Academy. All rights reserved.

Online Courses of Mathematics for Entrance Exams

This paper deals with the results of students during the preparing courses of mathematics for entrance exams at an university. These courses take place every year and since the Covid-19 period, they are not only face-to-face, but also online. The study involves students of secondary schools who apply to the university of economics. This report compares results of tests of two different classes of these students and from different parts of mathematics. These tests are in the form of online quizzes. We do not prove if there are differences between the scores of students of short-time or long-time courses. In addition, we compare the results with the students from the year before. We also emphasize the more problematic topics of mathematics.

Integrating the United Nations' sustainable development goals into virtual exchange

This chapter focuses on how to integrate synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC)-based virtual exchanges into coursework in teacher preparation programs in higher education. During their 6-week virtual exchange, participants met with partner(s) to discuss their ideas about the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition to recording their SCMC sessions, participants also completed online worksheets to reflect on their SDG discussion. By focusing on creating activities that coincide with the United Nations' SDGs in a virtual exchange, results showed that participants raised their awareness about the SDGs and created a critically sensitive critical lens, which impacted their learning. In addition to developing content knowledge, these programs were able to internationalize the higher education curriculum through virtual exchange. Students were able to discover things about themselves, their partners, their coursework, and the SDGs with "new eyes." With the recent rush to digital transformation caused by COVID-19, synchronous virtual exchange programs appear to be even more valuable as collaborative learning models. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

Face masks as sources of cross-contamination during food preparation

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, mask-wearing has become a common practice in the foodservice industry to prevent the spread of respiratory diseases. Like kitchen utensils, a mask may serve as a vehicle for cross-contamination of pathogens during food handling. The objective of this study was to quantify cross-contamination between tasks of handling contaminated chicken and chopping lettuce. Chicken breasts were inoculated with a high or a low level of nonpathogenic Escherichia coli surrogates (ca. 6 or 4 log CFU/ml) and sliced for 1, 5, or 10 min. During slicing, duplicate, single-use medical masks were touched each minute. One mask was immediately sampled, but the second mask was used to contaminate lettuce by touching the mask each minute while chopping the lettuce for 5 min. E. coli were enumerated from the second mask and lettuce. Masks touched while slicing both high- and low-inoculated chicken showed significant contamination (0.8-4.9 log CFU/cm2) after each slicing scenario of 1, 5, or 10 min (P > 0.05). Lettuce was significantly contaminated regardless of inoculation level (1.0-3.2 log CFU/g). Slicing time was a significant factor in some cases (P < 0.05), whereas inoculation level was not (P > 0.05). Data indicate masks can be a source of cross-contamination if not replaced appropriately.

The impact of risk-taking and auditor characteristics on value creation in pre-Covid 19 and post-Covid 19 pandemic: MRN

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the impact of risk-taking and auditor characteristics on value creation in companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange. In addition, it investigates the moderator role of auditor characteristics in the impact of risk-taking on value creation, especially in pre-Covid 19 and post-Covid 19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe information about 199 company in 2014–2021 was examined. In the present study, in accordance with the related theoretical literature and the importance of auditor specialization, auditor tenure and auditor reputation, these factors were considered as the auditor characteristics.FindingsThe present findings based on the generalized least squares (GLS) method showed that risk-taking positively affects the value creation. The auditor characteristics (auditor specialization, auditor tenure and auditor reputation) have a significant positive effect on the value creation. Furthermore, the auditor characteristics enhance the impact of risk-taking on value creation. The results of generalized method of moments method and robust regression analysis are consistent with the GLS results. To take into account the Covid-19 conditions, the data were divided into pre-Covid-19 and post-Covid-19 years. The results showed that auditor characteristics moderate the impact of risk-taking on value creation in pre-Covid 19 and post-Covid 19.Originality/valueThe study highlights the role of auditor characteristics in the value creation, especially in the emerging market. Given that Covid-19 has seriously damaged global economic well-being and has put companies at a double risk, the present findings can be useful for managers, investors and the international community, and help company managers make risk-taking policies and select auditors with appropriate characteristics.

Preparing for the next pandemic by understanding the impact of COVID-19 mitigation measures on patients with eating Disorders: observations from an inpatient setting.

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed eating disorder (ED) services worldwide. Data suggests a worsening of psychopathology and an increased request for specialised treatments. Still, the studies are mostly based on experimental protocols with underpowered short-term opportunistic experimental designs. Thus, this study aims to assess the clinical and psychological differences between patients admitted to a specialised ED Unit before and after the COVID-19 breakout. METHODS: Consecutive patients admitted from June 2014 to February 2022 in a specialised EDs Unit were enrolled. A total sample of 498 individuals was enrolled in this retrospective study, collecting demographic and psychopathological data at admission. RESULTS: An increase in the admission of patients with anorexia nervosa has been reported, with lower age and higher levels of specific and general psychopathology, especially linked to body uneasiness. CONCLUSIONS: Results are put into the context of the preparation for the next pandemic that may require similar mitigation measures as COVID-19 to ensure the impact on existing and new patients. Covering an extended period with validated tools, our results might help psychiatric services to reassess their treatment pathways after the pandemic, helping clinicians to delineate future treatment interventions.KEYPOINTSAfter the COVID-19 breakdown, there was an increase in the admission of patients with anorexia nervosa to specialised services.More severe psychopathology was not accompanied by lower body mass index.Specialised eating disorders services should face sudden changes in patients' requests for treatment.Understanding the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting mitigation measures taken can lead to better preparations for the next pandemic.

Virtual Health Promotion Work-Integrated Learning Placements: A COVID-19 Consequence or Preparation for the Future?

We explored student and industry supervisors' experiences of virtual work-integrated learning (vWIL) health promotion placements during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a descriptive phenomenological qualitative methodology, we conducted semi-structured interviews with eight students and eight supervisors of undergraduate health promotion-related placements at community, not-for-profit and government organizations. We asked participants about the aspects of their placement they found most enjoyable and challenging, their preparation, workload, and thoughts on placement structure. We audio-recorded and had the interviews transcribed. Our thematic analyses revealed four key themes: (1) the impact of COVID-19 on work and study, (2) benefits of vWIL (real-world application and career clarification, transcending barriers and saving time, and feeling less intimidated), (3) challenges of vWIL (experiencing workplace culture, providing support and guidance to students, and relationship building), and (4) recommendations on the evolution of vWIL (increased preparation and consider a hybrid model). Our findings suggest that vWIL is a viable and sound mode of delivery for health promotion-related placements, particularly in situations that inhibit face-to-face learning. It has the capacity to enhance the work-readiness of health promotion graduates while adding flexibility to professional preparation workplace-based training programs, providing opportunity for capacity building locally across rural and remote areas, as well as globally. Future research should examine the effectiveness, practicality, and feasibility of implementing placements across different models including face-to-face, virtual and hybrid.

Examining Field Experiences of Teacher Candidates During COVID-19: Systemic Inequities Unveiled for Underserved English Learners in K-12 Grades.

The impact of coronavirus disease 2019 challenged schools and credential programs to adjust pedagogy, but rapid changes impeded equitable practices to K-12 grade English Learners (ELs). The framework stems from critical multicultural education. Data represented 81 credential candidates across three universities. Study confirmed that ELs lacked access to online learning, active engagement with peers/teachers, and differentiated instruction due to rapid changes and uncertainties to their programs.

El Impacto de COVID-19 retó a las escuelas y programas certificados a ajustar su pedagogía, pero cambios rápidos impidieron prácticas egalitarias para estudiantes de inglés (ELs siglas en inglés) en K-12. El marco de referencia se originó en la educación multicultural crítica. La información representó 81 candidatos de credencial a través de tres universidades. El estudio confirmó que ELs no tenían acceso al aprendizaje en línea, al compromiso activo de compañeros/maestros, y a la educación diferenciada debido a los cambios rápidos y la incertidumbre de sus programas.

Big Five personality traits and coping strategies of Italian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic first wave.

Introduction: Little is known about the role personality traits may have played for university students in diminishing and compensating for the negative impact of COVID-19 in its early phases, promoting adaptive coping. University students represent a population which was consistently obliged to follow social distance rules due to the early shift of many organizations from face-to-face to online learning. Therefore, it is worth exploring whether the Big Five traits acted as risk or protective factors after the outbreak of a disaster such as the COVID-19 pandemic for Italian university students. Methods: We involved a sample of 2,995 university students who completed an online survey in March 2020. We measured the Big Five personality traits through the Big Five Inventory-2-XS and their coping strategies through the Robust-Pandemic Coping Scale. The latter assessed four COVID-19-related coping dimensions, namely Despair (e.g., including helplessness and feeling lack of control), Aversion (e.g., referring to oppositive strategies), Proactivity (e.g., comprising problem solving and information seeking), and Adjustment (e.g., concerning reappraisal and assertiveness). Results: Preliminarily, two Linear Mixed Models indicated that university students had higher scores in Conscientiousness, followed by Open-Mindedness, and then Agreeableness. These three traits were, in turn, higher than Extraversion and Negative Emotionality, which did not differ among them. Concerning coping, university students reacted more frequently utilizing adaptive strategies (with Proactivity used more frequently than Adjustment) rather than maladaptive strategies (with Despair higher than Aversion). A Path Analysis examining the relations between the Big Five traits and the four coping dimensions showed that Negative Emotionality can be considered as a risk factor, and that Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Open-Mindedness can be conceptualized as protective factors. More interestingly, we found that Extraversion entailed both a risk and a protective role for Italian university students after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussion: Notwithstanding limitations, these findings can be the basis for developing disaster preparation and prevention actions, aiming at promoting students' positive coping towards current and future disasters.

Faba Bean Flavor Effects from Processing to Consumer Acceptability.

Faba beans as an alternative source of protein have received significant attention from consumers and the food industry. Flavor represents a major driving force that hinders the utilization faba beans in various products due to off-flavor. Off-flavors are produced from degradation of amino acids and unsaturated fatty acids during seed development and post-harvest processing stages (storage, dehulling, thermal treatment, and protein extraction). In this review, we discuss the current state of knowledge on the aroma of faba bean ingredients and various aspects, such as cultivar, processing, and product formulation that influence flavour. Germination, fermentation, and pH modulation were identified as promising methods to improve overall flavor and bitter compounds. The probable pathway in controlling off-flavor evolution during processing has also been discussed to provide efficient strategies to limit their impact and to encourage the use of faba bean ingredients in healthy food design.

Evaluating the Utility of Webinars Discussing the Radiation Oncology Residency Application Process in the COVID-19 Era

Background Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of digital resources available for medical students (MS) interested in radiation oncology (RO) has increased. Here, we evaluated the utility of webinars focused on educating MS about the RO residency application process. Methods The American College of Radiation Oncology hosted webinars in 2021 and 2022 prior to the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) application deadline. For each webinar, program directors gave short presentations about the ERAS application, interviews, and program ranking, and concluded with question and answer session. Participant demographics were collected using live poll questions and understanding was assessed using a Likert scale (range 1 [no, not at all] to 4 [yes, definitely]). Recordings were available online for asynchronous viewing. Differences between groups were assessed using Chi-square statistics. Results Between both webinars, there were a total of 69 participants and 170 asynchronous views. A total of 86% and 71% of participants answered the demographics and understanding questions, respectively. The majority attended medical school within the US (75%), were in their third/fourth year (70%), graduating with an M.D. degree (88%), and planned to apply to RO residency (78%). In terms of baseline knowledge of the application process, 49% believed they knew "a lot," while 51% believed they knew "a little" or "nothing." The majority of participants noted the webinar improved their understanding of the general application process (mean 3.80), the ERAS application (mean 3.65), and the interview process (mean 3.90). For a subset of participants (n=39), survey results were stratified by baseline understanding of the application process ("a little" versus "a lot"). Compared to participants who knew "a lot" about the application process, those that knew "a little" about the process reported higher scores in general understanding (mean 3.80 versus 3.60), ERAS application (mean 3.72 versus 3.50), and interview process (mean 3.93 versus 3.8). However, these differences were not statistically significant. Discussion As the number of digital resources in RO increases, we must examine whether they meet the needs of their target audience. Webinars can improve MS understanding of the RO residency application process. These webinars were an ideal format to educate MS about this process because they utilized both attending and resident physicians - two sources of information considered highly trustworthy by MS. Given the recent decline in applications to RO, engaging with MS through dedicated webinars warrants continued exploration.

vSim® gerontology and inquiry-based learning enhancing clinical reasoning and preparation for practice

Virtual simulation use is increasing in nursing curriculum as a supplementary learning tool to prepare for professional experience placement. This research explored student perspectives of vSim® Gerontology to address learning outcomes and support preparation for practice during the COVID-19 pandemic using a descriptive convergent mixed method approach. 169 students participated in the survey. The program provided an opportunity to engage and develop clinical reasoning skills and repeated use-built confidence for professional experience placement (PEP).

Features of life activity and the incidence rate of anxiety and depressive disorders among medical students studying remotely during the epidemic of a new coronavirus infection (Covid 19)

Aims. The aim is to study the features of life and the incidence rate of anxiety and depressive disorders among medical faculty students studying remotely during the epidemic of a new coronavirus infection (Covid 19) at the Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after H.M. Berbekov. Materials and methods. We examined 335 students (34% males, 66% females) at the Faculty of Medicine in November- December 2020. The average age of the students examined was 20.3+/-2.3 years. The study included an anonymous mail survey to examine educational conditions, lifestyle, levels of anxiety and depression. Results. 43.8% of the students had insufficient sleep duration, 58.5% had low physical activity, in 24.8% of them we recorded high levels of situational anxiety and in 82.1% of them personal anxiety, in 7.1% of the students we recorded clinically expressed anxiety and 1.8% had clinically expressed depression. During the transition to remote learning, students increased the time use to prepare for classes (51.2%) and the duration of sleep (61.5%), while their physical activity decreased (76.5%). Statistically significant linear correlations were identified between the level of anxiety and depression and the duration of sleep, low physical activity, preparation time for classes, academic performance, and academic debt. Conclusions. The results obtained by us can be used to optimize the educational process, as well as to preserve the mental health of students during the transition to distance learning.Copyright © 2020 Novyi Russkii Universitet. All rights reserved.

Detection of Leptospira DNA among Post-Mortem Specimens during Covid-19 Pandemic

Intro: Leptospirosis is an emerging zoonosis with a global health concern. In Malaysia, leptospirosis incidence remains significant, since its first gazettement as a compulsorily notifiable disease in 2010. However, the prevalence of this disease among local forensic cases is unknown. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the frequency of human leptospirosis among post-mortem specimens. Method(s): Archived forensic specimens referred to the Institute for Medical Research (IMR), Malaysia between January 2020 and December 2021 were retrieved. DNA from the specimens were extracted using an automated MagNA Pure 96 instrument and subjected to in-house qPCR targeting LipL32 gene and 16S rRNA gene of the pathogenic group of Leptospira spp. Amplification of RNaseP gene was included as internal amplification control (IAC). Finding(s): A total of 408 forensic specimens from 365 patients were received during the study period. Majority of the specimens were blood (n = 195, 47.8%), followed by tissue (n = 136, 33.3%) and liver (n = 59, 14.5%). Of the tested specimens, 2.2% (n = 9) were positive for leptospiral DNA. These positive specimens belonged to 9 different patients, of which the vast majority were male (n = 8, 88.9%), with an average age of 37.5 years. Conclusion(s): Albeit low detection of leptospiral DNA among forensic specimens in Malaysia, this study highlighted that majority of the positive patients were males of productive age.Copyright © 2023

A Rare Etiology for Ulcerative Colitis Flare

Introduction: Prior to colonoscopy, it is well understood that patients must undergo bowel cleansing. Based on the type of laxative, colonoscopy preparations fall into two categories - polymer-based formulas (PEG) and saline-based formulas (NaP). Both types of bowel preparations are deemed to be relatively safe and part of routine practice. However, we describe the rare case of an ulcerative colitis (UC) flare due to the bowel preparation formula. Case Description/Methods: A 29-year-old female with diagnosis of UC, presently in clinical and biochemical remission on oral mesalamine, contracted COVID-19 and had reactivation of UC symptoms. After being on budesonide tablets and rectal foam for two months, patient achieved clinical remission, and a surveillance colonoscopy was performed which revealed normal colon and terminal ileum except mild congestion in the cecum (Figure A). Pathology revealed unremarkable mucosa in the entire colon except for chronic active colitis in the cecum. Immediately following this colonoscopy, the patient started to experience another severe UC flare requiring hospitalization. The patient's laboratory work-up was normal except for an elevated fecal calprotectin (1710). Stool infectious work-up was negative and the patient denied any NSAID or antibiotic use. The patient underwent a repeat colonoscopy which revealed severe Mayo 3 pancolitis (Figure B) in comparison to a stable colonoscopy a few weeks prior. It was revealed that for her initial colonoscopy, she had used SUPREP bowel prep kit. On prior colonoscopies she had used MiraLAX bowel prep with no adverse effects. During hospitalization, the patient was started on biologic therapy with good effect. Discussion(s): There are no clear guidelines on appropriate bowel preparation formula for the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) population. Sufficient literature exists to confirm that NaP can irritate the intestinal mucosal wall. Moreover, numerous animal experiments have employed dextran sodium sulfate for chemical induction of intestinal inflammation to mimic UC flares in humans [1]. Thus, it can be surmised that because SUPREP ingredients contain sodium sulfate, the potential for UC flare is higher. It is pertinent for practitioners to be aware of the possible rare adverse effects of saline-based formulas, especially when treating the IBD population.

TemporalDedup: Domain-Independent Deduplication of Redundant and Errant Temporal Data

Deduplication is a key component of the data preparation process, a bottleneck in the machine learning (ML) and data mining pipeline that is very time-consuming and often relies on domain expertise and manual involvement. Further, temporal data is increasingly prevalent and is not well suited to traditional similarity and distance-based deduplication techniques. We establish a fully automated, domain-independent deduplication model for temporal data domains, known as TemporalDedup, that infers the key attribute(s), applies a base set of deduplication techniques focused on value matches for key, non-key, and elapsed time, and further detects duplicates through inference of temporal ordering requirements using Longest Common Subsequence (LCS) for records of a shared type. Using LCS, we split each record's temporal sequence into constrained and unconstrained sequences. We flag suspicious (errant) records that are non-adherent to the inferred constrained order and we flag a record as a duplicate if its unconstrained order, of sufficient length, matches that of another record. TemporalDedup was compared against a similarity-based Adaptive Sorted Neighborhood Method (ASNM) in evaluating duplicates for two disparate datasets: (1) 22,794 records from Sony's PlayStation Network (PSN) trophy data, where duplication may be indicative of cheating, and (2) emergency declarations and government responses related to COVID-19 for all U.S. states and territories. TemporalDedup (F1-scores of 0.971 and 0.954) exhibited combined sensitivities above 0.9 for all duplicate classes whereas ASNM (0.705 and 0.732) exhibited combined sensitivities below 0.2 for all time and order duplicate classes. © 2023 World Scientific Publishing Company.

Consumer fear and healthy eating during COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: This study aims to contribute to the healthy eating literature by analyzing whether fear of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), ability to prepare food and the safety-seeking are antecedents of the intention to consume healthy foods during COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted two studies. The first study was done with a sample of 546 valid respondents. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze data. The second study was qualitative, in which 40 subjects took part. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings: The main findings reveal that ability to prepare food and the safety-seeking are strong antecedents of the intention to consume healthy foods. In addition, safety-seeking mediates the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and intention to consume healthy eating. However, high levels of fear did not influence the ability to prepare food and intention to consume healthy foods. Also, the ability to prepare food does not mediate the relation between fear of COVID-19 and intention to consume healthy food. Originality/value: This study is among the first to consider terror management propositions to analyze the intention to consume healthy foods during COVID-19 pandemic. From a scientific point of view, it has several contributions to the literature. First, this study provides advances and innovation in the field by identifying new explanatory relations. Second, this study extends the scope of terror management health model (TMHM) by analyzing it in the pandemic context. Third, the findings seem to provide empirical support for recent criticism of TMHM assumptions. Moreover, practical implications are outlined to public health decision makers and healthy food businesses on increasing consumers' intention to healthy eating. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)