Safe Circular Food Systems: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Identify Emergent Risks in Food Waste Nutrient Cycling.

With growing awareness of the environmental, economic, and social costs associated with food waste, there is a concerted effort on multiple scales to recover the nutrient value of discarded food. These developments are positive, but the rapid movement toward alternatives and the complexity of solving problems located at the intersection of economic, social, and environmental systems also have the potential to produce unanticipated risks. This paper draws upon long-term stakeholder-engaged research throughout New England, with a focus on Maine, to develop a transdisciplinary, systems-based model of the potential social, economic, and environmental risks of food waste nutrient cycling.

Predictors of Central Vascular Access Device Bloodstream Infections in Patients With Acute Leukemia and Neutropenia: A Retrospective Case-Control Chart Review.

Central vascular access devices (CVADs) are standard for the treatment of leukemia. The objectives of this study were to examine predictors for central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) and causative microorganisms. A retrospective case/control design was used to examine electronic health records (EHRs) of patients with acute leukemia, a CVAD, and neutropenia.

Research and Scholarship During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Wicked Problem.

This study focuses on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on research and scholarship at a research university in the United States. Building on studies in higher education policy, we conceptualized the COVID-19 pandemic as a 'wicked problem' that is complex, nonlinear, unique, and requiring urgent solutions. Wicked problems highlight pre-existing struggles, and therefore, recent challenges in higher education inform the methods and the findings of this study.

Characterization of steel lined with multilayer micro/nano-polymeric composites.

This work studied comparison of the mechanical and barrier resistance properties between different structures of three multilayers polymeric coating on each side of the steel coupons. Epoxy filled with 1 wt%, 2 wt%, and 3 wt% micron or nano-sized alumina (AlO) particles represented the coating layers to steel on both sides. Barrier resistance was performed by immersing the coated steel specimens in salt solution and in a citric acid medium.

Advanced materials used in wearable health care devices and medical textiles in the battle against coronavirus (COVID-19): A review.

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has generated great confusion around the world, affecting people's lives and producing a large number of deaths. The development of portable and wearable devices is of great importance in several fields such as point-of-care medical applications and environmental monitoring. Wearable devices with an ability to collect various types of physiological records are progressively becoming incorporated into everyday life of people.

Obesity: Policy and Practice Recommendations for High-Risk Populations Influenced by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Obesity has been linked to higher morbidity and mortality in those that contract novel viruses, such as H1N1 and SARS-CoV-2. Loss of life and the high cost of obesity highlight the need to focus on preventative measures. The state of Maine (United States) is profiled as a rural state with high rates of obesity and low health literacy that benefits from programs to improve health.

Analyzing the Cost of Hospital Contact Isolation Practices: Implications for Nursing Administrator Practice, Research, and Policy.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the weekly costs of contact precaution (CP) use with medically stable patients infected/colonized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and to estimate the annual financial and environmental costs of CP.

Background: The increasing use of disposables for infection control contributes to increasing hospital costs and amounts of solid waste at rates that are becoming unsustainable.

Methods: A cost analysis was conducted using data from time/motion observations and previous waste audit study, along with hospital finance department values and US Department of Labor salary rates.

Characterization and performance evaluation of Cu-based/TiO nano composites.

Copper and copper alloys are used in industrial applications and food contact surfaces due to their desirable properties; copper metal matrix composites have been exciting researchers' attention in recent years since they can offer many valuable characteristics. The present study investigated the effects of the TiO nanoparticles addition with different weight percent on the hardness and corrosion behavior of copper nanocomposites. The powder metallurgy method was used to fabricate the Cu/TiO reinforced with different weight fractions of TiO nano particles up to 12 wt.

Development of Al-Mg-Si alloy performance by addition of grain refiner Al-5Ti-1B alloy.

Aluminum alloys are the most essential part of all shaped castings manufactured, mainly in the automotive, food industry, and structural applications. There is little consensus as to the precise relationship between grain size after grain refinement and corrosion resistance; conflicting conclusions have been published showing that reduced grain size can decrease or increase corrosion resistance. The effect of Al-5Ti-1B grain refiner (GR alloy) with different percentages on the mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of Aluminum-magnesium-silicon alloy (Al-Mg-Si) was studied.

Evaluating horizontal violence and bullying in the nursing workforce of an oncology academic medical center.

Aim: To evaluate horizontal violence and bullying in the nursing workforce of an oncology inpatient and outpatient academic centre and to test the Horizontal Violence Scale in an outpatient setting.

Background: Horizontal violence (HV) and bullying in the workplace are dysfunctional behaviours that can affect nursing staff and patient care. The impact of bullying and HV is multilevel, affecting patient safety and satisfaction, nursing retention and employee satisfaction, while creating poor patient outcomes.

Use of Mannose-Binding Lectin Gene Polymorphisms and the Serum MBL Level for the Early Detection of Neonatal Sepsis.

 Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is a component of innate immunity and is particularly important in neonates, in whom adaptive immunity has not yet completely developed. MBL deficiency and gene polymorphisms are associated with an opsonization defect and have been associated with neonatal sepsis.  The aim of our study was to assess serum MBL levels and genotype genes to determine whether they can serve as markers for predicting neonatal sepsis in neonatal intensive care units.

An Interprofessional Approach to Continuing Education With Mass Casualty Simulation: Planning and Execution.

Many natural and man-made disasters require the assistance from teams of health care professionals. Knowing that continuing education about disaster simulation training is essential to nursing students, nurses, and emergency first responders (e.g.

Interprofessional Mass Casualty Incident Simulation Design Protocol to Prepare Prelicensure Nursing Students to Respond to a Disaster.

Nurses need to be prepared to respond to mass casualty incidents. Simulation is an ideal teaching intervention that can be used to prepare nursing students to effectively triage patients and allocate limited resources. This article describes a detailed interprofessional mass casualty simulation of a bus crash with 32 victims.

A study examining senior nursing students' expectations of work and the workforce.

Aim: This study explored traditional and accelerated Bachelor of Science nursing students' expectations of nursing work and the workforce.

Background: Role transition difficulty is blamed for much of the 15-60% newly licensed registered nurse turnover in their first 3 years of employment.

Method: This qualitative study consisted of 14 focus groups (n = 98) to determine Bachelor of Science nursing students' expectations of work as newly licensed registered nurses.

Frontline registered nurse job satisfaction and predictors over three decades: a meta-analysis from 1980 to 2009.

Background: Frontline registered nurses' job satisfaction is important because it is tied to retention, organizational commitment, workforce safety, patient safety, and cost savings. The purpose of this study was to comprehensively, quantitatively examine the largest, moderate, and smallest predictors of frontline registered nurse job satisfaction from 1980 to 2009.

Methods: A non-a priori meta-analysis was used to analyze studies that met inclusion.

Generational differences of the frontline nursing workforce in relation to job satisfaction: what does the literature reveal?

The job satisfaction of registered nurses has been found to be associated with retention, organizational commitment, workforce safety, and cost savings to health care organizations. Satisfaction of the workforce is vital because nursing turnover can be detrimental for a labor force that is growing older. However, the summation of the most important variables that are linked to job satisfaction has been difficult to discern in part because the workforce includes 3 main generations (ie, Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials) with unique work values that drive their job satisfiers.

Dual biomarkers of anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation in historically contaminated groundwater.

This study reports that ongoing in situ anaerobic hydrocarbon biodegradation at a manufactured gas plant impacted site is occurring, 9 years after the initial investigation. Groundwater samples from the site monitoring wells (MW) were analyzed for biomarkers by GC-MS, end-point PCR, and quantitative PCR (qPCR). Metabolic biomarkers included specific intermediates of anaerobic naphthalene and/or 2-methylnaphthalene degradation: 2-naphthoic acid (2-NA); 5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-2-NA (TH-2-NA); hexahydro-2-NA (HH-2-NA); and carboxylated-2-methylnaphthalene (MNA).

Applications of forensic chemistry to environmental work.

Recent trends in environmental remediation have increasingly employed the use of environmental chemistry techniques to decipher the source(s) and fate of the contaminants and, in some cases, to determine their age or apportion them to sources. An extensive database of pyrogenic and petrogenic 'chemical fingerprints' has been constructed by the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) and META Environmental, Inc. using gas chromatography coupled with a flame ionization detector (GC/FID) or with a mass spectrometer (GC/MS).

Isolation and characterization of Flavobacterium strains that degrade pentachlorophenol.

Bacteria able to mineralize 100 to 200 ppm of pentachlorophenol (PCP) were isolated by selective enrichment from PCP-contaminated soils from three geographic areas of Minnesota. Although differing somewhat in their responses to various biochemical and biophysical tests, all strains were assigned to the genus Flavobacterium. Five representative strains were examined in detail.