Open Educational Resources: Equitable and Affordable Nursing Education.

ABSTRACT: This research report describes findings from a study conducted to learn students' experiences using open educational resources (OER) in an online nursing research course. Twenty-three students participated in a pilot study in which traditional textbooks were replaced with OER as the primary course material. Data were collected by administering open-ended and closed-ended questions about students' experiences and demographic characteristics. Findings indicated that OER were cost-effective, accessible, easy to navigate, and interesting. The resources were adequate to meet student learning outcomes. Challenges experienced were related to poor Internet access for a few students.

Distress and Prevention Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among College Students: the Moderating Role of Resilience.

BACKGROUND: Pandemics can generate considerable distress, which can affect prevention behaviors. Resilience may buffer the negative effects of distress on engagement in relevant prevention behaviors, which may also hold true for COVID-19 prevention behaviors. The objective of the current study was to evaluate whether resilience moderated the relationship between distress and COVID-19 prevention behaviors early in the pandemic. METHODS: Data were collected via surveys in which all students at a large midwestern university were emailed invitations beginning March 18, 2020. Surveys were completed by 5,530 individuals. In addition to demographic questions and items about COVID-19 prevention behaviors, distress was assessed using the K6 Distress Scale and resilience using the Brief Resilience Scale. Data were analyzed using moderator regression analysis. RESULTS: Resilience moderates the effects from distress to prevention behaviors, such that the relationship was stronger for individuals with higher resilience than for individuals with lower resilience. When resilience was one standard deviation below the mean, at the mean value of resilience, and when resilience was one standard deviation above the mean, there was a significant positive relationship between distress and COVID-19 prevention behaviors. However, the relationship was strongest for those with high resilience, and lowest for those with low resilience. CONCLUSIONS: In the current sample, resilience appeared to influence the strength of the relationship between distress and COVID-19 prevention behaviors. Having higher resilience may promote positive adaptation to distress, leading individuals to engage in a greater number of disease-related prevention behaviors. Future research should examine this relationship longitudinally and in relation to differing constructs of resilience.

Psychological distress of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives To assess levels of psychological distress among a group of US undergraduate college students during the initial phases of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Methods: All undergraduates at Kent State University were surveyed in three randomly selected cohorts on March 18, March 25, and April 1, yielding 3924 valid responses for the weighted dataset (73.8% female, 88.9% White). Distress was assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6). Data were weighted using known population counts. Results: K6 scores averaged 8.19 ± 5.9, with 44.3% in the moderately elevated range and 23.8% above the cutoff for severe psychological distress.Conclusions: A high proportion of undergraduate university students reported elevated psychological distress as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded. K6 scores appeared higher than averages from comparison samples. Targeted surveillance can inform public health in mitigating threats to mental health conferred by pandemics. Colleges and universities should anticipate sharply elevated psychological distress during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Electrical and optical measurements on the first SCUBA-2 prototype 1280 pixel submillimeter superconducting bolometer array.

SCUBA-2 is a submillimeter camera being built for the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii. Bringing CCD style imaging to the submillimeter for the first time, with over 10000 pixels, it will provide a revolutionary improvement in sensitivity and mapping speed. We present results of the first tests on a prototype 1280 pixel SCUBA-2 subarray; the full instrument will be made up of eight such subarrays. The array is made up of transition edge sensor (TES) detectors, with Mo/Cu bilayers as the sensing element. To keep the number of wires reasonable, a multiplexed readout is used. Unlike previous TES arrays, an in-focal plane multiplexer configuration is used, in which the multiplexing elements are located beneath each pixel. To achieve the required performance, the detectors are operated at a temperature of approximately 120 mK. We describe the results of a basic electrical and optical characterization of the array, demonstrating that it is fully operational. Noise measurements were made on several pixels and gave a noise equivalent power below 2.5 x 10(-17) W HZ(-0.5), within the requirements for SCUBA-2. The construction of the testbed used to carry out these measurements is also described.

Navigating a way forward: using focused ethnography and community readiness to study disability issues in Ladakh, India.

PURPOSE: This article offers a discussion about the use of focused ethnography and the community readiness model to study disability at the community level in cross-cultural or international settings. It describes lessons learned when applying these methods to inform community-based disability programming in remote, rural villages in Ladakh, India. METHODS: Data were collected from 30 persons with disabilities, family members and community leaders in four remote villages using interviews and participant observation. All interviews were analysed qualitatively using a mix of inductive and deductive techniques. Community readiness interviews were scored using anchored rating scales to determine level of 'readiness' to take action on meeting the needs of persons with disabilities. Following the initial assessment, community workshops were used to disseminate results and facilitate local engagement in planning and intervention. RESULTS: There were minor challenges and significant benefit in the application of these two approaches in Ladakh; outcomes included: a known level of community readiness that can be used to improve targeting of appropriate community-based intervention and assess change over time, identification of salient needs, barriers and facilitators for persons with disabilities and their families; and community-level engagement during and following the research. CONCLUSIONS: Research models with participatory components like focused ethnography and community readiness hold significant promise for planning and evaluating community-based disability programmes.