Temporal declines in fecundity: A study of southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) and implications for potential reproductive output.

Individuals must reproduce to survive and thrive from generation to generation. In fish, the fecundity of individuals and estimates of total reproductive output are critical for evaluating reproductive success and understanding population dynamics. Estimating fecundity is an onerous task; therefore, many populations lack contemporary estimates of fecundity and size-fecundity relationships. However, reproductive dynamics are not static in time; therefore, it is important to develop contemporary fecundity estimates to better inform conservation and management action. To highlight the importance of contemporary fecundity estimates, we examined the fecundity of southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (sGSL) spring and fall spawning Atlantic herring in 2022, developed size-fecundity models, and compared these to historical fecundity estimates and models. Our results suggest that the average fecundity of sGSL spring and fall herring has undergone a substantial temporal decline of approximately 47% and 58%, respectively, since the 1970s and 1980s. The size-fecundity relationships for fall spawning herring have shifted, with fish of a given size exhibiting lower fecundity in 2022 compared to the 1970s. Alternatively, the size-fecundity relationships for spring spawning herring have remained relatively static. Furthermore, simulations highlighted a substantial reduction in potential reproductive output in 2022 compared to 1970 of approximately 32% and 68% for spring and fall spawners, respectively, based on a fixed number of mature females, which may have negative implications for stock rebuilding. Overall, our study provides support for periodic estimates of fecundity in fish populations to better understand temporal changes in reproductive and population dynamics.

Beyond the Surface: A Methodological Exploration of Enzyme Impact along the Cellulose Fiber Cross-Section.

Despite the wide range of analytical tools available for the characterization of cellulose, the in-depth characterization of inhomogeneous, layered cellulose fiber structures remains a challenge. When treating fibers or spinning man-made fibers, the question always arises as to whether the changes in the fiber structure affect only the surface or the entire fiber. Here, we developed an analysis tool based on the sequential limited dissolution of cellulose fiber layers. The method can reveal potential differences in fiber properties along the cross-sectional profile of natural or man-made cellulose fibers. In this analytical approach, carbonyl groups are labeled with a carbonyl selective fluorescence label (CCOA), after which thin fiber layers are sequentially dissolved with the solvent system DMAc/LiCl (9% w/v) and analyzed with size exclusion chromatography coupled with light scattering and fluorescence detection. The analysis of these fractions allowed for the recording of the changes in the chemical structure across the layers, resulting in a detailed cross-sectional profile of the different functionalities and molecular weight distributions. The method was optimized and tested in practice with LPMO (lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase)-treated cotton fibers, where it revealed the depth of fiber modification by the enzyme.

Adaptation to seasonal reproduction and environment-associated factors drive temporal and spatial differentiation in northwest Atlantic herring despite gene flow.

Understanding how marine organisms adapt to local environments is crucial for predicting how populations will respond to global climate change. The genomic basis, environmental factors and evolutionary processes involved in local adaptation are however not well understood. Here we use Atlantic herring, an abundant, migratory and widely distributed marine fish with substantial genomic resources, as a model organism to evaluate local adaptation. We examined genomic variation and its correlation with environmental variables across a broad environmental gradient, for 15 spawning aggregations in Atlantic Canada and the United States. We then compared our results with available genomic data of northeast Atlantic populations. We confirmed that population structure lies in a fraction of the genome including likely adaptive genetic variants of functional importance. We discovered 10 highly differentiated genomic regions distributed across four chromosomes. Nine regions show strong association with seasonal reproduction. One region, corresponding to a known inversion on chromosome 12, underlies a latitudinal pattern discriminating populations north and south of a biogeographic transition zone on the Scotian Shelf. Genome-environment associations indicate that winter seawater temperature best correlates with the latitudinal pattern of this inversion. The variation at two so-called 'islands of divergence' related to seasonal reproduction appear to be private to the northwest Atlantic. Populations in the northwest and northeast Atlantic share variation at four of these divergent regions, simultaneously displaying significant diversity in haplotype composition at another four regions, which includes an undescribed structural variant approximately 7.7 Mb long on chromosome 8. Our results suggest that the timing and geographic location of spawning and early development may be under diverse selective pressures related to allelic fitness across environments. Our study highlights the role of genomic architecture, ancestral haplotypes and selection in maintaining adaptive divergence in species with large population sizes and presumably high gene flow.

Researching the Effectiveness of an Online COVID-19 Educational Module among Community Health Nursing Students.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research study was to determine the effectiveness of an innovative online COVID-19 educational module among community health nursing students. DESIGN: Mixed-methods study. METHODS: The sample (N = 86) consisted of prelicensure and postlicensure community health nursing students, who completed a pretest, COVID-19 educational intervention, and posttest. FINDINGS: The majority of participants' scores increased from pretest to posttest, and most participants strongly agreed that the COVID-19 educational module was effective. Strategies to address vaccine hesitancy, information learned and found most helpful, and plans for application and utilization of this knowledge were revealed. CONCLUSIONS: An online COVID-19 community health nursing educational intervention was effective at improving participants' knowledge, confidence, and attitudes regarding COVID-19. CLINICAL EVIDENCE: Online COVID-19 community health nursing education was an effective strategy for increasing preparation for this pandemic and the format can be useful to utilize for future public health emergencies.

An Innovative Community Health Nursing Virtual Reality Experience: A Mixed Methods Study.

Background: Virtual reality (VR) simulation in nursing education, especially about non-acute care including community health, is an emerging learning strategy; more research is needed about its effectiveness. Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an innovative community health nursing VR simulation on prelicensure students' knowledge about social determinants of health and cultural competence, with a goal of enhancing students' preparation for practice. Methods: In a convergent mixed methods study, 100 prelicensure nursing students in a community health nursing course at a Midwestern U.S., urban, public university completed a pretest, a VR simulation, a posttest, and an evaluation. Pre- and posttests containing content questions adapted from leading community health nursing text faculty resources were used to assess learning, and the Simulation Effectiveness Tool-Modified (SET-M) was used to assess perceived effectiveness of the intervention. Results: The majority of participants' posttest scores were higher than their pretest scores. Most participants strongly agreed that the VR simulation was effective, and reported on new knowledge/skills learned, material found most helpful, and benefit to their nursing practice. Conclusions: The community health nursing VR simulation was effective at increasing participants' knowledge and their confidence in their knowledge and abilities.

Effects of a Computer-Based Community Health Nursing Virtual Reality Simulation on Postlicensure Nursing Students.

BACKGROUND: Virtual reality simulation in postlicensure nursing education, including community health, is an emerging instructional approach, and more research is needed on its effectiveness. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an innovative, computer-based community health nursing virtual reality simulation among postlicensure nursing students. METHOD: This mixed methods study consisted of 67 postlicensure community health nursing students who completed a pretest, computer-based virtual reality simulation, and a posttest and evaluation. RESULTS: The majority of participant scores increased from pretest to posttest, and most participants agreed that the computer-based virtual reality simulation was effective; new knowledge and skills learned, the material that was found to be most helpful, and benefits to nursing practice were identified. CONCLUSION: This community health nursing computer-based virtual reality simulation was effective at increasing participants' knowledge and confidence with learning. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(3):109-116.].

Atlantic bluefin tuna diet variability in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada.

The abundance of top predators in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada, has fluctuated dramatically in recent decades. The associated increase in predation and its effect on the lack of recovery of many fish stocks in the system generates the need for a better understanding of predator-prey relationships and the implementation of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management. This study used stomach content analysis to further describe the diet of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Teleost fish largely dominated the stomach contents in all years. Previous studies established that Atlantic herring was the main component of the diet by weight, whereas herring was almost absent from the diet in this study. A shift in the diet of Atlantic bluefin tuna has been observed, as it now feeds almost exclusively on Atlantic mackerel. The estimated daily meal varied between years, ranging from 1026 g per day in 2019 to 2360 g per day in 2018. Daily meals and daily rations were calculated and showed substantial year-to-year variation.

Training community health navigators in the public health workforce to respond during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aim: To describe the process of engaging underserved communities of color that designs, conducts, and evaluates community-engaged COVID-19 Community Health Navigator training on COVID-19: Vaccination, Prevention, and Contact Tracing. Subject and methods: The project used a mixed-methods design; 18 community health navigators (CHNs) representing Asian American, Arab American, Black/African American, and Hispanic/Latinx communities completed the pretest, training, and post-test. Demographic characteristics, along with knowledge and confidence level questions regarding COVID-19 issues, were gathered in pre- and post-tests. Qualitative data were collected via open-ended questions in post-tests. Results: Findings suggest that the community health navigator training successfully increased participants' knowledge of COVID-19-related topic areas and confidence in educating community members regarding COVID-19 vaccination and prevention. Qualitative evaluation contained information learned and found most helpful, and application and utilization plans for CHNs' follow-up work. Conclusion: The process of community health navigator training and evaluation results adds important insights to the current COVID-19 pandemic workforce literature and can inform future trainings.

Researching the Effectiveness of an Online Human Trafficking Awareness Program Among Community Health Nursing Students.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of an online human trafficking awareness program for healthcare providers. DESIGN: Mixed-methods study. METHODS: Sample (N=141) consisted of community health nursing students, who completed a pretest, watched one three-minute video a day for 20 days, and completed a posttest. FINDINGS: Participants indicated their knowledge of human trafficking increased, attitudes toward victims improved, and competence and confidence engaging with victims increased. Satisfaction with program, and information utilization plans for practice were revealed. CONCLUSIONS: Human trafficking awareness program was effective in increasing participants' knowledge, competence and confidence, and improving attitudes. CLINICAL EVIDENCE: Educational intervention is a strategy to improve students' knowledge of human trafficking.

Using Virtual Simulation to Teach Community Health Nursing Students About Public Health Nursing.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of a community/public health nursing virtual simulation. Design: Mixed-methods study. Methods: Sample (N = 121) consisted of community health nursing students, who completed a pretest, virtual simulation, posttest, and satisfaction and self-confidence in learning scale.Findings: Majority of participants' scores increased from pretest to posttest, and most participants agreed or strongly agreed with statements regarding satisfaction and self-confidence in learning; material learned and found most helpful, as well as knowledge application/utilization plans for practice were revealed. Conclusions: Community/public health nursing virtual simulation was effective at increasing participants' knowledge, and satisfaction and self-confidence in learning.Clinical Evidence: Virtual simulation is a strategy to improve students' knowledge of community/public health nursing.

Effects of a Virtual Educational Intervention to Teach Interprofessional Collaboration to Community Health Nursing Students.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a virtual interprofessional collaboration in public health educational intervention. DESIGN: Mixed-methods study. METHODS: Sample (N =171) consisted of community health nursing students, who completed an assessment after watching six videos, illustrating how various disciplines collaborate in a public health department. FINDINGS: Participants felt their interprofessional awareness, understanding, and collaboration intention increased; clarified discipline misconceptions, and application/utilization plans for this knowledge in practice were revealed. CONCLUSIONS: Interprofessional collaboration in public health educational intervention was effective in increasing participants' interprofessional awareness, understanding, and intent to collaborate. CLINICAL EVIDENCE: Educational intervention is a strategy to improve students' knowledge of interprofessional collaboration in public health.

"Everything Old Is New Again": A Review of Current Complementary and Alternative Medicine Trends.

Complementary and alternative medicine therapies can be used as adjuvant or preventive therapy, and have newer applications: cryotherapy, halotherapy, floatation therapy, and compression therapy. Nurse practitioners need to know about these therapies and their applicability to patient populations. Appropriate integration of these therapies is part of holistic care, which they strive to provide.

Novel phosphatidylserine-binding molecule enhances antitumor T-cell responses by targeting immunosuppressive exosomes in human tumor microenvironments.

BACKGROUND: The human tumor microenvironment (TME) is a complex and dynamic milieu of diverse acellular and cellular components, creating an immunosuppressive environment, which contributes to tumor progression. We have previously shown that phosphatidylserine (PS) expressed on the surface of exosomes isolated from human TMEs is causally linked to T-cell immunosuppression, representing a potential immunotherapeutic target. In this study, we investigated the effect of ExoBlock, a novel PS-binding molecule, on T-cell responses in the TME. METHODS: We designed and synthesized a new compound, (ZnDPA)6-DP-15K, a multivalent PS binder named ExoBlock. The PS-binding avidity of ExoBlock was tested using an in vitro competition assay. The ability of this molecule to reverse exosome-mediated immunosuppression in vitro was tested using human T-cell activation assays. The in vivo therapeutic efficacy of ExoBlock was then tested in two different human tumor xenograft models, the melanoma-based xenomimetic (X-)mouse model, and the ovarian tumor-based omental tumor xenograft (OTX) model. RESULTS: ExoBlock was able to bind PS with high avidity and was found to consistently and significantly block the immunosuppressive activity of human ovarian tumor and melanoma-associated exosomes in vitro. ExoBlock was also able to significantly enhance T cell-mediated tumor suppression in vivo in both the X-mouse and the OTX model. In the X-mouse model, ExoBlock suppressed tumor recurrence in a T cell-dependent manner. In the OTX model, ExoBlock treatment resulted in an increase in the number as well as function of CD4 and CD8 T cells in the TME, which was associated with a reduction in tumor burden and metastasis, as well as in the number of circulating PS+ exosomes in tumor-bearing mice. CONCLUSION: Our results establish that targeting exosomal PS in TMEs with ExoBlock represents a promising strategy to enhance antitumor T-cell responses.

Counting Cats: The integration of expert and citizen science data for unbiased inference of population abundance.

Free-roaming animal populations are hard to count, and professional experts are a limited resource. There is vast untapped potential in the data collected by nonprofessional scientists who volunteer their time to population monitoring, but citizen science (CS) raises concerns around data quality and biases. A particular concern in abundance modeling is the presence of false positives that can occur due to misidentification of nontarget species. Here, we introduce Integrated Abundance Models (IAMs) that integrate citizen and expert data to allow robust inference of population abundance meanwhile accounting for biases caused by misidentification. We used simulation experiments to confirm that IAMs successfully remove the inflation of abundance estimates caused by false-positive detections and can provide accurate estimates of both bias and abundance. We illustrate the approach with a case study on unowned domestic cats, which are commonly confused with owned, and infer their abundance by analyzing a combination of CS data and expert data. Our case study finds that relying on CS data alone, either through simple summation or via traditional modeling approaches, can vastly inflate abundance estimates. IAMs provide an adaptable framework, increasing the opportunity for further development of the approach, tailoring to specific systems and robust use of CS data.

How to successfully navigate a nursing student academic/grade grievance.

The challenges of managing an academic/grade grievance can be taxing on nursing faculty. Therefore, it is essential that faculty are well-equipped for these experiences. The purpose of this article is to enable nursing faculty to understand how to navigate a student academic/grade grievance. In this article, three nursing faculty with varying levels of teaching experience will share insightful information on the prevention, preparation, and processes for successfully navigating student academic/grade grievances. They will discuss steps for addressing an academic/grade grievance and lessons learned with helpful tips for nursing faculty to put into their toolbox for future use.

Preclinical evaluation of cancer immune therapy using patient-derived tumor antigen-specific T cells in a novel xenograft platform.

OBJECTIVES: With a rapidly growing list of candidate immune-based cancer therapeutics, there is a critical need to generate highly reliable animal models to preclinically evaluate the efficacy of emerging immune-based therapies, facilitating successful clinical translation. Our aim was to design and validate a novel in vivo model (called Xenomimetic or 'X' mouse) that allows monitoring of the ability of human tumor-specific T cells to suppress tumor growth following their entry into the tumor. METHODS: Tumor xenografts are established rapidly in the greater omentum of globally immunodeficient NOD-scid IL2Rγnull (NSG) mice following an intraperitoneal injection of melanoma target cells expressing tumor neoantigen peptides, as well as green fluorescent protein and/or luciferase. Changes in tumor burden, as well as in the number and phenotype of adoptively transferred patient-derived tumor neoantigen-specific T cells in response to immunotherapy, are measured by imaging to detect fluorescence/luminescence and flow cytometry, respectively. RESULTS: The tumors progress rapidly and disseminate in the mice unless patient-derived tumor-specific T cells are introduced. An initial T cell-mediated tumor arrest is later followed by a tumor escape, which correlates with the upregulation of the checkpoint molecules programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG3) on T cells. Treatment with immune-based therapies that target these checkpoints, such as anti-PD-1 antibody (nivolumab) or interleukin-12 (IL-12), prevented or delayed the tumor escape. Furthermore, IL-12 treatment suppressed PD-1 and LAG3 upregulation on T cells. CONCLUSION: Together, these results validate the X-mouse model and establish its potential to preclinically evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of immune-based therapies.

Interprofessional Collaboration in Public Health.

ABSTRACT: Public health departments exemplify interprofessional collaboration. Nursing and public health education students are required to complete practicum hours or an internship respectively in community health, yet placements at health departments are limited and competitive. This study evaluated the effects of an interprofessional education intervention on community health nursing and health education students' current interprofessional awareness and understanding, and intent to collaborate interprofessionally. Results showed that the majority of participants felt that their interprofessional awareness, understanding, and intent to collaborate increased. This intervention helped bring an example of the health department experience to students and demonstrate its interprofessional nature.

Extensive Experience with Multiple Languages May Not Buffer Age-Related Declines in Executive Function.

BACKGROUND: Whether bilingualism can improve aspects of cognitive function in late adulthood is hotly debated. A few limited studies have reported that bilingualism may provide a limited buffer against age-related cognitive decline; however, others have not. The present study furthered this inquiry by analyzing the combined effects of age and language experience upon executive function in a geographically diverse online sample. METHODS: Amazon Mechanical Turk was used to recruit a sample of younger (YA) and older adults (OA) from 24 countries. A total of 81 monolingual participants (YA = 37; OA = 44) and 82 bilingual/multilingual participants (YA = 43; OA = 39) completed task-pure executive function assessments of inhibition, memory updating, and attention switching. RESULTS: YAs performed better than OAs on both the inhibition and updating tasks. On the attention switching task, a greater switch cost occurred when participants had less time to process a stimulus cue. Notably, no effects of language (i.e., bilingualism) were significant: no main effects or interactions with aging were found for executive function performance. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study challenge the claim that extensive experience with multiple languages can be a reliably protective factor against some normative age-related declines in executive function.

Exosomes Represent an Immune Suppressive T Cell Checkpoint in Human Chronic Inflammatory Microenvironments.

Background: T cells present in chronic inflammatory tissues such as nasal polyps (from chronic rhinosinusitis patients) have been demonstrated to be hypo-responsive to activation via the TCR, similar to tumor-specific T cells in multiple different human tumor microenvironments. While immunosuppressive exosomes have been known to contribute to the failure of the tumor-associated T cells to respond optimally to activation stimuli, it is not known whether they play a similar role in chronic inflammatory microenvironments. In the current study, we investigate whether exosomes derived from chronic inflammatory microenvironments contribute to the immune suppression of T cells. Methods: Exosomes were isolated by ultracentrifugation and characterized by size and composition using nanoparticle tracking analysis, scanning electron microscopy, antibody arrays and flow exometry. Immunosuppressive ability of the exosomes was measured by quantifying its effect on activation of T cells, using nuclear translocation of NFκB as an activation endpoint. Results: Exosomes were isolated and characterized from two different types of chronic inflammatory tissues - nasal polyps from chronic rhinosinusitis patients and synovial fluid from rheumatoid arthritis patients. These exosomes arrest the activation of T cells stimulated via the TCR. This immune suppression, like that which is seen in tumor microenvironments, is dependent in part upon a lipid, ganglioside GD3, which is expressed on the exosomal surface. Conclusion: Immunosuppressive exosomes present in non-malignant chronic inflammatory tissues represent a new T cell checkpoint, and potentially represent a novel therapeutic target to enhance the response to current therapies and prevent disease recurrences.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Survival Guides Among Student and New Nurse Practitioners.

The transition between student and new nurse practitioner (NP) can be challenging. Survival guides given to student NPs may help ease the transition and make it a successful one. This study evaluates the effectiveness of survival guides in two student NP cohorts in the fall 2015 and fall 2016 semesters. Students completed a brief online survey at graduation, and three and six months after graduation. Results support the inclusion of survival guides in NP curricula as a creative way to positively support the transition from student to new NP and improve preparation for NP practice.