Finding Meaning Through Occupation: A Qualitative Study of Spirituality in Young Adults.

Occupational therapists do not optimally address spirituality and occupation with clients. This qualitative study with emerging adults, aged 18 to 25 years, aims to build understanding of these constructs so occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) have greater confidence in supporting client's spirituality and participation in spiritual occupations. Interviews were conducted with 35 young adults to explore their views on spirituality and occupations considered spiritual.

Longitudinal Examination of Test Anxiety Scores Across the BSN Curriculum.

Background: Test-taking is a prominent cause of anxiety for nursing students, often interfering with academic performance, program completion, and successful transition to practice. Prior research suggests that test anxiety is highest during the junior year, yet this concept is not well studied.

Purpose: This study examined differences in self-reported test anxiety as students progressed through all academic levels of a bachelor of science in nursing program.

Parental Perceptions of Childhood Obesity Rates Among Hispanic and Black Children in New Jersey.

Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern in the United States, affecting children of all ethnic backgrounds, with disproportionate impacts on African American and Hispanic children. While many studies attribute these disparities to cultural factors, there is limited research examining how environmental conditions may also shape parental perceptions and childhood obesity rates. This study hypothesizes that parental perceptions of obesity may be influenced more by socio-economic environments than by cultural differences.

Functional brain network correlates of cardiorespiratory fitness and moderation by depression symptoms.

Cardiorespiratory fitness may protect against or alleviate depression through neuroplastic mechanisms within disrupted brain networks underlying cognitive and affective symptoms. There is a scarcity of research examining the effects of cardiorespiratory fitness on functional brain networks in representative samples spanning adulthood. Further, little is known about the interaction of cardiorespiratory fitness with depression in these networks.

Depressed nestling growth during exposure to smoke from distant wildfires.

Human and animal populations increasingly encounter smoke pollution as climate change enhances the frequency and intensity of wildfires. Most work on smoke effects in animals has studied populations close to fires, populations experiencing small, prescribed burns, or animals in the lab. In June of 2023, smoke from distant Canadian wildfires quickly elevated particulate matter (PM) pollution in a wild house wren (Troglodytes aedon) population for three days before returning to baseline levels.

Assessing the Effect of Fatigue on Swallowing Function in Adults with Acute Stroke. A Pilot Study.

Objective: To determine if fatigue systematically effects the timing of swallowing events and to discuss underlying causes of fatigue other than peripheral neuromuscular fatigue.

Design: Pre-post within-subject repeated-measures design.

Setting: General acute care hospital and designated stroke center.

A principal-weighted penalized regression model and its application in economic modeling.

This paper introduces a novel Principal-Weighted Penalized (PWP) regression model, designed for dimensionality reduction in large datasets without sacrificing essential information. This new model retains the favorable features of the principal component analysis (PCA) technique and penalized regression models. It weighs the variables in a large data set based on their contributions to principal components identified by PCA, enhancing its capacity to uncover crucial hidden variables.

Call to action: Blueprint for change in acute and critical care nursing.

Herein, we propose a blueprint for action to completely measure and recognize the care provided by acute and critical care nurses to be incorporated into policy that shapes and supports practice. We address the nature of nurses' work by identifying nine practice domains, hospital practice environment assumptions, and expected outcomes. Nurses' work, as a cross-system process, needs to be included in hospital-based core measures to fully reflect nurses' impact on patient care.

A Workplace Physical Activity Intervention and a Smartphone App for Overweight and Obese Sedentary Women.

Background: The sedentary aspects of many U.S. occupations and the amount of time American workers spend in the workplace make it an ideal location to implement health promotion programs.

Influence of the Gold Nanoparticle Size on the Colorimetric Detection of Histamine.

Histamine is a well-known biogenic amine (BA) that is often associated with allergic reactions and is a significant cause of foodborne illnesses resulting from the consumption of spoiled food. Detecting histamine is essential for maintaining food safety standards and preserving the quality. In this work, we developed a simple, low-cost, and rapid colorimetric method for detecting histamine.

Strengthening Nurses' Influence in Health Policy.

With nurses at the forefront of health care, the need for their active engagement in policy has never been more urgent. Numerous national and global reports call for nurses to lead policy change. The Patton Zalon Ludwick Policy Assessment Framework is intended to answer this call by serving as a foundational guide to nurses' self-assessment of their health policy actions.

Nepali Translation, Validity and Reliability Study of the Cohen-Hoberman Inventory of Physical Symptoms for Utilization With Bhutanese Refugees.

Background And Objectives: Language-appropriate outcome measurements help to improve health equity. The purpose of this study was to translate and validate the Cohen-Hoberman Inventory of Physical Symptoms (CHIPS) in Nepali for Bhutanese refugee utilization.

Methods: English-Nepali forward and back translations of CHIPS were completed by an official translator and evaluated by three content experts.

Facile Synthesis of Band Gap-Tunable Kappa-Carrageenan-Mediated C,S-Doped TiO Nanoparticles for Enhanced Dye Degradation.

Semiconducting nanoparticles (SNPs) have garnered significant attention for their role in photocatalysis technology, offering a cost-effective and highly efficient method for breaking down organic dyes. Of particular significance within SNP-based photocatalysis are tunable band gap TiO nanoparticles (NPs), which demonstrate remarkable enhancement in photocatalytic efficiency. In the present work, we introduce an approach for the synthesis of TiO NPs using kappa-carrageenan (κ-carrageenan), not just as a reducing and stabilizing agent but as a dopant for the resulting TiO NPs.

Dopamine-Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles for Colorimetric Detection of Histamine.

Histamine, a primary biogenic amine (BA) generated through the decarboxylation of amino acids, concentration increases in protein-rich foods during deterioration. Thus, its detection plays a crucial role in ensuring food safety and quality. This study introduces an innovative approach involving the direct integration of dopamine onto gold nanoparticles (DCt-AuNP), aiming at rapid histamine colorimetric detection.

Original Research: Exploring U.S. Nurses' Perceived Duty to Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Duty to care is both an integral concept in health care and a fundamental nursing obligation. But nurses' perceptions of duty to care can be moderated by their experiences in the practice setting. Research examining nurses' perceptions of their duty to care during the COVID-19 pandemic could shed light on how the pandemic is affecting the nursing workforce.

The strategies used by adults with visual impairment.

Introduction: Current research on visual impairment focuses on children and older adults with visual impairment. This study explored the strategies for living used by three middle-aged adults with visual impairment.

Method: A qualitative study with five interviews and three observation sessions was conducted with middle-aged adults with visual impairment.

Facile Synthesis of PEGylated Gold Nanoparticles for Enhanced Colorimetric Detection of Histamine.

Histamine is among the biogenic amines that are formed during the microbial decarboxylation of amino acids in various food products, posing a significant threat to both food safety and human health. Herein, we present a one-step synthesis of PEGylated gold nanoparticles (PEG-AuNPs) for rapid, simple, and cost-effective colorimetric histamine detection. PEG-AuNPs' surface plasmon resonance (SPR) range at 520-530 nm with a hydrodynamic size distribution of 20-40 nm.

Investigating the Use of a Liquid Immunogenic Fiducial Eluter Biomaterial in Cervical Cancer Treatment.

Globally, cervical cancer is the fourth leading cancer among women and is dominant in resource-poor settings in its occurrence and mortality. This study focuses on developing liquid immunogenic fiducial eluter (LIFE) Biomaterial with components that include biodegradable polymers, nanoparticles, and an immunoadjuvant. LIFE Biomaterial is designed to provide image guidance during radiotherapy similar to clinically used liquid fiducials while enhancing therapeutic efficacy for advanced cervical cancer.

Development of High-Performance Coconut Oil-Based Rigid Polyurethane-Urea Foam: A Novel Sequential Amidation and Prepolymerization Process.

The utilization of coconut diethanolamide (-CDEA) as a substitute polyol for petroleum-based polyol in fully biobased rigid polyurethane-urea foam (RPUAF) faces challenges due to its short chain and limited cross-linking capability. This leads to compromised cell wall resistance during foam expansion, resulting in significant ruptured cells and adverse effects on mechanical and thermal properties. To address this, a novel sequential amidation-prepolymerization route was employed on coconut oil, yielding a hydroxyl-terminated poly(urethane-urea) prepolymer polyol (COPUAP).

Valorization of Agricultural Rice Straw as a Sustainable Feedstock for Rigid Polyurethane/Polyisocyanurate Foam Production.

Agricultural rice straw (RS), often discarded as waste in farmlands, represents a vast and underutilized resource. This study explores the valorization of RS as a potential feedstock for rigid polyurethane/polyisocyanurate foam (RPUF) production. The process begins with the liquefaction of RS to create an RS-based polyol, which is then used in a modified foam formulation to prepare RPUFs.

Increasing Employee Physical Activity Using Goal Setting and a Smartphone App.

Physical inactivity is a high-priority public health issue in U.S. worksites.