The controversy over the equivalence of continuous sedation until death (CSD) and physician-assisted suicide/euthanasia (PAS/E) provides an opportunity to focus on a significant extended use of CSD. This extension, suggested by the equivalence of PAS/E and CSD, is designed to promote additional patient autonomy at the end-of-life. Samuel LiPuma, in his article, "Continuous Sedation Until Death as Physician-Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia: A Conceptual Analysis" claims equivalence between CSD and death; his paper is seminal in the equivalency debate. Critics contend that sedation follows proportionality protocols for which LiPuma's thesis does not adequately account. Furthermore, sedation may not eliminate consciousness, and as such LiPuma's contention that CSD is equivalent to neocortical death is suspect. We not only defend the equivalence thesis, but also expand it to include additional moral considerations. First, we explain the equivalence thesis. This is followed by a defense of the thesis against five criticisms. The third section critiques the current use of CSD. Finally, we offer two proposals that, if adopted, would broaden the use of PAS/E and CSD and thereby expand options at the end-of-life.

Preparing graduate students for teaching careers in academia can involve myriad approaches. One such approach is facilitating authentic teaching opportunities for graduate students. The purpose of this multiple case study was to chronicle the perspectives of four humanities graduate students as they participated in a mentored teaching experience at a community college. Specific emphases included the evolution of participants’ teacher identity and how a mentored teaching experience shaped participants’ future career goals. Data sources consisted of semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, journal reflections, and classroom artifacts. Participants identified the fundamental importance of mentor faculty and diverse students as drivers in their own pedagogical development and reflected on the value of interpersonal connections in education. Implications include the need for more pedagogical transparency and discussion in humanities graduate education, as well as the potential of constructing cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional collaborations to support graduate students’ professional development.

BackgroundOne of the facets of nursing care, as a holistic profession, is cultural care. Considering the role of culture in individuals’ health behaviors, nurses are recommended to be mindful of cultural care. Since nursing educators should be culturally competent to teach cultural care to students, this study aimed to determine the cultural competence of nursing educators of medical sciences universities in the 2nd regional planning in Iran.MethodsThe current research was a descriptive and survey study framed within Campinha-Bacote’s cultural competency model. All nursing educators of universities of medical sciences in the 2nd regional planning of Iran (Tabriz, Urmia, Ardabil, Khoy, Maragheh, Sarab, and Khalkhal) were considered as research units, and the cultural diversity questionnaire for nursing faculties (CDQNE-R) was sent to them. Out of 129 questionnaires sent, 84 were turned back. The data were analyzed by the SPSS 22 software.ResultsThe results of this study showed that the research participants agreed with the subscales of cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural skill, and cultural desire according to Sealey and Yates’ interpretation scale. Also, the research units cast doubts on the cultural encounter subscale. The mean scores of the participants’ responses to the questions of every subscale equaled 4.11, 3.52, 3.71, 3.38, and 3.93 for the subscales of cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural skill, cultural encounter, and cultural desire, respectively. Likewise, the mean scores of participants’ responses to the subscales of transcultural educational behaviors and general cultural competence equaled 3.90 and 3.73.ConclusionsThe nursing faculties participating in the present study agreed with the 4 sub-models of Campinha-Bacote cultural care and the presence of cultural competence criteria. Also, the research units had doubts about the cultural encounter subscale. This result means that the research participants were undecided about their level of participation in face-to-face interactions with people from different cultural, racial, and ethnic groups. According to the results of the study, it is important to hold transcultural nursing training workshops and courses to maintain and improve the level of cultural competence of nursing faculties at universities of medical sciences in the 2nd regional planning in Iran.

Abstract Background: One of the facets of nursing care, as a holistic profession, is cultural care. Considering the role of culture in individuals’ health behaviors, nurses are recommended to be mindful of cultural care. Since nursing educators should be culturally competent to teach cultural care to students, this study aimed to determine the cultural competence of nursing educators of medical sciences universities in the 2nd regional planning in Iran. Methods: The current research was a descriptive and survey study framed within Campinha-Bacote’s cultural competency model. All nursing educators of universities of medical sciences in the 2nd regional planning of Iran (Tabriz, Urmia, Ardabil, Khoy, Maragheh, Sarab, and Khalkhal) were considered as research units, and the cultural diversity questionnaire for nursing faculties (CDQNE-R) was sent to them. Out of 129 questionnaires sent, 84 were turned back. The data were analyzed by the SPSS 26 software. Results: The results of this study showed that the research participants agreed with the subscales of cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural skill, and cultural desire according to Sealey and Yates’ interpretation scale. Also, the research units cast doubts on the cultural encounter subscale. The mean scores of the participants' responses to the questions of every subscale equaled 4.11, 3.52, 3.71, 3.38, and 3.93 for the subscales of cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural skill, cultural encounter, and cultural desire, respectively. Likewise, the mean scores of participants' responses to the subscales of transcultural educational behaviors and general cultural competence equaled 3.90 and 3.73. Conclusions: The nursing faculties participating in the present study agreed with the 4 sub-models of Campinha-Bacote cultural care and the presence of cultural competence criteria. Also, the research units had doubts about the cultural encounter subscale. This result means that the research participants were undecided about their level of participation in face-to-face interactions with people from different cultural, racial, and ethnic groups. According to the results of the study, it is important to hold transcultural nursing training workshops and courses to maintain and improve the level of cultural competence of nursing faculties at universities of medical sciences in the 2nd regional planning in Iran.

This study aimed to examine the relationship between student engagement and student retention of adult learners at community colleges. The relationship between student retention and the five Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) student engagement benchmarks (active and collaborative learning, student effort, academic challenge, student-faculty interaction, and support for learners) was examined using binary logistic regression. This study used secondary data from the CCSSE, including 26,326 adult students (25 and older) from the 2019 CCSSE cohort who were credential-seeking at the community college (participants from 588 colleges in 46 states). This study confirmed a positive relationship between student engagement of adult learners at community colleges and student retention. Individually, each of the CCSSE benchmarks increased the likelihood of student retention. As a combined model, academic challenge and support for learners were the only significant benchmarks. This research confirmed that student engagement strategies benefit adult learners at community colleges.

ABSTRACT The application of frequency-resonance method (FRM) for precise log bending testing is limited by complex geometry; usually the cone with variable cross. This case study presents the relationship among non-destructively tested material parameters of sugar maples and the numerical analysis of effect of simplifications in FRM. Four standing stems were measured to find basic geometry parameters, 3D scanned for precise geometry description, tested by pulling test (PT) to obtain elastic parameters, and, finally, cut down to process the logs. Four logs were measured by stress wave propagation (SWP) using an acoustic tomography (AT) device to obtain longitudinal sound velocities and then evaluated by the FRM to obtain natural frequencies in bending and longitudinal vibrations. Comparison was made between the dynamic moduli of elasticity (MOE), calculated from SWP and the FRM, and the static MOE calculated from the PT. In-situ experimental evaluation was accompanied by modal analysis by finite element method (FEM) working at three levels of geometry simplification (beam model, simplified solid model, and scan-based solid model); the natural frequencies of bending and longitudinal mode shapes were analyzed. The influence of geometry precision on the resulting dynamic response of logs was found regarding comparison to the experimental values.

AbstractSignificant parts of the archaeological record are in private hands, including those of responsible and responsive stewards (RRS). This is not necessarily a bad thing. The Central Ohio Archaeological Digitization Survey (COADS) engages RRS in collaborative study of central Ohio prehistory. COADS leverages the mass of RRS data constructively to add depth and breadth to a regional archaeological record. We recorded over 12,000 diagnostic points and about 5,000 other stone tools from 32 RRS collections. All were scanned as two-dimensional (2D) images, and a sample as three-dimensional (3D) models for landmark-based geometric morphometric (LGM) analysis and GIS analysis of prehistoric land use. The resulting dataset is >4.7 times the number of diagnostics recorded in the Ohio SHPO database for the region, shedding new light on land use and tool use over millennia. In addition to academic research, COADS creates an accessible collection of 3D models available to RRS colleagues and to society at large. This reciprocal sharing mutually benefits professionals and the RRS community. Professionals are not the only ones who research the cultural past; the more and better we collaborate with RRS and others with legitimate interests, the better our common understanding of that past.