Northeastern United States Research Articles

Virtue engagement in contemporary relational psychotherapy: A mixed methods practice‐based study

AbstractIntroductionPositive psychology and virtue ethics traditions suggest that virtue development is a pathway to well‐being, but few studies have examined how psychotherapy in naturalistic settings contributes to clients' virtue engagement.MethodThis study was conducted at a community mental health clinic specialising in contemporary relational psychotherapy (CRP) in the northeast United States. The embedded, explanatory mixed method design included (a) longitudinal mixture‐modelling to identify clients showing gains in relational virtue engagement over time, and (b) interviewing a subsample (N = 15) of these clients.ResultsOur findings suggest that virtue engagement in CRP emerges (a) within the dynamic conditions of the alliance and (b) through holistic attunement to clients' identities, experiences, mental health and growth in capacities that promote wisdom and flourishing. Clinical and research implications and future research directions are discussed.

Deciphering the vectors: Unveiling the local dispersal of Litylenchus crenatae ssp. mccannii in the American beech (Fagus grandifolia) forest ecosystem

Beech leaf disease (BLD), caused by the Litylenchus crenatae ssp. mccannii (Lcm) nematode, is an emerging threat to beech trees. This disease is characterized by distinct leaf symptoms, including leaf interveinal banding and thickened leaf texture, which leads to eventual tree mortality. Understanding Lcm dispersal mechanism(s) is crucial for managing BLD, yet these remain largely unknown, posing a major barrier to its effective management. This study represents a pioneering investigation into the abiotic and biotic vectors that potentially contribute to the local dispersal of Lcm in natural American beech (Fagus grandifolia) forest systems in the Northeastern United States. An experiment was set up in Stone Valley Forest, Pennsylvania (PA), using four funnel stands placed at variable distances from naturally BLD-infected beech trees. This approach enabled the recovery of active Lcm nematodes from each funnel, demonstrating their ability to naturally disperse at least 11.74 m from the nearest BLD-infected tree. The findings highlight the role of abiotic factors involved in the dispersal dynamics of Lcm, especially wind and humidity, as indicated by a generalized linear model. The current study also uncovered the incidental association of Lcm with other organisms beneath the canopy of BLD trees, including spiderwebs and caterpillars. To our knowledge, this is the first study to document the potential vectors involved in the local dispersal of Lcm, offering valuable information for the biology of this nematode, as well as insight into the development of effective BLD management strategies. The findings contribute to broader efforts in advancing the understanding of the local spread of BLD, highlighting the complex interplay of abiotic and biotic factors in this disease dispersal.

AI MyData: Fostering Middle School Students’ Engagement with Machine Learning through an Ethics-Infused AI Curriculum

As initiatives on artificial intelligence (AI) education in K-12 learning contexts continues to evolve, researchers have developed curricula among other resources to promote AI across grade levels. Yet, there is a need for more effort regarding curriculum, tools, and pedagogy, as well as assessment techniques to popularize AI at the middle school level. Drawing on prior work, we created original curriculum activities with innovative use of existing technology, a new computational teaching tool, and a series of approaches and assessments to evaluate students’ engagement with the learning resources. Our curriculum called AI MyData comprises elements of ML and data science infused with ethical orientation. In this paper, we describe the novel AI curriculum and further discuss how we engaged students in learning and critiquing AI ethical dilemmas. We gathered data from two pilot studies conducted in the Northeast United States, one Artificial Intelligence Afterschool (AIA) program, and one virtual AI summer camp. The AIA program was carried out in a local public school with four middle school students aged 12 to 13; the program consisted of eleven two-hour sessions. The summer camp consisted of two-hour sessions over four consecutive days, with eighteen students aged 12 to 15. We facilitated both pilot programs with hands-on plugged and unplugged activities. The method of capturing data included artifact collection, structured interviews, written assessments, and a pre- to post-questionnaire tapping participants’ dispositions about AI and its societal implication. Participant artifacts, written assessments, survey, observation, and analysis of tasks completed revealed that the children improved in their knowledge of AI. In addition, the AI curriculum units and accompanying approaches developed for this study successfully engaged the participants, even without prior knowledge of related concepts. We also found an indication that introducing ethics of AI to adolescents will help their development as ethically responsive citizens. Our study results also indicate that lessons establishing links with students’ personal lives (e.g., letting students choose personally meaningful datasets) and societal implications using unplugged activities and interactive tools were particularly valuable for promoting AI and the integration of AI in middle school education across the subject domains and settings. Based on these results, we discuss our findings, identify their limitations, and propose future work.

Developing a clinical decision support framework for integrating predictive models into routine nursing practices in home health care for patients with heart failure

AbstractBackgroundThe healthcare industry increasingly values high‐quality and personalized care. Patients with heart failure (HF) receiving home health care (HHC) often experience hospitalizations due to worsening symptoms and comorbidities. Therefore, close symptom monitoring and timely intervention based on risk prediction could help HHC clinicians prevent emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. This study aims to (1) describe important variables associated with a higher risk of ED visits and hospitalizations in HF patients receiving HHC; (2) map data requirements of a clinical decision support (CDS) tool to the exchangeable data standard for integrating a CDS tool into the care of patients with HF; (3) outline a pipeline for developing a real‐time artificial intelligence (AI)‐based CDS tool.MethodsWe used patient data from a large HHC organization in the Northeastern US to determine the factors that can predict ED visits and hospitalizations among patients with HF in HHC (9362 patients in 12,223 care episodes). We examined vital signs, HHC visit details (e.g., the purpose of the visit), and clinical note–derived variables. The study identified critical factors that can predict ED visits and hospitalizations and used these findings to suggest a practical CDS tool for nurses. The tool's proposed design includes a system that can analyze data quickly to offer timely advice to healthcare clinicians.ResultsOur research showed that the length of time since a patient was admitted to HHC and how recently they have shown symptoms of HF were significant factors predicting an adverse event. Additionally, we found this information from the last few HHC visits before the occurrence of an ED visit or hospitalization were particularly important in the prediction. One hundred percent of clinical demographic profiles from the Outcome and Assessment Information Set variables were mapped to the exchangeable data standard, while natural language processing–driven variables couldn't be mapped due to their nature, as they are generated from unstructured data. The suggested CDS tool alerts nurses about newly emerging or rising risks, helping them make informed decisions.ConclusionsThis study discusses the creation of a time‐series risk prediction model and its potential CDS applications within HHC, aiming to enhance patient outcomes, streamline resource utilization, and improve the quality of care for individuals with HF.Clinical RelevanceThis study provides a detailed plan for a CDS tool that uses the latest AI technology designed to aid nurses in their day‐to‐day HHC service. Our proposed CDS tool includes an alert system that serves as a guard rail to prevent ED visits and hospitalizations. This tool can potentially improve how nurses make decisions and improve patient outcomes by providing early warnings about ED visits and hospitalizations.

Exploring the Role of Recreation in Rural NH Youths' Negotiation of Master Narratives

Rural youths often feel compelled to leave their home communities to seek new opportunities, especially at the secondary-postsecondary educational transition. These decisions are driven in part by perceived developmental imperatives to leave rural regions given messages that success is best achieved elsewhere. The present study used the framework of identity master narratives to explore recreation’s role in facilitating youth postsecondary planning in the rural northeastern state of New Hampshire. The study extends and deepens prior research seeking to understand some of the structural-psychological factors connecting recreation involvement in adolescence, postsecondary decision making, and broader developmental patterns among the 15-19 and 20-24 age cohorts. Findings suggest that recreational involvement is associated with postsecondary plans, and that a strong educational and vocational identity can also provide clarity for the future. Recreation and youth professionals inevitably engage with developmental processes and can support postsecondary planning by exposing youths to broad possible futures.

This Course Is Ungraded: The Impact of Ungrading Practices on Students and Their Instructor

The researcher studied ungrading practices in an introductory course on emergent language and literacy in the early years for undergraduate students interested in pursuing careers as classroom teachers at an urban public college in the northeast United States. Based on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), the researcher applied self-efficacy and reflective teaching theories to address how a course designed with ungrading practices impacted students' self-efficacy and the researcher as a reflective teacher. The researcher used mixed methods to analyze data. Findings show that students' participation presented a calibration of dynamic interaction between personal, behavioral, and environmental factors. Findings also show how integral it was to build a supportive learning community to develop students' self-efficacy. Ungrading practices created conditions for a humanizing pedagogy. The researcher applied an ethics of care that diminished power over students and instead emphasized power with students. This shift in power enabled dialogic discourse that informed responsive teaching and reflective practice. Rather than best practices, a course designed with ungrading practices is deeply contextual and requires an inquiry stance.

Trend of immunization & gap in vaccine doses as observed in National Family Health Survey rounds in India

Background & objectives Immunization is an efficient and cost-effective way of lowering the infectious disease related morbidity and mortality in the community. The current study reviewed the trend of immunization, gaps in doses of vaccine given at the same time and gaps between the doses of same vaccine from National Family Health Survey (NFHS 1-5) rounds. Methods The current study extracted data from all five NFHS rounds conducted from 1992-93 to 2019-21. The study analyzed the State-wise and demography-wise distribution of trends of immunization from NFHS-1 to NFHS-5. State wise distribution of change in vaccination coverage between NFHS-4 and 5 was analyzed. The study also assessed the State-wise trends of fully vaccinated and unvaccinated children from NFHS 1-5. Results The northeastern States had maximum gap between the vaccination given at birth i.e., 47.3 per cent between BCG and Hepatitis B, and 32.8 per cent between BCG and birth dose of OPV in Manipur in NFHS -5. A gradual rise in the percentage of male (40.2%) and female (41.9%) childrens’ vaccination was found across the NFHS rounds with reduction in gap between the male and female vaccination from NFHS-1 (2.6%) to NFHS-5 (0.9%). The percentage of vaccination decreased proportionately with birth order. The vaccination coverage has increased in both urban and rural population, but the rise was higher in rural (45.9%) areas than urban (24.8%). An increase in percentage of fully vaccinated children by 41.2 per cent and decrease in percentage of non-vaccinated children by 26.4 per cent was observed from NFHS-1 to NFHS-5. Interpretation & conclusions Our analysis clearly suggests that immunization coverage has improved over a period of time but the variability in vaccine coverage across States and gap in vaccine doses needs attention of the policy makers to cover this for achieving our national immunization goals.

Situational diagnosis of basic sanitation planning in the upper west region of Rio Grande do Norte

This article examines the development and implementation of Municipal Basic Sanitation Plans (PMSB) in the Upper West Region of the Brazilian Northeastern state of Rio Grande do Norte. The investigation reveals that, despite the legal requirement for PMSB, many municipalities encounter significant challenges, including a dearth of trained personnel and financial resources, insufficient public engagement, and the absence of a unified information system for basic sanitation policy. Moreover, the lack of budget provisions for executing the actions outlined in the plans was identified as a critical issue. The article concludes that it is essential to fortify planning processes, ensure public participation, furnish the requisite technical and financial capacity, integrate basic sanitation actions into municipal budgetary frameworks, and address the political disarticulation of small municipalities.

Modeling carbon dynamics from a heterogeneous watershed in the mid-Atlantic USA: A distributed-calibration and independent verification (DCIV) approach

The terrestrial ecosystem plays a vital role in regulating regional and global carbon budgets. Ecosystem models are extensively employed to estimate carbon fluxes across different spatial scales. However, there remains a need to reduce the uncertainties associated with model parameterization and input data. To address these limitations, we assessed a distributed-calibration and independent-verification (DCIV) approach that uses (1) remotely sensed net primary production (NPP) and evapotranspiration (ET) data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), (2) multi-site eddy covariance net ecosystem exchange (NEE) data; and (3) field sampling of soil organic carbon (SOC) and aboveground biomass (ABG) data to improve the overall predictability of carbon fluxes for the different land use and land cover (LULC) types at a watershed scale. The DCIV approach was applied to an advanced version of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT)-Carbon (or SWAT-C), equipped with Century-based SOC algorithms to simulate carbon dynamics for watersheds with heterogeneous vegetation. The objective of the modeling effort was to assess carbon stocks and fluxes under different land management scenarios for a 3000-acre experimental farm and forest preserve in the northeastern United States. Our study showed that a large SOC stock of at least 100 tons ha−1 is stored under mixed forest, deciduous, shrubland, and floodplain (grass). Our study also showed that converting floodplain (grass) to deciduous forest has the potential to increase CO2 uptake (-NEE) by an order of three magnitude and ABG by 77 %, leading to an increased SOC stock of 23 % after twenty years. Similarly, we found that converting ungrazed grassland to grazed pasture leads to a non-statistically decreasing trend of SOC, especially in the 0–30 cm soil layer. Thus, the methodology used in this study can be applied to improve carbon dynamic prediction from a heterogeneous watershed at a regional scale.

The Lived Experiences of Telemedicine Intensive Care Unit Nurses.

Although nurses are the primary clinicians in telemedicine intensive care units (tele-ICUs), their experiences remain underresearched. To describe and interpret the lived experiences of tele-ICU nurses. A qualitative, hermeneutical, phenomenological approach based on van Manen's methodology was used to collect and interpret interview data. In-depth interviews were conducted with 11 tele-ICU nurses affiliated with a health system in the northeastern United States. The interviews were intended to elicit direct reports of specific incidents to capture the phenomenological experience. Field observations of the practice setting were conducted to enhance data richness. The participants were primarily female, aged 34 to 67 years, with 11 to 45 years of nursing experience. The following 4 major themes and 12 subthemes were identified: (1) watching intensively and panoptically, with subthemes (a) affirming unremitting diligence, (b) uncovering virtual knowing, and (c) easing perceptions of intrusion; (2) transcending complex boundaries, with subthemes (a) building trustful collaboration, (b) discerning vigilant interventions, and (c) exercising skillful investigation; (3) transforming nursing practice, with subthemes (a) mastering tact, (b) delineating the critical wholeness, and (c) augmenting safety and quality of care; and (4) developing an e-identity, with subthemes (a) tempering feelings of working in shadows, (b) evolving to the enhanced specialist role, and (c) achieving professional gratification. Tele-ICU nurses play a transformative role in nursing practice. These findings have implications for nursing practice, education, health policy, enhancement of the current American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Tele-ICU Nursing Practice Model, and future research on ICU telemedicine.

How to build a powerline: Fast policies for decarbonization, the slow work of public participation, and the profitability of energy capital

Community opposition to new low-carbon energy infrastructure – and resulting project delays and cancellations – is increasingly taken by some climate activists, policymakers, and scholars as evidence of the incompatibility between urgent decarbonization and expanded public participation. This paper argues that too narrow a focus on this duality risks overlooking an additional mandate: the profitability of energy capital. This paper intervenes in the ‘rapid vs. just transitions’ debate by arguing that building low-carbon energy infrastructure requires a balancing of trade-offs between speed, local support, and profit for private developers. Using a case study of a controversial transmission project in the northeastern United States, I argue that project delays are attributable not (just) to uncooperative publics, but to energy capital's drive for profit, which discourages compromises with host communities that would increase project costs but cultivate local support. By treating the social legitimacy of low-carbon energy infrastructure as contingent on its ability to meet criteria for public acceptability, this paper argues that the slow work of public participation can in fact be the route to ‘fast policies’ for decarbonization when it fosters developer norms in line with community expectations for projects.

Medical Decision-Making and Bereavement Experiences After Cardiac Arrest: Qualitative Insights From Surrogates.

Surrogates of incapacitated patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) face decisions related to life-sustaining treatments. Decisional conflict is understudied. To compare experiences of ICU surrogates by reported level of decisional conflict related to treatment decisions after a patient's cardiac arrest preceding death. Convergent mixed methods were used. Bereaved surrogates recruited from a single northeastern US academic medical center completed surveys including the low-literacy Decisional Conflict Scale (moderate-to-high cut point >25) and individual interviews about 1 month after the patient's death. Interview data were analyzed by directed and conventional content analysis. Surrogates were stratified by median total survey score, and interview findings were compared by decisional conflict level. Of 16 surrogates, 7 reported some decisional conflict (median survey score, 0; range, 0-25). About two-thirds decided to withdraw treatments. Three themes emerged from interviews: 2 reflecting decision-making experiences ("the ultimate act"; "the legacy of clinician communication") and 1 reflecting bereavement experiences ("I wish there was a handbook"). Surrogates reporting decisional conflict included those who first pursued but later withdrew treatments after a patient's in-hospital cardiac arrest. Surrogates with decisional conflict described suboptimal support, poor medical understanding, and lack of clarity about patients' treatment preferences. These findings provide insight into bereaved ICU surrogates' experiences. The low overall survey scores may reflect retrospective measurement. Surrogates who pursued treatment were underrepresented. Novel approaches to support bereaved surrogates are warranted.

Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on yoga instruction: Examining teaching methodology, class components, and injury patterns in the Northeastern US

ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine the impact of COVID-19 on the perspectives of yoga instructors (YIs) regarding teaching methodology, class components, and yoga-related injuries among their clients DesignA cross-sectional design in this study. SettingA total of 407 YIs from Northeastern United States completed a customized, web-based survey. Main outcome measuresChi-square tests were carried out to determine changes in yoga teaching format before and during the pandemic, as well as the counts of yoga related injuries between face-to-face (FtoF) and online teaching format. Independent t tests were used to compare the characteristics of yoga teaching elements. ResultsDuring the pandemic, 47 % of YIs adopted online teaching, followed by a mixed (45.9 %) format and FtoF (7.1 %) instruction. Both online and FtoF classes showed similar trends, with most reporting class sizes of 4–6, followed by 7–9 and then 1–3 students. Regardless of the teaching format, most YIs performed sun salutations and practiced mixed yoga styles. Among the YIs teaching yoga online, 84.6 % expressed their willingness to continue offering online classes post-pandemic and perceived the quality of online yoga teaching as high. Importantly, the number of injuries was low, and there were no significant differences in injury counts between FtoF (3.6 %) and online (4.2 %) teaching formats (p > 0.05). The most common injury in all forms of teaching yoga was a sprain/strain (42.9 %). ConclusionsThese findings could inform the development of research studies to examine the long-term feasibility and effectiveness of delivering online yoga since short-term benefits, safety, and YI acceptance appear favorable.

A Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial of the Toolkit for Optimal Recovery after Concussion: A Live Video Program to Prevent Persistent Concussion Symptoms in Young Adults with Anxiety

ObjectivesTo assess the feasibility of the Toolkit for Optimal Recovery after Concussion (TOR-C), the first mind-body program aiming to prevent persistent concussion symptoms among young adults with anxiety, and an active control (Health Enhancement after Concussion; HE-C). We also tested preliminary improvements in outcome measures and putative mechanistic targets. DesignSingle-blind, 2-arm, randomized controlled trial.Setting: Academic medical center in the US Northeast. ParticipantsFifty young adults (ages 18-35) with a recent concussion (3-10 weeks prior) and anxiety (≥5 on the GAD7 questionnaire). InterventionsBoth interventions consisted of four 45-minute 1:1 sessions with a clinician over Zoom. TOR-C (n=25) taught mind-body, cognitive-behavioral, and return-to-activity skills. HE-C (n=25) taught health education (e.g., sleep, nutrition) without skills. Main Outcome MeasuresPrimary: feasibility outcomes (e.g., recruitment, credibility, expectancy, acceptability, safety, feasibility of assessments, fidelity, satisfaction, TOR-C homework adherence) with a-priori-set benchmarks. Secondary: intervention outcomes were concussion symptoms (PCSS), physical function (WHODAS), anxiety (GAD7/HAD-A), depression (HADS-D) and pain (NRS). TOR-C mechanistic targets were pain catastrophizing (PCS), mindfulness (CAMS-R), fear avoidance (FAB-TBI), limiting behavior and all-or-nothing behavior (BRIQ). ResultsBoth interventions met all feasibility benchmarks and were associated with significant improvements in outcomes (concussion symptoms, physical function, anxiety, depression and pain; d=0.44-1.21) and TOR-C mechanistic targets (pain catastrophizing, mindfulness, fear-avoidance, and limiting behavior; Cohen's d=0.41-1.24). Improvements in all-or-nothing behavior were only significant in TOR-C (d=0.52). Improvements in all mechanistic targets except all-or-nothing behavior following TOR-C were significantly associated with improvements in at least one outcome. ConclusionFindings provide strong support for the feasibility of TOR-C and HE-C, and preliminary evidence for improvements in mechanistic targets and outcomes. Findings inform a future fully-powered RCT testing efficacy of TOR-C vs. HE-C.

The Anticolonial Turn in Journalism and the Media in Pre-Independence India: How Newspaper Coverage by Foreign and Indian Newspapers of the Champaran, Dandi, and Dharasana Movements Made Gandhi a Household Name

ABSTRACT This article argues that the role played by the print media in India’s anticolonial struggle was a pivotal point of departure in the episteme of postcolonial histories—one that provided an impetus and guiding light to similar struggles worldwide, a position often ignored by Eurocentric academia studying media historiographies. It is based on extensive reviews of newspaper archives from the northeastern and northwestern states of Bihar and Gujarat in India, as well as archival review of the British press, and it outlines the coverage of Gandhi’s interventions in the two states that ultimately resulted in nationwide mobilization. The authors argue that the journalistic tradition of anti-colonial protest that developed in India provided an impetus to the advancement of anticolonial sentiments and the movement as a whole. This was supplemented in some measure by the more radical members of the British press, while the mainstream British press remained committed to the colonial project.

Molecular characterization of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) from hospitalised cases of hepatitis in six northeastern states of India

Molecular characterization of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) from hospitalised cases of hepatitis in six northeastern states of India

Short-Term Outcomes of a Healthy Relationship Intervention for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault in the US Military: Pilot Pretest-Postest Study.

Sexual harassment (SH) and sexual assault (SA) are serious public health problems among US service members. Few SH and SA prevention interventions have been developed exclusively for the military. Code of Respect (X-CoRe) is an innovative web-based, multilevel, SA and SH intervention designed exclusively for the active-duty Air Force. The program's goal is to increase Airmen's knowledge and skills to build and maintain respectful relationships, ultimately reducing SH and SA and enhancing Airmen's overall well-being and mission readiness. This pilot study aimed to assess the short-term psychosocial impact (eg, knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy) of the web-based component of X-CoRe on a sample of junior enlisted and midlevel Airmen. Airmen from a military installation located in the Northeastern United States were recruited to complete the 10 web-based modules in X-CoRe (9/15, 60% male; 7/15, 54% aged 30-35 years). Participants were given pretests and posttests to measure short-term psychosocial outcomes associated with SH and SA. Descriptive statistics and paired 2-tailed t tests were conducted to assess differences from preintervention to postintervention time points. After completing X-CoRe, participants had a significantly greater understanding of active consent (P=.04), confidence in their healthy relationship skills (P=.045), and confidence to intervene as bystanders (P=.01). Although not statistically significant (P>.05), mean scores in attitudes about SH, couple violence, and cyberbullying; perceptions of sexual misconduct as part of military life; and relationship skills self-efficacy with a romantic partner and friend also improved. The findings from this study demonstrate X-CoRe's effectiveness in improving critical determinants of SH and SA, making it a promising intervention for SH and SA prevention. More rigorous research is needed to determine X-CoRe's impact on SH and SA victimization and the long-term impact on associated psychosocial determinants.

Assessment of relationship between emotional intelligence and conflict resolution among nurse managers at tertiary Health Institutions of North Eastern States of Nigeria

Conflict in health care settings may be effectively managed if nurse managers possess conflict management skills such as reconciliation, listening, and effective communication to bring individuals closer and work together to find fair solutions and meet balanced needs. The study aimed at identifying the relationship between emotional intelligence and conflict resolution among nurse managers at tertiary Health Facilities, in the Northern States of Nigeria. The objectives of the study are to assess the level of emotional intelligence among nurse managers, also to identify the most common types of conflict, determine the causes of conflict, determine the conflict resolution strategies applied by the nurse managers and to identify relationship between emotional intelligence and conflict resolution among nurse managers in tertiary health institutions of North Eastern States. A mixed methods research design (quantitative and qualitative methods) was used. A total of 188 nurse managers and three Head Nursing Services departments formed the sample size. The nurse managers were given structured questionnaires and the Head of the Nursing Services department was interviewed (key informant interview). Three instruments were employed for data collection; Interview Guide, Structured Questionnaire and Participants Demographics Sheet. A simple random sampling technique was used for the study. The obtained data were coded and computed in an SPSS Version 26 and analyzed using percentages, mean and standard deviation for descriptive statistics while the Pearson Correlation Coefficient was used for the inferential statistics. The result of the study revealed that most of the nurse managers have a fair level of emotional intelligence when dealing with conflict among nurse managers. It also revealed that the most common type of conflict among nurses was related to environmental factors. The working environment was the highest cause of conflict among nurses. Social skill strategy was mostly used in conflict resolution. The study revealed that there was no significant relationship between years of experience and conflict resolution r=0.173. Based on the findings the researcher concluded that most of the respondents highly make use of social awareness in the application of emotional intelligence in conflict resolution, most of the causes of conflict among nurses were related to a working environment, and social skills were mostly used in conflict resolution among nurses. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommended that other sources of conflict management should be identified for nurse managers to manage conflict, nurse managers should use the skills they have to solve problems and conflict management to be part of a school of nursing curriculum.

Self-reported health effects from wildfire smoke: A cross-sectional study in New York State

Abstract Background Wildfires and exposure to wildfire smoke (WFS) are forecasted to increase, in part driven by climate change. As witnessed in 2023, regions in Europe and North America are facing more sustained periods of poor air quality due to WFS. Growing evidence suggests average daily WFS correlates with morbidity and mortality, but the impact of prolonged WFS exposure remains understudied, especially in areas where WFS is a newer occurrence. We examine associations between consecutive days of WFS experienced and self-reported health symptoms in the northeastern United States. Methods This retrospective cross-sectional study explored New York State (NYS) residents’ experience with WFS in summer 2023 via an online survey. Participants reported the longest period of consecutive WFS days and symptoms experienced. Log-binomial regression models estimated prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results 553 NYS residents were included, representing a healthy, primarily female and White population, ranging from 18 to 86 years. 549 (99.3%) reported experiencing WFS, with the longest period of consecutive WFS days varying (≤3 days: n = 152; 4 to 6 days: n = 255; ≥7 days: n = 146). 490 (88.6%) reported ≥1 health symptom, with itchy/watery eyes, sore throat, and headache as the most frequent. Compared to ≤ 3 consecutive WFS days, symptom prevalence was 9.1% higher for those reporting 4 to 6 days (PR [95% CI]:1.09 [1.00, 1.19]) and 16.7% higher for ≥7 days (1.17 [1.07, 1.27]). The trend of increased symptom prevalence with longer WFS periods persisted and was pronounced for specific symptoms. Control for potential confounders did not appreciably change estimates. Conclusions Our findings suggest longer sustained WFS exposure associates with higher symptom prevalence, which may be precursors to more serious health conditions. As global populations face more WFS with climate change, public health professionals should prioritize strategies to mitigate prolonged exposure. Key messages • In a convenience sample of 553 primarily healthy New York State residents, 99.3% reported experiencing wildfire smoke and 88.6% reported at least 1 symptom of poor health during summer 2023. • Associations between consecutive days of wildfire smoke experienced and prevalence of any and specific symptoms tended to vary in a dose-response manner.

An analysis of observed and predicted extreme heat and precipitation trends across four pulse producing regions in North America: North Dakota, Montana, Saskatchewan, and Northeastern United States

Abstract The consumption of plant-based proteins in leu of animal proteins is the most important dietary shift that would be needed to keep the world under 2 C of warming, and this shift would require a dramatic increase in the percentage of cropland devoted to nuts and pulses (Peters et al. 2016). As the demand for plant-based proteins, like pulse crops, continues to grow, it is critical to understand the impact of climate change on crop production. In this paper, we study two climate-related stressors for pulse production in North America: extreme heat and excess moisture during harvest. Pulses must be dried on the plant before harvest, requiring a 7-day dry spell before harvest or the use of Roundup (glyphosate) to kill the plants quickly. However, little is known about the changes in frequency of hot extremes or dry spells during harvest in pulse-growing regions. We analyze climate trends using the Unprecedented Simulated Extreme Ensemble (UNSEEN) method and an analysis of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) in four pulse growing regions across North America: Montana, North Dakota, Saskatchewan, and the Northeast USA. We find that temperature extremes have increased in all regions, with extreme events 3-4 times more likely today than in 1981, increasing the risk of crop loss. August and September rainfall during the harvest months has been decreasing in the Midwestern regions and it is projected to continue to decrease in the future; however, the likelihood of a wet August in the Northeast has nearly doubled. Even with this drying trend, farmers cannot assume that they will have a 7-day consecutive dry spell that would enable natural drying of pulses without synthetic drying agents like glyphosate. Future expansion of pulse production should incorporate adaptation measures to manage extreme heat and the potential for rain events during harvest.