Toolkit Components Research Articles

Development and Evaluation of a Higher Education Food Security Toolkit to Provide Ideas of Initiatives for Student Wellbeing: WISH4Campus (P04-049-19)

ObjectivesMany universities are starting initiatives on campus to support food insecure students in receiving nutritious food. However, there is no comprehensive resource of these initiatives to help guide universities in starting a program on campus. The objective of this study is to describe the development and evaluation of a toolkit that can assist higher education institutions in promoting a campus environment, providing adequate resources for food insecure students. MethodsThe toolkit development was guided by the basis of the Normalization Process Theory (NPT) to evaluate factors that could facilitate or inhibit initiative success on campus. A review of literature was undertaken by two independent reviewers to gather all peer reviewed and grey literature on food insecurity programs currently available on college campuses in the United States. Findings were compiled into a toolkit that contained six initiative chapters: food pantries, campus gardens, farmers markets, dining and recovery programs, mobile applications, and policy initiatives. The toolkit was evaluated by experts from land-grant universities who work with food insecurity issues (n = 126). Experts completed a 27-question survey to determine demographics, perceptions of food insecurity and evaluation of specific toolkit components. Descriptive statistics and frequency analyses were performed on quantitative data and content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. ResultsThirty experts (23.8% response rate) completed the evaluation survey. Evaluation feedback covered four main topics: layout, overall content, initiatives, and application. Eight themes emerged from the coding and categorization of responses. They were visual appeal, organization, value, provoking, comprehensive, barriers, collaboration, and efficiency. Corrections and recommendations were provided for each topic. ConclusionsThe themes derived from expert feedback encompassed the initial objective of the toolkit. This toolkit serves as a comprehensive resource that can be utilized by student leaders, clubs or organizations, campus stakeholders or administrators to begin a food security initiative on campus to promote student well-being. Funding SourcesPrimary funding is from the West Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station WVA00689 and WVA00721. The first author is supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences T32 grant (GM081741).

Polychlorinated biphenyls reduce the kinematics contractile properties of embryonic stem cells-derived cardiomyocytes by disrupting their intracellular Ca2+ dynamics

Persistent organic pollutants are a group of chemicals that include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). PCBs exposure during adult life increases incidence and severity of cardiomyopathies, whereas in utero exposure determines congenital heart defects. Being fat-soluble, PCBs are passed to newborns through maternal milk, impairing heart functionality in the adult. It is still unknown how PCBs impair cardiac contraction at cellular/molecular levels. Here, we study the molecular mechanisms by which PCBs cause the observed heart contraction defects, analysing the alterations of Ca2+ toolkit components that regulate contraction. We investigated the effect that Aroclor 1254 (Aroclor), a mixture of PCBs, has on perinatal-like cardiomyocytes derived from mouse embryonic stem cells. Cardiomyocytes, exposed to 1 or 2 µg/ml Aroclor for 24 h, were analyzed for their kinematics contractile properties and intracellular Ca2+ dynamics. We observed that Aroclor impairs cardiomyocytes contractile properties by inhibiting spontaneous Ca2+ oscillations. It disrupts intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis by reducing the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ content and by inhibiting voltage-gated Ca2+ entry. These findings contribute to the understanding of the molecular underpinnings of PCBs-induced cardiovascular alterations, which are emerging as an additional life-threatening hurdle associated to PCBs pollution. Therefore, PCBs-dependent alteration of intracellular Ca2+ dynamics is the most likely trigger of developmental cardiac functional alteration.

Qualitative user evaluation of a revised pharmacogenetic educational toolkit.

IntroductionPharmacogenetic (PGx) testing is a leading application for personalized and precision medicine; however, there are barriers, including limited provider and patient understanding, which affect its uptake. There is a need for tools that can enhance the patient and provider experience with testing and promoting the shared and informed decision-making.Materials and methodsIn this study, we sought to gather additional feedback on a PGx toolkit comprised of four educational tools that had been previously evaluated through an online survey by pharmacists. Specifically, we conducted semi-structured interviews with pharmacists and members of the public regarding their understanding and utility of the toolkit and its individual components.ResultsParticipants found three of the four toolkit components, a test information sheet, flipbook, and results sheet, to be useful and important. The fourth component, results card, was viewed less favorably. Participants differed in their preference for medical jargon and detailed results nomenclature (namely star * alleles).ConclusionUser input during the development of educational materials is essential for optimizing utilization, effectiveness, and comprehension.

Provider perceptions of an integrated primary care quality improvement strategy: The PPAQ toolkit.

The Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) model of integrated primary care is challenging to implement with high fidelity. The Primary Care Behavioral Health Provider Adherence Questionnaire (PPAQ) was designed to assess provider adherence to essential model components and has recently been adapted into a quality improvement toolkit. The aim of this pilot project was to gather preliminary feedback on providers' perceptions of the acceptability and utility of the PPAQ toolkit for making beneficial practice changes. Twelve mental health providers working in Department of Veterans Affairs integrated primary care clinics participated in semistructured interviews to gather quantitative and qualitative data. Descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis were used to analyze data. Providers identified several positive features of the PPAQ toolkit organization and structure that resulted in high ratings of acceptability, while also identifying several toolkit components in need of modification to improve usability. Toolkit content was considered highly representative of the (PCBH) model and therefore could be used as a diagnostic self-assessment of model adherence. The toolkit was considered to be high in applicability to providers regardless of their degree of prior professional preparation or current clinical setting. Additionally, providers identified several system-level contextual factors that could impact the usefulness of the toolkit. These findings suggest that frontline mental health providers working in (PCBH) settings may be receptive to using an adherence-focused toolkit for ongoing quality improvement. (PsycINFO Database Record

From Stores to Sinks: Structural Mechanisms of Cytosolic Calcium Regulation.

All eukaryotic cells have adapted the use of the calcium ion (Ca2+) as a universal signaling element through the evolution of a toolkit of Ca2+ sensor, buffer and effector proteins. Among these toolkit components, integral and peripheral proteins decorate biomembranes and coordinate the movement of Ca2+ between compartments, sense these concentration changes and elicit physiological signals. These changes in compartmentalized Ca2+ levels are not mutually exclusive as signals propagate between compartments. For example, agonist induced surface receptor stimulation can lead to transient increases in cytosolic Ca2+ sourced from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stores; the decrease in ER luminal Ca2+ can subsequently signal the opening surface channels which permit the movement of Ca2+ from the extracellular space to the cytosol. Remarkably, the minuscule compartments of mitochondria can function as significant cytosolic Ca2+ sinks by taking up Ca2+ in a coordinated manner. In non-excitable cells, inositol 1,4,5 trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) on the ER respond to surface receptor stimulation; stromal interaction molecules (STIMs) sense the ER luminal Ca2+ depletion and activate surface Orai1 channels; surface Orai1 channels selectively permit the movement of Ca2+ from the extracellular space to the cytosol; uptake of Ca2+ into the matrix through the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (MCU) further shapes the cytosolic Ca2+ levels. Recent structural elucidations of these key Ca2+ toolkit components have improved our understanding of how they function to orchestrate precise cytosolic Ca2+ levels for specific physiological responses. This chapter reviews the atomic-resolution structures of IP3R, STIM1, Orai1 and MCU elucidated by X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy and NMR and discusses the mechanisms underlying their biological functions in their respective compartments within the cell.

Maternal Hemorrhage Quality Improvement Collaborative Lessons.

The purpose of this study was to describe user experience with implementation of an obstetric hemorrhage toolkit and determine the degree of implementation of recommended practices that occurred during a 31-hospital quality improvement learning collaborative. This descriptive qualitative study included semistructured interviews with 22 implementation team leaders and review of transcripts from collaborative reporting calls recorded during the hemorrhage collaborative. Interviews included open-ended, closed, and ranking questions. Numeric responses were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Open-ended responses and call transcripts were analyzed thematically. Each of the 10 core toolkit components was ranked as currently "implemented" or "implemented and sustained" by at least 77% of interviewees. Most core elements were deemed "critical to retain." Respondents found debriefing the most difficult element of the toolkit to implement and sustain. Organizational context was the overarching theme regarding factors facilitating or constraining implementation. This included organizational structure and culture, previous experience with quality improvement, resources, and clinician engagement. Nurses were deeply involved in implementation and "physician buy-in" was a frequently mentioned facilitator when present and barrier when absent. Greater understanding of and attention to organizational context and resources, greater appreciation for nursing involvement, and increased recognition of the role of organizational leadership are needed to facilitate widespread improvement initiatives in maternity care. Implementation science approaches may be useful in achieving national goals for maternal quality improvement and safety.

Conservation and divergence of bHLH genes in the calcisponge Sycon ciliatum.

BackgroundBasic Helix-Loop-Helix (bHLH) genes encode a large family of eukaryotic transcription factors, categorized into six high-order groups: pan-eukaryotic group B involved in regulation of cell cycle, metabolism, and development; holozoan-specific groups C and F involved in development and maintenance of homeostasis; and metazoan-specific groups A, D and E including well-studied genes, such as Atonal, Twist and Hairy, with diverse developmental roles including control of morphogenesis and specification of neurons. Current scenarios of bHLH evolution in animals are mainly based on the bHLH gene set found in the genome of demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica. In this species, the majority of the 21 identified bHLH genes belong to group B, and the single group A gene is orthologous to several neurogenic bilaterian subfamilies, including atonal and neurogenin.Results Given recently discovered differences in developmental toolkit components between siliceous and calcareous sponges, we have carried out genome-wide analysis of bHLH genes in Sycon ciliatum, an emerging calcisponge model. We identified 30 bHLH genes in this species, representing 12 individual families, including four group A families not found in Amphimedon, and two larger family groupings. Notably, the families represented in Sycon are only partially overlapping with those represented in Amphimedon. Developmental expression analysis of a subset of the identified genes revealed patterns consistent with deeply conserved roles, such as specification of sensory cells by Atona-related and stem cells by Myc genes.Conclusions Our results demonstrate independent gene loss events in demosponges and calcisponges, implying a complex bHLH toolkit in the last common metazoan ancestor.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13227-016-0060-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Structural continuity and technological change in Lower Pleistocene toolkits

A structural foundation has recently been laid down to describe early stone industries using a four-phase evolutionary sequence: Homogeneity, Variability, Diversity, and Multiplicity. Homogeneity refers to a hypothetical phase predating the earliest recognizable industries (>2.6 Ma) during which stones could have been used for pounding or throwing but controlled knapping was not practiced. The Variability phase, already explored in previous publications, refers to a subsequent stage wherein simple knapping strategies were discovered and tested. It precedes the innovation of shaped tools in Africa and Eurasia within largely divergent timeframes. This paper explores the Diversity phase, during which standardized shaped tools and relatively complex flake production strategies occurred. Presently, flake-core assemblages lacking configured tools are referred to as ‘Oldowan’ or ‘Mode 1’ and those with handaxes and/or cleavers are named ‘Acheulian’ or ‘Mode 2’. The model described here does not propose to replace existing terminology, but presents an alternative approach to the ways in which we perceive of technological change and explores why analogous techno-typological changes occurred diachronically in different areas of the globe where contact between populations was unlikely. The Diversity phase, characterized by techno-typological expansion in stone toolkit components, translates improved hominin capacities to access resources, compete with other carnivores and widen their range of activities. This process intensified exchange between an increasingly complex lifestyles and growing cognitive capacities, leading to Multiplicity; the final phase of this conceptual model for understanding change in early human technologies.

Intracellular organelles in the saga of Ca2+ homeostasis: different molecules for different purposes?

An increase in the concentration of cytosolic free Ca(2+) is a key component regulating different cellular processes ranging from egg fertilization, active secretion and movement, to cell differentiation and death. The multitude of phenomena modulated by Ca(2+), however, do not simply rely on increases/decreases in its concentration, but also on specific timing, shape and sub-cellular localization of its signals that, combined together, provide a huge versatility in Ca(2+) signaling. Intracellular organelles and their Ca(2+) handling machineries exert key roles in this complex and precise mechanism, and this review will try to depict a map of Ca(2+) routes inside cells, highlighting the uniqueness of the different Ca(2+) toolkit components and the complexity of the interactions between them.

EU-IndiaGrid interoperability experiments using GridSeed tool

This paper investigates the interoperability issues between European and Indian Grid infrastructure and implements methodologies to overcome some of them. The main objective of EU-India Grid interoperability project is to aggregate the computational resources available across Europe and India, and to use them effectively in solving computationally intensive scientific applications. As both European and Indian Grid is based on different middleware, the interoperability initiative leads to several issues with respect to job submission, resource management and monitoring, security, and data transfers. The European Grid is based on gLite middleware and Indian Grid Garuda is a combination of in-house software's developed by C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing), India, Globus toolkit and industry grade components. In this work, several interoperability issues have been investigated and a preliminary interoperable system to facilitate remote job submission, resource discovery between gLite and Garuda Grid infrastructure is proposed. An ExtendedUI is created to interoperate between the middleware and its prototype implementation is presented. This ExtendedUI consists of all the libraries and adapters for job submission across globus and gLite based Grid resources. GridSeed tool is used to setup experimental Grid infrastructure consists of resources based on both gLite and globus middleware and the extendedUI has been tested for job submission and information aggregation.

Evolutionary developmental biology and genomics

Reciprocal questions often frame studies of the evolution of developmental mechanisms. How can species share similar developmental genetic toolkits but still generate diverse life forms? Conversely, how can similar forms develop from different toolkits? Genomics bridges the gap between evolutionary and developmental biology, and can help answer these evo-devo questions in several ways. First, it informs us about historical relationships, thus orienting the direction of evolutionary diversification. Second, genomics lists all toolkit components, thereby revealing contraction and expansion of the genome and suggesting mechanisms for evolution of both developmental functions and genome architecture. Finally, comparative genomics helps us to identify conserved non-coding elements and their relationship to genome architecture and development.

Adding Challenge to Performance-Based Tests of Walking

In this report, we provide a detailed description of and reproducibility data on the 14 performance-based tests of lower limb function included in the Walking InCHIANTI Toolkit, which were designed to mimic challenging situations that are encountered while walking in daily life. Five women and five men were randomly selected from each of the age strata, 65-74, 75-84, and > or =85 yrs, among those who received a functional evaluation in the Greve site at the second InCHIANTI study follow-up (total n = 30). Walking tests were administered twice at 2-wk intervals. Analyses were aimed at assessing reproducibility of the Walking InCHIANTI Toolkit components and the existence of a learning effect. Performance remained stable for eight walking tests and slightly but significantly improved for the 25-cm narrow-path walk, 7-m usual-pace, 7-m obstacle normal light, 7-m holding a package, and 7-m talking while walking tests. Test-retest reliability was in general very high, with 11 of 14 (79%) of the intraclass correlation coefficient values >0.80 and all except one (7-m holding a package) >0.75. The walking tests included in the Walking InCHIANTI Toolkit show very good medium-term reproducibility and modest learning effect. Administering components of the Walking InCHIANTI Toolkit may help in the understanding of the effect of challenges encountered in daily life on walking performance.

The evolution of Ca2+ signalling in photosynthetic eukaryotes

It is likely that cytosolic Ca2+ elevations have played a part in eukaryotic signal transduction for about the last 2 Gyr, being mediated by a group of molecules which are collectively known as the [Ca2+]cyt signalling toolkit. Different eukaryotes often display strikingly similar [Ca2+]cyt signalling elevations, which may reflect conservation of toolkit components (homology) or similar constraints acting on different toolkits (homoplasy). Certain toolkit components, which are presumably ancestral, are shared by plants and animals, but some components are unique to photosynthetic organisms. We propose that the structure of modern plant [Ca2+]cyt signalling toolkits may be explained by their modular adaptation from earlier pathways.

The development of a Java engineering application for higher-order asymptotic analysis of crack-tip fields

In this paper an experience in development of an engineering application using Java is presented. Higher-order asymptotic analysis of elastic–plastic crack-tip fields includes a computationally intensive part related to obtaining the three-term asymptotic expansion. It also requires the input of a large amount of data for fitting the asymptotic field to numerically determined stresses in the near crack-tip region. The developed Java applet implements a graphical user interface using Abstract Windowing Toolkit components. The applet can be downloaded through the Internet and can be run on different computer platforms inside a Java enabled Web browser. Using simple examples, we explain how to overcome some drawbacks of Java API classes, which can arise during the development of engineering applications.

Using metalevel techniques in a flexible toolkit for CSCW applications

Ideally, software toolkits for collaborative applications should provide generic, reusable components, applicable in a wide range of circumstances, which software developers can assemble to produce new applications. However, the nature of CSCW applications and the mechanics of group interaction present a problem. Group interactions are significantly constrained by the structure of the underlying infrastructure, below the level at which toolkits typically offer control. This article describes the design features of Prospero, a prototype CSCW toolkit designed to be much more flexible than traditional toolkit techniques allow. Prospero uses a metalevel architecture so that application programmers can have control over not only how toolkit components are combined and used, but also over aspects of how they are internally structured and defined. This approach allows programmers to gain access to “internal” aspects of the toolkit's operation that affect how interaction and collaboration proceed. This article explains the metalevel approach and its application to CSCW, introduces two particular metalevel techniques for distributed data management and consistency control, shows how they are realized in Prospero, and illustrates how Prospero can be used to create a range of collaborative applications.

A computational framework for telemedicine

Emerging telemedicine applications require the ability to exploit diverse and geographically distributed resources. Highspeed networks are used to integrate advanced visualization devices, sophisticated instruments, large databases, archival storage devices, PCs, workstations, and supercomputers. This form of telemedical environment is similar to networked virtual supercomputers, also known as metacomputers. Metacomputers are already being used in many scientific application areas. In this article, we analyze requirements necessary for a telemedical computing infrastructure and compare them with requirements found in a typical metacomputing environment. We will show that metacomputing environments can be used to enable a more powerful and unified computational infrastructure for telemedicine. The Globus metacomputing toolkit can provide the necessary low level mechanisms to enable a large scale telemedical infrastructure. The Globus toolkit components are designed in a modular fashion and can be extended to support the specific requirements for telemedicine.

Evaluating data warehouse toolkits

Historically, building a data warehouse has been a risky proposition. According to the Gartner Group and similar sources, the failure rate for data warehouse projects runs as high as 60 percent. The dilemma facing businesses today is this: although implementing an enterprise-wide database is risky, an organization that does so gains a significant business advantage over competitors who do not have data warehouse capability or who continue to rely on localized, group-specific data marts. The author discusses the evaluation of data warehouse toolkits and considers critical toolkit components.

Brief: Buy, Don't Build - What Does That Mean for a Software Developer?

Summary The buzz phrase of the 1990's for the petroleum software industry has become "buy, don't build." For an end user in an oil company, this generally means acquiring application software rather than developing it internally. The concept of buy, don't build can also apply for a software developer. Purchasing software toolkit components can expedite the development of an application as well as reduce future support requirements.

Architecture of the Encina distributed transaction processing family

This paper discusses how the Encina® family of distributed transaction processing software can be used to build reliable, distributed applications. We start with the toolkit components of Encina and how they are used for implementing ACID properties. We then consider how the toolkit can be applied in building higher level components in a DCE environment. We conclude with a discussion of the Encina Monitor, which provides a framework for organizing a collection of machines and servers.

Start/Pat: a parallel-programming toolkit

The authors address the question of how to use existing sequential Fortran code on multiprocessors. Their answer is Start/Pat, an interactive toolkit that automates the parallelization of sequential Fortran as it teaches the programmer how to exploit and understand parallel structures and architectures. The Start/Pat prototype has been installed at several user sites. The authors discuss the choice of PCF Fortran, the toolkit components, and the features of Pat and Start. >