Iowa Western Community College

Introduction: This study explored the impact of synchronous professional development regarding Nemeth Code Within Unified English Braille (UEB) Contexts on the knowledge and skills of 17 teachers of students with visual impairments. Methods: Participants attended the professional development sessions in June 2022 and submitted a pretest, posttest, final assignment, and posttraining survey. Results: Sixteen out of 17 participants scored higher on their posttest with a mean difference of 5.53. None of the participants submitted an error-free assignment. Total numbers of errors ranged from 8 to 60, and the categories with the highest percentage of errors were formatting, use of opening and terminating switch indicators, and Nemeth Code symbols. Discussion: In order to successfully progress in the general education curriculum, students who read braille must have access to timely, accurately prepared materials in all content areas including mathematics. Direct examination of the final assignment submitted by the 17 participants revealed similar error patterns to previous research. In addition, some of the participants struggled to correctly use Nemeth Code switch indicators. Implications for Practitioners: Teachers of students with visual impairments should continue to build their skills for Nemeth Code within UEB Contexts. Additional resources and professional development are urgently needed.

Combining the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine's report on the future of nursing, an Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) leadership think tank, and current evidence, the ONS Leadership Competencies were developed to provide all nurses with a pathway to advance their leadership skills and abilities. Generated through a systematic approach of literature review, data synthesis, and peer and expert review, the ONS Leadership Competencies are divided into five domains: vision, knowledge, interpersonal effectiveness, systems thinking, and personal mastery. Each of the competencies can be measured at the individual, group, and governance levels. They serve as a means of self-assessment, growth, future planning, and professional development. This article describes the process used to develop the ONS Leadership Competencies and offers examples of how they may be used in practice.

Dee Ann Miller, RN, BS, is a psycho social nurse writer, specializing in community mental health, particularly prevention, early intervention and advocacy related to clergy sexual abuse and domestic violence. She has authored four books, the latest being a novel about clergy sexual and domestic violence, entitled The Truth about Malarkey. She lives in Council Bluffs, Iowa.Figure

Abstract Objective To determine effects of tylosin on ruminal concentrations of Fusobacterium necrophorum and fermentation products in cattle during rapid adaptation to a high-concentrate diet. Animals 6 steers fitted with ruminal cannulas. Procedure Steers were assigned randomly to 2 treatment groups and switched from a 0 to an 85% concentrate diet during a 4-day period. Cattle received this diet, with or without tylosin (90 mg/steer/d), for 4 weeks. Samples of ruminal contents were collected daily beginning 2 days before the treatment protocol and in the first week of concentrate feeding. Four subsequent samples were collected at weekly intervals. Concentration of F necrophorum in samples was determined, using the most-probable-number technique. Ruminal pH and concentrations of volatile fatty acids (VFA), lactate, and ammonia also were determined. All steers received both treatments separated by 4 weeks (cross-over design), during which time they were fed alfalfa hay only. Results In control steers, concentration of F necrophorum increased in response to the high-concentrate diet. Tylosin-fed steers had lower concentrations of F necrophorum than control steers at all times during concentrate feeding. However, ruminal pH and concentrations of lactate, VFA, and ammonia did not differ between treatment groups. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance Tylosin caused a significant reduction in ruminal concentrations of F necrophorum during rapid adaptation to a high-concentrate diet but had no effect on fermentation products. The reduction in ruminal concentration of F necrophorum helps explain the reduction in prevalence of hepatic abscesses reported in tylosin-fed feedlot cattle. (Am J Vet Res 1999;60:1061-1065)

Abstract Excessive residual soil NO3‐N indicates economic inefficiency for producers and increases the potential for nonpoint leaching of N to water resources. Our objective was to construct an approximate fieldscale N budget for continuous corn (Zea mays L.) grown on deep loess soils in four 30‐ to 60‐ha field‐scale watersheds in western Iowa. Preplant and postemergence soil NO3‐N levels were determined for the 0‐ to 30‐cm, 30‐ to 60‐cm, and 60‐ to 90‐cm depths in April before N fertilizer was applied and again at the V6 growth stage. A simple root‐zone water balance and N removal by corn grain were determined. The 4‐yr average showed approximately 100 kg ha−1 of NO3‐N in the upper 90 cm of the root zone before an average of 168 kg of fertilizer N ha−1 was applied. Grain removal accounted for 30 to 70% of the fertilizer N. There were significant differences in grain yield and N removal among the four watersheds. Factors contributing to those differences included different fertilizer rates, tillage practices, and application times. During the four study years, an average of 50% of the applied N was available for leaching, denitrification, and/ or NH3 volatilization. High levels of residual soil NO3‐N following continuous corn production coupled with steady percolation of precipitation that infiltrated but was not used by the corn crop appear to be the two major factors supplying NO3‐N to groundwater baseflow that enters streams draining the watersheds. Based on the seasonal water balance, the most successful N management strategies will be those that minimize the amount of residual NO3‐N remaining in the soil profile at the end of the growing season.

A survey was made in 1974 of the small lake which had formed as a result of the surge advance of Steele Glacier, Yukon Territory, in 1965-68. Maximum lake level is controlled by a drainage channel which passes over rock near the hydrologic left margin of Steele Glacier. Since the surge advance of 1965-68 the lake has twice drained subglacially, producing minor outburst floods on Steele Creek and increasing the discharge of the Donjek River which crosses the probable route of the Alaska Highway pipeline.

Abstract Nitrogen losses from surface runoff from four field‐size (30 to 60.8 ha) watersheds in southwestern Iowa, near Treynor, were measured during 1969, 1970, and 1971. A contour‐planted corn watershed and a pasture watershed were fertilized at the recommended N rate (168 kg/ha). A level‐terraced and a contour‐planted corn watershed were fertilized at 2.5 times this rate. The conservation practice of level‐terraced corn or pasture was very effective in reducing water, sediment, and N yields when compared with the contour‐planted corn watersheds.Annual water‐soluble N losses were low from all watersheds. The 3‐year average annual solution N loss from the contour‐planted corn watershed, fertilized at 2.5 times the recommended rate, was 3.05 kg/ha; the comparable watershed, fertilized at the recommended rate, lost only 1.89 kg/ha.Nitrogen losses associated with sediment in the runoff accounted for 92% of the total loss for the 3‐year period from the contour planted corn watersheds. A large portion of the N loss for the terraced watershed was also associated with the sediment; however, N loss was only one‐tenth that of the contour‐planted watersheds. Sediment‐N concentrations were similar for watersheds receiving 168 kg/ha and 448 kg/ha annual N applications.Water‐soluble‐N and sediment‐N losses in runoff were usually highest at the beginning of the cropping season and decreased progressively throughout the year, reflecting a seasonal effect believed to be associated with nutrient removal by the crop, leaching, and N tie‐up in organic matter.

Abstract Field rainfall simulators have been used extensively for runoff and erosion studies. To more accurately interpret and apply the results of studies using simulated rainfall, it is necessary to know the relative effects of natural vs. simulated rainfall. A comparison was made of the soil and water losses from three natural storms and three simulated storms on cultivated fallow plots under similar rainfall and soil conditions. A rainulator was used to apply the simulated storms. Soil losses from the three simulated storms averaged 77% of those from the natural rainstorms. This compares closely, considering that the average EI value for the simulated storms was 78% of that for natural rainstorms. The runoff from the simulated storms compared quite closely to runoff from the natural storms. The study showed that, in general, the rainulator can be used to simulate rainfall for runoff and erosion research with confidence that the results will reflect the runoff and soil loss that would occur under similar conditions of natural rainfall.

An alternative to the necessity of dewatering wet foundations for construction of small runoff measuring weirs is presented. The method is particularly adapted to soils so fine that conventional well point systems are unsatisfactory. Details of construction are outlined. The main wall consisted of a row of steel sheet piling capped with a prefabricated steel crest. The stilling basin was outlined with corrugated steel sheeting and filled with large boulders.