University of Montana Western

As the need for environmentally friendly aquaculture operations grows, more people are looking for other sources of protein. Microalgae are becoming a possible alternative to traditional fishmeal in rainbow trout diets. This review looks at how microalgae might be used instead of fishmeal, focussing on their nutritional benefits, growth performance, and environmental benefits. Microalgae including Chlorella, Spirulina, and Nannochloropsis are good sources of protein (30–60% dry weight), essential amino acids, and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. These nutrients help improve feed conversion ratios and keep omega-3 levels high in trout meat. Life-cycle evaluations show that feeds made from microalgae can cut down on greenhouse gas emissions and phosphorus loading compared to regular fishmeal. These benefits notwithstanding, issues include elevated manufacturing costs (estimated at $50–400/kg dry weight), possible nutritional imbalances, and regulatory impediments continue to pose substantial barriers to widespread use. Ongoing research into optimising production techniques, wastewater integration, and genetic engineering of microalgae offers promise for addressing these restrictions. Adding microalgae to U.S. aquaculture might make the sector more sustainable and profitable, as well as lessen its impact on the environment and reliance on wild-caught fish. To fully realise the promise of microalgae as a key part of sustainable aquaculture, we need to keep investing in research, create supportive legislative frameworks, and encourage collaboration between industry and academia.

Research suggests that developing undergraduates’ emotional intelligence (EI) may improve current academic and future work performance, as well as health and well-being. Curriculum to help undergraduate business management students improve their EI competencies was designed and implemented in a 4-credit course taught over 18 days. During 3-hour class periods, students participated in activities such as mindful walks, journaling, and guided meditations designed to improve self-awareness and self-management competencies. The steps in the Multiple Approaches to Understanding instructional design model are explained and illustrated with the entry points, analogies, and activities of the EI curriculum.

Stable water isotopic observations in surface snow over Antarctica provide a foundation for validating isotopic models and interpreting Antarctic ice core records. Here, we present a new compilation of Antarctic surface snow isotopic dataset with strict quality control from published and unpublished sources including measurements from snow pits, snow cores, ice cores, deep surface snow, and precipitation (multi-year average values). The dataset contains a total of 1867 data points, including 1604 locations for oxygen isotope ratio (δ18O) and 1278 locations for deuterium isotope ratio (δ2H). 1204 locations have both δ18O and δ2H, from which d-excess (d-excess = δ2H − 8 × δ18O) can be calculated. The dataset also contains geographic and climate information. The database has a wide range of potential applications, such as the study of the spatial distribution of water isotopes in Antarctica, the evaluation of climate models, and the reconstruction and interpretation of Antarctic ice core records. As an example of model evaluation, the compiled isotopic dataset is used to assess the performance of isotope-enabled atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs) on simulating the spatial distribution of water isotopes over Antarctica. This dataset is the most comprehensive compilation so far of observed water isotope records at multi-year average scale from multiple sources for Antarctica. It is available for download at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7294183 (Wang et al., 2022).

Context While adaptability and resilience have been identified as important skills for athletic trainers and other health care professionals, few formal methods for increasing competence in these constructs have been described. Using an interprofessional education (IPE) experience to explore these topics provides participants with a greater understanding of their role in collaborative health care settings and appreciation for the importance of adaptability and resilience across health care professions. Objective To overview an IPE program designed to enhance adaptability and resilience skills in preservice health care professionals. Background Health care workers face several challenges inherent to their positions including long hours accompanied by low pay which, if not appropriately managed, can lead to a wide range of negative outcomes including decreased patient care and withdrawal from the profession. To combat these negative consequences, educators could incorporate a skill-building curriculum focused on coping within a high-stress environment. Interprofessional education has demonstrated the potential to prepare health care workers to work collaboratively to enhance patient care, making it an ideal model for approaching these topics that affect all helping professions. Description An IPE workshop designed to introduce and develop adaptability and resilience in preprofessional health care workers. Clinical Advantage(s) Use of an IPE workshop allowed participants to develop adaptability and resilience skills in a case-based program with individuals from a variety of backgrounds. Guided group discussions ensured sharing of perspectives, leading to increased understanding of the roles of other health care professionals and appreciation for the diverse perceptions of and approaches to change and challenge in collaborative settings. Conclusion(s) This IPE workshop achieved the goals of enhancing adaptability and resilience among participants and allowed for increased understanding of the roles and responsibilities of other health care professionals, the value of IPE communications, and the benefits of shared decision making.

ABSTRACT ACL injuries are common among athletes. The injury usually occurs during sport movements involving sudden direction changes when landing and cutting. Twenty-one healthy females performed a series of jump-land-jump movements. They jumped from a 28 cm box onto two in-ground force platforms, followed by a maximal vertical jump. The direction of the first jump was tested with seven entry angles, jumping to the right (90 R, 60 R and 30 R), straight forward (0), and jumping to the left (90 L, 60 L and 30 L). Kinematic and kinetic data were recorded for data analysis. During the first 100 ms of landing, participants had significantly smaller peak knee flexion angles, larger initial knee valgus angles and larger peak knee joint external valgus moments when jumping to the right (90 R, 60 R and 30 R) compared to straight forward (0), and jumping to the left (90 L, 60 L and 30 L). Thus, entry angles to the right may increase the risk of ACL injury in the right knee. We suggest that these types of jumps should be used with caution during ACL rehabilitation, but may be useful for testing ACL risk factors in healthy individuals.

Shifting realities across the world have emphasized the need to change early childhood systems thinking. Specifically, a quality early childhood workforce was in high demand before the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to be in demand until sustainable recruitment and retention efforts are achieved. Encouraging more professionals to enter and stay in the field of early childhood education involves building an understanding of the current workforce through analyzing the influence of age, role, education, wages, and access to incentives on career motivation. In this case study, a rich description of Montana’s early childhood workforce is presented along with recommendations to strengthen the state’s early childhood workforce systems. Results of survey and focus group data collection and analysis confirmed the pervasive compensation disparity that exists in the early childhood workforce and revealed the need for financial incentives to pursue and attain higher education degrees to help ensure the delivery of quality early childhood education. Specific recommendations for policy change include sharing the data across other state systems and with other nations for the purpose of supporting the growth and development of the early childhood workforce in the United States and beyond.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10643-022-01308-3.

This paper explores how the use of digital practice spaces (DPSs) can inform teacher preparation through a reimagining of clinical practice in teacher preparation by addressing the question: what roles might DPSs play in the ecology of apprenticeship opportunities for future educators? We leveraged AACTE’s Essential Proclamations and Tenets for Highly Effective Clinical Educator Preparation as an analytical framework to examine our own experiences using DPSs in our teacher education coursework. We discuss the alignment between these proclamations and the theoretical, conceptual, and practical underpinnings of DPSs. Finally, we consider the remaining proclamations that represent the horizons of DPSs within teacher preparation, a task we undertook as a set of informed provocations, envisioning how DPSs could be designed to support the proclamations not currently supported.