Williams & Associates

The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) Leadership and Mentoring Program (LMP) supports early- and mid-career nurse practitioner (NP) faculty develop effective leadership competencies and skills. The leadership competencies and skills for NP faculty are constantly evolving. NONPF's LMP is grounded in a competency-based education model and uses backward design to align learning outcomes with measurable leadership behaviors. LMP participants engage in structured learning sessions organized around 5 core leadership domains: Lead Self, Engage Others, Achieve Results, Develop Coalitions, and Systems Transformation. One-to-one mentoring runs concurrently with the educational sessions, offering personalized guidance and support throughout the 12-month program. The new NONPF 12-month LMP is redesigned for emerging NP faculty leaders to strengthen their leadership skills and build confidence by applying leadership competencies in real-world academic settings.

To examine risk factors associated with fall events among hospitalized individuals with cancer. 188 individuals with cancer from the inpatient oncology unit of a large, urban, public hospital in New York satisfied requirements for inclusion. A retrospective case-control analysis of electronic health records was conducted from January to December 2022. Descriptive statistics were used to investigate factors associated with fall events and falls with injuries. Bivariate analyses showed that being male, having a preference for the English language, having a solid tumor diagnosis, having metastatic cancer, receiving chemotherapy, using psychotropic medications, and having any isolation precautions were associated with falls among individuals with cancer. High Morse Fall Scale scores, English-language preference, and the combination of receiving chemotherapy and any isolation precautions were found to be highly predictive of a fall event during hospitalization among individuals with cancer. Incorporating oncology-specific patient risk factors into screening or assessment tools and individualized interventions enhances safety.

This study aimed to evaluate and compare the fracture load and fracture mode of three-unit implant-supported fixed dental prostheses (ISFDPs) fabricated from polyetheretherketone (PEEK), composite, and zirconia, using two prosthetic designs: a bilateral cantilever supported by a single central implant (T-bridge) and a conventional two-implant-supported configuration (C-bridge). In this preclinical in vitro study, Straumann tissue-level regular implant analogs were embedded in Paladur resin and fitted with SN Variobase® abutments. Five restorative materials, PMMA-based polymer, resin composite, PEEK, 5 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia (5Y-TZP), and 3 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia (3Y-TZP), were used to fabricate standardized ISFDPs. Specimens were luted and subjected to vertical loading until failure using a universal testing machine. Fracture load, fracture mode, and abutment deformation were recorded and analyzed. 3Y-TZP exhibited the highest median fracture load (T-bridge: 5108 N [IQR: 1415]; C-bridge: 6572 N [IQR: 2438]). C-bridges consistently showed significantly higher fracture resistance than T-bridges. PEEK demonstrated no visible fractures and minimal deformation, indicating a distinct mechanical behavior. Significant differences in fracture patterns were found across materials, with zirconia and PEEK performing most favorably. 3Y-TZP zirconia provides the highest fracture resistance. While C-bridges provided superior mechanical performance, T-bridges with appropriate materials such as PEEK or 3Y-TZP show clinically acceptable strength. Absence of fatigue and long-term aging limits direct clinical extrapolation. T-bridge configurations may offer a less invasive alternative when C-bridges are not feasible, provided that high-performance materials are selected. Further validation through long-term and clinical studies is recommended.

Obesity is a complex, chronic condition requiring multifaceted treatment approaches for sustained weight loss and improved health outcomes. Bariatric surgery has proven to be an effective intervention for severe obesity. However, the success or failure of bariatric surgery depends on many factors, extending beyond the operating room and requiring long-term lifestyle changes and follow-up. Nurses play a pivotal role in the successful care of patients who undergo bariatric surgery, using collaborative, patient-centered approaches that promote optimal health outcomes. This review highlights the most common bariatric procedures, describes common complications, reviews nutritional and psychological support needed after surgery, provides practical strategies for follow-up care, and discusses the integral role of nurses in ongoing care of patients who undergo bariatric surgery.

Modifying metal oxide surfaces to limit their oxidizing activity can provide a means of improving catalytic selectivity toward the partial oxidation of light alkanes. In this study, we investigated the oxidation of C2H6 on Cl-modified IrO2(110) surfaces using temperature-programmed reaction spectroscopy (TPRS) and first-principles microkinetic modeling. We find that substituting Cl for O in the IrO2(110) surface enhances the selectivity for C2H6 conversion to C2H4 during TPRS by suppressing extensive oxidation to COx products, while also either enhancing C2H4 production or altering it to a lesser extent, depending on the initial C2H6 coverage. The C2H4 selectivity increased with increasing C2H6 and Cl coverage, but reached a limiting value below 50%. The Cl coverage changed negligibly during C2H6 oxidation, and the surface reactivity decreased only marginally for Cl coverages up to 0.5 ML (monolayer). TPRS simulations using a microkinetic model predict C2H4 and COx product yields as a function of the Cl coverage that agree closely with the experimental results. According to the simulations, C2H6 conversion to C2H4 occurs on Cl-IrO2(110) by the hydrogenation of C2H3* species adsorbed in blocked states, in which neighboring sites are occupied only by unreactive HO and Cl species. The microkinetic modeling shows that H-hopping away from surface HO groups provides a relatively efficient route for C2H3* to escape blocked configurations and dehydrogenate, and that this process can limit the C2H4 selectivity on Cl-IrO2(110) under the conditions studied. Overall, our results demonstrate that Cl-substitution into IrO2(110) enhances the selectivity for C2H4 production from C2H6 and provides insights into the reaction mechanism that can guide strategies to further improve the C2H4 selectivity.

Business Performance and Governance Visual Presentation B03 Businesses are being subjected to increasing scrutiny on their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance in recent years driven by market pressures, stakeholder expectations and regulatory requirements. The ESG-focused regulations are becoming increasingly stringent, and legislation, standards and frameworks are regularly evolving, with new ones introduced across many jurisdictions to address emerging ESG issues. Climate legislation significantly increased following the Paris Agreement in 2016, and combination of regulatory, investor and consumer pressures drove businesses to address their greenhouse gas emissions to meet the net-zero objective. Expectation is now shifting towards the management and disclosure of nature-related aspects of an organisation’s activities. The Global Biodiversity Framework agreed by 196 countries in 2022 signalled the global intention to move beyond addressing climate change in isolation and incorporate measures to address nature loss and degradation as part of the way forward. The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosure launched recommendations in 2023 to help businesses identify and manage their nature-related risks. In 2024, ‘nature-positive’ legislations were introduced in the UK, Australia and the European Union, with many other countries expected to follow suit in the coming years. In this paper, we draw from previous experiences with energy clients to provide recommended approaches to identify nature-related risks and opportunities, and approaches that can be taken to incorporate nature-positive considerations into operational decisions. We also describe key aspects to consider for a systematic means to manage performance to align with existing disclosure requirements, while allowing for flexibility in addressing potential changes in the future. To access the Visual Presentation click on the link on the right. To read the full paper click here

Due to high concentrations of CO2, the Asia–Pacific (APAC) region is one of the most significant influences on the world’s ability to achieve net zero. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is widely considered one of the most effective technology choices for CO2 reduction and will be key to the future of APAC’s emissions outlook. However, mixed progress with the development of projects has raised questions on the potential scale of CCS contribution to CO2 management. Some CCS projects which initially sparked excitement failed to materialise, while others have faced substantial technical challenges. This paper examines the anticipated trajectory of CCS in APAC for the key milestones of 2030, 2040 and 2050 – critical benchmarks for measuring progress in the energy transition.

This paper describes an experimental study aimed at evaluating the effects of mechanical and hydraulic paths on the compressibility and water retention behaviour of compacted loess from Xi'an, China. Suction-controlled oedometer tests, performed on statically compacted samples, are combined with mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) tests to evaluate the volumetric behaviour as well as the evolution of soil fabric for the compacted material. Oedometer test results are analyzed in the degree of saturation versus suction plane, using the water retention curve (WRC) for as-compacted material as reference. Negligible volume change, and hence no movement of the as-compacted WRC, is observed upon drying paths under low stresses. Wetting paths cause plastic deformations and hence the movement of the water retention curve. Soil densification shifts the WRC rightwards (in the degree of saturation versus suction plane), enlarging the air entry/air occlusion values and promoting steeper wetting and drying branches. MIP tests show that specimens subjected to drying and loading paths retain their as-compacted bi-modal pore size distribution (PSD). However, re-arrangement in soil fabric towards predominant mono-modal PSDs is observed in specimens wetted and loaded. Soil suction increases the compressibility and the yield stress of compacted loess. These experimental features are properly captured using an elasto-plastic constitutive model for nonactive soils that accounts for the evolution of the loading-collapse (LC) yield locus with plastic deformation.

A warehouse structure built in the 1970s consisted of a multi-span arch roof truss system for a large open space. The arch roof truss spanned 79 ft between the steel truss columns and were spaced 20 ft in the transverse direction. The building structure was being renovated for a new proposed building plan and required removal of steel truss columns that support the roof truss system. Six columns were removed for the project and new supplemental structural members of beams, columns, and footings were designed to create a 40-ft-wide open space at certain locations. Due to the absence of the original construction drawings, as-built measurements were taken along with the documentation of existing structural framing members, slabs, and soil conditions. Arch roof trusses were modeled using a general finite-element analysis software with the as-built construction to examine the structural behaviors due to the column removal and the design loads. While the column removal in the interior bay was relatively simple due to a symmetric geometry condition, the column removal in the exterior bay caused a design challenge due to a significant torsion demand to the supplemental beam. Built-up box beam members were employed based on the existing conditions and constraints. Two 30-in.-deep wide flange beams with 1/2″ thick steel cover plates at the top and bottom were designed to create the box beam member. Other structural strengthening and modification to the existing structure included new steel column and footing, existing arch roof truss strengthening, and loading dock support framing. This paper discusses the complex challenges that were part of this project and how they were resolved effectively and within the client’s desired timeframe for the start of operations.

For the past decade or so, we have been worrying about democratic backsliding – movement toward autocratic rule in nations that we thought were stably democratic. Our attention to backsliding may have distracted us, though, from another important phenomenon – front-sliding, so to speak. If backsliding is a move from democracy toward autocracy, frontsliding is a move from autocracy to democracy. Professors Dan Slater and Joseph Wong’s important book From Development to Democracy offers an elegant argument that sometimes autocrats themselves initiate movement toward democracy even when they are not facing imminent collapse. They show how dominant political parties in South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan gave up a seeming guarantee of remaining in power through continuing repression in order to remain in power through reasonably free and fair elections instead. Their argument, which I outline in Part ii, is that sometimes democracy occurs because the dominant party is strong rather than weak and on the verge of collapse. That opens up the possibility of similar frontsliding transformations in other authoritarian, autocratic, or quasi-autocratic nations, including Singapore and, most intriguingly, China. I examine this possibility in Part iii.