Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of Next Generation Phage Applications Using -Omics And Machine Learning, Lauren Novak, Kari Clase

The Proceedings of the BIRS Community

Phages are viruses that infect bacteria and use their host machinery to replicate. They are one of the most ubiquitous and diverse biological entities in the biosphere with a long evolutionary history. There is renewed interest in phage therapeutics due to increased levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and decreased numbers of newly developed antibiotics. Phages also have applications in food safety, water quality, biocontrol, vaccines, and the global nutrient cycle. Both bacteria and phages employ internal and external self-defense strategies to outcompete one another which in turn drives genomic evolution. While many phage genomes have been sequenced and annotated, proteomic …

Continual Improvement In Laboratory Quality Management System Of A Regulatory Laboratory In West Africa, Nkem C. Ifudu, Zita Ekeocha, Stephen Byrn, Kari Clase

The Proceedings of the BIRS Community

Medicines quality monitoring and quality control are essential components required to deliver health value to the people. These will also improve access to quality assured medical products that are safe for intended use. Quality Control Laboratories play an essential role in strengthening health systems in West Africa. Their role in providing excellent testing services that ensures correctness, trust, and consistency of laboratory test results is key in assuring product quality. Improving the laboratory Quality Management System (QMS) will require concerted and coordinated efforts by all interested parties in establishing relevant, continual improvement plans/strategies that will sustain and improve all components …

Reducing The Burden Of Inspections On Pharmaceutical Manufacturers By Regulatory Authorities In Benin City, Nigeria, Joseph Ali, Esther Itua, Zita Ekeocha, Kari Clase, Stephen Byrn

The Proceedings of the BIRS Community

In Nigeria, pharmaceutical manufacturing is regulated by the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). The PCN Act gave the regulatory authority the mandate to register all pharmaceutical premises. With the later creation of NAFDAC to regulate drugs, comes the dual regulatory authority on those premises by both government agencies who carry out Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) inspections in the process of carrying out their mandates. Dual regulatory authority and inspections puts a considerable inspection burden on the manufacturers and even the regulators. This study examined the inspection tools used …

Gmp In The Qc Laboratory And Analytical Method Validation, Stephen Byrn, Zita Ekeocha, Martin Hynes, Roger Ongosi, Kari Clase

The Proceedings of the BIRS Community

This document aims to provide suggestions for course content to the team designing a GMP QC laboratory and analytical method validation course. This course is a 30-minute high-level overview that is part of the USP GMP course.

Investigating Using R, S, And X Charts In Monitoring Performance Of Laboratory Equipment, Mercy Okezue, Stella Ebonine, Amoreen Naluyima, Emeka Akobundu, William Boogere-Wakaalo, Lasisi Olayonu, Rhoda Olayonu, Emanuel Akpan, Abubakar Umar, Kikundwa Emma Mbabazi, Nkem C. Ifudu, Andrew Mukungu, Zita Ekeocha, Stephen Byrn, Kari Clase

The Proceedings of the BIRS Community

Statistical process controls are often used for monitoring processes to identify special causes of variation. Signals generated can assess the operational status of equipment and indicate when corrective action is needed. Control charts are a major tool in statistical process controls used in pharmaceutical manufacturing. It uses graphs as a statistical means of expressing the quality of a process or product. Quality improvement is inversely proportional to variability so that decreasing variabilities in product or process increases quality. Medicines testing laboratories employ various equipment to conduct analysis and generate reports to confirm a sample’s disposition. To ensure data integrity, laboratory …

Evaluating Active Content In Chloramphenicol Ophthalmic Solutions Available In A Low-Resource Setting: A Case Study, Mercy Okezue, Daniel T. Smith, Kelvin Musaya, Nsabo Kihore, Zita Ekeocha, Timothy Nowak, Susan Roth, Mikyung Lee, Michael Stepanovic Jr., Holly L. Maize, Adebola Adekoya, Stephen Byrn, Kari Clase

The Proceedings of the BIRS Community

The Chloramphenicol molecule is not stable at elevated temperatures. The eye drop preparations require cold storage and this is a challenge for low-income countries. The study assessed the stability of chloramphenicol products likely stored and transported outside the recommended refrigeration temperatures. Twenty-four Chloramphenicol eye drops were randomly sampled from local medicine stores and pharmacies in Tanzania. High-pressure-liquid chromatography was used to conduct laboratory analysis to determine the content of chloramphenicol in the products. The results indicated the sampled products contained between 69.0% to 87.0% of the active ingredient; outside the Pharmacopeia limits (90.0% - 130.0%) for Chloramphenicol ophthalmic solutions. It …

Product Information Report: Gentamicin, Stephen Byrn, Kari Clase, Zita Ekeocha, Farai Masekela

The Proceedings of the BIRS Community

Gentamicin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic. It is a bactericidal inhibitor of protein synthesis. It is primarily used to treat infections caused by aerobic gram-negative bacteria. Aminoglycosides are complex small molecules containing aminosugars linked to an aminocyclitol ring by glycosidic bonds.

This product information report provides expert scientific analysis of the physicochemical, biopharmaceutics, and toxicological properties, analytical, formulation, and manufacturing of gentamicin. It is expected that the PIR will provide critical information and guidance to manufacturers, as well as stakeholders concerned with access and supply of priority essential medicines.

Improving Market Access With A Lean Approach To Quality, Bri'an Bigirwa, Zita Ekeocha, Stephen Byrn, Kari Clase

The Proceedings of the BIRS Community

The veterinary vaccine market in Africa is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13-15%, compared to the US at 4-6% and Europe at 5-7%. In Uganda, and its neighboring countries, the livestock sector is expected to grow significantly over the next few years. BRENTEC is a young start-up company that is keen to enter this growing market. To be competitive in this market, the company has to invest in robust quality systems that enable the manufacturing of high-quality products while keeping production costs low. This has not been the case with the launch of its …

A Case Study On Completing Work In An Organizational Setting: Getting What You Need From Colleagues, Stacy Hoch, Stephen Byrn, Kari Clase

The Proceedings of the BIRS Community

Analyses in this article are based on data contained in proprietary databases accessible to the author.

Completing complex work in an organizational setting often relies on the cooperation and action of colleagues working together. These can be individuals on the same work team collaborating to accomplish a task, or multiple people working across various groups in an organization for one purpose. In doing so, it is critical that workers complete their work task within the required timeframe in order to meet project timelines. On projects such as these, one person can become a bottleneck that slows down activities downstream. This …

Dynamics Of An Airplane Wheel At Touchdown, Pirooz Mohazzabi, Sophia Gentile, Cristian Marquez

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

The dynamics of tire skidding and wear of a commercial airplane during touchdown is discussed, and a simple analytical model is presented. It is suggested that prespinning of the wheels prior to touchdown is not only possible but also practical to prevent tire wear and damage to the runway and the ensuing environmental issues.

Effects And Nursing Considerations For Equine-Assisted Activities And Therapies For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Literature Review, Namiko Kawamura, Mayu Sakamoto, Kayoko Machida

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

This literature review aimed to analyze the effects and nursing challenges associated with equine-assisted activities and therapies (EAATs) for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The study utilized the PubMed, CINAHL, and MEDLINE databases to identify 24 relevant articles. The effective contents were classified into two major categories: effects on interpersonal relationships, and effects attributable to the physical and emotional aspects of the lives of the children. The medical staff involved were mainly occupational therapists, followed by physical therapists and speech-language pathologists. The included studies also mention the involvement of trained equine therapists and volunteers, but not the involvement of …

Pawsitive Training: A Preliminary Investigation Of Animal-Assisted Counseling Competencies In A University-Based Training Program, Elizabeth Kjellstrand Hartwig, Jordan Jalen Evans

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

With the proliferation of counselors interested in animal-assisted counseling (AAC), the need for quality AAC training programs is essential. AAC training programs should seek to provide comprehensive training that is specifically targeted to the mental health profession, promotes human and animal wellness, and is aligned with current AAC competencies. The purpose of this study was to identify the efficacy of an AAC training program. This study measured practitioners’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes before and after the training program utilizing a researcher-developed survey instrument based on current AAC competencies. Overall, outcomes identified that practitioners’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes of AAC significantly …

Second Reaction: The Arrival, Cassie Cloninger

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

First Opinion: The Arrival, Natalya Stepanova

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

Second Reaction: Isla To Island, Skylar Buckmaster Edgerton

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

First Opinion: Isla To Island, Sarah Vander Zanden

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

Second Reaction: The Only Child, Rebecca L. Knapp

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

First Opinion: The Only Child, Natalya Stepanova

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

Second Reaction: Letters To A Prisoner, Polly Parkinson

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

First Opinion: Letters To A Prisoner, Kristen Friesen

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

Second Reaction: Small Things, Erin K. West

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

First Opinion: Rebuilding Resilience: A Child’S Journey Through “Small Things”, Amanda Deliman

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

Editorial, Rong Zhang

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

Centerless? Making Sense Of Disruptions In The Graduate Writing Center, Shannon Mcclellan Brooks

Writing Center Journal

This critical self-reflection is not a success story; rather, it is an effort of decolonial thinking that reckons with the idea, experience, and practice of centerlessness during pandemic-induced online transitions and operations in a graduate writing center (GWC). By tracing the contours of a series of interlocking disruptions the author and her graduate writing center community experienced during COVID-19, this article brings into sharp focus present colonial legacies inhibiting effective developments, moves, and adaptations to the GWC physical center space and praxis. Through retrospectively following pandemic-induced disruptions to her center, the author critically engages how epistemologies of coloniality and modernity …

Decolonizing Writing Centers: An Introduction, Glenn Hutchinson, Andrea Torres Perdigón

Writing Center Journal

Guest editors' introduction to The Writing Center Journal 42.1 (2024).

Front Matter

Writing Center Journal

Front matter for The Writing Center Journal 42:1 (2024).

Beyond Accommodations: Imagination, Decolonization, And The Cripping Of Writing Center Work, Karen Moroski-Rigney

Writing Center Journal

This article examines connections among disability, colonization, university policies, and writing center work in North America. By positing that university policies have long mimicked medical and scientific processes for creating—and then discriminating against—perceived categories of disability, this article makes interventions into traditional writing center practices and pedagogies without dismissing the spirit with which these aspects of our field came to be. The article has several central claims:

• Disability has been constructed by nondisabled entities (including doctors, scientists, and institutions).
  
  
• Disability’s “drift” and myriad forms act as both specter and insidious insurance against progress or inclusive design.
  
  
• Writing center scholarship has …

Decolonizing Tutor And Writing Center Administrative Labor: An Autoethnography Of A South Asian Writing Center’S Personnel, Saurabh Anand

Writing Center Journal

This piece informs my journey of thinking and contextualizing the validity of autoethnography as a decolonial qualitative research method in writing center scholarship. This piece provides the lilt of everyday writing center initiatives, labor, and workings using five email exchanges as data depicting my interactions with various writing center stakeholders as a transnational writing center studies student-tutor, administrator, and doctoral student from South Asia, specifically India. This piece also argues how I used my experiences as one of a writing center’s personnel as a tool of empowerment in my liminal position in my writing center and elaborates on those experiences, …

Back Matter

Writing Center Journal

Back Matter for Writing Center Journal 41.3. Contains a Call for Nominations for the 2024 Muriel Harris Outstanding Service Award.

Re/Searching (For) Hope: Archives And (Decolonizing) Archival Impressions, Romeo Garcia

Writing Center Journal

On archives and archival impressions, this essay extends archival research to the elsewhere and otherwise. The essay asks, how do we reposition the contents of archives so that we can position ourselves in relation to it otherwise? It puts forward a theory of (decolonizing) archival impressions.