For any cubic graph in a closed orientable surface and a perfect matching, the Penrose-Kauffman polynomial is a sum of chromatic polynomials of a collection of associated graphs. A knot-theoretic perspective affords elementary proofs of old and new results about the polynomial. The Four Color Theorem is shown to be equivalent to a statement about 3-coloring alternating link diagrams in the plane that are reduced and have no bigon regions.

The core group of a classical link was introduced independently by Kelly in 1991 and Wada in 1992. It is a link invariant defined by a presentation involving the arcs and crossings of a diagram, related to Wirtinger’s presentation of the fundamental group of a link complement. Two close relatives of the core group are defined by presentations involving regions rather than arcs; one of them is related to Dehn’s presentation of a link group. The definitions are extended to virtual link diagrams and properties of the resulting invariants are discussed.

Objectives: School-based bullying in children and adolescents is a problem with one in five children and adolescents (20.2%) being bullied in the United States. Developing a collaboration of agencies has helped to provide awareness, intervention and training local school administrators, nurses, counselors, teachers, and parents. This paper will describe a Coalition Against Bullying and the Bully Blocker. Methods: Steps included: Formation of the coalition; finding a responsible leader organization; choosing a bullying prevention program; funding the program; training faculty, staff, teachers, and volunteers; implementation of program pilot testing, kick off with a bullying prevention walk and community education efforts. Intervention: Olweus Bullying Prevention Program Results: The first and second cohort of students bullying scores were very similar for the first two questions and were above the national average. These results are related to more awareness of bullying in the local schools an intervention with affected students. Conclusion: A specific bullying prevention program is outlined as well as the funding received for this program. A local organization for children and adolescents as well as the district attorney’s office who established the Bully Blocker has been key to the long-term success of this coalition which has been in existence since 2011.

Movement science research indicates that an external focus of attention benefits learning as well as performing movement. Despite these findings from the field of sports, research on the effects of external focus in music pedagogy is sparse, especially in naturalistic settings. This in-depth, small-sample study investigated the effect of external focus on musical learning in terms of accuracy, self-efficacy, confidence, motivation, and engagement, as well as the qualitative performance experience. Seven conservatoire (natural trumpet) students practiced challenging, unfamiliar pieces in short practice sessions using their normal practice methods, followed by a trial using the instructions of the Audiation Practice Tool (APT). This tool was developed to enhance auditory and kinaesthetic engagement as well as detailed musical intention through vivid imagination, singing, gesturing, playing, and seeking musical variation. Use of the APT resulted in higher performance accuracy than participants’ usual practice methods, and a non-significant trend for improvement in self-efficacy and confidence compared to practice as usual. Logbook scores were inconclusive on motivation and engagement; however, exit questionnaire answers showed that most participants experienced audiation or external focus as engaging and enjoyable. Although none of the participants initially favored external focus, participants generally intended to continue using elements of the APT. This study suggests that the use of external focus could be more explicit and prominent in teaching and in practicing music.

The health of nurses impacts the care of patients in healthcare settings today both inside and outside of hospitals. Many papers are written about nurses’ burnout, depression, poor physical and mental health, weight gain, unhealthy eating patterns, back injury, moral negativity, and lack of job satisfaction. However, little attention has been paid to self-care in nurses. The goal of this paper is to discuss the importance of nurses caring for themselves as they work under stressful conditions regularly. Job satisfaction is necessary for nurses to have a healthy work-life balance and a desire to go to work. There are evidence-based interventions that can make a difference in a nurse’s quality of life that can be implemented independently or within the work setting. Suggestions made by researchers include working less than 40 hr/week in a clinical setting, working a consistent time of day without rotations, expressing emotions, taking time to exercise, participating in a support group, and incorporating a place designated as a sanctuary in the clinical setting. Personal ways to improve health includes preparing healthy meals before working a shift, getting proper sleep, utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy, participating in mindfulness training, and practicing stress reduction techniques.

Introduction:Mobile health (mHealth) apps are digital health tools that allow for the delivery and access to vital health information, support, and encouragement needed to foster positive behavior change. Designing and developing mHealth solutions based on daily life influences for nursing students is imperative to establishing healthier physical and mental health habits.Methods:Multiple focus groups (n=10) were conducted, and a questionnaire (n=11) was administered to undergraduate students in the professional nursing component. Themed analysis of focus-group data was conducted along with descriptive analysis of the questionnaire.Results:All participants stated it has been more difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle since beginning the nursing program. This deterioration can be attributed to three key areas: mental health needs/support, rigor of nursing school, and decline in positive health choices. Participants stated they would use an mHealth app designed specifically for nursing students to combat deterioration of their health.Conclusions:The results of this study (100% positive response rate) reveal mHealth applications might be a powerful tool in helping nursing students transform their physical and mental health. It appears that if an mHealth application is created with the specific "must-haves" of nursing students then we might experience a positive shift in health behaviors for nursing students, which will hopefully transcend into their careers as nurses.

ObjectiveThis study compared self-reported nutrition, physical activity, and body mass index (BMI) in undergraduate versus graduate nursing students.ParticipantsRespondents included 233 undergraduate and 230 graduate nursing students in a Southeastern public university.MethodsThe study was an exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional comparison administered via online questionnaire including self-reported demographics, nutritional intake, physical activity, and BMI.ResultsUndergraduates reported exercising more than graduate students. Graduate students reported consuming significantly more vegetables than undergraduates; however, more graduate students self-reported BMIs in overweight and obese categories than undergraduates.ConclusionsFindings provide a foundational understanding that interventions or educational programs to improve self-care behaviors of nursing students should be tailored depending on the educational level of the students. Educators must establish self-care skills within nursing students at all levels to help them preserve their health in the fast-paced, strenuous, and stressful work of all echelons of nursing upon completion of the educational program.

BACKGROUNDAlthough mental health symptoms increased during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, little is known about the associations between nursing students' perceived risk of contracting COVID-19 and their academic and psychological well-being. This study examined associations between perceived COVID-19 risk, likelihood of completing nursing education, and mental health factors of nursing students.METHODA total of 979 nursing students completed self-report measures of perceived COVID-19 risk, anticipated academic completion, anxiety and depressive symptoms, stress, coping self-efficacy, hope, and social support.RESULTSStudents with higher perceived COVID-19 risk reported increased anxiety and depression as well as decreased likelihood of graduating, coping self-efficacy, and levels of social support.CONCLUSIONFindings indicate the need for increased mental health support for nursing students for successful completion of their programs. Educators should increase support and proactively strengthen positive psychology factors to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 and other crises on nursing students' well-being. [J Nurs Educ. 2022;61(11):641-645.].

BACKGROUND:Although nursing students are educated on the importance of exercising regularly and maintaining a well-balanced diet, many do not practice healthy weight management behaviors, and some even use unhealthy weight loss methods. Yet, little research has examined both positive and negative psychosocial variables related to weight control among nursing students. PURPOSE:The present study aimed to identify the most salient psychosocial variables related to healthy and unhealthy weight control among nursing students. METHOD:Using survey data from 241 nursing students, structural equation modeling was conducted to examine the relative contributions of eight interrelated psychosocial variables, including constructs from a strengths perspective (health-specific hope, health self-efficacy, social support, and body satisfaction) and from a deficit perspective (depression, anxiety, weight perception, and barriers to physical activity). RESULTS:Results showed that the degree to which individuals perceive themselves to be overweight was related to both healthy and unhealthy weight control. Aside from weight perception, health self-efficacy produced the strongest association with healthy weight control, and anxiety produced the strongest association with unhealthy weight control. The structural model explained 23 % of the variance in healthy weight control and 29 % of the variance in unhealthy weight control. CONCLUSIONS:These findings emphasize the need for tailored, integrated weight management interventions for nursing students that equip them with effective anxiety management skills and build self-efficacy.

Lehmer's question, an open question about the Mahler measure of monic integral polynomials, is shown to be equivalent to a question about the complexity growth rate of signed 1-periodic graphs. If G is a d-periodic graph (i.e. G has a co-finite free Z(d)-action by automorphisms), then a d-variable polynomial Delta(G) can be defined with Mahler measure equal to the logarithmic growth rate gamma(G) of a complexity defined for the finite quotients of G. A plane 1-periodic graph determines a link via projection and the medial graph construction. The polynomial Delta(G) can be determined from the Alexander polynomial of the link. The complexity growth rate gamma(G) of any d-periodic graph is at least log 2. An investigation of plane 1- and 2-periodic graphs yields more connections with knot theory including work of A. Champan-erkar and I. Kofman.

ABSTRACT:Families have the potential to foster a healthy home environment aimed at reducing the risk of overweight and obesity. Establishing habits associated with reduced risk of obesity and overweight early in childhood can have lasting effects into adulthood. Nurse practitioners can encourage families to participate in healthy habits by addressing areas of growth for obesity prevention within the home. A review of the most recent literature, approximately over the past decade, was used to provide a consolidated source of reference for healthy home habits for the nurse practitioner. The search included terms such as "obesity," "overweight," "healthy habits," "physical activity," "obesogenic behaviors," "family meals," "screen time," "depression," "sugary beverages," and "portion sizes." The information was synthesized into three content areas: nutrition and consumption, patterns of activity, and stress within the home. Establishing healthy habits early in life can protect against the development of overweight and obesity. Nurse practitioners can serve a vital role in the prevention of pediatric, adolescent, and adult obesity. Equipped with the unique role of assisting those from a diverse patient base, nurse practitioners can inform patients how to improve healthy habits to decrease the likelihood of obesity or overweight. Encouraging behavior change related to the healthy habits associated with the prevention of overweight and obesity can have a long-term impact on the health of an entire family.

Using a combinatorial argument, we prove the well-known result that the Wirtinger and Dehn presentations of a link in 3-space describe isomorphic groups. The result is not true for links $\ell$ in a thickened surface $S \times [0,1]$. Their precise relationship, as given in the 2012 thesis of R.E. Byrd, is established here by an elementary argument. When a diagram in $S$ for $\ell$ can be checkerboard shaded, the Dehn presentation leads naturally to an abelian "Dehn coloring group," an isotopy invariant of $\ell$. Introducing homological information from $S$ produces a stronger invariant, $\cal C$, a module over the group ring of $H_1(S; {\mathbb Z})$. The authors previously defined the Laplacian modules ${\cal L}_G,{ \cal L}_{G^*}$ and polynomials $\Delta_G, \Delta_{G^*}$ associated to a Tait graph $G$ and its dual $G^*$, and showed that the pairs $\{{\cal L}_G, {\cal L}_{G^*}\}$, $\{\Delta_G, \Delta_{G^*}\}$ are isotopy invariants of $\ell$. The relationship between $\cal C$ and the Laplacian modules is described and used to prove that $\Delta_G$ and $\Delta_{G^*}$ are equal when $S$ is a torus.

Weight bias and stigma exist in a variety of realms in our society (media, education, employment, and health care), and unfortunately many view it as a socially acceptable form of discrimination. Patients with obesity often avoid scheduling appointments for health promotion visits and routine care due to perceived weight bias and stigma from their health care provider. Within the health care setting, it is important that health care providers strategically focus on reducing obesity bias and provide high-quality obesity management. People-first language should be used and waiting rooms and examination rooms should be accommodating to people of all sizes.

•Like practicing nurses, nursing students report high stress and poor health habits.•Consequently, they are at risk for adverse physical and mental health outcomes.•Hope may be a relevant protective factor against stress in nursing school.•Hope may reduce burnout and improve retention of nurses.•Hope may strengthen the emotional and physical health of nursing students.

The (torsion) complexity of a finite signed graph is defined to be the order of the torsion subgroup of the abelian group presented by its Laplacian matrix. When $G$ is $d$-periodic (i.e., $G$ has a free ${\mathbb Z}^d$-action by graph automorphisms with finite quotient) the Mahler measure of its Laplacian polynomial is the growth rate of the complexity of finite quotients of $G$. Any 1-periodic plane graph $G$ determines a link $\ell \cup C$ with unknotted component $C$. In this case the Laplacian polynomial of $G$ is related to the Alexander polynomial of the link. Lehmer's question, an open question about the roots of monic integral polynomials, is equivalent to a question about the complexity growth of signed 1-periodic graphs that are not necessarily embedded.

Laplacian matrices of weighted graphs in surfaces $S$ are used to define module and polynomial invariants of $Z/2$-homologically trivial links in $S \times [0,1]$. Information about virtual genus is obtained.

AIM:Academic distress is a leading cause of attrition among nursing students. The present study tested a positive psychology-oriented model detailing the potential links between nursing students': (a) psychological resilience; (b) depressive symptoms; (c) intrapersonal well-being; (d) interpersonal well-being; and (e) academic distress. Additionally, we tested whether the academic benefits of resilience were conditional upon nursing students' perceptions of their campus climate as supportive of mental health and well-being.DESIGN:A correlational, cross-sectional design was employed.METHOD:Nursing students (N = 933) were selected from the national 2017-2018 Healthy Minds Study (HMS). Students completed measures of resilience, depressive symptoms, intrapersonal well-being (flourishing), interpersonal well-being (belonging), and academic distress.RESULTS:Conditional process modelling tested depression, belonging, and flourishing as mediators of the associations between resilience and academic distress variables. Furthermore, perceptions of campus climate were included as potential moderators of these mediation effects. Results indicated that the protective academic benefits of resilience were primarily explained by decreases in depression but that this effect was strongest for nursing students with negative perceptions of their campus climate.CONCLUSION:Findings highlight the psychological and academic benefits of greater resilience and the moderated mediation results suggest that such benefits were conditional on the broader campus climate.IMPACT:Nurse educators and policymakers should consider addressing contextual factors, such as campus climate, in addition to resilience training in their efforts to reduce the negative academic impacts of mental health problems and stress in nursing school.

This exploratory pilot study identified the prevalence and perceptions of three healthy habits in preschool-age children by surveying their parents/caregivers. Researchers examined children's hours of sleep, screen time, and number of family meals per week.