Tracking Behavioral Progress within a Children's Mental Health System: The Vermont Community Adjustment Tracking System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruns, Eric J.; Burchard, John D.; Froelich, Peter; Yoe, James T.; Tighe, Theodore

1998-01-01

Describes the Vermont Community Adjustment Tracking System (VT-CATS), which utilizes four behavioral instruments to allow intensive, ongoing, and interpretable behavioral assessment of a service system's most challenging children and adolescents. Also explains the adjustment indicator checklists and the ability of VT-CATS to address agencies'…

Experience Paper: Software Engineering and Community Codes Track in ATPESC

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dubey, Anshu; Riley, Katherine M.

Argonne Training Program in Extreme Scale Computing (ATPESC) was started by the Argonne National Laboratory with the objective of expanding the ranks of better prepared users of high performance computing (HPC) machines. One of the unique aspects of the program was inclusion of software engineering and community codes track. The inclusion was motivated by the observation that the projects with a good scientific and software process were better able to meet their scientific goals. In this paper we present our experience of running the software track from the beginning of the program until now. We discuss the motivations, the reception,more » and the evolution of the track over the years. We welcome discussion and input from the community to enhance the track in ATPESC, and also to facilitate inclusion of similar tracks in other HPC oriented training programs.« less

Developing a Faculty Learning Community for Non-Tenure Track Professors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bond, Nathan

2015-01-01

Non-tenure track faculty vary greatly in terms of their ranks, teaching abilities, workloads, and motivational levels and have unique professional development needs. In response, universities are differentiating professional development for these professors. This case study examined an emerging research university's efforts to provide a faculty…

A Community-Based Activities Survey: Systematically Determining the Impact on and of Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perry, Lane; Farmer, Betty; Onder, David; Tanner, Benjamin; Burton, Carol

2015-01-01

As a descriptive case study from Western Carolina University (WCU), this article describes the development of a measuring, monitoring, and tracking system (the WCU Community-based Activities Survey) for faculty engagement in, adoption of, and impact through community engagement practices both internal and external to their courses. This paper will…

Dynamic Systems for Individual Tracking via Heterogeneous Information Integration and Crowd Source Distributed Simulation

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-04

51   6.6   Power Consumption: Communications ...simulations executing on mobile computing platforms, an area not widely studied to date in the distributed simulation research community . A...simulation community . These initial studies focused on two conservative synchronization algorithms widely used in the distributed simulation field

Region, Locality Characteristics, High School Tracking and Equality in Access to Educational Credentials: The Case of Palestinian Arab Communities in Israel.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mazawi, Andre Elias

1998-01-01

Examines the effects of regional, locality, and high school characteristics on access opportunities to educational credentials of Palestinian Arab students in Israel. Reveals that while tracking patterns are affected by high school variables at the community level, access to educational credentials is determined by community-level, socioeconomic…

The Tracking Study: Description of a randomized controlled trial of variations on weight tracking frequency in a behavioral weight loss program

PubMed Central

Linde, Jennifer A.; Jeffery, Robert W.; Crow, Scott J.; Brelje, Kerrin L.; Pacanowski, Carly R.; Gavin, Kara L.; Smolenski, Derek J.

2014-01-01

Observational evidence from behavioral weight control trials and community studies suggests that greater frequency of weighing oneself, or tracking weight, is associated with better weight outcomes. Conversely, it has also been suggested that frequent weight tracking may have a negative impact on mental health and outcomes during weight loss, but there are minimal experimental data that address this concern in the context of an active weight loss program. To achieve the long-term goal of strengthening behavioral weight loss programs, the purpose of this randomized controlled trial (the Tracking Study) is to test variations on frequency of self-weighing during a behavioral weight loss program, and to examine psychosocial and mental health correlates of weight tracking and weight loss outcomes. Three hundred thirty-nine overweight and obese adults were recruited and randomized to one of three variations on weight tracking frequency during a 12-month weight loss program with a 12-month follow-up: daily weight tracking, weekly weight tracking, or no weight tracking. The primary outcome is weight in kilograms at 24 months. The weight loss program integrates each weight tracking instruction with standard behavioral weight loss techniques (goal setting, self-monitoring, stimulus control, dietary and physical activity enhancements, lifestyle modifications); participants in weight tracking conditions were provided with wireless Internet technology (Wi-Fi-enabled digital scales and touchscreen personal devices) to facilitate weight tracking during the study. This paper describes the study design, intervention features, recruitment, and baseline characteristics of participants enrolled in the Tracking Study. PMID:25533727

78 FR 23775 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request: Community...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-22

... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Federal Emergency Management Agency [Docket ID: FEMA-2013-0014... Preparedness and Participation Survey used to identify progress and gaps in citizen and community preparedness... direction in Executive Order 13254 to study and track the progress of public service programs. Citizen Corps...

Timing Is Everything: Getting Students Back on Track to College Readiness in High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Royster, Pamela; Gross, Jacob; Hochbein, Craig

2015-01-01

National trends and goals have pushed beyond the dropout crisis and are now focused on raising the percentage of graduates prepared for college and career. This study examined a longitudinal cohort (n = 6443) of students in an urban, public school district in order to explore how districts and communities can redirect off-track high school…

Bicycle Guidelines and Crash Rates on Cycle Tracks in the United States

PubMed Central

Morency, Patrick; Miranda-Moreno, Luis F.; Willett, Walter C.; Dennerlein, Jack T.

2013-01-01

Objectives. We studied state-adopted bicycle guidelines to determine whether cycle tracks (physically separated, bicycle-exclusive paths adjacent to sidewalks) were recommended, whether they were built, and their crash rate. Methods. We analyzed and compared US bicycle facility guidelines published between 1972 and 1999. We identified 19 cycle tracks in the United States and collected extensive data on cycle track design, usage, and crash history from local communities. We used bicycle counts and crash data to estimate crash rates. Results. A bicycle facility guideline written in 1972 endorsed cycle tracks but American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) guidelines (1974–1999) discouraged or did not include cycle tracks and did not cite research about crash rates on cycle tracks. For the 19 US cycle tracks we examined, the overall crash rate was 2.3 (95% confidence interval = 1.7, 3.0) per 1 million bicycle kilometers. Conclusions. AASHTO bicycle guidelines are not explicitly based on rigorous or up-to-date research. Our results show that the risk of bicycle–vehicle crashes is lower on US cycle tracks than published crashes rates on roadways. This study and previous investigations support building cycle tracks. PMID:23678920

Competency-Based Training and Worker Turnover in Community Supports for People with IDD: Results from a Group Randomized Controlled Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bogenschutz, Matthew; Nord, Derek; Hewitt, Amy

2015-01-01

Turnover among direct support professionals (DSPs) in community support settings for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) has been regarded as a challenge since tracking of this workforce began in the 1980s. This study utilized a group randomized controlled design to test the effects of a competency-based training…

12 CFR 1807.600 - Tracking funds-general.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Tracking funds-general. 1807.600 Section 1807.600 Banks and Banking COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FUND, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY CAPITAL MAGNET FUND Tracking Requirements § 1807.600 Tracking funds—general. An Awardee receiving a CMF...

The transition from managed care to consumerism: a community-level status report.

PubMed

Christianson, Jon B; Ginsburg, Paul B; Draper, Debra A

2008-01-01

This paper assesses the evolving "facilitated consumerism" model of health care at the community level using data from the Community Tracking Study (CTS). We find that in a relatively short time, large employers and health plans have made notable progress in putting the building blocks in place to support their vision of consumerism. However, developments in the CTS communities suggest that the consumerism strategy evolving in local markets is more nuanced than implied by some descriptions of health care consumerism.

Community College Students' Persistence and Goal Attainment: A 5-Year Longitudinal Study. AIR Professional File, Number 55, Spring 1995.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conklin, Karen A.

A representative sample of first-time, full-time freshmen attending 17 Kansas community colleges in fall 1985 were tracked through spring 1990. Eight separate surveys were mailed to between 50 and 100 freshmen at each college, receiving a final response rate of 82.8%. Study findings included the following: (1) 71% of the respondents who initially…

Radiotelemetry Tracking at Lake Conway, Florida.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-08-01

USF) initiated a study to evaluate the impact of the introduced white amur on the resident herpetofaunal community . A major part of this effort was...initiated a study to determine the impact of the introduced white amur on the resident herpetofaunal community (Godley, in preparation). A major part of...42. Analysis of the project funding schedule indicated that herpetofaunal radiotagging would be economically feasible only if the existing mobile

Automatically Detect and Track Multiple Fish Swimming in Shallow Water with Frequent Occlusion

PubMed Central

Qian, Zhi-Ming; Cheng, Xi En; Chen, Yan Qiu

2014-01-01

Due to its universality, swarm behavior in nature attracts much attention of scientists from many fields. Fish schools are examples of biological communities that demonstrate swarm behavior. The detection and tracking of fish in a school are of important significance for the quantitative research on swarm behavior. However, different from other biological communities, there are three problems in the detection and tracking of fish school, that is, variable appearances, complex motion and frequent occlusion. To solve these problems, we propose an effective method of fish detection and tracking. In this method, first, the fish head region is positioned through extremum detection and ellipse fitting; second, The Kalman filtering and feature matching are used to track the target in complex motion; finally, according to the feature information obtained by the detection and tracking, the tracking problems caused by frequent occlusion are processed through trajectory linking. We apply this method to track swimming fish school of different densities. The experimental results show that the proposed method is both accurate and reliable. PMID:25207811

Developing and Implementing a Data Base and Microcomputer Tracking System To Track and Serve Minority Students To Enhance Minority Recruitment and Retention.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mendoza, Jose

Brief descriptions are provided of several components of Glendale Community College's (GCC's) programs to ensure adequate links with the minority community and stimulate enrollments to achieve parity in enrollment proportions. Introductory sections offer a rationale for minority emphasis programs, define "minority," enumerate reasons for attending…

Rising Cost of Gasoline Pinches Students at Rural Community Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sander, Libby

2008-01-01

Aware of the increasing burden of fuel costs on their students, administrators of rural community colleges are looking for ways to help students stay on track with their studies even as their monthly transportation bills rise. Two common tactics are increasing the number of online courses and offering block scheduling that allows students to pack…

Student Retention at Prince George's Community College. Research Brief RB89-6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clagett, Craig A.

A study was conducted at Prince George's Community College (PGCC) to examine student retention in two ways. First, the percentage of fall 1987 students who returned for classes the following spring was calculated for several student groups. Second, students entering PGCC for the first time in 1980 were tracked in terms of attendance and degree…

The National Student Clearinghouse: The Largest Current Student Tracking Database

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schoenecker, Craig; Reeves, Richard

2008-01-01

This chapter describes the National Student Clearinghouse and discusses opportunities and challenges for tracking community college students. It also presents a system perspective on using clearinghouse data to promote more comprehensive student and graduate tracking. (Contains 2 tables.)

Part-Time Community-College Faculty and the Desire for Full-Time Tenure-Track Positions: Results of a Single Institution Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacoby, Dan

2005-01-01

According to data derived from a community-college survey in the state of Washington, the majority of part-time faculty prefer full-time work. Using a logit regression analysis, the study reported in this paper suggests that typical part-timers enter their part-time teaching situations with the intent of becoming full-time, but gradually become…

Results of interlaboratory comparison of fission track ages for 1992 fission track workshop

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, D.S.; Crowley, K.D.; Dokka, R.K.; Galbraith, R.F.; Kowallis, B.J.; Naeser, C.W.

1993-01-01

Two apatites and one sphene were made available to the fission track research community for analysis prior to the 1992 Fission Track Workshop held in Philadelphia, U.S.A., 13-17 July. Eighteen laboratories throughout the world received aliquots of apatite and sphene. To date, analyses by 33 different scientists have been representing 15 different laboratories. With respect to the previous two interlaboratory comparisons, there is a noticeable improvement in the accuracy of the age results (Naeser and Cebula, 1978; Naeser et al., 1981; Miller et al., 1985;Miller et al.1990). Ninety-four percent of the analysis used the external detector method (EDM) combined with the zeta technique while the remaining individuals used the population method (POP). Track length measurements (requested for the first time in the interlaboratory comparison studies) were in relatively good agreement. ?? 1993.

Using search engine query data to track pharmaceutical utilization: a study of statins.

PubMed

Schuster, Nathaniel M; Rogers, Mary A M; McMahon, Laurence F

2010-08-01

To examine temporal and geographic associations between Google queries for health information and healthcare utilization benchmarks. Retrospective longitudinal study. Using Google Trends and Google Insights for Search data, the search terms Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium; Pfizer, Ann Arbor, MI) and simvastatin were evaluated for change over time and for association with Lipitor revenues. The relationship between query data and community-based resource use per Medicare beneficiary was assessed for 35 US metropolitan areas. Google queries for Lipitor significantly decreased from January 2004 through June 2009 and queries for simvastatin significantly increased (P <.001 for both), particularly after Lipitor came off patent (P <.001 for change in slope). The mean number of Google queries for Lipitor correlated (r = 0.98) with the percentage change in Lipitor global revenues from 2004 to 2008 (P <.001). Query preference for Lipitor over simvastatin was positively associated (r = 0.40) with a community's use of Medicare services. For every 1% increase in utilization of Medicare services in a community, there was a 0.2-unit increase in the ratio of Lipitor queries to simvastatin queries in that community (P = .02). Specific search engine queries for medical information correlate with pharmaceutical revenue and with overall healthcare utilization in a community. This suggests that search query data can track community-wide characteristics in healthcare utilization and have the potential for informing payers and policy makers regarding trends in utilization.

Strategies for Sustainable Communities

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The guidebook offers potential strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions using smart growth strategies, indicators to track progress, and resources for 10 community types ranging from major cities to rural communities.

Traumatic Loss and Natural Disaster: A Case Study of a School-Based Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clettenberg, Stacey; Gentry, Judy; Held, Matthew; Mock, Lou Ann

2011-01-01

This article tracks the trajectory and impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the communities of Houston/Harris County, Texas, USA, the schools, children, and families; along with the community partnerships that addressed the trauma and upheaval. Following the influx of individuals and families who were displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita…

Part-Time and Full-Time Faculty Conceptualizations of Academic Community: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sam, Cecile H.

2012-01-01

The poor work environment for part-time faculty in higher education is a topic that has been receiving more attention as the professoriate moves away from full-time tenure-track positions. In community colleges, the use of part-time faculty is even more prevalent. However, there are institutions that have been trying to create better work…

DNA analysis of hair and scat collected along snow tracks to document the presence of Canada Lynx.

Treesearch

Kevin S. McKelvey; Jeffrey von Kienast; Keith B. Aubry; Gary M. Koehler; Bejamin T. Maletzke; John R. Squires; Edward L. Lindquist; Steve Loch; Michael K. Schwartz

2006-01-01

Snow tracking is often used to inventory carnivore communities, but species identification using this method can produce ambiguous and misleading results. DNA can be extracted from hair and scat samples collected from tracks made in snow. Using DNA analysis could allow positive track identification across a broad range of snow conditions, thus increasing survey...

Improved Leg Tracking Considering Gait Phase and Spline-Based Interpolation during Turning Motion in Walk Tests.

PubMed

Yorozu, Ayanori; Moriguchi, Toshiki; Takahashi, Masaki

2015-09-04

Falling is a common problem in the growing elderly population, and fall-risk assessment systems are needed for community-based fall prevention programs. In particular, the timed up and go test (TUG) is the clinical test most often used to evaluate elderly individual ambulatory ability in many clinical institutions or local communities. This study presents an improved leg tracking method using a laser range sensor (LRS) for a gait measurement system to evaluate the motor function in walk tests, such as the TUG. The system tracks both legs and measures the trajectory of both legs. However, both legs might be close to each other, and one leg might be hidden from the sensor. This is especially the case during the turning motion in the TUG, where the time that a leg is hidden from the LRS is longer than that during straight walking and the moving direction rapidly changes. These situations are likely to lead to false tracking and deteriorate the measurement accuracy of the leg positions. To solve these problems, a novel data association considering gait phase and a Catmull-Rom spline-based interpolation during the occlusion are proposed. From the experimental results with young people, we confirm   that the proposed methods can reduce the chances of false tracking. In addition, we verify the measurement accuracy of the leg trajectory compared to a three-dimensional motion analysis system (VICON).

Online and Hybrid Course Enrollment and Performance in Washington State Community and Technical Colleges. CCRC Working Paper No. 31

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xu, Di; Jaggars, Shanna Smith

2011-01-01

This report investigates enrollment patterns and academic outcomes in online, hybrid, and face-to-face courses among students who enrolled in Washington State community and technical colleges in the fall of 2004. Students were tracked for nearly five years, until the spring of 2009. Results were similar to those found in a parallel study in…

The Mobile story: data-driven community efforts to raise graduation rates.

PubMed

Newell, Jeremiah; Akers, Carolyn

2010-01-01

Through sustained community organizing and strategic partnerships, the Mobile (Alabama) County Public School System is improving achievement and creating beat-the-odds schools that set and achieve high academic expectations despite the challenges of poverty and racial disparity. The authors chart how Mobile's Research Alliance for Multiple Pathways, funded through the U.S. Department of Labor's Multiple Pathways Blueprint Initiative, is identifying gaps in services throughout the community, analyzing the data about dropouts, benchmarking other communities, studying best practices, and mobilizing the community to expect and demand higher graduation rates. These activities are resulting in early identification of off-track students and coordination of school- and community-based reforms.

NREL in the Community | NREL

Science.gov Websites

NREL's Economic Impact Summary and Case Studies Subscribe For updates related to campus activities and Campaign. Economic Impact Economic Impact NREL has a strong track record of providing economic benefits to

Reconstructing community assembly in time and space reveals enemy escape in a Western Palearctic insect community.

PubMed

Stone, Graham N; Lohse, Konrad; Nicholls, James A; Fuentes-Utrilla, Pablo; Sinclair, Frazer; Schönrogge, Karsten; Csóka, György; Melika, George; Nieves-Aldrey, Jose-Luis; Pujade-Villar, Juli; Tavakoli, Majide; Askew, Richard R; Hickerson, Michael J

2012-03-20

How geographically widespread biological communities assemble remains a major question in ecology. Do parallel population histories allow sustained interactions (such as host-parasite or plant-pollinator) among species, or do discordant histories necessarily interrupt them? Though few empirical data exist, these issues are central to our understanding of multispecies evolutionary dynamics. Here we use hierarchical approximate Bayesian analysis of DNA sequence data for 12 herbivores and 19 parasitoids to reconstruct the assembly of an insect community spanning the Western Palearctic and assess the support for alternative host tracking and ecological sorting hypotheses. We show that assembly occurred primarily by delayed host tracking from a shared eastern origin. Herbivores escaped their enemies for millennia before parasitoid pursuit restored initial associations, with generalist parasitoids no better able to track their hosts than specialists. In contrast, ecological sorting played only a minor role. Substantial turnover in host-parasitoid associations means that coevolution must have been diffuse, probably contributing to the parasitoid generalism seen in this and similar systems. Reintegration of parasitoids after host escape shows these communities to have been unsaturated throughout their history, arguing against major roles for parasitoid niche evolution or competition during community assembly. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving Information Dissemination Impact on Districts and Schools. Knowledge Brief Number 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mills, Stephen R.

The California Department of Education commissioned a study to help guide ongoing information dissemination practices to the educational community. A pilot study, department of education staff interviews, and field interviews preceded document tracking. Phone interviews were conducted with district administrators, principals, and teachers…

Tracking housing recovery in Sea Bright, NJ and the relationship to infrastructure renewal.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-03-01

Understanding how a community is recovering from a disaster is critical to being able to make investments in transportation infrastructure. This project is a follow up study to a 2014 study that looked at the recovery process in Sea Bright, New Jerse...

Using Wage Record Data To Measure the Success of Students in the Labor Market: A Longitudinal Study of Former Cabrillo College Occupational Education Students' Employment and Wages (Cohorts 1990 and 1991).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luan, Jing

In 1995, Cabrillo College was one of 18 California community colleges to participate in a pilot study on the uses of Unemployment Insurance (UI) wage record data for tracking employment rates of former community college students. The employment status of students who left the college in 1990 and 1991 was reported for their last year in college,…

Soccer science and the Bayes community: exploring the cognitive implications of modern scientific communication.

PubMed

Shrager, Jeff; Billman, Dorrit; Convertino, Gregorio; Massar, J P; Pirolli, Peter

2010-01-01

Science is a form of distributed analysis involving both individual work that produces new knowledge and collaborative work to exchange information with the larger community. There are many particular ways in which individual and community can interact in science, and it is difficult to assess how efficient these are, and what the best way might be to support them. This paper reports on a series of experiments in this area and a prototype implementation using a research platform called CACHE. CACHE both supports experimentation with different structures of interaction between individual and community cognition and serves as a prototype for computational support for those structures. We particularly focus on CACHE-BC, the Bayes community version of CACHE, within which the community can break up analytical tasks into "mind-sized" units and use provenance tracking to keep track of the relationship between these units. Copyright © 2009 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

A Practical Ethnic Studies Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lum, Lydia

2009-01-01

This article describes the Asian American Studies Program at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Boston which complements students' career tracks and engages them in the surrounding Asian American community. For many educators, large numbers of graduates are not only a bragging right, but a goal. However, those involved in the Asian American…

Tracking and unpacking rapid Arctic change: Indicators of community health and sustainability in northern Alaska and links to cryospheric change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eicken, H.; Sam, J. M.; Mueller-stoffels, M.; Lovecraft, A. L.; Fresco, N. L.

2017-12-01

Tracking and responding to rapid Arctic change benefits from time series of indicator variables that describe the state of the system and can inform anticipatory action. A key challenge is to identify and monitor sets of indicators that capture relevant variability, trends, and transitions in social-environmental systems. We present findings from participatory scenarios focused on community health and sustainability in northern Alaska. In a series of workshops in 2015 and 2016 (Kotzebue workshop photo shown below), over 50 experts, mostly local, identified determinants of community health and sustainability by 2040 in the Northwest Arctic and North Slope Boroughs, Alaska. Drawing on further research, an initial set of factors and uncertainties was refined and prioritized into a total of 20 key drivers, ranging from governance issues to socio-economic and environmental factors. The research team then developed sets of future projections that describe plausible outcomes by mid-century for each of these drivers. A plausibility and consistency analysis of all pairwise combinations of these projections (following Mueller-Stoffels and Eicken, In: North by 2020 - Perspectives on Alaska's Changing Social-Ecological Systems, University of Alaska Press, 2011) resulted in the identification of robust scenarios. The latter were further reviewed by workshop participants, and a set of indicator variables, including indicators of relevant cryospheric change, was identified to help track trajectories towards plausible future states. Publically accessible recorded data only exist for a subset of the more than 70 indicators, reaching back a few years to several decades. For several indicators, the sampling rate or time series length are insufficient for tracking of and response to change. A core set of variables has been identified that meets indicator requirements and can serve as a tool for Alaska Arctic communities in adapting to or mitigating rapid change affecting community health and sustainability. The study provides guidance on Arctic observing system design, highlighting the importance of knowledge co-production to capture those aspects of climate, cryospheric and environmental change that are relevant in the context of broader responses to rapid Arctic change.

Community action research track: Community-based participatory research and service-learning experiences for medical students.

PubMed

Gimpel, Nora; Kindratt, Tiffany; Dawson, Alvin; Pagels, Patti

2018-04-01

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) and service-learning are unique experiential approaches designed to train medical students how to provide individualized patient care from a population perspective. Medical schools in the US are required to provide support for service-learning and community projects. Despite this requirement, few medical schools offer structured service-learning. We developed the Community Action Research Track (CART) to integrate population medicine, health promotion/disease prevention and the social determinants of health into the medical school curriculum through CBPR and service-learning experiences. This article provides an overview of CART and reports the program impact based on students' participation, preliminary evaluations and accomplishments. CART is an optional 4‑year service-learning experience for medical students interested in community health. The curriculum includes a coordinated longitudinal program of electives, community service-learning and lecture-based instruction. From 2009-2015, 146 CART students participated. Interests in public health (93%), community service (73%), primary care (73%), CBPR (60%) and community medicine (60%) were the top reasons for enrolment. Significant improvements in mean knowledge were found when measuring the principles of CBPR, levels of prevention, determining health literacy and patient communication strategies (all p's < 0.05). Most students (73%) were satisfied with CART. Projects were disseminated by at least 65 posters and four oral presentations at local, national and international professional meetings. Six manuscripts were published in peer-reviewed journals. CART is an innovative curriculum for training future physicians to be community-responsive physicians. CART can be replicated by other medical schools interested in offering a longitudinal CBPR and service-learning track in an urban metropolitan setting.

Assessing Developmental Education through Student Tracking. AIR 1995 Annual Forum Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weissman, Julie; And Others

The effectiveness of developmental education policies at a comprehensive community college was investigated using a new student tracking system. A sample of 1,644 students were tracked from fall 1992 until the end of the fall 1994 semester, 1,226 of whom evidenced basic skills and were eligible for college-level courses, and 418 of whom were…

Joint Multi-Leaf Segmentation, Alignment, and Tracking for Fluorescence Plant Videos.

PubMed

Yin, Xi; Liu, Xiaoming; Chen, Jin; Kramer, David M

2018-06-01

This paper proposes a novel framework for fluorescence plant video processing. The plant research community is interested in the leaf-level photosynthetic analysis within a plant. A prerequisite for such analysis is to segment all leaves, estimate their structures, and track them over time. We identify this as a joint multi-leaf segmentation, alignment, and tracking problem. First, leaf segmentation and alignment are applied on the last frame of a plant video to find a number of well-aligned leaf candidates. Second, leaf tracking is applied on the remaining frames with leaf candidate transformation from the previous frame. We form two optimization problems with shared terms in their objective functions for leaf alignment and tracking respectively. A quantitative evaluation framework is formulated to evaluate the performance of our algorithm with four metrics. Two models are learned to predict the alignment accuracy and detect tracking failure respectively in order to provide guidance for subsequent plant biology analysis. The limitation of our algorithm is also studied. Experimental results show the effectiveness, efficiency, and robustness of the proposed method.

EpxMedTracking: Feasibility Evaluation of an SMS-Based Medication Adherence Tracking System in Community Practice

PubMed Central

Tricarico, Christopher; Peters, Robert; Som, Avik; Javaherian, Kavon

2017-01-01

Background Medication adherence remains a difficult problem to both assess and improve in patients. It is a multifactorial problem that goes beyond the commonly cited reason of forgetfulness. To date, eHealth (also known as mHealth and telehealth) interventions to improve medication adherence have largely been successful in improving adherence. However, interventions to date have used time- and cost-intensive strategies or focused solely on medication reminding, leaving much room for improvement in using a modality as flexible as eHealth. Objective Our objective was to develop and implement a fully automated short message service (SMS)-based medication adherence system, EpxMedTracking, that reminds patients to take their medications, explores reasons for missed doses, and alerts providers to help address problems of medication adherence in real time. Methods EpxMedTracking is a fully automated bidirectional SMS-based messaging system with provider involvement that was developed and implemented through Epharmix, Inc. Researchers analyzed 11 weeks of de-identified data from patients cared for by multiple provider groups in routine community practice for feasibility and functionality. Patients included were those in the care of a provider purchasing the EpxMedTracking tool from Epharmix and were enrolled from a clinic by their providers. The primary outcomes assessed were the rate of engagement with the system, reasons for missing doses, and self-reported medication adherence. Results Of the 25 patients studied over the 11 weeks, 3 never responded and subsequently opted out or were deleted by their provider. No other patients opted out or were deleted during the study period. Across the 11 weeks of the study period, the overall weekly engagement rate was 85.9%. There were 109 total reported missed doses including “I forgot” at 33 events (30.3%), “I felt better” at 29 events (26.6%), “out of meds” at 20 events (18.4%), “I felt sick” at 19 events (17.4%), and “other” at 3 events (2.8%). We also noted an increase in self-reported medication adherence in patients using the EpxMedTracking system. Conclusions EpxMedTracking is an effective tool for tracking self-reported medication adherence over time. It uniquely identifies actionable reasons for missing doses for subsequent provider intervention in real time based on patient feedback. Patients enrolled on EpxMedTracking also self-report higher rates of medication adherence over time while on the system. PMID:28506954

Source tracking of prokaryotic communities in fermented grain of Chinese strong-flavor liquor.

PubMed

Wang, Xueshan; Du, Hai; Xu, Yan

2017-03-06

The fermentation process of Chinese strong-flavor liquor involves numerous microbes originating from Daqu and pit mud. Daqu is the starter of fermentation, and pit mud acts as another source of inoculum of microbes in the liquor-making process. However, the contribution of microbes in pit mud and Daqu to fermented grain, and the sources of microbes in fermented grain are still waiting to be defined clearly. In this study, prokaryotic communities in fermented grain, pit mud and Daqu were identified via next generation sequencing of the V4 region of 16S rRNA gene. Principal-coordinate analysis indicated that Daqu had stronger influence on the prokaryotic communities in fermented grain at the prophase of fermentation, but pit mud influenced the fermented grain continuously during the whole fermentation process. Totally, 299 genera were detected in all fermented grain, pit mud and Daqu samples. Among them, 204 genera were detected in 3days' fermented grain. Ten genera (Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Staphylococcus, Gluconobacter, Acetobacter, Petrimonas, Clostridium, Ruminococcus, Methanobacterium and Methanobrevibacter) were dominant, and accounted for 84.31%-87.13% relative abundance of the total prokaryotic community in fermented grain. Venn analysis indicated Daqu was the main source of strict aerobes and facultative aerobes, which took up over 74% of prokaryotic communities in fermented grain. Conversely, pit mud was the sustained-release source of anaerobes, which accounted for over 14% of prokaryotic communities in fermented grain. In addition, part of anaerobes originated from both Daqu and pit mud. This study could help track the source of prokaryotic communities in fermented grain, and improve the quality and controllability in liquor production. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Maximizing Educational Opportunity through Community Resources.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maradian, Steve

In the face of increased demands and diminishing resources, educational administrators at correctional facilities should look beyond institutional resources and utilize the services of area community colleges. The community college has an established track record in correctional education. Besides the nationally recognized correctional programs…

Text-mining as a methodology to assess eating disorder-relevant factors: Comparing mentions of fitness tracking technology across online communities.

PubMed

McCaig, Duncan; Bhatia, Sudeep; Elliott, Mark T; Walasek, Lukasz; Meyer, Caroline

2018-05-07

Text-mining offers a technique to identify and extract information from a large corpus of textual data. As an example, this study presents the application of text-mining to assess and compare interest in fitness tracking technology across eating disorder and health-related online communities. A list of fitness tracking technology terms was developed, and communities (i.e., 'subreddits') on a large online discussion platform (Reddit) were compared regarding the frequency with which these terms occurred. The corpus used in this study comprised all comments posted between May 2015 and January 2018 (inclusive) on six subreddits-three eating disorder-related, and three relating to either fitness, weight-management, or nutrition. All comments relating to the same 'thread' (i.e., conversation) were concatenated, and formed the cases used in this study (N = 377,276). Within the eating disorder-related subreddits, the findings indicated that a 'pro-eating disorder' subreddit, which is less recovery focused than the other eating disorder subreddits, had the highest frequency of fitness tracker terms. Across all subreddits, the weight-management subreddit had the highest frequency of the fitness tracker terms' occurrence, and MyFitnessPal was the most frequently mentioned fitness tracker. The technique exemplified here can potentially be used to assess group differences to identify at-risk populations, generate and explore clinically relevant research questions in populations who are difficult to recruit, and scope an area for which there is little extant literature. The technique also facilitates methodological triangulation of research findings obtained through more 'traditional' techniques, such as surveys or interviews. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Logic in the Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seligman, Jeremy; Liu, Fenrong; Girard, Patrick

Communities consist of individuals bounds together by social relationships and roles. Within communities, individuals reason about each other's beliefs, knowledge and preferences. Knowledge, belief, preferences and even the social relationships are constantly changing, and yet our ability to keep track of these changes is an important part of what it means to belong to a community.

Human and Animal Fecal Contamination of Community Water Sources, Stored Drinking Water and Hands in Rural India Measured with Validated Microbial Source Tracking Assays

PubMed Central

Schriewer, Alexander; Odagiri, Mitsunori; Wuertz, Stefan; Misra, Pravas R.; Panigrahi, Pinaki; Clasen, Thomas; Jenkins, Marion W.

2015-01-01

We examined pathways of exposure to fecal contamination of human and animal origin in 24 villages in Odisha, India. In a cross-sectional study during the monsoon season, fecal exposure via community water sources (N = 123) and in the home (N = 137) was assessed using human- and nonhuman-associated Bacteroidales microbial source tracking (MST) markers and fecal coliforms (FCs). Detection rates and marker concentrations were examined to pinpoint pathways of human fecal exposure in the public and domestic domains of disease transmission in study communities. Human fecal markers were detected much more frequently in the domestic domain (45% of households) than in public domain sources (8% of ponds; 4% of groundwater drinking sources). Animal fecal markers were widely detected in both domains (74% of ponds, 96% of households, 10% of groundwater drinking sources), indicating ubiquitous risks of exposure to animal feces and zoonotic pathogens. This study confirms an often suggested contamination link from hands to stored water in the home in developing countries separately for mothers' and children's hands and both human and animal fecal contamination. In contrast to MST markers, FCs provided a poor metric to assess risks of exposure to fecal contamination of human origin in this rural setting. PMID:26149868

Honors and the Completion Agenda: Identifying and Duplicating Student Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trucker, Jay

2014-01-01

Longitudinal studies that track student persistence each semester serve as the primary measurement of an institution's success or failure. These studies take place at the institutional and state-wide levels as well as nationally through grant-based organizations such as Complete College America. At the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC),…

Mentoring Postsecondary Tenure-Track Faculty: A Theory-Building Case Study and Implications for Institutional Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Dannielle Joy; Boyer, Patricia; Russell, Isela

2011-01-01

The featured research uses theory-building case study to understand the experiences of junior faculty in a mentoring program. Findings suggest the importance of professional interaction for faculty members' integration into their campus communities. An explanatory model illustrates the findings and supplements discussion of the implications for…

Multidrug-resistant organisms in a community living facility: tracking patient interactions and time spent in common areas.

PubMed

Bowen, Mary Elizabeth; Craighead, Jeffrey D; Klanchar, S Angelina; Nieves-Garcia, Veronica

2012-09-01

Contact precautions in community living facilities (CLF) are used to reduce the transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO). However, this policy does not address the contamination of shared spaces, devices (eg, wheelchairs), and interactions with other patients. Using a real-time surveillance system, this study examines the time MDRO-positive patients spend interacting with others in communal areas. The findings from this study may be used to tailor MDRO policies and practices to the specific needs of CLF. Published by Mosby, Inc.

The EMPACT Beaches Project Results from a Study on Microbiological Monitoring in Recreational Waters

EPA Science Inventory

The EMPACT (Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking) Beaches project has attempted to define which characteristics are most signifi cant with regard to monitoring approaches. This project examined five beach environments to determine the factors that mos...

CATCH/IT: a data warehouse to support comprehensive assessment for tracking community health.

PubMed Central

Berndt, D. J.; Hevner, A. R.; Studnicki, J.

1998-01-01

A systematic methodology, Comprehensive Assessment for Tracking Community Health (CATCH), for analyzing the health status of communities has been under development at the University of South Florida since the early 1990s. CATCH draws 226 health status indicators from multiple data sources and uses an innovative comparative framework and weighted evaluation criteria to produce a rank-ordered list of community health problems. CATCH has been applied successfully in many Florida counties; focusing attention on high priority health issues and measuring the impact of health expenditures on community health status outcomes. Previously performed manually, we are using information technology (IT) to automate the CATCH methodology with a full-scale data warehouse, user-friendly forms and reports, and extended analysis and data mining capabilities. The automated system, CATCH/IT, will reduce the time to prepare community health status reports from months to days. In this paper, we present the current status of the project, along with the principal research and development issues and future directions of the project. PMID:9929220

CATCH/IT: a data warehouse to support comprehensive assessment for tracking community health.

PubMed

Berndt, D J; Hevner, A R; Studnicki, J

1998-01-01

A systematic methodology, Comprehensive Assessment for Tracking Community Health (CATCH), for analyzing the health status of communities has been under development at the University of South Florida since the early 1990s. CATCH draws 226 health status indicators from multiple data sources and uses an innovative comparative framework and weighted evaluation criteria to produce a rank-ordered list of community health problems. CATCH has been applied successfully in many Florida counties; focusing attention on high priority health issues and measuring the impact of health expenditures on community health status outcomes. Previously performed manually, we are using information technology (IT) to automate the CATCH methodology with a full-scale data warehouse, user-friendly forms and reports, and extended analysis and data mining capabilities. The automated system, CATCH/IT, will reduce the time to prepare community health status reports from months to days. In this paper, we present the current status of the project, along with the principal research and development issues and future directions of the project.

Being accountable for care of the poor. CHA's social accountability budget helps facilities keep track of charitable activity.

PubMed

Trocchio, J; Eckels, T

1989-06-01

The Catholic Health Association's social accountability budget is a set of tools to help Catholic healthcare facilities plan for, administer, and report benefits provided to their communities, especially the poor. It defines a full roster of community benefits that a healthcare organization may provide. The benefits fall into three major categories: activities and services, policies and procedures, and community leadership. The social accountability budget also presents guidelines for assessing the facility's existing services, activities, policies, and procedures and discusses how the facility can conduct or be part of a community needs assessment. Information collected through this assessment is used in the planning and budgeting processes. This ensures that uncompensated care and charitable services receive consideration along with traditional planning and budgeting items. Additional guidelines show the facility how to track and measure its services to the community. The final step, often absent from Catholic healthcare facilities' programs, is reporting community benefits.

Tracking environmental dynamics and agricultural intensification in southern Mali

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tappan, G. Gray; McGahuey, M.

2007-01-01

The Office de la Haute Vallée du Fleuve Niger (OHVN) zone in southern Mali is a small but important agricultural production region. Against a background of environmental degradation including decades of declining rainfall, soil erosion, and human pressure on forest resources, numerous farming communities stand out through the use of improved soil and water management practices that have improved agricultural and environmental conditions. Field surveys conducted in 1998–2001 indicated that environmental and agricultural conditions have improved in the past decade. In an effort to better quantify environmental trends, we conducted a study using medium- and high-resolution remotely sensed images from 1965 to 2001 in order to analyze land use and land cover trends in 21 village territories. The trends show clear indications of agricultural intensification and diversification among villages that have received assistance from the OHVN agricultural development agency. Some communities have improved environmental conditions by protecting their forest resources through community management actions. Four decades of remotely sensed images played a practical role in tracking and quantifying environmental and agricultural conditions over time.

African American community members sustain favorable blood pressure outcomes through 12-month telephone motivational interviewing (MI) maintenance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Community approaches offer promise for addressing disparities experienced by African Americans in hypertension prevalence, treatment, and control. HUB City Steps, a community-based participatory research lifestyle intervention, tracked participants through a 12-month MI maintenance phase following a...

Woody vegetation communities of tidal freshwater swamps in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida (US) with comparisons to similar systems in the US and South America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Duberstein, Jamie A.; Conner, William H.; Krauss, Ken W.

2014-01-01

Descriptions of most tidal freshwater swamps in the southeastern US fit within the communities described in this study. Because studies that make inferences between environmental drivers (e.g. salinity, hydroperiod, hurricanes) and specific community types are best applied to the same communities (but perhaps different river systems), this work provides a framework by which tidal freshwater forested wetlands can be accurately compared based on their tree communities. We suggest that, within the broad range of our inventories, the four communities described identify the primary associations that should be tracked within most tidal freshwater swamps of the US. However, we identify some river basins in the US that do not fit this construct. Diversity of major tree communities in tidal freshwater swamps outside the US is generally much lower (with the notable exception of Amazonian hardwood tidal várzea), as are basal area values.

The Herpetology Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vacchina, Peter; Aguirre, Mary

2008-01-01

In this article, the authors describe their ongoing experience with the Herpetology Project. Through this field study, students catch and track amphibians and reptiles in the Assabet River area, record and analyze data, share their findings with the community, and ultimately, work toward protecting turtles' habitats. The authors chose to focus on…

How Does the Fast Track Intervention Prevent Adverse Outcomes in Young Adulthood?

PubMed

Sorensen, Lucy C; Dodge, Kenneth A

2016-01-01

Numerous studies have shown that childhood interventions can foster improved outcomes in adulthood. Less well understood is precisely how-that is, through which developmental pathways-these interventions work. This study assesses mechanisms by which the Fast Track project (n = 891), a randomized intervention in the early 1990s for high-risk children in four communities (Durham, NC; Nashville, TN; rural PA; and Seattle, WA), reduced delinquency, arrests, and general and mental health service utilization in adolescence through young adulthood (ages 12-20). A decomposition of treatment effects indicates that about a third of Fast Track's impact on later crime outcomes can be accounted for by improvements in social and self-regulation skills during childhood (ages 6-11), such as prosocial behavior, emotion regulation, and problem solving. These skills proved less valuable for the prevention of general and mental health problems. © 2015 The Authors. Child Development © 2015 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Report: EPA Needs to Track Whether Its Major Municipal Settlements for Combined Sewer Overflows Benefit Water Quality

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Report #15-P-0280, September 16, 2015. By tracking environmental results, the EPA can show how the $32 billion that communities are spending to address discharges of untreated sewage and contaminated storm water improves water quality.

Professional Development. New Opportunities for Partnering, CAUSE94. Track VII.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

CAUSE, Boulder, CO.

Eight papers are presented from the 1994 CAUSE conference track on professional development for information professionals in higher education institutions. The papers include: (1) "New Opportunities in Training for Information Systems Professionals," which discusses staff training at Miami-Dade Community College (Florida) (Desiree…

Image-based tracking: a new emerging standard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antonisse, Jim; Randall, Scott

2012-06-01

Automated moving object detection and tracking are increasingly viewed as solutions to the enormous data volumes resulting from emerging wide-area persistent surveillance systems. In a previous paper we described a Motion Imagery Standards Board (MISB) initiative to help address this problem: the specification of a micro-architecture for the automatic extraction of motion indicators and tracks. This paper reports on the development of an extended specification of the plug-and-play tracking micro-architecture, on its status as an emerging standard across DoD, the Intelligence Community, and NATO.

Results of the 2012 CASE Compensation Survey: Community College Respondents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paradise, Andrew

2012-01-01

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) has conducted compensations surveys to track trends in the profession and to help members benchmark salaries since 1982. The 2012 Community College Compensation Report summarizes the results of CASE's most recent compensation survey just for community college respondents. This report…

Study of a tracking and data acquisition system for the 1990's. Volume 1: User community characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccreary, T.

1981-01-01

Projected 1990's experiments; navigation requirements and potentials; communications requirements associated with space experiments; alternative forecast options; and operational impacts on experiments are covered. A baseline of plans for the TDAS User Community, including a set of generic experiments developed to supplement existing planning for the 1990's time frame is generated. It includes extensive summaries of collected data, and a bibliography. The data are representative of inputs obtained from NASA planning sources through September 1981.

Mentoring Students Back On-Track to Graduation: Program Results from Five Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mac Iver, Martha Abele; Sheldon, Steven; Naeger, Sarah; Clark, Emily

2017-01-01

This quasi-experimental study examines the impact of a mentoring program for low-income and minority middle and high school students displaying early warning indicators of dropping out on attendance, behavior problems, and course passing. The study was conducted over 3 years in five districts throughout the country and used a comparison group…

The Role of Residential Segregation in Explaining Racial Gaps in Childhood and Adolescent Obesity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryabov, Igor

2018-01-01

The present study used nationally representative data from the U.S. Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) merged with census-track data from the American Community Survey (ACS) to model race-ethnic disparities in overweight, obesity, and obesity-related disease among children and adolescents as a function of neighborhood race-ethnic segregation,…

Investigation of CMOS pixel sensor with 0.18 μm CMOS technology for high-precision tracking detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, L.; Fu, M.; Zhang, Y.; Yan, W.; Wang, M.

2017-01-01

The Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC) proposed by the Chinese high energy physics community is aiming to measure Higgs particles and their interactions precisely. The tracking detector including Silicon Inner Tracker (SIT) and Forward Tracking Disks (FTD) has driven stringent requirements on sensor technologies in term of spatial resolution, power consumption and readout speed. CMOS Pixel Sensor (CPS) is a promising candidate to approach these requirements. This paper presents the preliminary studies on the sensor optimization for tracking detector to achieve high collection efficiency while keeping necessary spatial resolution. Detailed studies have been performed on the charge collection using a 0.18 μm CMOS image sensor process. This process allows high resistivity epitaxial layer, leading to a significant improvement on the charge collection and therefore improving the radiation tolerance. Together with the simulation results, the first exploratory prototype has bee designed and fabricated. The prototype includes 9 different pixel arrays, which vary in terms of pixel pitch, diode size and geometry. The total area of the prototype amounts to 2 × 7.88 mm2.

Fast Track Option: An Accelerated Associate's Degree Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, J. Randall

1998-01-01

Alternative instructional delivery options such as self-paced and flexible enrollment courses are designed to increase enrollment, promote retention, and encourage student success without lowering academic standards. The Fast Track Associate's Degree Program, developed by a team of faculty, staff, and administrators at Richland Community College,…

Bacterial Biogeography across the Amazon River-Ocean Continuum

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Doherty, Mary; Yager, Patricia L.; Moran, Mary Ann

Spatial and temporal patterns in microbial biodiversity across the Amazon river-ocean continuum were investigated along ~675 km of the lower Amazon River mainstem, in the Tapajos River tributary, and in the plume and coastal ocean during low and high river discharge using amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes in whole water and size-fractionated samples (0.2-2.0 μm and >2.0 μm). River communities varied among tributaries, but mainstem communities were spatially homogeneous and tracked seasonal changes in river discharge and co-varying factors. Co-occurrence network analysis identified strongly interconnected river assemblages during high (May) and low (December) discharge periods, and weakly interconnected transitionalmore » assemblages in September, suggesting that this system supports two seasonal microbial communities linked to river discharge. In contrast, plume communities showed little seasonal differences and instead varied spatially tracking salinity. However, salinity explained only a small fraction of community variability, and plume communities in blooms of diatom-diazotroph assemblages were strikingly different than those in other high salinity plume samples. This suggests that while salinity physically structures plumes through buoyancy and mixing, the composition of plume-specific communities is controlled by other factors including nutrients, phytoplankton community composition, and dissolved organic matter chemistry. Co-occurrence networks identified interconnected assemblages associated with the highly productive low salinity nearshore region, diatom-diazotroph blooms, and the plume edge region, and weakly interconnected assemblages in high salinity regions. This suggests that the plume supports a transitional community influenced by immigration of ocean bacteria from the plume edge, and by species sorting as these communities adapt to local environmental conditions. Few studies have explored patterns of microbial diversity in tropical rivers and coastal oceans. Comparison of Amazon continuum microbial communities to those from temperate and arctic systems suggest that river discharge and salinity are master variables structuring a range of environmental conditions that control bacterial communities across the river-ocean continuum.« less

Bacterial Biogeography across the Amazon River-Ocean Continuum.

PubMed

Doherty, Mary; Yager, Patricia L; Moran, Mary Ann; Coles, Victoria J; Fortunato, Caroline S; Krusche, Alex V; Medeiros, Patricia M; Payet, Jérôme P; Richey, Jeffrey E; Satinsky, Brandon M; Sawakuchi, Henrique O; Ward, Nicholas D; Crump, Byron C

2017-01-01

Spatial and temporal patterns in microbial biodiversity across the Amazon river-ocean continuum were investigated along ∼675 km of the lower Amazon River mainstem, in the Tapajós River tributary, and in the plume and coastal ocean during low and high river discharge using amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes in whole water and size-fractionated samples (0.2-2.0 μm and >2.0 μm). River communities varied among tributaries, but mainstem communities were spatially homogeneous and tracked seasonal changes in river discharge and co-varying factors. Co-occurrence network analysis identified strongly interconnected river assemblages during high (May) and low (December) discharge periods, and weakly interconnected transitional assemblages in September, suggesting that this system supports two seasonal microbial communities linked to river discharge. In contrast, plume communities showed little seasonal differences and instead varied spatially tracking salinity. However, salinity explained only a small fraction of community variability, and plume communities in blooms of diatom-diazotroph assemblages were strikingly different than those in other high salinity plume samples. This suggests that while salinity physically structures plumes through buoyancy and mixing, the composition of plume-specific communities is controlled by other factors including nutrients, phytoplankton community composition, and dissolved organic matter chemistry. Co-occurrence networks identified interconnected assemblages associated with the highly productive low salinity near-shore region, diatom-diazotroph blooms, and the plume edge region, and weakly interconnected assemblages in high salinity regions. This suggests that the plume supports a transitional community influenced by immigration of ocean bacteria from the plume edge, and by species sorting as these communities adapt to local environmental conditions. Few studies have explored patterns of microbial diversity in tropical rivers and coastal oceans. Comparison of Amazon continuum microbial communities to those from temperate and arctic systems suggest that river discharge and salinity are master variables structuring a range of environmental conditions that control bacterial communities across the river-ocean continuum.

Bacterial Biogeography across the Amazon River-Ocean Continuum

DOE PAGES

Doherty, Mary; Yager, Patricia L.; Moran, Mary Ann; ...

2017-05-23

Spatial and temporal patterns in microbial biodiversity across the Amazon river-ocean continuum were investigated along ~675 km of the lower Amazon River mainstem, in the Tapajos River tributary, and in the plume and coastal ocean during low and high river discharge using amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes in whole water and size-fractionated samples (0.2-2.0 μm and >2.0 μm). River communities varied among tributaries, but mainstem communities were spatially homogeneous and tracked seasonal changes in river discharge and co-varying factors. Co-occurrence network analysis identified strongly interconnected river assemblages during high (May) and low (December) discharge periods, and weakly interconnected transitionalmore » assemblages in September, suggesting that this system supports two seasonal microbial communities linked to river discharge. In contrast, plume communities showed little seasonal differences and instead varied spatially tracking salinity. However, salinity explained only a small fraction of community variability, and plume communities in blooms of diatom-diazotroph assemblages were strikingly different than those in other high salinity plume samples. This suggests that while salinity physically structures plumes through buoyancy and mixing, the composition of plume-specific communities is controlled by other factors including nutrients, phytoplankton community composition, and dissolved organic matter chemistry. Co-occurrence networks identified interconnected assemblages associated with the highly productive low salinity nearshore region, diatom-diazotroph blooms, and the plume edge region, and weakly interconnected assemblages in high salinity regions. This suggests that the plume supports a transitional community influenced by immigration of ocean bacteria from the plume edge, and by species sorting as these communities adapt to local environmental conditions. Few studies have explored patterns of microbial diversity in tropical rivers and coastal oceans. Comparison of Amazon continuum microbial communities to those from temperate and arctic systems suggest that river discharge and salinity are master variables structuring a range of environmental conditions that control bacterial communities across the river-ocean continuum.« less

Bacterial Biogeography across the Amazon River-Ocean Continuum

PubMed Central

Doherty, Mary; Yager, Patricia L.; Moran, Mary Ann; Coles, Victoria J.; Fortunato, Caroline S.; Krusche, Alex V.; Medeiros, Patricia M.; Payet, Jérôme P.; Richey, Jeffrey E.; Satinsky, Brandon M.; Sawakuchi, Henrique O.; Ward, Nicholas D.; Crump, Byron C.

2017-01-01

Spatial and temporal patterns in microbial biodiversity across the Amazon river-ocean continuum were investigated along ∼675 km of the lower Amazon River mainstem, in the Tapajós River tributary, and in the plume and coastal ocean during low and high river discharge using amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes in whole water and size-fractionated samples (0.2–2.0 μm and >2.0 μm). River communities varied among tributaries, but mainstem communities were spatially homogeneous and tracked seasonal changes in river discharge and co-varying factors. Co-occurrence network analysis identified strongly interconnected river assemblages during high (May) and low (December) discharge periods, and weakly interconnected transitional assemblages in September, suggesting that this system supports two seasonal microbial communities linked to river discharge. In contrast, plume communities showed little seasonal differences and instead varied spatially tracking salinity. However, salinity explained only a small fraction of community variability, and plume communities in blooms of diatom-diazotroph assemblages were strikingly different than those in other high salinity plume samples. This suggests that while salinity physically structures plumes through buoyancy and mixing, the composition of plume-specific communities is controlled by other factors including nutrients, phytoplankton community composition, and dissolved organic matter chemistry. Co-occurrence networks identified interconnected assemblages associated with the highly productive low salinity near-shore region, diatom-diazotroph blooms, and the plume edge region, and weakly interconnected assemblages in high salinity regions. This suggests that the plume supports a transitional community influenced by immigration of ocean bacteria from the plume edge, and by species sorting as these communities adapt to local environmental conditions. Few studies have explored patterns of microbial diversity in tropical rivers and coastal oceans. Comparison of Amazon continuum microbial communities to those from temperate and arctic systems suggest that river discharge and salinity are master variables structuring a range of environmental conditions that control bacterial communities across the river-ocean continuum. PMID:28588561

Open to Suggestion.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Journal of Reading, 1987

1987-01-01

Offers (1) suggestions for improving college students' study skills; (2) a system for keeping track of parent, teacher, and community contacts; (3) suggestions for motivating students using tic tac toe; (4) suggestions for using etymology to improve word retention; (5) a word search grid; and (6) suggestions for using postcards in remedial reading…

Comparison of the Effectiveness of a Traditional Intermediate Algebra Course With That of a Less Rigorous Intermediate Algebra Course in Preparing Students for Success in a Subsequent Mathematics Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sworder, Steven C.

2007-01-01

An experimental two-track intermediate algebra course was offered at Saddleback College, Mission Viejo, CA, between the Fall, 2002 and Fall, 2005 semesters. One track was modeled after the existing traditional California community college intermediate algebra course and the other track was a less rigorous intermediate algebra course in which the…

Is your article EV-TRACKed?

PubMed

Van Deun, Jan; Hendrix, An

2017-01-01

The EV-TRACK knowledgebase is developed to cope with the need for transparency and rigour to increase reproducibility and facilitate standardization of extracellular vesicle (EV) research. The knowledgebase includes a checklist for authors and editors intended to improve the transparency of methodological aspects of EV experiments, allows queries and meta-analysis of EV experiments and keeps track of the current state of the art. Widespread implementation by the EV research community is key to its success.

Three-dimensional tracking of small aquatic organisms using fluorescent nanoparticles.

PubMed

Ekvall, Mikael T; Bianco, Giuseppe; Linse, Sara; Linke, Heiner; Bäckman, Johan; Hansson, Lars-Anders

2013-01-01

Tracking techniques are vital for the understanding of the biology and ecology of organisms. While such techniques have provided important information on the movement and migration of large animals, such as mammals and birds, scientific advances in understanding the individual behaviour and interactions of small (mm-scale) organisms have been hampered by constraints, such as the sizes of existing tracking devices, in existing tracking methods. By combining biology, chemistry and physics we here present a method that allows three-dimensional (3D) tracking of individual mm-sized aquatic organisms. The method is based on in-vivo labelling of the organisms with fluorescent nanoparticles, so-called quantum dots, and tracking of the organisms in 3D via the quantum-dot fluorescence using a synchronized multiple camera system. It allows for the efficient and simultaneous study of the behaviour of one as well as multiple individuals in large volumes of observation, thus enabling the study of behavioural interactions at the community scale. The method is non-perturbing - we demonstrate that the labelling is not affecting the behavioural response of the organisms - and is applicable over a wide range of taxa, including cladocerans as well as insects, suggesting that our methodological concept opens up for new research fields on individual behaviour of small animals. Hence, this offers opportunities to focus on important biological, ecological and behavioural questions never before possible to address.

How do community-dwelling LGBT people perceive sexuality in residential aged care? A systematic literature review.

PubMed

Mahieu, Lieslot; Cavolo, Alice; Gastmans, Chris

2018-01-22

To investigate what empirical studies report on the perceptions of community-dwelling LGBT adults regarding sexuality and sexual expression in residential aged care (RAC), and how their sexuality should be addressed in RAC. Relevant papers were identified through electronic searches in databases; and by reference tracking and citation tracking. Data were extracted using a standardized data extraction form and were compared, related, and synthesized using thematic analyses. We evaluated the methodological quality of the studies. Eighteen articles were identified. Three major topics emerged regarding sexuality in RAC: (1) factors affecting LGBT people's perceptions, subdivided into (a) discrimination, (b) loss of sexual identity, (c) failure to acknowledge the same-sex partner, and (d) lack of privacy; (2) LGBT-specific RAC facilities; and (3) characteristics of LGBT friendly RAC facilities and caregivers. LGBT people have clear perceptions about how sexuality and sexual expression is or should be managed in RAC. Despite the general increase in acceptance of sexual minorities, many community-dwelling LGBT people believe older LGBT residents are discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Taking into account these opinions is crucial for increasing accessibility of RAC to LGBT people and to ensure the quality of the provided care.

Video observations of sensitive caregiving "off the beaten track": introduction to the special issue.

PubMed

Mesman, Judi

2018-03-22

This introduction to the special issue on video observations of sensitive caregiving in different cultural communities provides a general theoretical and methodological framework for the seven empirical studies that are at the heart of this special issue. It highlights the cross-cultural potential of the sensitivity construct, the importance of research on sensitivity "off the beaten track," the advantages and potential challenges of the use of video in diverse cultural contexts, and the benefits of forming research teams that include local scholars. The paper concludes with an overview of the seven empirical studies of sensitivity in this special issue with video observations from Brazil, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Peru, South Africa, and Yemen.

EDUCAUSE '99: Celebrating New Beginnings. [Proceedings] (Long Beach, California, October 26-29, 1999).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

EDUCAUSE, Washington, DC.

This proceedings of the 1999 EDUCAUSE Conference contains papers presented in six tracks: Building the New Information Technology Foundation and Infrastructure; Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning; Renewing Administrative Services; Outreach, Public Service, and New Communities; Advancing the Leading Edge; and the EDUCAUSE Track. Topics of…

Capillary absorption spectrometer and process for isotopic analysis of small samples

DOEpatents

Alexander, M. Lizabeth; Kelly, James F.; Sams, Robert L.; Moran, James J.; Newburn, Matthew K.; Blake, Thomas A.

2016-03-29

A capillary absorption spectrometer and process are described that provide highly sensitive and accurate stable absorption measurements of analytes in a sample gas that may include isotopologues of carbon and oxygen obtained from gas and biological samples. It further provides isotopic images of microbial communities that allow tracking of nutrients at the single cell level. It further targets naturally occurring variations in carbon and oxygen isotopes that avoids need for expensive isotopically labeled mixtures which allows study of samples taken from the field without modification. The method also permits sampling in vivo permitting real-time ambient studies of microbial communities.

Capillary absorption spectrometer and process for isotopic analysis of small samples

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alexander, M. Lizabeth; Kelly, James F.; Sams, Robert L.

A capillary absorption spectrometer and process are described that provide highly sensitive and accurate stable absorption measurements of analytes in a sample gas that may include isotopologues of carbon and oxygen obtained from gas and biological samples. It further provides isotopic images of microbial communities that allow tracking of nutrients at the single cell level. It further targets naturally occurring variations in carbon and oxygen isotopes that avoids need for expensive isotopically labeled mixtures which allows study of samples taken from the field without modification. The process also permits sampling in vivo permitting real-time ambient studies of microbial communities.

From Awareness to Action: The Community of Sarnia Mobilizes to Protect its Workers from Occupational Disease.

PubMed

Kramer, Desre; McMillan, Keith; Gross, Emily; Kone Pefoyo, Anna J; Bradley, Mike; Holness, Dorothy Linn

2015-11-01

An exploratory qualitative case study investigated how different sectors of a highly industrialized community mobilized in the 1990s to help workers exposed to asbestos. For this study, thirty key informants including representatives from industry, workers, the community, and local politicians participated in semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The analysis was framed by a "Dimensions of Community Change" model. The informants highlighted the importance of raising awareness, and the need for leadership, social and organizational networks, acquiring skills and resources, individual and community power, holding shared values and beliefs, and perseverance. We found that improvements in occupational health and safety came from persistently communicating a clearly defined issue ("asbestos exposure causes cancer") and having an engaged community that collaborated with union leadership. Notable successes included stronger occupational health services, a support group for workers and widows, the fast-tracking of compensation for workers exposed to asbestos, and a reduction in hazardous emissions. © The Author(s) 2015.

Effect of a promotional campaign on heart-healthy menu choices in community restaurants.

PubMed

Fitzgerald, Catherine M; Kannan, Srimathi; Sheldon, Sharon; Eagle, Kim Allen

2004-03-01

The research question examined in this study was: Does a promotional campaign impact the sales of heart-healthy menu items at community restaurants? The 8-week promotional campaign used professionally developed advertisements in daily and monthly print publications and posters and table tents in local restaurants. Nine restaurants tracked the sales of selected heart-healthy menu items and comparable menu items sold before and after a promotional campaign. The percentage of heart-healthy items sold after the campaign showed a trend toward a slight increase in heart-healthy menu item selections, although it was not statistically significant. This study and others indicate that dietetics professionals must continue to develop strategies to promote heart-healthy food choices in community restaurants.

Changing Track: Community Colleges in India.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alphonse, S. Xavier

This book provides information on the concept and practice of community colleges in both the United States and India. It is intended to serve as a guideline for the development in India of institutions and programs modeled after American community colleges. The foreword discusses the findings of a survey of colleges in India on…

Teaching the 3 R's through the 3 C's: Connecting Curriculum & Community.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karner, Terrence R., Jr.; Knapp, Clifford E.; Simmert, R. Larry; Carlson, Pamela; Criswell, Marquiette R.; Arroz, Marie; Geocaris, Claudia; Roth-Longe, Jennifer

2001-01-01

Presents suggestions for class activities that integrate community resources and local contexts into curriculum and instruction. Activities include field trips to a historic one-room schoolhouse, a local track meet, a beauty salon, and local manufacturing companies; explorations of local water supply systems and community history and sociology;…

On a collision course: competition and dispersal differences create no-analogue communities and cause extinctions during climate change

PubMed Central

Urban, Mark C.; Tewksbury, Josh J.; Sheldon, Kimberly S.

2012-01-01

Most climate change predictions omit species interactions and interspecific variation in dispersal. Here, we develop a model of multiple competing species along a warming climatic gradient that includes temperature-dependent competition, differences in niche breadth and interspecific differences in dispersal ability. Competition and dispersal differences decreased diversity and produced so-called ‘no-analogue’ communities, defined as a novel combination of species that does not currently co-occur. Climate change altered community richness the most when species had narrow niches, when mean community-wide dispersal rates were low and when species differed in dispersal abilities. With high interspecific dispersal variance, the best dispersers tracked climate change, out-competed slower dispersers and caused their extinction. Overall, competition slowed the advance of colonists into newly suitable habitats, creating lags in climate tracking. We predict that climate change will most threaten communities of species that have narrow niches (e.g. tropics), vary in dispersal (most communities) and compete strongly. Current forecasts probably underestimate climate change impacts on biodiversity by neglecting competition and dispersal differences. PMID:22217718

Human and Animal Fecal Contamination of Community Water Sources, Stored Drinking Water and Hands in Rural India Measured with Validated Microbial Source Tracking Assays.

PubMed

Schriewer, Alexander; Odagiri, Mitsunori; Wuertz, Stefan; Misra, Pravas R; Panigrahi, Pinaki; Clasen, Thomas; Jenkins, Marion W

2015-09-01

We examined pathways of exposure to fecal contamination of human and animal origin in 24 villages in Odisha, India. In a cross-sectional study during the monsoon season, fecal exposure via community water sources (N = 123) and in the home (N = 137) was assessed using human- and nonhuman-associated Bacteroidales microbial source tracking (MST) markers and fecal coliforms (FCs). Detection rates and marker concentrations were examined to pinpoint pathways of human fecal exposure in the public and domestic domains of disease transmission in study communities. Human fecal markers were detected much more frequently in the domestic domain (45% of households) than in public domain sources (8% of ponds; 4% of groundwater drinking sources). Animal fecal markers were widely detected in both domains (74% of ponds, 96% of households, 10% of groundwater drinking sources), indicating ubiquitous risks of exposure to animal feces and zoonotic pathogens. This study confirms an often suggested contamination link from hands to stored water in the home in developing countries separately for mothers' and children's hands and both human and animal fecal contamination. In contrast to MST markers, FCs provided a poor metric to assess risks of exposure to fecal contamination of human origin in this rural setting. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Genotyping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: application in epidemiologic studies

PubMed Central

Kato-Maeda, Midori; Metcalfe, John Z.; Flores, Laura

2014-01-01

Genotyping is used to track specific isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a community. It has been successfully used in epidemiologic research (termed ‘molecular epidemiology’) to study the transmission dynamics of TB. In this article, we review the genetic markers used in molecular epidemiologic studies including the use of whole-genome sequencing technology. We also review the public health application of molecular epidemiologic tools. PMID:21366420

The definition of community integration: perspectives of people with brain injuries.

PubMed

McColl, M A; Carlson, P; Johnston, J; Minnes, P; Shue, K; Davies, D; Karlovits, T

1998-01-01

Despite considerable attention to community integration and related topics in the past decades, a clear definition of community integration continues to elude researchers and service providers. Common to most discussions of the topic, however, are three ideas: that integration involves relationships with others, independence in one's living situation and activities to fill one's time. The present study sought to expand this conceptualization of community integration by asking people with brain injuries for their own perspectives on community integration. This qualitative study resulted in a definition of community integration consisting of nine indicators: orientation, acceptance, conformity, close and diffuse relationships, living situation, independence, productivity and leisure. These indicators were empirically derived from the text of 116 interviews with people with moderate-severe brain injuries living in the community. Eighteen adults living in supported living programmes were followed for 1 year, to track their evolving definition of integration and the factors they felt were related to integration. The study also showed a general trend toward more positive evaluation over the year, and revealed that positive evaluation was frequently related to meeting new people and freedom from staff supervision. These findings are interpreted in the light of recommendations for community programmes.

Symplectic multiparticle tracking model for self-consistent space-charge simulation

DOE PAGES

Qiang, Ji

2017-01-23

Symplectic tracking is important in accelerator beam dynamics simulation. So far, to the best of our knowledge, there is no self-consistent symplectic space-charge tracking model available in the accelerator community. In this paper, we present a two-dimensional and a three-dimensional symplectic multiparticle spectral model for space-charge tracking simulation. This model includes both the effect from external fields and the effect of self-consistent space-charge fields using a split-operator method. Such a model preserves the phase space structure and shows much less numerical emittance growth than the particle-in-cell model in the illustrative examples.

Symplectic multiparticle tracking model for self-consistent space-charge simulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qiang, Ji

Symplectic tracking is important in accelerator beam dynamics simulation. So far, to the best of our knowledge, there is no self-consistent symplectic space-charge tracking model available in the accelerator community. In this paper, we present a two-dimensional and a three-dimensional symplectic multiparticle spectral model for space-charge tracking simulation. This model includes both the effect from external fields and the effect of self-consistent space-charge fields using a split-operator method. Such a model preserves the phase space structure and shows much less numerical emittance growth than the particle-in-cell model in the illustrative examples.

Is your article EV-TRACKed?

PubMed Central

Van Deun, Jan; Hendrix, An

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The EV-TRACK knowledgebase is developed to cope with the need for transparency and rigour to increase reproducibility and facilitate standardization of extracellular vesicle (EV) research. The knowledgebase includes a checklist for authors and editors intended to improve the transparency of methodological aspects of EV experiments, allows queries and meta-analysis of EV experiments and keeps track of the current state of the art. Widespread implementation by the EV research community is key to its success. PMID:29184624

A Comparison of Associate in Arts Transfer Rates between 1994-95 and 1998-99.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Windham, Patricia

This study of the of the Florida Community College System compares Associate of Arts (AA) transfers over a five-year period, from 1994-95 to 1998-99. The study tracked transfers with Florida's centralized student database system, which uses social security numbers as student identifiers. It included only students who completed the AA degree, and…

Community-Scale Air Toxics Ambient Monitoring Grant - Closed Announcement FY 2015

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Grant to fund projects designed to assist state, local and tribal communities in identifying air toxics sources, characterizing the degree and extent of local-scale air toxics problems, tracking progress of air toxics reduction activities, etc.

CHILD HEALTH CHAMPION AIR QUALITY MONITORING AND EDUCATION PROJECT

EPA Science Inventory

In response to two presidential directives, EPA has created the Child Health Champion (CHC) Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) pilot program in communities where environmental data are not widely available and significant environmental heal...

Targeting Unknowns Just Underfoot: Microbial Ecology and Community Genomics of C Cycling in Soil Informed and Enabled with DNA-SIP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pepe-Ranney, C. P.; Campbell, A.; Buckley, D. H.

2015-12-01

Microorganisms drive biogeochemical cycles and because soil is a large global carbon (C) reservoir (soil contains more C than plants and the atmosphere combined), soil microorganisms are important players in the global C-cycle. Frustratingly, however, many soil microorganisms resist cultivation and soil communities are astoundingly complex. This makes soil microbiology difficult to study and without a solid understanding of soil microbial ecology, models of soil C feedbacks to climate change are under-informed. Stable isotope probing (SIP) is a useful approach for establishing identity-function connections in microbial communities but has been challenging to employ in soil due to the inadequate resolution of microbial community fingerprinting techniques. High throughput DNA sequencing improves SIP resolving power transforming it into a powerful tool for studying the soil C cycle. We conducted a DNA-SIP experiment to track flow of xylose-C, a labile component of plant biomass, and cellulose-C, the most abundant global biopolymer, through a soil microbial community. We could track 13C into microbial DNA even when added 13C amounted to less than 5% of native C and found Spartobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Planctomycetes taxa were among those that assimilated 13C cellulose. These lineages are cosmopolitan in soil but little is known of their ecophysiology. By profiling SSU rRNA genes across entire DNA-SIP density gradients, we assessed relative DNA atom % 13C per taxon in 13C treatments and found cellulose degraders exhibited signal consistent with a specialist lifestyle with respect to C preference. Further, DNA-SIP enriches DNA of targeted microorganisms (Verrucomicrobia cellulose degraders were enriched by nearly two orders of magnitude) and this enriched DNA can serve as template for community genomics. We produced draft genomes from soil cellulose degraders including microorganisms belonging to Verrucomicrobia, Chloroflexi, and Planctomycetes from SIP enriched DNA. This study demonstrates how DNA-SIP can be used to study microbial ecology and target guilds of microorganisms for community genomics. Improving our fundamental understanding of ecophysiology relevant to terrestrial C cycling is essential for tuning global C models.

Adapting Stanford's Chronic Disease Self-Management Program to Hawaii's Multicultural Population

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomioka, Michiyo; Braun, Kathryn L.; Compton, Merlita; Tanoue, Leslie

2012-01-01

Purpose of the Study: Stanford's Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) has been proven to increase patients' ability to manage distress. We describe how we replicated CDSMP in Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities. Design and Methods: We used the "track changes" tool to deconstruct CDSMP into its various components…

Legislative Actions to Repeal, Defund, or Delay the Affordable Care Act

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-11-22

Public Health Sciences Track, pursuant to ACA Section 5315. • Removed the maintenance of effort requirement for use of monies in the Community Health...Office (GAO) study of the costs and processes of ACA implementation, and a Medicare actuarial analysis of the impact of the ACA’s private insurance

Tracking the Transfers: State Policy and Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Arthur M.

1992-01-01

In an effort to standardize the definition of the two-year college student transfer rate and to collect national transfer data, the Center for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC) has solicited data annually since 1989 from a sample of 240 public and private two-year colleges nationwide. The CSCC has standardized the definition of "transfer…

Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS): A Quantitative Study of Latino Students' Goal Completion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barraza, Bertha

2012-01-01

A problem exists with consistency in measuring and tracking students' academic goals in California Community Colleges [CCC]. Effective measurements in CCC that embody academic goals below the associate degree and four-year college articulation agreements, call for attention to determine student academic interests and completion rates. Specific…

Safety-net providers in some US communities have increasingly embraced coordinated care models.

PubMed

Cunningham, Peter; Felland, Laurie; Stark, Lucy

2012-08-01

Safety-net organizations, which provide health services to uninsured and low-income people, increasingly are looking for ways to coordinate services among providers to improve access to and quality of care and to reduce costs. In this analysis, a part of the Community Tracking Study, we examined trends in safety-net coordination activities from 2000 to 2010 within twelve communities in the United States and found a notable increase in such activities. Six of the twelve communities had made formal efforts to link uninsured people to medical homes and coordinate care with specialists in 2010, compared to only two communities in 2000. We also identified key attributes of safety-net coordinated care systems, such as reliance on a medical home for meeting patients' primary care needs, and lingering challenges to safety-net integration, such as competition among hospitals and community health centers for Medicaid patients.

Georgia | Midmarket Solar Policies in the United States | Solar Research |

Science.gov Websites

Distributed Generation Act Community solar Georgia Public Service Commission: Approval of Georgia Power's . Carve-out: None Tracking system: No formally adopted tracking system The Georgia Public Service . Midmarket customers in the Georgia Power and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) service territories may be

Non-Tenure Track Faculty and Learning Communities: Bridging the Divide to Enhance Teaching Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banasik, MaryJo D.; Dean, Jennifer L.

2016-01-01

Institutions of higher education are increasingly hiring non-tenure track faculty members (NTTF) to help meet the demands of the institutional teaching mission. Research suggests NTTF experience inadequate working conditions that hinder performance and negatively impact the quality of undergraduate education. Given the growing number of NTTF…

Workshop summary: connecting social and environmental factors to measure and track environmental health disparities.

PubMed

Payne-Sturges, Devon; Gee, Gilbert C; Crowder, Kirstin; Hurley, Bradford J; Lee, Charles; Morello-Frosch, Rachel; Rosenbaum, Arlene; Schulz, Amy; Wells, Charles; Woodruff, Tracey; Zenick, Hal

2006-10-01

On May 24-25, 2005 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the University of Michigan sponsored a technical workshop on the topic of connecting social and environmental factors to measure and track environmental health disparities. The workshop was designed to develop a transdisciplinary scientific foundation for exploring the conceptual issues, data needs, and policy applications associated with social and environmental factors used to measure and track racial, ethnic, and class disparities in environmental health. Papers, presentations, and discussions focused on the use of multilevel analysis to study environmental health disparities, the development of an organizing framework for evaluating health disparities, the development of indicators, and the generation of community-based participatory approaches for indicator development and use. Group exercises were conducted to identify preliminary lists of priority health outcomes and potential indicators and to discuss policy implications and next steps. Three critical issues that stem from the workshop were: (a) stronger funding support is needed for community-based participatory research in environmental health disparities, (b) race/ethnicity and socioeconomic position need to be included in environmental health surveillance and research, and (c) models to elucidate the interrelations between social, physical, and built environments should continue to be developed and empirically tested.

Source Tracking of Nitrous Oxide using A Quantum Cascade ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Nitrous oxide is an important greenhouse gas and ozone depleting substance. Nitrification and denitrification are two major biological pathways that are responsible for soil emissions of N2O. However, source tracking of in-situ or laboratory N2O production is still challenging to soil scientists. The objective of this study was to introduce the use of a new technology, quantum cascade laser (QCL) spectroscopy, which allows for significantly improved accuracy and precision to continuously measure real-time N2O for source tracking. This data provides important emission inventory information to air quality and atmospheric chemistry models. The task demonstrated that QCL spectroscopy can measure the flux of nitrous oxide at ambient and well as elevated concentrations in real time. The fractionation of the nitrous oxide produced by microbial processing of nitrate can be measured and characterized as isotopic signatures related to the nitrifying or denitrifying state of the microbial communities. This has important implications for monitoring trace gases in the atmosphere. The data produced by this system will provide clients including the air quality and climate change communities with needed information on the sources and strengths of N2O emissions for modeling and research into mitigation strategies to reduce overall GHG emissions in agricultural systems.

Where Do All the Phytoplankton Go? Challenges in Keeping Track of Viable Cells in Phytoplankton Communities Using Flow Cytometry and Cell Staining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simmons, L. J.; Fobbe, D. J.; Berges, J. A.

2016-02-01

Understanding the dynamics of phytoplankton communities has traditionally focused on differences in growth and related processes among taxa. It is now appreciated that differences in mortality could be equally important in contributing to these dynamics. Studying mortality in communities is difficult, especially on relevant time scales, which could be as short as hours to days. Flow cytometry can potentially provide solutions, because it can allow discrimination of different taxa, and when combined with staining, distinguish live and dead cells. We applied flow cytometry and staining to phytoplankton communities in a model system: a small, well-studied, urban pond in southeastern Wisconsin. Using flow cytometry, it was possible to resolve up to six dominant taxa (most <37 µm) and track them through an annual cycle. However, the axes traditionally used, forward scatter (FSC, related to cell size) and red fluorescence (FL3, related to chlorophyll a content) offered poor discrimination. Addition of orange fluorescence (FL2, traditionally related to phycobilipigments) and side scatter (SSC, related to cell surface characteristics) improved separation of taxa, but reproducibility (i.e. the specific position of the taxa on axes) was also more sensitive to environmental variation in the case of the fluorescence parameters. Dead cells could be distinguished by green fluorescence (FL1, using SYTOX Green©), but the stain also affected other fluorescence channels, requiring compensation. Correlations of numbers of dead cells with environmental factors (e.g. temperature, nutrient concentrations, irradiance) were generally poor, suggesting the greater importance of biotic versus abiotic variables in community mortality dynamics. Ongoing work is focusing on the effects of viral pathogens, grazing and allelopathic interactions using experimental manipulations and individual-based modeling.

A Report of At-Scale Distribution of Chlorhexidine Digluconate 7.1% Gel for Newborn Cord Care to 36,404 Newborns in Sokoto State, Nigeria: Initial Lessons Learned

PubMed Central

Orobaton, Nosakhare; Abegunde, Dele; Shoretire, Kamil; Abdulazeez, Jumare; Fapohunda, Bolaji; Lamiri, Goli; Maishanu, Abubakar; Ganiyu, Akeem; Ndifon, Eric; Gwamzhi, Ringpon; Osborne-Smith, Matthew

2015-01-01

Background With an annual estimated 276,000 neonatal deaths, Nigeria has the second highest of any country in the world. Global progress in accelerating neonatal deaths is hinged to scaled-up interventions in Nigeria. We used routine data of chlorhexidine digluconate 7.1% gel utilized by 36,404 newborns delivered by 36,370 mothers, to study lessons associated with at-scale distribution in Sokoto State, North West Nigeria. Methods and Findings Under state government leadership, a community-based distribution system overseen by 244 ward development committees and over 3,440 community-based health volunteers and community drug keepers, was activated to deliver two locally stored medicines to women when labor commenced. Newborns and their mothers were tracked through 28 days and 42 days respectively, including verbal autopsy results. 36,404 or 26.3% of expected newborns received the gel from April 2013 to December 2013 throughout all 244 wards in the State. 99.97% of newborns survived past 28 days. There were 124 pre-verified neonatal deaths reported. Upon verification using verbal autopsy procedures, 76 deaths were stillborn and 48 were previously live births. Among the previous 48 live births, the main causes of death were sepsis (40%), asphyxia (29%) and prematurity (8%). Underuse of logistics management information by government in procurement decisions and not accounting for differences in LGA population sizes during commodity distribution, severely limited program scalability. Conclusions Enhancements in the predictable availability and supply of chlorhexidine digluconate 7.1% gel to communities through better, evidence-based logistics management by the state public sector will most likely dramatically increase program scalability. Infections as a cause of mortality in babies delivered in home settings may be much higher than previously conceived. In tandem with high prevalence of stillborn deaths, delivery, interventions designed to increase mothers’ timely and regular use of quality antenatal care, and increased facility-based based delivery, need urgent attention. We call for accelerated investments in community health volunteer programs and the requisite community measurement systems to better track coverage. We also advocate for the development, refinement and use of routine community-based verbal autopsies to track newborn and maternal survival. PMID:26226017

A Report of At-Scale Distribution of Chlorhexidine Digluconate 7.1% Gel for Newborn Cord Care to 36,404 Newborns in Sokoto State, Nigeria: Initial Lessons Learned.

PubMed

Orobaton, Nosakhare; Abegunde, Dele; Shoretire, Kamil; Abdulazeez, Jumare; Fapohunda, Bolaji; Lamiri, Goli; Maishanu, Abubakar; Ganiyu, Akeem; Ndifon, Eric; Gwamzhi, Ringpon; Osborne-Smith, Matthew

2015-01-01

With an annual estimated 276,000 neonatal deaths, Nigeria has the second highest of any country in the world. Global progress in accelerating neonatal deaths is hinged to scaled-up interventions in Nigeria. We used routine data of chlorhexidine digluconate 7.1% gel utilized by 36,404 newborns delivered by 36,370 mothers, to study lessons associated with at-scale distribution in Sokoto State, North West Nigeria. Under state government leadership, a community-based distribution system overseen by 244 ward development committees and over 3,440 community-based health volunteers and community drug keepers, was activated to deliver two locally stored medicines to women when labor commenced. Newborns and their mothers were tracked through 28 days and 42 days respectively, including verbal autopsy results. 36,404 or 26.3% of expected newborns received the gel from April 2013 to December 2013 throughout all 244 wards in the State. 99.97% of newborns survived past 28 days. There were 124 pre-verified neonatal deaths reported. Upon verification using verbal autopsy procedures, 76 deaths were stillborn and 48 were previously live births. Among the previous 48 live births, the main causes of death were sepsis (40%), asphyxia (29%) and prematurity (8%). Underuse of logistics management information by government in procurement decisions and not accounting for differences in LGA population sizes during commodity distribution, severely limited program scalability. Enhancements in the predictable availability and supply of chlorhexidine digluconate 7.1% gel to communities through better, evidence-based logistics management by the state public sector will most likely dramatically increase program scalability. Infections as a cause of mortality in babies delivered in home settings may be much higher than previously conceived. In tandem with high prevalence of stillborn deaths, delivery, interventions designed to increase mothers' timely and regular use of quality antenatal care, and increased facility-based based delivery, need urgent attention. We call for accelerated investments in community health volunteer programs and the requisite community measurement systems to better track coverage. We also advocate for the development, refinement and use of routine community-based verbal autopsies to track newborn and maternal survival.

A Multipronged, Adaptive Approach for the Recruitment of Diverse Community-Residing Elders with Memory Impairment: The MIND at Home Experience.

PubMed

Samus, Quincy M; Amjad, Halima; Johnston, Deirdre; Black, Betty S; Bartels, Stephen J; Lyketsos, Constantine G

2015-07-01

To provide a critical review of a multipronged recruitment approach used to identify, recruit, and enroll a diverse community-based sample of persons with memory disorders into an 18-month randomized, controlled dementia care coordination trial. Descriptive analysis of a recruitment approach comprised five strategies: community liaison ("gatekeepers") method, letters sent from trusted community organizations, display and distribution of study materials in the community, research registries, and general community outreach and engagement activities. Participants were 55 community organizations and 63 staff of community organizations in Baltimore, Maryland. Participant referral sources, eligibility, enrollment status, demographics, and loss to follow-up were tracked in a relational access database. In total, 1,275 referrals were received and 303 socioeconomically, cognitively, and racially diverse community-dwelling persons with cognitive disorders were enrolled. Most referrals came from letters sent from community organizations directly to clients on the study's behalf (39%) and referrals from community liaison organizations (29%). African American/black enrollees were most likely to come from community liaison organizations. A multipronged, adaptive approach led to the successful recruitment of diverse community-residing elders with memory impairment for an intervention trial. Key factors for success included using a range of evidence-supported outreach strategies, forming key strategic community partnerships, seeking regular stakeholder input through all research phases, and obtaining "buy-in" from community stakeholders by aligning study objectives with perceived unmet community needs. Copyright © 2015 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Career Development Support in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine: A National Survey of Fellows and Junior Faculty

PubMed Central

Cifra, Christina L.; Balikai, Shilpa S.; Murtha, Tanya D.; Hsu, Benson; Riley, Carley L.

2016-01-01

Objective To determine the perceptions of current pediatric critical care medicine (PCCM) fellows and junior faculty regarding the extent and quality of career development support received during fellowship training. Design Web-based cross-sectional survey open from September to November 2015. Setting Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited PCCM fellowship programs. Participants PCCM fellows (2nd year or higher) and junior faculty (within 5 years of completing a PCCM fellowship program). Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results There were 129 respondents to the survey, representing 63% of ACGME-accredited PCCM fellowship programs. Respondents were evenly divided between fellows and junior faculty. Nearly half (49%) of respondents reported that their PCCM fellowship program provided a formal career development curriculum. Ideal career tracks chosen included academic clinician educator (64%), physician-scientist (27%), community-based (non-academic) clinician (11%), and administrator (11%). There was a disparity in focused career development support provided by programs, with a minority providing good support for those pursuing a community-based clinician track (32%) or administrator track (16%). Only 43% of fellows perceived that they have a good chance of obtaining their ideal PCCM position, with the most common perceived barrier being increased competition for limited job opportunities. Most respondents expressed interest in a program specific to PCCM career development that is sponsored by a national professional organization. Conclusions Most PCCM fellows and junior faculty reported good to excellent career development support during fellowship. However, important gaps remain, particularly for those pursuing community-based (non-academic) and administrative tracks. Fellows were uncertain regarding future PCCM employment and their ability to pursue ideal career tracks. There may be a role for professional organizations to provide additional resources for career development in PCCM. PMID:28198755

Impacts of tourism hotspots on vegetation communities show a higher potential for self-propagation along roads than hiking trails.

PubMed

Wolf, Isabelle D; Croft, David B

2014-10-01

Vegetation communities along recreational tracks may suffer from substantial edge-effects through the impacts of trampling, modified environmental conditions and competition with species that benefit from disturbance. We assessed impacts on trackside vegetation by comparing high and low usage tourism sites at a 1-10 m distance from recreational tracks in a popular arid-lands tourism destination in South Australia. The central aim was quantification of the strengths and spatial extent of tourism impacts along recreational tracks with a qualitative comparison of roads and trails. Track-distance gradients were most prevalent at high usage sites. There, species community composition was altered, total plant cover decreased, non-native species cover increased, plant diversity increased or decreased (depending on the distance) and soil compaction increased towards recreational tracks. Roadside effects were greater and more pervasive than trailside effects. Further, plant diversity did not continuously increase towards the road verge as it did along trails but dropped sharply in the immediate road shoulder which indicated high disturbance conditions that few species were able to tolerate. To our knowledge, we are the first to demonstrate that the access mode to a recreation site influences the potential of certain impacts, such as the increase of non-native species, to self-perpetuate from their points of introduction to disjointed sites with a predisposition to disturbance. Due to this propulsion of impacts, the overall spatial extent of roadside impacts was far greater than initially apparent from assessments at the road verge. We discuss possible means of mitigating these impacts. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A prototype of a novel cell phone application for tracking the vaccination coverage of children in rural communities.

PubMed

Katib, Anas; Rao, Deepthi; Rao, Praveen; Williams, Karen; Grant, Jim

2015-11-01

Immunization saves millions of lives against vaccine-preventable diseases. Yet, 24 million children born every year do not receive proper immunization during their first year. UNICEF and WHO have emphasized the need to strengthen the immunization surveillance and monitoring in developing countries to reduce childhood deaths. In this regard, we present a software application called Jeev to track the vaccination coverage of children in rural communities. Jeev synergistically combines the power of smartphones and the ubiquity of cellular infrastructure, QR codes, and national identification cards. We present the design of Jeev and highlight its unique features along with a detailed evaluation of its performance and power consumption using the National Immunization Survey datasets. We are in discussion with a non-profit organization in Haiti to pilot test Jeev in order to study its effectiveness and identify socio-cultural issues that may arise in a large-scale deployment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design and Evaluation of a Medication Adherence Application with Communication for Seniors in Independent Living Communities.

PubMed

Dasgupta, Dipanwita; Johnson, Reid A; Chaudhry, Beenish; Reeves, Kimberly G; Willaert, Patty; Chawla, Nitesh V

2016-01-01

Medication non-adherence is a pressing concern among seniors, leading to a lower quality of life and higher healthcare costs. While mobile applications provide a viable medium for medication management, their utility can be limited without tackling the specific needs of seniors and facilitating the active involvement of care providers. To address these limitations, we are developing a tablet-based application designed specifically for seniors to track their medications and a web portal for their care providers to track medication adherence. In collaboration with a local Aging in Place program, we conducted a three-month study with sixteen participants from an independent living facility. Our study found that the application helped participants to effectively track their medications and improved their sense of wellbeing. Our findings highlight the importance of catering to the needs of seniors and of involving care providers in this process, with specific recommendations for the development of future medication management applications.

Idaho rural family physician workforce study: the Community Apgar Questionnaire.

PubMed

Schmitz, D F; Baker, E; Nukui, A; Epperly, T

2011-01-01

Community factors of varied importance help determine the success of achieving and maintaining a physician workforce. The purpose of this study was to develop an evaluation instrument (Community Apgar Questioinnaire) useful to rural Idaho communities' in their assessment of the assets and capabilities related to physician recruitment and retention. A quantitative scoring interview instrument was developed based on a literature review, site visits and discussions with rural physicians and hospital administrators. A total of 11 rural Idaho communities differing in geography and other known variables were selected, some identified historically to have more success in recruitment and retention (α communities) and some historically noted to have more challenges (β comunities). In each community, the administrator of the hospital and the physician with recruiting responsibilities participated individually in a structured interview. A total of 11 physicians and 11 CEOs participated in the study. Differences were found across and within classes of factors associated with success in physician recruitment and retention where alpha communities scored higher on Community Apgar Questionnaire metrics. Some differences were noted by respondent class. Cumulative mean Community Apgar scores are higher in communities that have historically better track records in recruitment and retention. The Community Apgar Questionnaire seems to discriminate between communities with differing assets and capabilities, based on historical community-specific workforce trends. This assessment may allow for identification of both modifiable and non-modifiable factors and also may suggest which factors are most important for a community with limited available resources to address.

An incremental community detection method for social tagging systems using locality-sensitive hashing.

PubMed

Wu, Zhenyu; Zou, Ming

2014-10-01

An increasing number of users interact, collaborate, and share information through social networks. Unprecedented growth in social networks is generating a significant amount of unstructured social data. From such data, distilling communities where users have common interests and tracking variations of users' interests over time are important research tracks in fields such as opinion mining, trend prediction, and personalized services. However, these tasks are extremely difficult considering the highly dynamic characteristics of the data. Existing community detection methods are time consuming, making it difficult to process data in real time. In this paper, dynamic unstructured data is modeled as a stream. Tag assignments stream clustering (TASC), an incremental scalable community detection method, is proposed based on locality-sensitive hashing. Both tags and latent interactions among users are incorporated in the method. In our experiments, the social dynamic behaviors of users are first analyzed. The proposed TASC method is then compared with state-of-the-art clustering methods such as StreamKmeans and incremental k-clique; results indicate that TASC can detect communities more efficiently and effectively. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Faculty career tracks at U.S. medical schools.

PubMed

Coleman, Michelle M; Richard, George V

2011-08-01

To describe faculty career tracks at U.S. MD-granting schools and explore which institutional characteristics are associated with the career tracks. Between 2008 and 2009, the authors sought the faculty policies of 129 accredited MD-granting U.S. medical schools, through online searching and requests to faculty affairs representatives. An inventory of tenured and nontenured career tracks was conducted in the areas of teaching, research, and clinical care. Career track data were analyzed according to institutional characteristics. Complete data were collected from 98 schools (76%). On average, schools offered 3.6 career tracks to all faculty (range 1-8). Of the 353 career tracks identified, 210 were nontenured. Overall, schools offered more research tracks than education or clinical tracks. Of the 79 schools with clearly defined career tracks, 78 offered at least one clinical track; 34 offered at least one education track. Approximately 25% of the clinical tracks were tenured; 41% of the education tracks were tenured. Of the 98 schools, 61% used modified titles for faculty pursuing nontenure tracks. Schools that offered more career tracks were more likely to use modified titles for their nontenured clinical and research faculty. Schools with a smaller faculty size offered a greater number of clinical tracks, whereas community-based schools offered fewer clinical tracks. Research-intensive schools provided significantly more tenured clinical tracks. There is great variation in faculty tracks and policies across institutions. This research may help institutions craft their own faculty policies and help students, residents, and faculty in making career decisions.

Fast Tracking School Site Acquisition: A Perspective of an Eminent Domain Attorney.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Behrens, Jerry

This paper discusses key issues in fast-tracking the acquisition of school sites in California. Discussion addresses: (1) assembling an experienced team; (2) whether the property owner is a willing or unwilling seller; (3) level of community support or opposition to the site; (4) timing and commencement of California Environmental Quality Act…

Philosophy for Welders: Colleges Offer Innovative Humanities Curricula for Liberal Arts and Career Track Students Alike

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finkel, Ed

2016-01-01

Does America needs more welders and fewer philosophers? Community college humanities professors and administrators say it benefits all students, whether liberal arts or career track, to take courses in philosophy, history, political science, language arts, and other liberal arts subjects. And they're developing innovative humanities curricula to…

Wearing, Thinking, and Moving: Testing the Feasibility of Fitness Tracking with Urban Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaefer, Sara E.; Ching, Cynthia Carter; Breen, Heather; German, J. Bruce

2016-01-01

Background: Wearable and mobile technologies are often used by people who wish to document their own health and lifestyle behaviors. The feasibility of health tracking among youth is unclear, particularly in low-resource communities where health strategies stand to have the greatest impact. Methods: Youth (n = 24) enrolled in an afterschool…

Epiphytic Macrolichen Community Composition Database—epiphytic lichen synusiae in forested areas of the US

Treesearch

Sarah. Jovan

2012-01-01

The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program's Lichen Communities Indicator is used for tracking epiphytic macrolichen diversity and is applied for monitoring air quality and climate change effects on forest health in the United States. Started in 1994, the Epiphytic Macrolichen Community Composition Database (GIVD ID NA-US-012) now has over 8,000 surveys of...

Collaborative biocuration--text-mining development task for document prioritization for curation.

PubMed

Wiegers, Thomas C; Davis, Allan Peter; Mattingly, Carolyn J

2012-01-01

The Critical Assessment of Information Extraction systems in Biology (BioCreAtIvE) challenge evaluation is a community-wide effort for evaluating text mining and information extraction systems for the biological domain. The 'BioCreative Workshop 2012' subcommittee identified three areas, or tracks, that comprised independent, but complementary aspects of data curation in which they sought community input: literature triage (Track I); curation workflow (Track II) and text mining/natural language processing (NLP) systems (Track III). Track I participants were invited to develop tools or systems that would effectively triage and prioritize articles for curation and present results in a prototype web interface. Training and test datasets were derived from the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD; http://ctdbase.org) and consisted of manuscripts from which chemical-gene-disease data were manually curated. A total of seven groups participated in Track I. For the triage component, the effectiveness of participant systems was measured by aggregate gene, disease and chemical 'named-entity recognition' (NER) across articles; the effectiveness of 'information retrieval' (IR) was also measured based on 'mean average precision' (MAP). Top recall scores for gene, disease and chemical NER were 49, 65 and 82%, respectively; the top MAP score was 80%. Each participating group also developed a prototype web interface; these interfaces were evaluated based on functionality and ease-of-use by CTD's biocuration project manager. In this article, we present a detailed description of the challenge and a summary of the results.

Self-Tracking, Social Media and Personal Health Records for Patient Empowered Self-Care. Contribution of the IMIA Social Media Working Group.

PubMed

Paton, C; Hansen, M; Fernandez-Luque, L; Lau, A Y S

2012-01-01

This paper explores the range of self-tracking devices and social media platforms used by the self-tracking community, and examines the implications of widespread adoption of these tools for scientific progress in health informatics. A literature review was performed to investigate the use of social media and self-tracking technologies in the health sector. An environmental scan identified a range of products and services which were used to exemplify three levels of self-tracking: self-experimentation, social sharing of data and patient controlled electronic health records. There appears to be an increase in the use of self-tracking tools, particularly in the health and fitness sector, but also used in the management of chronic diseases. Evidence of efficacy and effectiveness is limited to date, primarily due to the health and fitness focus of current solutions as opposed to their use in disease management. Several key technologies are converging to produce a trend of increased personal health surveillance and monitoring, social connectedness and sharing, and integration of regional and national health information systems. These trends are enabling new applications of scientific techniques, from personal experimentation to e-epidemiology, as data gathered by individuals are aggregated and shared across increasingly connected healthcare networks. These trends also raise significant new ethical and scientific issues that will need to be addressed, both by health informatics researchers and the communities of self-trackers themselves.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE COMMUNITY MULTISCALE AIR QUALITY (CMAQ) MODEL

EPA Science Inventory

CMAQ model research and development is currently following two tracks at the Atmospheric Modeling Division of the USEPA. Public releases of the community model system for research and policy analysis is continuing on an annual interval with the latest release scheduled for Augus...

THE MEASUREMENT OF PM2.5, INCLUDING SEMI-VOLATILE COMPONENTS, IN THE EMPACT PROGRAM: RESULTS FROM THE SALT LAKE CITY STUDY. (R827993)

EPA Science Inventory

The Salt Lake City EPA Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) project, initiated in October 1999, is designed to evaluate the usefulness of a newly developed real-time continuous monitor (RAMS) for total (non-volatile plus semi-volatile) PM<...

Enabling a Community of Practice: Results of the LSCHE Web Portal Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoff, Meagan A.; Hodges, Russ; Lin, Yuting; McConnell, Michael C.

2017-01-01

The study explored usage patterns of the Learning Support Centers in Higher Education (LSCHE) web portal, an open educational resource (OER) that serves learning support center professionals. Results of an online survey taken by LSCHE users (N = 41) tracked their self-reported usage and perceived value of resources on the web portal, which…

Managing costs, managing benefits: employer decisions in local health care markets.

PubMed

Christianson, Jon B; Trude, Sally

2003-02-01

To better understand employer health benefit decision making, how employer health benefits strategies evolve over time, and the impact of employer decisions on local health care systems. Data were collected as part of the Community Tracking Study (CTS), a longitudinal analysis of health system change in 12 randomly selected communities. This is an observational study with data collection over a six-year period. The study used semistructured interviews with local respondents, combined with monitoring of local media, to track changes in health care systems over time and their impact on community residents. Interviewing began in 1996 and was carried out at two-year intervals, with a total of approximately 2,200 interviews. The interviews provided a variety of perspectives on employer decision making concerning health benefits; these perspectives were triangulated to reach conclusions. The tight labor market during the study period was the dominant consideration in employer decision making regarding health benefits. Employers, in managing employee compensation, made independent decisions in pursuit of individual goals, but these decisions were shaped by similar labor market conditions. As a result, within and across our study sites, employer decisions in aggregate had an important impact on local health care systems, although employers' more highly visible public efforts to bring about health system change often met with disappointing results. General economic conditions in the 1990s had an important impact on the configuration of local health systems through their effect on employer decision making regarding health benefits offered to employees, and the responses of health plans and providers to those decisions.

Detecting brain dynamics during resting state: a tensor based evolutionary clustering approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-sharoa, Esraa; Al-khassaweneh, Mahmood; Aviyente, Selin

2017-08-01

Human brain is a complex network with connections across different regions. Understanding the functional connectivity (FC) of the brain is important both during resting state and task; as disruptions in connectivity patterns are indicators of different psychopathological and neurological diseases. In this work, we study the resting state functional connectivity networks (FCNs) of the brain from fMRI BOLD signals. Recent studies have shown that FCNs are dynamic even during resting state and understanding the temporal dynamics of FCNs is important for differentiating between different conditions. Therefore, it is important to develop algorithms to track the dynamic formation and dissociation of FCNs of the brain during resting state. In this paper, we propose a two step tensor based community detection algorithm to identify and track the brain network community structure across time. First, we introduce an information-theoretic function to reduce the dynamic FCN and identify the time points that are similar topologically to combine them into a tensor. These time points will be used to identify the different FC states. Second, a tensor based spectral clustering approach is developed to identify the community structure of the constructed tensors. The proposed algorithm applies Tucker decomposition to the constructed tensors and extract the orthogonal factor matrices along the connectivity mode to determine the common subspace within each FC state. The detected community structure is summarized and described as FC states. The results illustrate the dynamic structure of resting state networks (RSNs), including the default mode network, somatomotor network, subcortical network and visual network.

Is mother and child tracking system (MCTS) on the right track? An experience from a northern state of India.

PubMed

Nagarajan, Pallavan; Tripathy, Jaya Prasad; Goel, Sonu

2016-01-01

Effective monitoring and supervision of health care programs depend on complete, accurate, and timely flow of data. Mother and Child Tracking System (MCTS) is a centralized information technology (IT)-based application launched in 2009 for improving the delivery of maternal and child health care services through name-based tracking. There is minimal evidence in the literature evaluating the operational aspects of such a name-based tracking system even after 5 years of its implementation. The present study was thus conducted to understand the opportunities and challenges in the operationalization of MCTS strategy in a district in Haryana and to understand the stakeholder's perspectives. Performance of Routine Information System Management (PRISM) framework was used. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Shahzadpur block of Ambala district, Haryana, India involving in-depth interviews of health care providers and clients in 12 subcenters (SCs) and two primary health centers (PHCs). Lack of appropriate training, overburdened data entry operator (DEO) and auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM), poor Internet connectivity, slow server speed, and frequent power failures were revealed as major limitations for the effective implementation of MCTS. Nearly 18% of the clients reported receiving short message service (SMS) and only 6% could understand the SMS. MCTS has led to accountability and improved supervision of health workers, apart from empowering the community.

Method for tracking core-contributed publications.

PubMed

Loomis, Cynthia A; Curchoe, Carol Lynn

2012-12-01

Accurately tracking core-contributed publications is an important and often difficult task. Many core laboratories are supported by programmatic grants (such as Cancer Center Support Grant and Clinical Translational Science Awards) or generate data with instruments funded through S10, Major Research Instrumentation, or other granting mechanisms. Core laboratories provide their research communities with state-of-the-art instrumentation and expertise, elevating research. It is crucial to demonstrate the specific projects that have benefited from core services and expertise. We discuss here the method we developed for tracking core contributed publications.

A New Approach to Time-Resolved 3D-PTV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boomsma, Aaron; Troolin, Dan; Bjorkquist, Dan; TSI Inc Team

2017-11-01

Volumetric three-component velocimetry via particle tracking is a powerful alternative to TomoPIV. It has been thoroughly documented that compared to TomoPIV, particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) methods (whether 2D or 3D) better resolve regions of high velocity gradient, identify fewer ghost particles, and are less computationally demanding, which results in shorter processing times. Recently, 3D-PTV has seen renewed interest in the PIV community with the availability of time-resolved data. Of course, advances in hardware are partly to thank for that availability-higher speed cameras, more effective memory management, and higher speed lasers. But in software, algorithms that utilize time resolved data to improve 3D particle reconstruction and particle tracking are also under development and advancing (e.g. shake-the-box, neighbor tracking reconstruction, etc.). .In the current study, we present a new 3D-PTV method that incorporates time-resolved data. We detail the method, its performance in terms of particle identification and reconstruction error and their relation to varying seeding densities, as well as computational performance.

Building a Science Community of Effective Advocates: The Case of the Union of Concerned Scientists Science Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varga, M.; Worcester, J.

2017-12-01

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) Science Network is a community of over 20,000 scientists, engineers, economists, public health specialists, and technical experts that inform and advocate for science-based solutions to some of our nation's most pressing problems. The role of the community manager here is to train and prepare Science Network members to be effective advocates for science-based decision making, and also to identify opportunities for them to put their skills and expertise into action on science and public health issues. As an organizational asset, but also an important resource to its members, it is crucial that the Science Network demonstrate its impact. But measuring impact when it comes to engagement and advocacy can be difficult. Here we will define a glossary of terms relating to community management and scientist engagement, delve into tracking and measurement of actions taken within a community, and connect the dots between tracking metrics and measuring impact. Measuring impact in community management is a growing field, and here we will also suggest future research that will help standardize impact measurement, as well as bring attention to the growing and unique role that scientist communities can have on policy and public engagement goals. This work has been informed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science's inaugural cohort of the Community Engagement Fellows Program.

Geography and Location Are the Primary Drivers of Office Microbiome Composition

PubMed Central

Chase, John; Fouquier, Jennifer; Zare, Mahnaz; Sonderegger, Derek L.; Knight, Rob; Kelley, Scott T.; Siegel, Jeffrey

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT In the United States, humans spend the majority of their time indoors, where they are exposed to the microbiome of the built environment (BE) they inhabit. Despite the ubiquity of microbes in BEs and their potential impacts on health and building materials, basic questions about the microbiology of these environments remain unanswered. We present a study on the impacts of geography, material type, human interaction, location in a room, seasonal variation, and indoor and microenvironmental parameters on bacterial communities in offices. Our data elucidate several important features of microbial communities in BEs. First, under normal office environmental conditions, bacterial communities do not differ on the basis of surface material (e.g., ceiling tile or carpet) but do differ on the basis of the location in a room (e.g., ceiling or floor), two features that are often conflated but that we are able to separate here. We suspect that previous work showing differences in bacterial composition with surface material was likely detecting differences based on different usage patterns. Next, we find that offices have city-specific bacterial communities, such that we can accurately predict which city an office microbiome sample is derived from, but office-specific bacterial communities are less apparent. This differs from previous work, which has suggested office-specific compositions of bacterial communities. We again suspect that the difference from prior work arises from different usage patterns. As has been previously shown, we observe that human skin contributes heavily to the composition of BE surfaces. IMPORTANCE Our study highlights several points that should impact the design of future studies of the microbiology of BEs. First, projects tracking changes in BE bacterial communities should focus sampling efforts on surveying different locations in offices and in different cities but not necessarily different materials or different offices in the same city. Next, disturbance due to repeated sampling, though detectable, is small compared to that due to other variables, opening up a range of longitudinal study designs in the BE. Next, studies requiring more samples than can be sequenced on a single sequencing run (which is increasingly common) must control for run effects by including some of the same samples in all of the sequencing runs as technical replicates. Finally, detailed tracking of indoor and material environment covariates is likely not essential for BE microbiome studies, as the normal range of indoor environmental conditions is likely not large enough to impact bacterial communities. PMID:27822521

On the Right Track: Using ePortfolios as Tenure Files

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Danowitz, Erica Swenson

2012-01-01

ePortfolios have been used in many disciplines for different purposes. In the following paper, I describe how I created and used an eportfolio as my tenure file over a five-year period. As the first tenure-track faculty member at Delaware County Community College to attain tenure through the use of an online tenure portfolio, the tenure eportfolio…

Costs and cost-effectiveness of HIV community services: quantity and quality of studies published 1986-2011.

PubMed

Beck, Eduard J; Fasawe, Olufunke; Ongpin, Patricia; Ghys, Peter; Avilla, Carlos; De Lay, Paul

2013-06-01

Community services comprise an important part of a country's HIV response. English language cost and cost-effectiveness studies of HIV community services published between 1986 and 2011 were reviewed but only 74 suitable studies were identified, 66% of which were performed in five countries. Mean study scores by continent varied from 42 to 69% of the maximum score, reflecting variation in topics covered and the quality of coverage: 38% of studies covered key and 11% other vulnerable populations - a country's response is most effective and efficient if these populations are identified given they are key to a successful response. Unit costs were estimated using different costing methods and outcomes. Community services will need to routinely collect and analyze information on their use, cost, outcome and impact using standardized costing methods and outcomes. Cost estimates need to be disaggregated into relevant cost items and stratified by severity and existing comorbidities. Expenditure tracking and costing of services are complementary aspects of the health sector 'resource cycle' that feed into a country's investment framework and the development and implementation of national strategic plans.

Managing Costs, Managing Benefits: Employer Decisions in Local Health Care Markets

PubMed Central

Christianson, Jon B; Trude, Sally

2003-01-01

Objectives To better understand employer health benefit decision making, how employer health benefits strategies evolve over time, and the impact of employer decisions on local health care systems. Data Sources/Study Setting. Data were collected as part of the Community Tracking Study (CTS), a longitudinal analysis of health system change in 12 randomly selected communities. Study Design This is an observational study with data collection over a six-year period. Data Collection/Extraction Methods The study used semistructured interviews with local respondents, combined with monitoring of local media, to track changes in health care systems over time and their impact on community residents. Interviewing began in 1996 and was carried out at two-year intervals, with a total of approximately 2,200 interviews. The interviews provided a variety of perspectives on employer decision making concerning health benefits; these perspectives were triangulated to reach conclusions. Principal Findings The tight labor market during the study period was the dominant consideration in employer decision making regarding health benefits. Employers, in managing employee compensation, made independent decisions in pursuit of individual goals, but these decisions were shaped by similar labor market conditions. As a result, within and across our study sites, employer decisions in aggregate had an important impact on local health care systems, although employers' more highly visible public efforts to bring about health system change often met with disappointing results. Conclusions General economic conditions in the 1990s had an important impact on the configuration of local health systems through their effect on employer decision making regarding health benefits offered to employees, and the responses of health plans and providers to those decisions. PMID:12650371

An evolutionary computation based algorithm for calculating solar differential rotation by automatic tracking of coronal bright points

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahamatnia, Ehsan; Dorotovič, Ivan; Fonseca, Jose M.; Ribeiro, Rita A.

2016-03-01

Developing specialized software tools is essential to support studies of solar activity evolution. With new space missions such as Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), solar images are being produced in unprecedented volumes. To capitalize on that huge data availability, the scientific community needs a new generation of software tools for automatic and efficient data processing. In this paper a prototype of a modular framework for solar feature detection, characterization, and tracking is presented. To develop an efficient system capable of automatic solar feature tracking and measuring, a hybrid approach combining specialized image processing, evolutionary optimization, and soft computing algorithms is being followed. The specialized hybrid algorithm for tracking solar features allows automatic feature tracking while gathering characterization details about the tracked features. The hybrid algorithm takes advantages of the snake model, a specialized image processing algorithm widely used in applications such as boundary delineation, image segmentation, and object tracking. Further, it exploits the flexibility and efficiency of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), a stochastic population based optimization algorithm. PSO has been used successfully in a wide range of applications including combinatorial optimization, control, clustering, robotics, scheduling, and image processing and video analysis applications. The proposed tool, denoted PSO-Snake model, was already successfully tested in other works for tracking sunspots and coronal bright points. In this work, we discuss the application of the PSO-Snake algorithm for calculating the sidereal rotational angular velocity of the solar corona. To validate the results we compare them with published manual results performed by an expert.

Incorporating Target Priorities in the Sensor Tasking Reward Function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gehly, S.; Bennett, J.

2016-09-01

Orbital debris tracking poses many challenges, most fundamentally the need to track a large number of objects from a limited number of sensors. The use of information theoretic sensor allocation provides a means to efficiently collect data on the multitarget system. An additional need of the community is the ability to specify target priorities, driven both by user needs and environmental factors such as collision warnings. This research develops a method to incorporate target priorities in the sensor tasking reward function, allowing for several applications in different tasking modes such as catalog maintenance, calibration, and collision monitoring. A set of numerical studies is included to demonstrate the functionality of the method.

Affinity through Mathematical Activity: Cultivating Democratic Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sengupta-Irving, Tesha

2014-01-01

In this article, the author demonstrates how a broader view of what shapes affinity is ideologically and practically linked to creating democratic learning communities. Specifically, the author explores how a teacher employed complex instruction (an equity pedagogy) with her ethnically and racially diverse students in the "lowest track"…

Finding Savings in Community Use of Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gandy, Julia

2013-01-01

This article reports on the growing challenge of managing community groups using educational facilities for meetings, athletics, and special events. It describes how, by using an online scheduling software program, one school district was able to track payments and save time and money with its event and facility scheduling process.

Title V Delinquency Prevention Program. Community Self-Evaluation Workbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caliber Associates, Fairfax, VA.

This workbook is designed to help communities and program administrators assess the success of their Title V delinquency prevention programs, but it may serve as an evaluation tool for other prevention efforts as well. It provides information and resource aids on program planning, conducting evaluations, tracking programs, describing activities,…

Making the Case for Demographic Data in Extension Programming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curtis, Katherine J.; Verdoff, Daniel; Rizzo, Bill; Beaudoin, James

2012-01-01

Understanding one's community is essential for effective Extension programming across all program areas. The use of current and reliable demographic data is crucial for Extension to develop effective education and programming to track change and to uncover hidden community characteristics. We discuss what demographic data are, present…

DELIVERING TIMELY WATER QUALITY INFORMATION TO YOUR COMMUNITY. THE LAKE ACCESS-MINNEAPOLIS PROJECT

EPA Science Inventory

This report is a summary of the near-real-time water quality-monitoring project conducted by a consortium of interested parties in the greater Minneapolis area. It was funded by an EPA program known as EMPACT (Environmental Monitoring, Public Access, and Community Tracking). In 1...

Strengthening Community Capacity for Environmental Health Promotion through Photovoice.

PubMed

Postma, Julie; Ramon, Cristian

2016-07-01

The study aims were to: (1) Identify health promoters'; perceptions of housing issues faced by farmworker families in an agricultural community, and (2) Strengthen community capacity to promote healthy and affordable housing. Photovoice was used to identify participants'; perceptions about farmworker housing. Thematic analysis was used to analyze participant interviews. Freudenberg's "Community Capacity for Environmental Health Promotion" framework was used to organize activities that contributed to strengthening community capacity. Purposive sampling was used to recruit six bilingual health promoters into the study. A demographic questionnaire was administered to characterize participants. An interview guide was used to inquire about housing conditions and the research process. A tracking tool was used to document capacity-building activities 2 years post data collection. Housing issues faced by farmworker families included housing availability, poor conditions, and invisibility. All dimensions of community capacity were represented. Most occurred on an individual level. Health promoters identified housing issues and built community capacity to support farmworker housing. Nurses can support housing initiatives by assessing housing status, using data to support healthy housing, supporting health promoter programs in new service delivery models, and leading coalitions to address housing as a social determinant of health. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Land-use intensity and host plant identity interactively shape communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in roots of grassland plants.

PubMed

Vályi, Kriszta; Rillig, Matthias C; Hempel, Stefan

2015-03-01

We studied the effect of host plant identity and land-use intensity (LUI) on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF, Glomeromycota) communities in roots of grassland plants. These are relevant factors for intraradical AMF communities in temperate grasslands, which are habitats where AMF are present in high abundance and diversity. In order to focus on fungi that directly interact with the plant at the time, we investigated root-colonizing communities. Our study sites represent an LUI gradient with different combinations of grazing, mowing, and fertilization. We used massively parallel multitag pyrosequencing to investigate AMF communities in a large number of root samples, while being able to track the identity of the host. We showed that host plants significantly differed in AMF community composition, while land use modified this effect in a plant species-specific manner. Communities in medium and low land-use sites were subsets of high land-use communities, suggesting a differential effect of land use on the dispersal of AMF species with different abundances and competitive abilities. We demonstrate that in these grasslands, there is a small group of highly abundant, generalist fungi which represent the dominating species in the AMF community. © 2014 The Authors New Phytologist © 2014 New Phytologist Trust.

FIRE: an open-software suite for real-time 2D/3D image registration for image guided radiotherapy research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furtado, H.; Gendrin, C.; Spoerk, J.; Steiner, E.; Underwood, T.; Kuenzler, T.; Georg, D.; Birkfellner, W.

2016-03-01

Radiotherapy treatments have changed at a tremendously rapid pace. Dose delivered to the tumor has escalated while organs at risk (OARs) are better spared. The impact of moving tumors during dose delivery has become higher due to very steep dose gradients. Intra-fractional tumor motion has to be managed adequately to reduce errors in dose delivery. For tumors with large motion such as tumors in the lung, tracking is an approach that can reduce position uncertainty. Tumor tracking approaches range from purely image intensity based techniques to motion estimation based on surrogate tracking. Research efforts are often based on custom designed software platforms which take too much time and effort to develop. To address this challenge we have developed an open software platform especially focusing on tumor motion management. FLIRT is a freely available open-source software platform. The core method for tumor tracking is purely intensity based 2D/3D registration. The platform is written in C++ using the Qt framework for the user interface. The performance critical methods are implemented on the graphics processor using the CUDA extension. One registration can be as fast as 90ms (11Hz). This is suitable to track tumors moving due to respiration (~0.3Hz) or heartbeat (~1Hz). Apart from focusing on high performance, the platform is designed to be flexible and easy to use. Current use cases range from tracking feasibility studies, patient positioning and method validation. Such a framework has the potential of enabling the research community to rapidly perform patient studies or try new methods.

Influence of manure age and sunlight on the community structure of cattle fecal bacteria as revealed by Illumina sequencing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, K.; Shaw, T. I.; Oladeinde, A.; Molina, M.

2013-12-01

Fecal pollution of environmental waters is a major concern for the general public because exposure to fecal-associated pathogens can have severe impacts on human health. Stream and river impairment due to fecal pollution is largely the result of agricultural activities in the United States. In the last few years, numerous metagenomic studies utilized next generation sequencing to develop microbial community profiles by massively sequencing the 16sRNA hypervariable region. This technology supports the application of water quality assessment such as pathogen detection and fecal source tracking. The bacteria communities of samples in these studies were determined when they were freshly collected; therefore, little is known about how feces age or how environmental stress influences the microbial ecology of fecal materials. In this study we monitored bacteria community changes in cattle feces for 57 days after excretion (day 0, 2, 4 8, 15, 22, 29, 43, 57) by sequencing the 16s variable region 4, using Illumnia MiSeq. Twelve cattle feces were studied; half of the samples were directly exposed to sunlight (unshaded) and half were shaded. Results indicate that the relative abundance (RA) profile in both shaded and unshaded samples rapidly changed from day 0 to 15, but stabilized from day 22 to 57. Firmcutes were the most abundant phylum (~40%) at day 0, but were reduced to <10% by day 57. The RA of Proteobacteria was only 1% at day 0, but increased to ~50% by day 57in both shaded and unshaded samples. By the end of the study, shaded and unshaded samples had a similar RA of Firmcutes and Proteobacteria but the RA of Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria was, respectively, about 7% lower and 10% higher for unshaded samples. UV intensity, moisture, and temperature were significantly different between shaded and unshaded plots, indicating that these environmental stresses could influence the structure of fecal bacteria community in the natural environment. According to the rarefaction curve analysis, richness of bacteria diversity in feces decreased as time progressed. Some pathogens such as Campylobacter were detected only at the beginning, meaning they substantially decayed during the course of our study. Overall, this study indicated: (1) sunlight can influence the community structure and (2) after excretion the fecal bacteria diversity can be significantly changed over time. Future studies should therefore use not only the microbial signature of fresh but also moderately aged fecal samples to develop more accurate community profiles for fecal source tracking.

CellProfiler Tracer: exploring and validating high-throughput, time-lapse microscopy image data.

PubMed

Bray, Mark-Anthony; Carpenter, Anne E

2015-11-04

Time-lapse analysis of cellular images is an important and growing need in biology. Algorithms for cell tracking are widely available; what researchers have been missing is a single open-source software package to visualize standard tracking output (from software like CellProfiler) in a way that allows convenient assessment of track quality, especially for researchers tuning tracking parameters for high-content time-lapse experiments. This makes quality assessment and algorithm adjustment a substantial challenge, particularly when dealing with hundreds of time-lapse movies collected in a high-throughput manner. We present CellProfiler Tracer, a free and open-source tool that complements the object tracking functionality of the CellProfiler biological image analysis package. Tracer allows multi-parametric morphological data to be visualized on object tracks, providing visualizations that have already been validated within the scientific community for time-lapse experiments, and combining them with simple graph-based measures for highlighting possible tracking artifacts. CellProfiler Tracer is a useful, free tool for inspection and quality control of object tracking data, available from http://www.cellprofiler.org/tracer/.

Recruitment and baseline characteristics of the Community of Voices choir study to promote the health and well-being of diverse older adults.

PubMed

Johnson, Julene K; Gregorich, Steven E; Acree, Michael; Nápoles, Anna M; Flatt, Jason D; Pounds, Dana; Pabst, Alexandria; Stewart, Anita L

2017-12-01

To describe the recruitment and baseline results of the Community of Voices study that aims to examine the effect of a community choir intervention on the health and well-being of older adults from diverse racial/ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Using community-based participatory research methods, we recruited adults age 60 and over from 12 Administration on Aging-supported senior centers in San Francisco into a 2-arm cluster-randomized controlled trial of the community choir intervention. Multiple outreach methods were used. We tracked outreach, screening, and recruitment metrics and collected demographics and baseline outcomes via community-based, interviewer-administered surveys and performance measures of cognition, physical function, and psychosocial variables. The study contacted 819 individuals, screened 636, and enrolled 390 diverse older adults over a 42-month, phased recruitment period. The mean age was 71.2 (SD = 7.3), and the majority were women. Two-thirds of the sample are non-white, and 20% of participants reported having financial hardship. Outreach and recruitment methods used in the Community of Voices trial facilitated enrollment of a large proportion of minority and lower-SES older adults in the final sample. Similar recruitment approaches could serve as a model for recruiting diverse racial/ethnic and socioeconomic older adults into research.

Orbit and clock determination of BDS regional navigation satellite system based on IGS M-GEX and WHU BETS tracking network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

GENG, T.; Zhao, Q.; Shi, C.; Shum, C.; Guo, J.; Su, X.

2013-12-01

BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) began to provide the regional open service on December 27th 2012 and will provide the global open service by the end of 2020. Compared to GPS, the space segment of BDS Regional System consists of 5 Geostationary Earth Orbit satellites (GEO), 5 Inclined Geosynchronous Orbit satellites (IGSO) and 4 Medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites. Since 2011, IGS Multiple-GNSS Experiment (M-GEX) focuses on tracking the newly available GNSS signals. This includes all signals from the modernized satellites of the GPS and GLONASS systems, as well as signals of the BDS, Galileo and QZSS systems. Up to now, BDS satellites are tracked by around 25 stations with a variety of different antennas and receivers from different GNSS manufacture communities in M-GEX network. Meanwhile, there are 17 stations with Unicore Communications Incorporation's GPS/BDS receivers in BeiDou Experimental Tracking Stations (BETS) network by Wuhan University. In addition, 5 BDS satellites have been tracking by the International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS). BDS performance is expected to be further studied by the GNSS communities. Following an introduction of the BDS system and above different tracking network, this paper discusses the achieved BDS characterization and performance assessment. Firstly, the BDS signal and measurement quality are analyzed with different antennas and receivers in detail compared to GPS. This includes depth of coverage for satellite observation, carrier-to-noise-density ratios, code noise and multipath, carrier phase errors. Secondly, BDS Precise Orbit Determination (POD) is processed. Different arc lengths and sets of orbit parameters are tested using Position And Navigation Data Analysis software (PANDA) which is developed at the Wuhan University. GEO, IGSO and MEO satellites orbit quality will be assessed using overlap comparison, 2-day orbit fit and external validations with Satellite Laser Range (SLR). Then BDS satellites are equipped with Rubidium clocks and clocks performance are also presented. Finally, benefits of BDS processing strategies and further developments are concluded.

A community effort to protect genomic data sharing, collaboration and outsourcing.

PubMed

Wang, Shuang; Jiang, Xiaoqian; Tang, Haixu; Wang, Xiaofeng; Bu, Diyue; Carey, Knox; Dyke, Stephanie Om; Fox, Dov; Jiang, Chao; Lauter, Kristin; Malin, Bradley; Sofia, Heidi; Telenti, Amalio; Wang, Lei; Wang, Wenhao; Ohno-Machado, Lucila

2017-01-01

The human genome can reveal sensitive information and is potentially re-identifiable, which raises privacy and security concerns about sharing such data on wide scales. In 2016, we organized the third Critical Assessment of Data Privacy and Protection competition as a community effort to bring together biomedical informaticists, computer privacy and security researchers, and scholars in ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) to assess the latest advances on privacy-preserving techniques for protecting human genomic data. Teams were asked to develop novel protection methods for emerging genome privacy challenges in three scenarios: Track (1) data sharing through the Beacon service of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health. Track (2) collaborative discovery of similar genomes between two institutions; and Track (3) data outsourcing to public cloud services. The latter two tracks represent continuing themes from our 2015 competition, while the former was new and a response to a recently established vulnerability. The winning strategy for Track 1 mitigated the privacy risk by hiding approximately 11% of the variation in the database while permitting around 160,000 queries, a significant improvement over the baseline. The winning strategies in Tracks 2 and 3 showed significant progress over the previous competition by achieving multiple orders of magnitude performance improvement in terms of computational runtime and memory requirements. The outcomes suggest that applying highly optimized privacy-preserving and secure computation techniques to safeguard genomic data sharing and analysis is useful. However, the results also indicate that further efforts are needed to refine these techniques into practical solutions.

Transformation of medical education through Decentralised Training Platforms: a scoping review.

PubMed

Mlambo, Motlatso; Dreyer, Abigail; Dube, Rainy; Mapukata, Nontsikelelo; Couper, Ian; Cooke, Richard

2018-03-01

Medical education in South Africa is facing a major paradigm shift. The urgency to increase the number of suitable, qualified and socially accountable health sciences graduates has brought to the fore the need to identify alternative training platforms and learning environments, often in rural areas. Subsequently, the focus has now shifted towards strengthening primary health care and community based health services. This scoping review presents a synopsis of the existing literature on decentralized training platform (DTP) strategies for medical education internationally, outlining existing models within it and its impact. This scoping review followed Arksey and O'Malley's framework outlining five stages: (i) identification of a research question, (ii) identification of relevant studies, (iii) study selection criteria, (iv) data charting, and (v) collating, summarizing and reporting results. The literature for the scoping review was found using online databases, reference lists and hand searched journals. Data were charted and sorted inductively according to key themes. A final review included 59 articles ranging over the years 1987-2015 with the largest group of studies falling in the period 2011-2015 (47.5%). Studies mostly employed quantitative (32.2%), qualitative (20.3%), systematic/literature review (18.6%) and mixed methods research approaches (11.9%). The scoping review highlighted a range of DTP strategies for transforming medical education. These include training for rural workforce, addressing context specific competencies to promote social accountability, promoting community engagement, and medical education partnerships. Viable models of DTP include community based education, distributed community engaged learning, discipline based clinical rotations, longitudinal clerkships and dedicated tracks focusing on rural issues. Shorter rural placements and supplemental rural tracks are also described. This scoping review showed a considerable amount of literature on decentralized training platforms that highlight the necessary adaptations needed for transforming medical education. The rural context is critical for many of these. Further studies are required to address the impact of DTPs on health service outcomes and human resource outcomes.

Insolvency and challenges of regulating providers that bear risk.

PubMed

Brewster, L R; Jackson, L; Lesser, C S

2000-02-01

Risk contracting and capitation are two widely used financial mechanisms that give incentives to health care providers to control costs. Risk-bearing arrangements have failed in a number of communities, however. This has shaken local markets, disrupting consumers' access to health care services and triggering losses for physicians and hospitals. It also has raised questions about the adequacy of related regulatory oversight, which holds important implications for local and national policy makers. This Issue Brief provides case studies of failed risk-contracting arrangements in two of the 12 communities that the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) tracks intensively--Northern New Jersey and Orange County, Calif.--and examines implications for policy makers.

Magneto-optic tracking of a flexible laparoscopic ultrasound transducer for laparoscope augmentation.

PubMed

Feuerstein, Marco; Reichl, Tobias; Vogel, Jakob; Schneider, Armin; Feussner, Hubertus; Navabi, Nassir

2007-01-01

In abdominal surgery, a laparoscopic ultrasound transducer is commonly used to detect lesions such as metastases. The determination and visualization of position and orientation of its flexible tip in relation to the patient or other surgical instruments can be of much help to (novice) surgeons utilizing the transducer intraoperatively. This difficult subject has recently been paid attention to by the scientific community . Electromagnetic tracking systems can be applied to track the flexible tip. However, the magnetic field can be distorted by ferromagnetic material. This paper presents a new method based on optical tracking of the laparoscope and magneto-optic tracking of the transducer, which is able to automatically detect field distortions. This is used for a smooth augmentation of the B-scan images of the transducer directly on the camera images in real time.

Scientific Networks on Data Landscapes: Question Difficulty, Epistemic Success, and Convergence

PubMed Central

Grim, Patrick; Singer, Daniel J.; Fisher, Steven; Bramson, Aaron; Berger, William J.; Reade, Christopher; Flocken, Carissa; Sales, Adam

2014-01-01

A scientific community can be modeled as a collection of epistemic agents attempting to answer questions, in part by communicating about their hypotheses and results. We can treat the pathways of scientific communication as a network. When we do, it becomes clear that the interaction between the structure of the network and the nature of the question under investigation affects epistemic desiderata, including accuracy and speed to community consensus. Here we build on previous work, both our own and others’, in order to get a firmer grasp on precisely which features of scientific communities interact with which features of scientific questions in order to influence epistemic outcomes. Here we introduce a measure on the landscape meant to capture some aspects of the difficulty of answering an empirical question. We then investigate both how different communication networks affect whether the community finds the best answer and the time it takes for the community to reach consensus on an answer. We measure these two epistemic desiderata on a continuum of networks sampled from the Watts-Strogatz spectrum. It turns out that finding the best answer and reaching consensus exhibit radically different patterns. The time it takes for a community to reach a consensus in these models roughly tracks mean path length in the network. Whether a scientific community finds the best answer, on the other hand, tracks neither mean path length nor clustering coefficient. PMID:24683416

Scientific Networks on Data Landscapes: Question Difficulty, Epistemic Success, and Convergence.

PubMed

Grim, Patrick; Singer, Daniel J; Fisher, Steven; Bramson, Aaron; Berger, William J; Reade, Christopher; Flocken, Carissa; Sales, Adam

2013-12-01

A scientific community can be modeled as a collection of epistemic agents attempting to answer questions, in part by communicating about their hypotheses and results. We can treat the pathways of scientific communication as a network. When we do, it becomes clear that the interaction between the structure of the network and the nature of the question under investigation affects epistemic desiderata, including accuracy and speed to community consensus. Here we build on previous work, both our own and others', in order to get a firmer grasp on precisely which features of scientific communities interact with which features of scientific questions in order to influence epistemic outcomes. Here we introduce a measure on the landscape meant to capture some aspects of the difficulty of answering an empirical question. We then investigate both how different communication networks affect whether the community finds the best answer and the time it takes for the community to reach consensus on an answer. We measure these two epistemic desiderata on a continuum of networks sampled from the Watts-Strogatz spectrum. It turns out that finding the best answer and reaching consensus exhibit radically different patterns. The time it takes for a community to reach a consensus in these models roughly tracks mean path length in the network. Whether a scientific community finds the best answer, on the other hand, tracks neither mean path length nor clustering coefficient.

Transformational Bilingual Learning: Re-Engaging Marginalized Learners through Language, Culture, Community, and Identity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tulloch, Shelley; Kusugak, Adriana; Chenier, Cayla; Pilakapsi, Quluaq; Uluqsi, Gloria; Walton, Fiona

2017-01-01

The Miqqut project was a participatory action research project through which Inuit language and literacy learning was embedded in a traditional skills program. Community-based researchers tracked learners' progress through entrance, exit, and post-program interviews and questionnaires, as well as through participant observation. Results show that…

Methodology and Implications of Statewide Success Rates of Community College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McConochie, Daniel D.; Rajasekhara, Koosappa

In 1991, the Maryland State Board for Community Colleges developed the "success rate," a reporting index which combined graduation, transfer, and persistence rates. Success rate matrices were produced by tracking first-time, full-time students representing seven cohorts (1980 to 1986) over a 4-year period, and matching entering…

Businesses Partner with Schools, Community to Create Alternative Career Pathways

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Overman, Stephenie

2012-01-01

Business, education and community leaders are working together to create alternative career pathways for young people who are not profiting from the four-year college track. The new Pathways to Prosperity Network brings together the Pathways to Prosperity Project at Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE), Jobs for the Future (JFF) and six…

Old and New Ways for Developing Community Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reinke, Thomas

2011-01-01

In these challenging times of cutbacks in public funding for social services programs, parents and grass roots organizations continue to make a difference in their communities with innovative initiatives that are enhancing the lives of people with developmental and physical disabilities. In New York, a track team of speedsters with disabilities is…

"Hard to Place": Multilingual Immigrant-Origin Students in Community Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darbes, Tasha

2014-01-01

Assessment and placement practices at community colleges that are used to divide students into college ready, ESL and English remedial tracks play a key role in shaping the academic pathways of students (Hughes & Scott-Clayton, 2011). These assessments are based on assumptions of the nature of bilingualism and student needs and thus have…

The Completion Arch: Measuring Community College Student Success--2012

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horn, Laura; Radwin, David

2012-01-01

Essential to tracking student success at community colleges is the availability of solid data and commonly defined metrics that go beyond measuring the traditional (and limited) enrollment and graduation rates that these colleges report to the federal government. In particular, what is needed are metrics that illuminate what happens to students…

The Ripple Effect: Lessons from a Research and Teaching Faculty Learning Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hershberger, Andrew; Spence, Maria; Cesarini, Paul; Mara, Andrew; Jorissen, Kathleen Topolka; Albrecht, David; Gordon, Jeffrey J.; Lin, Canchu

2009-01-01

Building upon a related 2005 panel presentation at the 25th annual Lilly Conference on College Teaching, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, the authors, several tenure-track assistant professors and tenured associate professors who have participated in a Research and Teaching Faculty Learning Community at Bowling Green State University, share their…

Career Development Support in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine: A National Survey of Fellows and Junior Faculty.

PubMed

Cifra, Christina L; Balikai, Shilpa S; Murtha, Tanya D; Hsu, Benson; Riley, Carley L

2017-04-01

To determine the perceptions of current pediatric critical care medicine fellows and junior faculty regarding the extent and quality of career development support received during fellowship training. Web-based cross-sectional survey open from September to November 2015. Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited pediatric critical care medicine fellowship programs. Pediatric critical care medicine fellows (second yr or higher) and junior faculty (within 5 yr of completing a pediatric critical care medicine fellowship program). None. There were 129 respondents to the survey, representing 63% of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited pediatric critical care medicine fellowship programs. Respondents were evenly divided between fellows and junior faculty. Nearly, half (49%) of respondents reported that their pediatric critical care medicine fellowship program provided a formal career development curriculum. Ideal career tracks chosen included academic clinician educator (64%), physician-scientist (27%), community-based (nonacademic) clinician (11%), and administrator (11%). There was a disparity in focused career development support provided by programs, with a minority providing good support for those pursuing a community-based clinician track (32%) or administrator track (16%). Only 43% of fellows perceived that they have a good chance of obtaining their ideal pediatric critical care medicine position, with the most common perceived barrier being increased competition for limited job opportunities. Most respondents expressed interest in a program specific to pediatric critical care medicine career development that is sponsored by a national professional organization. Most pediatric critical care medicine fellows and junior faculty reported good to excellent career development support during fellowship. However, important gaps remain, particularly for those pursuing community-based (nonacademic) and administrative tracks. Fellows were uncertain regarding future pediatric critical care medicine employment and their ability to pursue ideal career tracks. There may be a role for professional organizations to provide additional resources for career development in pediatric critical care medicine.

Netgram: Visualizing Communities in Evolving Networks

PubMed Central

Mall, Raghvendra; Langone, Rocco; Suykens, Johan A. K.

2015-01-01

Real-world complex networks are dynamic in nature and change over time. The change is usually observed in the interactions within the network over time. Complex networks exhibit community like structures. A key feature of the dynamics of complex networks is the evolution of communities over time. Several methods have been proposed to detect and track the evolution of these groups over time. However, there is no generic tool which visualizes all the aspects of group evolution in dynamic networks including birth, death, splitting, merging, expansion, shrinkage and continuation of groups. In this paper, we propose Netgram: a tool for visualizing evolution of communities in time-evolving graphs. Netgram maintains evolution of communities over 2 consecutive time-stamps in tables which are used to create a query database using the sql outer-join operation. It uses a line-based visualization technique which adheres to certain design principles and aesthetic guidelines. Netgram uses a greedy solution to order the initial community information provided by the evolutionary clustering technique such that we have fewer line cross-overs in the visualization. This makes it easier to track the progress of individual communities in time evolving graphs. Netgram is a generic toolkit which can be used with any evolutionary community detection algorithm as illustrated in our experiments. We use Netgram for visualization of topic evolution in the NIPS conference over a period of 11 years and observe the emergence and merging of several disciplines in the field of information processing systems. PMID:26356538

Nearly a decade-long repeatable seasonal diversity patterns of bacterioplankton communities in the eutrophic Lake Donghu (Wuhan, China)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yan, Qingyun; Stegen, James C.; Yu, Yuhe

Uncovering which environmental factors have the greatest influence on community diversity patterns and how ecological processes govern community turnover are key questions related to understanding community assembly mechanisms. Although we have good understanding of plant and animal community assembly, the mechanisms regulating diversity patterns of aquatic bacterial communities in lake ecosystems remains poorly understood. Here we present nearly a decade-long time-series study of bacterioplankton communities from the eutrophic Lake Donghu (Wuhan, China) using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. We found strong repeatable seasonal patterns for the overall community, common (detected in more than 50% samples) and dominant bacterial taxa (relativemore » abundance > 1%). Moreover, community composition tracked the seasonal temperature gradient, indicating that temperature is an important environmental factor controlling observed diversity patterns. Total phosphorus also contributed significantly to the seasonal shifts in bacterioplankton composition. However, any spatial pattern across the main lake areas was overwhelmed by temporal variability in this eutrophic lake system. Phylogenetic analysis further indicated that 75%-82% of community turnover was governed by homogeneous selection, suggesting that the bacterioplankton communities are mainly controlled by niche-based processes. However, dominant niches available within seasons might be occupied by similar combinations of bacterial taxa with modest dispersal rates throughout this lake system. This study gives us important insights into community assembly and seasonal turnover of lake bacterioplankton, it may be also useful to predict temporal patterns of other planktonic communities.« less

Building a Successful Postsecondary Preparatory Program at a Back on Track School. A Jobs for the Future Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seidel, Sam

2013-01-01

North Queens Community High School serves approximately 200 students, 16-20 years old, as they strive to reach their personal and academic goals. All students at North Queens have previously been enrolled in high school elsewhere and are over-age and undercredited. Small class sizes, student-centered support, and an accelerated credit acquisition…

Determining Clinically Relevant Changes in Community Walking Metrics to Be Tracked by the VA as Part of Routine Care in Lower Limb Amputee Veterans

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-01

total of 52 subjects have enrolled in the study: Veteran subjects n=34 and University of Utah subjects n= 18 . Preliminary analysis indicates that daily...relevant change 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18 . NUMBER OF PAGES 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON USAMRMC a. REPORT

Typology of School Dropout: The Dimensions and Dynamics of Dropout in Ghana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ananga, Eric Daniel

2011-01-01

This paper explores the dropout experience of children who dropped out of schools located in two rural communities in the Central Region of Ghana. The main research question sought to explore the meaning and types of drop out founded on the views of children who had dropped out of school. The study tracked 18 children aged 7-17 years. Snowball…

Long-Term Field Study of Microbial Community and Dechlorinating Activity Following Carboxymethyl Cellulose-Stabilized Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron Injection.

PubMed

Kocur, Chris M D; Lomheim, Line; Molenda, Olivia; Weber, Kela P; Austrins, Leanne M; Sleep, Brent E; Boparai, Hardiljeet K; Edwards, Elizabeth A; O'Carroll, Denis M

2016-07-19

Nanoscale zerovalent iron (nZVI) is an emerging technology for the remediation of contaminated sites. However, there are concerns related to the impact of nZVI on in situ microbial communities. In this study, the microbial community composition at a contaminated site was monitored over two years following the injection of nZVI stabilized with carboxymethyl cellulose (nZVI-CMC). Enhanced dechlorination of chlorinated ethenes to nontoxic ethene was observed long after the expected nZVI oxidation. The abundance of Dehalococcoides (Dhc) and vinyl chloride reductase (vcrA) genes, monitored using qPCR, increased by over an order of magnitude in nZVI-CMC-impacted wells. The entire microbial community was tracked using 16S rRNA gene amplicon pyrosequencing. Following nZVI-CMC injection, a clear shift in microbial community was observed, with most notable increases in the dechlorinating genera Dehalococcoides and Dehalogenimonas. This study suggests that coupled abiotic degradation (i.e., from reaction with nZVI) and biotic degradation fueled by CMC led to the long-term degradation of chlorinated ethenes at this field site. Furthermore, nZVI-CMC addition stimulated dehalogenator growth (e.g., Dehalococcoides) and biotic degradation of chlorinated ethenes.

Job and industry turnover for registered and licensed vocational nurses.

PubMed

Spetz, Joanne; Rickles, Jordan; Chapman, Susan; Ong, Paul M

2008-09-01

Most studies of nurse turnover focus on job turnover, which could reflect nurse advancement and thus not be detrimental to the workforce. The authors discuss findings from a study that involved 2 cohorts of graduates from registered nursing and licensed vocational nursing community college programs in California. The duration of employment in the healthcare industry, as well as with specific employers, is tracked, lending a more thorough analysis of nursing job and industry turnover than found in other studies.

A Lyapunov-Based Approach for Time-Coordinated 3D Path-Following of Multiple Quadrotors

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

presented in [10] as solutions for accommodating the nonlinear disturbances for outdoor altitude control . Finally, in [11] a trajectory- tracking ... control algorithm is formulated using the Special Orthogonal group SO(3) for attitude representation, leading to a simple and singularity-free solution for...the trajectory tracking problem. Cooperation between multiple unmanned vehicles has also received significant attention in the control community in

Tracking Transfer: Measures of Effectiveness in Helping Community College Students to Complete Bachelor's Degrees. (Signature Report No. 13)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shapiro, Doug; Dundar, Afet; Huie, Faye; Wakhungu, Phoebe Khasiala; Yuan, Xin; Nathan, Angel; Hwang, Youngsik

2017-01-01

This report is an update of the January 2016 Transfer Tracking report (see ED563499). It is the first in an annual series from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center that will investigate postsecondary student transfer outcomes. The goal is to provide institutions and states with a set of specific, up-to-date metrics with which to…

Development and evaluation of two web-based interventions for the promotion of physical activity in older adults: study protocol for a community-based controlled intervention trial.

PubMed

Muellmann, Saskia; Bragina, Inna; Voelcker-Rehage, Claudia; Rost, Eric; Lippke, Sonia; Meyer, Jochen; Schnauber, Jochen; Wasmann, Merlin; Toborg, Merle; Koppelin, Frauke; Brand, Tilman; Zeeb, Hajo; Pischke, Claudia R

2017-05-25

Regular physical activity (PA) is a key contributor to healthy ageing. However, despite known health benefits, only one third of older adults in Germany reach the PA levels recommended for persons aged 65 years and above by the World Health Organization. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the effectiveness of two web-based interventions for the initiation and maintenance of regular PA (i.e., intervention groups 1 and 2) compared to a delayed intervention control group of older adults aged 65 to 75 years. Study participants will be randomly assigned to one of three study arms in five communities in the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan region: a) Participants in the first arm will receive access to a web-based intervention for 10 weeks allowing them to track their weekly PA (subjective self-monitoring, intervention group 1); b) participants in the second arm will receive access to the web-based intervention for 10 weeks and, in addition, track PA using Fitbit Zips (objective self-monitoring, intervention group 2); c) participants in the delayed intervention control group will receive access to the intervention implemented in the first study arm after completion of the 12-week follow-up in the other two groups within each community. In addition, weekly group meetings in the communities will be offered to study participants in the intervention groups providing the opportunity to address questions related to the use of the website and to practice PA in groups (e.g., neighborhood walks, strength and balance exercises). To evaluate short-term effects of the intervention on physical and psychological health, PA, physical fitness, and cognitive and psychological variables will be assessed at baseline and 12-week follow-up. This study will provide answers regarding acceptance and effectiveness of web-based interventions promoting uptake and maintenance of regular PA in persons aged 65-75 years. Study findings will contribute to a growing body of evidence in Germany concerning the role of community-based interventions for the promotion of PA and healthy ageing in older adults. German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00010052 (Date of registration 07-11-2016).

CAMEO Software

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

CAMEOfm is a database application where you can keep track of information (such as chemical inventories and contact information for facilities in your community) to assist in emergency response and planning.

In-field implementation of impedance-based structural health monitoring for insulated rail joints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albakri, Mohammad I.; Malladi, V. V. N. Sriram; Woolard, Americo G.; Tarazaga, Pablo A.

2017-04-01

Track defects are a major safety concern for the railroad industry. Among different track components, insulated rail joints, which are widely used for signaling purposes, are considered a weak link in the railroad track. Several joint-related defects have been identified by the railroad community, including rail wear, torque loss, and joint bar breakage. Current track inspection techniques rely on manual and visual inspection or on specially equipped testing carts, which are costly, timeconsuming, traffic disturbing, and prone to human error. To overcome the aforementioned limitations, the feasibility of utilizing impedance-based structural health monitoring for insulated rail joints is investigated in this work. For this purpose, an insulated joint, provided by Koppers Inc., is instrumented with piezoelectric transducers and assembled with 136 AREA rail plugs. The instrumented joint is then installed and tested at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing, Transportation Technology Center Inc. The effects of environmental and operating conditions on the measured impedance signatures are investigated through a set of experiments conducted at different temperatures and loading conditions. The capabilities of impedance-based SHM to detect several joint-related damage types are also studied by introducing reversible mechanical defects to different joint components.

Getting the Right Fit: Designing a Professional Learning Community for Out-of-School Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vance, Femi; Salvaterra, Emily; Michelsen, Jocelyn Atkins; Newhouse, Corey

2016-01-01

A skilled workforce is critical in high-quality out-of-school time (OST) programs. However, the workshops commonly used to train OST staff are not adequately preparing practitioners to deliver quality programs that can benefit youth. Professional learning communities (PLCs) are a practice-focused alternative that has a track record of improving…

Architect for Research on Gender and Community Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lester, Jaime

2009-01-01

A quick search in the "Community College Journal of Research and Practice" for Barbara Townsend's name produces 62 entries. A handful of those entries are the articles that Barbara has authored, but many more are articles that cite her work. Another search on the Web of Science database that tracks citations in a specific set of peer-reviewed…

Restoring forest herb communities through landscape-level deer herd reductions: Is recovery limited by legacy effects?

Treesearch

Alejandro A. Royo; Susan L. Stout; David S. deCalesta; Timothy G. Pierson

2010-01-01

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) overbrowsing has altered plant species diversity throughout deciduous forest understories in eastern North America. Here we report on a landscape-level (306 km2) project in Pennsylvania, USA that tracked the herbaceous community response to deer herd reductions. From 2001 to 2007, we...

Laying Tracks to Graduation: The First Year of Implementing Diplomas Now

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corrin, William; Sepanik, Susan; Gray, Aracelis; Fernandez, Felix; Briggs, Ashley; Wang, Kathleen K.

2014-01-01

Too many students in high-poverty, urban communities drop out of high school, and too few graduate prepared for college and careers. Three national organizations--Talent Development Secondary, City Year, and Communities In Schools--have formed Diplomas Now in an effort to transform urban secondary schools so fewer students drop out and more…

Moving down the Track: Changing School Practices during the Second Year of "Diplomas Now"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sepanik, Susan; Corrin, William; Roy, David; Gray, Aracelis; Fernandez, Felix; Briggs, Ashley; Wang, Kathleen K.

2015-01-01

Too many students in high-poverty, urban communities drop out of high school, and too few graduate prepared for college and careers. Three national organizations--Talent Development Secondary, City Year, and Communities In Schools--have formed "Diplomas Now" in an effort to transform urban secondary schools so fewer students drop out and…

Labor Market Returns to Community College Awards: Evidence from Michigan. A CAPSEE Working Paper

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bahr, Peter Riley; Dynarski, Susan; Jacob, Brian; Kreisman, Daniel; Sosa, Alfredo; Wiederspan, Mark

2015-01-01

We examine the relative labor market gains experienced by first-time college students who enrolled in five community colleges in Michigan in 2003 and 2004. We track credentials, credits, earnings, and employment for these students through 2011. We compare labor market outcomes of those who earned a credential (associate degree or certificate) to…

Supporting Public High School Teachers in a Context of Multiple Mandates: A Social Justice Approach to Professional Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harak, Philip J.

2012-01-01

Although public school teaching by its inherent nature presents numerous classroom challenges, the public high school teacher today is faced in addition with multiple external mandates from several outside stakeholders. Given the established track record of professional learning communities (PLCs) to provide teacher support and development, I…

Evaluating the Impact of a Faculty Learning Community on STEM Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Tori Rhoulac; McGowan, Jill; Allen, Andrea R.; Johnson, Wayne David, II; Dickson, Leon A., Jr.; Najee-ullah, Muslimah Ali; Peters, Monique

2008-01-01

The faculty learning community project at Howard University involved a diverse group of men and women, tenured, tenure-track, and future faculty across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The purpose of the group was to engage in the scholarship of teaching and learning by learning about teaching, reflecting on…

What Happens to Students Who Take Community College "Dual Enrollment" Courses in High School?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fink, John; Jenkins, Davis; Yanagiura, Takeshi

2017-01-01

The number of students taking college courses while they are in high school has grown dramatically over the past two decades--particularly at community colleges--but many colleges and states do not track participants' outcomes. Using student enrollment and degree records from the National Student Clearinghouse, this report is the first to look…

Is substance abuse treatment providing services to the right population?

PubMed

Ward, Kelly

2005-01-01

This study examined the relationship between treatment retention, and drug severity level in a therapeutic community setting for drug and alcohol treatment. Treatment retention is significant because length of time in treatment has been shown to correlate with success after treatment that impacts everyone. The design of this study was exploratory, descriptive, and cross-sectional. Data were collected in 2000 from a convenience sample of 18 to 25 year-old, primarily low-income and minority addicts who were currently in a therapeutic community in New Jersey, USA. The participants were then tracked for 90 days as to their status in the program and staff completed a motivation measure. Results indicated that severity of addiction was significant to treatment retention.

Evaluating a community saturation model of abstinence education: an application of social marketing strategies.

PubMed

Tanner, John F; Anne Raymond, Mary; Ladd, Stacey D

2009-01-01

This study examines a community saturation program, a social marketing strategy, promoting abstinence education and evaluates the effects of this strategy on adolescents' attitudes and sexual behaviors. The study also examines components of the strategy to determine which program element was most influential. The Worth the Wait program was implemented in five counties in Texas beginning in 1999 for the first county and in 2000 and 2001 for the other four counties. A total of 2007 students in grades 7 through 12 were tracked and answered an end-of-the-year post-program survey after varying time periods of school program participation. Results indicate that a saturation program can be effective in reducing teen pregnancy.

Competency-Based Training and Worker Turnover in Community Supports for People With IDD: Results From a Group Randomized Controlled Study.

PubMed

Bogenschutz, Matthew; Nord, Derek; Hewitt, Amy

2015-06-01

Turnover among direct support professionals (DSPs) in community support settings for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) has been regarded as a challenge since tracking of this workforce began in the 1980s. This study utilized a group randomized controlled design to test the effects of a competency-based training intervention for DSPs on site-level turnover rates over a one year period. Results suggested that, compared with the control group, sites receiving the training intervention experienced a significant decrease in annual turnover, when multiple factors were controlled. Implications, including the importance of considering quality training as a long term organizational investment and intervention to reduce turnover, are discussed.

Precise Orbit Determination of BeiDou Navigation Satellite System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Lina; Ge, Maorong; Wang, Jiexian; Wickert, Jens; Schuh, Harald

2013-04-01

China has been developing its own independent satellite navigation system since decades. Now the COMPASS system, also known as BeiDou, is emerging and gaining more and more interest and attention in the worldwide GNSS communities. The current regional BeiDou system is ready for its operational service around the end of 2012 with a constellation including five Geostationary Earth Orbit satellites (GEO), five Inclined Geosynchronous Orbit satellites (IGSO) and four Medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites in operation. Besides the open service with positioning accuracy of around 10m which is free to civilian users, both precise relative positioning, and precise point positioning are demonstrated as well. In order to enhance the BeiDou precise positioning service, Precise Orbit Determination (POD) which is essential of any satellite navigation system has been investigated and studied thoroughly. To further improving the orbits of different types of satellites, we study the impact of network coverage on POD data products by comparing results from tracking networks over the Chinese territory, Asian-Pacific, Asian and of global scale. Furthermore, we concentrate on the improvement of involving MEOs on the orbit quality of GEOs and IGSOs. POD with and without MEOs are undertaken and results are analyzed. Finally, integer ambiguity resolution which brings highly improvement on orbits and positions with GPS data is also carried out and its effect on POD data products is assessed and discussed in detail. Seven weeks of BeiDou data from a ground tracking network, deployed by Wuhan University is employed in this study. The test constellation includes four GEO, five IGSO and two MEO satellites in operation. The three-day solution approach is employed to enhance its strength due to the limited coverage of the tracking network and the small movement of most of the satellites. A number of tracking scenarios and processing schemas are identified and processed and overlapping orbit differences are utilized to qualify the estimated orbits and clocks. The results show that GEO orbits, especially the along-track component, can be significantly improved by extending the tracking network in China along longitude direction, whereas IGSOs gain more improvement if the tracking network extends in latitude. For the current tracking network, deploying tracking stations on the eastern side, for example in New Zealand and/or in Hawaii, will significantly reduce along-track biases of GEOs on the same side. The involvement of MEOs and ambiguity-fixing also make the orbits better but rather moderate. Key words: BeiDou, precise orbit determination (POD), tracking network, ambiguity-fixing

Indoor airborne bacterial communities are influenced by ventilation, occupancy, and outdoor air source.

PubMed

Meadow, J F; Altrichter, A E; Kembel, S W; Kline, J; Mhuireach, G; Moriyama, M; Northcutt, D; O'Connor, T K; Womack, A M; Brown, G Z; Green, J L; Bohannan, B J M

2014-02-01

Architects and engineers are beginning to consider a new dimension of indoor air: the structure and composition of airborne microbial communities. A first step in this emerging field is to understand the forces that shape the diversity of bioaerosols across space and time within the built environment. In an effort to elucidate the relative influences of three likely drivers of indoor bioaerosol diversity - variation in outdoor bioaerosols, ventilation strategy, and occupancy load - we conducted an intensive temporal study of indoor airborne bacterial communities in a high-traffic university building with a hybrid HVAC (mechanically and naturally ventilated) system. Indoor air communities closely tracked outdoor air communities, but human-associated bacterial genera were more than twice as abundant in indoor air compared with outdoor air. Ventilation had a demonstrated effect on indoor airborne bacterial community composition; changes in outdoor air communities were detected inside following a time lag associated with differing ventilation strategies relevant to modern building design. Our results indicate that both occupancy patterns and ventilation strategies are important for understanding airborne microbial community dynamics in the built environment. © 2013 The Authors. Indoor Air published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The impact of vegan production on the kimchi microbiome.

PubMed

Zabat, Michelle A; Sano, William H; Cabral, Damien J; Wurster, Jenna I; Belenky, Peter

2018-09-01

Despite previous inquiry into the fermentative bacterial community of kimchi, there has been little insight into the impacts of starting ingredients on the establishment and dynamics of the microbial community. Recently some industrial producers have begun to utilize vegan production methods that omit fermented seafood ingredients. The community-level impacts of this change are unknown. In this study, we investigated the differences in the taxonomic composition of the microbial communities of non-vegan kimchi and vegan kimchi prepared through quick fermentation at room temperature. In addition to tracking the community dynamics over the fermentation process, we looked at the impact of the constituent ingredients and the production facility environment on the microbial community of fermenting kimchi. Our results indicate that the bacterial community of the prepared vegan product closely mirrors the progression and final structure of the non-vegan final product. We also found that room temperature-fermented kimchi differs minimally from more traditional cold-fermented kimchi. Finally, we found that the bacterial community of the starting ingredients show a low relative abundance of the lactic acid bacteria in fermented kimchi, whereas the production facility is dominated by these bacteria. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The impacts of Cenozoic climate and habitat changes on small mammal diversity of North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samuels, Joshua X.; Hopkins, Samantha S. B.

2017-02-01

Through the Cenozoic, paleoclimate records show general trends of global cooling and increased aridity, and environments in North America shifted from predominantly forests to more open habitats. Paleobotanical records indicate grasses were present on the continent in the Eocene; however, paleosol and phytolith studies indicate that open habitats did not arise until the late Eocene or even later in the Oligocene. Studies of large mammalian herbivores have documented changes in ecomorphology and community structure through time, revealing that shifts in mammalian morphology occurred millions of years after the environmental changes thought to have triggered them. Smaller mammals, like rodents and lagomorphs, should more closely track climate and habitat changes due to their shorter generation times and smaller ranges, but these animals have received much less study. To examine changes in smaller mammals through time, we have assembled and analyzed an ecomorphological database of all North American rodent and lagomorph species. Analyses of these data found that rodent and lagomorph community structure changed dramatically through the Cenozoic, and shifts in diversity and ecology correspond closely with the timing of habitat changes. Cenozoic rodent and lagomorph species diversity is strongly biased by sampling of localities, but sampling-corrected diversity reveals diversity dynamics that, after an initial density-dependent diversification in the Eocene, track habitat changes and the appearance of new ecological adaptations. As habitats became more open and arid through time, rodent and lagomorph crown heights increased while burrowing, jumping, and cursorial adaptations became more prevalent. Through time, open-habitat specialists were added during periods of diversification, while closed-habitat taxa were disproportionately lost in subsequent diversity declines. While shifts among rodents and lagomorphs parallel changes in ungulate communities, they started millions of years earlier than in larger mammals. This is likely a consequence of the smaller mammals' greater sensitivity to environmental changes and more rapid evolution. These results highlight the importance of examining understudied members of vertebrate faunas for understanding the evolution of terrestrial communities through time.

THE MEASUREMENT OF PM2.5, INCLUDING SEMI-VOLATILE COMPONENTS, IN THE EMPACT PROGRAM: RESULTS FROM THE SALT LAKE CITY STUDY AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC AWARENESS, HEALTH EFFECTS, AND CONTROL STRATEGIES (R827993)

EPA Science Inventory

The Salt Lake City EPA Environmental

Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) project,

initiated in October 1999, is designed to evaluate the usefulness of a

newly developed real-time continuous monitor (RAMS) for total

(non-volatil...

Automated tracking of animal posture and movement during exploration and sensory orientation behaviors.

PubMed

Gomez-Marin, Alex; Partoune, Nicolas; Stephens, Greg J; Louis, Matthieu; Brembs, Björn

2012-01-01

The nervous functions of an organism are primarily reflected in the behavior it is capable of. Measuring behavior quantitatively, at high-resolution and in an automated fashion provides valuable information about the underlying neural circuit computation. Accordingly, computer-vision applications for animal tracking are becoming a key complementary toolkit to genetic, molecular and electrophysiological characterization in systems neuroscience. We present Sensory Orientation Software (SOS) to measure behavior and infer sensory experience correlates. SOS is a simple and versatile system to track body posture and motion of single animals in two-dimensional environments. In the presence of a sensory landscape, tracking the trajectory of the animal's sensors and its postural evolution provides a quantitative framework to study sensorimotor integration. To illustrate the utility of SOS, we examine the orientation behavior of fruit fly larvae in response to odor, temperature and light gradients. We show that SOS is suitable to carry out high-resolution behavioral tracking for a wide range of organisms including flatworms, fishes and mice. Our work contributes to the growing repertoire of behavioral analysis tools for collecting rich and fine-grained data to draw and test hypothesis about the functioning of the nervous system. By providing open-access to our code and documenting the software design, we aim to encourage the adaptation of SOS by a wide community of non-specialists to their particular model organism and questions of interest.

Hawai‘i's Opportunity for Active Living Advancement (HO‘ĀLA): Addressing Childhood Obesity through Safe Routes to School

PubMed Central

Dierenfield, Laura; Alexander, Daniel A; Prose, Marcia; Peterson, Ann C

2011-01-01

Increasing active transportation to and from school may reduce childhood obesity rates in Hawai‘i. A community partnership was formed to address this issue in Hawai‘i's Opportunity for Active Living Advancement (HO‘ĀLA), a quasi-experimental study of active transportation in Hawai‘i County. The purpose of this study was to determine baseline rates for active transportation rates to and from school and to track changes related to macro-level (statewide) policy, locally-based Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs and bicycle and pedestrian planning initiatives expected to improve the safety, comfort and ease of walking and bicycling to and from school. Measures included parent surveys, student travel tallies, traffic counts and safety observations. Assessments of the walking and biking environment around each school were made using the Pedestrian Environment Data Scan. Complete Streets and SRTS policy implementation was tracked through the activities of a state transportation-led Task Force and an advocacy-led coalition, respectively. Planning initiatives were tracked through citizen-based advisory committees. Thirteen volunteer schools participated as the intervention (n=8) or comparison (n=5) schools. The majority of students were Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander in schools located in under-resourced communities. Overall, few children walked or biked to school. The majority of children were driven to and from school by their parents. With the influence of HO‘ĀLA staff members, two intervention schools were obligated SRTS project funding from the state, schools were identified as key areas in the pedestrian master plan, and one intervention school was slated for a bike plan priority project. As the SRTS programs are implemented in the next phase of the project, post-test data will be collected to ascertain if changes in active transportation rates occur. PMID:21886289

A Novel Patient Recruitment Strategy: Patient Selection Directly from the Community through Linkage to Clinical Data.

PubMed

Zimmerman, Lindsay P; Goel, Satyender; Sathar, Shazia; Gladfelter, Charon E; Onate, Alejandra; Kane, Lindsey L; Sital, Shelly; Phua, Jasmin; Davis, Paris; Margellos-Anast, Helen; Meltzer, David O; Polonsky, Tamar S; Shah, Raj C; Trick, William E; Ahmad, Faraz S; Kho, Abel N

2018-01-01

This article presents and describes our methods in developing a novel strategy for recruitment of underrepresented, community-based participants, for pragmatic research studies leveraging routinely collected electronic health record (EHR) data. We designed a new approach for recruiting eligible patients from the community, while also leveraging affiliated health systems to extract clinical data for community participants. The strategy involves methods for data collection, linkage, and tracking. In this workflow, potential participants are identified in the community and surveyed regarding eligibility. These data are then encrypted and deidentified via a hashing algorithm for linkage of the community participant back to a record at a clinical site. The linkage allows for eligibility verification and automated follow-up. Longitudinal data are collected by querying the EHR data and surveying the community participant directly. We discuss this strategy within the context of two national research projects, a clinical trial and an observational cohort study. The community-based recruitment strategy is a novel, low-touch, clinical trial enrollment method to engage a diverse set of participants. Direct outreach to community participants, while utilizing EHR data for clinical information and follow-up, allows for efficient recruitment and follow-up strategies. This new strategy for recruitment links data reported from community participants to clinical data in the EHR and allows for eligibility verification and automated follow-up. The workflow has the potential to improve recruitment efficiency and engage traditionally underrepresented individuals in research. Schattauer GmbH Stuttgart.

Graptolite community responses to global climate change and the Late Ordovician mass extinction.

PubMed

Sheets, H David; Mitchell, Charles E; Melchin, Michael J; Loxton, Jason; Štorch, Petr; Carlucci, Kristi L; Hawkins, Andrew D

2016-07-26

Mass extinctions disrupt ecological communities. Although climate changes produce stress in ecological communities, few paleobiological studies have systematically addressed the impact of global climate changes on the fine details of community structure with a view to understanding how changes in community structure presage, or even cause, biodiversity decline during mass extinctions. Based on a novel Bayesian approach to biotope assessment, we present a study of changes in species abundance distribution patterns of macroplanktonic graptolite faunas (∼447-444 Ma) leading into the Late Ordovician mass extinction. Communities at two contrasting sites exhibit significant decreases in complexity and evenness as a consequence of the preferential decline in abundance of dysaerobic zone specialist species. The observed changes in community complexity and evenness commenced well before the dramatic population depletions that mark the tipping point of the extinction event. Initially, community changes tracked changes in the oceanic water masses, but these relations broke down during the onset of mass extinction. Environmental isotope and biomarker data suggest that sea surface temperature and nutrient cycling in the paleotropical oceans changed sharply during the latest Katian time, with consequent changes in the extent of the oxygen minimum zone and phytoplankton community composition. Although many impacted species persisted in ephemeral populations, increased extinction risk selectively depleted the diversity of paleotropical graptolite species during the latest Katian and early Hirnantian. The effects of long-term climate change on habitats can thus degrade populations in ways that cascade through communities, with effects that culminate in mass extinction.

Graptolite community responses to global climate change and the Late Ordovician mass extinction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheets, H. David; Mitchell, Charles E.; Melchin, Michael J.; Loxton, Jason; Štorch, Petr; Carlucci, Kristi L.; Hawkins, Andrew D.

2016-07-01

Mass extinctions disrupt ecological communities. Although climate changes produce stress in ecological communities, few paleobiological studies have systematically addressed the impact of global climate changes on the fine details of community structure with a view to understanding how changes in community structure presage, or even cause, biodiversity decline during mass extinctions. Based on a novel Bayesian approach to biotope assessment, we present a study of changes in species abundance distribution patterns of macroplanktonic graptolite faunas (˜447-444 Ma) leading into the Late Ordovician mass extinction. Communities at two contrasting sites exhibit significant decreases in complexity and evenness as a consequence of the preferential decline in abundance of dysaerobic zone specialist species. The observed changes in community complexity and evenness commenced well before the dramatic population depletions that mark the tipping point of the extinction event. Initially, community changes tracked changes in the oceanic water masses, but these relations broke down during the onset of mass extinction. Environmental isotope and biomarker data suggest that sea surface temperature and nutrient cycling in the paleotropical oceans changed sharply during the latest Katian time, with consequent changes in the extent of the oxygen minimum zone and phytoplankton community composition. Although many impacted species persisted in ephemeral populations, increased extinction risk selectively depleted the diversity of paleotropical graptolite species during the latest Katian and early Hirnantian. The effects of long-term climate change on habitats can thus degrade populations in ways that cascade through communities, with effects that culminate in mass extinction.

A community health report card: comprehensive assessment for tracking community health (CATCH).

PubMed

Studnicki, J; Steverson, B; Myers, B; Hevner, A R; Berndt, D J

1997-01-01

A systematic method for assessing the health status of communities has been under development at the University of South Florida since 1991. The system, known as CATCH, draws 226 indicators from multiple sources and uses an innovative comparative framework and weighted evaluation criteria to produce a rank-ordered community problem list. The CATCH results from II Floridian counties have focused attention on high priority health problems and provided a framework for measuring the impact of health expenditures on community health status outcomes. The method and plans to create an automated data warehouse to support its expansion and enrichment are described.

Virtual Games and Real-World Communities: Environments That Constrain and Enable Physical Activity in Games for Health

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Mary K.; Hagood, Danielle; Ching, Cynthia Carter

2017-01-01

This article examines two communities of youth who play an online game that integrates physical activity into virtual game play. Participating youth from two research sites--an urban middle school and a suburban junior high school--wore FitBits that tracked their physical activity and then integrated their real-world energy into game-world…

Senate Rostrum: Academic Senate for California Community Colleges Newsletter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, 2010

2010-01-01

The Rostrum is a quarterly publication of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) The Need for full Time faculty (again) by Jane Patton; (2) Reading May Be the Key to Unlocking Basic Skills Success by Janet Fulks; (3) Diversity Institute on the Right Track by Beth Smith; (4)…

Western Australian Music Teachers and the WACE Music Syllabus Five Years down the Track: Where Are We Now?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lowe, Geoffrey M.; Sutherland, Andrew

2014-01-01

Western Australia introduced a new Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) Music course for Year 11 and 12 students in 2009. The construction of the course was protracted due to political interference at the ministerial level, input from vested interests within the music teaching community and adverse publicity in the wider community.…

Community Tracking in a cMOOC and Nomadic Learner Behavior Identification on a Connectivist Rhizomatic Learning Network

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bozkurt, Aras; Honeychurch, Sarah; Caines, Autumm; Bali, Maha; Koutropoulos, Apostolos; Cormier, Dave

2016-01-01

This article contributes to the literature on connectivism, connectivist MOOCs (cMOOCs) and rhizomatic learning by examining participant interactions, community formation and nomadic learner behavior in a particular cMOOC, #rhizo15, facilitated for 6 weeks by Dave Cormier. It further focuses on what we can learn by observing Twitter interactions…

GONUTS: the Gene Ontology Normal Usage Tracking System

PubMed Central

Renfro, Daniel P.; McIntosh, Brenley K.; Venkatraman, Anand; Siegele, Deborah A.; Hu, James C.

2012-01-01

The Gene Ontology Normal Usage Tracking System (GONUTS) is a community-based browser and usage guide for Gene Ontology (GO) terms and a community system for general GO annotation of proteins. GONUTS uses wiki technology to allow registered users to share and edit notes on the use of each term in GO, and to contribute annotations for specific genes of interest. By providing a site for generation of third-party documentation at the granularity of individual terms, GONUTS complements the official documentation of the Gene Ontology Consortium. To provide examples for community users, GONUTS displays the complete GO annotations from seven model organisms: Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Dictyostelium discoideum, Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, Danio rerio, Mus musculus and Arabidopsis thaliana. To support community annotation, GONUTS allows automated creation of gene pages for gene products in UniProt. GONUTS will improve the consistency of annotation efforts across genome projects, and should be useful in training new annotators and consumers in the production of GO annotations and the use of GO terms. GONUTS can be accessed at http://gowiki.tamu.edu. The source code for generating the content of GONUTS is available upon request. PMID:22110029

Determining an empirical estimate of the tracking inconsistency component for true astrometric uncertainties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramanjooloo, Yudish; Tholen, David J.; Fohring, Dora; Claytor, Zach; Hung, Denise

2017-10-01

The asteroid community is moving towards the implementation of a new astrometric reporting format. This new format will finally include of complementary astrometric uncertainties in the reported observations. The availability of uncertainties will allow ephemeris predictions and orbit solutions to be constrained with greater reliability, thereby improving the efficiency of the community's follow-up and recovery efforts.Our current uncertainty model involves our uncertainties in centroiding on the trailed stars and asteroid and the uncertainty due to the astrometric solution. The accuracy of our astrometric measurements are reliant on how well we can minimise the offset between the spatial and temporal centroids of the stars and the asteroid. This offset is currently unmodelled and can be caused by variations in the cloud transparency, the seeing and tracking inconsistencies. The magnitude zero point of the image, which is affected by fluctuating weather conditions and the catalog bias in the photometric magnitudes, can serve as an indicator of the presence and thickness of clouds. Through comparison of the astrometric uncertainties to the orbit solution residuals, it was apparent that a component of the error analysis remained unaccounted for, as a result of cloud coverage and thickness, telescope tracking inconsistencies and variable seeing. This work will attempt to quantify the tracking inconsistency component. We have acquired a rich dataset with the University of Hawaii 2.24 metre telescope (UH-88 inch) that is well positioned to construct an empirical estimate of the tracking inconsistency component. This work is funded by NASA grant NXX13AI64G.

How Does the Fast Track Intervention Prevent Adverse Outcomes in Young Adulthood?

PubMed Central

Sorensen, Lucy C.; Dodge, Kenneth A.

2015-01-01

Numerous studies have shown that childhood interventions can foster improved outcomes in adulthood. Less well understood is precisely how – that is, through which developmental pathways – these interventions work. This study assesses mechanisms by which the Fast Track project (n=891), a randomized intervention in the early 1990s for high-risk children in four communities (Durham, NC; Nashville, TN; rural PA; and Seattle, WA), reduced delinquency, arrests, and health and mental health service utilization in adolescence through young adulthood (ages 12–20). A decomposition of treatment effects indicates that about a third of Fast Track’s impact on later crime outcomes can be accounted for by improvements in social and self-regulation skills during childhood (ages 6–11), such as prosocial behavior, emotion regulation and problem solving. These skills proved less valuable for the prevention of mental and physical health problems. PMID:26670938

Wireless inertial measurement unit with GPS (WIMU-GPS)--wearable monitoring platform for ecological assessment of lifespace and mobility in aging and disease.

PubMed

Boissy, Patrick; Brière, Simon; Hamel, Mathieu; Jog, Mandar; Speechley, Mark; Karelis, Antony; Frank, James; Vincent, Claude; Edwards, Rodrick; Duval, Christian

2011-01-01

This paper proposes an innovative ambulatory mobility and activity monitoring approach based on a wearable datalogging platform that combines inertial sensing with GPS tracking to assess the lifespace and mobility profile of individuals in their home and community environments. The components, I/O architecture, sensors and functions of the WIMU-GPS are presented. Outcome variables that can be measured with it are described and illustrated. Data on the power usage, operating autonomy of the WIMU-GPS and the GPS tracking performances and time to first fix of the unit are presented. The study of lifespace and mobility with the WIMU-GPS can potentially provide unique insights into intrapersonal and environmental factors contributing to mobility restriction. On-going studies are underway to establish the validity and reliability of the WIMU-GPS in characterizing the lifespace and mobility profile of older adults.

Tracking Emissions Using New Fenceline Monitoring Technology

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

New cost-effective approaches to measuring air pollutants at the fenceline or in communities near industrial facilities can help identify and control air pollution that may drift across property lines.

Money circulation networks reveal emerging geographical communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brockmann, D.; Theis, F.; David, V.

2008-03-01

Geographical communities and their boundaries are key determinants of various spatially extended dynamical phenomena. Examples are migration dynamics of species, the spread of infectious diseases, bioinvasive processes, and the spatial evolution of language. We address the question to what extend multiscale human transportation networks encode geographical community structures, how they differ from geopolitical classifications, whether they are spatially coherent, and analyse their structure as a function of length scale. Our analysis is based on a proxy network for human transportation obtained from the geographic circulation of more than 10 million dollar bills in the United States recorded at the bill tracking website www.wheresgeorge.com. The data extends that of a previous study (Brockmann et al., Nature 2006) on the discovery of scaling laws of human travel by an order of magnitude and permits an approach to multiscale human transportation from a network perspective.

Exploring the process of capacity-building among community-based health promotion workers in Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Montemurro, Genevieve R; Raine, Kim D; Nykiforuk, Candace I J; Mayan, Maria

2014-09-01

Community capacity-building is a central element to health promotion. While capacity-building features, domains and relationships to program sustainability have been well examined, information on the process of capacity-building as experienced by practitioners is needed. This study examined this process as experienced by coordinators working within a community-based chronic disease prevention project implemented in four communities in Alberta (Canada) from 2005-2010 using a case study approach with a mixed-method design. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews, a focus group and program documents tracking coordinator activity. Qualitative analysis followed the constant comparative method using open, axial and selective coding. Quantitative data were analyzed for frequency of major activity distribution. Capacity-building process involves distinct stages of networking, information exchange, partnering, prioritizing, planning/implementing and supporting/ sustaining. Stages are incremental though not always linear. Contextual factors exert a great influence on the process. Implications for research, practice and policy are discussed. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

An integrated approach to modeling resource utilization for rural communities in developing countries.

PubMed

Hartter, Joel; Boston, Kevin

2007-10-01

Resource consumption in developing countries has been the focus of a considerable amount of research. What has been understudied however, has been the feedback affects of resource consumption on resource availability to both households and communities. Heavy reliance on natural resources and intensive smallholder agriculture common to many rural communities in developing countries has forced people to fulfill short-term needs to the detriment of long-term ecological and livelihood sustainability. This paper introduces a conceptual framework to examine how individuals and households fulfill daily caloric needs and the aggregate effects on resource availability and consumption. Data were collected from a large number of published case studies of rural land-use dynamics, growth and yield models, and human livelihoods were reviewed from scientific journals, reports published by NGOs, and government reports. Using inputs defined by the user, the model tracks annual fuelwood and agricultural land use based on meeting individual energy demands. A case-study-based analysis was patterned after smallholder agriculturalists at the family and community level. Three scenarios are presented in this paper using data from Uganda to illustrate the application of this model.

The nexus of spirituality and outdoor environmental education: Exploring participants' stories from the TorahTrek Guides Track

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wasserman-Singer, Samuel Chaim

There is currently a strong call from outdoor environmental educators to explore the relevance of spirituality in their domain. In this study I use participant observation, as well as other qualitative methods to understand the experiences of participants in the TorahTrek Guides Track, a Jewish wilderness spirituality program. Analysis reveals that antecedent conditions have a large influence on the constructed spiritual meaning of each participant. Themes of community, connectedness, practice, and service are common among all the participants. A dynamic tension is present between time spent on solos and time spent with the group. Participants also report that variations in the physical environment affect their experiences. I consider the implications of these findings for spiritual educators, outdoor environmental educators, and unaffiliated practitioners.

When Personal Tracking Becomes Social: Examining the Use of Instagram for Healthy Eating.

PubMed

Chung, Chia-Fang; Agapie, Elena; Schroeder, Jessica; Mishra, Sonali; Fogarty, James; Munson, Sean A

2017-05-02

Many people appropriate social media and online communities in their pursuit of personal health goals, such as healthy eating or increased physical activity. However, people struggle with impression management, and with reaching the right audiences when they share health information on these platforms. Instagram, a popular photo-based social media platform, has attracted many people who post and share their food photos. We aim to inform the design of tools to support healthy behaviors by understanding how people appropriate Instagram to track and share food data, the benefits they obtain from doing so, and the challenges they encounter. We interviewed 16 women who consistently record and share what they eat on Instagram. Participants tracked to support themselves and others in their pursuit of healthy eating goals. They sought social support for their own tracking and healthy behaviors and strove to provide that support for others. People adapted their personal tracking practices to better receive and give this support. Applying these results to the design of health tracking tools has the potential to help people better access social support.

When Personal Tracking Becomes Social: Examining the Use of Instagram for Healthy Eating

PubMed Central

Chung, Chia-Fang; Agapie, Elena; Schroeder, Jessica; Mishra, Sonali; Fogarty, James; Munson, Sean A.

2017-01-01

Many people appropriate social media and online communities in their pursuit of personal health goals, such as healthy eating or increased physical activity. However, people struggle with impression management, and with reaching the right audiences when they share health information on these platforms. Instagram, a popular photo-based social media platform, has attracted many people who post and share their food photos. We aim to inform the design of tools to support healthy behaviors by understanding how people appropriate Instagram to track and share food data, the benefits they obtain from doing so, and the challenges they encounter. We interviewed 16 women who consistently record and share what they eat on Instagram. Participants tracked to support themselves and others in their pursuit of healthy eating goals. They sought social support for their own tracking and healthy behaviors and strove to provide that support for others. People adapted their personal tracking practices to better receive and give this support. Applying these results to the design of health tracking tools has the potential to help people better access social support. PMID:28516174

A novel storage system for cryoEM samples.

PubMed

Scapin, Giovanna; Prosise, Winifred W; Wismer, Michael K; Strickland, Corey

2017-07-01

We present here a new CryoEM grid boxes storage system designed to simplify sample labeling, tracking and retrieval. The system is based on the crystal pucks widely used by the X-ray crystallographic community for storage and shipping of crystals. This system is suitable for any cryoEM laboratory, but especially for large facilities that will need accurate tracking of large numbers of samples coming from different sources. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Social capital and trust in providers.

PubMed

Ahern, Melissa M; Hendryx, Michael S

2003-10-01

Trust in providers has been in decline in recent decades. This study attempts to identify sources of trust in characteristics of health care systems and the wider community. The design is cross-sectional. Data are from (1) the 1996 Household Survey of the Community Tracking Study, drawn from 24 Metropolitan Statistical Areas; (2) a 1996 multi-city broadcast media marketing database including key social capital indicators; (3) Interstudy; (4) the American Hospital Association; and (5) the American Medical Association. Independent variables include individual socio-demographic variables, HMO enrollment, community-level health sector variables, and social capital. The dependent variable is self-reported trust in physicians. Data are merged from the various sources and analyzed using SUDAAN. Subjects include adults in the Household Survey who responded to the items on trust in physicians (N=17,653). Trust in physicians is independently predicted by community social capital (p<0.001). Trust is also negatively related to HMO enrollment and to many individual characteristics. The effect of HMOs is not uniform across all communities. Social capital plays a role in how health care is perceived by citizens, and how health care is delivered by providers. Efforts to build trust and collaboration in a community may improve trust in physicians, health care quality, access, and preserve local health care control.

Tracking the sources and sinks of local marine debris in Hawai'i.

PubMed

Carson, Henry S; Lamson, Megan R; Nakashima, Davis; Toloumu, Derek; Hafner, Jan; Maximenko, Nikolai; McDermid, Karla J

2013-03-01

Plastic pollution has biological, chemical, and physical effects on marine environments and economic effects on coastal communities. These effects are acute on southeastern Hawai'i Island, where volunteers remove 16 metric tons of debris annually from a 15 km coastline. Although the majority is foreign-origin, a portion is locally-generated. We used floating debris-retention booms in two urban waterways to measure the input of debris from Hilo, the island's largest community, and released wooden drifters in nearby coastal waters to track the fate of that debris. In 205 days, 30 kilograms of debris (73.6% plastic) were retained from two watersheds comprising 10.2% of Hilo's developed land area. Of 851 wooden drifters released offshore of Hilo in four events, 23.3% were recovered locally, 1.4% at distant locations, and 6.5% on other islands. Comparisons with modeled surface currents and wind were mixed, indicating the importance of nearshore and tidal dynamics not included in the model. This study demonstrated that local pollutants can be retained nearby, contribute to the island's debris-accumulation area, and quickly contaminate other islands. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Evaluation of the Perceptions of Multicultural Knowledge and Multicultural Awareness between Graduating Counselor Education Students with Beginning Counselor Education Students Who Have Recently Completed a Course in Multicultural Issues and Strategies in Counseling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santos, Tad Pierre

2012-01-01

This was a study of student perceptions and retention of multicultural counseling awareness and knowledge. All of the graduate students of a medium sized, private university in Pennsylvania, in the counselor education program (included marriage and family, school counseling, and community counseling tracks) were required to take the Multicultural…

Signs and Symptoms of Autism

MedlinePlus

... Search Form Controls Cancel Submit Search the CDC Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Note: Javascript is disabled or ... Mitochondrial Disease FAQs Data & Statistics New Data on Autism Research & Tracking ADDM Community Report CADDRE SEED Frequently ...

Building a Career in America's Community Colleges: Essays by Rob Jenkins from "The Chronicle of Higher Education"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Errico, Deanna, Ed.

2010-01-01

This volume collects essays Rob Jenkins originally wrote for "The Two-Year Track" column in "The Chronicle of Higher Education". Drawing on his own experience, Rob has, for many years, been dispensing much-appreciated advice from the frontline--to those considering a community college career as well as those who desire to move up the ranks. This…

Interdisciplinary lifestyle intervention for weight management in a community population (HealthTrack study): Study design and baseline sample characteristics.

PubMed

Tapsell, Linda C; Lonergan, Maureen; Martin, Allison; Batterham, Marijka J; Neale, Elizabeth P

2015-11-01

Integrating professional expertise in diet, exercise and behavioural support may provide more effective preventive health services but this needs testing. We describe the design and baseline results of a trial in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The HealthTrack study is a 12 month randomised controlled trial testing effects of a novel interdisciplinary lifestyle intervention versus usual care. The study recruited overweight and obese adults 25-54 years resident in the Illawarra. Primary outcomes were weight, and secondary outcomes were disease risk factors (lipids, glucose, blood pressure), and behaviour (diet, activity, and psychological factors). Protocols, recruitment and baseline characteristics are reported. Between May 2014 and April 2015, 377 participants were recruited and randomised. The median age (IQR) of the mostly female sample (74%) was 45 (37-51) years. The sample comprised obese (BMI 32 (29-35) kg/m(2)) well educated (79% post school qualifications) non-smokers (96%). A high proportion reported suffering from anxiety (26.8%) and depression (33.7%). Metabolic syndrome was identified in 34.9% of the sample. The HealthTrack study sample was recruited to test the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary approach to preventive healthcare in self-identified overweight adults in the Illawarra region. The profile of participants gives some indication of those likely to use services similar to the trial design. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using ethnography to monitor the community health implications of onshore unconventional oil and gas developments: examples from Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale.

PubMed

Perry, Simona L

2013-01-01

The ethnographer's toolbox has within it a variety of methods for describing and analyzing the everyday lives of human beings that can be useful to public health practitioners and policymakers. These methods can be employed to uncover information on some of the harder-to-monitor psychological, sociocultural, and environmental factors that may lead to chronic stress in individuals and communities. In addition, because most ethnographic research studies involve deep and long-term engagement with local communities, the information collected by ethnographic researchers can be useful in tracking long- and short-term changes in overall well-being and health. Set within an environmental justice framework, this article uses examples from ongoing ethnographic fieldwork in the Marcellus Shale gas fields of Pennsylvania to describe and justify using an ethnographic approach to monitor the psychological and sociocultural determinants of community health as they relate to unconventional oil and gas development projects in the United States.

Zika Virus and Complications: Questions and Answers

MedlinePlus

... mosquito breeding sites, by emptying, cleaning or covering containers that can hold even small amounts of water, ... D community and regulators to fast-track the availability of effective diagnostic tests, vaccines and medicines that ...

Matrix approach to land carbon cycle modeling: A case study with the Community Land Model.

PubMed

Huang, Yuanyuan; Lu, Xingjie; Shi, Zheng; Lawrence, David; Koven, Charles D; Xia, Jianyang; Du, Zhenggang; Kluzek, Erik; Luo, Yiqi

2018-03-01

The terrestrial carbon (C) cycle has been commonly represented by a series of C balance equations to track C influxes into and effluxes out of individual pools in earth system models (ESMs). This representation matches our understanding of C cycle processes well but makes it difficult to track model behaviors. It is also computationally expensive, limiting the ability to conduct comprehensive parametric sensitivity analyses. To overcome these challenges, we have developed a matrix approach, which reorganizes the C balance equations in the original ESM into one matrix equation without changing any modeled C cycle processes and mechanisms. We applied the matrix approach to the Community Land Model (CLM4.5) with vertically-resolved biogeochemistry. The matrix equation exactly reproduces litter and soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics of the standard CLM4.5 across different spatial-temporal scales. The matrix approach enables effective diagnosis of system properties such as C residence time and attribution of global change impacts to relevant processes. We illustrated, for example, the impacts of CO 2 fertilization on litter and SOC dynamics can be easily decomposed into the relative contributions from C input, allocation of external C into different C pools, nitrogen regulation, altered soil environmental conditions, and vertical mixing along the soil profile. In addition, the matrix tool can accelerate model spin-up, permit thorough parametric sensitivity tests, enable pool-based data assimilation, and facilitate tracking and benchmarking of model behaviors. Overall, the matrix approach can make a broad range of future modeling activities more efficient and effective. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Heavy-machinery traffic impacts methane emissions as well as methanogen abundance and community structure in oxic forest soils.

PubMed

Frey, Beat; Niklaus, Pascal A; Kremer, Johann; Lüscher, Peter; Zimmermann, Stephan

2011-09-01

Temperate forest soils are usually efficient sinks for the greenhouse gas methane, at least in the absence of significant amounts of methanogens. We demonstrate here that trafficking with heavy harvesting machines caused a large reduction in CH(4) consumption and even turned well-aerated forest soils into net methane sources. In addition to studying methane fluxes, we investigated the responses of methanogens after trafficking in two different forest sites. Trafficking generated wheel tracks with different impact (low, moderate, severe, and unaffected). We found that machine passes decreased the soils' macropore space and lowered hydraulic conductivities in wheel tracks. Severely compacted soils yielded high methanogenic abundance, as demonstrated by quantitative PCR analyses of methyl coenzyme M reductase (mcrA) genes, whereas these sequences were undetectable in unaffected soils. Even after a year after traffic compression, methanogen abundance in compacted soils did not decline, indicating a stability of methanogens here over time. Compacted wheel tracks exhibited a relatively constant community structure, since we found several persisting mcrA sequence types continuously present at all sampling times. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a rather large methanogen diversity in the compacted soil, and most mcrA gene sequences were mostly similar to known sequences from wetlands. The majority of mcrA gene sequences belonged either to the order Methanosarcinales or Methanomicrobiales, whereas both sites were dominated by members of the families Methanomicrobiaceae Fencluster, with similar sequences obtained from peatland environments. The results show that compacting wet forest soils by heavy machinery causes increases in methane production and release.

Vegetation moderates impacts of tourism usage on bird communities along roads and hiking trails.

PubMed

Wolf, Isabelle D; Hagenloh, Gerald; Croft, David B

2013-11-15

Bird communities inhabiting ecosystems adjacent to recreational tracks may be adversely affected by disturbance from passing tourism traffic, vehicle-related mortality, habitat alteration and modified biotic relationships such as the increase of strong competitors. This study investigated the effects of tourist usage of roads vs. hiking trails on bird communities in gorges of the Flinders Ranges, a popular South Australian tourist destination in the arid-lands. High tourist usage along roads decreased the individual abundance and species richness of birds relative to low usage trails. The decrease in species richness, though less pronounced, also occurred at high-usage sites along trails. Changes in the species response to recreational disturbance/impacts varied depending on the ecology of the species. Bigger, more competitive birds with a generalist diet were overrepresented at high-usage sites along roads and trails. Species using microhabitats in lower vegetation layers were more sensitive. However, structural and floristic complexity of vegetation was a more important factor influencing bird abundance than tourist usage. Sites with a better developed shrub and tree layer sustained higher species abundance and richer communities. Importantly, vegetation qualities moderated the negative effect of high usage on the individual abundance of birds along roads, to the extent that such an effect was absent at sites with the best developed shrub and tree layer. To protect avifauna along recreational tracks in arid-lands gorges, we recommend the closure of some gorges or sections for vehicle or any access. Further, open space particularly for camping needs to be minimized as it creates areas of high tourist usage with modified habitat that provides birds with little buffer from disturbance. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Learning not to blink

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKnight, D. M.

2012-12-01

In all the fields of earth and environmental science, the pursuit of a research question on a topic that has captured one's interest represents both an exciting challenge and a serious responsibility. There is currently a great need to expand knowledge of many aspects of our changing world. Nonetheless, the scientific community, like other communities, has its own culture and values that can seem to be at odds with one's personal motivation and values. Further, it can seem that scientific institutions are organized in a manner to present a set of hurdles that must be cleared in the pursuit of research questions and dissemination of results. One strategy as a scientist is to deal with this community and its cultural constraints on one's own terms. For example, the scientific community has become necessarily focused on review and assessment in the distribution of limited research resources. Further, rankings to assess impact of journals and tracking of citations are being used commonly in assessing success in research. In mentoring interactions there is an opportunity to share experiences of persistence through the publication process, as new findings cannot make a difference unless they are published. One way to deal with the flaws in these metrics is to remain attuned to one's own sense of the intrinsic value and excitement of the research question being studied, and not lose track of the value of forward progress on tough questions, progress that may not be suitable for the high profile journals with a broad scope. In mentoring, it may be as important to convey that it is possible to have a rewarding scientific career by actively choosing when to compromise, to take risks or to go your own way, as to help students learn research techniques. Possible starting points for such discussions are the old spaghetti westerns starring Clint Eastwood.

Image analysis driven single-cell analytics for systems microbiology.

PubMed

Balomenos, Athanasios D; Tsakanikas, Panagiotis; Aspridou, Zafiro; Tampakaki, Anastasia P; Koutsoumanis, Konstantinos P; Manolakos, Elias S

2017-04-04

Time-lapse microscopy is an essential tool for capturing and correlating bacterial morphology and gene expression dynamics at single-cell resolution. However state-of-the-art computational methods are limited in terms of the complexity of cell movies that they can analyze and lack of automation. The proposed Bacterial image analysis driven Single Cell Analytics (BaSCA) computational pipeline addresses these limitations thus enabling high throughput systems microbiology. BaSCA can segment and track multiple bacterial colonies and single-cells, as they grow and divide over time (cell segmentation and lineage tree construction) to give rise to dense communities with thousands of interacting cells in the field of view. It combines advanced image processing and machine learning methods to deliver very accurate bacterial cell segmentation and tracking (F-measure over 95%) even when processing images of imperfect quality with several overcrowded colonies in the field of view. In addition, BaSCA extracts on the fly a plethora of single-cell properties, which get organized into a database summarizing the analysis of the cell movie. We present alternative ways to analyze and visually explore the spatiotemporal evolution of single-cell properties in order to understand trends and epigenetic effects across cell generations. The robustness of BaSCA is demonstrated across different imaging modalities and microscopy types. BaSCA can be used to analyze accurately and efficiently cell movies both at a high resolution (single-cell level) and at a large scale (communities with many dense colonies) as needed to shed light on e.g. how bacterial community effects and epigenetic information transfer play a role on important phenomena for human health, such as biofilm formation, persisters' emergence etc. Moreover, it enables studying the role of single-cell stochasticity without losing sight of community effects that may drive it.

Older adults' home- and community-based care service use and residential transitions: a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Chen, Ya-Mei; Berkowitz, Bobbie

2012-08-10

As Home-and Community-Based Services (HCBS), such as skilled nursing services or personal care services, have become increasingly available, it has become clear that older adults transit through different residential statuses over time. Older adults may transit through different residential statuses as the various services meet their needs. The purpose of this exploratory study was to better understand the interplay between community-dwelling older adults' use of home- and community-based services and their residential transitions. The study compared HCBS service-use patterns and residential transitions of 3,085 older adults from the Second Longitudinal Study of Aging. Based on older adults' residential status at the three follow-up interviews, four residential transitions were tracked: (1) Community-Community-Community (CCC: Resided in community during the entire study period); (2) Community-Institution-Community (CIC: Resided in community at T1, had lived in an institution at some time between T1 and T2, then had returned to community by T3); (3) Community-Community-Institution (CCI: Resided in community between at T1, and betweenT1 and T2, including at T2, but had used institutional services between T2 and T3); (4) Community-Institution-Institution (CII: Resided in community at T1 but in an institution at some time between T1 and T2, and at some time between T2 and T3.). Older adults' use of nondiscretionary and discretionary services differed significantly among the four groups, and the patterns of HCBS use among these groups were also different. Older adults' use of nondiscretionary services, such as skilled nursing care, may help them to return to communities from institutions. Personal care services (PCS) and senior center services may be the key to either support elders to stay in communities longer or help elders to return to their communities from institutions. Different combinations of PCS with other services, such as senior center services or meal services, were associated with different directions in residential transition, such as CIC and CII respectively. Older adults' differing HCBS use patterns may be the key to explaining older adults' transitions. Attention to older adults' HCBS use patterns is recommended for future practice. However, this was an exploratory study and the analyses cannot establish causal relationships.

Older adults’ home- and community-based care service use and residential transitions: a longitudinal study

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background As Home-and Community-Based Services (HCBS), such as skilled nursing services or personal care services, have become increasingly available, it has become clear that older adults transit through different residential statuses over time. Older adults may transit through different residential statuses as the various services meet their needs. The purpose of this exploratory study was to better understand the interplay between community-dwelling older adults’ use of home- and community-based services and their residential transitions. Methods The study compared HCBS service-use patterns and residential transitions of 3,085 older adults from the Second Longitudinal Study of Aging. Based on older adults’ residential status at the three follow-up interviews, four residential transitions were tracked: (1) Community-Community-Community (CCC: Resided in community during the entire study period); (2) Community-Institution-Community (CIC: Resided in community at T1, had lived in an institution at some time between T1 and T2, then had returned to community by T3); (3) Community-Community-Institution (CCI: Resided in community between at T1, and betweenT1 and T2, including at T2, but had used institutional services between T2 and T3); (4) Community-Institution-Institution (CII: Resided in community at T1 but in an institution at some time between T1 and T2, and at some time between T2 and T3.). Results Older adults’ use of nondiscretionary and discretionary services differed significantly among the four groups, and the patterns of HCBS use among these groups were also different. Older adults’ use of nondiscretionary services, such as skilled nursing care, may help them to return to communities from institutions. Personal care services (PCS) and senior center services may be the key to either support elders to stay in communities longer or help elders to return to their communities from institutions. Different combinations of PCS with other services, such as senior center services or meal services, were associated with different directions in residential transition, such as CIC and CII respectively. Conclusions Older adults’ differing HCBS use patterns may be the key to explaining older adults’ transitions. Attention to older adults’ HCBS use patterns is recommended for future practice. However, this was an exploratory study and the analyses cannot establish causal relationships. PMID:22877416

Automated Tracking of Animal Posture and Movement during Exploration and Sensory Orientation Behaviors

PubMed Central

Gomez-Marin, Alex; Partoune, Nicolas; Stephens, Greg J.; Louis, Matthieu

2012-01-01

Background The nervous functions of an organism are primarily reflected in the behavior it is capable of. Measuring behavior quantitatively, at high-resolution and in an automated fashion provides valuable information about the underlying neural circuit computation. Accordingly, computer-vision applications for animal tracking are becoming a key complementary toolkit to genetic, molecular and electrophysiological characterization in systems neuroscience. Methodology/Principal Findings We present Sensory Orientation Software (SOS) to measure behavior and infer sensory experience correlates. SOS is a simple and versatile system to track body posture and motion of single animals in two-dimensional environments. In the presence of a sensory landscape, tracking the trajectory of the animal's sensors and its postural evolution provides a quantitative framework to study sensorimotor integration. To illustrate the utility of SOS, we examine the orientation behavior of fruit fly larvae in response to odor, temperature and light gradients. We show that SOS is suitable to carry out high-resolution behavioral tracking for a wide range of organisms including flatworms, fishes and mice. Conclusions/Significance Our work contributes to the growing repertoire of behavioral analysis tools for collecting rich and fine-grained data to draw and test hypothesis about the functioning of the nervous system. By providing open-access to our code and documenting the software design, we aim to encourage the adaptation of SOS by a wide community of non-specialists to their particular model organism and questions of interest. PMID:22912674

Tracking and Navigation of Future NASA Spacecraft with the Square Kilometer Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Resch, G. M.; Jones, D. L.; Connally, M. J.; Weinreb, S.; Preston, R. A.

2001-12-01

The international radio astronomy community is currently working on the design of an array of small radio antennas with a total collecting area of one square kilometer - more than a hundred times that of the largest existing (100-m) steerable antennas. An array of this size would provide obvious advantages for high data rate telemetry reception and for spacecraft navigation. Among these advantages are a two-orders-of-magnitude increase in sensitivity for telemetry downlink, flexible sub-arraying to track multiple spacecraft simultaneously, increased reliability through the use of large numbers of identical array elements, very accurate real-time angular spacecraft tracking, and a dramatic reduction in cost per unit area. NASA missions in many disciplines, including planetary science, would benefit from this increased ground-based tracking capability. The science return from planned missions could be increased, and opportunities for less expensive or completely new kinds of missions would be created.

Online Simulation of Radiation Track Structure Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plante, Ianik

2015-01-01

Space radiation comprises protons, helium and high charged and energy (HZE) particles. High-energy particles are a concern for human space flight, because they are no known options for shielding astronauts from them. When these ions interact with matter, they damage molecules and create radiolytic species. The pattern of energy deposition and positions of the radiolytic species, called radiation track structure, is highly dependent on the charge and energy of the ion. The radiolytic species damage biological molecules, which may lead to several long-term health effects such as cancer. Because of the importance of heavy ions, the radiation community is very interested in the interaction of HZE particles with DNA, notably with regards to the track structure. A desktop program named RITRACKS was developed to simulate radiation track structure. The goal of this project is to create a web interface to allow registered internal users to use RITRACKS remotely.

Sandia Simple Particle Tracking (Sandia SPT) v. 1.0

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anthony, Stephen M.

2015-06-15

Sandia SPT is designed as software to accompany a book chapter being published a methods chapter which provides an introduction on how to label and track individual proteins. The Sandia Simple Particle Tracking code uses techniques common to the image processing community, where its value is that it facilitates implementing the methods described in the book chapter by providing the necessary open-source code. The code performs single particle spot detection (or segmentation and localization) followed by tracking (or connecting the detected particles into trajectories). The book chapter, which along with the headers in each file, constitutes the documentation for themore » code is: Anthony, S.M.; Carroll-Portillo, A.; Timlon, J.A., Dynamics and Interactions of Individual Proteins in the Membrane of Living Cells. In Anup K. Singh (Ed.) Single Cell Protein Analysis Methods in Molecular Biology. Springer« less

A Bayesian approach to tracking patients having changing pharmacokinetic parameters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bayard, David S.; Jelliffe, Roger W.

2004-01-01

This paper considers the updating of Bayesian posterior densities for pharmacokinetic models associated with patients having changing parameter values. For estimation purposes it is proposed to use the Interacting Multiple Model (IMM) estimation algorithm, which is currently a popular algorithm in the aerospace community for tracking maneuvering targets. The IMM algorithm is described, and compared to the multiple model (MM) and Maximum A-Posteriori (MAP) Bayesian estimation methods, which are presently used for posterior updating when pharmacokinetic parameters do not change. Both the MM and MAP Bayesian estimation methods are used in their sequential forms, to facilitate tracking of changing parameters. Results indicate that the IMM algorithm is well suited for tracking time-varying pharmacokinetic parameters in acutely ill and unstable patients, incurring only about half of the integrated error compared to the sequential MM and MAP methods on the same example.

Adopting ORCID as a unique identifier will benefit all involved in scholarly communication.

PubMed

Arunachalam, Subbiah; Madhan, Muthu

2016-01-01

ORCID, the Open Researcher and Contributor ID, is a non- profit, community-driven effort to create and maintain a registry of unique researcher identifiers and a transparent method of linking research activities and outputs to these identifiers. Together with other persistent identifiers for scholarly works such as digital object identifiers (DOIs) and identifiers for organizations, ORCID makes research more discoverable. It helps ensure that one's grants, publications and outputs are correctly attributed. It helps the research community not just in aggregating publications, but in every stage of research, viz. publishing, reviewing, profiling, metrics, accessing and archiving. Funding agencies in Austria, Australia, Denmark, Portugal, Sweden and the UK, and the world's leading scholarly publishers and associations have integrated their systems with ORCID registry. Among the BRICS countries, China and South Africa are adopting ORCID avidly. India is yet to make a beginning. If research councils and funding agencies in India require researchers to adopt ORCID and link ORCID iDs to funding as well as tracking performance, it will help them keep track of the workflow. Journal editors can also keep track of contributions made by different authors and work assigned to different reviewers through their ORCID iDs.

Do Birds Avoid Railroads as Has Been Found for Roads?

PubMed

Wiącek, Jarosław; Polak, Marcin; Filipiuk, Maciej; Kucharczyk, Marek; Bohatkiewicz, Janusz

2015-09-01

The construction of railway lines usually has a negative effect on the natural environment: habitats are destroyed, collisions with trains cause deaths, and the noise and vibrations associated with rail traffic disturb the lives of animals. Cases are known, however, where the opposite holds true: a railway line has a positive effect on the fauna in its vicinity. In this study, we attempted to define the influence of a busy railway line on a breeding community of woodland birds. Birds were counted using the point method at 45 observation points located at three different distances (30, 280, 530 m) from the tracks. At each point, we determined the habitat parameters and the intensity of noise. In total, 791 individual birds of 42 species were recorded on the study plot. Even though the noise level fell distinctly with increasing distance from the tracks, the abundance of birds and the number of species were the highest near the railway line. Moreover, insectivorous species displayed a clear preference for the vicinity of the line. The noise from the trains did not adversely affect the birds on the study plot. The environmental conditions created by the edge effect meant that the birds preferred the neighborhood of the tracks: the more diverse habitats near the tracks supplied attractive nesting and foraging niches for many species of birds. Trains passing at clear intervals acted as point sources of noise and did not elicit any negative reactions on the part of the birds; this stands in contrast to busy roads, where the almost continuous flow of traffic in practice constitutes a linear source of noise.

Microbial acrobats: tracking the whereabouts of forest Phytophthora species

Treesearch

Susan J. Frankel

2011-01-01

Over the past few years, significant new findings have jolted the forest Phytophthora research community; the following is a synopsis of significant developments in our understanding of these adroit and often surprising organisms.

Dynamics of the Fouling Layer Microbial Community in a Membrane Bioreactor

PubMed Central

Ziegler, Anja S.; McIlroy, Simon J.; Larsen, Poul; Albertsen, Mads; Hansen, Aviaja A.; Heinen, Nicolas; Nielsen, Per Halkjær

2016-01-01

Membrane fouling presents the greatest challenge to the application of membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology. Formation of biofilms on the membrane surface is the suggested cause, yet little is known of the composition or dynamics of the microbial community responsible. To gain an insight into this important question, we applied 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing with a curated taxonomy and fluorescent in situ hybridization to monitor the community of a pilot-scale MBR carrying out enhanced biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal with municipal wastewater. In order to track the dynamics of the fouling process, we concurrently investigated the communities of the biofilm, MBR bulk sludge, and the conventional activated sludge system used to seed the MBR system over several weeks from start-up. As the biofilm matured the initially abundant betaproteobacterial genera Limnohabitans, Hydrogenophaga and Malikia were succeeded by filamentous Chloroflexi and Gordonia as the abundant species. This study indicates that, although putative pioneer species appear, the biofilm became increasingly similar to the bulk community with time. This suggests that the microbial population in bulk water will largely determine the community structure of the mature biofilm. PMID:27399199

WaterlooClarke: TREC 2015 LiveQA Track

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-20

from Yahoo ! An- swers1 – a community question answering website. Each question was broadcasted to all registered systems. The participants had to...were coming from Yahoo ! Answers – a community question answering website. Questions there vary greatly between all topics and question types. Yahoo ...in your opinion? Body: I can’t decide they are all gorgeousss ɛ :) Table 1: Various types of questions asked on Yahoo ! Answers 1). The questions were

Characteristics of participants in community health promotion programs: four-year results.

PubMed Central

Lefebvre, R C; Harden, E A; Rakowski, W; Lasater, T M; Carleton, R A

1987-01-01

Four years of participant tracking data (N = 24,995) for community-based programs targeting cardiovascular disease risk factors are presented. Over two-thirds of contacts were female; age segment representation in these programs was comparable to the city's demography. However, the data show that programs of varying formats which target specific risk factors attract different types of participants. Implications for marketing strategy are discussed. PMID:3631372

Community-based distribution of misoprostol to prevent postpartum haemorrhage at home births: results from operations research in rural Ghana.

PubMed

Geller, S; Carnahan, L; Akosah, E; Asare, G; Agyemang, R; Dickson, R; Kapungu, C; Owusu-Ansah, L; Robinson, N; Mensah-Homiah, J

2014-02-01

To report on a rigorous distribution and monitoring plan to track misoprostol for community-based distribution to reduce postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) in rural Ghana. Operations research. Rural Ghana. Women in third trimester of pregnancy presenting to primary health centres (PHCs) for antenatal care (ANC). Ghana Health Service (GHS), Millennium Village Projects, and the University of Illinois at Chicago conducted an operations research study designed to assess the safety, feasibility, and acceptability of community-based distribution of misoprostol to prevent PPH at home deliveries in rural Ghana. One thousand doses (3000 tablets, 200 μg each) were obtained from the Family Health Division of GHS. Three 200-μg tablets of misoprostol (600 μg) in foil packets were packaged together in secured transparent plastic packets labelled with pictorial messages and distributed to midwives at seven PHCs for distribution to pregnant women. Correct use of misoprostol in home deliveries and retrieval of unused misoprostol doses, PPH rates and maternal mortality. Of the 999 doses distributed to midwives, 982 (98.3%) were successfully tracked, with a 1.7% lost to follow-up rate. Midwives distributed 654 doses to women at third-trimester ANC visits. Of women who had misoprostol to use at home, 81% had an institutional delivery and were able to return the misoprostol safely to the midwife. Of the women that used misoprostol, 99% used the misoprostol correctly. This study clearly demonstrates that misoprostol distributed antenatally to pregnant women can be used accurately and reliably by rural Ghanaian women, and should be considered for policy implementation across Ghana and other countries with high home birth rates and maternal mortality ratios. © 2013 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Development of a Data Citations Database for an Interdisciplinary Data Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, R. S.; Downs, R. R.; Schumacher, J.; Gerard, A.

2017-12-01

The scientific community has long depended on consistent citation of the scientific literature to enable traceability, support replication, and facilitate analysis and debate about scientific hypotheses, theories, assumptions, and conclusions. However, only in the past few years has the community focused on consistent citation of scientific data, e.g., through the application of Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) to data, the development of peer-reviewed data publications, community principles and guidelines, and other mechanisms. This means that, moving ahead, it should be easier to identify and track data citations and conduct systematic bibliometric studies. However, this still leaves the problem that many legacy datasets and past citations lack DOIs, making it difficult to develop a historical baseline or assess trends. With this in mind, the NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) has developed a searchable citations database, containing more than 3,400 citations of SEDAC data and information products over the past 20 years. These citations were collected through various indices and search tools and in some cases through direct contacts with authors. The citations come from a range of natural, social, health, and engineering science journals, books, reports, and other media. The database can be used to find and extract citations filtered by a range of criteria, enabling quantitative analysis of trends, intercomparisons between data collections, and categorization of citations by type. We present a preliminary analysis of citations for selected SEDAC data collections, in order to establish a baseline and assess options for ongoing metrics to track the impact of SEDAC data on interdisciplinary science. We also present an analysis of the uptake of DOIs within data citations reported in published studies that used SEDAC data.

Operational Impact of Improved Space Tracking on Collision Avoidance in the Future LEO Space Debris Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sibert, D.; Borgeson, D.; Peterson, G.; Jenkin, A.; Sorge, M.

2010-09-01

Even if global space policy successfully curtails on orbit explosions and ASAT demonstrations, studies indicate that the number of debris objects in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) will continue to grow solely from debris on debris collisions and debris generated from new launches. This study examines the threat posed by this growing space debris population over the next 30 years and how improvements in our space tracking capabilities can reduce the number of Collision Avoidance (COLA) maneuvers required keep the risk of operational satellite loss within tolerable limits. Particular focus is given to satellites operated by the Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC) in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The following debris field and space tracking performance parameters were varied parametrically in the experiment to study the impact on the number of collision avoidance maneuvers required: - Debris Field Density (by year 2009, 2019, 2029, and 2039) - Quality of Track Update (starting 1 sigma error ellipsoid) - Future Propagator Accuracy (error ellipsoid growth rates - Special Perturbations in 3 axes) - Track Update Rate for Debris (stochastic) - Track Update Rate for Payloads (stochastic) Baseline values matching present day tracking performance for quality of track update, propagator accuracy, and track update rate were derived by analyzing updates to the unclassified Satellite Catalog (SatCat). Track update rates varied significantly for active payloads and debris and as such we used different models for the track update rates for military payloads and debris. The analysis was conducted using the System Effectiveness Analysis Simulation (SEAS) an agent based model developed by the United States Air Force Space Command’s Space and Missile Systems Center to evaluate the military utility of space systems. The future debris field was modeled by The Aerospace Corporation using a tool chain which models the growth of the 10cm+ debris field using high fidelity propagation, collision, and breakup models. Our analysis uses Two Line Element (TLE) sets and surface area data generated by this model sampled at the years 2019, 2029, and 2039. Data for the 2009 debris field is taken from the unclassified SatCat. By using Monte Carlo simulation techniques and varying the epoch of the military constellation relative to the debris field we were able to remove the bias of initial conditions. Additional analysis was conducted looking at the military utility impact of temporarily losing the use of Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) assets due to COLA maneuvers during a large classified scenario with stressful satellite tasking. This paper and presentation will focus only on unclassified results quantifying the potential reduction in the risk assumed by satellite flyers, and the potential reduction in Delta-V usage that is possible if we are able to improve our tracking performance in any of these three areas and reduce the positional uncertainty of space objects at the time of closest approach.

Public employees' health benefits survive major threats, so far.

PubMed

Hurley, Robert E; Felland, Laurie; Gerland, Anneliese; Pickreign, Jeremy

2006-01-01

Previous studies of public employees' health benefits indicate that they have been spared many of the changes evident in the private sector. But the recession and plunging state revenues in the early 2000s presented growing challenges to trying to preserve these benefits. Findings from the Round Five site visits of the Community Tracking Study (2005) reveal that benefits have still witnessed surprisingly few major modifications. But a growing gap between public- and private-sector benefits and new accounting requirements for government entities' retirement costs raise new threats to this protected status.

3D environment modeling and location tracking using off-the-shelf components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luke, Robert H.

2016-05-01

The remarkable popularity of smartphones over the past decade has led to a technological race for dominance in market share. This has resulted in a flood of new processors and sensors that are inexpensive, low power and high performance. These sensors include accelerometers, gyroscope, barometers and most importantly cameras. This sensor suite, coupled with multicore processors, allows a new community of researchers to build small, high performance platforms for low cost. This paper describes a system using off-the-shelf components to perform position tracking as well as environment modeling. The system relies on tracking using stereo vision and inertial navigation to determine movement of the system as well as create a model of the environment sensed by the system.

Eye-tracking-based assessment of cognitive function in low-resource settings.

PubMed

Forssman, Linda; Ashorn, Per; Ashorn, Ulla; Maleta, Kenneth; Matchado, Andrew; Kortekangas, Emma; Leppänen, Jukka M

2017-04-01

Early development of neurocognitive functions in infants can be compromised by poverty, malnutrition and lack of adequate stimulation. Optimal management of neurodevelopmental problems in infants requires assessment tools that can be used early in life, and are objective and applicable across economic, cultural and educational settings. The present study examined the feasibility of infrared eye tracking as a novel and highly automated technique for assessing visual-orienting and sequence-learning abilities as well as attention to facial expressions in young (9-month-old) infants. Techniques piloted in a high-resource laboratory setting in Finland (N=39) were subsequently field-tested in a community health centre in rural Malawi (N=40). Parents' perception of the acceptability of the method (Finland 95%, Malawi 92%) and percentages of infants completing the whole eye-tracking test (Finland 95%, Malawi 90%) were high, and percentages of valid test trials (Finland 69-85%, Malawi 68-73%) satisfactory at both sites. Test completion rates were slightly higher for eye tracking (90%) than traditional observational tests (87%) in Malawi. The predicted response pattern indicative of specific cognitive function was replicated in Malawi, but Malawian infants exhibited lower response rates and slower processing speed across tasks. High test completion rates and the replication of the predicted test patterns in a novel environment in Malawi support the feasibility of eye tracking as a technique for assessing infant development in low-resource setting. Further research is needed to the test-retest stability and predictive validity of the eye-tracking scores in low-income settings. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Energy Profiles of an Agricultural Frontier: The American Great Plains, 1860-2000.

PubMed

Cunfer, Geoff; Watson, Andrew; MacFadyen, Joshua

2018-04-01

Agro-ecosystem energy profiles reveal energy flows into, within, and out of U.S. Great Plains farm communities across 140 years. This study evaluates external energy inputs such as human labor, machinery, fuel, and fertilizers. It tracks the energy content of land produce, including crops, grazed pasture, and firewood, and also accounts unharvested energy that remains available for wildlife. It estimates energy redirected through livestock feed into draft power, meat, and milk, and estimates the energy content of final produce available for local consumption or market sale. The article presents energy profiles for three case studies in Kansas in 1880, 1930, 1954, and 1997. Two energy transformations occurred during that time. The first, agricultural colonization , saw farm communities remake the landscape, turning native grassland into a mosaic of cropland and pasture, a process that reduced overall landscape energy productivity. A second energy transition occurred in the mid-twentieth century, characterized by fossil fuel energy imports. That outside energy raised harvested and unharvested energy flows, reused biomass energy, and also final produce. This socio-ecological transition increased landscape energy productivity by 33 to 45 percent above pre-settlement conditions in grain-growing regions. These energy developments were not uniform across the plains. Variations in rainfall and soil quality constrained or favored energy productivity in different places. The case studies reveal the spatial variation of energy profiles in Great Plains agro-ecosystems, while the longitudinal approach tracks temporal change.

A Comparison of the J-1 Visa Waiver and Loan Repayment Programs in the Recruitment and Retention of Physicians in Rural Nebraska.

PubMed

Opoku, Samuel T; Apenteng, Bettye A; Lin, Ge; Chen, Li-Wu; Palm, David; Rauner, Thomas

2015-01-01

There is a dearth of literature evaluating the effectiveness of programs aimed at recruiting and retaining physicians in rural Nebraska. Taking advantage of the Nebraska Health Professional Tracking System, this study attempts to comparatively assess the effectiveness of the J-1 visa waiver and state loan repayment programs in the recruitment and retention of physicians in rural Nebraska. A mixed methods approach was used. We tracked 240 physicians who enrolled in the J-1 visa waiver and state loan repayment programs between 1996 and 2012 until 2013. In addition, key informant interviews were conducted to obtain perspectives on the recruitment and retention of physicians in rural Nebraska through the 2 programs. Results from multilevel survival regression analysis indicated that physicians enrolled in the J-1 visa waiver program were more likely to leave rural Nebraska when compared with those enrolled in the state loan repayment program. Participants in the qualitative study, however, cautioned against declaring one program as superior over the other, given that the 2 programs addressed different needs for different communities. In addition, results suggested that fostering the integration of physicians and their families into rural communities might be a way of enhancing retention, regardless of program. The findings from this study highlight the complexity of recruitment and retention issues in rural Nebraska and suggest the need for more holistic and family-centered approaches to addressing these issues. © 2015 National Rural Health Association.

Toxics by Rail Accountability and Community Knowledge (TRACK) Act of 2014

THOMAS, 113th Congress

Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ

2014-09-18

Senate - 09/18/2014 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Access to health care and community social capital.

PubMed

Hendryx, Michael S; Ahern, Melissa M; Lovrich, Nicholas P; McCurdy, Arthur H

2002-02-01

To test the hypothesis that variation in reported access to health care is positively related to the level of social capital present in a community. The 1996 Household Survey of the Community Tracking Study, drawn from 22 metropolitan statistical areas across the United States (n = 19,672). Additional data for the 22 communities are from a 1996 multicity broadcast media marketing database, including key social capital indicators, the 1997 National Profile of Local Health Departments survey, and Interstudy, American Hospital Association, and American Medical Association sources. The design is cross-sectional. Self-reported access to care problems is the dependent variable. Independent variables include individual sociodemographic variables, community-level health sector variables, and social capital variables. Data are merged from the various sources and weighted to be population representative and are analyzed using hierarchical categorical modeling. Persons who live in metropolitan statistical areas featuring higher levels of social capital report fewer problems accessing health care. A higher HMO penetration rate in a metropolitan statistical area was also associated with fewer access problems. Other health sector variables were not related to health care access. The results observed for 22 major U.S. cities are consistent with the hypothesis that community social capital enables better access to care, perhaps through improving community accountability mechanisms.

A longitudinal social network analysis of the editorial boards of medical informatics and bioinformatics journals.

PubMed

Malin, Bradley; Carley, Kathleen

2007-01-01

The goal of this research is to learn how the editorial staffs of bioinformatics and medical informatics journals provide support for cross-community exposure. Models such as co-citation and co-author analysis measure the relationships between researchers; but they do not capture how environments that support knowledge transfer across communities are organized. In this paper, we propose a social network analysis model to study how editorial boards integrate researchers from disparate communities. We evaluate our model by building relational networks based on the editorial boards of approximately 40 journals that serve as research outlets in medical informatics and bioinformatics. We track the evolution of editorial relationships through a longitudinal investigation over the years 2000 through 2005. Our findings suggest that there are research journals that support the collocation of editorial board members from the bioinformatics and medical informatics communities. Network centrality metrics indicate that editorial board members are located in the intersection of the communities and that the number of individuals in the intersection is growing with time. Social network analysis methods provide insight into the relationships between the medical informatics and bioinformatics communities. The number of editorial board members facilitating the publication intersection of the communities has grown, but the intersection remains dependent on a small group of individuals and fragile.

The Role of A Facilitated Online Workspace Component of A Community of Practice: Knowledge Building and Value Creation for NASA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davey, B.

2014-12-01

This study examined the role of an online workspace component of a community in the work of a community of practice. Much has been studied revealing the importance of communities of practice to organizations, project success, and knowledge management and some of these same successes hold true for virtual communities of practice. Study participants were 75 Education and Public Outreach community members of NASA's Science Mission Directorate Earth Forum. In this mixed methods study, online workspace metrics were used to track participation and a survey completed by 21 members was used to quantify participation. For a more detailed analysis, 15 community members (5 highly active users, 5 average users, and 5 infrequent users) selected based on survey responses, were interviewed. Finally, survey data was gathered from 7 online facilitators to understand their role in the community. Data collected from these 21 community members and 5 facilitating members suggest that highly active users (logging into the workspace daily), were more likely to have transformative experiences, co-create knowledge, feel ownership of community knowledge, have extended opportunities for community exchange, and find new forms of evaluation. Average users shared some similar characteristics with both the highly active members and infrequent users, representing a group in transition as they become more engaged and active in the online workspace. Inactive users viewed the workspace as having little value, being difficult to navigate, being mainly for gaining basic information about events and community news, and as another demand on their time. Results show the online workspace component of the Earth Science Education and Outreach Forum is playing an important and emerging role for this community by supporting knowledge building and knowledge sharing, and growing in value for those that utilizing it more frequently. The evidence suggests that with increased participation or "usage" comes increased value to the participant and the organization. This research illustrates the possible change in mindset held by participating community members when it comes to the nature of co-location. Additionally, it may be of particular importance in exploring changes in the community members' feelings of connection and belonging.

Hybrid three-dimensional and support vector machine approach for automatic vehicle tracking and classification using a single camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kachach, Redouane; Cañas, José María

2016-05-01

Using video in traffic monitoring is one of the most active research domains in the computer vision community. TrafficMonitor, a system that employs a hybrid approach for automatic vehicle tracking and classification on highways using a simple stationary calibrated camera, is presented. The proposed system consists of three modules: vehicle detection, vehicle tracking, and vehicle classification. Moving vehicles are detected by an enhanced Gaussian mixture model background estimation algorithm. The design includes a technique to resolve the occlusion problem by using a combination of two-dimensional proximity tracking algorithm and the Kanade-Lucas-Tomasi feature tracking algorithm. The last module classifies the shapes identified into five vehicle categories: motorcycle, car, van, bus, and truck by using three-dimensional templates and an algorithm based on histogram of oriented gradients and the support vector machine classifier. Several experiments have been performed using both real and simulated traffic in order to validate the system. The experiments were conducted on GRAM-RTM dataset and a proper real video dataset which is made publicly available as part of this work.

Robust Arm and Hand Tracking by Unsupervised Context Learning

PubMed Central

Spruyt, Vincent; Ledda, Alessandro; Philips, Wilfried

2014-01-01

Hand tracking in video is an increasingly popular research field due to the rise of novel human-computer interaction methods. However, robust and real-time hand tracking in unconstrained environments remains a challenging task due to the high number of degrees of freedom and the non-rigid character of the human hand. In this paper, we propose an unsupervised method to automatically learn the context in which a hand is embedded. This context includes the arm and any other object that coherently moves along with the hand. We introduce two novel methods to incorporate this context information into a probabilistic tracking framework, and introduce a simple yet effective solution to estimate the position of the arm. Finally, we show that our method greatly increases robustness against occlusion and cluttered background, without degrading tracking performance if no contextual information is available. The proposed real-time algorithm is shown to outperform the current state-of-the-art by evaluating it on three publicly available video datasets. Furthermore, a novel dataset is created and made publicly available for the research community. PMID:25004155

Strategies to Improve Activity Recognition Based on Skeletal Tracking: Applying Restrictions Regarding Body Parts and Similarity Boundaries †

PubMed Central

Gutiérrez-López-Franca, Carlos; Hervás, Ramón; Johnson, Esperanza

2018-01-01

This paper aims to improve activity recognition systems based on skeletal tracking through the study of two different strategies (and its combination): (a) specialized body parts analysis and (b) stricter restrictions for the most easily detectable activities. The study was performed using the Extended Body-Angles Algorithm, which is able to analyze activities using only a single key sample. This system allows to select, for each considered activity, which are its relevant joints, which makes it possible to monitor the body of the user selecting only a subset of the same. But this feature of the system has both advantages and disadvantages. As a consequence, in the past we had some difficulties with the recognition of activities that only have a small subset of the joints of the body as relevant. The goal of this work, therefore, is to analyze the effect produced by the application of several strategies on the results of an activity recognition system based on skeletal tracking joint oriented devices. Strategies that we applied with the purpose of improve the recognition rates of the activities with a small subset of relevant joints. Through the results of this work, we aim to give the scientific community some first indications about which considered strategy is better. PMID:29789478

Impact of Exercise and Education in Adults of Lubbock, Texas: Implications for Better Lifestyle.

PubMed

Boles, Annette N; Khan, Hafiz; Lenzmeier, Taylor A; Molinar-Lopez, Veronica A; Ament, James C; TeBrink, Kate L; Stonum, Kathleen; Gonzales, Ruben M; Reddy, P Hemachandra

2016-01-01

The objective of our study was to evaluate the exercise and educational intervention in the city of Lubbock via GET FiT Lubbock (GFL) program. The GFL program was designed to increase exercise and educational opportunities, which positively impact health risk factors in Lubbock residents. The GFL program design included the recruitment of subjects to participate on a team that consisted of four individuals, each subject tracked their exercise minutes, and their educational session attendance. The tracking of exercise and educational sessions was done on the GFL website. Biometric testing was conducted pre- and post- intervention. The program was located within the Lubbock community in places that were close to their place of residence. The intervention included walking and educational sessions, including goal setting lectures, nutrition information, and exercise demonstrations. Study participants, included male and female adults who tracked their exercise time and educational sessions. Exercise minutes and educational session attendance were self-reported. Our data analysis revealed that significant difference was found between pre- and post- intervention measures, including weight, body mass index (BMI), high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Significant difference was found for weight, BMI, and HDL in females. Based on these findings, we conclude that the intervention showed positive effects on exercise and lifestyle.

Historical Contingencies in Microbial Responses to Drought

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hawkes, C.; Waring, B.; Rocca, J.; Kivlin, S.; Giauque, H.; Averill, C.

2014-12-01

Although water is a primary controller of microbial function and we expect climate change to alter water availability in the future, our understanding of how microbial communities respond to a change in moisture and what that means for soil carbon cycling remain poorly understood. In part, this uncertainty arises from a lack of understanding of microbial response mechanisms and how those lead to aggregate soil function. Environmental tracking would be facilitated if microbial communities respond to new climatic conditions via rapid physiological acclimatization, shifts in community composition, or adaptation. In contrast, historical contingencies could be created by dispersal limitation or local adaptation to previous conditions. To address environmental tracking vs. legacies, we examined how soil microbial communities were affected by precipitation at multiple scales and asked whether rainfall was a primary driver of the observed responses. We leveraged a local steep rainfall gradient with field surveys, lab incubations, reciprocal transplants, and rainfall manipulations to approach this problem. Across a steep rainfall gradient, we found that soil microbial communities were strongly associated with historical rainfall, with two-thirds of the variation in community composition explained by mean annual precipitation. In 12-month experimental lab manipulations of soil moisture, soil functional responses were constrained by historical rainfall, with greater activity in soils subjected to their original moisture condition. The constraints of historical rainfall held even after 18 months in reciprocal transplant common gardens along the rainfall gradient and with manipulated dispersal of regional microbial communities. Yet, when water was manipulated at a single site over 4 years, legacies did not develop. Overall, these findings are consistent with long-term rainfall acting as a strong habitat filter and resulting in a legacy of both microbial community composition and physiological capacity that can affect soil carbon cycling. Placing the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of microbial communities in the context of historical and future environmental variation may thus provide us with a framework for improving prediction of ecosystem responses to climate change.

Evaluation of Decision Trees for Cloud Detection from AVHRR Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shiffman, Smadar; Nemani, Ramakrishna

2005-01-01

Automated cloud detection and tracking is an important step in assessing changes in radiation budgets associated with global climate change via remote sensing. Data products based on satellite imagery are available to the scientific community for studying trends in the Earth's atmosphere. The data products include pixel-based cloud masks that assign cloud-cover classifications to pixels. Many cloud-mask algorithms have the form of decision trees. The decision trees employ sequential tests that scientists designed based on empirical astrophysics studies and simulations. Limitations of existing cloud masks restrict our ability to accurately track changes in cloud patterns over time. In a previous study we compared automatically learned decision trees to cloud masks included in Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data products from the year 2000. In this paper we report the replication of the study for five-year data, and for a gold standard based on surface observations performed by scientists at weather stations in the British Islands. For our sample data, the accuracy of automatically learned decision trees was greater than the accuracy of the cloud masks p < 0.001.

Putting and Keeping Students on Track: Toward a Comprehensive Model of College Persistence and Goal Attainment. Research Report. ETS RR-13-14

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burrus, Jeremy; Elliott, Diane; Brenneman, Meghan; Markle, Ross; Carney, Lauren; Moore, Gabrielle; Betancourt, Anthony; Jackson, Teresa; Robbins, Steve; Kyllonen, Patrick; Roberts, Richard D.

2013-01-01

Despite near universal acceptance in the value of higher education for individuals and society, college persistence rates in 4-year and community colleges are low. Only 57% of students who began college at a 4-year institution in 2001 had completed a bachelor's degree by 2007, and only 28% of community college students who started school in 2005…

Research and Development of a Convertible Use Rapidly Expandable Model for Response to Disasters and Mass Casualties

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-10-01

Local health departments and communities must be prepared to address gaps where the capacity of healthcare systems is exceeded. 6 The...team to identify and understand gaps in available assets. Resources evaluated included regional hospitals, plans for patient care surge capacity...Tracking certain prescription purchases can yield clues to a new disease outbreak in the community. Software to evaluate for trends can monitor

Innovations in service learning: a novel program for community service at NYU School of Medicine.

PubMed

Herlihy, Nola Seta; Brown, Christina

2015-01-01

As NYU medical students, the authors determined that there was no structured form of service learning in their curriculum. They sought to establish a service program that recognizes students for their dedication to community service in both the NYU and NYC communities. In 2012, with the support of the Office of Student Affairs (OSA), the authors created the NYU School of Medicine Community Service Program (CSP). The program tracks and verifies students' participation in service projects. It sets a goal for students to complete 100 service hours through at least five unique service initiatives. Two reflective essays at the completion of pre-clinical and core clerkship curricula challenge students to express how their service experiences will inform their future careers in medicine. The authors developed an innovative online portal for students to track their service involvement and allow the committee to easily approve hours. They created the Community Service Committee, made up of two representatives from each class year, to be in charge of regulating the program together with the OSA. The class of 2015 is the first class to participate; thus far, 13 students have met program requirements. In the classes of 2016 and 2017, 20 and 41 students, respectively, are expected to receive the award. Total participation has significantly increased in successive class years. The authors seek to gather data on CSP participants' changing perspectives and hope the program can serve as a model for other schools to build service learning into their curricula.

How Do US Pediatric Residency Programs Teach and Evaluate Community Pediatrics and Advocacy Training?

PubMed

Lichtenstein, Cara; Hoffman, Benjamin D; Moon, Rachel Y

2017-07-01

In 2013, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education updated requirements for training in community pediatrics and advocacy in pediatric residency programs. In light of this update, the aim of this study was to better understand how community pediatrics is being taught and evaluated in pediatric residency programs in the United States. Cross-sectional exploratory study using a Web-based survey of pediatric residency program directors in September 2014. Questions focused on teaching and evaluation of 10 community pediatrics competencies. Of 85 programs (43% response rate), 30% offered a separate training track and/or 6-block individualized curriculum in community pediatrics or advocacy. More than 75% required all residents to learn 7 of 10 competencies queried. Respondents in urban settings were more likely to teach care of special populations (P = .02) and public speaking (P < .01). Larger programs were more likely to teach (P = .04) and evaluate (P = .02) community-based research. Experiential learning and classroom-based didactics were the most frequent teaching methodologies. Many programs used multiple teaching methodologies for all competencies. Observation was the most frequent evaluation technique used; portfolio review and written reflection were also commonly reported. Our findings show a strong emphasis on community pediatrics and advocacy teaching among responding US pediatric residency programs. Although respondents reported a variety of teaching and evaluation methods, there were few statistically significant differences between programs. Copyright © 2017 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tracking animals in freshwater with electronic tags: past, present and future

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cooke, Steven J.; Midwood, Jonathan D.; Thiem, Jason D.; Klimley, Peter; Lucas, Martyn C.; Thorstad, Eva B.; Eiler, John; Holbrook, Chris; Ebner, Brendan C.

2013-01-01

Considerable technical developments over the past half century have enabled widespread application of electronic tags to the study of animals in the wild, including in freshwater environments. We review the constraints associated with freshwater telemetry and biologging and the technical developments relevant to their use. Technical constraints for tracking animals are often influenced by the characteristics of the animals being studied and the environment they inhabit. Collectively, they influence which and how technologies can be used and their relative effectiveness. Although radio telemetry has historically been the most commonly used technology in freshwater, passive integrated transponder (PIT) technology, acoustic telemetry and biologgers are becoming more popular. Most telemetry studies have focused on fish, although an increasing number have focused on other taxa, such as turtles, crustaceans and molluscs. Key technical developments for freshwater systems include: miniaturization of tags for tracking small-size life stages and species, fixed stations and coded tags for tracking large samples of animals over long distances and large temporal scales, inexpensive PIT systems that enable mass tagging to yield population- and community-level relevant sample sizes, incorporation of sensors into electronic tags, validation of tag attachment procedures with a focus on maintaining animal welfare, incorporation of different techniques (for example, genetics, stable isotopes) and peripheral technologies (for example, geographic information systems, hydroacoustics), development of novel analytical techniques, and extensive international collaboration. Innovations are still needed in tag miniaturization, data analysis and visualization, and in tracking animals over larger spatial scales (for example, pelagic areas of lakes) and in challenging environments (for example, large dynamic floodplain systems, under ice). There seems to be a particular need for adapting various global positioning system and satellite tagging approaches to freshwater. Electronic tagging provides a mechanism to collect detailed information from imperilled animals and species that have no direct economic value. Current and future advances will continue to improve our knowledge of the natural history of aquatic animals and ecological processes in freshwater ecosystems while facilitating evidence-based resource management and conservation.

Study of a Large Prototype TPC for the ILC using Micro-Pattern Gas Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Münnich, A.; LCTPC Collaboration

2016-04-01

In the last decade, R&D for detectors for the future International Linear Collider (ILC) has been performed by the community. The International Large Detector (ILD) is one of two detector concepts at the ILC. Its tracking system consists of a Si vertex detector, forward tracking disks and a large volume Time Projection Chamber (TPC). Within the LCTPC collaboration, a Large Prototype (LP) TPC has been built as a demonstrator. Its endplate is able to house up to seven identical modules with Micro-Pattern Gas Detectors (MPGD) amplification. Recently, the LP has been equipped with resistive anode Micromegas (MM) or Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) modules. Both the MM and GEM technologies have been studied with an electron beam up to 6 GeV in a 1 Tesla solenoid magnet. After introducing the current R&D status, recent results will be presented including field distortions, ion gating and spatial resolution as well as future plans of the LCTPC R&D.

Adapting Stanford’s Chronic Disease Self-Management Program to Hawaii’s Multicultural Population

PubMed Central

Tomioka, Michiyo; Braun, Kathryn L.; Compton, Merlita; Tanoue, Leslie

2012-01-01

Purpose of the Study: Stanford’s Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) has been proven to increase patients’ ability to manage distress. We describe how we replicated CDSMP in Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities. Design and Methods: We used the “track changes” tool to deconstruct CDSMP into its various components (e.g., recruitment and staffing) and the “adaptation traffic light” to identify allowable modifications to the original program. We monitored local leaders’ fidelity of delivery of CDSMP and tracked participants’ attendance, satisfaction, and 6-month outcomes. Results: Between July 2007 and February 2010, 584 completed a CDSMP workshop. Baseline and 6-month data were available for 422 (72%), including 53 Caucasians, 177 Asians, and 194 Pacific Islanders. All 3 groups realized significant decreases in social and role activity limitations and significant increases in communication with physicians. Asians and Pacific Islanders also realized significant increases in self-rated health and time spent engaging in stretching/strengthening exercise. Asians also reported significant reductions in health distress and self-reported physician visits and increases in time spent in aerobic exercise, ability to cope with symptoms, and self-efficacy. Implications: Our experience suggests that CDSMP can be modified for increased cultural appropriateness for API communities while maintaining the key components responsible for behavior change. PMID:21719630

Phylogenetic congruence between subtropical trees and their associated fungi.

PubMed

Liu, Xubing; Liang, Minxia; Etienne, Rampal S; Gilbert, Gregory S; Yu, Shixiao

2016-12-01

Recent studies have detected phylogenetic signals in pathogen-host networks for both soil-borne and leaf-infecting fungi, suggesting that pathogenic fungi may track or coevolve with their preferred hosts. However, a phylogenetically concordant relationship between multiple hosts and multiple fungi in has rarely been investigated. Using next-generation high-throughput DNA sequencing techniques, we analyzed fungal taxa associated with diseased leaves, rotten seeds, and infected seedlings of subtropical trees. We compared the topologies of the phylogenetic trees of the soil and foliar fungi based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region with the phylogeny of host tree species based on matK , rbcL , atpB, and 5.8S genes. We identified 37 foliar and 103 soil pathogenic fungi belonging to the Ascomycota and Basidiomycota phyla and detected significantly nonrandom host-fungus combinations, which clustered on both the fungus phylogeny and the host phylogeny. The explicit evidence of congruent phylogenies between tree hosts and their potential fungal pathogens suggests either diffuse coevolution among the plant-fungal interaction networks or that the distribution of fungal species tracked spatially associated hosts with phylogenetically conserved traits and habitat preferences. Phylogenetic conservatism in plant-fungal interactions within a local community promotes host and parasite specificity, which is integral to the important role of fungi in promoting species coexistence and maintaining biodiversity of forest communities.

Satellite Observations for Detecting and Tracking Changes in Atmospheric Composition

EPA Science Inventory

The international scientific community's Integrated Global Atmosphere Chemistry Observation System report outlined a plan for ground-based, airborne and satellite Measurements, and models to integrate the observations into a 4-dimensional representation of the atmosphere (space a...

Measuring advertising effectiveness in Travel 2.0 websites through eye-tracking technology.

PubMed

Muñoz-Leiva, Francisco; Hernández-Méndez, Janet; Gómez-Carmona, Diego

2018-03-06

The advent of Web 2.0 is changing tourists' behaviors, prompting them to take on a more active role in preparing their travel plans. It is also leading tourism companies to have to adapt their marketing strategies to different online social media. The present study analyzes advertising effectiveness in social media in terms of customers' visual attention and self-reported memory (recall). Data were collected through a within-subjects and between-groups design based on eye-tracking technology, followed by a self-administered questionnaire. Participants were instructed to visit three Travel 2.0 websites (T2W), including a hotel's blog, social network profile (Facebook), and virtual community profile (Tripadvisor). Overall, the results revealed greater advertising effectiveness in the case of the hotel social network; and visual attention measures based on eye-tracking data differed from measures of self-reported recall. Visual attention to the ad banner was paid at a low level of awareness, which explains why the associations with the ad did not activate its subsequent recall. The paper offers a pioneering attempt in the application of eye-tracking technology, and examines the possible impact of visual marketing stimuli on user T2W-related behavior. The practical implications identified in this research, along with its limitations and future research opportunities, are of interest both for further theoretical development and practical application. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A community translational research pilot grants program to facilitate community--academic partnerships: lessons from Colorado's clinical translational science awards.

PubMed

Main, Deborah S; Felzien, Maret C; Magid, David J; Calonge, B Ned; O'Brien, Ruth A; Kempe, Allison; Nearing, Kathryn

2012-01-01

National growth in translational research has increased the need for practical tools to improve how academic institutions engage communities in research. One used by the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI) to target investments in community-based translational research on health disparities is a Community Engagement (CE) Pilot Grants program. Innovative in design, the program accepts proposals from either community or academic applicants, requires that at least half of requested grant funds go to the community partner, and offers two funding tracks: One to develop new community-academic partnerships (up to $10,000), the other to strengthen existing partnerships through community translational research projects (up to $30,000). We have seen early success in both traditional and capacity building metrics: the initial investment of $272,742 in our first cycle led to over $2.8 million dollars in additional grant funding, with grantees reporting strengthening capacity of their community- academic partnerships and the rigor and relevance of their research.

Atmospheric River Tracking Method Intercomparison Project (ARTMIP): Science Goals and Preliminary Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shields, C. A.; Rutz, J. J.; Wehner, M. F.; Ralph, F. M.; Leung, L. R.

2017-12-01

The Atmospheric River Tracking Method Intercomparison Project (ARTMIP) is a community effort whose purpose is to quantify uncertainties in atmospheric river (AR) research solely due to different identification and tracking techniques. Atmospheric rivers transport significant amounts of moisture in long, narrow filamentary bands, typically travelling from the subtropics to the mid-latitudes. They are an important source of regional precipitation impacting local hydroclimate, and in extreme cases, cause severe flooding and infrastructure damage in local communities. Our understanding of ARs, from forecast skill to future climate projections, all hinge on how we define ARs. By comparing a diverse set of detection algorithms, the uncertainty in our definition of ARs, (including statistics and climatology), and the implications of those uncertainties, can be analyzed and quantified. ARTMIP is divided into two broad phases that aim to answer science questions impacted by choice of detection algorithm. How robust are AR metrics such as climatology, storm duration, and relationship to extreme precipitation? How are the AR metrics in future climate projections impacted by choice of algorithm? Some algorithms rely on threshold values for water vapor. In a warmer world, the background state, by definition, is moister due to the Clausius-Clapeyron relationship, and could potentially skew results. Can uncertainty bounds be accurately placed on each metric? Tier 1 participants will apply their algorithms to a high resolution common dataset (MERRA2) and provide the greater group AR metrics (frequency, location, duration, etc). Tier 2 research will encompass sensitivity studies regarding resolution, reanalysis choice, and future climate change scenarios. ARTMIP is currently in the Tier 1 Phase and will begin Tier 2 in 2018. Preliminary metrics and analysis from Tier 1 will be presented.

Say what? Coral reef sounds as indicators of community assemblages and reef conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mooney, T. A.; Kaplan, M. B.

2016-02-01

Coral reefs host some of the highest diversity of life on the planet. Unfortunately, reef health and biodiversity is declining or is threatened as a result of climate change and human influences. Tracking these changes is necessary for effective resource management, yet estimating marine biodiversity and tracking trends in ecosystem health is a challenging and expensive task, especially in many pristine reefs which are remote and difficult to access. Many fishes, mammals and invertebrates make sound. These sounds are reflective of a number of vital biological processes and are a cue for settling reef larvae. Biological sounds may be a means to quantify ecosystem health and biodiversity, however the relationship between coral reef soundscapes and the actual taxa present remains largely unknown. This study presents a comparative evaluation of the soundscape of multiple reefs, naturally differing in benthic cover and fish diversity, in the U.S. Virgin Islands National Park. Using multiple recorders per reef we characterized spacio-temporal variation in biological sound production within and among reefs. Analyses of sounds recorded over 4 summer months indicated diel trends in both fish and snapping shrimp acoustic frequency bands with crepuscular peaks at all reefs. There were small but statistically significant acoustic differences among sites on a given reef raising the possibility of potentially localized acoustic habitats. The strength of diel trends in lower, fish-frequency bands were correlated with coral cover and fish density, yet no such relationship was found with shrimp sounds suggesting that fish sounds may be of higher relevance to tracking certain coral reef conditions. These findings indicate that, in spite of considerable variability within reef soundscapes, diel trends in low-frequency sound production reflect reef community assemblages. Further, monitoring soundscapes may be an efficient means of establishing and monitoring reef conditions.

Decoding molecular interactions in microbial communities

PubMed Central

Abreu, Nicole A.; Taga, Michiko E.

2016-01-01

Microbial communities govern numerous fundamental processes on earth. Discovering and tracking molecular interactions among microbes is critical for understanding how single species and complex communities impact their associated host or natural environment. While recent technological developments in DNA sequencing and functional imaging have led to new and deeper levels of understanding, we are limited now by our inability to predict and interpret the intricate relationships and interspecies dependencies within these communities. In this review, we highlight the multifaceted approaches investigators have taken within their areas of research to decode interspecies molecular interactions that occur between microbes. Understanding these principles can give us greater insight into ecological interactions in natural environments and within synthetic consortia. PMID:27417261

Integrating Personalized and Community Services for Mobile Travel Planning and Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Chien-Chih

Personalized and community services have been noted as keys to enhance and facilitate e-tourism as well as mobile applications. This paper aims at proposing an integrated service framework for combining personalized and community functions to support mobile travel planning and management. Major mobile tourism related planning and decision support functions specified include personalized profile management, information search and notification, evaluation and recommendation, do-it-yourself planning and design, community and collaboration management, auction and negotiation, transaction and payment, as well as trip tracking and quality control. A system implementation process with an example prototype is also presented for illustrating the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed system framework, process model, and development methodology.

Empowerment of promotoras as promotora-researchers in the Comidas Saludables & Gente Sana en las Colonias del Sur de Tejas (Healthy Food and Healthy People in South Texas Colonias) program.

PubMed

St John, Julie A; Johnson, Cassandra M; Sharkey, Joseph R; Dean, Wesley R; Arandia, Gabriela

2013-04-01

Promotoras are trusted members of underserved, at-risk Hispanic communities experiencing social and health inequities. As promotora-researchers, promotoras have the unique ability and opportunity not only to provide outreach and education but also to be actively engaged in conducting research in their communities and serve as a cultural bridge between the community and researchers. In this article, we present a case study of personal and collective empowerment of six promotora-researchers who participated in seven community-based participatory research projects. Data sources included debriefing interviews with the promotora-researchers, milestone tracking and documentation completed during and after each study, and observations by the principal investigator and project managers regarding the role of the promotora-researchers in these studies. We qualitatively analyzed the data to identify the processes and decisions that were developed and implemented in a series of projects, which resulted in promotora-researcher empowerment. We found that active engagement empowered promotora-researchers personally and collectively in all phases of the research study. Common elements that contributed to the empowerment of promotora-researchers were valuing promotora-researchers' input, enabling promotora-researchers to acquire and utilize new skills, and allowing promotora-researchers to serve as both researchers and traditional promotoras. Together, these elements enabled them to more fully participate in research projects, while allowing them to identify and address needs within their own communities.

Use of cellular phone contacts to increase return rates for immunization services in Kenya.

PubMed

Mokaya, Evans; Mugoya, Isaac; Raburu, Jane; Shimp, Lora

2017-01-01

In Kenya, failure to complete immunization schedules by children who previously accessed immunization services is an obstacle to ensuring that children are fully immunized. Home visit approaches used to track defaulting children have not been successful in reducing the drop-out rate. This study tested the use of phone contacts as an approach for tracking immunization defaulters in twelve purposively-selected facilities in three districts of western Kenya. For nine months, children accessing immunization services in the facilities were tracked and caregivers were asked their reasons for defaulting. In all of the facilities, caregiver phone ownership was above 80%. In 11 of the 12 facilities, defaulter rates between pentavalent1 and pentavalent3 vaccination doses reduced significantly to within the acceptable level of < 10%. Caregivers provided reliable contact information and health workers positively perceived phone-based defaulter communications. Tracking a defaulter required on average 2 minutes by voice and Ksh 6 ($ 0.07). Competing tasks and concerns about vaccinating sick children and side-effects were the most cited reasons for caregivers defaulting. Notably, a significant number of children categorised as defaulters had been vaccinated in a different facility (and were therefore "false defaulters"). Use of phone contacts for follow-up is a feasible and cost-effective method for tracking defaulters. This approach should complement traditional home visits, especially for caregivers without phones. Given communication-related reasons for defaulting, it is important that immunization programs scale-up community education activities. A system for health facilities to share details of defaulting children should be established to reduce "false defaulters".

Use of cellular phone contacts to increase return rates for immunization services in Kenya

PubMed Central

Mokaya, Evans; Mugoya, Isaac; Raburu, Jane; Shimp, Lora

2017-01-01

Introduction In Kenya, failure to complete immunization schedules by children who previously accessed immunization services is an obstacle to ensuring that children are fully immunized. Home visit approaches used to track defaulting children have not been successful in reducing the drop-out rate. Methods This study tested the use of phone contacts as an approach for tracking immunization defaulters in twelve purposively-selected facilities in three districts of western Kenya. For nine months, children accessing immunization services in the facilities were tracked and caregivers were asked their reasons for defaulting. Results In all of the facilities, caregiver phone ownership was above 80%. In 11 of the 12 facilities, defaulter rates between pentavalent1 and pentavalent3 vaccination doses reduced significantly to within the acceptable level of < 10%. Caregivers provided reliable contact information and health workers positively perceived phone-based defaulter communications. Tracking a defaulter required on average 2 minutes by voice and Ksh 6 ($ 0.07). Competing tasks and concerns about vaccinating sick children and side-effects were the most cited reasons for caregivers defaulting. Notably, a significant number of children categorised as defaulters had been vaccinated in a different facility (and were therefore “false defaulters”). Conclusion Use of phone contacts for follow-up is a feasible and cost-effective method for tracking defaulters. This approach should complement traditional home visits, especially for caregivers without phones. Given communication-related reasons for defaulting, it is important that immunization programs scale-up community education activities. A system for health facilities to share details of defaulting children should be established to reduce “false defaulters”. PMID:29138660

Community Resilience, the Foundation for Earth Science and the ESIP Federation: Bouncing Forward with Collective Impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, E.

2015-12-01

The Federal Government has a long history of cross-community coordination between the Scientific Research community, and the Earth Observations and Data Provider communities. Since 1998, the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP), organically organized using a collective impact approach that fostered these interactions primarily around Earth science interoperability problems. Unlike most collaborations, collective impact initiatives named in 2011 by the Stanford Social Innovation Review, involve a backbone infrastructure, a dedicated staff, and a structured process that leads to a common agenda, shared measurement, continuous communication, and mutually reinforcing activities among all participants. Over the last ten years, the Foundation for Earth Science (FES) has a proven track record of providing backbone support to ESIP. This presentation will cover FES's general approach to providing backbone support that enables communities to define shared agenda and then will show these practices in two case studies: (1) ESIP at-large as a mature network of developed partnerships and (2) a new project, the Local Community Resilience cluster. This new cluster aims to bridge the gap from the established ESIP network to engage local communities in order to equip citizens, professionals, and other decision-makers with the scientific underpinning necessary to make informed decisions (bounce forward) for society by leveraging the strong existing ESIP community, the backbone capabilities of FES and extending Federal Earth Science, Technology and Innovation Investments.

A secure mobile crowdsensing (MCS) location tracker for elderly in smart city

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shien, Lau Khai; Singh, Manmeet Mahinderjit

2017-10-01

According to the UN's (United Nations) projection, Malaysia will achieve ageing population status by 2030. The challenge of the growing ageing population is health and social care services. As the population lives longer, the costs of institutional care rises and elderly who not able live independently in their own homes without caregivers. Moreover, it restricted their activity area, safety and freedom in their daily life. Hence, a tracking system is worthy for their caregivers to track their real-time location with efficient. Currently tracking and monitoring systems are unable to satisfy the needs of the community. Hence, Indoor-Outdoor Elderly Secure and Tracking care system (IOET) proposed to track and monitor elderly. This Mobile Crowdsensing type of system is using indoor and outdoor positioning system to locate elder which utilizes the RFID, NFC, biometric system and GPS aim to secure the safety of elderly within indoors and outdoors environment. A mobile application and web-based application to be designed for this system. This system able to real-time tracking by combining GPS and NFC for outdoor coverage where ideally in smart city. In indoor coverage, the system utilizes active RFID tracking elderly movement. The system will prompt caregiver wherever elderly movement or request by using the notification service which provided the real-time notify. Caregiver also can review the place that visited by elderly and trace back elderly movement.

Simplified and representative bacterial community of maize roots

PubMed Central

Niu, Ben; Paulson, Joseph Nathaniel; Zheng, Xiaoqi; Kolter, Roberto

2017-01-01

Plant-associated microbes are important for the growth and health of their hosts. As a result of numerous prior studies, we know that host genotypes and abiotic factors influence the composition of plant microbiomes. However, the high complexity of these communities challenges detailed studies to define experimentally the mechanisms underlying the dynamics of community assembly and the beneficial effects of such microbiomes on plant hosts. In this work, from the distinctive microbiota assembled by maize roots, through host-mediated selection, we obtained a greatly simplified synthetic bacterial community consisting of seven strains (Enterobacter cloacae, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Ochrobactrum pituitosum, Herbaspirillum frisingense, Pseudomonas putida, Curtobacterium pusillum, and Chryseobacterium indologenes) representing three of the four most dominant phyla found in maize roots. By using a selective culture-dependent method to track the abundance of each strain, we investigated the role that each plays in community assembly on roots of axenic maize seedlings. Only the removal of E. cloacae led to the complete loss of the community, and C. pusillum took over. This result suggests that E. cloacae plays the role of keystone species in this model ecosystem. In planta and in vitro, this model community inhibited the phytopathogenic fungus Fusarium verticillioides, indicating a clear benefit to the host. Thus, combined with the selective culture-dependent quantification method, our synthetic seven-species community representing the root microbiome has the potential to serve as a useful system to explore how bacterial interspecies interactions affect root microbiome assembly and to dissect the beneficial effects of the root microbiota on hosts under laboratory conditions in the future. PMID:28275097

Simplified and representative bacterial community of maize roots.

PubMed

Niu, Ben; Paulson, Joseph Nathaniel; Zheng, Xiaoqi; Kolter, Roberto

2017-03-21

Plant-associated microbes are important for the growth and health of their hosts. As a result of numerous prior studies, we know that host genotypes and abiotic factors influence the composition of plant microbiomes. However, the high complexity of these communities challenges detailed studies to define experimentally the mechanisms underlying the dynamics of community assembly and the beneficial effects of such microbiomes on plant hosts. In this work, from the distinctive microbiota assembled by maize roots, through host-mediated selection, we obtained a greatly simplified synthetic bacterial community consisting of seven strains ( Enterobacter cloacae , Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Ochrobactrum pituitosum, Herbaspirillum frisingense, Pseudomonas putida, Curtobacterium pusillum , and Chryseobacterium indologenes ) representing three of the four most dominant phyla found in maize roots. By using a selective culture-dependent method to track the abundance of each strain, we investigated the role that each plays in community assembly on roots of axenic maize seedlings. Only the removal of E. cloacae led to the complete loss of the community, and C. pusillum took over. This result suggests that E. cloacae plays the role of keystone species in this model ecosystem. In planta and in vitro, this model community inhibited the phytopathogenic fungus Fusarium verticillioides , indicating a clear benefit to the host. Thus, combined with the selective culture-dependent quantification method, our synthetic seven-species community representing the root microbiome has the potential to serve as a useful system to explore how bacterial interspecies interactions affect root microbiome assembly and to dissect the beneficial effects of the root microbiota on hosts under laboratory conditions in the future.

A pilot study of an mHealth application for healthcare workers: poor uptake despite high reported acceptability at a rural South African community-based MDR-TB treatment program.

PubMed

Chaiyachati, Krisda H; Loveday, Marian; Lorenz, Stephen; Lesh, Neal; Larkan, Lee-Megan; Cinti, Sandro; Friedland, Gerald H; Haberer, Jessica E

2013-01-01

As the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal addresses a growing multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) epidemic by shifting care and treatment from trained specialty centers to community hospitals, delivering and monitoring MDR-TB therapy has presented new challenges. In particular, tracking and reporting adverse clinical events have been difficult for mobile healthcare workers (HCWs), trained health professionals who travel daily to patient homes to administer and monitor therapy. We designed and piloted a mobile phone application (Mobilize) for mobile HCWs that electronically standardized the recording and tracking of MDR-TB patients on low-cost, functional phones. We assess the acceptability and feasibility of using Mobilize to record and submit adverse events forms weekly during the intensive phase of MDR-TB therapy and evaluate mobile HCW perceptions throughout the pilot period. All five mobile HCWs at one site were trained and provided with phones. Utilizing a mixed-methods evaluation, mobile HCWs' usage patterns were tracked electronically for seven months and analyzed. Qualitative focus groups and questionnaires were designed to understand the impact of mobile phone technology on the work environment. Mobile HCWs submitted nine of 33 (27%) expected adverse events forms, conflicting with qualitative results in which mobile HCWs stated that Mobilize improved adverse events communication, helped their daily workflow, and could be successfully expanded to other health interventions. When presented with the conflict between their expressed views and actual practice, mobile HCWs cited forgetfulness and believed patients should take more responsibility for their own care. This pilot experience demonstrated poor uptake by HCWs despite positive responses to using mHealth. Though our results should be interpreted cautiously because of the small number of mobile HCWs and MDR-TB patients in this study, we recommend carefully exploring the motivations of HCWs and technologic enhancements prior to scaling new mHealth initiatives in resource poor settings.

Molecular Investigations of Bacteroides as Microbial Source Tracking Tools in Southeast Louisiana Watersheds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulz, C. J.; Childers, G. W.; Engel, A. S.

2006-12-01

Microbial Source Tracking (MST) is a developing field that is gaining increased attention. MST refers to a host of techniques that discriminates among the origins of fecal material found in natural waters from different sources (e.g. human, livestock, and wildlife) by using microbial indicator species with specificity to only certain host organisms. The development of species-specific molecular markers would allow for better evaluation of public health risks and tracking of nutrient sources impacting a watershed. Although several MST methods have been reported with varying levels of success, few offer general applicability for natural waters due to spatial and temporal constraints associated with these methods. One group of molecular MST markers that show promise for broad environmental applications are molecular 16S rDNA probes for Bacteroides. This method is based on 16S rDNA detection directly from environmental samples without the need for a preliminary cultivation step. In this study we have expanded previous sampling efforts to compile a database of over 1000 partial 16S rRNA Bacteroides genes retrieved from the fecal material of 15 different host species (human, cat, dog, pig, kangaroo). To characterize survival of Bacteroides outside of the host, survival time of the Bacteroides marker was compared to that of E.coli under varying natural environmental conditions (temperature and salinity). Bacteroides displayed a survival curve with shouldering and tailing similar to that of E.coli, but log reduction times differed with treatment. In summary, MST marker stability was identified within host species and the overall Bacteroides community structure correlated to host diet, suggesting that detection of a Bacteroides community could confidently identify fecal contamination point sources. Natural water samples from southeast Louisiana were collected for MST including the Tangipahoa River watershed where the source of fecal contamination has been hotly debated. The Bacteroides tool repeatedly demonstrated the presence of cattle related Bacteroides markers and the absence of human markers.This study is now being expanded to include the entire Lake Pontchartrain Basin.

Atrioventricular junction (AVJ) motion tracking: a software tool with ITK/VTK/Qt.

PubMed

Pengdong Xiao; Shuang Leng; Xiaodan Zhao; Hua Zou; Ru San Tan; Wong, Philip; Liang Zhong

2016-08-01

The quantitative measurement of the Atrioventricular Junction (AVJ) motion is an important index for ventricular functions of one cardiac cycle including systole and diastole. In this paper, a software tool that can conduct AVJ motion tracking from cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) images is presented by using Insight Segmentation and Registration Toolkit (ITK), The Visualization Toolkit (VTK) and Qt. The software tool is written in C++ by using Visual Studio Community 2013 integrated development environment (IDE) containing both an editor and a Microsoft complier. The software package has been successfully implemented. From the software engineering practice, it is concluded that ITK, VTK, and Qt are very handy software systems to implement automatic image analysis functions for CMR images such as quantitative measure of motion by visual tracking.

Predictability in community dynamics.

PubMed

Blonder, Benjamin; Moulton, Derek E; Blois, Jessica; Enquist, Brian J; Graae, Bente J; Macias-Fauria, Marc; McGill, Brian; Nogué, Sandra; Ordonez, Alejandro; Sandel, Brody; Svenning, Jens-Christian

2017-03-01

The coupling between community composition and climate change spans a gradient from no lags to strong lags. The no-lag hypothesis is the foundation of many ecophysiological models, correlative species distribution modelling and climate reconstruction approaches. Simple lag hypotheses have become prominent in disequilibrium ecology, proposing that communities track climate change following a fixed function or with a time delay. However, more complex dynamics are possible and may lead to memory effects and alternate unstable states. We develop graphical and analytic methods for assessing these scenarios and show that these dynamics can appear in even simple models. The overall implications are that (1) complex community dynamics may be common and (2) detailed knowledge of past climate change and community states will often be necessary yet sometimes insufficient to make predictions of a community's future state. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

A Case Study: Analyzing City Vitality with Four Pillars of Activity-Live, Work, Shop, and Play.

PubMed

Griffin, Matt; Nordstrom, Blake W; Scholes, Jon; Joncas, Kate; Gordon, Patrick; Krivenko, Elliott; Haynes, Winston; Higdon, Roger; Stewart, Elizabeth; Kolker, Natali; Montague, Elizabeth; Kolker, Eugene

2016-03-01

This case study evaluates and tracks vitality of a city (Seattle), based on a data-driven approach, using strategic, robust, and sustainable metrics. This case study was collaboratively conducted by the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) and CDO Analytics teams. The DSA is a nonprofit organization focused on making the city of Seattle and its Downtown a healthy and vibrant place to Live, Work, Shop, and Play. DSA primarily operates through public policy advocacy, community and business development, and marketing. In 2010, the organization turned to CDO Analytics ( cdoanalytics.org ) to develop a process that can guide and strategically focus DSA efforts and resources for maximal benefit to the city of Seattle and its Downtown. CDO Analytics was asked to develop clear, easily understood, and robust metrics for a baseline evaluation of the health of the city, as well as for ongoing monitoring and comparisons of the vitality, sustainability, and growth. The DSA and CDO Analytics teams strategized on how to effectively assess and track the vitality of Seattle and its Downtown. The two teams filtered a variety of data sources, and evaluated the veracity of multiple diverse metrics. This iterative process resulted in the development of a small number of strategic, simple, reliable, and sustainable metrics across four pillars of activity: Live, Work, Shop, and Play. Data during the 5 years before 2010 were used for the development of the metrics and model and its training, and data during the 5 years from 2010 and on were used for testing and validation. This work enabled DSA to routinely track these strategic metrics, use them to monitor the vitality of Downtown Seattle, prioritize improvements, and identify new value-added programs. As a result, the four-pillar approach became an integral part of the data-driven decision-making and execution of the Seattle community's improvement activities. The approach described in this case study is actionable, robust, inexpensive, and easy to adopt and sustain. It can be applied to cities, districts, counties, regions, states, or countries, enabling cross-comparisons and improvements of vitality, sustainability, and growth.

Using environmental public health tracking to identify community targets for public health actions in childhood lead poisoning in Wisconsin.

PubMed

Berney, Dawn; Camponeschi, Jenny; Coons, Marjorie; Creswell, Paul D; Schirmer, Joe; Walsh, Reghan

2015-01-01

In an effort to improve the ability of local public health departments to target resources to the highest need regions, the Wisconsin Environmental Public Health Tracking (WI EPHT) Program worked to enhance its public portal to benefit the Wisconsin Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (WCLPPP) and other programs. The WI EPHT Program conducted this enhancement in collaboration with WCLPPP. The WI EPHT enhanced public portal is the next phase of Wisconsin's ongoing efforts in environmental public health tracking. As part of this process, this new mapping application includes mapping capacity that provides information on childhood lead testing and results at county and census tract levels in Wisconsin. The WI EPHT Program will update its public portal to have the capability to map data at a subcounty level (ie, census tract or zip code) for some data topics when such data are available. This tool is available to local public health departments and other public health organizations throughout Wisconsin as a resource to identify communities most affected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new guidelines with regard to childhood lead poisoning. The collaboration between WI EPHT and WCLPPP on updating and enhancing the portal exemplifies the power of environmental health data to inform a more accurate understanding of public health problems.

A comparison study of visually stimulated brain-computer and eye-tracking interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suefusa, Kaori; Tanaka, Toshihisa

2017-06-01

Objective. Brain-computer interfacing (BCI) based on visual stimuli detects the target on a screen on which a user is focusing. The detection of the gazing target can be achieved by tracking gaze positions with a video camera, which is called eye-tracking or eye-tracking interfaces (ETIs). The two types of interface have been developed in different communities. Thus, little work on a comprehensive comparison between these two types of interface has been reported. This paper quantitatively compares the performance of these two interfaces on the same experimental platform. Specifically, our study is focused on two major paradigms of BCI and ETI: steady-state visual evoked potential-based BCIs and dwelling-based ETIs. Approach. Recognition accuracy and the information transfer rate were measured by giving subjects the task of selecting one of four targets by gazing at it. The targets were displayed in three different sizes (with sides 20, 40 and 60 mm long) to evaluate performance with respect to the target size. Main results. The experimental results showed that the BCI was comparable to the ETI in terms of accuracy and the information transfer rate. In particular, when the size of a target was relatively small, the BCI had significantly better performance than the ETI. Significance. The results on which of the two interfaces works better in different situations would not only enable us to improve the design of the interfaces but would also allow for the appropriate choice of interface based on the situation. Specifically, one can choose an interface based on the size of the screen that displays the targets.

Temperature is better than precipitation as a predictor of plant community assembly across a dryland region

USGS Publications Warehouse

Butterfield, Bradley J.; Munson, Seth M.

2016-01-01

QuestionHow closely do plant communities track climate? Research suggests that plant species converge toward similar environmental tolerances relative to the environments that they experience. Whether these patterns apply to severe environments or scale up to plant community-level patterns of relative climatic tolerances is poorly understood. Using estimates of species' climatic tolerances acquired from occurrence records, we determined the contributions of individual species' climatic niche breadths and environmental filtering to the relationships between community-average climatic tolerances and the local climates experienced by those communities.LocationSouthwestern United States drylands.MethodsInterspecific variation in niche breadth was assessed as a function of species' climatic optima (median climatic niche value). The relationships between climatic optima and tolerances were used as null expectations for the relationship between abundance-weighted mean climatic tolerances of communities and the local climate of that community. Deviations from this null expectation indicate that species with greater or lesser climatic tolerances are favoured relative to co-occurring species. The intensity of environmental filtering was estimated by comparing the range of climatic tolerances within each community to a null distribution generated from a random assembly algorithm.ResultsThe temperature niches of species were consistently symmetrical and of similar breadths, regardless of their temperature optima. In contrast, precipitation niches were skewed toward wetter conditions, and niche breadth increased with increasing precipitation optima. At the community level, relationships with climate were much stronger for temperature than for precipitation. Furthermore, cold and heat were stronger assembly filters than drought or precipitation, with the intensity of environmental filtering increasing at both ends of climatic gradients. Community-average climatic tolerances did deviate significantly from null expectations, indicating that species with higher or lower relative climatic tolerances were favoured under certain conditions.ConclusionsDespite strong water limitation of plant performance in dryland ecosystems, communities tracked variation in temperature much more closely, intimating strong responses to anticipated temperature increases. Furthermore, abundance distributions were biased toward species with higher or lower relative climatic tolerances under different climatic conditions, but predictably so, indicating the need for assembly models that include processes other than simple environmental filtering.

Aquifer environment selects for microbial species cohorts in sediment and groundwater

PubMed Central

Hug, Laura A; Thomas, Brian C; Brown, Christopher T; Frischkorn, Kyle R; Williams, Kenneth H; Tringe, Susannah G; Banfield, Jillian F

2015-01-01

Little is known about the biogeography or stability of sediment-associated microbial community membership because these environments are biologically complex and generally difficult to sample. High-throughput-sequencing methods provide new opportunities to simultaneously genomically sample and track microbial community members across a large number of sampling sites or times, with higher taxonomic resolution than is associated with 16 S ribosomal RNA gene surveys, and without the disadvantages of primer bias and gene copy number uncertainty. We characterized a sediment community at 5 m depth in an aquifer adjacent to the Colorado River and tracked its most abundant 133 organisms across 36 different sediment and groundwater samples. We sampled sites separated by centimeters, meters and tens of meters, collected on seven occasions over 6 years. Analysis of 1.4 terabase pairs of DNA sequence showed that these 133 organisms were more consistently detected in saturated sediments than in samples from the vadose zone, from distant locations or from groundwater filtrates. Abundance profiles across aquifer locations and from different sampling times identified organism cohorts that comprised subsets of the 133 organisms that were consistently associated. The data suggest that cohorts are partly selected for by shared environmental adaptation. PMID:25647349

Biological invasions, climate change and genomics

PubMed Central

Chown, Steven L; Hodgins, Kathryn A; Griffin, Philippa C; Oakeshott, John G; Byrne, Margaret; Hoffmann, Ary A

2015-01-01

The rate of biological invasions is expected to increase as the effects of climate change on biological communities become widespread. Climate change enhances habitat disturbance which facilitates the establishment of invasive species, which in turn provides opportunities for hybridization and introgression. These effects influence local biodiversity that can be tracked through genetic and genomic approaches. Metabarcoding and metagenomic approaches provide a way of monitoring some types of communities under climate change for the appearance of invasives. Introgression and hybridization can be followed by the analysis of entire genomes so that rapidly changing areas of the genome are identified and instances of genetic pollution monitored. Genomic markers enable accurate tracking of invasive species’ geographic origin well beyond what was previously possible. New genomic tools are promoting fresh insights into classic questions about invading organisms under climate change, such as the role of genetic variation, local adaptation and climate pre-adaptation in successful invasions. These tools are providing managers with often more effective means to identify potential threats, improve surveillance and assess impacts on communities. We provide a framework for the application of genomic techniques within a management context and also indicate some important limitations in what can be achieved. PMID:25667601

The End of an Era: What Became of the “Managed Care Revolution” in 2001?

PubMed Central

Lesser, Cara S; Ginsburg, Paul B; Devers, Kelly J

2003-01-01

Objective To describe how the organization and dynamics of health systems changed between 1999 and 2001, in the context of expectations from the mid-1990s when managed care was in ascendance, and assess the implications for consumers and policymakers. Data Sources/Study Setting Data are from the Community Tracking Study site visits to 12 communities that were randomly selected to be nationally representative of metropolitan areas with 200,000 people or more. The Community Tracking Study is an ongoing effort that began in 1996 and is fielded every two years. Study Design Semistructured interviews were conducted with 50–90 stakeholders and observers of the local health care market in each of the 12 communities every two years. Respondents include leaders of local hospitals, health plans, and physician organizations and representatives of major employers, state and local governments, and consumer groups. First round interviews were conducted in 1996–1997 and subsequent rounds of interviews were conducted in 1998–1999 and 2000–2001. A total of 1,690 interviews were conducted between 1996 and 2001. Data Analysis Methods Interview information was stored and coded in qualitative data analysis software. Data were analyzed to identify patterns and themes within and across study sites and conclusions were verified by triangulating responses from different respondent types, examining outliers, searching for disconfirming evidence, and testing rival explanations. Principal Findings Since the mid-1990s, managed care has developed differently than expected in local health care markets nationally. Three key developments shaped health care markets between 1999 and 2001: (1) unprecedented, sustained economic growth that resulted in extremely tight labor markets and made employers highly responsive to employee demands for even fewer restrictions on access to care; (2) health plans increasingly moved away from core strategies in the “managed care toolbox”; and (3) providers gained leverage relative to managed care plans and reverted to more traditional strategies of competing for patients based on services and amenities. Conclusions Changes in local health care markets have contributed to rising costs and created new access problems for consumers. Moreover, the trajectory of change promises to make the goals of cost-control and quality improvement more difficult to achieve in the future. PMID:12650370

BIOMARKER LIPIDS IN RED TIDE (GYMNODINIUM BREVE) BLOOMS ALONG THE NORTHWEST FLORIDA COAST

EPA Science Inventory

The ability to characterize phytoplankton communities and algal blooms using lipids as biomarkers requires knowledge of their distribution and taxonomic significance. Such an approach would have application, for example, in distinguishing and tracking certain dinoflagellates suc...

MITK global tractography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neher, Peter F.; Stieltjes, Bram; Reisert, Marco; Reicht, Ignaz; Meinzer, Hans-Peter; Fritzsche, Klaus H.

2012-02-01

Fiber tracking algorithms yield valuable information for neurosurgery as well as automated diagnostic approaches. However, they have not yet arrived in the daily clinical practice. In this paper we present an open source integration of the global tractography algorithm proposed by Reisert et.al.1 into the open source Medical Imaging Interaction Toolkit (MITK) developed and maintained by the Division of Medical and Biological Informatics at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). The integration of this algorithm into a standardized and open development environment like MITK enriches accessibility of tractography algorithms for the science community and is an important step towards bringing neuronal tractography closer to a clinical application. The MITK diffusion imaging application, downloadable from www.mitk.org, combines all the steps necessary for a successful tractography: preprocessing, reconstruction of the images, the actual tracking, live monitoring of intermediate results, postprocessing and visualization of the final tracking results. This paper presents typical tracking results and demonstrates the steps for pre- and post-processing of the images.

Capturing every patron interaction: the move from paper statistics to an electronic system to track the whole library.

PubMed

Vardell, Emily; Loper, Kimberly; Vaidhyanathan, Vedana

2012-01-01

Reference departments track patron interactions to illustrate the type and number of services provided as well as to tailor librarians' time and expertise to the interest and needs of their patrons. Until 2010 the Reference, Education, and Community Engagement Department at the Calder Memorial Library tracked statistics using a complicated system of paper tic sheets and two Excel™ spreadsheets. After considering different electronic systems, the department decided to employ an electronic form created with SurveyMonkey™ to track patron interactions. After the system had been in place for three months, the authors administered a satisfaction and use survey to collect faculty and staff feedback on the new system. Seven months later the authors undertook usability testing to collect further evaluative data on the electronic form. The patron interaction form continues to be used to collect statistics, provide data for annual reviews, and recognize the contributions of all faculty and staff at the library.

Sedimentation patterns caused by scallop dredging in a physically dynamic environment.

PubMed

Dale, A C; Boulcott, P; Sherwin, T J

2011-11-01

Scallop dredging grounds in the Firth of Lorn, western Scotland, are juxtaposed with rocky reef habitats raising concerns that reef communities may be impacted by sediment disturbed by nearby scallop dredging. A particle-tracking model of sediment transport and settling is applied at two scales. In the near-field, a suspension of typical sand/gravel-dominated bed sediment is subjected to a steady current across the dredge track. In the far-field, silt particles, which may persist in suspension for multiple tidal cycles, are tracked in the context of a regional model of tidally-driven flow. The principal sedimentary risk to reef habitats is predicted to come from settling sand particles when dredge tracks approach within tens of metres of a reef. The cumulative effect of dredging at the relatively low intensities recorded in this region is not expected to have a significant long-term impact on suspended silt concentrations and settlement in this highly dispersive environment. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An open source framework for tracking and state estimation ('Stone Soup')

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, Paul A.; Barr, Jordi; Balaji, Bhashyam; White, Kruger

2017-05-01

The ability to detect and unambiguously follow all moving entities in a state-space is important in multiple domains both in defence (e.g. air surveillance, maritime situational awareness, ground moving target indication) and the civil sphere (e.g. astronomy, biology, epidemiology, dispersion modelling). However, tracking and state estimation researchers and practitioners have difficulties recreating state-of-the-art algorithms in order to benchmark their own work. Furthermore, system developers need to assess which algorithms meet operational requirements objectively and exhaustively rather than intuitively or driven by personal favourites. We have therefore commenced the development of a collaborative initiative to create an open source framework for production, demonstration and evaluation of Tracking and State Estimation algorithms. The initiative will develop a (MIT-licensed) software platform for researchers and practitioners to test, verify and benchmark a variety of multi-sensor and multi-object state estimation algorithms. The initiative is supported by four defence laboratories, who will contribute to the development effort for the framework. The tracking and state estimation community will derive significant benefits from this work, including: access to repositories of verified and validated tracking and state estimation algorithms, a framework for the evaluation of multiple algorithms, standardisation of interfaces and access to challenging data sets. Keywords: Tracking,

Low velocity gunshot wounds result in significant contamination regardless of ballistic characteristics.

PubMed

Weinstein, Joseph; Putney, Emily; Egol, Kenneth

2014-01-01

Controversy exists among the orthopedic community regarding the treatment of gunshot injuries. No consistent treatment algorithm exists for treatment of low energy gunshot wound (GSW) trauma. The purpose of this study was to critically examine the wound contamination following low velocity GSW based upon bullet caliber and clothing fiber type found within the injury track. Four types of handguns were fired at ballistic gel from a 10-foot distance. Various clothing materials were applied (denim, cotton, polyester, and wool) circumferentially around the tissue agar in a loose manor. A total of 32 specimens were examined. Each caliber handgun was fired a minimum of 5 times into a gel. Regardless of bullet caliber there was gross contamination of the entire bullet track in 100% of specimens in all scenarios and for all fiber types. Furthermore, as would be expected, the degree of contamination appeared to increase as the size of the bullet increased. Low velocity GSWs result in significant contamination regardless of bullet caliber and jacket type. Based upon our results further investigation of low velocity GSW tracks is warranted. Further clinical investigation should focus on the degree to which debridement should be undertaken.

Multiple approaches to microbial source tracking in tropical northern Australia

PubMed Central

Neave, Matthew; Luter, Heidi; Padovan, Anna; Townsend, Simon; Schobben, Xavier; Gibb, Karen

2014-01-01

Microbial source tracking is an area of research in which multiple approaches are used to identify the sources of elevated bacterial concentrations in recreational lakes and beaches. At our study location in Darwin, northern Australia, water quality in the harbor is generally good, however dry-season beach closures due to elevated Escherichia coli and enterococci counts are a cause for concern. The sources of these high bacteria counts are currently unknown. To address this, we sampled sewage outfalls, other potential inputs, such as urban rivers and drains, and surrounding beaches, and used genetic fingerprints from E. coli and enterococci communities, fecal markers and 454 pyrosequencing to track contamination sources. A sewage effluent outfall (Larrakeyah discharge) was a source of bacteria, including fecal bacteria that impacted nearby beaches. Two other treated effluent discharges did not appear to influence sites other than those directly adjacent. Several beaches contained fecal indicator bacteria that likely originated from urban rivers and creeks within the catchment. Generally, connectivity between the sites was observed within distinct geographical locations and it appeared that most of the bacterial contamination on Darwin beaches was confined to local sources. PMID:25224738

Snowmelt induced hydrologic perturbations drive dynamic microbiological and geochemical behaviors across a shallow riparian aquifer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danczak, Robert; Yabusaki, Steven; Williams, Kenneth; Fang, Yilin; Hobson, Chad; Wilkins, Michael

2016-05-01

Shallow riparian aquifers represent hotspots of biogeochemical activity in the arid western US. While these environments provide extensive ecosystem services, little is known of how natural environmental perturbations influence subsurface microbial communities and associated biogeochemical processes. Over a six-month period we tracked the annual snowmelt-driven incursion of groundwater into the vadose zone of an aquifer adjacent to the Colorado River, leading to increased dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations in the normally suboxic saturated zone. Strong biogeochemical heterogeneity was measured across the site, with abiotic reactions between DO and sulfide minerals driving rapid DO consumption and mobilization of redox active species in reduced aquifer regions. Conversely, extensive DO increases were detected in less reduced sediments. 16S rRNA gene surveys tracked microbial community composition within the aquifer, revealing strong correlations between increases in putative oxygen-utilizing chemolithoautotrophs and heterotrophs and rising DO concentrations. The gradual return to suboxic aquifer conditions favored increasing abundances of 16S rRNA sequences matching members of the Microgenomates (OP11) and Parcubacteria (OD1) that have been strongly implicated in fermentative processes. Microbial community stability measurements indicated that deeper aquifer locations were relatively less affected by geochemical perturbations, while communities in shallower locations exhibited the greatest change. Reactive transport modeling of the geochemical and microbiological results supported field observations, suggesting that a predictive framework can be applied to develop a greater understanding of such environments.

The use of social media in healthcare: organizational, clinical, and patient perspectives.

PubMed

Househ, Mowafa

2013-01-01

The purpose of this review paper is to explore the impacts of social media on healthcare organizations, clinicians, and patients. This study found that healthcare organizations, clinicians and patients can benefit from the use of social media. For healthcare organizations, social media can be used primarily for community engagement activities such as fundraising, customer service and support, the provision of news and information, patient education, and advertising new services. The study also found that the most widely used social media venues for physicians were online communities where physicians can read news articles, listen to experts, research new medical developments, network, and communicate with colleagues regarding patient issues. Patients can benefit from the use of social media through education, obtaining information, networking, performing research, receiving support, goal setting, and tracking personal progress. Future research should further examine other financial, technological, informational, ethical, legal, and privacy issues surrounding the use of social media in healthcare.

Usage of Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (MMRTGs) for Future Potential Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zakrajsek, June F.; Cairns-Gallimore, Dirk; Otting, Bill; Johnson, Steve; Woerner, Dave

2016-01-01

The goal of NASAs Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) Program is to make RPS ready and available to support the exploration of the solar system in environments where the use of conventional solar or chemical power generation is impractical or impossible to meet the needs of the missions. To meet this goal, the RPS Program, working closely with the Department of Energy, performs mission and system studies (such as the recently released Nuclear Power Assessment Study), evaluates the readiness of promising technologies to infuse in future generators, assesses the sustainment of key RPS capabilities and knowledge, forecasts and tracks the Programs budgetary needs, and disseminates current information about RPS to the community of potential users. This presentation focuses on the needs of the mission community and provides users a better understanding of how to integrate the MMRTG (Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator).

Regular group exercise contributes to balanced health in older adults in Japan: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Komatsu, Hiroko; Yagasaki, Kaori; Saito, Yoshinobu; Oguma, Yuko

2017-08-22

While community-wide interventions to promote physical activity have been encouraged in older adults, evidence of their effectiveness remains limited. We conducted a qualitative study among older adults participating in regular group exercise to understand their perceptions of the physical, mental, and social changes they underwent as a result of the physical activity. We conducted a qualitative study with purposeful sampling to explore the experiences of older adults who participated in regular group exercise as part of a community-wide physical activity intervention. Four focus group interviews were conducted between April and June of 2016 at community halls in Fujisawa City. The participants in the focus group interviews were 26 older adults with a mean age of 74.69 years (range: 66-86). The interviews were analysed using the constant comparative method in the grounded theory approach. We used qualitative research software NVivo10® to track the coding and manage the data. The finding 'regular group exercise contributes to balanced health in older adults' emerged as an overarching theme with seven categories (regular group exercise, functional health, active mind, enjoyment, social connectedness, mutual support, and expanding communities). Although the participants perceived that they were aging physically and cognitively, the regular group exercise helped them to improve or maintain their functional health and enjoy their lives. They felt socially connected and experienced a sense of security in the community through caring for others and supporting each other. As the older adults began to seek value beyond individuals, they gradually expanded their communities beyond geographical and generational boundaries. The participants achieved balanced health in the physical, mental, and social domains through regular group exercise as part of a community-wide physical activity intervention and contributed to expanding communities through social connectedness and mutual support. Health promotion through physical activity is being increasingly emphasized. The study results can help to develop effective physical activity programs for older adults in the community.

A Tool for Tracking and Assessing Chronic Illness Care in Prison (ACIC-P)

PubMed Central

Wang, Emily A.; Aminawung, Jenerius A.; Ferguson, Warren; Trestman, Robert; Wagner, Edward H.; Bova, Carol

2014-01-01

Chronic disease care is being transformed in correctional settings, given an aging inmate population, ongoing quality improvement efforts, litigation, and rising costs. The Chronic Care Model, established for chronic disease care in the community, might be a suitable framework to transform chronic disease care in prison, but it has not been systematically adapted for the correctional health care setting. We employed cognitive interviewing to adapt an extant survey used to measure the delivery of chronic illness care in the community, Assessment of Chronic Illness Care, for a prison setting. Results from the cognitive interviews and the modified Assessment of Chronic Illness Care–Prison (ACIC-P) instrument are presented in this article. Future studies will need to test the reliability and psychometric properties of the adapted ACIC-P. PMID:25117427

Randomized Trial of the Family Intervention: Telephone Tracking-Caregiver for Dementia Caregivers: Use of Community and Healthcare Resources.

PubMed

Tremont, Geoffrey; Davis, Jennifer D; Ott, Brian R; Galioto, Rachel; Crook, Cara; Papandonatos, George D; Fortinsky, Richard H; Gozalo, Pedro; Bishop, Duane S

2017-05-01

To examine the effects of a telephone-delivered intervention, Family Intervention: Telephone Tracking-Caregiver (FITT-C), on community support and healthcare use by dementia caregivers. Randomized, controlled trial. Academic medical center. Dyads (n = 250) of distressed informal dementia caregivers and care recipients. Caregivers were randomly assigned to receive the FITT-C (n = 133) or telephone support (TS; n = 117). Both groups received 16 telephone contacts from a master's-level therapist over 6 months. The FITT-C intervention provided psychoeducation, problem solving, and other directive approaches based on assessment of critical areas (e.g., mood, behavior, family functioning, social support). TS provided supportive therapeutic strategies. Outcome variables were caregiver report of community support service use, number of visits to the emergency department (ED) for caregivers and care recipients, and hospital stays for caregivers during the interventions. Intervention groups did not differ in demographic characteristics, use of support services, or use of healthcare resources at baseline. Caregivers who received the FITT-C used community support services at end of treatment significantly more than those receiving TS (P = .02). FITT-C caregivers had a significantly lower rate of ED visits (rate difference 9.5%, P = .048) and hospital stays (rate difference 11.4%, P = .01) over the 6-month course of the intervention than TS caregivers. Care recipient use of community or medical resources did not differ according to group. An entirely telephone-delivered intervention was effective in increasing caregiver engagement in community resources and reducing caregiver use of hospital-based healthcare resources. Results highlight the potential effect of FITT-C on healthcare use. © 2016, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2016, The American Geriatrics Society.

Physicians' views of formularies: implications for Medicare drug benefit design.

PubMed

Landon, Bruce E; Reschovsky, James D; Blumenthal, David

2004-01-01

As Congress considers introducing a drug benefit for Medicare, it will more than likely adopt a program that uses a formulary. We examined data from the Community Tracking Study Physicians Survey, a large, nationally representative study of physicians, to learn about physicians' views of formularies. Our results suggest that several aspects of formularies are associated with physicians' positive views about them. Policymakers should consider imposing limits on the number of competing Medicare formularies operating in a particular area, promoting the adoption and use of information technology, and incorporating financial incentives for physicians to adhere to formularies.

Early-life skin microbiota in hospitalized preterm and full-term infants.

PubMed

Younge, Noelle E; Araújo-Pérez, Félix; Brandon, Debra; Seed, Patrick C

2018-05-31

The infant skin microbiota may serve as a reservoir of bacteria that contribute to neonatal infections and stimulate local and systemic immune development. The objectives of our study were to characterize the skin microbiota of preterm and full-term infants during their birth hospitalization and describe its relationship to the microbiota of other body sites and the hospital environment. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 129 infants, including 40 preterm and 89 full-term infants. Samples were collected from five sites: the forehead and posterior auricular scalp (skin upper body); the periumbilical region, inguinal folds, and upper thighs (skin lower body); the oral cavity; the infant's immediate environment; and stool. Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, and enteric Gram-negative bacteria including Escherichia and Enterobacter dominated the skin microbiota. The preterm infant microbiota at multiple sites had lower alpha diversity and greater enrichment with Staphylococcus and Escherichia than the microbiota of comparable sites in full-term infants. The community structure was highly variable among individuals but differed significantly by body site, postnatal age, and gestational age. Source tracking indicated that each body site both contributed to and received microbiota from other body sites and the hospital environment. The skin microbiota of preterm and full-term infants varied across individuals, by body site, and by the infant's developmental stage. The skin harbored many organisms that are common pathogens in hospitalized infants. Bacterial source tracking suggests that microbiota are commonly exchanged across body sites and the hospital environment as microbial communities mature in infancy.

Empowering Promotores de Salud to engage in Community-Based Participatory Research

PubMed Central

Cupertino, A. Paula; Suarez, Natalia; Cox, Lisa Sanderson; Fernández, Cielo; Jaramillo, Mary Lou; Morgan, Aura; Garrett, Susan; Mendoza, Irazema; Ellerbeck, Edward F.

2015-01-01

Background Latino immigrants are less likely to be involved in addressing health-related issues affecting their own community. Community health workers have played a significant role in addressing the health of underserved communities in several countries. Objective The objective of this article is to describe the development, implementation and evaluation of a community-based training program that empowers promotores to identify the health needs of recent Latino immigrants. Promotores were able to develop interventions based on the needs of recent Latino immigrants. Methods Latino community members participated in a 30-hour training program. Training was provided in 15 two-hour sessions over 3 months. Training included field work accompanied by skills development in leadership, organization, interpersonal communication, and survey implementation. Upon completion of the training, promotores conducted household surveys designed to identify community health needs. The evaluation employed quantitative measures to track promotores’ canvassing activities and assessment of health behaviors. Results Out of the 22 promotores enrolled in the training program, 15 (68.18%) completed the training program. Within 3 months, promotores administered 105 household surveys and identified poor access to health care, lack of insurance (78.6%), low daily consumption of fruits (73%) and vegetables (37.5%) and frequent exposure to tobacco smoke (31.7%). Conclusion Our study demonstrated the feasibility of recruiting and engaging promotores to identify health priorities within the Latino community. This initial step will inform the development of future community-based interventions. PMID:25705141

Improved overlay tester for fatigue cracking resistance of asphalt mixtures.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-01-01

Premature cracking of the asphalt concrete (AC) layer in flexible pavement is one of the major concerns of the pavement community. Over the past decade, AC mixes have been designed using the Hamburg wheel-tracking device to improve their rutting pote...

ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING FOR PUBLIC ACCESS AND COMMUNITY TRACKING, EMPACT

EPA Science Inventory

This project seeks to apply sound science to the collection and presentation of environmental data on Human Exposure to the public so that the public can make informed decisions regarding activities that would affect their exposure to environmental pollutants. The Environmental ...

Curriculum Connection: Create a Classroom Community.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donlan, Leni

1991-01-01

One elementary teacher runs her classroom as a technology-based token economy. Students hold classroom jobs and use software to track money earned, manage checking accounts, and disburse classroom cash. The strategy boosts math and technology skills. A list of software programs is included. (SM)

The Effect of the 2015 Earthquake on the Bacterial Community Compositions in Water in Nepal

PubMed Central

Uprety, Sital; Hong, Pei-Ying; Sadik, Nora; Dangol, Bipin; Adhikari, Rameswor; Jutla, Antarpreet; Shisler, Joanna L.; Degnan, Patrick; Nguyen, Thanh H.

2017-01-01

We conducted a study to examine the effect of seasonal variations and the disruptive effects of the 2015 Nepal earthquake on microbial communities associated with drinking water sources. We first characterized the microbial communities of water samples in two Nepali regions (Kathmandu and Jhapa) to understand the stability of microbial communities in water samples collected in 2014. We analyzed additional water samples from the same sources collected from May to August 2015, allowing the comparison of samples from dry-to-dry season and from dry-to-monsoon seasons. Emphasis was placed on microbes responsible for maintaining the geobiochemical characteristics of water (e.g., ammonia-oxidizing and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria and archaea and sulfate-reducing bacteria) and opportunistic pathogens often found in water (Acinetobacter). When examining samples from Jhapa, we identified that most geobiochemical microbe populations remained similar. When examining samples from Kathmandu, the abundance of microbial genera responsible for maintaining the geobiochemical characteristics of water increased immediately after the earthquake and decreased 8 months later (December 2015). In addition, microbial source tracking was used to monitor human fecal contamination and revealed deteriorated water quality in some specific sampling sites in Kathmandu post-earthquake. This study highlights a disruption of the environmental microbiome after an earthquake and the restoration of these microbial communities as a function of time and sanitation practices. PMID:29270153

Using public health and community partnerships to reduce density of alcohol outlets.

PubMed

Jernigan, David H; Sparks, Michael; Yang, Evelyn; Schwartz, Randy

2013-04-11

Excessive alcohol use causes approximately 80,000 deaths in the United States each year. The Guide to Community Preventive Services recommends reducing the density of alcohol outlets - the number of physical locations in which alcoholic beverages are available for purchase either per area or per population - through the use of regulatory authority as an effective strategy for reducing excessive alcohol consumption and related harms. We briefly review the research on density of alcohol outlets and public health and describe the powers localities have to influence alcohol outlet density. We summarize Regulating Alcohol Outlet Density: An Action Guide, which describes steps that local communities can take to reduce outlet density and the key competencies and resources of state and local health departments. These include expertise in public health surveillance and evaluation methods, identification and tracking of outcome measures, geographic information systems (GIS) mapping, community planning and development of multisector efforts, and education of community leaders and policy makers. We illustrate the potential for partnerships between public health agencies and local communities by presenting a contemporary case study from Omaha, Nebraska. Public health agencies have a vital and necessary role to play in efforts to reduce alcohol outlet density. They are often unaware of the potential of this strategy and have strong potential partners in the thousands of community coalitions nationwide that are focused on reducing alcohol-related problems.

Using Public Health and Community Partnerships to Reduce Density of Alcohol Outlets

PubMed Central

Sparks, Michael; Yang, Evelyn; Schwartz, Randy

2013-01-01

Excessive alcohol use causes approximately 80,000 deaths in the United States each year. The Guide to Community Preventive Services recommends reducing the density of alcohol outlets — the number of physical locations in which alcoholic beverages are available for purchase either per area or per population — through the use of regulatory authority as an effective strategy for reducing excessive alcohol consumption and related harms. We briefly review the research on density of alcohol outlets and public health and describe the powers localities have to influence alcohol outlet density. We summarize Regulating Alcohol Outlet Density: An Action Guide, which describes steps that local communities can take to reduce outlet density and the key competencies and resources of state and local health departments. These include expertise in public health surveillance and evaluation methods, identification and tracking of outcome measures, geographic information systems (GIS) mapping, community planning and development of multisector efforts, and education of community leaders and policy makers. We illustrate the potential for partnerships between public health agencies and local communities by presenting a contemporary case study from Omaha, Nebraska. Public health agencies have a vital and necessary role to play in efforts to reduce alcohol outlet density. They are often unaware of the potential of this strategy and have strong potential partners in the thousands of community coalitions nationwide that are focused on reducing alcohol-related problems. PMID:23578401

Results of interlaboratory comparison of fission-track age standards: Fission-track workshop-1984

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, D.S.; Duddy, I.R.; Green, P.F.; Hurford, A.J.; Naeser, C.W.

1985-01-01

Five samples were made available as standards for the 1984 Fission Track Workshop held in the summer of 1984 (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York). Two zircons, two apatites and a sphene were distributed prior to the meeting to 40 different laboratories. To date, 24 different analysts have reported results. The isotopic ages of the standards ranged from 16.8 to 98.7 Myr. Only the statement that the age of each sample was less than 200 Myr was provided with the set of standards distributed. Consequently, each laboratory was required to use their laboratory's accepted treatment (irradiation level, etching conditions, counting conditions, etc.) for these samples. The results show that some workers have serious problems in achieving accurate age determinations. This emphasizes the need to calibrate experimental techniques and counting procedures against age standards before unknown ages are determined. Any fission-track age determination published or submitted for publication can only be considered reliable if it is supported by evidence of consistent determinations on age standards. Only this can provide the scientific community with the background to build up confidence concerning the validity of the fission-track method. ?? 1985.

Community Collectivization and Consistent Condom Use Among Female Sex Workers in Southern India: Evidence from Two Rounds of Behavioral Tracking Surveys.

PubMed

Vejella, Shanti; Patel, Sangram Kishor; Saggurti, Niranjan; Prabhakar, Parimi

2016-04-01

Community collectivization is an integral part of condom use and HIV risk reduction interventions among key population. This study assesses community collectivization among female sex workers (FSWs), and explores its relationship with sex workers' consistent condom use (CCU) with different partners considering the interaction effect of time and collectivization. Data were drawn from two rounds of cross-sectional surveys collected during 2010 (N1 = 1986) and 2012 (N2 = 1973) among FSWs in Andhra Pradesh, India. Results of the multiple logistic regression analysis show that, CCU with regular and occasional clients increased over the inter-survey period among FSWs with a high collective efficacy (AOR 2.9 and 6.1) and collective agency (AOR 14.4 and 19.0) respectively. The association of high levels of collectivization with CCU and self-efficacy for condom use are central to improve the usefulness and sustainability of HIV prevention programs worldwide.

Diabetes education kiosks in a latino community.

PubMed

Bolin, Jane N; Ory, Marcia G; Wilson, Ashley D; Salge, Lesley

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the implementation, use, and sustainability of a computerized touch-screen diabetes education kiosk (Diosk) designed to provide "on-demand" education in a predominantly Latino community in South Texas. A pilot study was conducted to examine the implementation, use, and sustainability of the Diosk in 5 settings (e.g., clinics, community centers, and pharmacies) serving low-income, low-literacy populations. Both quantitative and qualitative data from embedded computerized usage tracking, user surveys, and key stakeholder interviews were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS; There were more than 5300 uses of the Diosk in the different sites during the 11-month study. The majority of users were female, between the ages of 36 and 64 years, and Latino, and they identified themselves as having or being at risk for type 2 diabetes. Several challenges were faced in maintaining the Diosk during the study, such as organizational capacity to host wireless Internet and establishing "office champions" responsible for overseeing the Diosk. At the end of the study, 3 of the 5 sites committed to sustaining the Diosk on their own. This pilot study testing the feasibility and acceptability of the Diosk demonstrated that a Diosk can be implemented, used, and sustained in a population with high rates of diabetes and limited prior use of disease management programs. Computerized technology offers one solution to expanding the reach of diabetes education through easily accessible community and clinical settings.

The influence of community well-being on mortality among Registered First Nations people.

PubMed

Oliver, Lisa N; Penney, Chris; Peters, Paul A

2016-07-20

Living in a community with lower socioeconomic status is associated with higher mortality. However, few studies have examined associations between community socioeconomic characteristics and mortality among the First Nations population. The 1991-to-2006 Census Mortality and Cancer Cohort follow-up, which tracked a 15% sample of Canadians aged 25 or older, included 57,300 respondents who self-identified as Registered First Nations people or Indian band members. The Community Well-Being Index (CWB), a measure of the social and economic well-being of communities, consists of income, education, labour force participation, and housing components. A dichotomous variable was used to indicate residence in a community with a CWB score above or below the average for First Nations communities. Age-standardized mortality rates (ASMRs) were calculated for First Nations cohort members in communities with CWB scores above and below the First Nations average. Cox proportional hazards models examined the impact of CWB when controlling for individual characteristics. The ASMR for First Nations cohort members in communities with a below-average CWB was 1,057 per 100,000 person-years at risk, compared with 912 for those in communities with an above-average CWB score. For men, living in a community with below-average income and labour force participation CWB scores was associated with an increased hazard of death, even when individual socioeconomic characteristics were taken into account. Women in communities with below-average income scores had an increased hazard of death. First Nations people in communities with below-average CWB scores tended to have higher mortality rates. For some components of the CWB, effects remained even when individual socioeconomic characteristics were taken into account.

Relationship between Community Collectivization and Financial Vulnerability of Female Sex Workers in Southern India.

PubMed

Patel, Sangram Kishor; Prabhakar, Parimi; Jain, Anrudh Kumar; Saggurti, Niranjan; Adhikary, Rajatashuvra

2016-01-01

Studies exploring the linkages between financial vulnerabilities and community collectivization of female sex workers (FSWs) are scarce in India despite having potential policy implications. To fill this gap in the literature, this study attempts to understand the financial vulnerabilities among FSWs and assess the relationship between community collectivization and financial vulnerabilities in southern India. Data were drawn from a cross-sectional, behavioral tracking survey (BTS)-2014, conducted among FSWs (N = 2400) in Andhra Pradesh, a southern state of India under the Avahan-India AIDS initiative program. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated through multivariate logistic regression, to assess the independent relationships of the degree of community collectivization indicators with financial vulnerability indicators, adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics. Most FSWs (87%) reported having either one or more financial vulnerability and nearly one-fifth had a high financial vulnerability. The risk of facing financial vulnerability was significantly lower among FSWs with a high degree of perceived collective efficacy (15% vs 31%; AOR: 0.4; 95% CI: 0.3-0.5) and collective agency (4% vs 21%; AOR: 0.2; 95% CI: 0.1-0.3) as compared to their respective counterparts, after controlling for their individual socio-demographic characteristics. FSWs with a high degree of collective efficacy are also less likely to report different components of financial vulnerability (e.g. income, saving, expenditure, and debt). This study finding suggests that community-led interventions such as improving collectivization are promising strategies to address financial vulnerabilities and a path to a sustainable reduction of HIV risk. This study calls for further evidence-based research and measurement of the effects of community-led approaches in addressing the financial vulnerabilities of the key population at risk for HIV.

The Resilience of the Health Care Safety Net, 1996–2001

PubMed Central

Felland, Laurie E; Lesser, Cara S; Staiti, Andrea Benoit; Katz, Aaron; Lichiello, Patricia

2003-01-01

Objective To determine how the capacity and viability of local health care safety nets changed over the last six years and to draw lessons from these changes. Data Source The first three rounds (May 1996 to March 2001) of Community Tracking Study site visits to 12 communities. Study Design Researchers visited the study communities every two years to interview leaders of local health care systems about changes in the organization, delivery, and financing of health care and the impact of these changes on people. For this analysis, we collected data on safety net capacity and viability through interviews with public and not-for-profit hospitals, community health centers, health departments, government officials, consumer advocates, academics, and others. We asked about the effects of market and policy changes on the safety net and how the safety net responded, as well as the impact of these changes on care for the low-income uninsured. Principal Findings The safety net in three-quarters of the communities was stable or improved by the end of the study period, leading to improved access to primary and preventive care for the low-income uninsured. Policy responses to pressures such as the Balanced Budget Act and Medicaid managed care, along with effective safety net strategies and supportive conditions, helped reinforce the safety net. However, the safety net in three sites deteriorated and access to specialty services remained inadequate across the 12 sites. Conclusions Despite pessimistic predictions and some notable exceptions, the health care safety net grew stronger over the past six years. Given considerable community variation, however, this analysis indicates that policymakers can apply a number of lessons from strong and improving safety nets to strengthen those that are weaker, particularly as the current economy poses new challenges. PMID:12650377

Pressures on safety net access: the level of managed care penetration and uninsurance rate in a community.

PubMed

Cunningham, P J

1999-04-01

To examine the effects of managed care penetration and the uninsurance rate in an area on access to care of low-income uninsured persons and to compare differences in access between low-income insured and uninsured persons across these different market areas. Primarily the Community Tracking Study household survey. Other market-level data were obtained from the Community Tracking Study physician survey, American Hospital Association annual survey of hospitals, Area Resource File, HCFA Administrative Data, Bureau of Primary Care data on Community Health Centers. Individuals are grouped based on the level of managed care penetration and uninsurance rate in the site where they reside. Measures of managed care include overall managed care penetration in the site, and the level of Medicaid managed care penetration in the state. Uninsurance rate is defined as the percentage of people uninsured in the site. Measures of access include the percentage with a usual source of care, percentage with any ambulatory care use, and percentage of persons who reported unmet medical care needs. Estimates are adjusted to control for other confounding factors, including both individual and market-level characteristics. A survey, primarily telephoned, of households concentrated in 60 sites, defined as metropolitan statistical areas and nonmetropolitan areas. Access to care for low-income uninsured persons is lower in states with high Medicaid managed care penetration, compared to uninsured persons in states with low Medicaid managed care penetration. Access to care for low-income uninsured persons is also lower in areas with high uninsurance rates. The "access gap" (differences in access between insured and uninsured persons) is also larger in areas with high Medicaid managed care penetration and areas with high uninsurance rates. Efforts to achieve cost savings under managed care may result in financial pressures that limit cross-subsidization of care to the medically indigent, particularly for those providers who are heavily dependent on Medicaid revenue. High demand for care (as reflected in high uninsurance rates) may further strain limited resources for indigent care, further limiting access to care for uninsured persons.

Tracking down a solution: exploring the acceptability and value of wearable GPS devices for older persons, individuals with a disability and their support persons.

PubMed

Williamson, Brittany; Aplin, Tammy; de Jonge, Desleigh; Goyne, Matthew

2017-11-01

To explore the acceptability and value of three wearable GPS devices for older persons and individuals with a disability and safety concerns when accessing the community. This pilot study explored six wearers' and their support persons' experience of using three different wearable GPS devices (a pendant, watch, and mini GPS phone), each for a two-week period. Participants identified safety as the main value of using a wearable GPS device. The acceptability and value of these devices was strongly influenced by device features, ease of use, cost, appearance, the reliability of the GPS coordinates, the wearer's health condition and the users familiarity with technology. Overall, participants indicated that they preferred the pendant. Wearable GPS devices are potentially useful in providing individuals who have safety concerns with reassurance and access to assistance as required. To ensure successful utilization, future device design and device selection should consider the user's familiarity with technology and their health condition. This study also revealed that not all wearable GPS devices provide continuous location tracking. It is therefore critical to ensure that the device's location tracking functions address the wearer's requirements and reason for using the device. Implications for Rehabilitation The acceptability and usability of wearable GPS devices is strongly influenced by the device features, ease of use, cost, appearance, the reliability of the device to provide accurate and timely GPS coordinates, as well as the health condition of the wearer and their familiarity with technology. Wearable GPS devices need to be simple to use and support and training is essential to ensure they are successfully utilized. Not all wearable GPS devices provide continuous location tracking and accuracy of location is impacted by line of sight to satellites. Therefore, care needs to be taken when choosing a suitable device, to ensure that the device's location tracking features are based on the wearer's requirements and value behind using the device.

The Evolution of PLA's Planning Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elsner, Edward J.

2002-01-01

Explores the movement toward community-centered standards in public libraries. Tracks the changes of the Public Library Association's (PLA's) planning model through four incarnations, summarizes each model, and examines trends and suggests a way to use the various models together for an easier planning process. (Author/LRW)

Implementation and evaluation of PM2.5 source contribution analysis in a photochemical model

EPA Science Inventory

Source culpability assessments are useful for developing effective emissions control programs. The Integrated Source Apportionment Method (ISAM) has been implemented in the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model to track contributions from source groups and regions to ambi...

ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING FOR PUBLIC ACCESS AND COMMUNITY TRACKING (EMPACT) PROGRAM MICROBIOLOGICAL MONITORING OF RECREATIONAL WATER

EPA Science Inventory

Current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommended microbiological monitoring practices for bathing beach water quality were suggested in 1968, as a part of the fecal coliform guideline developed by the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration. The guideline stated ...

REAL-TIME MONITORING FOR TOXICITY CAUSED BY HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS AND OTHER WATER QUALITY PERTURBATIONS

EPA Science Inventory

This project, sponsored by EPA's Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) program, evaluated the ability of an automated biological monitoring system that measures fish ventilatory responses (ventilatory rate, ventilatory depth, and cough rate) t...

Tracking microbial impact on crop production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

One of the benefits of no-till systems is that activity of the soil microbial community increases. Producers gain an array of improvements in their production systems due to enhanced microbial functioning. For example, corn yield can increase approximately 25% with the same inputs with more microb...

Airborne bacterial assemblage in a zero carbon building: A case study.

PubMed

Leung, M H Y; Tong, X; Tong, J C K; Lee, P K H

2018-01-01

Currently, there is little information pertaining to the airborne bacterial communities of green buildings. In this case study, the air bacterial community of a zero carbon building (ZCB) in Hong Kong was characterized by targeting the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. Bacteria associated with the outdoor environment dominated the indoor airborne bacterial assemblage, with a modest contribution from bacteria associated with human skin. Differences in overall community diversity, membership, and composition associated with short (day-to-day) and long-term temporal properties were detected, which may have been driven by specific environmental genera and taxa. Furthermore, time-decay relationships in community membership (based on unweighted UniFrac distances) and composition (based on weighted UniFrac distances) differed depending on the season and sampling location. A Bayesian source-tracking approach further supported the importance of adjacent outdoor air bacterial assemblage in sourcing the ZCB indoor bioaerosol. Despite the unique building attributes, the ZCB microbial assemblage detected and its temporal characteristics were not dissimilar to that of conventional built environments investigated previously. Future controlled experiments and microbial assemblage investigations of other ZCBs will undoubtedly uncover additional knowledge related to how airborne bacteria in green buildings may be influenced by their distinctive architectural attributes. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Bacterial Microbiota of Rice Roots: 16S-Based Taxonomic Profiling of Endophytic and Rhizospheric Diversity, Endophytes Isolation and Simplified Endophytic Community.

PubMed

Moronta-Barrios, Felix; Gionechetti, Fabrizia; Pallavicini, Alberto; Marys, Edgloris; Venturi, Vittorio

2018-02-11

Rice is currently the most important food crop in the world and we are only just beginning to study the bacterial associated microbiome. It is of importance to perform screenings of the core rice microbiota and also to develop new plant-microbe models and simplified communities for increasing our understanding about the formation and function of its microbiome. In order to begin to address this aspect, we have performed a 16S rDNA taxonomic bacterial profiling of the rhizosphere and endorhizosphere of two high-yield rice cultivars-Pionero 2010 FL and DANAC SD20A-extensively grown in Venezuela in 2014. Fifteen putative bacterial endophytes were then isolated from surface-sterilized roots and further studied in vitro and in planta . We have then performed inoculation of rice seedlings with a simplified community composed by 10 of the isolates and we have tracked them in the course of 30 days in greenhouse cultivation. The results obtained suggest that a set was able to significantly colonize together the rice endorhizospheres, indicating possible cooperation and the ability to form a stable multispecies community. This approach can be useful in the development of microbial solutions for a more sustainable rice production.

Effect of nitrate injection on the bacterial community in a water-oil tank system analyzed by PCR-DGGE.

PubMed

Jurelevicius, Diogo; von der Weid, Irene; Korenblum, Elisa; Valoni, Erika; Penna, Mônica; Seldin, Lucy

2008-04-01

Sulfide production by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) is a major concern for the petroleum industry since it is toxic and corrosive, and causes plugging due to the formation of insoluble iron sulfides (reservoir souring). In this study, PCR followed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) using two sets of primers based on the 16S rRNA gene and on the aps gene (adenosine-5-phosphosulfate reductase) was used to track changes in the total bacterial and SRB communities, respectively, present in the water-oil tank system on an offshore platform in Brazil in which nitrate treatment was applied for 2 months (15 nitrate injections). PCR-DGGE analysis of the total bacterial community showed the existence of a dominant population in the water-oil tank, and that the appearance and/or the increase of intensity of some bands in the gels were not permanently affected by the introduction of nitrate. On the other hand, the SRB community was stimulated following nitrate treatment. Moreover, sulfide production did not exceed the permissible exposure limit in the water-oil separation tank studied treated with nitrate. Therefore, controlling sulfide production by treating the produced water tank with nitrate could reduce the quantity of chemical biocides required to control microbial activities.

Methods to optimize recruitment and retention to an exercise study in Chinese immigrants.

PubMed

Taylor-Piliae, Ruth E; Froelicher, Erika Sivarajan

2007-01-01

To counter pervasive disparities in healthcare and guide public health prevention programs, culturally sensitive recruitment and retention strategies for Chinese immigrants participating in health-related research studies are needed. The aim of this study was to develop and implement recruitment and retention strategies with Chinese immigrants in a Tai Chi exercise study. After substantial project planning and incorporating community-based research principles, a multidimensional approach was used to ensure minimal loss to follow-up. Recruitment strategies included partnering with a community-based agency, distributing study information using a multimedia approach, communicating in the native language, and demonstrating cultural sensitivity. Retention strategies included establishing a tracking method during recruitment, providing personalized feedback, maintaining the same location for all aspects of the study, eliminating potential linguistic barriers, providing personal attention and encouragement, monitoring attendance, utilizing a charismatic Tai Chi instructor, respecting Chinese culture, providing appropriate incentives, and maintaining good communication. Sixty persons showed interest in the study, 52 persons were screened, and 39 persons were enrolled. Recruitment was completed within 3 weeks. An advertisement in the Chinese newspaper was the most fruitful recruitment source, yielding approximately 60% of the study participants. Retention in the study was also very high (97%, n = 38). The successful recruitment and retention of Chinese immigrants in this Tai Chi exercise study are due to a variety of factors on many levels, including the participants, study investigator, and community-based agency.

Standardization of left atrial, right ventricular, and right atrial deformation imaging using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography: a consensus document of the EACVI/ASE/Industry Task Force to standardize deformation imaging.

PubMed

Badano, Luigi P; Kolias, Theodore J; Muraru, Denisa; Abraham, Theodore P; Aurigemma, Gerard; Edvardsen, Thor; D'Hooge, Jan; Donal, Erwan; Fraser, Alan G; Marwick, Thomas; Mertens, Luc; Popescu, Bogdan A; Sengupta, Partho P; Lancellotti, Patrizio; Thomas, James D; Voigt, Jens-Uwe

2018-03-27

The EACVI/ASE/Industry Task Force to standardize deformation imaging prepared this consensus document to standardize definitions and techniques for using two-dimensional (2D) speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) to assess left atrial, right ventricular, and right atrial myocardial deformation. This document is intended for both the technical engineering community and the clinical community at large to provide guidance on selecting the functional parameters to measure and how to measure them using 2D STE.This document aims to represent a significant step forward in the collaboration between the scientific societies and the industry since technical specifications of the software packages designed to post-process echocardiographic datasets have been agreed and shared before their actual development. Hopefully, this will lead to more clinically oriented software packages which will be better tailored to clinical needs and will allow industry to save time and resources in their development.

Dynamic graphs, community detection, and Riemannian geometry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bakker, Craig; Halappanavar, Mahantesh; Visweswara Sathanur, Arun

A community is a subset of a wider network where the members of that subset are more strongly connected to each other than they are to the rest of the network. In this paper, we consider the problem of identifying and tracking communities in graphs that change over time {dynamic community detection} and present a framework based on Riemannian geometry to aid in this task. Our framework currently supports several important operations such as interpolating between and averaging over graph snapshots. We compare these Riemannian methods with entry-wise linear interpolation and that the Riemannian methods are generally better suited tomore » dynamic community detection. Next steps with the Riemannian framework include developing higher-order interpolation methods (e.g. the analogues of polynomial and spline interpolation) and a Riemannian least-squares regression method for working with noisy data.« less

Track: A randomized controlled trial of a digital health obesity treatment intervention for medically vulnerable primary care patients.

PubMed

Foley, Perry; Steinberg, Dori; Levine, Erica; Askew, Sandy; Batch, Bryan C; Puleo, Elaine M; Svetkey, Laura P; Bosworth, Hayden B; DeVries, Abigail; Miranda, Heather; Bennett, Gary G

2016-05-01

Obesity continues to disproportionately affect medically vulnerable populations. Digital health interventions may be effective for delivering obesity treatment in low-resource primary care settings. Track is a 12-month randomized controlled trial of a digital health weight loss intervention in a community health center system. Participants are 351 obese men and women aged 21 to 65years with an obesity-related comorbidity. Track participants are randomized to usual primary care or to a 12-month intervention consisting of algorithm-generated tailored behavior change goals, self-monitoring via mobile technologies, daily self-weighing using a network-connected scale, skills training materials, 18 counseling phone calls with a Track coach, and primary care provider counseling. Participants are followed over 12months, with study visits at baseline, 6, and 12months. Anthropometric data, blood pressure, fasting lipids, glucose and HbA1C and self-administered surveys are collected. Follow-up data will be collected from the medical record at 24months. Participants are 68% female and on average 50.7years old with a mean BMI of 35.9kg/m(2). Participants are mainly black (54%) or white (33%); 12.5% are Hispanic. Participants are mostly employed and low-income. Over 20% of the sample has hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia. Almost 27% of participants currently smoke and almost 20% score above the clinical threshold for depression. Track utilizes an innovative, digital health approach to reduce obesity and chronic disease risk among medically vulnerable adults in the primary care setting. Baseline characteristics reflect a socioeconomically disadvantaged, high-risk patient population in need of evidence-based obesity treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Track: A randomized controlled trial of a digital health obesity treatment intervention for medically vulnerable primary care patients

PubMed Central

Foley, Perry; Steinberg, Dori; Levine, Erica; Askew, Sandy; Batch, Bryan C.; Puleo, Elaine M.; Svetkey, Laura P.; Bosworth, Hayden B.; DeVries, Abigail; Miranda, Heather; Bennett, Gary G.

2016-01-01

Introduction Obesity continues to disproportionately affect medically vulnerable populations. Digital health interventions may be effective for delivering obesity treatment in low-resource primary care settings. Methods Track is a 12-month randomized controlled trial of a digital health weight loss intervention in a community health center system. Participants are 351 obese men and women aged 21 to 65 years with an obesity-related comorbidity. Track participants are randomized to usual primary care or to a 12-month intervention consisting of algorithm-generated tailored behavior change goals, self-monitoring via mobile technologies, daily self-weighing using a network-connected scale, skills training materials, 18 counseling phone calls with a Track coach, and primary care provider counseling. Participants are followed over 12 months, with study visits at baseline, 6, and 12 months. Anthropometric data, blood pressure, fasting lipids, glucose and HbA1C and self-administered surveys are collected. Follow-up data will be collected from the medical record at 24 months. Results Participants are 68% female and on average 50.7 years old with a mean BMI of 35.9 kg/m2. Participants are mainly black (54%) or white (33%); 12.5% are Hispanic. Participants are mostly employed and low-income. Over 20% of the sample has hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia. Almost 27% of participants currently smoke and almost 20% score above the clinical threshold for depression. Conclusions Track utilizes an innovative, digital health approach to reduce obesity and chronic disease risk among medically vulnerable adults in the primary care setting. Baseline characteristics reflect a socioeconomically disadvantaged, high-risk patient population in need of evidence-based obesity treatment. PMID:26995281

From one to one million: How does community structure track disturbance across time and space?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webb, A. E.

2012-12-01

The rate and severity of disturbances to the biosphere have been increasing over the last millennium due in part to anthropogenic effects, and the results of these disturbances are of increasing interest to the scientific and public communities. This project examines the impact of acidification and global warming on communities across a spectrum of temporal and spatial scales in both modern and fossil systems. Twenty datasets were selected from published zoo- and phyto-plankton literature to represent a temporal and spatial gradient, from small lakes to the open ocean, and from one year to one million years. Each dataset is associated with a proxy for an environmental disturbance (isotopes, pH, sedimentology, etc.) and consists of 15-300 samples across the interval of disturbance. To test the biotic changes induced by disturbance, community structure is measured by quantifying species-abundance distributions using rank-abundance curves and ordinations. A community consists of the individuals present in a given location at a given time, and the relative abundance of different species serves as a proxy for resource-partitioning. Disturbances cause a change in resource-partitioning, either by changing resource availability or by removing/adding species which compete for those resources. Therefore, shifts in resource-partitioning resulting from disturbance can be tracked by changes in community composition. Prior to an environmental disturbance, communities typically consist of many species that evenly partition resources and thereby abundance. After a disturbance, communities are dominated by a few species that can tolerate or thrive in the new conditions. Non-metric multi-dimensional scaling and Bray-Curtis polar ordinations reveal a progression from pre-disturbance communities, through the disturbance, and into the eventual recovery, which may or may not resemble the pre-disturbance communities. Larger disturbances (in terms of spatial extent or temporal duration) result in more extensive faunal turnover, thereby reducing the utility of ordinations that require at least some faunal similarity. Rank-abundance curves can be applied even in intervals of complete taxonomic turnover; curve shape is quantified by kurtosis, a statistical measure of whether a distribution is more (>3) or less (<3) peaked than a Gaussian distribution (kurtosis = 3). Rank-abundance curve kurtosis values are always greater than 3 for disturbed communities (n=20), and pre-disturbance and recovered communities generally range from 0 to 4. The average kurtosis for a pre-disturbance or recovered community is unique for each type of community (taxonomically or environmentally defined), requiring the establishment of a baseline for rank-abundance curve analysis. In each dataset, both rank-abundance curves and ordinations show a similar pattern of change in community structure during a disturbance. The rate and pattern of recovery varies relative to the spatial and temporal extent of the disturbance. The results of this study reveal that community structure is a useful measure of the impact of a disturbance, both in terms of the severity of the disturbance and in measuring the subsequent recovery. The methods and results of this research are applicable to multiple fields, from conservation biology to ecosystem health to paleoceanography and paleobiology.

Urinary catheter-associated microbiota change in accordance with treatment and infection status.

PubMed

Bossa, Laetitia; Kline, Kimberly; McDougald, Diane; Lee, Bonsan Bonne; Rice, Scott A

2017-01-01

The use of long-term catheterisation to manage insensate bladders, often associated with spinal cord injury (SCI), increases the risk of microbial colonisation and infection of the urinary tract. Urinary tract infection (UTI) is typically diagnosed and treated based on the culturing of organisms from the urine, although this approach overlooks low titer, slow growing and non-traditional pathogens. Here, we present an investigation of the urinary tract microbiome in catheterised SCI individuals, using T-RFLP and metagenomic sequencing of the microbial community. We monitored three neurogenic patients over a period of 12 months, who were part of a larger study investigating the efficacy of probiotics in controlling UTIs, to determine how their urinary tract microbial community composition changed over time and in relation to probiotic treatment regimens. Bacterial biofilms adherent to urinary catheters were examined as a proxy for bladder microbes. The microbial community composition of the urinary tract differed significantly between individuals. Probiotic therapy resulted in a significant change in the microbial community associated with the catheters. The community also changed as a consequence of UTI and this shift in community composition preceded the clinical diagnosis of infection. Changes in the microbiota due to probiotic treatment or infection were transient, resolving to microbial communities similar to their pre-treatment communities, suggesting that the native community was highly resilient. Based on these results, we propose that monitoring a patient's microbial community can be used to track the health of chronically catheterized patients and thus, can be used as part of a health-status monitoring program.

Urinary catheter-associated microbiota change in accordance with treatment and infection status

PubMed Central

Bossa, Laetitia; Kline, Kimberly; Lee, Bonsan Bonne

2017-01-01

The use of long-term catheterisation to manage insensate bladders, often associated with spinal cord injury (SCI), increases the risk of microbial colonisation and infection of the urinary tract. Urinary tract infection (UTI) is typically diagnosed and treated based on the culturing of organisms from the urine, although this approach overlooks low titer, slow growing and non-traditional pathogens. Here, we present an investigation of the urinary tract microbiome in catheterised SCI individuals, using T-RFLP and metagenomic sequencing of the microbial community. We monitored three neurogenic patients over a period of 12 months, who were part of a larger study investigating the efficacy of probiotics in controlling UTIs, to determine how their urinary tract microbial community composition changed over time and in relation to probiotic treatment regimens. Bacterial biofilms adherent to urinary catheters were examined as a proxy for bladder microbes. The microbial community composition of the urinary tract differed significantly between individuals. Probiotic therapy resulted in a significant change in the microbial community associated with the catheters. The community also changed as a consequence of UTI and this shift in community composition preceded the clinical diagnosis of infection. Changes in the microbiota due to probiotic treatment or infection were transient, resolving to microbial communities similar to their pre-treatment communities, suggesting that the native community was highly resilient. Based on these results, we propose that monitoring a patient’s microbial community can be used to track the health of chronically catheterized patients and thus, can be used as part of a health-status monitoring program. PMID:28628622

Metatranscriptomes reveal functional variation in diatom communities from the Antarctic Peninsula.

PubMed

Pearson, Gareth A; Lago-Leston, Asuncion; Cánovas, Fernando; Cox, Cymon J; Verret, Frederic; Lasternas, Sebastian; Duarte, Carlos M; Agusti, Susana; Serrão, Ester A

2015-10-01

Functional genomics of diatom-dominated communities from the Antarctic Peninsula was studied using comparative metatranscriptomics. Samples obtained from diatom-rich communities in the Bransfield Strait, the western Weddell Sea and sea ice in the Bellingshausen Sea/Wilkins Ice Shelf yielded more than 500K pyrosequencing reads that were combined to produce a global metatranscriptome assembly. Multi-gene phylogenies recovered three distinct communities, and diatom-assigned contigs further indicated little read-sharing between communities, validating an assembly-based annotation and analysis approach. Although functional analysis recovered a core of abundant shared annotations that were expressed across the three diatom communities, over 40% of annotations (but accounting for <10% of sequences) were community-specific. The two pelagic communities differed in their expression of N-metabolism and acquisition genes, which was almost absent in post-bloom conditions in the Weddell Sea community, while enrichment of transporters for ammonia and urea in Bransfield Strait diatoms suggests a physiological stance towards acquisition of reduced N-sources. The depletion of carbohydrate and energy metabolism pathways in sea ice relative to pelagic communities, together with increased light energy dissipation (via LHCSR proteins), photorespiration, and NO3(-) uptake and utilization all pointed to irradiance stress and/or inorganic carbon limitation within sea ice. Ice-binding proteins and cold-shock transcription factors were also enriched in sea ice diatoms. Surprisingly, the abundance of gene transcripts for the translational machinery tracked decreasing environmental temperature across only a 4 °C range, possibly reflecting constraints on translational efficiency and protein production in cold environments.

Combating Obesity at Community Health Centers (COACH): A Quality Improvement Collaborative for Weight Management Programs

PubMed Central

Wilkes, Abigail E.; John, Priya M.; Vable, Anusha M.; Campbell, Amanda; Heuer, Loretta; Schaefer, Cynthia; Vinci, Lisa; Drum, Melinda L.; Chin, Marshall H.; Quinn, Michael T.; Burnet, Deborah L.

2013-01-01

Community health centers (CHCs) seek effective strategies to address obesity. MidWest Clinicians’ Network partnered with [an academic medical center] to test feasibility of a weight management quality improvement (QI) collaborative. MidWest Clinicians’ Network members expressed interest in an obesity QI program. This pilot study aimed to determine whether the QI model can be feasibly implemented with limited resources at CHCs to improve weight management programs. Five health centers with weight management programs enrolled with CHC staff as primary study participants; this study did not attempt to measure patient outcomes. Participants attended learning sessions and monthly conference calls to build QI skills and share best practices. Tailored coaching addressed local needs. Topics rated most valuable were patient recruitment/retention strategies, QI techniques, evidence-based weight management, motivational interviewing. Challenges included garnering provider support, high staff turnover, and difficulty tracking patient-level data. This paper reports practical lessons about implementing a weight management QI collaborative in CHCs. PMID:23727964

Rural retention of doctors graduating from the rural medical education project to increase rural doctors in Thailand: a cohort study.

PubMed

Pagaiya, Nonglak; Kongkam, Lalitaya; Sriratana, Sanya

2015-03-01

In Thailand, the inequitable distribution of doctors between rural and urban areas has a major impact on access to care for those living in rural communities. The rural medical education programme 'Collaborative Project to Increase Rural Doctors (CPIRD)' was implemented in 1994 with the aim of attracting and retaining rural doctors. This study examined the impact of CPIRD in relation to doctor retention in rural areas and public health service. Baseline data consisting of age, sex and date of entry to the Ministry of Health (MoH) service was collected from 7,157 doctors graduating between 2000 and 2007. There were 1,093 graduates from the CPIRD track and 6,064 that graduated through normal channels. Follow-up data, consisting of workplace, number of years spent in rural districts and years within the MoH service, were retrieved from June 2000 to July 2011. The Kaplan-Meier method of survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards ratios were used to interpret the data. Female subjects slightly outnumbered their male counterparts. Almost half of the normal track (48%) and 33% of the CPIRD doctors eventually left the MoH. The retention rate at rural hospitals was 29% for the CPIRD doctors compared to 18% for those from the normal track. Survival curves indicated a dramatic drop rate after 3 years in service for both groups, but normal track individuals decreased at a faster rate. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards modelling revealed that the normal track doctors had a significantly higher risk of leaving rural areas at about 1.3 times the CPIRD doctors. The predicted median survival time in rural hospitals was 4.2 years for the CPIRD group and 3.4 years for the normal track. The normal track doctors had a significantly higher risk of leaving public service at about 1.5 times the CPIRD doctors. The project evaluation results showed a positive impact in that CPIRD doctors were more likely to stay longer in rural areas and in public service than their counterparts. However, turnover has been increasing in recent years for both groups. There is a need for the MoH to review and improve upon the project implementation.

Verrucomicrobial community structure and abundance as indicators for changes in chemical factors linked to soil fertility.

PubMed

Navarrete, Acacio Aparecido; Soares, Tielle; Rossetto, Raffaella; van Veen, Johannes Antonie; Tsai, Siu Mui; Kuramae, Eiko Eurya

2015-09-01

Here we show that verrucomicrobial community structure and abundance are extremely sensitive to changes in chemical factors linked to soil fertility. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism fingerprint and real-time quantitative PCR assay were used to analyze changes in verrucomicrobial communities associated with contrasting soil nutrient conditions in tropical regions. In case study Model I ("Slash-and-burn deforestation") the verrucomicrobial community structures revealed disparate patterns in nutrient-enriched soils after slash-and-burn deforestation and natural nutrient-poor soils under an adjacent primary forest in the Amazonia (R = 0.819, P = 0.002). The relative proportion of Verrucomicrobia declined in response to increased soil fertility after slash-and-burn deforestation, accounting on average, for 4 and 2 % of the total bacterial signal, in natural nutrient-poor forest soils and nutrient-enriched deforested soils, respectively. In case study Model II ("Management practices for sugarcane") disparate patterns were revealed in sugarcane rhizosphere sampled on optimal and deficient soil fertility for sugarcane (R = 0.786, P = 0.002). Verrucomicrobial community abundance in sugarcane rhizosphere was negatively correlated with soil fertility, accounting for 2 and 5 % of the total bacterial signal, under optimal and deficient soil fertility conditions for sugarcane, respectively. In nutrient-enriched soils, verrucomicrobial community structures were related to soil factors linked to soil fertility, such as total nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sum of bases, i.e., the sum of calcium, magnesium and potassium contents. We conclude that community structure and abundance represent important ecological aspects in soil verrucomicrobial communities for tracking the changes in chemical factors linked to soil fertility under tropical environmental conditions.

Settings for learning: the community beyond.

PubMed

Okasha, A

1995-01-01

The primary objective of medical education to medical students should not be the recruitment of specialists or to provide instructions about highly sophisticated clinic medicine. Our responsibility towards them is rather to enable them to learn about medical practice in its most prevalent context, which is the community medical practice, and to contribute to their general medical education and the health welfare of their community. The health needed by the nation cannot possibly be provided by specialists. It is a task for all doctors. If we agree that the ultimate goal of medical education is to secure health and proper care (whether primary, secondary or tertiary) for the population, medical curricula and learning settings should be open for any modifications that ensure a proper approach to our patients' practicalities, resources and needs. A major modification involved in that process would be for the educational setting to move from the hospital into the community and doctors to acquire the skills and conviction of working as part of a health team, in which they are not necessarily the leaders. The main social target of the World Health Organization and its member states, and in fact the main goal of humanity, is 'Health for All by the year 2000' through primary health care (HFA/PHC). Health systems of countries will have to be reoriented, so that they are based on the PHC approach. Health personnel are needed to service those health systems which are relevant to the needs of HFA/PHC, and hence whose education should be relevant to this major goal. This does not mean that by the year 2000 doctors and nurses will provide medical care for everybody or that sickness and disability will be eradicated. It does mean, however, that health begins at home, in schools and in factories, and that health care services should be available in those places and should respond to the needs expressed in those places. It is there, where people live and work, that health is made or broken. It does mean that essential health should be accessible to all individuals and families in an acceptable and affordable way, and with their full involvement. Health personnel should be trained according to the plans of integrated health services and health manpower development (HSMD), with a view of placing at the disposal of the system the right kind of manpower, in the right numbers, at the right time, in the right place (WHO 1979, 1985, 1987). Graduates of programmes based on problem-based, community-oriented tracks as opposed to the traditional track should certainly be able to: respond to the health needs and expressed demands of the community, work with the community, stimulate healthy lifestyles and self-care, educate the community as well as their co-workers, solve and stimulate the resolve of both individual and community health problems, orient their own as well as community efforts to health promotion, prevent disease, unnecessary suffering, disability and death, work in and with health teams, if necessary provide leadership to such teams, continue learning lifelong so as to keep competence up to date, and improve this competence as much as possible (Fülöp 1990). A limited literature is available comparing innovative and conventional medical curricula, where the innovative one is based on problem-solving learning with a community-oriented track geared towards community needs (Schmidt 1983). This approach showed that the outcome is better, if directed towards the health needs of the community.

Large-Scale Changes in Community Composition: Determining Land Use and Climate Change Signals

PubMed Central

Kampichler, Christian; van Turnhout, Chris A. M.; Devictor, Vincent; van der Jeugd, Henk P.

2012-01-01

Human land use and climate change are regarded as the main driving forces of present-day and future species extinction. They may potentially lead to a profound reorganisation of the composition and structure of natural communities throughout the world. However, studies that explicitly investigate both forms of impact—land use and climate change—are uncommon. Here, we quantify community change of Dutch breeding bird communities over the past 25 years using time lag analysis. We evaluate the chronological sequence of the community temperature index (CTI) which reflects community response to temperature increase (increasing CTI indicates an increase in relative abundance of more southerly species), and the temporal trend of the community specialisation index (CSI) which reflects community response to land use change (declining CSI indicates an increase of generalist species). We show that the breeding bird fauna underwent distinct directional change accompanied by significant changes both in CTI and CSI which suggests a causal connection between climate and land use change and bird community change. The assemblages of particular breeding habitats neither changed at the same speed and nor were they equally affected by climate versus land use changes. In the rapidly changing farmland community, CTI and CSI both declined slightly. In contrast, CTI increased in the more slowly changing forest and heath communities, while CSI remained stable. Coastal assemblages experienced both an increase in CTI and a decline in CSI. Wetland birds experienced the fastest community change of all breeding habitat assemblages but neither CTI nor CSI showed a significant trend. Overall, our results suggest that the interaction between climate and land use changes differs between habitats, and that comparing trends in CSI and CTI may be useful in tracking the impact of each determinant. PMID:22523579

Large-scale changes in community composition: determining land use and climate change signals.

PubMed

Kampichler, Christian; van Turnhout, Chris A M; Devictor, Vincent; van der Jeugd, Henk P

2012-01-01

Human land use and climate change are regarded as the main driving forces of present-day and future species extinction. They may potentially lead to a profound reorganisation of the composition and structure of natural communities throughout the world. However, studies that explicitly investigate both forms of impact--land use and climate change--are uncommon. Here, we quantify community change of Dutch breeding bird communities over the past 25 years using time lag analysis. We evaluate the chronological sequence of the community temperature index (CTI) which reflects community response to temperature increase (increasing CTI indicates an increase in relative abundance of more southerly species), and the temporal trend of the community specialisation index (CSI) which reflects community response to land use change (declining CSI indicates an increase of generalist species). We show that the breeding bird fauna underwent distinct directional change accompanied by significant changes both in CTI and CSI which suggests a causal connection between climate and land use change and bird community change. The assemblages of particular breeding habitats neither changed at the same speed and nor were they equally affected by climate versus land use changes. In the rapidly changing farmland community, CTI and CSI both declined slightly. In contrast, CTI increased in the more slowly changing forest and heath communities, while CSI remained stable. Coastal assemblages experienced both an increase in CTI and a decline in CSI. Wetland birds experienced the fastest community change of all breeding habitat assemblages but neither CTI nor CSI showed a significant trend. Overall, our results suggest that the interaction between climate and land use changes differs between habitats, and that comparing trends in CSI and CTI may be useful in tracking the impact of each determinant.

Effect of Antidepressant Medication Use on Emotional Information Processing in Major Depression

PubMed Central

Wells, Tony T.; Clerkin, Elise M.; Ellis, Alissa J.; Beevers, Christopher G.

2013-01-01

Objective Acute administration of antidepressant medication increases emotional information processing for positive information in both depressed and healthy participants. This effect is likely relevant to the therapeutic actions of these medications, but has not been studied in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) taking antidepressants as typically prescribed in the community. Method The authors examined the effects of antidepressant medication on selective attention for emotional stimuli using eye tracking in a sample of 47 participants (21 medicated; 26 non-medicated) with MDD and 47 matched, non-depressed controls. Participants completed a passive viewing eye tracking task assessing selective attention for positive, dysphoric, threatening, and neutral stimuli in addition to providing medication information and self-report measures of depression and anxiety severity. Results: Depressed participants currently taking antidepressant medication and non-depressed healthy control participants demonstrated greater total gaze duration and more fixations for positive stimuli, compared to non-medicated depressed participants. Depressed participants on medication (vs. depressed participants not on medication) also had fewer fixations for dysphoric stimuli. Conclusions Antidepressants, as prescribed in the community to depressed patients, appear to modify emotional information processing in the absence of differences in depression severity. These results are consistent with prior work and indicate a robust effect for antidepressants on positive information processing. They also provide further evidence for modification of information processing as a potential mechanism of action for antidepressant medication. PMID:24030200

Effect of antidepressant medication use on emotional information processing in major depression.

PubMed

Wells, Tony T; Clerkin, Elise M; Ellis, Alissa J; Beevers, Christopher G

2014-02-01

Acute administration of antidepressant medication increases emotional information processing for positive information in both depressed and healthy persons. This effect is likely relevant to the therapeutic actions of these medications, but it has not been studied in patients with major depressive disorder taking antidepressants as typically prescribed in the community. The authors used eye tracking to examine the effects of antidepressant medication on selective attention for emotional stimuli in a sample of 47 patients with major depressive disorder (21 medicated and 26 unmedicated) and 47 matched comparison subjects without depression. Participants completed a passive-viewing eye-tracking task assessing selective attention for positive, dysphoric, threatening, and neutral stimuli in addition to providing medication information and self-report measures of depression and anxiety severity. Depressed participants currently taking antidepressants and nondepressed comparison subjects demonstrated greater total gaze duration and more fixations for positive stimuli compared with unmedicated depressed participants. Depressed participants on medication also had fewer fixations for dysphoric stimuli compared with depressed participants not on medication. Antidepressants, as prescribed in the community to patients with depression, appear to modify emotional information processing in the absence of differences in depression severity. These results are consistent with previous work and indicate a robust effect for antidepressants on positive information processing. They also provide further evidence for modification of information processing as a potential mechanism of action for antidepressant medication.

Semi-supervised tracking of extreme weather events in global spatio-temporal climate datasets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, S. K.; Prabhat, M.; Williams, D. N.

2017-12-01

Deep neural networks have been successfully applied to solve problem to detect extreme weather events in large scale climate datasets and attend superior performance that overshadows all previous hand-crafted methods. Recent work has shown that multichannel spatiotemporal encoder-decoder CNN architecture is able to localize events in semi-supervised bounding box. Motivated by this work, we propose new learning metric based on Variational Auto-Encoders (VAE) and Long-Short-Term-Memory (LSTM) to track extreme weather events in spatio-temporal dataset. We consider spatio-temporal object tracking problems as learning probabilistic distribution of continuous latent features of auto-encoder using stochastic variational inference. For this, we assume that our datasets are i.i.d and latent features is able to be modeled by Gaussian distribution. In proposed metric, we first train VAE to generate approximate posterior given multichannel climate input with an extreme climate event at fixed time. Then, we predict bounding box, location and class of extreme climate events using convolutional layers given input concatenating three features including embedding, sampled mean and standard deviation. Lastly, we train LSTM with concatenated input to learn timely information of dataset by recurrently feeding output back to next time-step's input of VAE. Our contribution is two-fold. First, we show the first semi-supervised end-to-end architecture based on VAE to track extreme weather events which can apply to massive scaled unlabeled climate datasets. Second, the information of timely movement of events is considered for bounding box prediction using LSTM which can improve accuracy of localization. To our knowledge, this technique has not been explored neither in climate community or in Machine Learning community.

Framework for performance evaluation of face, text, and vehicle detection and tracking in video: data, metrics, and protocol.

PubMed

Kasturi, Rangachar; Goldgof, Dmitry; Soundararajan, Padmanabhan; Manohar, Vasant; Garofolo, John; Bowers, Rachel; Boonstra, Matthew; Korzhova, Valentina; Zhang, Jing

2009-02-01

Common benchmark data sets, standardized performance metrics, and baseline algorithms have demonstrated considerable impact on research and development in a variety of application domains. These resources provide both consumers and developers of technology with a common framework to objectively compare the performance of different algorithms and algorithmic improvements. In this paper, we present such a framework for evaluating object detection and tracking in video: specifically for face, text, and vehicle objects. This framework includes the source video data, ground-truth annotations (along with guidelines for annotation), performance metrics, evaluation protocols, and tools including scoring software and baseline algorithms. For each detection and tracking task and supported domain, we developed a 50-clip training set and a 50-clip test set. Each data clip is approximately 2.5 minutes long and has been completely spatially/temporally annotated at the I-frame level. Each task/domain, therefore, has an associated annotated corpus of approximately 450,000 frames. The scope of such annotation is unprecedented and was designed to begin to support the necessary quantities of data for robust machine learning approaches, as well as a statistically significant comparison of the performance of algorithms. The goal of this work was to systematically address the challenges of object detection and tracking through a common evaluation framework that permits a meaningful objective comparison of techniques, provides the research community with sufficient data for the exploration of automatic modeling techniques, encourages the incorporation of objective evaluation into the development process, and contributes useful lasting resources of a scale and magnitude that will prove to be extremely useful to the computer vision research community for years to come.

Evaluating and improving cloud phase in the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 using spaceborne lidar observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kay, Jennifer E.; Bourdages, Line; Miller, Nathaniel B.; Morrison, Ariel; Yettella, Vineel; Chepfer, Helene; Eaton, Brian

2016-04-01

Spaceborne lidar observations from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite are used to evaluate cloud amount and cloud phase in the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5), the atmospheric component of a widely used state-of-the-art global coupled climate model (Community Earth System Model). By embedding a lidar simulator within CAM5, the idiosyncrasies of spaceborne lidar cloud detection and phase assignment are replicated. As a result, this study makes scale-aware and definition-aware comparisons between model-simulated and observed cloud amount and cloud phase. In the global mean, CAM5 has insufficient liquid cloud and excessive ice cloud when compared to CALIPSO observations. Over the ice-covered Arctic Ocean, CAM5 has insufficient liquid cloud in all seasons. Having important implications for projections of future sea level rise, a liquid cloud deficit contributes to a cold bias of 2-3°C for summer daily maximum near-surface air temperatures at Summit, Greenland. Over the midlatitude storm tracks, CAM5 has excessive ice cloud and insufficient liquid cloud. Storm track cloud phase biases in CAM5 maximize over the Southern Ocean, which also has larger-than-observed seasonal variations in cloud phase. Physical parameter modifications reduce the Southern Ocean cloud phase and shortwave radiation biases in CAM5 and illustrate the power of the CALIPSO observations as an observational constraint. The results also highlight the importance of using a regime-based, as opposed to a geographic-based, model evaluation approach. More generally, the results demonstrate the importance and value of simulator-enabled comparisons of cloud phase in models used for future climate projection.

The Race for Space: Tracking Land-Cover Transformation in a Socio-ecological Landscape, South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coetzer, Kaera L.; Erasmus, Barend F. N.; Witkowski, Edward T. F.; Reyers, Belinda

2013-09-01

Biosphere Reserves attempt to align existing biodiversity conservation with sustainable resource use, specifically for improving socio-economic circumstances of resident communities. Typically, the Biosphere Reserve model is applied to an established landscape mosaic of existing land uses; these are often socio-ecological systems where strict environmental protection and community livelihoods are in conflict, and environmental degradation frequently accompanies "use". This raises challenges for successful implementation of the model, as the reality of the existing land-use mosaic undermines the theoretical aspirations of the Biosphere concept. This study focuses on the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve (K2C), South Africa; a socio-ecological landscape where formal conservation is juxtaposed against extensive impoverished rural communities. We focus on land-cover changes of the existing land-use mosaic (1993-2006), specifically selected land-cover classes identified as important for biodiversity conservation and local-level resource utilization. We discuss the implications of transformation for conservation, sustainable resource-use, and K2C's functioning as a "Biosphere Reserve". Spatially, changes radiated outward from the settlement expanse, with little regard for the theoretical land-use zonation of the Biosphere Reserve. Settlement growth tracked transport routes, transforming cohesive areas of communal-use rangelands. Given the interdependencies between the settlement population and local environmental resources, the Impacted Vegetation class expanded accordingly, fragmenting the Intact Vegetation class, and merging rangelands. This has serious implications for sustainability of communal harvesting areas, and further transformation of intact habitat. The distribution and magnitude of Intact Vegetation losses raise concerns around connectivity and edge effects, with long-term consequences for ecological integrity of remnant habitat, and K2C's existing network of protected areas.

Engaging academia to advance the science and practice of environmental public health tracking.

PubMed

Strosnider, Heather; Zhou, Ying; Balluz, Lina; Qualters, Judith

2014-10-01

Public health agencies at the federal, state, and local level are responsible for implementing actions and policies that address health problems related to environmental hazards. These actions and policies can be informed by integrating or linking data on health, exposure, hazards, and population. The mission of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention׳s National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program (Tracking Program) is to provide information from a nationwide network of integrated health, environmental hazard, and exposure data that drives actions to improve the health of communities. The Tracking Program and federal, state, and local partners collect, integrate, analyze, and disseminate data and information to inform environmental public health actions. However, many challenges exist regarding the availability and quality of data, the application of appropriate methods and tools to link data, and the state of the science needed to link and analyze health and environmental data. The Tracking Program has collaborated with academia to address key challenges in these areas. The collaboration has improved our understanding of the uses and limitations of available data and methods, expanded the use of existing data and methods, and increased our knowledge about the connections between health and environment. Valuable working relationships have been forged in this process, and together we have identified opportunities and improvements for future collaborations to further advance the science and practice of environmental public health tracking. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Evaluating the Impact of Internships - Longitudinal Participant Tracking in the Soars Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haacker, R.; Sloan, V.

2014-12-01

While there is widespread agreement about the benefits of research internship experiences for students, long-term tracking of student progress beyond the summer experience is challenging. Coordinated tracking can effectively document program impact, inform programmatic improvement, and identifying gaps in the internship effort. Tracking can also strengthen diversity efforts and the retention of students from underrepresented groups. Continuous follow-up and guidance can only be provided to students if we know where they are, what they are doing and what they need in order to stay engaged in the field. The SOARS Program at the National Center for Atmospheric Research has supported undergraduate students for over 18 years to enter and succeed in graduate school. Over 85% of SOARS participants have transitioned to geoscience graduate programs or the STEM workforce. The SOARS mission is to broaden participation in the atmospheric and related sciences by engaging students from groups historically under-represented in science, including Black or African-American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic or Latino, female, first-generation college students, and students with disabilities. SOARS relies on proven intervention strategies such as multi-year research experiences, multifaceted mentoring, and a strong learning community. Fostering relationships developed during this time using a wider range of technologies and program longevity play important roles in tracking participants over time. This presentation will highlight significant program results and share the tracking and evaluation techniques utilized in SOARS.

Communities of Practice Transition Online - Lessons learned from NASA's EPO Online Workspace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davey, B.

2012-12-01

The Earth Forum Education and Public Outreach (EP/O) community has long interacted to better their practice as a community as well as individually. Working together to share knowledge and grow, they function as a community of practice. In 2009, NASA designed and implemented an online workspace in hopes of promoting the communities continued interactions. This study examines the role of an online workspace component of a community in the work of a community of practice. Much has been studied revealing the importance of communities of practice to organizations, project success, and knowledge management and some of these same successes hold true for virtual communities of practice. Study participants were 75 Education and Public Outreach community members of NASA's Science Mission Directorate Earth Forum. In this mixed methods study, online workspace metrics were used to track participation and a survey completed by 21 members was used to quantify participation. For a more detailed analysis, 15 community members (five highly active users, five average users, and five infrequent users) selected based on survey responses, were interviewed. Finally, survey data was gathered from seven online facilitators to understand their role in the community. Data collected from these 21 community members and five facilitating members suggest that highly active users (logging into the workspace daily), were more likely to have transformative experiences, co-create knowledge, feel ownership of community knowledge, have extended opportunities for community exchange, and find new forms of evaluation. Average users shared some similar characteristics with both the highly active members and infrequent users, representing a group in transition as they become more engaged and active in the online workspace. Inactive users viewed the workspace as having little value, being difficult to navigate, being mainly for gaining basic information about events and community news, and as another demand on their time. Results show the online workspace component of the Earth Science Education and Outreach Forum is playing an important and emerging role for this community by supporting knowledge building and knowledge sharing, and growing in value for those that utilizing it more frequently. The evidence suggests that with increased participation or "usage" comes increased value to the participant and the organization. This research illustrates the possible change in mindset held by participating community members when it comes to the nature of co-location. Additionally, it may be of particular importance in exploring changes in the community members' feelings of connection and belonging.

Do You Know Whats In Your Community A Strategic Risk Management Approach to Better Prepare for Chemical Emergencies

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-01

existing, or out-of-service process equipment • Track historical data concerning natural disasters such as tornados , hurricanes, floods, fires, or...hydrological, and meteorological (wildfire, flood, hurricane, tornado , earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, etc.) • Identification of other

A 10-year ecosystem restoration community of practice tracks large-scale restoration trends

EPA Science Inventory

In 2004, a group of large-scale ecosystem restoration practitioners across the United States convened to start the process of sharing restoration science, management, and best practices under the auspices of a traditional conference umbrella. This forum allowed scientists and dec...

Climate change; Confronting the global experiment

Treesearch

Constance I. Millar

2006-01-01

Earth’s natural climate system is characterized by continually changing climates, with climate regimes that oscillate quasi-cyclically at multiple and nested scales from annual to multi-millennial, and commonly change abruptly. Under naturally changing climates, plant species track changes at all scales in individualistic manner, with plant communities...

Snowmelt Induced Hydrologic Perturbations Drive Dynamic Microbiological and Geochemical Behaviors across a Shallow Riparian Aquifer

DOE PAGES

Danczak, Robert E.; Yabusaki, Steven B.; Williams, Kenneth H.; ...

2016-05-11

Shallow riparian aquifers represent hotspots of biogeochemical activity in the arid western US. While these environments provide extensive ecosystem services, little is known of how natural environmental perturbations influence subsurface microbial communities and associated biogeochemical processes. Over a 6-month period we tracked the annual snowmelt-driven incursion of groundwater into the vadose zone of an aquifer adjacent to the Colorado River, leading to increased dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations in the normally suboxic saturated zone. Strong biogeochemical heterogeneity was measured across the site, with abiotic reactions between DO and sulfide minerals driving rapid DO consumption and mobilization of redox active species inmore » reduced aquifer regions. Conversely, extensive DO increases were detected in less reduced sediments. 16S rRNA gene surveys tracked microbial community composition within the aquifer, revealing strong correlations between increases in putative oxygen-utilizing chemolithoautotrophs and heterotrophs and rising DO concentrations. The gradual return to suboxic aquifer conditions favored increasing abundances of 16S rRNA sequences matching members of the Microgenomates (OP11) and Parcubacteria (OD1) that have been strongly implicated in fermentative processes. Microbial community stability measurements indicated that deeper aquifer locations were relatively less affected by geochemical perturbations, while communities in shallower locations exhibited the greatest change. Thus, reactive transport modeling of the geochemical and microbiological results supported field observations, suggesting that a predictive framework can be applied to develop a greater understanding of such environments.« less

Snowmelt Induced Hydrologic Perturbations Drive Dynamic Microbiological and Geochemical Behaviors across a Shallow Riparian Aquifer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Danczak, Robert E.; Yabusaki, Steven B.; Williams, Kenneth H.

Shallow riparian aquifers represent hotspots of biogeochemical activity in the arid western US. While these environments provide extensive ecosystem services, little is known of how natural environmental perturbations influence subsurface microbial communities and associated biogeochemical processes. Over a 6-month period we tracked the annual snowmelt-driven incursion of groundwater into the vadose zone of an aquifer adjacent to the Colorado River, leading to increased dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations in the normally suboxic saturated zone. Strong biogeochemical heterogeneity was measured across the site, with abiotic reactions between DO and sulfide minerals driving rapid DO consumption and mobilization of redox active species inmore » reduced aquifer regions. Conversely, extensive DO increases were detected in less reduced sediments. 16S rRNA gene surveys tracked microbial community composition within the aquifer, revealing strong correlations between increases in putative oxygen-utilizing chemolithoautotrophs and heterotrophs and rising DO concentrations. The gradual return to suboxic aquifer conditions favored increasing abundances of 16S rRNA sequences matching members of the Microgenomates (OP11) and Parcubacteria (OD1) that have been strongly implicated in fermentative processes. Microbial community stability measurements indicated that deeper aquifer locations were relatively less affected by geochemical perturbations, while communities in shallower locations exhibited the greatest change. Thus, reactive transport modeling of the geochemical and microbiological results supported field observations, suggesting that a predictive framework can be applied to develop a greater understanding of such environments.« less

A tool for tracking and assessing chronic illness care in prison (ACIC-P).

PubMed

Wang, Emily A; Aminawung, Jenerius A; Ferguson, Warren; Trestman, Robert; Wagner, Edward H; Bova, Carol

2014-10-01

Chronic disease care is being transformed in correctional settings, given an aging inmate population, ongoing quality improvement efforts, litigation, and rising costs. The Chronic Care Model, established for chronic disease care in the community, might be a suitable framework to transform chronic disease care in prison, but it has not been systematically adapted for the correctional health care setting. We employed cognitive interviewing to adapt an extant survey used to measure the delivery of chronic illness care in the community, Assessment of Chronic Illness Care, for a prison setting. Results from the cognitive interviews and the modified Assessment of Chronic Illness Care-Prison (ACIC-P) instrument are presented in this article. Future studies will need to test the reliability and psychometric properties of the adapted ACIC-P. © The Author(s) 2014.

Fostering solutions: bringing brief-therapy principles and practices to the child welfare system.

PubMed

Flemons, Douglas; Liscio, Michele; Gordon, Arlene Brett; Hibel, James; Gutierrez-Hersh, Annette; Rebholz, Cynthia L

2010-01-01

This article describes a 15-month university-community collaboration that was designed to fast-track children out of foster care. The developers of the project initiated resource-oriented "systems facilitations," allowing wraparound professionals and families to come together in large meetings to solve problems and find solutions. Families also participated in strength-based brief-therapy sessions. The authors describe the history, structure, and process of the project, and they provide a case study to illustrate the approach and exemplify the kinds of changes that occurred throughout the system. In the final section of the article, the authors reflect on what they learned about their university-community partnership, what they would do differently the next time, and the implications of such larger-system involvements for American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy's Core Competencies.

Scaling PatientsLikeMe via a “Generalized Platform” for Members with Chronic Illness: Web-Based Survey Study of Benefits Arising

PubMed Central

Mack Thorley, Eileen; Simacek, Kristina; Curran, Christopher; Emmas, Cathy

2018-01-01

Background Launched in 2006 for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, PatientsLikeMe is an online community offering patient-reported outcomes, symptom tracking, and social features. Every member of the site can see all the data reported by every other member, view aggregated reports, identify “patients like them,” and learn about treatment options in order to live better with their condition. In previous studies, members reported benefits such as improved condition knowledge, increased medication adherence, and better management of side effects. However, the site evolved in 2011 from condition-specific “vertical” communities consisting only of people with the same disease to a “generalized platform,” in which every patient could connect with every other patient regardless of condition and with generic, rather than condition-specific, data tools. Some, but not all, communities received further custom tracking tools. Objective We aimed to understand (1) whether members of PatientsLikeMe using the generalized platform still reported similar benefits and (2) assess factors associated with benefits, such as community customization, site use, and patient activation. Methods A cross-sectional retrospective custom survey was fielded to 377,625 members between 2016 and 2017 including the Patient Activation Measure (PAM). A benefit index was developed for comparability across conditions. Results The invitation was viewed by 26,048 members of whom 11,915 did not respond, 5091 opted out, 1591 provided partial data, and 17 were screened out. Complete responses were received from 7434 participants. Users perceived greatest benefit in understanding how their condition may affect them (4530/6770, 66.91% participants, excluding “does not apply” answers), understanding what might help them live better with their condition (4247/6750, 62.92%), which treatments were available (4143/6898, 60.06%), understanding treatment side effects (4182/6902, 60.59%), and important factors in making treatment decisions (3919/6813, 57.52%). The benefit index was 29% higher for the “most activated” patients (PAM level 4 vs PAM level 1; relative risk [RR]=1.29, P<.001), 21% higher for conditions with some community customization versus none (RR=1.21, P<.001), and 11% higher in those using the site most often versus least (RR=1.11, P<.001). Conclusions Members of the generalized platform reported a range of benefits related to improved knowledge and understanding of their condition and treatment management. Condition-specific customization may improve their experience still further. Future studies will explore longitudinal changes to patient activation. PMID:29735472

Human factors in computing systems: focus on patient-centered health communication at the ACM SIGCHI conference.

PubMed

Wilcox, Lauren; Patel, Rupa; Chen, Yunan; Shachak, Aviv

2013-12-01

Health Information Technologies, such as electronic health records (EHR) and secure messaging, have already transformed interactions among patients and clinicians. In addition, technologies supporting asynchronous communication outside of clinical encounters, such as email, SMS, and patient portals, are being increasingly used for follow-up, education, and data reporting. Meanwhile, patients are increasingly adopting personal tools to track various aspects of health status and therapeutic progress, wishing to review these data with clinicians during consultations. These issues have drawn increasing interest from the human-computer interaction (HCI) community, with special focus on critical challenges in patient-centered interactions and design opportunities that can address these challenges. We saw this community presenting and interacting at the ACM SIGCHI 2013, Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, (also known as CHI), held April 27-May 2nd, 2013 at the Palais de Congrès de Paris in France. CHI 2013 featured many formal avenues to pursue patient-centered health communication: a well-attended workshop, tracks of original research, and a lively panel discussion. In this report, we highlight these events and the main themes we identified. We hope that it will help bring the health care communication and the HCI communities closer together. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Intercomparison of mid latitude storm diagnostics (IMILAST)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neu, U.

2009-04-01

Diagnostics of the observed and projection of the future changes of extratropical storms are a key issue e.g. for insurance companies, risk management and adaptation planning. Storm-associated damages are amongst the highest losses due to natural disasters in the mid-latitudes. Therefore the knowledge of the future variability and change in extratropical cyclone frequency, intensity and track locations is crucial for the strategic planning and minimization of the disaster impacts. Future changes in the total number of storms might be small but major signals could occur in the characteristics of cyclone life cycle such as intensity, life time, track locations. The quantification of such trends is not independent from the methodologies for storm track detection applied to observational data and models. Comparison of differences in cyclone characteristics obtained using different methods from a single data set may be as large as or even exceed the differences between the results derived from different data sets using a single methodology. Even more, the metrics used become particularly sensitive, resulting in the fact that scientific studies may find seemingly contradictory results based on the same datasets. For users of storm track analyses and projections the results are very difficult to interprete. Thus, it would be very helpful if the research community would provide information in a kind of "handbook" which contains definitions and a description of the available different identification and tracking schemes as well as of the parameters used for the quantification of cyclone activity. It cannot be expected that there is an optimum or standard scheme that fulfills all needs. Rather, a proper knowledge about advantages and restrictions of different schemes must be obtained to be able to provide a synthesis of results rather than puzzling the scientific and the general public with apparently contradicing statements. The project IMILAST aims at providing a systematic intercomparison of different methodologies and a comprehensive assessment of all types of uncertainties inherent in the mid-latitudinal storm tracking by comparing different methodologies with respect to data of different resolution (time and space) and limited areas, for both cyclone identification and cyclone tracking respectively.

Improving low-wage, midsized employers' health promotion practices: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Hannon, Peggy A; Harris, Jeffrey R; Sopher, Carrie J; Kuniyuki, Alan; Ghosh, Donetta L; Henderson, Shelly; Martin, Diane P; Weaver, Marcia R; Williams, Barbara; Albano, Denise L; Meischke, Hendrika; Diehr, Paula; Lichiello, Patricia; Hammerback, Kristen E; Parks, Malcolm R; Forehand, Mark

2012-08-01

The Guide to Community Preventive Services (Community Guide) offers evidence-based intervention strategies to prevent chronic disease. The American Cancer Society (ACS) and the University of Washington Health Promotion Research Center co-developed ACS Workplace Solutions (WPS) to improve workplaces' implementation of Community Guide strategies. To test the effectiveness of WPS for midsized employers in low-wage industries. Two-arm RCT; workplaces were randomized to receive WPS during the study (intervention group) or at the end of the study (delayed control group). Forty-eight midsized employers (100-999 workers) in King County WA. WPS provides employers one-on-one consulting with an ACS interventionist via three meetings at the workplace. The interventionist recommends best practices to adopt based on the workplace's current practices, provides implementation toolkits for the best practices the employer chooses to adopt, conducts a follow-up visit at 6 months, and provides technical assistance. Employers' implementation of 16 best practices (in the categories of insurance benefits, health-related policies, programs, tracking, and health communications) at baseline (June 2007-June 2008) and 15-month follow-up (October 2008-December 2009). Data were analyzed in 2010-2011. Intervention employers demonstrated greater improvement from baseline than control employers in two of the five best-practice categories; implementing policies (baseline scores: 39% program, 43% control; follow-up scores: 49% program, 45% control; p=0.013) and communications (baseline scores: 42% program, 44% control; follow-up scores: 76% program, 55% control; p=0.007). Total best-practice implementation improvement did not differ between study groups (baseline scores: 32% intervention, 37% control; follow-up scores: 39% intervention, 42% control; p=0.328). WPS improved employers' health-related policies and communications but did not improve insurance benefits design, programs, or tracking. Many employers were unable to modify insurance benefits and reported that the time and costs of implementing best practices were major barriers. This study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov NCT00452816. Copyright © 2012 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

GPS net­work operations for the International GPS Geodynamics Service

USGS Publications Warehouse

Neilan, Ruth E.

1993-01-01

As GPS technology comes of age in the 1990’s, it is evident that an internationally sponsored GPS tracking system is called for to provide consistent, timely ground tracking data and data products to the geophysical community. The planning group for the International GPS Geodynamics Service (IGS), sponsored by the International Association of Geodesy (IAG), is addressing all elements of the end-to-end tracking system, ranging from data collection to data analysis and distribution of products (Mueller, 1992). Part of the planning process is to formulate how these various elements work together to create the common infrastructure needed to support a wide variety of GPS investigations. A key element for any permanent satellite tracking system is certainly the acquisition segment; the reliability and robustness of the ground network operations directly determine the fates and limitations of final products. The IGS planning group therefore included a committee tasked to develop and establish standards governing data acquisition and site-specific characteristics deemed necessary to ensure the collection of a high quality, continuous data set.

Use of an online smoking cessation community promotes abstinence: Results of propensity score weighting.

PubMed

Graham, Amanda L; Papandonatos, George D; Erar, Bahar; Stanton, Cassandra A

2015-12-01

We estimated the causal effects of use of an online smoking cessation community on 30-day point prevalence abstinence at 3 months. Participants (N = 492) were adult current smokers in the enhanced Internet arm of The iQUITT Study, a randomized trial of Internet and telephone treatment for smoking cessation. All participants accessed a Web-based smoking-cessation program that included a large, established online community. Automated tracking metrics of passive (e.g., reading forum posts, viewing member profiles) and active (e.g., writing forum posts, sending private messages) community use were extracted from the site at 3 months. Self-selected community use defines the groups of interest: "None," "Passive," and "Both" (passive + active). Inverse probability of treatment weighting corrected for baseline imbalances on demographic, smoking, psychosocial, and medical history variables. Propensity weights estimated via generalized boosted models were used to calculate Average Treatment Effects (ATE) and Average Treatment effects on the Treated (ATT). Patterns of community use were: None = 198 (40.2%), Passive = 110 (22.4%), and Both = 184 (37.4%). ATE-weighted abstinence rates were: None = 4.2% (95% CI = 1.5-6.9); Passive = 15.1% (95% CI = 8.4-21.9); Both = 20.4% (95% CI = 13.9-26.8). ATT-weighted abstinence rates indicated even greater benefits of community use. Community users were more likely to quit smoking at 3 months than nonusers. The estimated benefit from use of online community resources was even larger among subjects with high propensity to use them. No differences in abstinence emerged between passive and passive/active users. Results suggest that lurking in online communities confers specific abstinence benefits. Implications of these findings for online cessation communities are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Using benthic macroinvertebrate and fish communities as bioindicators of the Tanshui River basin around the greater Taipei area - multivariate analysis of spatial variation related to levels of water pollution.

PubMed

Young, Shuh-Sen; Yang, Hsi-Nan; Huang, Da-Ji; Liu, Su-Miao; Huang, Yueh-Han; Chiang, Chung-Ting; Liu, Jin-Wei

2014-07-14

After decades of strict pollution control and municipal sewage treatment, the water quality of the Tanshui River increased significantly after pollution mitigation as indicated by the River Pollution Index (RPI). The pollution level of the estuarine region decreased from severe pollution to mostly moderately impaired. The most polluted waters are presently restricted to a flow track length between 15-35 km relative to the river mouth. From July 2011 to September 2012, four surveys of fish and benthic macroinvertebrates were conducted at 45 sampling sites around the Tanshui River basin. The pollution level of all the study area indicated by the RPI could also be explained by the Family Biotic Index (FBI) and Biotic Index (BI) from the benthic macroinvertebrate community, and the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) of the fish community. The result of canonical correlation analysis between aquatic environmental factors and community structure indicated that the community structure was closely related to the level of water pollution. Fish species richness in the estuarine area has increased significantly in recent years. Some catadromous fish and crustaceans could cross the moderate polluted water into the upstream freshwater, and have re-colonized their populations. The benthic macroinvertebrate community relying on the benthic substrate of the estuarine region is still very poor, and the water layer was still moderately polluted.

Laboratory Animal Management Assistant (LAMA): a LIMS for active research colonies.

PubMed

Milisavljevic, Marko; Hearty, Taryn; Wong, Tony Y T; Portales-Casamar, Elodie; Simpson, Elizabeth M; Wasserman, Wyeth W

2010-06-01

Laboratory Animal Management Assistant (LAMA) is an internet-based system for tracking large laboratory mouse colonies. It has a user-friendly interface with powerful search capabilities that ease day-to-day tasks such as tracking breeding cages and weaning litters. LAMA was originally developed to manage hundreds of new mouse strains generated by a large functional genomics program, the Pleiades Promoter Project ( http://www.pleiades.org ). The software system has proven to be highly flexible, suitable for diverse management approaches to mouse colonies. It allows custom tagging and grouping of animals, simplifying project-specific handling and access to data. Finally, LAMA was developed in close collaboration with mouse technicians to ease the transition from paper- or Excel-based management systems to computerized tracking, allowing data export in a popular spreadsheet format and automatic printing of cage cards. LAMA is an open-access software tool, freely available to the research community at http://launchpad.net/mousedb .

Tracking and data relay satellite system (TDRSS) capabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spearing, R. E.

1985-10-01

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) is the latest implementation to tracking and data acquisition network for near-earth orbiting satellite support designed to meet the requirements of the current and projected (to the year 2000) satellite user community. The TDRSS consists of a space segment (SS) and a ground segment (GS) that fit within NASA's Space Network (SN) complex controlled at the Goddard Space Flight Center. The SS currently employs a single satellite, TDRS-1, with two additional satellites to be deployed in January 1986 and July 1986. The GS contains the communications and equipment required to manage the three TDR satellites and to transmit and receive information to and from TDRSS user satellites. Diagrams and tables illustrating the TDRSS signal characteristics, the situation of TDRSS within the SN, the SN operations and element interrelationships, as well as future plans for new missions are included.

Tracking and data relay satellite system (TDRSS) capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spearing, R. E.

1985-01-01

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) is the latest implementation to tracking and data acquisition network for near-earth orbiting satellite support designed to meet the requirements of the current and projected (to the year 2000) satellite user community. The TDRSS consists of a space segment (SS) and a ground segment (GS) that fit within NASA's Space Network (SN) complex controlled at the Goddard Space Flight Center. The SS currently employs a single satellite, TDRS-1, with two additional satellites to be deployed in January 1986 and July 1986. The GS contains the communications and equipment required to manage the three TDR satellites and to transmit and receive information to and from TDRSS user satellites. Diagrams and tables illustrating the TDRSS signal characteristics, the situation of TDRSS within the SN, the SN operations and element interrelationships, as well as future plans for new missions are included.

The AGATA Campaign at GANIL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lenzi, Silvia M.; Clement, Emmanuel

2018-02-01

The Advanced Gamma Tracking Array, AGATA, is presently in its construction phase in which the European γ-spectroscopy research community is involved since several years. This powerful HPGe array offers unique possibilities for the study of rare phenomena in nuclei by detailed gamma-ray spectroscopy. The physics campaign in GANIL foresees different setups, with AGATA coupled to different spectrometers, to study nuclear structure properties of nuclei all across the nuclear chart, from light nuclei to very heavy species, using stable and radioactive beams. After a brief description of the AGATA concept, some recent results are presented together with the very interesting opportunities for nuclear structure research in the forthcoming years with AGATA at GANIL.

Similar resilience attributes in lakes with different management practices

USGS Publications Warehouse

Baho, Didier L.; Drakare, Stina; Johnson, Richard K.; Allen, Craig R.; Angeler, David G.

2014-01-01

Liming has been used extensively in Scandinavia and elsewhere since the 1970s to counteract the negative effects of acidification. Communities in limed lakes usually return to acidified conditions once liming is discontinued, suggesting that liming is unlikely to shift acidified lakes to a state equivalent to pre-acidification conditions that requires no further management intervention. While this suggests a low resilience of limed lakes, attributes that confer resilience have not been assessed, limiting our understanding of the efficiency of costly management programs. In this study, we assessed community metrics (diversity, richness, evenness, biovolume), multivariate community structure and the relative resilience of phytoplankton in limed, acidified and circum-neutral lakes from 1997 to 2009, using multivariate time series modeling. We identified dominant temporal frequencies in the data, allowing us to track community change at distinct temporal scales. We assessed two attributes of relative resilience (cross-scale and within-scale structure) of the phytoplankton communities, based on the fluctuation frequency patterns identified. We also assessed species with stochastic temporal dynamics. Liming increased phytoplankton diversity and richness; however, multivariate community structure differed in limed relative to acidified and circum-neutral lakes. Cross-scale and within-scale attributes of resilience were similar across all lakes studied but the contribution of those species exhibiting stochastic dynamics was higher in the acidified and limed compared to circum-neutral lakes. From a resilience perspective, our results suggest that limed lakes comprise a particular condition of an acidified lake state. This explains why liming does not move acidified lakes out of a “degraded” basin of attraction. In addition, our study demonstrates the potential of time series modeling to assess the efficiency of restoration and management outcomes through quantification of the attributes contributing to resilience in ecosystems.

Cascading influence of inorganic nitrogen sources on DOM production, composition, lability and microbial community structure in the open ocean.

PubMed

Goldberg, S J; Nelson, C E; Viviani, D A; Shulse, C N; Church, M J

2017-09-01

Nitrogen frequently limits oceanic photosynthesis and the availability of inorganic nitrogen sources in the surface oceans is shifting with global change. We evaluated the potential for abrupt increases in inorganic N sources to induce cascading effects on dissolved organic matter (DOM) and microbial communities in the surface ocean. We collected water from 5 m depth in the central North Pacific and amended duplicate 20 liter polycarbonate carboys with nitrate or ammonium, tracking planktonic carbon fixation, DOM production, DOM composition and microbial community structure responses over 1 week relative to controls. Both nitrogen sources stimulated bulk phytoplankton, bacterial and DOM production and enriched Synechococcus and Flavobacteriaceae; ammonium enriched for oligotrophic Actinobacteria OM1 and Gammaproteobacteria KI89A clades while nitrate enriched Gammaproteobacteria SAR86, SAR92 and OM60 clades. DOM resulting from both N enrichments was more labile and stimulated growth of copiotrophic Gammaproteobacteria (Alteromonadaceae and Oceanospirillaceae) and Alphaproteobacteria (Rhodobacteraceae and Hyphomonadaceae) in weeklong dark incubations relative to controls. Our study illustrates how nitrogen pulses may have direct and cascading effects on DOM composition and microbial community dynamics in the open ocean. © 2017 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Essays on Child Development in Developing Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Humpage, Sarah Davidson

2013-01-01

This dissertation presents the results of three field experiments implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies to improve the health or education of children in developing countries. In Guatemala, community health workers at randomly selected clinics were given patient tracking lists to improve their ability to remind parents when their…

The Early Years: Navigating Natural Disasters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashbrook, Peggy

2016-01-01

Keeping track of the weather is especially important in communities where severe weather endangers property and lives. Science education may mean talking with children about scary or tragic events. Although teachers should not avoid teaching about severe weather events, they can be sensitive to students' fears and stress by first asking families…

DIAGNOSTIC MODEL EVALUATION FOR CARBONACEOUS PM 2.5 USING ORGANIC MARKERS MEASURED IN THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S.

EPA Science Inventory

Summertime concentrations of fine particulate carbon in the southeastern United States are consistently underestimated by air quality models. In an effort to understand the cause of this error, the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model is instrumented to track primary org...

Outdoor Adventures: Tracking Eastern Box Turtles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Somers, Ann Berry; Matthews, Catherine E.; Bennett, Kristin R.; Seymour, Sarah; Rucker, John

2003-01-01

A thematic and hands-on approach to learning ensures that students develop a deeper understanding and retain information longer. Bouillion and Gomez (2001) argue that real-world problems and school-community partnerships help engage students to connect with school science. When there is a disconnect between the activities of school science and…

Healthy People 2010: Oral Health Toolkit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Isman, Beverly

2007-01-01

The purpose of this Toolkit is to provide guidance, technical tools, and resources to help states, territories, tribes and communities develop and implement successful oral health components of Healthy People 2010 plans as well as other oral health plans. These plans are useful for: (1) promoting, implementing and tracking oral health objectives;…

12 CFR 1807.601 - Nature of funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 9 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Nature of funds. 1807.601 Section 1807.601 Banks and Banking COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FUND, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY CAPITAL MAGNET FUND Tracking Requirements § 1807.601 Nature of funds. A CMF award shall be considered Federal...

12 CFR 1807.601 - Nature of funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 9 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Nature of funds. 1807.601 Section 1807.601 Banks and Banking COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FUND, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY CAPITAL MAGNET FUND Tracking Requirements § 1807.601 Nature of funds. A CMF award shall be considered Federal...

Circulating plasma cholesteryl ester transfer protein activity and blood pressure tracking in the community

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Clinical trials using cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors to raise high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations reported an 'off-target' blood pressure (BP) raising effect. We evaluated the relations of baseline plasma CETP activity and longitudinal BP change. One tho...

2008 KidsCount in Colorado!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colorado Children's Campaign, 2008

2008-01-01

"KidsCount in Colorado!" is an annual publication of the Colorado Children's Campaign, which provides the best available state- and county-level data to measure and track the education, health and general well-being of the state's children. KidsCount in Colorado! informs policy debates and community discussions, serving as a valuable…

Smaller Schools: A Conflict of Aims and Purposes?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tasker, Mary

2008-01-01

This article tracks recent developments in the debate about secondary school size. It looks at the growth of the small schools movement in the United States and at initiatives currently underway in the United Kingdom. The article explores various strategies for reconfiguring secondary schools into smaller learning communities or "schools…

Information Weighted Consensus for Distributed Estimation in Vision Networks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamal, Ahmed Tashrif

2013-01-01

Due to their high fault-tolerance, ease of installation and scalability to large networks, distributed algorithms have recently gained immense popularity in the sensor networks community, especially in computer vision. Multi-target tracking in a camera network is one of the fundamental problems in this domain. Distributed estimation algorithms…

REPORT OF THE DECEMBER 15, 1999 EPA SATELLITE FORUM ON OZONE MONITORING, MAPPING AND PUBLIC OUTREACH

EPA Science Inventory

This report provides a summary of the US EPA's December 15, 1999 satellite forum on technology transfer tools for ozone monitoring, mapping, and public outreach under the EPA Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) Program's Ozone Mapping Projec...

Back on Track to Graduate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balfanz, Robert

2011-01-01

The Talent Development program at Johns Hopkins, City Year, and Communities in Schools have created a new middle school and high school model that reduces dropout risk. Diplomas Now integrates strategies that are designed to raise student achievement, promotion, and graduation rates in the nation's most challenged high-poverty secondary schools. A…

Validation of Microbial Source Tracking Markers and Detection Protocols: Considerations for Effective Interpretation

EPA Science Inventory

The goal of this chapter is to provide an overview of MST marker characteristics, to describe performance criteria of detection protocols used and to offer guidelines for the effective interpretation of the results. Since the trend in the research community has shifted towards (q...

JPL Non-NASA Programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cox, Robert S.

2006-01-01

A viewgraph presentation describing JPL's non-NASA Programs is shown. The contents include: 1) JPL/Caltech: National Security Heritage; 2) Organization and Portfolio; 3) Synergistic Areas of Interest; 4) Business Environment; 5) National Space Community; 6) New Business Environment; 7) Technology Transfer Techniques; 8) Innovative Partnership Program (IPP); and 9) JPL's Track Record.

Career Access Models: The Philadelphia Minorities in Engineering Consortium.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLaughlin, W. Barry

The Philadelphia Regional Introduction for Minorities to Engineering (PRIME) program, a nonprofit consortium of colleges, public schools, business/industry, government, and community agencies, is described. The pre-engineering program begins in the seventh grade and continues to track students through their college years. At the middle schools,…

12 CFR 1807.601 - Nature of funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 10 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Nature of funds. 1807.601 Section 1807.601 Banks and Banking COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FUND, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY CAPITAL MAGNET FUND Tracking Requirements § 1807.601 Nature of funds. A CMF award shall be considered Federal...

12 CFR 1807.601 - Nature of funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Nature of funds. 1807.601 Section 1807.601 Banks and Banking COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FUND, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY CAPITAL MAGNET FUND Tracking Requirements § 1807.601 Nature of funds. A CMF award shall be considered Federal...

Changing Patterns of Interracial Marriage in a Multiracial Society

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Qian, Zhenchao; Lichter, Daniel T.

2011-01-01

We use incidence data from the 1980 Census and 2008 American Community Survey to track recent trends in interracial marriage. Intermarriage with Whites increased rapidly among Blacks but stalled among Asians and American Indians. Black-White intermarriage increased threefold over 1980-2008, independent of changing socioeconomic status, suggesting…

Boundary-Spanner Role Conflict in Public Urban Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gauntner, Joseph; Hansman, Catherine A.

2017-01-01

It is common for universities that seek community partnerships to employ full-time staff, formally sanctioned as boundary spanners, to develop and manage such partnerships. These staff are frequently administrative or allied staff rather than tenure-track faculty or academic unit administrators. Given the multiple interests of universities and…

Cultivating Leadership Development: A Comprehensive Program for Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenleaf, Justin P.; Klaus, Kaley; Arensdorf, Jill

2017-01-01

The Voss Advanced Undergraduate Leadership Experience (VALUE), is a student cohort program with a competitive application process. Students must have a prerequisite level of leadership education and self-select into one of three designated tracks. Students are paired with faculty and community mentors to learn about operations and collaboration in…

Objective comparison of particle tracking methods.

PubMed

Chenouard, Nicolas; Smal, Ihor; de Chaumont, Fabrice; Maška, Martin; Sbalzarini, Ivo F; Gong, Yuanhao; Cardinale, Janick; Carthel, Craig; Coraluppi, Stefano; Winter, Mark; Cohen, Andrew R; Godinez, William J; Rohr, Karl; Kalaidzidis, Yannis; Liang, Liang; Duncan, James; Shen, Hongying; Xu, Yingke; Magnusson, Klas E G; Jaldén, Joakim; Blau, Helen M; Paul-Gilloteaux, Perrine; Roudot, Philippe; Kervrann, Charles; Waharte, François; Tinevez, Jean-Yves; Shorte, Spencer L; Willemse, Joost; Celler, Katherine; van Wezel, Gilles P; Dan, Han-Wei; Tsai, Yuh-Show; Ortiz de Solórzano, Carlos; Olivo-Marin, Jean-Christophe; Meijering, Erik

2014-03-01

Particle tracking is of key importance for quantitative analysis of intracellular dynamic processes from time-lapse microscopy image data. Because manually detecting and following large numbers of individual particles is not feasible, automated computational methods have been developed for these tasks by many groups. Aiming to perform an objective comparison of methods, we gathered the community and organized an open competition in which participating teams applied their own methods independently to a commonly defined data set including diverse scenarios. Performance was assessed using commonly defined measures. Although no single method performed best across all scenarios, the results revealed clear differences between the various approaches, leading to notable practical conclusions for users and developers.

Bacterial community structure in atmospheric particulate matters of different sizes during the haze days in Xi'an, China.

PubMed

Lu, Rui; Li, Yanpeng; Li, Wanxin; Xie, Zhengsheng; Fan, Chunlan; Liu, Pengxia; Deng, Shunxi

2018-05-09

Serious air pollution events have frequently occurred in China associated with the acceleration of urbanization and industrialization in recent years. Exposure to atmospheric particulate matter (PM) of high concentration can lead to adverse effects on human health. Airborne bacteria are important constituents of microbial aerosols and contain lots of pathogens. However, variations in bacterial community structure in atmospheric PM of different sizes (PM 2.5 , PM 10 and TSP) have not yet been explored. In this study, PM samples of different sizes were collected during the hazy days from Jul.2016 to Apr.2017 to determine bacterial diversity and community structure. Samples from soils and leaf surfaces were also collected to determine potential sources of bacterial aerosols. High-throughput sequencing technology was used generate bacterial community profiles, where we determined their diversity and abundances in the samples. Results showed that the dominant bacterial community structures in PM 2.5 , PM 10 and TSP were strongly similar. Compared with non-haze days, the relative abundances of most bacterial pathogens on the haze days did not increase. Meanwhile, temperature, O 3 and NO 2 had more significant effects on bacterial community than the other environmental factors. Source tracking analysis indicated that the airborne bacteria might be not from local environment. It may come from the entire city or other regions by long distance airflow transport. Results of this study improved our understanding of the influence of bioaerosols on human health and the potential sources of airborne microbes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cell Membrane Tracking in Living Brain Tissue Using Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy.

PubMed

Lee, John; Kolb, Ilya; Forest, Craig R; Rozell, Christopher J

2018-04-01

Differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy is widely used for observing unstained biological samples that are otherwise optically transparent. Combining this optical technique with machine vision could enable the automation of many life science experiments; however, identifying relevant features under DIC is challenging. In particular, precise tracking of cell boundaries in a thick ( ) slice of tissue has not previously been accomplished. We present a novel deconvolution algorithm that achieves the state-of-the-art performance at identifying and tracking these membrane locations. Our proposed algorithm is formulated as a regularized least squares optimization that incorporates a filtering mechanism to handle organic tissue interference and a robust edge-sparsity regularizer that integrates dynamic edge tracking capabilities. As a secondary contribution, this paper also describes new community infrastructure in the form of a MATLAB toolbox for accurately simulating DIC microscopy images of in vitro brain slices. Building on existing DIC optics modeling, our simulation framework additionally contributes an accurate representation of interference from organic tissue, neuronal cell-shapes, and tissue motion due to the action of the pipette. This simulator allows us to better understand the image statistics (to improve algorithms), as well as quantitatively test cell segmentation and tracking algorithms in scenarios, where ground truth data is fully known.

Marine Planktonic Archaea Take Up Amino Acids

PubMed Central

Ouverney, Cleber C.; Fuhrman, Jed A.

2000-01-01

Archaea are traditionally thought of as “extremophiles,” but recent studies have shown that marine planktonic Archaea make up a surprisingly large percentage of ocean midwater microbial communities, up to 60% of the total prokaryotes. However, the basic physiology and contribution of Archaea to community microbial activity remain unknown. We have studied Archaea from 200-m depths of the northwest Mediterranean Sea and the Pacific Ocean near California, measuring the archaeal activity under simulated natural conditions (8 to 17°C, dark and anaerobic) by means of a method called substrate tracking autoradiography fluorescence in situ hybridization (STARFISH) that simultaneously detects specific cell types by 16S rRNA probe binding and activity by microautoradiography. In the 200-m-deep Mediterranean and Pacific samples, cells binding the archaeal probes made up about 43 and 14% of the total countable cells, respectively. Our results showed that the Archaea are active in the uptake of dissolved amino acids from natural concentrations (nanomolar) with about 60% of the individuals in the archaeal communities showing measurable uptake. Bacteria showed a similar proportion of active cells. We concluded that a portion of these Archaea is heterotrophic and also appears to coexist successfully with Bacteria in the same water. PMID:11055931

Implementing technology-based embedded assessment in the home and community life of individuals aging with disabilities: a participatory research and development study.

PubMed

Chen, Ke-Yu; Harniss, Mark; Patel, Shwetak; Johnson, Kurt

2014-03-01

The goal of the study was to investigate the accuracy, feasibility and acceptability of implementing an embedded assessment system in the homes of individuals aging with disabilities. We developed and studied a location tracking system, UbiTrack, which can be used for both indoor and outdoor location sensing. The system was deployed in the homes of five participants with spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and late effects of polio. We collected sensor data throughout the deployment, conducted pre and post interviews and collected weekly diaries to measure ground truth. The system was deployed successfully although there were challenges related to system installation and calibration. System accuracy ranged from 62% to 87% depending upon room configuration and number of wireless access points installed. In general, participants reported that the system was easy to use, did not require significant effort on their part and did not interfere with their daily lives. Embedded assessment has great potential as a mechanism to gather ongoing information about the health of individuals aging with disabilities; however, there are significant challenges to its implementation in real-world settings with people with disabilities that will need to be resolved before it can be practically implemented. Technology-based embedded assessment has the potential to promote health for adults with disabilities and allow for aging in place. It may also reduce the difficulty, cost and intrusiveness of health measurement. Many new commercial and non-commercial products are available to support embedded assessment; however, most products have not been well-tested in real-world environments with individuals aging with disability. Community settings and diverse population of people with disabilities pose significant challenges to the implementation of embedded assessment systems.

Indirect Effects of the Fast Track Intervention on Conduct Disorder Symptoms and Callous-Unemotional Traits: Distinct Pathways Involving Discipline and Warmth

PubMed Central

Pasalich, Dave S.; Witkiewitz, Katie; McMahon, Robert J.; Pinderhughes, Ellen E.

2016-01-01

Little is known about intervening processes that explain how prevention programs improve particular youth antisocial outcomes. We examined whether parental harsh discipline and warmth in childhood differentially account for Fast Track intervention effects on conduct disorder (CD) symptoms and callous-unemotional (CU) traits in early adolescence. Participants included 891 high-risk kindergarteners (69% male; 51% African American) from urban and rural United States communities who were randomized into either the Fast Track intervention (n = 445) or non-intervention control (n = 446) groups. The 10-year intervention included parent management training and other services (e.g., social skills training, universal classroom curriculum) targeting various risk factors for the development of conduct problems. Harsh discipline (Grades 1 through 3) and warmth (Grades 1 and 2) were measured using parent responses to vignettes and direct observations of parent-child interaction, respectively. Parents reported on children’s CD symptoms in Grade 6 and CU traits in Grade 7. Results demonstrated indirect effects of the Fast Track intervention on reducing risk for youth antisocial outcomes. That is, Fast Track was associated with lower scores on harsh discipline, which in turn predicted decreased levels of CD symptoms. In addition, Fast Track was associated with higher scores on warmth, which in turn predicted reduced levels of CU traits. Our findings inform developmental and intervention models of youth antisocial behavior by providing evidence for the differential role of harsh discipline and warmth in accounting for indirect effects of Fast Track on CD symptoms versus CU traits, respectively. PMID:26242993

Indirect Effects of the Fast Track Intervention on Conduct Disorder Symptoms and Callous-Unemotional Traits: Distinct Pathways Involving Discipline and Warmth.

PubMed

Pasalich, Dave S; Witkiewitz, Katie; McMahon, Robert J; Pinderhughes, Ellen E

2016-04-01

Little is known about intervening processes that explain how prevention programs improve particular youth antisocial outcomes. We examined whether parental harsh discipline and warmth in childhood differentially account for Fast Track intervention effects on conduct disorder (CD) symptoms and callous-unemotional (CU) traits in early adolescence. Participants included 891 high-risk kindergarteners (69% male; 51% African American) from urban and rural United States communities who were randomized into either the Fast Track intervention (n = 445) or non-intervention control (n = 446) groups. The 10-year intervention included parent management training and other services (e.g., social skills training, universal classroom curriculum) targeting various risk factors for the development of conduct problems. Harsh discipline (Grades 1 to 3) and warmth (Grades 1 and 2) were measured using parent responses to vignettes and direct observations of parent-child interaction, respectively. Parents reported on children's CD symptoms in Grade 6 and CU traits in Grade 7. Results demonstrated indirect effects of the Fast Track intervention on reducing risk for youth antisocial outcomes. That is, Fast Track was associated with lower scores on harsh discipline, which in turn predicted decreased levels of CD symptoms. In addition, Fast Track was associated with higher scores on warmth, which in turn predicted reduced levels of CU traits. Our findings inform developmental and intervention models of youth antisocial behavior by providing evidence for the differential role of harsh discipline and warmth in accounting for indirect effects of Fast Track on CD symptoms versus CU traits, respectively.

Exceptional preservation of children's footprints from a Holocene footprint site in Namibia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bennett, Matthew R.; Morse, Sarita A.; Liutkus-Pierce, Cynthia; McClymont, Juliet; Evans, Mary; Crompton, Robin H.; Francis Thackeray, J.

2014-09-01

Here we report on a Holocene inter-dune site close to Walvis Bay (Namibia) which contains exceptionally well-preserved children's footprints. The footprint surface is dated using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) methods to approximately 1.5 ka. These dates are compared to those obtained at nearby footprint sites and used to verify a model of diachronous footprint surfaces and also add to the archaeological data available for the communities that occupied these near-coastal areas during the Holocene. This model of diachronous footprint surfaces has implications for other soft-sediment footprint sites such as the 1.5 Ma old footprints at Ileret (Kenya). The distribution of both human and animal tracks, is consistent with the passage of small flock of small ungulates (probably sheep/goats) followed by a group of approximately 9 ± 2 individuals (children or young adults). Age estimates from the tracks suggest that some of the individuals may have been as young as five years old. Variation in track topology across this sedimentologically uniform surface is explained in terms of variations in gait and weight/stature of the individual print makers and is used to corroborate a model of footprint morphology developed at a nearby site. The significance of the site within the literature on human footprints lies in the quality of the track preservation, their topological variability despite a potentially uniform substrate, and the small size of the tracks, and therefore the inferred young age of the track-makers. The site provides an emotive insight into the life of the track-makers.

MSU Antenna Pattern Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mo, Tsan; Kleespies, Thomas J.; Green, J. Philip

2000-01-01

The Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) antenna pattern data for nine MSU Flight Models (FMs) have been successfully rescued from 22-year old 7-track and 9-track magnetic tapes and cartridges. These antenna pattern data were unpacked into user-friendly ASCII format, and are potentially useful for making antenna pattern corrections to MSU antenna temperatures in retrieving the true brightness temperatures. We also properly interpreted the contents of the data and show how to convert the measured antenna signal amplitude in volts into relative antenna power in dB with proper normalization. It is found that the data are of high quality with a 60-dB drop in the co-polarized antenna patterns from the central peak value to its side-lobe regions at scan angles beyond 30 deg. The unpacked antenna pattern data produced in this study provide a useful database for data users to correct the antenna side-lobe contribution to MSU measurements. All of the data are available to the scientific community on a single CD-ROM.

Characteristics of bacterial community in cloud water at Mt Tai: similarity and disparity under polluted and non-polluted cloud episodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Min; Xu, Caihong; Chen, Jianmin; Zhu, Chao; Li, Jiarong; Lv, Ganglin

2017-04-01

Bacteria are widely distributed in atmospheric aerosols and are indispensable components of clouds, playing an important role in the atmospheric hydrological cycle. However, limited information is available about the bacterial community structure and function, especially for the increasing air pollution in the North China Plain. Here, we present a comprehensive characterization of bacterial community composition, function, variation, and environmental influence for cloud water collected at Mt Tai from 24 July to 23 August 2014. Using Miseq 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the highly diverse bacterial community in cloud water and the predominant phyla of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, and Firmicutes were investigated. Bacteria that survive at low temperature, radiation, and poor nutrient conditions were found in cloud water, suggesting adaption to an extreme environment. The bacterial gene functions predicted from the 16S rRNA gene using the Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt) suggested that the pathways related to metabolism and disease infections were significantly correlated with the predominant genera. The abundant genera Acinetobacter, Stenotrophomonas, Pseudomonas, and Empedobacter originated from a wide range of habitats including cloud condensation nuclei and ice nuclei active species, opportunistic pathogens, and functional species, demonstrating the importance of ecology and health in cloud water. Cluster analysis including hierarchical cluster (Hcluster) and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) indicated a significant disparity between polluted and non-polluted samples. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) demonstrated that potential pathogens were enriched in the polluted cloud samples, whereas the diverse ecological function groups were significant in the non-polluted samples. Discrepant community structure determined by redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that the major ions in cloud water and PM2. 5 in the atmosphere have a negative impact on bacteria, playing a vital role in shaping microbial community structure. The major ions might provide nutrition to bacteria and directly influence the bacterial community, whereas PM2. 5 in air has an indirect impact on bacterial community structure. During wet deposition, soluble particulate matter was dissolved in water droplets resulting in elevated concentration in cloud water. PM2. 5 was possibly associated with different origins and pathways of air mass as determined using source tracking by the backward trajectory, mainly related to long-range transport. This work enhanced our understanding of the characteristics of bacterial ecology in the atmospheric aqueous phase, highlighting the potential influence of environmental variables on the bacterial community in cloud processes. It may provide fundamental information of the bacterial community response in cloud water under increasing pollution. However, due to the limited sample size (13 samples) collected at the summit of Mt Tai, these issues need in-depth discussion. Further studies based on an annual series of field observation experiments and laboratory simulations will continue to track these issues.

Working to Eliminate Cancer Health Disparities from Tobacco: A Review of the National Cancer Institute’s Community Networks Program

PubMed Central

Fagan, Pebbles; Cooper, Leslie; Canto, Maria; Carroll, William; Foster-Bey, John; Hébert, James R.; Lopez-Class, Maria; Ma, Grace X.; Nez Henderson, Patricia; Pérez-Stable, Eliseo J.; Santos, LorrieAnn; Smith, Justin H.; Tan, Yin; Tsoh, Janice; Chu, Kenneth

2015-01-01

Introduction: In 2005, the National Cancer Institute funded the Community Networks Program (CNP), which aimed to reduce cancer health disparities in minority racial/ethnic and underserved groups through community-based participatory research, education, and training. The purpose of this study was to describe the CNP model and their tobacco-related work in community-based research, education, and training using a tobacco disparities research framework. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive review of the CNP tobacco-related activities including publications, published abstracts, research activities, trainee pilot studies, policy-related activities, educational outreach, and reports produced from 2005–2009. Two authors categorized the tobacco-related activities and publications within the framework. Results: Although there was no mandate to address tobacco, the CNPs produced 103 tobacco-related peer-reviewed publications, which reflects the largest proportion (12%) of all CNP cancer-related publications. Selected publications and research activities were most numerous under the framework areas “Psychosocial Research,” “Surveillance,” “Epidemiology,” and “Treatment of Nicotine Addiction.” Thirteen CNPs participated in tobacco control policymaking in mainstream efforts that affected their local community and populations, and 24 CNPs conducted 1147 tobacco-related educational outreach activities. CNP activities that aimed to build research and infrastructure capacity included nine tobacco-related pilot projects representing 16% of all CNP cancer-related pilot projects, and 17 publications acknowledging leveraged partnerships with other organizations, a strategy encouraged by the CNP. Conclusions: The CNP is a promising academic-community model for working to eliminate tobacco-related health disparities. Future efforts may address scientific gaps, consider collaboration across groups, assess the extent of operationalizing community-based participatory research, and improve common tracking measures. PMID:26180215

Assessing visual attention using eye tracking sensors in intelligent cognitive therapies based on serious games.

PubMed

Frutos-Pascual, Maite; Garcia-Zapirain, Begonya

2015-05-12

This study examines the use of eye tracking sensors as a means to identify children's behavior in attention-enhancement therapies. For this purpose, a set of data collected from 32 children with different attention skills is analyzed during their interaction with a set of puzzle games. The authors of this study hypothesize that participants with better performance may have quantifiably different eye-movement patterns from users with poorer results. The use of eye trackers outside the research community may help to extend their potential with available intelligent therapies, bringing state-of-the-art technologies to users. The use of gaze data constitutes a new information source in intelligent therapies that may help to build new approaches that are fully-customized to final users' needs. This may be achieved by implementing machine learning algorithms for classification. The initial study of the dataset has proven a 0.88 (±0.11) classification accuracy with a random forest classifier, using cross-validation and hierarchical tree-based feature selection. Further approaches need to be examined in order to establish more detailed attention behaviors and patterns among children with and without attention problems.

Assessing Visual Attention Using Eye Tracking Sensors in Intelligent Cognitive Therapies Based on Serious Games

PubMed Central

Frutos-Pascual, Maite; Garcia-Zapirain, Begonya

2015-01-01

This study examines the use of eye tracking sensors as a means to identify children's behavior in attention-enhancement therapies. For this purpose, a set of data collected from 32 children with different attention skills is analyzed during their interaction with a set of puzzle games. The authors of this study hypothesize that participants with better performance may have quantifiably different eye-movement patterns from users with poorer results. The use of eye trackers outside the research community may help to extend their potential with available intelligent therapies, bringing state-of-the-art technologies to users. The use of gaze data constitutes a new information source in intelligent therapies that may help to build new approaches that are fully-customized to final users' needs. This may be achieved by implementing machine learning algorithms for classification. The initial study of the dataset has proven a 0.88 (±0.11) classification accuracy with a random forest classifier, using cross-validation and hierarchical tree-based feature selection. Further approaches need to be examined in order to establish more detailed attention behaviors and patterns among children with and without attention problems. PMID:25985158

Fish community reassembly after a coral mass mortality: higher trophic groups are subject to increased rates of extinction.

PubMed

Alonso, David; Pinyol-Gallemí, Aleix; Alcoverro, Teresa; Arthur, Rohan

2015-05-01

Since Gleason and Clements, our understanding of community dynamics has been influenced by theories emphasising either dispersal or niche assembly as central to community structuring. Determining the relative importance of these processes in structuring real-world communities remains a challenge. We tracked reef fish community reassembly after a catastrophic coral mortality in a relatively unfished archipelago. We revisited the stochastic model underlying MacArthur and Wilson's Island Biogeography Theory, with a simple extension to account for trophic identity. Colonisation and extinction rates calculated from decadal presence-absence data based on (1) species neutrality, (2) trophic identity and (3) site-specificity were used to model post-disturbance reassembly, and compared with empirical observations. Results indicate that species neutrality holds within trophic guilds, and trophic identity significantly increases overall model performance. Strikingly, extinction rates increased clearly with trophic position, indicating that fish communities may be inherently susceptible to trophic downgrading even without targeted fishing of top predators. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

AICUZ (Air Installation Compatible Use Zone) report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1982-09-01

The development and use of lands near U.S. Air Force base is of continuing concern to Air Force officials. It is recognized that the public must be protected from noise and other hazards of air base operations. At the same time it is recognized that lands near air bases often are highly attractive areas for development. Aircraft operations are likely to continue from Mather AFB for the indefinite future. Operations will include the T-37, T-43, B-52, KC-135 or replacement aircraft. The types of aircraft, flight tracks, frequency, and other characteristics will be continuously evaluated by Mather AFB to determine the effects on the AICUZ and the community. The AICUZ study was prepared to promote orderly and compatible land use around Mather AFB. Land use guidelines and noise measurement techniques are based on recent technology. Data from this study should be considered for incorporation into existing land use plans and ordinances of surrounding communities, and used as a basis for decisions on future land development requests.

Implementation of a Reverse Colocation Model: Lessons from Two Community Behavioral Health Agencies in Rural Pennsylvania.

PubMed

Gerolamo, Angela M; Kim, Jung Y; Brown, Jonathan D; Schuster, James; Kogan, Jane

2016-07-01

This qualitative study examined the implementation of a reverse colocation pilot program that sought to integrate medical care in two community behavioral health agencies. To accomplish this, each agency hired a registered nurse, provided training for its staff to function as wellness coaches, and implemented a web-based tool for tracking consumer outcomes. The findings from two rounds of stakeholder discussions and consumer focus groups suggested that agencies successfully trained their staffs in wellness coaching, integrated nurses into agency functions, developed integrated care planning processes, and increased awareness of wellness among staff and consumers. Similar to other complex interventions, the agencies experienced challenges including difficulty establishing new procedures and communication protocols, discomfort among staff in addressing physical health concerns, difficulty building collaborative relationships with primary care providers, and modest uptake of the web-based tool. The study offers insights into the practical aspects of integrating care and makes recommendations for future efforts.

Computerized Self-Administered Measures of Mood and Appetite for Older Adults: The Novel Assessment of Nutrition and Ageing Toolkit.

PubMed

Brown, Laura J E; Adlam, Tim; Hwang, Faustina; Khadra, Hassan; Maclean, Linda M; Rudd, Bridey; Smith, Tom; Timon, Claire; Williams, Elizabeth A; Astell, Arlene J

2018-02-01

The "Novel Assessment of Nutrition and Ageing" (NANA) toolkit is a computerized system for collecting longitudinal information about older adults' health and behavior. Here, we describe the validation of six items for measuring older adults' self-reported mood and appetite as part of the NANA system. In Study 1, 48 community-living older adults (aged 65-89 years) completed NANA measures of their current mood and appetite alongside standard paper measures, on three occasions, in a laboratory setting. In Study 2, 40 community-living older adults (aged 64-88 years) completed daily NANA measures of momentary mood and appetite in their own homes, unsupervised, alongside additional measures of health and behavior, over three 7-day periods. The NANA measures were significantly correlated with standard measures of mood and appetite, and showed stability over time. They show utility for tracking mood and appetite longitudinally, and for better understanding links with other aspects of health and behavior.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Hookworm-Related Cutaneous Larva Migrans (HrCLM) in a Resource-Poor Community in Manaus, Brazil.

PubMed

Reichert, Felix; Pilger, Daniel; Schuster, Angela; Lesshafft, Hannah; Guedes de Oliveira, Silas; Ignatius, Ralf; Feldmeier, Hermann

2016-03-01

Hookworm-related cutaneous larva migrans (HrCLM) is a neglected tropical skin disease associated with significant clinical pathology. Little knowledge exists about prevalence and risk factors of HrCLM in endemic regions. To understand the epidemiology of HrCLM in Amazonia, we conducted a cross-sectional study in a resource-poor township in Manaus, Brazil. HrCLM was diagnosed in 8.2% (95% CI, 6.3-10.1%) of the study population (N = 806) with a peak prevalence of 18.2% (95% CI, 9.3-27.1%) in children aged 10-14. Most of the tracks (62.4%) were located on the feet, and 10.6% were superinfected. HrCLM was associated independently with age under 15, male sex, presence of animal faeces on the compound, walking barefoot on sandy ground and poverty. HrCLM is common in resource-poor communities in Amazonia and is related to poverty. To reduce the disease burden caused by HrCLM, living conditions have to be improved.

Molecular diversity of methanogens in fecal samples from Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus) at two zoos.

PubMed

Turnbull, Kathryn L; Smith, Rachel P; St-Pierre, Benoit; Wright, André-Denis G

2012-08-01

Animals are dependent on mutualistic microbial communities that reside in their gastrointestinal track for essential physiological functions such as nutrition and pathogen resistance. The composition of microbial communities in an animal is influenced by various factors, including species, diet and geographical location. In this preliminary study, the population structure of fecal methanogens in Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus) from two zoos was studied using separate 16S rRNA gene libraries for each zoo. While methanogen sequences belonging to the genus Methanobrevibacter were dominant in both libraries, they showed significant differences in diversity (p=0.05) and structure (p<0.0001). Population structure analysis revealed that only two operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were shared between libraries, while two OTUs were unique to the Southwick Zoo library and seven OTUs were unique to the Potter Park Zoo library. These preliminary results highlight how methanogen population structures can vary greatly between animals of the same species maintained in captivity at different locations. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Shelf sediment transport during hurricanes Katrina and Rita

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Kehui; Mickey, Rangley C.; Chen, Qin; Harris, Courtney K.; Hetland, Robert D.; Hu, Kelin; Wang, Jiaze

2016-05-01

Hurricanes can greatly modify the sedimentary record, but our coastal scientific community has rather limited capability to predict hurricane-induced sediment deposition. A three-dimensional sediment transport model was developed in the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) to study seabed erosion and deposition on the Louisiana shelf in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the year 2005. Sensitivity tests were performed on both erosional and depositional processes for a wide range of erosional rates and settling velocities, and uncertainty analysis was done on critical shear stresses using the polynomial chaos approximation method. A total of 22 model runs were performed in sensitivity and uncertainty tests. Estimated maximum erosional depths were sensitive to the inputs, but horizontal erosional patterns seemed to be controlled mainly by hurricane tracks, wave-current combined shear stresses, seabed grain sizes, and shelf bathymetry. During the passage of two hurricanes, local resuspension and deposition dominated the sediment transport mechanisms. Hurricane Katrina followed a shelf-perpendicular track before making landfall and its energy dissipated rapidly within about 48 h along the eastern Louisiana coast. In contrast, Hurricane Rita followed a more shelf-oblique track and disturbed the seabed extensively during its 84-h passage from the Alabama-Mississippi border to the Louisiana-Texas border. Conditions to either side of Hurricane Rita's storm track differed substantially, with the region to the east having stronger winds, taller waves and thus deeper erosions. This study indicated that major hurricanes can disturb the shelf at centimeter to meter levels. Each of these two hurricanes suspended seabed sediment mass that far exceeded the annual sediment inputs from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers, but the net transport from shelves to estuaries is yet to be determined. Future studies should focus on the modeling of sediment exchange between estuaries and shelves and the field measurement of erosional rates and settling velocities.

Findings from the Families on Track Intervention Pilot Trial for Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and Their Families.

PubMed

Petrenko, Christie L M; Pandolfino, Mary E; Robinson, Luther K

2017-07-01

Individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are at high risk for costly, debilitating mental health problems and secondary conditions, such as school disruption, trouble with the law, and substance use. The study objective was to pilot a multicomponent intervention designed to prevent secondary conditions in children with FASD and improve family adaptation. Thirty children with FASD or prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) (ages 4 to 8) and their primary caregivers were enrolled. Families were randomized to either the Families on Track Integrated Preventive Intervention or an active control of neuropsychological assessment and personalized community referrals. The 30-week intervention integrates scientifically validated bimonthly, in-home parent behavioral consultation, and weekly child skills groups. Outcomes measured at baseline and follow-up postintervention included intervention satisfaction, child emotional and behavioral functioning, child self-esteem, caregiver knowledge of FASD and advocacy, caregiver attitudes, use of targeted parenting practices, perceived family needs met, social support, and self-care. Data analysis emphasized calculation of effect sizes and was supplemented with analysis of variance techniques. Analyses indicated that families participating in the intervention reported high program satisfaction. Relative to comparison group outcomes, the intervention was associated with medium-to-large effects for child emotion regulation, self-esteem, and anxiety. Medium-sized improvements in disruptive behavior were observed for both groups. Medium and large effects were seen for important caregiver outcomes: knowledge of FASD and advocacy, attributions of behavior, use of antecedent strategies, parenting efficacy, family needs met, social support, and self-care. This pilot study yielded promising findings from the multicomponent Families on Track Integrated Preventive Intervention for child and caregiver outcomes. An important next step is to complete a randomized control trial of the Families on Track Program with a larger sample fully representative of this underserved clinical population with built-in study of implementation parameters. Copyright © 2017 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

A tracking system for laboratory mice to support medical researchers in behavioral analysis.

PubMed

Macrì, S; Mainetti, L; Patrono, L; Pieretti, S; Secco, A; Sergi, I

2015-08-01

The behavioral analysis of laboratory mice plays a key role in several medical and scientific research areas, such as biology, toxicology, pharmacology, and so on. Important information on mice behavior and their reaction to a particular stimulus is deduced from a careful analysis of their movements. Moreover, behavioral analysis of genetically modified mice allows obtaining important information about particular genes, phenotypes or drug effects. The techniques commonly adopted to support such analysis have many limitations, which make the related systems particularly ineffective. Currently, the engineering community is working to explore innovative identification and sensing technologies to develop new tracking systems able to guarantee benefits to animals' behavior analysis. This work presents a tracking solution based on passive Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID) in Ultra High Frequency (UHF) band. Much emphasis is given to the software component of the system, based on a Web-oriented solution, able to process the raw tracking data coming from a hardware system, and offer 2D and 3D tracking information as well as reports and dashboards about mice behavior. The system has been widely tested using laboratory mice and compared with an automated video-tracking software (i.e., EthoVision). The obtained results have demonstrated the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed solution, which is able to correctly detect the events occurring in the animals' cage, and to offer a complete and user-friendly tool to support researchers in behavioral analysis of laboratory mice.

Phenological shifts conserve thermal niches in North American birds and reshape expectations for climate-driven range shifts.

PubMed

Socolar, Jacob B; Epanchin, Peter N; Beissinger, Steven R; Tingley, Morgan W

2017-12-05

Species respond to climate change in two dominant ways: range shifts in latitude or elevation and phenological shifts of life-history events. Range shifts are widely viewed as the principal mechanism for thermal niche tracking, and phenological shifts in birds and other consumers are widely understood as the principal mechanism for tracking temporal peaks in biotic resources. However, phenological and range shifts each present simultaneous opportunities for temperature and resource tracking, although the possible role for phenological shifts in thermal niche tracking has been widely overlooked. Using a canonical dataset of Californian bird surveys and a detectability-based approach for quantifying phenological signal, we show that Californian bird communities advanced their breeding phenology by 5-12 d over the last century. This phenological shift might track shifting resource peaks, but it also reduces average temperatures during nesting by over 1 °C, approximately the same magnitude that average temperatures have warmed over the same period. We further show that early-summer temperature anomalies are correlated with nest success in a continental-scale database of bird nests, suggesting avian thermal niches might be broadly limited by temperatures during nesting. These findings outline an adaptation surface where geographic range and breeding phenology respond jointly to constraints imposed by temperature and resource phenology. By stabilizing temperatures during nesting, phenological shifts might mitigate the need for range shifts. Global change ecology will benefit from further exploring phenological adjustment as a potential mechanism for thermal niche tracking and vice versa.

Multiple-camera tracking: UK government requirements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosmer, Paul

2007-10-01

The Imagery Library for Intelligent Detection Systems (i-LIDS) is the UK government's new standard for Video Based Detection Systems (VBDS). The standard was launched in November 2006 and evaluations against it began in July 2007. With the first four i-LIDS scenarios completed, the Home Office Scientific development Branch (HOSDB) are looking toward the future of intelligent vision in the security surveillance market by adding a fifth scenario to the standard. The fifth i-LIDS scenario will concentrate on the development, testing and evaluation of systems for the tracking of people across multiple cameras. HOSDB and the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) identified a requirement to track targets across a network of CCTV cameras using both live and post event imagery. The Detection and Vision Systems group at HOSDB were asked to determine the current state of the market and develop an in-depth Operational Requirement (OR) based on government end user requirements. Using this OR the i-LIDS team will develop a full i-LIDS scenario to aid the machine vision community in its development of multi-camera tracking systems. By defining a requirement for multi-camera tracking and building this into the i-LIDS standard the UK government will provide a widely available tool that developers can use to help them turn theory and conceptual demonstrators into front line application. This paper will briefly describe the i-LIDS project and then detail the work conducted in building the new tracking aspect of the standard.

Skeletal records of community-level bleaching in Porites corals from Palau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barkley, Hannah C.; Cohen, Anne L.

2016-12-01

Tropical Pacific sea surface temperature is projected to rise an additional 2-3 °C by the end of this century, driving an increase in the frequency and intensity of coral bleaching. With significant global coral reef cover already lost due to bleaching-induced mortality, efforts are underway to identify thermally tolerant coral communities that might survive projected warming. Massive, long-lived corals accrete skeletal bands of anomalously high density in response to episodes of thermal stress. These "stress bands" are potentially valuable proxies for thermal tolerance, but to date their application to questions of community bleaching history has been limited. Ecological surveys recorded bleaching of coral communities across the Palau archipelago during the 1998 and 2010 warm events. Between 2011 and 2015, we extracted skeletal cores from living Porites colonies at 10 sites spanning barrier reef and lagoon environments and quantified the proportion of stress bands present in each population during bleaching years. Across Palau, the prevalence of stress bands tracked the severity of thermal stress, with more stress bands occurring in 1998 (degree heating weeks = 13.57 °C-week) than during the less severe 2010 event (degree heating weeks = 4.86 °C-week). Stress band prevalence also varied by reef type, as more corals on the exposed barrier reef formed stress bands than did corals from sheltered lagoon environments. Comparison of Porites stress band prevalence with bleaching survey data revealed a strong correlation between percent community bleaching and the proportion of colonies with stress bands in each year. Conversely, annual calcification rates did not decline consistently during bleaching years nor did annually resolved calcification histories always track interannual variability in temperature. Our data suggest that stress bands in massive corals contain valuable information about spatial and temporal trends in coral reef bleaching and can aid in conservation efforts to identify temperature-tolerant coral reef communities.

Overview of NASARTI (NASA Radiation Track Image) Program: Highlights of the Model Improvement and the New Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ponomarev, Artem L.; Plante, I.; George, Kerry; Cornforth, M. N.; Loucas, B. D.; Wu, Honglu

2014-01-01

This presentation summarizes several years of research done by the co-authors developing the NASARTI (NASA Radiation Track Image) program and supporting it with scientific data. The goal of the program is to support NASA mission to achieve a safe space travel for humans despite the perils of space radiation. The program focuses on selected topics in radiation biology that were deemed important throughout this period of time, both for the NASA human space flight program and to academic radiation research. Besides scientific support to develop strategies protecting humans against an exposure to deep space radiation during space missions, and understanding health effects from space radiation on astronauts, other important ramifications of the ionizing radiation were studied with the applicability to greater human needs: understanding the origins of cancer, the impact on human genome, and the application of computer technology to biological research addressing the health of general population. The models under NASARTI project include: the general properties of ionizing radiation, such as particular track structure, the effects of radiation on human DNA, visualization and the statistical properties of DSBs (DNA double-strand breaks), DNA damage and repair pathways models and cell phenotypes, chromosomal aberrations, microscopy data analysis and the application to human tissue damage and cancer models. The development of the GUI and the interactive website, as deliverables to NASA operations teams and tools for a broader research community, is discussed. Most recent findings in the area of chromosomal aberrations and the application of the stochastic track structure are also presented.

Voting behavior, coalitions and government strength through a complex network analysis.

PubMed

Dal Maso, Carlo; Pompa, Gabriele; Puliga, Michelangelo; Riotta, Gianni; Chessa, Alessandro

2014-01-01

We analyze the network of relations between parliament members according to their voting behavior. In particular, we examine the emergent community structure with respect to political coalitions and government alliances. We rely on tools developed in the Complex Network literature to explore the core of these communities and use their topological features to develop new metrics for party polarization, internal coalition cohesiveness and government strength. As a case study, we focus on the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament, for which we are able to characterize the heterogeneity of the ruling coalition as well as parties specific contributions to the stability of the government over time. We find sharp contrast in the political debate which surprisingly does not imply a relevant structure based on established parties. We take a closer look to changes in the community structure after parties split up and their effect on the position of single deputies within communities. Finally, we introduce a way to track the stability of the government coalition over time that is able to discern the contribution of each member along with the impact of its possible defection. While our case study relies on the Italian parliament, whose relevance has come into the international spotlight in the present economic downturn, the methods developed here are entirely general and can therefore be applied to a multitude of other scenarios.

A 15 Year Ecological Comparison for the Market Dynamics of Minnesota Community Pharmacies from 2002 to 2017.

PubMed

Olson, Anthony W; Schommer, Jon C; Hadsall, Ronald S

2018-06-02

Background: Understanding the factors that influence the market entry, exit, and stability of community pharmacies (i.e., market dynamics) is important for stakeholders ranging from patients to health policymakers and small business owners to large corporate institutions. Objective: The study's first objective was to describe the market dynamics of community pharmacies for Minnesota counties in 2002, 2007, 2012, and 2017 by associating county (a) population density and (b) metropolitan designation with the change in the number of 'All community pharmacies,' 'Chain community pharmacies', and 'Independent community pharmacies'. The study's second objective was to describe the number and proportion of community pharmacies for Minnesota counties in 2002, 2007, 2012, and 2017 by (1) 'Business Organization Structure' and (2) 'Pharmacy Type.' Methods: County-level data were obtained from the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy, US Census Bureau, and Minnesota State Demographic Center for 2002, 2007, 2012, and 2017. Findings were summarized and the associations between study variables described using descriptive statistics. Results: The ratio of 'Independent community pharmacies' to 'Chain community pharmacies' was about 1:1 (466:530) in 2002, 1:2 (352:718) in 2007, 1:2 (387:707) in 2012, and 1:3 (256:807) in 2017. There was not a consistent relationship that carried through the 15 year analysis between county population density and metropolitan designation and the market dynamic patterns of community pharmacies. The types of pharmacy in Minnesota changed significantly over the study with increases in state, regional, and national chains and declines in single entity and small chain independents. There were also notable declines in mass merchandiser community pharmacies and increases in clinic and medical center community pharmacies. Discussion: The findings suggest that different or additional factors beyond traditional market dynamic predictors of population density and metropolitan designation were at play in each five year interval of this study. We propose that the traditional dichotomy of independent and chain community pharmacy groupings no longer provide an optimal characterization for the market dynamics of pharmacies today. Instead, community pharmacies may be better organized by their capacity to operate as healthcare access points that provide and are reimbursed for patient care and public health services like medication therapy management, immunizations, and more. Conclusions: The findings showed that community pharmacy distribution in Minnesota's 87 counties has shifted between 2002 and 2017 from traditional retail models to emerging healthcare models based on population health needs. This signals the need for not only a new approach for tracking community pharmacy market dynamics but also adjustments by community pharmacies to remain relevant in a new environment of patient care services.

A group randomized trial using an appointment system to improve adherence to ART at reproductive and child health clinics implementing Option B+ in Tanzania

PubMed Central

Liana, Jafary; Kajoka, Mwikemo Deborah; Valimba, Richard; Kimatta, Suleiman; Dillip, Angel; Vialle-Valentin, Catherine; Embrey, Martha; Lieber, Rachel; Johnson, Keith

2017-01-01

Introduction In October 2013, Tanzania adopted Option B+ under which HIV-positive pregnant women are initiated on antiretroviral therapy in reproductive and child health clinics at diagnosis. Studies have shown that adherence and retention to antiretroviral treatment can be problematic. Methods We implemented a group randomized controlled trial in 24 reproductive and child health clinics in eight districts in Mbeya region. The trial tested the impact of implementing paper-based appointment tracking and community outreach systems on the rate of missed appointments and number of days covered by dispensed antiretroviral medications among women previously established on antiretroviral therapy. We used interrupted time series analysis to assess study outcomes. Clinic staff and patients in intervention clinics were aware of the intervention because of change in clinic procedures; data collectors knew the study group assignment. Results Three months pre-intervention, we identified 1924 and 1226 patients established on antiretroviral therapy for six months or more in intervention and control clinics, respectively, of whom 83.4% and 86.9% had one or more post-intervention visits. The unadjusted rate of missed visits declined from 36.5% to 34.4% in intervention clinics and increased from 38.9% to 45.5% in control clinics following the intervention. Interrupted time series analyses demonstrated a net decrease of 13.7% (95% CI [-15.4,-12.1]) for missed visits at six months post-intervention. Similar differential changes were observed for visits missed by 3, 7, 15, or 60 days. Conclusion Appointment-tracking and community outreach significantly improved appointment-keeping for women on antiretroviral therapy. The facility staff controlled their workload better, identified missing patients rapidly, and worked with existing community organizations. There is now enough evidence to scale up this approach to all antiretroviral therapy and Option B+ reproductive and child health clinics in Tanzania as well as to evaluate the intervention in medical clinics that treat other chronic health conditions. Trial registration Registry for International Development Impact Evaluations ID-55310280d8757 PMID:28957381

Linking Primary Care Information Systems and Public Health Vertical Programs in the Philippines: An Open-source Experience

PubMed Central

Tolentino, Herman; Marcelo, Alvin; Marcelo, Portia; Maramba, Inocencio

2005-01-01

Community-based primary care information systems are one of the building blocks for national health information systems. In the Philippines, after the devolution of health care to local governments, we observed “health information system islands” connected to national vertical programs being implemented in devolved health units. These structures lead to a huge amount of “information work” in the transformation of health information at the community level. This paper describes work done to develop and implement the open-source Community Based Health Information Tracking System (CHITS) Project, which was implemented to address this information management problem and its outcomes. Several lessons learned from the field as well as software development strategies are highlighted in building community level information systems that link to national level health information systems. PMID:16779052

A Novel Conceptual Architecture for Person-Centered Health Records.

PubMed

Schleyer, Titus; King, Zachary; Miled, Zina Ben

2016-01-01

Personal health records available to patients today suffer from multiple limitations, such as information fragmentation, a one-size-fits-all approach and a focus on data gathered over time and by institution rather than health conditions. This makes it difficult for patients to effectively manage their health, for these data to be enriched with relevant information from external sources and for clinicians to support them in that endeavor. We propose a novel conceptual architecture for person-centered health record information systems that transcends many of these limitations and capitalizes on the emerging trend of socially-driven information systems. Our proposed personal health record system is personalized on demand to the conditions of each individual patient; organized to facilitate the tracking and review of the patient's conditions; and able to support patient-community interactions, thereby promoting community engagement in scientific studies, facilitating preventive medicine, and accelerating the translation of research findings.

On the Reprocessing and Reanalysis of Observations for Climate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bosilovich, Michael G.; Kennedy, John; Dee, Dick; ONeill, Alan

2012-01-01

The long observational record is critical to our understanding of the Earth s climate, but most observing systems were not developed with a climate objective in mind. As a result, tremendous efforts have gone into assessing and reprocessing the data records to improve their usefulness in climate studies. Many challenges remain, such as tracking the improvement of processing algorithms and limited spatial coverage. Reanalyses have fostered significant research, yet reliable global trends in many physical fields are not yet attainable, despite significant advances in data assimilation and numerical modeling. Communication of the strengths, limitations and uncertainties of reprocessed observations and reanalysis data, not only among the community of developers, but also with the extended research community, including the new generations of researchers and the decision makers is crucial for further advancement of the observational data records. WCRP provides the means to bridge the different motivating objectives on which national efforts focus.

Diversity in Detection Algorithms for Atmospheric Rivers: A Community Effort to Understand the Consequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shields, C. A.; Ullrich, P. A.; Rutz, J. J.; Wehner, M. F.; Ralph, M.; Ruby, L.

2017-12-01

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are long, narrow filamentary structures that transport large amounts of moisture in the lower layers of the atmosphere, typically from subtropical regions to mid-latitudes. ARs play an important role in regional hydroclimate by supplying significant amounts of precipitation that can alleviate drought, or in extreme cases, produce dangerous floods. Accurately detecting, or tracking, ARs is important not only for weather forecasting, but is also necessary to understand how these events may change under global warming. Detection algorithms are used on both regional and global scales, and most accurately, using high resolution datasets, or model output. Different detection algorithms can produce different answers. Detection algorithms found in the current literature fall broadly into two categories: "time-stitching", where the AR is tracked with a Lagrangian approach through time and space; and "counting", where ARs are identified for a single point in time for a single location. Counting routines can be further subdivided into algorithms that use absolute thresholds with specific geometry, to algorithms that use relative thresholds, to algorithms based on statistics, to pattern recognition and machine learning techniques. With such a large diversity in detection code, differences in AR tracking and "counts" can vary widely from technique to technique. Uncertainty increases for future climate scenarios, where the difference between relative and absolute thresholding produce vastly different counts, simply due to the moister background state in a warmer world. In an effort to quantify the uncertainty associated with tracking algorithms, the AR detection community has come together to participate in ARTMIP, the Atmospheric River Tracking Method Intercomparison Project. Each participant will provide AR metrics to the greater group by applying their code to a common reanalysis dataset. MERRA2 data was chosen for both temporal and spatial resolution. After completion of this first phase, Tier 1, ARTMIP participants may choose to contribute to Tier 2, which will range from reanalysis uncertainty, to analysis of future climate scenarios from high resolution model output. ARTMIP's experimental design, techniques, and preliminary metrics will be presented.

Spatial Structures of the Environment and of Dispersal Impact Species Distribution in Competitive Metacommunities

PubMed Central

Ai, Dexiecuo; Gravel, Dominique; Chu, Chengjin; Wang, Gang

2013-01-01

The correspondence between species distribution and the environment depends on species’ ability to track favorable environmental conditions (via dispersal) and to maintain competitive hierarchy against the constant influx of migrants (mass effect) and demographic stochasticity (ecological drift). Here we report a simulation study of the influence of landscape structure on species distribution. We consider lottery competition for space in a spatially heterogeneous environment, where the landscape is represented as a network of localities connected by dispersal. We quantified the contribution of neutrality and species sorting to their spatial distribution. We found that neutrality increases and the strength of species-sorting decreases with the centrality of a community in the landscape when the average dispersal among communities is low, whereas the opposite was found at elevated dispersal. We also found that the strength of species-sorting increases with environmental heterogeneity. Our results illustrate that spatial structure of the environment and of dispersal must be taken into account for understanding species distribution. We stress the importance of spatial geographic structure on the relative importance of niche vs. neutral processes in controlling community dynamics. PMID:23874815

Spatial structures of the environment and of dispersal impact species distribution in competitive metacommunities.

PubMed

Ai, Dexiecuo; Gravel, Dominique; Chu, Chengjin; Wang, Gang

2013-01-01

The correspondence between species distribution and the environment depends on species' ability to track favorable environmental conditions (via dispersal) and to maintain competitive hierarchy against the constant influx of migrants (mass effect) and demographic stochasticity (ecological drift). Here we report a simulation study of the influence of landscape structure on species distribution. We consider lottery competition for space in a spatially heterogeneous environment, where the landscape is represented as a network of localities connected by dispersal. We quantified the contribution of neutrality and species sorting to their spatial distribution. We found that neutrality increases and the strength of species-sorting decreases with the centrality of a community in the landscape when the average dispersal among communities is low, whereas the opposite was found at elevated dispersal. We also found that the strength of species-sorting increases with environmental heterogeneity. Our results illustrate that spatial structure of the environment and of dispersal must be taken into account for understanding species distribution. We stress the importance of spatial geographic structure on the relative importance of niche vs. neutral processes in controlling community dynamics.

Tracking changes in the public health system: what researchers need to know to monitor and evaluate these changes.

PubMed

1996-09-01

Just as the medical care system is changing in communities across the country, so too is the public health system. Reduced resources, fragmentation of traditional public health functions, the spread of managed care, and developing new partnerships are key among these changes. Two dozen public health officials and health policy researchers met in April at the Center for Studying Health System Change to discuss the changes in the financing and delivery of public health services and the research needed to monitor and evaluate the impact of these changes.

77 FR 20756 - Implementation of the Local Community Radio Act of 2010; Revision of Service and Eligibility...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-06

... the technical report entitled `Experimental Measurements of the Third-Adjacent Channel Impacts of Low... rules designed to prevent any predicted interference. 31. We propose to adopt a basic threshold test. This test is designed to closely track the interference standard developed by Mitre, without...

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Plug-In Electric Vehicle Readiness Scorecard

Science.gov Websites

track progress toward PEV readiness. Get started evaluating your community. Create Account Log in to your account. Email Password Forgot your password? LOG IN Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average (20.5 hours) per response, including the time for reviewing

Engaging Citizens in Environmental Decision Making: Burlington, Vermont's EMPACT Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Deane

2002-01-01

In 1998 a Burlington, Vermont partnership of a branch of city government and several educational and environmental organizations received a "metro-grant" to develop a project for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under its Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) Program. One goal was to…

Crossing the Divide: An Emerging Typology of Postsecondary Bridging for Opportunity Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Almeida, Cheryl; Allen, Lili

2016-01-01

Through Job For the Future's (JFF's) work with communities around the country on the Back on Track model, postsecondary bridging strategies have emerged as a particularly critical and especially replicable component of programming for vulnerable youth. This issue brief offers a typology of evidence-informed bridge programming, drawing on…

77 FR 68139 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Comment Request; Multifamily Housing Service...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-15

... affected agencies concerning the proposed collection of information to: 1. Evaluate whether the proposed... technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses. This Notice also lists the following... residents and Attendance at or planning of community events, and H. Adding a new section to track aging in...

Kinetic Modeling of Next-Generation High-Energy, High-Intensity Laser-Ion Accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Albright, Brian James; Yin, Lin; Stark, David James

One of the long-standing problems in the community is the question of how we can model “next-generation” laser-ion acceleration in a computationally tractable way. A new particle tracking capability in the LANL VPIC kinetic plasma modeling code has enabled us to solve this long-standing problem

District Self-Assessment Tool. College Readiness Indicator Systems Resource Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University, 2014

2014-01-01

The purpose of the "District Self-Assessment Tool" is to provide school district and community stakeholders with an approach for assessing district capacity to support a college readiness indicator system and track progress over time. The tool draws on lessons from the collective implementation experiences of the four College Readiness…

A Core Journal Decision Model Based on Weighted Page Rank

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Hei-Chia; Chou, Ya-lin; Guo, Jiunn-Liang

2011-01-01

Purpose: The paper's aim is to propose a core journal decision method, called the local impact factor (LIF), which can evaluate the requirements of the local user community by combining both the access rate and the weighted impact factor, and by tracking citation information on the local users' articles. Design/methodology/approach: Many…

The Introductory Anthropology Course: A Multi-Track Approach for Community College Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foster, Daniel J.

1976-01-01

Asserts that the most basic types of understandings that students should gain from the beginning anthropology course could be grouped into two broad categories based upon two very important precepts of anthropology: overcoming anthropocentrism and combating ethnocentrism. Using this as a guide, two lists of course objectives were compiled and the…

From Corrections to Community: The Juvenile Reentry Experience as Characterized by Multiple Systems Involvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cusick, Gretchen Ruth; Goerge, Robert M.; Bell, Katie Claussen

2009-01-01

This Chapin Hall report describes findings on the extent of system involvement among Illinois youth released from correctional facilities, tracking a population of youth under age 18 in Illinois following their release. Using administrative records, researchers develop profiles of reentry experiences across the many systems that serve youth and…

Communities for and with Black Male Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jett, Christopher C.; Stinson, David W.; Williams, Brian A.

2015-01-01

The social and educational status of black male youth in the United States has been receiving increasing attention. In February 2014, President Barack Obama announced a new national initiative--My Brother's Keeper--for helping black boys and male youth or, to speak more generally, boys and young men of color, to "stay on track; providing the…

Inside Track to the Future: Strategies, Structures, and Leadership for Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alfred, Richard; Carter, Patricia

1996-01-01

Describes the importance for community colleges of looking toward the future to compete effectively. Suggests that change is a variable process that progresses slowly or quickly depending on the interaction of three variables: competitors, customers, and organizational cultures. Includes a checklist for college leaders to determine their level of…

Fostering Solutions: Bringing Brief-Therapy Principles and Practices to the Child Welfare System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flemons, Douglas; Liscio, Michele; Gordon, Arlene Brett; Hibel, James; Gutierrez-Hersh, Annette; Rebholz, Cynthia L.

2010-01-01

This article describes a 15-month university-community collaboration that was designed to fast-track children out of foster care. The developers of the project initiated resource-oriented "systems facilitations," allowing wraparound professionals and families to come together in large meetings to solve problems and find solutions. Families also…

Online World Conference and Expo: A Zillion Things at Once.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chuck, Lysbeth B.

1997-01-01

Presents the keynote speakers of the Online World 1997 conference, as well as HotBot and other search engines, the CyberClinic tracks (Practical Searching, Resource Management, Trends and Technology, Corporate Electronic Publishing, Content Reviews, and Roundtable Discussions), Web-based communities, and an exhibited database of over 12,000…

Reducing Intellectual Poverty of Outsiders within Academic Spaces through Informal Peer Mentorship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Four-Babb, Joyanne; Pegg, Jerine; Beck, Makini

2015-01-01

Academia is changing and a growing number of academics are finding themselves in non-tenure-track positions, experiencing increasing numbers of career transitions, or following alternative career trajectories. Academics in these positions often find themselves positioned as outsiders within their institutions and/or the broader academic community.…

Education Strategic Plan 2015-2035: Advancing NOAA's Mission through Education. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2016

2016-01-01

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Education Strategic Plan provides a framework to guide collaboration across the NOAA education community and a structure in which to track and report progress. Congress recognized the importance of NOAA's education programs with the passage of the America COMPETES Act. The America COMPETES…

Education Strategic Plan 2015-2035: Advancing NOAA's Mission through Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2016

2016-01-01

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Education Strategic Plan provides a framework to guide collaboration across the NOAA education community and a structure in which to track and report progress. Congress recognized the importance of NOAA's education programs with the passage of the America COMPETES Act. The America COMPETES…

Long-Term Outcomes of Innovative Curricular Tracks Used in Four Countries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suwanwela, Charas; And Others

1993-01-01

Innovative medical school programs discussed include a problem-based, village-centered rural program in the Philippines, a problem-oriented rural program of community medicine in Thailand, a problem-based curriculum in China, and four restructured medical curricula in the United States. Focus is on the results of the changes. (MSE)

Training Faculty Members and Resident Assistants to Respond to Bereaved Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Servaty-Seib, Heather L.; Taub, Deborah J.

2008-01-01

Scholarship about campus responses to death-related events emphasizes the need for members of the campus community to be open to discussing grief-related issues. Faculty members and resident assistants (RAs) are ideally situated to observe and respond to bereaved students. Faculty--tenure-track, adjunct, and teaching assistants--have regular…

Scientists raise alarms about fast tracking of transoceanic canal through Nicaragua.

PubMed

Huete-Pérez, Jorge A; Alvarez, Pedro J J; Schnoor, Jerald L; Rittmann, Bruce E; Clayton, Anthony; Acosta, Maria L; Bicudo, Carlos E M; K Arroyo, Mary T; Brett, Michael T; Campos, Victor M; Chaimovich, Hernan; Jimenez-Cisneros, Blanca; Covich, Alan; Lacerda, Luiz D; Maes, Jean-Michel; Miranda, Julio C; Montenegro-Guillén, Salvador; Ortega-Hegg, Manuel; Urquhart, Gerald R; Vammen, Katherine; Zambrano, Luis

2015-04-07

Seeking economic growth and job creation to tackle the nation's extreme poverty, the Nicaraguan government awarded a concession to build an interoceanic canal and associated projects to a recently formed Hong Kong based company with no track record or related expertise. This concession was awarded without a bidding process and in advance of any feasibility, socio-economic or environmental impact assessments; construction has begun without this information. The 278 km long interoceanic canal project may result in significant environmental and social impairments. Of particular concern are damage to Lake Cocibolca, a unique freshwater tropical lake and Central America's main freshwater reservoir; damage to regional biodiversity and ecosystems; and socio-economic impacts. Concerned about the possibly irreparable damage to the environment and to native communities, conservationists and the scientific community at large are urging the Nicaraguan government to devise and reveal an action plan to address and mitigate the possible negative repercussions of this interoceanic canal and associated projects. Critical research needs for preparation of a comprehensive benefit-cost analysis for this megaproject are presented.

Implementing a comprehensive program for the prevention of conduct problems in rural communities: the Fast Track experience. The Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group.

PubMed

Bierman, K L

1997-08-01

Childhood conduct problems are predictive of a number of serious long-term difficulties (e.g., school failure, delinquent behavior, and mental health problems), making the design of effective prevention programs a priority. The Fast Track Program is a demonstration project currently underway in four demographically diverse areas of the United States, testing the feasibility and effectiveness of a comprehensive, multicomponent prevention program targeting children at risk for conduct disorders. This paper describes some lessons learned about the implementation of this program in a rural area. Although there are many areas of commonality in terms of program needs, program design, and implementation issues in rural and urban sites, rural areas differ from urban areas along the dimensions of geographical dispersion and regionalism, and community stability and insularity. Rural programs must cover a broad geographical area and must be sensitive to the multiple, small and regional communities that constitute their service area. Small schools, homogeneous populations, traditional values, limited recreational, educational and mental health services, and politically conservative climates are all more likely to emerge as characteristics of rural rather than urban sites (Sherman, 1992). These characteristics may both pose particular challenges to the implementation of prevention programs in rural areas, as well as offer particular benefits. Three aspects of program implementation are described in detail: (a) community entry and program initiation in rural areas, (b) the adaptation of program components and service delivery to meet the needs of rural families and schools, and (c) issues in administrative organization of a broadly dispersed tricounty rural prevention program.

Implementing a Comprehensive Program for the Prevention of Conduct Problems in Rural Communities: The Fast Track Experience1

PubMed Central

Bierman, Karen L.

2012-01-01

Childhood conduct problems are predictive of a number of serious long-term difficulties (e.g., school failure, delinquent behavior, and mental health problems), making the design of effective prevention programs a priority. The Fast Track Program is a demonstration project currently underway in four demographically diverse areas of the United States, testing the feasibility and effectiveness of a comprehensive, multicomponent prevention program targeting children at risk for conduct disorders. This paper describes some lessons learned about the implementation of this program in a rural area. Although there are many areas of commonality in terms of program needs, program design, and implementation issues in rural and urban sites, rural areas differ from urban areas along the dimensions of geographical dispersion and regionalism, and community stability and insularity. Rural programs must cover a broad geographical area and must be sensitive to the multiple, small and regional communities that constitute their service area. Small schools, homogeneous populations, traditional values, limited recreational, educational and mental health services, and politically conservative climates are all more likely to emerge as characteristics of rural rather than urban sites (Sherman, 1992). These characteristics may both pose particular challenges to the implementation of prevention programs in rural areas, as well as offer particular benefits. Three aspects of program implementation are described in detail: (a) community entry and program initiation in rural areas, (b) the adaptation of program components and service delivery to meet the needs of rural families and schools, and (c) issues in administrative organization of a broadly dispersed tricounty rural prevention program. PMID:9338956

Satellite clinics in academic ophthalmology programs: an exploratory study of successes and challenges.

PubMed

Kuo, Irene C

2013-12-14

Major academic ophthalmology departments have been expanding by opening multi-office locations ("satellites"). This paper offers a first glimpse into satellites of academic ophthalmology departments. Leaders of seven medium to large, geographically diverse departments agreed to participate. One- to two-hour phone interviews were conducted to assess the features of their satellite practices. Success as clinical entities, profitability, and access to patients were stated goals for most satellites. In approximate descending order, refractive surgery, retina, oculoplastics, and pediatric ophthalmology were the most common subspecialties offered. Faculty staffing ranged from recruitment specifically for satellites to rotation of existing faculty. Except for a department with only one academic track, satellite doctors were a mix of tenure and mostly non-tenure track faculty. According to these department leaders, scholarly productivity of satellite faculty was similar to that of colleagues at the main campus, though research was more community-based and clinical in nature. Fellowship but little resident education occurred at satellites. Though it was agreed that satellite practices were integral to department finances, they accounted for a smaller percentage of revenues than of total departmental visits. Satellite offices have offered access to a better payor mix and have boosted the finances of academic ophthalmology departments. Challenges include maintaining collegiality with referring community physicians, integrating faculty despite geographic distance, preserving the department's academic "brand name," and ensuring consistent standards and operating procedures. Satellite clinics will likely help departments meet some of the challenges of health care reform.

Mapping mental health finances in Ghana, Uganda, Sri Lanka, India and Lao PDR

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Limited evidence about mental health finances in low and middle-income countries is a key challenge to mental health care policy initiatives. This study aimed to map mental health finances in Ghana, Uganda, India (Kerala state), Sri Lanka and Lao PDR focusing on how much money is available for mental health, how it is spent, and how this impacts mental health services. Methods A researcher in each region reviewed public mental health-related budgets and interviewed key informants on government mental health financing. A total of 43 key informant interviews were conducted. Quantitative data was analyzed in an excel matrix using descriptive statistics. Key informant interviews were coded a priori against research questions. Results National ring-fenced budgets for mental health as a percentage of national health spending for 2007-08 is 1.7% in Sri Lanka, 3.7% in Ghana, 2.0% in Kerala (India) and 6.6% in Uganda. Budgets were not available in Lao PDR. The majority of ring-fenced budgets (76% to 100%) is spent on psychiatric hospitals. Mental health spending could not be tracked beyond the psychiatric hospital level due to limited information at the health centre and community levels. Conclusions Mental health budget information should be tracked and made publically accessible. Governments can adapt WHO AIMS indicators for reviewing national mental health finances. Funding allocations work more effectively through decentralization. Mental health financing should reflect new ideas emerging from community based practice in LMICs. PMID:20507558

Environmental monitoring for public access and community tracking (EMPACT): Discussion of the program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Engel-Cox, J.A.

1999-07-01

The Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) program is a unique initiative to provide time-relevant environmental information that is easily accessible and clearly communicated to residents in 86 of the nation's largest metropolitan areas. EMPACT is a US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program to use innovative and time-relevant monitoring and communication technologies. President Clinton articulated his vision for right-to-know programs when he directed the EPA to provide local environmental information to communities. EPA Administrator Carol Browner created EMPACT and other programs to meet this vision, giving EMPACT the goal of providing timely, useful and accurate environmental andmore » public health information to all Americans. This paper is an analysis of the status of the EMPACT program during its first 2 years. EMPACT has launched 27 environmental monitoring and communication projects, including metropolitan grants, EPA Headquarter and Regional projects, and research activities. These projects are located in 37 states and 68 cities throughout the United States, and represent significant progress towards EMPACT's goal of reaching 86 major metropolitan areas throughout all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico by 2001. These projects focus on five principles established by EPA Administrator Browner: using advanced technology and science, establishing partnerships, increasing public access to data, communicating useful action-oriented information, and establishing a framework for sharing monitoring techniques and data between projects.« less

LIFEdb: a database for functional genomics experiments integrating information from external sources, and serving as a sample tracking system

PubMed Central

Bannasch, Detlev; Mehrle, Alexander; Glatting, Karl-Heinz; Pepperkok, Rainer; Poustka, Annemarie; Wiemann, Stefan

2004-01-01

We have implemented LIFEdb (http://www.dkfz.de/LIFEdb) to link information regarding novel human full-length cDNAs generated and sequenced by the German cDNA Consortium with functional information on the encoded proteins produced in functional genomics and proteomics approaches. The database also serves as a sample-tracking system to manage the process from cDNA to experimental read-out and data interpretation. A web interface enables the scientific community to explore and visualize features of the annotated cDNAs and ORFs combined with experimental results, and thus helps to unravel new features of proteins with as yet unknown functions. PMID:14681468

Objective comparison of particle tracking methods

PubMed Central

Chenouard, Nicolas; Smal, Ihor; de Chaumont, Fabrice; Maška, Martin; Sbalzarini, Ivo F.; Gong, Yuanhao; Cardinale, Janick; Carthel, Craig; Coraluppi, Stefano; Winter, Mark; Cohen, Andrew R.; Godinez, William J.; Rohr, Karl; Kalaidzidis, Yannis; Liang, Liang; Duncan, James; Shen, Hongying; Xu, Yingke; Magnusson, Klas E. G.; Jaldén, Joakim; Blau, Helen M.; Paul-Gilloteaux, Perrine; Roudot, Philippe; Kervrann, Charles; Waharte, François; Tinevez, Jean-Yves; Shorte, Spencer L.; Willemse, Joost; Celler, Katherine; van Wezel, Gilles P.; Dan, Han-Wei; Tsai, Yuh-Show; de Solórzano, Carlos Ortiz; Olivo-Marin, Jean-Christophe; Meijering, Erik

2014-01-01

Particle tracking is of key importance for quantitative analysis of intracellular dynamic processes from time-lapse microscopy image data. Since manually detecting and following large numbers of individual particles is not feasible, automated computational methods have been developed for these tasks by many groups. Aiming to perform an objective comparison of methods, we gathered the community and organized, for the first time, an open competition, in which participating teams applied their own methods independently to a commonly defined data set including diverse scenarios. Performance was assessed using commonly defined measures. Although no single method performed best across all scenarios, the results revealed clear differences between the various approaches, leading to important practical conclusions for users and developers. PMID:24441936

Emergency Department Allies: a Web-based multihospital pediatric asthma tracking system.

PubMed

Kelly, Kevin J; Walsh-Kelly, Christine M; Christenson, Peter; Rogalinski, Steven; Gorelick, Marc H; Barthell, Edward N; Grabowski, Laura

2006-04-01

To describe the development of a Web-based multihospital pediatric asthma tracking system and present results from the initial 18-month implementation of patient tracking experience. The Emergency Department (ED) Allies tracking system is a secure, password-protected data repository. Use-case methodology served as the foundation for technical development, testing, and implementation. Seventy-seven data elements addressing sociodemographics, wheezing history, quality of life, triggers, and ED managment were included for each subject visit. The ED Allies partners comprised 1 academic pediatric ED and 5 community EDs. Subjects with a physician diagnosis of asthma who presented to the ED for acute respiratory complaints composed the asthma group; subjects lacking a physician diagnosis of asthma but presenting with wheezing composed the wheezing group. The tracking-system development and implementation process included identification of data elements, system database and use case development, and delineation of screen features, system users, reporting functions, and help screens. For the asthma group, 2005 subjects with physician-diagnosed asthma were enrolled between July 15, 2002 and January 14, 2004. These subjects accounted for 2978 visits; 10.4% had > or = 3 visits. Persistent asthma was noted in 68% of the subjects. During the same time period, 1297 wheezing subjects with a total of 1628 ED visits (wheezing group) were entered into the tracking system. After enrollment, 57% of the subjects with > or = 1 subsequent ED visits received a physician diagnosis of asthma. Our sophisticated tracking system facilitated data collection and identified key intervention opportunities for a diverse ED wheezing population. A significant asthma burden was identified with significant rates of hospitalization, acute care visits and persistent asthma in 68% of subjects. The surveillance component provided important insights into health care issues of both asthmatic subjects and wheezing subjects, many of whom subsequently were diagnosed with asthma.

Adolescent blood pressure and blood pressure tracking into young adulthood are related to subclinical atherosclerosis: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Young Adults (ARYA) study.

PubMed

Vos, Lydia E; Oren, Anath; Uiterwaal, Cuno; Gorissen, Wim H M; Grobbee, Diederick E; Bots, Michiel L

2003-07-01

Increased blood pressure (BP) in young adulthood is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Longitudinal studies of patients at young ages are, however, limited. Our aim was to study the relationships of adolescent BP and tracking of BP into young adulthood with subclinical atherosclerosis, as assessed by carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), at the age of 28 years. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Young Adults (ARYA) study comprises of a community-based sample of 750 subjects aged 27 to 30 years. In the 352 men and 398 women, at least one BP measurement was recorded at a mean age of 13 years in school health records. Recently, all participants completed a questionnaire on cardiovascular risk factors, had a fasting blood sample drawn, and underwent an ultrasound examination of both common carotid arteries to assess CIMT. Linear regression showed that adolescent systolic BP was associated with thickening of the intima-media (an increase of 7.5 microm in CIMT per standard deviation increase in systolic BP; 95% CI 4.3 to 10.6). Similar relations were found for pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure. When sex, age, and body mass index at adolescence and young adulthood and adult BP were taken into account, the relations attenuated, but for pulse pressure they remained statistically significant. Furthermore, subjects who tracked in the highest systolic BP and pulse pressure levels from adolescence into young adulthood showed the thickest CIMT. Our findings strengthen the notion that elevated BP at adolescence and a relative increase in BP from adolescence to adulthood unfavorably affect cardiovascular risk, as indicated by increased CIMT.

Oculomotor Neurocircuitry, a Structural Connectivity Study of Infantile Nystagmus Syndrome

PubMed Central

Kashou, Nasser H.; Zampini, Angelica R.

2015-01-01

Infantile Nystagmus Syndrome (INS) is one of the leading causes of significant vision loss in children and affects about 1 in 1000 to 6000 births. In the present study, we are the first to investigate the structural pathways of patients and controls using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Specifically, three female INS patients from the same family were scanned, two sisters and a mother. Six regions of interest (ROIs) were created manually to analyze the number of tracks. Additionally, three ROI masks were analyzed using TBSS (Tract-Based Spatial Statistics). The number of fiber tracks was reduced in INS subjects, compared to normal subjects, by 15.9%, 13.9%, 9.2%, 18.6%, 5.3%, and 2.5% for the pons, cerebellum (right and left), brainstem, cerebrum, and thalamus. Furthermore, TBSS results indicated that the fractional anisotropy (FA) values for the patients were lower in the superior ventral aspects of the pons of the brainstem than in those of the controls. We have identified some brain regions that may be actively involved in INS. These novel findings would be beneficial to the neuroimaging clinical and research community as they will give them new direction in further pursuing neurological studies related to oculomotor function and provide a rational approach to studying INS. PMID:25860806

Dynamics of an experimental microbial invasion

PubMed Central

Acosta, Francisco; Zamor, Richard M.; Najar, Fares Z.; Roe, Bruce A.; Hambright, K. David

2015-01-01

The ecological dynamics underlying species invasions have been a major focus of research in macroorganisms for the last five decades. However, we still know little about the processes behind invasion by unicellular organisms. To expand our knowledge of microbial invasions, we studied the roles of propagule pressure, nutrient supply, and biotic resistance in the invasion success of a freshwater invasive alga, Prymnesium parvum, using microcosms containing natural freshwater microbial assemblages. Microcosms were subjected to a factorial design with two levels of nutrient-induced diversity and three levels of propagule pressure, and incubated for 7 d, during which P. parvum densities and microbial community composition were tracked. Successful invasion occurred in microcosms receiving high propagule pressure whereas nutrients or community diversity played no role in invasion success. Invaded communities experienced distinctive changes in composition compared with communities where the invasion was unsuccessful. Successfully invaded microbial communities had an increased abundance of fungi and ciliates, and decreased abundances of diatoms and cercozoans. Many of these changes mirrored the microbial community changes detected during a natural P. parvum bloom in the source system. This role of propagule pressure is particularly relevant for P. parvum in the reservoir-dominated southern United States because this species can form large, sustained blooms that can generate intense propagule pressures for downstream sites. Human impact and global climate change are currently causing widespread environmental changes in most southern US freshwater systems that may facilitate P. parvum establishment and, when coupled with strong propagule pressure, could put many more systems at risk for invasion. PMID:26324928

Using Benthic Macroinvertebrate and Fish Communities as Bioindicators of the Tanshui River Basin Around the Greater Taipei Area — Multivariate Analysis of Spatial Variation Related to Levels of Water Pollution

PubMed Central

Young, Shuh-Sen; Yang, Hsi-Nan; Huang, Da-Ji; Liu, Su-Miao; Huang, Yueh-Han; Chiang, Chung-Ting; Liu, Jin-Wei

2014-01-01

After decades of strict pollution control and municipal sewage treatment, the water quality of the Tanshui River increased significantly after pollution mitigation as indicated by the River Pollution Index (RPI). The pollution level of the estuarine region decreased from severe pollution to mostly moderately impaired. The most polluted waters are presently restricted to a flow track length between 15–35 km relative to the river mouth. From July 2011 to September 2012, four surveys of fish and benthic macroinvertebrates were conducted at 45 sampling sites around the Tanshui River basin. The pollution level of all the study area indicated by the RPI could also be explained by the Family Biotic Index (FBI) and Biotic Index (BI) from the benthic macroinvertebrate community, and the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) of the fish community. The result of canonical correlation analysis between aquatic environmental factors and community structure indicated that the community structure was closely related to the level of water pollution. Fish species richness in the estuarine area has increased significantly in recent years. Some catadromous fish and crustaceans could cross the moderate polluted water into the upstream freshwater, and have re-colonized their populations. The benthic macroinvertebrate community relying on the benthic substrate of the estuarine region is still very poor, and the water layer was still moderately polluted. PMID:25026081

Working families' health insurance coverage, 1997-2001.

PubMed

Strunk, Bradley C; Reschovsky, James D

2002-08-01

Despite a booming U.S. economy, falling unemployment and moderate health insurance premium growth, the percentage of working Americans and their families with employer-sponsored health insurance failed to increase substantially between 1997 and 2001, according to findings from the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) Community Tracking Study Household Survey. There were, however, dramatic changes in the insurance status of people who lacked access to or did not take up employer coverage: fewer uninsured, more public program enrollment and a decline in coverage by individual insurance and other sources. While the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) clearly reduced uninsurance among low-income children, evidence also suggests a fair amount of substitution of public insurance for private coverage.

Digital Inequalities in the Use of Self-Tracking Diet and Fitness Apps: Interview Study on the Influence of Social, Economic, and Cultural Factors

PubMed Central

Chauvel, Louis

2018-01-01

Background Digital devices are driving economic and social transformations, but assessing the uses, perceptions, and impact of these new technologies on diet and physical activity remains a major societal challenge. Objective We aimed to determine under which social, economic, and cultural conditions individuals in France were more likely to be actively invested in the use of self-tracking diet and fitness apps for better health behaviors. Methods Existing users of 3 diet and fitness self-tracking apps (Weight Watchers, MyFitnessPal, and sport apps) were recruited from 3 regions of France. We interviewed 79 individuals (Weight Watchers, n=37; MyFitnessPal, n=20; sport apps, n=22). In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with each participant, using open-ended questions about their use of diet and fitness apps. A triangulation of methods (content, textual, and quantitative analyses) was performed. Results We found 3 clusters of interviewees who differed by social background and curative goal linked to use under constraint versus preventive goal linked to chosen use, and intensity of their self-quantification efforts and participation in social networks. Interviewees used the apps for a diversity of uses, including measurement, tracking, quantification, and participation in digital communities. A digital divide was highlighted, comprising a major social gap. Social conditions for appropriation of self-tracking devices included sociodemographic factors, life course stages, and cross-cutting factors of heterogeneity. Conclusions Individuals from affluent or intermediate social milieus were most likely to use the apps and to participate in the associated online social networks. These interviewees also demonstrated a preventive approach to a healthy lifestyle. Individuals from lower milieus were more reluctant to use digital devices relating to diet and physical activity or to participate in self-quantification. The results of the study have major implications for public health: the digital self-quantification device is intrinsically less important than the way the individual uses it, in terms of adoption of successful health behaviors. PMID:29678807

Digital Inequalities in the Use of Self-Tracking Diet and Fitness Apps: Interview Study on the Influence of Social, Economic, and Cultural Factors.

PubMed

Régnier, Faustine; Chauvel, Louis

2018-04-20

Digital devices are driving economic and social transformations, but assessing the uses, perceptions, and impact of these new technologies on diet and physical activity remains a major societal challenge. We aimed to determine under which social, economic, and cultural conditions individuals in France were more likely to be actively invested in the use of self-tracking diet and fitness apps for better health behaviors. Existing users of 3 diet and fitness self-tracking apps (Weight Watchers, MyFitnessPal, and sport apps) were recruited from 3 regions of France. We interviewed 79 individuals (Weight Watchers, n=37; MyFitnessPal, n=20; sport apps, n=22). In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with each participant, using open-ended questions about their use of diet and fitness apps. A triangulation of methods (content, textual, and quantitative analyses) was performed. We found 3 clusters of interviewees who differed by social background and curative goal linked to use under constraint versus preventive goal linked to chosen use, and intensity of their self-quantification efforts and participation in social networks. Interviewees used the apps for a diversity of uses, including measurement, tracking, quantification, and participation in digital communities. A digital divide was highlighted, comprising a major social gap. Social conditions for appropriation of self-tracking devices included sociodemographic factors, life course stages, and cross-cutting factors of heterogeneity. Individuals from affluent or intermediate social milieus were most likely to use the apps and to participate in the associated online social networks. These interviewees also demonstrated a preventive approach to a healthy lifestyle. Individuals from lower milieus were more reluctant to use digital devices relating to diet and physical activity or to participate in self-quantification. The results of the study have major implications for public health: the digital self-quantification device is intrinsically less important than the way the individual uses it, in terms of adoption of successful health behaviors. ©Faustine Régnier, Louis Chauvel. Originally published in JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth (http://mhealth.jmir.org), 20.04.2018.

Psychiatric Patients Tracking Through a Private Social Network for Relatives: Development and Pilot Study.

PubMed

García-Peñalvo, Francisco J; Martín, Manuel Franco; García-Holgado, Alicia; Guzmán, José Miguel Toribio; Antón, Jesús Largo; Sánchez-Gómez, Ma Cruz

2016-07-01

The treatment of psychiatric patients requires different health care from that of patients from other medical specialties. In particular, in the case of Department of Psychiatry from the Zamora Hospital (Spain), the period of time which patients require institutionalized care is a tiny part of their treatment. A large part of health care provided to the patient is aimed at his/her rehabilitation and social integration through day-care centres, supervised flats or activities. Conversely, several reports reveal that approximately 50 % of Internet users use the network as a source of health information, which has led to the emergence of virtual communities where patients, relatives or health professionals share their knowledge concerning an illness, health problem or specific health condition. In this context, we have identified that the relatives have a lack of information regarding the daily activities of patients under psychiatric treatment. The social networks or the virtual communities regarding health problems do not provide a private space where relatives can follow the patient's progress, despite being in different places. The goal of the study was to use technologies to develop a private social network for being used by severe mental patients (mainly schizophrenic patients). SocialNet is a pioneer social network in the health sector because it provides a social interaction context restricted to persons authorized by the patient or his/her legal guardian in such a way that they can track his/her daily activity. Each patient has a private area only accessible to authorized persons and their caregivers, where they can share pictures, videos or texts regarding his/her progress. A preliminary study of usability of the system has been made for increasing the usefulness and usability of SocialNet. SocialNet is the first system for promoting personal interactions among formal caregivers, family, close friends and patient, promoting the recovery of schizophrenic patients. Future studies should study the network's potential usefulness for improving the prognosis and recovery of schizophrenia.

Relationship between Community Collectivization and Financial Vulnerability of Female Sex Workers in Southern India

PubMed Central

Patel, Sangram Kishor; Prabhakar, Parimi; Jain, Anrudh Kumar; Saggurti, Niranjan; Adhikary, Rajatashuvra

2016-01-01

Introduction Studies exploring the linkages between financial vulnerabilities and community collectivization of female sex workers (FSWs) are scarce in India despite having potential policy implications. To fill this gap in the literature, this study attempts to understand the financial vulnerabilities among FSWs and assess the relationship between community collectivization and financial vulnerabilities in southern India. Data and Methods Data were drawn from a cross-sectional, behavioral tracking survey (BTS)—2014, conducted among FSWs (N = 2400) in Andhra Pradesh, a southern state of India under the Avahan-India AIDS initiative program. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated through multivariate logistic regression, to assess the independent relationships of the degree of community collectivization indicators with financial vulnerability indicators, adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics. Results Most FSWs (87%) reported having either one or more financial vulnerability and nearly one-fifth had a high financial vulnerability. The risk of facing financial vulnerability was significantly lower among FSWs with a high degree of perceived collective efficacy (15% vs 31%; AOR: 0.4; 95% CI: 0.3–0.5) and collective agency (4% vs 21%; AOR: 0.2; 95% CI: 0.1–0.3) as compared to their respective counterparts, after controlling for their individual socio-demographic characteristics. FSWs with a high degree of collective efficacy are also less likely to report different components of financial vulnerability (e.g. income, saving, expenditure, and debt). Conclusion This study finding suggests that community-led interventions such as improving collectivization are promising strategies to address financial vulnerabilities and a path to a sustainable reduction of HIV risk. This study calls for further evidence-based research and measurement of the effects of community-led approaches in addressing the financial vulnerabilities of the key population at risk for HIV. PMID:27227998

The stroke impact scale: performance as a quality of life measure in a community-based stroke rehabilitation setting.

PubMed

Richardson, Marina; Campbell, Nerissa; Allen, Laura; Meyer, Matthew; Teasell, Robert

2016-07-01

The objective of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS). Data was derived from a study assessing a community-based stroke rehabilitation program. Patients were administered the SIS and Euroqol-5D (EQ-5D-5L) on admission to the study, and at six month and 12 month follow-up. The psychometric performance of each domain of the SIS was assessed at each time point. A total of 164 patients completed outcome measures at baseline, 108 patients at six months and 37 patients at 12 months. Correlation of the SIS domains with the EQ-5D-5L suggested that the dimensions of health contributing to a patient's perception of health-related quality of life changes over time. The SIS performed well in a sample of patients undergoing stroke rehabilitation in the community. Our findings suggest that the multidimensionality of the SIS may allow health professionals to track patient progress and tailor rehabilitation interventions to target the dimensions of health that are most important to a patient's overall health and perceived quality of life over time. Implications for Rehabilitation There is an increased need for valid and reliable measures to evaluate the outcomes of patients recovering from stroke in the community. The Stroke Impact Scale (SIS) measures multiple domains of health and is well-suited for use in patients recovering from stroke in the community. There is a high level of internal consistency in the eight SIS domains with no evidence of floor effects; ceiling effects were noted for several domains. Correlation of the SIS with the Euroqol-5D suggested that the dimensions of health contributing to a patient's perception of health related quality of life changes over time.

Observations on the State of NASA's GN&C Engineering Discipline: Results of an Independent Non-Advocate Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pawlikowski, Gerald J.; Dennehy, Cornelius J.

2010-01-01

The NASA Technical Fellows periodically conduct State-of-the-Discipline assessments. The GN&C Technical Fellow contracted Harlan Brown & Company in 2007 and 2009 to conduct independent, third party studies to gain unbiased insight and understanding into the attitudes and beliefs of NASA's GN&C Community of Practice (CoP). The paper first outlines the background, objectives and methodology of the studies. The paper then summarizes key study results of the 2007 baseline study, as well as the 2009 update. The update was then used to track and monitor perceptions, identify performance trends, identify areas where further improvement needs to be made in NASA's GN&C discipline. It also generated feedback on the recently developed GN&C CoP online knowledge capture and learning site.

The chaperonin-60 universal target is a barcode for bacteria that enables de novo assembly of metagenomic sequence data.

PubMed

Links, Matthew G; Dumonceaux, Tim J; Hemmingsen, Sean M; Hill, Janet E

2012-01-01

Barcoding with molecular sequences is widely used to catalogue eukaryotic biodiversity. Studies investigating the community dynamics of microbes have relied heavily on gene-centric metagenomic profiling using two genes (16S rRNA and cpn60) to identify and track Bacteria. While there have been criteria formalized for barcoding of eukaryotes, these criteria have not been used to evaluate gene targets for other domains of life. Using the framework of the International Barcode of Life we evaluated DNA barcodes for Bacteria. Candidates from the 16S rRNA gene and the protein coding cpn60 gene were evaluated. Within complete bacterial genomes in the public domain representing 983 species from 21 phyla, the largest difference between median pairwise inter- and intra-specific distances ("barcode gap") was found from cpn60. Distribution of sequence diversity along the ∼555 bp cpn60 target region was remarkably uniform. The barcode gap of the cpn60 universal target facilitated the faithful de novo assembly of full-length operational taxonomic units from pyrosequencing data from a synthetic microbial community. Analysis supported the recognition of both 16S rRNA and cpn60 as DNA barcodes for Bacteria. The cpn60 universal target was found to have a much larger barcode gap than 16S rRNA suggesting cpn60 as a preferred barcode for Bacteria. A large barcode gap for cpn60 provided a robust target for species-level characterization of data. The assembly of consensus sequences for barcodes was shown to be a reliable method for the identification and tracking of novel microbes in metagenomic studies.

Scaling PatientsLikeMe via a "Generalized Platform" for Members with Chronic Illness: Web-Based Survey Study of Benefits Arising.

PubMed

Wicks, Paul; Mack Thorley, Eileen; Simacek, Kristina; Curran, Christopher; Emmas, Cathy

2018-05-07

Launched in 2006 for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, PatientsLikeMe is an online community offering patient-reported outcomes, symptom tracking, and social features. Every member of the site can see all the data reported by every other member, view aggregated reports, identify "patients like them," and learn about treatment options in order to live better with their condition. In previous studies, members reported benefits such as improved condition knowledge, increased medication adherence, and better management of side effects. However, the site evolved in 2011 from condition-specific "vertical" communities consisting only of people with the same disease to a "generalized platform," in which every patient could connect with every other patient regardless of condition and with generic, rather than condition-specific, data tools. Some, but not all, communities received further custom tracking tools. We aimed to understand (1) whether members of PatientsLikeMe using the generalized platform still reported similar benefits and (2) assess factors associated with benefits, such as community customization, site use, and patient activation. A cross-sectional retrospective custom survey was fielded to 377,625 members between 2016 and 2017 including the Patient Activation Measure (PAM). A benefit index was developed for comparability across conditions. The invitation was viewed by 26,048 members of whom 11,915 did not respond, 5091 opted out, 1591 provided partial data, and 17 were screened out. Complete responses were received from 7434 participants. Users perceived greatest benefit in understanding how their condition may affect them (4530/6770, 66.91% participants, excluding "does not apply" answers), understanding what might help them live better with their condition (4247/6750, 62.92%), which treatments were available (4143/6898, 60.06%), understanding treatment side effects (4182/6902, 60.59%), and important factors in making treatment decisions (3919/6813, 57.52%). The benefit index was 29% higher for the "most activated" patients (PAM level 4 vs PAM level 1; relative risk [RR]=1.29, P<.001), 21% higher for conditions with some community customization versus none (RR=1.21, P<.001), and 11% higher in those using the site most often versus least (RR=1.11, P<.001). Members of the generalized platform reported a range of benefits related to improved knowledge and understanding of their condition and treatment management. Condition-specific customization may improve their experience still further. Future studies will explore longitudinal changes to patient activation. ©Paul Wicks, Eileen Mack Thorley, Kristina Simacek, Christopher Curran, Cathy Emmas. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 07.05.2018.

Did Project Liberty displace community-based medicaid services in New York?

PubMed

Gomes, Carla; McGuire, Thomas G; Foster, M Jameson; Donahue, Sheila A; Felton, Chip J; Essock, Susan M

2006-09-01

This study analyzed how the introduction of Project Liberty services after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks affected agencies' provision of community-based Medicaid mental health services in the New York metropolitan area. Provision of Medicaid mental health services was tracked between January 2000 and June 2003 for provider agencies participating in Project Liberty (N=164) and for a comparison group of mental health provider agencies that did not participate in this program (N=94). Overall, participation in Project Liberty did not significantly affect the volume of Medicaid services provided. However, for agencies with one site, a statistically significant difference was seen; compared with agencies in the comparison group, agencies that participated in Project Liberty claimed a mean+/-SE decrease of $4.66+/-3.57 less in Medicaid services per month per Project Liberty visit. Project Liberty permitted rapid expansion of the total volume of services provided by community-based organizations without interfering with the provision of traditional services, although a modest effect was seen for smaller agencies. Although the results do not imply that "supply side" planning for disaster needs would not improve system response, they do imply that implementation of flexible "demand side" financing can call forth a large volume of new services rapidly and without interfering with other community services.

A new role for primary care teams in the United States after “Obamacare:” Track and improve health insurance coverage rates

PubMed Central

DeVoe, Jennifer; Angier, Heather; Hoopes, Megan; Gold, Rachel

2017-01-01

Maintaining continuous health insurance coverage is important. With recent expansions in access to coverage in the United States after “Obamacare,” primary care teams have a new role in helping to track and improve coverage rates and to provide outreach to patients. We describe efforts to longitudinally track health insurance rates using data from the electronic health record (EHR) of a primary care network and to use these data to support practice-based insurance outreach and assistance. Although we highlight a few examples from one network, we believe there is great potential for doing this type of work in a broad range of family medicine and community health clinics that provide continuity of care. By partnering with researchers through practice-based research networks and other similar collaboratives, primary care practices can greatly expand the use of EHR data and EHR-based tools targeting improvements in health insurance and quality health care. PMID:28966926

Enhancement of the microbial community biomass and diversity during air sparging bioremediation of a soil highly contaminated with kerosene and BTEX.

PubMed

Kabelitz, Nadja; Machackova, Jirina; Imfeld, Gwenaël; Brennerova, Maria; Pieper, Dietmar H; Heipieper, Hermann J; Junca, Howard

2009-03-01

In order to obtain insights in complexity shifts taking place in natural microbial communities under strong selective pressure, soils from a former air force base in the Czech Republic, highly contaminated with jet fuel and at different stages of a bioremediation air sparging treatment, were analyzed. By tracking phospholipid fatty acids and 16S rRNA genes, a detailed monitoring of the changes in quantities and composition of the microbial communities developed at different stages of the bioventing treatment progress was performed. Depending on the length of the air sparging treatment that led to a significant reduction in the contamination level, we observed a clear shift in the soil microbial community being dominated by Pseudomonads under the harsh conditions of high aromatic contamination to a status of low aromatic concentrations, increased biomass content, and a complex composition with diverse bacterial taxonomical branches.

Tracking the Stages of Learning: Concept Maps as Representations of Liminal Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cuthell, John; Preston, Christina

2012-01-01

The concept of liminal space has recently been applied to ways of learning: the learning journey through this space encounters difficulties and misunderstandings, that are resolved as knowledge is mastered. Since 1992 the MirandaNet Fellowship, a growing international community of educators, has investigated the ways in which this relates to the…

2011 Special Olympics

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-03-19

Chris Jernigan from Biloxi Community Homes throws a flying disc through a target during the 2011 John C. Stennis Area III Track and Field Competitions on March 19, as NASA employee Jacqueline Wall offers encouragement. Stennis Space Center is an annual host for the Special Olympics games. Wall was one of a number of Stennis employees to serve as volunteers during the annual competition.

2011 Kids Count in Colorado! The Impact of the Great Recession on Colorado's Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colorado Children's Campaign, 2011

2011-01-01

"Kids Count in Colorado!" is an annual publication of the Colorado Children's Campaign, which provides the best available state- and county-level data to measure and track the education, health and general well-being of the state's children. "Kids Count in Colorado!" informs policy debates and community discussions, serving as…

Tracking Women and Minorities as They Attain Degrees in Computing and Related Fields

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sorkin, Sylvia; Gore, Mary Elizabeth; Mento, Barbara; Stanton, Jon

2010-01-01

Two Maryland colleges (one a four-year liberal arts college for women, and one a public community college) have worked to increase the number of graduates, especially women and other under-represented groups, in their computer science, computer information systems, engineering, and mathematics programs over a four-year period. In August 2004, they…

2010 Kids Count in Colorado! Far from Average: Growing Gaps in Child Well-Being

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colorado Children's Campaign, 2010

2010-01-01

"Kids Count in Colorado!" is an annual publication of the Colorado Children's Campaign, which provides the best available state- and county-level data to measure and track the education, health and general well-being of the state's children. "Kids Count in Colorado!" informs policy debates and community discussions, serving as…

Measuring carbon in shrubs. Chapter 5

Treesearch

David C. Chojnacky; Mikaila Milton

2008-01-01

Although shrubs are a small component of the overall carbon budget, shrub lands and shrub cover within forested lands warrant monitoring with consistent procedures to account for carbon in shrubs and to track carbon accumulation as communities change from shrubs to trees and vice versa. Many different procedures have been used to sample and measure shrubs (Bonham 1989...