Economic Evaluation of Palliative Care in Ireland

This report examines the cost of providing palliative care in Ireland for individuals facing life-threatening illnesses, outcomes for patients and families resulting from that care, and the patterns and variations among the measures studied. Focusing their examination on three regional areas, researchers found:Wide variations in the availability of palliative care services across the regions.Significant differences in how those services are resourced and models of care.Despite the variation in availability and models of care, costs remain broadly the same across regions.Among the conclusions from examination of key outcomes for the patients:High patient satisfaction with palliative care services across all regions.Where available, hospice care is easier to access and rated more highly on every quality measure than in-hospital care.The ability to access in-hospice services in the last three months of life would be preferable for patients and may provide savings within hospitals

Labor Market Report: Creative Economy in Washington State

This paper focuses on the creative economy in Washington State, related historical labor market trends, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on related job industries. The creative economy includes portions of the information and arts industries. Job markets for these industries faced significantly different effects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite growing trends for governments and policymakers to focus on the creative economy, grouping the information and arts sectors within the definition of creative economy is not recommended given the disparate values placed on these industries

Senior Recital: Samantha Smith, mezzo-soprano and guitar

https://digitalwindow.vassar.edu/musi_senior/1005/thumbnail.jp

Vulnerability and Adaptability of Mangrove Forests on Misali Island, Zanzibar, Tanzania

As climate change threatens to cause heightened sea levels and decreased rainfall patterns in the Indian Ocean, mangrove forests are forced to adapt or suffer. This study aims to analyze the persistence of four prominent mangrove forests on Misali Island based on vulnerability and adaptability. The study focuses on three types of forests: overwash, coastal fringing, and scrub. Forest A, an overwash forest, was the main site of study and was surveyed for species type and seedling/sapling counts using ten transects which ranged from 40 to 91.7 meters in length. Data was analyzed in order to determine biodiversity, zonation, and reproductive success of the forest as a whole. Each factor was ranked on a scale of vulnerability to adaptability based on corresponding numerical values. Results showed the presence of seven species in Forest A with a high biodiversity. The forest was split into four zones which displayed strong zonation, as certain species prefer more inundated niches while others prefer drier niches. Overwash forests were found to be more adaptable than both coastal fringing and scrub forests and will likely persist the longest on Misali Island

Individual and Contextual Factors and the Efficacy of an Experiential Sexism Intervention

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a sexism-focused diversity training program. More specifically, this study examined the direct and indirect relationships between individual characteristics (i.e., gender, self-efficacy, and reactance), contextual factors (i.e., organizational diversity climate) and diversity training outcomes and training transfer. To test hypotheses, graduate and undergraduate students participated in a two-stage study (baseline and intervention stages), with the intervention consisting of a 90-minute sexism-focused diversity training workshop. Data from one hundred and forty participants were retained for regression analyses. Results suggest the workshop was generally effective at reducing endorsement of sexist attitudes, improving knowledge of gender inequity issues, and increasing intentions to engage in activism against sexism. Individual characteristics were also found to significantly predict training outcomes, although organizational diversity climate did not predict any significant effects