Marine Resource Use and Distribution on Ofu Island, Manu?a, American S?moa

Marine resources have played a vital role in the lives of the prehistoric populations that settled Oceania. While it is widely accepted that marine resources make up a considerable component of the diet of prehistoric peoples, distinguishing between shell fragments as a result of food procurement or debris from tool manufacture can be a difficult task. This study, in addition to examining the density and distribution of shellfish use by human populations on Ofu Island, examines the various ways these shellfish might have been procured and processed by utilizing archaeological, ethnographic, and experimental methods. By analyzing excavation data from three sites, interviewing locals, taking part in a shellfish gathering trip, and performing test breaks on Turbo shells, it has been possible to gain a holistic view of shellfish use since initial human occupation. Findings reflect mobile populations that have exploited abundant marine resources in a resilient marine environment throughout prehistory

Identifying the Causes of Cancer Readmissions: A Patient Centered Approach

While there are large efforts to decrease readmission rates in the United States, cancer patients represent a population that has been overlooked. Cancer patients are a vulnerable population who make up a large portion of hospital readmissions. Most of the current research on the causes of readmissions in cancer patients focuses on medical chart reviews and insurance claims. Many of these studies fail to incorporate patient input which could further the understanding of the complete burden associated with cancer readmissions. The goal of this study is to understand the personal reasons behind the decision of cancer patients to return to the hospital, resulting in a readmission. This qualitative study will use a semi-structured interview guide to interview readmitted patients that are under the care of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Medical Oncology Service at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. All interviews will be conducted by trained interviewers, and then transcribed verbatim. NVivo 12, a qualitative software program will be used to analyze themes and trends between interviews. Data displays (table, graphic, etc) will be used to look for interrelationships between interviews and to draw conclusions. Results from this project could highlight potential areas of improvement for cancer patient care. This inductive research project intends to generate a hypothesis from the results to be used for further deductive research on the topic of cancer patient readmissions

Koinonia

All the King\u27s Horses: Making the Pieces Fit President\u27s Corner Editor\u27s Disk Highlights from the 1997 ACSD Annual Conference Increasing Opportunities for Student Athletes CoCCA: Hot Ideas Book Review: Leadership Jazz ACSD Regional Directorshttps://pillars.taylor.edu/acsd_koinonia/1022/thumbnail.jp

Adaptive Golf Device

Our primary objective was to design a golf device that enables its user, who has limited leg movement and control, to be able to produce a balanced golf swing. Ultimately, the device maximizes the golfer\u27s independence, and increases the accuracy of and power behind each shot. Specifically, the device was designed around the needs and requirements of Dr. Joshua Pate, Professor of Adapted Recreation at James Madison University. Dr. Pate has cerebral palsy limiting his lower body mobility and making it difficult for him to produce a balanced golf swing

Statistical methods for constructing an air pollution indicator for Glasgow

Air pollution can have both a short term and long term detrimental effect on health. This thesis aims to provide an air quality indicator to be used as a simple and informative tool to track air pollution levels which can be used by both the public and governing bodies. Chapter 1 discusses the background and motivation of the study. The chapter then moves on to outlining the aims and overall structure of the thesis and provides a description of the data used. Chapter 2 explores the daily mean monitoring site PM10 data for Glasgow across the years 2010 to 2012. This chapter explores trends and seasonality in the PM10 data using exploratory measures and time series analysis. Chapter 3 explores the gridded modelled annual mean PM10 map data across the years 2010 to 2012. The spatial aspects of PM10 are first explored using numerical and graphical summaries. A more robust approach is used to then produce a geostatistical model to explain the trend of PM10 across Glasgow. Chapter 4 then focuses on producing naive indicators building upon the modelling and exploratory analysis conducted in Chapters 2 and 3. This forms the basis of a spatio-temporal model. This results in a final air quality indicator estimate with uncertainty which accounts for spatial and temporal dependence for Glasgow. Chapter 5 ends the thesis with a discussion of the final indicator and the conclusions with consideration given to improvements which could be made and additional analysis for the future

Impact of Motivations for Volunteering on Well-being Among Health Sciences Students

Motivations for volunteering as a meaningful occupation can influence well-being. This study explored the relationship between motivations for volunteering and perceived well-being among students enrolled in one of ten departments in a School of Health Sciences. A cross-sectional survey incorporating the RAND 36-Item Short Form Survey and Volunteer Function Inventory was employed. Most of the 95 participants were students enrolled in the health science undergraduate and occupational therapy graduate programs. Approximately 75% had volunteered in the past year. RAND SF-36 findings indicated good perceived well-being among many categories. Primary motivations for volunteering included values (Mdn = 30) and understanding (Mdn = 27). Weak positive relationships were found between social motivation and social functioning (rs = 0.198, p = 0.056) and values motivation and social functioning (rs = 0.208, p = 0.046). These findings contribute to volunteerism literature for college students and facilitate the understanding of methods for organizing volunteer opportunities with this population

416— The effects of early life trauma on anxiety and alcohol use is modified by environment

Early life trauma is a risk factor for later anxiety and alcohol use disorders. However, the role of the post-trauma environment on the development of such disorders is not well understood. In the present study we investigated experience-dependent changes in anxiety and alcohol use after exposure to early trauma. Young mice (day 23) were exposed to a predator odor (synthetic fox pheromone, TMT) and then reared in either standard (SE) or enriched environments (EE). Adolescent anxiety and conditioned fear were reduced in EE-males, but not EE-females. Adult mice were then tested for their preference to drink alcohol. Alcohol intake escalated across sessions for all mice, however, EE mice had overall lower levels of alcohol use. Interestingly, exposure to TMT affected alcohol preference in EE mice, but not standard mice. Findings demonstrate the environment as a developmental modifier of post-trauma anxiety and alcohol use disorders

Public Awareness of Medical Imaging as a Source of Ionizing Radiation Exposure

Background. Biological effects of exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) are well known. Literature suggests most patients and physicians lack proficient understanding of risks associated with ionizing radiation. Our study goals were to: assess the extent to which productive, informed conversations regarding ionizing radiation are occurring between patients and providers; characterize public awareness of medical imaging procedures as sources of IR exposure; and investigate best practices in patientprovider communications. Methods. We developed and administered a 17-question survey to 303 adults at five locations across Chittenden County, Vermont, over a 6-week period in fall 2016. Descriptive and statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS. Results. The three age groups of respondents had different knowledge levels about ionizing radiation (p Conclusions/Recommendations. 1. A standard oral presentation for pre-imaging patient-provider communication, along with a written handout, be developed; 2. A section of the electronic medical record (also accessible through the patient portal) containing IR exposure be created for patients and physicians to track individuals\u27 information.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1249/thumbnail.jp

An experimental test of deviant modeling

Objectives: Test the effect of deviant peer modeling on theft as conditioned by verbal support for theft and number of deviant models. Methods: Two related randomized experiments in which participants were given a chance to steal a gift card (ostensibly worth $15) from the table in front of them. Each experiment had a control group, a verbal prompting group in which confederate(s) endorsed stealing, a behavioral modeling group in which confederate(s) committed theft, and a verbal prompting plus behavioral modeling group in which confederate(s) did both. The first experiment used one confederate; the second experiment used two. The pooled sample consisted of 335 undergraduate students. Results: Participants in the verbal prompting plus behavioral modeling group were most likely to steal followed by the behavioral modeling group. Interestingly, behavioral modeling was only influential when two confederates were present. There were no thefts in either the control or verbal prompting groups regardless of the number of confederates. Conclusions: Behavioral modeling appears to be the key mechanism, though verbal support can strengthen the effect of behavioral modeling.UW/SSHRC Seed Gran