Multivalent Metadata : Exploiting the Layers of Meaning in Digital Resources

The rapid growth of the World Wide Web was due in part to the simplicity of the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). It is anticipated that the next generation of web technology, coined the Semantic Web, by Tim Berners-Lee (1989, p. 1), will be driven by the Extensible Markup Language (XML). The XML suite of technologies provides a framework for the application of metadata, and hence semantic information, to web resources. Advantages of a semantic web include improved sharing and reuse of resources, enhanced search mechanisms and knowledge management. The knowledge or meaning contained in digital information may vary according to the perspective of the viewer and can be seen therefore as multivalent in nature. Semantic information that is highly relevant to one user may be of no interest to another. The aim of this project was to demonstrate the layers of meaning inherent in a data sample and how they could be encapsulated in metadata then accessed and manipulated using current technologies, thus leveraging the knowledge contained. Analysis of the data sample, a typical component of an online training product, determined meaningful ways in which the knowledge contained could be reused and adapted. From this analysis a set of test criteria was generated. Metadata was then created for the sample data and the tests implemented using a range of XML technologies

Fish communities as indicators of ecological health in West Virginia rivers

Anthropogenic altered landscapes from the extraction of natural resources, urbanization, agricultural development, dam construction, and general conversion from forested to non-forested landscape have resulted in the loss of biodiversity and changes in ecosystem function for aquatic environments. Throughout this research, we have used detailed landscape data and a large fish community dataset to develop management tools and analyses in order to evaluate the condition of rivers and streams in West Virginia.;For Chapter 1, we developed a fish-based Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI), a common ecological tool for assessing the health of fish communities, in order to inform state and federal regulatory agencies of the impairment status of warm water, wadeable stream and rivers in West Virginia. Based on fish distributions and assemblage metrics within reference sites, we identified 5 distinct biomonitoring regions for which we constructed separate warm water IBIs. Final lists consisting of 7 -- 9 metrics were retained within each region for the inclusion into a final IBI. Common metrics retained in the final IBIs included measures of benthic associated species, total species richness, clean-gravel spawning species, tolerance to stressors, feeding classification (e.g., invertivores, omnivore-herbivores) and taxonomic group membership (e.g., Family Cyprinidae, Family Cottidae, darters, and madtoms).;In the remaining chapters, we evaluated alternative methods for portions of IBI development and relationships of the final IBI and metrics to both natural and anthropogenic landscape characteristics. Specifically for Chapter 2, we used a modeling framework (i.e., boosted regression tree modeling) in order to generate an anthropogenic condition gradient based on currently defined reference sites. We used the reference condition probabilities to locate additional reference sites that span a gradient of natural environmental conditions to be used in bioassessment development as well as define regions of high quality for future sampling or conservation efforts. We then used this larger sample of reference sites to model the expected condition of trait-based fish community metrics using a variety of natural landscape variables (i.e., drainage area, elevation, and distance from a source river) in chapter 3. In order to generate predictive models, we used a boosted regression tree (BRT) framework in which we also analyzed the effectiveness of BRT models by developing thresholds of model use using Monte Carlo simulations. Overall, the metrics analyzed for chapter 3 showed distinct regional difference in their natural condition BRT models as well as their correlations with anthropogenic stressors within each biomonitoring region.;Finally, for Chapter 4, we recognized the importance of the hierarchical nature of aquatic systems in determining local fish community structure. We evaluated different measures of fish community assembly (species richness, diversity, WV IBI scores, and proportion of tolerant individuals) and how local and neighborhood level landscape structure in additional to natural variables, can impact stream community health in Central Appalachian watersheds. In order to account for the nested structure of our data, we employed a mixed-effects modeling approach, which has the ability to incorporate non-independent sampling locations by establishing a fixed-effect grouping variable. For our analysis, we used neighborhood (HUC 12 watershed) as a grouping variable. Generally, each community variable, with exception of % tolerant individuals, was responsive to local landscape structure. These variables demonstrated decreases with increase in measures of surface mining intensity. However, they also demonstrated increases with increases in residential development indicating that residential development in the Central Appalachians may serve as a refuge from mining related stressors by providing increased levels of nutrients and release from degraded water quality. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Good Working Mothers as Jugglers: A Critical Look at Two Work-Family Balance Films

We examine the portrayals of two good working mothers in popular work–family balance films—Melanie in One Fine Day (1996) and Kate in I Don’t Know How She Does It (2011). Using a critical standpoint, we build on communication work–family/life scholarship to extend theoretical understanding of underlying ideological notions of the good working mother. In particular, we analyze Melanie and Kate’s performances that reflect the underlying cultural ideologies of being an ideal worker, a true domestic woman, and an intensive mother. Further, we explicate how this juggling of identities portrays good working mothers as perpetually defensive. We go beyond the analysis of ideologies to lay out some of the consequences of the performance portrayals of the good working mother, in that she should (a) accept “punishments” from her children, (b) conceptualize fathers as secondary parents, (c) solve problems on her own, and (d) choose family over work.Citation: Kirby, E. L., Riforgiate, S. E., Anderson, I. K., Lahman, M. P., & Lietzenmayer, A. M. (2016). Good Working Mothers as Jugglers: A Critical Look at Two Work-Family Balance Films. Journal of Family Communication, 16, 76-93. doi:10.1080/15267431.2015.111121

Development of a conceptual framework to underpin a health‑related quality of life outcome measure in paediatric chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalopathy (CFS/ME):prioritisation through card ranking

PURPOSE: Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)/myalgic encephalopathy (ME) is relatively common in children and is disabling at an important time in their development. This study aimed to develop a conceptual framework of paediatric CFS/ME using the patient-perspective to ensure that the content of a new outcome measure includes the outcomes most important to young people. METHODS: We developed a child-centred interactive card ranking exercise that included health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes identified from a previous review of the literature as well as qualitative work. Adolescents and their parents selected and ranked the outcomes most important to them and discussed each outcome in further detail. Adolescents were purposively sampled from a single specialist paediatric CFS/ME service in England. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim, and thematic framework analysis was used to develop the final conceptual framework. RESULTS: We interviewed 43 participants in which there are 21 adolescents, 12-17 years of age with mild-moderate CFS/ME and their parents (20 mothers and 2 fathers). 'Symptoms', 'tiredness', 'payback and crashing' and 'activities and hobbies' were ranked most important to improve by both children and parents. Children ranked 'school' higher than parents and parents ranked 'mood' higher than children. A youth- specific CFS/ME conceptual framework of HRQoL was produced that included 4 outcome domains and 11 subdomains: sleep, tiredness, problems concentrating, individual symptoms, fluctuation and payback, daily and general activities, participation in school, leisure and social life, mood, anxiety and self-esteem. CONCLUSIONS: An interactive card ranking exercise worked well for adolescents aged 12-17 to elicit the most important outcomes to them and explore each domain in further detail. We developed a final conceptual framework of HRQoL that forms the basis of a new paediatric patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) in CFS/ME. KEYWORDS: Adolescents; Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalopathy (CFS/ME); Conceptual framework; Health-related quality of life (HRQoL); Patient-reported outcome measure (PROM); Qualitativ

Honey Bee Gut Microbiome Is Altered by In-Hive Pesticide Exposures

Honey bees (Apismellifera) are the primary pollinators of major horticultural crops. Over the last few decades, a substantial decline in honey bees and their colonies have been reported. While a plethora of factors could contribute to the putative decline, pathogens, and pesticides are common concerns that draw attention. In addition to potential direct effects on honey bees, indirect pesticide effects could include alteration of essential gut microbial communities and symbionts that are important to honey bee health (e.g.,immunesystem). The primary objective of this study was to determine the microbiome associated with honey bees exposed to commonly used in-hive pesticides: coumaphos, tau-fluvalinate, and chlorothalonil. Treatments were replicated at three independent locations near Blacksburg Virginia, and included ano-pesticide amended control at each location. The microbiome was characterized through pyrosequencing of V2–V3 regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and fungal ITS region. Pesticide exposure significantly affected the structure of bacterial but not fungal communities. The bee bacteriome, similar to other studies, was dominated by sequences derived from Bacilli, Actinobacteria, α-, β-, γ-proteobacteria. The fungal community sequences were dominated by Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes. The Multi-response permutation procedures (MRPP) and subsequent Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt) analysis indicated that chlorothalonil caused significant change to the structure and functional potential of the honey bee gut bacterial community relative to control. Putative genes for oxidative phosphorylation, for example, increased while sugar metabolism and peptidase potential declined in the microbiome of chlorothalonil exposed bees. The results of this field-based study suggest the potential for pesticide induced changes to the honey bee gut microbiome that warrant further investigation

Economic considerations for moving beyond the Kato-Katz technique for diagnosing intestinal parasites as we move towards elimination

While the need for more sensitive diagnostics for intestinal helminths is well known, the cost of developing and implementing new tests is considered relatively high compared to the Kato-Katz technique. Here, we review the reported costs of performing the Kato-Katz technique. We also outline several economic arguments we believe highlight the need for further investment in alternative diagnostics, and considerations that should be made when comparing their costs. In our opinion, we highlight that, without new diagnostic methods, it will be difficult for policy makers to make the most cost-effective decisions and that the potentially higher unit costs of new methods can be outweighed by the long-term programmatic benefits they have (such as the ability to detect the interruption of transmission)

Cost and cost-effectiveness of soil-transmitted helminth treatment programmes : systematic review and research needs

Background In this time of rapidly expanding mass drug administration (MDA) coverage and the new commitments for soil-transmitted helminth (STH) control, it is essential that resources are allocated in an efficient manner to have the greatest impact. However, many questions remain regarding how best to deliver STH treatment programmes; these include which age-groups should be targeted and how often. To perform further analyses to investigate what the most cost-effective control strategies are in different settings, accurate cost data for targeting different age groups at different treatment frequencies (in a range of settings) are essential. Methods Using the electronic databases PubMed, MEDLINE, and ISI Web of Knowledge, we perform a systematic review of costing studies and cost-effectiveness evaluations for potential STH treatment strategies. We use this review to highlight research gaps and outline the key future research needs. Results We identified 29 studies reporting costs of STH treatment and 17 studies that investigated its cost-effectiveness. The majority of these pertained to programmes only targeting school-aged children (SAC), with relatively few studies investigating alternative preventive chemotherapy (PCT) treatment strategies. The methods of cost data collection, analysis and reporting were highly variable among the different studies. Only four of the costing studies were found to have high applicability for use in forthcoming economic evaluations. There are also very few studies quantifying the costs of increasing the treatment frequency. Conclusions The absence of cost data and inconsistencies in the collection and analysis methods constitutes a major research gap for STH control. Detailed and accurate costs of targeting different age groups or increasing treatment frequency will be essential to formulate cost-effective public health policy. Defining the most cost-effective control strategies in different settings is of high significance during this period of expanding MDA coverage and new resource commitments for STH control

Analysis of the population-level impact of co-administering ivermectin with albendazole or mebendazole for the control and elimination of Trichuris trichiura.

INTRODUCTION: Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are predominately controlled by providing children with preventive chemotherapy with either albendazole or mebendazole. However, neither has a high efficacy against Trichuris trichiura. This low efficacy limits the overall effectiveness of the current STH control programmes against T. trichiura. It has been demonstrated that co-administering ivermectin with albendazole or mebendazole significantly increases the efficacy of current treatments, which may increase the overall effectiveness of control programmes. METHODS: Using a STH transmission mathematical model, we evaluated the potential impact of co-administering ivermectin with albendazole or mebendazole to treat T. trichiura within a preventive chemotherapy programme targeting children (2-15 year olds). We evaluated the impact in terms of reduction in prevalent infections, mean worm burden, and prevalence of heavy infections. RESULTS: Although the current treatment strategy reduced T. trichiura worm burden and prevalence of heavy infections, due to their poor efficacy the long term impact of preventive chemotherapy for children was smaller compared to the other STH. Co-administering ivermectin increased the projected impact of the preventive chemotherapy programme in terms of all three of the explored metrics, practically in high transmission settings. Furthermore, ivermectin co-administration greatly increased the feasibility of and timeframe for breaking transmission. CONCLUSIONS: Co-administering ivermectin notably increased the projected impact of preventive chemotherapy in high transmission settings and increased the feasibility for breaking transmission. This has important implications for control programmes, some of which may be shifting focus from morbidity control to interruption of transmission, and some of which may be logistically unable to provide preventive chemotherapy twice a year as recommended. However, the benefit of co-administering ivermectin is limited by the fact that 2-5 year olds are often ineligible to receive treatment