Effectiveness of conservation education at the Chattanooga Zoo

Conservation is the central focus of many modern zoos and aquariums. These zoos incorporate guest education to facilitate a connection between zoo guests and animal conservation. I conducted a study at the Chattanooga Zoo and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga which examined two modern zoo education approaches. The two approaches utilized in the study are currently used in keeper chats at the Chattanooga Zoo. The first approach is an emotional appeal (an appeal to the personalities of the chimps at the zoo) and the second approach is a utilization of a take-action initiative (recycling cell phones to reduce mining in chimpanzee habitat). Both approaches were placed at the beginning of the same chimpanzee presentation which exclusively involved facts about chimpanzees. These two approaches were tested against a control presentation that involved only the chimpanzee facts and no educational approaches. All three presentations were given to two populations, zoo guests and UTC students in front of the chimpanzee exhibit at the zoo and in various lecture halls at UTC. My goal was to examine the effects of these approaches on retention of chimpanzee related information. I hypothesized that incorporating an emotional appeal in an informational chat increases guest retention more than using a take-action initiative. The response data collected from the Chattanooga Zoo revealed no significant differences in guest retention of information between any of the three zoo chats (presentations) due to small sample size. The results from the UTC student population did yield statistically significant differences. The group exposed to the emotional appeal scored the highest on average, followed by the control group, and finally the take-action initiative group. My study may serve as a starting point for future research involving effectiveness of conservation messaging at the Chattanooga Zoo

Neural Likelihood Approximation for Integer Valued Time Series Data

Stochastic processes defined on integer valued state spaces are popular within the physical and biological sciences. These models are necessary for capturing the dynamics of small systems where the individual nature of the populations cannot be ignored and stochastic effects are important. The inference of the parameters of such models, from time series data, is difficult due to intractability of the likelihood; current methods, based on simulations of the underlying model, can be so computationally expensive as to be prohibitive. In this paper we construct a neural likelihood approximation for integer valued time series data using causal convolutions, which allows us to evaluate the likelihood of the whole time series in parallel. We demonstrate our method by performing inference on a number of ecological and epidemiological models, showing that we can accurately approximate the true posterior while achieving significant computational speed ups in situations where current methods struggle

Arthroscopic transosseous rotator cuff repair: A prospective study on cost savings, surgical time, and outcomes

Objectives: Health expenditures in the United States are outpacing national income, and affordability has become a major policy issue. Over 500,000 rotator cuff repairs (RCR) are performed annually in the United States making RCR a potential source of cost savings. Arthroscopic trans-osseous equivalent (TOE) repair using a double row of anchors has shown superior biomechanical strength compared to other techniques, but at a higher cost. The arthroscopic transosseous (TO) repair is a novel technique allowing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair to be performed without suture anchors. Arthroscopic TO repair may be a means to provide similarly excellent patient outcomes while lowering the cost of care. The primary purpose is to compare the price differential and time of surgery for an arthroscopic rotator cuff repair using anchorless TO repair verses an anchor trans-osseous equivalent (TOE) repair. A secondary purpose of the study was to evaluate outcomes at 6 months postoperatively. Methods: A prospective, case-controlled study evaluating arthroscopic rotator cuff repair using two techniques was performed. The study group consisting of 21 patients undergoing TO repair was compared to a control group consisting of 22 patients undergoing TOE repair. The groups were controlled for size of tear, biceps treatment, acromioplasty, distal clavicle excision, and labral pathology. The primary outcome measures were surgical time as well as total cost of implants and equipment for each surgery, determined by an independent third party, Atlanticare Hospital. Secondary outcomes were changes in the SST, VAS, and SANE scores. Results: Mean total surgical implant/equipment cost per procedure for TOE repair was $2348.03 (SD 490.30) and for TO repair was$1204.97 (SD 330.69; p\u3c0.0001). Mean cut to close time for TOE repair was 85 minutes (95% CI is 77-90) verses 74 (95% CI = 71-98) for TO repair. A log rank test revealed no difference in time (p =0.95). A linear regression model was developed to evaluate the change in SST, VAS, and SANE scores from pre-op to 6 months follow-up. Our study was underpowered but no difference in outcome was observed. Conclusion: Arthroscopic TO rotator cuff repair is a cost savings and time neutral technique compared to TOE repair. A mean of $1100 can be saved in surgical cost per case. In a country that performs over 500,000 RCRs annually, utilizing a TO repair technique can provide substantial cost savings to the healthcare system. © The Author(s) 2015

How to detect edge electron states in (TMTSF)2X and Sr2RuO4 experimentally

We discuss a number of experiments that could detect the electron edge states in the organic quasi-one-dimensional conductors (TMTSF)2X and the inorganic quasi-two-dimensional perovskites Sr2RuO4. We consider the chiral edges states in the magnetic-field-induced spin-density-wave (FISDW) phase of (TMTSF)2X and in the time-reversal-symmetry-breaking triplet superconducting phase of Sr2RuO4, as well as the nonchiral midgap edge states in the triplet superconducting phase of $(TMTSF)2X. The most realistic experiment appears to be an observation of spontaneous magnetic flux at the edges of Sr2RuO4 by a scanning SQUID microscope.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures. Submitted to the proceedings of ISCOM-2001 to be published in Synthetic Metals. Uses supplied elsart.cls and synmet.cls. V.2: 1 reference adde

‘Engage the World’: examining conflicts of engagement in public museums

Public engagement has become a central theme in the mission statements of many cultural institutions, and in scholarly research into museums and heritage. Engagement has emerged as the go-to-it-word for generating, improving or repairing relations between museums and society at large. But engagement is frequently an unexamined term that might embed assumptions and ignore power relationships. This article describes and examines the implications of conflicting and misleading uses of ‘engagement’ in relation to institutional dealings with contested questions about culture and heritage. It considers the development of an exhibition on the Dead Sea Scrolls by the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto in 2009 within the new institutional goal to ‘Engage the World’. The chapter analyses the motivations, processes and decisions deployed by management and staff to ‘Engage the World’, and the degree to which the museum was able to re-think its strategies of public engagement, especially in relation to subjects,issues and publics that were more controversial in nature

Project LAUNCH: System Transformation Evaluation Final Report

This final report presents the evaluation of Missouri’s Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health). Project LAUNCH was a 5 year federal initiative funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The initiative promoted health and well-being for children from birth to age 8 by creating a more integrated early childhood service system throughout Missouri.https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cphss/1103/thumbnail.jp

The effect of umbilical cord cleansing with chlorhexidine on omphalitis and neonatal mortality in community settings in developing countries: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: There is an increased risk of serious neonatal infection arising through exposure of the umbilical cord to invasive pathogen in home and facility births where hygienic practices are difficult to achieve. The World Health Organization currently recommends 'dry cord care' because of insufficient data in favor of or against topical application of an antiseptic. The primary objective of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the effects of application of chlorhexidine (CHX) to the umbilical cord to children born in low income countries on cord infection (omphalitis) and neonatal mortality. Standardized guidelines of Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group (CHERG) were followed to generate estimates of effectiveness of topical chlorhexidine application to umbilical cord for prevention of sepsis specific mortality, for inclusion in the Lives Saved Tool (LiST). METHODS: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources included Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in the Cochrane Library, PubMed, CINHAL and WHO international clinical trials registry. Only randomized trials were included. Studies of children in hospital settings were excluded. The comparison group received no application to the umbilical cord (dry cord care), no intervention, or a non-CHX intervention. Primary outcomes were omphalitis and all-cause neonatal mortality. RESULTS: There were three cluster-randomised community trials (total participants 54,624) conducted in Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan that assessed impact of CHX application to the newborn umbilical cord for prevention of cord infection and mortality. Application of any CHX to the umbilical cord of the newborn led to a 23% reduction in all-cause neonatal mortality in the intervention group compared to control [RR 0.77, 95 % CI 0.63, 0.94; random effects model, I2=50 %]. The reduction in omphalitis ranged from 27 % to 56 % compared to control group depending on severity of infection. Based on CHERG rules, effect size for all-cause mortality was used for inclusion to LiST model as a proxy for sepsis specific mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Application of CHX to newborn umbilical cord can significantly reduce incidence of umbilical cord infection and all-cause mortality among home births in community settings. This inexpensive and simple intervention can save a significant number of newborn lives in developing countries

Best Practices User Guide: Youth Engagement

This user guide, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, focuses on the role youth play in advancing policy as part of a comprehensive tobacco control program. This guide will provide tobacco control program managers with information on the best practices for engaging youth as a part of a comprehensive program. Youth involvement can lead to important policy and social norm changes, and advance the fight against pro-tobacco influences.https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cphss/1104/thumbnail.jp

Childbirth after adolescent and young adult cancer: a population-based study

Purpose: Annually, > 45,000 US women are diagnosed with cancer during adolescence and young adulthood (AYA). Since 2006, national guidelines have recommended fertility counseling for cancer patients. We examined childbirth after AYA cancer by calendar period, cancer diagnosis, and maternal characteristics. Methods: We identified a cohort of women with an incident invasive AYA cancer diagnosis at ages 15–39 during 2000–2013 in North Carolina. Cancer records were linked with statewide birth certificates through 2014. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for first post-diagnosis live birth were calculated using Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: Among 17,564 AYA cancer survivors, 1989 had ≥ 1 birth after diagnosis during 98,397 person-years. The 5- and 10-year cumulative incidence of live birth after cancer was 10 and 15%, respectively. AYA survivors with a post-diagnosis birth were younger at diagnosis, had lower stage disease, and had less often received chemotherapy than those without a birth. The 5-year cumulative incidence of post-diagnosis birth was 10.0% for women diagnosed during 2007–2012, compared to 9.4% during 2000–2005 (HR = 1.01; 0.91, 1.12), corresponding to periods before and after publication of American Society of Clinical Oncology fertility counseling guidelines in 2006. Conclusions: Despite advances in fertility preservation options and recognition of fertility counseling as a part of high-quality cancer care, the incidence of post-diagnosis childbirth has remained stable over the last 15 years. Implications for Cancer Survivors: Our study uses statewide data to provide recent, population-based estimates of how often AYA women have biological children after a cancer diagnosis

Collaborative social-epidemiology: A co-analysis of the cultural and structural determinants of health for Aboriginal youth in Victorian schools

Social-epidemiology that excludes Aboriginal voices often fails to capture the full and complex social worlds of Aboriginal people. Using data from an existing co-designed Victorian government Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Survey (2008/9), we worked with Aboriginal organizations to identify data priorities, select measures, interpret data, and contextualize findings. Using this participatory co-analysis approach, we selected "cultural" and "structural" determinants identified by Aboriginal organizations as important and modelled these using principal component analysis. Resulting components were then modelled using logistic regression to investigate associations with "likely being well" (Kessler-10 score < 20) for 88 Aboriginal adolescents aged 11-17 years. Principal component analysis grouped 11 structural variables into four components and 11 cultural variables into three components. Of these, "grew up in Aboriginal family/community and connected" associated with significantly higher odds of "likely being well" (OR = 2.26 (1.01-5.06), p = 0.046). Conversely, "institutionally imposed family displacement" had significantly lower odds (OR = 0.49 (0.24-0.97), p = 0.040) and "negative police contact and poverty" non-significantly lower odds (OR = 0.53 (0.26-1.06), p = 0.073) for "likely being well". Using a co-analysis participatory approach, the voices of Aboriginal researchers and Aboriginal organizations were able to construct a social world that aligned with their ways of knowing, doing, and being. Findings highlighted institutionally imposed family displacement, policing, and poverty as social sites for health intervention and emphasized the importance of strong Aboriginal families for adolescents