Meditation Matters: Replies to the Anti-McMindfulness Bandwagon!

A critical reply to the anti-mindfulness critics in the collection, who oppose the popular secularized adoption of mindfulness on various grounds (it is not Buddhism, it is Buddhism, it is a tool of neo-capitalist exploitation, etc.), I argue that mindfulness is a quality of consciousness, opposite mindlessness, that may be cultivated through practice, and is almost always beneficial to those who cultivate it

Where is the Social Democracy in Subscription Paywalls? Effects and Impact of Transitioning Journals from Subscriptions to Open Access on Researchers in Developing and Transition Economies

Nearly 20 years after the Budapest, Berlin and Bethesda Declarations on open access, the global academic community continues to struggle toward realizing its objective of an open information environment in which the world’s scholarly and scientific literature is freely available and at the service of society to accelerate research, enrich education and lay the foundation for a common, global intellectual exchange. Championing the cause, stakeholders in some geographic contexts have succeeded in delivering open access publishing options for their research outputs by fostering highly-regarded, locally-developed journals, platforms and repositories, yet a an enormous portion of the world’s scholarly literature continues to be published in subscription journals with mounting paywalls. To address this lacuna, many institutions and national consortia have begun to negotiate transformative agreements as a strategy to transition those journals from closed to open, repurposing former subscription expenditures to cover open access publishing costs and basing their negotiations on the principle that such agreements should be cost-neutral. But just what does cost-neutral mean in developing and transition economies? How does the current subscription expenditure relate to their publishing trends? Does transitioning the business model underlying scholarly journals from subscription to open access merely move the barrier from “pay to read” to “pay to publish”? Keen to better understand the financial implications of transformative agreements in and on Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), the Open Access 2020 Initiative LMIC Working Group has been investigating this issue, engaging researchers, librarians and consortium leaders through the EIFL network. OA2020 is an initiative of research performing organizations from around the world who adopt strategies to transform scholarly journals from closed to open, and EIFL (Electronic Information for Libraries) works with libraries to enable access to knowledge for education, learning, research and sustainable community development. Through this collaboration, key insights from librarians, data analysts, library consortia coordinators, and researchers have been incorporated into practical recommendations the working group is eager to share! Because of the highly collaborative nature of our work, the presenters will present together, trading off to highlight different aspects of the overall project. Rick Burke, Executive Director, SCELC, will moderate this session

An International Comparison of Attitudes Toward Traditional and Modern Medicine in a Chinese and an American Clinic Setting

Introduction. International comparative research on traditional medicine (TM) offers a useful method for examining differences in patient characteristics and can provide insight into: (i) more universal characteristics which may cross cultures and international borders; (ii) unique characteristics influenced by regional/national factors; and (iii) cultural values of immigrant populations. To explore these issues TM patients from the United States and China were compared. Methods. Data collection took place at two TM college clinics. A convenience sample of 128 patients in China and 127 patients in the United States completed a 28-item questionnaire. Results. There was a marked similarity between the two patient groups in terms of the biological characteristics of age and gender. Musculoskeletal issues were the most common presenting complaints in the United States; while in China TM was used for a more diverse array of conditions. The majority of patients in both countries had initially used allopathic medicine (AM); significantly, more of the United States respondents stopped allopathic treatment after beginning traditional treatment. In comparing the two countries, patients in China were significantly more satisfied with AM and American patients significantly more satisfied with TM. In comparing the two medicines, the patient samples in both countries were significantly more satisfied with TM than AM. Discussion. Although treatment often originated with allopathic providers, many patients sought alternatives presumably to find the best solution to their problems. This tendency toward self-assignment suggests that a pluralistic healthcare system may provide the greatest satisfaction resulting from personal choice and improved outcomes

Do Not Be an Invisible Library!

The role of the library keeps changing, particularly with the development of new education models and technologies. User behaviors are changing, too, and libraries need to adapt and use different approaches in providing library services and access to content. Digital tools make online content search easy, but sometimes the value the library brings gets lost, even though it is the library that purchases, sets up, and maintains that online access to content. The most recent Ithaka US Faculty Survey highlights this misunderstanding—a large percentage of scientists feel that “because faculty have easy access to academic content online, the role librarians play at their institution is becoming much less important”. What new value-added benefits and services can libraries consider to help teaching faculty and researchers, or increase the prestige of their school? As higher education explores online and MOOC opportunities, how can libraries provide support? Rick Burke, Executive Director of SCELC, shares challenges he hears from libraries. As the e-resource marketplace has evolved, the need has grown for tools to help libraries promote and manage access to those resources, while providing a means to assert the library\u27s role in making those resources available. He will discuss SCELC\u27s experiences in bringing these tools to the consortial marketplace. Matt Goldner, Product and Technology Advocate of OCLC, will give insights on the changing relationship between library and school community, as well as OCLC\u27s initiatives to help libraries adjust to the new landscapes. Franny Lee, Co-Founder of SIPX, will discuss the research conducted by the Stanford Intellectual Property Exchange on measuring the content access benefits that the library relationship brings to higher education students, as well as SIPX\u27s experiences translating requests and feedback from libraries into opportunities for copyright education and user interface design that makes the library\u27s role visible. Glenn Johnson-Grau, Head of Collection Development at Loyola Marymount University, will discuss the effect of diminishing visibility on academic libraries as users decreasingly associate the library with the physical collection and the new opportunities that open when we strengthen campus relationships and reassert our value in the academic mission of our organizations

A Qualitative Assessment of Kansas Tracking and Reporting of Controlled Substances (K-TRACS)

Introduction. This study assessed the Kansas Tracking and Reporting of Controlled Substances system (K-TRACS), the online controlled prescription medication monitoring website in Kansas. The specific aims were to determine if and when pharmacists and physicians in Kansas were using K-TRACS and to identify any perceived benefits or barriers to using K-TRACS. Methods. A non-randomized, convenience sample of Kansas pharmacists and family physicians were interviewed face to face using a guided semi-structured questionnaire. NVivo 10 (QSR International Pty Ltd.) was used to analyze data. Results. Ten physicians and sixteen pharmacists were interviewed. All pharmacists and 70% of physicians were using K-TRACS. Usage was prompted by encounters with new patients or unease with the patient interaction. The perceived benefits included increased communication with the patient and all providers, increased provider comfort with treating chronic pain, and altered prescriber habits. Barriers to the use of K-TRACS were identified as login, password, and operating system problems. Conclusions. Among study participants, K-TRACS is used regularly, is perceived to be a benefit to providers, patients and communities, and has become a useful new tool in the treatment of chronic pain. K-TRACS is perceived to facilitate increased communication between providers and with patients

Potato Response to Simulated Glyphosate Drift

Field studies were conducted in 2008 in Ontario, OR and Paterson, WA to determine the effect of simulated glyphosate drift on 'Ranger Russet' potato, including visual injury, shikimic acid accumulation, and tuber yield. Glyphosate was applied at 8.5, 54, 107, 215, and 423 g ae ha(-1); which corresponds to 0.01, 0.064, 0.126, 0.254, and 0.5 of the lowest recommended (846 g ha(-1)) single application dose for glyphosate-resistant corn and sugar beet. Glyphosate was applied when potato plants were at 10-cm height, stolon hooking, tuber initiation, or bulking stage. The greatest visual foliar injury was observed when glyphosate was applied at a dose of 54 g haT/ha or greater and potato plants were at the hooking stage. The lowest foliar injury was observed when glyphosate was applied to potato plants at the bulking stage. The I(50) glyphosate dose at 42 d after treatment (DAT) was estimated to be 167 g ha(-1) for potatoes sprayed at the hooking stage. The corresponding glyphosate dose to result in 50% injury, for potatoes sprayed at tuber initiation, 10-cm height, and bulking stages were 129%, 338%, and 438%, respectively, greater than hooking stage. The U.S. No.1 potato yield was inversely related to vine injury and shikimic acid accumulation. Shikimic acid accumulation increased when glyphosate was applied at 107 g ha(-1) or greater. U.S. No.1 potato yield was reduced by 46% and 84% relative to the untreated control (55 and 76 T/ha) when glyphosate was applied at 107 g ha(-1) to plants in the booking stage at Ontario and Paterson, respectively. Tuber yields at both sites were lowest when glyphosate was applied at hooking and tuber initiation stages

Needs assessment survey for enhancing United States child agricultural injury prevention capacity: Brief report

The dissemination of childhood agricultural safety and health information and resources through organizations that farmers trust enhances implementation and the Socio-Ecological Model can help identify these organizations. However, to become effective partners in improving agricultural health and safety, organizations need to build capacity in child agricultural safety and health, thus, more information is needed about these organizations’ current practices, needs, and capacity for leadership, policy makers, and knowledge mobilization. An online survey was administered to organization leaders with an interest in child agricultural injury prevention, chosen through agricultural health and safety organization membership lists. Invitations to participate in the online survey were mailed to 95 organization leaders with three weekly reminders, resulting in participation from 50 organization leaders (53% response rate). Respondents indicated a high level of awareness of child agricultural injuries, yet few were actively engaged in injury prevention. When asked about “needs” for building capacity in injury prevention, over half (56%) identified a need for more promotion and dissemination of safety resources and strategies, including ATV safety, no extra riders on equipment, and keeping young children out of the worksite. The only topic that more than half of the organizations (54%) identified as “needing more information” was childhood agricultural injury surveillance. This assessment yielded valuable details for identifying opportunities, priorities, and topics for future collaborations and capacity building. Findings help inform national and international planning committees’ work, such as the next iteration of a US National Action Plan for Childhood Agricultural Injury Prevention, scheduled for release in 2024

Glycolaldehyde formation via the dimerization of the formyl radical

Glycolaldehyde, the simplest monosaccharide sugar, has recently been detected in low- and high-mass star-forming cores. Following our previous investigation into glycolaldehyde formation, we now consider a further mechanism for the formation of glycolaldehyde that involves the dimerization of the formyl radical, HCO. Quantum mechanical investigation of the HCO dimerization process upon an ice surface is predicted to be barrierless and therefore fast. In an astrophysical context, we show that this mechanism can be very efficient in star-forming cores. It is limited by the availability of the formyl radical, but models suggest that only very small amounts of CO are required to be converted to HCO to meet the observational constraints

What about the Rest of Them? Fatal Injuries Related to Production Agriculture Not Captured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI)

Surveillance of injuries in production agriculture is necessary to inform stakeholders about workplace hazards and risks in order to improve and advance injury prevention policies and practices for this dangerous industry. The most comprehensive fatal injury surveillance effort currently in the United States is the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), which covers occupational fatalities in all U.S. industries, including production agriculture. However, this surveillance does not include many categories of fatalities that occur during agricultural work or on production agriculture worksites. To better capture the human cost of production agriculture, the authors of this paper call for the collection of additional data with a broader scope that supplements, not replaces, the current CFOI. This paper describes challenges in surveillance, highlights key procedural gaps, and offers recommendations for advancing national surveillance of fatal traumatic injuries associated with production agriculture

Behaviorally informed policies for household financial decisionmaking

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Low incomes, limited financial literacy, fraud, and deception are just a few of the many intractable economic and social factors that contribute to the financial difficulties that households face today. Addressing these issues directly is difficult and costly. But poor financial outcomes also result from systematic psychological tendencies, including imperfect optimization, biased judgments and preferences, and susceptibility to influence by the actions and opinions of others. Some of these psychological tendencies and the problems they cause may be countered by policies and interventions that are both low cost and scalable. We detail the ways that these behavioral factors contribute to consumers' financial mistakes and suggest a set of interventions that the federal government, in its dual roles as regulator and employer, could feasibly test or implement to improve household financial outcomes in a variety of domains: retirement, short-term savings, debt management, the take-up of government benefits, and tax optimization