Computer‐based teaching and evaluation of introductory statistics for health science students: Some lessons learned

In recent years, it has become possible to introduce health science students to statistical packages at an increasingly early stage in their undergraduate studies. This has enabled teaching to take place in a computer laboratory, using real data, and encouraging an exploratory and research‐oriented approach. This paper briefly describes a hypertext Computer Based Tutorial (CBT) concerned with descriptive statistics and introductory data analysis. The CBT has three primary objectives: the introduction of concepts, the facilitation of revision, and the acquisition of skills for project work. Objective testing is incorporated and used for both self‐assessment and formal examination. Evaluation was carried out with a large group of Health Science students, heterogeneous with regard to their IT skills and basic numeracy. The results of the evaluation contain valuable lessons

Obesity Intervention and Prevention

Obesity is a prevalent health concern at Berlin Family Practice, with 41% of the patients seen in the past two years with a BMI greater than or equal to 30, many suffering from comorbid diseases of hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and stroke. In an effort to assist patients in making lifestyle changes to improve nutrition, activity level, and weight loss, this project aims to incorporate the Vermont Department of Health\u27s Weight and Health Profile into patient visits. Feedback from both practitioners and patients on how to improve and update this tool will be provided to Vermont Department of Health Physical Activity and Nutrition program in an effort to optimize its effectiveness and help patients with healthier eating, weight loss, and increased activity, thereby reducing incidence of obesity and associated comorbidities.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/1111/thumbnail.jp

Simulations of Prominence Formation in the Magnetized Solar Corona by Chromospheric Heating

Starting from a realistically sheared magnetic arcade connecting chromospheric, transition region to coronal plasma, we simulate the in-situ formation and sustained growth of a quiescent prominence in the solar corona. Contrary to previous works, our model captures all phases of the prominence formation, including the loss of thermal equilibrium, its successive growth in height and width to macroscopic dimensions, and the gradual bending of the arched loops into dipped loops, as a result of the mass accumulation. Our 2.5-dimensional, fully thermodynamically and magnetohydrodynamically consistent model mimics the magnetic topology of normal-polarity prominences above a photospheric neutral line, and results in a curtain-like prominence above the neutral line through which the ultimately dipped magnetic field lines protrude at a finite angle. The formation results from concentrated heating in the chromosphere, followed by plasma evaporation and later rapid condensation in the corona due to thermal instability, as verified by linear instability criteria. Concentrated heating in the lower atmosphere evaporates plasma from below to accumulate at the top of coronal loops and supply mass to the later prominence constantly. This is the first evaporation-condensation model study where we can demonstrate how the formed prominence stays in a force balanced state, which can be compared to the Kippenhahn-Schluter type magnetohydrostatic model, all in a finite low-beta corona

What drives norm success? Evidence from anti–fossil fuel campaigns

Why do some international norms succeed, whereas others fail? We argue that norm campaigns are more likely to succeed when the actions they prescribe are framed as a solution to salient problems that potential adopters face, even if different from the problem that originally motivated norm entrepreneurs. For instance, the campaign to reduce environmentally harmful fossil fuel subsidies has been more effective when linked to fiscal stability, a common problem that policy makers face. Problem linkages can thus bolster the attractiveness of a proposed new norm and broaden the coalition of actors that support the norm. We probe the plausibility of this argument by studying two campaigns that aim to shift patterns of finance for fossil fuel production and consumption: subsidy reform and divestment. Subsidy reform encourages governments to reduce subsidies for products like gasoline; divestment encourages investors to sell or avoid equity stocks from fossil fuel industries. We look at the variation in the impact of these two campaigns over time and argue that they have achieved institutional acceptance and implementation chiefly when their advocates have been able to link environmental goals with other goals, usually economic ones

The use of ozone to extend the shelf-life and maintain quality of fresh produce

Fresh produce has been recognised as a healthy food, thus there is increasing consumer demand for fresh fruit and vegetables. The shelf-life of fresh produce, however, is relatively short and is limited by microbial contamination or visual, textural and nutritional quality loss. There are many methods to reduce/eliminate microorganisms present in food and ozone treatment is one of them. The use of ozone by the fresh produce industry is a good alternative to chemical treatments, e.g. the use of chlorine. The effectiveness of ozone as an antimicrobial agent has previously been reviewed and has been updated here, with the latest findings. The main focus of this review is on the effects of ozone on the fresh produce quality, defined by maintenance of texture, visual quality, taste and aroma, and nutritional content. Furthermore, ozone has been found to be efficient in reducing pesticide residues from the produce. The treatments that have the ability to reduce microbial contamination of the product without having an adverse effect on its visual, textural and nutritional quality can be recommended and subsequently incorporated into the supply chain. A good understanding of all the benefits and limitations related to the use of ozone is needed, and relevant information has been reviewed in this paper