“All Voices Matter”: Perspectives on Bridging the Campus-to-Community Gap

Project Sharing Opinions and Advice about Research in the Deep South (SOAR) aims to increase the involvement of community members to enhance the importance, relevance, and cultural appropriateness of disease research and interventions offered in the Deep South. SOAR recruits and trains community partners to include them in conversations about how best to identify and address mental and physical health disparities. Additionally, SOAR underscores the importance of addressing issues faced by ethnically diverse and underserved community members

Temporal and spatial patterns in aerosol insecticide droplet distribution: Modifying application strategies to improve coverage and efficacy

With the phase-out of methyl bromide, treatment of food facilities with aerosol insecticides as part of management programs has increased. The physical layout of the structure, the distribution of equipment and other items within the space, and the application method and location may all cause spatial variation in how the insecticide is deposited, which can result in areas with insufficient or excessive amounts of insecticide applied. The impact of aerosol insecticide application position and dispersal method/formulation on the distribution of droplets was evaluated using a series of applications within the same flour mill room. The spatial pattern of droplet distribution and the effect of treatment on bioassay insects (Tribolium confusum Jacquelin DuVal) was evaluated. There was variation in aerosol concentration and droplet size distributions within room and application position had an impact on the spatial pattern of aerosol droplets. The further away and more obstructed by structural features a location was the lower the aerosol concentration, but concentration was also lower to the side and behind the release point. Evaluation of the temporal pattern in droplet deposition shows that most larger droplets settle out of the air relatively quickly, supporting that idea that shorter shutdown times are be possible. Efficacy was correlated with droplet concentration. The overall conclusion is that there can be considerable variation in distribution of aerosol insecticides and as a result considerable potential for improvement in the effectiveness of these applications.With the phase-out of methyl bromide, treatment of food facilities with aerosol insecticides as part of management programs has increased. The physical layout of the structure, the distribution of equipment and other items within the space, and the application method and location may all cause spatial variation in how the insecticide is deposited, which can result in areas with insufficient or excessive amounts of insecticide applied. The impact of aerosol insecticide application position and dispersal method/formulation on the distribution of droplets was evaluated using a series of applications within the same flour mill room. The spatial pattern of droplet distribution and the effect of treatment on bioassay insects (Tribolium confusum Jacquelin DuVal) was evaluated. There was variation in aerosol concentration and droplet size distributions within room and application position had an impact on the spatial pattern of aerosol droplets. The further away and more obstructed by structural features a location was the lower the aerosol concentration, but concentration was also lower to the side and behind the release point. Evaluation of the temporal pattern in droplet deposition shows that most larger droplets settle out of the air relatively quickly, supporting that idea that shorter shutdown times are be possible. Efficacy was correlated with droplet concentration. The overall conclusion is that there can be considerable variation in distribution of aerosol insecticides and as a result considerable potential for improvement in the effectiveness of these applications

The Potential of Citizen Science Data to Complement Satellite and Airborne Lidar Tree Height Measurements: Lessons from The GLOBE Program

The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program is an international science, citizen science, and education program through which volunteers in participating countries collect environmental data in support of Earth system science. Using the program\u27s software application, GLOBE Observer (GO), volunteers measure tree height and optional tree circumference, which may support the interpretation of NASA and other space-based satellite data such as tree height data from the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) and Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation instrument. This paper describes tree heights data collected through the GO application and identifies sources of error in data collection. We also illustrate how the ground-based citizen science data collected in the GO application can be used in conjunction with ICESat-2 tree height observations from two locations in the United States: Grand Mesa, Colorado, and Greenbelt, Maryland. Initial analyses indicate that data location accuracy and the scientific relevance of data density should be considered in order to align GLOBE tree height data with satellite-based data collections. These recommendations are intended to inform the improved implementation of citizen science environmental data collection in scientific work and to document a use case of the GLOBE Trees data for the science research community

Acceptability of a home-based visual field test (Eyecatcher) for glaucoma home monitoring: a qualitative study of patients' views and experiences

Objectives To explore the acceptability of home visual field (VF) testing using Eyecatcher among people with glaucoma participating in a 6-month home monitoring pilot study. Design Qualitative study using face-to-face semistructured interviews. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Setting Participants were recruited in the UK through an advertisement in the International Glaucoma Association (now Glaucoma UK) newsletter. Participants Twenty adults (10 women; median age: 71 years) with a diagnosis of glaucoma were recruited (including open angle and normal tension glaucoma; mean deviation=2.5 to -29.9 dB). Results All participants could successfully perform VF testing at home. Interview data were coded into four overarching themes regarding experiences of undertaking VF home monitoring and attitudes towards its wider implementation in healthcare: (1) comparisons between Eyecatcher and Humphrey Field Analyser (HFA); (2) capability using Eyecatcher; (3) practicalities for effective wider scale implementation; (4) motivations for home monitoring. Conclusions Participants identified a broad range of benefits to VF home monitoring and discussed areas for service improvement. Eyecatcher was compared positively with conventional VF testing using HFA. Home monitoring may be acceptable to at least a subset of people with glaucoma

Disease Burden and Functional Outcomes in Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy: A Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVE: Herein, we describe the disease burden and age-related changes of congenital-onset myotonic dystrophy (CDM) in childhood. METHODS: Children with CDM and age-matched controls aged 0 to 13 years were enrolled. Participants were divided into cohorts based on the following age groups: 0-2, 3-6, and 7-13 years. Each cohort received age-appropriate evaluations including functional testing, oral facial strength testing, neuropsychological testing, quality-of-life measurements, and ECG. Independent-samples t test or Wilcoxon 2-sample test was used to compare the differences between children with CDM and controls. Probability values less than 0.05 are reported as significant. RESULTS: Forty-one participants with CDM and 29 healthy controls were enrolled. The 6-minute walk was significantly different between CDM (258.3 m [SD 176.0]) and control participants (568.2 m [SD 73.2]). The mean lip force strength was significantly different in CDM (2.1 N [SD 2.8)] compared to control participants (17.8 N [SD 7.6]). In participants with CDM, the mean IQ (65.8; SD 18.4) was 3 SDs below the mean compared to standardized norms. Measurements of grip strength, sleep quality, and quality of life were also significantly different. Strength measures (oral facial strength, grip strength, and 6-minute walk) correlated with each other but not with participant IQ. CONCLUSIONS: This work identifies important phenotypes associated with CDM during childhood. Several measures of strength and function were significantly different between participants with CDM and controls and may be useful during future therapeutic trials

Use of traditional knowledge by the United States Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to support resource management

Professionals who collect and use traditional knowledge to support resource management decisions often are preoccupied with concerns over how and if traditional knowledge should be integrated with science. To move beyond the integration dilemma, we treat traditional knowledge and science as distinct and complementary knowledge systems. We focus on applying traditional knowledge within the decision-making process. We present succinct examples of how the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has used traditional knowledge in decision making in the North Slope Borough, Alaska: 1) using traditional knowledge in designing, planning, and conducting scientific research; 2) applying information from both knowledge systems at the earliest opportunity in the process; 3) using traditional knowledge in environmental impacts assessment; 4) consulting with indigenous leaders at key decision points; and 5) applying traditional knowledge at a programmatic decision level. Clearly articulating, early in the process, how best to use traditional knowledge and science can allow for more complete and inclusive use of available and pertinent information

Using decision analysis to support proactive management of emerging infectious wildlife diseases

Despite calls for improved responses to emerging infectious diseases in wildlife, management is seldom considered until a disease has been detected in affected populations. Reactive approaches may limit the potential for control and increase total response costs. An alternative, proactive management framework can identify immediate actions that reduce future impacts even before a disease is detected, and plan subsequent actions that are conditional on disease emergence. We identify four main obstacles to developing proactive management strategies for the newly discovered salamander pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal). Given that uncertainty is a hallmark of wildlife disease management and that associated decisions are often complicated by multiple competing objectives, we advocate using decision analysis to create and evaluate trade-offs between proactive (pre-emergence) and reactive (post-emergence) management options. Policy makers and natural resource agency personnel can apply principles from decision analysis to improve strategies for countering emerging infectious diseases

Using decision analysis to support proactive management of emerging infectious wildlife diseases

Despite calls for improved responses to emerging infectious diseases in wildlife, management is seldom considered until a disease has been detected in affected populations. Reactive approaches may limit the potential for control and increase total response costs. An alternative, proactive management framework can identify immediate actions that reduce future impacts even before a disease is detected, and plan subsequent actions that are conditional on disease emergence. We identify four main obstacles to developing proactive management strategies for the newly discovered salamander pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal). Given that uncertainty is a hallmark of wildlife disease management and that associated decisions are often complicated by multiple competing objectives, we advocate using decision analysis to create and evaluate trade-offs between proactive (pre-emergence) and reactive (post-emergence) management options. Policy makers and natural resource agency personnel can apply principles from decision analysis to improve strategies for countering emerging infectious diseases