An online taxonomic database of the stick insect (Phasmida) egg-parasitising subfamilies Amiseginae and Loboscelidiinae (Hymenoptera : Chrysididae)

BACKGROUND: The wasp subfamilies Amiseginae and Loboscelidiinae (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae) were last catalogued in Kimsey and Bohart (1991). The subfamilies are considered to be obligate egg parasitoids of the Phasmida (stick insects), which are known to be pests in many areas of the world (Baker 2015). Our lack of knowledge of these wasps, in particular their host associations and host specificity, prevents studies into using them as potential control agents for pest phasmids. Phasmids are popular throughout the world with people from a wide range of backgrounds, from pet keepers to professional entomologists. NEW INFORMATION: A taxonomic database of the subfamilies Amiseginae and Loboscelidiinae has been created as the Chrysididae SpeciesFile, summarising the current state of scientific knowledge about these groups. In addition, a bibliography of works on these subfamilies has been created. In total information is provided for 187 valid species

Community assets and capabilities to recruit and retain GPs : the community apgar questionnaire in rural Victoria

Introduction: Rural communities continue to experience significant challenges recruiting and retaining physicians. The Community Apgar Questionnaire (CAQ) was developed in Idaho in the USA to comprehensively assess the characteristics associated with successful recruitment and retention of rural physicians. The CAQ has been utilised and validated across the USA; however, its value in rural Australia has not been examined. The objective of this study was to use the CAQ in rural Australia to examine its utility and develop a greater understanding of the community factors that impact general practitioner (GP) recruitment and retention. Method: The project conducted structured face-to-face interviews with hospital chief executive officers (CEOs) and directors of clinical services (DCSs) from 14 of the 21 (76%) health services that agreed to participate in rural north-eastern Victoria, Australia. The interviews were undertaken to complete the CAQ, which contains 50 questions centred on factors that influence physician recruitment and retention. Once completed, CAQs were scored by assigning quantitative values to a community's strengths and challenges including the level of importance placed on each factor. As such, the most important factors in physician recruitment, whether they are advantages or challenges for that community, were then weighed for their relative importance. Scores were then combined to create a CAQ score. To ensure reliability and validity of the results, three additional CAQs were purposefully administered to key general practices within the region. Results: The 14 rural communities exhibited cumulative CAQ scores ranging from a high of 387 to a low score of 61. This suggests the tool was sensitive enough to differentiate between communities that were high and low performers in terms of physician recruitment. The groups of factors that had the greatest impact on recruitment and retention were ranked highest to lowest and included medical support, hospital/community support, economic, scope of practice and geographic factors. Overall, the highest individual factors to impact recruitment and retention were perception of quality, hospital leadership, nursing workforce and transfer arrangements. Conversely, the lowest factors and challenges to recruitment and retention were family related, specifically spousal satisfaction and access to schools. Conclusions: Hume, in rural Victoria, was the first international site to implement the CAQ to differentially diagnose a community's relative strengths and challenges in recruiting and retaining GPs, while supporting health facilities to prioritise achievable goals to improve long-term retention strategies. It provided each community with a tailored gap analysis, while confidentially sharing best practices of other health facilities. Within Hume, open communication and trust between GPs and health facility leadership and nursing staff ensures that GPs can feel valued and supported. Possible solutions for GP recruitment and retention must consider the social, employment and educational opportunities that are available for spouses and children. Participation in the program was useful as it helped health facilities ascertain how they were performing while highlighting areas for improvement. © James Cook University 2016

Understanding and Reducing Pesticide Losses

A small portion of pesticides applied on farms inadvertently reaches surface and groundwater. The amount varies from nearly zero to sometimes more than 5 percent of the amount applied, depending on several factors discussed below. That may not seem like much, but a 1 percent loss of a 1-pound-per-acre pesticide application can contaminate all of the drainage from a field in a normal year at 5 parts per billion (ppb). This level can be of concern if the drainage water enters drinking water supplies. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established Health Advisory Levels for most pesticides in drinking water. Health Advisory Levels are guides to the level of chronic exposure of an individual to pesticides

Self-efficacy, grit and perceptions of rural employment : what changes occur after graduation?

Purpose: General self-efficacy, occupational self-efficacy, and grit have a correlation with academic and practical success amongst nursing students. The role of these same characteristics during the first 18-24 months following the transition from student to nurse is poorly understood. In addition, when a nursing graduate begins to consider a career in a rural area is also remains unclear. This study sought to understand the change, if any, in general self-efficacy, occupational self-efficacy, grit, and rural employment importance that occurred during this transition period. Sample: Nurses after graduating from a three-year Bachelor of Nursing degree (n=28). Method: A follow-up study of a larger longitudinal mixed-methods cohort design used a survey to examine general self-efficacy, occupational self-efficacy, grit, and rural employment importance among novice nurses. Participants had agreed when completing the initial study as students to participate in a follow-up study 18-24-months after graduating. Findings: Occupational self-efficacy increased as the cohort transitioned from student to professional nurse, while grit was remarkably lower between final year students and novice nurses. No change in earlier measures of general self-efficacy or importance placed on rural careers were detected. Conclusions: Following graduation, new clinicians are focused on building professional identity and the development of foundational skills for practice. Clinical agencies have an opportunity to shift the balance between autonomy and support in order to harness these key characteristics in an effort to improve the longevity and progression of nursing graduates within the nursing profession

Optimality program in segment and string graphs

Planar graphs are known to allow subexponential algorithms running in time $2^{O(\sqrt n)}$ or $2^{O(\sqrt n \log n)}$ for most of the paradigmatic problems, while the brute-force time $2^{\Theta(n)}$ is very likely to be asymptotically best on general graphs. Intrigued by an algorithm packing curves in $2^{O(n^{2/3}\log n)}$ by Fox and Pach [SODA'11], we investigate which problems have subexponential algorithms on the intersection graphs of curves (string graphs) or segments (segment intersection graphs) and which problems have no such algorithms under the ETH (Exponential Time Hypothesis). Among our results, we show that, quite surprisingly, 3-Coloring can also be solved in time $2^{O(n^{2/3}\log^{O(1)}n)}$ on string graphs while an algorithm running in time $2^{o(n)}$ for 4-Coloring even on axis-parallel segments (of unbounded length) would disprove the ETH. For 4-Coloring of unit segments, we show a weaker ETH lower bound of $2^{o(n^{2/3})}$ which exploits the celebrated Erd\H{o}s-Szekeres theorem. The subexponential running time also carries over to Min Feedback Vertex Set but not to Min Dominating Set and Min Independent Dominating Set.Comment: 19 pages, 15 figure

Assessing Community Health Center (CHC) Assets and Capabilities for Recruiting and Retaining Physicians: The CHC Community Apgar Questionnaire

Community factors play a key role in the recruitment and retention of physicians. While prior workforce studies often investigated characteristics of the candidate-physician, the initial Critical Access Hospital Community Apgar Questionnaire (CAH CAQ) study identified community factors at critical access hospitals which help determine the success of achieving and maintaining an adequate local physician workforce. The goals of the current study are to identify opportunities for improvement in physician retention and recruitment in Idaho’s Community Health Center (CHC) systems and to develop a better understanding of the community factors in this dynamic process

KWAD - KSU all Weather Autonomous Drone

KWAD or KSU all-Weather Autonomous Drone project was sponsored by Ultool, LLC to the KSU Research and Service Foundation to create a lightweight drone capable of capturing HD video during all-weather operations. The conditions of all-weather operation include rainfall of one inch per hour and wind speeds of up to twenty miles per hour. In addition, a global minimum structural safety factor of two is required to ensure the system\u27s integrity in extreme weather conditions. Potential mission profiles include autonomous aerial delivery, topological mapping in high moisture areas, security surveillance, search and rescue operations, emergency transportation of medical supplies, and wildfire investigation. The integration of weatherproofing technology will provide the operator maximized mission versatility in degraded weather conditions. KWAD will incorporate autonomous flight technology, allowing the operator to easily set waypoint missions before and during flight, enabling it to travel to waypoints without manual control input. Satisfying these requirements shifts the operator\u27s focus to data collection relevant to the mission while evaluating potential flight hazards

Self-Efficacy, Grit, and Rural Career Aspirations Among Early Career Nurses: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

Background Global nursing workforce shortage represents an impediment to the delivery of safe, evidence-based healthcare. Despite collective efforts, a consistent stream of nurses leaving the profession remains, particularly within the first five years of practice, which is exacerbated in rural communities. The aim of the study was to compare self-efficacy, grit, and rural career aspirations among nursing graduates between their second and fourth year of their nursing profession. Methods As part of a longitudinal investigation, a repeated cross-sectional design was utilised. Participants included, 117 (response rate 52.2%) who completed an online questionnaire 18–24 months after graduating, and 32 participants (response rate of 21.0%) who agree to repeat the questionnaire 36–48 months after graduating. The questionnaire included demographic, employment, and measures examining general and occupational self-efficacy, grit, and rural career aspirations. Results No differences between general and occupational self-efficacy or grit were identified between second- and fourth-year nurses. In addition, the importance placed on undertaking rural career also remains unchanged. However, a higher proportion of fourth year nurses were more likely to be in management or were considering leaving the profession. Conclusions This examination of early career nurses, now in their second and fourth-year post-graduation highlights self-efficacy, grit, and rural career aspirations remains stable between two- and four-years following graduation, while nursing in their fourth year were more likely to consider leaving the profession. Nursing retention is a ‘Wicked Problem’ that is unavoidably a complex amalgam of macro, meso and micro factors that we are yet to fully appreciate