The Development and Evaluation of a Seminar for Teachers on the Awareness and Management of Allergic Conditions of their Students in the Classroom

Problem. Many children with allergic problems go without treatment because their problems go unrecognized by both their parents and teachers. The purpose of this project was to bring about change on the part of teachers enabling them better to address allergic problems in their students. Literature was reviewed with respect to allergies and with respect to the use of inservice seminars for teachers. The posttest means for all three areas of measurement of the seminar group and control group were adjusted for pretest scores by analysis of covariance which indicated a significant difference in favor of the seminar group in each area. Conclusion. With the attainment of significance in most areas of this research study the teachers demonstrated that they could benefit from training in the area of children\u27s health problems. Recommendations were made to reduce teacher resistance to the seminar by relating health problems and by involving a team of specialists in the presentations

Determining Wind Erosion in the Great Plains

Wind erosion is defined as the movement of soil particles resulting from strong turbulent winds. The movement of soil particles can be categorized as suspension, saltation, or surface creep. Fine soil particles can be suspended in the atmosphere and carried for great distances. Particles too large to be suspended move in a jumping action along the soil surface, known as saltation. Heavier particles have a rolling movement along the surface and this type of erosion is surface creep

Human Resource Information System with Digital Archiving

This study aimed to develop an automated tool for Human Resource Information System (HRIS) with security code and verifier integrated module. Rapid Application Development (RAD) Model was used in the planning, creating, deploying, and testing the system. VisualBasic.net, Navicat, and Dezign were utilized in the system development and MySQL as database. The system helps manages employees’ records, in particular, information for leave credits, service records, and training development programs. It also tracks employees' performance and skills and manage the office resources. Using the system evaluation based on the ISO 9126 standard, the system has a high rate of usability (4.27), functionality (4.35), maintainability (4.23), and efficiency (4.30). Thus, the system is believed to provide a significant contribution to the productivity of the Human Resource employees; thereby, generating a due and timely feedback to the administration.&nbsp

The CARD/RCA Water Sector Model

Water has become a major input into agriculture production in the United States. Irrigation in the Western United States has been important in crop production and will continue to be important. Irrigation is also becoming more important in areas of the southeast. The use and conservation of water, as well as the importance of irrigation in the conservation of soil, are areas of concern as outlined in the 1977 Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act. Therefore, it is necessary for the CARD/RCA programming models to incorporate a water sector

Testimony of Burton C. English before the Joint Economic Committee and the Agriculture Subcommittee in Washington, D.C.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Burton C. English. I am a staff economist with the Center for Agricultural Development located in Ames, Iowa. My area of expertise is in agricultural economics and policy with a special emphasis in soil conservation. I wish to thank you for inviting me here to testify. You will note that the testimony that I am presenting here was written by Earl O. Heady and myself. I send his apologies for not being able to make this hearing, but his schedule would not permit it

The Water Sector for the CARD/RCA 85 Model

Availability of water for agricultural use is one of the major factors determining agricultural production in the Western United States and is becoming an important factor in areas of the Southwest. In addition, water use and conservation is an important concern of the 1977 Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act. Thus, it is necessary to build an agricultural water sector for use in the CARD/RAC85 programming models

Exhaled nitric oxide in ethnically diverse highâ altitude native populations: A comparative study

ObjectivesAndean and Tibetan highâ altitude natives exhibit a high concentration of nitric oxide (NO) in the lungs, suggesting that NO plays an adaptive role in offsetting hypobaric hypoxia. We examined the exhaled NO concentration as well as partial pressure of several additional highâ altitude native populations in order to examine the possibility that this putative adaptive trait, that is, high exhaled NO, is universal.MethodsWe recruited two geographically diverse highland native populations, Tawang Monpa (TM), a Tibetan derived population in Northâ Eastern India (n = 95, sampled at an altitude of ~3,200â m), and Peruvian Quechua from the highland Andes (n = 412). The latter included three distinct subgroups defined as those residing at altitude (Qâ HAR, n = 110, sampled at 4,338â m), those born and residing at seaâ level (Qâ BSL, n = 152), and those born at altitude but migrant to seaâ level (Qâ M, n = 150). In addition, we recruited a referent sample of lowland natives of European ancestry from Syracuse, New York. Fraction of exhaled NO concentrations were measured using a NIOX NIMO following the protocol of the manufacturer.ResultsPartial pressure of exhaled nitric oxide (PENO) was significantly lower (pâ <â .05) in both highâ altitude resident groups (TM = 6.2â ±â 0.5 nmHg and Qâ HAR = 5.8â ±â 0.5 nmHg), as compared to the groups measured at sea level (USA = 14.6â ±â 0.7 nmHg, Qâ BSL = 18.9â ±â 1.6 nmHg, and Qâ M = 19.2â ±â 1.7 nmHg). PENO was not significantly different between TM and Qâ HAR (pâ <â .05).ConclusionIn contrast to previous work, we found lower PENO in populations at altitude (compared to seaâ level) and no difference in PENO between Tibetan and Andean highland native populations. These results do not support the hypothesis that high nitric oxide in human lungs is a universal adaptive mechanism of highland native populations to offset hypobaric hypoxia.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151909/1/ajpa23915.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151909/2/ajpa23915_am.pd

Meeting Report: Application of Genotyping Methods to Assess Risks from Cryptosporidium in Watersheds

A workshop titled "Application of Genotyping Methods to Assess Pathogen Risks from Cryptosporidium in Drinking Water Catchments" was held at the International Water Association biennial conference, Marrakech, Morocco, 23 September 2004. The workshop presented and discussed the findings of an interlaboratory trial that compared methods for genotyping Cryptosporidium oocysts isolated from feces. The primary goal of the trial and workshop was to assess the utility of current Cryptosporidium genotyping methods for determining the public health significance of oocysts isolated from feces in potable-water-supply watersheds. An expert panel of 16 watershed managers, public health practitioners, and molecular parasitologists was assembled for the workshop. A subordinate goal of the workshop was to educate watershed management and public health practitioners. An open invitation was extended to all conference delegates to attend the workshop, which drew approximately 50 interested delegates. In this report we summarize the peer consensus emerging from the workshop. Recommendations on the use of current methods by watershed managers and public health practitioners were proposed. Importantly, all the methods that were reported in the trial were mutually supporting and found to be valuable and worthy of further utility and development. Where there were choices as to which method to apply, the small-subunit ribosomal RNA gene was considered to be the optimum genetic locus to target. The single-strand conformational polymorphism method was considered potentially the most valuable for discriminating to the subtype level and where a large number of samples were to be analyzed. A research agenda for protozoan geneticists was proposed to improve the utility of methods into the future. Standardization of methods and nomenclature was promoted

Prevalence and Correlates of HIV and Hepatitis C Virus Infections and Risk Behaviors among Malaysian Fishermen

Fishermen in Southeast Asia have been found to be highly vulnerable to HIV, with research evidence highlighting the role of sexual risk behaviors. This study aims to estimate the rate of HIV as well as hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among Malaysian fishermen, and the risky sexual and injection drug use behaviors that may contribute to these infections. The study also includes an assessment of socio-demographic, occupational and behavioral correlates of testing positive for HIV or HCV, and socio-demographic and occupational correlates of risk behaviors. The study had a cross-sectional design and recruited 406 fishermen through respondent-driven sampling (RDS). Participants self-completed a questionnaire and provided biological specimens for HIV and HCV testing. We conducted and compared results of analyses of both unweighted data and data weighted with the Respondent-Driven Sampling Analysis Tool (RDSAT). Of the participating fishermen, 12.4% were HIV positive and 48.6% had HCV infection. Contrary to expectations and findings from previous research, most fishermen (77.1%) were not sexually active. More than a third had a history of injection drug use, which often occurred during fishing trips on commercial vessels and during longer stays at sea. Of the fishermen who injected drugs, 42.5% reported unsafe injection practices in the past month. Reporting a history of injection drug use increased the odds of testing HIV positive by more than 6 times (AOR = 6.22, 95% CIs [2.74, 14.13]). Most fishermen who injected drugs tested positive for HCV. HCV infection was significantly associated with injection drug use, being older than 25 years, working on a commercial vessel and spending four or more days at sea per fishing trip. There is an urgent need to strengthen current harm reduction and drug treatment programs for Malaysian fishermen who inject drugs, especially among fishermen who work on commercial vessels and engage in deep-sea fishing

Integration of Social, Cultural, and Biomedical Strategies into an Existing Couple-Based Behavioral HIV/STI Prevention Intervention: Voices of Latino Male Couples

Introduction Successful HIV prevention and treatment requires evidence-based approaches that combine biomedical strategies with behavioral interventions that are socially and culturally appropriate for the population or community being prioritized. Although there has been a push for a combination approach, how best to integrate different strategies into existing behavioral HIV prevention interventions remains unclear. The need to develop effective combination approaches is of particular importance for men who have sex with men (MSM), who face a disproportionately high risk of HIV acquisition. Materials and Methods We collaborated with Latino male couples and providers to adapt Connect ‘n Unite, an evidence-based intervention for Black male couples, for Latino male couples. We conducted a series of three focus groups, each with two cohorts of couples, and one focus group with providers. A purposive stratified sample of 20 couples (N = 40, divided into two cohorts) and 10 providers provided insights into how to adapt and integrate social, cultural, and biomedical approaches in a couples-based HIV/AIDS behavioral intervention. Results The majority (N = 37) of the couple participants had no prior knowledge of the following new biomedical strategies: non-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis (nPEP); pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP); and HIV self-testing kits. After they were introduced to these biomedical interventions, all participants expressed a need for information and empowerment through knowledge and awareness of these interventions. In particular, participants suggested that we provide PrEP and HIV self-testing kits by the middle or end of the intervention. Providers suggested a need to address behavioral, social and structural issues, such as language barriers; and the promotion of client-centered approaches to increase access to, adaptation of, and adherence to biomedical strategies. Corroborating what couple participants suggested, providers agreed that biomedical strategies should be offered after providing information about these tools. Regarding culturally sensitive and responsive approaches, participants identified stigma and discrimination associated with HIV and sexual identity as barriers to care, language barriers and documentation status as further barriers to care, the couple-based approach as ideal to health promotion, and the need to include family topics in the intervention. Discussion We successfully adapted an evidence-based behavioral HIV prevention intervention for Latino male couples. The adapted intervention, called Conectando Latinos en Pareja, integrates social, cultural, behavioral and biomedical strategies to address the HIV epidemic among Latino MSM. The study highlights the promise regarding the feasibility of implementing a combination approach to HIV prevention in this populatio