Thirty lessons in outlining for fourth grade

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Comparison of research framing preferences and information use of state legislators and advocates involved in cancer control, United States, 2012–2013

INTRODUCTION: Evidence-based policy plays an important role in prevention of cancer and other chronic diseases. The needs of actors involved in policy decision-making should inform knowledge translation strategies. This study examines the differences between state legislators and advocates in how they seek and use information and what their preferences are for how research information is framed. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional comparison of survey responses by US advocates (n = 77) and state legislators (n = 265) working on issues related to cancer control. RESULTS: Advocates differed significantly from legislators on all demographic characteristics. Advocates reported seeking and using information more frequently than legislators, though legislators used legislative research bureaus more often (0.45 point difference, P = .004). Both legislators and advocates prioritized the presentation and timeliness of research information similarly but reported different preferences for source (information bias, information relevance, delivery of information by trusted person) of research information. Several differences between advocates and legislators were modified by participant age. CONCLUSION: Our study provides insights for development of knowledge translation strategies to enhance evidence-based policy making for cancer control that are tailored to state-level legislators and advocates. Additional research efforts should evaluate the effectiveness of such knowledge translation strategies, particularly among advocates

Developing an evidence-based program sustainability training curriculum: A group randomized, multi-phase approach

Abstract Background The emergence of dissemination and implementation (D&I) science has driven a rapid increase in studies of how new scientific discoveries are translated and developed into evidence-based programs and policies. However, D&I science has paid much less attention to what happens to programs once they have been implemented. Public health programs can only deliver benefits if they reach maturity and sustain activities over time. In order to achieve the full benefits of significant investment in public health research and program development, there must be an understanding of the factors that relate to sustainability to inform development of tools and trainings to support strategic long-term program sustainability. Tobacco control programs, specifically, vary in their abilities to support and sustain themselves over time. As of 2018, most states still do not meet the CDC-recommended level for funding their TC program, allowing tobacco use to remain the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the USA. The purpose of this study is to empirically develop, test, and disseminate training programs to improve the sustainability of evidence-based state tobacco control programs and thus, tobacco-related health outcomes. Methods This paper describes the methods of a group randomized, multi-phase study that evaluates the empirically developed “Program Sustainability Action Planning Training” and technical assistance in US state-level tobacco control programs. Phase 1 includes developing the sustainability action planning training curriculum and technical assistance protocol and developing measures to assess long-term program sustainability. Phase 2 includes a group randomized trial to test the effectiveness of the training and technical assistance in improving sustainability outcomes in 24 state tobacco control programs (12 intervention, 12 comparison). Phase 3 includes the active dissemination of final training curricula materials to a broader public health audience. Discussion Empirical evidence has established that program sustainability can improve through training and technical assistance; however, to our knowledge, no evidence-based sustainability training curriculum program exists. Therefore, systematic methods are needed to develop, test, and disseminate a training that improves the sustainability of evidence-based programs. Trial registration NCT03598114. Registered 25 July 2018—retrospectively registered

Work-related correlates of occupational sitting in a diverse sample of employees in Midwest metropolitan cities

The worksite serves as an ideal setting to reduce sedentary time. Yet little research has focused on occupational sitting, and few have considered factors beyond the personal or socio-demographic level. The current study i) examined variation in occupational sitting across different occupations, ii) explored whether worksite level factors (e.g., employer size, worksite supports and policies) may be associated with occupational sitting. Between 2012 and 2013, participants residing in four Missouri metropolitan areas were interviewed via telephone and provided information on socio-demographic characteristics, schedule flexibility, occupation, work related factors, and worksite supports and policies. Occupational sitting was self-reported (daily minutes spent sitting at work), and dichotomized. Occupation-stratified analyses were conducted to identify correlates of occupational sitting using multiple logistic regressions. A total of 1668 participants provided completed data. Those employed in business and office/administrative support spent more daily occupational sitting time (median 330 min) compared to service and blue collar employees (median 30 min). Few worksite supports and policies were sitting specific, yet factors such as having a full-time job, larger employer size, schedule flexibility, and stair prompt signage were associated with occupational sitting. For example, larger employer size was associated with higher occupational sitting in health care, education/professional, and service occupations. Work-related factors, worksite supports and policies are associated with occupational sitting. The pattern of association varies among different occupation groups. This exploratory work adds to the body of research on worksite level correlates of occupational sitting. This may provide information on priority venues for targeting highly sedentary occupation groups

Limitations in the Use of Archived Vent Mussel Samples to Assess Genetic Connectivity Among Seafloor Massive Sulfide Deposits: A Case Study with Implications for Environmental Management

Genetic connectivity studies can inform the design of mitigation strategies used in environmental management. However, the expense of developing species-specific molecular markers and collecting samples at appropriate spatial and temporal scales can be prohibitive. Using archived material and existing molecular markers may provide a cost-effective way to assess population connectivity. Genetic connectivity studies are increasingly in demand in the deep sea in response to mounting anthropogenic pressures, including seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) mining. The feasibility of using archived material was assessed using the New Zealand-endemic vent mussel Gigantidas gladius, which inhabits areas licensed for the prospecting phase of SMS mining. Four molecular markers were tested, but only one (mitochondrial COI) provided suitable sequences. Of 942 specimens, only 150 individuals were informative, largely due to poor tissue quality of archived samples. Seven populations spanning the distributional range of G. gladius were assessed. The results indicate that G. gladius has high levels of gene flow among sites 10s to 100s km apart and limited genetic structure. Haplotypic diversity was not equally distributed among populations, with lower diversity for the Macauley Volcano population at the northern extent of the species distribution and greater diversity within central populations. Migrant exchange was also greatest between central populations, with one population at Rumble V Seamount appearing important in terms of maintaining genetic diversity within the Kermadec Volcanic Arc region. However, interpretation of the results should be viewed with caution as small sample sizes may have limited the ability to detect genetic structure. Despite these limitations, mitigation strategies that protect areas of seabed from mining activities should consider the genetic vulnerability of the population at the northern edge of the species’ distribution and the significance of certain central populations

Izobraževati med veliko transformacijo: Odnosnost in transformativno trajnostno izobraževanje

During this shifting of historical epochs, the “usual ways of doing things” is catalysing existential questions about the survival of humanity. Yet, it is precisely these points of severe disruption where the creation of something more complex and life-giving can evolve. In this article, we explore how the dominant Separation Paradigm has created the current disruptive socio-natural conditions. Individuals and societies steeped within the Separation Paradigm are unwittingly destructive, because they do not perceive, and thus unintentionally sever, the incomprehensibly relational nature of our universe. We summarise the overarching dynamics of the Separation Paradigm and critique how existent learning processes, including sustainability education, are reproducing the Separation Paradigm. A salve to the diverse manifestations of Separation, we describe multiple sources of the Relationality Paradigm as well as implications for relational ways of knowing and being, through an interweaving of theoretical and personal vignettes. Finally, we sketch the implications of a possible worldview transformation for educators and processes of education, particularly within transformative sustainability education.Velikanski zgodovinski premiki, ki jih doživljamo v tem času, pod vprašaj postavljajo »običajen način, kako počnemo stvari«, in vodijo do eksistencialnih vprašanj o preživetju človeštva. Prav obdobja velikanskih sprememb pa so tista, v katerih se lahko razvije nekaj kompleksnega in življenjsko pomembnega. V članku raziskujemo, kako je dominantna ločevalna paradigma ustvarila trenutne razdiralne okoliščine v naravi in družbi. Posamezniki in družbe so potopljeni v ločevalno paradigmo in posledično destruktivni, saj se ne zavedajo relacijske, odnosne narave našega sveta. Obravnavamo vseobsegajočo dinamiko ločevalne paradigme in pri tem kritično opredelimo, kako obstoječi učni procesi, tudi izobraževanje o trajnosti, to paradigmo vedno znova reproducirajo. Kot možno rešitev predstavimo odnosno paradigmo, pa tudi implikacije odnosnih načinov spoznavanja in bivanja, s prepletanjem teorije in osebnih zgodb. Ob koncu zarišemo možnost za svetovnonazorsko transformacijo na področju izobraževanja, zlasti v okviru transformativnega trajnostnega izobraževanja

Model-based learning protects against forming habits.

Studies in humans and rodents have suggested that behavior can at times be "goal-directed"-that is, planned, and purposeful-and at times "habitual"-that is, inflexible and automatically evoked by stimuli. This distinction is central to conceptions of pathological compulsion, as in drug abuse and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Evidence for the distinction has primarily come from outcome devaluation studies, in which the sensitivity of a previously learned behavior to motivational change is used to assay the dominance of habits versus goal-directed actions. However, little is known about how habits and goal-directed control arise. Specifically, in the present study we sought to reveal the trial-by-trial dynamics of instrumental learning that would promote, and protect against, developing habits. In two complementary experiments with independent samples, participants completed a sequential decision task that dissociated two computational-learning mechanisms, model-based and model-free. We then tested for habits by devaluing one of the rewards that had reinforced behavior. In each case, we found that individual differences in model-based learning predicted the participants' subsequent sensitivity to outcome devaluation, suggesting that an associative mechanism underlies a bias toward habit formation in healthy individuals.This work was funded by a Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship (101521/Z/12/Z) awarded to C.M.G. ND is supported by a Scholar Award from the McDonnell FoundationThe authors report no conflicts of interest and declare no competing financial interests.This is the final published version. It first appeared at http://link.springer.com/article/10.3758%2Fs13415-015-0347-6

Natural disturbance reduces disease risk in endangered rainforest frog populations

Natural disturbances can drive disease dynamics in animal populations by altering the microclimates experienced by hosts and their pathogens. Many pathogens are highly sensitive to temperature and moisture, and therefore small changes in habitat structure can alter the microclimate in ways that increase or decrease infection prevalence and intensity in host populations. Here we show that a reduction of rainforest canopy cover caused by a severe tropical cyclone decreased the risk of endangered rainforest frogs (Litoria rheocola) becoming infected by a fungal pathogen (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis). Reductions in canopy cover increased the temperatures and rates of evaporative water loss in frog microhabitats, which reduced B. dendrobatidis infection risk in frogs by an average of 11–28% in cyclone-damaged areas, relative to una ected areas. Natural disturbances to the rainforest canopy can therefore provide an immediate bene t to frogs by altering the microclimate in ways that reduce infection risk. This could increase host survival and reduce the probability of epidemic disease outbreaks. For amphibian populations under immediate threat from this pathogen, targeted manipulation of canopy cover could increase the availability of warmer, drier microclimates and therefore tip the balance from host extinction to coexistence