Reliability and Validity of the Telephone-Based eHealth Literacy Scale Among Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Survey

Background: Only a handful of studies have examined reliability and validity evidence of scores produced by the 8-item eHealth literacy Scale (eHEALS) among older adults. Older adults are generally more comfortable responding to survey items when asked by a real person rather than by completing self-administered paper-and-pencil or online questionnaires. However, no studies have explored the psychometrics of this scale when administered to older adults over the telephone. Objective: The objective of our study was to examine the reliability and internal structure of eHEALS data collected from older adults aged 50 years or older responding to items over the telephone. Methods: Respondents (N=283) completed eHEALS as part of a cross-sectional landline telephone survey. Exploratory structural equation modeling (E-SEM) analyses examined model fit of eHEALS scores with 1-, 2-, and 3-factor structures. Subsequent analyses based on the partial credit model explored the internal structure of eHEALS data. Results: Compared with 1- and 2-factor models, the 3-factor eHEALS structure showed the best global E-SEM model fit indices (root mean square error of approximation=.07; comparative fit index=1.0; Tucker-Lewis index=1.0). Nonetheless, the 3 factors were highly correlated (r range .36 to .65). Item analyses revealed that eHEALS items 2 through 5 were overfit to a minor degree (mean square infit/outfit values <1.0; t statistics less than –2.0), but the internal structure of Likert scale response options functioned as expected. Overfitting eHEALS items (2-5) displayed a similar degree of information for respondents at similar points on the latent continuum. Test information curves suggested that eHEALS may capture more information about older adults at the higher end of the latent continuum (ie, those with high eHealth literacy) than at the lower end of the continuum (ie, those with low eHealth literacy). Item reliability (value=.92) and item separation (value=11.31) estimates indicated that eHEALS responses were reliable and stable. Conclusions: Results support administering eHEALS over the telephone when surveying older adults regarding their use of the Internet for health information. eHEALS scores best captured 3 factors (or subscales) to measure eHealth literacy in older adults; however, statistically significant correlations between these 3 factors suggest an overarching unidimensional structure with 3 underlying dimensions. As older adults continue to use the Internet more frequently to find and evaluate health information, it will be important to consider modifying the original eHEALS to adequately measure societal shifts in online health information seeking among aging populations.Open Access Fundin

Watershed assessment modelling to identify critical sources of pollution and evaluate effectiveness of conservation management practices

Critical watershed assessments allow land managers to create strategic plans and prioritize funding and technical assistance when resources are limited. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) provides a framework for watershed assessment to support long-term, strategic watershed planning and prioritize resources. The Tenmile Watershed in the Nooksack Basin in Whatcom County was selected as a pilot watershed for the NWQI assessment for Washington State in 2017. The primary objective of this assessment was to identify critical source areas (CSAs) within the watershed that were most susceptible to nutrient, sediment and bacteria export based on physical (terrain) features and land use. Secondary objectives were to model the effectiveness of conservation practices within CSAs and create an outreach plan for maximum engagement of landowners in the watershed improvement process. NOAA’s open-source Nonpoint Source Pollution and Erosion Comparison Tool (OpenNSPECT) was used to identify CSAs. Spatial data representing terrain features (soils, elevation and hydrology), precipitation, and land use cover within the watershed were collected, aggregated and input into OpenNSPECT. The model identified CSAs for nitrogen, phosphorus, pathogens, and sediment, as well as a combined ranking of all contaminants for the watershed. OpenNSPECT was then used to model the effects of implementation of different conservation practices on pollutant reduction. In one example, the model showed that implementation of winter cover crops on agricultural fields reduced the export area of nitrogen and phosphorus into the watershed by 92% and 79%, respectively, thus improving water quality in the Tenmile Watershed and Nooksack Basin. This assessment process can be used in any watershed to help understand where CSAs are located and how land conservation practices reduce pollutants, thus helping NRCS and local partners prioritize location and land use type (crop, farm, residential, etc.) for conservation practice implementation, including cost-share and technical assistance

The Forgotten Expedition of the Michigan Polar Bears

The Michigan Polar Bear expedition saw Allied forces leading a controversial excursion into Northern Russia during the concluding years of World War I. Despite thousands of soldiers being sent to interfere with the Russian Civil War, the Polar Bear Expedition has been lost from collective memory. We publicly inquired about the expedition, then combined this research with a found scholarly consensus about the lack of cognizance relating to the events. This revealed a disconnect, which led us to inquire as to the nature and origin of its historical omission. Our primary sources of research focused on the oral histories of veterans located in the Joint Archives of Holland. After analyzing the first person accounts of the soldiers, followed in turn by the reaction of their respective communities, we created a detailed description of this expedition’s impact on the greater Holland area. Understanding this multi-generational oversight will bring forth a greater argument for the importance of people to continue teaching and learning about this significant piece of history

Relevant Information Sources in the Vast and Complex Manure Nutrient Management Network

To understand and delineate pathways for effective information transfer among professional audiences in manure nutrient management, we deployed a survey, taken by 964 professionals, addressing workforce demographics, tasks performed, and information source relevance. Findings indicate that education of industry and the public is a widespread effort among the multiple organizations represented. The average relevance of different types of information sources was consistent across various organization types. Compared to mass media sources, information sources that were technical and individual- or group-oriented in nature were more relevant to respondents representing all organization types and levels of knowledge. Opportunities exist for translation of the findings presented to other networks of entities working toward common objectives

Surgical treatment of a complicated distal tibia epiphyseal Salter–Harris type I fracture in a yearling

This article describes the management of a complicated distal epiphyseal Salter–Harris type I fracture of the left tibia in a yearling horse. Closed reduction and internal fixation was attempted in the first surgery using tension band wires. Due to fracture instability 2 weeks after surgery, a full‐limb transfixation pin cast was applied to the tibia and maintained for 7 weeks to prevent further fracture displacement and to achieve axial alignment. The full‐limb cast was maintained for a total of 12 weeks, including the time with the transfixation pin cast. Cast sores and tendon laxity resolved without further complications. Ten months after the first surgery, the fracture had radiographically healed, and the horse was sound at the walk and trot in a straight line

Effects of mosapride on motility of the small intestine and caecum in normal horses after jejunocaecostomy

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the prokinetic effects of mosapride with non-invasive assessment of myoelectrical activity in the small intestine and caecum of healthy horses after jejunocaecostomy. Six horses underwent celiotomy and jejunocaecostomy, and were treated with mosapride (treated group) at 1.5 mg/kg per osos once daily for 5 days after surgery. The other six horses did not receive treatment and were used as controls (non-treated group). The electrointestinography (EIG) maximum amplitude was used to measure intestinal motility. Motility significantly decreased following surgery. In the treated group, the EIG maximum amplitude of the small intestine was significantly higher than in the controls from day 6~31 after treatment. These findings clearly indicate that mosapride could overcome the decline of intestinal motility after jejunocaecostomy in normal horses

Nitrogen Inventory in the Nooksack-Fraser Transboundary Watershed

The Nooksack-Fraser transboundary area (2639 km2) is home to communities with a strong base in farming, fisheries and outdoor recreation. Water quality issues impact parts of this area, where sewage effluent and animal waste are potential sources of both fecal coliform bacteria (FCB) and nitrogen (N) in the environment. Excessive nitrogen loading can lead to eutrophication in coastal areas, and nitrate contamination of groundwater. The Nooksack-Fraser Transboundary Nitrogen (NFT-N) project was developed to determine the sources and fates of N in the watershed using data on energy use, transportation, fertilization, wastewater treatment plants, livestock operations, wildlife and more. This project brings together stakeholders, agencies, and scientists on both sides of the international border to achieve a first characterization of N inventories and fluxes across the watershed. A comprehensive N assessment can benefit N management by providing key information on source distribution. Focusing on agricultural activities first, we estimate using crop-specific fertilizer recommendations that the requirements for synthetic fertilizer N on the US side of the watershed ranges between 1855 and 3184 metric tons (MT). Application of livestock manure to crops is equal to, or perhaps more than, fertilizer requirements, ranging between 1926 and 3963 MT N per year. The combined septic and sewage input of N falls between 71 and 84 MT per year, while atmospheric deposition contributes 527 MT N per year. Preliminary results for the US side demonstrate the importance of N inputs from agriculture. Results will be refined by updating values, adding other components, integrating with the existing Canadian budget, and understanding connections between inputs and N fates in ground and surface water. The budget will be used to examine the impacts of N policy and management across the boundary (US-Canada), and to support future efforts in developing sustainable N use and management plans in the region

Evolutionary process of Bos taurus cattle in favourable versus unfavourable environments and its implications for genetic selection

The evolutionary processes that have enabled Bos taurus cattle to establish around the globe are at the core to the future success of livestock production. Our study focuses on the history of cattle domestication including the last 60 years of B. taurus breeding programmes in both favourable and unfavourable environments and its consequences on evolution and fitness of cattle. We discuss the emergence of ‘production diseases’ in temperate production systems and consider the evolutionary genetics of tropical adaptation in cattle and conclude that the Senepol, N'Dama, Adaptaur and Criollo breeds, among others with similar evolutionary trajectories, would possess genes capable of improving the productivity of cattle in challenging environments. Using our own experimental evidence from northern Australia, we review the evolution of the Adaptaur cattle breed which has become resistant to cattle tick. We emphasize that the knowledge of interactions between genotype, environment and management in the livestock systems will be required to generate genotypes for efficient livestock production that are both economically and environmentally sustainable. Livestock producers in the 21st century will have less reliance on infrastructure and veterinary products to alleviate environmental stress and more on the animal's ability to achieve fitness in a given production environment