A Communication Plan for Organizational Effectiveness in a Youth Development Organization

This project addresses communication issues within a youth development organization, Northern California DeMolay, which endures an annual change in youth leadership. This paper relies on the foundation of research within the field of youth development organizations and incorporates public relations strategies to provide specialized help for the organization. The outcome of this project is a communication plan for Northern California DeMolay developed through research, strategies, and the strategic plan for the organization. The balance of power between youth and adult leadership highlighted in youth development organization research is manifested in the communication plan through the division of responsibility between youth and adult leadershi

Evolving Roles and Responsibilities of Public Health

Since 2008, over 10,000 public health professionals have become Certified in Public Health (CPH). Periodically, the NBPHE conducts a Job Task Analysis survey to gain an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the public health workforce. With that information, the main areas of focus on the CPH exam are updated. In the summer of 2022, the National Board of Public Health Examiners launched a newJob Task Analysis process. The comprehensive set of responses will demonstrate the scope of public health responsibilities on a region-by-region basis. Current domains of the CPH exam are: Communications, Leadership, Law and Ethics, Public Health Biology and Human Disease Risk, Collaboration and Partnership, Program Planning and Evaluation, Program Management, Policy in Public Health, Health Equity and Social Justice, and Evidence-based Approaches to Public Health. As the public health workforce evolves to meet contemporary challenges, so must the public health certification process. This session will include a discussion about how the areas of responsibility for the public health workforce have changed over the last six years and the impact of COVID19. Conference attendees are invited to engage in a discussion about the findings of the Job Task Analysis process, possible changes to the CPH exam domains and early analysis of public health roles and responsibilities around the globe

Chicken Waste as a Nutrient Source for Red Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) in a Hydroponic System

The purpose of this study was to determine the viability of growing potatoes hydroponically with chicken waste as an alternative, more sustainable nutrient source in substitute of fish waste in an aquaponics system. Hydroponics is a growing form of sustainable agriculture which utilizes a water-based method to deliver nutrients to plants. Hydroponics is a preferable alternative as it uses 90% less water than traditional agriculture, and does not contribute to common agricultural issues such as land degradation. A popular form of hydroponics is aquaponics, which combines hydroponic technology with aquaculture. The fish waste in this system is the sole source of nutrients for the plants. The cost and difficulty of maintaining the fish in this system can be an obstacle to farming communities, however. A proposed alternative to the use of aquaculture is the use of chicken waste as a nutrient source. Chicken waste is a much cheaper and more accessible resource for less developed farming communities. It is also not as high maintenance as aquaculture, and contains a high content of essential nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. Potatoes are the crop of choice for this study due to their relatively high nutrient content, making it a popular staple crop in less developed countries. If chicken waste proves to be an effective nutrient source for staple crops such as potatoes in a hydroponic system, it may be a viable option for less developed farming communities who are in need of sustainable alternatives to traditional farming practices

Major Malfunction: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in What Students Study

This analysis explores bachelor's degrees earned by race and ethnicity, broken down by area of study. The report identifies the majors and programs that produce the highest and lowest median incomes (both at the start of one's career and in the middle of one's career) and probes for uneven distributions of African American and Latino students. The report finds that these students disproportionately earn more degrees in low-paying majors, and fewer degrees in the highest paying majors

Effects of Positive Social Comparative Feedback During Practice on Motor Sequence Learning, Performance Expectancies, and Resting State Connectivity

Positive social comparative feedback indicates to the learner that they are performing better than others. While this type feedback supports motor skill learning in some tasks, the effect of social comparative feedback on motor sequence learning remains unknown. In addition, the OPTIMAL theory predicts that positive social comparative feedback may trigger a dopaminergic response in the brain. However, no studies have utilized neuroimaging techniques to investigate this question. Therefore, the aim of these studies was to determine the effect of positive social comparative feedback on motor sequence learning, performance expectancies, and resting state connectivity of dopaminergic neural pathways. In the first study, forty-eight individuals practiced a joystick-based sequence task and were divided into three feedback groups: CONTROL (no performance feedback), RT ONLY (response time only feedback), and RT+POS (response time plus positive social comparison). Participants attended sessions on two consecutive days: Day 1 for motor skill acquisition and Day 2 for retention testing. Performance related expectancies were measured before and after motor practice and at retention. The RT+POS and CONTROL group showed better overall performance/learning compared with the RT ONLY group. However, the RT+POS showed the highest peak velocities, and the CONTOL group showed the shortest path distances. Overall, the RT+POS and CONTROL showed increases in perceived competence while the RT ONLY group did not. The results of this study suggest that feedback content is an important consideration during motor practice, since feedback without social context (RT ONLY) was detrimental, and since feedback may be leveraged to bias motor practice towards higher movement speeds versus spatial accuracy. In the second study, thirty individuals practiced the same motor task and were divided into two feedback groups: RT ONLY and RT+POS. The study protocol was similar, with magnetic resonance imaging added before and after motor practice. The RT+POS group showed an increase in functional connectivity between the ventral tegmental area and the left nucleus accumbens, brain regions along the mesolimbic dopamine pathway. The RT+POS group showed better overall performance than the RT ONLY group at acquisition. Similar to the first study, the RT+POS showed higher peak velocities than the RT ONLY group. Overall, both groups showed increases in performance expectancies that were not different by group. The results of the brain connectivity analysis support the OPTIMAL theory prediction that positive social comparative feedback may trigger a dopaminergic response in the brain

454-Pyrosequencing: A Molecular Battiscope for Freshwater Viral Ecology

Viruses, the most abundant biological entities on the planet, are capable of infecting organisms from all three branches of life, although the majority infect bacteria where the greatest degree of cellular diversity lies. However, the characterization and assessment of viral diversity in natural environments is only beginning to become a possibility. Through the development of a novel technique for the harvest of viral DNA and the application of 454 pyrosequencing, a snapshot of the diversity of the DNA viruses harvested from a standing pond on a cattle farm has been obtained. A high abundance of viral genotypes (785) were present within the virome. The absolute numbers of lambdoid and Shiga toxin (Stx) encoding phages detected suggested that the depth of sequencing had enabled recovery of only ca. 8% of the total virus population, numbers that agreed within less than an order of magnitude with predictions made by rarefaction analysis. The most abundant viral genotypes in the pond were bacteriophages (93.7%). The predominant viral genotypes infecting higher life forms found in association with the farm were pathogens that cause disease in cattle and humans, e.g. members of the Herpesviridae. The techniques and analysis described here provide a fresh approach to the monitoring of viral populations in the aquatic environment, with the potential to become integral to the development of risk analysis tools for monitoring the dissemination of viral agents of animal, plant and human diseases

Zirconium Carbide Oxidation and Passivation for Nuclear Fuel Applications

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Effects of the Final-State Electron-ion Interactions on the Fully Differential Cross Sections for Heavy-Particle-Impact Ionization of Helium

Three-dimensional fully differential cross sections for heavy-particle-impact ionization of helium are examined. Previously, the three-body distorted-wave (3DW) model has achieved good agreement with experiment in the scattering plane for small momentum transfers, but poor agreement for large momentum transfers. Poor agreement was also observed outside the scattering plane for all momentum transfers. In particular, the 3DW calculations predicted cross sections that were too small both perpendicular to the scattering plane and for large momentum transfers. The important unanswered question concerns the physical effects that cause the significant disagreement between experiment and theory. In previous works, the role of the projectile-ion interaction has been examined. Although the importance of exchange between the ejected electron and the residual bound electrons has been well established, and frequently studied, for electron-impact ionization, the importance of this effect has not been examined for heavy-particle scattering. In this paper we examine the role of this effect for heavy-particle scattering

Desafíos críticos de los recursos humanos en salud: una visión regional

This text presents the context and background, the methodology and some of the main results of the regional consultation on the critical challenges for human resources in health in the Americas. The Consultation, carried out in June and July 2005, was part of the strategy of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) for the organization of the VII Regional Meeting of the Observatories of Human Resources, held in Toronto (Canada). The main results and suggestions by the actors consulted with regard to the role of international cooperation in the countries of the Region are presented, so that the countries and international agencies can better formulate common strategies of development and strengthening of the work force in health.Este texto presenta el contexto y antecedentes, la metodología y algunos de los principales resultados de la Consulta Regional sobre los desafíos críticos de los recursos humanos en salud en la Región de las Américas. La Consulta, realizada en junio y julio de 2005, hizo parte de la estrategia de la Organización panamericana de Salud (OPS/OMS) para la organización de la VII Reunión Regional de los Observatorios de Recursos Humanos, realizada en Toronto (Canadá). Se presentan los principales resultados y las sugerencias formuladas por los actores consultados en relación al papel de la cooperación internacional en los países de la Región, a fin de que los países y las agencias internacionales puedan formular estrategias comunes de desarrollo y fortalecimiento de la fuerza laboral en el campo de la salud.Este texto apresenta o contexto e antecedentes, a metodologia e alguns dos principais resultados da Consulta Regional sobre os desafios críticos dos recursos humanos em saúde na Região das Américas. A Consulta, realizada em junho e julho de 2005, foi parte da estratégia da Organização Pan-Americana de Saúde (OPS/OMS) para a organização da VII Reunião Regional dos Observatórios de Recursos Humanos, realizada em Toronto (Canadá). São apresentados os principais resultados e algumas das sugestões encaminhadas pelos atores consultados em relação ao papel da cooperação internacional nos países da Região, a fim de que os países e as agências internacionais formulem estratégias comuns de desenvolvimento e fortalecimento da força de trabalho em saúde