Restoring native plants following invasive Malephora Crocea (coppery iceplant, Aizoaceae) eradication on Anacapa Island

To avoid unintended complications of invasive species eradication, it is important to understand the potential implications of the techniques used in species eradication efforts. This study aimed to compare how different methods of removing Malephora crocea affect the survivorship of planted seedlings of native perennial plants on Anacapa Island. Employing a randomized complete block design in an M. crocea stand, three removal treatments were tested: 1) hand-pull; 2) spray with herbicide and leave skeletons; and 3) spray and then remove skeletons after 2.5 months. In each treatment, seedlings of three species (Leptosyne gigantea, Frankenia salina, and Grindelia stricta) and seeds of two species (L. gigantea and G. stricta) were planted. Survivorship and seed establishment were monitored quarterly between March 2010 and January 2011. For transplanted seedlings, the spray-and-leave treatment resulted in higher survivorship, while no difference was observed between the pull-treatments. Seed establishment was very low overall, but results of seeding of G. stricta showed that the spray-and-pull treatment provided for higher establishment than other treatments. L. gigantea seed establishment was inconclusive. The spray-and-leave treatment also provided the highest relative soil moisture. My results suggest that the spray-and-leave treatment provided the most suitable conditions for survival of transplanted native perennial vegetation

A Cross-sectional Descriptive Study of Patient Satisfaction among Community-dwelling Medicare Beneficiaries with Diabetes

Introduction Diabetes is highly prevalent among older adults and can result in adverse health and economic outcomes. Patient satisfaction is an important quality of care indicator that often reflects the extent to which individuals have access to care and the ability to engage in preventive screenings and services needed to postpone or delay adverse outcomes associated with diabetes. Few studies have examined the role of patient satisfaction with care, specifically, among Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes. The purpose of the study is to describe provider satisfaction and associated characteristics among Medicare beneficiaries Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using nationally representative data from the 2019 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS). Analysis was limited to persons 65 years and older who self-reported having diabetes. Satisfaction of care was the primary independent variable of interest, and it was assessed using the MCBS question ‘Have you been very satisfied, satisfied, dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied with the overall quality of health care received over the past year?’ Responses were recoded into dichotomous variables reflecting those with high satisfaction (very satisfied and satisfied) versus those who are not satisfied (dissatisfied and very dissatisfied). Results Approximately 3,852 individuals with diabetes were included in the study. Among study participants, 96.5% (3684) were satisfied with care and 3.5% (132) were dissatisfied with care. Among those satisfied with care, 52% were females, 68% were non-Hispanic Whites, 53% had more than high school education, 69% had more than a household income of more than $2500 married, 82% lived in a metropolitan area, 56% were married and 46% had obesity. Of those satisfied with care, 76% self-reported a general health status ranging from very good to excellent, 79% self-reported not being on insulin treatment and 79% self-reported having concurrent high blood pressure. In addition, about 82% of those satisfied with care, reported a recent HbA1c level of ≤7.5% or an average blood test of ≤140mg/dl, 64% reported self-testing for blood glucose and 65% of respondents reported having an annual foot examination by a doctor or other health professional. However, only 37% of participants satisfied with care reported participating in a diabetes self-management course, and less than 1% of those satisfied with care reported having an annual eye examination. Conclusion Findings from this study suggest that majority of Medicare beneficiaries are satisfied with care. Study participants who are satisfied with care reported low participation in diabetes self-management course and having an annual eye examination. Future studies are needed to examine the association between satisfaction of care and participation in a self-management course and annual eye examinations as these have implications for long-term diabetes outcomes. In addition, it may be important to undertake qualitative research to explore the determinants of dissatisfaction of care among Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes in order to address their specific needs

A pattern of health insurance policy among smokers in the United States

A pattern of health insurance policy among smokers in the United States Abdulrasak Ejiwumi, Nathan Hale and Melissa White, Department of Health Services Management and Policy, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN Previous research has noted that Medicaid expansion has had a positive impact health care access and the quality of healthcare services among individuals with lower incomes. However, only a few studies have been conducted to describe the association between smoking and having any type of healthcare insurance in the United States. Health insurance provides access to important smoking cessation programs that are critical for enabling quit attempts. This study examines the extent to which insurance is associated with smoking cessation. We obtained data from the 2021 nationally representative Behavioral Risk Surveillance System Dataset. A descriptive analysis was conducted on adult smoking status and enrollment in any health insurance policy and variation based on race, gender, income, marital status, and level of education was examined using a Chi-square test. Current smoking status and any health insurance enrollment was also examined using an adjusted logistic regression analysis controlling for age, sex, income, marital status, and race/ethnic group. Among adult smokers in the United States (Sample size 167,079), 85.7% have health insurance while 10.2% do not have any type of health insurance. Approximately 69.5% of individuals with health insurance reported quitting smoking compared to 42.8% of those who do not have health insurance (p=0.001). Adjusting for additional covariates of interest, the odds of quitting smoking was 1.6 times higher for respondents with any type of health insurance compared to uninsured respondents (AOR 1.55, 95% CI=1.49 – 1.61). This study found that the access to health insurance is an important predictor of quitting smoking, even when adjusting for age, race, gender, marital status, levels of education, and income. Insurance remains an important enabling factor that provides the resources and supports necessary to enable smoking cessation programs and ultimately support smoking cessation. Continued efforts to increase access to health insurance are needed

The Association Between Substances Related Behavior and High Blood Pressure Among Women in the United States

Introduction Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, causing one in every five female deaths, and high blood pressure is a precursor to CVD. Approximately half a million people attend the emergency departments with complications arising from substance use, many of which are concerned with cardiovascular events. The higher the number of substances used, the greater the risk of cardiovascular heart diseases; this association is even stronger among women than men. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which women\u27s substance-related behavior impacts high blood pressure, which in turn is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease in the US. Methods This cross-sectional study used the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to examine the relationship between having blood pressure and women who smoke and engage in binge drinking. Women who responded yes, yes during pregnancy and were told borderline high or pre-hypertensive to the question of ever been told by a doctor, nurse or another health professional that you have high blood pressure” were categorized as having high blood pressure. Those who responded no, don’t know/not sure, and refused were considered as not having high blood pressure. Smoking and binge drinking were the two key independent variables for this study. Women were categorized into 4-level smoker status: everyday smoker, someday smoker, former smoker, and non-smoker. Binge drinkers were women who takes four or more drinks on one occasion, with responses being yes, no or don\u27t know/refused/missing.” A chi-square test for independence was examined to determine the association between having high blood pressure and smoking or binge drinking. Multivariable regression analysis was also performed to account for other factors (such as age, race, educational attainment, income, body mass index and blood cholesterol) potentially associated with high blood pressure among women. Results Approximately 418, 264 individuals responded to the survey items. Among respondents are 227,706 women, who are the study population of interest. The women included in this study are 18-34, 35-64, and above 65 years old. Among the study population, 33% reported having high blood pressure with no record of high blood pressure, amongst 67%. Among women who reported binge drinking, 22.9% reported high blood pressure compared to 34.6% of women who did not binge drink (p= Conclusion This study found that substance abuse was not associated with having high blood pressure. It is possible that women with high blood pressure quit or reduced these behaviors due to a high blood pressure diagnosis. Notwithstanding the high prevalence of high blood pressure and substance use, further research is needed to examine this association among women overall and subpopulations at high risk. This research should support prioritizing interventions and informing public health programs

Eigenmodes of fractal drums: A numerical student experiment

``Can one hear the shape of a drum?'' was a question posed (and made famous) by mathematician Mark Kac in the mid-1960s. It addresses whether a deeper connection exists between the resonance modes (eigenmodes) of a drum and its shape. Here we propose a numerical experiment, suitable for advanced undergraduate physics students, on the calculation of the eigenmodes of a square Koch fractal drum, for which experimental results do exist. This exercise is designed to develop the students' understanding of the vibrations of fractal drums, their eigenmodes, and potentially their integrated density of states. The students calculate the lowest order eigenmodes of the fractal drum, visualize these modes, and study their symmetry properties. As an extension, the students may investigate the integrated density of states of the fractal drum and compare their findings to the Weyl-Berry conjecture.Comment: Latex, 9 pages, 5 figure

Wearable Computing with Google Glass

This presentation reports on the results of student research and development in the area of mobile computing for Android devices. Specifically, it discusses students\u27 experience implementing mobile applications on Android smartphones and Google\u27s wearable Glass device. Individual technologies addressed in the presentation are head-mounted computing and displays, voice recognition and control, wireless communication, augmented reality, telepresence, and user interface development. This project was developed in cooperation with the Air Force Research Labs at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

Clinical Service Delivery along the Urban/Rural Continuum

Background: Engagement in the core public health functions and ten essential services remains the standard for measuring local health department (LHD) performance; their role as providers of clinical services remains uncertain, particularly in rural and underserved communities. Purpose: To examine the role of LHDs as clinical service providers and how this role varies among rural and nonrural communities. Methods: The 2013 National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Profile was used to examine the geographic distribution of clinical service provision among LHDs. LHDs were coded as urban, large rural, or small rural based on Rural/Urban Commuting Area codes. Bivariate analysis for clinical services was conducted by rural/urban status. For each service, the proportions of LHDs that directly performed the service, contracted with other organizations to provide the service, or reported provision of the service by independent organizations in the community was compared. Results: Analyses show significant differences in patterns of clinical services offered, contracted, or provided by others, based on rurality. LHDs serving rural communities, especially large rural LHDs, tend to provide more direct services than urban LHDs. Among rural LHDs, larger rural LHDs provided a broader array of services and reported more community capacity for delivery than small rural LHDs- particularly maternal and child health services. Implications: There are capacity differences between large and small rural LHDs. Limited capacity within small rural LHDs may result in providing less services, regardless of the availability of other providers within their communities. These findings provide valuable information on clinical service provision among LHDs, particularly in rural and underserved communities

Local Health Department Clinical Service Delivery along the Urban/Rural Continuum

Background: Engagement in the core public health functions and ten essential services remains the standard for measuring local health department (LHD) performance; their role as providers of clinical services remains uncertain, particularly in rural and underserved communities. Purpose: To examine the role of LHDs as clinical service providers and how this role varies among rural and nonrural communities. Methods: The 2013 National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Profile was used to examine the geographic distribution of clinical service provision among LHDs. LHDs were coded as urban, large rural, or small rural based on Rural/Urban Commuting Area codes. Bivariate analysis for clinical services was conducted by rural/urban status. For each service, the proportions of LHDs that directly performed the service, contracted with other organizations to provide the service, or reported provision of the service by independent organizations in the community was compared. Results: Analyses show significant differences in patterns of clinical services offered, contracted, or provided by others, based on rurality. LHDs serving rural communities, especially large rural LHDs, tend to provide more direct services than urban LHDs. Among rural LHDs, larger rural LHDs provided a broader array of services and reported more community capacity for delivery than small rural LHDs- particularly maternal and child health services. Implications: There are capacity differences between large and small rural LHDs. Limited capacity within small rural LHDs may result in providing less services, regardless of the availability of other providers within their communities. These findings provide valuable information on clinical service provision among LHDs, particularly in rural and underserved communities

Oral Histories of the Springfield, Illinois, Riot of 1908

Most daily newspapers published at the turn of the twentieth century carried little news of the lives of African Americans, let alone their perspectives. That was indeed the case with the coverage of dailies in Springfield, Illinois, about the riot of August 1908 in which whites intentionally tracked, harmed, and killed blacks. Thanks to the foresight of oral historians working in the 1970s and the diligence of college librarians in preserving their interviews, a record exists of the varied responses of African-American residents to the violence of the roaming white mob. Some fled. Some hid. Others took up arms to defend their lives, homes, and businesses. The threat to fight back was sometimes enough to ward off attackers, though some black men did fire their guns into hostile white crowds, wounding or killing an unrecorded number of white rioters.What follows is a compilation of five excerpts from more expansive oral histories taken from four black residents and one Jewish resident of Springfield who lived through the riot. Their accounts reflect a remarkable degree of social organization in a community but two generations out of slavery. African Americans who fled to the surrounding countryside were housed, fed, and protected by black farming families for the weekend until the National Guard arrived and restored order in the state capital. Other families who remained in the city collaborated to identify homes or, in one case, a park where they could gather and conceal themselves. One neighborhood quickly formed a self-defense committee, with women serving as lookouts and men as armed guards

Differentiating Phrase Structure Parsing and Memory Retrieval in the Brain

On some level, human sentence comprehension must involve both memory retrieval and structural composition. This study differentiates these two processes using neuroimaging data collected during naturalistic listening. Retrieval is formalized in terms of multiword expressions while structure-building is formalized in terms of bottom-up parsing. The results most strongly implicate Anterior Temporal regions for structure-building and Precuneus Cortex for memory retrieval