Distribution and Status of Rare and Endangered Mussels (Mollusca: Margaritiferidae, Unionidae) in Arkansas

Knowledge of the distribution and population status of freshwater bivalves occurring in Arkansas has increased markedly during the past decade. Sufficient data has become available to delineate species which are rare and/or endangered within the state. Historical and recent records from Arkansas exist for four mussels currently listed as federally endangered species: the fat pocketbook (Potamilus capax), the pink mucket (Lampsilis orbiculata), Curtis\u27 pearly mussel (Epioblasma florentina curtisi), and the turgid-blossom pearly mussel (Epioblasma turgidula). Ten additional mussels which occur or were thought to occur in Arkansas are being considered for federal protection by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Several other taxa may warrant protective status

Designing community-based health programs to address the needs of marginalised and disadvantaged communities

The focus of the visit by Dr Julie Will was to explore evidence based approaches for improving access and equity in primary health care, with a particular emphasis on preventing and managing chronic conditions and health problems of people who are unemployed. Dr Will is a senior epidemiologist in the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For the past 13 years, she served as the WISEWOMAN Team Leader, Acting Team Lead for the Applied Research and Translation Team, and Senior Epidemiologist for Health Services Research and Registry Team.The research reported in this paper is a project of the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute which is supported by a grant from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing under the Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and

Developments in Australian general practice 2000–2002: what did these contribute to a well functioning and comprehensive Primary Health Care System?

BACKGROUND: In recent years, national and state/territory governments have undertaken an increasing number of initiatives to strengthen general practice and improve its links with the rest of the primary health care sector. This paper reviews how far these initiatives were contributing to a well functioning and comprehensive primary health care system during the period 2000–2002, using a normative model of primary health care and data from a descriptive study to evaluate progress. RESULTS: There was a significant number of programs, at both state/territory and national level. Most focused on individual care, particularly for chronic disease, rather than population health approaches. There was little evidence of integration across programs: each tended to be based in and focus on a single jurisdiction, and build capacity chiefly within the services funded through that jurisdiction. As a result, the overall effect was patchy, with similar difficulties being noted across all jurisdictions and little gain in overall system capacity for effective primary health care. CONCLUSION: Efforts to develop more effective primary health care need a more balanced approach to reform, with a better balance across the different elements of primary health care and greater integration across programs and jurisdictions. One way ahead is to form a single funding agency, as in the UK and New Zealand, and so remove the need to work across jurisdictions and manage their competing interests. A second, perhaps less politically challenging starting point, is to create an agreed framework for primary health care within which a collective vision for primary health care can be developed, based on population health needs, and the responsibilities of different sectors services can be negotiated. Either of these approaches would be assisted by a more systematic and comprehensive program of research and evaluation for primary health care

Welfare Plastic: The Transformation of Public Assistance in the Electronic Age

Several states have developed electronic benefit transfer (EBT) systems to deliver cash assistance and food stamp benefits. These systems establish electronic account balances which recipients access through the use of a debit card at terminals such as bank automatic teller machines or transaction authorization machines like those that validate credit card charges. We examine the potential effects of such systems on involved stakeholders, including government agencies, benefit recipients, financial institutions, and food retailers. Overall, each stakeholder group benefits from EBT, but some subgroups do not fare as well. Several key issues are identified

Beam Me 'Round, Scotty! II: Reflections on Transforming Research Goals into Gameplay Mechanics

© {Owner/Author | ACM} 2018. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here for your personal use. Not for redistribution. The definitive Version of Record was published in Proceedings of the 2018 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play Companion Extended Abstracts, http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3270316.3273039.We reflect on the design, implementation, and testing of the experimental testbed game Beam Me 'Round, Scotty! II and the numerous design lessons learned in transitioning theoretical research questions about social presence and connectedness into concrete gameplay mechanics contrasting asymmetric and symmetric cooperative play. We discuss the unanticipated challenges that can emerge from seemingly unrelated design choices and the importance of grounding experimental conclusions and design recommendations in specific gameplay contexts.Funder 1, NSERC Discovery Grant 2016-04422 || Funder 2, NSERC Discovery Accelerator Grant 492970-2016 || Funder 3, NSERC CREATE Saskatchewan-Waterloo Games User Research (SWaGUR) Grant 479724-2016 || Funder 4, Ontario Early Researcher Award ER15-11-18

Clostridium difficile pilot study: effects of probiotic supplementation on the incidence of C. difficile diarrhoea

Colonic infection with Clostridium difficile, leading to pseudomembranous colitis, is a common complication of antibiotic therapy, especially in elderly patients. It has been suggested that non-pathogenic probiotic bacteria might prevent the development and recurrence of C. difficile infection. This double-blind, placebo-controlled study examines the role of probiotic administration in the prevention of C. difficile-associated diarrhoea (CDAD) in elderly patients receiving antibiotic therapy. Consecutive patients (150) receiving antibiotic therapy were randomised to receive either a probiotic containing both Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium or placebo for 20 days. Upon admission to hospital, bowel habit was recorded and a faecal sample taken. Trial probiotic or placebo was taken within 72 h of prescription of antibiotics, and a second stool sample was taken in the event of development of diarrhoea during hospitalisation or after discharge. Of the randomised patients, 138 completed the study, 69 with probiotics in conjunction with antibiotics and 69 with antibiotics alone. On the basis of development of diarrhoea, the incidence of samples positive for C. difficile-associated toxins was 2.9% in the probiotic group compared with 7.25% in the placebo-control group. When samples from all patients were tested (rather than just those developing diarrhoea) 46% of probiotic patients were toxin-positive compared with 78% of the placebo group. [Int Microbiol 2004; 7(1):59–62

Zirconia-Based Compositions for Use in Passive NO\u3csub\u3ex\u3c/sub\u3e Adsorber Devices

A passive NOx adsorbent includes: palladium, platinum or a mixture thereof and a mixed or composite oxide including the following elements in percentage by weight, expressed in terms of oxide: 10-90% by weight zirconium and 0.1-50% by weight of least one of the following: a transition metal or a lanthanide series element other than Ce. Although the passive NOx adsorbent can include Ce in an amount ranging from 0.1 to 20% by weight expressed in terms of oxide, advantages are obtained particularly in the case of low-Ce or a substantially Ce-free passive NOx adsorbent

The Effects of Functional Fatigue on Ground Reaction Forces of a Jump, Land, and Cut Task

Rapid acceleration, deceleration, landing and change of direction have been implicated as mechanisms of noncontact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. PURPOSE: To examine the ground reaction forces occurring to the knee during non-fatigued and fatigued jump, land and cut maneuvers in three unplanned cutting directions. METHODS: Eleven healthy, adult female collegiate soccer athletes participated in this study (age= 20.3±0.9 years; height= 167.4±4.8 cm; mass= 63.7±7.7 kg). Each subject was instructed to perform 9 jump, land, and cut maneuvers in a pre-fatigued state and fatigued state. The protocols were randomly assigned to include 3 cuts in each of the three directions. The functional fatigue protocol consisted of rapid acceleration, deceleration, and change of direction activities. A 2x2 ANOVA design was used to compare groups (fatigue state) and (leg dominance). RESULTS: Differences were noted in the medial direction during the left cut land (p=0.049). Differences in the anterior-posterior forces occurred during fatigued landing tasks for all three cutting directions (left, p=0.049; center, p=0.000; right, p=0.009), and for the center cut push off (p=0.020). Fatigue appeared to have a significant impact on the vertical push off of all three directions (left, p=0.023; center, p=0.000; right, p=0.047). CONCLUSION: Fatigue has an important impact on jump, land and cut maneuvers regardless of cutting direction. Fatigue was noted to impact the anterior-posterior direction the most during landing which is significant as the primary purpose of the ACL is to prevent anterior shear force of the tibia on the femur during motion. Fatigue may prove to be a predominant risk factor for ACL injuries

Selection Criteria for the Radical Treatment of Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer

There are over 14,000 newly diagnosed rectal cancers per year in the United Kingdom of which between 50 and 64 percent are locally advanced (T3/T4) at presentation. Pelvic exenterative surgery was first described by Brunschwig in 1948 for advanced cervical cancer, but early series reported high morbidity and mortality. This approach was later applied to advanced primary rectal carcinomas with contemporary series reporting 5-year survival rates between 32 and 66 percent and to recurrent rectal carcinoma with survival rates of 22–42%. The Swansea Pelvic Oncology Group was established in 1999 and is involved in the assessment and management of advanced pelvic malignancies referred both regionally and UK wide. This paper will set out the selection, assessment, preparation, surgery, and outcomes from pelvic exenterative surgery for locally advanced primary rectal carcinomas