The hearts of the home : volunteer educators and the creation of place-narrative in a civil war household

Tour guides at historic sites are increasingly recognized by heritage and place studies as important agents of place creation and re-creation. Guides at Civil War sites repeatedly perform official and vernacular historical narratives for school groups, military staff-rides, and general visitors. The interpretive division at Wilson's Creek National Battlefield in Southwest Missouri relies on a reciprocal relationship with dozens of volunteer educators who make it possible to keep the Ray House, a homestead site used as a field hospital during the Battle of Wilson's Creek, open for visitor tours. Using the analysis of surveys, indepth interviews, and tour observations, this study was designed to show that volunteers act as important conduits for reinforcing certain cultural heritage identities and promulgating certain national values and popular myths. As the only National Battlefield in a state wrought with violence during the mid-19th century, Wilson's Creek represents history far beyond the events that took place on the 2000 acres of soil within its bounds. These volunteer guides are active in the formation and reimagining of a narrative economy of the Civil War in Southwest Missouri through their personal research and experience by leading tours at the Ray House

Population history and ecology, in addition to climate, influence human stature and body proportions.

Worldwide variation in human stature and limb proportions is widely accepted to reflect thermal adaptation, but the contribution of population history to this variation is unknown. Furthermore, stature and relative lower limb length (LLL) show substantial plastic responses to environmental stressors, e.g., nutrition, pathogen load, which covary with climate. Thus ecogeographic patterns may go beyond temperature-based selection. We analysed global variation in stature, sitting height and absolute and relative LLL using large worldwide samples of published anthropometric data from adult male (n = 571) and female (n = 268) populations in relation to temperature, humidity, and net primary productivity (NPP). Population history was modeled using spatial eigenvector mapping based on geographic distances reflecting the hypothesized pattern for the spread of modern humans out of Africa. Regression models account for ~ 50% of variation in most morphological variables. Population history explains slightly more variation in stature, sitting height and LLL than the environmental/climatic variables. After adjusting for population history, associations between (usually maximum) temperature and LLL are consistent with Allen's "rule" and may drive similar relationships with stature. NPP is a consistent negative predictor of anthropometry, which may reflect the growth-limiting effects of lower environmental resource accessibility (inversely related to NPP) and/or pathogen load

Provider Perception and Office Practices of the Initial Prenatal Visit Pre – Coronavirus 2019 Pandemic

Background Prenatal Care is a critical aspect of women’s health and current literature shows adequate care significantly reduces risk of adverse outcomes. With scientific advancement, the initial prenatal visit is increasingly tasked with more objectives that leave providers with barriers to provide appropriate and adequate care. Purpose The aim of this survey study was to determine clinical practices of the initial prenatal visit – regarding history taking, counseling, lab work and screening prior to the onset of COVID-19 Pandemic. Methods A one-time anonymous provider survey was distributed electronically to all obstetrics providers in the Tampa Bay Region in Florida. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were performed for data analysis. Results A total of 67 responses were completed, and 58 responses analyzed after vetting for greater than 75% completion. Providers reported the initial visit most commonly occurring in the 1st trimester, and 90.2% reported the initial visit was completed via in-office visits. One provider reported completing this visit via nursing phone call. 32.5% of providers allocated 30-minutes and 34.1% reported allocating 45-minutes for an office visit. 50% of providers felt there were able to appropriately counsel patients in visits that lasted up to 1 hour. All providers reported collecting a patient’s history themselves for the majority of topics (90% or more). Discussion Providers reported the initial prenatal visit occurring most commonly in the 1st trimester as an in-office visit. Providers utilized routine blood work, and genetic screening per guidelines. Medical doctors reported the lowest rates of direct discussion and review of prenatal counseling topics when compared to mid-level practitioners. Given the onset and ongoing COVID-2019 pandemic since this survey study was completed, future studies should see how the implementation of telehealth medicine has impacted practices

Tracing the Evolution of Water Quality in Waller Creek on the UT-Austin Campus

This study analyzes the discrete anthropogenic inputs (ie. pipe discharge) to Waller Creek and provides evidence that swimming pool discharge is a major source of creek water constituents.Waller Creek Working Grou

Thrifty phenotype versus cold adaptation: trade-offs in upper limb proportions of Himalayan populations of Nepal.

The multi-stress environment of high altitude has been associated with growth deficits in humans, particularly in zeugopod elements (forearm and lower leg). This is consistent with the thrifty phenotype hypothesis, which has been observed in Andeans, but has yet to be tested in other high-altitude populations. In Himalayan populations, other factors, such as cold stress, may shape limb proportions. The current study investigated whether relative upper limb proportions of Himalayan adults (n = 254) differ between highland and lowland populations, and whether cold adaptation or a thrifty phenotype mechanism may be acting here. Height, weight, humerus length, ulna length, hand length and hand width were measured using standard methods. Relative to height, total upper limb and ulna lengths were significantly shorter in highlanders compared with lowlanders in both sexes, while hand and humerus length were not. Hand width did not significantly differ between populations. These results support the thrifty phenotype hypothesis, as hand and humerus proportions are conserved at the expense of the ulna. The reduction in relative ulna length could be attributed to cold adaptation, but the lack of difference between populations in both hand length and width indicates that cold adaptation is not shaping hand proportions in this case.National Geographic Society; British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology; Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society; Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge; and Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge

Off-World Mental Health:Considerations for the Design of Well-being-Supportive Technologies for Deep Space Exploration

During future long-duration space exploration missions, humans will be exposed to combinations of extreme physical, psychological, and interpersonal demands. These demands create risks for the safety, performance, health, and well-being of both individuals and crew. The communication latency in deep space means that explorers will increasingly have to operate independently and take responsibility for their own self-care and self-management. At present, several research programs are focused on developing and testing digital technologies and countermeasures that support the effective functioning of deep space crews. Although promising, these initiatives have been stimulated mostly by technological opportunity rather than cogent theory. In this perspective, we argue that digital technologies developed for spaceflight should be informed by well-being–supportive design principles and be cognizant of broader conversations around the development and use of digital health applications, especially pertaining to issues of autonomy, privacy, and trust. These issues are important for designing potentially mission-critical health technologies and may be determining factors in the safe and successful completion of future off-world endeavors.publishedVersio

Robotics Competition Preparation and STEM Learning

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM): four of the most important concepts in education, yet some of the most difficult to teach in an engaging manner. Robotics is an appealing method used to teach STEM concepts in a way that can be applied to a myriad of fields of study, ranging from psychology to computer sciences. Over the course of the last semester, a research team has worked to create a robot to compete at the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) national robotics competition. Although the Fort Hays State University’s team received 3rd overall, this does not compare to the knowledge and experience gained in the STEM field through robotics