Obstetrician-Gynecologists’ Knowledge of Health Disparities and Barriers among American Indian/Alaska Native Women in Washington State

Background: Health disparities between American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) women and other races/ethnicities have long been noted. Obstetricians-Gynecologists (Ob-Gyn) play a significant role in well-woman care and are often the first and most frequent point of medical contact for women, particularly among minority and low-income women. Objective: This study aimed to assess Ob-Gyns’ knowledge, beliefs, and practices related to health disparities among AI/AN women. Method: A self-administered questionnaire, consisting of questions about knowledge, beliefs, and practices of health disparities among AI/AN women, was mailed to 722 members of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) practicing in the state of Washington in September 2013-February 2014. Results: The majority of respondents were knowledgeable about numerous health care disparities among non-pregnant AI/AN women, while slightly fewer were aware of disparities among pregnant AI/AN patients. Ob-Gyns reported low confidence in their training and knowledge of AI/AN culture and health disparities, but high confidence in their ability to treat AI/AN patients. Participants reported dissatisfaction with their AI/AN patients’ breastfeeding rates. Conclusion: Ob-Gyn knowledge of health disparities among AI/AN women is adequate. In spite of this, barriers to quality care are still present and increased identification and implementation of effective resources is needed

Effects of contaminants of emerging concern on Megaselia scalaris (Lowe, Diptera: Phoridae) and its microbial community.

Drought, rising temperatures, and expanding human populations are increasing water demands. Many countries are extending potable water supplies by irrigating crops with wastewater. Unfortunately, wastewater contains biologically active, long-lived pharmaceuticals, even after treatment. Run-off from farms and wastewater treatment plant overflows contribute high concentrations of pharmaceuticals to the environment. This study assessed the effects of common pharmaceuticals on a cosmopolitan saprophagous insect, Megaselia scalaris (Diptera: Phoridae). Larvae were reared on artificial diets spiked with contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) at environmentally relevant concentrations. Female flies showed no oviposition preference for treated or untreated diets. Larvae exposed to caffeine in diets showed increased mortality, and larvae fed antibiotics and hormones showed signs of slowed development, especially in females. The normal sex ratio observed in M. scalaris from control diets was affected by exposure to caffeine and pharmaceutical mixture treatments. There was an overall effect of treatment on the flies' microbial communities; notably, caffeine fed insects displayed higher microbial variability. Eight bacterial families accounted for approximately 95% of the total microbes in diet and insects. Our results suggest that CECs at environmentally relevant concentrations can affect the biology and microbial communities of an insect of ecological and medical importance

Corporate Social Responsibility: The Efficacy of Matched Between Not-For-Profits and Multinational Enterprises in Developed and Emerging Markets

Responding to Pope Francis’s appeals in Laudato si’ and to societal pressures, multinational enterprises (MNEs; Dunning, 1977) are increasingly searching for ways to structure demands for corporate social responsibility (CSR). Previous literature, however, suggests that the positive effects of CSR initiatives are not certain; moreover, alliance-based CSR remains an understudied area. Therefore, we propose a model based on a “matched” alliance approach to increase the efficacy of, and positive response to, CSR initiatives. We argue that MNEs increase the legitimacy and/or business-process efficiency of CSR initiatives by partnering with not-for-profit (NFP; Schwenk, 1990) organizations in alliances that “match” common objectives with complementary capabilities, which in turn results in positive responses to CSR initiatives. We propose that CSR activities from the following matched alliances will result in more positive media coverage: between MNEs and NFPs, between a local MNE and local NFPs (vs. a foreign MNE and local NFPs), and between local MNEs and NFPs in an emerging (vs. developed) market. Our case and media-intensity analyses for Walmart’s Katrina Assistance, Infosys’s Campus Connect, and Unilever’s Project Shakti span matched alliances between local and foreign MNEs in emerging and developed markets. Our findings document positive media coverage surrounding CSR initiatives whenever MNEs partner with matched local NFPs. In addition, positive media coverage is more for local rather than foreign MNEs, and for CSR initiatives in emerging, rather than developed, markets

Customers as decision-makers: strategic environmental assessment in the private sector

Despite its diversification and global spread, strategic environmental assessment (SEA) remains limited mainly to activities characterised by well-defined planning processes, typically within the public sector. This article explores the possible application of SEA within certain private-sector contexts where higher-level strategy-making itself is inherently weaker and development is often piecemeal and reactive. The possible adaptation of SEA to the preparation of a strategic document by a particular industrial concern in the UK is examined: this draws attention to the multi-actor nature of development processes within the industry. This leads to the suggestion that SEA in this setting should be thought of as a form of environmental advocacy oriented towards industrial customers, who are understood as sharing a decision-making role in infrastructure development.</p

The Magnetic Field Geometry in M82 and Cen A

Imaging polarimetry at 1.65 and 2.2 $\mu$m is presented for the classic starburst galaxy M82 and the advanced merger system Cen A. Polarimetry at near IR wavelengths allows the magnetic field geometry in galaxies to be probed much deeper into dusty regions than optical polarimetry. In M82, the magnetic field throughout the nucleus has a polar geometry, presumably due to the massive vertical flow that is a result of the intense star formation there. Fully two thirds of the line of sight dust through to the center of M82 contains a vertical magnetic field. In Cen A, the prominent dust lane shows a normal planar field geometry. There is no indication of significant disturbance in the field geometry in the dust lane and the polarization strength is near normal for the amount of extinction. Either the magnetic field geometry was well maintained during the merger, or it reestablished itself very easily

O/IR Polarimetry for the 2010 Decade (GAN): Science at the Edge, Sharp Tools for All

Science opportunities and recommendations concerning optical/infrared polarimetry for the upcoming decade in the field of Galactic science. Community-based White Paper to Astro2010 in response to the call for such papers.Comment: White Paper to the Galactic Neighborhood (GAN) Science Frontiers Panel of the Astro2010 Decadal Surve

The place of strategic environmental assessment in the privatised electricity industry

The private sector has given relatively little attention to the emergence of strategic environmental assessment (SEA); even recently privatised utilities, where SEA might be deemed particularly appropriate, and whose activities are likely to fall within the scope of the European Union SEA Directive, have shown less interest than might be expected. However, the global trend towards the privatisation of state-owned enterprises makes the adaptation of SEA towards these industries all the more pressing. This paper addresses the place that SEA might take within the electricity sector, taking the privatised UK electricity industry as an example. Particular challenges are posed by the radical restructuring of the industry, designed to introduce competitive behaviour, making the development of comprehensive SEA processes problematic, and requiring SEA to be placed in the context of corporate environmental policy and objectives.</p

The under-ice microbiome of seasonally frozen lakes

Compared to the well-studied open water of the “growing” season, under-ice conditions in lakes are characterized by low and rather constant temperature, slow water movements, limited light availability, and reduced exchange with the surrounding landscape. These conditions interact with ice-cover duration to shape microbial processes in temperate lakes and ultimately influence the phenology of community and ecosystem processes. We review the current knowledge on microorganisms in seasonally frozen lakes. Specifically, we highlight how under-ice conditions alter lake physics and the ways that this can affect the distribution and metabolism of auto- and heterotrophic microorganisms. We identify functional traits that we hypothesize are important for understanding under-ice dynamics and discuss how these traits influence species interactions. As ice coverage duration has already been seen to reduce as air temperatures have warmed, the dynamics of the under-ice microbiome are important for understanding and predicting the dynamics and functioning of seasonally frozen lakes in the near future