Assessing success of forest restoration efforts in degraded montane cloud forests in southern Mexico

Montane cloud forests are home to great biodiversity. However, non-sustainable anthropogenic activities have led to the loss of forest cover in southern Mexico. Increasing conservation, restoration and sustainable use of forest resources prevents the loss of cloud forests. In this study, success of forest restoration was evaluated in a degraded forest of Highlands Chiapas. The goal of this study was to assess the structure and composition of native tree species. We evaluated vegetation composition at three sites that had undergone enrichment plantings. Floristic composition and structure of the herbaceous, seedling, sapling, and overstory layers were measured. A total of sixty-six native tree species were recorded. Enrichment planting was found to have increased tree diversity. Moreover, 54% of the planted species were found in the understory, indicating that they were successfully recruiting. In conclusion, enrichment planting can aid in the conservation of forest cover in degraded areas

Can referrals to a pediatric Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) clinic be increased through provider education?

Purpose: Many pediatricians in the U.S. have trained in osteopathic medicine and have a Doctor of Osteopathy degree. However, other members of the health care team are often unaware of what osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) is or its indication in pediatrics. This quality improvement (QI) project aims to increase the average number of referrals to the University of New Mexico Hospital’s (UNMH) pediatric OMM clinic by 25% by May 2020. Methods: The QI project was designed based on the Model for Improvement. As the first Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle, health care provider trainings on pediatric OMM were implemented in November 2019. A post-presentation survey was used to gather feedback. The primary measure will be average monthly referrals to UNMH’s pediatric osteopathic clinic. Results: Thirty-one providers responded to the survey – most were physicians (DO [39%] or MD [52%]) with(87%). Twenty-three percent had previously referred to OMM clinic. On average, respondents reported an interest of 8.10 (SD 2.47) in referring to the pediatric OMM clinic, on a scale of 0 (no interest at all) to 10 (extremely interested). The average respondent was still not sure about the indications and evidence-base for use of OMM in pediatrics. Some respondents indicated that they would like additional training in OMM techniques, and that the clinic needs more hours/capacity due to a long wait time (\u3e1 month). Conclusion: Health care provider trainings generated interest in referring to the pediatric osteopathic clinic at UNMH. There is a need for additional PDSA cycles related to building provider knowledge and skills and addressing wait time to be seen in OMM clinic. We will monitor referrals as we implement additional PDSAs

Good Corporation, Bad Corporation: Corporate Social Responsibility in the Global Economy

This textbook provides an innovative, internationally oriented approach to the teaching of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and business ethics. Drawing on case studies involving companies and countries around the world, the textbook explores the social, ethical, and business dynamics underlying CSR in such areas as global warming, genetically modified organisms (GMO) in food production, free trade and fair trade, anti-sweatshop and living-wage movements, organic foods and textiles, ethical marketing practices and codes, corporate speech and lobbying, and social enterprise. The book is designed to encourage students and instructors to challenge their own assumptions and prejudices by stimulating a class debate based on each case study.https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/oer-ost/1007/thumbnail.jp

Iodine status of young Burkinabe children receiving small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements and iodised salt : a cluster-randomised trial

The objective of the present study was to assess the impact of providing small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) on the I status of young Burkinabe children. In total, thirty-four communities were assigned to intervention (IC) or non-intervention cohorts (NIC). IC children were randomly assigned to receive 20 g lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS)/d containing 90 mu g I with 0 or 10 mg Zn from 9 to 18 months of age, and NIC children received no SQ-LNS. All the children were exposed to iodised salt through the national salt iodization programme. Spot urinary iodine (UI), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and total thyroxine (T-4) in dried blood spots as well as plasma thyroglobulin (Tg) concentrations were assessed at 9 and 18 months of age among 123 IC and fifty-six NIC children. At baseline and at 18 months, UI, TSH and T-4 did not differ between cohorts. Tg concentration was higher in the NIC v. IC at baseline, but this difference did not persist at 18 months of age. In both cohorts combined, the geometric mean of UI was 339.2 (95 % CI 298.6, 385.2) mu g/l, TSH 0.8 (95 % CI 0.7, 0.8) mU/l, T-4 118 (95 % CI 114, 122) nmol/l and Tg 26.0 (95 % CI 24.3, 27.7) mu g/l at 18 months of age. None of the children had elevated TSH at 18 months of age. Marginally more children in NIC (8.9 %) had low T-4 (15 ppm). A reduction of SQ-LNS I content could be considered in settings with similarly successful salt iodisation programmes

Small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements containing different amounts of zinc along with diarrhea and malaria treatment increase iron and vitamin A status and reduce anemia prevalence, but do not affect zinc status in young Burkinabe children : a cluster-randomized trial

Background: We assessed the effects of providing a package of interventions including small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) containing 0, 5 or 10 mg zinc and illness treatment to Burkinabe children from 9 to 18 months of age, on biomarkers of zinc, iron and vitamin A status at 18 months and compared with a non-intervention cohort (NIC). Methods: Using a two-stage cluster randomized trial design, communities were randomly assigned to the intervention cohort (IC) or NIC, and extended family compounds within the IC were randomly assigned to different treatment groups. IC children (n = 2435) were provided with 20 g SQ-LNS/d containing 0, 5 or 10 mg zinc, 6 mg of iron and 400 mu g of vitamin A along with malaria and diarrhea treatment. NIC children (n = 785) did not receive the intervention package. At 9 and 18 months, hemoglobin (Hb), zinc, iron and vitamin A status were assessed in a sub-group (n = 404). Plasma concentrations of zinc (pZC), ferritin (pF), soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) and retinol-binding protein (RBP) were adjusted for inflammation. Results: At baseline, 35% of children had low adjusted pZC ( 8.3 mg/L) and 47% had low adjusted RBP (< 0.94 mu mol/L), with no group-wise differences. Compared with the NIC, at 18 months IC children had significantly lower anemia prevalence (74 vs. 92%, p = 0.001) and lower iron deficiency prevalence (13% vs. 32% low adjusted pF and 41% vs. 71% high adjusted sTfR, p < 0.001), but no difference in pZC. Mean adjusted RBP was greater at 18 months in IC vs. NIC (0.94 mu mol/L vs. 0.86 mu mol/L, p = 0.015), but the prevalence of low RBP remained high in both cohorts. Within the IC, different amounts of zinc had no effect on the prevalence of low pZC or indicators of vitamin A deficiency, whereas children who received SQ-LNS with 10 mg zinc had a significantly lower mean pF at 18 months compared to children who received SQ-LNS with 5 mg zinc (p = 0.034). Conclusions: SQ-LNS regardless of zinc amount and source provided along with illness treatment improved indicators of iron and vitamin A status, but not pZC

Comparison of Hofstede’s and Schwartz’s Cultural Frameworks for Enterprise Social Media Adoption

The introduction of Enterprise Social Media (ESM) has been driven by many factors that can be grouped into organizational activities namely, communication, cooperation, collaboration, and connections in real-time and asynchronous times. However, research shows that organizations struggle with enterprise-wide adoption. Research also indicates that one of the factors impeding adoption is organizational culture. It is essential to further understand the cultural dimensions that contribute to readiness for ESM because such understanding could help organizations better prepare for ESM adoption. This paper, therefore, compares two of the most prominent cultural studies, Hofstede’s and Schwartz’s cultural frameworks, within the context of ESM

Diminishing Use of Liver Biopsy among Liver Transplant Recipients for Hepatitis C.

Background and Aims: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) cirrhosis is the leading indication for liver transplantation in the United States and recurrent HCV following liver transplantation is a major cause of allograft loss and mortality. Liver biopsies are commonly used to identify recurrent HCV and determine the need for antiviral therapy. The introduction of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) has changed the management of recurrent HCV infection. This study aimed to describe the role of liver biopsies in liver transplant recipients with HCV after the introduction of DAAs. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed looking at the rate of liver biopsies post-liver transplantation for HCV. The analysis included 475 adult liver transplants for hepatitis C performed at the University of California, Los Angeles from January 1, 2006 to October 1, 2015. Patients were divided into two eras, pre- and post-introduction of DAAs on December 1, 2013. Results: In the era before the introduction of DAAs, the percentage of patients biopsied was significantly higher compared to the era after the introduction of DAAs (56.1% vs. 26.9%, p &lt; 0.001). Conclusions: The introduction of DAAs has changed the management of liver biopsy following liver transplantation and the management of recurrent HCV. Given that DAAs are well tolerated and have high efficacy, liver biopsies are no longer routinely used to justify the use antiviral therapy following liver transplantation

Método “Montessori” y el aprendizaje de la lectoescritura en niños de 5 años de la institución educativa Nº 437 del distrito de Santo Domingo de Acobamba 2019

La presente investigación plantea como problema ¿Cuál es la relación entre el método “Montessori” y el aprendizaje de la lectoescritura en niños de 5 años de la institución educativa Nº 437 del distrito de Santo Domingo de Acobamba 2019? La hipótesis, existe relación entre el método “Montessori” y el aprendizaje de la lectoescritura en niños de 5 años de la institución educativa Nº 437 del distrito de Santo Domingo de Acobamba 2019, el objetivo general fue determinar la relación entre el método “Montessori” y el aprendizaje de la lectoescritura en niños de 5 años de la institución educativa Nº 437 del distrito de Santo Domingo de Acobamba 2019. La investigación se desarrolló de acuerdo al método científico, como método específico al descriptivo estadístico. La investigación es no experimental, y su diseño correlacional. Considera una muestra censal de 36 alumnos entre varones y mujeres de cinco años. La técnica empleada fue la encuesta, se aplicaron dos instrumentos; un cuestionario sobre el método Montessori, y un test de lectoescritura. El método “Montessori presenta tres dimensiones; etapa de conversación, pre lectura, pre escritura. La variable lectoescritura estudia las dimensiones: habilidades de lenguaje, habilidades de lectura y habilidades de escritura. Aplicado los instrumentos de investigación, se realizó el procesamiento de datos mediante la prueba t de student para muestras relacionadas La investigación permitió determinar que existe diferencia significativa (p= 0.000) según el método Montessori en el aprendizaje de la Lectoescritura pretest y el aprendizaje de la Lectoescritura postest en los niños de 5 años de la institución educativa N° 437 del distrito de Santo Domingo de Acobamba 2019