Domestic and Relationship Advice on Campus [brochure and video]

Domestic relationship violence occurs when one partner in a relationship tries to overpower the other. Abusers use guilt, fear, shame, intimidation and other means to control. Domestic violence can happen to anyone, so it is important to be aware of the warning signs. While physical abuse may be the most common and obvious danger, emotional and psychological damage is severe and can cause devastating effects on the individual. Gaining awareness about dating violence and how it affects students on college campuses throughout the country can make us more effective helping professionals

Using a reconciliatory model to change attitudes towards COVID-19

This research was designed to see if we were able to change university students’ attitudes about COVID-19 in regard to precautionary behaviors such as mask-wearing, social distancing and vaccinations using a reconciliatory model. The reconciliatory model has had success in evolution research and we wanted to assess its success here. Additionally, we wanted to test if students’ perception of the respectfulness and relatability of the presenter influenced a change in attitude. For our model, we created 6 different videos from various individuals. After watching the videos, participants filled out a survey about if/how the video changed their minds, and if/how the presenter in the video was respectful or relatable. We then thematically coded the results

Decentralized Congestion Control Algorithm for Vehicle to Vehicle Networks Using Oscillating Transmission Power

Wireless access in vehicular environments (WAVE) is a vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communications technology which could help prevent up to 82% of non-impaired accidents, according to the US DOT. A 2013 study by the World Health Organization estimated 2,227 road fatalities in 2009 alone. Currently the channel that is responsible for a vehicle’s awareness of others suffers from congestion at moderate loads. In this paper we propose a novel method for adjusting the transmission power in a pattern which alternates between high and low powered transmissions. We modify one commonly used decentralized congestion control (DCC) algorithm, LIMERIC, and compare the power adaptation model against two controls. WAVE supports a 300 meter transmission radius, however, less than 200 vehicles can communicate at the target rate of 10 transmissions per second. We demonstrate that our algorithm reduces the number of packets received by distant vehicles, while maintaining a higher packet rate to the closer vehicles, for which a higher rate is more important

Creating an Online CME Module: Early Detection and Diagnosis of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

Introduction. The number of individuals living with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in the United States is growing annually; only 40% are properly diagnosed. Primary care providers should identify individuals with cognitive impairment and provide options for care; early diagnosis of dementia and AD helps patients and families plan for the future, increases quality of life, and allows for treatment options.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1192/thumbnail.jp

Improving Medical Student Mentorship in Orthopaedic Surgery

Introduction. Owing to limited clinical clerkships and travel restrictions related to COVID-19, recent medical student mentorship in orthopaedic surgery has been negatively impacted. The purpose of this Quality Improvement (QI) project was to determine if medical student awareness of orthopaedics as a possible career field may be improved through a mentoring program designed and delivered by orthopaedic residents. Methods. A five-resident QI team developed four educational sessions aimed at a medical student audience. Forum topics included (1) orthopaedics as a career, (2) fracture conference, (3) splinting workshop, and (4) residency application process. Pre- and post-forum surveys were administered to student participants to assess changes in their perceptions regarding orthopaedic surgery. Data derived from the questionnaires were analyzed with nonparametric statistical tests. Results. Of 18 forum participants, 14 were men and 4 were women. A total of 40 survey pairs were collected, averaging 10 per session. In the all-participant encounter analysis, there were statistically significant improvements in all outcome measures including interest in, exposure to, and knowledge of orthopaedics; exposure to our training program; and ability to interact with our residents. Those undecided regarding their specialty demonstrated larger increases in post-forum responses, suggesting that the learning experience was more impactful for that subgroup. Conclusions. This QI initiative was a successful demonstration of orthopaedic resident mentorship of medical students, wherein perceptions of orthopaedics were favorably influenced by the educational experience. For some students with limited access to orthopaedic clerkships or formal one-on-one mentoring, forums like these may be an acceptable alternative

Improving Medical Student Mentorship in Orthopaedic Surgery

Introduction. Owing to limited clinical clerkships and travel restrictions related to COVID-19, recent medical student mentorship in orthopaedic surgery has been negatively impacted. The purpose of this Quality Improvement (QI) project was to determine if medical student awareness of orthopaedics as a possible career field may be improved through a mentoring program designed and delivered by orthopaedic residents. Methods. A five-resident QI team developed four educational sessions aimed at a medical student audience. Forum topics included (1) orthopaedics as a career, (2) fracture conference, (3) splinting workshop, and (4) residency application process. Pre- and post-forum surveys were administered to student participants to assess changes in their perceptions regarding orthopaedic surgery. Data derived from the questionnaires were analyzed with nonparametric statistical tests. Results. Of 18 forum participants, 14 were men and 4 were women. A total of 40 survey pairs were collected, averaging 10 per session. In the all-participant encounter analysis, there were statistically significant improvements in all outcome measures including interest in, exposure to, and knowledge of orthopaedics; exposure to our training program; and ability to interact with our residents. Those undecided regarding their specialty demonstrated larger increases in post-forum responses, suggesting that the learning experience was more impactful for that subgroup. Conclusions. This QI initiative was a successful demonstration of orthopaedic resident mentorship of medical students, wherein perceptions of orthopaedics were favorably influenced by the educational experience. For some students with limited access to orthopaedic clerkships or formal one-on-one mentoring, forums like these may be an acceptable alternative

The 2017 Regent Landslide, Freetown Peninsula, Sierra Leone

At 06:50 on Monday 14th August 2017, a hillslope on the Freetown Peninsula, Sierra Leone, collapsed, sending 300,000 m3 of debris into the flooded valley below. As this debris mixed with floodwater it became a sediment-laden flood which entered a drainage channel and travelled 6 km to the coastline. The event destroyed nearly 400 buildings, claimed the lives of an estimated 1,100 people and affected approximately 5,000 people. The mechanism was a two-stage rainfall-triggered landslide followed by a channelised debris-laden flood. The processes were similar to the nearby 1945 event in Charlotte, which killed at least 13 people. Geomorphological mapping has identified evidence of hundreds of other large landslides that occurred before modern records, providing an appreciation of the slope processes affecting the Freetown Peninsula. Following the 2017 Regent Landslide, rehabilitation of the affected area involved a risk reduction strategy that centred on reducing population exposure. These events are a reminder that the steep slopes and valleys across the Freetown Peninsula are highly susceptible to rainfall-triggered landslides which, given the topography have a high propensity to generate high intensity landslides and debris-laden floods. Future urbanization must consider whole-catchment management, flooding and slope engineering issues to provide lasting landslide risk reduction

Climate vulnerability assessment for Pacific salmon and steelhead in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem.

Major ecological realignments are already occurring in response to climate change. To be successful, conservation strategies now need to account for geographical patterns in traits sensitive to climate change, as well as climate threats to species-level diversity. As part of an effort to provide such information, we conducted a climate vulnerability assessment that included all anadromous Pacific salmon and steelhead (Oncorhynchus spp.) population units listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Using an expert-based scoring system, we ranked 20 attributes for the 28 listed units and 5 additional units. Attributes captured biological sensitivity, or the strength of linkages between each listing unit and the present climate; climate exposure, or the magnitude of projected change in local environmental conditions; and adaptive capacity, or the ability to modify phenotypes to cope with new climatic conditions. Each listing unit was then assigned one of four vulnerability categories. Units ranked most vulnerable overall were Chinook (O. tshawytscha) in the California Central Valley, coho (O. kisutch) in California and southern Oregon, sockeye (O. nerka) in the Snake River Basin, and spring-run Chinook in the interior Columbia and Willamette River Basins. We identified units with similar vulnerability profiles using a hierarchical cluster analysis. Life history characteristics, especially freshwater and estuary residence times, interplayed with gradations in exposure from south to north and from coastal to interior regions to generate landscape-level patterns within each species. Nearly all listing units faced high exposures to projected increases in stream temperature, sea surface temperature, and ocean acidification, but other aspects of exposure peaked in particular regions. Anthropogenic factors, especially migration barriers, habitat degradation, and hatchery influence, have reduced the adaptive capacity of most steelhead and salmon populations. Enhancing adaptive capacity is essential to mitigate for the increasing threat of climate change. Collectively, these results provide a framework to support recovery planning that considers climate impacts on the majority of West Coast anadromous salmonids

Identifying back pain subgroups: developing and applying approaches using individual patient data collected within clinical trials

There is good evidence that therapist delivered interventions have modest beneficial effects for people with low back pain (LBP). Identification of subgroups of people with LBP who may benefit from these different treatment approaches is an important research priority