Breaking the bundle of rights:conservation easementsand the legal geographiesof individuating nature

This paper bridges critical legal geography and geographical work on neoliberal natures to illustrate the vital role that US law has played in reimagining the values of nature as divisible from their supporting contexts and the spatial outcomes of this ‘‘individuation.’’ The development and widespread use of conservation easements by nonprofit land trust groups serves as a precedent-setting case study. I review the two major pieces of enabling legislation: the Uniform Conservation Easement Act, and the addition of Section 170(h) to the federal tax code, to argue that these legal changes mark a pivotal moment of reregulation that has been significant for regularizing the separation of conservation values from their socio-ecological contexts. Finally, I offer three examples of the spatial manifestations of the legal foundations of conservation easements: shifting geographies of conservation prompted by highest and best use valuation and tax deductibility, an altered public/private divide in protected areas, and the creation of new spaces of accumulation, through the use of easement law by entrepreneurial forest carbon firms

Personalized Reading Program for Intermediate Grades

As the reading specialist in an elementary school, it was my responsibility to assist the classroom teachers with their reading program; specifically, with those students who were having difficulty. It was not feasible for me to meet with all who needed help; at the most, I could help forty-three students per week. The pace at which I had to function to assess and meet their individual needs became too great. In view of this situation, the following program was designed to stimulate every intermediate student\u27s desire to read and to do so at his own pace

A Study of School Personnel\u27s Knowledge Regarding Traumatic Brain Injury

This study attempted to determine if school psychologists are more knowledgeable regarding traumatic brain injury (TBI) today than in a study conducted years ago (Mira, Meck, & Tyler, 1988). Since the Mira, et al. study a federal category has been added to special education legislation, and it was hypothesized that school psychologists would be receiving more training in this area as a result of the addition of the special education category. This study also attempted to determine if regular education teachers, special education teachers, and school psychologists differ in their knowledge of (TBI). A survey from the Mira, et al. study was replicated and sent to regular education teachers, special education teachers, and school psychologists in Illinois. The results indicate that school psychologists were not significantly more knowledgeable than in the previous study. Although school psychologists were significantly more knowledgeable than either regular or special education teachers regarding TBI, school psychologists only averaged one and a half more correct answers than the other two groups. The implications of this study are that all three groups, regular education teachers, special education teachers, and school psychologists could all benefit from additional training in this area

A poroelastic model coupled to a fluid network with applications in lung modelling

Here we develop a lung ventilation model, based a continuum poroelastic representation of lung parenchyma and a 0D airway tree flow model. For the poroelastic approximation we design and implement a lowest order stabilised finite element method. This component is strongly coupled to the 0D airway tree model. The framework is applied to a realistic lung anatomical model derived from computed tomography data and an artificially generated airway tree to model the conducting airway region. Numerical simulations produce physiologically realistic solutions, and demonstrate the effect of airway constriction and reduced tissue elasticity on ventilation, tissue stress and alveolar pressure distribution. The key advantage of the model is the ability to provide insight into the mutual dependence between ventilation and deformation. This is essential when studying lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulmonary fibrosis. Thus the model can be used to form a better understanding of integrated lung mechanics in both the healthy and diseased states

Inconsistent seduction: Addressing confounds and methodological issues in the study of the seductive detail effect

Introduction: The inclusion of interesting but irrelevant details in instructional materials may interfere with recall and application of the core content. Although this seductive detail effect is well researched, recent research highlights factors that may influence the effect size. Objectives: The current study discusses confounds and methodological issues in the study of seductive details and outlines strategies for overcoming them. These practices were then applied in a study that examined the role of learning objectives on the seductive detail effect. Methods: Seductive details were selected on the basis of interest and importance level and matched for word count and reading level. The 3 × 2 between-subjects design presented 132 undergraduate students with a lesson on plate tectonics; participants completed tests on both recall and transfer. Results: Results did not reveal a consistent detrimental effect of high-interest details on core content recall and transfer. On the recall test, contrary to expectation, the seductive detail effect obtained only when objectives were provided. A similar pattern emerged on the transfer task. Conclusion: These findings highlight the difficulty of consistently eliciting the seductive detail effect. We discuss outstanding issues that must be addressed in order to develop practical guidelines on the inclusion of seductive details in educational materials

Inconsistent seduction: Addressing confounds and methodological issues in the study of the seductive detail effect

Introduction: The inclusion of interesting but irrelevant details in instructional materials may interfere with recall and application of the core content. Although this seductive detail effect is well researched, recent research highlights factors that may influence the effect size. Objectives: The current study discusses confounds and methodological issues in the study of seductive details and outlines strategies for over coming them. These practices were then applied in a study that examined the role of learning objectives on the seductive detail effect. Met hods: Seductive details were selected on the basis of interest and importance level and matched forword count and reading level. The 3×2 between subjects design presented 132 undergraduate students with a lesson on plate tectonics; participants completed tests on both recall and transfer. Results: Results did not reveal a consistent detrimental effect of high-interest details on core content recall and transfer. On the recall test, contrary to expectation, the seductive detail effect obtained only when objectives were provided. A similar pattern emerged on the transfer task. Conclusion: These findings highlight the difficulty of consistently eliciting the seductive detail effect. We discuss outstanding issues that must be addressed in order to develop practical guidelines on the inclusion of seductive details in educational materials

Just Water Transitions at the End of Sugar in Maui, Hawai\u27i

In December 2016, Hawai‘i saw its last sugar harvest on a 36,000-acre plantation in Maui. In the preceding decades, Native Hawaiians had struggled to regain their water rights from a failing sugar industry that had dewatered the island\u27s streams for centuries. Now, with the end of sugar, Native Hawaiian and environmental groups are working to restore traditional practices and diversified agriculture—goals which hinge upon changing water management practices and rewatering Maui\u27s streams. In this paper we combine frameworks from the water justice literature with a just transitions framework typically applied to energy landscapes in order to examine ‘just water transitions’ in Maui. By synthesizing these frameworks, we show how water-based economic transitions can address the tradeoffs and reconfigurations of infrastructure and power required for a more just future. We examine three distinct visions of water management promoted by coalitions of actors in support of different types of agricultural production systems for the island. We argue that a just water transition – that is, a move toward a more culturally, politically, and ecologically just management of water – must engage with water-specific, place-specific, and historically grounded factors including the legacies of infrastructure, water laws, and powerful agricultural interests

Plantation Pasts, Plantation Futures: Resisting Zombie Water Infrastructures in Maui, Hawai\u27i

Sugar plantations have fundamentally shaped water use in Maui, Hawai’i for over 100 years, with tremendous resulting impacts on ecosystems and Native Hawaiian communities. In this paper, we build on literature on the plantationocene and the political lives of infrastructure to examine plantation irrigation infrastructure. We center Maui’s vast water conveyance ditch system as a means of understanding how infrastructure continues plantation logics into the present, considering both the physical ditches themselves as well as the laws and politics which support continued water extraction. We also consider infrastructural futures, highlighting ongoing efforts of communities seeking water justice via infrastructural control

Rural Hispanic Women in Missouri: A Needs Assessment

Presentation made at Latinos in the Heartland (9th : 2011 : Columbia, Mo.) and published in the annual conference proceedings.An interdisciplinary team of public health researchers in women's health from the University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing, School of Social Work and the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Nursing received funding from the Missouri Foundation for Health to perform an assessment of health and health services among rural-residing women 50 years and older in specific counties of rural Missouri. Focus groups occurred with groups of Spanish-speaking Latinas in two rural counties. A total of 25 women between the ages of 50-65 (12 in one group and 13 in the other) were queried about the health status of women in their community. They were also asked about facilitators and barriers to health care services for women in their age group. Common health disorders that were reported were 24 obesity, diabetes mellitus, depression, poor nutrition, high blood pressure, chronic pain, stress, and difficulty sleeping. Several women noted that they did "not like" going to see a physician and others that they were afraid to go because of what the doctor might find and what the findings might mean related to financial concerns ("because of so many bills", who would care for their children, and missing work). One participant noted that she is afraid to go to the nurse at her place of work when she has symptoms because the nurse will send her home and she will miss a day of pay. Many participants expressed the idea that women?s health services should be available free of charge and geographically accessible, noting that "in Mexico they do it for free." Although free mammograms had been available with the "truck" in the past, they were no longer available. Further, transportation to places in which services are available is problematic, and many physicians and health services require multiple visits. Acquiring dental services is acutely problematic since money is typically expected prior to treatment and treatments, including cleaning, may require more than one visit. In general, lack of confidence in health care providers and prescribed treatments were frequently expressed opinions. Older Hispanic women in rural communities of our state share many of the challenges to health faced by urban women. However, distance, a greater need for transportation and even more limited resources suggest that targeted programs are in order if we are to improve their health status. These findings should inform policy decisions and the development of appropriate interventions for this population

A Very Rare Cause of Pancytopenia.

INTRODUCTION: Levetiracetam (Keppra) is a pyrrolidone derivative and acts as an anti-epileptic medication by modulating neurotransmitter release. Pancytopenia is a very rare adverse effect caused by levetiracetam. There are fewer than four case reports in the medical literature discussing the association between levetiracetam and pancytopenia. The pathogenesis behind this relationship is unclear. Therefore, this case will serve to spread awareness of a rare cause of pancytopenia and to hypothesize how this medication causes pancytopenia. CASE REPORT: A brain MRI of a 79-year-old female with a medical history of hypertension, Type II diabetes, and CVA revealed a right temporoparietal mass. She was started on dexamethasone prior to surgery due to the extensive amount of vasogenic edema. She underwent a temporal craniotomy with resection of the mass and was started on levetiracetam as seizure prophylaxis. Postoperatively, her blood count remained stable. She was on levetiracetam, dexamethasone, pantoprazole, and enoxaparin as prophylaxis. She was noted to have an episode of melena and anemia on the fifth day postoperatively, which resulted in a transfusion of two units of blood with an appropriate response. No acute gastroenterological intervention was deemed necessary. The patient was also noted to develop thrombocytopenia and leukopenia. Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia were ruled out. Pantoprazole and enoxaparin were discontinued without any improvement in cell counts. The patient received a total of five units of platelets due to a platelet count of less than 100,000. Levetiracetam was changed to lacosamide on day ten post-operative, and dexamethasone was continued without change. Within 24 hours of discontinuing levetiracetam, the platelet counts improved and continued to trend upward. A noticeable increase in white blood cells and hemoglobin were seen five days after that. DISCUSSION: Levetiracetam was approved by FDA for partial seizure, myoclonic seizure, and generalized tonic-clonic seizure. It is used off-label as seizure prophylaxis. This medication is associated with a few side effects that include behavioral changes, headache, drowsiness, and weakness. Hematologic adverse effects are rarely caused by this therapy. These effects include anemia, thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia. Our patient developed pancytopenia induced by levetiracetam and was resolved after we discontinued this medication. Her hemolysis profile and blood smear did not reveal any signs of hemolysis. Therefore, we hypothesize that levetiracetam induces pancytopenia by causing bone marrow suppression. CONCLUSION: Clinicians should be aware that levetiracetam induces severe pancytopenia. We should consider changing levetiracetam to lacosamide in patients who develop pancytopenia with negative hemolysis profile. Further studies need to understand how levetiracetam induces bone marrow suppression and to find a blood test for diagnosis