Ethiopia ecological forecasting

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.The Bale Mountains of south-central Ethiopia comprise one of the largest and least studied mountain systems in Africa. An internationally recognized biodiversity hotspot, the region is home to Bale Mountains National Park and the Sanetti Plateau, which provide critical alpine habitat for numerous endemic and endangered species, such as the mountain nyala. Ethiopian agro-pastoralists in the region practice intentional burning to clear land for grazing and planting; however, pressures related to climate change and increasing populations have made understanding the frequency and extent of burning a top priority for conservationists and land managers seeking to balance conservation goals with the needs of local communities. To address this need, we mapped historical fire extent and frequency in the unique, high-altitude Ericaceous shrublands of Bale, using all available dry-season scenes from 42 years (1973-2015) of the Landsat record. We spatially and spectrally linked imagery within the LandsatLinkr R package to visualize landscape disturbances with a tasseled cap time series. A quantitative assessment of burned areas derived from the normalized burn ratio found that nearly all Ericaceous vegetation in the study area has burned since 1995, but with few repeated fires in the same location. Our results were not only in agreement with two MODIS Burned Area products and fire records compiled from the literature, but also improved upon their spatial resolution and augmented their temporal record. Maps and spatial data of fire date, extent, and frequency were disseminated to partners working in Ethiopia. These will support detailed studies of fire ecology in Bale and inform management approaches that ensure the preservation of the region's natural resources and the social-ecological systems they support.NASA DEVELOP.This material is based upon work supported by NASA through contract NNL11AA00B and cooperative agreement NNX14AB60A

Opportunities for nurses to increase parental health literacy: a discussion paper

Most families can access a range of health information and advice. Information and advice sources often include nurses, the Internet, social media, books, as well as family and friends. While the immediate aim may be to find information, it can also be to assist with parenting skills, solve parenting problems or as part of decision-making processes about their child’s health. These processes are strongly influenced by the parent’s level of health literacy. Health literacy describes a person’s capacity to obtain and utilize health related information. Although there are numerous health literacy definitions all have clearly defined steps. These steps are: obtaining relevant information; then understanding this information; and finally being able to use the information to achieve the expected outcome. Previous research has linked low levels of parental health literacy with poorer child health outcomes. Given this link, increasing health literacy levels would be advantageous for both families and health services. Nurses working with families are in a position to support the family to increase their health literacy through the use of a variety of strategies. This article outlines how health literacy can influence the way parents seek help when they are concerned about child health issues, the relevance of parental health literacy for nurses and suggests some tools that could be used to support the increase of health literacy

Who attends out-of-hours general practice appointments? Analysis of a patient cohort accessing new out-of-hours units

Objectives This report describes the patients who used additional out-of-hours (OOH) appointments offered through a UK scheme intended to increase patient access to primary care by extending OOH provision. Design Cohort study and survey data. Setting OOH appointments offered in four units in one region in England (October 2015 to November 2016). Methods Unidentifiable data on all patients were abstracted from a bespoke appointment system and the responses to a patient opinion questionnaire about this service. Descriptive analysis of the appointment data was conducted. Multivariate analysis of the opinion survey data examined the characteristics of the patients who would have gone to the emergency department (ED) had the OOH appointments not been available. Results There were 24 448 appointments for 19 701 different patients resulting in 29 629 service outcomes. Women dominated the uptake and patients from the poorest fifth of the population used nearly 40% of appointments. The patient survey found OOH appointments were extremely popular—93% selecting ‘extremely likely’ or ‘likely’ to recommend the service. Multivariate analysis of patient opinion survey data on whether ED would have been an alternative to the OOH service found that men, young children, people of Asian heritage and the most deprived were more likely to have gone to ED without this service. Conclusions The users of the OOH service were substantially different from in-hours service users with a large proportion of children under age 5, and the poor, which support the idea that there may be unmet need as the poor have the least flexible working conditions. These results demonstrate the need for equality impact assessment in planning service improvements associated with policy implementation. It suggests that OOH need to take account of patients expectations about convenience of appointments and how patients use services for urgent care needs

Information Literacy for Branch Campuses and Branch Libraries

Although information literacy objectives are a constant, teaching methods and pedagogy must be structured differently in different teaching-learning environments. The Libraries of Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) created a new model of library instruction for its branch libraries and branch campuses, based on the embedded or college librarian model. Librarians for music, science, education, and the IUP Northpointe campus have been integrated into the instruction and curricular activities of those locations, some of which include distance education programs. While this model has logistical and political challenges, it has proved beneficial in improving information literacy for both faculty and students, and for providing visibility, opportunities, and recognition for library faculty

Information Literacy for Branch Campuses and Branch Libraries

Although information literacy objectives are a constant, teaching methods and pedagogy must be structured differently in different teaching-learning environments. The Libraries of Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) created a new model of library instruction for its branch libraries and branch campuses, based on the embedded or college librarian model. Librarians for music, science, education, and the IUP Northpointe campus have been integrated into the instruction and curricular activities of those locations, some of which include distance education programs. While this model has logistical and political challenges, it has proved beneficial in improving information literacy for both faculty and students, and for providing visibility, opportunities, and recognition for library faculty