Toward Universal Broadband in Rural Alaska

The TERRA-Southwest project is extending broadband service to 65 communities in the Bristol Bay, Bethel and Yukon-Kuskokwim regions. A stimulus project funded by a combination of grants and loans from the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), TERRA-Southwest has installed a middle-mile network using optical fiber and terrestrial microwave. Last-mile service will be through fixed wireless or interconnection with local telephone networks. The State of Alaska, through its designee Connect Alaska, also received federal stimulus funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for tasks that include support for an Alaska Broadband Task Force “to both formalize a strategic broadband plan for the state of Alaska and coordinate broadband activities across relevant agencies and organizations.” Thus, a study of the impact of the TERRA project in southwest Alaska is both relevant and timely. This first phase provides baseline data on current access to and use of ICTs and Internet connectivity in rural Alaska, and some insights about perceived benefits and potential barriers to adoption of broadband. It is also intended to provide guidance to the State Broadband Task Force in determining how the extension of broadband throughout the state could contribute to education, social services, and economic activities that would enhance Alaska’s future. Results of the research could also be used proactively to develop strategies to encourage broadband adoption, and to identify applications and support needed by users with limited ICT skills.Connect Alaska. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration. General Communications Incorporated.Part 1: An Analysis of Internet Use in Southwest Alaska / Introduction / Previous Studies / Current Connectivity / Analytical Framework and Research Methodology / Demographics / Mobile Phones: Access and Use / Access to the Internet / Internet Useage / Considerations about Internet Service / Interest in Broadband / Sources of News / Comparison with National Data / Internet Use by Businesses and Organizations / What Difference may Broadband make in the Region? / Conclusiongs / Part 2 Literature Review / Reference

Evaluating the Mentor-Mentee Relationship in the 4-H Tech Wizards Program

Youth rely on mentors to provide camaraderie, encouragement, and guidance. The authors asserted that the measurement of youth-mentor relationship would vastly improve the reaching effects of mentorship and expose areas of potential improvement. A questionnaire was given to youth at the beginning and end of a small group mentoring program. The Mentor-Youth Inventory survey exposed levels of emotional engagement, revealed satisfaction levels, and uncovered the breadth of relationships within the program. The study provides evidence that measuring and establishing a benchmark for the quality of youth-mentor relationships facilitates the opportunity to increase the value of small group mentoring in Extension

Interventions designed to promote exclusive breastfeeding in high-income countries: a systematic review

Worldwide, women fail to reach the recommended exclusive breastfeeding target of 6 months postpartum. The objective of this study was to present a conceptual and methodological synthesis of interventions designed to promote exclusive breastfeeding to 6 months in high-income countries

High occurrence of food insecurity in young people attending a youth mental health service in regional Australia

Aim: Despite the relationship between food insecurity and poor mental health, food insecurity in young people attending mental health services in Australia remains understudied. This study aimed to determine the occurrence and predictors of food insecurity, and the relationship with dietary factors in young people attending a mental health service. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in a sample of young people (15–25 years) who attended a mental health service in Launceston, Australia. The survey utilised a single-item food insecurity screening tool and eight demographic, health and service use questions. Five questions determined self-reported intake of fruit, vegetables, breakfast, water, sugarsweetened beverages and takeaway foods. Binary logistic regression determined predictors of food insecurity. Cross-tabulations determined differences in dietary intake according to food security. Results: Of survey respondents (n = 48; 68% female), 40% (n = 19) were food insecure. Respondents living out of home or in unstable accommodation were at significantly higher risk of food insecurity (odds ratio [OR]: 4.43; SE: 0.696; 95% CI: 1.13–17.34; p = 0.032) compared to those living with their parents. Those receiving government financial assistance (OR: 5.00; SE: 0.676; 95% CI: 1.33–18.81; p = 0.017) were also at significantly higher risk of food insecurity. Regardless of food security status, self-reported intake of fruits, vegetables and breakfast were low, and respondents regularly consumed takeaway foods and sugar-sweetened beverages. Conclusions: There was a high occurrence of food insecurity and poor dietary intake in young people attending a youth mental health service demonstrating that initiatives to support access to healthy food in this group should be a priority, with potential benefits for mental health outcomes

Cornerstone Youth Services Nutrition and Physical Activity Capacity Building Project: Final Report

Healthy eating and physical activity habits during adolescence help support normal growth and development and underpin the establishment of lifelong health and wellbeing. The eating habits of many young people are inconsistent with dietary recommendations and, along with sedentary physical activity levels, escalate risks of current and future obesity, type 2 diabetes and mental health issues. Mental health conditions predominantly emerge during adolescence and early adulthood. People with a mental health condition are more likely to be overweight and have metabolic complications. Emerging research has demonstrated that healthy eating patterns (e.g., Mediterranean-style diets), based on whole grains, fruit and vegetables, lean protein and nuts, contribute to reducing obesity and metabolic chronic diseases, and to improving mental health. Early nutrition and physical activity interventions for young people at risk of developing a mental health condition are needed. Cornerstone Youth Services (CYS) provides social and emotional support for young people with mild to moderate mental health conditions in the greater Launceston area. CYS professionals reported a need for: 1) developing their capacity to provide brief, nutrition-related interventions; 2) greater access to referral pathways and arrangements with community and government organisations that provide specialist nutrition support; and 3) greater understanding of how they can use evidence-based resources to evaluate a client’s dietary habits and provide up-to-date advice about eating for health and wellbeing. CYS is uniquely placed to support healthy eating in this at-risk target group. CYS secured a $47,000 grant from the Healthy Tasmania Fund to increase its capacity to deliver best practice interventions aimed at improving both nutrition and mental health, and reducing obesity risk. CYS approached the University of Tasmania’s School of Heath Sciences (SHS) and Centre for Rural Health (CRH) to manage the full project. Drawing on their multidisciplinary expertise (including nutrition and dietetics, clinical and health psychology, exercise science, exercise physiology, and physiotherapy), the project team proposed to enhance the existing project brief by incorporating physical activity across all elements of the proposed project. Physical activity is well recognised as an essential component of physical and mental health and wellbeing

Variation resources at UC Santa Cruz

The variation resources within the University of California Santa Cruz Genome Browser include polymorphism data drawn from public collections and analyses of these data, along with their display in the context of other genomic annotations. Primary data from dbSNP is included for many organisms, with added information including genomic alleles and orthologous alleles for closely related organisms. Display filtering and coloring is available by variant type, functional class or other annotations. Annotation of potential errors is highlighted and a genomic alignment of the variant's flanking sequence is displayed. HapMap allele frequencies and linkage disequilibrium (LD) are available for each HapMap population, along with non-human primate alleles. The browsing and analysis tools, downloadable data files and links to documentation and other information can be found at

Impacts of community resilience on the implementation of a mental health promotion program in rural Australia

Mental health promotion programs are important in rural communities but the factors which influence program effectiveness remain unclear. The aim of this mixed-methods study was to assess how community resilience affected the implementation of a mental health promotion program in rural Tasmania, Australia. Four study communities were selected based on population size, rurality, access to local support services, history of suicide within the community, and maturity of the mental health promotion program. Data from self-report questionnaires (n = 245), including items of Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit (CART) assessment, and qualitative (focus group and interview) data from key local stakeholders (n = 24), were pooled to explore the factors perceived to be influencing program implementation. Survey results indicate the primary community resilience strengths across the four sites were related to the ‘Connection and Caring’ domain. The primary community resilience challenges related to resources. Qualitative findings suggested lack of communication and leadership are key barriers to effective program delivery and identified a need to provide ongoing support for program staff. Assessment of perceived community resilience may be helpful in informing the implementation of mental health promotion programs in rural areas and, in turn, improve the likelihood of their success and sustainability