Disparities in children's health across sociodemographic groups in Chile

In this thesis, I measure the mortality of Chilean offspring and the mothers’ marital status, education level, and age. I will use the results I gather to gain insight into the demographic changes occurring in Chile, specifically trying to ascertain if the demographic changes in Chile are indicative of a Second Demographic Transition (SDT) in the region. In this chapter, I review the demographic shift in Chile and introduce the SDT concept and place it within the frame of demographic and sociological research. I analyze the major claims and critiques. One key project of demography is to identity the form of a society. The form is a citation of a visual shape, with its boundaries defined by population characteristics, these can include the age structure, mortality and fertility rates, and other lifestyle habits that produce population changes. This is a key project because the population’s form, or shape, reveals trends in society with a quantifiable clarity. Because social trends can impact the form of the population, there can also be an analysis of the population’s changing shape to derive and identify social trends. The Second Demographic Transition is a concept that has been used to interpret demographic trends, specifically in Europe. The concept describes a shift in family formation, the timing of marriage and childbirth, using an account of ideational and value changes, which inform the family forming behavior. The main demographic effects of the SDT are delayed and lowered fertility, which are then tied to ideational and value shifts away from traditional family forms. It is presented structural, cultural, and technological changes reflected in family formation behavior, such as an increase in childbearing outside of marriage (Sobotka 2008). In the last several decades, nonmarital childbearing has increased drastically in Chile, with 64.6 percent of children being born to unmarried mothers in 2008, compared to 15.9 percent in 1960 (Salinas 2010). I will use data regarding the incidence of dead children and mothers’ sociodemographic features in consideration of the Second Demographic Transition and investigate whether it supports a hypothesis suggesting the demographic shift occurring in Chile is indicative of the SDT’s presence. When reviewing the literature surrounding the SDT I will discuss its prominent features as well as some of its criticisms.Sociolog

A Data Driven Approach to Increasing CASA Compliance

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Monterey County is an organization that allows volunteers to advocate for the best interest of foster youth who have been abused and/or neglected. CASA advocates are required to turn in an activity log every month in order to inform their advocate supervisor about progress they have made with their youth, and provide information regarding their case. By not turning in an activity log, advocate supervisors do not have updated information on the youth case. It is important to be involved in the youth life that one is assigned, in order to support them through their difficult time of being separated from their families. Getting feedback from advocates through a survey on what they like and do not like about the current activity logs, will allow for growth in the organization. Implementing a new template may raise the percentage of monthly reports being turned in. Agencies in other counties will be able to exchange information, and brainstorm ideas on what will increase monthly advocate participation

An Investigation of the Green Grove Initiative

Game days, particularly football game days, at division one universities generate a great deal of waste. At the University of Mississippi, the amount of waste generated on home football game Saturdays has been increasing. Increasing recycling by spectators may decrease the amount of waste generated and reduce the negative environmental impact of game days. The purpose of this case study was to explore the development and evaluation of interventions that may be effective for increasing recycling behaviors. Various interventions were implemented at each game of the 2012 season. Recyclables were collected and waste was measured following each game. Games with only the use of education and direct prompting had the lowest recycling rates. There were higher rates of recycling found when more interventions were used. Higher rates were also found when incentives were available for recycling. The findings suggested that incentives may be a good motivator for behavior change among sports fans. The findings also suggest that universities should explore using a wide variety of recycling interventions simultaneously

Sublingual Immunotherapy: Is it a Viable Option to Subcutaneous Immunotherapy when Treating Allergic Rhinitis?

• Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a very common debilitating disease that can be detrimental to one’s lifestyle, work, and home life. Immunotherapy is the only treatment option that has disease modifying capabilities with a proper therapeutic regimen. Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) was developed over 100 years ago and has been the gold standard in immunotherapy for many years in the United States. During these years many adverse reactions have been reported with SCIT along with non-adherence to total treatment. The introduction of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) over 20 years ago gave providers a promising alternative to SCIT. • Method: A review of literature was performed to gain information on studies comparing SLIT to SCIT for treating allergic rhinitis. This review includes head to head clinical outcomes from systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Efficacy, cost, adherence, and adverse reactions was analyzed between SLIT and SCIT to determine if SLIT is a practical treatment option. • Results: The results indicate that treatment with SLIT is comparable to SCIT. SLIT significantly reduces the symptoms of AR with -0.49 SMD and SCIT with -0.73 SMD. Both SCIT and SLIT are generally safe medications when administered properly. SCIT demonstrates a higher risk of systemic reactions with anaphylaxis occurring 0.72% versus 0.33% in placebo. Comparative data shows that SLIT is an effective alternative to SCIT and has equivalent to better adherence to treatment. • Application: It is important for providers to understand the detrimental effects of AR and treat the disease process aggressively. AR may be commonly misdiagnosed, so understanding the disease process and how it can mimic others will promote better treatment outcomes and patient satisfaction. Ideally, SLIT will be seen as a viable option compared to SCIT for treating allergic rhinitis in patients where symptomatic treatment options do not suffice.https://commons.und.edu/pas-grad-posters/1077/thumbnail.jp

Nutrient analysis of ten raw U.S. beef variety meat items and beef flavor myology

2018 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.Many factors play a role in decision-making related to food and diet; these are closely linked to preferences and personal values in populations with access to a safe and affordable food supply. Many consumers value both nutrition and flavor preferences when making individual choices that ultimately comprise their overall diet pattern. Therefore, it is critical to maintain current, valid information regarding both the sensory profile and nutrient content of foods in the marketplace. Two studies were performed on edible portions of beef carcasses; the first evaluated nutritional value of beef variety meat items in order to update the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Composition Database. Nutrition information in databases maintained by the USDA is used as groundwork by various groups for several purposes, including nutrition monitoring activities, research, policy creation, and nutritional labeling. However, up-to-date nutrition information is not available for beef variety meat items. Therefore, the objective of this study was to expand availability of nutrient data for beef variety meat items. Beef heart, liver, kidney, tongue, honeycomb tripe, oxtail, marrow bones, testicles, blood, and bone broth were obtained from facilities in the United States. Standardized procedures were used to dissect and homogenize samples. Nutrient analysis occurred at USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) approved laboratories using validated methods and standards. Each of the variety meat items in this study qualifies for at least one "Good Source" or "Excellent Source" labeling claim as defined by the USDA based on the proportion of separable lean component. "Good source" indicates that a product contains 10-19% of the Daily Value (DV) or Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) per Reference Amount Customarily Consumed (RACC) for that nutrient, while "Excellent Source" designates that the food contains at least 20% of the DV or RDI per RACC for that nutrient. Additionally, Vitamin K2 has been studied recently to ascertain beneficial effects on human health, and this nutrient was present in all samples analyzed. This study provides current, analytically-derived nutrient information for U.S. beef variety meat items. Results reflect that these variety meat items could be beneficial in providing essential vitamins and minerals as a component of a healthy diet. This data will be valuable for use by the meat industry, those selling variety meats, researchers, dietetic professionals, and consumers. The objective of the second experiment was to evaluate effects of quality grade, final internal temperature, and cooking method on sensory profile of five beef muscles: rectus femoris, gluteus medius, infraspinatus, triceps brachii, and teres major, in order to characterize sensory characteristics of these cuts. Two quality grades (USDA Select, Upper 2/3 Choice/Top Choice), three cooking methods (grill, pan grill, oven roast), and three final internal temperatures (58.3°C, 70°C, and 80°C) were included; each of 102 unique treatment combinations were replicated six times. Vacuum packaged beef was purchased directly from a commercial beef harvest facility, fabricated 14 days post-production, and frozen at -20°C until analysis. Each sample was rated by a trained sensory panel for flavor, tenderness, and juiciness factors. Although muscles were not compared directly, muscle differences did exist relative to treatment effects. Degree of doneness had the greatest impact across all muscles evaluated, with higher final temperatures related to greater (P < 0.05) beef ID, browned, and roasted notes in most muscles and decreased (P < 0.05) tenderness. Additionally, panelists rated samples as having greater amounts of bloody/serumy, metallic, and sour flavors (P < 0.05) when cooked to lower end-point temperatures. Cooking method affected flavor note ratings for all muscles, with oven roasting producing increased (P < 0.05) cardboardy, earthy/musty, and sour flavors, whereas pan grilling resulted in more intense bitter and burnt flavors (P < 0.05). Quality grade had a minimal impact on the muscles included in the study. Association of volatile aromatic compounds with specific treatments also varied based on muscle. Overall, the 80°C and pan grilling treatments were related to the most volatile compounds compared to other treatments; primarily pyrazines, alkanes, and alkenes. These results highlighted the importance of understanding the properties of individual cuts in order to best utilize them for a positive eating experience. In combination with previous research, these data will be used to develop a resource that characterizes sensory characteristics of lesser-utilized beef cuts to benefit the meat industry, foodservice operations, in-home cooks, and ultimately beef consumers

The Effects of Pair versus Individual Housing Preweaned Dairy Calves on Behavior, Growth, and Acquired Immunity

Our objective was to determine the effect of pair versus individual housing of calves on growth, behavior, and immunity. At 5 ± 1 d relative to birth, calves with successful passive transfer of immunoglobulins from colostrum were blocked by sex and birth date. Housing treatment was assigned to either pair (n = 14) or individual (n =14) housing. Calf pairing was implemented by combining two individual pens. One paired calf served as the focal calf and the other imposed treatment. All data were collected from the focal calf in pair housing. Control calves remained individually housed. ADG, DM, feed refusals, and growth at weaning to one-week-post weaning did not differ between housing treatments. Paired calves spent more time awake, and increased standing time. Individual calves projected their head out of the pen more frequently. Hunger and anticipation behaviors did not differ between housing treatments. These data suggest paired calves were more active during the milk feeding stage. The increased activity of pair housed calves may suggest improved welfare of preweaned calves. IgG and IgM ELISA units to keyhole limpet heomocyanin did not differ between housing treatments. IgG ELISA units at d 14 were lower than d 3, 28, and 35 in all calves. IgM ELISA units were highest at d 3, but continued to drop thereafter. The stimulation index for delayed hypersensitivity to Candida albicans did not differ between housing treatments. However, they did increased over time, and peaked at 24 and 48 h post C. albicans injections. Pain sensitivity did not differ between housing treatments, however calves increased sensitivity at 27, 51, and 75 h, relative to disbudding. Pair housing dairy calves during the preweaned period did not negatively affect the immune development of dairy calves or pain from disbudding. This suggests social housing calves early in life does not suppress the immune system, or increase pain sensitivity after disbudding

The Relationships between `Push\u27 and `Pull\u27 Factors of Millennial Generation Tourists to Heritage Tourism Destinations: Antebellum and Civil War Sites in the State of Arkansas

This study investigated `push\u27 and `pull\u27 motivational factors which influence Millennial Generation tourists\u27 decisions to visit heritage tourism destinations and their knowledge of Civil War and Antebellum heritage sites within the state of Arkansas. A descriptive, six-section survey was distributed to Millennial students from varying degree fields at three universities within Arkansas. Four hundred twenty-four participants completed the questionnaire with measures of demographic information, visitation and frequency to heritage tourism sites, push factors, pull factors, heritage tourism sites in Arkansas, and historic preservation participation. The results of this study showed that although Millennial students do not visit heritage sites frequently, there are certain sets of push and pull motivational factors that influence their decisions to visit these sites, including knowledge driven factors (push) and historical factors (pull). Results also showed that many students attending universities in the state recognized heritage sites in the most densely populated areas, but did not recognize those in the less populated areas; although, many stated they would like to visit them. Lastly, the results of this study suggest that although Millennial students find historic preservation to be important, a majority of them do not participate in preservation efforts