Restoring Self-Sufficiency with Suboxone Group Therapy

No different than many other Northeastern states, Maine continues to face an opioid epidemic. Drug-induced deaths continue to rise each year and Lewiston, ME remains no exception. In 2017 Maine saw 418 deaths related to drugs, a number that is only increasing every year. There remains a rising need for effective treatments such as medically assisted therapy. Starting in 2018, the Family Medicine Residency at the Central Maine Medical Center created such a group and began treating patients. The scope of this research is to track improvements in self-sufficiency among patients and to aide in advertisement of the program. Programs like this often remain unknown to those seeking treatment.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/1408/thumbnail.jp

Re-evaluating traditional belief systems in global diaspora

Eines der herausragendsten Merkmale des 21. Jahrhunderts ist das weltweite Wiederaufleben von Religionen und die mit ihnen verbundenen Wertesystemen. Im 20. Jahrhundert nahm man an, Religionen würden unweigerlich von der öffentlichen in die private Sphäre der Menschen zurückweichen. Heute ist es klar, dass diese Systeme aufblühen und durch einzelne Menschen ungemein viel Macht erlangen können. Konfuzianismus und Judaismus sind nur zwei von vielen globalen Glaubenssystemen, die in den letzten 40 Jahren einen Aufschwung erlebt hatten. Unter der Bezeichnung Neuer Konfuzianismus bzw. Balei Teshuva Judaismus, fördern diese Bewegungen Veränderungen sowohl innerhalb ihrer Gastkulturen, als auch weltweit. Diese Arbeit will die gegenwärtige Entwicklung dieser beiden Bewegungen untersuchen, und vergleicht sie im Kontext der These der "De-Säkularisierung". Sind diese beiden Bewegungen Teil ein und desselben Phänomens? Welche Ähnlichkeiten und welche Unterschiede weisen sie auf? Nach einem historischen Überblick, der Konfuzianismus und Judaismus in ihren traditionellen vormodernen Kontext behandelt, ihren Abstieg im Zuge der Modernisierung, und ihr gegenwärtiges Wiedererstarken, versucht diese Arbeit die oben formulierten Fragen zu beantworten.One of the major defining features of the 21st Century has been resurgence of religions and associated value systems throughout the world. Throughout the 20th century, it was commonly assumed that these modes of existence were on the inevitable trajectory of receding from public and private life. Today, it is quite clear that far from vanishing, these systems are flourishing and garnering tremendous power from individuals. Confucianism and Judaism are but two of a colorful constellation of global belief systems that have witnessed a revival over the past 40 years. Dubbed New Confucianism and Balei Teshuva Judaism respectively, these movements are prompting changes within their host cultures, as well as upon the world at large. This thesis will survey the contemporary developments in the two movements, and compare them within the context of the “desecularization” thesis. Are these two movements part of the same phenomenon? What similarities and what distinctive features do they possess? Following a historical overview covering Confucianism and Judaism in their traditional pre-modern contexts, their decline amidst the dawning of modernity, and their contemporary resurgences, the following paper will attempt to answer these questions

Understanding Differences in Nest Site Characteristics Between Juvenile and Adult Turkeys

Wild turkeys are one of the most-actively monitored and regulated bird species in North America. Data from the northern Black Hills, South Dakota indicate that the turkey population is declining. Nest success is an important driver of turkey populations and previous nesting experience could increase the chances of selecting a nest site where at least one egg hatches. As a result, we were curious if nest site characteristics differ between adult and juvenile hens. We monitored 88 nests and recorded nest fate (success/failure) during two field seasons. We also characterized horizontal and vertical vegetation cover around each nest at the actual or projected hatch date. Of the 43 successful nests (≥1 egg hatched), 33 belonged to adult hens and 10 to juveniles. Of the 45 failed nests, 30 belonged to adults and 15 to juveniles. Successful nests of juvenile hens were in locations with 20.7% greater horizontal total cover (95% CI= 5.7 to 35.7) and 16.6% greater shrub cover (-3.2 to 36.4) than successful nests of adults. However, we did not detect differences in horizontal total or shrub cover for failed nests of juveniles and adults. We also did not detect a difference in vertical vegetation cover between nests of adults and juveniles, regardless of nest fate. Retaining sufficient vegetation cover might help provide habitat features ideal for nesting juvenile and adult hens

Barriers Encountered by Syringe Exchange Clients in Vermont

Introduction and Aims. Vermont CARES is a nonprofit HIV prevention and advocacy organization which provides a needle exchange program for intravenous drug users. Services are focused on education, prevention, testing, and harm reduction. The Syringe Support Program (SSP) offers clients clean syringes to reduce intravenous transmission of disease. Although SSP are proven avenues for harm reduction, barriers prevent users from utilizing services. Clients are limited by social, economic, and personal obstacles de- scribed in similar populations across the country. This project seeks to identify the barriers Vermont CARES clients face in accessing the SSP, determine needs, and evaluate interest in additional services. Methods. Our team and Vermont CARES staff held a focus group with St. Johnsbury clients to discuss services and barriers. A 39 question paper survey was distributed to three Vermont CARES sites during October, 2017 by Vermont CARES. Participation was voluntary and uncompensated. Sixty-three clients completed the survey. Results and Discussion. Of the 63 respondents, 61.9% stated that lack of ade- quate income contributed most to their inability to meet basic needs. These same clients faced the most barriers to access with economic hardship precipitated by sub- stance abuse, disability, and family commitments. In assessing additional services, clients sought food pantries, hygiene kits, and dental clinics. 56.4% of respondents would use safe injection facilities if provided. Those without income to meet basic needs expressed most interest in safe injection facilities (p=0.022). With barriers recognized, our future aim is to track efficacy of new services in impacting care and quality of life.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1268/thumbnail.jp

Efficient product allocation strategy to enable network-wide risk mitigation

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division; in conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 65-66).Amgen Inc. currently manufactures, formulates and fills substantially all of their global drug product units in a single primary facility ("Site 1A"). Concerned about the inherent risks posed by the geographic concentration of these activities, Amgen has decided to acquire a new international Risk Mitigation Site ("RMS"), expand existing bulk manufacturing infrastructure at Site 1A, and construct a new formulation and filling facility colocated with Site 1A ("Site IB"). Bringing both sites online in the near future will create a novel operational challenge for Amgen, as it will present a broad range of formulation/fill production allocation decisions that did not previously exist. If per-unit costs (production, logistics, etc.) were considered to be typically higher at either RMS or Site 1A/B, an unconstrained optimization model might suggest filling/finishing all product at whichever site has the lowest average cost. However, we assume that RMS should be able to ramp up to full capacity within 3 months of an adverse occurrence at Site 1A. This translates to a minimum product flow constraint through RMS, irrespective of per unit costs, that will keep the facility sufficiently staffed to prepare for a fast ramp-up. Furthermore, helping Amgen mitigate the risks of geographic concentration, RMS may typically produce only a portion of global demand for any product. Given this situation, this thesis develops a product allocation strategy that will: 1) minimize the financial cost of filling various quantities of drug product at the new facility, yet 2) maintain at RMS the expertise required begin manufacturing all drugs in a short period of time. A mixed-integer linear program ("MILP") was developed to capture variable costs of the formulation & fill process for each drug product ("DP") and market combination. The objective of this model is to minimize total supply chain costs subject to meeting market demand and maintaining a sufficient amount of product flow through the RMS facility. The analysis assumes that the decision to develop fill capacity at both RMS and Site lB is complete and that both facilities will be licensed to fill all products that currently run through Site 1A (i.e. capital investment decisions will not be analyzed in this study). The outcome of this study is a product allocation strategy that minimizes network costs as well as a tool that will enable Amgen to solve for minimal network costs under additional future scenarios.by Roy J. Lehman, III.S.M.M.B.A

EV’s Leading in China, Ford is a Few Cars Behind

As the world is looking at sustainable energy sources, electric vehicles are likely to be a big part of the perceived future. China has 18.47% of the world’s population, is one of the highest emitters of carbon dioxide, and is the world’s largest market for electric vehicles (Country Meters). China’s GDP was USD 13.608 trillion in 2018 and is expected to increase substantially in coming years (Wang, 2019). With 25 million vehicles sold in 2019, China’s automobile market is the biggest in the world. With that, China accounts for 27.52% of the world’s CO2 emissions (Statista). To decrease that number, China stated in 2019 their goal was to have 60% of all automobiles sold in 2035 to run on electric motors (Tian, 2019). With car sales in China declining rapidly over the past 3 years, automobile companies are looking for a way to develop a sustainable competitive advantage. Ford Motor Company, a $156 billion global leader, has been struggling to compete in China and is now looking to the electric vehicle market as a way to expand. However, China’s EV market is hypercompetitive with over 400 domestic EV manufacturers, including some multinationals like General Motors. To differentiate themselves from the competition, Ford announced plans of building facilities that will specialize in creating technology for their EV’s. SYNC+ is a popular technological option available to enhance the consumers experience (Media Ford, 2019). However, investment in technology could raise the prices of their vehicles. With annual income in China at about 82,413 yuan ($11,727 USD), raising prices may not be an option for Ford (Statista). This case study discusses the many challenges that Ford faces in China and how it needs to change its marketing mix in order to succeed there. Keywords: Ford, China, Electric Vehicles, Pollution, Environment, Automobiles, Case Study, Emerging Markets, International marketin

Diversifying bioenergy crops increases yield and yield stability by reducing weed abundance

Relationships between species diversity, productivity, temporal stability of productivity, and plant invasion have been well documented in grasslands, and these relationships could translate to improved agricultural sustainability. However, few studies have explored these relationships in agricultural contexts where fertility and weeds are managed. Using 7 years of biomass yield and species composition data from 12 species mixture treatments varying in native species diversity, we found that species richness increased yield and interannual yield stability by reducing weed abundance. Stability was driven by yield as opposed to temporal variability of yield. Nitrogen fertilization increased yield but at the expense of yield stability. We show how relationships between diversity, species asynchrony, invasion, productivity, and stability observed in natural grasslands can extend into managed agricultural systems. Increasing bioenergy crop diversity can improve farmer economics via increased yield, reduced yield variability, and reduced inputs for weed control, thus promoting perennial vegetation on agricultural lands

Стилистический эффект разговорной речи и его составляющие

В обучении русскому языку как иностранному на современном этапе большое внимание уделяется особенностям русской разговорной речи. Это обусловлено целым рядом причин, среди которых, на наш взгляд, можно выделить следующие: во-первых, разговорная речь всегда отличается активностью проникновения во все сферы жизнедеятельности людей и функционирует как в повседневном общении, так и в различных сферах (литературе, кино, политике и т.д.). Во-вторых, разговорная речь носит многожанровый характер, что зачастую затрудняет ее понимание иностранными студентами. В-третьих, в разговорную речь помимо слов нейтрального стиля все активнее стала проникать арготическая лексика. Именно в связи с этим особый интерес у нас вызывает разговорный стиль речи в преломлении на инофонную аудиторию