Survey of HIE Leaders: Assessment of HIE Research Participation and Perceptions

Introduction: Health information exchanges (HIEs) allow for healthcare providers to effectively and securely access patient information from various healthcare networks. Some HIEs have acknowledged the important role they can play in research, however, this is not standard practice despite recognition that availability of research and outcomes data is a main limitation to evidence-based practice. Methods: We created an electronic survey in collaboration with Health Share Exchange (an HIE in Philadelphia) with the aim of assessing HIE leader perceptions regarding the importance of and barriers to participation in research. The survey was disseminated via a Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative (the national association for HIEs) listserv that encompasses 70 HIEs in 49 states. Results: Leaders of HIEs from Philadelphia, Georgia, Colorado, and Michigan responded to our survey (n = 4). All HIEs represented in this survey either participate in research currently or indicated an interest in participating in research, and all noted that they face barriers to participating in research, including (but not limited to) legal concerns, logistical barriers to sharing data, and reluctance from clients to allow sharing of data for research purposes. HIEs that indicated the need for assistance with research participation noted that legal and policy-related support is needed to improve research participation. Conclusions: The HIEs that participated in our survey indicated that although they are interested in participating in research, there are legal and logistical barriers that prevent them from doing so. Future work should survey additional HIEs across the U.S. and discuss solutions to the barriers acknowledged in this work

Creating a public understanding of the biology of the Babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa) within a caring zoo environment.

Studies of the anatomy, behaviour, physiology, and veterinary medicine of the babirusa have contributed to our understanding of the biology of the animal. The first part of this paper seeks to illustrate by means of examples how studies of the babirusa are currently being carried out. The second part addresses the topic of reporting the results of research studies. The information generated by research can often be translated into ideas and suggestions for the improvement of zoo practice with respect to enclosure design, nutrition, reproduction and veterinary care. However, it is more important that the next step is also addressed, namely the knowledgeable and interesting display of information to the general public

Rural Teachers\u27 Cultural and Epistemic Shifts in STEM Teaching and Learning

This article focuses on the ways in which integrated curriculum can improve STEM teaching and learning within rural spaces. Using a design-based research approach, this study focuses on rural teachers\u27 experiences of professional learning and development training as they learn to engage computing and maker technologies in their elementary classrooms as tools for teaching students about difficult histories of immigration, migration, and forced relocation across the United States

Group Structure and Behaviour of Babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa) in Northern Sulawesi

Studies were carried out at two ‘salt-licks’ in lowland tropical forest on North Sulawesi, Indonesia. During 60 days of observation 586 sightings of babirusa were made comprising 161 of adult males, 155 of adult females, 11 adults of unknown sex, 78 of subadult males, 53 of subadult females and 34 subadults of indeterminate sex; juveniles were observed 94 times, 19 males, 12 females and 63 of unknown sex. We saw 226 groups ranging in size from one to eight animals (median = 2). Almost half the sightings were of solitary animals, usually adult males. Bachelor groups of four or more babirusa were never seen. Adult females were rarely seen without company, often both juveniles and subadults being sighted together with them. There were never more than three adult females in a group. There were about twice as many family groups without adult males as there were with males. Agonistic behaviour between males was confined to ‘threat at a distance’, ‘nose in the air’, ‘head under jaw submission’ and ‘front half supported’ behaviours. There were fewer incidents of female-female agonistic behaviour, but in two, the dominant female chased her inferior off the ‘salt-lick’

Decline and Local Extinction of Caribbean Eusocial Shrimp

The tropical shrimp genus Synalpheus includes the only eusocial marine animals. In much of the Caribbean, eusocial species have dominated the diverse fauna of sponge-dwelling shrimp in coral rubble for at least the past two decades. Here we document a recent, dramatic decline and apparent local extinction of eusocial shrimp species on the Belize Barrier Reef. Our collections from shallow reefs in central Belize in 2012 failed to locate three of the four eusocial species formerly abundant in the area, and showed steep declines in colony size and increases in frequency of queenless colonies prior to their disappearance. Concordant with these declines, several nonsocial, pair-forming Synalpheus species increased in frequency. The decline in eusocial shrimp is explained in part by disappearance of two sponge species on which they specialize. Eusocial shrimp collections from Jamaica in 2012 showed similar patterns of decline in colony size and increased queenlessness compared with prior Jamaican collections. The decline and local extinction of eusocial shrimp happened against a backdrop of changes in coral assemblages during recent decades, and may reflect changes in abundance and quality of dead coral substratum and succession of the diverse cryptic organisms living within it. These changes document potentially worrisome declines in a unique taxon of eusocial marine animals

Polymerizing Phostones: A Fast Way to In-Chain Poly(phosphonate)s with Adjustable Hydrophilicity

Phostones, i.e., 2-alkoxy-2-oxo-1,3-oxaphospholanes, are accessible in a one-pot reaction from commercially available 1,3-dibromopropane and alkyl phosphites. These 5-membered cyclic phosphonic acid esters are used for the preparation of linear poly­(phosphonate)­s via ring-opening polymerization resulting in polymers with a hydrolytically stable P–C bond in the polymer backbone. Phostones have the stable P–C bond within the cycle, which leads to a dramatic increase of the monomer stability toward hydrolysis and long shelf-lives compared to other cyclic phosphoesters, which hydrolyze immediately at contact with water. Two phostone monomers containing ethoxy or butoxy pendant chains were prepared in a single-step synthesis from inexpensive starting materials avoiding the usage of SOCl₂ or POCl₃. Polymers with ethoxy side chains are water-soluble without a lower critical solution temperature, nontoxic to murine macrophages, and hydrolytically degradable under basic conditions. The polymerization kinetics for different catalyst systems were evaluated for both monomers in order to identify optimal polymerization conditions, resulting in polyphosphonates with molecular weights between 3000 and 25 100 g/mol with reasonable molecular weight dispersities (<1.6). Because of the ease of synthesis and distinct different hydrolysis kinetics compared to side-chain polyphosphonates, we believe that these new polyphostones represent a valuable addition to water-soluble biopolymers for future biomedical applications