Substance Use Disorder Treatment Decision Aid for Adults in Chittenden County Vermont

Substance Abuse Disorders (SUDs) are a prevalent public health concern in both the national and local arena resulting in millions of dollars in pubic health costs and loss of life. Navigating the treatment options available in Chittenden County can be time consuming, difficult, and delay treatment. In order to help guide adult patients and their families in Chittenden County along their journey towards recovery from SUDs, a treatment decision aid was developed for choosing the right level of care.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/1500/thumbnail.jp

Engaging with change: Information and communication technology professionals’ perspectives on change at the mid-point in the UK/EU Brexit process

Background Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been a key agent of change in the 21st century. Given the role of ICT in changing society, this research explores the responses and attitudes to change over time from ICT professionals and ICT academics in dealing with the potentially far reaching political challenge triggered by the UK’s 2016 European Union Referendum and its decision to leave the European Union (Brexit). Whilst the vote was a UK based decision its ramifications have global implications and as such the research was not confined to the UK. This article presents the second phase of the research at the mid-point in the UK/European Union (EU) Brexit process, thus complementing the findings gathered immediately after the Referendum decision. The fundamental question being researched was: What are ICT professionals’ personal and professional perspectives on the change triggered by Brexit in terms of opportunities and threats? Methods and findings Data was collected through a survey launched in March 2018, one year on from the UK’s triggering of Article 50 and marking the mid-point in the two-year Brexit process. The survey replicated the one delivered at the point of the Referendum decision in 2016 with some developments. In addition, two appreciative inquiry focus groups were conducted. The research sought to understand any shifting perspectives on the opportunities and threats that would exist post-Brexit for ICT professionals and academics. 59% of survey participants were negative regarding the Brexit decision. Participants noted the position post-Brexit for the UK, and the remaining 27 EU Member States (EU27), was still very uncertain at this stage. They observed that planned change versus uncertainty provides for very different responses. In spite of the uncertainty, the participants were able to consider and advocate for potential opportunities although these were framed from national perspectives. The opportunities identified within the appreciative inquiry focus groups aligned to those recorded by survey participants with similar themes highlighted. However, the optimum conditions for change have yet to be reached as there is still not an informed position, message and clear leadership with detailed information for the ICT context. Further data will be gathered after the UK exit from the EU, assuming this occurs

Investigating balance-enhancing effects of midsole hardness and thickness for older adult footwear

Falls among older adults (OA) is becoming increasingly more prevalent. One third of OA fall each year; of those fallers, 20-30 percent endure various injuries ─ fatal and nonfatal. Older women are especially at risk and are twice as likely than men to sustain a fatal injury following a fall, including severe hip fractures. This study aimed to explore and confirm balance-enhancing evidence for thin and hard midsoles/insoles through an experimental environment with a single data collection session. It was hypothesized that balance would improve while wearing hard insoles in combination with a hard midsole when compared to standard insole and barefoot conditions during inclined walking by providing increased somatosensory feedback on the sole of the foot and mechanical advantage. Nine (n=9; mean age=71.7, 65-81 years) female OA completed various walking tasks including gait termination (GT), normal walking (NW), and cognitive walking (CW) along a 2 m inclined walkway. Participants completed these walking trials while either wearing footwear with standard insoles, wearing the same footwear with hard insoles, or walking barefoot. The cognitive task that was required to be completed by the participants during walking trials included counting in reverse order by multiples of seven beginning from a 4-digit number. Multiple variables were examined to determine overall balance and stability including maximum and minimum medial/lateral (ML) center of mass (COM) - center of pressure (COP) differences (COM-COP), vertical force rates of loading (ROL), step widths, step lengths, and average gait velocity differences between steps. Analysis was performed on the first three steps that were completed on the beginning of the inclined walkway. Results indicated that ML COM-COP differences within GT and NW were significantly different between footwear conditions. No significant differences were found for ROL during the final single stance prior to GT. Various significant findings for step widths and step lengths were found across all three walking conditions. Change in average gait velocity between two steps at the beginning of the inclined walking during GT was significantly greater during the barefoot condition. Results indicated that midsole hardness influences balance and stability for older female adults during inclined walking. In conclusion, a hard midsole in combination with a hard insole may contribute to overall dynamic balance control

Investigating balance-enhancing effects of midsole hardness and thickness for older adult footwear

Falls among older adults (OA) is becoming increasingly more prevalent. One third of OA fall each year; of those fallers, 20-30 percent endure various injuries ─ fatal and nonfatal. Older women are especially at risk and are twice as likely than men to sustain a fatal injury following a fall, including severe hip fractures. This study aimed to explore and confirm balance-enhancing evidence for thin and hard midsoles/insoles through an experimental environment with a single data collection session. It was hypothesized that balance would improve while wearing hard insoles in combination with a hard midsole when compared to standard insole and barefoot conditions during inclined walking by providing increased somatosensory feedback on the sole of the foot and mechanical advantage. Nine (n=9; mean age=71.7, 65-81 years) female OA completed various walking tasks including gait termination (GT), normal walking (NW), and cognitive walking (CW) along a 2 m inclined walkway. Participants completed these walking trials while either wearing footwear with standard insoles, wearing the same footwear with hard insoles, or walking barefoot. The cognitive task that was required to be completed by the participants during walking trials included counting in reverse order by multiples of seven beginning from a 4-digit number. Multiple variables were examined to determine overall balance and stability including maximum and minimum medial/lateral (ML) center of mass (COM) - center of pressure (COP) differences (COM-COP), vertical force rates of loading (ROL), step widths, step lengths, and average gait velocity differences between steps. Analysis was performed on the first three steps that were completed on the beginning of the inclined walkway. Results indicated that ML COM-COP differences within GT and NW were significantly different between footwear conditions. No significant differences were found for ROL during the final single stance prior to GT. Various significant findings for step widths and step lengths were found across all three walking conditions. Change in average gait velocity between two steps at the beginning of the inclined walking during GT was significantly greater during the barefoot condition. Results indicated that midsole hardness influences balance and stability for older female adults during inclined walking. In conclusion, a hard midsole in combination with a hard insole may contribute to overall dynamic balance control

Tennessee Beef Producers\u27 Willingness to Participate in a Tennessee Branded Beef Program

Tennessee beef industry participants have expressed a growing interest in producing cattle to be harvested locally to capture additional value. This study measures Tennessee cattle producer willingness to supply cattle to a federally inspected slaughter (FIS) facility and a Tennessee branded beef (TBB) program. Data from a 2016 survey of Tennessee beef cattle producers were used to estimate interest in participating in the FIS program and TBB program as well as the live cattle weight that interested producers would supply. Of those who responded, 76.6 percent were interested in participating in the FIS program and 70.5 percent were interested in the TBB program. Interest in the program was influenced by age, income, production practices used, and risk attitudes. The average liveweight of cattle to be supplied to the FIS program was 68,863 pounds per year and 58,597 pounds per year for the TBB program. Liveweight supply was influenced by producer age, animal units, production practices, and perceived barriers. Among producers interested in participating either program, respondents appear to prefer to finish cattle on a combination of grass/grain on their farm

The effect of rainfall on blowfly (Calliphoridae) activity and decomposition on recently deposited animal remains

The accurate estimation of the postmortem interval (PMI) is one of the most important determinations in a forensic investigation of decomposing human remains. Forensic entomology has gained popularity in death investigation due to its reliability and precision in the estimation of the minimum postmortem interval (mPMI). Forensically significant insects are mainly necrophagous species, which feed only on decomposing animal matter, and the most common necrophagous insects are the blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Estimations of the mPMI by entomological methods are made using the known developmental rates of various species of blowfly and via the successional patterns of the carrion insect community in a given region. It is generally assumed that blowflies oviposit quickly after death, so in many cases this time may equate to the time since death. The precision of mPMI estimations based on the developmental rates of blowflies often relies on this assumption. Rainfall may effect decomposition by inhibiting access of insects to the cadaver or carcass for oviposition. The current study investigated the effects of rainfall on blowfly activity, behavior, and overall decomposition of decaying animal material in an outdoor environment in the northeastern United States, conducted at the Boston University Outdoor Research Facility (ORF). It was hypothesized that natural rainfall, typically light to moderate in the geographic area of study, will disturb initial blowfly activity by acting as a physical barrier, diminishing access to the remains, and creating a delay in colonization and subsequent larval development. This hypothesized delay would result in an underestimation of the mPMI by entomological methods when rainfall has occurred. Also examined were several questions about the nocturnal behavior of blowflies and their activity in heavy rain. In the experimental trial 12 pig (Sus scrofa) heads were exposed under normal conditions (N; no rain controls), and 15 pig heads were exposed under rainy conditions (R; rain treatment), split into uncovered (N, n=6; R, n=5), covered (NC, n=5; RC, n=5), and covered partially (RCP, n=5) treatments. Additionally, there were three pig heads used in a preliminary trial and three pig heads exposed in an active rain trial. Generally, the results show that while a negative correlation exists between the amount of rainfall experienced and the coded number of flies observed, the light to moderate rainfall typical of many rainy days in the northeastern Unites States will not totally inhibit blowfly activity or disturb established maggot masses. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) determined that there was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) between the N, NC, R, RC, and RCP treatments in the number of days it took to reach the advanced decomposition stage. While constant, heavy rainfall may inhibit blowfly activity; the results suggest that the irregularity of natural rainfall would rarely produce the conditions necessary for this to make a significant impact estimation of the PMI by entomological methods, although further studies are needed to confirm this conclusion. The results show a positive correlation between solar radiation and the coded number of flies observed. Time of day as a function of the coded number of flies observed during the first 48 hours of exposure forms a bimodal bell curve, confirming that blowflies are diurnal in their natural environment. Additionally, evidence of scavenging by turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) and some unknown animal(s) was observed. The results of this study illustrate the complicated, multivariable nature of the process of decomposition. This study provides preliminary data on the effect of rainfall on blowfly activity and overall decomposition, while future studies will be required to determine the effects of the duration and the intensity of rainfall

Examining the issues & challenges of email & e-communications. 2nd Northumbria Witness Seminar Conference, 24-25 Oct 2007 Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne.

These proceedings capture the content of the second Witness Seminar hosted by Northumbria University’s School of Computing, Engineering and Information Sciences. It followed the success of the first witness seminar in terms of its format and style but differed in that it focused on one topic - managing email and other electronic communications technologies from a records perspective. As before the witnesses were invited to share their views and opinions on a specific aspect taking as their starting point a pertinent published article(s). Three seminars explored the business, people and technology perspectives of email and e-communications, asking the following questions: What are the records management implications and challenges of doing business electronically? Are people the problem and the solution? Is technology the problem or panacea? The final seminar, 'Futurewatch', focused on moving forward, exploring new ways of working, potential new technologies and what records professionals and others need to keep on their radar screens

Health and Housing Trends of Single Homeless Adults in Chittenden County, Vermont

Introduction. Homeless individuals are at an increased risk for both physical and mental health comorbidities compared to those with stable housing. Prior studies have demonstrated that many of these individuals do not seek or receive proper medical care. This study provides a landscape analysis of health characteristics in the single adult homeless population in Chittenden County, Vermont. Methods. Interviews were conducted using a modified version of the Vulnerability Index – Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool to determine vulnerability indices across a range of different health and social wellness domains. Single home- less adults were sampled from community self-help clinics and transitional living and homeless shelters from September to November 2017. Results. 56 in-person surveys were conducted. Mean age of participants was 45.3 years and over half were male (63%). Extended periods or multiple episodes of homelessness were experienced most by those who reported sleeping outdoors (89%); this group also reported the highest use of emergency services (47%). The highest incidence of abuse/trauma as a contributing factor for homelessness was reported most in the 18-30 age group (71%) and least in the above 51 age group (35%). Nearly all participants owned a cell phone (86%). Conclusions. Single homeless adults self-reported a variety of health and social is- sues, including substance abuse, increased emergency department use, and in- creased abuse, trauma, and deteriorated social relationships. This study highlights different risk factors that contribute to homelessness in this select population. Future research should evaluate how to individually address these vulnerabilities to optimize health care and well-being.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1255/thumbnail.jp