Merck Scholars

The summer of 1991 marked the beginning of a new scholarship program sponsored by the Merck Foundation at the ISU College of Veterinary Medicine. The goal of the Merck\u27s program is to expose veterinary students to some of the prominent researchers in the veterinary college and to enable them to participate in realistic work experiences

Examining Protection and Gender in Cash and Voucher Transfers: Case Studies of the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

This CaseStudy reports that over the years, many aspects of cash and voucher transfers have been analysed and studied, however, there has not been a substantive amount of study specifically devoted to protection and gender implications - both positive and negative - of such programming. In response, in October and November 2011, WFP conducted a literature review of previous studies of cash and voucher transfers to investigate whether cash and voucher transfers were working towards improving protection of, or at minimum doing no further harm to, beneficiaries, as well as what impacts they could have on gender and community dynamics. In addition, WFP headquarters sent a short questionnaire to their field offices to gather their observations on the impacts of cash and voucher transfers on protection and gender within their own programming

Destabilisation of Sustainable Energy Transformations: Analysing Natural Gas Lock-in in the case of Germany

In recent years, natural gas has seen increased support in the context of climate change mitigation. Described as a ‘bridge fuel’ it is seen as aiding in the low-carbon energy transformation process. This is puzzling, given the high global warming potential of natural gas, which is composed almost entirely of the greenhouse gas methane. In this paper, we seek to explain the factors underpinning the political processes surrounding natural gas support, despite its unsuitability for climate mitigation. Drawing guidance from the pathways approach, and drawing on the broader institutional and regime literature, we analyse the role of actors and their networks, interests and politics as well as discourses and narratives. Our central claim is that support for natural gas is a result of institutional and incumbency lock-in, and has resulted from strategies that incumbent fossil fuel actors have deployed to secure their interests in the context of decarbonisation. We focus on liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure in Germany, a representative case study for understanding the dynamics of natural gas support. The paper concludes by highlighting further avenues of research. In particular, we note specific misperceptions that need to be more openly contested in the discourse surrounding natural gas, in order to address the issue of natural gas lock-in

A Systematic Review of Family Meal Frequency and Risk Taking Behaviors in Adolescence

poster abstractThe purpose of this systematic review is to examine the association between adolescent health behaviors (alcohol use, cigarette smoking and marijuana use) and family meal routines. Following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses by Mosher and colleagues, the search was conducted using select databases (CINAHL, Medline, PSYCHINFO, and Social Science Index). Keywords were family meals and adolescence. The search parameters were set to include adolescent’s ages 9-18, English language and journal articles only. The preliminary search generated 169 articles and one article was added from the reference lists. A total of 11 articles met the criteria for the review after 159 articles were excluded due to duplication and initial review. Three of seven studies that examined the relationship between tobacco use and family meals found an inverse relationship between the two for both male and females. Seven articles examined family meal frequency and marijuana use. Four of those articles found an association between an increased frequency of meals and a decreased use of marijuana in females but not males. Three of seven articles found an inverse relationship between alcohol use and family meal routines. Family meals appear to be a protective factor for adolescent risky health behaviors, however, more research is needed to examine the quality and quantity of family meals. The “dosage” would be important in developing guidelines for education and intervening with families

What makes stroke rehabilitation patients complex? Clinician perspectives and the role of discharge pressure

Background: Approximately 80% of people who survive a stroke have on average five other conditions and a wide range of psychosocial issues. Attention to biopsychosocial issues has led to the identification of ‘complex patients’. No single definition of ‘patient complexity’ exists, therefore applied health researchers seek to understand ‘patient complexity’ as it relates to a specific clinical context. Objective: To understand how ‘patient complexity’ is conceptualized by clinicians, and to position the findings within the existing literature on patient complexity. Methods: A qualitative descriptive approach was utilized. Twenty-three rehabilitation clinicians participated in four focus groups. Results: Five elements of patient complexity were identified: medical/functional issues, social determinant factors, social/family support, personal characteristics, and health system factors. Using biopsychosocial factors to identify complexity results in all patients being complex; operationalization of the definition led to the identification of systemic elements. A disconnect between acute, inpatient rehabilitation and community services was identified as a trigger for increased complexity.Conclusions: Patient complexity is not a dichotomous state. If applying existing complexity definitions, all patients are complex. This study extends the understanding by suggesting a structural element of complexity from manageable to less manageable complexity based on ability to discharge. Journal of Comorbidity 2016;6(2):35–4