Gender, guns, and legislating: An analysis of state legislative policy preferences

Author's manuscript made available in accordance with the publisher's policy.Extant research suggests that gender affects the policy preferences of state legislators, particularly on women's issues. Fewer studies, however, have examined whether gender affects state legislators' policy preferences on other issues such as gun control. The current study uses 2000 National Political Awareness Test (NPAT) data to examine whether gender affects the preferences of state legislators regarding gun control policies. Results suggest that net of individual and constituency characteristics, female legislators are more likely to indicate support for gun control policies than their male counterparts

Comparison of family centered care with family integrated care and mobile technology (mFICare) on preterm infant and family outcomes: a multi-site quasi-experimental clinical trial protocol.

BackgroundFamily Centered Care (FCC) has been widely adopted as the framework for caring for infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) but it is not uniformly defined or practiced, making it difficult to determine impact. Previous studies have shown that implementing the Family Integrated Care (FICare) intervention program for preterm infants in the NICU setting leads to significant improvements in infant and family outcomes. Further research is warranted to determine feasibility, acceptability and differential impact of FICare in the US context. The addition of a mobile application (app) may be effective in providing supplemental support for parent participation in the FICare program and provide detailed data on program component uptake and outcomes.MethodsThis exploratory multi-site quasi-experimental study will compare usual FCC with mobile enhanced FICare (mFICare) on growth and clinical outcomes of preterm infants born at or before 33 weeks gestational age, as well as the stress, competence and self-efficacy of their parents. The feasibility and acceptability of using mobile technology to gather data about parent involvement in the care of preterm infants receiving FCC or mFICare as well as of the mFICare intervention will be evaluated (Aim 1). The effect sizes for infant growth (primary outcome) and for secondary infant and parent outcomes at NICU discharge and three months after discharge will be estimated (Aim 2).DiscussionThis study will provide new data about the implementation of FICare in the US context within various hospital settings and identify important barriers, facilitators and key processes that may contribute to the effectiveness of FICare. It will also offer insights to clinicians on the feasibility of a new mobile application to support parent-focused research and promote integration of parents into the NICU care team in US hospital settings.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, ID NCT03418870. Retrospectively registered on December 18, 2017

Perceptions and Preferences of Extension Programming and Sources Among Extension Users and Non-Users: 10 Kansas Counties

County Extension personnel are challenged to serve the public while facing changing population density and diversity. Moreover, needs and satisfaction vary among Extension clients and non-clients. With this in mind, 10 of the most populous counties in Kansas, with the aid of a university researcher, conducted an evaluation to determine programming needs of both clients and non-clients. Findings indicate that non-clients and clients prioritize programming differently and prefer different delivery mechanisms. The results have allowed these counties to tailor their programming and marketing efforts to these two unique groups, while also serving as a basis for a collective marketing plan

2014-2015 Illinois Waterfowl Hunter Report: Harvest, Youth Hunts, and Season Preferences

A total of 2,212(48%response rate) Illinois waterfowl hunters responded to the 2014-15Illinois Waterfowl Hunter Survey. An estimated 50,698waterfowl hunters spent982,193days afield, adecreaseof6.7% from the 1,052,728days devoted during the 2013-2014license year. Waterfowl harvest decreased9.0%, from 605,720 during 2013-14to 550,946 during 2014-15.Duck harvest estimates for the regular duck season were as follows: 197,997mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), 48,216wood ducks (Aix sponsa), and 138,615other ducks. A total of 29,058teal (Anasspp.) were harvested during the September teal season. Goose hunters harvested 87,672Canada geese (Branta canadensis) during the regular Canada goose season, a 16.4% decreasefrom the 104,887Canadageese harvested during the 2013-14regular goose season. Hunters harvested 19,089Canada geese during the September Canada goose season, a 22.0% increasefrom the previous year. During the Youth Waterfowl Hunting Season, 6,405adults took 8,572youths waterfowl hunting, a 24.1% decrease in adult participation and a less than 1.0% decrease in youth participation from the 2013-14Youth Waterfowl Hunting Season.Duck huntercommitment to waterfowl hunting, preferences for season and zones,and satisfaction with the waterfowl seasons are also discussed.Federal Aid Project Number W-112-R-24IDNR Division of WildlifeU.S. Fish & Wildlife Serviceunpublishednot peer reviewe