Assessment of Learning Outcomes in Transactional Skills Courses

The following description of our guided discussion reflects our questions from our original presentation and our own insights and experiences, together with the insights and ideas suggested by our audience. Our audience represented a variety of law schools, varying in size, geographic location, and curricular emphasis on transactional law and skills, and varying in types of transactional courses, including clinics, simulations, and courses focusing on transactional skills. We are grateful to our audience, who served as a thoughtful, vibrant discussion group in generously sharing their experiences, ideas, and suggestions regarding assessing learning outcomes in transactional skills-based courses

Biology and prey of the predatory wasp Cerceris fumipennis (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) and its use for bio-surveillance of the emerald ash borer

Cerceris fumipennis is a colonial wasp that preferentially preys on native and non-native members of the family Buprestidae including the emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, which is a major threat to North American ash (Fraxinus spp.). Cerceris fumipennis has been used for bio-surveillance of this destructive pest because it catches, stings, and paralyzes buprestids that are then easily intercepted at their nests and documented. Two large aggregations of C. fumipennis in Merrimack County, NH, USA were monitored during the summer of 2013 and 2014 to determine regional baseline information on aggregation activity, seasonality, paralyzation rate, and prey preference in different forest types for New Hampshire to aid in determining the efficacy of C. fumipennis as a bio-surveillance tool. The 2013 field season determined that emergence of wasps appears to be synchronous, with 200 females emerging over a 15 day span. There were 890 individual buprestids collected from females returning to their nests, and their prey species consisted of 33 buprestid species and one chrysomelid. In 2014, individuals of eleven of these species were brought to the nest without being successfully paralyzed. This non-paralyzation occurred in 11% of the total collected prey. These data showed little correlation between percent coniferous and deciduous trees and the collected prey’s preferred feeding hosts. Factors such as lack of host tree specificity in the family Buprestidae, age of forests, diseases, and other environmental conditions could have led to this lack of correlation. Research should continue to assure and guide government and non-governmental agencies that use of Cerceris fumipennis in bio-surveillance of this destructive invasive species and other non-native threats is an effective monitoring tool and can assist in documenting species that are difficult to survey as well as local buprestid diversity

Community-based perceptions of emergency care in communities lacking formalised emergency medicine systems

Kenya and Zambia face an increasing burden of emergent disease, with a high incidence of communicable diseases, increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases and traumatic injuries. However, neither country has an integrated emergency care system that provides community access to high-quality emergency services. There has been recent interest in strengthening the emergency care systems in these countries, but before any interventions are implemented, an assessment of the current need for emergency care must be conducted, as the burden of acute disease and barriers to accessing emergency care in Zambia and Kenya remain largely undocumented. Aims and Objectives: The aim of this project was to ascertain community-based perceptions of the critical interventions necessary to improve access to emergency care in Zambia and Kenya, with the following objectives: 1. Determine the current pattern of out-of-hospital emergency care delivery at the community level. 2. Identify the communities’ experiences with emergency conditions and the barriers they face when trying to access care. 3. Discover community-generated solutions to the paucity of emergency care in urban and rural settings. Methods: Semi-structured focus groups were piloted in Zambia with 200 participants. Results were analysed with subsequent tool refinement for Kenya. Data were collected via focus groups with 600 urban and rural community members in cities and rural villages in the 8 Kenyan provinces. Thematic analysis of community member focus groups identified frequency of emergencies, perceptions of emergency care, perceived barriers to emergency care, and ideas for potential interventions. Results: Analysis of the focus group data identified several common themes. Community members in Zambia and Kenya experience a wide range of medical emergencies, and they rely on family members, neighbours, and Good Samaritans for assistance. These community members frequently provide assistance with transportation to medical facilities, and also attempt some basic first aid. These communities are already assisting one another during emergencies, and are willing to help in the future. Participants in this study also identified several barriers to emergency care : a lack of community education, absent or non-functional communication systems, insufficient transportation, no triage system, a lack of healthcare providers trained in emergency care, and inadequate equipment and supplies. Conclusions: Community members in Zambia and Kenya experience a wide range of medical emergencies. There is substantial reliance on family members and neighbours for assistance, commonly with transportation. Creating community education initiatives, identifying novel transportation solutions, implementing triage in healthcare facilities, and improving receiving facility care were community-identified solutions to barriers to emergency care

Introducing Students to Ethics and Professionalism Challenges in Virtual Communication

As the practice of law, and the conduct of business generally, focuses increasingly on virtual communication, the ethics and professionalism challenges inherent in email, videoconference, text, and telephone communication continue to evolve. These challenges are particularly prevalent in transactional practice, which involves frequent communication with a variety of parties through a variety of communication channels. Exposing law students to these challenges through exercises and simulations contributes to the continued development of their professional identity as lawyers. This article presents a variety of exercises that introduce students to client confidentiality, inadvertent disclosure, and other ethical issues that often arise in the context of virtual communication during a transaction. They also introduce professionalism issues common to transactional practice and explore the relationship between professionalism and ethical duties in transactional practice

Janet Morgan and Fredna Hicks in a Joint Senior Recital

This is the program for the joint senior recital of pianist Janet Morgan and soprano Fredna Hicks. Carol Wade assisted the performance. The recital took place in Mitchell Hall Auditorium on November 18, 1974

Janet Morgan and Fredna Hicks in a Joint Junior Recital

This is the program for the joint junior recital of pianist Janet Morgan and soprano Fredna Hicks. Pianist Bennie Carol Burgess accompanied Hicks. The recital took place on November 29, 1973, in the Mitchell Hall Auditorium

Introduction

This volume of the Economic Policy Review, "Special issue on the economic effects of September 11," explores some of the key economic consequences of the attacks of September 11. The six articles that make up the volume address several important questions: how great were the losses in New York City on September 11 and in the difficult months thereafter? How much will the nation spend to prevent future attacks? Did the destruction of information and infrastructure impair the functioning of the payments and securities settlement systems, and what steps minimize further damage? Will these events hurt New York's future vitality and cause businesses and workers to retreat from the city? ; The six articles fall into three broad groups: 1) detailed accountings of economic costs--those incurred as a direct consequence of the September 11 attacks and those arising from efforts to prevent future attacks, 2) studies of the attacks' disruptive effects on the payments and securities settlement systems, and 3) analyses of New York City's prospects after September 11.Disaster relief ; Terrorism ; War - Economic aspects ; Economic conditions - New York (N.Y.) ; Federal Reserve District, 2nd