Minimization via the Subway Metric

The Subway Metric is a variant of the well-known Taxicab Metric in which a subway, in the form of a line in the plane, is used to alter walking distance within a city grid. In this work, we discuss where to place such a subway line in order to miminize the greatest walking distance within various city layouts

Adapted Dance Class and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication, and behavioral symptoms. Although a variety of interventions for those with ASD are available, Adapted Dance Class (ADC), also called Dance Movement Therapy (DMT), is a relatively understudied intervention that has the potential support social skill development for this population. Method: This is a descriptive, exploratory case study in which researchers aimed to discover whether DMT is effective in promoting social and communication skills in adolescents with ASD. We viewed 16 videos of four students who participated in two DMT classes and procedurally documented social behaviors of attention, motor imitation, verbal imitation, following directions, participation, and turn-taking. Data was described using descriptive statistics and analyzed using Spearman correlation coefficients. Results: Observed social behaviors included attention, motor imitation, following directions, and participation. One participant was found to have Spearman correlation coefficients of r(1.0000), p \u3c.0001 for Attention, r(1.0000), p \u3c.0001 for Motor Imitation, and r(1.0000), p \u3c.0001 for Following Directions. Conclusion: Data was insufficient to draw conclusions on correlation coefficients; however, descriptive exploratory information found will be beneficial to support ongoing research in this emerging intervention area. Occupational therapists are skilled in interventions that can assess and analyze behaviors that provide continued evidence based practice on the use of DMT and its influence on social and communication skills in adolescents with ASD. Researchers suggest continuation of this exploration using larger samples, preferably through field observations, to obtain quantitative data

Exploring first semester allied health students’ transition to graduate school through the lens of Occupational Adaptation

The purpose of the study was to examine experiences of students transitioning into graduate allied health programs within a public university in the United States. Researchers assessed students’ occupational adaptation as well as factors that facilitated and inhibited their transition. Researchers collected data using the Relative Mastery Scale (RMS) (George-Paschal, Krusen, & Fan, 2022) and a researcher-developed transition survey. Participants included 129 students from three allied-health professions. Researchers conducted a mixed ANOVA to explore differences in RMS ratings across three disciplines. There was a statistically significant increase in RMS ratings over time for all disciplines and statistically significant differences between disciplines for some time periods. The top five facilitating and inhibiting factors are presented for each discipline. The study contributes to the literature through use of a person-centered approach to understand students’ state and process of adaptation over time

Pangolins in Global Camera Trap Data: Implications for Ecological Monitoring

Despite being heavily exploited, pangolins (Pholidota: Manidae) have been subject to limited research, resulting in a lack of reliable population estimates and standardised survey methods for the eight extant species. Camera trapping represents a unique opportunity for broad-scale collaborative species monitoring due to its largely non-discriminatory nature, which creates considerable volumes of data on a relatively wide range of species. This has the potential to shed light on the ecology of rare, cryptic and understudied taxa, with implications for conservation decision-making. We undertook a global analysis of available pangolin data from camera trapping studies across their range in Africa and Asia. Our aims were (1) to assess the utility of existing camera trapping efforts as a method for monitoring pangolin populations, and (2) to gain insights into the distribution and ecology of pangolins. We analysed data collated from 103 camera trap surveys undertaken across 22 countries that fell within the range of seven of the eight pangolin species, which yielded more than half a million trap nights and 888 pangolin encounters. We ran occupancy analyses on three species (Sunda pangolin Manis javanica, white-bellied pangolin Phataginus tricuspis and giant pangolin Smutsia gigantea). Detection probabilities varied with forest cover and levels of human influence for P. tricuspis, but were low (M. javanica and S. gigantea, elevation for P. tricuspis and S. gigantea, forest cover for P. tricuspis and protected area status for M. javanica and P. tricuspis. We conclude that camera traps are suitable for the detection of pangolins and large-scale assessment of their distributions. However, the trapping effort required to monitor populations at any given study site using existing methods appears prohibitively high. This may change in the future should anticipated technological and methodological advances in camera trapping facilitate greater sampling efforts and/or higher probabilities of detection. In particular, targeted camera placement for pangolins is likely to make pangolin monitoring more feasible with moderate sampling efforts

2016 Research & Innovation Day Program

A one day showcase of applied research, social innovation, scholarship projects and activities.https://first.fanshawec.ca/cri_cripublications/1003/thumbnail.jp

Challenges and Opportunities in Human Subjects Research: Assessing Glyphosate Exposure in Pregnant Women

The herbicide glyphosate has rapidly become the most used agricultural chemical. Worldwide glyphosate use rose more than 12-fold in the last two decades, from 150 million pounds in 1995 to nearly 2 billion pounds in 2014. Recent epidemiologic research suggests that exposure to glyphosate may lead to negative pregnancy outcomes, especially pre-term birth. Despite glyphosate’s widespread use and potential toxicity, very little research exists to quantify human exposure to this chemical. The purpose of this study is to measure long-term glyphosate exposure in pregnant women and determine how much of that exposure comes from agricultural and dietary sources. We hypothesize that living near glyphosate-treated agricultural fields and consuming conventional diets results in higher glyphosate exposure. We recruited 40 women from whom we will collect over 1,400 urine samples throughout their pregnancies. We will measure each sample’s glyphosate level to evaluate its potential relationship with residential proximity to agriculture and dietary choices. Here, we aim to describe challenges and opportunities in conducting human subjects research in a vulnerable population of low-income pregnant women — particularly during a global pandemic. Challenges included revising recruitment and sample collection protocols to eliminate “in-person” contact; developing new processes to adapt to major heat waves that could potentially damage samples; and maintaining contact with hard-to-reach populations who were often dealing with housing insecurity. Opportunities included the collection of real-world data; the chance to provide food and financial assistance to study participants; and — perhaps surprisingly — the potential to build unique connections and relationships with those participants

An Analysis of the Different Layers of Inclusive Research

The work presented here is a component of a larger study to measure glyphosate exposure among pregnant women in rural regions of Idaho. Glyphosate is weed killer, and in the last two decades has become the single most commonly used agricultural chemical in the world. At the same time, emerging research indicates that glyphosate exposure during pregnancy may be associated with adverse health outcomes, such as pre-term birth. The overarching aim of our larger study is to understand whether and how pregnant women in Idaho may be exposed to glyphosate. The overall population of interest in that study are all pregnant women in Idaho who live in agricultural regions, and our study population therefore includes both Spanish- and English-speaking women, to reflect that overall population of interest. The purpose of presenting this particular component of this study is to provide a better understanding of what it means to do inclusive research and what we, as researchers, can do to improve our ability to conduct inclusive research. For example, translating documents is not enough if the documents are not going to be culturally appropriate. In addition, researchers may have to think about their protocols and if there may have to be multiple protocols with different explanations. I suggest that researchers think about their methodologies and how accessible and inclusive are they for the communities they are wanting to research

Challenges and Opportunities in Human Subjects Research: Assessing Glyphosate Exposure in Pregnant Women

The herbicide glyphosate has become the world’s most popular agricultural chemical, the use of which has risen more than 12-fold in the last two decades. Recent epidemiologic research suggests that exposure to glyphosate may lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Despite the widespread use and potential toxicity, little research exists to quantify human exposure to glyphosate. This study aims to measure long-term glyphosate exposure in pregnant women and to attribute that exposure to agricultural and dietary sources. We recruited 40 women from whom we collected 1,395 urine samples throughout their pregnancies. We conducted quality assurance checks on the collected data and are working with the CDC to analyze glyphosate concentrations in a subset of the samples. Here, we aim to describe challenges and opportunities in conducting human subjects research in a vulnerable population – particularly during a global pandemic. Challenges included the need to revise protocols to eliminate “in-person” contact; inherent logistical obstacles to maintaining long-term contact with hard-to-reach populations; and difficulties with accurately and consistently assessing and resolving database issues. Opportunities included the collection of real-world data; the chance to provide aid to study participants; and the potential to build unique connections with those participants

Challenges and Opportunities in Human Subjects Research: Assessing Glyphosate Exposure in Pregnant Women

The herbicide glyphosate has become the world’s most popular agricultural chemical, the use of which has risen more than 12-fold in the last two decades. Recent epidemiologic research suggests that exposure to glyphosate may lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Despite the widespread use and potential toxicity, little research exists to quantify human exposure to glyphosate. This study aims to measure long-term glyphosate exposure in pregnant women and to attribute that exposure to agricultural and dietary sources. We recruited 40 women from whom we collected 1,395 urine samples throughout their pregnancies. We conducted quality assurance checks on the collected data and are working with the CDC to analyze glyphosate concentrations in a subset of the samples. Here, we aim to describe challenges and opportunities in conducting human subjects research in a vulnerable population – particularly during a global pandemic. Challenges included the need to revise protocols to eliminate “in-person” contact; inherent logistical obstacles to maintaining long-term contact with hard-to-reach populations; and difficulties with accurately and consistently assessing and resolving database issues. Opportunities included the collection of real-world data; the chance to provide aid to study participants; and the potential to build unique connections with those participants