Harvesting hunger : measuring food insecurity and hope in Oregon's Mexican agriculture and seafood workers

Food Insecurity exists whenever the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or the ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways is limited or uncertain (LSRO, 1990). Factors that increase a household's risk for food insecurity include being low income and not being able to access formal and informal supplemental food sources. Migrant agricultural workers, defined by the U.S. Department of Labor as persons who travel greater than 75 miles in search of agricultural work, have household incomes less than $10,000 and due to clandestine immigration status or constant relocations may have less access to food assistance programs. Therefore, it is likely that this group is at increased risk for food insecurity. The purpose of this study was to 1) gather demographic information, 2) determine sources of social and emotional support and quantify the amount hope for the future expressed by individuals, and 3) determine what percentage of Oregon's Mexican agricultural workers were food insecure. Subjects (n=45) were recruited from 3 places of employment representing the seafood processing (3), tree planting (12), and fruit packing industries (30). Some were migrant and seasonal while others had recently settled out of the migrant stream. Participants were either given or read a nine-page Spanish language survey. Thirty-two women and 13 men completed the surveys. The average respondent was 30 years old, married (45$15,000 with an average household size of 4.4 persons. Ninety-one percent of participants were born in Mexico. Frequently cited sources of internal support included God (75%), family (70%), myself (45%) and the Church (43%). Sixty-five percent reported having family living close by. Less than one quarter reported finding support in the community. Individual scores on the State Hope scale found that most respondents had a fairly hopeful outlook towards their ability to achieve change. As for food security status, 72.7% were classified as food insecure based on USDA food security module scoring standards. Hope Scale scores were not significantly correlated with food security levels. A lower household income, a larger household size, and fewer years of school were significantly associated with being food insecure. Although a small sample size and departures from traditional methodology make these findings applicable only to the sample populations, it may indicate that food insecurity is a major nutritional risk factor for Mexican agricultural and seafood workers. Validation of the Food Security Module in Spanish is necessary to better determine the prevalence of food insecurity in this population

Evaluating Knowledge of Developmental Disabilities Among WIC Participants

Background: Children in racial/ethnic minority and low-income families are more likely to experience low rates of early developmental disability (DD) diagnosis. Racial/ethnic and language differences in parent information about DDs could contribute to diagnostic delays, but little is known about differences in parent DD familiarity. Objectives: To assess DD knowledge and information in a sample of low-income families. Methods: We conducted a self-administered survey on 539 parents attending their child’s appointment at the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in six Oregon counties. Survey items assessed familiarity with early signs of DDs, self-reported knowledge about DDs, and having a friend or family member with ASD. Bivariable and multivariable analyses assessed differences in outcomes for following ethnicity/language groups: non-Latino white [white], Latino-English proficient [Latino-EP], Latino-limited English proficient [Latino-LEP], and non-Latino other race English proficient [other race]. Results: Overall, participants correctly identified 64.7% of early signs of DDs. White participants correctly identified the most signs after adjustment for socio-demographic differences. Latino-LEP and other race participants more likely to have never heard of several prevalent DDs, and were also less likely to have a friend or family member with a DD compared to white families. Conclusions: Low-income parents, particularly Latino-LEP and other race parents, have relatively little familiarity or personal experience with DDs, and are less aware of DD early signs. Study findings suggest that interventions to reduce disparities in DD diagnosis and treatment should include increasing information transfer to parents in low-income and racial/ethnic minority communities

Isolated communities of Epsilonproteobacteria in hydrothermal vent fluids of the Mariana Arc seamounts

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2010. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of John Wiley & Sons for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in FEMS Microbiology Ecology 73 (2010): 538-549, doi:10.1111/j.1574-6941.2010.00910.x.Low-temperature hydrothermal vent fluids represent access points to diverse microbial communities living in oceanic crust. This study examined the distribution, relative abundance, and diversity of Epsilonproteobacteria in 14 low-temperature vent fluids from 5 volcanically active seamounts of the Mariana Arc using a 454 tag sequencing approach. Most vent fluids were enriched in cell concentrations compared to background seawater, and quantitative PCR results indicated all fluids were dominated by bacteria. Operational taxonomic unit (OTU)-based statistical tools applied to 454 data show that all vents from the northern end of the Marian Arc grouped together, to the exclusion of southern arc seamounts, which were as distinct from one another as they were from northern seamounts. Statistical analysis also showed a significant relationship between seamount and individual vent groupings, suggesting that community membership may be linked to geographical isolation and not geochemical parameters. However, while there may be large-scale geographic differences, distance is not the distinguishing factor in microbial community composition. At the local scale, most vents host a distinct population of Epsilonprotoebacteria, regardless of seamount location. This suggests there may be barriers to exchange and dispersal for these vent endemic microorganisms at hydrothermal seamounts of the Mariana Arc.This work was supported by a National Research Council Research Associateship Award and L’Oréal USA Fellowship (J.A.H.), NASA Astrobiology Institute Cooperative Agreement NNA04CC04A (M.L.S.), the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s ICoMM field project, and the W. M. Keck Foundation. This publication is [partially] funded by the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean (JISAO) under NOAA Cooperative Agreement No. NA17RJ1232, Contribution #1814

Applicant perspectives during selection

We provide a comprehensive but critical review of research on applicant reactions to selection procedures published since 2000 (n = 145), when the last major review article on applicant reactions appeared in the Journal of Management. We start by addressing the main criticisms levied against the field to determine whether applicant reactions matter to individuals and employers (“So what?”). This is followed by a consideration of “What’s new?” by conducting a comprehensive and detailed review of applicant reaction research centered upon four areas of growth: expansion of the theoretical lens, incorporation of new technology in the selection arena, internationalization of applicant reactions research, and emerging boundary conditions. Our final section focuses on “Where to next?” and offers an updated and integrated conceptual model of applicant reactions, four key challenges, and eight specific future research questions. Our conclusion is that the field demonstrates stronger research designs, with studies incorporating greater control, broader constructs, and multiple time points. There is also solid evidence that applicant reactions have significant and meaningful effects on attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. At the same time, we identify some remaining gaps in the literature and a number of critical questions that remain to be explored, particularly in light of technological and societal changes

Discutindo a educação ambiental no cotidiano escolar: desenvolvimento de projetos na escola formação inicial e continuada de professores

A presente pesquisa buscou discutir como a Educação Ambiental (EA) vem sendo trabalhada, no Ensino Fundamental e como os docentes desta escola compreendem e vem inserindo a EA no cotidiano escolar., em uma escola estadual do município de Tangará da Serra/MT, Brasil. Para tanto, realizou-se entrevistas com os professores que fazem parte de um projeto interdisciplinar de EA na escola pesquisada. Verificou-se que o projeto da escola não vem conseguindo alcançar os objetivos propostos por: desconhecimento do mesmo, pelos professores; formação deficiente dos professores, não entendimento da EA como processo de ensino-aprendizagem, falta de recursos didáticos, planejamento inadequado das atividades. A partir dessa constatação, procurou-se debater a impossibilidade de tratar do tema fora do trabalho interdisciplinar, bem como, e principalmente, a importância de um estudo mais aprofundado de EA, vinculando teoria e prática, tanto na formação docente, como em projetos escolares, a fim de fugir do tradicional vínculo “EA e ecologia, lixo e horta”.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

The effects on the performance of broilers consuming calcium, potassium, and sodium nitrates and nitrites from the drinking water

Four experiments were carried out with broiler chicks from day-old to three or four weeks of age to assess the effects of nitrates and nitrites from calcium, potassium, and sodium salts in the drinking water of broilers on growth, body weights, feed utilization, blood chemistries, liver tissues, and lipid oxidation of breast and thigh tissues. Body weights were lower (P<.05) among chicks consuming calcium nitrate than those of chicks consuming sodium nitrate or the control. Chicks consuming calcium nitrate (Ca(NO₃)₂) at 1000 ppm had lower (P<.05) body weights than those drinking Ca(NO₃)₂ at 0, 50, or 200 ppm. Broilers receiving 1000 ppm of calcium nitrite (Ca(NO₂)₂) had depressed body weights when compared to chicks consuming 0, 50, or 200 ppm of Ca(NO₂)₂. Consumption of sodium nitrate (NaNO₃) at 2033 ppm reduced (P<.05) broiler weights in comparison to broilers ingesting 0, 111, or 427 ppm of NaNO₃. Feed utilization was less efficient (P<.05) by chicks ingesting Ca(NO₃)₂ and calcium, potassium, or sodium salts of nitrite when compared with the control

An Intervention to Increase Detection of Developmental Delays in WIC Programs

Background: Low-income children are at risk for under-detection of developmental disabilities DD. WIC clinics see low-income children regularly in early childhood and could be an important source of referrals to developmental services. Objectives: To increase the number of referrals to EI/ECSE from non-primary care settings such as WIC. Methods: This was a site-randomized trial of an intervention to train WIC staff in early identification of DD’s, using CDC’s LTSAE developmental monitoring materials. 7 county WIC agencies in Oregon enrolled; 4 intervention agencies and 3 control agencies. The intervention consisted of an on-site, half-day training regarding signs of developmental delays, use of LTSAE materials, and referral to EI/ECSE. WIC staff were encouraged to identify and refer at-risk children to EI/ECSE. Control sites received no training and continued their usual processes. Primary study outcome was number of children referred from WIC to EI/ECSE in control vs. experimental counties as well as % of referrals evaluated based on data obtained Oregon’s EI/ECSE program. Results: Data for 46 children referred to EI/ECSE were obtained. Overall, 3 of 4 intervention sites increased their referrals to EI, and 0 of 3 control sites increased referrals. Total referrals in the intervention arm increased from 5 to 33 in the intervention arm, but decreased from 6 to 2 in the control arm. Conclusion: This brief intervention with WIC staff led to short-term increases in EI referrals and evaluations

Decreasing Disparities in Child Development Assessment: Identifying and Discussing Possible Delays in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Objective: To assess how staff at the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) address potential developmental delays and parent developmental concerns in children /behavior, perceptions of connectedness with local developmental resources, and knowledge of typical child development. Results: Staff (N = 153) responses indicated knowledge of typical child development, frequent interactions with families about child development, and frequent noticing of developmental concerns. However, most staff reported being less than very well connected to developmental resources. Open-ended responses suggested that staff frequently make direct referrals to early intervention, public health nurses, and others who can further assess developmental concerns. Conclusion: Although it is outside the primary scope of their work, developmental and behavioral concerns are frequently raised and addressed by WIC staff.Findings suggest that strengthening the existing referral processes and enhancing continuity of care between WIC and developmental providers may improve child outcomes and reduce disparities

Identifying and mitigating batch effects in whole genome sequencing data

Abstract Background Large sample sets of whole genome sequencing with deep coverage are being generated, however assembling datasets from different sources inevitably introduces batch effects. These batch effects are not well understood and can be due to changes in the sequencing protocol or bioinformatics tools used to process the data. No systematic algorithms or heuristics exist to detect and filter batch effects or remove associations impacted by batch effects in whole genome sequencing data. Results We describe key quality metrics, provide a freely available software package to compute them, and demonstrate that identification of batch effects is aided by principal components analysis of these metrics. To mitigate batch effects, we developed new site-specific filters that identified and removed variants that falsely associated with the phenotype due to batch effect. These include filtering based on: a haplotype based genotype correction, a differential genotype quality test, and removing sites with missing genotype rate greater than 30% after setting genotypes with quality scores less than 20 to missing. This method removed 96.1% of unconfirmed genome-wide significant SNP associations and 97.6% of unconfirmed genome-wide significant indel associations. We performed analyses to demonstrate that: 1) These filters impacted variants known to be disease associated as 2 out of 16 confirmed associations in an AMD candidate SNP analysis were filtered, representing a reduction in power of 12.5%, 2) In the absence of batch effects, these filters removed only a small proportion of variants across the genome (type I error rate of 3%), and 3) in an independent dataset, the method removed 90.2% of unconfirmed genome-wide SNP associations and 89.8% of unconfirmed genome-wide indel associations. Conclusions Researchers currently do not have effective tools to identify and mitigate batch effects in whole genome sequencing data. We developed and validated methods and filters to address this deficiency