School and School District Consolidation Major Concepts

This report presents the major concepts of school and school district consolidation in Maine

Place and Prosperity: Quality of Place as an Economic Driver

A recent report from the Brookings Institution commissioned by GrowSmart Maine concluded that achieving long-term economic health for Maine depends on preserving and investing in the state’s “quality of place.” In this article, based on a report they did for the Governor’s Council on Maine’s Quality of Place, Catherine Reilly and Henry Renski examine whether quality of place is indeed a viable driver of community economic development. They note that Maine has a comparative advantage in quality of place, but that quality-of-place initiatives need to be regional, strategic, and multidimensional, and to involve public, private, and non-profit sectors

Nature-Based and Cultural-Heritage Tourism in Piscataquis County: Survey Analysis

In the summer of 2003, researchers from the University of Maine and community leaders from Piscataquis County, Maine, conducted a survey to assess local attitudes toward nature-based and cultural-heritage tourism and elicit feedback on alternative development scenarios. One phase of that process was surveys of residents and businesses operators in Piscataquis County. This report provides an overview of the survey responses. In addition, the report summarizes the methods used in conducting the surveys. The appendices to this report present the survey questionnaires and aggregate survey responses

Nature-Based and Cultural-Heritage Tourism in Piscataquis County Community Forums Summary

From April to July 2004, researchers conducted surveys of residents and business owners in Piscataquis County to assess local attitudes toward nature-based and cultural-heritage tourism. Following this process, UMaine researchers convened three public forums to share the results of the surveys with residents, and to elicit further dialogue on the topic. This report provides a summary of the respondents’ comments and viewpoints

Improving Educational Research Allocation in Maine

This study attempts to fill the information gap surrounding school district consolidation by quantifying the relationship between education costs and school district size (as measured by the number students). This report also quantifies the relationship between educational outcomes and school district size

Saving for College in Maine A Review of Current and Prospective Programs

This report presents designs for three possible college savings initiatives for rural and low-income Maine families. The ultimate goal of all three is to increase the number of students pursuing post-secondary education

Land for Maine’s Future Program: Increasing the Return on a Sound Public Investment

An assessment of the Land for Maine\u27s Future Program prepared by the New England Environmental Finance Center at USM’s Muskie School of Public Service and the Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy at the University of Maine to engage with them in an assessment of the LMF in 2003

Frustrations of fur-farmed mink

Captive animals may suffer if strongly motivated to perform activities that their housing does not allow. We investigated this experimentally for caged mink, and found that they would pay high costs to perform a range of natural behaviours, and release cortisol if their most preferred activity, swimming, was prevented. Investigates the effect of limitations on caged mink. Popularity of fur farming; Research into the possible deprivation of mink, which result in their frustration; Details of the experiment; Impact of an access to water; Results which indicate that fur-farmed mink are still motivated to perform the same activities as their wild counterpart

Squamous cell carcinoma of the nipple following radiation therapy for ductal carcinoma in situ: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Radiation-induced nonmelanoma skin cancer was first reported seven years after the discovery of X-rays, but has received relatively little consideration in the literature. Specifically, nonmelanoma skin cancer after conservative surgery and radiation for early stage breast cancer has not been well studied. We report the case of a woman who developed squamous cell carcinoma of the nipple nine years after conservative surgery and radiation for ductal carcinoma <it>in situ </it>of the ipsilateral breast. We also review the relevant literature available to date.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 66-year-old African-American woman presented to the hospital with a non-healing ulcer of the right nipple. Her past medical history was significant for right breast ductal carcinoma <it>in situ </it>for which she had undergone lumpectomy and whole breast radiation therapy nine years previously. Mammography and magnetic resonance imaging studies were negative for recurrent breast cancer. However, the latter demonstrated abnormal enhancement in the nipple-areolar region. An incisional biopsy of the lesion demonstrated invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Subsequently, the patient underwent wide excision of the nipple-areolar complex. Sentinel lymph-node biopsy was offered but our patient declined. She was considered to have local disease and hence no further treatment was recommended.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This case represents the first reported occurrence of squamous cell carcinoma of the nipple to follow conservative surgery and radiation for ductal carcinoma <it>in situ </it>of the ipsilateral breast. It is likely that radiation overexposure resulted in a radiation burn and subsequent radiodermatitis, placing it at risk for squamous cell carcinoma. A diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma should be considered in a patient with a nipple lesion following radiation therapy for breast cancer.</p