Beyond the Edge of the Planted Field: Exploring Community-Based Environmental Education, and Invisible Losses in Settler and Indigenous Cultural Contexts

The Walpole Island Land Trust and the Sydenham Field Naturalists came together for a focus group at the Walpole Island Heritage Centre and spoke of the relevance environmental education plays in the awareness of a shared history between communities from separate cultural contexts. From the focus group this research is able to contextualize the conversation between a non-Indigenous and an Indigenous community-based environmental organization, and their focus on the relationship between people, place, and history. The context of the conversation being the colonial legacies of land use management and educational practices and how these institutions prolong the effect of invisible losses for First Nations people. The findings of this research indicate that groups from different cultural backgrounds can collaborate without being inhibited by their colonial past

Student Engagement Interest Group: Preparing Students for the Library and Health Information Workforce

BACKGROUND The purpose of the Network of the National Library of Medicine’s (NNLM) Student Engagement Interest Group (SEIG) is to advance the mission of NNLM by sharing participating regional offices and center\u27s (ROCs) student engagement-related activities and prioritizing those appropriate for national coordination. Additionally, the SEIG prioritizes students, high school age and older, from traditionally marginalized communities and those underrepresented in biomedical research when conducting student engagement activities. Since the creation of the SEIG, the group has explored how NNLM can support students in acquiring experience in a professional setting, gaining access to mentors who can guide them in preparation to enter the library and information workforce and develop knowledge and skills to become better versed in health information resources. DESCRIPTION The SEIG consists of 10 members that meet once a month to identify and develop NNLM-wide strategies and metrics to advance student engagement, implement and evaluate strategies in increasing student engagement across the country, including those from underrepresented populations in biomedical research, and guide the development of programs that enhance skills of students in NLM resources and interest within the health professions, including health sciences librarianship. Some examples the SEIG has discussed for promoting student engagement are sharing project ideas that would benefit the intern or practicum student’s overall experience and support their areas of interest, methods to engage with LIS and iSchool programs to recruit potential students for practicums and internships, and providing opportunities to acquire knowledge and tools for students that may not be able to obtain in their program. CONCLUSIONS The SEIG made great progress in supporting LIS/iSchool students in acquiring knowledge and experiences to better prepare them for the library and information field. This progress led to hosting practicums and internships across several ROCs. For instance, the group collaborated with Region 1 to create a plan on how NNLM can support the University of Kentucky students participating in the Alternative Spring Break. The committee also produced a draft of the student engagement handbook that NNLM ROCs can use as a guide to effectively recruit, host, and provide quality mentorship experiences for students choosing to spend their practicum or internship time with the NNLM program. The handbook is anticipated to be finalized and implemented in the coming year

Mapping Needs, Costs and Outcomes: The English Adoption Journey

This presentation will outline the adoption pathways in England and will highlight how a systematic approach to analyzing and costing pathways can, and has, informed strategic planning. Furthermore the presentation will highlight the importance of costing child welfare services using the child as the unit of analysis, rather than focusing purely on fiscal data. Examples will be provided of how this approach facilitates an exploration of children’s needs and circumstances, how they impact on children’s pathways through the child welfare system and the outcomes that are achieved

How social workers spend their time in frontline children’s social care in England

Purpose - In England in recent years, concerns have been raised about the proportion of time social workers and other frontline children’s social care practitioners spend carrying out desk based, administrative activities. This article reports time use activity data from front line workers on the amount of time spent on different activities to support children in need (as defined by the 1989 Children Act). Design/methodology/approach - The data were collected from a range of sources including focus groups, event records (diaries completed by practitioners) and online surveys. Findings - The proportion of time spent on direst and indirect activities varies according to the types of process. Those associated with ongoing support have the highest proportion of direct activity, whereas those associated with decision making, especially if a one-off activity, have the highest proportion of administrative activities. The greater the needs of the child, the more direct and indirect support was given, but there was some variation across social work teams. But the activities of social workers are interconnected making it difficult to conclusive evidence, but the concern about the imbalance between direct work and administrative tasks seems justified. Research limitations/implications - The findings highlight the complexity of exploring how social workers spend their time and how the proportion of time spent on direct and indirect activities is determined by the needs and circumstances of children and their families. Practical implications - Wider contextual practice issues are also explored including the recent increases in referrals to children’s social care and the use of electronic recording systems. Originality/value - The breakdown of the activities using the approach outlined in the article increases transparency in understanding how social workers spend their time

Exploration of the costs and impact of the Common Assessment Framework: interim report

Exploration of the costs and impact of the Common Assessment Framework: interim repor

Exploration of the costs and impact of the Common Assessment Framework

Exploration of the costs and impact of the Common Assessment Framewor

Analysis of a Modification to the Sexual Experiences Survey to Assess Intimate Partner Sexual Violence

Greater accuracy is needed in the assessment of sexual victimization that occurs in intimate relationships. Existing assessment strategies in the literature often represent two distinct approaches—intimate partner violence specific strategies vs. sexual violence specific strategies. The current study compared multiple distinct strategies for assessing intimate partner sexual victimization (IPSV) and evaluated a modification that optimizes intimate partner and sexual violence specific strategies. Two samples of undergraduate women were recruited. Sample 1 (N = 236) completed the Severity of Violence Against Women Scales (SVAWS) and a modified version Sexual Experiences Survey–Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) in which participants were cued to respond both for romantic partners and non-partners (referred to as the SES-RP/NP). Sample 2 (N = 206) completed the SVAWS and was randomized to either the traditional SES-SFV or the SES-RP/NP. Across samples, the prevalence of IPSV varied based on the measure used (SVAWS = 11.7%; SES-SFV = 17.0%; SES-RP/NP = 25.4%). The SES-RP/NP identified significantly more IPSV than the SES-SFV, SVAWS, and prior studies. Both the SES-SFV and the SES-RP/NP were positively and significantly associated with the SVAWS. The results suggested that optimal measurement of IPSV would consider both intimate partner and sexual violence strategies

Impact of rural versus urban geographic location on length of stay after carotid endarterectomy

Abstract Background: Reducing the incidence of extended length of stay (ELOS) after carotid endarterectomy (CEA), defined as LOS \u3e I day, is an important quality improvement focus of the Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI). Rural patients with geographic barriers pose a particular challenge for discharge and may have higher incidences of ELOS as a result. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of patients’ home geographic location on ELOS after CEA. Methods: The VQI national database for CEA comprised the sample for analyses (N = 66,900). Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes, a validated system used to classify the nation’s census tracts according to rural and urban status, was applied to the VQI database and used to indicate patients’ home geographic location. LOS was categorized into two groups: LOS ≤ 1 day (66%) and LOS \u3e 1 day (ELOS) (34%). Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to examine the effect of geographic location on ELOS after adjustment for age, gender, race, and comorbid conditions. Results: A total of 66,900 patients were analyzed and the mean age of the sample was 70.5 ± 9.3 years (40% female). After adjustment for covariates, the urban group had increased risk for ELOS (OR = 1.20, p \u3c 0.001). Other factors that significantly increased risk for ELOS were non-White race/Latinx/Hispanic ethnicity (OR = 1.44, p \u3c 0.001) and nonelective status (OR =3.31, p \u3c 0.001). In addition, patients treated at centers with a greater percentage of urban patients had greater risk for ELOS (OR = 1.008, p \u3c 0.001). Conclusions: These analyses found that geographic location did impact LOS, but not in the hypothesized direction. Even with adjustment for comorbidities and other factors, patients from urban areas and centers with more urban patients were more likely to have ELOS after CEA. These findings suggest that other mechanisms, such as racial disparities, barriers in access to care, and disparities in support after discharge for urban patients may have a significant impact on LOS

Serial magnetic resonance imaging of splenomegaly in the Trypanosoma brucei infected mouse

Splenomegaly, an enlargement of the spleen, is a known clinical sign of the parasitic disease, human African trypanosomiasis. This study follows the development of splenomegaly in a group of mice over multiple infection points, using a non-invasive imaging modality, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). CD-1 mice infected with GVR35 T.b. brucei demonstrated a significant increase in spleen size from day 7 post-infection, with changes in the spleen tracked in individual animals over five time points. At the final time point, the mean spleen weight calculated using the spleen volume from the MR images was compared with the post-mortem gross spleen weight. No significant difference was detected between the two methods (1.62 ± 0.06g using MRI and 1.51 ± 0.04g gross weight, p = 0.554). Haematology and histological analysis were also performed, giving additional insight into splenomegaly for the GVR35 strain of infection. The study demonstrates that MRI is a useful tool when examining changes in organ volume throughout HAT infection and may be applicable in the investigation of a range of conditions where changes in organ volume occur and MRI has not been used previously