Getting Ahead of the Curve: Screening and Early Detection of Scoliosis in Adolescents to Prevent Progression of Spinal Deformity

Scoliosis is a spinal deformity that affects approximately 7 million people in United States. The most common age of onset of idiopathic scoliosis is between 10-15 years old. If left untreated, there is a possibility that scoliosis can progress to a severity that requires surgery to correct spinal curvatures. However, if detected early enough, scoliosis can be managed via noninvasive techniques, which research has shown to be extremely effective in halting the progression of curvatures and preventing the possible need for surgery. In order to detect scoliosis early enough to begin noninvasive treatment, screening programs are essential. Screening for scoliosis in the primary care setting is often provider dependent, and not all states have guideline that require mandatory screening in schools. This project investigates the possible health impacts of scoliosis, attitudes towards screening and early detection, and presents an intervention to help raise awareness and provide education about scoliosis and the benefits of screening to parents of Burlington youth.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/1389/thumbnail.jp

Objective Identification and Tracking of ZDR Columns in X-band Radar Observations

With the advent of rapidly scanning radar systems, it is imperative to automate the detection of features in radar images. We discuss efforts to objectively identify ZDR columns in X-band radar observations using the enhanced watershed algorithm (EWA; Lakshmanan et al. 2009), a method for identifying features in geospatial images. We discuss our choices for EWA parameters, including thresholds. The EWA is applied to ZDR observations of convective storms obtained during the 2016 and 2017 VORTEX-SE field campaign by the University of Massachusetts X-band, polarimetric, mobile Doppler radar (UMass X-Pol). During several intensive observing periods (IOPs), a variety of convective storm modes, including multicellular clusters, supercells and quasi-linear convective systems, were observed. Use of the EWA facilitates fast and objective tracking of the progression and behavior of each individual ZDR column, which is done using the Lakshmanan and Smith algorithm (LSA; Lakshmanan and Smith 2010)

Degree attainment of low-socioeconomic status students: structural equation modeling test of an elaborated theory of socialization

The primary purpose of this inquiry was to develop an understanding of how socialization, economic, and interactionalist factors affect baccalaureate degree attainment of low-socioeconomic status (SES) students. The data were drawn from the 1996 Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS) Longitudinal Study, which is sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics, and represented students who began postsecondary studies during the 1995--96 academic year at any postsecondary institution. A subset of low-SES students (n = 437) was selected from the 8,934 respondents to the three rounds of the longitudinal study. The low-SES students were selected based upon their classification as moderately or highly disadvantaged on a socioeconomic diversity scale.;The researcher employed structural equation modeling analyses as the primary statistical technique in this research to test a hypothesized model of degree attainment. The hypothesized model examined how control variables (ethnicity, gender), socialization variables (parents\u27 income, parents\u27 education, high school GPA, SAT composite score, degree aspirations), economic variables (grant aid, loan aid, work-study aid, cost of attendance), and interactionalist variables (academic and social integration) individually and collectively influence degree attainment for low-SES students. Several goodness-of-fit indices were used to determine the extent to which the causal model was consistent with the data. The structural model depicted links among variables in the model and tested the plausibility of assertions about the explanatory relationship of multiple constructs that influence degree attainment by estimating structural regression coefficients.;The results of the study indicated that several factors influence low-SES students\u27 baccalaureate degree attainment. Students\u27 early academic performance, measured by high school GPA and SAT scores is a significant factor in the degree attainment process. Students\u27 degree aspirations also had a significant effect on degree attainment. Increases in students\u27 grant/budget ratio were associated with increases in both academic and social integration. Higher levels of academic and social integration, in turn, had a positive effect on degree attainment. The results of the study provided evidence that elaboration of the socialization theory of degree attainment by including economic and interactional factors offers a more complex understanding of degree attainment for low-SES students

Approximate calculations of the net economic impact of global warming mitigation targets under heightened damage estimates

Efforts to mitigate global warming are often justified through calculations of the economic damages that may occur absent mitigation. The earliest such damage estimates were speculative mathematical representations, but some more recent studies provide empirical estimates of damages on economic growth that accumulate over time and result in larger damages than those estimated previously. These heightened damage estimates have been used to suggest that limiting global warming this century to 1.5 °C avoids tens of trillions of 2010 US$in damage to gross world product relative to limiting global warming to 2.0 °C. However, in order to estimate the net effect on gross world product, mitigation costs associated with decarbonizing the world\u27s energy systems must be subtracted from the benefits of avoided damages. Here, we follow previous work to parameterize the aforementioned heightened damage estimates into a schematic global climate-economy model (DICE) so that they can be weighed against mainstream estimates of mitigation costs in a unified framework. We investigate the net effect of mitigation on gross world product through finite time horizons under a spectrum of exogenously defined levels of mitigation stringency. We find that even under heightened damage estimates, the additional mitigation costs of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C (relative to 2.0 °C) are higher than the additional avoided damages this century under most parameter combinations considered. Specifically, using our central parameter values, limiting global warming to 1.5 °C results in a net loss of gross world product of roughly forty trillion US$ relative to 2 °C and achieving either 1.5 °C or 2.0 °C require a net sacrifice of gross world product, relative to a no-mitigation case, though 2100 with a 3%/ year discount rate. However, the benefits of more stringent mitigation accumulate over time and our calculations indicate that stabilizing warming at 1.5 °C or 2.0 °C by 2100 would eventually confer net benefits of thousands of trillions of US$ in gross world product by 2300. The results emphasize the temporal asymmetry between the costs of mitigation and benefits of avoided damages from climate change and thus the long timeframe for which climate change mitigation investment pays off

Linguistic prehistory of the Australian boab

Boabs, a close relation of the African baobabs, are found only in the Kimberley region of Western Australia and a region close by in the Northern Territory. Here several of the words for the boab tree and its parts are examined with special emphasis on loanwords which cross language family boundaries going in a west-east direction. It is proposed that this linguistic diffusion may reflect dispersal of the tree into new areas on the east, in relatively recent times. On the other hand another recent diffusion from the west of new salient functions of the boab fruit spread a new term to central Kimberley where boabs are known to have been present and used by humans for many thousands of years

Solidarity at the margins : Arendt, refugees, and the inclusive politics of world-making

Attention to the plight of refugees centers on how states should satisfy their legal obligations and comply with legal rules. We claim that the global refugee crisis necessitates focusing on political interaction between refugees and non-refugees, serving as a corrective to the depoliticization of the legalist approach. Hannah Arendt famously articulates a relational and interaction-oriented approach to political recognition with her notion of a “right to have rights.” We argue that Arendt’s notion can counter depoliticizing legalism, when supplemented by the theme of solidarity. After discussing how equality and solidarity are corequisites for recognition of the subjects of rights, we explore examples of solidaristic action that aim to counteract the “rightlessness” of refugees today, and consider how such action promotes freedom as inclusive world-making practices.Postprin

Health and Nutrition in Vermont Children

Introduction. The AHA (American Heart Association) supports legislation in Ver- mont ensuring that restaurants’ children’s menu meals meet certain nutritional standards. This study investigated Vermont parents’ attitudes towards both dining at restaurants with their children and potential legislation to improve nutritional standards of restaurant food. Methods. An anonymous 21-question survey for parents with children under age 18 was distributed electronically to local organizations via Facebook groups and email, and as paper questionnaires at the Community Health Center of Burlington. Questions probed parents’ overall attitudes surrounding their children’s health, habits pertaining to eating at restaurants, and attitudes towards legislation to ensure healthier options for kids at restaurants. Results were analyzed to look for dominant themes and determine differences between subgroups. Results. 98% of survey participants agreed or strongly agreed that their children’s eating habits are important to them. When asked if they would support legislation to set nutrition standards on children’s menu meals in Vermont, 73% agreed or strongly agreed. Most survey participants eat at a restaurant once per week or less (95%). 53% of survey participants agreed or strongly agreed that there were enough restaurants with healthy kids’ meals in their area. Responses did not differ by county. Conclusion. Vermont parents are concerned about their children’s diets and acknowledge connections between nutrition, obesity, and overall health. Parents favor restaurants providing more nutritional items on children’s menus and support the AHA’s proposed standards. Next steps include investigating any financial impact on restaurants and studying nutritional standards in school cafeterias in Vermont.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1257/thumbnail.jp

Nutrition Education in Vermont Public Schools

Introduction. Despite positive changes, childhood obesity and food insecurity remain prevalent across the country. Vermont is not immune to these issues. We set out to: research the level of nutrition education Vermont elementary schools provide their students, understand teacher perceptions of these programs, and recommend ways to fill identified gaps. Methods. Our study is a cross-sectional survey of Vermont educators around nutrition education. The survey consisted of 17 questions, used LimeSurvey, and included demographic and nutrition education questions. The survey was distributed statewide through newsletters and list-servers. Results. 64 responses met inclusion criteria. Vermont elementary school (K-6) teachers report a mean satisfaction score of 2.51 out of 5.0 for their schools\u27 current nutrition education programs. School nurses reported a score of 2.5 out of 5.0. Highest satisfaction scores included school administrators and health and wellness coordinators (3.3 out of 5.0). When comparing teachers to non-classroom educators (administrators and nutrition educators) data showed a significant difference between high satisfaction (3-5) and low satisfaction (1-2); (Fischer p = 0.009). Overall, Vermont elementary school teachers report a high level of knowledge about nutrition, (4.1/5.0), but a lower level of understanding in their students (2.5/5.0). Conclusions. Given teacher perceptions regarding current school nutrition education programs, development and implementation of a state-wide nutrition education curriculum with dedicated teaching time may be warranted. Programs recommended by the CDC include Eat Well & Get Moving and Planet Health, designed by the Harvard School of Public Health. These could be adapted as a framework for Vermont.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1244/thumbnail.jp