Evaluating the Capacity of Ascophyllum nodosum Habitats to Act as Carbon Sinks in the Gulf of Maine

Some coastal ecosystems are defined as being carbon sinks for their ability to absorb more carbon than they release as a result of their high primary productivity. There has been support for the claim that macroalgal communities can act as carbon sinks and reduce levels of CO2in seawater through photosynthesis and potentially mitigate some local effects of climate change (Chung et al., 2011; Chung et al., 2013; Hill et al., 2015; Sondak et al., 2017). Within the state of Maine, rocky intertidal zones are coastal ecosystems that are particularly vulnerable to climate change and dominated by Ascophyllum nodosum (rockweed) communities (Fong 2008; Letcher 2015). The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of rockweed to act as a carbon sink in the Gulf of Maine and mitigate local effects of climate change. The hypothesis for this experiment was photosynthesis, not respiration, would be the dominant process observed in treatments with rockweed present. Productivity was estimated through calculating the departure from oxygen saturation of each treatment.Three habitat complexity treatments were observed: a control with only salt water, rockweed submerged in salt water, and rockweed and invertebrates submerged in salt water. It was predicted the rockweed treatment would have the highest productivity, seconded by the invertebrate and rockweed treatment, and the control treatment would experience neither productivity nor respiration. Results showed little to no oxygen was produced during either trial in any treatment, suggesting that respiration was the dominant process in the experiment. This experiment does not support the claim that rockweed has the ability to act as a carbon sink. Other literature contradicts these findings which suggests this experiment would benefit from replication or further expansion

From Atheoretical to Motivation Theory-based Youth Discretionary-time Physical Activity Promotion: Current and Future Directions

This article describes the importance of promoting children’s discretionary-time physical activity (DTPA) in connection with the rising international obesity epidemic. School based recess is highlighted as exemplar of an opportunity for children to obtain more DTPA. Brief review of the extant research focused on efforts to increase children’s recess physical activity (RPA) is provided. Literature from the field of sports psychology that has established a strong foundation of evidence regarding factors that increase youth motivation in various physical domain contexts will guide the proposed expansion to theoretical examination of predictors of youth DTPA. Three relevant motivation theory frameworks will be discussed as the basis for recommendations of future systematic research on promotion of youth DTPA

Evidence for the Validity of a Tool for Improved Pressure Ulcer Staging by the Non-Expert in the Live Patient

Background and Purpose: Pressure ulcers (PrUs) are a costly issue for the health care system. The utilization of a tool that increases the accuracy of PrU identification and staging may allow the health care team to better manage these wounds. The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of the NE1 Wound Assessment Tool (NE1 WAT) for increasing the wound assessment accuracy of novice nurses. Subjects: A convenience sample of 11 novice nurses evaluated 11 wounds on eight patients at a 730 bed, hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. Methods: Subjects assessed 11 wounds on the patients independently. They then received brief orientation to the NE1 WAT. The subjects then re-assessed the same 11 wounds utilizing the NE1 WAT. Accuracy in wound assessment was then compared when performed with and without the tool. Results: Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to compare scores before and after training on how to use the tool. The subjects showed a significant improvement in pressure ulcer staging (p=.005), identification of wounds other than pressure ulcers (p = .024), and overall score across all aspects of wound assessment when using the NE1 WAT (p = .017). Discussion: This study provides evidence for the validity of the NE1 WAT. Improved wound assessment would likely improve care. Due to Medicare billing rules, the NE1 WAT has the potential to impact hospital remuneration. Conclusion: Following brief orientation on tool use, there was increased accuracy of novice nurse wound assessment on live patients

REWILDING CHILDREN: Creating Digital Tools for K-5 Wildlife Education

As people are moving and expanding into more rural and unoccupied areas, the number of human-wildlife interactions have increased. Public attitudes toward wildlife are essential for the safety of both, as well as maintaining a healthy ecosystem. Lack of awareness and education surrounding wildlife results in relationships with wildlife becoming disconnected, dangerous, and harmful to both native wildlife species and people. We believe through proper education, these conflicts can be mitigated and prevented. With our literature review, we learned that starting education about wildlife at an early age is important. While some resources for teachers exist, they do not allow for students to interact with the material, nor feel empowered by it. Through the interviews that we conducted, we gained a greater understanding as to which subjects should be included in our curriculum on our website, where the current gaps are in education with wildlife and related topics, and what resources would be helpful to allow students to understand this material better. We interviewed a variety of people of different backgrounds, including parents, teachers, wildlife educators, scientists, and international scholars, in order to understand what to include in our created website. With this, we hope to educate children about the natural world and how they can interact with it, as well as develop a love and respect for nature and wildlife. This knowledge will give kids a head start in the science world and help them develop skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, reasoning, critical thinking, and collaborative skills when they are at their most impressionable age. This will be helpful for wildlife, and it will be vital in furthering education and developing skills they will take into their adult life

Gearing up impact assessment as a vehicle for achieving the UN sustainable development goals

This article reflects on the potential for impact assessment (IA) to be a major vehicle for implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While it is acknowledged that the SDGs are intended to deliver broader outcomes than IA currently does, we nevertheless argue there is significant convergence between IA and the SDGs, which we explore utilising the key dimensions of sustainability assessment: comprehensiveness, strategicness and integratedness. We conclude that ‘geared up’ IA might be used as a major vehicle to facilitate achievement of the SDGs. However, IA must become more comprehensive and integrated, such that the full suite of SDGs and their relationships, including trade-offs, can be dealt with in a transparent and inclusive way. © 2019, © 2019 IAIA