Effects of 1973 Floodwaters on Plankton Populations in Louisiana and Mississippi

Studies to assess the impact of floodwater diversion on plankton populations in coastal waters of Mississippi and Louisiana were conducted from 23 April 1973 through 13 July 1973. Fixed stations in Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Borgne and western Mississippi Sound were sampled once in April, twice in May and June, and once in July. Stations in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana were visited once in May, June and July. Data are presented on changes in the species composition of zooplankton subsequent to the opening of the Bonnet Card and Morganza floodways. The hydrographic conditions at the time of sampling are discussed

Art and dramatherapists together consider a multimodal approach for supporting clients with complex trauma

‘Creative arts therapies’ (CATs) is a combined term referring to therapeutic training in one or more arts modalities. Art therapy and dramatherapy are two of these CATs, each having stand-alone training. Our research shows how, as we investigated the experiences of members in a trauma-informed workshop at the ANZACATA conference in 2018 – where members were celebrated as CATs professionals for the first time – our initial qualitative grounded theory study changed to a more performative and practice-based one. An emergent theory indicates the importance of client and therapist safety, of embodiment, and of exploring the intersectionality of these two modalities

Effects of 1973 Floodwaters on Plankton Populations in Louisiana and Mississippi

Studies to assess the impact of floodwater diversion on plankton populations in coastal waters of Mississippi and Louisiana were conducted from 23 April 1973 through 13 July 1973. Fixed stations in Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Borgne and western Mississippi Sound were sampled once in April, twice in May and June, and once in July. Stations in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana were visited once in May, June and July. Data are presented on changes in the species composition of zooplankton subsequent to the opening of the Bonnet Card and Morganza floodways. The hydrographic conditions at the time of sampling are discussed

The role of online knowledge hubs in developing practice and policy: Lessons from i-HOP for professionals working with children and families affected by parental offending

This paper reports on the role of an online knowledge hub in supporting the development of policy and practice relevant to children and families affected by parental offending. The authors use a case study of the i-HOP service, a national web-based collection of resources that supports professionals to work with children and families affected by parental offending. Delivered by the national children’s charity Barnardo’s, the knowledge hub provides a comprehensive collection of research and evidence, policy frameworks, practice examples, funding opportunities and training resources (https://www.i-hop.org.uk). The paper begins by considering the rationale behind the development hub, including an increase in the number of children and families affected by parental offending, unsystematic policy response and limited resources for practitioners working with children and families. Next, the paper discusses the development of the hub, including the challenges encountered and practical solutions employed. The implementation of a quality assessment system to support policy-makers and practitioners to make informed judgements about the suitability and quality of research and evidence deposited on the hub is also considered. The paper concludes with practical suggestions for organisations that are contemplating the development of a knowledge hub to bridge the gap between research and evidence and practice and policy

A Reexamination of the Dilution of Auditor Misstatement Risk Assessments: An Experimental Study of the Impact of Client Information Type, Workload, and PCAOB Guidance on Dilution

Many external parties such as investors, creditors, and regulatory agencies, use a company’s financial statements in their decision-making. In doing so, they rely on audit opinions on whether financial statements are fairly stated. However, evidence suggests that there are factors in the audit environment that influence auditor judgments. For example, nondiagnostic client information dilutes auditor judgments when compared to judgments based on diagnostic information alone, especially for less experienced auditors (Hackenbrack 1992; Hoffman and Patton 1997; Glover 1994; Shelton 1999). High time pressure conditions mitigate this effect by refocusing auditor attention toward relevant client information, therefore reducing the impact of nondiagnostic information (Glover 1994, 1997). This research study examines other common audit environment factors to determine if they too influence audit judgment results. An online questionnaire of 149 auditors, CPAs and other accounting professionals indicate that the inclusion of nondiagnostic client information results in a significant change in auditor judgments. The direction of this change follows a theorized pattern; risk assessments that were initially high are reduced, while those that were initially low are increased. Significance was not consistently found for a workload and PCAOB effect on auditor judgment. However, a comparison of the absolute value of dilution effect means across conditions reveals some trending for the proposed unwanted effect of high workload, and the beneficial effect of PCAOB guidance. These results have important implications for auditing research and practice. It extends previous archival research on workload effects and uses a unique questionnaire design to reexamine workload pressures in a behavioral setting. The results of hypothesis testing on workload pressure and PCAOB guidance, although lacking consistent statistical significance; exhibit trends that agree with proposed theoretical relationships. Tests on the effects of nondiagnostic information show strong statistical support for previous studies in the area of psychology and audit. This study’s greatest contribution suggests that audit pressures do not produce equivalent effects on auditor judgment; time pressure improves audit judgment, while workload pressure does not (Glover 1994, 1997). These results can be explained by examining the relationship between stress and audit judgment performance (Choo 1995, Yerkes and Dodson 1908). Different types and different degrees of audit pressures may correspond to different levels of audit pressure. Low to moderate levels of audit pressure, such as the level of time pressure used in Glover’s (1994, 1997) study improve audit performance. Higher audit pressures, such as high workload during an auditor’s busy season, may lower audit performance

Real Voices, Real Questions, Real Engagement: VCU Speaker Series

You come here for something more than schooling. You come here for deep education and deep education is about learning how to die so that you learn how to live because when you examine certain assumptions that you have, certain presuppositions that you’re holding on to, when you let them go, that’s a form of death. And there’s no growth, there’s no development, there’s no maturation without learning how to die and giving up certain dogma, giving up certain doctrine. - Cornel West, Ph.D., VCU Siegel Center, Fall 2015 VCU is a large, public, urban research university situated in the middle of a capital city. Its faculty, staff, student body, alumni, and the surrounding community are remarkably diverse as are the academic offerings. It is, and should be viewed as, the intellectual and cultural engine of the region. Our project proposes the creation of a large-scale, high-profile speaker series designed to highlight emerging trends and provide students, faculty, staff, alumni and the Richmond community with a forum for conversation. The speaker series will cover topics that are critically engaging, have national relevance, and introduce ideas that propel the next generation of leaders. In addition to a large speaking engagement, the speaker series will also incorporate other activities to cultivate interactions and build relationships such as classroom lectures, book signings, and a dinner through the development office. The speaker series will host at least one speaker annually, with the addition of a second speaker as the event builds momentum. At least one of the lectures will occur at the beginning of the traditional academic semester, allowing for the greatest opportunity for participation across VCU and Richmond. Internal support from VCU students, faculty, staff, and colleges will ensure that the project is connected to the mission, vision, goals, and pursuits of VCU. A speaker series committee will help sustain and coordinate efforts across the university and community. Committee members will include stakeholders that require buy-in and cooperation for activities that complement the speaker series (e.g., other lectures, panel discussions, classroom activities). A survey will be used to gain insights into topics and speakers of interest. The committee will review the survey responses in order to make informed decisions during the planning process. The ongoing presence of hosting influential speakers will allow VCU to emerge into the national spotlight as thought-leaders. This speaker series will serve many purposes. First, the series will serve to inspire VCU students, faculty, staff, and the Richmond. Through frank and open conversations attendees will be exposed to new concepts and ideas. Second, the series will unite the diverse groups that make up VCU and the Richmond community. The lecture series will expose attendees to new ideas and open doors for possible opportunities for collaboration through classroom and community engagement activities related to the topics discussed. Third, the series will serve as a cultural conduit, solidly connecting the VCU and Richmond communities around engaging ideas of importance. Opening a new market-place of ideas will ensure that the students of VCU interact with new information in exciting and transformative ways

Training Deer to Avoid Sites Through Negative Reinforcement

Deer frequently visit areas where they may cause damage. Incidents along roadways and runways inflict numerous injuries to animals and humans, and cause considerable economic losses. Concerns are increasing that deer interactions with domestic animals may contribute to spread of disease. Deer foraging in residential areas, agricultural fields, or plant propagation sites can impede growth and possibly survival of desirable plants. We conducted a series of trials to determine whether mild electric shock would induce place avoidance in deer. Shock was delivered through a device attached to a collar. A noise cue was emitted as an animal approached a defined area if the animal failed to retreat a shock followed. Deer learned to avoid areas associated with shock. We concluded that place avoidance induced through negative reinforcement may be a feasible means to protect valuable resources from resident animals. However, the technological limitations of tested devices, costs to implement, and required training for individual deer reduced the practicality of this approach for highly mobile animals and as a means to protect resources with low economic significance

Immunisation status of children receiving care and support in Wales: a national data linkage study

Background: In the UK, a robust childhood immunisation programme ensures children are offered protection against serious infections; identifying inequalities in vaccination coverage is essential. This is one of the first data linkage studies to examine coverage of primary, as well as pre-school booster and second dose of MMR vaccines, in children receiving support from social care services across Wales. Methods: By accessing records held within the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank, vaccination status of children receiving social care and support between April 2016 and March 2021 (n = 24,540) was ascertained. This was achieved through linkage of the Children Receiving Care and Support (CRCS) Census and National Community Child Health Database which holds vaccination records for all children in Wales registered for NHS care. This sample was split into three groups – those children who had never been recorded on the Child Protection Register (CPR) or as ‘Looked After’ but in CRCS (n = 12,480), children ever on the CPR (n = 6,225) and those ever recorded as ‘Looked After’ but who were never on the CPR (n = 5,840). The comparison group of children and young people (CYP) never receiving welfare support consisted of 624,905 children. Results: Children receiving care or support were more likely to be up-to-date with all six vaccines (no recorded vaccines: 0.6–6.3%) compared to children in the comparison group (no recorded vaccines: 3–10.3%). However, of those who were vaccinated, they were less likely to be vaccinated in a timely manner; both early (5.2% vs. 22.2%; margin of error [ME] = 0.52, 95% CI [confidence interval] = −0.18 – −0.17, p < 0.001) and delayed vaccinations were more common (62.7% vs. 71.3%; ME = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.08–0.09, p < 0.001). Validation of the CRCS immunisation flag showed moderate levels of accuracy. Around 70% of immunisation flags were correct across all three groups. Discussion: Findings suggest a positive association between receiving services under a care and support plan and being up-to-date with immunisations; children receiving support under a care and support plan were more likely to have experienced early or late vaccinations, demonstrating that there is still more inter-disciplinary co-ordination and planning needed to improve these outcomes. Thus, identifying inequalities in vaccination coverage is essential to target interventions and to prioritise geographic areas for catch-up

Vagal Blocking for Obesity Control : a Possible Mechanism-Of-Action

14 September 2016 Erratum to: Vagal Blocking for Obesity Control: a Possible Mechanism-Of-Action Helene Johannessen, David Revesz, Yosuke Kodama, Nikki Cassie, Karolina P Skibicka, Perry Barrett, Suzanne Dickson, Jens Holst, Jens Rehfeld, Geoffrey van der Plasse, Roger Adan, Bård Kulseng, Elinor Ben-Menachem, Chun-Mei Zhao, Duan Chen, 2016, 2016. Obesity surgery. In the original article on page 4 the figures are referred to as (Fig. 1b-d) and (Fig. 1e) in the text. The correct reference is (Fig. 1b-e) and (Fig. 1f), respectively. In the original article on page 5 the figures are referred to as (Fig. 3c) and (Fig. 3d) in the text. The correct reference is (Fig. 3c,d) and (Fig. 3e,f), respectively. Peer reviewedPostprin