Mentorship Matters

The researchers have identified the creation of a successful farming cooperative as a goal for the Pembroke Farming Family Association (PFFA), and have examined the literature to determine the components of such cooperatives. A literature review revealed that increased education in many areas is strongly correlated with successful farming cooperatives. The researchers determined that education through mentorship is an evidence based practice which could be implemented as an intervention. Then, the researchers located the measurement instrument of seasonal pre-test and post-test surveys, which would require additional questions related to specifics of farming in Pembroke. Finally, the researchers found that dependent t-tests could be used to analyze the data gathered through the measurement instruments. After evaluating the study for validity and reliability, the researchers believe that the proposal will effectively examine the possibility of the implementation of mentorship programs to assist the creation of a successful farming cooperative in Pembroke. During this session, participants will Learn of the varied needs in the Pembroke Township Understand literature results which identify barriers to community development in rural, impoverished communities Discover opportunities for community development in the Pembroke community Explore the proposed mentorship structure to decrease barriers to employment and increase life skills developmen

Mentorship Matters

The researchers have identified the creation of a successful farming cooperative as a goal for the Pembroke Farming Family Association (PFFA), and have examined the literature to determine the components of such cooperatives. A literature review revealed that increased education in many areas is strongly correlated with successful farming cooperatives. The researchers determined that education through mentorship is an evidence based practice which could be implemented as an intervention. Then, the researchers located the measurement instrument of seasonal pre-test and post-test surveys, which would require additional questions related to specifics of farming in Pembroke. Finally, the researchers found that dependent t-tests could be used to analyze the data gathered through the measurement instruments. After evaluating the study for validity and reliability, the researchers believe that the proposal will effectively examine the possibility of the implementation of mentorship programs to assist the creation of a successful farming cooperative in Pembroke. During this session, participants will Learn of the varied needs in the Pembroke Township Understand literature results which identify barriers to community development in rural, impoverished communities Discover opportunities for community development in the Pembroke community Explore the proposed mentorship structure to decrease barriers to employment and increase life skills developmen

Rigid, Complete Annuloplasty Rings Increase Anterior Mitral Leaflet Strains in the Normal Beating Ovine Heart

Background-Annuloplasty ring or band implantation during surgical mitral valve repair perturbs mitral annular dimensions, dynamics, and shape, which have been associated with changes in anterior mitral leaflet (AML) strain patterns and suboptimal long-term repair durability. We hypothesized that rigid rings with nonphysiological three-dimensional shapes, but not saddle-shaped rigid rings or flexible bands, increase AML strains

Separating the influences of prereading skills on early word and nonword reading

The essential first step for a beginning reader is to learn to match printed forms to phonological representations. For a new word, this is an effortful process where each grapheme must be translated individually (serial decoding). The role of phonological awareness in developing a decoding strategy is well known. We examined whether beginning readers recruit different skills depending on the nature of the words being read (familiar words vs. nonwords). Print knowledge, phoneme and rhyme awareness, rapid automatized naming (RAN), phonological short-term memory (STM), nonverbal reasoning, vocabulary, auditory skills, and visual attention were measured in 392 prereaders 4 and 5 years of age. Word and nonword reading were measured 9 months later. We used structural equation modeling to examine the skills–reading relationship and modeled correlations between our two reading outcomes and among all prereading skills. We found that a broad range of skills were associated with reading outcomes: early print knowledge, phonological STM, phoneme awareness and RAN. Whereas all of these skills were directly predictive of nonword reading, early print knowledge was the only direct predictor of word reading. Our findings suggest that beginning readers draw most heavily on their existing print knowledge to read familiar words

Effects of volcanic and hydrologic processes on forest vegetation: Chaitén Volcano, Chile

The 2008-2009 eruption of Chaitén Volcano (Chile) involved a variety of volcanic and associated hydrologic processes that damaged nearby forests. These processes included coarse (gravel) and fine (silt to sand) tephra fall, a laterally directed blast, fluvial deposition of remobilized tephra, a variety of low-temperature mass-movement processes, and a pyroclastic flow. Each of these geophysical processes constitutes a type of ecosystem disturbance which involves a distinctive suite of disturbance mechanisms, namely burial by tephra and sediment, heating, abrasion, impact force, and canopy loading (accumulation of tephra in tree crowns). Each process affected specific areas, and created patches and disturbance gradients in the forest landscape. Coarse tephra (‘gravel rain’, >5 cm depth) abraded foliage from tree canopies over an area of approximately 50 km2 north-northeast of the vent. Fine tephra (>10 cm depth) accumulated in tree crowns and led to breakage of branches in old forest and bowing of flexible, young trees over an area of about 480 km2. A directed blast down the north flank of the volcano damaged forest over an area of 4 km2. This blast zone included an area of tree removal near the crater rim, toppled forest farther down the slope, and standing, scorched forest around the blast perimeter. Fluvial deposition of >100 cm of remobilized tephra, beginning about 10 days after initiation of the eruption, buried floodplain forest in distinct, elongate streamside patches covering 5 km2 of the lower 19 km of the Rayas River and several km2 of the lower Chaitén River. Across this array of disturbance processes the fate of affected trees varied from complete mortality in the tree removal and pyroclastic flow areas, to no mortality in areas of thin tephra fall deposits. Tree damage included defoliation, loss of branches, snapping of tree trunks, abrasion of bark and ephiphytes, and uprooting. Damaged trees sprouted from epicormic buds located in trunks and branches, but sprouting varied over time among disturbance mechanisms and species. Although some effects of the Chaitén eruption are very similar to those from the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens (USA), interactions between biota and geophysical processes at Chaitén produced some unique effects. Examination of vegetation response helps interpret geophysical processes, and disturbance mechanisms influence early stages of biotic response to an eruption

Interactive visual analysis promotes exploration of long-term ecological data

Long-term ecological data are crucial in helping ecologists understand ecosystem function and environmental change. Nevertheless, these kinds of data sets are difficult to analyze because they are usually large, multivariate, and spatiotemporal. Although existing analysis tools such as statistical methods and spreadsheet software permit rigorous tests of pre-conceived hypotheses and static charts for simple data exploration, they have limited capacity to provide an overview of the data and to enable ecologists to explore data iteratively, and interactively, before committing to statistical analysis. These issues hinder how ecologists gain knowledge and generate hypotheses from long-term data. We present Ecological Distributions and Trends Explorer (EcoDATE), a web-based, visual-analysis tool that facilitates exploratory analysis of long-term ecological data (i.e., generating hypotheses as opposed to confirming hypotheses). The tool, which is publicly available online, was created and refined through a user-centered design process in which our team of ecologists and visualization researchers collaborated closely. The results of our collaboration were (1) a set of visual representation and interaction techniques well suited to communicating distribution patterns and temporal trends in ecological data sets, and (2) an understanding of processes ecologists use to explore data and generate and test hypotheses. We present three case studies to demonstrate the utility of EcoDATE and the exploratory analysis processes using long-term data on cone production, stream chemistry, and forest structure collected as part of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest (HJA), Long Term Ecological Research (LTER), and US Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station programs. We also present results from a survey of 15 participants of a working group at the 2012 LTER All Scientists Meeting that showed that users appreciated the tool for its ease of use, holistic access to large data sets, and interactivity

Self-monitoring of blood glucose in type 2 diabetes: Patients' perceptions of 'high' readings

Among 207 non-insulin using patients with type 2 diabetes in Tayside, Scotland, who self-monitored blood glucsoe, we present evidence that many are tolerant of higher blood glucsoe levels that are clinically advisable; this may explain the lack of empirical evidence for the clinical benefits of self-monitoring in this group

Self-monitoring among non-insulin treated patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: Patients' behavioural responses to readings and associations with glycaemic control

Aim: To investigate self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) behaviour among non-insulin treated patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and to evaluate associations with glycaemic control. Methods: Eligible patients in 23 GP practices in Tayside, Scotland, were identified (18-75 years, no insulin treatment, SMBG reagent strips dispensed in 2009). Consenting patients were administered questionnaires addressing SMBG behavior: these primary data were record-linked to clinical data (including HbA1c) from a validated population-based diabetes clinical information system, then anonymised. Results: Among 629 eligible patients, 207 were interviewed and analysed. Mean SMBG reagent strips dispensed in 12 months was 268. Eighty (38.8%) patients took no action in response to perceived high test results, or simply checked later. Most (61.3%) did not know what action to take. 126 (61.2%) patients took action, including dietary (n=101), physical activity (n=12) or medication (n=10) changes, or making a HCP appointment (n=12). High score on a Diabetes Knowledge Test was a statistically significant predictor of taking action (odds ratio: 2.07). However, neither taking action nor increased SMBG frequency were associated with improved glycaemic control. Conclusions: Responding to SMBG test results and increased testing frequency were not associated with improved glycaemic control in the short-term. There is a lack of knowledge surrounding SMBG in non-insulin treated patients