The Forest-Field Ecotone of Dysart Woods, Belmont County, Ohio

Author Institution: Department of Botany, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701The two tracts of forest constituting Dysart Woods, a mature oak forest, are bordered by secondary-growth forests and by fields which have been removed from agricultural use at different times. The vegetation along the margins of the mature forest and along the adjacent fields was studied to determine the existing vegetation and the trend of the migration of trees into the fields. Quadrat data for herbs, shrubs, and trees show vegetational trends characteristic of oldfield succession, but which vary from field to field. The arborescent vegetation indicates that the forest should become dominated by Fagus grandifolia and Acer saccharum as it expands into the fields. Quercus alba, a dominant in the forest, appears to lose that status within the expanding margins

How Stressed are Students and What Can We Do About It? Findings from a Self-report Survey of Contract Cheating Behaviours and the Stressful Events College Students Experience

Empirical research on contract cheating in Canada has been limited (Eaton, 2022) and tends to focus on the university (Eaton, 2019; Stoesz & Los, 2019; Thacker, 2022) while there has been relatively little research on academic integrity and contract cheating in community colleges and other non-university higher education institutions (Bretag & Harper, 2020). To address this gap, in 2021, researchers collected data on student engagement in academic integrity violation behaviour and the stress they experienced as they were completing their programs at one Canadian community college. Using self-report survey methodology and utilizing students as partners in research, we found students engaged in a variety of contract cheating behaviours, and experienced a myriad of stressful events both in and outside the college context, including traumatic life events. In this presentation, we explore the link between stress and contract cheating behaviour and address how we can respond at all levels of our institutions to better support students and promote academic integrity.    &nbsp

Knowledge of Dementia: Do family members understand dementia as a terminal condition?

Current research identifies advanced dementia to be the terminal phase of this progressive and incurable condition. However, there has been relatively little investigation into how family members of people with advanced dementia understand their relative's condition. In this article, we report on semi-structured interviews with 10 family members of people with advanced dementia, in a residential aged care facility. Using a qualitative, descriptive design, we explored family members' understandings of dementia, whether they were aware that it was a terminal condition, and the ways they developed their understandings. Findings revealed that the majority of family members could not recognize the terminal nature of dementia. Relying on predominantly lay understandings, they had little access to formal information and most failed to conceptualize a connection between dementia and death. Moreover, family members engaged in limited dialogue with aged care staff about such issues, despite their relatives being in an advanced stage of the disease. Findings from our study suggest that how family members understand their relative's condition requires greater attention. The development of staff/family partnerships that promote shared communication about dementia and dying may enhance family members' understandings of the dementia trajectory and the types of decisions they may be faced with during the more advanced stages of the disease

Haematological and hepatic indices of cockerels fed treated dietary Blighia sapida seeds

Ninety-six day old Lairier cockerel chicks were used in an experiment to evaluate the after effects of detoxifying (soaking, boiling, addition of riboflavin and glycine to antagonize hypoglycins) dietary Blighia sapida (ackee apple) seed meal, BSSM. Blood chemistry, haematology, liver morphology indices which dietary BSSM influenced and reflected in the performance characteristics of the cockerels investigated in a single-factor experimental design experiment were assessed. Results showed that the residual phytotoxins of BSSM, hypoglycins A & B with their metabolite MCPA at 17.50% inclusion of the processed BSSM in diets elicited reduction in glucose, protein, albumin, globulin while elevating blood cholesterol, creatinine, urea,total and conjugated bilirubin relative to the reference diet (p <0.05).Dietary BSSM similarly increased the transaminase activities of AST/SGOT, ALT/SGPT including ACP (p < 0.05). BSSM based diets also caused significant reduction in PCV, RBC, WBC, Hb as well as MCV, MCH and MCHC similar to the results obtained on WBC differential counts of neutrophils and lymphocytes in comparison with the conventional diet (p < 0.05). Histopathological examinations on the liver samples revealed that the control diet presented livers that were normal in tissue morphology without inflammation or haemorrhage while the photomicrographs of the liver samples of cockerels fed treated dietary BSSM at 17.50% inclusion showed morphological patterns indicating severe distortion suggesting evidence of haemorrhage and inflammation with numerous blood cells occupying the available hepatic sinuses. The poor results recorded on the biochemical, haematological and morphological parameters were reflected in performance characteristics as reduced feed intake, weight gain, growth rate, feed efficiency and high mortality were obtained on diets containing BSSM compared with the orthodox diet (p < 0.05). Findings of this experiment indicated that for optimum results, processed BSSM be included in diets below the 17.50% level considered high for the birds in this study.KEYWORDS: Cockerels, BSSM, treatments, blood chemistry,haematological and performance indice

Test-retest reliability of the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ-Br) in Brazilian carers of older people

The rapid aging of the Brazilian population is seeing people living longer but with comorbidities more common in older people and higher dependence in activities of daily living. Due to these factors, support from formal and informal carers is needed more frequently. Many informal carers are family members who manage the health of the older person they are caring for, including accompanying them to medical appointments and advocating for them when they are hospitalized1,2. As such, carers of older people often have a key role in accessing, understanding and supporting the implementation of health-related recommendations for the older person they provide care for..

Can a community of practice enhance a palliative approach for people drawing close to death with dementia?

This action research study was conducted to trial a strategy intended to support a consistent, high-quality, palliative approach for people with dementia drawing close to death-the implementation of a community of practice. Professionals from community/residential care and hospitals formed this community of practice, which took on the role of an action research group. The group was supported to identify and address practice problems. Four action plans were implemented; outcomes from two are reported. When actioning the plan 'providing education and information for the staff', the staff's ratings of sessions and resources were positive but impacts upon knowledge, views, or confidence were small. When actioning 'supporting families', families providing care in non-hospital settings received information about severe dementia from suitably prepared staff, plus contact details to access support. Family feedback was primarily positive. Reference to additional practice change frameworks and inclusion of specialist palliative care professionals are recommendations for future initiatives; also focusing on targeted, achievable goals over longer timeframes

The potential of tag-based contextualization mechanisms to leverage the sale of regional products and promote the regions through products

In small and rural regions, where we can many times find top quality products, there is, many times, a greater difficulty in promoting their products. This difficulty begins in the nature of the companies that manufacture these products. These companies are typically family-owned or small-sized, not having large capacity to carry out very elaborate marketing strategies. They often depend of the tourist attractiveness of the regions themselves to leverage their sales. This paper discuss the challenges for the promotion of regional products and rural regions, review the role of smartphones and the main tag-based contextualization mechanisms and their potential for leverage the sale of rural regional products and, finally, presents a cooperationbased conceptual model, where are combined contextualization-tags and mobile devices to promote regional products, leverage sales and promote rural regions by attracting new visitants, making regional products a window-mechanism to the promotion of rural regions heritage and tourism-related services

Evidence that implementation intentions reduce drivers' use of mobile phones while driving

Implementation intentions are IF-THEN plans that have the potential to reduce mobile phone use while driving and thus contribute towards the prevention of road traffic crashes. We tested whether an intervention, designed to promote the formation of implementation intentions, could reduce drivers’ use of mobile phones. A randomized controlled design was used. The participants (N = 136) were randomised to an implementation or a control condition. Self-report questionnaires were administered to all participants at both pre- and one-month post-intervention to measure the use of mobile phones while driving, goal intentions and the theoretically derived motivational pre-cursors of goal intentions (attitudes, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control). Immediately following the pre-intervention questionnaire, the participants in the implementation intention condition (n = 67) were given a volitional help sheet, which asked them to form implementation intentions by specifying target driving situations that tempted them the most to use a mobile phone and linking them with goal-directed responses that could be used to resist the temptation. The participants in the control condition (n = 69) were asked to specify target situations that tempted them the most to use a mobile phone while driving and to generally try to avoid using a mobile phone in those situations. One-month post-intervention, the participants in the implementation intention condition reported using a mobile phone less often while driving in their specified target driving situations than did the participants in the control condition. As expected, no differences were found between the conditions in the reported frequency of mobile phone use in unspecified driving situations, goal intentions or any motivational pre-cursor of goal intentions. The implementation intention intervention that was tested in this study is a potentially effective tool for reducing mobile phone use while driving in target driving situations where behaviour-change is most needed

Developing and testing a strategy to enhance a palliative approach and care continuity for people who have dementia: Study overview and protocol

Background: Typically, dementia involves progressive cognitive and functional deterioration, leading to death. A palliative approach recognizes the inevitable health decline, focusing on quality of life. The approach is holistic, proactive, supports the client and the family, and can be provided by the client’s usual care team. In the last months of life, distressing symptoms, support needs, and care transitions may escalate. This project trialed a strategy intended to support a consistent, high quality, palliative approach for people with dementia drawing close to death. The strategy was to implement two communities of practice, drawn primarily from service provider organizations across care sectors, supporting them to address practice change. Communities comprised practitioners and other health professionals with a passionate commitment to dementia palliative care and the capacity to drive practice enhancement within partnering organizations. Project aims were to document: (i) changes driven by the communities of practice; (ii) changes in staff/practitioner characteristics during the study (knowledge of a palliative approach and dementia; confidence delivering palliative care; views on death and dying, palliative care, and a palliative approach for dementia); (iii) outcomes from perspectives of family carers, care providers, and community of practice members; (iv) the extent to which changes enhanced practice and care continuity; and (v) barriers to and facilitators of successful community of practice implementation. Methods/design: This action research project was implemented over 14 months in 2010/11 in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia and regional Launceston, Tasmania. Each state based community of practice worked with the researchers to scope existing practice and its outcomes. The research team compiled a report of existing practice recommendations and resources. Findings of these two steps informed community of practice action plans and development of additional resources. Change implementation was recorded and explored in interviews, comparisons being made with practice recommendations. Changes in staff/practitioner characteristics were evaluated using survey data. Findings from semi structured interviews and survey administration established outcomes from perspectives of family carers, care providers, and community of practice members. Consideration of processes and outcomes, across the two state based settings, informed identification of barriers and facilitators. Community of practice reflections also informed study recommendations

Pan African strategy for the progressive control of peste des petits ruminants (Pan African ppr strategy)

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a major constraint to the livelihoods and food security of small scale farmers. The epidemiology and biology of PPR virus has much in common with rinderpest virus (RP), an agent that has been globally eradicated. This document presents a strategy for the progressive control of PPR that builds upon the lessons learnt from rinderpest eradication. Progressive control relies upon a modular approach that consists of a series of self-sufficient phases each with its own set of sustainable results. Key intermediate results will be proven business models for sustainable PPR control service delivery and enhanced capacity of animal health institutions to target control services to critical control points. The program will foster an adaptive management approach that integrates learning approaches to drive animal health institutional innovation. The coordinated drive towards long term animal health goals will add value to on-going investments in infectious disease control