Documentation of Orature

Syllabus for workshop, CoLang 2016Orature is an amalgamation of two words: oral and literature. It depicts the creative impulse of the society it evolves from. This artistic expression includes proverbs, riddles, extemporized poems/songs, folktales, childlore, etc. The general observation is that attention has been given to aspects of Orature by adults almost to the exclusion of children’s artistic expression. There is no doubt that some aspects of our collective Orature has been put in print. However, much more is yet to be documented. It is also often not considered that both adults and children draw their experiences from the same setting, they employ the same language and discuss the same socio-cultural issues; they express the same hopes and aspirations. In fact adults very quickly forget that they were once children as they quite often look down on childhood tradition. On the other hand, how quickly their faces radiate with nostalgic laughter/smile as they recall some of the childhood games they played. For a holistic documentation therefore, it is necessary that the artistic creation of adults together with those of children should be collected, collated, analysed and properly documented either for revitalization or for archiving.2015 NSF/BCS 1500841: CoLang 2016: Institute on Collaborative Language Research – ALASK

Disparities in Utilization of Social Determinants of Health Referrals Among Children in Immigrant Families

Objective: Children in immigrant families (CIF) are at elevated risk of experiencing adverse social determinants of health (SDH), particularly material hardship, which contribute to disparate health outcomes. Previous studies have found that SDH screening programs integrated into pediatric practices have increased receipt of social service resources. Few studies have examined use of social services in these programs among ethnically-diverse patient populations and associations with caregiver immigrant status or limited English proficiency (LEP).Methods: Caregivers of children (<18 years) were routinely screened in a practice-based, SDH screening program offering referral, assisted navigation and follow-up support. Information on caregiver race/ethnicity, US nativity, citizenship status and self-reported English proficiency was collected. Associations with utilization of referral resources at 12 weeks were measured using Chi-square and Fisher's Exact tests.Results: Of 148 caregivers, most were mothers (83.2%) and non-White (91.9%). Over half were born outside of the U.S (59.7%) and one-third were LEP (33.6%). Approximately one-third (30.9%) successfully utilized program-provided resources at 12-week follow-up. LEP caregivers and undocumented caregivers were more likely to be lost-to-follow-up. However, LEP caregivers who remained in the program utilized resources more than English-proficient caregivers (38.4 vs. 18.4%, p = 0.031). Similarly, significantly more non-citizen caregivers utilized referrals compared to US citizens (37.4 vs. 23.1 vs. 0.0%, p = 0.043).Conclusions: Families with non-US citizen or LEP caregivers were at highest risk of being lost-to-follow-up, but if engaged, were more likely to utilize resources. These findings indicate the need for larger studies to determine how to prevent loss-to-follow-up among immigrant and LEP caregivers participating in SDH screening programs

Length of Stay in a Homeless Shelter and Mitigating Homelessness

AbstractHomelessness is a major public health issue in the United States. Every night, thousands of people have no residence to call their own. Most homeless persons turn to homeless shelters for help. Despite the homeless shelters, the problem of homelessness persists. This study examined the concept that the length of time spent at a homeless shelter is related to the homeless persons mitigating their homelessness through home placement, jobs, and healthcare access. Homelessness was examined using the socioecological model with its attendant levels of influence. On the intrapersonal level, socioeconomic status, education, old age, veteran status, and disability were factors. On the interpersonal level, the lack of family support is a major factor. The community, institutional, and policy levels feature the stigma of homelessness, incarceration, local and federal laws, and lack of low-cost housing. The data were obtained from a homeless shelter in the MidAtlantic region of the United States and there were 236 participants. The study analyzed the said data to establish if the length of stay (LOS) at the shelter was a significant predictor for gaining housing, jobs, and access to healthcare using the observational design and multiple logistic regression analysis. The result showed a 1.018 increase in gaining housing with every unit increase in LOS (95%CI = 1.006-1.031). There was no statistical significance in the association between LOS and job acquisition and healthcare access. A positive relationship between LOS and home placement as shown in this study will help stakeholders, program directors, and governments to determine the average length of time needed by shelters to mitigate homelessness through home placement effecting social change

Development of Guinea Corn Husk-Cow Hair Hybrid Fibre Reinforced Cement Composite

This research work presents the application of guinea corn husk (GCH) and cow hair (CH) fibres as reinforcement in cement composite. The influence of the hybrid fibre volume on the flexural performance of the composite has been studied experimentally. The mechanical (flexural strength) and physical (density, water absorptivity, moisture content) characteristics of the GCH-CH hybrid fibre reinforced composite were evaluated. The highest flexural strength was 22.37MPa, exhibited by the composite reinforced with 15% (12.5% GCH & 2.5% CH) hybrid fibre. The density of the GCH-CH hybrid composite ranged from 1019 to 1963 kg/m3. The water absorptivity varied from 22.59 to 38.16% and the moisture content ranged from 3.32 to 11.28%. These limits are within the range in standard therefore, the performance of the composite satisfies the requirements of BS EN 12467 standard for ceiling board

Influence of Bacillus coagulans on the Compressive Strength and Durability of Concrete

This study investigates the influence of Bacillus coagulans on the compressive strength and durability of concrete. Concrete cubes were prepared in three different ways. The first set was prepared without bacteria treatment as control. Second set was prepared by mixing concrete with B. coagulans suspension at various densities and then cured in water while the third set was prepared without the bacteria but cured in cementation reagent containing various B. coagulans suspension densities. 1.5  108 cells/ml, 12.0  108 cells/ml, and 24.0 108 cells/ml B. coagulans suspension densities of bacteria were investigated for bacteria-treated-concrete. The 100mm concrete cubes were tested for compressive strength and durability under Sulfuric acid environment. Tests were conducted between 7 and 28days at 7days interval. In general, concrete treated with bacteria were much stronger than the control at early ages up to 14days. Although they were still stronger at 28 days, the percentage increase in strength were much lower. At 28 days, the compressive strength of the untreated concrete was 32N/mm2. For concrete mixed with bacteria, the highest compressive strength was 34N/mm2obtained at 12.0 x 108 cells/ml bacteria density while 37N/mm2 was obtained at the same density for concrete cured in bacteria suspension. The durability study indicated that concrete treated with bacteria performed better than the control. For both mixing and curing with bacteria, the best result of loss of strength at 28days were obtained at bacteria density of 1.5  108 cells/ml; 12.0% and 13.7% respectively compared to 16.5% for the control. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) test shows that concrete immersed in bacteria reagent has more significant effect on the compressive strength than those prepared by mixing the bacteria with the concrete. Microbial calcite precipitation was viewed using a scan electron microscope (SEM), which established the presence of calcite precipitation inside pores with bacterial impression and a new calcite layer on the surface of the concrete formed. Keywords: Bacillus coagulans, Concrete, Compressive strength and Durability

Pozzolanic Properties of White Cowpea Husk Ash

This research attempts to empirically investigate the pozzolanic properties of White Cowpea Husk Ash (WCHA), an agricultural biomass waste, at different percentages of its use as partial replacement of cement in concrete. WCHA was obtained after the calcination of white cowpea husk for 3 hours at 5500C. X-ray Florescence (XRF) analysis performed revealed that the sample of WCHA is a Class C pozzolana, which contains 65.4% of the combination of SiO2, Al2O3, and Fe2O3. The WCHA shows increase in consistency with increase in the WCHA content. This was attributed to the high Loss of Ignition (LOI) of WCHA compared to that of the cement. In addition, the results indicated that the initial and final setting time of WCHA – Cement blended concrete increase with increase in the WCHA content. The delay in setting times of WCPA-Cement paste could be attributable to the slower pozzolanic reaction. The density of the concrete decreased as the WCHA content increases. Generally the compressive strength of the WCHA concrete increased with increase in curing age and decreases as the WCHA content increased from a strength of 28.6 to 20.0 N/mm2 giving a percentage reduction of 30.1 %. The strength reduction is also attributed to the modification of the bonding properties of the binders’ hydrates.  However, the 28 days compressive strength of concrete with up to 10 % WCHA content (26.4 N/mm2) satisfied the design characteristic strength of 25 N/mm2. Beyond this limit, the compressive strength of the concrete fell below the design strength. Hence, 10 % WCHA could be regarded as the optimum dose for grade 25 concrete

The impact of United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) step 1 cutoff scores on recruitment of underrepresented minorities in medicine: A retrospective cross-sectional study.

Background and Aims:United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) scores are the single, most objective criteria for admission into residency programs in the country. Underrepresented minorities in medicine (URiM) are found to have lower USMLE scores compared to their White counterparts. The objective of this study is to examine how USMLE step 1 cutoff scores may exclude self-reported URiM from the residency interview process across various specialties. Methods:This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of 10 541 applicants to different residency programs at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Health between May 2014 and May 2015. We identified Blacks and Hispanics as URiM. The primary outcome is the percentage of applicants with USMLE step 1 score above different ranges of cutoff score, from 205 to 235 in five-point increments, by race/ethnicity and by URiM status. Secondary outcome is percentages of URiM vs non-URiM above and below mean USMLE step 1 scores by different specialties (internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, and psychiatry). Results:The study sample included 2707 White, 722 Black, 805 Hispanic, 5006 Asian, and 562 Other Race/Ethnicity applicants. Overall, 50.2% were male, 21.3% URiM, 7.4% had limited English proficiency, 67.6% attended international medical schools, and 2.4% are Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (AOA) members. The mean (±SD) USMLE step 1 score was significantly greater among non-URiM applicants as compared to URiM applicants (223.7 ± 19.4 vs 216.1 ± 18.4, P \u3c .01, two-sample t-test). Non-URiM applicants were younger, and the percentage of male and AOA applicants was greater among non-URiM applicants as compared to URiM applicants (50.5% vs 47.7%, P = .02, Chi-Square test; 2.9% vs 1.2%, P \u3c .01, Chi-Square test, respectively). Conclusion:Using a USMLE step 1 cutoff score as an initial filter for applicant recruitment and selection could jeopardize the benefits of a diverse residency program. Practical implications are discussed

Parenting Practices and Associations with Development Delays among Young Children in Dominican Republic

BackgroundAccording to the World Health Organization, >200 million children in low- and middle-income countries experience developmental delays. However, household structure and parenting practices have been minimally explored as potential correlates of developmental delay in low- and middle-income countries, despite potential as areas for intervention.ObjectiveThe objective of the study was to examine associations of developmental delays with use of World Health Organization–recommended parenting practices among a clinic-based cohort of children aged 6-60 months attending in La Romana, Dominican Republic.MethodsThis study was conducted among 74 caregiver-child pairs attending the growth-monitoring clinic at Hospital Francisco Gonzalvo in June 2015. The Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool was adapted and performed on each child to assess socioadaptive, fine motor, gross motor, and language development. The IMCI Household Level Survey Questionnaire was used to assess parenting practices. Fisher's exact test was used to determine associations significant at 'P' FindingsAlmost two-thirds of children had a delay in at least 1 developmental domain. Most caregivers used scolding (43.2%) or spanking (44%) for child discipline. Children who were disciplined by spanking and scolding were more likely to have language delay ('P' = .007) and socioadaptive delay ('P' = .077), respectively. On regression analysis, children with younger primary caregivers had 7 times higher odds of language delay (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 7.35, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.52-35.61) and 4 times greater odds of any delay (AOR: 4.72, 95% CI: 1.01-22.22). In addition, children punished by spanking had 5 times higher odds of having language delay (AOR: 5.04, 95% CI: 1.13-22.39).ConclusionsParenting practices such as harsh punishment and lack of positive parental reinforcement were found to have strong associations with language and socioadaptive delays. Likewise, delays were also more common among children with younger caregivers

Comparison of high- versus low-intensity community health worker intervention to promote newborn and child health in Northern Nigeria

In Northern Nigeria, infant mortality rates are two to three times higher than in the southern states, and, in 2008, a partnership program to improve maternal, newborn, and child health was established to reduce infant and child mortality in three Northern Nigeria states. The program intervention zones received government-supported health services plus integrated interventions at primary health care posts and development of community-based service delivery (CBSD) with a network of community volunteers and community health workers (CHWs), who focus on educating women about danger signs for themselves and their infants and promoting appropriate responses to the observation of those danger signs, consistent with the approach of the World Health Organization Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illness strategy. Before going to scale in the rest of the state, it is important to identify the relative effectiveness of the low-intensity volunteer approach versus the more intensive CBSD approach with CHWs. We conducted stratified cluster sample household surveys at baseline (2009) and follow-up (2011) to assess changes in newborn and sick child care practices among women with births in the five prior years (baseline: n = 6,906; follow-up: n = 2,310). The follow-up respondents were grouped by level of intensity of the CHW interventions in their community, with “low” including group activities led only by a trained community volunteer and “high” including the community volunteer activities plus CBSD from a CHW providing one-on-one advice and assistance. t-tests were used to test for significant differences from baseline to follow-up, and F-statistics, which adjust for the stratified cluster design, were used to test for significant differences between the control, low-intensity, and high-intensity intervention groups at follow-up. These analyses focused on changes in newborn and sick child care practices. Anti-tetanus vaccination coverage during pregnancy increased from 69.2% at baseline to 85.7% at follow-up in the intervention areas. Breastfeeding within 24 hours increased from 42.9% to 59.0% in the intervention areas, and more newborns were checked by health workers within 48 hours (from 16.8% at baseline to 26.8% at follow-up in the intervention areas). Newborns were more likely to be checked by trained health personnel, and they received more comprehensive newborn care. Compared to the control communities, more than twice as many women in intervention communities knew to watch for specific newborn danger signs. Compared to the control and low-intensity intervention communities, more mothers in the high-intensity communities learned about the care of sick children from CHWs, with a corresponding decline those seeking advice from family or friends or traditional birth attendants. Significantly fewer mothers did nothing when their child was sick. High-intensity intervention communities experienced the most decline. Those who did nothing for children with fever or cough declined from 35% to 30%, and with diarrhea from 40% to 31%. Use of medications, both traditional and modern, increased from baseline to follow-up, with no differentiation in use by intervention area. The community-based approach to promoting improved newborn and sick child care through community volunteers and CHWs resulted in improved newborn and sick child care. The low-intensity approach with community volunteers appears to have been as effective as the higher-intensity CBSD approach with CHWs for several of the key newborn and sick child care indicators, particularly in the provision of appropriate home care for children with fever or cough