Exeter, A Special Place

Through the Exeter, A Special Place initiative, a $3 million bond for open space protection was passed at the March, 2003 town meeting, with support from 73% of the voters. Prior to the vote, the bond received 100% approval from the Select board. The success of this initiative was due in large part to the public education and outreach campaign conducted for this project. A brochure and four newsletters were developed to increase public awareness of open space issues in Exeter. A number of media articles were written to publicize the efforts of the Special Place committee, and encourage citizens to show their support for bonding funds for open space protection. Several presentations were made, and one-on-one discussions held to educate citizen groups and key decision makers about the issues. These efforts paid dividends, with a strong public mandate for open space protection. As a result of these efforts, an open space committee has been appointed by the select board to carry out the goals of the Exeter, A Special Place initiative and fulfill the wishes of the Exeter voters to protect the town’s natural resources and the unique and special character of the tow

2006 Exeter River Alewife Festival

On June 4, 2006, the Exeter River Local Advisory Committee (ERLAC) held the 6th Annual Exeter River Alewife Festival along the banks of the Squamscott River in downtown Exeter. Three dozen organizations exhibited at the Festival and event organizers estimate approximately 300 people attended the event despite the inclement weather. The purpose of the Festival was to increase awareness of the Exeter River watershed and the role it plays in the Great Bay ecosystem, as well as its role in providing drinking water, wildlife habitat, and scenic, historic and recreational resources for residents in the ten watershed towns. Funding provided by the New Hampshire Estuaries Project enabled ERLAC to print maps of the watershed for public education as well as posters, banners, and newspaper advertisements announcing the event

Prevalence of dysphagia and cognitive impairments in adults with HIV/AIDS in the acute care setting: An epidemiological study

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are life-threatening conditions. This virus causes the suppression of the immune system, allowing opportunistic infections and diseases to attack the body. Due to these opportunistic infections, individuals with HIV/AIDS are susceptible to conditions such as dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), odynophagia (painful swallowing), and cognitive impairment (e.g., HIV dementia). The co-morbidity of these conditions is not clearly documented in the literature. Therefore, in this study, the prevalence of dysphagia (with and without cognitive impairment) in the HIV/AIDS population was determined by a review of 300 medical charts from patients admitted to a metropolitan hospital. Possible associations between the conditions and several demographic variables (e.g., age, CD4 cell count, recommended diet) were also explored. Twenty-one percent of the charts of patients with HIV/AIDS reported confirmed dysphagia and/or complaints of odynophagia. Of that 21%, only about five percent also had a documented cognitive impairment. This study supports previous prevalence estimates of dysphagia and odynophagia and reports prevalence of concurrent dysphagia and cognitive impairment, a potentially challenging complex. Lower CD4 counts were associated with the presence of dysphagia in this population. Individuals with dysphagia and cognitive impairments were more likely to be older and were more likely to be recommended a restrictive diet consistency. Implications and recommendations for future study of this population are discussed

The Relationship Between The Behaviors Of Students With An Emotional Impairment And The Beginning Of Academic Decline Or Success

The poor academic and post-secondary outcomes for students with EI have been well documented for decades. Few studies exist, however, that explore where the breakdown in academics begins. Instead of compiling data that adds to this knowledge base, this study explored the academic status of students through multiple data sources. The goal of this was to determine at which level, early elementary, late elementary, middle school, or high school, a breakdown in academics can be detected and at which level interventions should occur. It also attempted to answer the question as to whether or not special education services, specifically a BIP, do indeed achieve their goals and increase academic achievement. One hundred thirteen students eligible for special educations services under the emotionally impaired category comprised the sample to research the first two questions and eight students, also eligible under the emotionally impaired category, made up the sample for the last question. Statistical analyses for the first two questions showed statistically significant differences for grades and achievement scores between the early elementary (k-2) and high school (9-12) clusters and the late elementary (3-5) and high school (9-12) clusters. Analysis of the means for each data point shows that interventions should occur during the late elementary grade cluster. Analysis of the data points for question three showed no statistically significant differences in pre-BIP to pot-BIP implementation grades. These results indicate that the prevailing theory about the interaction between academic achievement and interfering behaviors should be revised. A new theory should include the effect academics and interfering behaviors have on one another through a mediating factor, academic interventions

Stars, Long Fingers, and Signals: A Study on Grass Species Diversity, Density, Frequency, and Veld Analysis at Ndarakwai Wildlife Ranch

This study was the first step to assessing veld quality and grass species diversity at Ndarakwai Wildlife Ranch in West Kilimanjaro, Tanzania in an effort to better inform management decisions that affect grasses and grazers. Our study was performed from April 5 to April 26, 2014. We utilized compass line quadrat method (n=600) in six sub-populations within three sample frames to achieve non-representative, random data set on richness, diversity, frequency, and density, with metadata from which we extrapolated veld indicators through secondary-source knowledge. Across all sample frames, we found 43 specimens: identified 29 to species, 7 to genus, and left 7 unidentified. Sample Frame A were sloped and non-sloped sub-populations. We found that sloped grass community had all healthy veld indicators. We recommend management leave the veld un-manipulated. Sample Frame B were Burn A, Burn B, and Non-burned sub-populations. Burned populations were statistically significantly dependent on region (p=0.0000, alpha=0.1), but were ecologically similar to their control. Burns more frequent than five year intervals would decrease high moribund plot frequency and fully reestablished communities. Sample Frame C were farmed and non-farmed sample populations. Farmed sample population exhibited the lowest density (19.48 +- s.d. 25.34 ) and most non-grass plots of all sample populations (17). We recommend an attempt at seeding the area, with efforts to help counter the effects of erosion in the region, such as rock terracing or mulching. Future studies are recommended to achieve a representative grass survey or to incorporate the effects of manipulations such as controlled burns and soil homogenization before any ecological restoration has started

Stratham (NH) Well Survey

At Town Meeting in 1996, Stratham residents authorized the establishment of a Water Commission in response to the proposal of the first commercial large volume groundwater withdrawal within the Town. The Stratham Board of Selectmen appointed members to the Commission in the spring of 2002 and charged the Commission with monitoring current water issues and forecasting the future water needs of the community. With no municipal water and sewer system, Stratham’s 7,500 residents and numerous commercial and industrial sites rely on wells to supply water. Very little data existed on these existing wells, making it difficult for the Water Commission to forecast how future demand will impact Stratham’s aquifers. With funding from this grant, the Stratham Water Commission, in partnership with the Stratham Board of Selectmen, Planning Board, and Conservation Commission, surveyed all households and businesses in Stratham to gather specific well information with the intent of determining the approximate daily water demand for the Town

Facilitating Classroom Economics Experiments with an Emerging Technology: The Case of Clickers

The authors discuss how they used the audience response system (ARS) to facilitate pit market trading in an applied microeconomics class and report the efficacy of the approach. Using the ARS to facilitate active learning by engaging students in economics experiments has pedagogical advantages over both the labor-intensive approach of pencil-and-paper and the capital-intensive route of relying on networked or on-line computer labs which oftentimes preclude or restrict face-to-face student interactions. Thus, the new method of conducting experiments represents an added advantage on top of such conventional functions as taking attendance and administering quizzes of this increasingly popular classroom technology.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Facilitating Classroom Economics Experiments with an Emerging Technology: The Case of Clickers

The audience response system (ARS) has increasingly been used to engage students by eliciting and analyzing responses to questions posed by instructors. The authors discuss how they used the system to facilitate pit market trading in a microeconomics class, report the efficacy of the approach and provide suggestions extending the use of ARS to other experiments. Using the ARS to facilitate active learning by engaging students in economics experiments has pedagogical advantages over both the labor-intensive approach of pencil-and-paper and the capital-intensive route of relying on networked or on-line computer labs which oftentimes preclude or restrict face-to-face student interactions. Thus, the new method represents an added advantage on top of such conventional functions as taking attendance and administering quizzes of this increasingly popular classroom technology.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Clean Water for Less Integrated Planning Reduces the Cost of Meeting Water Quality Goals in New Hampshire

Rising populations and increased development in New Hampshire coastal communities have led to a decline in water quality in the Great Bay Estuary. Responding effectively and affordably to new federal permit requirements for treating and discharging stormwater and wastewater will require innovative solutions from communities in the area. The Water Integration for Squamscott-Exeter (WISE) project developed an integrated planning framework through which the coastal communities of Exeter, Stratham, and Newfields could significantly reduce the cost of meeting permit requirements. In this brief, authors Alison Watts, Robert Roseen, Paul Stacey, Renee Bourdeau, and Theresa Walker report that integrated planning could save these communities over $100 million (in fifty-year lifecycle costs) by prioritizing high-impact, low-cost mitigation strategies across permit type and town boundaries. The project, which has received an Environmental Merit award from Environment Protection Agency, also found that attainment of water quality standards in the Exeter–Squamscott River will not be possible without substantial cooperation and investment from upstream communities, which are not currently subject to EPA permit requirements. Collaboration among communities in planning and implementing projects to meet clean water regulations can have significant cost and effectiveness benefits