The Establishment of Technical Roles in Pittsburgh Theatre Production

Poster about the Establishment of Technical Roles in Pittsburgh Theatre Productio

Teaching the Teachers: Information Literacy Workshops for University Faculty

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Community Science and the Ecological Merits of Backyard Habitat Patches and Adjacent Green-Spaces for Urban Avian Species

In what ways do small-scale urban backyards contribute to local bird abundance and biodiversity? In what ways might these yards serve as an ‘extension’ of neighboring native forest areas? This project investigates the contribution that a group of backyards, certified through the Backyard Habitat Certification Program, have in the suburb of Hillsdale, Oregon, which is adjacent to the natural area of Keller Woodland. Backyard owners functioning as citizen or community scientists assisted with conducting residential bird point-counts once a week in each backyard and the natural area. Counts were done for a total of 8 weeks during nesting season to better understand how backyard habitat restoration might affect their habitat especially when in close proximity to a natural area. The goal of the project was to help better understand the beneficial effects of urban gardening using native plants and diverse vegetation structure as this relates to bird species richness, and to explore the importance of community scientist contributions. Although the sample size was small, no significant trends were found, but the involvement of community scientists indicated increased skill, depth of understanding, and increased motivation for all participating backyard habitat owners. More backyards are needed for future research and extension into lower-income neighborhoods would be very beneficial to increase awareness of urban habitat connectivity and the diversity seen in backyard environmental characteristics and yard owner backyard habitat knowledge. A larger sample size could reveal correlations and provide a greater significance in data findings for bird abundance and diversity. A logical extension of this project would be to investigate food-web effects, specifically avian prey species, and smaller green-spaces that are often present in urban neighborhoods in addition to the large green-spaces

Optimizing UAS Mission Training Needs Through Tradespace Analysis

The Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) training program requires the reallocation of multiple fully operational UAS from the operational environment to facilitate training. The UAS Project Management Office (PM UAS) is concerned that this practice lacks efficiency. This study sought to: (1) conduct a comprehensive analysis for resource optimization with respect to achieving essential training tasks across multiple UAS, (2) conduct comprehensive cost-benefit analysis to assess the value of allocating a full-time and Gray Eagle platforms to accomplish training versus part-task trainers, and (3) define and quantify measures of performance and effectiveness. To achieve these objectives, this study implemented a tradespace analysis methodology to produce a discrete-event simulation model and a resource optimization tool. The impacts of this project will result in substantial cost savings per fiscal year, allow the client to forecast the resource needs of the organization effectively, and allow for the proper allocation of these resources

Breast Angiosarcoma: Case Series and Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor

Purpose: Angiosarcoma of the breast is a rare, malignant tumor for which little is known regarding prognostic indicators and optimal therapeutic regimens. To address this issue, we performed a retrospective analysis of breast angiosarcoma cases seen at Stanford University along with immunohistochemical analysis for markers of angiogenesis. Methods: Breast angiosarcoma cases seen between 1980 and 2008 were examined. Viable tissue blocks were analyzed for expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptors. Results: A total of 16 cases were identified. Data was collected regarding epidemiology, treatment, response rates, disease-free survival, and the use of various imaging modalities. Five tissue blocks remained viable for immunohistochemical analysis. Vascular endothelial growth factor-A was positively expressed in 3 of these samples. Conclusion: Angiosarcoma of the breast is an aggressive malignancy with a propensity for both local recurrence and distant metastases. Angiogenesis inhibition may represent a novel therapeutic modality in this rare, vascular malignancy

The importance of mother’s care for improving exclusive breastfeeding practices

ABSTRAKLatar Belakang: Secara global, prevalensi ibu yang memberikan ASI (air susu ibu) secara eksklusif untuk bayinya sampai dengan usia 6 bulan masih rendah (38%). Di Indonesia, pemberian ASI sudah dipraktikkan secara luas, namun yang memberikan hingga 6 bulan hanya 15,3% dan belum meningkat, meskipun Panduan Pemberian Makan Bayi dan Anak dari WHO telah tersedia.Tujuan: Studi ini bertujuan untuk menginvestigasi pentingnya pengasuhan oleh ibu (yaitu ibu memiliki peran terbesar dan menghabiskan waktu terbanyak untuk merawat bayinya sehari-hari) untuk meningkatkan praktik ASI Eksklusif pada populasi dengan tingkat ekonomi rendah.Metode: Studi cross-sectional ini dilakukan pada 408 anak usia 6 - 24 bulan dan pengasuhnya di daerah pedesaan Indonesia. Data riwayat ASI, pengasuhan anak, dan status sosio-ekonomi diambil dengan instrumen kuesioner terstruktur oleh pewawancara yang terlatih.Hasil: Lebih dari setengah (61%) Ibu di populasi ini memberikan ASI secara eksklusif pada bayinya sampai dengan usia 6 bulan. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa bayi mempunyai kesempatan yang lebih besar untuk diberikan ASI eksklusif jika diasuh oleh ibu kandungnya (OR = 4.6., 95% CI = 1.75 - 12.2) dan berasal dari keluarga dengan penghasilan rendah (OR = 1.9 95% CI = 1.08 - 3.2), setelah mengendalikan variabel lain.Kesimpulan: Pada populasi berpenghasilan rendah dimana praktik pemberian ASI telah dilakukan, tetapi pengasuhan anak dilakukan oleh seseorang selain ibu kandung, pentingnya pemberian ASI eksklusif harus terus ditekankan. Edukasi untuk meningkatkan motivasi ibu dan anggota keluarga lainnya dalam memberikan ASI, serta membangun lingkungan kerja yang ramah menyusui adalah hal yang penting untuk dilakukan.KATA KUNCI: ASI eksklusif; pengasuh; ibu kandung; tingkat ekonomi; Indonesia Timur ABSTRACTBackground: Globally, the prevalence of women who exclusively breastfeed their infants to 6 months of age remains low (38%). In Indonesia, breastfeeding is widely practiced but the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months is only 15,3% and has not increased over time, despite WHO IYCF guidelines.Objectives: This study aims to examine the importance of mother’s care for improving exclusive breastfeeding practices in low-income populations in Indonesia.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using 408 children aged 6 - 24 months and their caregivers in rural Indonesia. five districts. Data on breastfeeding history, childcare, and socioeconomic status of families were collected using structured questionnaires by trained interviewers.Results: Over half (61%) of mothers in this population exclusively breastfed their infant at 6 months (?) Results showed that infants are more likely to receive exclusive breastfeeding if they were cared by biological mothers (OR = 4.6., 95% CI = 1.75 - 12.2) and reside in low-income households (OR = 1.9 95% CI = 1.08 - 3.2), after adjusting for confounding variables.Conclusion: In low-income populations where breastfeeding is common but the provision of child care is provided by someone besides the biological mother, the importance of exclusive breastfeeding should continue to be emphasizedKEYWORDS: exclusive breastfeeding; caregivers; biological mothers; economic level; Eastern Indonesi

The Past, Present, and Future of Research on Interviewer Effects

Interviewer-administered surveys are a primary method of collecting information from populations across the United States and the world. Various types of interviewer-administered surveys exist, including large-scale government surveys that monitor populations (e.g., the Current Population Survey), surveys used by the academic community to understand what people think and do (e.g., the General Social Survey), and surveys designed to gauge public opinion at a particular time point (e.g., the Gallup Daily Tracking Poll). Interviewers participate in these data collection efforts in a multitude of ways, including creating lists of housing units for sampling, persuading sampled units to participate, and administering survey questions (Morton-Williams 1993). In an increasing number of surveys, interviewers are also tasked with collecting blood, saliva, and other biomeasures, and asking survey respondents for consent to link survey data to administrative records (Sakshaug 2013). Interviewers are also used in mixed mode surveys to recruit and interview non respondents after less expensive modes like mail and web have failed (e.g., the American Community Survey and the Agricultural Resource Management Survey; de Leeuw 2005; Dillman, Smyth and Christian 2014; Olson et al. 2019). In completing these varied tasks, interviewers affect survey costs and coverage, nonresponse, measurement, and processing errors (Schaeffer, Dykema and Maynard 2010; West and Blom 2017)

The Large Deficit of HMXB Emission from Luminous Infrared Galaxies: the Case of the Circumnuclear Starburst Ring in NGC 7552

Luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs), the most extreme star-forming galaxies in the nearby (D$<$30 Mpc) Universe, show a notable X-ray emission deficiency (up to a factor of $\sim$10) compared with predictions from scaling relations of galaxy-wide high mass X-ray binary (HMXB) luminosity with star-formation rate. In the nearby ($\approx$20 Mpc) LIRG NGC 7552, the majority of the IR emission originates in a circumnuclear starburst ring, which has been resolved into several discrete knots of star formation. We present results from recent Chandra observations of NGC 7552, which reveal significant deficits in the 2-7 keV X-ray luminosities from two of the most powerful star-forming knots. We hypothesize that the expected luminous HMXB populations in these knots are either (1) obscured by very large column densities or (2) suppressed due to the knots having relatively high metallicity and/or very young ages ($\lesssim$ 5 Myr). We distinguish between these possibilities using data from recent NuSTAR observations, whose sensitivity above 10 keV is capable of uncovering heavily obscured HMXB populations, since emission at these energies is more immune to absorption effects. We find no evidence of a heavily obscured HMXB population in the central region of NGC 7552, suggesting suppressed HMXB formation. We further show that metallicity-dependent scaling relations cannot fully account for the observed deficit from the most powerful star-forming knots or the central region as a whole. Thus, we suggest that recent bursts in local star formation activity likely drive the high $L_{\rm{IR}}$ within these regions on timescales $\lesssim$ 5 Myr, shorter than the timescale required for the formation of HMXBs.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ (17 pages, 3 tables, 8 figures

Community Pharmacists' Awareness of Intimate Partner Violence: An Exploratory Study

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health problem, impacting more than 12 million people in the United States each year. The only know effective health care intervention is routine screening for IPV exposure; however, this intervention has been poorly adopted. Expansion of screening efforts to the community pharmacy setting provides an opportunity to have a substantial impact on the health and well-being of pharmacy patients. However, little is known about pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to IPV. Objective: The objective of this study was to conduct an exploratory investigation of community pharmacists' current level of knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and intentions related to IPV and to IPV screening. Methods: A cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire was conducted. Surveys were distributed via email. Descriptive analyses of survey responses were conducted. Results: A total of 144 community pharmacists completed the survey. Results indicated most (67.4%) had no IPV education/training. Participants were significantly more willing to conduct screening with targeted patients compared to all patients. (X2=129.62; df=36; p&lt;0.0001). There was strong agreement with interest in and willingness to participate in continuing education. Conclusions: Most respondents indicated relatively low levels of IPV knowledge and training and very little current IPV screening activity. Continuing education on IPV should be considered for pharmacists to increase knowledge and awareness of IPV. &nbsp; Type: Original Researc

Community Pharmacists' Awareness of Intimate Partner Violence: An Exploratory Study

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health problem, impacting more than 12 million people in the United States each year. The only know effective health care intervention is routine screening for IPV exposure; however, this intervention has been poorly adopted. Expansion of screening efforts to the community pharmacy setting provides an opportunity to have a substantial impact on the health and well-being of pharmacy patients. However, little is known about pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to IPV. Objective: The objective of this study was to conduct an exploratory investigation of community pharmacists' current level of knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and intentions related to IPV and to IPV screening. Methods: A cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire was conducted. Surveys were distributed via email. Descriptive analyses of survey responses were conducted. Results: A total of 144 community pharmacists completed the survey. Results indicated most (67.4%) had no IPV education/training. Participants were significantly more willing to conduct screening with targeted patients compared to all patients. (X2=129.62; df=36; p&lt;0.0001). There was strong agreement with interest in and willingness to participate in continuing education. Conclusions: Most respondents indicated relatively low levels of IPV knowledge and training and very little current IPV screening activity. Continuing education on IPV should be considered for pharmacists to increase knowledge and awareness of IPV. &nbsp; Type: Original Researc