Facilitating Community Participation with Palestine Refugees: An Exploratory Study of UNRWA

Community participation plays an important role in reversing the traditional power dynamic between service providers and beneficiaries. However, the level of community participation facilitated by organizations in their initiatives often varies greatly. This study sought to understand how and to what extent the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) West Bank Field Office can best facilitate community participation with Palestine refugees through its initiatives. Data collection took place at two levels: the strategic and camp level. The strategic level included interviews with a representative from the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s Department of Refugee Affairs (DORA) as well as nine staff at the UNRWA West Bank Field Office. At the camp level, eight interviews were conducted with UNRWA Camp Service Officers and staff from community-based organizations in Shufat and Aida camps; 60 surveys were also distributed to camp residents of Aida and Shufat camps. Interviews and surveys focused on the Healthy Camp Initiative (HCI), a participatory project in Aida and Shufat camps from 2015 to 2017, as well as community participation facilitated by UNRWA more broadly. Findings revealed that while the level of participation achieved under the HCI was higher than UNRWA generally facilitates, the participation of vulnerable groups such as women and persons with disability was limited, community representatives were not involved in all stages of the project cycle, and some decisions were ultimately still made by UNRWA. In order for UNRWA to mitigate these challenges and achieve a higher level of participation in future initiatives, a number of practical recommendations are included such as developing a clear UNRWA definition of community participation, creating criteria to promote the genuine inclusion of vulnerable groups in participatory committees in camps, and providing capacity building and training for staff and community representatives on participation. Key words: refugees, community participation, participatory development, conflict transformation, UNRWA, displacement, empowerment, Palestin

Impact of Nursing Certification on Patient Perception, Satisfaction, and Outcomes

Increased responsibilities for patient care within the nursing profession leads one to examine the correlation between nursing care and patient satisfaction. Current evidence indicates that higher levels of nursing education are associated with better patient outcomes. The literature further demonstrates that increased expertise and certification within a nursing specialty leads to increased nursing empowerment, improved intrinsic value and better collaborative relationships. However, the relationship between certification status and patient satisfaction remain unclear. This systematic review sought to understand the relationship between nursing certification and patient satisfaction. Guided by Rogers\u27 diffusion of innovation theory this project examined the peer-reviewed literature using the databases PubMed, CINAHL and Cochrane Reviews. Keywords used were patient satisfaction, nursing certification and patient perception of certification. The Cochrane methodology and Melnyk\u27s levels of evidence were used to analyze the articles identified. Articles published prior to 2002 were excluded from the review as were those not in English; 17 articles were included in the review. Ten articles met Melnyk\u27s criteria for Evidence Levels V-VII, 6 met the criteria for Levels III-IV, 1 was Level II. The analysis of evidence supported a positive relationship between nurse certification, patient satisfaction and patient outcomes. This project is important for nurses who are considering certification and those who seek to improve patient satisfaction. The information discovered is hoped to impact social change by providing a better understanding of the relationship between certification and improved patient satisfaction

Effect of Various Sports and Overall Stress on the Presence of the Dermatological Condition Acne Mechanica

Acne mechanica is a form of acne due to irritation to the skin being pressured, occluded, rubbed, squeezed, stretched, or heated. Mental stress might also contribute to the formation of acne mechanica. PURPOSE: Observe the effect of different sports, gear, and overall stress on the formation of the dermatological condition acne mechanica. METHODS: Fifty-nine Southwestern University student athletes participated in submitting pictures of their face and back for acne quantification over the course of 10 weeks during their athletic season. Stress was determined by their rated level of stress for that given week. Data was analyzed using two separate two-way factorial ANOVAs, an independent samples T-test, and Cohen’s d to determine effect size. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between stress level and average facial acne. No differences were found between acne from those with loose or tight clothing due to stress. There was no significant interaction between sport and stress level. DISCUSSION: Collegiate student athletes under higher stress had more facial acne, however in this study, acne levels in those with tight or loose gear were similar

A Few Simple “Tweeks” = Successful Students in My Class: Creating A Successful Learning Environment for All Learners in the Classroom

A regular education classroom is filled with many students of varying talents and abilities. By implementing simple ‘tweeks’ in teaching, routines, and procedures, teachers can make a tremendous difference in the success rate for a child on the autism spectrum as well as the other students in the classroom. The presenters will provide straight forward strategies that each attendee will be able to implement upon leaving the session. These are proven strategies that the presenters currently use and will be sharing. Although the focus of the presentation will be on the inclusion of students on the autism spectrum within the regular education environment, strategies presented are also useful for other students who may be struggling with academics and/or behavior

Multipurpose Cargo Transfer Bag

The Logistics Reduction (LR) project within the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) program is tasked with reducing logistical mass and repurposing logistical items. Multipurpose Cargo Transfer Bags (MCTB) have been designed such that they can serve the same purpose as a Cargo Transfer Bag, the suitcase-shaped common logistics carrying bag for Shuttle and the International Space Station. After use as a cargo carrier, a regular CTB becomes trash, whereas the MCTB can be unzipped, unsnapped, and unfolded to be reused. Reuse ideas that have been investigated include partitions, crew quarters, solar radiation storm shelters, acoustic blankets, and forward osmosis water processing

Management Implications of Estimating Abundance of Quail Inhabiting Forest Environs in Mexico

Estimating abundance of forest quail in Mexico offers unique challenges to wildlife managers. Unlike quail inhabiting grassland, forest quail are often cryptic, live in inaccessible mountainous areas, and unpredictably respond to playback census techniques. During 1996–1999, we estimated abundance of singing quail (Dactylortyx thoracicus) and bearded wood quail (Dendrortyx barbatus) in northeast Mexico. Singing quail were visually counted at El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Tamaulipas, along 14 transects varying in length from 1,400 to 5,000 m. Because of the cryptic nature of bearded wood quail, visual counts proved unsuccessful in estimating abundance. Therefore, a tape recording of their chorus call was used to determine presence. Vocalizing wood quail were documented at 10 stations on a single 1,000 m transect near Coatepec, Veracruz. Because of the varied habitat types in the area total population estimates were not estimated. Only the numbers present along our transect are reported. Estimates of abundance of singing quail were obtained due to the homogenous habitat. Density estimates from Ejido Lazaro Cardenas for singing quail were 56 quail/45.4 ha (1 quail/0.8 ha). Density estimates for La Cueva were 30 quail/15.9 ha (1 quail/0.53 ha). The management of these quail species presents a substantial challenge for biologists, because of the difficulty in obtaining population estimates. The number of wood quail estimated by each responding individual to the chorus call and possible seasonal elevation shifts of singing quail should be considered when estimates of abundance are used to set harvest regulations

Dynamic predictive coding by the retina

Retinal ganglion cells convey the visual image from the eye to the brain. They generally encode local differences in space and changes in time rather than the raw image intensity. This can be seen as a strategy of predictive coding, adapted through evolution to the average image statistics of the natural environment. Yet animals encounter many environments with visual statistics different from the average scene. Here we show that when this happens, the retina adjusts its processing dynamically. The spatio-temporal receptive fields of retinal ganglion cells change after a few seconds in a new environment. The changes are adaptive, in that the new receptive field improves predictive coding under the new image statistics. We show that a network model with plastic synapses can account for the large variety of observed adaptations

Retinal Adaptation to Object Motion

Due to fixational eye movements, the image on the retina is always in motion, even when one views a stationary scene. When an object moves within the scene, the corresponding patch of retina experiences a different motion trajectory than the surrounding region. Certain retinal ganglion cells respond selectively to this condition, when the motion in the cell's receptive field center is different from that in the surround. Here we show that this response is strongest at the very onset of differential motion, followed by gradual adaptation with a time course of several seconds. Different subregions of a ganglion cell's receptive field can adapt independently. The circuitry responsible for differential motion adaptation lies in the inner retina. Several candidate mechanisms were tested, and the adaptation most likely results from synaptic depression at the synapse from bipolar to ganglion cell. Similar circuit mechanisms may act more generally to emphasize novel features of a visual stimulus

Environmental Controls and Life Support System (ECLSS) Design for a Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle (MMSEV)

Engineers at Johnson Space Center (JSC) are developing an Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) design for the Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle (MMSEV). The purpose of the MMSEV is to extend the human exploration envelope for Lunar, Near Earth Object (NEO), or Deep Space missions by using pressurized exploration vehicles. The MMSEV, formerly known as the Space Exploration Vehicle (SEV), employs ground prototype hardware for various systems and tests it in manned and unmanned configurations. Eventually, the system hardware will evolve and become part of a flight vehicle capable of supporting different design reference missions. This paper will discuss the latest MMSEV ECLSS architectures developed for a variety of design reference missions, any work contributed toward the development of the ECLSS design, lessons learned from testing prototype hardware, and the plan to advance the ECLSS toward a flight design