Neurohormonal responses to human-animal and human-robotic dog interaction [abstract]

Abstract only availableFaculty Mentor: Dr. Rebecca Johnson, NursingMedicine BACKGROUND: Research shows that interacting with companion animals reduces humans' blood pressure, stress, and improves mood, believed to be rooted in neurohormonal changes. The extent to which responses occur with a robotic pet interaction is unstudied. OBJECTIVES: The study tested effects of human-robotic dog interaction on human serum cortisol, comparing these effects with those from human-own dog or human-unfamiliar dog interaction. METHODS: Participants completed questionnaires and health histories prior to venipuncture. Blood pressure was monitored every 5-minutes during quiet interaction in each condition. After a 10% blood pressure drop, the interaction stopped and venipuncture was repeated. Specimens were centrifuged at 0 degrees Fahrenheit, serum and plasma aspirated and frozen at -70 degrees Fahrenheit. Neurohormones were assayed via High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The Wilcoxen Signed Rank test tested the null hypothesis of median changes in cortisol by group (live dog vs. robotic dog and own dog vs. unfamiliar dog vs. robotic dog). RESULTS: Thirty-nine females and 3 males aged 19-73 (37 pet owners, 5 non-owners) participated. Cortisol significantly decreased in all three conditions--most with the robotic dog (-246 median difference, p=0.0005) versus the own dog (-135.5, p=0.003*) or unfamiliar dog (-179.5, p=0.0074*). CONCLUSIONS: Robotic dogs may be as beneficial in reducing cortisol as interacting with one's own dog or an unfamiliar dog. Because robotic dogs require less care than live dogs, there may be situations in which they would be beneficial eg. elderly people unable to care for a live dog or severe asthmatics.Exposure to Research for Science Student

Keeping the Memories Alive: Fictionalized Narratives of Japanese Internment in North America

TesisLa presente investigación titulada “Estrategias de comercialización para mejorar la rentabilidad de la cooperativa agraria cafetalera montaña azul Ltda” – Coopacma Lonya grande – 2018”, es un trabajo científico que se fundamenta en las teorías relacionadas con las variables y el instrumento aplicado. El Objetivo General fue: Determinar que Estrategias de Comercialización mejoran la Rentabilidad de la Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Montaña Azul Ltda.” – COOPACMA, Lonya Grande – 2018, y para logarlo se realizó recolección de información investigada con anterioridad. Se utilizo el tipo de estudio descriptivo, con diseño de investigación no experimental, se tuvo como población y muestra a 10 trabajadores de la Cooperativa Montaña Azul, a los cuales se les aplico un cuestionario para conocer las estrategias comerciales utilizadas, realizando a la vez análisis a los estados financieros mediante la aplicación de ratios. Para cumplir con el objetivo de la investigación se aplicó un cuestionario a la muestra y análisis a los informes financieros que comprenden los estados financieros y el análisis de los indicadores de rentabilidad los mismos que forman parte de los resultados de la investigación, donde se llegó a determinar que en la empresa no tiene debidamente implementada una política de estrategias en comercialización y su rentabilidad está disminuyendo. Finalmente se concluye que las estrategias de comercialización si influyen en la rentabilidad, pues de una buena política de distribución, política de precios o de canales de distribución la empresa va a poder recuperarse de la disminución de la rentabilidad que está teniendo los últimos años

Practical Alternatives for Silvicultural Pollution Reduction in Light of \u3ci\u3eDecker v. NEDC\u3c/i\u3e

Decker v. Northwest Environmental Defense Center is a recently decided Supreme Court case that originated in the forests of Oregon. Frustrated by the level of pollution in Oregon rivers that was originating from logging roads, an environmental group sued the State to enforce the Clean Water Act and require Oregon to issue National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for the pollution. The Supreme Court held that the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to exclude water pollution from logging roads from NPDES permitting was entitled to deference, reversing the Ninth Circuit’s decision that such pollution required NPDES permits under the Clean Water Act and the EPA’s Silvicultural Rule. Part I will introduce the case and the issues more fully. Part II will provide the background to the case. Part III will discuss the case and its procedural history, focusing on the Ninth Circuit’s decision and the Supreme Court’s opinion. Part IV will discuss different policy models that may be useful to Oregon going forward. Part V will conclude that Oregon is still under pressure to change its policy, and that certain changes to its current regulations could reduce pollution from logging roads while still remaining cost-effective and with little administrative interference for the logging industry

Unnecessary Deaths nad Unnecessary Costs: Getting Patented Drugs to Patients Most in Need

Medical epidemics that are constrained in the developed world are wrecking havoc on developing countries, which are bearing the brunt of HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases. Because medicines used to treat these conditions are patented, they are expensive and inaccessible to poor countries. In 1994, the United Nations established a system of international patent protection through the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), and simultaneously tried to accommodate its commitment to making life-saving pharmaceuticals available to developing countries. When TRIPS failed to accomplish this goal, Article 31bis, an amendment to TRIPS, was introduced in 2003, seeking to make it easier for developing countries to acquire low-cost drugs. However, the amendment has been criticized and has largely gone unused. This Note addresses ways in which Article 31bis can be employed to deliver treatment to the neediest. In particular, this Note advocates that, whether or not the amendment is used, life-saving drugs must be provided at low-cost to developing countries

Effects of Dynamic and Static Hip Rehabilitation on Stability and Functional Screening in Dancers

Context: Anterior knee pain (AKP) is a symptom of poor biomechanics and strength deficits. Common hip rehabilitation programs perform only static, but dynamic exercises are more functional based. Objective: The purpose of the study was to determine if static or dynamic hip exercise increased knee stability and functional mobility while decreasing AKP in dancers. Design: Randomized factorial design. Setting: Controlled laboratory setting. Subjects: Twelve college-aged dancers (21.75±1.06yrs) voluntarily participated. Six of the 12 subjects perceived to have AKP. Interventions: Subjects reported to the laboratory twice (pre- and post-hip rehabilitation exercises) to measure their hip stability and functionality. An 8-week of static or dynamic hip rehabilitation exercises was randomly assigned in each subject. Measurements: Stability of the knee/hip was measured through the Y-Balance System and the BESS tests. Functional mobility was measured by the single and double leg squat analysis. A visual analogue scale was conducted to show perceived knee pain. Results: Improvements were observed from pretest to posttest for the Y-Balance System in anterior (F1,8=10.23, P=0.012), posteromedial (F1,8=5.51, P=0.047), and posterolateral (F1,8=16.33, P=0.004) directions, knee valgus/varus (F1,8 =6.14, P=0.02) for the single leg squat, and overall scores (F1.8=15.75, P=0.004) for the double leg squat. Interactions were found between pain x treatment (F1,8=6.37, P=0.036) and pain x testing (F1,8= 121.94, P\u3c0.001). Conclusions: Performing hip rehabilitation exercises seemed to improve knee and hip stability and functional mobility. It was not determined if static or dynamic exercises had a higher increase than the other. Dynamic hip exercises decreased AKP more compared to static

CURATING CURIOSITY: THE EVOLUTION OF MUSEOLOGICAL THEORY IN THE LATE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY AT THE BIBLIOTHÈQUE DE SAINTE-GENEVIÈVE

The evolution of museological theory at the Bibliotheque de Sainte-Genevieve marks a transition in the history of collecting during the early modern period. Although the contents of the collection remained largely unchanged from earlier Wunderkammern, the acquisition, display, and organization of artifacts within the cabinet had evolved tremendously by the end of the 17th century and one can begin to see the collection as a predecessor of modern museological methodologies

A One Health Approach: Addressing the Overuse of Antibiotics in Agriculture

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as one of the leading public health threats of the 21st century (Naghavi, 2022). AMR occurs due to an evolution of bacteria, making treatments of bacterial infections less effective (Naghavi, 2022). In recent years, several publications began identifying a linkage between antibiotic use in agriculture to humans. Roughly 70% of all antibiotics in the United States are being used in animal feed (Cable, 2018). More than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistance infections occur in the United States every year- which results in roughly 35,000 deaths (CDC, 2019). A comprehensive analysis estimated nearly 1.27 million deaths globally were attributed to AMR- surpassing HIV and Malaria mortality rate totals (Naghavi, 2022). Over the past decade, antimicrobial resistance has steadily increased despite the first recording of resistant bacteria in 1942 (Lowy, 2003). Reducing antibiotic use to slow the spread of resistant bacteria was recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers of Disease Control (CDC). Extensive literature exists on the healthcare costs of AMR (Dadgostar, 2019), and varying strains of resistant bacteria (Lowy, 2003) but there is not enough information on policies to regulate and control the AMR. This paper conducts a multidisciplinary approach to identify possible policies in addressing the pathways that AMR transmit to humans, through agricultural practices. This project explores the existing levels of policies and considered current policies as a tool to redefine the agricultural system over time, while also labeling factors that recognize current policies are part of the institutional problem