Exploring School Community During the COVID-19 Emergency School Closure: A Case Study of a Los Angeles County Middle School

In the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic mandated closures of thousands of schools across the United States. Students dependent upon the support, guidance, and community of their schools became disconnected from these resources while encountering the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. This case study represents a time capsule of the school community of one Los Angeles County public middle school from March 16 to May 28, 2020. Semi-structured interviews of school staff and parents grounded the study’s analysis. Public documents and participant researcher protocol responses collaborated the participants’ narratives. Results provide a snapshot of the school community before emergency mandated COVID-19 closure, participants’ recollections of the school community during the closure, and their reflections and reactions to the closures. Data analysis utilized a conceptual framework developed to capture e-school community access and engagement. Outcomes from this study illustrate the need for additional supports for student mental health, investment in universal access to reliable internet service, and the importance of physical school outreach during times of crisis

MEDATA - A new concept in medical records management

Computer program for medical records managemen

Prevention of age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of blindness in the developed world. Although effective treatment modalities such as anti-VEGF treatment have been developed for neovascular AMD, there is still no effective treatment for geographical atrophy, and therefore the most cost-effective management of AMD is to start with prevention. This review looks at current evidence on preventive measures targeted at AMD. Modalities reviewed include (1) nutritional supplements such as the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) formula, lutein and zeaxanthin, omega-3 fatty acid, and berry extracts, (2) lifestyle modifications, including smoking and body-mass-index, and (3) filtering sunlight, i.e. sunglasses and blue-blocking intraocular lenses. In summary, the only proven effective preventive measures are stopping smoking and the AREDS formula

An improved model for estimating emissions of volatile organic compounds from forests in the eastern United States

The US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis Eastwide Database is used to describe the areal extent, species composition, and tree diameter distributions of United States forests. Horizontal canopy occupancy by genera is then estimated as a function of diameter at breast height. Growing season peak foliar masses are derived from the empirical literature for canopies of deciduous and coniferous genera. A simple canopy model is used to adjust photosynthetically active solar radiation at five vertical levels in the canopy. Leaf temperature and photosynthetically active radiation derived from ambient conditions above the forest canopy are then used to drive empirical equations to estimate genus level emission rates of BVOCs vertically through forest canopies. -Author

Controversies in the Use of MIGS

Abstract Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) has fulfilled an unmet need in the management of glaucoma. This chapter highlights some controversial issues regarding the use of MIGS in clinical practice, including (1) whether there is sufficient evidence to advocate combining MIGS with cataract surgery over cataract surgery alone, (2) the merits and drawbacks of different approaches to trabecular bypass and canal-based MIGS procedures, (3) the effect of MIGS on endothelial cell loss, (4) suprachoroidal MIGS devices and whether there is still a role for these procedures, and (5) a comparison between subconjunctival MIGS and trabeculectomy. Several questions are still left unanswered and hopefully, further research and more clinical experience with these new technologies will help improve surgical outcomes for patients