One thousand good things in Nature: aspects of nearby Nature associated with improved connection to Nature

As our interactions with nature occur increasingly within urban landscapes, there is a need to consider how ‘mundane nature’ can be valued as a route for people to connect to nature. The content of a three good things in nature intervention, written by 65 participants each day for five days is analysed. Content analysis produced themes related to sensations, temporal change, active wildlife, beauty, weather, colour, good feelings and specific aspects of nature. The themes describe the everyday good things in nature, providing direction for those seeking to frame engaging conservation messages, plan urban spaces and connect people with nearby nature

Alveolar Recruitment Maneuvers and Noninvasive Positive Pressure Ventilation in Obese Patients: A Quality Improvement Project

Obesity is considered a complex, and often difficult to manage the diseasethat develops due to many factors. Over one-third of the U.S. population is considered to be obese with Mississippi ranked as second highest in adult obesity (WHO, 2016). With the increasedprevalence of obese patients, it is inevitable that these patients will be presenting for surgical procedures. Obesity and its comorbidities can prove to be challenging for anesthesia providers. These patients often will have compromised respiratory function due to an accumulation of adipose tissue on the abdominal, thoracic, and diaphragmatic structures(Nagelhout, 2014). General anesthesia causes atelectasis and reductions in lung volume in the obese surgical patient(Futier et al., 2011). To combat the physiological challenges this patient population presents with, anesthesia providers must stay up to date with current evidence-based practice to prevent negative outcomes. Current evidence-based practice and literature supportthe utilization of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV), alveolar recruitment maneuvers (ARM), and positive end-expiratorypressure (PEEP) to improve obese surgical patient outcomes (Forgiarini, Rezende, & Forgiarini, 2013). A quality improvement project was implemented which included the comparison between using NIPPV, ARM, and PEEP on induction of general anesthesia and traditional pre-oxygenation techniques. Over the course of a four-week time period, 14 participants meeting the inclusion criteria were included in this intervention. Seven participants, group one received the intervention and seven, group two did not. Group one showed an improvement in postoperative room air saturation over the preoperative room air saturation. Group twoshowed no improvement in postoperative room air saturation versus the recorded preoperative room air saturation. The usage of NIPPV, ARM, and PEEP resulted in improved post-operative room air saturated oxygen level (SpO2) on arrival to the post-anesthesia care unit as compared to the preoperative room air saturation

Batch to Single Piece Flow

Assess the current T1 Snap product line and propose a move from batch production to single piece flow

Nature Connections 2016 conference report: Implications for research and practice

Natural England, The Wildlife Trusts, The National Trust, Historic England, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

Reconstructing Soft Tissues of Plio-Pleistocene Hominids using Comparative Anatomy of Modern Humans & Great Apes

The aim of facial approximation is to recreate the appearance of an individual from their dry skull. This technique has often been used following the discovery of a new species of ancient hominid, such as those belonging to the Australopithecus or Paranthropus genera. Facial approximations provide a 3D model for these species and provides another means for scientists to understand the morphological differences between and variations among archaic hominids and modern humans. These models, which are often produced three-dimensionally, also help to guide public attention towards biological anthropology and to disseminate scientific facts about human evolution. Unfortunately, sufficient attention has not been paid to the inconsistencies in the depictions presented nor how facial approximation techniques may be affecting the legitimacy of the knowledge disseminated through their use. The primary aim of this thesis was to develop more reliable methods for approximating the facial soft tissues of Plio-Pleistocene hominids. This was accomplished by identifying bone and soft tissue covariation patterns in the head of primates, including modern humans, and applying these relationships to Plio-Pleistocene hominid skulls. The overarching hypothesis for this thesis was that if homogeneity of covariation between soft tissues and its underlying bone can be observed among primate species, including modern humans, then these relationships can be extrapolated to Plio-Pleistocene hominids. Such relationships will improve the biological accuracy of their depictions and reduce the problem of inconsistency currently burdening the practice of ancient hominid facial approximation. In Chapter II, it will be shown how archaic hominid facial approximation, as it had been established before the restorative findings of this thesis, had become a domain of artists, who included various theoretical interpretations of human evolution into the facial approximations they produced without questioning their scientific legitimacy. Chapters III and IV showcase how artistic intuitionism no longer suffices to illustrate the facial appearance of our ancestors. In these chapters, new statistical methods that more reliably approximate the facial soft tissue thicknesses for Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), Bonobos (Pan paniscus), and by extension other Pliocene hominids, such as Australopithecus africanus, are presented. In addition, new methods for predicting nasal protrusions for all African great apes, modern humans, and by extension all ancestors leading to these clades are also presented. Finally, in chapter 5, general thoughts on some lingering complications and the future of the practice of hominid facial approximation are discussed. The original contributions to knowledge contained within this thesis could not have occurred without challenging the status quo. By hypothesising that the facial soft tissues Plio-Pleistocene hominids could be scientifically reconstructed this thesis has made new discoveries that has in-turn encouraged the field to advance into an empirical discipline from one that was predominately an intuitive artistic activity. Thus, this thesis marks the beginning of a new era of evolutionary reconstructions in the field of biological anthropology.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Adelaide Medical School, 202

Scalability and Robustness of Feed Yard Mortality Prediction Modeling to Improve Profitability

Cattle feed yards routinely track and collect data for individual calves throughout the feeding period. Using such operational data from nine U.S. feed yards for the years 2016-2019, we evaluated the scalability and economic viability of using machine learning classifier predicted mortality as a culling decision aid. The expected change in net return per head when using the classifier predictions as a culling aid as compared to the status quo culling protocol for calves having been pulled at least once for bovine respiratory disease was simulated. This simulated change in net return ranged from - $1.61 to$19.46/head. Average change in net return and standard deviation for the nine feed yards in this study was $6.31/head and$7.75/head, respectively

Transcending Institutions and Borders: 21st Century Digital Scholarship at K-State

Digital scholarship of the 21st century transcends institutions and borders with its freedom from print and physical locations. This case study reviews aspects of establishing a sustainable digital scholarship center, supporting open access through the institutional repository (K-State Research Exchange - K-REx) and an open access publishing platform (New Prairie Press – NPP) along with other outreach efforts. The Center for the Advancement of Digital Scholarship (CADS) at K-State Libraries serves our campus community, but digital scholarship extends K-State\u27s impact far beyond Manhattan, Kansas. Highlighting the scholarship at our campus is only one small piece of the landscape. Collaboration on campus with both faculty and students includes working with authors, editors, and site administrators; but our roles in educating, publishing, supporting, and managing open access, including data management, publishing funds and textbook initiatives, have broader implications. This paper illustrates strategies that support all types of digital scholarship and contends that single direct connections to K-State can translate into partnerships which have regional, national, and international reach

Emerald Ash Borer Modeling Methods for Future Forest Projections

Natural Resource Ecology & Mgm