Breaking Down Walls: Increasing Access to Four-Year Colleges for High-Achieving Community College Students

Results from this study show that upon transferring to a four-year school, community college students do more than just "get by" -- they equal or surpass their peers at their new schools. Recent analyses from the National Student Clearinghouse indicate that nationally 60 percent of community college students who manage to transfer earn their bachelor's degree within four years. The highest performing college students do even better: 97 percent of Cooke Scholars earn their bachelor's degree in three years. Since 59 percent of bachelor's degree students graduate within six years, transfer students are completing their four-year degrees actually at a higher rate than students who came straight out of high school. The recent research and the experience of the Cooke Scholars makes it simply undeniable that community college transfer students are just as competent as students who begin their studies at a four-year college, and maybe more so

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis E among Boston Area Travelers, 2009-2010

We determined the prevalence of IgG antibodies to hepatitis E virus (anti-HEV IgG) among travelers attending Boston-area travel health clinics from 2009 to 2010. Pre-travel samples were available for 1,356 travelers, with paired pre- and post-travel samples for 450 (33%). Eighty of 1,356 (6%) pre-travel samples were positive for anti-HEV IgG. Compared with participants who had never lived in nor traveled to a highly endemic country, the pre-travel prevalence odds ratio (POR) of anti-HEV IgG among participants born in or with a history of previous travel to a highly endemic country was increased (POR = 4.8, 95% CI = 2.3–10.3 and POR = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.4–5.0, respectively). Among participants with previous travel to a highly endemic country, anti-HEV IgG was associated with age > 40 years (POR = 3.7, 95% CI = 1.3–10.2) and travel history to ≥ 3 highly endemic countries (POR = 2.7, 95% CI = 1.2–5.9). Two participants may have contracted HEV infection during their 2009–2010 trip

World Rabies Day - a decade of raising awareness

World Rabies Day was set up in 2007 to raise global awareness about rabies, to provide information on how to prevent the disease in at-risk communities and support advocacy for increased efforts in rabies control. It is held annually on September 28th, with events, media outreach and other initiatives carried out by individuals, professionals, organisations and governments from the local to the international level. The Global Alliance for Rabies Control coordinates World Rabies Day, amplifying the campaign's reach through the provision of a central event platform and resources to support events across the world, the promotion of messages through key rabies stakeholders, and the implementation of specific activities to highlight particular issues. Over the last decade, more than 1,700 registered events have been held across the world and shared with others in the global rabies community. Events in canine rabies endemic countries, particularly in Africa and Asia, have increased over time. Beyond the individual events, World Rabies Day has gained the support of governments and international agencies that recognise its value in supporting existing rabies control initiatives and advocating for improvements. As the rabies landscape has changed, World Rabies Day remains a general day of awareness but has also become an integral part of national, regional and global rabies elimination strategies. The global adoption of 2030 as the goal for the elimination of rabies as a public health threat has led to even greater opportunities for World Rabies Day to make a sustainable impact on rabies, by bringing the attention of policy makers and donors to the ongoing situation and elimination efforts in rabies-endemic countries

Rewriting the History of the Native Mounted Police in Queensland

The Archaeology of the Native Mounted Police in Queensland project, jointly led by Nulungu research fellow Dr Lynley Wallis, is a long-overdue exploration into the nature of frontier invasion. Several of our team members have worked in Queensland for many decades and, in every Aboriginal community in which we’ve worked, stories are told about the ‘killing times’ or the ‘war’, as community members call the period when the Native Mounted Police (NMP, also referred to as the ‘Native Police’) were operating. Many community members have asked us over the years to record their stories about the massacres that took place, or have shown us places associated with the police camps or the massacre sites, and often told us that they would like to know more about what happened. These requests eventually led to the archaeologists on this project coming together, talking with key Aboriginal people and communities, and developing a research project to address their interests — the project described in this paper is the result.https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/nulungu_insights/1000/thumbnail.jp

Fruit and Vegetable Bucks: Adams County Grocery Store Snap Incentive Program

Veggie Bucks provides a 50% discount on all fresh fruits and vegetables sold through Kennie’s Market produce department at the point of sale for the 5 highest cost items. The incentive period ran January - April, 2017. Intended outcomes include an increase in the number of fresh fruits and vegetables purchased by SNAP recipients at Kennie’s Market locations in Biglerville and Gettysburg by 10% in January-April 2017 compared to baseline figures obtained in 2016, and to familiarize SNAP recipients with fresh fruits and vegetables and to provide information about the ACFMA markets’ Double Dollars program. SNAP recipients were invited to sign up for the program upon showing their ID and EBT card and were provided a Kennie\u27s Frequent Shopper card if they did not have one already

Travelers’ diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms among Boston-area international travelers

INTRODUCTION: Travelers' diarrhea (TD) and non-TD gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are common among international travelers. In a study of short-term travelers from Switzerland to developing countries, the most common symptom experienced was severe diarrhea (8.5%) followed by vomiting or abdominal cramps (4%).1 GI illnesses were the most frequently reported diagnoses (34%) among ill-returned travelers to GeoSentinel clinics.2 Of those returning to U.S. GeoSentinel clinics, acute diarrhea (30%) was the most common diagnosis.3 In one cohort of U.S. travelers, 46% reported diarrhea.4 GI illnesses can last from 2 days to weeks or longer,5 disrupting plans during travel or after returning home. Eighty percent of those who experienced diarrhea during travel treated themselves with medication and 6% sought medical care. METHODS: The Boston Area Travel Medicine Network (BATMN) is a research collaboration of travel clinics in the greater Boston area representing urban-, suburban-, academic-, and university-affiliated facilities. A convenience sample of travelers ≥ 18 years of age attending three BATMN clinics between 2009 and 2011 for pre-travel consultations completed pre-travel surveys, at least one survey weekly during travel, and a post-travel survey 2–4 weeks after return. Travelers were asked to complete a survey at the end of each week of their trip. Institutional review board approvals were obtained at all sites and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and participants provided written informed consent. Information collected included demographic and trip characteristics, vaccines and medications recommended/prescribed before travel, medications taken during travel, dietary practices during travel (consumption of tap water, ice in drinks, unpasteurized dairy products, and salads), symptoms experienced, and impact of illness during and after travel. Vaccinations, prescriptions, and travel health advice given during the pre-travel consultation were recorded by a clinician, and the remainder of the surveys were completed by the traveler. Data were entered into a password-protected database (CS Pro, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC). RESULTS: We enrolled 987 travelers; 628 (64%) completed all three parts (pre-, during, and post-travel) and were included in the study. Comparison of the 628 to the 359 who did not complete all three parts (noncompleters) revealed no differences, except that completion rates were higher for white travelers than all other racial/ethnic groups (P < 0.001) and for older travelers (median age 47 years versus 32 years in noncompleters, P < 0.001).11 Of those 628 travelers, 208 (33%) experienced TD, 45 (7%) experienced non-TD GI symptoms, 147 (23%) experienced non-GI symptoms, and 228 (36%) did not experience any symptoms during or after travel. Of the 208 with TD, 140 (67%) reported diarrhea as their only symptom, whereas 33 (16%) also experienced nausea/vomiting, 23 (11%) abdominal pain, and 27 (13%) fever (Table 1). Of the 45 who reported non-TD GI symptoms, 21 (47%) experienced nausea/vomiting, 19 (42%) experienced constipation, and 10 (22%) experienced abdominal pain during or after travel (Table 2). Almost all travelers (99%) received advice about food and water precautions and diarrhea management during pre-travel consultation

Indicators for Social-emotional Development in Early Childhood: A Guide for Local Stakeholders

Social-emotional development in young children encompasses how young children feel about themselves, how they behave and how they relate to people close to them, such as caregivers, teachers, and peers. Although infant and early childhood mental health are often used in the same way, the term social-emotional development illustrates the importance of prevention and early intervention. There is strong evidence linking social-emotional health in the early childhood years (birth to 6) to subsequent school success and health in preteen and teen years, and to long term health and wellbeing in adulthood. However, research also shows that effective programs that address social-emotional health early in life can promote resilience and actually prevent mental health problems later in life