Identifying Food Insecurity and Increasing Access to Nutrition in Brandon, VT

Food insecurity is a significant problem in Vermont affecting over 10% of the population in 2016. Access to nutrition is an important social determinant of health with long term implications for our communities. In order to increase awareness of existing infrastructure to reduce food insecurity in Rutland County, a resource guide was created with information about local food pantries, community dinners, and assistance obtaining 3SquaresVT benefits.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/1394/thumbnail.jp

Mindfulness in the Workplace: Current Research

Overall Goals and Objectives: Identify recent advances in integrative medical care and discuss their application to clinical practice. Describe the latest data on complementary and alternative medical therapies that could improve patient outcomes. Discuss core integrative medicine topics that patients frequently ask physicians about. Presentation: 53 minute

Mindfulness in Medicine and Healthcare

Overall Goals and Objectives: 1. Identify recent advances in integrative medical care and discuss their application to clinical practice. 2. Describe the latest data on complementary and alternative medical therapies that could improve patient outcomes. 3. Discuss core integrative medicine topics that patients frequently ask physicians about

Generation of Arbitrary Frequency Chirps with a Fiber-Based Phase Modulator and Self-Injection-Locked Diode Laser

We present a novel technique for producing pulses of laser light whose frequency is arbitrarily chirped. The output from a diode laser is sent through a fiber-optical delay line containing a fiber-based electro-optical phase modulator. Upon emerging from the fiber, the phase-modulated pulse is used to injection-lock the laser and the process is repeated. Large phase modulations are realized by multiple passes through the loop while the high optical power is maintained by self-injection-locking after each pass. Arbitrary chirps are produced by driving the modulator with an arbitrary waveform generator

Asthma in Vermont Dairy Farmers

Introduction. Although 5.4% of the Vermont population participates in agriculture as an occupation, little data exists on the prevalence of asthma in Vermont dairy farmers, due to inadequate sample sizes. Previous studies have shown dairy farmers are at risk of respiratory illness due to unique exposures intrinsic to their occupation. We conducted a study to assess the prevalence of asthma in dairy farmers in Vermont, to understand rates among this population and potential occupational risks.Methods. We distributed a paper survey modeled after previously-validated surveys, such as the BRFSS, to farmers at Vermont Farmer Bureau meetings, farmers markets, and individual farmers through Cabot Creamery. Out of 309 distributed surveys, we received 176 completed surveys for a response rate of 57%.Results. Self-reported asthma rate in dairy farmers was 21% (22% in dairy only farmers), with 90% of these cases reported as confirmed by a doctor. Of non-dairy farmers, 11% self-reported experiencing asthma. Farming activities associated with exacerbation of asthma symptoms were milking, prepping or cleaning bedding, and haying. 31% of dairy-only farmers reported symptom exacerbations due to these occupational triggers.Conclusions. The prevalence of asthma in Vermont dairy farmers is one of the highest reported rates in any Vermont occupation. Our data suggest that certain occupational exposures may increase risk of asthma and warrant further study; certain farming practices were associated with exacerbation of respiratory symptoms in farmers diagnosed with asthma. These findings and further research can assist in development of health care and preventive health measures for farmers.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1238/thumbnail.jp

Correction of non-linearity effects in detectors for electron spectroscopy

Using photoemission intensities and a detection system employed by many groups in the electron spectroscopy community as an example, we have quantitatively characterized and corrected detector non-linearity effects over the full dynamic range of the system. Non-linearity effects are found to be important whenever measuring relative peak intensities accurately is important, even in the low-countrate regime. This includes, for example, performing quantitative analyses for surface contaminants or sample bulk stoichiometries, where the peak intensities involved can differ by one or two orders of magnitude, and thus could occupy a significant portion of the detector dynamic range. Two successful procedures for correcting non-linearity effects are presented. The first one yields directly the detector efficiency by measuring a flat-background reference intensity as a function of incident x-ray flux, while the second one determines the detector response from a least-squares analysis of broad-scan survey spectra at different incident x-ray fluxes. Although we have used one spectrometer and detection system as an example, these methodologies should be useful for many other cases.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figure

The Conserved nhaAR Operon Is Drastically Divergent between B2 and Non-B2 Escherichia coli and Is Involved in Extra-Intestinal Virulence

The Escherichia coli species is divided in phylogenetic groups that differ in their virulence and commensal distribution. Strains belonging to the B2 group are involved in extra-intestinal pathologies but also appear to be more prevalent as commensals among human occidental populations. To investigate the genetic specificities of B2 sub-group, we used 128 sequenced genomes and identified genes of the core genome that showed marked difference between B2 and non-B2 genomes. We focused on the gene and its surrounding region with the strongest divergence between B2 and non-B2, the antiporter gene nhaA. This gene is part of the nhaAR operon, which is in the core genome but flanked by mobile regions, and is involved in growth at high pH and high sodium concentrations. Consistently, we found that a panel of non-B2 strains grew faster than B2 at high pH and high sodium concentrations. However, we could not identify differences in expression of the nhaAR operon using fluorescence reporter plasmids. Furthermore, the operon deletion had no differential impact between B2 and non-B2 strains, and did not result in a fitness modification in a murine model of gut colonization. Nevertheless, sequence analysis and experiments in a murine model of septicemia revealed that recombination in nhaA among B2 strains was observed in strains with low virulence. Finally, nhaA and nhaAR operon deletions drastically decreased virulence in one B2 strain. This effect of nhaAR deletion appeared to be stronger than deletion of all pathogenicity islands. Thus, a population genetic approach allowed us to identify an operon in the core genome without strong effect in commensalism but with an important role in extra-intestinal virulence, a landmark of the B2 strains