Measuring current consumption of locally grown foods in Vermont: Methods for baselines and targets

Numerous studies have measured the economic impact of increased consumption of locally grown foods, and many advocates have set goals for increasing consumption of locally grown foods to a given percentage. In this paper, we first apply previously developed methods to the state of Vermont, to measure the quantity and value of food that would be consumed if the USDA Dietary Guidelines were followed. We also assess the potential of locally grown foods to meet these guidelines, finding that meeting dietary guidelines with a local, seasonal diet would bring economic benefit, in this case, US$148 million in income for Vermont farmers. A missing piece of information has been: what is the current percentage of locally grown food being consumed in a given city, state, or region? The Farm to Plate Strategic Plan, a 10- year plan for strengthening Vermont’s food system, attempted to answer this question. To date, we know of no credible set of methods to precisely measure the percentage of food consumed that is locally grown. We collect data from a variety of sources to estimate current local consumption of food. We were able to measure and account for about US$52 million in local food expenditures, equal to about 2.5% of all food expenditures in Vermont. We then discuss limitations and suggestions for improving measurement methods moving forward

Postoperative instructions—mastectomy

Keep your incision clean and dry. You may take the bandage off and shower after the first day. Protect the drain with a piece of Saran wrap

Can the collective intentions of individual professionals within healthcare teams predict the team's performance : developing methods and theory

Background: Within implementation research, using theory-based approaches to understanding the behaviours of healthcare professionals and the quality of care that they reflect and designing interventions to change them is being promoted. However, such approaches lead to a new range of methodological and theoretical challenges pre-eminent among which are how to appropriately relate predictors of individual's behaviour to measures of the behaviour of healthcare professionals .The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between the theory of planned behaviour proximal predictors of behaviour (intention and perceived behavioural control, or PBC) and practice level behaviour. This was done in the context of two clinical behaviours – statin prescription and foot examination – in the management of patients with diabetes mellitus in primary care. Scores for the predictor variables were aggregated over healthcare professionals using four methods: simple mean of all primary care team members' intention scores; highest intention score combined with PBC of the highest intender in the team; highest intention score combined with the highest PBC score in the team; the scores (on both constructs) of the team member identified as having primary responsibility for the clinical behaviour. Methods: Scores on theory-based cognitive variables were collected by postal questionnaire survey from a sample of primary care doctors and nurses from northeast England and the Netherlands. Data on two clinical behaviours were patient reported, and collected by postal questionnaire survey. Planned analyses explored the predictive value of various aggregations of intention and PBC in explaining variance in the behavioural data. Results: Across the two countries and two behaviours, responses were received from 37 to 78% of healthcare professionals in 57 to 93% practices; 51% (UK) and 69% (Netherlands) of patients surveyed responded. None of the aggregations of cognitions predicted statin prescription. The highest intention in the team (irrespective of PBC) was a significant predictor of foot examination Conclusion: These approaches to aggregating individually-administered measures may be a methodological advance of theoretical importance. Using simple means of individual-level measures to explain team-level behaviours is neither theoretically plausible nor empirically supported; the highest intention was both predictive and plausible. In studies aiming to understand the behaviours of teams of healthcare professionals in managing chronic diseases, some sort of aggregation of measures from individuals is necessary. This is not simply a methodological point, but a necessary step in advancing the theoretical and practical understanding of the processes that lead to implementation of clinical behaviours within healthcare teams

Could Wild Pigs Impact Water Quality and Aquatic Biota in Floodplain Wetland and Stream Habitats at Congaree National Park, South Carolina?

2008 S.C. Water Resources Conference - Addressing Water Challenges Facing the State and Regio

Could Wild Pigs Impact Water Quality and Aquatic Biota in Floodplain Wetland and Stream Habitats at Congaree National Park, South Carolina?

2008 S.C. Water Resources Conference - Addressing Water Challenges Facing the State and Regio

Substrate Fragmentation for the Design of M. tuberculosis CYP121 Inhibitors.

The cyclo-dipeptide substrates of the essential M. tuberculosis (Mtb) enzyme CYP121 were deconstructed into their component fragments and screened against the enzyme. A number of hits were identified, one of which exhibited an unexpected inhibitor-like binding mode. The inhibitory pharmacophore was elucidated, and fragment binding affinity was rapidly improved by synthetic elaboration guided by the structures of CYP121 substrates. The resulting inhibitors have low micromolar affinity, good predicted physicochemical properties and selectivity for CYP121 over other Mtb P450s. Spectroscopic characterisation of the inhibitors' binding mode provides insight into the effect of weak nitrogen-donor ligands on the P450 heme, an improved understanding of factors governing CYP121-ligand recognition and speculation into the biological role of the enzyme for Mtb.M.E.K. was supported by a Commonwealth (University of Cambridge) Scholarship awarded in conjunction with the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust and Cambridge Overseas Trust. A.G.C. and K.J.M. were supported by grants from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) (grant nos. BB/I019669/1 and BB/I019227/1). We acknowledge the support of the Wellcome Trust (Translation Award GR080083/Z/06).This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Wiley at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cmdc.201600248

Blacksmith Fork - Little Bear Watershed Alternative Futures Study

The following project was carried out in conjunction with the Logan River Task Force, under the chairmanship of Dr. Frank Howe. The Logan River Task Force was formed to develop an overall approach for managing the Logan River that balances ecology with people\u27s social values for the river including public safety and property protection. Although the work of the Task Force has focused primarily on the Logan river, the Bioregional Planning graduate students have provided the Task Force with contextual information about the watershed, by exploring alternative futures for the Blacksmith Fork and Little Bear watersheds. This work expands on a previous bioregional planning study of the Logan, Blacksmith Fork and Little Bear watersheds that was carried out by bioregional planning students, Aubrey Christensen and Lyndi Perry in 2014-15. This report represents work that graduate students accomplished during two semesters (Fall 2015- Spring 2016) of the Master of Bioregional Planning (MsBRP) program at Utah State University. During the Fall semester, the MsBRP students collaborated with graduate students in the Landscape Architecture program to develop scenarios that addressed future growth in a portion of the study area, southern Cache Valley. Together they prepare and participate in a Geodesign workshop with community members, experts, faculty at USU. (For an overview of the workshop see the report: South Cache Valley Project- Planning with Geodesign, 2015.) The results of the workshop informed the landscape analysis, and ultimately the alternative futures that were developed for the Blacksmith Fork and Little Bear watersheds.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/laep_bioregional/1000/thumbnail.jp

Unintended Consequences of Best Intentions: Examining Spillover Effects in Targeted Supplementary Education Interventions

This study examines spillover effects of targeted educational interventions through a field experiment in 130 rural Chinese boarding schools, comparing computer-assisted learning (CAL) and traditional workbooks. Results reveal significant negative spillovers of workbook interventions on nontarget students’ performance, particularly affecting those closely connected to targeted students. Effects intensify with increased exposure and peer interaction. The key mechanism appears motivational: Observing peers receiving supplementary workbook resources in class reduces students’ confidence in the value of their academic efforts for future careers. CAL interventions, conducted outside classrooms, show no such spillovers, highlighting the importance of considering unintended consequences in competitive, resource-limited environments

No pain, if you've got game

Review of: Inan G, Inal S. The impact of 3 different distraction techniques on the pain and anxiety levels of children during venipuncture: a clinical trial. Clin J Pain. 2019;35:140-147.No pain, if you've got game. Allowing children to engage in active distraction techniques--such as playing a video game--during venipuncture can lead to reduced pain and anxiety. PRACTICE CHANGER: Employ active distraction, such as playing a video game, rather than passive distraction (eg, watching a video) to reduce pain and anxiety during pediatric venipuncture. STRENGTH OF RECOMMENDATION: B: Based on a single, high-quality, randomized controlled trial (RCT).Benjamin J. McCollum, MD; Stephen J. Conner, MD; J. Scott Earwood, MD (Family Medicine Residency Program, Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Fort Gordon, GA)Includes bibliographical reference

Writing in Britain and Ireland, c. 400 to c. 800

No abstract available