Sustainable clothing: challenges, barriers and interventions for encouraging more sustainable consumer behaviour

Research with consumers has revealed limited awareness of the sustainability impact of clothing (Goworek et al., 2012). Semi-structured interviews conducted with a range of experts in sustainable clothing to increase understanding of the challenges for sustainable clothing revealed that a focus on sustainability alone will not drive the necessary changes in consumers’ clothing purchase, care and disposal behaviour for three reasons: (i) clothing sustainability is too complex; (ii) consumers are too diverse in their ethical concerns; and (iii) clothing is not an altruistic purchase. The findings identify the challenges that need to be addressed and the associated barriers for sustainable clothing. Interventions targeting consumers, suppliers, buyers and retailers are proposed that encourage more sustainable clothing production, purchase, care and disposal behaviour. These interventions range from normalising the design of sustainable clothing and increasing the ease of purchase, to shifting clothes washing norms and increasing upcycling, recycling and repair

Atlas of Maine: Seabird Habitat in the Acadia Region

This map shows the distribution of critical habitat for inland wading birds and water fowl, and for the endangered roseate tern. It also highlights islands around Acadia which sea birds rely on for nesting habitat. Mapping these sites is critical to creating conservation plans for bird species in the Acadia region. This map was projected using the NAD 1983 datum and the UTM zone 19 N coordinate system. Data was sourced from the Maine Office of GIS (www.maine.gov/megis)

Distribution of Farmers\u27 Markets Accepting SNAP in Maine

Maine’s SNAP farmers’ market program allows low-income families to use their EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) cards to pay for fresh produce at select farmers’ markets, often at a discounted rate. However, currently only about 30% of farmers’ markets in Maine accommodate SNAP. It is unclear whether these SNAP farmers’ markets are distributed in the areas that need them most. In this study I examine the distribution of farmers’ markets that currently accept SNAP/EBT cards and compare them to a). the number of individuals in the town which received food supplements in 2015. b). the town’s population as of 2010 and c). the percentage of the town’s population which receives food supplements. Based on this analysis I hope to identify some factors which influence the distribution of SNAP farmers’ markets, and identify areas that would benefit most from the SNAP program

Turn of the Century Irish Catholics in St. Malachi\u27s Parish

Kathleen Sull discusses St. Malachi’s Parish, which served as “the spiritual, social, and educational center” for Irish immigrants and their families in Cleveland’s “Angle” neighborhood from 1880 to 1920. Abstract; originally published in Western Reserve Studies Symposium (9th:1994 : Cleveland, Ohio

Assessment of Artifacts and Reproducibility across Spectral- and Time-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Devices

Purpose To report the frequency of optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan artifacts and to compare macular thickness measurements, interscan reproducibility, and interdevice agreeability across 3 spectral-domain (SD) OCT (also known as Fourier domain; Cirrus HD-OCT, RTVue-100, and Topcon 3D-OCT 1000) devices and 1 time-domain (TD) OCT (Stratus OCT) device. Design Prospective, noncomparative, noninterventional case series. Participants Fifty-two patients seen at the New England Eye Center, Tufts Medical Center Retina Service, between February and August 2008. Methods Two scans were performed for each of the SD OCT protocols: Cirrus macular cube 512×128 (software version 3.0; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc., Dublin, CA), RTVue (E)MM5 and MM6 (software version 3.5; Optovue, Inc., Fremont, CA), Topcon 3D Macular and Radial (software version 2.12; Topcon, Inc., Paramus, NJ), in addition to 1 TD OCT scan via Stratus macular thickness protocol (software version 4.0; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.). Scans were inspected for 6 types of OCT scan artifacts and were analyzed. Interscan reproducibility and interdevice agreeability were assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and Bland-Altman plots, respectively. Main Outcome Measures Optical coherence tomography image artifacts, macular thickness, reproducibility, and agreeability. Results Time-domain OCT scans contained a significantly higher percentage of clinically significant improper central foveal thickness (IFT) after manual correction (11-μm change or more) compared with SD OCT scans. Cirrus HD-OCT had a significantly lower percentage of clinically significant IFT (11.1%) compared with the other SD OCT devices (Topcon 3D, 20.4%; Topcon Radial, 29.6%; RTVue (E)MM5, 42.6%; RTVue MM6, 24.1%; P = 0.001). All 3 SD OCT devices had central foveal subfield thicknesses that were significantly more than that of TD OCT after manual correction (P<0.0001). All 3 SD OCT devices demonstrated a high degree of reproducibility in the central foveal region (ICCs, 0.92–0.97). Bland-Altman plots showed low agreeability between TD and SD OCT scans. Conclusions Out of all OCT devices analyzed, cirrus HD-OCT scans exhibited the lowest occurrence of any artifacts (68.5%), IFT (40.7%), and clinically significant IFT (11.1%), whereas Stratus OCT scans exhibited the highest occurrence of clinically significant IFT. Further work on improving segmentation algorithm to decrease artifacts is warranted.Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc. (United States) (Challenge Grant)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01-EY11289-23)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01-EY13178-07)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant P30-EY008098)United States. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (Grant FA9550-07-1-0101)United States. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (Grant FA9550-07-1-0014

Confidentiality, anonymity and amnesty for midwives in distress seeking online support – Ethical?

BACKGROUND: Midwife health is intrinsically linked to the quality of safe patient care. To ensure safe patient care, there is a need to deliver emotional support to midwives. One option that midwives may turn to may be a confidential online intervention, instead of localised, face-to-face support. RESEARCH DESIGN: Following the Realist And MEta-narrative Evidence Syntheses: Evolving Standards publication standards, this realist synthesis approach explores the ethical considerations in permitting confidentiality, anonymity and amnesty in online interventions to support midwives in work-related psychological distress. An iterative search methodology was used to select nine papers for review. To assimilate information, papers were examined for ideas relating to ethical dimensions of online interventions to support midwives in work-related psychological distress. This review takes a narrative approach. FINDINGS: Online interventions can support the development of insight, help seeking and open discussion. Additionally, Internet support groups can become morally persuasive in nature. Anonymity and confidentiality are both effective and therapeutic features of online interventions when used in collaboration with effective online moderation. Yet, ethical dilemmas remain where users cannot be identified. DISCUSSION: Confidentiality and anonymity remain key components of successful online interventions. However, sanctioning the corollary component of amnesty may provoke moral discomfort for those seeking immediate accountability. For others, amnesty is seen as essential for open disclosure and help seeking. Ultimately, the needs of midwives must be balanced with the requirement to protect the public and the professional reputation of midwifery. CONCLUSION: In supporting midwives online, the principles of anonymity, confidentiality and amnesty may evoke some resistance on ethical grounds. However, without offering identity protection, it may not be possible to create effective online support services for midwives. The authors of this article argue that the principles of confidentiality, anonymity and amnesty should be upheld in the pursuit of the greatest benefit for the greatest number of people