Local Seafood Availability in San Diego, California Seafood Markets

Like many developed coastal cities, San Diego, California has strong geographic and recreational ties to the adjacent ocean, but weak culinary ones. Less than 10% of the seafood consumed in the U.S., and San Diego in particular, is domestic. The popularity and abundance of farmers’ markets and other local markets in San Diego indicates an interest among producers and the public alike in cultivating local, diverse food systems, but this trend has been slower to catch on for seafood. The goal of this project was, therefore, to define and begin to understand the influences on the patterns of locally sourced, domestic seafood availability in San Diego. This study focused on seafood availability in seafood markets including researching market websites and contacting seafood counter managers to determine the general frequency (consistent, occasional, none) at which the markets sold seafood produced by San Diego fishermen or aquafarmers. Seafood market locations were mapped, and demographic and spatial information was gathered for each market’s zip code. The results of the study revealed that only 8% of San Diego’s 86 seafood markets consistently carried San Diego-sourced seafood, and 14% of markets carried it on occasion. Increased density of these local seafood markets was correlated with proximity to the coast, with almost 80% of the markets located within 2 km of the coast. Neither per capita income nor racial diversity was correlated with local seafood market density, indicating that factors contributing to coastal isolation matter more than wealth or diversity in determining where local seafood is sold. The geographic disparity in local seafood availability may be due to a variety of factors, including a small fishing fleet, prevalence of imported seafood, limited waterfront and urban infrastructure needed to support a local seafood system, and a lack of public awareness about local fisheries. Information gleaned from this study can inform further investigation into the influences on local, equitable seafood systems, as well as help consumers, producers and marketers to make informed decisions about seafood purchases and marketing efforts.

‘We report the world as it is, not as we want it to be’: Journalistic negotiation of news routines, roles and responsibilities when reporting on suicide

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-08

Physician choice making and characteristics associated with using physician-rating websites: cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade, physician-rating websites have been gaining attention in scientific literature and in the media. However, little knowledge is available about the awareness and the impact of using such sites on health care professionals. It also remains unclear what key predictors are associated with the knowledge and the use of physician-rating websites. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the current level of awareness and use of physician-rating websites in Germany and to determine their impact on physician choice making and the key predictors which are associated with the knowledge and the use of physician-rating websites. METHODS: This study was designed as a cross-sectional survey. An online panel was consulted in January 2013. A questionnaire was developed containing 28 questions; a pretest was carried out to assess the comprehension of the questionnaire. Several sociodemographic (eg, age, gender, health insurance status, Internet use) and 2 health-related independent variables (ie, health status and health care utilization) were included. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and t tests. Binary multivariate logistic regression models were performed for elaborating the characteristics of physician-rating website users. Results from the logistic regression are presented for both the observed and weighted sample. RESULTS: In total, 1505 respondents (mean age 43.73 years, SD 14.39; 857/1505, 57.25% female) completed our survey. Of all respondents, 32.09% (483/1505) heard of physician-rating websites and 25.32% (381/1505) already had used a website when searching for a physician. Furthermore, 11.03% (166/1505) had already posted a rating on a physician-rating website. Approximately 65.35% (249/381) consulted a particular physician based on the ratings shown on the websites; in contrast, 52.23% (199/381) had not consulted a particular physician because of the publicly reported ratings. Significantly higher likelihoods for being aware of the websites could be demonstrated for female participants (P<.001), those who were widowed (P=.01), covered by statutory health insurance (P=.02), and with higher health care utilization (P<.001). Health care utilization was significantly associated with all dependent variables in our multivariate logistic regression models (P<.001). Furthermore, significantly higher scores could be shown for health insurance status in the unweighted and Internet use in the weighted models. CONCLUSIONS: Neither health policy makers nor physicians should underestimate the influence of physician-rating websites. They already play an important role in providing information to help patients decide on an appropriate physician. Assuming there will be a rising level of public awareness, the influence of their use will increase well into the future. Future studies should assess the impact of physician-rating websites under experimental conditions and investigate whether physician-rating websites have the potential to reflect the quality of care offered by health care providers.

Dependent Adult Abuse A Guide for Mandatory Reporters, July 2009

“Dependent adult” abuse allegations involve people who are aged 18 or over and are incapable of adequate self care due to physical or mental conditions and require assistance from other people. Dependent adults may be elderly or may have diminished physical or mental capacities that prevent them from meeting their own needs adequately. Researchers estimate that only 1 in 14 incidents of elder abuse actually come to the attention of law enforcement or human service agencies. Elder abuse is one of the most under-recognized and under-reported social problems in the United States. It is far less likely to be reported than child abuse because of the lack of public awareness. Nationally, it is estimated that over 55% of elder abuse is due to self-neglect. Such abuse can happen anywhere … in private homes, at health care facilities and in the community at large. Iowa has an increasing proportion of people who are aged 60 or over. The number of persons 80 or over is increasing more rapidly than any other age group. Iowa’s proportion of older adults in the population exceeds that of the United States as a whole.

O empreendedorismo e a inovação como fatores de sucesso nas pequenas e médias empresas

Mestrado em Gestão e Empreendedorismo

Comparing concentration Methods: parasitrap® versus Kato-Katz for studying the prevalence of Helminths in Bengo province, Angola.

Background: Helminth intestinal parasitoses are responsible for high levels of child mortality and morbidity. Hence, the capacity to diagnose these parasitoses and consequently ensure due treatment represents a factor of great importance. Objectives: The main objective of this study involves comparing two methods of concentration, parasitrap and Kato-Katz, for the diagnosis of intestinal parasitoses in faecal samples. Methods: Sample processing made recourse to two different concentration Methods: the commercial parasitrap® method and the Kato-Katz method. Results: We correspondingly collected a total of 610 stool samples from pre-school and school age children. The results demonstrate the incidence of helminth parasites in 32.8% or 32.3% of the sample collected depending on whether the concentration method applied was either the parasitrap method or the Kato-Katz method. We detected a relatively high percentage of samples testing positive for two or more species of helminth parasites. We would highlight that in searching for larvae the Kato-Katz method does not prove as appropriate as the parasitrap method. Conclusion: Both techniques prove easily applicable even in field working conditions and returning mutually agreeing results. This study concludes in favour of the need for deworming programs and greater public awareness among the rural populations of Angola.

The Arduous Process of Climate Change Negotiations: How Science Can Facilitate the Desired Outcome

Effective interaction between climate science and policy is important for moving climate negotiations forward to reach an ambitious global climate change deal. Lack of progress in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations during recent years is a good reason for taking a closer look at the process of climate science–policy interaction to identify and eliminate existing shortcomings hindering climate policymaking. This paper examines the current state of climate science–policy interaction and suggests ways to integrate scientific input into the UNFCCC process more effectively. Suggestions relate to improvement in institutional structures, processes and procedures of the UNFCCC and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), quality of scientific input, credibility of scientific message and public awareness of climate change.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a toxicological model to study synthetic cannabinoids and its pyrolysis products

Poster presented at the 7th European Academy of Forensic Science Conference. Prague, 6-11 September 2015

Las ONG como agentes de transformación social. Del asistencialismo a la movilización

Este estudio de caso se centra en la campaña #dereitos365, desarrollada entre diciembre de 2014 y enero de 2015 en Galicia para reclamar una implicación ciudadana durante todo el año y no solo en la época navideña. Partiendo del potencial de las redes sociales e Internet y tomando este caso como referencia, el objetivo de la investigación es profundizar en el papel de las ONG como agentes de transformación social y como promotoras de un diálogo interactivo y multidireccional que implique a los nuevos ciudadanos. Los resultados muestran una campaña marcadamente institucional que busca la movilización y concienciación ciudadana para la construcción de una sociedad más justa y solidaria, generando visibilidad y cierta interactividad a través de mensajes reivindicativos, sobre todo por parte de organizaciones locales, y de un alto contenido multimedia.

Efectos de una intervención educativa en los conocimientos y prácticas de los estilos de vida saludables para la prevención del cáncer de seno en estudiantes mujeres de un colegio público de la localidad de Ciudad Bolívar en Bogotá, Colombia

Objetivo: Evaluar los efectos de una intervención educativa en la práctica del autoexamen de seno, los conocimientos y práctica de los estilos de vida saludables para la prevención del cáncer de seno en estudiantes mujeres de un colegio público de la localidad de Ciudad Bolívar en Bogotá, Colombia. Materiales y métodos: Estudio de intervención, antes y después, no controlado en un periodo de seis meses con la participación de mujeres jóvenes estudiantes entre 10 y 20 años de edad. Se contemplaron cinco momentos metodológicos ejecutados en los meses de febrero en el cual se realizó la aplicación del cuestionario auto-diligenciado; de marzo en el cual las estudiantes recibieron una sesión educativa de 90 minutos y una de 60 minutos, soportadas con material audiovisual y folletos informativos. Se realizó el seguimiento prospectivo para la toma de datos en uno, tres y seis meses post-intervención. Conclusiones: 155 estudiantes fueron encuestadas. La prevalencia de práctica del autoexamen de seno fue de 78,1% (n=121). Se evidenció un cambio significativo en el conocimiento de la técnica y la práctica del autoexamen de seno, así como aumentos significativos en los conocimientos de los principales factores de riesgo para el cáncer de mama (p<,0001). En cuanto a los estilos de vida, las estudiantes mejoraron de manera significativa la práctica regular de actividad física con más de 150 minutos semanales a los 6 meses post-intervención. Conclusión: Una intervención educativa puede mejorar los conocimientos acerca de los factores de riesgo para cáncer de mama, la práctica del autoexamen de seno y los estilos de vida en mujeres jóvenes estudiantes de una localidad de bajo nivel socio-económico en Bogotá, Colombia. Estudios experimentales de alta calidad son requeridos.

Efectos de una intervención educativa en la promoción de la actividad física, los conocimientos y comportamientos saludables para la prevención del cáncer colorrectal en jóvenes de una institución educativa secundaria en Bogotá Colombia

El cáncer colorrectal es un serio problema de salud pública a nivel mundial. Evidencias epidemiológicas han sugerido que al menos el 50% de la enfermedad puede ser prevenida mediante un estilo de vida saludable. Las intervenciones educativas surgen como una herramienta clave de movilización social para la prevención y han sido sugeridas desde las autoridades nacionales para el control del cáncer en el país.

Efectos de una intervención educativa en los conocimientos y comportamientos relacionados con la fotoprotección durante la práctica de la actividad física en los estudiantes de un colegio público de Bogotá D.C., Colombia

Introducción: La incidencia del cáncer de piel melanoma y no melanoma es un problema de salud pública a nivel mundial. El incremento en la incidencia del cáncer de piel en los últimos años se debe a múltiples factores como: cambios en los estilos de vida, el envejecimiento de la población, cambios ambientales, el desconocimiento a la exposición a la radiación ultravioleta (RUV) durante la práctica de actividad física sin elementos de fotoprotección, siendo éste último reconocido como el principal factor de riesgo. Objetivo: Evaluar los efectos de una intervención educativa en los conocimientos y comportamientos relacionados con la fotoprotección durante la práctica de la actividad física en estudiantes de un colegio público de Bogotá D.C., Colombia. Métodos: Estudio de intervención, antes y después, no controlado en 281 estudiantes de los grados noveno, décimo y once de estratos 1-3 de un colegio público de Bogotá, con seguimiento a 1, 3 y 6 meses post-intervención. Se evaluaron los conocimientos y los hábitos de fotoprotección mediante un cuestionario Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM) y el modelo Transteórico de cambio comportamental de Prochaska y Di Clemente. El estudio se realizó durante el primer semestre de 2015 con 4 sesiones educativas de 60 minutos apoyadas con material audiovisual y pedagógico, acorde a la Guía para la Comunicación Educativa en el marco el control del cáncer publicada por el Instituto Nacional de Cancerología. Resultados: Del grupo de estudiantes que participaron del estudio, el 52,3% eran hombres, el promedio de edad fue de 15,46 ± 1,2 años. El tipo de piel predominante fue la trigueña con 65,8%. La intervención educativa produjo cambios significativos en los conocimientos de foto protección, finalizado el seguimiento al sexto mes. En cuanto a la prevención los estudiantes refirieron tener conocimiento de cómo examinar su piel en el momento basal (12,5% n=35), presentándose un aumento significativo de 62,6% (n=211) al sexto mes (p<0,05). Conclusión: El estudio demostró la efectividad de la intervención educativa, evidenciando cambios significativos en los conocimientos en fotoprotección y comportamientos preventivos del cáncer de piel durante la práctica de la actividad física en estudiantes de un colegio público de Bogotá D.C., Colombia.

Efectos de una intervención educativa en la promoción de la actividad física, otros comportamientos saludables y los conocimientos para la prevención del cáncer de pulmón en jóvenes del colegio La Merced en Bogotá D.C., Colombia

Introducción: El cáncer de pulmón es el tipo de cáncer más mortal a nivel mundial, al cual se atribuyen una de cada cinco muertes anualmente. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar los efectos de una intervención educativa en la promoción de la actividad física, otros comportamientos saludables y los conocimientos para la prevención del cáncer de pulmón en jóvenes estudiantes de una institución educativa pública en Bogotá, Colombia. Métodos: Estudio experimental no controlado en 243 estudiantes de sexo femenino (Edad 14±1,5 años). La intervención educativa se desarrolló en tres momentos: una sesión educativa con una duración de 60 minutos acorde a la Guía para la Comunicación Educativa en el Marco del Control del Cáncer, en Colombia. Segundo, se enviaron tres correos electrónicos con información acerca del cáncer pulmonar; finalmente se desarrollaron actividades grupales. Para la toma de datos se utilizaron el cuestionario Cáncer Awareness Measure (CAM) y el Sistema de Vigilancia de Factores de Riesgo del Comportamiento (BRFSS). La evaluación se realizó en un período de seguimiento a 1, 3 y 6 meses post-intervención. Resultados: La intervención educativa incrementó significativamente los conocimientos de las jóvenes sobre los signos de alarma del cáncer pulmonar y los principales factores de riesgo modificables, tales como el consumo de cigarrillo, la exposición al humo del mismo y el sedentarismo, al sexto mes post-intervención. Las mejoras en el cambio comportamental no lograron significancia estadística. Conclusiones: Una intervención educativa mejora los conocimientos acerca de la detección temprana y la prevención del cáncer de pulmón, así como los comportamientos saludables en jóvenes estudiantes en Bogotá, Colombia. Se requiere de estudios controlados aleatorizados.

Child sexual abuse: Raising awareness and empathy is essential to promote new public health responses

Child sexual abuse is a major global public health concern, affecting one in eight children and causing massive costs including depression, unwanted pregnancy and HIV. The gravity of this global issue is reflected by the United Nations’ new effort to respond to sexual abuse in the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals. The fundamental policy aims are to improve prevention, identification and optimal responses to sexual abuse. However, as shown in our literature review, policymakers face difficult challenges because child sexual abuse is hidden, psychologically complex, and socially sensitive. This article contributes significant new ideas for international progress. Insights about required strategies are informed by an innovative multidisciplinary analysis of research from public health, medicine, social science, psychology, and neurology. Using an ecological model comprising individual, institutional and societal dimensions, we propose that two preconditions for progress are the enhancement of awareness of child sexual abuse, and of empathic responses towards its victims.

Public and student awareness science: recreational science as a catalyst

When discussing the traditional and new missions of higher education (1996 Report to UNESCO of the International Commission on Education for the 21st Century) Jacques Delors stated that "Excessive attraction to social sciences has broken equilibrium of available graduates for workforce, thus causing doubts of graduates and employers on the quality of knowledge provided by higher education". Likewise, when discussing the progress of science and technology, the 1998 UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education concluded that "Another challenge concerts the latest advancements of Science, the sine qua non of sustainable development"; and that “with Information Technology, the unavoidable invasion of virtual reality has increased the distance between industrial and developing countries". Recreational Science has a long tradition all over the Educational World; it aims to show the basic aspects of Science, aims to entertain, and aims to induce thinking. Until a few years ago, this field of knowledge consisted of a few books, a few kits and other classical (yet innovative) ways to popularize the knowledge of Nature and the laws governing it. In Spain, the interest for recreational science has increased in the last years. First, new recreational books are being published and found in bookstores. Second the number of Science-related museums and exhibits is increasing. And third, new television shows are produced and new short science-based, superficial sketches are found in variety programs. However, actual programs in Spanish television dealing seriously with Science are scarce. Recreational Science, especially that related to physical phenomena like light or motion, is generally found at Science Museums because special equipment is required. On the contrary, Science related mathematics, quizzes and puzzles use to gather into books, e.g. the extensive collections by Martin Gardner. However, lately Science podcasts have entered the field of science communication. Not only traditional science journals and television channels are providing audio and video podcasts, but new websites deal exclusively with science podcasts, in particular on Recreational Science. In this communication we discuss the above mentioned trends and show our experience in the last two years in participating at Science Fairs and university-sponsored events to attract students to science and technology careers. We show a combination of real examples (e.g., mathemagic), imagination, use of information technology, and use of social networks. We present as well an experience on designing a computational, interactive tool to promote chemistry among high school, prospective students using computers ("Dancing with Bionanomolecules"). Like the concepts related to Web 2.0, it has been already proposed that a new framework for communication of science is emerging, i.e., Science Communication 2.0, where people and institutions develop new innovative ways to explain science topics to diverse publics – and where Recreational Science is likely to play a leading role