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The role of housing in providing a welfare asset has been widely explored. With the growth in home ownership between 1979 and 2008 and erosion of the welfare state, housing wealth has become part of the welfare mix in the UK. Here, we present analysis of housing outcomes, as measured in the UK Household Longitudinal Survey (UKHLS), among people who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual in Great Britain. This shows that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people have poorer housing outcomes than heterosexual counterparts: they are less likely to be homeowners; more likely to be private renters; and more likely to be social renters. With growing intergenerational inequalities in access to home ownership, we argue that, as openly LGB (and broader trans and queer) people being on average younger than the rest of the population, this could lead to LGB people, as a group, being excluded from asset-based welfare in the future as they age.
The word ‘keeper’ has been used for centuries in connection with managed green spaces. The Oxford English Dictionary quotes John Heywood's use of the word in 1530, referring to ‘rangers and keepers of certayne places as forests, parkes, purlewes and chasys’, and aligns the word in this context with others signifying a position of primary responsibility, analogous to the Keeper of the Privy Seal. It was a technical and managerial role associated with maintenance of a park and its stock.
With the development of public parks in the mid-19th century the term was adopted to new use. By 1855 ‘park keeper’ could be used merely to signify someone who manned the gates. During the initial period of public park development, the term was used alongside others with various nuances of seniority and responsibility. As W W Pettigrew, parks superintendent in Manchester (1914–32), put it in his 1937 book, Municipal Parks: Layout, Management and Administration:
A considerable divergence exists regarding the recognised designation of certain members of the outside staff employed in public parks in various localities in the British Isles. It is regrettable that this lack of uniformity should exist, as the adoption of a standard denomination would make it so much easier to compare similar classes of work with the remuneration paid for it in all parts of the country.
Divergence between local authorities is nothing new, but this inconsistency, viewed from the early 20th century, also reflects the development of public parks management. There were simply no management models or structures available in the early period: nothing like free public access to high-quality horticulture had ever been attempted before.
The potential difficulties were little understood. Within a month of the opening of Manchester's first three public parks in 1846, the public parks committee was hastily assembling regulations, signage and additional staff, the need for which had not been foreseen. Incredibly, ‘no one had been made responsible for the management of the parks and the necessity for such action seems to have taken the committee by surprise’.
OBJECTIVES/GOALS: To test the effect of a trusted Community Health Worker (CHW) support model to increase accessibility, feasibility and completion of COVID-19 home-testing in Native American and Latino communities. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We conducted a multi-site pragmatic randomized controlled trial among adult Native Americans and Latinos from the Flathead reservation in Montana and Yakima Valley in Washington. Participants were block randomized by site location and age to either an active or passive study arm. Participants in the active arm received assistance with online COVID-19 test kit registration and virtual swabbing support from CHWs, while the passive study arm received the standard-of-care support from the COVID-19 home testing kit vendor. Simple and multivariate logistic regression modeled the association between home-testing distribution mechanism and test completion. Multivariate models included community and sex as covariates. Descriptive feedback was collected in a post-test survey. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Overall, 63% of the 268 enrolled participants completed COVID-19 tests, and 50% completed tests yielding a valid result. Active arm participants had significantly higher odds of test completion (OR 1.66, 95% CI: [1.01, 2.75], p-value=0.04). Differences were most pronounced among adults ≥60 years, with 84% completing testing kits in the active arm, compared to 58% in the passive arm (p=0.07). Ease of use and not having to leave home were top positive aspects of the home-based test while transporting and mailing samples to lab and long/overwhelming instructions were cited as negative aspects. Most test completers (93%) were satisfied with their experience and 95% found CHW assistance useful. Sample expiration and insufficient identifiers were top causes of non-valid test results. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: While test completion rates were low in both study arms, the CHW support led to a higher COVID-19 test completion rate, particularly among older adults. Still, CHW support alone does not fully eliminate testing barriers. Socio-economic differences must be accounted for in future product development for home-based testing to improve health equity.
OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Test the effects of a community health worker supported model to deliver home-based COVID-19 testing in the Yakima Valley (Washington) and Flathead Reservation (Montana) METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: A pragmatic, randomized controlled clinical trial evaluating the effects of a community health worker supported model to deliver home-based COVID-19 testing in the Yakima Valley (Washington) and Flathead Reservation (Montana) vs. a modified direct-to-consumer. 400 participants will be enrolled, 200 from each community. Outcomes include comparing the number of completed testing kits as well as the number of testing kits with successful (detected vs not-detected) results. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The poster presents preliminary results from 191 participants, blinded to study assignment. To date, 53% of enrolled participants returned a sample for testing and 39% received a usable (detected or not-detected) result. Our populations experienced a high-rate (16%) of sample errors, required 28 replacement kits and had 20 participants randomized to the control arm receive the intervention to ensure participants received testing during the pandemic. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Home-based testing models are build for those who are proficient in verbal and written English, have high tech. literacy and continuous access to internet. For home-based testing to have similar success rates as white Americans, cultural and demographic differences and disparities will need to be accounted for in development and implementation.
In Indonesia, management practices that reduce soil fertility could be limiting cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) production. To address this, we investigated the effects of fertilizers and organic amendments comprising different combinations of NPK + urea, dolomite, and manure-based compost on soil properties and cocoa productivity. We extended an existing field experiment in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, to assess these treatments’ effects on cocoa trees from the age of 2.9 years to 7.4 years. The treatments were first applied 5 months after planting and subsequently twice a year. Soil analyses were performed before planting, after 3 years, and finally after 7 years. Productivity was assessed yearly between the age of 3.5 and 7.4 years. The highest yields were obtained from the plots receiving compost, although the yield benefits diminished over time. Inorganic fertilizer alone doubled the yield compared to the control, while the yields with compost and compost + fertilizer were three times that of the control. With dolomite alone, the yield cumulated over 4 years was 41% higher than the control. The positive effect of compost on cocoa yields can potentially be attributed to (1) physical changes increasing soil water availability, (2) the chemical improvement of nutrient availability, and (3) biologically, by promoting the activity of beneficial organisms. The application of dolomite increased soil pH, Ca, and Mg contents. Soil organic carbon greatly declined in the composted treatments, even though 10 kg of compost was applied per tree per year, probably because of the low C:N ratio of the compost. Future studies should assess different fertilizer formulations and combinations with organic inputs and explore the mechanisms by which compost promotes cocoa productivity.
A central function of health technology assessment (HTA) agencies is the production of HTA reports to support evidence-informed policy and decision making. HTA agencies are interested in understanding the mechanisms of HTA impact, which can be understood as the influence or impact of HTA report findings on decision making at various levels of the health system. The members of the International Network of Agencies for HTA (INAHTA) meet at their annual Congress where impact story sharing is one important activity. This paper summarizes four stories of HTA impact that were finalists for the David Hailey Award for Best Impact Story.
The methods to measure impact include: document review; claims analysis and review of reimbursement status; citation analysis; qualitative evaluation of stakeholders’ views; and review of media response. HTA agency staff also observed changes in government activities and priorities based on the HTA. Impact assessment can provide information to improve the HTA process, for example, the value of patient and clinician engagement in the HTA process to better define the assessment question and literature reviews in a more holistic and balanced way.
HTA reports produced by publicly funded HTA agencies are valued by health systems around the globe as they support decision making regarding the appropriate use, pricing, reimbursement, and disinvestment of health technologies. HTAs can also have a positive impact on information sharing between different levels of government and across stakeholder groups. These stories show how HTA can have a significant impact, irrespective of the health system and health technology being assessed.
Radiocarbon assays of sediments from Lake Shelby, US Gulf Coast, exhibit substantial 14C deficiencies of 9.3% and 4.7% for the limnic sapropel and associated fresh-water clams Rangia cuneata, respectively. Measured radiocarbon dates from the sapropel and clams require corrections of 785 ± 80 and 365 ± 90 14C yr (1σ), respectively, in order to achieve consistency with the radiocarbon time scale. Lake sediments of the US Gulf Coast serve as unique repositories of pre-historic hurricane strikes. Previously unrecognized radiocarbon deficiencies likely render compromised chronologies of the paleo-hurricane records, and erroneous estimates of return period and landfall probability that are derived from the storm chronologies. The recalculated severe hurricane chronologies suggest that the annual landfall probabilities of the last millennium on the US Gulf Coast are equal to, or higher than, the preceding three millennia.
The International Federation for Emergency Medicine (IFEM) Ultrasound Special Interest Group (USIG) was tasked with development of a hierarchical consensus approach to the use of point of care ultrasound (PoCUS) in patients with hypotension and cardiac arrest.
Methods
The IFEM USIG invited 24 recognized international leaders in PoCUS from emergency medicine and critical care to form an expert panel to develop the sonography in hypotension and cardiac arrest (SHoC) protocol. The panel was provided with reported disease incidence, along with a list of recommended PoCUS views from previously published protocols and guidelines. Using a modified Delphi methodology the panel was tasked with integrating the disease incidence, their clinical experience and their knowledge of the medical literature to evaluate what role each view should play in the proposed SHoC protocol.
Results
Consensus on the SHoC protocols for hypotension and cardiac arrest was reached after three rounds of the modified Delphi process. The final SHoC protocol and operator checklist received over 80% consensus approval. The IFEM-approved final protocol, recommend Core, Supplementary, and Additional PoCUS views. SHoC-hypotension core views consist of cardiac, lung, and inferior vena vaca (IVC) views, with supplementary cardiac views, and additional views when clinically indicated. Subxiphoid or parasternal cardiac views, minimizing pauses in chest compressions, are recommended as core views for SHoC-cardiac arrest; supplementary views are lung and IVC, with additional views when clinically indicated. Both protocols recommend use of the “4 F” approach: fluid, form, function, filling.
Conclusion
An international consensus on sonography in hypotension and cardiac arrest is presented. Future prospective validation is required.
This book presents a wide range of new research on many aspects of naval strategy in the early modern and modern periods. Among the themes covered are the problems of naval manpower, the nature of naval leadership and naval officers, intelligence, naval training and education, and strategic thinking and planning. The book is notable for giving extensive consideration to navies other than those ofBritain, its empire and the United States. It explores a number of fascinating subjects including how financial difficulties frustrated the attempts by Louis XIV's ministers to build a strong navy; how the absence of centralised power in the Dutch Republic had important consequences for Dutch naval power; how Hitler's relationship with his admirals severely affected German naval strategy during the Second World War; and many more besides. The book is a Festschrift in honour of John B. Hattendorf, for more than thirty years Ernest J. King Professor of Maritime History at the US Naval War College and an influential figure in naval affairs worldwide.
N.A.M. Rodger is Senior Research Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford.
J. Ross Dancy is Assistant Professor of Military History at Sam Houston State University.
Benjamin Darnell is a D.Phil. candidate at New College, Oxford.
Evan Wilson is Caird Senior Research Fellow at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.
Contributors: Tim Benbow, Peter John Brobst, Jaap R. Bruijn, Olivier Chaline, J. Ross Dancy, Benjamin Darnell, James Goldrick, Agustín Guimerá, Paul Kennedy, Keizo Kitagawa, Roger Knight, Andrew D. Lambert, George C. Peden, Carla Rahn Phillips, Werner Rahn, Paul M. Ramsey, Duncan Redford, N.A.M. Rodger, Jakob Seerup, Matthew S. Seligmann, Geoffrey Till, Evan Wilson
Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a rare but severe infection caused by Aspergillus spp. that often develops in immunocompromised patients. Lethality remains high in this population. Therefore, preventive strategies are of key importance. The impact of a mobile air decontamination system (Plasmair, AirInSpace, Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France) on the incidence of IA in neutropenic patients was evaluated in this study.
DESIGN
Retrospective cohort study
METHODS
Patients with chemotherapy-induced neutropenia lasting 7 days or more were included over a 2-year period. Cases of IA were confirmed using the revised European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) criteria. We took advantage of a partial installation of Plasmair systems in the hematology intensive care unit during this period to compare patients treated in Plasmair-equipped versus non-equipped rooms. Patients were assigned to Plasmair-equipped or non-equipped rooms depending only on bed availability. Differences in IA incidence in both groups were compared using Fisher’s exact test, and a multivariate analysis was performed to take into account potential confounding factors.
RESULTS
Data from 156 evaluable patients were available. Both groups were homogenous in terms of age, gender, hematological diagnosis, duration of neutropenia, and prophylaxis. A total of 11 cases of probable IA were diagnosed: 10 in patients in non-equipped rooms and only 1 patient in a Plasmair-equipped room. The odds of developing IA were much lower for patients hospitalized in Plasmair-equipped rooms than for patients in non-equipped rooms (P=.02; odds ratio [OR] =0.11; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.00–0.84).
CONCLUSION
In this study, Plasmair demonstrated a major impact in reducing the incidence of IA in neutropenic patients with hematologic malignancies.
To meet a critical and growing need for a standardized approach to emergency point of care ultrasound (PoCUS) worldwide, emergency physicians must be trained to deliver and teach this skill in an accepted and reliable format. Currently, there is no globally recognized, standard PoCUS curriculum that defines the accepted applications, as well as standards for training and practice of PoCUS by specialists and trainees in emergency medicine. To address this deficit, the International Federation for Emergency Medicine (IFEM) convened a sub-committee of international experts in PoCUS to outline a curriculum for training of specialists in emergency PoCUS. This curriculum document represents the consensus of recommendations by this sub-committee. The curriculum is designed to provide a framework for PoCUS education in emergency medicine.
The focus is on the processes required to select core and enhanced applications, as well as the key elements required for the delivery of PoCUS training from introduction through to continuing professional development and skill maintenance. It is designed not to be prescriptive but to assist educators and emergency medicine leadership to advance PoCUS education in emergency medicine no matter the training venue. The content of this curriculum is relevant not just for communities with mature emergency medicine systems but in particular for developing nations or for nations seeking to develop PoCUS training programs within the current educational structure. We anticipate that there will be wide variability in how this curriculum is implemented and taught, reflecting the existing educational environment, resources and goals of educational programs.