Cord blood storage, use, and donation is a rising trend. The cells found in the blood of the umbilical cord can be used to treat various life threatening diseases. It has been shown that the use of these cells can produce results that are just as effective as a bone marrow transfusion. The yield of cells from a sample of cord blood is not always enough to be effective for a transfusion in adults. As such children are the primary demographic for cord blood transfusions. For this reason, prospective parents are taking notice of the trend. Currently, federal and state statutes are set up to promote the introduction of cord blood use. What current law fails to recognize is that cord blood is in use and has a lot of potential. For this reason laws need to be updated to better reflect the current market. A more proactive approach needs to be taken to better utilize the potential of cord blood. As the trend is popularized there is an increasing notion that informed consent is not uniform enough, state laws do not adequately promote cord blood use, and there is a discrepancy between the standards of public and private cord blood banks. In order to improve upon these issues it is necessary to review the laws that are currently in place and then expand upon them so that they better reflect the storage, use, and donation of the blood. If umbilical cord blood becomes more than medical waste, as is projected to happen, then there is a need for an adequate legal foundation that protects the interests of all parties involved, especially prospective parents.

Mothers are known to have an emotional attachment to their infant; however, some mothers also experience an emotional attachment to their own milk. Exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life, followed by continued breastfeeding with complementary solids are recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization. Some mothers produce enough surplus milk to donate to a human milk bank. This thesis considers the emotional attachment to milk experienced by women who donate milk to a milk bank. This research is based on participant observation in a human milk bank in Florida and interviews collected from 14 milk bank donors. These methods were informed by the frameworks of moral motherhood and emotive value to foreground and enhance understanding of mothers' experiences. The results of this study show that mothers do not emotionally attach to breastmilk itself, but rather what the breastmilk represents. This study starts a conversation and brings awareness to women's emotional experiences at the beginning of motherhood, especially as they pertain to breastfeeding and human milk.

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京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(社会健康医学) / 甲第23819号 / 社医博第119号 / 新制||社医||12(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科社会健康医学系専攻 / (主査)教授 湊谷 謙司, 教授 永井 純正, 教授 波多野 悦朗 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Public Health / Kyoto University / DFAM

State fish and wildlife agencies are increasingly expected to meet accelerating wildlife conservation needs while addressing systemic problems that limit who has historically been able to access wildlife and conservation. To effectively address both of these needs, agencies need to better understand their constituencies, including both long-standing supporters and those who have been historically excluded. This thesis set out to achieve this through three chapters. (i) Using a nationwide panel survey, we sought to understand how patterns of wildlife viewing differ between Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and White viewers, as well as what most strongly supports this participation. We found that participation rates differ across ethnoracial groups, with most BIPOC viewers participating less than White viewers, especially around their homes. Additionally, BIPOC viewers indicated that social support was a key factor in encouraging participation. Finally, despite wildlife viewing being of similar or greater importance to BIPOC participants, they generally self-identified less as viewers, suggesting historic exclusion from wildlife viewing locales may impact contemporary participation. (ii) Through a questionnaire of Minnesotans engaged with the MN Department of Natural Resources and their Nongame Wildlife Program, we examined what most encourages donations and volunteer participation. The findings of this chapter suggest that donors had specific motivations, namely supporting biodiversity and conservation, whereas volunteer motivations were more varied, such as place-based preferences and access to conservation professionals. (iii) Using a series of focus groups with outdoor recreation and community science practitioners and participants, we aimed to understand what encouraged BIPOC Minnesotans to participate in nature-based community science programs. We found that participants rely on numerous forms of cultural capital to persist in community science, especially in inhospitable environments. Often, this included utilizing social relationships and continuing to participate despite negative interactions. Overall, this research contributes to a growing body of literature aiming to understand diverse engagement in wildlife viewing and nature-based community science, as well as general engagement with state agencies. By laying a foundation for sustainable engagement and support of diverse communities, particularly BIPOC groups, this thesis provides insights and recommendations for fostering equitable conservation practices in an era of environmental change and social evolution. / Master of Science / North America and the world are witnessing unprecedented environmental changes, including biodiversity loss, climate change, and urbanization, impacting both human and wildlife communities. Concurrently, shifts in public engagement with state wildlife agencies and outdoor recreation are evident, with historic constituencies of hunters and anglers declining, posing challenges to conservation efforts. To address these challenges, state agencies strive to understand and diversify their supporters. Against this backdrop, this thesis investigates wildlife viewing patterns among ethnoracial groups, constituent engagement with state wildlife agencies, and factors motivating participation in community science initiatives among Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities. Using a nationwide survey of wildlife viewers, we found significant differences in participation, both around and away from home. We also found that social support from friends, family, mentors, and peers was associated with increased participation. Additionally, despite wildlife viewing being of similar or greater importance to BIPOC participants, they generally self-identified less as viewers, suggesting historic exclusion from wildlife viewing locales may impact contemporary participation. Through a questionnaire of Minnesotans engaged with the MN Department of Natural Resources and their Nongame Wildlife Program, we examined what most encourages donations and volunteer participation. The findings of this chapter suggested that donors had specific motivations, namely supporting biodiversity and conservation, whereas volunteer motivations were more varied, such as place-based preferences and access to conservation professionals. Finally, using a series of focus groups with outdoor recreation and community science practitioners and participants, we aimed to understand what encouraged BIPOC Minnesotans to participate in nature-based community science programs. Our results suggested that social support, community-specific and community-led programs, and programs co-produced with community groups may facilitate participation in community science. Overall, this thesis provides vital recommendations for state agencies aiming to increase BIPOC participation in programs and better engage their constituencies. Through guidance on developing sustainable engagement strategies and how to best support diverse communities, particularly BIPOC groups, this thesis provides insights and recommendations for fostering equitable conservation in an era of environmental change and social evolution.

Yes / As the economy becomes more reliant on innovative, knowledge-intensive firms, understanding the interaction between knowledge and improving innovation performance is increasingly important. Despite the majority of UK businesses being micro, small or medium-sized enterprises (micro/SMEs), knowledge management research has tended to focus on large companies, and the findings may not be applicable to micro/SMEs, especially in the creative sector. Moreover, the important role played by knowledge sharing in innovation can be critical to successful performance for smaller players in the creative sector where resources are limited. Our study presents an insight from micro/SMEs operating in a highly knowledge-intensive and innovative creative industry - games/entertainment software development. Using a mixed method approach, we investigate knowledge sharing and its contribution to firm innovation performance improvements. Our findings suggest that micro/SMEs are at the forefront in the creative sector precisely because of their smaller size. Our study reveals evidence of knowledge donation but limited evidence of knowledge collection in the knowledge sharing process in micro/SMEs. We develop a knowledge sharing model for innovation performance improvement in micro/SMEs. This highlights the importance of industry context, individual knowledge and organisational size in the role of knowledge sharing in innovation performance.