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No description available.

This study examines promotoras from the U.S.-Mexico border. Promotoras are women who live in colonias throughout the border area and who are employed by service provider and community development organizations to do health-related outreach and education with colonia residents. The role of promotoras can be seen from the perspective of culture brokerage; that is, they are mediators between local communities and external actors such as service providers and agencies of the government. As culture brokers, promotoras facilitate the relationship among the local communities, and the system of services and outside resources. The study proposes a conceptual framework through which programs of community health workers in general, and those involving promotoras in particular, can be understood, designed, and implemented.

As of 2010, there are approximately twenty one surface water locations classified as impaired for Escherichia coli (E. coli) contamination in the State of Arizona. Of note is the San Francisco River (SFR) which is currently listed on the US EPA 303d list of impaired waters due to E. coli bacteria present at higher concentrations than the US EPA standards for partial- and full-body contact. In 2010-2011 surface water samples were collected at sites within the impaired region to monitor E. coli and areas known for heavy recreational uses. Of 70 samples collected over 1 year, 81% were positive for universal Bacteroides marker (Allbac). Of the 57 Allbac-positive samples, 68% show contributions of the human-specific marker and 60% were positive for bovine-specific marker. While 28% of the total samples assayed showed elevated levels of E. coli (>235 MPN/100mL), there were minimal significant correlations between Bacteroides and generic E. coli across all samples. While this information is significant, past research has suggested that successfully distinguishing the sources of fecal contamination will not alone reduce or eliminate disease associated with contaminated water unless these investigations are coupled with public outreach and education. With this in mind a survey was developed to gather information about water quality perceptions, water use, peoples' attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors related to the water resources in Clifton, AZ. Survey questions consisted of multiple choice and Likert scales questions and were provided in both English and Spanish and were conducted during the summer of 2012 and winter of 2013. A total of 150 surveys were deployed with 38 surveys completed for a response rate of 25%. Our study findings indicate mixed attitudes on water quality with 80% reporting the SFR has poor water quality for drinking and 39% agree the SFR has poor water quality for swimming. Yet, 84% consider the river safe enough for picnics and activities near the water. Also, it was interesting to note participants' opinions regarding consequences of poor water quality with 66% of respondents indicating that they are concerned with poor water quality and their health. Clifton is a very tight knit community so it was not unexpected that the majority of the respondents (61%) get water quality information by having conversations with other people and 68% from newspapers, factsheets and brochures. Based on the survey responses, our team worked to develop two peer reviewed Extension publications entitled; Microbial Source Tracking: Watershed Characterization and Source Identification (Arizona Cooperative Extension, #AZ1547) and Water Quality, E. coli, and Your Health (#AZ1624). Publications have been developed in both English and Spanish and will be part of future outreach to this and other Arizona communities. It is our goal that these survey findings can be used to better tailor outputs appropriate for the targeted audience, namely the local Hispanic population. These results are important because they add to understanding perceptions of water quality and health risks in this rural community; and can lend towards enhanced outreach practices in other similar communities.

Accelerating rates of urbanization create novel compilations of species in urban ecosystems which experience unprecedented proximity to large human populations. Although an integral part of these urban ecosystems, mammals are difficult to study in urbanized areas. However, questions regarding urban mammalian ecology, such as the maintenance or disruption of predator-prey relationships, are vital to understanding what impacts anthropogenic factors may exert on the functions of urban ecosystems. We show that non-trapping hair equipment can effectively collect hair samples from two mammal groups – small mammals and mesopredators – in urban areas for the purpose of addressing ecological questions. We deployed non-trapping hair collection equipment at 16 different parks, preserves, and nature areas along the urbanization gradient of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We collected a total of 354 small mammal and 41 mesopredator hair samples. Of these samples, 58 small mammal samples and 14 mesopredator samples were of adequate weight for stable isotope analysis. We analyzed relationships between δ15N and δ13C values from each species and percent impervious surface (our proxy for urbanization) to explore potential shifts in mammal diets. Our results indicated a decoupling of predator-prey relationships between mesopredators and small mammals, particularly in urban spaces and suggested that mesopredators may be relying upon anthropogenic food subsidies. Our methodology was not only effective in addressing an ecological question, but it also provided a unique opportunity to connect with community members through QR code labels attached to our field equipment. Non-trapping hair collection methods offer a viable way to collect useful samples in urban areas while also fostering connections between community members and field research occurring in their neighborhoods. / Biology

Due to increasing teacher accountability and standardized test score requirements attributed to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, this essay examines research of the positive influences of arts education on student academic achievement and social growth. Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory and brain research, such as that of Eric Jensen, suggest the necessity for various types of instruction and assessment to ensure that all students' learning needs are met; and to maximize the potential for intellectual growth in each student. Harvard University's Project Zero programs: Artful Thinking, Art Works for Schools, and Arts PROPEL are examined. A+ Schools Program (North Carolina), and various schools and school districts around the United States having arts-rich curricula and high student academic and social achievement are identified. Community Outreach programs: Chicago Arts Partnership in Education (CAPE),Young Audiences of Indiana, the Pennsylvania Ballet show positive arts influence outside of the traditional classroom setting. Research by James S. Catterall, J. Burton, R. Horowitz, and H. Abeles on the question of learning transfer taking place across the disciplines is also examined.

The Professional Project addressed here is an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration for a project proposed by the staff of the Del Mar Fairgrounds pursuant to legal mandate by the State of California Horse Racing Board. The “Project” subject to documentation under CEQA consisted of removal of the top seven inches of the existing dirt surface on the Del Mar Fairgrounds horse racing track and temporary storage of the material on the practice track infield; installation of a new drainage system, rock filtration system, permeable asphalt layers, and seven inches of engineered surface material; widening of the track in the northeast and southeast curve area; and removal and replacement of existing retaining wall, fence, and landscaping improvements. This Project Report summarizes the stakeholder involvement concepts utilized to obtain project support and approval in an environmentally sensitive area, subject to a long history of political contention, in the midst of other long-term planning efforts such as the San Dieguito Lagoon Restoration Project, and an Updated Master Plan and Master Plan Environmental Impact Report for the fairgrounds property. Ultimately, the Project and CEQA documentation were approved by the Lead agency’s decision-making body, the Board of Directors of the State of California’s 22nd District Agricultural Association.

Community-university projects have been a common practice in most western countries since the 1960s. However, such projects are very rare in Israel. This thesis explores the possible methods by which architecture and urban planning schools and low-income communities can cooperate and examines the ways these methods can be implemented in Israel. / The research investigates several community-university projects practiced in North America between the 1960s and 1990s. A set of interviews conducted with directors of schools of architecture and urban planning as well as with different actors in community-based organizations in Israel enlarges, hopefully, the understanding of the eventual possibility for such projects to exist in Israel. / This research reveals that although involvement of Israeli architecture and urban planning students in community issues has been so far rather limited, there are both demand and will among schools of architecture and community-based organizations to cooperate in the future. In conclusions, basic guidelines for a community-university project are given, tailor made for the Israeli context.

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No description available.