Browsing by Subject "New England"
Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Open Access Catch Share Management in New England: Groundfish Sectors(2010-04-29T15:07:25Z) Gordon, KimberlyThe management of domestic fisheries by the use of catch shares has become a topic of increased attention in recent years. The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) recently voted to adopt a catch share program for their Northeast Multispecies Fishery, proposing the addition of 17 new sectors which will manage a collective quota for the multispecies complex. This paper discusses the specifics of the Fishery Management Plan amendment as it pertains to the sector program and highlights three potential concerns that have been raised with regard to the implementation of sectors: insufficient monitoring, excessive consolidation, and impacts on communities. An exploration of actions taken by other regional Fishery Management Councils to address these concerns provides insight into potential management options that the New England Fishery Management Council may wish to consider as they move forward. These options are evaluated in the context of New England’s groundfish fishery, culminating in recommended actions that would enhance the ability of the management program to achieve its desired goals. Evaluation of the monitoring program in the British Columbia Groundfish Fishery reveals the potential benefits of full monitoring coverage for the Northeast Multispecies Sector program. Considering accumulation limits set in 10 domestic catch share programs to address consolidation reveals the need for the NEFMC to establish accumulation limits at a level commensurate with the management plan’s total objectives. Lastly, drawing from experiences in several Alaska fisheries and the new Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery IFQ program, utilizing an adaptive management approach would provide the NEFMC with tools to mitigate undesired impacts on fishing communities. The above recommendations have the potential to strengthen the New England multispecies sector program and increase the likelihood of achieving the full suite of management objectives.Item Open Access Essential Long-Term Care Workers Commonly Hold Second Jobs and Double- or Triple-Duty Caregiving Roles.(Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2020-08) Van Houtven, Courtney Harold; DePasquale, Nicole; Coe, Norma BObjectives
Long-term care (LTC) facilities are particularly dangerous places for the spread of COVID-19 given that they house vulnerable high-risk populations. Transmission-based precautions to protect residents, employees, and families alike must account for potential risks posed by LTC workers' second jobs and unpaid care work. This observational study describes the prevalence of their (1) second jobs, and (2) unpaid care work for dependent children and/or adult relatives (double- and triple-duty caregiving) overall and by occupational group (registered nurses [RNs], licensed practical nurses [LPNs], or certified nursing assistants [CNAs]).Design
A descriptive secondary analysis of data collected as part of the final wave of the Work, Family and Health Study.Setting
Thirty nursing home facilities located throughout the northeastern United States.Participants
A subset of 958 essential facility-based LTC workers involved in direct patient care.Measurements
We present information on LTC workers' demographic characteristics, health, features of their LTC occupation, additional paid work, wages, and double- or triple-duty caregiving roles.Results
Most LTC workers were CNAs, followed by LPNs and RNs. Overall, more than 70% of these workers agreed or strongly agreed with this statement: "When you are sick, you still feel obligated to come into work." One-sixth had a second job, where they worked an average of 20 hours per week, and more than 60% held double- or triple-duty caregiving roles. Additional paid work and unpaid care work characteristics did not significantly differ by occupational group, although the prevalence of second jobs was highest and accompanying work hours were longest among CNAs.Conclusion
LTC workers commonly hold second jobs along with double- and triple-duty caregiving roles. To slow the spread of COVID-19, both the paid and unpaid activities of these employees warrant consideration in the identification of appropriate clinical, policy, and informal supports. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1657-1660, 2020.Item Open Access Evaluating the Visualization of Fisheries Data in the Northeastern United States(2017-04-21) Pearce, JustinIn October 2016, the Northeast Regional Planning Body (NEPRB) released the nation’s first regional ocean plan. The NEPRB identified the Northeast Ocean Data Portal as a resource that supports their goal of moving towards ecosystem-based regulatory decisions. In an effort improve the fish data on the portal this study compares fish biomass data collected between 2007-2014 from two scientific trawls. The Northeast Fisheries Science Center conducts trawls in federal waters off of the Northeastern United States, and the Northeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program uses similar trawl methodology in the adjacent state waters. Seven species were selected due to their similar distribution and abundance in each dataset. Then, the species were compared using geospatial and statistical analysis. Although results varied between species, there is no indication of high correlation between datasets. These results shine a light on potential ways to improve trawl methodologies to make the surveys more comparable. Also, understanding the differences between these datasets should urge the NEPRB to reconsider single-species data maps for more user-friendly, habitat-based, maps on the portal.Item Open Access Geographic variation and trends in carotid imaging among medicare beneficiaries, 2001 to 2006.(Circulation. Cardiovascular quality and outcomes, 2010-11) Curtis, LH; Greiner, MA; Patel, MR; Duncan, PW; Schulman, KA; Matchar, DBBackground
Diagnostic imaging among Medicare beneficiaries is an important contributor to rising health care costs. We examined temporal trends and geographic variation in the use of carotid ultrasound, carotid magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), and carotid x-ray angiography.Methods and results
Analysis of a 5% national sample of claims from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for 1999 through 2006. Patients were 65 years or older and underwent carotid ultrasound, carotid MRA, carotid x-ray angiography, or a carotid intervention. The main outcome measures were annual age-adjusted rates of carotid imaging and interventions and factors associated with the use of carotid imaging. Rates of imaging increased by 27%, from 98.2 per 1000 person-years in 2001 to 124.3 per 1000 in 2006. Rates of carotid ultrasound increased by 23%, and rates of MRA increased by 66%. Carotid intervention rates decreased from 3.6 per 1000 person-years in 2001 to 3.1 per 1000 person-years in 2006. In 2006, rates of carotid ultrasound were lowest in the New England, Mountain, and West North Central regions and highest in the Middle Atlantic and South Atlantic regions. Regional differences persisted after adjustment for patient demographic characteristics, history of vascular disease and other comorbid conditions, and study year.Conclusions
From 2001 through 2006, there was substantial growth and variation in the use of carotid imaging, including a marked increase in the use of MRA, and a decrease in the overall rate of carotid intervention.Item Open Access Mapping the Gaps: Using GIS to Target Environmental Education Efforts(2014-04-23) Sunu, Sarah G.Evaluating the effect of environmental education is critical for measuring changes in community attitudes and behaviors, but to date little attention has been paid to the spatial distribution of environmental education programs. Mapping communities that are participating in environmental education programming can inform the decision-making process for program development and expansion, and help organizations identify un-served and underserved communities. Incorporating census data allows organizations to also identify communities meeting certain demographic criteria, such as environmental justice communities, for potential programming. The New England Ocean Science Education Collaborative (NEOSEC) is a network of fifty-four environmental education organizations with the common goal of improving ocean literacy. To facilitate that goal and identify gaps in programming reach, the spatial impacts of 18 NEOSEC member organizations were mapped into a geodatabase and paired with a model to identify target audiences. The completed geodatabase and model provide proof-of-concept tools for mapping the spatial reach of environmental education organizations. NEOSEC members and other environmental education organizations should consider mapping spatial impacts as a key component of program management and development.Item Open Access New England's Installed Electric Generation Forecast 2013-2025(2014-04-24) DeMarco, Elizabeth; Osteen, C. Alex; Song, Jiayin; Wang, YuanThe aim of this Master’s Project, as identified by our client the C Three Group, LLC, was to forecast installed electric capacity in the ISO New England region through the year 2025 under different scenarios including varying natural gas prices and RPS programs. ISO New England is the Independent System Operator of New England and oversees electric generation and transmission in the New England States. Our team built a basic supply model and, using linear optimization, we estimated ways for the ISO New England region to expand its supply to meet the growth in forecast demand. We ran our model under different scenarios, including varying natural gas prices and RPS programs. We took into account announced changes to capacity as well as possible scenarios that may affect further changes in the makeup of capacity. The final results showed continued expansion of natural gas and wind generation, the low-cost leaders, as well as new development of demand response. As we varied the future prices of natural gas, more electricity began to be imported from Canada. We believe that future carbon prices and stricter RPS standards may further ratchet up imports and renewables, in place of natural gas. Finally, our model predicts possible future coal retirements and is doubtful of new nuclear. Our client will potentially use the explanation of our models and written report of our findings in future research and consulting for their business.Item Open Access SEAL APPEAL: A naturalist's guide to gray seal interpretation(2017-12-07) Miller, NathanGray seals (Halichoerus grypus) are a large phocid species of pinniped found in coastal waters encircling the North Atlantic Ocean. In the Western Atlantic, large concentrations of gray seals can be found in New England – Cape Cod in particular – as well as Sable Island off the coast of Nova Scotia. Whereas gray seals were nearly extirpated from New England by the 1950’s after centuries of both commercial exploitation and targeted bounty programs, U.S. federal laws protecting all marine mammals since the 1970’s have allowed gray seals to recover to population sizes not seen in over 200 years. Currently, between 30,000-50,000 gray seals permanently reside in Cape Cod alone. Gray seals have provided economic opportunity as well as a new avenue through which to educate the public about the significance of marine mammal conservation. There are currently five seal cruise businesses in Cape Cod and Nantucket that ferry visitors, eager to see and learn about marine wildlife, to and from gray seal haul outs. Peak season for seal cruises occurs between mid-summer and early-fall; they last for about two hours and are afforded the backdrop of (ideally) warm sunny weather in addition to beautiful coastal scenery. Seal cruise captains, operators, and guides also spend a significant portion of their time during each cruise offering information about gray seals, the state of Cape Cod’s marine ecosystem, and general history of Cape Cod. Given that they occur in a non-formal setting and appeal to visitors who elect to spend their free time learning about marine life, seal cruises are an ideal scenario in which interpretive communication techniques might help enhance conservation messaging as well as the overall visitor experience during a seal cruise. Interpretation is a form of communication best suited for non-formal education settings where the information presented all serves to directly strengthen a specific message or theme. Programs that apply interpretation are highly structured in their presentation of information, making the program content easy to follow, they strive to make their information relevant to the lives of individual audience members, and they seek to maintain an audience’s attention by being enjoyable. Peer-reviewed research also makes a strong argument for the use of interpretation in environmental education settings. Visitors who participate in programs such as guided tours or museum exhibits are more likely to retain information they hear or read if that program incorporates interpretation into its communication strategy. The most successful environmental programs that use interpretation can even influence visitors to make more environmentally conscious decisions after the program has concluded. The objective of this project, considering this background, was to design products that would help interested seal cruise businesses integrate interpretation into their operations. The first of two products presented in this report consists of a new digital guide offering materials and techniques for seal cruises to achieve such integration. This guide is divided into three sections. The first section includes a summary of what interpretation is, why it might be useful to an ecotourism business, and how interpretation can further encourage public support for conservation initiatives. The second section outlines how interpreters design themes and theme statements, the importance of content structure for a cruise, and how to hold an audience’s attention. The third section covers responsible conduct at sea, including keeping visitors safe while on board and how to minimize potential harassment of marine wildlife during the cruise. The guide also provides fact sheets that cover topics such as mammalogy, gray seal physiology, and community concerns surrounding gray seals (i.e.: human/seal interactions, seal waste and water quality, and shark predation on seals). The second of the two products is a literature review of the history of sealing and seal conservation in New England from the colonial era to the present day. Though literature on this topic is limited, especially for the years prior to the 1880’s, what literature does exist paints a timeline where in the 1600’s gray seals resided from Labrador, Canada to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in the hundreds of thousands. By the 18th century, gray seals in the 13 colonies/United States were decimated because of the commercial exploitation of their blubber. Bounties lasting from the 1880’s until 1962 further reduced the number of gray seals in New England to near zero. It wasn’t until the ratification of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 when gray seals were afforded the federal protections required to recover to the population sizes seen today. Both products are the result of extensive research using a variety of sources, including, but not limited to, peer-reviewed literature, popular historical literature, academic textbooks, government reports, economic reports, and newspaper archives. Interviews with seal cruise operators were also conducted to learn how they present information to visitors, whether they incorporate audience participation, and any conservation messages they may already have. This guide has not been field tested, meaning a study assessing how affective it is at integrating interpretation is still unknown and would require further research.Item Open Access Selection of Postacute Stroke Rehabilitation Facilities: A Survey of Discharge Planners From the Northeast Cerebrovascular Consortium (NECC) Region.(Medicine (Baltimore), 2016-04) Magdon-Ismail, Zainab; Sicklick, Alyse; Hedeman, Robin; Bettger, Janet Prvu; Stein, JoelThe process of determining the level of care and specific postacute care facility for stroke patients has not been adequately studied. The objective of this study was to better understand the factors that influence postacute care decisions by surveying stroke discharge planners. Requests were sent to discharge planners at 471 hospitals in the Northeast United States to complete an online survey regarding the factors impacting the selection of postacute care. Seventy-seven (16%) discharge planners completed the online survey. Respondents were mainly nurses and social workers and 73% reported ≥20 years healthcare experience. Patients and families were found to be significantly more influential than physicians (P < 0.001) and other clinicians (P = 0.04) in influencing postdischarge care. Other clinicians were significantly more influential than physicians (P < 0.001). Insurance and quality of postacute care were the factors likely to most affect the selection of postacute care facility. Insurance was also identified as the greatest barrier in the selection of level of postacute care (70%; P < 0.001) and specific postacute care facility (46%; P = 0.02). More than half reported that pressure to discharge patients quickly impacts a patients' final destination. Nonclinical factors are perceived by discharge planners to have a major influence on postacute stroke care decision making.Item Open Access With Liberty, Justice, and Salvation for All: The Religious and Social Ethic of Christian Universalists in the American Founding(2024-04-22) Beisswanger, RussellThere have been few doctrines as provocative in the history of Christianity as Universalism, the belief that all people shall be saved and reconciled to Jesus Christ at the end of time. There have also been few times in history as volatile for institutional religion as America during the Revolution and early republic. In late eighteenth-century New England, though, the founding of the Universalist General Convention saw Universalism and American republicanism converge. It was no coincidence that a Universalist denomination spawned at this time and place, nor was it viewed as such by its leaders at the time. The “founding fathers of American Universalism” saw themselves as possessing a unique theological and political vocation. The Universalists forged their theological and social ethic in the aftermath of a breakdown of trust in New England’s Calvinist religious consensus and many clergy's perceived surrender of the region’s popular culture to selfish individualism. Universalists believed their distinct doctrine would provide the social cohesion that neither old-line Calvinism nor deistic Enlightenment values could offer on their own, building a communal piety that used the love of God demonstrated to all creation in universal salvation to spur the believer to a life of good works. Thus, universal salvation served as the optimal theological facilitator of republican values and social ethics, manifested in Universalist public piety's situation of individual liberty and assurance of salvation within an irenic communal ethic.