Capturing connections during COVID-19: Using photography to assess US college students' sense of belonging.

Past research has highlighted a range of factors that impact college students' sense of belonging. It is less clear how the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped college students' experience of belonging. The current study used a reflective photography approach to examine US college students' experience of belonging to their institution during the COVID-19 pandemic. Student responses included themes of: Physical Space, Community, Adaptation/Continuity, Identity, and Negative Affect. Physical space emerged as the most common theme. Regardless of whether students were studying on campus or remotely, students described the role of the natural and built environment in finding a sense of connection and belonging. In comparisons based on students' class year, first-year students talked more about the role of structured groups and other cohorts highlighted the role of past shared experiences. The findings have implications for interventions aimed at promoting student belonging.

Can drones count gulls? Minimal disturbance and semiautomated image processing with an unmanned aerial vehicle for colony-nesting seabirds.

Accurate counts of wild populations are essential to monitor change through time, but some techniques demand specialist surveyors and may result in unacceptable disturbance or inaccurate counts. Recent technological developments in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer great potential for a range of survey and monitoring approaches. They literally offer a bird's-eye view, but this increased power of observation presents the challenge of translating large amounts of imagery into accurate survey data. Seabirds, in particular, present the particular challenges of nesting in large, often inaccessible colonies that are difficult to view for ground observers, which are commonly susceptible to disturbance. We develop a protocol for carrying out UAV surveys of a breeding seabird colony (Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Larus fuscus) and subsequent image processing to provide a semiautomated classification for counting the number of birds. Behavioral analysis of the gull colonies demonstrated that minimal disturbance occurred during UAV survey flights at an altitude of 15 m above ground level, which provided high-resolution imagery for analysis. A protocol of best practice was developed using the expertise from both a UAV perspective and that of a dedicated observer. A GIS-based semiautomated classification process successfully counted the gulls, with a mean agreement of 98% and a correlation of 99% with manual counts of imagery. We also propose a method to differentiate between the different gull species captured by our survey. Our UAV survey and analysis approach provide accurate counts (when comparing manual vs. semi-automated counts taken from the UAV imagery) of a wild seabird population with minimal disturbance, with the potential to expand this to include species differentiation. The continued development of analytical and survey tools whilst minimizing the disturbance to wild populations is both key to unlocking the future of the rapid advances in UAV technology for ecological survey.

Aortic aneurysms: delayed complications of coarctation of the aorta repair using Dacron patch aortoplasty.

Coarctation of the aorta is a diaphragmlike ridge narrowing the lumen of the proximal descending aorta. Although surgical repair has proven to be a successful treatment of coarctation of the aorta, immediate and delayed postoperative complications are not rare. Of particular interest is the occurrence of aneurysms after Dacron patch aortoplasty--often decades after surgery. Delayed complication rates of up to 50% have been reported. We describe the clinical-radiologic presentations of 3 late complications of Dacron patch angioplasty: aortobronchopleural fistula, leaking pseudoaneurysm, and giant descending aortic aneurysm--all successfully treated with bypass grafts. Because of the high incidence of delayed complications, lifelong surveillance is necessary. The chest x-ray may be the first clue to a delayed complication. Knowledge of radiologic findings is helpful in the detection of complications-before they become symptomatic. Transesophageal echocardiography, computed tomography angiography, or magnetic resonance imaging with multiplanar reconstruction is diagnostic.

Understanding rehospitalization risk: can hospital discharge be modified to reduce recurrent hospitalization?

BACKGROUND: A high rate of unnecessary rehospitalization has been shown to be related to a poorly managed discharge processes. OBJECTIVE: A qualitative study was conducted in order to understand the phenomenon of frequent rehospitalization from the perspective of discharged patients and to determine if activities at the time of discharge could be designed to reduce the number of adverse events and rehospitalization. DESIGN: Semistructured, open-ended interviews were conducted with 21 patients during their hospital stay at Boston Medical Center. Interviews assessed continuity of care after discharge, need for and availability of social support, and ability to obtain follow-up medical care. RESULTS: Difficult life circumstances posed a greater barrier to recuperation than lack of medical knowledge. All participants were able to describe their medical condition, the reasons they were admitted to the hospital, and the discharge instructions they received. All reported the types of medications being taken or the conditions for which the medications were prescribed. Recuperation was compromised by factors that contribute to undermining the ability of patients to follow their doctors' recommendations including support for medical and basic needs, substance use, and limitations in the availability of transportation to medical appointments. Distress, particularly depression, further contributed to poor health and undermined the ability to follow doctors' recommendations and the discharge plans. CONCLUSIONS: Discharge interventions that assess the need for social support and provide access and services have the potential to reduce chronic rehospitalization.

Tobacco industry sponsorship of community-based public health initiatives: why AIDS and domestic violence organizations accept or refuse funds.

The objective of this study was to understand the reasons community-based public health organizations in the United States accept or refuse tobacco industry sponsorship. A formative pilot study involving 13 interviews with representatives of AIDS and Domestic Violence organizations in California or the Northeast was used. Semistructured interviews were conducted with leaders and fund-raisers working at AIDS and domestic violence organizations that either accepted grants from the tobacco industry or explicitly refused tobacco corporate support. Respondents that accepted grants did so because they believed that the tangible benefits of additional capacity to serve their constituents outweighed the minimal effect they believed refusing funds could have on tobacco control and prevention. Organizations that refused sponsorship either saw tobacco prevention as part of their mission of promoting overall health or social justice, or expressed concern about public association with the tobacco industry. Public health responses to this phenomenon are most effective when they are informed by the realities facing nonprofit leaders as they grapple with the question of whether to accept industry funds. Further research is needed to determine whether accepting sponsorship results in a change in public opinion about tobacco control. Possible interventions include creating positive publicity for organizations that refuse tobacco industry philanthropy.