Latrine site and its use pattern by Large Indian Civet Viverra zibetha Linnaeus, 1758: record from camera trap

Latrine sites are the places used for urination and defecation, which mostly act as a signaling agent for multiple purposes like territorial marking, confrontation with extruders or potential predators, delivering different inter and intra-communication messages. To understand latrine site visit pattern, a single camera trap was deployed for 91 trap nights at the latrine site of Large Indian Civet during the months of December 2016 and February & March 2017. Latrine site was found under the tree with abundant crown cover and bushes. At least two individuals were found to be using a single latrine site in an irregular manner between 1800 h and 0600 h with higher activity between 1800 h and 2300 h. Our results indicated an irregular latrine site visit pattern, hence similar studies with a robust research design in larger areas are required to understand specific latrine use patterns.

The Industrial Heritage of the Araraquara Railway

This article deals with the industrial heritage of the 20th century in Catanduva-SP, having as object of analysis the Railway Villages of the old company Estrada de Ferro Araraquara (EFA), located in the São Francisco and Higienópolis neighborhoods. The justification of the theme is supported by the lack of research on the railway village of Catanduva, the lack of knowledge of the complex and the lack of recognition of its value as cultural heritage. In this context, the work aims to document and inventory railroad villages in the São Francisco and Higienópolis de Catanduva neighborhoods, and to propose guidelines for their safeguarding. The working methodologies used were Historical Research and Case Study, based on a documentary survey on the object of analysis and on-site visit. As a result, 13 bungalow-style residences were identified, most of them in good condition. As safeguard guidelines, the conservation, preservation, restoration and rehabilitation of these residences were proposed so that they maintain their physical structures and the internal organization of the rooms, meet the needs and expectations of users and preserve their cultural significance.

Refining the Content of the AGEC Accreditation Handbook

The AGEC Accreditation Handbook and Self-Evaluation Guide has been revised several times since the first drafts were produced in 2016 and 2017. The Handbook contains information for accreditation applicants, AGEC reviewers, and members of the Board of Governors responsible for administering AGEC policies and procedures. It includes the accreditation standards, eligibility for accreditation, timelines, and self-study and site visit guidelines. It is the central document for the AGEC accreditation process. Handbook revisions, drawn from the experience of accrediting programs, have been for the purposes of clarifying expectations and simplifying the application process. This presentation highlights modifications included in the 2020 Handbook, which simplify the self-study outline and site visit guidelines, and the 2021 modifications, which clarify the “Mapping Course Matrix” (displaying AGHE competencies covered in program courses) and add an “Assessment Matrix” for measuring acquisition of the competencies and improving the program as needed.

The Effectiveness of Site Visit Approach in Teaching and Learning of Construction Site Safety: A Case Study in Civil Engineering Faculty, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Johor Branch, Pasir Gudang Campus

Learning from experience approach has been widely adopted in the academic cluster of Built Environment including Civil Engineering field. To further strengthen this aspect, a study in exploring construction site visit as an aid to educational component in teaching and learning method is significant. This provide a platform which helps civil engineering students to enhance their safety knowledge and understanding by experiencing the real time situation at the construction site. The objectives of this study are to: (1) determine the effectiveness of site visit approach in teaching and learning of construction site safety (2) measure the performance between students who acquire knowledge related to safety by experiencing one site visit compared to students with zero site visit; and (3) compare the achievement and understanding between male and female students if site visit is adopted in the teaching and learning process. A set of questions is designed as an instrument and participating students are required to answer the questions nonverbally to show their knowledge on the construction site safety. Based on the scoring marks, a statistical analysis has been conducted. The result indicates that students with one site visit have better achievement and understanding compared to students with zero site visit. In addition, the result also shows that with one site visit, female students have better performance in the score marks compared to male students. Keywords: construction site, experience-based learning, site safety, site visit

Accreditation program for gastrointestinal endoscopes reprocessing in Italy: An on-site survey

Background and study aims Endoscope reprocessing has been associated with a variable failure rate. Our aim was to present an overview on current practices for reprocessing in Italian facilities and discuss the principle critical points. Methods In 2014 the Italian Society for Digestive Diseases implemented an accreditation program in collaboration with an independent organization for certification and with the Italian Association for Endoscopy Technical Operators. During a 1-day site visit of the endoscopy center, two endoscopists, one nurse, and the representative of the certification body evaluated the endoscope reprocessing. Results As of July 1, 2020, 28 endoscopy centers had been accredited. Ten centers are completing the measures to correct deficiencies found at the visit. Three centers withdrew from the program. The accreditation program has found variations between the various centers, confirming the poor compliance with guidelines. Major deviations from the standards, established by the model before the site visit according to national and international guidelines, concerned instrument cleaning (44.7 % of the centers), instrument storage (23.7 %), and microbiological tests (31.6 %). Conclusions Our overview demonstrated the lack of many reprocessing phases, which are important to prevent endoscopy-associated infections. Accreditation can achieve a transformation in quality and safety of reprocessing with the Italian centrally-led approach.

Factors Associated With the Acceleration of Patient Enrollment in Clinical Studies: A Cross-Sectional Study

Under-recruitment in clinical trials is an issue worldwide. If the number of patients enrolled is lower than expected, based on the required sample size, then the reliability of the study results and their validation tend to be impaired. The current study therefore evaluated factors associated with accelerating patient enrollment using data from an ongoing multicenter prospective cohort study. The researchers encouraged research institutions to accelerate patient enrollment via e-mail, newsletters, telephone calls, and site visits. We analyzed the relationship between several potential factors associated with acceleration of patient enrollment including site visits and patient enrollment in a real clinical study. Data were collected from 106 research institutions that participated in a multicenter prospective cohort study. Results showed that the following parameters differed in terms of patient enrollment and non-enrollment: urban area (47.2 vs. 67.6%, p = 0.04), clinical research coordinator (CRC) participation in data input to electronic data capture (EDC) (41.7 vs. 11.8%, p < 0.01), and site visit (38.9 vs. 11.8%, p < 0.01). A multivariate analysis revealed that patient enrollment was significantly associated with urban area (odds ratio [OR] 0.33, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.12–0.86, p = 0.02), CRC participation in data input to EDC (OR 5.02; 95% CI 1.49–16.8; p < 0.01), and site visit (OR 4.54, 95% CI 1.31–15.7, p = 0.01). In conclusion, site visits and CRC participation in data input to EDC had a significant effect on patient enrollment promotion. Moreover, hospitals in rural areas were more effective in promoting patient enrollment than those in urban areas.

The Dairy Oracle: A cultural and design exploration of New Zealand dairy

<p>The intensification and expansion of New Zealand’s dairy industry have caused animal welfare and environmental sustainability issues to arise. Animal welfare issues directly impact the physical and mental wellbeing of cattle, and environmental sustainability issues contribute to climate change, impact human and animal health and cause biodiversity loss. As the first step to creating a better world for dairy cattle and sustaining the environment for future generations, this research investigates how cultural and design research can be used to understand what New Zealand dairy is today and imagine what it could become in the future. Semi-structured interviews and an observational site visit were conducted with the Happy Cow Milk Company founder and one of their dairy farmers. The interviews and site visit focused on developing an understanding of the participant’s values, their relationships with their cows and the land, and how they address their dairy farming concerns through their farming practices. This cultural research provided insight into what the participants considered the most significant animal welfare and environmental sustainability issues in New Zealand and how these issues could be addressed through alternative dairy farming practices and farmer, cattle, and environmental relationships. The cultural research then inspired the development of the experimental discursive prototype, The Dairy Oracle. This prototype aims to prompt discussion around existing understandings of New Zealand dairy farming and spark imagination around the future possibilities of dairy farming. It was tested at a local farmers’ market to investigate its potential. The findings from the event reflect and discuss how The Dairy Oracle was engaged with by shoppers at the farmers’ market, its potential to address the design objectives, and how it could be developed in future research.</p>

The Dairy Oracle: A cultural and design exploration of New Zealand dairy

<p>The intensification and expansion of New Zealand’s dairy industry have caused animal welfare and environmental sustainability issues to arise. Animal welfare issues directly impact the physical and mental wellbeing of cattle, and environmental sustainability issues contribute to climate change, impact human and animal health and cause biodiversity loss. As the first step to creating a better world for dairy cattle and sustaining the environment for future generations, this research investigates how cultural and design research can be used to understand what New Zealand dairy is today and imagine what it could become in the future. Semi-structured interviews and an observational site visit were conducted with the Happy Cow Milk Company founder and one of their dairy farmers. The interviews and site visit focused on developing an understanding of the participant’s values, their relationships with their cows and the land, and how they address their dairy farming concerns through their farming practices. This cultural research provided insight into what the participants considered the most significant animal welfare and environmental sustainability issues in New Zealand and how these issues could be addressed through alternative dairy farming practices and farmer, cattle, and environmental relationships. The cultural research then inspired the development of the experimental discursive prototype, The Dairy Oracle. This prototype aims to prompt discussion around existing understandings of New Zealand dairy farming and spark imagination around the future possibilities of dairy farming. It was tested at a local farmers’ market to investigate its potential. The findings from the event reflect and discuss how The Dairy Oracle was engaged with by shoppers at the farmers’ market, its potential to address the design objectives, and how it could be developed in future research.</p>