Author: eugene

Why do certain counties have higher numbers of vaccine conscientious exemptions, especially varying rates in counties that are close together like Denton, Dallas, and Tarrant Counties?

Investigate the sources of the data. What are some factors impacting the quality and reliability/completeness of the data? Also, look at trends or points in the data. Why do certain counties have higher numbers of vaccine conscientious exemptions, especially varying rates in counties that are close together like Denton, Dallas, and Tarrant Counties?

The vaccine registry in Texas (ImmTrac) brings together information submitted by physician offices, hospitals, and public health departments when they provide immunizations. These individual records are aggregated to give us a picture of the overall number of children who have been vaccinated in the State of Texas and the nation. Families can opt out of getting vaccinations for children by submitting a conscientious exemption, typically for religious reasons. This information can be very valuable during outbreaks of illness. Knowing where pockets of unvaccinated children live can help the Department of State Health Services focus their efforts. While vaccines are very safe, in rare instances there are adverse events. Because vaccines are often required to participate in public events (like school) it is important to continue to ensure their safety. Information about Notifiable Conditions helps the State of Texas track the number of people who become ill with Vaccine Preventable illnesses.

Write an epilogue to ” The Cask of Amontillado” in which a case against Montresor comes to trial.

Write an epilogue to ” The Cask of Amontillado” in which a case against Montresor comes to trial. In your epilogue, provide the prosecuting attorney’s closing argument, reminding the jury of any evidence that proves Montresor’s guilt. Then provide the defense attorney’s closing argument and describe the jury’s final verdict.

What are the good and bad features of GymPact based on what you’ve read about health behaviors?

GymPact was an app that was released in 2012 with a great amount of buzz. The app monitors your visits to the gym, exercises, and meals as part of a wager. You promise a certain threshold of healthy behaviors and are paid accordingly. If you do not meet the conditions from your pact, you are then charged money. The concept centered around negative reinforcement – i.e., engaging in a behavior to avoid a negative outcome – to motivate users toward healthy behaviors. Some facts:

App activity: Each Sunday, you needed to go in to update your wager if you planned to workout more/less than the previous week. Each time you visited the gym or exercised at home, you had to check in and exercise for at least 30 minutes before checking out.
The minimum you could wager to lose for missing a workout was $5, while the most you could earn for meeting your pact was 20-50¢. (Penalty was much higher than reward.)
If you exercised more times than the pact you set, you did not receive any credit for the additional gym visits.
The app collected money at the end of each week for the times people did not complete their goal – including when workouts weren’t tracked by the app – but the app did not always pay the money earned for meeting one’s goal.
Exercises could be measured by compatibility with other apps, like FitBit and Jawbone Up, using a motion sensor in the iPhone. At the time, Android phones did not have motion trackers, and the use of that technology required Android users to purchase a motion sensor.

What are the good and bad features of GymPact based on what you’ve read about health behaviors? What are the reasons why GymPact was an unsuccessful app?