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This report describes a long-term impact evaluation conducted by a Forestry Extension program. Documenting long-term impacts is increasingly important to demonstrate the perceived public value of Extension programming. However, the extended time frame of forestry activities creates challenges for technology transfer, including the realization of learning objectives and reporting to administrators and public officials. Mississippi State University has attempted to address these challenges through in-person impact evaluation. Three years of results are presented from an ongoing long-term impact assessment conducted after clients received forestry information from an educational program. The assessment demonstrated 31% of clients had implemented forestry practices since attending Extension educational programs. Almost 47% planned to implement practices in the future, and over 73% reported Extension educational programs helped them be more profitable in forest management. Methodological challenges and implications for future educational efforts are discussed.

This report describes a project that tested social media versus traditional postal mailing advertising for a series of forestry Extension educational programs. Forestry Extension clientele have diverse backgrounds and include landowners, urban tree owners, communities, agencies, and others, and vary widely by sociodemographic and ownership characteristics. Such diversity creates challenges for technology transfer, including initial client contact, participation in educational programming, and realization of learning objectives. The Mississippi State University Forestry Extension program has attempted to address these challenges through social media marketing and in-person impact evaluation. An online marketing strategy resulted in 39% of clients becoming aware of and registering for programs through social media and email compared with 45% from postal mailings. Still, social media marketing resulted in more clients registering earlier, and in registration of clients who had not previously attended Extension programming, compared with postal marketing. Given the many diverse communication methods used by Extension clientele, social media, and traditional forms of marketing should be integrated into successful marketing campaigns. Implications for future educational efforts are discussed.

Abstract Background Providing culturally safe health care can contribute to improved health among Aboriginal people. However, little is known about how to make hospitals culturally safe for Aboriginal people. This study assessed the impact of an emergency department (ED)-based continuous quality improvement program on: the accuracy of recording of Aboriginal status in ED information systems; incomplete ED visits among Aboriginal patients; and the cultural appropriateness of ED systems and environments. Methods Between 2012 and 2014, the Aboriginal Identification in Hospitals Quality Improvement Program (AIHQIP) was implemented in eight EDs in NSW, Australia. A multiple baseline design and analysis of linked administrative data were used to assess program impact on the proportion of Aboriginal patients correctly identified as Aboriginal in ED information systems and incomplete ED visits in Aboriginal patients. Key informant interviews and document review were used to explore organisational changes. Results In all EDs combined, the AIHQIP was not associated with a reduction in incomplete ED visits in Aboriginal people, nor did it influence the proportion of ED visits made by Aboriginal people that had an accurate recording of Aboriginal status. However, in two EDs it was associated with an increase in the trend of accurate recording of Aboriginality from baseline to the intervention period (odds ratio (OR) 1.31, p

The double fertilization of the female gametophyte initiates embryogenesis and endosperm development in seeds via the activation of genes involved in cell differentiation, organ patterning, and growth. A subset of genes expressed in endosperm exhibit imprinted expression, and the correct balance of gene expression between parental alleles is critical for proper endosperm and seed development. We use a transcriptional time series analysis to identify genes that are associated with key shifts in seed development, including genes associated with secondary cell wall synthesis, mitotic cell cycle, chromatin organization, auxin synthesis, fatty acid metabolism, and seed maturation. We relate these genes to morphological changes in Mimulus seeds. We also identify four endosperm-expressed transcripts that display imprinted (paternal) expression bias. The imprinted status of these four genes is conserved in other flowering plants, suggesting that they are functionally important in endosperm development. Our study explores gene regulatory dynamics in a species with ab initio cellular endosperm development, broadening the taxonomic focus of the literature on gene expression in seeds. Moreover, it is the first to validate genes with imprinted endosperm expression in Mimulus guttatus, and will inform future studies on the genetic causes of seed failure in this model system.