The impact of mindfulness-based yoga interventions on fifth-grade students’ perceived stress and anxiety

© IEJEE. With rising pressure and an increase in expected academic performance in schools across the United States, students are experiencing higher levels of stress than ever before. To address this issue, the present study examined the impact of mindfulness-based yoga interventions on fifth-grade students’ perceived stress and anxiety levels through a mixed methods research approach. Quantitative data were collected from students through a pre-and post-questionnaire while qualitative data were garnered through an interview with the classroom teacher. Findings revealed that following the intervention period, students reported a decrease in stress levels (9.29%) and a slight increase in anxiety levels (1.9%). Particularly, males in the remedial class displayed changes in both a decrease in stress (16.68%) and anxiety (31.58%) levels. Additionally, the following themes emerged from the qualitative data: (a) teacher perceptions of students’ anxiety and stress in the classroom; (b) transfer of mindfulness-based yoga skills; and (c) creating a positive transition. These results suggest that mindfulness-based yoga can be a positive tool for the classroom to reduce students’ anxiety and stress

The Impact of Mindfulness-Based Yoga Interventions on Elementary Students’ Perceived Emotional Wellbeing and Classroom Transitions

In recent years, there have been rising expectations for students’ academic performance in the United States (United States Department of Education, 2016). As a result, many students experience stress and anxiety. Simultaneously, an increased amount of instructional time has led to more sedentary behavior in the classroom (Burns et al., 2015). Therefore, this study sought to alleviate students’ daily stress and anxiety while also giving students the chance to move and stretch through the utilization of mindfulness-based yoga interventions. Recent studies have found that mindfulness is beneficial for people cognitively, physically, and mentally (Blair, 2007; Folleto, 2016; Mendelson, 2010). This study examined the benefits in a fifth-grade classroom through the implementation of mindfulness-based yoga interventions. Fifty-eight students in three separate fifth-grade mathematics classes in a Northwest Mississippi intermediate school participated in the study, which took place between Monday, October 15th, 2018 and Friday, November 30th, 2018. The study consisted of three weeks of observations and three weeks of interventions. Interventions took place during the first five minutes of each class and consisted of guided breathing exercises and yoga poses. A pre- and post- intervention questionnaire revealed that mindfulness-based yoga interventions had a positive impact on most students’ perceived anxiety, stress, and ability to transition. Findings also suggest that these interventions may be particularly beneficial for remedial males

State Park Service budget report card

One issue that often plagues State Park Service Managers is reporting expenditures at the end of a fiscal year in an easy to read format. This project involves developing a form that could be used for requesting funds during spring meetings with finance managers as well as used during end of fiscal year financial statement compilation. This would streamline some of the research that is required to determine precisely where funding is going

Genotoxicity of Silver Nanoparticles in Vicia faba: A Pilot Study on the Environmental Monitoring of Nanoparticles

The use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in commercial products has increased significantly in recent years. Although there have been some attempts to determine the toxic effects of AgNPs in mammalian and human cell-lines, there is little information on plants which play a vital role in ecosystems. The study reports the use of Vicia faba root-tip meristem to investigate the genotoxicity of AgNPs under modified GENE-TOX test conditions. The root tip cells of V. faba were treated with four different concentrations of engineered AgNPs dispersion to study toxicological endpoints such as mitotic index (MI), chromosomal aberrations (CA) and micronucleus induction (MN). For each concentration, five sets of microscopy observations were carried out. The results demonstrated that AgNPs exposure significantly increased (p < 0.05) the number of chromosomal aberrations, micronuclei, and decreased the MI in exposed groups compared to control. From this study we infer that AgNPs might have penetrated the plant system and may have impaired mitosis causing CA and MN. The results of this study demonstrate that AgNPs are genotoxic to plant cells. Since plant assays have been integrated as a genotoxicity component in risk assessment for detection of environmental mutagens, they should be given full consideration when evaluating the overall toxicological impact of the nanoparticles in the environment

Short-term hemodynamic effects of apelin in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension

Apelin agonism causes systemic vasodilatation and increased cardiac contractility in humans, and improves pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in animal models. Here, the authors examined the short-term pulmonary hemodynamic effects of systemic apelin infusion in patients with PAH. In a double-blind randomized crossover study, 19 patients with PAH received intravenous (Pyr 1 )apelin-13 and matched saline placebo during invasive right heart catheterization. (Pyr 1 )apelin-13 infusion caused a reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance and increased cardiac output. This effect was accentuated in the subgroup of patients receiving concomitant phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibition. Apelin agonism is a novel potential therapeutic target for PAH. (Effects of Apelin on the Lung Circulation in Pulmonary Hypertension; NCT01457170

New Tricks (2014)

It is an exclusive secret if one knows a muse and it is an even more exclusive ability if said person is able to channel her beauty. For most people, seducing a muse is no easy task. It takes a special kind of creative mind to attract the personification of art. Frequently, the rigorous process of invoking one of the muses often involves a set of rituals that resemble courtship displays. Muses demand undying attention and affection from their vessel before they will allow themselves to flow through a mortal instrument and onto a medium of art. In those rare moments, a beautiful process of creation happens and a little piece of the divine is brought down to the Earth in the form of a painting, poem, or epic tale. It is considered one thing to channel the muses and create art, but it is considered a whole other thing to gather the individual musings of creative minds in an attempt to create a collection of inspired works. With the help of many talented people, that is exactly what has been accomplished in this publication. From collecting and reviewing the submissions to all the technical work behind the scenes, the New Tricks team had to call upon their own muses to produce this wonderful collection of artwork, poems, and short stories. It is with much pride and admiration that I prsent you the 2014 issue of New Tricks. Enjoy