Editorial: Are They Listening? Policymakers and Their Role in Public Education

In the United States the policy making process claims to be a cyclical process which drives politicians, dictates policies drafted, and legislation ultimately passed. The process begins with the people bringing issues, ideas, and concerns to the attention of the news media, advocacy groups, grassroots organizations, or interest groups. Ideally these groups connect the concerns of the people to elected officials and/ or courts who respond by creating policies which address these concerns. This is an over-simplified ideal. The reality of policymaking is messy, partisan, and the results frequently fail to address the concerns of the public, or create more unintended consequences than solve problems. Public education is an area of concern most familiar with unintended consequences

Cooperative Games: Promoting Prosocial Behaviors in Children

Children who develop more prosocial behaviors tend to be more competent socially than those children who develop fewer prosocial behaviors. Group games are especially effective in the facilitation of prosocial behaviors. This study compared the number of prosocial or positive behaviors and negative behaviors displayed during cooperatively and competitively structured game treatments using the Observational Checklist and the Teacher Checklist. We controlled for possible differences in teacher nuturance through the Caregiver Interaction Scale. Participants included 20 boys and 19 girls (mean age = 4 years 7.3 months) enrolled in one of two classes at Utah State University s Adele and Dale Young Child Development Lab. There were no statistically significant effects of treatment found according to The Teacher Checklist; however, statistically significant differences in positive and negative behaviors were found on The Observational Checklist across treatment conditions. Specifically, after cooperative games, positive behaviors were higher than expected while negative behaviors were lower than expected. During competitive games, positive behaviors were lower than expected and negative behaviors were higher than expected. When the two factors on The Teacher Checklist, Aggression and Immaturity, were analyzed, no statistically significant relationships were found

Variable temperature study of the crystal and magnetic structures of the giant magnetoresistant materials LMnAsO (L=La, Nd)

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Gesture use in children with autism spectrum disorder: a scoping review

Purpose This study reviewed the literature examining type and frequency of gesture use in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in comparison to other populations. The findings can inform future studies and programs targeting the use of gestures as an early indicator of ASD. Methods A six step search procedure was utilized to identify all articles exploring gesture use in children with ASD in comparison to other populations. Articles meeting inclusion criteria were double coded by the investigators with 97% agreement. Results examining type and frequency of gesture were synthesized and three common themes were identified: comparison group(s), age of participants with ASD, and gesture terminology. Results A total of 32 studies met inclusion criteria for this study. Of these studies, nine exclusively measured type of gesture, 17 exclusively measured frequency, and 6 measured both type and frequency. Results indicate that children with ASD used different types and frequency of gesture in comparison to other populations. The most studied age range was 4–5 years and most studies used typically developing children as the comparison group. Gesture terminology and definition were extremely variable. Conclusions Children with ASD are using different types and frequencies of gesture when compared to other populations. More research including younger and more diverse populations is needed to translate these findings into clinical practice. Additionally, there is a need for more consistent use of gesture terminology and definition

Computational optical sensing and imaging: introduction

The OSA Topical Meeting on Computational Optical Sensing and Imaging (COSI) was held June 25–June 28, 2018 in Orlando, Florida, USA, as part of the Imaging and Applied Optics Congress. In this feature issue, we present several papers that cover the techniques, topics, and advancements in the field presented at the COSI meeting highlighting the integration of opto-electric measurement and computational processing

Body Composition and Muscle Characteristics of Division I Track and Field Athletes

The purpose of this study was to evaluate event-specific body composition and muscle characteristics of track and field athletes, and to assess body composition changes after one year. Sixty collegiate track and field athletes (Mean ± SD; Age = 19.2 ± 1.4 yrs, Height = 174.6 ± 9.0 cm, Weight = 71.5 ± 12.5 kg) were stratified into six event groups. Total and regional body composition measurements were assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. A panoramic scan of the vastus lateralis was taken with B-mode ultrasound to determine muscle cross sectional area (mCSA) and echo intensity (EI). Body composition measurements were repeated a year later in a subset of returning athletes (n=33). Throwers had significantly more absolute fat mass (FM; 21.6 ± 11.0 kg), total body mass (89.7 ± 17.4 kg), percent fat (23.6 ± 7.8) and trunk fat (9.4 ± 5.8 kg) than all other event groups (p0.05), but relative to body mass had relatively less LM (0.72 ± 0.08 kg; p<0.05). Despite high FM, throwers had lower EI (63.4 ± 5.2 a.u). After one year, relative armLM increased slightly in all event groups (p<0.05). Evaluation of muscle characteristics in addition to total and regional body composition may be valuable for improving performance, injury prevention, and assessing health risks. With appropriate training, track and field athletes may be able to minimize losses in LM and gains in FM between seasons

Seasonal Effects on Body Composition, Muscle Characteristics, and Performance of Collegiate Swimmers and Divers

Previous researchers have indicated the importance of body composition and muscle quality in athletic performance. However, body composition and muscle-quality measures in swimmers and divers over a training season have yet to be evaluated

Effects of resistance training on classic and specific bioelectrical impedance vector analysis in elderly women

Raw bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) data [resistance (R); reactance (Xc)] through bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) and phase angle (PhA) have been used to evaluate cellular function and hydration status. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of resistance training (RT) on classic and specific BIVA in elderly women. Twenty women (mean ± SD; age: 71.9 ± 6.9 years; BMI: 24.5 ± 3.0 kg m(-2)) completed a 6-month RT program. Whole-body, single-frequency BIA, body geometry, and leg strength (5RM) measures were completed at baseline (t0), 3 months (t3), and 6 months (t6). The mean impedance vector displacements were compared using Hotelling's T(2) test to evaluate changes in R and Xc relative to height (R/ht; Xc/ht) or body volume (Rsp; Xcsp) estimated from the arms, legs, and trunk. 5RM, PhA, and BIVA variables were compared using ANOVA. PhA improved at t6 (p < 0.01), while 5RM improved at t3 and t6 (p < 0.01). Using classic BIVA, 6 months (T(2) = 31.6; p < 0.01), but not 3 months of RT (T(2) = 4.5; p = 0.20), resulted in significant vector migration. Using specific BIVA, 6 months (T(2) = 24.4; p < 0.01), but not 3 months of RT (T(2) = 5.5; p = 0.10), also resulted in significant vector migration. 5RM was correlated to both PhA (r = 0.48-56) and Xcsp (r = 0.45-53) at all time points. Vector displacements were likely the result of improved cellular integrity (Xcsp) and cellular health (PhA)