A procedure for the assessment of low frequency noise complaints

The development and application of a procedure for the assessment of low frequency noise (LFN) complaints are described. The development of the assessment method included laboratory tests addressing low frequency hearing threshold and the effect on acceptability of fluctuation, and field measurements complemented with interview-based questionnaires. Environmental health departments then conducted a series of six trials with genuine "live" LFN complaints to test the workability and usefulness of the procedure. The procedure includes guidance notes and a pro-forma report with step-by-step instructions. It does not provide a prescriptive indicator of nuisance but rather gives a systematic procedure to help environmental health practitioners to form their own opinion. Examples of field measurements and application of the procedure are presented. The procedure and examples are likely to be of particular interest to environmental health practitioners involved in the assessment of LFN complaints

Proof of a Problem

In this paper I have constructed an overview of mathematical proof, which involves several factors. A large part of understanding our current methods of teaching proof is knowing the history of proof. I also take a look at several different methods of proving and why proof is important. The focal point of the paper is the difficulties students have with mathematical proof and the difficulties the students that I did a field study with had. This stems from many different factors, the biggest being definitions. Another problem is lack of emphasis so I have also included an overview of national standards of proof and international comparison for proof. Possible solutions to the difficulties that students have with proof are changing teacher conception of proof, a transitional course, and the modified-Moore method

A study to investigate the effectiveness of using a lightweight plastic ball in teaching the overhead volley in volleyball

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of lightweight plastic balls on teaching the overhead volley in volleyball. An additional purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between the following: (a) grip strength and finger strength, (b) grip strength and volley ability, and (c) finger strength and volley ability. For this study one class consisted of beginning volleyball players divided into two groups. There were nineteen subjects in the experimental group, while the control group had eighteen subjects. The experimental group used lightweight plastic balls and the control group used regulation volleyballs. The only skill measured for this study was the overhead volley. The experimental period lasted four days. There was a slight degree of relationship found between the wall volley and grip strength. There was a moderate degree of relationship between finger strength and grip strength and between finger strength and the wall volley. There was a significant difference between pre- and posttests on wall volley in the group using regulation volleyballs. There was no change for the group using the lightweight plastic balls. There was no difference between the groups in grip strength after the experimental period. There was no difference in the scores between the groups on the wall volley test

On our feet: feasibility trial of an intervention to reduce sedentary behavior and increase physical activity

Sedentary behavior (SB) is emerging as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes (Katzmarzyk, 2010, Owen et al., 2010), and is a target for intervention. This study examined effects of a Social Cognitive intervention to increase self-efficacy (SE) for reducing SB and increasing PA. Female members (Mage=58.5, SD=12.5 yrs) from seven weight loss support clubs were enrolled in a 6-week intervention (n=40) or waitlisted (n=24) based on club randomization. The intervention, delivered via group sessions and email, used mastery feedback from goal-setting activities along with behavioral cues and modeling to reduce SB and increase steps. Quantitative and qualitative process evaluation data were collected throughout. PA and SB were measured by accelerometers. SE (to reduce SB, to increase light & moderate PA) were measured pre, mid, and post. Repeated-measures MANOVA found no significant change over time or Group x Time interaction for behavior. A significant effect for time was noted for SE to reduce SB (F=3.34, p<.05) and the Group x Time interaction approached significance. SE decreased at mid-point, but increased for the intervention group while the waitlist group continued to fall. Differences between rural and urban women in SB (F=4.69, p<0.04) and SE to reduce SB (F=4.75, p<0.05), were significant, with rural participants having less SB and lower SE to reduce SB than urban peers. Participants' perceptions were examined to provide a contextualized understanding of SB and methods to change behavior. Analysis identified compliance barriers, including required sitting, accuracy of self-monitoring, work and family responsibilities and questions of relevance. Significant differences in SE to reduce SB were seen when compliant participants were compared to non-compliant participants (F=2.44, p<0.05). Behavioral cues and modeled behaviors were less impactful than anticipated. Participants were receptive to monitoring PA via pedometer, though challenges in self-monitoring SB were noted. The role of SE in changing SB needs further study. Findings suggest that interventions must consider contextual factors, such as location and occupation as well as individual factors (SE) and barriers. Future studies should consider the effect of modifying the built-environment on SE to reduce SB and improve methods for self-monitoring

People Would Talk: Normative Barriers to Cross-sex Friendships for Elderly Women.

A normative explanation for elderly women's lack of male friends is developed by showing that cross-sex friendship is defined as romance, that there are norms inhibiting romance during old age, and that other norms encourage them to reject potential mates who can no longer meet traditional sex role demands. The data were derived from in-depth interviews and observations of 70 non-married, white, elderly women who lived in a middle-class Chicago suburb. It can be expected that future cohorts of elderly women who will have been exposed to models of non-romantic cross-sex friendships early in their lives will have more of these friendships during old age

Examining Romantic Relationships.

All of the articles included in this issue examine romantic relationships. Although it was not intended, these articles therefore comprise a de facto special issue on this topic. Let me be perfectly clear: I did not hold back related articles in order to publish them together. The articles that were ready to submit when this issue was due to the publisher just all happened to be on the topic of romantic partnerships. This is the second time during my term as Editor of Personal Relationships that this has happened; as Associate Editor Susan Boon noted (“Communicating Personal Relationships Research Findings,”Personal Relationships, Volume 15, Number 3, p. i), last year’s third issue was also totally devoted to articles on romantic relationships. Furthermore, the issue published in between these two included several articles focused on them as well

Emotional Closeness and Physical Distance Between Friends: Implications for Elderly Women Living in Age-Segregated and Age-Integrated Settings

The author discusses the need for a better theoretical understanding of friendship in order for its role in the lives of elderly people to be understood. The applicability to friendship of Simmel's approach to the study of social relationships is outlined. From this perspective, types of friendship are determined by the physical distance separating friends and the emotional closeness bringing them together. The data consist of seventy in-depth interviews of senior, unmarried women in a middle-class community bordering on Chicago. Qualitative data are reported to support quantitative analyses. There were positive relationships between emotional closeness and physical distance, duration and emotional closeness, and frequency of interaction and proximity. The author describes the implications for elderly women of the tendency for their close, old friends to be physically separated from them and their neighbors to be casual friends, but constant companions. The author discusses the effects of the age-density of residential context and life history on the types of friends the women had