Fifth Grader\u27s Weight Status Perceptions

Childhood obesity is rising and children\u27s perceptions of their weight status may be influential. This study analyzed the responses of 18 fifth grade students regarding their perception of their weight status. The participants included 12 girls and 6 boys obtained from a convenience sample at a rural elementary school. A positive correlation between weight perception and BMI was demonstrated(r= .804, p\u3c 0.01), although some misperceptions were evident. The majority of students worried about their weight even if they were at a healthy weight. Overweight children responded that healthcare providers and parents are not talking to them about their weight. Participants recognized that diet and exercise are the main reasons for overweight in children. Health implications of life-long obesity are significant. This small study showed, as other studies, that problems in weight perception are evident at the 5th grade level

Community College Students\u27 Perceptions of Effective Communication in Online Learning

This quantitative research project analyzed the application of instructional communication tools and techniques used by community college students to determine how they perceive communication in their online classes. Online students from a community college participated in this study by completing an electronic survey. Data analysis revealed that these participating students communicated primarily through written online communication tools such as posting of class notes, email, and discussions. Students lack exposure to more innovative communication tools such as teacher-made audio and video presentations or live conversations and demonstrations through the use of Wimba or other tools, which are readily available in the robust course management systems today. To produce more engaged and active learning experiences, online instructors need to employ a variety of communication tools to accommodate all learning styles. Participants of this study do not perceive the effectiveness of their online communication to be as effective as communication in their traditional classes. Instructors cannot decrease transactional distance if they do not effectively utilize online communication tools to create meaningful interactions. Results also showed a strong correlation between communication and satisfaction levels of students regarding online classes. Students in this study indicated more satisfaction toward online classes when effective communication maintained a strong presence. The study results also indicated that students identified effective communication as a major factor of motivation in completing an online class. Students reported communication-related barriers such as lack of community interaction, delayed responses from instructors, and an inhuman feel to the online experience. Recommendations for practice included the following: (1) provide additional training for instructors on the effective uses of communication tools in online classes; (2) implement a mentoring program that pairs beginning or struggling online instructors with exemplary online instructors; and (3) develop a policy on virtual office hours that allows online instructors to schedule office hours for their online students outside of their traditional working hours. Virtual office hours allow students and instructors more opportunities for communication

KSU Symphony Orchestra

The KSU Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Nathaniel F. Parker, present a concert with the winners of the KSU Young Artists competition: Alice Zhang, piano and Keshav Anand, trumpet.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/2302/thumbnail.jp

Employing paramagnetic shift for responsive MRI probes

Paramagnetic metal ions with anisotropic magnetic susceptibilities can shift the proton NMR signals of chelating ligands beyond the diamagnetic range of endogenous proton resonances. Such large shifts, along with enhanced longitudinal relaxation rates, allow paramagnetic complexes to be exploited as molecular imaging probes for MRI. Paramagnetically-shifted imaging probes are detected directly against zero background, as opposed to the indirect induced relaxation enhancement of surrounding water molecules, and are reviewed herein. The development of ‘smart’ probes that are sensitive to their surrounding environment is also being developed, and some of the challenges faced for in vivo imaging are discussed, including issues of sensitivity and dose, biodistribution and clearance. Several examples of lanthanide complexes have been investigated, and more recently certain paramagnetic transition metal complexes are being considered as potential imaging agents

Induction of Type I Interferon Signaling Determines the Relative Pathogenicity of Staphylococcus aureus Strains

The tremendous success of S. aureus as a human pathogen has been explained primarily by its array of virulence factors that enable the organism to evade host immunity. Perhaps equally important, but less well understood, is the importance of the intensity of the host response in determining the extent of pathology induced by S. aureus infection, particularly in the pathogenesis of pneumonia. We compared the pathogenesis of infection caused by two phylogenetically and epidemiologically distinct strains of S. aureus whose behavior in humans has been well characterized. Induction of the type I IFN cascade by strain 502A, due to a NOD2-IRF5 pathway, was the major factor in causing severe pneumonia and death in a murine model of pneumonia and was associated with autolysis and release of peptidogylcan. In contrast to USA300, 502A was readily eliminated from epithelial surfaces in vitro. Nonetheless, 502A caused significantly increased tissue damage due to the organisms that were able to invade systemically and trigger type I IFN responses, and this was ameliorated in Ifnar-/- mice. The success of USA300 to cause invasive infection appears to depend upon its resistance to eradication from epithelial surfaces, but not production of specific toxins. Our studies illustrate the important and highly variable role of type I IFN signaling within a species and suggest that targeted immunomodulation of specific innate immune signaling cascades may be useful to prevent the excessive morbidity associated with S. aureus pneumonia