Give Me a Break: The Effects of Recess in Rural Elementary Schools

A qualitative descriptive research approach was conducted to determine the effects of recess on rural elementary schools. Counties in Eastern Kentucky are predominantly rural and ranks among the lowest ten-percent of U.S. counties in poverty, income, and unemployment rate. These variables greatly affect the health and occupations of all citizens in this area, but the researcher looked specifically at its impact on elementary students. Principals and teachers in rural eastern Kentucky elementary schools were interviewed using semi-structured interview protocol about their opinions of recess in their schools and on students. Interview data was transcribed verbatim and analyzed for themes. Results suggest four common themes among the participants’ remarks about the benefits of recess, the drawbacks of recess, days without recess. and changes to recess. These results suggest that recess is imperative for optimal classroom function in rural eastern Kentucky, that there is room for alterations to the schedules, and additions that could be made to playground equipment at each school

Current Trends in Designing a Therapeutic Milieu for the Victims of Alzheimer\u27s Disease

The increasing awareness of the need to appropriately manage victims of Alzheimer\u27s disease has created an explosion of special care units across the country. This research project was designed to investigate the most current trends in caring for these individuals and the complex issues that are involved in the creation and operation of a therapeutic environment. Several existing Alzheimer\u27s special care units in the St. Louis area are examined and compared. The results of this survey reveal the status of these units and how they compare to the desired therapeutic milieu described in this exercise

West Africa Water Initiative: A Preliminary Assessment

Based on a document review and interviews with partner organizations, assesses the initiative's early strategies, alignment of goals, and implementation; accomplishments; and challenges in fostering collaboration and sharing resources and decision making

Changing Physical Activity Behavior with Continuous Glucose Monitoring: A Dissertation

Up to 60% of individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) do not participate in regular physical activity (PA) despite the known benefits. To encourage these individuals to increase PA behavior, this study tested the feasibility and implementation of a nurse-directed counseling intervention using continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS). The study used a framework derived from self-efficacy theory to 1) compare changes in self-efficacy, BP and activity counts between participants receiving CGMS counseling and standard T2DM counseling, 2) examine relationships between PA self-efficacy and BP and activity counts, 3) evaluate recruitment, retention, and screening strategies, and 4) assess instrument reliability and utility. Adults (N=52) with T2DM (non-insulin requiring, inactive) were randomized to intervention (n=27) or control groups (n=25). Both groups received 90 minutes of diabetes education with a follow-up phone call at 4 weeks. The intervention group also received feedback on their own CGMS graphs and a role model\u27s graph depicting PA related reductions in glucose levels. PA benefits/barriers were discussed and goals were set. Outcomes were recorded at 1 and 8 weeks. Participants were older (57±14 years), predominantly (90%) white, about half (52%) female, and had diabetes for 8±7 years. Relative to the control group, participants receiving the intervention had higher self-efficacy scores at 8 weeks, indicating more confidence in sticking to a PA program. Their light/sedentary activity minutes decreased significantly and moderate activity minutes increased significantly; systolic BP, A1c and BMI decreased significantly. Only self-efficacy for Sticking to it was positively associated with moderate activity. The most successful recruitment media was multiple newspaper press releases. Most referrals came from endocrinology physicians. Of 231 study volunteers, 106 did not meet the criterion of A1c≥7.5%. These data suggest that CGMS feedback is feasible for counseling individuals with T2DM to improve PA and may improve risk factors for diabetes-related complications. Newspaper press releases are effective for recruiting participants with T2DM. Less restrictive inclusion criteria in a larger study may allow more participation by sedentary individuals with T2DM but may reduce effect size. CGMS was well tolerated and its data aided diabetes-related teaching

Pharmacy Staff Perspectives on Alcohol and Medication Interaction Prevention Among Older Rural Adults

Older adults are at high risk for alcohol and medication interactions (AMI). Pharmacies have the potential to act as ideal locations for AMI education, as pharmacy staff play an important role in the community. This study examined the perspectives of pharmacy staff on AMI prevention programming messaging, potential barriers to and facilitators of older adult participation in such programming, and dissemination methods for AMI prevention information. Flyers, telephone calls, and site visits were used to recruit 31 pharmacy staff members who participated in semistructured interviews. A content analysis of interview transcriptions was conducted to identify major themes, categories, and subcategories. The main categories identified for AMI prevention messaging were Informational, Health Significance, and Recommendations. Within barriers to participation, the main categories identified were Health Illiteracy, Personal Attitudes, and Feasibility. The main categories identified for program facilitators were Understanding, Beneficial Consequences, and Practicality. Multimethod dissemination strategies were commonly suggested. This study found positive pharmacy staff perspectives for the planning and implementation of AMI prevention programming, and future development and feasibility testing of such programming in the pharmacy setting is warranted

Reviews

Master of Middle Earth: The Fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien. Paul H. Kocher. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson. The Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit Notes. William Ready. Reviewed by Jim Allen. Per Herr der Ringe. Written by Peter Steinbach, Directed by Bernd Lau, Narrated by Ernst Schröder. Reviewed by Winton Covey

A three solar cell system based on a self-supporting, transparent AlGaAs top solar cell

Development of a three solar cell stack can lead to practical efficiencies greater than 30 percent (1x,AM0). A theoretical efficiency limitation of 43.7 percent at AM0 and one sun is predicted by this model. Including expected losses, a practical system efficiency of 36.8 percent is anticipated. These calculations are based on a 1.93eV/1.43eV/0.89eV energy band gap combination. AlGaAs/GaAs/GaInAsP materials can be used with a six-terminal wiring configuration. The key issues for multijunction solar cells are the top and middle solar cell performance and the sub-bandgap transparency. AstroPower has developed a technique to fabricate AlGaAs solar cells on rugged, self-supporting, transparent AlGaAs substrates. Top solar cell efficiencies greater than 11 percent AM0 have been achieved. State-of-the-art GaAs or InP devices will be used for the middle solar cell. GaInAsP will be used to fabricate the bottom solar cell. This material is lattice-matched to InP and offers a wide range of bandgaps for optimization of the three solar cell stack. Liquid phase epitaxy is being used to grow the quaternary material. Initial solar cells have shown open-circuit voltages of 462 mV for a bandgap of 0.92eV. Design rules for the multijunction three solar cell stack are discussed. The progress in the development of the self-supporting AlGaAs top solar cell and the GaInAsP bottom solar cell is presented

Beta-Adrenergic Receptor Blockade By Propranolol Enhances Retention In A Multitrial Passive-Avoidance Procedure

The effect of beta -adrenergic receptor blockade on retention in a mildly aversive passive-avoidance procedure was investigated. Rats were given passive-avoidance training-1 trial per day for 4 days-and were administered saline, the centrally and peripherally acting beta -adrenergic blocker propranolol (4 or 10 mg/kg ip), or the peripherally acting P-adrenergic blocker sotalol (4 or 10 mg/kg ip) immediately or 2 hr after the Ist trial. Enhanced retention occurred only with the higher dose (10 mg/kg) of propranolol and only when it was administered immediately after training. The enhanced retention produced by propranolol is discussed in terms of opposing, regionally specific actions of beta -adrenergic receptor-mediated neural circuits on modulation of memory

Développer la littératie volet oral pour favoriser la transition interordre entre le primaire et le secondaire : quelques considérations théoriques

La littératie volet oral, et particulièrement sa composante compréhension orale, permet aux élèves de développer leurs compétences scolaires et périscolaires. Cette proposition théorique insiste sur l’enseignement et le développement de stratégies métacognitives de compréhension orale pour accroitre l’autonomie des élèves en contextes de transition interordre. La compréhension orale influence en effet toutes les sphères du développement de l’élève et concourt à son devenir en tant que citoyen. Le fait d’amener les élèves à agir sur leur compréhension orale et à en comprendre les mécanismes, notamment au moyen de l’oral réflexif, représenterait également un facteur de protection au moment de cette transition scolaire