Collaborating to Create Elder Friendly Communities in New Hampshire: A Scan of the Current Landscape

The fact that the population of the United States is aging is no surprise; the demographic projections are well documented. There have never been as many older adults living as there are today, and this number will only increase. Northern New England is aging more rapidly than the rest of the country, with Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire having the oldest populations in term of median age (U.S. Census, 2014). New Hampshire is expected to be the fastest aging state in New England through 2030, with nearly one-third of its population being over the age of 65 (Norton, 2011). This phenomenon is anticipated to place substantial pressure on publicly-funded health programs and long-term services and supports in the Granite State. But the story of the aging of the population is not only about increased numbers. As longevity increases, the average age of the older population will see a dramatic increase. The number of persons over the age of 85 in the United States is expected to increase five-fold by 2040. As the possibility for functional limitations and disability increases with age, the need for long-term, formal, and informal supports is expected to increase as the number of older adults, particularly those over the age of 85 increases. In addition, women continue to live longer than men; on average, life expectancy for women is three years longer than for men. These factors create a complex picture of aging, which includes a growing population of older adults, a majority of whom will be women; and a growing number of those over the age of 85, who are more likely to require some type of assistance as they age. It is a mistake to look at our aging population in a singular way. Although we tend to make generalizations about older adults, as a group, they are more physiologically and socially diverse than any other age group (Brummel-Smith & Mosqueda, 2003). As we age, we become more and more diverse, as there are no two people who have had the same life experiences, shaping who we are over our lifetimes. The baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) are likely to be the most diverse cohort of older adults we have seen to date, and it is likely that they will redefine our conception of age and aging. Older adults bring a diverse set of skills, talents, and knowledge that should be tapped as a significant natural resource to support a new and exciting vision of aging

Building an Aging Advocacy Network: Findings from the New Hampshire Senior Leadership Series

Public policy related to senior issues has not kept pace with the changes called for by an aging population. Advocacy is an important part of the policy landscape as it promotes a united effort to create change and encourage legislative action. Effective advocacy helps inform and educate policy makers, allows individuals to have their voices heard, builds stronger communities, and allows people to live more fulfilling lives. However, policy makers are inundated with causes to support, and it is easy for certain populations or causes to be lost in this process. This has been especially true for advocacy efforts around the needs of an aging population. At the legislative level, the older adult advocacy network is disjointed, underrepresented, and drowned out by groups that have stronger, moreformidable advocacy networks. The lack of a strong grassroots advocacy network for older adults is of growing concern as our population ages. This is a particularly important issue in New Hampshire as we are one of the oldest states in the nation (US Census, 2014). This paper examines the lack of advocacy for senior issues in the Granite State and explores strategies that can be employed to grow grass-roots leadership among older adults. The New Hampshire Senior Leadership Series, a program that provides support and training in advocacy and leadership skills, is highlighted as a promising practice to address this need. The series educates seniors in leadership skills necessary to advocate for legislative and policy changes that promote healthy aging, livable communities, and options to allow seniors to live and age in the communities of their choice. In order to ensure that New Hampshire residents have access to services and supports as they age, advocacy and leadership is a critical need. To determine the value of the Senior Leadership Series, a survey was developed and distributed to all Senior Leadership Series graduates. The survey aimed to determine how effective the series was at preparing participants to be community leaders and advocates

Mountain bike suspension systems and their effect on rider performance quantified through mechanical, psychological and physiological responses

Mountain bike suspension systems have been designed to improve riding performance and comfort for the cyclist. Additionally, a suspension system may reduce fatigue, energy expenditure, and enhance time trial performance. It has also been proposed, however, that using a rear suspension system on a mountain bike may be detrimental to the cyclist, causing the cyclist’s energy to be dissipated via the rear suspension system. Prior to undertaking the current research, a survey into mountain bike suspension systems was conducted to establish rider preferences, as well as their perceptions of suspension systems and riding styles. The resulting responses - that the majority of cross-country cyclists chose to ride a bike with front suspension only (a hardtail bike), despite the significant advantages that a fully suspended system has to offer – aided in the decision to address the unanswered questions that remain in this area of research. This thesis presents an investigation into mountain bike suspension systems and their effect on rider performance, quantifying the dynamic loads exerted on the bike frame and rider. Both the psychological and physiological effects of using a rear suspension system on cross-country cycling are additional considerations of this study. An initial laboratory experiment was completed to investigate the effects of rear wheel dynamics on a rough track with a high impact frequency and the consequent impact this terrain has on rider performance, comparing a full suspension and hardtail bike. Further testing was conducted on a rolling road rig, specifically designed for the purpose of the current research, which more closely represented the conditions encountered by a cyclist on a cross-country track. Testing was conducted on the rolling road rig on both a flat road and rough track, examining the interaction forces between the bike and rider. Greater resistance was experienced by cyclists when cycling on the rolling road rig compared to the roller rig which equated to the resistance encountered when cycling uphill or into a headwind. The mechanical results from both rigs were compared to dynamic simulations as a means of validating and comparing the mechanical results. An additional series of tests was carried out on an indoor track which had a similar terrain to that of the rolling road rig. This set of tests placed fewer restrictions on the cyclist as only physiological data was collected using unobtrusive portable measurement devices, and provided further results to illuminate correlations or discrepancies between the roller rig and rolling road rig experiments. The experimental rolling road rig results indicated that, when cycling on a smooth surface, the hardtail bike offered no significant physiological advantage to the cyclist; however, more power was required by the rider to pedal the fully suspended bike. This was also advocated by the simulation results. Conversely, it was highlighted that the fully suspended bike provided a significant advantage to the rider compared to the hardtail bike when cycling on extremely rough terrain on the roller rig. This was the case across the simulation results, mechanical measurements, physiological measurements and psychological measurements. Similarly, the indoor track tests indicated that cycling on a fully suspended bike provided significant advantages to a cyclist in terms of rider performance. On the contrary, the experimental rolling road rig results on a rough surface demonstrated that no significant difference was apparent between cycling on either the hardtail or fully suspended bike. This result suggests that, when a rider encounters added resistance to cycling, as is the case when cycling uphill, there is less of an advantage for a fully suspended bike even on rough terrain

Measuring the quantity and quality of midwifery support of women during labour and childbirth: The development and testing of the 'Supportive Midwifery in Labour Instrument'

The thesis describes the development and testing of a new computer based systematic observation instrument designed to facilitate the recording and measurement of the quantity and quality of midwifery intrapartum support. The content of the systematic observation instrument, the ‘SMILI’ (Supportive Midwifery in Labour Instrument), was based on a comprehensive review of the literature. The instrument was found to be valid and reliable in a series of studies. The feasibility and usability of the SMILI was extensively tested in the clinical setting in four maternity units in Scotland, UK. One hundred and five hours of direct observation of forty nine labour episodes were undertaken by four trained midwife observers. The clinical study demonstrated that the study and the instrument were feasible, usable and successful in measuring the quantity and quality of midwifery intrapartum support. The data collected has provided significant new information about the support given by midwives in the National Health Service of Scotland, UK. Continuous one to one support was the norm, with 92% of the observed midwives in the room for more than 80% of the observation period. Emotional support, including rapport building, encouragement and praise, was the most frequently recorded category of support

It\u27s okay, I\u27m a...teacher. Is professional status important to teachers?

Teacher accountability and the debate around teacher quality are issues of international importance. As society places increasing demands on the teaching profession, and regulatory bodies around the globe raise the ‘standards’ for teachers to adhere to, the professional status of teachers is drawn into focus. This paper reports research findings of an investigation into the perspectives of professional status of teachers, held by pre-service teachers about to embark on their teaching career. This was a comparative study whereby data were collected from an Australian university and an American university to explore professional status as an international issue. This quantitative study utilised a Likert scale to gather responses from participants. Data were analysed and findings from both universities indicated that professional status was a significant concern for pre-service teachers. Pre-service teachers felt that whilst they may have entered their teaching degree as a vocation, they hoped to receive status, as a professional, within society

Reproductive performance and offspring quality of non-ablated Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) under intensive commercial scale conditions

This study evaluated reproductive performance of non-ablated Litopenaeus vannamei and the quality of their offspring under commercial conditions. Five tanks were stocked with non-ablated female and other five with ablated individuals as control. Two different larval rearing trials (Larviculture I and II) have been conducted. Six larviculture tanks (n = 3) were used on the first trial (LI) and ten for the second one (LII) (n = 3). Postlarvae from LII were used for nursery and grow-out. Spawning event and hatching rate per day were similar between both treatments. Mating success, mortality of female and number of eggs and nauplii per tank per day of non-ablated group were significantly lower than ablated female. Non-ablated female fecundity (number of eggs and nauplii per spawned female per day) was significantly higher than control. There was no significant difference between daily larval stage index of larvae in LI and LII. The response to the salinity stress test, and final survival and weight in LI was similar. However in LII, postlarvae derived from non-ablated had significantly higher survival to salinity stress test. Identical survival, final weight, weekly growth, feed conversion rate and yield were observed in nursery. The same was observed in grow-out, including weight gain and specific growth rate. Overall this study demonstrates that non-ablated females can have comparable level of productivity to ablated females in intensive commercial hatchery conditions. Their offspring perform comparably in all culture stages with evidence of enhanced resistance to stress in larvae derived from non-ablated female broodstock

Differential Settlement of Nuclear Power Plant Foundations

A rational approach is presented for evaluating differential settlement of structures at nuclear power plants where settlement monitoring and the associated documentation are important. In nuclear plants, allowable differential settlement is governed by the necessity to prevent architectural and structural damage, equipment malfunction, touching of adjacent buildings during an earthquake, and damage to buried utilities. Measurements of actual settlement of the plant should be taken on a regular basis from start of construction and compared with the allowable values. A description is given of methods for calculating allowable values for differential settlements, and a comprehensive program for obtaining actual settlement data at a nuclear site is outlined. The ratio of measured to allowable differential settlement at which remedial action may be required is discussed. A case history of differential settlements at a nuclear plant is presented. The settlement patterns exhibited by the major structures can be correlated with foundation conditions at the plant site. Measured differential settlements are small, generally less than 0.25 inch, compared with values of allowable differential settlement which are mainly greater than 0.75 inch