Summer Camp as a Force for 21st Century Learning: Exploring Divergent Thinking and Activity Selection in a Residential Camp Setting

This study investigated change in divergent thinking (DT), an indicator of creative potential, at two gender-specific residential summer camps. Additionally, this study examined whether the change in DT varied by gender and by the type of activities campers self-select. Quantitative methods, using a quasi-experimental design was used in order to understand differences in camper scores. A total of 189 youth, 100 girls, 89 boys, between the ages of 9 and 14 years participated in the current study. Participants were administered a modified version of Guilford\u27s (1967) alternate uses task, a measure of DT, in which respondents were asked questions such as name all of the uses for a brick or name all of the uses for a plate before the camp session started, and then again at the end of the two-week session. Results indicate overall mean significant increases in DT across all scoring methods of fluency, flexibility, and originality. Participants who self-selected one or more artistic activities (e.g., drama, arts and crafts, dance) had significant increases on the tasks as opposed to participants who did not select any artistic activities (e.g., basketball, baseball, archery). Finally, girls significantly increased across all scoring methods, whereas boys slightly increased in fluency and flexibility but not in originality. These results indicate residential summer camp may provide a creativity benefit for youth in attendance, especially those who participate in certain activities. Practitioners should use this study to understand their own programming in terms of creativity, activity offerings, and camp cultur

Flight performance of a navigation, guidance, and control system concept for automatic approach and landing of space shuttle orbiter

Unpowered automatic approaches and landings were conducted to study navigation, guidance, and control problems associated with terminal area approach and landing for the space shuttle vehicle. The flight tests were performed in a Convair 990 aircraft equipped with a digital flight control computer connected to the aircraft control system and displays. The tests were designed to evaluate the performance of a navigation and guidance concept that utilized blended radio/inertial navigation with VOR, DME, and ILS as the ground navigation aids. Results from 36 automatic approaches and landings from 11,300 m (37,000 ft) to touchdown are presented. Preliminary results indicate that this concept may provide sufficient accuracy to accomplish automatic landing of the shuttle orbiter without air-breathing engines

Flight tests of IFR landing approach systems for helicopters

Joint NASA/FAA helicopter flight tests were conducted to investigate airborne radar approaches (ARA) and microwave landing system (MLS) approaches. Flight-test results were utilized to prove NASA with a data base to be used as a performance measure for advanced guidance and navigation concepts, and to provide FAA with data for establishment of TERPS criteria. The first flight-test investigation consisted of helicopter IFR approaches to offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, using weather/mapping radar, operational pilots, and a Bell 212 helicopter. The second flight-test investigation consisted of IFR MLS approaches at Crows Landing (near Ames Research Center), with a Bell UH-1H helicopter, using NASA, FAA, and operational industry pilots. Tests are described and results discussed

Evaluation of a Technology-Based Survivor Care Plan for Breast Cancer Survivors: Pre-Post Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: As of 2016, almost 16 million individuals were cancer survivors, including over 3.5 million survivors of breast cancer. Because cancer survivors are living longer and have unique health care needs, the Institute of Medicine proposed a survivor care plan as a way to alleviate the many medical, emotional, and care coordination problems of survivors. OBJECTIVE: This pilot study for breast cancer survivors was undertaken to: (1) examine self-reported changes in knowledge, confidence, and activation from before receipt to after receipt of a survivor care plan; and (2) describe survivor preferences for, and satisfaction with, a technology-based survivor care plan. METHODS: A single group pretest-posttest design was used to study breast cancer survivors in an academic cancer center and a community cancer center during their medical visit after they completed chemotherapy. The intervention was a technology-based survivor care plan. Measures were taken before, immediately after, and 1 month after receipt of the survivor care plan. RESULTS: A total of 38 breast cancer survivors agreed to participate in the study. Compared to baseline levels before receipt of the survivor care plan, participants reported increased knowledge both immediately after its receipt at the academic center (P\u3c.001) and the community center (P\u3c.001) as well as one month later at the academic center (P=.002) and the community center (P\u3c.001). Participants also reported increased confidence immediately following receipt of the survivor care plan at the academic center (P=.63) and the community center (P=.003) and one month later at both the academic center (P=.63) and the community center (P\u3c.001). Activation was increased from baseline to post-survivor care plan at both the academic center (P=.05) and community center (P\u3c.001) as well as from baseline to 1-month follow-up at the academic center (P=.56) and the community center (P\u3c.001). Overall, community center participants had lower knowledge, confidence, and activation at baseline compared with academic center participants. Overall, 22/38 (58%) participants chose the fully functional electronic survivor care plan. However, 12/23 (52%) in the community center group chose the paper version compared to 4/15 (27%) in the academic center group. Satisfaction with the format (38/38 participants) and the content (37/38 participants) of the survivor care plan was high for both groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that knowledge, confidence, and activation of survivors were associated with implementation of the survivor care plan. This research agrees with previous research showing that cancer survivors found the technology-based survivor care plan to be acceptable. More research is needed to determine the optimal approach to survivor care planning to ensure that all cancer survivors can benefit from it

Exploring the Social Impacts of a Summer Camp for Youth With Tourette Syndrome

Although a wealth of research exists documenting the positive social outcomes promoted by summer camps, research specifically examining youths with Tourette Syndrome (TS) within the camp context is lacking. This study utilized a phenomenological approach to explore the social impacts of a weeklong camp specifically for youths with TS, involving focus groups with 18 campers aged 10–16, interviews with 10 staff members, and participant observations compiled by the researcher. Multiple themes and sub-themes concerning the social impacts of the camp experience were identified, including (a) relatedness (not alone and self-assurance); (b) social development (friendships, optimism, educational experience, and bullying); (c) programmatic outcomes (unique program opportunities and cabin bonding); and (d) various implications for professional practice and future research are discussed

Olfactory Acuity in Chronic Migraine: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: This study aims to measure olfactory acuity in chronic migraine subjects, at baseline and on migraine days, and compare to age- and sex-matched controls. Olfactory impairment is common in neurological disorders. While smell hypersensitivity has been established with chronic migraine, olfactory acuity has not been well studied. METHODS: We recruited 50 subjects with chronic migraine from the Jefferson Headache Center and 50 age- and sex-matched controls. Using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), a validated test of olfaction, olfactory acuity was measured at baseline and during a migraine for subjects, and compared to controls at baseline and at home 2 weeks later. All subjects were additionally screened for odor sensitivity and allodynia. RESULTS: The mean UPSIT score for migraine subjects was 34.5 on non-migraine days and 34.7 on migraine days (mean difference = -0.4, 95% confidence interval [CI; -1.3, 0.6] P = .45). Controls had a mean of 35.9 and 36.1 for each test day (mean difference = -0.1, 95% CI [-0.9, 0.7] P = .87). On average, migraineurs performed worse than their matched control counterparts in both test sittings (test 1: P = .047; test 2: P = .01). The great majority of subjects were allodynic (42/50) compared with only 9 of 50 controls, and the majority of subjects (41/50) found more than one listed odor to be bothersome, compared with only 10/50 controls. On non-migraine days, 18/48 chronic migraine subjects had abnormal olfaction and on migraine days 14/42 had abnormal olfaction, compared with only 9/50 controls who had abnormal olfaction on their first UPSIT. CONCLUSIONS: While chronic migraine patients do not appear to have a significant change in olfactory acuity between migrainous and non-migrainous periods, they do appear to be more likely to have abnormal olfactory acuity at baseline compared to age- and sex-matched controls

A survey of physician receptivity to molecular diagnostic testing and readiness to act on results for early-stage colon cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: We sought to assess physician interest in molecular prognosic testing for patients with early stage colon cancer, and identify factors associated with the likelihood of test adoption. METHODS: We identified physicians who care for patients with early-stage (pN0) colon cancer patients, mailed them a survey, and analyzed survey responses to assess clinician receptivity to the use of a new molecular test (GUCY2C) that identifies patients at risk for recurrence, and clinician readiness to act on abnormal test results. RESULTS: Of 104 eligible potential respondents, 41 completed and returned the survey. Among responding physicians, 56 % were receptive to using the new prognostic test. Multivariable analyses showed that physicians in academic medical centers were significantly more receptive to molecular test use than those in non-academic settings. Forty-one percent of respondents were ready to act on abnormal molecular test results. Physicians who viewed current staging methods as inaccurate and were confident in their capacity to incorporate molecular testing in practice were more likely to say they would act on abnormal test results. CONCLUSIONS: Physician receptivity to molecular diagnostic testing for early-stage colon cancer patients is likely to be influenced by practice setting and perceptions related to delivering quality care to patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01972737

Detecting genetic regions associated with height in the native ponies of the British Isles by using high density SNP genotyping

Height is an important characteristic in the equine industry, although little is known about its genetic control in native British breeds of ponies. This study aimed to map QTL data with the withers height in four pony breeds native to the British Isles, including two different sections within Welsh Cobs. In this study, a genome-wide analysis approach using the Illumina Equine SNP50 Infinium BeadChip was applied to 105 ponies and cobs. Analysis identified 222 highly significant height-associated SNPs (P < 10-5), among which three SNPs on ECA9 have also been previously reported elsewhere. The highest number of significant SNPs associated to height in the native British horses were located on ECA1, ECA8 and ECA16

PCR amplification of Bartonella koehlerae from human blood and enrichment blood cultures

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cats appear to be the primary reservoir host for <it>Bartonella koehlerae</it>, an alpha Proteobacteria that is most likely transmitted among cat populations by fleas (<it>Ctenocephalides felis</it>). <it>Bartonella koehlerae </it>has caused endocarditis in a dog and in one human patient from Israel, but other clinically relevant reports involving this bacterium are lacking. Despite publication of numerous, worldwide epidemiological studies designed to determine the prevalence of <it>Bartonella </it>spp. bacteremia in cats, <it>B. koehlerae </it>has never been isolated using conventional blood agar plates. To date, successful isolation of <it>B. koehlerae </it>from cats and from the one human endocarditis patient has consistently required the use of chocolate agar plates.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, <it>Bartonella koehlerae </it>bacteremia was documented in eight immunocompetent patients by PCR amplification and DNA sequencing, either prior to or after enrichment blood culture using <it>Bartonella </it>alpha Proteobacteria growth medium. Presenting symptoms most often included fatigue, insomnia, joint pain, headache, memory loss, and muscle pain. Four patients were also infected with <it>Bartonella vinsonii </it>subsp. <it>berkhoffii </it>genotype II. After molecular documentation of <it>B. koehlerae </it>infection in these patients, a serological test was developed and serum samples were tested retrospectively. <it>Bartonella koehlerae </it>antibodies were not detected (titers < 1:16) in 30 healthy human control sera, whereas five of eight patient samples had <it>B. koehlerae </it>antibody titers of 1:64 or greater.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Although biased by a study population consisting of individuals with extensive arthropod and animal exposure, the results of this study suggest that <it>B. koehlerae </it>bacteremia is more common in immunocompetent people than has been previously suspected. Future studies should more thoroughly define modes of transmission and risk factors for acquiring infection with <it>B. koehlerae</it>. In addition, studies are needed to determine if <it>B. koehlerae </it>is a cause or cofactor in the development of arthritis, peripheral neuropathies or tachyarrhythmias in patients.</p