Effect Modification By Stroke To The Relationship Between Tooth Loss And Cognitive Decline

Background: A decline in cognitive functioning is one of the greatest burdens that older adults face. Studies indicate that periodontal disease is positively associated with cognitive decline. The link between stroke and cognitive decline is well-established, and literature supports that tooth loss and stroke are associated as well, but the role that stroke plays in the relationship between tooth loss and decline in cognitive functioning is, as of yet, unclear. This study uses data from the REGARDS cohort to examine the effect of stroke on the relationship between periodontal disease and cognitive function. Methods: The REGARDS cohort is comprised of 30,000 African-Americans and white individuals, aged 45 and older, from the United States. While the primary objective of the REGARDS study was to determine the reasons for excess stroke mortality in African Americans and in the Southeastern United States, a large number of variables were collected from participants, among them, tooth loss, history of stroke, incident stroke, and a cognitive function score, which was collected annually. We used a Cox survival analysis approach to assess the impact of tooth loss on risk of cognitive decline. To examine stroke’s impact on the relationship between tooth loss and cognitive function, we analyzed the interaction between tooth loss and stroke (incident and prevalent). As African-Americans tend to experience tooth loss, stroke, and cognitive decline differently than white Americans, we stratified our models by race. For each race, we constructed a crude model and a model adjusted for a variety of demographic, lifestyle, and health characteristics. Results: Interaction between tooth loss and stroke was not found to be significant in any model, on the additive or multiplicative scale. After adjustment for confounders, there was not sufficient evidence to suggest a positive relationship between tooth loss and cognitive decline among African Americans or white Americans, although there was Conclusions: We did not find evidence that stroke is an effect modifier between tooth loss and cognitive decline. Our findings indicated that there is likely an increased risk of cognitive decline among those who have lost more teeth in white Americans, but not African Americans. We recommend that stroke be examined as an effect modifier to tooth loss and cognitive decline in high-risk populations, where a significant relationship between tooth loss and cognitive decline has already been observed

Mozart V. Beethoven: Consequences of Ninth Circuit Copyright Law on Classical Creativity

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The Language of Mathematics: Virginia Standards of Learning Mathematical Pictionary for Grades K-3.

My experience teaching in Virginia schools, pacing and aligning instruction to the Virginia Standards of Learning, caused me to recognize the need for a mathematics tool to simplify and transition K-3 mathematics vocabulary usage and instruction. The language of mathematics uses three linguistic tools: words, symbols, and diagrams. Within this thesis I developed an instructional tool, a Mathematics Pictionary , to accommodate primary grades K-3 and transition mathematical language and vocabulary skills between the primary grades aligned to the instruction and guidelines of the Virginia Standards of Learning. The Pictionary may be used coherently with lesson plans, available from the Virginia Department of Education, for instructional use in teaching mathematical vocabulary usage throughout the primary grade levels, K-3

Using simulated practice in pre-registration education to explore mental health issues

UK policy advocates that all nurses should have the skills to work with individuals experiencing mental health problems. However, barriers exist in that mental health placements for child student nurses are brief or difficult to arrange. This hinders opportunities to develop a therapeutic working relationship with young people, consolidate skills and ultimately develop confidence in working with young people presenting with mental health problems. A 3-day simulated practice strategy with child nursing students was designed to give students the knowledge, skills and confidence to work with young people who present to services with mental health problems. Students were approached 6 months after their simulated practice training to evaluate their opportunities to put their skills into practice while on placement. Once back in practice, 100% of students said they had improved confidence in working with young people who present with mental health problem

TEACHING AND LEARNING IN THE VIOLENT NEIGHBOURHOODS OF THE CAPE FLATS

This research consists of the presentation and analysis of focus group data obtained from a non-probability sample of foundation phase teachers from a primary school in a middle-class community on the Cape Flats. Like other communities in this area, the ordinary citizen is subjected to constant territorial gang wars, with the ever-present danger of being caught in the sudden crossfire of a violent uprising. Violence exists not only on the boundaries of school children’s areas, but also intrudes into the schools, including the school playground. Cognisant of the difficulties of teaching and learning in a perpetually unstable environment, a local non-profit organisation, Think Twice, provides training programmes in life skills in a pilot project called Circle Time to schools. Prior to this study, the programmes had not been evaluated. Think Twice consequently committed itself to researching programme effectiveness and to involve the teachers who are presenters of the programmes as co-researchers in the generation of data. Using a participatory design, the research aims to: 1) identify the precise need for life skills programmes in schools; and 2) institute relevant changes to the programmes in collaborative action. The researcher-facilitator is a representative of the organisation which designs and provides the training programme

Friend or Foe: An Analysis of the Contribution National Identity Hegemony Plays in the Acceptance of Asylum Seekers in Australia, Spain and Catalonia

With the vast number of people currently seeking asylum, this research sought to understand what determines the reception of asylum seekers and rationalises the treatment of asylum seekers by a nation. This is important to gain insight into how and why displaced people are dehumanised and criminalised when seeking asylum. The national identities of Australia, Spain and Catalonia are analysed, as is the influence of each national identity on public perceptions of asylum seekers. To achieve this, Benedict Anderson’s understanding of nationalism being an imagined national community has been adopted. A literature review examining the construction of each national identity, and its influence on public perception of asylum seekers was carried out. Findings were then compared with empirical data gathered during observation in Sydney, Australia and Barcelona, Catalonia. It was hypothesised that sentiments held towards asylum seekers by members of a national community could be attributed to the boundaries of inclusion and exclusion created by a national identity. This was confirmed, as a difference in attitudes towards asylum seekers was evident in Australia, Spain and Catalonia resulting from the processes governments have chosen to develop such an identity

The ‘Full Monty’: a collaborative institutional approach to student engagement

Student engagement has become a prominent focus within the higher education sector, the recent emphasis for promoting student engagement has clear links to a personalisation agenda and a culture where benchmarking across a number of measures in higher education has seen a strive to achieve an exceptional student learning experience (Little and Williams, 2010). Coates describes student engagement as “a broad construct intended to encompass salient academic as well as certain non-academic aspects of the student experience” (Coates 2007: 122). Therefore it is becoming increasingly clear that student engagement is the responsibility of all institutional staff and not just those who are ‘student facing’. Sabri (2011), identifies that academic and administrative staff are instrumental in ensuring students are engaged and motivated in order to achieve good practice within institutional practices. The University of Lincoln has taken a comprehensive approach to developing a partnership ethos between students and staff by concurrently delivering our Student as Producer initiative which embeds research-engaged-teaching and our Student Engagement Strategy which drives student engagement in quality assurance & enhancement and governance. Both strands promote a mixture of institutional change and bottom-up departmental activity to develop engagement. In essence this means that staff and students are working together in new and interesting ways right across the institution. First, we will present reflections on the development of the University’s approach to student engagement and experiences from academic and professional service departments. These experiences will be illuminated by the institutional lead for student engagement, an academic member of staff from the School of Sport & Exercise Science and a professional services colleague from the Library. Specifically, we will offer an insight into the Universities collaborative approach to student engagement, illustrated with examples of good practice and reflections on the challenges, barriers, tensions and cultural change required. Second, we will present our student-led study into the experiences of their peers who engage explores the reasons for first engaging, the highs and lows of engaging, the impact on learning, the impact on their approach to wider student life and the impact on their career ambitions. Two current undergraduate students who have worked on this study will present the findings together with their personal reflections on engaging in a variety of opportunities. They will help delegates see the experience of engaging through students’ eyes and identify the kinds of opportunities that have the greatest impact on students’ learning experience and wider outlook

Higher Diet Quality Does Not Predict Lower Medicare Costs but Does Predict Number of Claims in Mid-Aged Australian Women

Optimal dietary quality, indicated by higher diet quality index scores, reflects greater adherence to National dietary recommendations and is also associated with lower morbidity and mortality from chronic disease. Whether this is reflected in lower health care cost over time has rarely been examined. The aim of this study was to examine whether higher diet quality, as measured by the Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS), was associated with lower health care costs within the mid-aged cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. We found that there was a statistically significant association between five year cumulative costs and ARFS, but in the opposite direction to that predicted, with those in the highest quintiles of ARFS having higher health care costs. However the number of Medicare claims over the six year period (2002–2007) was lower for those in the highest compared with the lowest quintile, p = 0.002. There is a need to monitor both costs and claims over time to examine health care usage in the longer term in order to determine whether savings are eventually obtained for those with the dietary patterns that adhere more closely to National recommendations