Can Escaping From Poor Neighborhoods Increase Employment and Earnings?

Examines whether families who moved to lower poverty areas through the Moving to Opportunity program benefited from more opportunities for employment and higher earnings, what factors affected outcomes, and how relocation intervention could be improved

Action Research in Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice: A Study of the Evaluation and Reporting of Student Achievement

The theory and practice of evaluating student academic performance has been a source of concern in academia for over a century. The challenge of successfully implementing assessment practices that reflect the true measure of a student’s academic achievement, and that accurately and effectively communicate the student’s level of mastery to stakeholders, has not been met according to measurement specialists. This study was designed to examine the implementation process of research-based classroom assessment practices that both accurately measure the academic achievement of students and effectively communicate the students’ level of mastery. Interviews were conducted to examine the practicality of the assessment practices and whether the evidences gathered from these practices support performance grades that accurately articulate student achievement. The study showed that recommendations from measurement specialists are practical assessments for the classroom, accurately measure the academic achievement of students, and effectively communicate the students’ level of mastery. However, training in pre-service teacher programs that continue to be supported by in-service professional development is critical to the successful implementation of the recommendations, and to bridging the gap between theory and practice

Addition of Fat to Diets of Lactating Sows. I. Effects on Sow and Pig Performance

Sow energy intake during lactation is an important factor to consider when trying to maximize sow and pig performance. It has been shown that inadequate energy intake during lactation results in decreased litter weaning weight. Poor energy intake during lactation is also thought to result in a reduction in postweaning reproductive performance by extending the period from weaning to rebreeding. This reduction in postweaning performance is typically preceded by the excessive loss of weight and backfat during lactation. One method that has been used to increase sow energy intake, and thus alleviate the problems described above is to add dietary fat. The addition of high concentrations of fat (e.g., 7.5 to 15% of the diet) has been shown to result in increased sow energy intake during lactation, and if consumed for approximately one week before farrowing, increased survival rates for pigs with light birthweights. This article reports the effects of high fat diets on sow lactation performance, litter performance, and sow feed and energy intake. A subsequent article will discuss the effects of added dietary fat on energy intake, meal patterns, and blood hormones and metabolites. A specific objective of this research was to determine the effects of dietary fat on milk production and composition

The Effects of Tallow Addition to the Diets of Lactating Sows on Hormone and Metabolite Concentrations

The metabolic responses of sows fed a corn-soybean meal or a corn-soybean meal-10% tallow diet were measured. The addition of tallow to lactating sows diets had no effect on feed or energy intake. In addition, there were no effects on the concentrations of glucose, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), insulin, or glucagon. No differences in either the time spent consuming feed or the number of meals consumed were observed. Finally, no linear association between eating time and area under the curve for insulin was observed for sows consuming either diet. These results show the addition of tallow to lactation diets does not affect the concentrations of glucose, NEFA, insulin or glucagon in the fed state

Children with new onset seizures: A prospective study of parent variables, child behavior problems, and seizure occurrence

OBJECTIVE: Parent variables (stigma, mood, unmet needs for information and support, and worry) are associated with behavioral difficulties in children with seizures; however, it is not known how this relationship is influenced by additional seizures. This study followed children (ages 4-14 years) and their parents over a 24-month period (with data collected at baseline and 6, 12, and 24 months) and investigated the effect of an additional seizure on the relationship between parenting variables and child behavior difficulties. METHODS: The sample was parents of 196 children (104 girls and 92 boys) with a first seizure within the past 6 weeks. Child mean age at baseline was 8 years, 3 months (SD 3 years). Data were analyzed using t-tests, chi-square tests, and repeated measures analyses of covariance. RESULTS: Relationships between parent variables, additional seizures, and child behavior problems were consistent across time. Several associations between parent variables and child behavior problems were stronger in the additional seizure group than in the no additional seizure group. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that interventions that assist families to respond constructively to the reactions of others regarding their child's seizure condition and to address their needs for information and support could help families of children with continuing seizures to have an improved quality of life

Problem-Solving Intervention for Caregivers of Children with Mental Health Problems

Building Our Solutions and Connections (BOSC) focused on enhancing problem-solving skills (PSS) of primary caregivers of children with mental health problems. Aims were determining feasibility, acceptability, and effect size (ES) estimates for depression, burden, personal control, and PSS. Methods—Caregivers were randomized to BOSC (n=30) or wait-list control (WLC) groups (n=31). Data were collected at baseline, post-intervention, and 3 and 6 months post-intervention. Results—Three-months post-intervention, ES for burden and personal control were .07 and .08, respectively. ES for depressed caregivers for burden and personal control were 0.14 and 0.19, respectively. Conclusions—Evidence indicates that the intervention had desired effects

Harmonious Healthcare Teams: What Healthcare Professionals Can and Cannot Learn from Chamber Musicians

Background: As healthcare becomes increasingly team based, we need new ways of educating trainees to be collaborative team members. One approach is to look to other professions that have developed highly effective ways of collaborating. Doctors have already turned to musicians for specific lessons; however, as of yet, there has been little empirical study of the ways that musicians interact in ensembles, or analysis of how this might provide insights for healthcare. Our hypothesis is that healthcare teams might learn from understanding collaborative practices of chamber musicians.Methods and Findings: We undertook an exploratory study of professional musicians playing in non-conducted ensembles. We used semi-structured interviews to explore factors the musicians considered important for effective group function. The interviews were transcribed and coded thematically. We identified three prominent themes that have relevance for healthcare teams.Conclusions: The highly individual nature of each musical group’s identity suggests that a focus on generic interprofessional education skills development may be insufficient. Furthermore, musicians’ understanding of the fundamental role of non-melodic parts provides the possibility of more nuanced leadership models. Finally, essential differences between musicians’ interactions in rehearsals and performances highlight the importance of varied forms of group interactions