The Evolution of Physical Activity Promotion

Overview: A physically active lifestyle has numerous physical and mental health benefits for patients of all ages. Despite these significant benefits, a majority of Americans do not meet current physical activity guidelines. Health care providers, especially nurses, play a vital role in physical activity promotion. Over the past several decades, exercise and physical activity guidelines have evolved from a focus on structured, vigorous exercise to a focus on moderate-intensity “lifestyle” physical activity. The author updates nurses on physical activity guidelines and provides tips for promoting physical activity, with a focus on lifestyle activities such as walking to work. This article also addresses new research findings on the importance of decreasing sedentary and sitting time, even in physically active peopl

Dogs, Physical Activity, and Walking (Dogs PAW): Acceptability and Feasibility of a Pilot Physical Activity Intervention

Background. The aims of this study were to describe the development of and investigate the feasibility and acceptability of a pilot randomized controlled physical activity intervention based on social cognitive theory which used a dog walking strategy. Methods. Participants (n=49) were randomized into an intervention or control group. Overall, participants were middle-aged (mean=45.7±13.4 years), Caucasian, and on average considered obese with an average BMI of 30.0±5.5. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participant characteristics and analyze the feasibility and acceptability data. Regression models were used to: 1) examine significant differences between intervention and control groups across time (baseline to post-intervention) and 2) examine if changes in theoretical constructs from baseline to post-intervention resulted in changes in dog walking in both the intervention and control group. Results. Participants agreed that the intervention emails were easy to read and understand (mean=4.3±0.7). Participants reported that the frequency of emails was adequate (mean=4.3±0.8) but there was lower agreement that the emails encouraged an increase in dog walking (mean=3.6±1.2). Post-intervention, the control group increased weekly dog walking to 19.4±4.9 minutes while the intervention group increased to 79.3±11.2 minutes. Conclusions. Preliminary results suggest this pilot intervention is an acceptable and feasible strategy for promoting dog walking among dog owners

Molecular Profiling of Lung Cancer

Cisplatin is a first line chemotherapeutic agent for lung cancer however, although patients may respond to therapy, resistance often develops with tumour recurrence and disease progression. Somatic alterations in the tumour may alter therapeutic responses. Consequently a model of cisplatin resistance in lung cancer derived A549 cells has been created to examine the genomic changes that occur as chemo-resistance develops. Drug resistance was induced in A549 cells through multiple rounds of cisplatin dosage and recovery over two different time courses. The concentration of cisplatin required to inhibit growth (inhibitory concentration [IC] value) was calculated at each round and cycles were continued until the IC value increased at least four-fold. Cells were harvested and total RNA extracted for whole transcriptome microarray analysis. Data was analysed using R statistics and associated packages, Affy, Limma, Mfuzz and WGCNA. A five-fold increase in IC value was generated over successive doses in both regimes, accompanied by highly significant changes in gene expression. To explore these changes, temporal expression clustering and extensive network analyses were performed across the rounds of cisplatin dosing, as well as an untreated cell culture time course that acted as a comparison to the two treated regimes. The results gathered from this robust model suggest that differences in dose and frequency of chemotherapy may affect genomic changes at specific loci that confer cisplatin resistance. Interesting and relevant pathways and genes have been discovered. In combination with analyses on a small patient cohort, these results have provided insights into the mechanism of cisplatin resistance and have highlighted new clinical biomarkers of potential use in prognosis of patients undergoing cancer treatment.Open Acces

Process Evaluation of an Email-based Walking Program with Extension Educators

This study evaluated the implementation process of an email-based walking program from the perspectives of program deliverers. Twenty-four Extension Educators participated in the process evaluation. We used an online survey to examine the perceptions of the implementation process of Get WalkIN’, a twelve-week email-based walking program. Educators agreed that the provided program training and recruitment materials were sufficient for successful program delivery. Program implementation involved sending emails to program participants at least weekly. Educators also agreed that the program was easy to deliver and took twenty minutes or less to implement each week. Strengths and areas for program improvement are discussed. Suggestions included training on evaluation measures, inclusion of a process to send emails via tablets instead of only desktops, and ideas for engaging participants during program delivery. While the outcomes of this email-based program show positive behavior changes without face-to-face interaction between participants and Extension Educators, the face-to-face interactions familiar to Extension staff were still desired. Results will be used to improve implementation. Findings from this study can facilitate the development and implementation of other email-based Extension programs

The Geology and Petrography of a Portion of Marlboro and Brattleboro Townships, Windham County, Vermont

Location and area. The territory covered in this report is a roughly rectangular area of about fifty square miles. It is situated partly in Marlboro and partly in Brattleboro township, in Windham county, southeastern Vermont. It runs from 42° 50\u27 to 42° 55\u27 north latitude and from 72° 37\u27 to 72° 47\u27 west longitude. Geologically the region is a part of the Green Mountains while physiographically the area is in the New England Upland section. Statement of the Problem and Methods. The origin, history and correlation of the country rock of the region is the particular problem with which this thesis is concerned. Some attention has been directed toward the physiographic problems and the economic resources of this section of Vermont. During the summer of 1930, the Oberlin Geologic Survey spent seven weeks in Marlboro township, Vermont. Hand specimens of the various rock types were collected, and the field relations of the formations were studied. Following the return from the field, about a hundred thin sections made from hand specimens were examined with the petrographic microscope, and a qualitative chemical analysis was made from a few of the more important minerals. The aim of this thesis is state and to interpret the results obtained from these lines of investigation

An evaluation of the effect of illustrations on comprehension in the fifth and sixth grades

Thesis (Ed. M.)--Boston University, 194

A culturally-sensitive cognitive model of worry in African American youth.

Our understanding of worry in children and adolescents has been increasingly enhanced over the past decade through the downward extension of adult cognitive models. Although our knowledge about the cognitive factors that place children at risk for worry has grown, little is known about these processes within African American youth. This is particularly notable given extant work suggesting that risk and protective processes are influenced by contextual factors. The current study reviews literatures regarding cognitive factors associated with worry and sociocultural factors salient to the African American context in order to inform a culturally-sensitive cognitive model of worry in African American children. Next, the basic tenets of the proposed model are empirically tested. Specifically, the current study tests the hypothesis that cognitive factors would be significantly and positively associated with worry in African American children. In addition, the hypothesis that racial socialization, collective coping, and positive religious coping would be negatively associated with worry was examined. Finally, it was predicted that the aforementioned sociocultural variables would cumulatively moderate cumulative cognitive vulnerability in that higher levels of sociocultural experiences would mitigate the relationship between cognitive factors and worry. In order to evaluate these hypotheses, 50 African American children and their parents were recruited from the community to complete self-report questionnaires. Overall, the results partially supported the study hypotheses. Cognitive factors, including intolerance of uncertainty, negative problem orientation, positive beliefs about worry, and negative beliefs about worry contributed significant variance to worry, with negative beliefs about worry emerging as the strongest predictor. However, the second two hypotheses were largely not supported, as racial socialization, positive religious coping, and collective coping did not significantly contribute to child worry in the expected direction nor cumulatively moderate the relationship between total cognitive vulnerability and worry. Follow-up exploratory analyses revealed that the relationship between sociocultural experiences and worry did not change as a function of familial ethnic identity. These findings are discussed in comparison to previously established literature in non-Hispanic White children and African American adults, and implications for conceptual models of worry and clinical work are discussed. Directions for future research are also provided

An evaluation of the effect of illustrations on comprehension in the fifth and sixth grades

Thesis (Ed. M.)--Boston University, 194