Preschool children’s biophilia and attitudes toward nature: The effect of personal experiences

Regular engagement outside may promote healthy physical and psychological development as well as a respect and appreciation for nature. This exploratory study compared biophilia and attitudes toward nature between young children living in an urban area to those in a rural area. Urban and rural areas may offer different opportunities for exposure and engagement with elements such as water, plants, and animals. A comparison between young children in these settings may determine if experience in these different environments affects their attitudes and biophilia. Thirty-six children (urban n = 27; rural n = 9) participated in one-on-one structured interviews about their attitudes toward and being in nature. Results revealed no significant difference in biophilia between children by geographical area. Common themes in children’s attitudes emerged: 1) young children define nature by identifying specific elements; 2) young children are aware that their actions have consequences for the condition of the natural environment; and 3) children understood that the expectations guiding behavior in the natural environment apply to everyone. Preschool children’s level of cognitive maturity and individual preferences may be better predictors of biophilia and attitude than location alone. Authors suggest implications for teachers and parents

Preschool children’s biophilia and attitudes toward nature: The effect of personal experiences

Regular engagement outside may promote healthy physical and psychological development as well as a respect and appreciation for nature. This exploratory study compared biophilia and attitudes toward nature between young children living in an urban area to those in a rural area. Urban and rural areas may offer different opportunities for exposure and engagement with elements such as water, plants, and animals. A comparison between young children in these settings may determine if experience in these different environments affects their attitudes and biophilia. Thirty-six children (urban n = 27; rural n = 9) participated in one-on-one structured interviews about their attitudes toward and being in nature. Results revealed no significant difference in biophilia between children by geographical area. Common themes in children’s attitudes emerged: 1) young children define nature by identifying specific elements; 2) young children are aware that their actions have consequences for the condition of the natural environment; and 3) children understood that the expectations guiding behavior in the natural environment apply to everyone. Preschool children’s level of cognitive maturity and individual preferences may be better predictors of biophilia and attitude than location alone. Authors suggest implications for teachers and parents

Children's responses to a social story song in three inclusive preschool classrooms: A pilot study

The social story is a pedagogical strategy presented individually, often in print, to primary grade children with autism. Authors examined teachers’ perceptions of the effect of a social story song adapted for preschoolers in six inclusive classes. A board certified music therapist composed a social story song set to a familiar melody about waiting, a behavior of significant concern for preschool teachers teaching on a military post. Teachers, trained by the music therapist, implemented the social story song within each of their part day, multi-age classrooms for five weeks. Results of this pilot suggest teachers perceived the training to be sufficient for immediate use and the song effective in modifying behavior in both exceptionally and typically developing children when either the teacher or children initiated it. Social story songs for preliterate children may be an effective intervention strategy to support behavior change within inclusive preschool settings

Microdeletion of target sites for insulator protein CTCF in a chromosome 11p15 imprinting center in Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome and Wilms' tumor

We have analyzed several cases of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) with Wilms' tumor in a familial setting, which give insight into the complex controls of imprinting and gene expression in the chromosome 11p15 region. We describe a 2.2-kbp microdeletion in the H19/insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2)-imprinting center eliminating three target sites of the chromatin insulator protein CTCF that we believe here is necessary, but not sufficient, to cause BWS and Wilms' tumor. Maternal inheritance of the deletion is associated with IGF2 loss of imprinting and up-regulation of IGF2 mRNA. However, in at least one affected family member a second genetic lesion (a duplication of maternal 11p15) was identified and accompanied by a further increase in IGF2 rnRNA levels 35-fold higher than control values. Our results suggest that the combined effects of the H19//GF2-imprinting center microdeletion and 11p15 chromosome duplication were necessary for manifestation of BWS

Post occupancy evaluation in architecture: experiences and perspectives from UK practice

The importance of post-occupancy evaluation (POE) is widely acknowledged in the academic literature, industry press and, increasingly, by the professional institutes. Learning from previous projects in a systematic way is central to improving building performance, resulting in a built environment that better-fits the needs of clients, end users, wider society and the environment. The key role of architects in pushing forward this agenda has been recognised, however evidence suggests that take-up of POE is low across the profession. Whilst a great deal of research has investigated barriers to POE across the construction industry, very little has considered the unique perspective of architects. Drawing on in-depth interviews with UK-based architects, this paper explores their experiences in relation to POE and their perspectives on its potential as a standard part of architectural practice. The findings indicate that a considerable amount of practical work is being undertaken, but uncertainty over what constitutes POE means it is often excluded from the POE label with significant implications for a rigorous and joined-up evidence base. The paper also identifies an appetite for more holistic evaluation measures that move beyond current preoccupation with energy efficiency and consider building performance, and thereby sustainability, in a wider value framework

The epidemiology of injuries across the weight-training sports

Background: Weight-training sports, including weightlifting, powerlifting, bodybuilding, strongman, Highland Games, and CrossFit, are weight-training sports that have separate divisions for males and females of a variety of ages, competitive standards, and bodyweight classes. These sports may be considered dangerous because of the heavy loads commonly used in training and competition. Objectives: Our objective was to systematically review the injury epidemiology of these weight-training sports, and, where possible, gain some insight into whether this may be affected by age, sex, competitive standard, and bodyweight class. Methods: We performed an electronic search using PubMed, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, and Embase for injury epidemiology studies involving competitive athletes in these weight-training sports. Eligible studies included peer-reviewed journal articles only, with no limit placed on date or language of publication. We assessed the risk of bias in all studies using an adaption of the musculoskeletal injury review method. Results: Only five of the 20 eligible studies had a risk of bias score ≥75 %, meaning the risk of bias in these five studies was considered low. While 14 of the studies had sample sizes >100 participants, only four studies utilized a prospective design. Bodybuilding had the lowest injury rates (0.12–0.7 injuries per lifter per year; 0.24–1 injury per 1000 h), with strongman (4.5–6.1 injuries per 1000 h) and Highland Games (7.5 injuries per 1000 h) reporting the highest rates. The shoulder, lower back, knee, elbow, and wrist/hand were generally the most commonly injured anatomical locations; strains, tendinitis, and sprains were the most common injury type. Very few significant differences in any of the injury outcomes were observed as a function of age, sex, competitive standard, or bodyweight class. Conclusion: While the majority of the research we reviewed utilized retrospective designs, the weight-training sports appear to have relatively low rates of injury compared with common team sports. Future weight-training sport injury epidemiology research needs to be improved, particularly in terms of the use of prospective designs, diagnosis of injury, and changes in risk exposure

Early-life predictors of resilience and related outcomes up to 66 years later in the 6-day sample of the 1947 Scottish mental survey.

PURPOSE: Psychological resilience, the ability to manage and quickly recover from stress and trauma, is associated with a range of health and wellbeing outcomes. Resilience is known to relate to personality, self-esteem and positive affect, and may also depend upon childhood experience and stress. In this study, we investigated the role of early-life contributors to resilience and related factors in later life. METHODS: We used data from the 6-day sample of the Scottish mental survey 1947, an initially representative sample of Scottish children born in 1936. They were assessed on a range of factors between the ages of 11 and 27 years, and resilience and other outcomes at 77 years. RESULTS: Higher adolescent dependability unexpectedly predicted lower resilience in older-age, as did childhood illnesses, while a count of specific stressors experienced throughout early life significantly predicted higher later-life resilience. We also observed significant cross-sectional correlations between resilience and measures of physical health, mental health, wellbeing and loneliness. Some of the associations between early-life predictors and later-life outcomes were significantly mediated by resilience. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the hypothesis that stress throughout early life may help to build resilience in later-life, and demonstrate the importance of resilience as a mediator of other influences on health and wellbeing in older age. We suggest that the mechanisms determining how early-life stress leads to higher resilience are worthy of further investigation, and that psychological resilience should be a focus of research and a target for therapeutic interventions aiming to improve older-age health and wellbeing