Fitness and Enjoyment Outcomes of a Physical Education Fitness Conditioning Curriculum

Project: Health-related fitness and enjoyment outcomes were analyzed on a physical education program that adopted an exclusive fitness conditioning physical education curriculum. Means: Freshmen enrolled in physical education (n = 228; Mean age = 14.12 years ± .91; Females = 117 (51%); Males = 111 (49%)) completed pre and post FitnessGram curl-ups, push-ups, and the PACER, height and weight measurements, a modified Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES), and two open-ended questions (likes and dislikes of PE). Pre and post assessments were analyzed using Paired t-tests, one-way ANOVAs, and qualitative categorizing. Outcome: Significant fitness improvements for females occurred in the push-ups (F(1, 105) = - 5.286, p \u3c .000), curl-ups (F(1,107) = -4.171, p \u3c .000), and the PACER (F(1, 89) = -6.680, p \u3c .000) and for males in push-ups (F(1, 98) = -2.939, p \u3c .004) and the PACER ((F(1, 80), -6.196, p \u3c .000). Males reported significantly higher PACES enjoyment scores (F(1, 184) = 19.843, p \u3c . 000) compared to females. Four categories were formed that encompassed open-ended responses: teacher, social/friends, content/curriculum, and affect. Reflection: Although this fitness conditioning program enhanced health-related fitness levels, and many students perceived value and benefits of participating in such a program, males clearly enjoyed their physical education experience more than females

Reducing the stigma of mental illness among medical students

Background: The American Osteopathic Association House of Delegates Resolution 205 recommends “increased awareness of depression amongst U.S. medical students” due to the increasing body of research describing the rise of depression, burn-out and suicide ideation among medical students. There is consequently a need to understand mental health issues as a component of professional development. Hypothesis: A student-led symposium addressing mental and emotional health topics relevant to medical students will reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. Materials and Methods: A 2-hour student-run “Patient Perspective” session was held during the second year neuroscience block in the PCOM DO program. One week before the program, a student-developed, online Wellness Survey measured prevalence of mental illness, common feelings during medical school, coping mechanisms used for stress, and use of mental health resources. Immediately before and after the program, students were asked to report their familiarity with mental illness and their feelings regarding a vignette about a mentally ill woman. Pre- and post-activity surveys were provided by the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine and adapted for the event. During the program, data from the online survey were shared, student organizers discussed emotional wellness and positive coping mechanisms in the context of the profession, and student panelists shared their experiences with mental health issues. A faculty psychiatrist spoke about mental health resources, and attendees received pamphlets listing these resources. The event concluded with student-led breakout sessions in which stress during medical school and strategies for promoting positive coping mechanisms were discussed, followed by administration of the post-activity survey. Results: 113 students completed the pre-activity survey; 89 completed the post-activity survey. For these 89, differences between responses were universally in the direction of increasing acceptance and decreasing stigma of those with mental illness; all differences were statistically significant. The largest shift regarded students’ reluctance to disclose their own theoretical mental illness to colleagues. Conclusion: Incorporating an emotional health symposium into medical students’ training may increase understanding and acceptance of those who may have mental illness and reduce stigma associated with mental illness

Reducing the Stigma of Mental Illness Among Medical Students

Abstract: The American Osteopathic Association House of Delegates Resolution 205 recommends “increased awareness of depression amongst U.S. Medical students” due to the increasing body of research describing the rise of depression, burn-out and suicide ideation among medical students. There is consequently a need to understand mental health issues as a component of professional development. Hypothesis: A student-led symposium addressing mental and emotional health topics relevant to medical students would reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. Materials and Methods: A 2-hour student-run “Patient Perspective” was held during the second neuroscience block at an osteopathic medical school in the northeastern United States. One week before the program, a student-developed online Wellness Survey measured prevalence of mental illness, common feelings during medical school, coping mechanisms used for stress, and use of mental health resources. Immediately before and after the program, students were asked to report their familiarity with mental illness and their feelings regarding a vignette about a mentally ill woman using “Mental Illness Among Us” pre and post surveys provided by the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine and adapted for the event. During the program, data from the online survey were shared, student organizers discussed emotional wellness and positive coping mechanisms in the context of the profession, and student panelists shared their experiences with mental health issues. A faculty psychiatrist spoke about mental health resources, and attendees received pamphlets listing these resources. The event concluded with student-led breakout sessions at which stress during medical school and strategies for promoting positive coping mechanisms were discussed, followed by the post survey. Results: 113 students completed the pre survey, 89 of whom completed the post survey. For these 89, differences between post and pre responses were universally in the direction of increasing acceptance and decreasing stigma of those with mental illness; all differences were statistically significant. The largest shift regarded students’ reluctance to disclose their own theoretical mental illness to colleagues. Conclusion: Incorporating an emotional health symposium into medical students’ training may increase understanding and acceptance of those who may have mental illness and reduce stigma associated with mental illness.https://digitalcommons.pcom.edu/posters/1002/thumbnail.jp

Seed bank dynamics govern persistence of Brassica hybrids in crop and natural habitats

Background and Aims: Gene flow from crops to their wild relatives has the potential to alter population growth rates and demography of hybrid populations, especially when a new crop has been genetically modified (GM). This study introduces a comprehensive approach to assess this potential for altered population fitness, and uses a combination of demographic data in two habitat types and mathematical (matrix) models that include crop rotations and outcrossing between parental species. Methods: Full life-cycle demographic rates, including seed bank survival, of non-GM Brassica rapa × B. napus F1 hybrids and their parent species were estimated from experiments in both agricultural and semi-natural habitats. Altered fitness potential was modelled using periodic matrices including crop rotations and outcrossing between parent species. Key Results: The demographic vital rates (i.e. for major stage transitions) of the hybrid population were intermediate between or lower than both parental species. The population growth rate (λ) of hybrids indicated decreases in both habitat types, and in a semi-natural habitat hybrids became extinct at two sites. Elasticity analyses indicated that seed bank survival was the greatest contributor to λ. In agricultural habitats, hybrid populations were projected to decline, but with persistence times up to 20 years. The seed bank survival rate was the main driver determining persistence. It was found that λ of the hybrids was largely determined by parental seed bank survival and subsequent replenishment of the hybrid population through outcrossing of B. rapa with B. napus. Conclusions: Hybrid persistence was found to be highly dependent on the seed bank, suggesting that targeting hybrid seed survival could be an important management option in controlling hybrid persistence. For local risk mitigation, an increased focus on the wild parent is suggested. Management actions, such as control of B. rapa, could indirectly reduce hybrid populations by blocking hybrid replenishment

Speech Communication

Contains reports on three research projects.U.S. Air Force (Air Force Cambridge Research Center, Air Research and Development Command) under Contract AF 19(604)-2061National Science Foundatio

Towards an understanding of the rapid decline of the cosmic star formation rate

We present a first analysis of deep 24 micron observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope of a sample of nearly 1500 galaxies in a thin redshift slice, 0.65<z<0.75. We combine the infrared data with redshifts, rest-frame luminosities, and colors from COMBO-17, and with morphologies from Hubble Space Telescope images collected by the GEMS and GOODS projects. To characterize the decline in star-formation rate (SFR) since z~0.7, we estimate the total thermal infrared (IR) luminosities, SFRs, and stellar masses for the galaxies in this sample. At z~0.7, nearly 40% of intermediate and high-mass galaxies (with stellar masses >2x10^10 solar masses) are undergoing a period of intense star formation above their past-averaged SFR. In contrast, less than 1% of equally-massive galaxies in the local universe have similarly intense star formation activity. Morphologically-undisturbed galaxies dominate the total infrared luminosity density and SFR density: at z~0.7, more than half of the intensely star-forming galaxies have spiral morphologies, whereas less than \~30% are strongly interacting. Thus, a decline in major-merger rate is not the underlying cause of the rapid decline in cosmic SFR since z~0.7. Physical properties that do not strongly affect galaxy morphology - for example, gas consumption and weak interactions with small satellite galaxies - appear to be responsible.Comment: To appear in the Astrophysical Journal 1 June 2005. 14 pages with 8 embedded figure

Evolution of the Rate and Mode of Star Formation in Galaxies since z=0.7

We present the star formation rate (SFR) and starburst fraction (SBF) for a sample of field galaxies from the ICBS intermediate-redshift cluster survey. We use [O II] and Spitzer 24 micron fluxes to measure SFRs, and 24 micron fluxes and H-delta absorption to measure of SBFs, for both our sample and a present-epoch field sample from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and Spitzer Wide-area Infrared Extragalactic (SWIRE) survey. We find a precipitous decline in the SFR since z=1, in agreement with other studies, as well as a corresponding rapid decline in the fraction of galaxies undergoing long-duration moderate-amplitude starbursts. We suggest that the change in both the rate and mode of star formation could result from the strong decrease since z=1 of gas available for star formation.Comment: ApJ Letters in pres

Transnational teaching teams: Professional development for quality enhancement of teaching and learning-Final Report

The Transnational Teaching Teams: professional development for quality enhancement of learning and teaching project was a two-year Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT)-funded project that targeted professional-practice development for transnational teaching teams to enhance quality learning and teaching in transnational education programs. Five partner universities were involved: the University of Wollongong (lead), INTI International University and Colleges (Malaysia), RMIT International University (Vietnam), RMIT University and La Trobe University

The European general data protection regulation:Challenges and considerations for iPSC researchers and biobanks

Increasingly, human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) and their associated genetic and clinical information are being used in a wide range of applications, with large biobanks being established to support and increase their scientific use. The new European General Data Protection Regulations, which comes into effect in 2018, will have implications for biobanks that generate, store and allow research access to iPSC. This paper describes some of the challenges that iPSC biobanks face and suggests some points for the development of appropriate governance structures to address these new requirements. These suggestions also have implications for iPSC research in general

Effect of a behavioural intervention in obese pregnant women (the UPBEAT study):a multicentre, randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Behavioural interventions might improve clinical outcomes in pregnant women who are obese. We aimed to investigate whether a complex intervention addressing diet and physical activity could reduce the incidence of gestational diabetes and large-for-gestational-age infants.METHODS: The UK Pregnancies Better Eating and Activity Trial (UPBEAT) is a randomised controlled trial done at antenatal clinics in eight hospitals in multi-ethnic, inner-city locations in the UK. We recruited pregnant women (15-18 weeks plus 6 days of gestation) older than 16 years who were obese (BMI ?30 kg/m(2)). We randomly assigned participants to either a behavioural intervention or standard antenatal care with an internet-based, computer-generated, randomisation procedure, minimising by age, ethnic origin, centre, BMI, and parity. The intervention was delivered once a week through eight health trainer-led sessions. Primary outcomes were gestational diabetes (diagnosed with an oral glucose tolerance test and by criteria from the International Association of Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Groups) and large-for-gestational-age infants (?90th customised birthweight centile). Analysis was by intention to treat. This trial is registered with Current Controlled Trials, ISCRTN89971375. Recruitment and pregnancy outcomes are complete but childhood follow-up is ongoing.FINDINGS: Between March 31, 2009, and June 2, 2014, we assessed 8820 women for eligibility and recruited 1555, with a mean BMI of 36·3 kg/m(2) (SD 4·8). 772 were randomly assigned to standard antenatal care and 783 were allocated the behavioural intervention, of which 651 and 629 women, respectively, completed an oral glucose tolerance test. Gestational diabetes was reported in 172 (26%) women in the standard care group compared with 160 (25%) in the intervention group (risk ratio 0·96, 95% CI 0·79-1·16; p=0·68). 61 (8%) of 751 babies in the standard care group were large for gestational age compared with 71 (9%) of 761 in the intervention group (1·15, 0·83-1·59; p=0·40). Thus, the primary outcomes did not differ between groups, despite improvements in some maternal secondary outcomes in the intervention group, including reduced dietary glycaemic load, gestational weight gain, and maternal sum-of-skinfold thicknesses, and increased physical activity. Adverse events included neonatal death (two in the standard care group and three in the intervention group) and fetal death in utero (ten in the standard care group and six in the intervention group). No maternal deaths were reported. Incidence of miscarriage (2% in the standard care group vs 2% in the intervention group), major obstetric haemorrhage (1% vs 3%), and small-for-gestational-age infants (?5th customised birthweight centile; 6% vs 5%) did not differ between groups.INTERPRETATION: A behavioural intervention addressing diet and physical activity in women with obesity during pregnancy is not adequate to prevent gestational diabetes, or to reduce the incidence of large-for-gestational-age infants.<br/