Program Planning Theory in Service-Learning: A Relational Model

This paper introduces the relationship between program planning theory and service-learning in graduate education and the development of a relational program planning model for service-learning. A case will be made regarding the value of the relational program planning model for guiding and enabling more democratic forms of service-learning practice

From Authoritarian Liberalism to Economic Technocracy: Neoliberalism, Politics and "De-democratization'

Neoliberalism is often sharply contrasted with collectivist ideologies, including conservatism and fascism as well as socialism. This paper challenges such a characterization as too one-sided, focusing on neoliberalism in the context of ‘crises’ of liberal modernity, highlighting significant areas of overlap with authoritarian conservative and neo-fascist critiques of the rise of ‘mass democracy’ in the 1930s, and the common project to resist the politicization of the market economy and constitutional order. This project was applied and adapted in the post-1945 context, and specifically the second crisis of liberal modernity in the 1960s and 1970s, which turned to insights from the Chicago School to support economic technocracy over democracy. It was in this context that neoliberals developed either a more explicit authoritarianism in order to resist the demands of democracy, or the reconstruction of governance according to market principles, both designed to ‘de-democratize’ the liberal democratic political order.</jats:p

BNP/NT-proBNP in pulmonary arterial hypertension: time for point-of-care testing?

Despite the advent of new therapies and improved outcomes in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), it remains a life-shortening disease and the time to diagnosis remains unchanged. Strategies to improve outcomes are therefore currently focused on earlier diagnosis and a treatment approach aimed at moving patients with PAH into a category of low-risk of 1-year mortality. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP; or brain natriuretic peptide) and N-terminal prohormone of BNP (NT-proBNP) are released from cardiac myocytes in response to mechanical load and wall stress. Elevated levels of BNP and NT-proBNP are incorporated into several PAH risk stratification tools and screening algorithms to aid diagnosis of systemic sclerosis. We have undertaken a systematic review of the literature with respect to the use of BNP and NT-proBNP in PAH and the use of these biomarkers in the diagnosis and risk stratification of PAH, their relation to pulmonary haemodynamics and the potential for point-of-care testing to improve diagnosis and prognosis

Gender, education, and cohort differences in healthy working life expectancy at age 50 years in Australia: a longitudinal analysis

Background: We aimed to estimate healthy working life expectancy (HWLE) at age 50 years by gender, cohort, and level of education in Australia. Methods: We analysed data from two nationally representative cohorts in the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey. Each cohort was followed up annually from 2001 to 2010 and from 2011 to 2020. Poor health was defined by a self-reported, limiting, long-term health condition. Work was defined by current employment status. HWLEs were estimated with Interpolated Markov Chain multi-state modelling. Findings: We included data from 4951 participants in the cohort from 2001 to 2010 (2605 [53%] women and 2346 [47%] men; age range 50–100 years) and 6589 participants in the cohort from 2011 to 2020 (3518 [53%] women and 3071 [47%] men; age range 50–100 years). Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. Working life expectancy increased over time for all groups, regardless of gender or educational attainment. However, health expectancies only increased for men and people of either gender with higher education. Years working in good health at age 50 years for men were 9·9 years in 2001 (95% CI 9·3–10·4) and 10·8 years (10·4–11·3) in 2011. The corresponding HWLEs for women were 7·9 years (7·3–8·5) and 9·0 years (8·5–9·6). For people with low education level, HWLE was 7·9 years (7·3–8·5) in 2001 and 8·4 years (7·9–8·9) in 2011, and for those with high education level, HWLE rose from 9·6 years in 2001 (9·1–10·1) to 10·5 years in 2011 (10·2–10·9). Across all groups, there were at least 2·5 years working in poor health and 6·7 years not working in good health. Interpretation: Increases in length of working life have not been accompanied by similar gains in healthy life expectancy for women or people of any gender with low education, and it is not unusual for workers older than 50 years to work with long-term health limitations. Strategies to achieve longer working lives should address life-course inequalities in health and encourage businesses and organisations to recruit, train, and retain mature-age workers. Funding: Australian Research Council

Association between the Health Belief Model, Exercise, and Nutrition Behaviors during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our nation’s health further than the infection it causes. Physical activity levels and dietary intake have suffered while individuals grapple with the changes in behavior to reduce viral transmission. With unique nuances regarding the access to physical activity and nutrition during the pandemic, the constructs of Health Belief Model (HBM) may present themselves differently in nutrition and exercise behaviors compared to precautions implemented to reduce viral transmission studied in previous research. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent of exercise and nutritional behavior change during the COVID-19 pandemic and explain the reason for and extent of this change using HBM constructs (perceived susceptibility, severity, benefit of action, and barriers to action). Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design to collect 206 surveys. This survey collected information on self-reported exercise and nutrition changes during the pandemic and self-reported levels of the HBM constructs. Results: Findings showed individuals with medium or high exercise behavior change had greater odds of increased HBM score than individuals with little to no exercise behavior change (OR = 1.117, 95% CI: 1.020–1.223, SE: 0.0464, p = 0.0175). There was no association between nutritional behavior change and HBM score (OR = 1.011, 95% CI: 0.895–1.142, p = 08646). Conclusion: Individuals who reported a more drastic change in either exercise had greater odds of increased feelings of perceived susceptibility and severity related to COVID-19 and decreased perceived benefits and increased barriers to exercise. This relationship was not found regarding nutrition behavior change. These results encourage public health practitioners to understand how an individual’s perceived feelings about a threat may affect exercise and nutritional behaviors

Students' Evaluation of their English Language Learning Experience

In the field of English language teaching and learning, there is a long history of investigating students’ performance while they are undergoing specific learning programmes. This research study, however,  focused on students’ evaluation of their English language learning experience after they have completed their programme. The data were gathered from 20 semi-structured interviews with 10 ‘good’ students and 10 ‘weak’ students emphasizing on factors which contributed to their proficiency level, preferred teaching approaches and learning strategies as well as their overall learning experience. The qualitative analysis indicated some different views between the ‘good’ and the ‘weak’ students in terms of their proficiency level and the contributing factors to their success (or lack of) in learning English. They however, shared similar opinion on preferred teaching approaches, learning strategies and classroom experience. The results have implications for pedagogy as they highlight some insights which may facilitate success in English language learning

Bifidobacterium breve with α-Linolenic Acid and Linoleic Acid Alters Fatty Acid Metabolism in the Maternal Separation Model of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

peer-reviewedThe aim of this study was to compare the impact of dietary supplementation with a Bifidobacterium breve strain together with linoleic acid & α-linolenic acid, for 7 weeks, on colonic sensitivity and fatty acid metabolism in rats. Maternally separated and non-maternally separated Sprague Dawley rats (n = 15) were orally gavaged with either B. breve DPC6330 (109 microorganisms/day) alone or in combination with 0.5% (w/w) linoleic acid & 0.5% (w/w) α-linolenic acid, daily for 7 weeks and compared with trehalose and bovine serum albumin. Tissue fatty acid composition was assessed by gas-liquid chromatography and visceral hypersensitivity was assessed by colorectal distension. Significant differences in the fatty acid profiles of the non-separated controls and maternally separated controls were observed for α-linolenic acid and arachidonic acid in the liver, oleic acid and eicosenoic acid (c11) in adipose tissue, and for palmitoleic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in serum (p<0.05). Administration of B. breve DPC6330 to MS rats significantly increased palmitoleic acid, arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in the liver, eicosenoic acid (c11) in adipose tissue and palmitoleic acid in the prefrontal cortex (p<0.05), whereas feeding B. breve DPC6330 to non separated rats significantly increased eicosapentaenoic acid and docosapentaenoic acid in serum (p<0.05) compared with the NS un-supplemented controls. Administration of B. breve DPC6330 in combination with linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid to maternally separated rats significantly increased docosapentaenoic acid in the serum (p<0.01) and α-linolenic acid in adipose tissue (p<0.001), whereas feeding B. breve DPC6330 with fatty acid supplementation to non-separated rats significantly increased liver and serum docosapentaenoic acid (p<0.05), and α-linolenic acid in adipose tissue (p<0.001). B. breve DPC6330 influenced host fatty acid metabolism. Administration of B. breve DPC6330 to maternally separated rats significantly modified the palmitoleic acid, arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid contents in tissues. The effect was not observed in non-separated animals.This work was supported by the Science Foundation of Ireland – funded Centre for Science, Engineering and Technology, the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre