The Association between the Comprehensiveness and Strength of Written Physical Activity Wellness Policies and the Observed School Physical Activity Environment

Purpose: To determine if there is a relationship between physical education/activity wellness policy comprehensiveness and strength and the observed physical activity (PA) environment. Methods: The Wellness School Assessment Tool 2.0 (WellSAT 2.0) was used to evaluate the quality of written wellness policies. The School Physical Activity and Nutrition Environment Tool (SPAN-ET) was used to evaluate the school environment. Pairwise correlations and one-way ANOVAs were used to determine if written wellness policy quality affects the school PA environment. Data are presented as mean ± SD and significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Results: One significant relationship was found between WellSAT 2.0 PEPA comprehensiveness and SPAN-ET area of interest 7, which was Enclosures and Safety Features. There were no other relationships identified between the quality of wellness policies and the PA environments (n=3) and areas of interest (n=16). When comparing mean wellness policy scores among practice categories (poor, fair, good, and best practice) of the physical, situational, and policy environment, there was no difference.Conclusion: There may be a communication disconnect in school wellness efforts between the district and school level. Schools have strong environments, but these environmental strengths are not being captured in their wellness policies

Water and Soil Chemistry in Agricultural Wetland Landscapes in the Prairie Pothole Region of Eastern South Dakota

This study investigated the nutrient filtering capability of four seasonal and two semipermanent wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of eastern South Dakota. The wetlands were situated in two farming systems near Madison, SD. Wetlands were instrumented with observation wells arranged in two axes extending from the wetland border to upland sites. Nitrate-nitrogen and orthophosphate concentrations from wetland surface water and surrounding groundwater were determined on a two-week cycle throughout the 1994 and 1995 growing season using a Hach DR/2000 spectrophotometer. Results indicated that N03-N concentrations were higher in semipermanent wetlands (8.63 mg L·1) than seasonal wetlands (4.29 mg L 1) in 1994 and followed the same trend in 1995. Orthophosphate concentrations were higher in seasonal wetlands (0.57 mg L ) than in semipermanent wetlands (0.27 mg L·1) in 1994 and also followed the same trend in 1995. Soil nutrient analysis on all observation well soil cores was determined by the SDSU Soil Testing Laboratory. Soil nitrate-N, total-N, and available phosphorus concentrations were analyzed according to landscape position and depth. Results indicated that seasonal wetland landscapes may be better denitrifiers than semipermanent wetland landscapes. Significant differences in nitrate-N concentrations by landscape position and depth were found in seasonal wetland landscapes, but not in semipermanent wetland landscapes. Determination of total phosphorus concentrations from the top 15 cm of the observation well soil cores showed an increase in total P from upland landscape positions to lowland landscape positions. Total P concentrations were also determined from sediment samples from one seasonal wetland. Results showed a concentric zonation of phosphorus with concentrations ranging from 0.673 mg P g-1 soil in the outer edges to 0.513 mg P g·\u27 soil near the center of the wetland. A phosphorus adsorption isotherm was determined on the same sediments and showed the maximum adsorption concentration calculated from the Langmuir equation averaged 0.36 mg P g·\u27 soil more than existing phosphorus concentration in the wetland sediment. Although the wetland still retained the capacity to sorb phosphorus, the overall capacity for agricultural wetlands to sorb P may be accelerated due to erosion and direct fertilization compared to non-agricultural wetlands

Water in South Dakota Stakeholder Guided Strategies for Moving Forward

The 2017 Eastern South Dakota Water Conference included a stakeholder working session that resulted in over 350 comments. This paper reflects the challenges, goals and action items pertaining to South Dakota’s water resources as identified by the state’s diverse stakeholders

Assessing the Relevance of Statistics and Crime Analysis Courses for Working Crime Analysts

Crime analysts study criminal activity and police function to improve performance. Analysts inform operations, aid resource allocation, and evaluate programs. These tasks require high levels of statistical literacy. Given that most analysts are college-educated civilians, college coursework in statistics and/or crime analysis may represent the foundational knowledgebase within the profession. However, little research has attempted to determine if coursework teaches the skills needed by analysts. Underlying this issue is a limited understanding about what technical skills crime analysts regularly use. Analyzing parallel surveys of 98 criminal justice educators and 146 crime analysts, this study compares the skills taught in undergraduate-level statistics and crime analysis courses to those used by analysts. Comparisons are made between perceptions of the value of coursework. Results indicate discrepancies between the orientation of coursework and the needs of analysts which underscore differences in the perceived relevance of statistics education. Recommendations are discussed

Wetlands/Groundwater Quality in Agricultural Landscapes

In the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR - SO, NO, MN, IA), wetlands classified as semi-permanent or seasonal can act as groundwater recharge sites. The nutrient filtering capacity of wetlands has been investigated for both natural and constructed wetlands linked to surface water, but there is little information available on their subsequent impact on groundwater quality. This study investigates four seasonal and two semi-permanent wetlands in the PPR of eastern South Dakota. Transitional no-till (TNT) and organic farm (ORG) management systems border the wetlands. The objective is to determine the effects of farm management system on wetland surface water and groundwater quality. This project is part of a more comprehensive study including wildlife-habitat investigation and economic analyses. Water quality data include nitrate (No3--N) and orthophosphate (P043-_p) concentrations from wetland surface water, groundwater at wetland and upland sites, and run-off water from surrounding weirs. The results will be used to determine to what extent PPR wetlands act as sinks for nutrient run-off and establish baseline No3--N and P043-_p data for the development of PPR wetland water quality standards. The results indicate greater surface water N03 --N concentrations in semi-permanent than in seasonal wetlands. Surface water concentrations of Po43--P, however, were greater in seasonal than semi-permanent wetlands. Groundwater sampled near the wetland perimeter had greater P043-_p concentrations than groundwater sampled from nearby upland sites. The farming system effects were observed in weir data that indicated large concentrations of NQ3--N in runoff following nitrogen (N) application in the transitional no-till system. Large No3--N concentrations were also found in groundwater sampled from the organic semi-permanent wetland site which is cropped to alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and receives manure application. Orthophosphate concentrations were significantly greater near the seasonal wetland in the ORG (0.68 mg L-1) than the TNT (0.20 mg L-1). Water quality monitoring will continue in 1995, but preliminary results suggest that both wetland classification and adjacent farming practices impact wetland and groundwater quality

Evaluating Project Safe Neighborhoods in Connecticut: A Youth Opportunity Initiative

Despite containing numerous wealthy geographic areas, the state of Connecticut continues to struggle with social and economic distress, along with gun-related crime. Problem analysis in urban areas revealed a critical need for services aimed at deterring violent and gun-related crime in two target populations: serious juvenile offenders, aged 14–17 years, and at-risk youth, aged 11–13 years. Using a quasi-experimental design, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) on youth in two cities in Connecticut. Implementation resulted in 133 young people receiving a variety of services in New Haven and Bridgeport. Evaluation research assessed intervention efforts designed to (1) build on the strengths and address the challenges of each juvenile offender, (2) expand community outreach and education efforts to reinforce and reward positive attitudes and behaviors surrounding “no-gun policies,” and (3) utilize data-driven decision-making to guide program implementation and evaluate the results. Our findings suggest that youth who participated in Connecticut’s PSN Youth initiative benefited from the services provided and exhibited a decreased involvement in the juvenile justice system following enrollment

Impact of NFIB and CYP1A variants on clozapine serum concentration—A retrospective naturalistic cohort study on 526 patients with known smoking habits

Clinical response of clozapine is closely associated with serum concentration. Although tobacco smoking is the key environmental factor underlying interindividual variability in clozapine metabolism, recent genome-wide studies suggest that CYP1A and NFIB genetic variants may also be of significant importance, but their quantitative impact is unclear. We investigated the effects of the rs2472297 C>T (CYP1A) and rs28379954 T>C (NFIB) polymorphisms on serum concentrations in smokers and nonsmokers. The study retrospectively included 526 patients with known smoking habits (63.7% smokers) from a therapeutic drug monitoring service in Norway. Clozapine dose-adjusted concentrations (C/D) and patient proportions with subtherapeutic levels (<1070 nmol/L) were compared between CYP1A/NFIB variant allele carriers and homozygous wild-type carriers (noncarriers), in both smokers and nonsmokers. Clozapine C/D was reduced in patients carrying CYP1A-T and NFIB-C variants versus noncarriers, both among smokers (−48%; p < 0.0001) and nonsmokers (−35%; p = 0.028). Patients who smoke carrying CYP1A-T and NFIB-C variants had a 66% reduction in clozapine C/D versus nonsmoking noncarriers (p < 0.0001). The patient proportion with subtherapeutic levels was 2.9-fold higher in patients who smoke carrying NFIB-C and CYP1A-T variants versus nonsmoking noncarriers (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, CYP1A and NFIB variants have significant and additive impact on clozapine dose requirements for reaching target serum concentrations. Patients who smoke carrying the studied CYP1A and NFIB variants, comprising 2.5% of the study population, may need threefold higher doses to prevent risk of clozapine undertreatment. The results suggest that pre-emptive genotyping of NFIB and CYP1A may be utilized to guide clozapine dosing and improve clinical outcomes in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia. © 2022 The Authors. Clinical and Translational Science published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics

Project WISH: The Emerald City

Phase 3 of Project WISH saw the evolution of the Emerald City (E-City) from a collection of specialized independent analyses and ideas to a working structural design integrated with major support systems and analyses. Emphasis was placed on comparing and contrasting the closed and open cycle gas core nuclear rocket engines to further determine the optimum propulsive system for the E-City. Power and thermal control requirements were then defined and the question of how to meet these requirements was addressed. Software was developed to automate the mission/system/configuration analysis so changes dictated by various subsystem constraints could be managed efficiently and analyzed interactively. In addition, the liquid hydrogen propellant tank was statically designed for minimum mass and shape optimization using a finite element modeling package called SDRC I-DEAS. Spoke and shaft cross-sectional areas were optimized on ASTROS (Automated Structural Optimization System) for mass minimization. A structural dynamic analysis of the optimal structure also conducted using ASTROS enabled a study of the modes, frequencies, displacements, and accelerations of the E-City. Finally, the attitude control system design began with an initial mass moment of inertia analysis and was then designed and optimized using linear quadratic regulator control theory

Genotyping av pasienter behandlet med selektive serotoninreopptakshemmere

BAKGRUNN - Selektive serotoninreopptakshemmere (SSRI) brukes av over 180 000 mennesker i Norge. Enzymene CYP2D6 og CYP2C19 er sentrale i metabolismen av SSRI-antidepressiver. Serotonintransportøren kodet av SLC6A4 kan ha betydning for effekten av medikamentene. MATERIALE OG METODE - Alle pasienter som hadde blitt genotypet for CYP2D6, CYP2C19 og SLC6A4 ved Senter for psykofarmakologi i 2020, uavhengig av indikasjon, ble inkludert. Hos de pasientene der data var tilgjengelige, ble CYP2C19-genotype koblet til serumkonsentrasjonsmåling av escitalopram, som er det mest brukte SSRI-preparatet. RESULTATER - 432 av 3 492 pasienter (12,4 %) hadde en kombinasjon av genotyper av CYP2D6, CYP2C19 og SLC6A4 som anses å gi mest gunstig metabolisme og effekt av SSRI-antidepressiver. Pasienter med manglende CYP2C19-metabolisme hadde mer enn halvert dosebehov for å oppnå samme konsentrasjon av escitalopram som pasienter med normal metabolisme. FORTOLKNING - Våre funn viser lav forekomst av den gunstigste genotypekombinasjonen for respons av SSRI-preparater. Genotypekombinasjoner bidrar sannsynligvis til den store individuelle variasjonen i effekt av disse medikamentene og til at behandlingen ikke gir ønsket utfall hos mange pasienter