We are what we eat: Gauging the effects of nutritional choices on the cognitive performance of an educational interpreter

The purpose of this action research specifically relates to new educational interpreters working with Deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) students. This study provides information about American Sign Language (ASL)/English Educational Interpreting professionals’ practice in self-care to reduce role strain, increase alertness, emotional wellbeing, and cognitive performance. Nutritional intake of my own was documented, analyzed and used to describe how that has had a perceived impact on my work in interpreting. The results of this data provide comparisons between recommended amounts of specific nutrients (e.g., calories and carbs), actual consumption, alertness, and identified emotions from an educational interpreter. The analyzed data includes a phone app called MyFitnessPal that had been used to document a nutritional intake log of an educational interpreter, documented perceived alertness during the interpretation by use of a Likert Scale as well as the Junto Institution’s Emotion Wheel (Chadha, 2020) to track perceived effectiveness, satisfaction, and overall feeling during the end of each work day. Further studies would benefit future and current interpreters as this research indicates a need to experiment with an adequate use of self-care by healthier intake of nutrition in our bodies, and note what kind of impact specific nutritional intake has on our ability to focus and interpreter’s note whether they interpret with a higher perceived efficacy rate compared to inadequate self-care and poor nutrition

Pedal to the Metal: Accelerating the Transition to Electric Vehicles

This thesis explores barriers to widespread adoption of electric vehicles and proposes possible policy solutions. It analyzes main barriers including awareness, upfront cost, and range anxiety, as well as existing policy solutions, and a detailed case study examining policy differences in high adopting versus low adopting states. Awareness and eduction surrounding electric vehicles and their capabilities, financial incentives and market mechanisms for reducing costs, and charging infrastructure and efficiency improvements are examined. Conclusions were formed through interviews with various experts as a method of data collection. It was found that many existing state and local level policies could be scaled to a national level to facilitate rapid reductions in transportation emissions through electrification of the transportation sector

Investing in People: Assessing the Economic Benefits of 1890 Institutions

The report examines the historical USDA funding levels of 1890 institutions; discusses the outcomes of these investments and potential measurable indicators of these outcomes; and outlines a conceptual model for estimating returns to investment in education tailored to particularities of the 1890's.1890s, land grant universities, human capital, extension service, agricultural research, research funding, Labor and Human Capital, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Examining Occupational Therapists’ Role in Providing Client-Centered Care for School-Aged Children in the Educational Setting with Visual Impairment

In a foundational statement outlining the profession’s belief regarding the needs of the pediatric population with visual impairments, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) stated children with visual impairments “benefit significantly from coordinated and comprehensive services to enable them to learn to use their remaining vision more efficiently and use nonvisual methods to complete activities” (Warren & Nobles, 2011, p. 2). According to Warren and Nobles (2011), individuals can have two types of visual impairments: cortical visual impairment and ocular visual impairment. Cortical visual impairment (CVI) deals with affected areas of the brain that limits visual processing, whereas ocular visual impairment is specific to deficits affecting the eyes. CVIs are the leading cause of visual impairments. Since children with CVI have difficulties with visual processing, this can lead to a negative impact on their participation in education. Visual impairment can lead to a delay in the child’s learning and impact their developmental milestones. CVIs can also impair one’s ability to participate in other occupations such as playing, self-feeding, dressing, and navigating the environment (Harpster et al., 2022). According to Synder et al. (2019), 27,000 students with visual impairments receive services in U.S. school systems yearly. The current culture and environment of school settings present significant challenges for students with visual impairments; however, collaborative team efforts and skilled occupational services in the school system can maximize their success (Doxsey & Jones, 2021)

Do Adolescents Who Live or Go to School Near Fast-Food Restaurants Eat More Frequently from Fast-Food Restaurants?

This population-based study examined whether residential or school neighborhood access to fast food restaurants is related to adolescents' eating frequency of fast food. A classroom-based survey of racially/ethnically diverse adolescents (n=2724) in 20 secondary schools in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota was used to assess eating frequency at five types of fast food restaurants. Black, Hispanic, and Native American adolescents lived near more fast food restaurants than white and Asian adolescents and also ate at fast food restaurants more often. After controlling for individual-level socio-demographics, adolescent males living near high numbers fast food restaurants ate more frequently from these venues compared to their peers

Creating a Replicable, Valid Cross-Platform Buffering Technique: The Sausage Network Buffer for Measuring Food and Physical Activity Built Environments

Background Obesity researchers increasingly use geographic information systems to measure exposure and access in neighborhood food and physical activity environments. This paper proposes a network buffering approach, the “sausage” buffer. This method can be consistently and easily replicated across software versions and platforms, avoiding problems with proprietary systems that use different approaches in creating such buffers. Methods In this paper, we describe how the sausage buffering approach was developed to be repeatable across platforms and places. We also examine how the sausage buffer compares with existing alternatives in terms of buffer size and shape, measurements of the food and physical activity environments, and associations between environmental features and health-related behaviors. We test the proposed buffering approach using data from EAT 2010 (Eating and Activity in Teens), a study examining multi-level factors associated with eating, physical activity, and weight status in adolescents (n = 2,724) in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area of Minnesota. Results Results show that the sausage buffer is comparable in area to the classic ArcView 3.3 network buffer particularly for larger buffer sizes. It obtains similar results to other buffering techniques when measuring variables associated with the food and physical activity environments and when measuring the correlations between such variables and outcomes such as physical activity and food purchases. Conclusions Findings from various tests in the current study show that researchers can obtain results using sausage buffers that are similar to results they would obtain by using other buffering techniques. However, unlike proprietary buffering techniques, the sausage buffer approach can be replicated across software programs and versions, allowing more independence of research from specific software

Predicting Lower Quarter Y-Balance Test Performance from Foot Characteristics

The lower quarter Y-Balance Test (YBT-LQ) is associated with injury risk; however, ankle range of motion impacts YBT-LQ. Arch height and foot sensation impact static balance, but these characteristics have not yet been evaluated relative to YBT-LQ. Determine if arch height index (AHI), forefoot sensation (SEN), and ankle dorsiflexion predict YBT-LQ composite score (CS). Descriptive cohort. Athletic training laboratory. Twenty general population (14 females and 6 males; mean [SD]: age 35 [18] y, weight 70.02 [16.76] kg, height 1.68 [0.12] m) participated in this study. AHI measurement system assessed arch height in 10% (AHI10) and 90% (AHI90) weight-bearing. Two-point discrim-a-gon discs assessed sensation (SEN) at the plantar great toe, third and fifth metatarsal heads. Biplane goniometer and weight-bearing lunge tests were used to measure static and weight-bearing dorsiflexion, respectively. The YBT-LQ assessed dynamic single-leg balance. For right-limb dynamic single-leg balance, AHI90 and SEN were included in the final sequential prediction equation; however, neither model significantly (P = .052 and .074) predicted variance in YBT-LQ CS. For left-limb dynamic single-leg balance, both SEN and weight-bearing lunge test were included in the final sequential prediction equation. The regression model (SEN and weight-bearing lunge test) significantly (P = .047) predicted 22% of the variance in YBT-LQ CS. This study demonstrates that foot characteristics may play a role in YBT-LQ CS. The authors did not assess limb dominance in this study; therefore, the authors are unable to determine which limb would be the stance versus kicking limb. However, altered SEN and weight-bearing dorsiflexion appear to be contributing factors to YBT-LQ CS

Does television viewing predict dietary intake five years later in high school students and young adults?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Prior research has found that television viewing is associated with poor diet quality, though little is known about its long-term impact on diet, particularly during adolescence. This study examined the associations between television viewing behavior with dietary intake five years later.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Survey data, which included television viewing time and food frequency questionnaires, were analyzed for 564 middle school students (younger cohort) and 1366 high school students (older cohort) who had complete data available at Time 1 (1998–1999) and five years later at Time 2 (mean age at Time 2, 17.2 ± 0.6 and 20.5 ± 0.8 years, respectively). Regression models examined longitudinal associations between Time 1 television viewing behavior and Time 2 dietary intake adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, Time 1 dietary intake, and Time 2 total daily energy intake.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Respondents were categorized as limited television users (<it><</it>2 hours/daily), moderately high television viewers (2–5 hours/daily), and heavy television viewers (≥5 hours/daily). Among the younger cohort, Time 1 heavy television viewers reported lower fruit intake and higher sugar-sweetened beverage consumption than the other two groups. Among the older cohort, watching five or more hours of television per day at Time 1, predicted lower intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grain and calcium-rich foods, and higher intakes of trans fat, fried foods, fast food menu items, snack products, and sugar-sweetened beverages (products commonly advertised on television) five years later.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Television viewing in middle and high school predicted poorer dietary intake five years later. Adolescents are primary targets of advertising for fast food restaurants, snack foods, and sugar-sweetened beverages, which may influence their food choices. Television viewing, especially during high school, may have long-term effects on eating choices and contribute to poor eating habits in young adulthood.</p