Profiling Physiotherapy in Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care

Physiotherapy for ICU patients is considered essential by many health professionals and professional bodies, yet the evidence base for this service is insufficient. No published research outlining optimal management of this service exist. Effective evaluation and implementation of best practice ‘critical-care physiotherapy’ requires knowledge of the current profile of ICU physiotherapists’. Leslie, K., & Patman, S. (2008). Profiling physiotherapy in Australian and New Zealand intensive care. Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, 36(6), 897. ISSN: 0310-057

Visual Communications on the Road in Arkansas: Analysis of Secondary Students Videos

In the summer of 2010, the Visual Communications on the Road in Arkansas: Creative Photo and Video Projects to Promote Agriculture program was initiated. The program consisted of a two-week agricultural communications curriculum that would be taught by agricultural science teachers in Arkansas. The curriculum was composed of lessons about photography, writing, and videography, and the program introduced students to digital photography and videography equipment and the proper uses of equipment. Once the curriculum was taught in secondary schools, a mobile classroom unit—consisting of a travel trailer, photography and videography equipment, and laptop computers equipped with editing software—would visit the school to assist students with the creation of short promotional videos about agriculture. The student-created videos were used as a hands-on extension of the curriculum learned in the classroom. Completed videos were posted to YouTube and then analyzed to assess student application of competencies taught in the curriculum. The researchers created a coding sheet to systematically assess all posted videos and inter- and intrarater reliability was maintained. An analysis of data gathered from the video assessment showed that secondary students were able to effectively apply many of the techniques taught in the curriculum through the agricultural videos created. Additional findings and recommendations for application and future research are presented

Determining the Motivation of Childcare Providers to Implement Instructional Gardens as a Means of Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Children Ages 2 through 5

The issue of childhood obesity has been gaining an increasing amount of attention in recent decades due to sharp rises in prevalence. Efforts to encourage fruit and vegetable consumption among children through the use of gardening activities have become an increasingly popular strategy. Limited data currently exists, however, on using gardening programs with preschool age children in childcare settings. Using these types of programs may be effective in increasing exposure and access to fruits and vegetables for young children and therefore may be a useful strategy in preventing childhood obesity. This study sought to determine the motivations of childcare providers to implement instructional gardens. Qualitative interviews (n=20) were completed in order to gain information on perceived benefits and barriers to implementing gardening programs including the current challenges childcare providers faced as well as what resources they felt would be helpful in order to have a successful gardening program. Providers in family day care, group family day care, day care centers, and Head Start programs were interviewed. Benefits to using gardening in these settings with preschool age children included nutrition related benefits such as an increased willingness to try more fruits and vegetables and increased knowledge regarding food and where it comes from. Non-nutrition related benefits were also discussed including using gardens as a multi-disciplinary tool for teaching, encouraging a connection to the natural environment and fostering a sense of accomplishment and responsibility among the children. Main barriers to implementation or continuation of gardening programs were a lack of resources including financial resources for supplies, adequate knowledge and training, community and volunteer support, and adequate curriculum resources. Further research should address ways in which to overcome the barriers experienced by motivated childcare providers to continue using gardening program

The Great Condom Adventure: Analyzing College Students’ Narratives of Buying Condoms

This project analyzes college students’ narratives buying condoms. Research suggests young persons do not consistently use condoms, and this study will provide an in-depth analysis to students affect toward condoms. We analyzed narratives written by 115 undergraduate students of their condom buying experiences. The vast majority of the students’ narratives about their condom buying experience fit a common framework, with elements including: preplanning, walking in the store, looking inconspicuous while wandering, finding the “hidden” condom location, making their selection, carrying and hiding the condoms, selecting a cashier and rushing through checkout, anticipating ridicule, and walking out of the store. Research indicates that the majority of college-aged persons are sexually active and do not always use protection. We speculate that the negative emotions associated with buying condoms, as repeated in their narratives, may contribute to young people inconsistent use of contraception

Riparian Meadow Response to Modern Conservation Grazing Management.

Riparian meadows occupy a small proportion of the public lands in the western United States but they provide numerous ecosystem services, including the production of high-quality forage for livestock grazing. Modern conservation management strategies (e.g., reductions in livestock stocking rates and adoption of new riparian grazing standards) have been implemented to better balance riparian conservation and livestock production objectives on publicly managed lands. We examined potential relationships between long-term changes in plant community, livestock grazing pressure and environmental conditions at two spatial scales in meadows grazed under conservation management strategies. Changes in plant community were not associated with either livestock stocking rate or precipitation at the grazing allotment (i.e., administrative) scale. Alternatively, both grazing pressure and precipitation had significant, albeit modest, associations with changes in plant community at the meadow (i.e., ecological site) scale. These results suggest that reductions in stocking rate have improved the balance between riparian conservation and livestock production goals. However, associations between elevation, site wetness, precipitation, and changes in plant community suggest that changing climate conditions (e.g., reduced snowpack and changes in timing of snowmelt) could trigger shifts in plant communities, potentially impacting both conservation and agricultural services (e.g., livestock and forage production). Therefore, adaptive, site-specific management strategies are required to meet grazing pressure limits and safeguard ecosystem services within individual meadows, especially under more variable climate conditions

Student Ensemble: Choirs

Center for the Performing ArtsMarch 20, 2016Sunday Afternoon3:00 p.m

Student Ensemble: Women\u27s Choir, Men\u27s Glee Club, Belle Voix

Center for the Performing ArtsNovember 8, 2015Sunday Afternoon3:00 p.m

Partnerships in Employment Brief: Guidance on How to Obtain Data on the Use of Subminimum Wages Within a State to Inform Systems Change Activities

In October 2011, the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities awarded grants to lead agencies in six states: California, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, and Wisconsin. Two additional states, Alaska and Tennessee, received grants in October 2012. These states proposed activities to spur improved employment and postsecondary outcomes for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Until the end of September 2016 the Institute for Community Inclusion and the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services provided training and technical assistance (TA) to the eight state projects through the Partnerships in Employment (PIE) Training and TA Center. PIE project work is framed by the High-Performing States Transition Model, which contains 8 key elements: collaboration, leadership, state goals and policy, funding and contracting, staff training, service innovation, performance management and quality assurance, and youth leadership development and family engagement. This document is one in a series of PIE Project Fact Sheets that chronicle how PIE grantee states are making change under the elements of the High-Performing States Transition Model. This document represents the efforts of several PIE grantees to identify and change the use of subminimum wages in their states by examining data on the use of subminimum wages authorized by individual state governments and by the Federal Government. It is the first of two documents that both share information about how to access and use data on federal certificates and, if applicable, state subminimum wage authorizations. Please see the companion brief Influencing changes in state policy and practice with data on subminimum wages

Partnerships in Employment Brief: Influencing Changes in State Policy and Practice with Data on Subminimum Wages

Subminimum wage is a pervasive and controversial issue. In many states there are individuals with disabilities who earn as little as seven cents an hour and workers who do not earn any wages because they do not produce enough products to be paid wages for their work according to the 14(c) Certificate holder. There are many ways that data on wages earned under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, i.e., 14(c) Certificates can be used to influence changes in state policy and practice. This brief describes examples from Partnerships in Employment grantee states