Insights from Snowboard Pedagogy for the Legal Studies Instructor

This paper intends to inform and avail instructors of pedagogical approaches proven effective in winter sports environments, specifically in the sport of snowboarding, that we suggest may be particularly effective in teaching business law to non-law students in undergraduate business programs. We join other scholars in examining the approach to teaching business law to non-law students in an effort to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to manage the “dynamic and untidy” legal issues that business professionals deal with, while mitigating the difficult and confusing subject matter and pedagogy associated with business law courses. Broadly speaking, teaching requires the acquisition of skills and knowledge; teaching law, the practice of law, and snowboarding are no different. Undergraduate business law courses are an essential accompaniment to the suite of curricula associated with various majors within business schools, such as management, accounting, economics and supply chain. It is particularly important for business school students to develop and retain skills and knowledge associated with legal studies for several reasons. Students’ exposure to legal studies concepts is typically limited, yet the topics are critical for developing the conceptual skill to understand and work within the broader business environment. A basic understanding of business law can help managers make sound business decisions, and in the wake of corporate scandals over the last twenty years, an awareness of the legal environment of business is ever more urgent. One important way that business law courses develop students’ knowledge and conceptual skills is through the critical thinking required to identify legal issues in cases presented and to apply abstract legal concepts to the management of those legal issues. This is often a difficult challenge for students; mastery requires high-impact learning experiences and significant applied practice. The same can be said of snowboarding knowledge and skills. A snowboard instructor can talk about snowboarding with a new athlete, but the athlete can only learn how to snowboard by the significant applied practice of snowboarding. Business law instruction is similar to snowboarding instruction in a number of other, more specific ways. In both domains, it is critical that students receive frequent instruction on how to perform relevant skills and feedback on performance to improve at their craft. The learning curve is steep for both business law and snowboarding students – concepts are often not intuitive, they can be overwhelming, and it can be a frustrating and painful process. A common reason that snow sports enthusiasts give for avoiding snowboarding is the steep and often physically painful learning curve that must be endured. In undergraduate business law courses, students are given background for the cases they study, yet spillover from law school pedagogy often means that business law instructors are hesitant to engage in high-touch practices that lead to internalized learning. Snowboard pedagogy provides several key insights into learning involving a shift from transmitting knowledge to facilitating active learning. We believe these insights have the potential to enhance dramatically student learning of business law concepts. In this paper, we explore snow-sport pedagogy, snowboarding in particular, to gather specific insights into how to improve business law instruction in business schools. We first present a brief background describing the dominant paradigm in business law education, drawing from select scholarly literature on legal studies education in business, and then introduce sport and snow-sport pedagogy, including connections to legal studies pedagogy. We then turn specifically to snowboarding pedagogy, discussing how the development of the field generated specific pedagogical approaches in response to the nature of snowboarding as a sport. In particular, snowboard instructors have proven to be innovative and encouraged to disrupt pedagogical boundaries. Here, we offer specific core insights from snowboard pedagogy and how they may be applied to business law instruction

Association of Body Mass Index of HIV-1-Infected Pregnant Women and Infant Weight, Body Mass Index, Length, and Head Circumference: The NISDI Perinatal Study.

This study assessed the relationship between the body mass index (BMI) of HIV-1-infected women and their infants' perinatal outcomes. The study population consisted of women enrolled in the NICHD International Site Development Initiative (NISDI) Perinatal Study with data allowing calculation of the BMI adjusted for length of gestation (adjBMI), who delivered singleton infants. Outcome variables included infant growth parameters at birth (weight, BMI, length and head circumference) and gestational age. Of 697 women from Argentina, the Bahamas, Brazil and Mexico who were included in the analysis, the adjBMI was classified as underweight for 109 (15.6%), normal for 418 (60.0%), overweight for 88 (12.6%) and obese for 82 (11.8%). Median infant birth weight, BMI, birth length and head circumference differed significantly according to maternal adjBMI (P</=0.0002). Underweight mothers gave birth to infants with lower weight, lower BMI, shorter length and smaller head circumference, while infants born to normal, overweight and obese mothers were of similar size

Delivering Optimal Care to People with Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson’s Disease: A Qualitative Study of Patient, Caregiver, and Professional Perspectives

Background: Cognitive impairment is common in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and associated with lower quality of life. Cognitive impairment in PD manifests differently to other dementia pathologies. Provision of optimal care requires knowledge about the support needs of this population. // Methods: Eleven people with PD and cognitive impairment (PwP), 10 family caregivers, and 27 healthcare professionals were purposively sampled from across the United Kingdom. Semistructured interviews were conducted in 2019–2021, audio-recorded, transcribed, and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. // Results: Cognitive impairment in PD conveyed increased complexity for clinical management and healthcare interactions, the latter driven by multifactorial communication difficulties. Techniques that helped included slow, simple, and single messages, avoiding topic switching. Information and emotional support needs were often unmet, particularly for caregivers. Diagnostic pathways were inconsistent and awareness of cognitive impairment in PD was poor, both contributing to underdiagnosis. Many felt that PwP and cognitive impairment fell through service gaps, resulting from disjointed, nonspecific, and underresourced services. Personalised care was advocated through tailoring to individual needs of PwP and caregivers facilitated by flexibility, time and continuity within services, and supporting self-management. // Conclusions: This study highlights unmet need for people with this complex condition. Clinicians should adapt their approach and communication techniques for this population and provide tailored information and support to both PwP and caregivers. Services need to be more streamlined and collaborative, providing more time and flexibility. There is a need for wider awareness and deeper understanding of this condition and its differences from other types of dementia

Primary HIV-1 Infection Among Infants in sub-Saharan Africa: HPTN 024.

Our objectives were to assess clinical signs and diagnoses associated with primary HIV-1 infection among infants. We analyzed data from a clinical trial (HIV Prevention Trials Network Protocol 024) in sub-Saharan Africa. Study visits were conducted at birth, at 4-6 weeks, and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. The study population comprised live born, singleton, first-born infants of HIV-1-infected women with negative HIV-1 RNA assays who were still breastfeeding at 4-6 weeks. Of 1317 HIV-1-exposed infants, 84 became HIV-1 infected after 4-6 weeks and 1233 remained uninfected. There were 102 primary and 5650 nonprimary infection visits. The most common signs were cough and diarrhea, and the most common diagnoses were malaria and pneumonia. Primary infection was associated with significantly increased odds of diarrhea [odds ratio (OR) = 2.4], pneumonia (OR = 3.5), otitis media (OR = 3.1), and oral thrush (OR = 2.9). For the clinical signs and diagnoses evaluated, sensitivity was low (1%-16.7%) and specificity was high (88.2%-99%). Positive predictive values ranged from 0.1%-1.4%. Negative predictive values ranged from 28.0%-51.1%. Certain clinical signs and diagnoses, although more common during primary HIV-1 infection, had low sensitivity and high specificity. Efforts to expand access to laboratory assays for the diagnosis of primary HIV-1 infection among infants of HIV-1-infected women should be emphasized

Postpartum changes in plasma viral load and CD4 percentage among HIV-infected women from Latin American and Caribbean countries: the NISDI Perinatal Study

The goal of this study was to evaluate changes in plasma human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA concentration [viral load (VL)] and CD4+ percentage (CD4%) during 6-12 weeks postpartum (PP) among HIV-infected women and to assess differences according to the reason for receipt of antiretrovirals (ARVs) during pregnancy [prophylaxis (PR) vs. treatment (TR)]. Data from a prospective cohort of HIV-infected pregnant women (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development International Site Development Initiative Perinatal Study) were analyzed. Women experiencing their first pregnancy who received ARVs for PR (started during pregnancy, stopped PP) or for TR (initiated prior to pregnancy and/or continued PP) were included and were followed PP. Increases in plasma VL (> 0.5 log10) and decreases in CD4% (> 20% relative decrease in CD4%) between hospital discharge (HD) and PP were assessed. Of the 1,229 women enrolled, 1,119 met the inclusion criteria (PR: 601; TR: 518). At enrollment, 87% were asymptomatic. The median CD4% values were: HD [34% (PR); 25% (TR)] and PP [29% (PR); 24% (TR)]. The VL increases were 60% (PR) and 19% (TR) (p < 0.0001). The CD4% decreases were 36% (PR) and 18% (TR) (p < 0.0001). Women receiving PR were more likely to exhibit an increase in VL [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 7.7 (95% CI: 5.5-10.9) and a CD4% decrease (AOR 2.3; 95% CI: 1.6-3.2). Women receiving PR are more likely to have VL increases and CD4% decreases compared to those receiving TR. The clinical implications of these VL and CD4% changes remain to be explored.Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Faculdade de MedicinaWestatUniversidad Nacional Mayor de San MarcosHospital FeminaHospital ConceiçãoUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)Hospital dos Servidores do EstadoNational Institute of Health Human Development Department of Health and Human ServicesUNIFESPSciEL

Pregnancy and infection [letter]

Pregnant women have an increased severity of infections with some organisms, including influenza virus, hepatitis E virus, herpes simplex virus, and malaria parasites. This review includes an update on immunologic alterations during pregnancy

Treatment of trichomoniasis in pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa does not appear to be associated with low birth weight or preterm birth

Objectives. To determine whether treatment of trichomoniasis increases the risk of prematurity. Design. Sub-analysis of a randomised trial. Setting. We analysed data from HPTN 024, a randomised trial of antenatal and intrapartum antibiotics to reduce chorioamnionitis-related perinatal HIV transmission. Subjects. Pregnant women from four sites in Africa. Outcome measures. Gestational age at the time of delivery or mean birth weight. Results. Of 2 428 women-infant pairs included, 428 (18%) had trichomoniasis at enrolment. There were no differences in infant age or birth weight between women with or without trichomoniasis. By randomisation group, there were no differences in gestational age at birth or birth weight. Of the 428 women diagnosed with trichomoniasis, 365 (83%) received antibiotics and 63 (15%) did not. In analysis of actual use of antibiotics, women with trichomoniasis who received no treatment were more likely to deliver a preterm infant when the symphysis-fundal height was used to estimate gestational age (36% v. 23%; p=0.03), but not when the Ballard score was used (16% v. 21%; p=0.41). There were no differences in mean birth weight between groups. Conclusions. In pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa, most of whom were HIV-infected, neither trichomoniasis nor its treatment appears to influence the risk of preterm birth or a low-birth-weight infant

Joint analysis of stressors and ecosystem services to enhance restoration effectiveness

With increasing pressure placed on natural systems by growing human populations, both scientists and resource managers need a better understanding of the relationships between cumulative stress from human activities and valued ecosystem services. Societies often seek to mitigate threats to these services through large-scale, costly restoration projects, such as the over one billion dollar Great Lakes Restoration Initiative currently underway. To help inform these efforts, we merged high-resolution spatial analyses of environmental stressors with mapping of ecosystem services for all five Great Lakes. Cumulative ecosystem stress is highest in near-shore habitats, but also extends offshore in Lakes Erie, Ontario, and Michigan. Variation in cumulative stress is driven largely by spatial concordance among multiple stressors, indicating the importance of considering all stressors when planning restoration activities. In addition, highly stressed areas reflect numerous different combinations of stressors rather than a single suite of problems, suggesting that a detailed understanding of the stressors needing alleviation could improve restoration planning. We also find that many important areas for fisheries and recreation are subject to high stress, indicating that ecosystem degradation could be threatening key services. Current restoration efforts have targeted high-stress sites almost exclusively, but generally without knowledge of the full range of stressors affecting these locations or differences among sites in service provisioning. Our results demonstrate that joint spatial analysis of stressors and ecosystem services can provide a critical foundation for maximizing social and ecological benefits from restoration investments. www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1213841110/-/DCSupplementa