Mental Health Benefits of Physical Activity in Older Adults

Physical activity is the fountain of youth, strengthening both the physical body as well as the mind, leading to better emotional stability and a general sense of well-being. The population over age 65 is nearing retirement age and are transitioning from a high paced work and family life to a slower and less active “empty nest” lifestyle. Among adults over age 65, will implementing an exercise program for 30 minutes per day increase mental well-being? The benefits of physical activity will be supported by gathering a group of older adults ages 65 and up from a local retirement community to exercise 30 minutes a day for four weeks. Educating the public to the benefits of increased mental well-being with daily physical activity is important for preventive medicine. Using social cognitive theory and self-care theory is an effective way to help the patient to be motivated, acquire skills, remove barriers, develop habits, and progress physically and mentally, using the patient’s own goals as positive reinforcement. Overcoming potential barriers of lack of support and/or motivation can be assisted by APRN’s by providing a means for accountability and follow-up

The Predictive Validity of the AFIT Graduate Engineering and Environmental (GEEM) Admission Requirements

Recognizing that a strong commitment to advanced technical and management education (Van Scotter, 1993, p. 1) serves to maintain the capability and strength of the United States Air Force (USAF), the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) Graduate School of Engineering and Management (GSEM) offers a full-time, eighteen-month, Graduate Engineering and Environmental Management (GEEM) program to military officers and Department of Defense (DoD) civilian employees. The AFIT uses the applicant\u27s undergraduate grade-point average (UGPA), Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test verbal and quantitative scores, and undergraduate mathematics course grade-point average (UMGPA) to select applicants for admission. This study analyzed how well these selection devices predicted success in the GEEM program for students admitted to the classes of 1995 through 2002. Controlling for age, gender, and the time (in years) between undergraduate and graduate education (TDELTA), the UGPA, GRE (verbal) score, GRE (quantitative) score, and UMGPA were sequentially entered into a hierarchical, multivariable, linear regression model. Using this technique, three separate regression model were built, one for each operationalization of graduate school performance: cumulative graduate grade-point average (GGPA), AFIT thesis grade, and first-year graduate grade-point average (FYGGPA). Every independent variable, either alone or in combination with other predictor variables, except for age, gender, and GRE (quantitative), demonstrated statistical significance as a predictor of both FYGGPA and GGPA. Only UMGPA, combined with all other predictor variables, significantly predicted thesis grade

Peer relations and academic achievement in early elementary school

The primary focus of the current study was to examine the relations between children’s peer relationships and academic performance. This study involved a secondary analysis of data provided by children, parents, and teachers. In all, 585 families participated in the study. The sample is predominately middle class, generally representative of the geographical regions, and demographically diverse; 52% of the children were male, 19% were of a minority or ethnic background, and 26% lived with single parents. The current study analyzed data collected over a four year period beginning when the children were enrolled in kindergarten. Data were obtained using classroom-based sociometric interviews and teacher questionnaires. Three hypotheses were tested. The first hypothesis stated that there are concurrent associations between peer relationship experiences and academic performance. The second hypothesis stated that associations between peer relationships and academic performance also will be found when averaging across kindergarten through third grade. Analyses computed in this study indicate that better academic performance was associated with greater peer acceptance, more friends, and less rejection by peers in each grade and when averaging over the four-year period. The third hypothesis stated that there are positive associations between yearly changes in peer relationships and academic performance and a research question asked if the associations described in the hypotheses generalized to boys and girls

Exploring the Unfolding of Dynamic Effects with Continuous-Time Models: Recommendations Concerning Statistical Power to Detect Peak Cross-Lagged Effects

Cross-lagged panel models have been commonly applied to investigate the dynamic interplay of variables. In such discrete-time models, the size of the cross-lagged effects depends on the length of the time interval between the measurement occasions. Continuous-time modeling allows to explore this interval dependence of cross-lagged effects and thus to identify the maximal “peak” cross-lagged effects. To detect these peak effects, sufficient statistical power is needed. Based on results from a simulation study, we employed machine learning algorithms to identify a highly accurate prediction model. Results are incorporated into a Shiny App (available at https://psychtools.shinyapps.io/ContinuousTimePowerCalculation) for easy power calculations. Although limitations apply, our results might be helpful for study planning.Peer Reviewe

Development of the breeding bird community of a silvoarable agroforestry system with short rotation coppice strips over a 16-year period

Modern silvoarable agroforestry systems (AFS) with short rotation coppice strips (CS) are considered as a potential measure to increase structural diversity in agricultural landscapes and to promote biodiversity while simultaneously producing arable crops and woody biomass. However, studies investigating the actual potential of these novel land use systems to promote biodiversity are scarce. We therefore investigated the importance of a silvoarable AFS with different CS variants as habitat for breeding birds on an experimental site in northern Germany, which was studied several times over a 16-year period since its establishment. In addition, the habitat function and quality of CS was compared with hedgerows. The results show that establishing CS on arable land creates additional habitats for shrub and tree breeding species and thus increases species numbers and territory densities. Tree harvest resulted in a decrease in species numbers and densities. However, since Aspen rows (for timber production) or native woody species were retained during harvesting in some CS, suitable nesting opportunities for some species remained. A sharp decline in Skylark territories was observed within the open land of the AFS, from nine breeding pairs in the year after establishment (2009) to only two breeding pairs each in 2022 and 2023. Compared to CS, hedgerows were more species-rich and had much higher territory densities. We conclude that the integration of CS into croplands can promote some species of woody habitats, especially if measures such as the integration of trees of different heights or native woody species and sectional harvesting are implemented. However, CS still clearly lag behind hedgerows in terms of their habitat quality. Furthermore, the establishment of CS may have negative effects on threatened open land species like the Skylark. The requirements of these species should therefore be considered when planning AFS. Establishing AFS with CS could especially be an option in cleared, intensively used agricultural landscapes, where CS could represent a trade-off between the promotion of birds and agricultural production

Which Large- and Medium-Sized Mammals Use Commercial Short-Rotation Coppice as Habitat?

We surveyed occurrence and activity of large- and medium-sized mammals on six commercial mini-rotation short-rotation coppice (SRC) plantations in northern Germany by camera trapping in different seasons (winter, late summer). In total, eleven species (6–9 per site) were detected. This corresponds to the majority of mammal species occurring in the study region. Roe deer, wild boar and red fox were found across all sites. All other species were detected on fewer sites and some in only one of the seasons. Roe deer was the most active species both in terms of visit frequency (days with detection) and use intensity (detection numbers). With few exceptions on individual sites, all other species showed significantly lower activity. Number of detected species and activity of most of the species did not differ between seasons. Furthermore, there were no differences between near-edge and central areas of the crops with regard to the activity of the occurring species. Activity of individual species on different sites, however, differed considerably in some cases. Our results show that a wide range of mammal species are basically able to include SRC into their habitat utilisation. However, the sporadic use by most species indicates a rather limited current habitat value of the surveyed plantations. Options to increase the habitat value of SRC for mammals are suggested, but their effectiveness needs to be tested in future studies. Since the spatial and temporal scope of our study was limited and only SRC of a uniform age-class were considered, our results are not immediately applicable to other landscapes, seasons or types and management phases of SRC. Therefore, further research is required that considers these aspects as well as species-specific patterns of habitat selection in comparison to other habitat types. © 2022, The Author(s)

Sample Size Recommendations for Continuous-Time Models: Compensating Shorter Time Series with Larger Numbers of Persons and Vice Versa

Autoregressive modeling has traditionally been concerned with time-series data from one unit (N = 1). For short time series (T 1). In this work, we illustrate the N/T compensation effect: With an increasing number of persons N at constant T, the model estimation performance increases, and vice versa, with an increasing number of time points T at constant N, the performance increases as well. Based on these observations, we develop sample size recommendations in the form of easily accessible N/T heatmaps for two popular autoregressive continuous-time models.Peer Reviewe

Regarding an "Almost Anything Goes" Attitude Toward Methods in Psychology

Our outline points out three aspects of a new post-modern methodology in psychology: liberal, pluralistic, and more tolerant: liberal because it rejects rules that are too strict in favor of more freedom in the choice of method, pluralistic because it conveys an “almost anything goes” attitude toward methods, and more tolerant because mutual tolerance among researchers is vital for a pluralism of methods. Psychological phenomena are complex and can best be understood by using different methods. However, to get things working, tolerance must actively be lived. Of course, much depends on our own willingness as researchers but also on the system’s arrangements. Psychology could be more colorful, and we could all have more fun if we were to be more committed to such a methodology