Utilizing a Theory of Change Process to Establish Framework for a Student Success Course

The student success course has become a staple of the college experience. As the academic and social environment continues to shift with each new incoming cohort, having a designed and evaluated framework to utilize during student success course development can be a useful tool. Research surrounding student success in college is abundant. Having a framework that draws on this research for setting learning objectives and determining high impact practices for a student success course could assist in current and future curriculum development. This study focuses on a student success course offered through the College of Education at the University of Kentucky. The course is titled (Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation) EPE 174: The College Student. Utilizing a theory of change approach, this project evaluates EPE 174 as a student success course in accordance with the established framework. As the higher education climate continues to change, having a tested framework for student success courses could be a useful tool for current and future educators who focus on development and success

Owning the Birthing Room: Self-advocacy and Proof of Authority in Seventeenth Century Midwifery Manuals

Midwives had long been considered experts in pregnancy and childbirth prior to the Scientific Revolution and the professionalization of the medical field. However, in the late seventeenth century, we see an interest in the realm of childbirth from male surgeons and physicians seeking scientific understandings of pregnancy and women’s bodies, who began to publish pamphlets and treatises on their findings. However, by analyzing midwifery manuals written by seventeenth-century women, such as Justine Siegemund and Jane Sharp, we can see midwives were on an equal level of medical and anatomical understanding as male practitioners from their experiential education and were uniquely qualified for their position

The effect of mechanical and thermal treatments on the sub-structure of pure copper and a copper alloy dispersed with alumina

The behavior of pure copper and copper alloy and their respective sub-structure models are discussed and compared

Effects of muscle fatigue on gait characteristics under single and dual-task conditions in young and older adults

Muscle fatigue and dual-task walking (e.g., concurrent performance of a cognitive interference (CI) while walking) represent major fall risk factors in young and older adults. Thus, the objectives of this study were to examine the effects of muscle fatigue on gait characteristics under single and dual-task conditions in young and older adults and to determine the impact of muscle fatigue on dual-task costs while walking

Association between dual task-related decrease in walking speed and real versus imagined Timed Up and Go test performance

Background and aims: To examine whether older people with markedly dual task-related decreases in walking speed—a marker of disturbed higher-level gait control and falls—have a larger discrepancy between real and imagined Timed Up and Go (TUG) test times than those with less dual task-related decreases in walking speed. Methods: Based on a prospective cross-sectional study, 193 older adults (mean age 77.4±5.9years; 44.0% women) referred to and consecutively assessed at a Swiss university clinic for a gait analysis to assess either gait disorders, fall risk or memory disorders were included. For all participants, walking speed was measured using a GAITRite® electronic walkway system during usual walking at self-selected pace and while dual tasking (i.e., usual walking and simultaneously counting backwards out loud). In addition, real Timed Up and Go (TUGr) and imagined Timed Up and Go (TUGi) (i.e., the time needed to imagine performing the TUGr) times were measured with a stopwatch. Differences between both walking conditionsfor walking speed (delta of walking speed) and both TUG conditions (delta of TUG time) were calculated. Age, gender, height, total number drugs taken per day, daily use of psychoactive drugs, use of walking aid, history of falls, Mini-Mental State Examination score, near vision and education level were used as covariables in this analysis. Results: Participants were categorized into two groups based on being in the lowest tertian (i.e., <33%: group A corresponding to participants undisturbed by dual task) or not (i.e., ≥33%: group B corresponding to participants disturbed by dual task) of the delta of walking speed. In both groups, TUGr and TUGi times were similar (P=.169 and P=.839). In both groups, TUGi was faster than TUGr (P<.001). Delta of TUG time was significantly greater in group B compared to group A (P<.001). After adjustment for all covariables, only the delta of walking speed was significantly associated with the delta of TUG time (P=<.001). Stepwise backward regression showed that polypharmacy (P=.017) and delta of walking speed (P=<.001) were associated with an increase in delta of TUG time, whereas an increased MMSE score (P=.030) was associated with a decrease in delta of TUG time. Conclusion: These findings show that a large discrepancy between real and imagined TUG performances is significantly correlated with a decrease in walking speed while dual tasking, and thus may also be a surrogate marker of disturbed higher-level gait control. The quickly and easily performed TUG tests may represent a feasible, practical screening tool for early detection of higher-level gait disorders in older adult

Age-related effects on postural control under multi-task conditions

Changes in postural sway and gait patterns due to simultaneously performed cognitive (CI) and/or motor interference (MI) tasks have previously been reported and are associated with an increased risk of falling in older adults

T(x) phase diagram of the CuSbS2–CuInS2 system and solubility limit of Sb in CuInS2.

The starting ternary compounds CuInS2 and CuSbS2 and alloys of the CuSbS2–CuInS2 system with the molar fractions of CuInS2 (x) equal to 0.05, 0.15, 0.25, 0.375, 0.50, 0.625, 0.75, 0.85, and 0.95 were prepared and the phase relations in this system were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and differential thermal analysis. It was shown that the T–x phase diagram of the CuInS2–CuSbS2 system has a eutectic character with the eutectic temperature of 807 K. The alloys of the CuSbS2–CuInS2 system with the molar fraction of CuInS2 in the range from 0.038 to 0.941 at room temperatureare two-phased, and the limits of solu-bility are 0.059 molar fractions for CuSbS2 in CuInS2 and 0.038 molar fractions for CuInS2 in CuSbS2

The effect of three different types of walking aids on spatio-temporal gait parameters in community-dwelling older adults

Background and aims: Gait and balance impairments lead to falls and injuries in older people. Walking aids are meant to increase gait safety and prevent falls, yet little is known about how their use alters gait parameters. This study aimed to quantify gait in older adults during walking without and with different walking aids and to compare gait parameters to matched controls. Methods: This retrospective study included 65 older (≥60years) community dwellers who used a cane, crutch or walker and 195 independently mobile-matched controls. Spatio-temporal gait parameters were measured with an electronic walkway system during normal walking. Results: When walking unaided or aided, walking aid users had significantly worse gait than matched controls. Significant differences between the walking aid groups were found for stride time variability (cane vs. walker) in walking unaided only. Gait performances significantly improved when assessed with vs. without the walking aid for the cane (increased stride time and length, decreased cadence and stride length variability), crutch (increased stride time and length, decreased cadence, stride length variability and double support) and walker (increased gait speed and stride length, decreased base of support and double support) users. Conclusion: Gait in older adults who use a walking aid is more irregular and unstable than gait in independently mobile older adults. Walking aid users have better gait when using their walking aid than when walking without it. The changes in gait were different for the different types of walking aids used. These study results may help better understand gait in older adults and differentiate between pathological gait changes and compensatory gait changes due to the use of a walking aid