Untangling Cultural Differences in Behavioral, Physiological, and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR; 4th ed. Revised; American Psychiatric Association) and (BPSD) there are many behavioral, physiological, and psychological issues that have been correlated with the progression of the Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Examples of these issues include; emotional regulation problems, variations in eating behavior, and an advancing decline in memory. Though certain symptoms of the disease seem to be widely universal, current literature shows that a number of disparities do exist. There are several differences between and within populations suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia that are influenced by various factors such as; culture, genetic predisposition, lifestyle, beliefs about aging, early life events, beliefs about treatment, and geographical region (Alzheimer Association 2012; Ayako et al., 2012; Flaskerud 2009). Untangling these differences is the first step to; providing a more culture-oriented awareness, tearing down the “flawed” misconceptions that exist within cultures, and ultimately improving the current diagnosis and treatment rate

Linking Animal Behavior to Useful Natural Repellents

A little monkey business is revealing a few clues about natural remedies that animals use to protect themselves against biting insects and arthropods. Certain species of animals, such as monkeys and birds, anoint themselves with citrus, other plants, and creatures like millipedes. To find out more about this behavior and to determine if any chemicals in the anointing substances effectively deter ticks and mosquitoes, scientists are examining responses to natural compounds. Scientists at the Agricultural Research Service Henry A. Wallace Beltsville [Maryland] Agricultural Research Center (BARC) and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) at the National Zoological Park in Front Royal, Virginia, compared the effects of citrus compounds on lone star ticks and yellow fever mosquitoes. They also investigated compounds found in millipedes. Citing Citrus Effects “We tested a number of components known to be abundant in all citrus extracts, not just lemons, limes, and oranges, but all the fruits that are used in anointing— including citrus leaves,” says SCBI researcher Paul Weldon. Of the more than 20 citrus compounds they evaluated, the scientists found that 10 deterred ticks and/or mosquitoes, and 9 impaired basic tick behavior. Weldon used a feeding membrane module that he developed to test citrus compounds against mosquitoes. Some compounds were very effective. But the same compounds were not effective at all when mosquitoes were exposed to them in a wind tunnel module by chemist Ulrich “Uli” Bernier, in the Mosquito and Fly Unit at the ARS Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology in Gainesville, Florida. “We viewed the results of the wind tunnel as being more authentic,” Weldon says. “The compounds didn’t affect mosquitoes that much, but mainly affected ticks. It was a step forward in pinpointing what we believe is the reason that animals anoint themselves with citrus substances.

Avant-Nilla: Don\u27t We All

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Linking Animal Behavior to Useful Natural Repellents

A little monkey business is revealing a few clues about natural remedies that animals use to protect themselves against biting insects and arthropods. Certain species of animals, such as monkeys and birds, anoint themselves with citrus, other plants, and creatures like millipedes. To find out more about this behavior and to determine if any chemicals in the anointing substances effectively deter ticks and mosquitoes, scientists are examining responses to natural compounds. Scientists at the Agricultural Research Service Henry A. Wallace Beltsville [Maryland] Agricultural Research Center (BARC) and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) at the National Zoological Park in Front Royal, Virginia, compared the effects of citrus compounds on lone star ticks and yellow fever mosquitoes. They also investigated compounds found in millipedes. Citing Citrus Effects “We tested a number of components known to be abundant in all citrus extracts, not just lemons, limes, and oranges, but all the fruits that are used in anointing— including citrus leaves,” says SCBI researcher Paul Weldon. Of the more than 20 citrus compounds they evaluated, the scientists found that 10 deterred ticks and/or mosquitoes, and 9 impaired basic tick behavior. Weldon used a feeding membrane module that he developed to test citrus compounds against mosquitoes. Some compounds were very effective. But the same compounds were not effective at all when mosquitoes were exposed to them in a wind tunnel module by chemist Ulrich “Uli” Bernier, in the Mosquito and Fly Unit at the ARS Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology in Gainesville, Florida. “We viewed the results of the wind tunnel as being more authentic,” Weldon says. “The compounds didn’t affect mosquitoes that much, but mainly affected ticks. It was a step forward in pinpointing what we believe is the reason that animals anoint themselves with citrus substances.

Perceptions of Judicial Bias in the Mississippi Judiciary

The purpose of this study is to explore Mississippians’ opinions towards the Mississippi state judiciary and further examine any differences in such opinions across race, gender, knowledge, and education levels. In doing so, it is possible to gain further understanding of the ways that historical context and knowledge influence perceptions of the state judiciary. Data collected from an anonymous survey of approximately 500 individuals shed some light on the perceptions Mississippians have towards the state judiciary. While many of the results were generalizable across various demographics, African Americans consistently held more negative views of their state judiciary than their White counterparts. Responses showed that race was the most important factor in understanding opinions of the Mississippi judiciary, while knowledge, gender, and education level proved to be less important

Responding to Tripadvisor: How Hotel Responses to Negative Online Reviews Effect Hotel Image, Intent to Stay, and Intent to Return

Online guest reviews have become an important facet of consideration when guests decide on a hotel. Similarly, research has been done that shows a correlation between guest satisfaction and hotel responses to online reviews. However, little research has been done to show specifically how hotel management responses to comments posted on online review sites such as Tripadvisor influence guest intent to stay. This study will investigate how guest perception of hotel image, guest intent to stay, and guest intent to return are impacted by hotel responses to negative online feedback. The data reveals that providing a service recovery response to negative online reviews increases guest perception of image, guest intent to stay, and guest return intent. Similarly, the study found that guest perception of image was a predictor for guest intent to stay and guest return intent; and that in certain scenarios, overall perception of the hotel also predicted intent to stay and return. The current study examines these relationships and provides implications for practitioners and academics

Teacher Certification in Technology Education: Differences in Testing Scores of Alternative and Traditional Certified Teachers

New Jersey has utilized alternative certification to combat the shortage caused by technology education (TE) teacher attrition. Research has examined the effectiveness of alternative certification preparation programs for the core academic programs; however, very little research has been performed in the area of TE. The purpose of this study was to (a) evaluate the Praxis scores of teacher candidates in New Jersey seeking licensure in technology education, and (b) determine if there were differences between the TE among teachers completing different preparation programs. The theoretical framework that guided this quantitative study was rooted in Knowles\u27 theory of andragogy, which supported learning methods for the teacher as a learner. The guiding question of this study was whether there existed a significant difference in Praxis II test scores among group A (traditionally certified teachers) versus group B (alternatively certified teachers). This causal-comparative design took place among 164 TE teacher candidates from the 2 groups. Instrumentation was a praxis assessment for TE teacher candidates. Data collection included a random sampling of archival scores on the TE test that were analyzed with a t test. Findings revealed that teachers who completed the alternative route preparatory programs (group B) scored within a similar narrow range as compared to the TE teachers completing the traditional preparatory programs (group A). Implications for positive social change include providing the Teacher Advisory Mentor Program (TAMP) for TE teachers, which may reduce attrition of TE teachers and facilitate more effective teaching in the classroom

Increasing Effective Self-Advocacy Skills in Elementary Age Children with Physical Disabilities

For students with physical and health disabilities, the development of self-advocacy skills is critical to their future success. Characteristics that may inhibit the development of self-advocacy skills in this population include reliance on others for assistance across multiple areas requiring physical abilities, deficits in communication skills, and the development of learned helplessness. Instruction in self-advocacy is needed for this population of students in order to maximize future success and decrease learned helplessness (Angell, Stoner, and Fulk, 2010; Macdonald & Block, 2005; Roberts, 2007). For this study, the researcher provided instruction to four elementary age students with physical disabilities who exhibited characteristics of learned helplessness, including ineffective initiation of requests. Students used speech, sign, or gestures as their primary form of communication, and were able to use this form of communication as a reliable means of response during typical classroom activities, including social interactions and when responding to questions. When they needed to initiate a request for required materials during classroom activities, they made no response, ineffectively gestured, or made unrelated comments when prompted to complete an activity. Students who initiated requests ≤ 50% of presented opportunities were eligible to participate in this study. The intervention consisted of combined use of environmental arrangement and the system of least prompts in a multiprobe multiple baseline across participants design. Environmental arrangement strategies included missing materials or materials that were out of reach. The system of least prompts involved the following levels of prompting: (a) independent, (b) verbal – restatement of direction, (c) indirect verbal, and (d) verbal/model. Analysis of the data indicated that three of the four students increased their effective initiation of requests during intervention, and generalized this skill to new materials and novel settings. The fourth student exhibited noncompliant behaviors that interfered with his ability to reach criteria during intervention. These results support the effectiveness of this intervention in decreasing learned helplessness and increasing the self-advocacy skill of initiating requests with students with physical disabilities who have no interfering behaviors