Volunteer Delivery of a Community-Based Strength Training Program: Comparison of Adopting and Nonadopting Extension Educator Perspectives

Volunteer leaders are increasingly being utilized to deliver community strength training classes, but the factors affecting adoption of volunteer delivery approaches by educators or program managers have not been well explored. This study sought to identify these factors by comparing perspectives of adopting and nonadopting county Extension educators for a group strength training program delivered through county Cooperative Extension offices. Semistructured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of adopting (n=6) and nonadopting (n=13) educators. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded using thematic content analysis. Review of codes related to adoption or nonadoption of volunteer delivery approaches produced common themes. Both groups acknowledged role differences between educators and volunteers and expressed concerns about maintaining program quality. Adopters expressed greater comfort with volunteer-led program approaches and understanding of the educator-volunteer role. Nonadopters were hesitant to request program participants serve as leaders but felt participants were capable. Both groups were motivated to offer the program for dual personal and community benefit, but nonadopters expressed reliance on the program to maintain physical activity habits and for social support. Findings can inform others seeking to adapt community programs for volunteer delivery or engage volunteers in existing program delivery

Motivations of Volunteer Leaders in an Extension Exercise Program

This article describes findings from a qualitative study of volunteer leaders in the StrongWomen strength training program in Arkansas. The study explored reasons volunteers initially agreed to serve, perceptions of volunteer role, and motivations for continuing to lead strength training groups long-term. Findings suggest a combination of factors supporting volunteer engagement: personal benefit of program, desire to continue program combined with a personal invitation to volunteer extended by the agent, desire to support a co-leader, and exercise and social support needs met through volunteer service. Motivations of Extension health program volunteers are important to address to maximize program impact

Macrolide antibiotics for bronchiectasis

Background Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory disease characterised by abnormal and irreversible dilatation and distortion of the smaller airways. Bacterial colonisation of the damaged airways leads to chronic cough and sputum production, often with breathlessness and further structural damage to the airways. Long-term macrolide antibiotic therapy may suppress bacterial infection and reduce inflammation, leading to fewer exacerbations, fewer symptoms, improved lung function, and improved quality of life. Further evidence is required on the efficacy of macrolides in terms of specific bacterial eradication and the extent of antibiotic resistance. Objectives To determine the impact of macrolide antibiotics in the treatment of adults and children with bronchiectasis. Search methods We identified trials from the Cochrane Airways Trials Register, which contains studies identified through multiple electronic searches and handsearches of other sources. We also searched trial registries and reference lists of primary studies. We conducted all searches on 18 January 2018. Selection criteria We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of at least four weeks' duration that compared macrolide antibiotics with placebo or no intervention for the long-term management of stable bronchiectasis in adults or children with a diagnosis of bronchiectasis by bronchography, plain film chest radiograph, or high-resolution computed tomography. We excluded studies in which participants had received continuous or high-dose antibiotics immediately before enrolment or before a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis, sarcoidosis, or allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. Our primary outcomes were exacerbation, hospitalisation, and serious adverse events. Data collection and analysis Two review authors independently screened the titles and abstracts of 103 records. We independently screened the full text of 40 study reports and included 15 trials from 30 reports. Two review authors independently extracted outcome data and assessed risk of bias for each study. We analysed dichotomous data as odds ratios (ORs) and continuous data as mean differences (MDs) or standardised mean differences (SMDs). We used standard methodological procedures as expected by Cochrane. Main results We included 14 parallel-group RCTs and one cross-over RCT with interventions lasting from 8 weeks to 24 months. Of 11 adult studies with 690 participants, six used azithromycin, four roxithromycin, and one erythromycin. Four studies with 190 children used either azithromycin, clarithromycin, erythromycin, or roxithromycin. We included nine adult studies in our comparison between macrolides and placebo and two in our comparison with no intervention. We included one study with children in our comparison between macrolides and placebo and one in our comparison with no intervention. In adults, macrolides reduced exacerbation frequency to a greater extent than placebo (OR 0.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.22 to 0.54; 341 participants; three studies; I2 = 65%; moderate-quality evidence). This translates to a number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome of 4 (95% CI 3 to 8). Data show no differences in exacerbation frequency between use of macrolides (OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.08 to 1.15; 43 participants; one study; moderate-quality evidence) and no intervention. Macrolides were also associated with a significantly better quality of life compared with placebo (MD -8.90, 95% CI -13.13 to -4.67; 68 participants; one study; moderate-quality evidence). We found no evidence of a reduction in hospitalisations (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.19 to 1.62; 151 participants; two studies; I2 = 0%; low-quality evidence), in the number of participants with serious adverse events, including pneumonia, respiratory and non-respiratory infections, haemoptysis, and gastroenteritis (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.20 to 1.23; 326 participants; three studies; I2 = 0%; low-quality evidence), or in the number experiencing adverse events (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.51 to 1.35; 435 participants; five studies; I2 = 28%) in adults with macrolides compared with placebo. In children, there were no differences in exacerbation frequency (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.11 to 1.41; 89 children; one study; low-quality evidence); hospitalisations (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.07 to 1.11; 89 children; one study; low-quality evidence), serious adverse events, defined within the study as exacerbations of bronchiectasis or investigations related to bronchiectasis (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.17 to 1.05; 89 children; one study; low-quality evidence), or adverse events (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.33 to 1.83; 89 children; one study), in those receiving macrolides compared to placebo. The same study reported an increase in macrolide-resistant bacteria (OR 7.13, 95% CI 2.13 to 23.79; 89 children; one study), an increase in resistance to Streptococcus pneumoniae (OR 13.20, 95% CI 1.61 to 108.19; 89 children; one study), and an increase in resistance to Staphylococcus aureus (OR 4.16, 95% CI 1.06 to 16.32; 89 children; one study) with macrolides compared with placebo. Quality of life was not reported in the studies with children. Authors' conclusions Long-term macrolide therapy may reduce the frequency of exacerbations and improve quality of life, although supporting evidence is derived mainly from studies of azithromycin, rather than other macrolides, and predominantly among adults rather than children. However, macrolides should be used with caution, as limited data indicate an associated increase in microbial resistance. Macrolides are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular death and other serious adverse events in other populations, and available data cannot exclude a similar risk among patients with bronchiectasis

Intercomparison of Airborne Multi-Angle Polarimeter Observations from the Polarimeter Definition Experiment (PODEX)

In early 2013, three airborne polarimeters were flown on the high altitude NASA ER-2 aircraft in California for the Polarimeter Definition Experiment (PODEX). PODEX supported the pre-formulation NASA Aerosol-Cloud-Ecosystem (ACE) mission, which calls for an imaging polarimeter in polar orbit (among other instruments) for the remote sensing of aerosols, oceans and clouds. Several polarimeter concepts exist as airborne prototypes, some of which were deployed during PODEX as a capabilities test. Two of those instruments to date have successfully produced Level 1 (georegistered, calibrated radiance and polarization) data from that campaign: the Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI) and the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP). We compared georegistered observations of a variety of scene types by these instruments to test if Level 1 products agree within stated uncertainties. Initial comparisons found radiometric agreement, but polarimetric biases beyond measurement uncertainties. After subsequent updates to calibration, georegistration, and the measurement uncertainty models, observations from the instruments now largely agree within stated uncertainties. However, the 470nm reflectance channels have a roughly +6% bias of AirMSPI relative to RSP, beyond expected measurement uncertainties. We also find that observations of dark (ocean) scenes, where polarimetric uncertainty is expected to be largest, do not agree within stated polarimetric uncertainties. Otherwise, AirMSPI and RSP observations are consistent within measurement uncertainty expectations, providing credibility for subsequent creation of Level 2 (geophysical product) data from these instruments, and comparison thereof. The techniques used in this work can also form a methodological basis for other intercomparisons, such as of the data gathered during the recent Aerosol Characterization from Polarimeter and Lidar (ACEPOL) field campaign, carried out in October and November of 2017 with four polarimeters (including AirMSPI and RSP)

Análisis de la educación bilingüe para niños que provienen de contextos bilingües de orígenes hispanos

Esta investigación se enfoca hacia el uso del método de análisis histórico, el análisis y la síntesis para el enjuiciamiento de las limitaciones o beneficios de una educación bilingüe en los niños de cuatro años de origen hispano, para interactuar lingüística y culturalmente en el proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje en el prekindergarten en Estados Unidos de América. Uno de cada cinco de los escolares enrolados en la escuela pública de ese país son  latinos, convirtiéndose en el grupo más grande de minorías. Por eso, actualmente entre los principales temas acerca de cómo mejorar el rendimiento de los estudiantes cuya segunda lengua es el inglés, está determinar si la Educación Bilingüe sirve para mejorar la posibilidad educativa y cultural de la población hispana. Palabras claves: actividades preescolares, comunicación, formación lingüística, habilidades interculturales, interacción cultural

Macrolide antibiotics for non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To determine the impact of macrolide antibiotics in the treatment of adults and children with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis

Surface diffusion induced by low-energy bombardment with He ions: an exchange mechanism

The radiation-induced surface diffusion of molybdenum adatoms was studied using molecular dynamics simulations based on a many-body tight-binding potential interpolated to the short-range repulsive screened Coulombic interactions. It was shown that the He ion impact is accompanied by an extensive surface mobility of Mo atoms. The long radiation-induced atomic jumps, spanning more than a nearest-neighbor distance, were revealed on the {110} terrace. The radiation induced exchange of Mo atoms colliding with Mo {110} surface was found in our mathematical simulations: there were observed exchange processes in which the radiation excited atom entered the surface and another surface atom emerged nearby. These results of MD simulations appear to be the first observation of exchange events in radiation-induced surface diffusion.Радіаційно-індукована поверхнева дифузія адатомів молібдену була вивчена за допомогою моделювання методом молекулярної динаміки, що базується на багаточастковому потенціалі жорсткого зв'язку з інтерполяцією короткодіючого відштовхування екранованою кулонівською взаємодією. Було показано, що бомбардування іонами Не супроводжується великою поверхневою рухливістю атомів Мо. Довгі радіаційно-індуковані атомні стрибки, що охоплюють відстані більш, ніж найближчі міжатомні, були виявлені на {110} терасах. Радіаційно-індукований обмін атомів Мо, що стикаються з поверхнею Мо {110}, був виявлений в нашому математичному моделюванні: спостерігалися обмінні процеси, в яких радіаційно-збуджений атом проникав у поверхневий шар, а поблизу виходив на поверхню інший атом. Ці результати моделювання являють собою перше спостереження обмінних ефектів у радіаційно-індукованій поверхневій дифузії.Радиационно-индуцированная поверхностная диффузия адатомов молибдена была изучена с помощью моделирования методом молекулярной динамики, основанном на многочастичном потенциале жесткой связи с интерполяцией короткодействующего отталкивания экранированным кулоновским взаимодействием. Было показано, что бомбардировка ионами Не сопровождается обширной поверхностной подвижностью атомов Мо. Длинные радиационно-индуцированные атомные скачки, охватывающие расстояния более чем ближайшие межатомные, были выявлены на {110} террасах. Радиационно-индуцированный обмен атомов Мо, сталкивающихся с поверхностью Мо {110}, был обнаружен в нашем математическом моделировании: наблюдались обменные процессы, в которых радиационно-возбужденный атом проникал в поверхностный слой, а поблизости выходил на поверхность другой атом. Эти результаты моделирования представляют собой первое наблюдение обменных эффектов в радиационно-индуцированной поверхностной диффузии