537 research outputs found
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The Missing Piece: Uncovering Womenās Effects on Senegambia from 1400 to 1800
This thesis explores womenās responses to change in the Senegambian region and their effects on 1400 to 1800 Senegambian economics, politics, society, and culture. Scholarship on the women of this period is largely absent. Still, studies on particular caste women during this time make it clear that women shaped European involvement in Senegambia. Through a focus on women of every caste, this study will demonstrate that womenās reactions to Europeans, climate, and conflict in Senegambia changed history. These findings improve historiansā understanding of Senegambia prior to 1800. The significance of this knowledge calls for further study to fill the gap in Senegambiaās written history
Disparities in Health Behavior Risks Among Employed and Unemployed Black and White Older Adults
Objective: Examine health behavior risk rates and disparities in health behavior risks related to race and employment among older adults. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of a representative sample of noninstitutionalized adults aged 65 and older (150,669 in 2015 and 168,011 in 2016) from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Self-reported health behavior risks were measured as well as multiple logistic regression analyses assessing the independent effects of demographic variables on health behavior risks. Results: Employed older adults have greater health behavior risks than unemployed older adults. Black employed older adults have greater health behavior risks than Black unemployed older adults for all behaviors. Greater disparities in health behavior risks exist between Black and White employed older adults than between Black and White unemployed older adults (smoking, being overweight or obese, and physical activity). Discussion: Employers should design health insurance benefits and workplace health promotion programs to address the needs of all older persons
Environmental education and the Cheetah Conservation Fund : exploring children's value-based relationships with cheetahs / by Courtney Hughes.
For this thesis I collaborated with the Namibian Cheetah Conservation Fund
(CCF) to research how farming children perceive and experience cheetahs. I also explored how CCFās educational documents might affect the ways children (re)construct their value-based relationships with cheetahs.
The first part of my study used storytelling as a research methodology. Children were asked to create drawn, written, and verbal stories as a way to explain how they perceive, experience, and (re)construct their value-based relationships with cheetahs, following their experiences with CCFās cheetah run and prior to their experiences with CCFās formal education program. Childrenās stories were grouped into common or similar elements or patterns as meanings emerged through analysis and interpretations.
My analysis found that children (re)construct valuations of cheetahs through their lived experiences with CCF, family, and school instruction. For the second part of my study, my examination of CCFās educational documents, I referred to Elliot Eisnerās (1979) concept of the three curricula to learn how
CCF portrays human-cheetah relationships in a farming context. I also used this concept to explore how CCFās portrayal might affect the ways children (re)construct their valuations of cheetahs. My examination revealed that CCFās documents are value-laden, conveying their opinions on, and valuations for, cheetahs as well as other Namibian animals. I also learned that both explicit statements and implicit messages, conveyed through educational documents, can effect how children (re)construct their value-based relationships with cheetahs, and quite possibly, with the natural world in its completeness
Utjecaj trenažnog intenziteta na zdravlje starijih osoba
Uvod
Kako starimo, naÅ” se kapacitet za dugotrajno i intenzivno tjelesno vježbanje smanjuje. Ta pojava djelomiÄno ocrtava smanjenje kardiorespiratornoga kapaciteta i to na raÄun snižavanja stope potroÅ”nje kisika kao funkcije dviju komponenata: srÄanog ucinka i tkivne potroÅ”nje kisika. Neželjene posljedice tih promjena ukljuÄuju tahikardiju za vrijeme napora i poveÄani rizik od razvoja kardiovaskularnih bolesti. Usprkos poveÄanom interesu za prevenciju i lijeÄenje naruÅ”eni kardirespiratornih funkcija, joÅ” uvijek nije potpuno jasno koliko je to stanje uzrokovano ireverzibilnim promjenama starenja, koje su otporne na intervencije, a koliko neaktivnim životnim stilom ili prevelikom konzumacijom energetski bogatih namirnica, na Å”to se može djelovati. Upravo se neaktivnost i prekomjerna konzumacija energetski bogate hrane smatraju glavnim uzrocima metaboliÄkog sindroma obilježenog kombinacijom poviÅ”enoga krvnoga tlaka, abdominalnom gojaznoÅ”Äu, poveÄanom koliÄinom masnoÄe u krvi, inzulinskom otpornoÅ”Äu i poveÄanom koagulacijom krvi. Navedene karakteristike su i faktori rizika kardiovaskularnih bolesti i srÄanog udara (Kaplan, 1989; Opara i Levine, 1997). Neke zavisne varijable koje se odnose na kardiovaskularne funkcije lako je mjeriti, npr. Fickova jednadžba, ventilacijski prag (VP) (Å”to je mjera aerobne sposobnosti) i frekvencija srca (FS). Osim toga, krvni tlak (RR) je varijabla kardiorespiratornih funkcija koja sudjeluje u prijenosu kisika za vrijeme vježbanja i takoÄer znaÄajno utjeÄe na kardiovaskularno zdravlje. PoveÄanje krvnog tlaka, koje se javlja s dobi, može oÅ”tetiti cirkulaciju prema bubrezima i ostalim vitalnim perifernim organima, uzrokovati srÄanu hipertrofiju i poveÄati rizik od srÄanog udara. Iako tjelesno vježbanje može pridonijeti smanjenju krvnog tlaka u mirovanju, njegov utjecaj nije univerzalan. Naime, u nekim su sluÄajevima zabilježeni i nepovoljni uÄinci vježbanja (trening jaÄeg intenziteta). Cilj je ovog istraživanja utvrditi u kojem opsegu jednostavan prototip tjelesnog vježbanja - hodanje, može djelovati na poboljÅ”anje kardio-respiratornih funkcija u starijih osoba. Ako se tjelesno vježbanje preporuÄuje za dobrobit pojedinca, nužno je ispitati odnose izmeÄu koliÄine tjelesnog vježbanja, intenziteta i nekih komponenata kardio-respiratornih funkcija.
Metoda
Uzorak ispitanika Äinile su 42 gojazne do umjereno gojazne žene u postmenopauzi. Sve su ispitanice dobrovoljno sudjelovale u 15-tjednom trenažnom programu koji je osmislio i odobrio OcjenjivaÄki odbor Medicinskog fakulteta SveuÄiliÅ”ta u Michiganu. Trenažni postupak sastojao se od hodanja u jutarnjim satima po 4,83 km dnevno, pet dana u tjednu, u ukupnom trajanju od 15 tjedana. Za vrijeme hodanja trener je mjerio vrijeme i prijebenu udaljenost. Ispitanice su podijeljene u u dvije skupine prema dobi, težini, tjelesnoj grabi i inicijalnoj razini aerobnih sposobnosti, koje su vježbale intenzitom od 95% ili 125% ventilacijskog praga. Razina VP bila je prethodno utvrÄena testom hodanja na pokretnom sagu. Prije poÄetka i na kraju trenažnog programa, ispitanice su izmjerene s obzirom na ispitivane zavisne varijable: indeks tjelesne mase (body mass index, BMI), postotak tjelesne masti, VP i FS koja je mjerena Polar tahometrom za vrijeme hodanja na traci. Promjene u srÄanoj frekvenciji i krvnom tlaku procjenjivane su na temelju njihova praÄenja pomoÄu TM2421 ambulantnog FS-RR monitora tijekom sedam dana (A&D Company, Tokyo, Japan). Ispitanice nisu sudjelovale ni u kakvom dodatnom programu vježbanja.
Rezultati
Dnevni uzorak promjena FS i krvnog tlaka, ukljuÄujuÄi i prosjeÄnu procjenu srÄanog ritma (MESOR), veliÄinu dnevnih otklona ispod i iznad prosjeÄnog ritma (dvostruka amplituda), kao i standardne devijacije FS i RR izraÄunate su nakon prilagoÄavanja FS i RR 24- i 12-satnoj kosinusnoj krivulji (Halberg, 1969). PomoÄu studentovog t-testa izraÄunate su promjene u veliÄinama parametara zavisnih varijabli. Utjecaj treninga na antopometrijske varijable nije se odrazio na veliÄinu BMI-a, dok je doÅ”lo do statistiÄki znaÄajnog smanjenja tjelesne masti (t=3.591, p<0.001). Umjereni gubitak tjelesne masti (2-3%), koji nije popraÄen smanjenjem tjelesne mase, sukladan je nalazima prethodnih istraživanja koja govore o paralelnom poveÄanju bezmasne tjelesne mase (Ballor i Poehlman, 1994). Intenzitet treninga djelovao je stimulativno na aerobni kapacitet, i to preko poveÄanja VP-a. Trening je proizveo 4.5%-tno poveÄanje VP-a za svakih 10% povecanja trenažnog intenziteta. S druge strane, trenažni je intenzitet proizveo manje izraženi uÄinak na mjere funkcija RR-a. Trenažni intenzitet djelovao je i na smanjenje sistoliÄkog i dijastoliÄkog krvnog tlaka (RRsis, RRdijast), srcane frekvencije (FS) i srÄanog ritma (MESOR), a uÄinak je bio proporcionalan intenzitetu vježbanja. MeÄutim, niti jedna od navedenih promjena nije bila statistiÄki znaÄajna. Kod jedne ispitanice, koja je vježbala sa 118.5% svog pluÄnoga kapaciteta, utvrÄeno je smanjenje vrijednosti RRsis i MESOR (3mm Hg niže, mjereno pomoÄu Circadian Hyper Amplitude Tension, CHAT) nakon treninga. MeÄutim, nisu zabilježeni promjene krajnjih cirkadijanih RRsis i RRdijast dvostrukih amplituda.
ZakljuÄak
Ovo istraživanje omoguÄuje donoÅ”enje ograniÄenih zakljuÄaka o uÄinkovitosti hodanja radi poboljÅ”anja kardio-respiratornih funkcija u postmenopauzalnih žena. OpÄi zakljuÄak jest da je 15-tjedni trenažni postupak dovoljan za poveÄanje aerobnoga kapaciteta, a da Äe veliÄina poboljÅ”anja, sukladno Karvonenovoj observaciji (Karvonen, 1957), proporcionalno ovisiti o trenažnom intenzitetu. Primijenjeni program vježbanja dovodi do znaÄajnog poveÄanja aerobnoga kapaciteta, a dobiveni trend smanjenja parametara FS i RR nije statistiÄki znaÄajan. Unutar mjerenih kardio-respiratornih varijabli, samo su se neke komponente (RRsis, RRdijast, FS, MESOR) promijenile pod utjecajem trenažnog intenziteta. TakoÄer je doÅ”lo do neznaÄajnog smanjenja mjera njihove varijabilnosti. Iako rezultati ovog istraživanja nemaju dostatnu snagu da bismo definitivno mogli utvrditi ove odnose, razumno je reÄi da umjerena trenažna aktivnost (hodanje) može imati povoljne modifikacijske ucinke na MESOR i prosjeÄne vrijednosti varijabli RRsis, RRdijast i FS, Å”to je sukladno nalazima nekih prethodnih istraživanja. Intenzitet treninga nije utjecao na stopu ubrzanja FS za vrijeme progresivnog testa hodanja na traci niti na promjenu varijabilnosti mjera FS i RR. KonaÄno, može se zakljuÄiti kako je RR pod kontrolom veÄeg broja faktora, Å”to je vidljivo kada se RR abnormalnosti razmatraju izvan cirkadijanog konteksta. Nalazi dobiveni mjerenjem CHAT na primjeru jedne ispitanice (Borer i sur, 2002) pokazuju poveÄani rizik od srÄanog udara usprkos normalnim prosjeÄnim vrijednostima krvnog tlaka. Taj primjer ukazuje na razliÄite mehanizme koji koordiniraju RR, FS i MESOR, s jedne, i cirkadijane promjene, s druge strane. Za bolje razumijevanje uÄinaka tjelesnog vježbanja na te kardio-respiratorne varijable potrebna su daljnja istraživanja. Koristan prilog tome bila bi upotreba prijenosnih monitora FS-RR koji bilježe srcane ritmove, kao i cirkadijane promjene (Halberg, sur. 2002)
A response to the House of Commons Education Committee report on Multi-Academy Trusts
The number of schools joining multi-academy trusts has grown over the last five years, and it is expected that this growth will continue. The House of Commons Education Committee has, as a result, looked into the performance and role of these trusts. Steven J Courtney, Ruth McGinity, Steven Jones, Robert Hindle, Stephen M Rayner and Belinda Hughes focus on four key aspects of the Committeeās report and argue that broader questions about the governmentās policy remain untouched
Reliability of Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III in differentiating between dementia, mild cognitive impairment and older adults who have not reported cognitive problems.
Diagnosing dementia can be challenging for clinicians, given the array of factors that contribute to changes in cognitive function. The Addenbrookeās Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III) is commonly used in dementia assessments, covering the domains of attention, memory, fluency, visuospatial and language. This study aims to (1) assess the reliability of ACE-III to differentiate between dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and controls and (2) establish whether the ACE-III is useful for diagnosing dementia subtypes. Client records from the Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NHSCT) Memory Service (nā=ā2,331, 2013ā2019) were used in the analysis including people diagnosed with Alzheimerās disease (nā=ā637), vascular dementia (nā=ā252), mixed dementia (nā=ā490), MCI (nā=ā920) and controls (nā=ā32). There were significant differences in total ACE-III and subdomain scores between people with dementia, MCI and controls (pāā73%) and thus the differences are not clinically relevant. The results suggest that ACE-III is a useful tool for discriminating between dementia, MCI and controls, but it is not reliable for discriminating between dementia subtypes. Nonetheless, the ACE-III is still a reliable tool for clinicians that can assist in making a dementia diagnosis in combination with other factors at assessment
Prioritized Detection of Personally Familiar Faces
We investigated whether personally familiar faces are preferentially processed in conditions of reduced attentional resources and in the absence of conscious awareness. In the first experiment, we used Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) to test the susceptibility of familiar faces and faces of strangers to the attentional blink. In the second experiment, we used continuous flash interocular suppression to render stimuli invisible and measured face detection time for personally familiar faces as compared to faces of strangers. In both experiments we found an advantage for detection of personally familiar faces as compared to faces of strangers. Our data suggest that the identity of faces is processed with reduced attentional resources and even in the absence of awareness. Our results show that this facilitated processing of familiar faces cannot be attributed to detection of low-level visual features and that a learned unique configuration of facial features can influence preconscious perceptual processing
The Grizzly, February 28, 2019
To Squat or to Cluster? That is the Question ā¢ HEP Professor Goes on a Revelatory Journey ā¢ SUN Event Concludes Black History Month ā¢ Ursinus Makes Impressive List ā¢ Eye-Opening Experiences in Limerick, Ireland ā¢ Religion Battles Science in Agnes of God ā¢ Opinions: U.S.\u27s Nuclear Intervention in Japan was Justified / was not Justified ā¢ The Did You Guys Seriously Forget How Good I Am? Award: Courtney Cortese ā¢ Men\u27s Hoops Eliminated in CC Semifinal; Williams Jr. Ends Career as CC Record-Holder ā¢ New Lax Coach, Mercadante, off to Impressive Starthttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1614/thumbnail.jp
Compatibility Determination: Considerations for Siting Coastal and Ocean Uses (DRAFT)
This draft report is one of several prepared under contract to the Massachusetts Ocean Partnership (MOP) to support the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) in its development of the integrated coastal ocean management plan mandated by the MA Oceans Act of 2008. Among other requirements, the Oceans Act states that the plan shall āidentify appropriate locations and performance standards for activities, uses and facilities allowed under sections 15 and 16 of chapter 132A.ā To fulfill this requirement, the EOEEA planning team wanted to utilize compatibility determinations as a tool for considering the appropriate locations for activities, uses and facilities relative to one another. This report was prepared for Massachusetts ocean planning purposes but contains information that may be useful to coastal ocean resource managers in other locations
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