Cooperative Extension\u27s Role in Mold and Moisture Education

This article explores the role of Extension educators in mold and moisture education. Media attention has served to raise the consciousness of the general public regarding mold issues; however, it has also served to create a sense of alarm. Increasingly, Extension professionals are being asked to address mold and moisture issues in residential settings. Extension can help clientele in four critical areas: situational perspective, tools to assist, best management practices, and moisture remediation

Energy Transformation: Teaching Youth About Energy Efficiency While Meeting Science Essential Standards

This article describes the Energy Transformation 4-H school enrichment curriculum. The curriculum addresses energy efficiency and conservation while meeting sixth-grade science essential standards requirements. Through experiential learning, including building and testing a model home, youth learn the relationship between various technologies and building practices and the influence those items have on energy use. Additionally, youth learn the impact that their individual behaviors on overall energy use and conservation

Energy Education Incentives: Evaluating the Impact of Consumer Energy Kits

Measuring the energy and environmental impact of residential energy education efforts is difficult. The E-Conservation residential energy management program uses consumer energy kits to document the impact of energy-efficient improvements. The consumer energy kit provides an incentive for individuals attending energy education workshop, helps consumers identify simple energy-saving technologies, and provides consumers with accessible energy-saving actions. As a result of consumers installing the compact fluorescent light bulbs and low flow showerheads in the energy kits, measureable savings in terms of annual energy savings, kilowatt hours, gallons of water used, and CO2 reduction are achieved

Energy Education Ideas that Work

Due to rising fuel prices, energy conservation is an area of considerable importance to consumers and researchers in the United States. This article discusses methods that North Carolina\u27s E-Conservation Program uses to reach and teach consumers about energy efficiency and conservation. This growing energy conservation initiative is the result of partnerships between the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, leading energy authorities, and local extension agents across the state

Understanding recycling markets

The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service periodically issues revisions to its publications. The most current edition is made available. For access to an earlier edition, if available for this title, please contact the Oklahoma State University Library Archives by email at [email protected] or by phone at 405-744-6311

Residential environmental management: Household environmental issues

The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service periodically issues revisions to its publications. The most current edition is made available. For access to an earlier edition, if available for this title, please contact the Oklahoma State University Library Archives by email at [email protected] or by phone at 405-744-6311

Prospectus, October 21, 2015

Taking Flight: Aviation students earn spot in national flight competition(Parkland College), Parkland graduate featured on ‘The Amazing Race’, Gaming culture prevalent on 88.7, Equine science degree dropped at Parkland, Political science courses offer broad education, Resources available to help cope with test anxiety, Parkland to highlight respiratory care program next week, Police seek clues after ZombiCon shooting(AP), Man charged after calling TV station about girl’s 1982 death(AP), Wesley Food Pantry continues to serve students, community, Actor shot during fake gunfight(AP), Oprah paying $43.2M for Weight Watchers stake(AP), Golf team showing early season dominance, Lamar Odom taken from Las Vegas hospital to Los Angeles(AP)https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2015/1021/thumbnail.jp

Evaluation of a breathing retraining intervention to improve quality of life in asthma: quantitative process analysis of the BREATHE randomised controlled trial

Objective: Explore group differences between interventions (DVD and booklet (DVDB) versus face-to-face and booklet (F2FB), versus usual care) in the BREATHE trial of breathing retraining for asthma. Design: Quantitative process analysis exploring group expectancy, experience and practice before and after intervention delivery for the main trial. Setting: Primary care subjects: Adults with asthma (DVDB n = 261; F2FB n = 132). Main measures: Baseline - expectancy about breathing retraining; Follow-up 3, 6 and 12 months - self-efficacy, treatment experience (enjoyment of treatment, perceptions of physiotherapist, perceptions of barriers), amount of practice (weeks, days/week, times/day), continued practice; All time points - anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), asthma QoL (Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire). Results: No group differences in baseline expectancy. Statistically significant results (p<0.05) indicated that: At follow-up F2FB participants perceived greater need for a physiotherapist than DVDB participants (3.43 (0.87) versus 2.15 (1.26)). F2FB participants reported greater enjoyment of core techniques (such as stomach breathing 7.42(1.67) versus 6.13 (1.99) (DVDB)). Fewer F2FB participants reported problems due to doubts (24 (22.9%) versus 90 (54.2%). F2FB participants completed more practice sessions (75.01 (46.38) versus 48.56 (44.71)). Amount of practice was not significantly related to QoL. In the DVDB arm, greater confidence in breathing retraining ability explained 3.9% of variance in QoL at 12 months. Conclusions: Adults with asthma receiving breathing retraining face-to-face report greater enjoyment and undertaking more practice than those receiving a DVD and booklet, but practice is not related to QoL. Greater confidence in ability to do breathing retraining is associated with improved QoL

MRI ventilation abnormalities predict quality-of-life and lung function changes in mild-to-moderate COPD: Longitudinal TINCan study

CT biomarkers of emphysema (15th percentile of the CT density histogram, HU15%) and airways disease (wall thickness of airways with 10 mm internal perimeter, Pi10) have shown promise for providing prognostic information.2 Although recent data3 showed that the change in CT emphysema may be used to estimate the efficacy of therapy in patients with α-1-antitrypsin-deficiency, thus far none of the currently developed CT biomarkers have been shown to reflect changes in outcomes that are important to patients with COPD. MRI with inhaled noble gases provide highly sensitive and unique microstructural and functional information in COPD.4 MRI biomarkers of COPD are highly reproducible,5 are associated with COPD outcomes6 and detect changes with greater sensitivity and before disease-related changes can be detected by CT or FEV1. Here we evaluated longitudinal changes in both CT and MRI measurements of COPD. Based on previous longitudinal results,8 ,10 we hypothesised that 3He MRI biomarkers would predict quality-of-life and FEV1 changes in COPD, and that longitudinal changes in MRI biomarkers would be correlated with changes in COPD quality-of-life measures

Measuring automatic retrieval: A comparison of implicit memory, process dissociation, and speeded response procedures

Abstract Using the stem completion task, we compared estimates of automatic retrieval from an implicit memory task, the process dissociation procedure, and the speeded response procedure. Two standard manipulations were employed. In Experiment 1, a depth of processing effect was found on automatic retrieval using the speeded response procedure although this effect was substantially reduced in Experiment 2 when lexical processing was required of all words. In Experiment 3, the speeded response procedure showed an advantage of full versus divided attention at study on automatic retrieval. An implicit condition showed parallel effects in each study, suggesting that implicit stem completion may normally provide a good estimate of automatic retrieval. Also, we replicated earlier findings from the process dissociation procedure, but estimates of automatic retrieval from this procedure were consistently lower than those from the speeded response procedure, except when conscious retrieval was relatively low. We discuss several factors that may contribute to the conflicting outcomes, including the evidence for theoretical assumptions and criterial task differences between implicit and explicit tests