Building a Learning Agenda Around Disconnected Youth

In December 2007, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gave MDRC a grant to conduct reconnaissance on promising strategies to reengage disconnected young people and improve their long-term outcomes. The primary objective of the grant was to identify key leverage points for future investment by government and foundations. MDRC consulted with researchers and policy experts, reviewed the results of completed and ongoing evaluations of youth programs, visited a number of innovative youth programs and cities with strong youth strategies, and hosted a meeting of youth practitioners. The goal of the paper's recommendations is to develop a menu of approaches for the heterogeneous population of disconnected youth--analogous in some ways to the multiple pathways that are being developed for high school students. The recommendations fall into two broad categories: building knowledge about mature, existing programs (to better understand whether they work, for whom, and why) and investment in developing and/or scaling up new programs that address areas of unmet need, such as efforts to restructure General Educational Development (GED) preparation programs so that they are more tightly linked with postsecondary programs, both occupational and academic; new "leg-up" strategies for older youth with very low basic skill levels, for whom a GED may not be a realistic goal; and new strategies to engage young people who are more profoundly disconnected and unlikely to volunteer for youth programs

Investigating invariant item ordering in the Mental Health Inventory : an illustration of the use of different methods

Invariant item ordering is a property of scales whereby the items are scored in the same order across a wide range of the latent trait and across a wide range of respondents. In the package ‘mokken’ in the statistical software R, the ability to analyse Mokken scales for invariant item ordering has recently been available and techniques for inspecting visually the item response curves of item pairs, have also been included. While methods to assess invariant item ordering are available, there have been indications that items representing extremes of distress in mental well-being scales, such as suicidal ideation, may lead to claiming invariant item ordering where it does not exist. We used the Mental Health Inventory to see if invariant item ordering was indicated in any Mokken scales derived and to see if this was being influenced by extreme items. A Mokken scale was derived indicating invariant item ordering. Visual inspection of the item pairs indicated that the most difficult item (suicidal ideation) was located far from the remaining cluster of items. Removing this item lowered invariant item ordering to an unacceptable level

Dietary Prebiotics and Bioactive Milk Fractions Improve NREM Sleep, Enhance REM Sleep Rebound and Attenuate the Stress-Induced Decrease in Diurnal Temperature and Gut Microbial Alpha Diversity.

Severe, repeated or chronic stress produces negative health outcomes including disruptions of the sleep/wake cycle and gut microbial dysbiosis. Diets rich in prebiotics and glycoproteins impact the gut microbiota and may increase gut microbial species that reduce the impact of stress. This experiment tested the hypothesis that consumption of dietary prebiotics, lactoferrin (Lf) and milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) will reduce the negative physiological impacts of stress. Male F344 rats, postnatal day (PND) 24, received a diet with prebiotics, Lf and MFGM (test) or a calorically matched control diet. Fecal samples were collected on PND 35/70/91 for 16S rRNA sequencing to examine microbial composition and, in a subset of rats; Lactobacillus rhamnosus was measured using selective culture. On PND 59, biotelemetry devices were implanted to record sleep/wake electroencephalographic (EEG). Rats were exposed to an acute stressor (100, 1.5 mA, tail shocks) on PND 87 and recordings continued until PND 94. Test diet, compared to control diet, increased fecal Lactobacillus rhamnosus colony forming units (CFU), facilitated non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep consolidation (PND 71/72) and enhanced rapid eye movement (REM) sleep rebound after stressor exposure (PND 87). Rats fed control diet had stress-induced reductions in alpha diversity and diurnal amplitude of temperature, which were attenuated by the test diet (PND 91). Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed a significant linear relationship between early-life Deferribacteres (PND 35) and longer NREM sleep episodes (PND 71/72). A diet containing prebiotics, Lf and MFGM enhanced sleep quality, which was related to changes in gut bacteria and modulated the impact of stress on sleep, diurnal rhythms and the gut microbiota

Digital Connections: Student Experiences in Online Language Exchanges

Exciting advances in technology have provided foreign language teachers with opportunities to connect students to native speakers of target languages. Much of the research in this area focuses on changes in proficiency or cultural sensitivity. Although valuable, the research is lacking in understanding students’ experiences online, including positive and negative feelings, challenges, as well as students’ overall opinions of the exchanges’ usefulness for learning. The present study used a mixed methods approach to examine the experiences of third-semester university students participating in online language exchanges with native speakers. A third-semester Spanish class at a large university consisting of 18 students was selected as a sample. Students were required to speak online with native Spanish speakers in the target language for 20 minutes each week. Students completed weekly surveys and a final survey, and three students were selected for semi-structured interviews. The data reveal common struggles that students face during online exchanges, methods students use for coping with these difficulties, areas of perceived growth, and social factors that affect students’ experiences. The article concludes with recommendations for what foreign language educators can do to support students in similar online exchanges

The effect of macronutrients on glycaemic control: a systematic review of dietary randomised controlled trials in overweight and obese adults with type 2 diabetes in which there was no difference in weight loss between treatment groups

Weight loss is crucial for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). It remains unclear which dietary intervention is best for optimising glycaemic control, or whether weight loss itself is the main reason behind observed improvements. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of various dietary interventions on glycaemic control in overweight and obese adults with T2DM when controlling for weight loss between dietary interventions. A systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCT) was conducted. Electronic searches of Medline, Embase, Cinahl and Web of Science databases were conducted. Inclusion criteria included RCT with minimum 6 months duration, with participants having BMI≥25·0 kg/m(2), a diagnosis of T2DM using HbA1c, and no statistically significant difference in mean weight loss at the end point of intervention between dietary arms. Results showed that eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. Only four RCT indicated the benefit of a particular dietary intervention over another in improving HbA1c levels, including the Mediterranean, vegan and low glycaemic index (GI) diets. However the findings from one of the four studies showing a significant benefit are questionable because of failure to control for diabetes medications and poor adherence to the prescribed diets. In conclusion there is currently insufficient evidence to suggest that any particular diet is superior in treating overweight and obese patients with T2DM. Although the Mediterranean, vegan and low-GI diets appear to be promising, further research that controls for weight loss and the effects of diabetes medications in larger samples is needed

Development of a brief, reliable and valid diet assessment tool for impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes:The UK Diabetes and Diet Questionnaire

OBJECTIVE: Dietary advice is fundamental in the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Advice is improved by individual assessment but existing methods are time-consuming and require expertise. We developed a twenty-five-item questionnaire, the UK Diabetes and Diet Questionnaire (UKDDQ), for quick assessment of an individual’s diet. The present study examined the UKDDQ’s repeatability and relative validity compared with 4 d food diaries. DESIGN: The UKDDQ was completed twice with a median 3 d gap (interquartile range=1–7 d) between tests. A 4 d food diary was completed after the second UKDDQ. Diaries were analysed and food groups were mapped on to the UKDDQ. Absolute agreement between total scores was examined using intra-class correlation (ICC). Agreement for individual items was tested with Cohen’s weighted kappa (κ (w)). SETTING: South West of England. SUBJECTS: Adults (n 177, 50·3 % women) with, or at high risk for, T2DM; mean age 55·8 (sd 8·6) years, mean BMI 34·4 (sd 7·3) kg/m(2); participants were 91 % White British. RESULTS: The UKDDQ showed excellent repeatability (ICC=0·90 (0·82, 0·94)). For individual items, κ (w) ranged from 0·43 (‘savoury pastries’) to 0·87 (‘vegetables’). Total scores from the UKDDQ and food diaries compared well (ICC=0·54 (0·27, 0·70)). Agreement for individual items varied and was good for ‘alcohol’ (κ (w)=0·71) and ‘breakfast cereals’ (κ (w)=0·70), with no agreement for ‘vegetables’ (κ (w)=0·08) or ‘savoury pastries’ (κ (w)=0·09). CONCLUSIONS: The UKDDQ is a new British dietary questionnaire with excellent repeatability. Comparisons with food diaries found agreements similar to those for international dietary questionnaires currently in use. It targets foods and habits important in diabetes prevention and management