Weight changes in children in foster care for 1 year

Objective

The aims of this study of predominately racial/ethnic minority children in foster care (N = 360, birth to 19 years old) in Los Angeles, CA were to examine the (1) prevalence of obesity (≥95 percentile) and overweight/obese (≥85 percentile) upon entrance to foster care (T1) and after 1 year in foster care (T2); (2) comparison of high weight categories to national statistics; (3) relationship of changes in weight status to age, reason for entry into foster care, and placement.

Methods

Chi-square test and McNemar test comparing paired proportions were used to determine whether there were significant changes in the proportion of high weight categories between T1 and T2. Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test were used to evaluate the association between age, placement, and reason for foster care with the change in weight category. Changes in weight were categorized as (1) decreased in weight, (2) remained at overweight or obese, (3) increased in weight, or (4) remained normal.

Results

The proportion of obese and obese/overweight children between ages 2 and 5 were significantly lower at T2 than T1. There were no significant changes in the prevalence of obesity for the total population at T2. Children age 6 or older had a higher prevalence of obesity and overweight/obesity compared to national statistics. Of children at all ages, 64.7% of children of all ages entered foster care with a normal weight and stayed in the normal range during their first year in foster care, 12.2% decreased their weight, 15.4% remained overweight or obese, and 7.7% increased their weight. Age and parental substance use was related to change in weight category from T1 to T2.

Conclusion

Children did not become more overweight or obese in foster care; however 28% of the children were obese or overweight upon entry into foster care. Children who are 6 years or older and obese upon entering foster care should be targeted for weight reduction. The pediatric community and child welfare system need to work together by including weight percentiles in the foster care file and training/monitoring child welfare caregivers in weight reduction interventions.     

Blocking in autoshaped lever-pressing procedures with rats

Rats will approach and contact a lever whose insertion into the chamber signals response-independent food delivery. This “autoshaping” or “sign-tracking” phenomenon has recently attracted considerable attention as a platform for studying individual differences in impulsivity, drug sensitization, and other traits associated with vulnerability to drug addiction. Here, we examined two basic stimulus selection phenomena—blocking and overshadowing—in the autoshaped lever pressing of rats. Blocking and overshadowing were decidedly asymmetrical. Previously reinforced lever-extension conditioned stimuli (CSs) completely blocked conditioning to auditory cues (Exps. 1 and 2), and previously nonreinforced lever-extension CSs overshadowed conditioning to auditory cues. By contrast, conditioning to lever-extension CSs was not blocked by either auditory (Exp. 3) or lever-insertion (Exp. 4) cues, and was not overshadowed by auditory cues. Conditioning to a lever-insertion cue was somewhat overshadowed by the presence of another lever, especially in terms of food cup behavior displayed after lever withdrawal. We discuss several frameworks in which the apparent immunity of autoshaped lever pressing to blocking might be understood. Given evidence that different brain systems are engaged when different kinds of cues are paired with food delivery, it is worth considering the possibility that interactions among them in learning and performance may follow different rules. In particular, it is intriguing to speculate that the roles of simple cue–reinforcer contiguity, as well as of individual and aggregate reinforcer prediction errors, may differ across stimulus classes.     

Implementation of Bug-in-Ear Coaching by Community-Based Professional Development Providers

Research Findings: Bug-in-ear coaching implemented under highly controlled situations has a promising research base. Yet few researchers have examined its effects when implemented within less controlled environments using authentic professional development conditions. The purpose of this study was to examine the implementation and effects of bug-in-ear coaching when staff from a community organization served as community coaches for early childhood educators. We found that community coaches implemented bug-in-ear methods, but additional supports may be necessary to increase the intensity and quality of feedback provided. Effects of the intervention were observed for 1 of the 6 targeted outcomes for educators. However, effects did not translate to children’s communication outcomes. Practice or Policy: Bug-in-ear coaching is 1 method of providing early childhood educators with performance-based feedback. One benefit is that while community coaches observe educators live, they provide feedback that educators can immediately use to improve practice. However, bug-in-ear coaching poses challenges with respect to reviewing goals and reflecting on one’s performance. Community coaches and educators should systematically plan for reflection so that educators can create new implementation goals to improve their practice. Changing educator practice is a complex endeavor, but bug-in-ear coaching is a promising tool for doing so in a supportive manner.     

Influence of carbohydrate mouth rinsing on running and jumping performance during early morning soccer scrimmaging

Carbohydrate mouth rinse (CMR) is a novel method proposed to enhance endurance performance lasting ≤ 60 min. The current study examined the influence of CMR on anaerobic performance tasks in 11 collegiate female soccer players after an overnight fast. Athletes completed two experimental sessions, during which carbohydrate (CHO; 6% maltodextrin) or taste- and colour-matched placebo (PLA) mouth-rinse solutions were administered in a counterbalanced, double-blinded design. Three rounds of a 5-min scrimmage bout and series of performance tests including a single countermovement vertical jump (1VJ), a set of four consecutive vertical jumps, a 72-m shuttle run (SR72) and 18-m sprint comprised each trial. Thirst sensation (TS), session TS, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and session RPE were assessed as secondary outcomes. The first SR72 approached significance (p = 0.069), but no significant between-trials differences were observed for any of the mean performance tasks. The highest 1VJ scores did not differ for the first (CHO = 47.3 ± 3.4, PLA = 47.7 ± 3.5 cm; p = 0.43), second (CHO = 48.0 ± 4.1, PLA = 47.9 ± 3.5 cm; p = 0.82) or third bout (CHO = 47.4 ± 3.9, PLA = 48.1 ± 3.9 cm; p = 0.26). TS approached significance (p = 0.053) during the first bout. No significant differences (p > 0.05) were found for any of the perceptual variables. Current results fail to support ergogenic influence of CMR on anaerobic performance tasks in collegiate female athletes.     

A Statewide Analysis of North Carolina Public Libraries and Their Response to the Opioid Epidemic

ABSTRACT

This study sought to investigate the opioid epidemic impact on North Carolina public libraries. Libraries in half of all 100 counties were chosen through a random, geographically systematic process, and structured interviews were completed with library directors. Twenty directors were interviewed, representing 28 counties. All reported their communities were affected; nine reported direct impacts on library function. Fifteen directors felt libraries should be involved in response; some felt Narcan administration was beyond library purview. Two libraries reported having Narcan available; five reported providing staff training. Given librarians’ willingness to respond, it is time to provide necessary support for those efforts.     

Food‐Based Science Curriculum Increases 4th Graders Multidisciplinary Science Knowledge

Health professionals and policymakers are asking educators to place more emphasis on food and nutrition education. Integrating these topics into science curricula using hand‐on, food‐based activities may strengthen students’ understanding of science concepts. The Food, Math, and Science Teaching Enhancement Resource (FoodMASTER) Initiative is a compilation of programs aimed at using food as a tool to teach mathematics and science. Previous studies have shown that students experiencing the FoodMASTER curriculum were very excited about the activities, became increasingly interested in the subject matter of food, and were able to conduct scientific observations. The purpose of this study was to: (1) assess 4th graders food‐related multidisciplinary science knowledge, and (2) compare gains in food‐related science knowledge after implementation of an integrated, food‐based curriculum. During the 2009–2010 school year, FoodMASTER researchers implemented a hands‐on, food‐based intermediate curriculum in eighteen 4th grade classrooms in Ohio (n = 9) and North Carolina (n = 9). Sixteen classrooms in Ohio (n = 8) and North Carolina (n = 8), following their standard science curricula, served as comparison classrooms. Students completed a researcher‐developed science knowledge exam, consisting of 13 multiple‐choice questions administered pre‐ and post‐test. Only subjects with pre‐ and post‐test scores were entered into the sample (Intervention n = 343; Control n = 237). No significant differences were observed between groups at pre‐test. At post‐test, the intervention group scored (9.95 ± 2.00) significantly higher (p = 0.000) than the control group (8.84 ± 2.37) on a 13‐point scale. These findings suggest the FoodMASTER intermediate curriculum is more effective than a standard science curriculum in increasing students’ multidisciplinary science knowledge related to food.     

Climatically Induced Degradation Processes in Conserved Archaeological Wood Studied by Time-lapse Photography

ABSTRACT

Samples of conserved archaeological wood of different ages, origins, and conservation histories were aged in a climate chamber for seven months, while the humidity alternated between 30% RH for 12 hours and 80% RH for 12 hours at a constant temperature of 30°C. Photographs were taken once every hour, which enabled the creation of a time-lapse movie. Some samples degraded visibly, whereas others were unaffected. Most of the samples were robust and would be able to survive well even in a very poor museum climate. Among the sensitive samples, three types of degradation were identified, namely disintegration, pyrite oxidation, and efflorescence of white crystals. Disintegration was ascribed to dimensional changes caused by the RH alternations in very fragile wood. The white efflorescence was interpreted as the recrystallization of an alum-associated substance, possibly mercallite (KHSO₄). The pyrite oxidation was observed as the efflorescence of a thick yellow, grey, and green powder. Characterization of selected samples was performed using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, X-ray diffraction spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma – optical emission spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ionic conductivity – liquid chromatography, and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with in situ silylation using hexamethyldisilazane.     

River of words as space for encounter: Contested meaning in rhetorical convergence zones

This essay explores a word-based public art project. In its quotidian presence and its technical violation of historic district codes, the project enables varied interactions. The project requires us to revise our understanding of rhetorical situation, rhetorical space, and rhetorical ecology by understanding public art as a space for encounter: places and moments that enable engagement between and among humans and place that amplify the sense of the contingency of public space. They are important realms for activating a democratic ethos for the city. This concept attends to the intentionality and contingency of rhetorical interaction seeing space as contextual but not determinative, a place of convergence. Using oral history interviews with hosts of the words and participant observation of two historic district hearings, I read the hearings, and the words, as spaces that mobilize a convergence zone between the intimate and the public. Building on encounter and spatial theory, this essay offers a defense of the mid-level as a register of political practice that can be glimpsed in cultural processes.     

Does the Arrangement of Embedded Text Versus Linked Text in Homework Systems Make a Difference in Students Impressions,Attitudes, and Perceived Learning?

Students in a first-semester general chemistry course at a large southwestern university completed a 3-week homework assignment using MindTap, a Cengage Learning product. MindTap is the first major electronic system that has homework questions embedded in the text, such that students read a short section of the textbook and then answer a question set. Prior to MindTap, electronic homework systems were stand-alone or contained questions with links to the textbook. Next, students completed two 2-week homework assignments in Online Web Learning (OWL) version 1 also from Cengage Learning. The OWL system shows homework questions with a link to the textbook in a separate window. Both the MindTap and OWL systems contain the same or similar questions. After the students used both homework systems, a survey was given that included Likert-scaled and open-response questions that dealt with students’ perceived level of understanding using the different systems, how easy the systems were to use, and the advantages/disadvantages of each system. A delayed survey was given at the end of the second semester of general chemistry, during which students had used OWL for the complete semester. This paper investigates the effects of the arrangement (embedded vs. linked) on student preferences and perceived learning in this pilot study with a 300-person class. Based on the results of the study, it was found that students perceived that they learn more with MindTap and prefer the embedded text in MindTap over the linked text in OWL.     

Maternal Support of Children's Early Numerical Concept Learning Predicts Preschool and First‐Grade Math Achievement

The primary goal in this study was to examine maternal support of numerical concepts at 36 months as predictors of math achievement at 4½ and 6‐7 years. Observational measures of mother–child interactions (n = 140) were used to examine type of support for numerical concepts. Maternal support that involved labeling the quantities of sets of objects was predictive of later child math achievement. This association was significant for preschool (d = .45) and first‐grade math (d = .49), controlling for other forms of numerical support (identifying numerals, one‐to‐one counting) as well as potential confounding factors. The importance of maternal support of labeling set sizes at 36 months is discussed as a precursor to children's eventual understanding of the cardinal principle.