INFUSING GERONTOLOGICAL CONTENT INTO THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION

The graying of the American population and the importance of religion in the lives of older individuals suggests that members of the clergy need to be well informed regarding the processes and realities of aging. For several years, gerontologists have been encouraging theological educators to place an increased emphasis on the needs and concerns of older adults in seminary curriculum. The purpose of the present study was to determine what seminaries are currently doing to prepare pastors for ministry with older adults and to compare the findings to a similar study undertaken more than a decade ago. The results of the current study are quite similar to those obtained in the past. Although several schools have added a course focusing on the needs and concerns of older adults within the last 20 years, gerontological content remains a minor consideration among the vast majority of seminaries. The major recommendation of the study is that seminaries need to infuse their curricula with gerontological content in order for their graduates to be adequately prepared for ministry in twenty-first century America.     

A collaborative network for first responders: Lessons from the CapWIN case

It is increasingly important for government agencies to collaborate across jurisdictional and functional boundaries. Interorganizational systems supporting interagency collaboration must accommodate a wide range of factors from the external environment and participating organizations as part of their design and operation. This paper presents the findings from a case study of CapWIN, a collaborative network created to enable first responders to share information across jurisdictional and functional boundaries as they work together during emergencies and other critical events. The study examines how aspects of the external environment and the agency context impeded or facilitated the CapWIN collaborative network and the interorganizational system (IOS) that supports it. We identify factors affecting information sharing and collaborative processes, and describe how these factors interact to enable and constrain an IOS. The paper concludes with suggestions for further research on the interplay of environmental, organizational, and technical aspects of interagency collaboration networks as they evolve over time.     

GaIN (Georgia Interactive Network for Medical Information) study on health professionals' search requests and continuing education needs

Health sciences librarians are being called upon to be more proactive in their institutions' continuing education efforts. In an effort to identify whether search requests indicated CE needs, a study was conducted by a group of members of GaIN (Georgia Interactive Network for Medical Information). MEDLINE requests from health care professionals for subject specific clinical topics were collected during a six-month period via a standard search request form created for the study. Copies of all completed requests were collected and broad ICD-9 codes assigned to the search topics. Institutional reports were generated for each participating library to share with hospital CE coordinators. They were also compiled for the group as a whole, and reflected the "hottest" topics requested during the study period for physicians and for non-physicians (nurses, allied health, administrators). A survey to hospital librarians and CE educators showed some value in the reports, but greater potential for further collaboration between librarians and CE coordinators.     

The Highway Map Social Studies Resource

Teachers today are more aware of differences in the way students learn and that a wide variety of strategies must be employed when teaching. Major musical films, when appropriately excerpted, can provide an entertaining and unique way of addressing valid instruction objectives in both the cognitive and affective domains. In this article, the authors provide applications of specific Broadway musicals and films to everyday instructional practices.     

Braided composite materials for the production of lightweight, high rigidity golf shafts

Braiding is not currently used in the production of golf shafts. The objective of this work was to develop, through a modelling process consisting of altering lamina sequence, a golf shaft, using braided laminas, which would have mass, stiffness and torque comparable to commercially available composite and steel shafts. A 2D conical braided composite model was previously developed and validated to predict elastic constants of braided closed meshed structures. Energy methods were used to calculate the stiffness and torque of shafts using prescribed industry approaches. Shaft mass was calculated based on geometry and density of constitutent materials. Modelled shafts had both braided and unidirectional layers and compared favourably with or were better than commercially available composite and steel shafts in terms of deflection force and twist angle; they had the same weight as composite shafts but were much lighter than steel shafts. If these findings are verified, braided composites would be a viable and effective approach to the design of future golf shafts.     

Physical activity patterns of ethnic children from low socio-economic environments within the UK

Many children fail to meet physical activity (PA) guidelines for health benefits. PA behaviours are complex and depend on numerous interrelated factors. The study aims to develop current understanding of how children from low Socio-economic environments within the UK use their surrounding built environments for PA by using advanced technology. The environment was assessed in 96 school children (7–9 years) using global positioning system (GPS) monitoring (Garmin Forerunner, 305). In a subsample of 46 children, the environment and PA were assessed using an integrated GPS and heart rate monitor. The percentage of time spent indoor, outdoor, in green and non-green environments along with time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) in indoor and outdoor environments were assessed. A 2-by-2 repeated measures analysis of covariance, controlling for body mass index, BF%, assessed the environmental differences. The findings show that 42% of children from deprived wards of Coventry fail to meet PA guidelines, of which 43% was accumulated during school. Children engaged in more MVPA outdoor than indoor environments (P < 0.01) and a greater amount of time was spent in non-green environments (P < 0.01). Increased time outdoors was negatively associated with BF%. In conclusion, outdoor environments are important for health-enhancing PA and reducing fatness in deprived and ethnic children.