The Playground Physics program combines informal, play-based, embodied learning experiences to support middle school students' engagement with and motivation to learn about complex and abstract ...physics concepts. This experimental design study examines the impact of Playground Physics on students' science motivation, classroom engagement, and physics knowledge. The study involved 24 treatment teachers using Playground Physics with 1,928 students, and 21 control teachers teaching their regular physics curriculum to 1,478 students. Results indicate that students of treatment teachers showed significantly greater physics knowledge at posttest than students of control teachers. No differences were noted for positive student engagement and motivation in science class. Further research is needed to understand the relationship between student engagement, motivation, and learning while using Playground Physics.
Advances in care and treatment of adolescents/young adults with HIV infection have made survival into adulthood possible, requiring transition to adult care. Researchers have documented that the ...transition process is challenging for adolescents/young adults. To ensure successful transition, a formal transition protocol is needed. Despite existing research, little quantitative evaluation of the transition process has been conducted.
The purpose of the study was to pilot test the "Movin' Out" Transitioning Protocol, a formalized protocol developed to assist transition to adult care.
A retrospective medical/nursing record review was conducted with 38 clients enrolled in the "Movin' Out" Transitioning Protocol at a university-based adolescent medicine clinic providing care to adolescents/young adults with HIV infection.
Almost half of the participants were able to successfully transition to adult care. Reasons for failure to transition included relocation, attrition, lost to follow-up, and transfer to another adult service. Failure to transition to adult care was not related to adherence issues, X2 (1, N=38)=2.49, p=.288; substance use, X2 (1, N=38)=1.71, p=.474; mental health issues, X2 (1, N=38)=2.23, p=.322; or pregnancy/childrearing, X2 (1, N=38)=0.00, p=.627).
Despite the small sample size, the "Movin' Out" Transitioning Protocol appears to be useful in guiding the transition process of adolescents/young adults with HIV infection to adult care. More research is needed with a larger sample to fully evaluate the "Movin' Out" Transitioning Protocol.
•Transition to adult care is challenging for adolescents/young adults with HIV infection.•Successful transition requires a structured, individualized, written plan for each client.•Transition protocols such as the “Movin’ Out” Protocol may be useful in helping these clients transition to adult care.
Radiation related effects in children and adults limit the delivery of effective radiation doses and result in long-term morbidity affecting function and quality of life. Improvements in our ...understanding of the etiology and biology of these effects, including the influence of clinical variables, dosimetric factors, and the underlying biological processes have made treatment safer and more efficacious. However, the approach to studying and understanding these effects differs between children and adults. Using the pulmonary and skeletal organ systems as examples, comparisons are made across the age spectrum for radiation related effects, including pneumonitis, pulmonary fibrosis, osteonecrosis, and fracture. Methods for dosimetric analysis, incorporation of imaging and biology as well a length of follow-up are compared, contrasted, and discussed for both organ systems in children and adults. Better understanding of each age specific approach and how it differs may improve our ability to study late effects of radiation across the ages.
Phosphate is required for many important cellular processes and having too little phosphate or too much can cause disease and reduce life span in humans. However, the mechanisms underlying ...homeostatic control of extracellular phosphate levels and cellular effects of phosphate are poorly understood. Here, we establish Drosophila melanogaster as a model system for the study of phosphate effects. We found that Drosophila larval development depends on the availability of phosphate in the medium. Conversely, life span is reduced when adult flies are cultured on high phosphate medium or when hemolymph phosphate is increased in flies with impaired malpighian tubules. In addition, RNAi-mediated inhibition of MAPK-signaling by knockdown of Ras85D, phl/D-Raf or Dsor1/MEK affects larval development, adult life span and hemolymph phosphate, suggesting that some in vivo effects involve activation of this signaling pathway by phosphate. To identify novel genetic determinants of phosphate responses, we used Drosophila hemocyte-like cultured cells (S2R+) to perform a genome-wide RNAi screen using MAPK activation as the readout. We identified a number of candidate genes potentially important for the cellular response to phosphate. Evaluation of 51 genes in live flies revealed some that affect larval development, adult life span and hemolymph phosphate levels.
Abstract As HIV infection in childhood and adolescence has evolved from a terminal to a chronic illness, new challenges are posed for both medical and psychosocial teams serving these clients. ...Although specialized programs for transition to adult care have been reported for persons with cystic fibrosis, diabetes mellitus, sickle cell disease, and other chronic illnesses, there are few published reports of integral programs designed to transition adolescents who were infected with HIV during the adolescent period to adult HIV services. This article describes a model of transition from a University-based, federally funded adolescent HIV program to adult HIV services, addresses barriers to transition, and provides strategies and recommendations for improving adherence to the transition process.
With the emphasis on structural-level interventions that target social determinants of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission to curb the HIV epidemic, there is a need to develop evaluation ...models that can detect changes in individual factors associated with HIV-related structural changes.
To describe whether structural changes developed and achieved by community coalitions are associated with an effect on individual factors associated with the risk of contracting HIV.
In this serial cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 8 cities during 4 rounds of annual surveys from March 13, 2007, through July 29, 2010. Study recruitment took place at venues where the population of focus was known to congregate, such as clubs, bars, community centers, and low-income housing. The convenience sample of at-risk youth (persons aged 12-24 years) included 5337 individuals approached about the survey and 3142 (58.9%) who were screened for eligibility. Of the 2607 eligible participants, 2559 (98.2%) ultimately agreed to participate.
Achievement of locally identified structural changes that targeted public and private entities (eg, federal agencies, homeless shelters, and school systems) with the goal of fostering changes in policy and practice to ultimately facilitate positive behavioral changes aimed at preventing HIV.
Number of sexual partners, partner characteristics, condom use, and history of sexually transmitted infections and HIV testing.
Exposure to structural changes was not statistically significantly associated with any of the outcome measures, although some results were in the direction of a positive structural change effect (eg, a 10-unit increase in a structural change score had an odds ratio of 0.88 95% CI, 0.76-1.03; P = .11 for having an older sexual partner and an odds ratio of 0.91 95% CI, 0.60-1.39; P = .39 for using a condom half the time or less with a casual partner).
This study evaluated a broad representation of at-risk individuals and assessed the effect of numerous structural changes related to various HIV risk factors. No structural changes as measured in this study were associated with a statistically significant reduction in risk behaviors. These null findings underscore the need for a long-term approach in evaluating structural interventions and the development of more nuanced methods of quantifying and comparing structural-change initiatives and determining the appropriate strategies for evaluating effect.
The feasibility and effectiveness of a hospital-based exercise-training program followed by a home-based program for improving fitness, strength, and changes in body composition in children and ...adolescents with HIV were evaluated. Subjects participated in nonrandomized 24-session, hospital supervised exercise training program followed by an 314 unsupervised home-based maintenance program. Outcome measurements included muscular strength/endurance, flexibility, relative peak VO(2), body composition, and lipids. Seventeen subjects (eight females) with a median age of 15.0 years (range: 6.0-22.6) and BMI z-score of 0.61 (range: -1.70-2.57) at entry completed the intervention. After 24 training sessions, the median increases in muscular strength were between 8% and 50%, depending on muscle group. The median increases in muscle endurance, relative peak VO(2), and lean body mass were 38.7% (95% CI: 12.5-94.7; p = 0.006), 3.0 ml/kg/min (95% CI: 1.5-6.0; p < 0.001), and 4.5% (95% CI: 2.4-6.6; p < 0.001), respectively. Twelve children completed the home-based maintenance program. Median changes in these outcomes between completion of the hospital-based intervention and a follow-up after completion of the home-based program were near zero. No adverse events occurred during the intervention. A supervised hospital-based fitness program is feasible, safe, and effective for improving general fitness and strength as well as lean body mass in children with HIV.
The research methods, sample characteristics, & results of REACH (Reaching for Excellence in Adolescent Care & Health), a study on HIV-infected adolescents, are given. The participants of the study ...were between 12 & 18 years old & both HIV-infected & HIV-uninfected. The sample population was representative of the actual population; most HIV-infected adolescents are minorities & either heterosexual females or homosexual males who participate in risky behavior -- ie, unprotected sex & intravenous drug use. Data were collected through (1) face-to-face interviews, (2) self-administered interviews, (3) medical records, & (4) physical & laboratory examinations. HIV-infected & HIV-uninfected youth reported similar risky behavior. These results reveal the need for more routine HIV testing & a prevention program. 6 Tables, 28 References. A. Lee
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