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Sleep health is a public health concern and has been linked to an increased risk of number of deleterious health outcomes. Poor sleep health has been documented among college student populations; however, few studies have examined the social determinants of deficient sleep. The present study aims to address this gap, with emphasis on food insecurity, psychological distress, everyday discrimination, and academic performance. Participants (n = 282) completed self-report measures online assessing the variables of interest for the present study. Results revealed that the majority of college students in our sample reported feeling tired, fatigue, or daytime sleepiness and sleeping less than eight hours per night during the school week. Poor sleep health was significantly associated with being food insecurity, serious psychological distress, and poorer self-rated mental and physical health. Results have important implications for the development of targeted evidence-based interventions to improve sleep health among college populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging adults are among those in the United States with concerning rates of overweight and obesity, putting them at risk for chronic diseases. One proposed intervention to address these issues across populations is to require that chain restaurants and similar establishments provide nutrition information, such as calorie labels, on menu items. This study therefore aims to examine the effect of menu calorie labeling and self-control on food and beverage choices of emerging adults. Results of a between-subjects experiment (n = 179) revealed that calorie labeling increased the likelihood of choosing lower calorie food and beverage options. Moreover, calorie labeling only led to selecting a lower calorie food option among those with high self-control, but not among those with low self-control. This moderating effect was not revealed for beverage choice. Public health practitioners and policymakers should consider intervention approaches that address other drivers of choice, such as self-control, in addition to nutrition information. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In an influential article published in the American Sociological Review in 2009, Herring finds that diverse workforces are beneficial for business. His analysis supports seven out of eight hypotheses on the positive effects of gender and racial diversity on sales revenue, number of customers, perceived relative market share, and perceived relative profitability. This comment points out that Herring's analysis contains two errors. First, missing codes on the outcome variables are treated as substantive codes. Second, two control variables--company size and establishment size--are highly skewed, and this skew obscures their positive associations with the predictor and outcome variables. We replicate Herring's analysis correcting for both errors. The findings support only one of the original eight hypotheses, suggesting that diversity is nonconsequential, rather than beneficial, to business success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased demands for accountability have placed an emphasis on assessment of student learning outcomes. At the post-secondary level, many of the assessments are considered low-stakes, as student performance is linked to few, if any, individual consequences. Given the prevalence of low-stakes assessment of student learning, research that investigates the relationship between student motivation, effort, and performance on low-stakes tests is warranted as these tests are increasingly being used to make judgments about the quality of student learning. This quasi-experimental study was conducted at a public mid-sized university with 87 undergraduate students enrolled in four 100-level general education courses. The researchers examined the effects of motivational prompts on student motivation, effort, and performance on a low-stakes test. Results indicated that motivational condition had a signifcant effect on students' performance as measured by total mean scores on a low-stakes standardized test. Students in the personal motivational condition outperformed students in the other conditions. However, motivational prompts were not found to affect students' critical thinking subscores or self-reported effort and importance scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of traditional and alternative teacher preparation programs on student achievement and instruction in high-need urban secondary schools was investigated through a mixed-method comparative design. Three research questions were addressed: (a) Does the type of teacher training influence the academic achievement of students in mathematics? (b) Does teacher preparation influence the implementation of the process standards set forth by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics? (c) Does the frequency with which teachers use process and content standards influence student achievement? Data from the standardized state test and district level quarterly assessments revealed a significant difference favoring the alternative preparation teachers on two measures of student achievement as well as the use of standard-driven instructional strategies. The findings suggest that alternative teacher preparation programs are a viable avenue to explore in meeting the needs of public schools for providing qualified teachers in mathematics classrooms at the middle and high school levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the impact of 3 2nd-year charter schools (1 elementary, 1 middle, and 1 high school) on student achievement, school climate, and pedagogy. All schools served predominantly African American students in an inner-city district. Using a matched treatment-control student analytical design, charter school enrollees were individually matched to highly comparable control students of the same ethnicity, poverty level, gender, and ability. Qualitative and descriptive analyses showed reasonable to good progress in program implementation, very strong school climate, positive teacher and parent perceptions, largely traditional but academically-focused teaching, and positive student achievement on state-mandated tests (p < .05 on 12 out of 18 school × cohort × subtest comparisons). Interpretations of results stress the likely implications of teacher and family choice for effective implementation of the charter schools' academic and organizational programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE. Neural tube deicers (NTDs) are preventable through preconceptional and periconceptional folic acid intake. Although decreases in the prevalence of NTDs have been reported since folic acid fortification of United States grain products began, it is not known whether folic acid plays a role in reducing the severity of occurring NTDs. Our aim was to determine whether survival among infants born with spina bifida and encephalocele has improved since folic acid fortification and to measure the effects of selected maternal, pregnancy, and birth characteristics on first-year (infant) survival rates. METHODS. A retrospective cohort study was conducted and included 2841 infants with spina bifida and 638 infants with encephalocele who were born between 1995 and 2001 and were registered in any of 16 participating birth defects monitoring programs in the United Stales. First-year survival rates for both spina bifida and encephalocele cohorts were measured with Kaplan-Meier estimation; factors associated with improved chances of first-year survival, including birth before or during folic acid fortification, were measured with Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis. RESULTS. Infants with spina bifida experienced a significantly improved first-year survival rate of 92.1% (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.68; 95% confidence interval: 0.50-0.91) during the period of mandatory folic acid fortification, compared with a 90.3% survival rate for those born before fortification. Infants with encephalocele had a statistically nonsignificant increase in survival rates, ie, 79.1% (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.76; 95% confidence interval: 0.51-1.13) with folio acid fortification, compared with 75.7% for earlier births. CONCLUSIONS. Folic acid may play a role in reducing the severity of NTDs in addition to preventing the occurrence of NTDs. This phenomenon contributes to our understanding of the efficacy of folic acid. Additionally, as survival of NTD-affected infants improves, health care, education, and family support must expand to meet their needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the collaborative efforts of an alliance constructed to provide the advanced education essential for nurses in India to educate future nurses. Nursing exchange programs in clinical and academic settings can enhance international nursing education. The concept of building capacity, which refers to an intervention by an organization in one country to help those in another to ameliorate their ability to achieve certain functions and accomplish certain objectives, can enhance such exchanges. The Global Scholarship Alliance between the three U.S. organizations and Indian nurses have been formed to bring nurses from India to the United States to provide post-licensure undergraduate and graduate education. The three U.S. organizations includes Global Scholarship Alliance, Midwestern State University Wilson School of Nursing, and United Regional Health Care System. These nurses are being trained in such a way that after returning to their home country they would become nurse leaders.

IBA is operating an X-ray irradiation facility located in Bridgeport, New Jersey. This facility is equipped with a Rhodotron® TT300 and three separated beam lines delivering high-intensity electron beams with 5, 7, and 10 MeV energy. X-ray targets are mounted on the 5 and 7 MeV beam lines to produce high-intensity X-ray fields. During the installation, operation, and process qualifications of the X-ray irradiation system, use has been made of the GEANT Monte Carlo simulation toolkit to predict the results from these tests. These Monte Carlo predictions are compared to the experimental data measured in the various qualification phases. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Provides information on a study which investigated the changes in teachers assessment practices after the implementation of the New American Schools restructuring models in the United States. Methodology; Results; Discussion.

The Study Activity Questionnaire (SAQ) was administered to 83 college students who were enrolled in either an introductory research methods course or an introductory statistics course in the college of education at one university. At the beginning of the term the students were asked to complete the SAQ with reference to how they typically studied (pretest), and at the end of term they responded to the questionnaire with reference to how they studied for the target course (posttest). One purpose of the present study was to assess the reliability of the instrument, and we found consistently high inter-item reliabilities across SAQ scales on both the pre and posttest administrations. A second purpose of this study was to investigate college students' study activities and whether their study practices differed depending on (1) whether they were responding with reference to how they typically study or how they studied for the target course, (2) whether they were enrolled in the research methods or statistics course, and (3) whether they were reading an assignment for the first time, engaging in in-class activities, or preparing for the exam. We found that study activities varied as a function of reference course, time, and context. Composite cognitive scores in the test preparation context increased for students enrolled in the research methods course, and these scores decreased for students enrolled in the statistics course. A similar finding was observed for effort management scores, with scores increasing in the research course and decreasing in the statistics course. Finally, we investigated the relationship between SAQ scores and achievement. Our results revealed that a focus on higher-order knowledge products significantly predicted achievement in the research methods course. In the statistics course, more proactive, self-directed study in preparation for the exam was predictive of final exam scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports the stand of the teachers on the restructuring of schools in Memphis, Tennessee. Role of the teachers in improving the academic achievement of students; Reflection of the educational reform on the human relations perspective in the country; Impact of the restructuring design on the professionalism and efficacy of the teachers.

Focuses on the implementation of school practices to the schools in Memphis, Tennessee. Reports identifying the support features and critical barriers of the schools; Assessment on the progress of the schools; Classification of the schools into fast, average and slow starters.

The article offers the author's insights on the future of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) in which he relates the phrase "the leaders and best." The author says that the organization has benefited from many outstanding string leaders, leading to an increase in string music playing in the U.S. He suggests that ASTA members should step into leadership roles serving in the local, state, or national levels.

The article discusses the developments in the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) in the U.S. It mentions several ASTA leaders including Kirk Moss, Duane Haskell and Traugott Rohner. It also explores the decision of a blue-ribbon panel of former ASTA presidents to review the association's programs and procedures, and cites the effort to establish a strategic task force to examine the mission of ASTA and develop strategies for the growth of string teaching and playing in the country.