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Online learning is changing the educational landscape despite the limited empirical research and conflicting results about its effectiveness to produce student learning. The purpose of this study was to describe the status of online physical education (OLPE) in the United States. Surveys were sent to forty-five high school online physical education teachers and thirty-two were completed, producing a 71% response rate. Three-fourths of the online physical education teachers focused on a fitness curriculum with emphasis on the cognitive domain. Likewise, it was found that almost three-fourths of the OLPE courses did not meet the national guidelines for secondary schools, of 225 min of PE per week. Most of the courses required physical activity three days per week while six courses required no physical activity. Teachers expressed support, hesitation, and even opposition toward online physical education. This study initiates a descriptive database for future research studies regarding online physical education. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

This article presents comments from U.S. optometric educators who were asked on how they create, support and nurture a culture of scholarship at their institution. David Heath from State University of New York cites how he concentrated his efforts on an initiative of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry. Comments from David S. Loshin from Nova Southeastern University and Elizabeth Hoppe from Western University of Health Sciences are also given.

The hypothesis that a technological development such as the Internet will create legal uncertainty and prompt organized interests both to increase litigation and to alter their legal arguments to advance their interests before the U.S. Supreme Court is tested through examination of organized-interest participation in litigation in sexually explicit speech cases in pre- Internet (1986–93) and Internet (1994–2005) eras of the Rehnquist Court (1986–2005). How content on the Internet changed the substance of organized interests' legal arguments is also examined. Both organized interests that oppose (libertarian groups) and support (proscriptive groups) proscription of sexually explicit speech increased their rates of Supreme Court litigation in the Internet era, and libertarian organized interests took the lead in sponsoring litigation in this area. The Internet also promoted the creation of numerous new libertarian organizations with Internet-specific agendas, which entered into sexually explicit speech litigation. Organized interests identify the Internet as a unique communicative development and make arguments fitting their concerns to that medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The recommended reference range for serum C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations is usually not adjusted for age and sex. We sought to determine if age, sex, and race or ethnicity influence the distribution of CRP values, and if upper reference limits of CRP should be adjusted by demographic factors., Methods: Interviews, physical examinations, and blood draws were performed on > 22,000 individuals age > or = 4 yrs representative of the noninstitutionalized population of the United States, as part of the Third National Health and Nutrition Evaluation Survey (NHANES III). Serum CRP concentrations were measured by nephelometric immunoassay., Results: The 95th percentile value of CRP in the overall population was 0.95 mg/dl for males and 1.39 mg/dl for females, and varied with age and race. For ages 25-70 yrs, the age adjusted approximate upper reference limit (mg/dl) was CRP = age/50 for males, and CRP = age/50 + 0.6 for females. The upper limits for Mexican-Americans and non-Hispanic whites were similar, whereas for non-Hispanic black adults the approximate upper limit was CRP = age/30 for males and CRP = age/50 + 1.0 for females. Even after accounting for identified inflammatory conditions, demographic factors influenced the reference limits of CRP. The 95th percentile values were uniformly lower in children than in older adults., Conclusion: Demographic factors, including age, sex, and race, should be used to adjust the upper reference limit for CRP. Clinicians should be aware of these factors when using CRP values to assess inflammatory diseases.