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'English' classrooms in U.S. institutions of higher education are not linguistically homogeneous. It is not logical, ethical, or realistic to designate 'standard' English as the only discourse acceptable for the writing classroom. This praxis-oriented article chronicles a U.S. composition instructor's process of re-envisioning a formerly monolingualist, unidirectional composition curriculum through a lens that acknowledges and celebrates the World Englishes paradigm. The revised curriculum is driven by the translingual approach to composition pedagogy, which understands hybridity and fluidity as the norms of language acquisition, usage, and development, and focuses on one of the approach's practical pedagogical applications: the code-meshing strategy of writing. The article provides an overview of the author's institutional context and offers observations about how the traditional monolingualist conceptual framework has marginalized and alienated students whose language practices do not fit within it. The article explains how the translingual approach to composition pedagogy, and specifically the teaching of code-meshing as a viable communicative tool, has contributed to positive changes in students' self-perceptions as language users in and out of the classroom. The article concludes with informed reflections, from the vantage point of a composition and TESOL teacher-scholar, on further ways that the World Englishes ethos might manifest in the paradigm of U.S. composition theory and instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations of socioeconomic status (SES) and health during the transition to adulthood in the United States are complicated by the later and more varied transitions in residence, employment, schooling, and social roles compared with previous generations. Parental SES is an important influence during adolescence but cannot sufficiently capture the SES of the independent young adult. Typical, single SES indicators based on income or education likely misclassify the SES of young adults who have not yet completed their education or other training, or who have entered the labor force early with ultimately lower status attainment. We use a latent class analysis (LCA) framework to characterize five intergenerational SES groups, combining multidimensional SES information from two time points-that is, adolescent (parental) and young adult (self) SES data. Associations of these groups with obesity, a high-risk health outcome in young adults, revealed nuanced relationships not seen using traditional intergenerational SES measures. In males, for example, a middle-class upbringing in adolescence and continued material advantage into adulthood was associated with nearly as high obesity as a working poor upbringing and early, detrimental transitions. This intergenerational typology of early SES exposure facilitates understanding of SES and health during young adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Weight misperception might preclude the adoption of healthful weight-related attitudes and behaviors among overweight and obese individuals, yet limited research exists in this area. We examined associations between weight misperception and several weight-related attitudes and behaviors among a nationally representative sample of overweight and obese US adults. Methods: Data from the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used. Analyses included non-pregnant, overweight and obese (measured body mass index ≥ 25) adults aged 20 and older. Weight misperception was identified among those who reported themselves as "underweight" or "about the right weight". Outcome variables and sample sizes were: weight-loss attitudes/behaviors (wanting to weigh less and having tried to lose weight; n = 4,784); dietary intake (total energy intake; n = 4,894); and physical activity (meets 2008 US physical activity recommendations, insufficiently active, and sedentary; n = 5,401). Multivariable regression models were stratified by gender and race/ethnicity. Analyses were conducted in 2009-2010. Results: These overweight/obese men and women who misperceived their weight were 71% (RR 0.29, 95% CI 0.25-0.34) and 65% (RR 0.35, 95% CI 0.29-0.42) less likely to report that they want to lose weight and 60% (RR 0.40, 95% CI 0.30-0.52) and 56% (RR 0.44, 95% CI 0.32-0.59) less likely to have tried to lose weight within the past year, respectively, compared to those who accurately perceived themselves as overweight. Blacks were particularly less likely to have tried to lose weight. Weight misperception was not a significant predictor of total energy intake among most subgroups, but was associated with lower total energy intake among Hispanic women (change -252.72, 95% CI -433.25, -72.18). Men who misperceived their weight were less likely (RR 0.68, 95% CI 0.52-0.89) to be insufficiently active (the strongest results were among Black men) and women who misperceived their weight were less likely (RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.54, 1.00, p = 0.047) to meet activity recommendations compared to being sedentary. Conclusion: Overall, weight misperception among overweight and obese adults was associated with less likelihood of interest in or attempts at weight loss and less physical activity. These associations varied by gender and race/ethnicity. This study highlights the importance of focusing on inaccurate weight perceptions in targeted weight loss efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented on the effect of home foreclosure epidemic on the U.S. public health. It discusses the occurrence of such epidemic which can be viewed as a stressful life event with a duration that lasts long. The effects are indicated as probably be associated with psychological and health behavior outcomes. The policies for delinquency management is stated as the best strategy in preventing foreclosures and protecting the health of susceptible population.

Abstract: Racial/ethnic disparities in obesity widen dramatically during young adulthood in the US. Understanding racial/ethnic differences in the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and obesity can provide insight on these disparities. However, the delay and complexity of the transition to adulthood create challenges for defining SES using traditional, single indicators, such as income or years of education. Our objective was to define a multidimensional measure of young adult SES using exploratory factor analysis and to investigate whether distinct SES dimensions differentially predicted obesity across race/ethnicity in 11,250 young adults (mean age=21.9 years) from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Wave III: 2000–2001). Four factors (social advantage; schooling; employment; and economic hardship) extracted from a principal factor analysis on 38 SES indicators comprised our multidimensional measure of young adult SES. The respondents'' scores on each factor were entered into gender-stratified Poisson regression models to estimate the relative risk of young adult obesity for a contrast of approximately one standard deviation in score. The association of the “Social advantage” and “Economic hardship” factors with obesity differed by race/ethnicity (p <0.05 for Wald test of interaction) in females; high “Social advantage” scores were inversely associated with obesity in white and Hispanic females (9–20% lower) while high scores on “Economic hardship” were positively associated with obesity (7–76% higher) in white and Asian females. In contrast, no significant racial/ethnic differences were detected in young adult males. The “Schooling” factor was significantly protective (RR=0.91; 95% CI: 0.85, 0.98) for females of all racial/ethnic groups. These results facilitate understanding of the impact of multiple, distinct SES dimensions during the complex transition to adulthood and thus provide salient information for reducing racial/ethnic disparities in obesity during this important period for obesity development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Amphibian populations are dedining globally at an alarming rate. Pesticides are among a number of proposed causes for these declines. Although a sizable database examining effects of pesticides on amphibians exists, the vast majority of these studies focus on toxicological effects (lethality, external malformations, etc.) at relatively high doses (parts per million). Very few studies focus on effects such as endocrine disruption at low concentrations. Further, most studies examine exposures to single chemicals only. The present study examined nine pesticides (four herbicides, two fungicides, and three insecticides) used on cornfields in the midwestern United States. Effects of each pesticide alone (0.1 ppb) or in combination were examined. In addition, we also examined atrazine and S-metolachlor combined (0.1 or 10 ppb each) and the commercial formulation Bicep II Magnum, which contains both of these herbicides. These two pesticides were examined in combination because they are persistent throughout the year in the wild. We examined larval growth and development, sex differentiation, and immune function in leopard frogs (Rana pipiens). In a follow-up study, we also examined the effects of the nine-compound mixture on plasma corticosterone levels in male African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis). Although some of the pesticides individually inhibited larval growth and development, the pesticide mixtures had much greater effects. Larval growth and development were retarded, but most significantly, pesticide mixtures negated or reversed the typically positive correlation between time to metamorphosis and size at metamorphosis observed in controls: exposed larvae that took longer to metamorphose were smaller than their counterparts that metamorphosed earlier. The nine-pesticide mixture also induced damage to the thymus, resulting in immunosuppression and contraction of flavobacterial meningitis. The study in X. laevis revealed that these adverse effects may be due to an increase in plasma levels of the stress hormone corticosterone. Although it cannot be determined whether all the pesticides in the mixture contribute to these adverse effects or whether some pesticides are effectors, some are enhancers, and some are neutral, the present study revealed that estimating ecological risk and the impact of pesticides on amphibians using studies that examine only single pesticides at high concentrations may lead to gross underestimations of the role of pesticides in amphibian declines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: As the American Board of Surgery (ABS) moves toward implementation of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs), there is a growing need for objective evaluation of readiness for entrustment of residents. This requires not only assessment of technical skills and knowledge, but also surgical decision-making in preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative settings. We developed and piloted an Inguinal Hernia EPA Assessment on ENTRUST, a serious game-based online virtual patient simulation platform to assess trainees' decision-making competence., Design: This is a prospective analysis of resident performance on the ENTRUST Inguinal Hernia EPA Assessment using bivariate analyses., Setting: This study was conducted at an academic institution in a proctored exam setting., Participants: Forty-three surgical residents completed the ENTRUST Inguinal Hernia EPA Assessment., Results: Four case scenarios for the Inguinal Hernia EPA and corresponding scoring algorithms were iteratively developed by expert consensus aligned with ABS EPA descriptions and functions. ENTRUST Inguinal Hernia Grand Total Score was positively correlated with PGY-level (p < 0.0001). Preoperative, Intraoperative, and Postoperative Total Scores were also positively correlated with PGY-level (p = 0.001, p = 0.006, and p = 0.038, respectively). Total Case Scores were positively correlated with PGY-level for cases representing elective unilateral inguinal hernia (p = 0.0004), strangulated inguinal hernia (p < 0.0001), and elective bilateral inguinal hernia (p = 0.0003). Preoperative Sub-Scores were positively correlated with PGY-level for all cases (p < 0.01). Intraoperative Sub-Scores were positively correlated with PGY-level for strangulated inguinal hernia and bilateral inguinal hernia (p = 0.0007 and p = 0.0002, respectively). Grand Total Score and Intraoperative Sub-Score were correlated with prior operative experience (p < 0.0001). Prior video game experience did not correlate with performance on ENTRUST (p = 0.56)., Conclusions: Performance on the ENTRUST Inguinal Hernia EPA Assessment was positively correlated to PGY-level and prior inguinal hernia operative performance, providing initial validity evidence for its use as an objective assessment for surgical decision-making. The ENTRUST platform holds potential as tool for assessment of ABS EPAs in surgical residency programs., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)