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For students with disabilities (SWD), note taking during content area classes can be a puzzling process. Students often are not certain about what specific content to record, how many details to record, and how to write fast enough to keep up with the teacher. Smartpens are an underutilized type of technology that can help students to become better note takers by storing verbal information during lectures and syncing it up later when students amend their notes. This article provides an overview of different types of smartpens and information for teachers about how to use smartpens in the classroom.

Persons with dementia (PWD) often experience difficulty navigating their environments and performing out-of-home activities. Life-space mobility (LSM) is an effective way of assessing functional levels and independence. We present a dyadic case study to explore the feasibility of using a global positioning system (GPS) watch to measure LSM of a Latino PWD. Methods included travel diary, LSM questionnaire, and qualitative interviews in addition to the GPS-based mobility characterization. GPS data indicated that the PWD made outdoor trips regularly and was active socially, with day-to-day variations. Caregiver and PWD interviews revealed contextual information about mobility patterns captured by other methods. The dyad had positive perceptions of the GPS watch for tracking health and activities. This study demonstrated a use for wearable location tracking technology to support accurate LSM assessment in dementia that can inform nursing practice, policy, and research to promote well-being and delay functional deterioration in PWD. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 47(10), 15-22.].

Arctic sea ice extent (SIE) is declining at an accelerating rate with a wide range of ecological consequences. However, determining sea ice effects on tundra vegetation remains a challenge. In this study, we examined the universality or lack thereof in tundra shrub growth responses to changes in SIE and summer climate across the Pan-Arctic, taking advantage of 23 tundra shrub-ring chronologies from 19 widely distributed sites (56°N to 83°N). We show a clear divergence in shrub growth responses to SIE that began in the mid-1990s, with 39% of the chronologies showing declines and 57% showing increases in radial growth (decreasers and increasers, respectively). Structural equation models revealed that declining SIE was associated with rising air temperature and precipitation for increasers and with increasingly dry conditions for decreasers. Decreasers tended to be from areas of the Arctic with lower summer precipitation and their growth decline was related to decreases in the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index. Our findings suggest that moisture limitation, associated with declining SIE, might inhibit the positive effects of warming on shrub growth over a considerable part of the terrestrial Arctic, thereby complicating predictions of vegetation change and future tundra productivity.

Background: Studies have identified associations between neighborhood disadvantage (ND), which is more likely to affect African American (AA) individuals, and aggressive prostate cancer. Thus, ND may contribute to prostate cancer disparities. However, it is unknown what ND components drive aggressive disease and whether associations vary by race. Methods: We evaluated associations between aggressive prostate cancer and four ND metrics--Area Deprivation Index (ADI), validated Bayesian Neighborhood Deprivation Index (NDI), racial isolation (RI) index, and historical redlining, and whether these factors interacted with race, among men with prostate cancer treated at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (2004-2021). Results: We included 1,458 men (698 European American and 760 AA). AA men were more likely to experience ND. In adjusted models, the ADI, RI, and redlining were significantly associated with aggressive versus nonaggressive prostate cancer overall [ADI, OR for one SD increase = 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.00-1.30; RI, OR = 1.27, CI, 1.07-1.51; redlining, OR = 1.77; CI, 1.23-2.56] and among AA men. The NDI was associated with aggressive prostate cancer among AA men (OR = 1.32, 95% credible interval: 1.13-1.57); percent in poverty received the largest importance weight. The ADI (P heterogeneity = 0.002) and NDI (exceedance probability heterogeneity = 98.1%) significantly interacted with race, such that associations were significantly stronger for AA men. Conclusions: We identified novel significant positive associations for racial segregation and historical redlining with aggressive prostate cancer and significant interactions between ND indices and race. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students with disabilities (SWD; e.g., learning disabilities) often struggle with slower processing speed and poor working memory skills, which reduce the quality of their notes. This study evaluated the effects of a note-taking intervention using the researcher-created smartpen strategy in conjunction with the assistive technology of the Livescribe™ Smartpen to assess the effects of students' overall notes and lecture comprehension. Both SWD and without disabilities in ninth-grade English Language Arts classes participated in this study. The note-taking intervention was designed to assist SWD to take notes using the smartpen assistive technology, aid students in identifying key vocabulary content, amend their notes for errors or missed information, and establish a summary of the lecture. Results from the data analysis found that SWD in the experimental group recorded more words in their notes, as well as an increase in word count on the immediate free recall assessment.