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The aim of this study was to explore within-group patterns of variability in the home literacy environments (HLEs) of low-income Latino families using latent profile analysis. Participants were (N = 193) families of Latino preschoolers enrolled in a larger study. In the fall of 2012, mothers filled out a family literacy practices inventory, a literacy beliefs inventory, and a socio-demographic questionnaire. Results revealed three psychometrically distinct HLE profiles. Profile 1 (37%), labelled Low Beliefs, Low Practices (LBLP), was characterized by very low incomes, low caregiver education, reading infrequently to children, primarily speaking Spanish and reported lowest literacy beliefs and practices. Profile 2 (16%), labelled Moderate Beliefs, Moderate Practices (MBMP), was also low income, had few books in the home, read in both English and Spanish to their children, and held moderately facilitative literacy beliefs and practices. Profile 3 (47%), labelled High Beliefs, High Practices (HBHP), reported the highest literacy beliefs and practices, highest percentage English-speaking, read more often to children, and had more books in the home. These findings highlight considerable variability in terms of literacy beliefs and practices among Latino families. The profiles have practical relevance in terms of children's readiness at school entry and working with their families. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Research Findings: The purpose of this study was to examine within-group individual differences in the code-related and oral language abilities of an economically stressed Spanish-speaking English language learner (ELL) preschool sample and to evaluate the predictive relationship of these differences to later listening comprehension. Latent class analysis was used to identify similarities in both the latent and outcome variables to form classes of students with similar profiles on the measured variables. Our 1st finding confirmed the existence of 4 distinct psychometrically validated profiles: (a) Low English Language, Average Spanish Language, Mixed Spanish Code-Related (prevalence 19.4%); (b) Average English Language, Strengths in Spanish Language and Spanish Code-Related (24.2%); (c) Mixed English and Spanish Language, Low Spanish Code-Related (prevalence 34%); and (d) High English Language, Average Spanish Language, Mixed Spanish Code-Related (prevalence 22%). The resulting profiles demonstrated that English and Spanish code- and language-related domains of emergent literacy developed unevenly across the Spanish-speaking ELL preschoolers. Relative strengths and weaknesses in code- and language-related skills were also found to be meaningfully related to end-of-year listening comprehension—a precursor to reading comprehension. Finally, profiles yielded meaningful variability along sociodemographic variables.Practice or Policy: Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Verde de Agroecologia e Desenvolvimento Sustentável is the property of Revista Verde de Agroecologia e Desenvolvimento Sustentavel and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Portuguesa de Ciências do Desporto is the property of Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Desporto and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

WalkinSense is a new device designed to monitor walking. The aim of this study was to measure the accuracy and repeatability of the gait analysis performed by the WalkinSense system. Descriptions of values recorded by WalkinSense depicting typical gait in adults are also presented. A bench experiment using the Trublu calibration device was conducted to statically test theWalkinSense. Following this, a dynamic test was carried out overlapping theWalkinSense and the Pedar insoles in 40 healthy participants during walking. Pressure peak, pressure peak time, pressure-time integral, and mean pressure at eight-foot regions were calculated. In the bench experiments, the repeatability (i) among the WalkinSense sensors (within), (ii) between two WalkinSense devices, and (iii) between the WalkinSense and the Trublu devices was excellent. In the dynamic tests, the repeatability of the WalkinSense (i) between stances in the same trial (within-trial) and (ii) between trials was also excellent (ICC > 0.90).When the eight-foot regions were analyzed separately, the within-trial and between-trials repeatability was good-to-excellent in 88% (ICC > 0.80) of the data and fair in 11%. In short, the data suggest that theWalkinSense has good-to-excellent levels of accuracy and repeatability for plantar pressure variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports a study which compared the center of pressure (CoP) variables between the amputated limb and the sound limb of subjects with transfemoral amputation and able-bodied subjects during gait. The results revealed an asymmetrical pattern in transfemoral amputees' gait by CoP variables. The characterization of CoP in both groups indicates that both the amputated limb and the sound limb are different from the pattern found in able-bodied subjects.

Copyright of Tecnología y Ciencias del Agua is the property of Instituto Mexicano de Tecnologia del Agua (IMTA) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Portuguesa de Ciências do Desporto is the property of Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Desporto and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Food & Nutrition / Alimentos e Nutrição is the property of Faculdade de Ciencias Farmaceuticas, UNESP and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

More and more, schools are considering the use of progress monitoring data for high- stakes decisions such as special education eligibility, program changes to more restrictive environments, and major changes in educational goals. Those high-stakes types of data-based decisions will need methodological defensibility. Current practice for summarizing progress monitoring data is to use a hand-fit trend lines (for practitioner use) or linear regression (for research). This study critically examines both approaches and compares them to a new nonparametric slope called the Theil-Sen. A field test with 372 published data series compared hand-fit, linear regression, and Theil-Sen slopes against evaluative criteria of power and precision, meeting data assumptions, and agreement with visual judgments. Results indicate promise for Theil-Sen slope in defensible high-stakes decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: The popularity of motion-sensing computer-based games, like virtual reality (VR) exergames, is increasing among adolescents. However, their efficacy compared to conventional physical training methods remains unclear. This study investigated whether VR exergames produce effects on reaction time (RT) comparable to traditional tennis training in school-aged adolescents. (2) Methods: In total, 130 adolescents (mean age: 15.6 ± 2.0 years; 67 boys: 15.5 ± 2.2 years; 63 girls: 15.7 ± 1.8 years) were recruited in schools and assigned to one of three groups: VR exergame (G1, n = 39), tennis training (G2, n = 25), or control (G3, n = 66). Participants' RTs were evaluated before and after the interventions. G1 engaged in VR exergames for 8 min, G2 underwent traditional tennis training for 30 min, and G3 did not participate in any physical activity. (3) Results: Our results indicated that in G3, girls exhibited slower RTs compared to boys ( p < 0.0). No differences were observed in RTs when comparing G1 and G2. (4) Conclusions: Sex appeared to influence RT, with girls showing slower RTs than boys in G3. The findings suggest that VR exergames and traditional tennis training have similar impacts on RT. This indicates the potential of VR exergames as an alternative to conventional physical training for improving RT in adolescents., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Introduction: Motor Competence (MC) is related to the development of healthy lifestyles in children and adolescents, and many studies have compared it with different variables, including sports participation. This investigation aimed to characterize the components and total scores of MC regarding different physical activity practices, such as physical education (PE) classes, futsal, volleyball, and ballet, and to compare MC regarding sports, sex, and age-groups., Methods: Using a cross-sectional study, 398 Portuguese children and adolescents (398 participants: 200 boys and 198 girls; 12.649±3.46 years) were conveniently chosen between 2022 and 2023. Four groups of different sports were created: PE classes (n = 187), futsal (n = 80), volleyball (n = 101) and ballet (n = 30), and four different age groups: 7 to 9 years old (n = 117); 10 to 12 years old (n = 65), 13 to 15 years old (n = 96) and, 16 to 19 years old (n = 120). All participants reported to participate in at least two training sessions per week (1 hour each) for at least two years. MC was assessed with Motor Competence Assessment (MCA) comprising three components with six tests (two tests for each component). Participants' total MC was calculated as the average of the three components of the MCA. Data were analyzed by applying ANOVA one-way with LSD post-hoc., Results: Differences were found in MC among groups, where futsal participants showed better scores in general. Sex comparison showed that boys have a higher MC when practicing futsal, especially compared to volleyball players. Age-group analysis showed that younger participants had better MC levels compared to older ones., Conclusion: The whole group showed the 50th percentile of MC, but volleyball adolescents showed results below this reference. MC is intrinsically linked to an individual's motor experiences and motivations rather than depending directly on the specific practice of the sport., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Saraiva Flôres et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Weightlifting is an Olympic sport for dynamic strength and power, and requires the execution of different lifting techniques It is important to analyze the forces subjected to the lower back during weightlifting movements to prevent injuries. Digital Human Modeling (DHM) is a powerful tool that can be used to analyze and optimize the performance of humans while doing their work or activities., Objective: The purpose of this study is to present a simulation analysis of the lower back forces during the execution of two weightlifting techniques: Snatch (SN) and Clean & Jerk (CJ), with different loads and for both genders., Methods: Digital Human modelling through JACK simulation package was used analyze the forces exerted on the lumbosacral area (L5-S1) of the lower back in order to determine the risk for low back injuries. The level of compression and shear forces recommended by the literature have been set as thresholds. The simulaitons were performed in male and female models, with loads from 20-100 kg., Results: The results show that any weight higher than 60 kg in both movements poses risk for the weightlifters in terms of compression and shear forces. It has been observed that weightlifters can lift greater loads in the CJ technique compared to the SN technique. Furthermore, females are able to lift higher loads with lower risk of injuries., Conclusion: Weightlifting is a high-risk activity due to the high levels of shear and compression forces that the body is exposed to during the lifting techniques. Digital Human Modeling holds significant value due to their ability to facilitate the exploration of diverse conditions within a safe environment, devoid of any potential harm to human subjects.

This study's aim was two-fold: (i) to test the intra-session reliability of the one-leg balance activity test; and (ii) to assess the influence of age on reaction time (RT) and the differences between dominant and non-dominant feet. Fifty young soccer players with an average age of 12.4 ± 1.8 years were divided into two groups: younger soccer players (n = 26; 11.6 ± 0.9 years) and older soccer players (n = 24; 14.2 ± 0.8 years). Each group then completed four trials (two with each leg) of the one-leg balance activity (OLBA) to evaluate RT under a single-leg stance. Mean RT and the number of hits were calculated, and the best trial was also selected. T -tests and Pearson correlations were performed for statistical analysis. Values for RT were lower, and the number of hits was higher while standing on the non-dominant foot ( p = 0.01). MANOVA revealed that the "Dominant Leg" factor did not affect the multivariate composite (Pillai Trace = 0.05; F(4, 43) = 0.565; p = 0.689; Partial ETA Squared = 0.050; Observed Power = 0.174). The "Age" factor did not present an effect on the multivariate composite (Pillai Trace = 0.104; F(4, 43) = 1.243; p = 0.307; Partial ETA Squared = 0.104; Observed Power = 0.355). The results of the present investigation demonstrate that RT may be lower while standing on the non-dominant foot.

Middle school students with ADHD often experience negative academic outcomes. To intervene, schools frequently provide services through special education or section 504. These services include strategies, such as breaks, prompting, and sensory proprioception to remove the impact of construct-irrelevant variance. Student plans rarely include strategies, such as selfmanagement, designed to teach students skills to increase independent functioning. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of four strategies on engagement, disruptive behavior, and time to initiate tasks. Fifteen sixth and seventh grade students were randomized daily to one of four conditions. Results indicated large statistically significant differences. Social validity data indicated that students found prompting and self-management helpful, but preferred breaks and sensory proprioception. This study builds on a growing empirical base that supports the prioritization of strategies to teach skills over strategies to remove the impact of ADHD on performance.

The aim of this study was to investigate if increased load carriage, in male military personnel, can affect the lower limbs kinematics. Twelve male military volunteers from the Portuguese Army were recruited and evaluated in an unloaded and loaded gait condition. Linear kinematics and lower limbs joint angle at heel strike, midstance and toe off were calculated. The stance, swing and double support times were found to be different between load conditions ( p  < 0.05). There was an interaction between load and limb ( p  < 0.05) for joint angles, during midstance, with limbs performing different movements in the frontal plane during loaded gait. Load increase had a different effect on the right knee, with a reduction in the abduction ( valgus ). This study may be beneficial in offering suggestion to improve the performance of gait with load and in an attempt to help prevent possible injuries. Practitioner summary: Increased load can affect lower limbs of male soldiers at the pelvic, hip and knee angles on the frontal plane, which can alter the joint force distribution. While these alterations may indicate protective mechanics, load management procedures should be implemented along with gait monitoring to avoid negative effects in performance.

With the COVID-19 outbreak, schools have experienced difficulty providing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) to their students, which should normally account for at least 50% of children's physical education (PE) class time. We aimed to determine the intensity of physical activity (PA) within PE classes at various grade levels to compare children's in-class PA with the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended guidelines. Thus, 301 students (1st to 12th grade) participated in the investigation. Children were evaluated during the PE classes with different typologies and durations. We assessed PA intensity using accelerometry and grouped data into either sedentary-to-light PA (SEDLI) or MVPA. Each child was assessed using both the time spent in PA (hours:minutes:seconds) and the percentage of time spent in PA versus other class activities. We found that, in the second-grade level group (fifth and sixth grades), girls spent more time in MVPA intensity than boys. Additionally, two-hour PE classes doubled the SEDLI for students in the third-grade group, and polythematic classes (those with more than one sport) promoted more MVPA level time than monothematic classes (only one sport). Concerning PA intensity during PE classes, 31-43% of the PE class total time was spent in MVPA but presented short duration and did not usually persist for 10 consecutive minutes (59% of the time). Children spent a large amount of time at the SEDLI intensity, considered insufficient for PA health benefits. Finally, to meet WHO guidelines for PA intensity, PE classes will need to increase MVPA time and reduce non-active periods between activities.

Professional drivers need constant attention during long driving periods and sometimes perform tasks outside the truck. Driving discomfort may justify inattention, but it does not explain post-driving accidents outside the vehicle. This study aims to study the discomfort developed during driving by analysing modified preferred postures, pressure applied at the interface with the seat, and changes in pre- and post-driving gait patterns. Each of the forty-four volunteers drove for two hours in a driving simulator. Based on the walking speed changes between the two gait cycles, three homogeneous study groups were identified. Two groups performed faster speeds, while one reduced it in the post-steering gait. While driving, the pressure at the interface and the area covered over the seat increased throughout the sample. Preferred driving postures differed between groups. No statistical differences were found between the groups in the angles between the segments (flexed and extended). Long-time driving develops local or whole-body discomfort, increasing interface pressure over time. While driving, drivers try to compensate by modifying their posture. After long steering periods, a change in gait patterns can be observed. These behaviours may result from the difficulties imposed on blood circulation by increasing pressure at this interface.

Carnauba wax is widely used in food, due to its physico-chemical characteristics with a predominance of esters and inert and stable components. Even with so many possibilities for the use of carnauba wax in food, there are still a large number of researchers around the world searching for new applications and a demand for new products with new technologies to improve existing ones. Recently, many parts of research which focus on the use of this wax in conservation and food processing have been carried out, some of which highlight the role of this wax in the microencapsulation of flavours, in preparing edible films and super hydrophobic and biodegradable packaging. This paper discusses the use of carnauba wax in food, including the extraction process of the wax, its chemical and physical characteristics, safety aspects, national and international law and permitted uses, along with the presentation of the main scientific research conducted., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The elderly are susceptible to many disorders that alter the gait pattern and could lead to falls and reduction of mobility. One of the most applied therapeutical approaches to correct altered gait patterns is the insertion of insoles. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is a powerful method used to reduce redundant information and it allows the comparison of the complete waveform. The purpose of this study was to verify the influence of wedges on lower limbs' net joint moment and range of motion (ROM) during the gait of healthy elderly participants using PCA. In addition, discrete values of lower limbs' peak net moment and ROM were also evaluated. 20 subjects walked with no wedges (control condition) and wearing six different wedges. The variables analyzed were the Principal Components from joint net moments and ROM in the sagittal plane in the ankle and knee and joint net moments in frontal plane in the knee. The discrete variables were peak joint net moments and ROM in sagittal plane in knee and ankle. The results showed the influence of the wedges to be clearer by analyzing through PCA methods than to use discrete parameters of gait curves, where the differences between conditions could be hidden., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Pitanga, Eugenia uniflora L., is a tropical fruit, which may be consumed as juice. While beneficial health effects of Eugenia uniflora L. leaf extracts have extensively been studied, limited data are available on an anti-inflammatory potential of pitanga juice. The aim of the presented study was to investigate anti-inflammatory properties of pitanga juice with regards to a prevention of inflammation-related periodontal diseases. For this purpose, six healthy volunteers swirled pitanga juice, containing 35% pitanga pulp, for 10 min. Thereafter, oral gum epithelial cells were harvested using a sterile brush and stimulated with lipopolysaccharides from Porphyromonas gingivalis (PG-LPS) for 6 h. Furthermore, human gingival fibroblasts (HGF-1) were used to elucidate the anti-inflammatory potential of pitanga juice constituents, cyanidin-3-glucoside and oxidoselina-1,3,7(11)-trien-8-one, in juice representative concentrations of 119 μg ml(-1) and 30 μg ml(-1), respectively. For the first time, an anti-inflammatory impact of pitanga juice on gingival epithelial cells was shown by means of an attenuation of IL-8 release by 55 ± 8.2% and 52 ± 11% in non-stimulated and PG-LPS-stimulated cells, respectively. In addition, both cyanidin-3-glucoside and oxidoselina-1,3,7(11)-trien-8-one reduced the LPS-stimulated CXCL8 mRNA expression by 50 ± 15% and 37 ± 18% and IL-8 release by 52 ± 9.9% and 45 ± 3.7% in HGF-1 cells, when concomitantly incubated with 10 μg ml(-1)PG-LPS for 6 h, revealing an anti-inflammatory potential of the volatile compound oxidoselina-1,3,7(11)-trien-8-one for the first time.

Objective: To describe and compare the plantar pressures, temporal foot roll-over, and ground reaction forces (GRFs) between both limbs of subjects with unilateral transfemoral amputation and with those of able-bodied participants during walking. We also verify the relevance of a force plate and a pressure plate to discriminate changes in gait parameters of subjects with limb loss., Design: Cross-sectional study., Setting: Biomechanics laboratory., Subjects: A total of 14 subjects with unilateral transfemoral amputation and 21 able-bodied participants., Methods: We used a force plate and a pressure plate to assess biomechanical gait parameters while the participants were walking at their self-selected gait speed., Main Outcome Measurements: We measured plantar pressure peaks in 6 foot regions and the instant of their occurrence (temporal foot roll-over); and GRF peaks and impulses of anterior-posterior (braking and propulsive phases), medial-lateral, and vertical (load acceptance and thrust phases) components., Results: The thrust, braking, and propulsive peaks, and the braking and propulsive impulses, were statistically significantly lower in the amputated limb than in the sound limb (P < .05) and in able-bodied participants (P < .05). In the amputated limb, we observed higher pressure peaks in the lateral rearfoot and medial and lateral midfoot, and lower values in the forefoot regions compared to those in the other groups (P < .05). The temporal foot roll-over showed statistically significant differences among the groups (P < .05)., Conclusions: The plantar pressures, temporal foot roll-over, and GRFs in subjects with unilateral transfemoral amputation showed an asymmetric gait pattern, and different values were observed in both of their lower limbs as compared with those of able-bodied subjects during walking. The force plate and pressure plate were able to determine differences between participants in gait pattern, suggesting that both plantar pressure and GRF analyses are useful tools for gait assessment in individuals with unilateral transfemoral amputation. Because of the convenience of pressure plates, their use in the clinical context for prosthetic management appears relevant to guide the rehabilitation of subjects with lower limb amputation., (Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

After 3 years of reorganizing a nursing department, surviving 2 very successful Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) visits, developing an outcomes-based leadership program for head nurses, and assisting a large health care network navigate change, a nurse executive stops to think about succession planning. The challenge to develop a plan includes her own history, others' definitions, and finally developing her own definition and plan. Included are the complications of planning within a network that includes long-term and loyal employees. Finally, the steps to achieving that plan are outlined with the goal of having the nursing department continue to flourish and survive in a diverse network system.