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The average level of children’s motor performance has decreased in the past decades. Therefore, it is important to identify risk- or enabling factors for motor performance. One such factor could be children’s participation in leisure activities (LA). LA are non-obligatory and intrinsically motivated activities performed during free time. They include physical activities, such as individual and team sports and other types of activities, such as doing crafts, hanging out with friends, and playing musical instruments. The present study explores how participating in different combinations of LA (i.e. participation patterns) are related to children’s motor performance using a person-centered approach. Ninety 6- to 8-year-old typically developing children (57.8% boys) were recruited from six Dutch primary schools. LA participation and motor performance were measured with the Children’s Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment questionnaire and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2, respectively. Children were grouped in patterns using Cluster Analysis. Comparisons among patterns were performed with one-way multivariate analysis of variance. As hypothesized, children who participated in a greater variety of LA (i.e., higher participation diversity) and who engaged more frequently in each LA (i.e., higher participation intensity) scored better on manual dexterity, balance, and total motor performance compared to those with lower participation diversity and intensity. Based on these findings, coaches, physical educators, and parents should create opportunities for children to participate in a broad range of LA and to engage in these LA frequently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facilitated transport membranes containing silver ions have attracted much attention thanks to their high performance in olefin/paraffin separation. However, the poor long-term stability of such membranes remains a drawback that must be overcome to enable their practical use. In this work, silver ions were incorporated as ion complexes in the Pebax®2533 matrix to increase their stability as a function of time. Two complexing agents were evaluated: ammonia and 15-crown-5-ether. Membranes of Pebax®2533/Ag(NH3)2OH and Pebax®2533/[Ag(15-crown-5-ether)]BF4 maintained stable selectivity for more than thirty days of observation without compromising permeability. Although complexation decreases the performance of silver compared to free ions, it significantly increases the long-term performance in ethylene/ethane separation. the complexing agents weaken the intensity and strength of Ag+/ethylene-π complexation, but prevent the reduction of Ag(I) to Ag(0). In long-term single gas permeation tests, the Pebax®2533/Ag(NH3)2OH membrane showed selectivity in the range of 12.3 to 9 for 39 days, while the Pebax®2533/[Ag(15crown-5-ether)]BF4 membrane showed selectivity around 9 for 30 days. Mixed gas permeation studies allowed to identify conditions to maintain the separation performance above the upper bound for more than 40 days, under continuous membranes exposure to mixed gases. Increased stability compared to membranes reported in the literature was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The state of Connecticut detained 1,444 children and youth and committed approximately 270 to the Department of Children and Families for out of home placement in the 2007-2008 calendar year. A significant number of children and youth have special education needs that are often unidentified by home school districts. State and federal law mandate the provision of special education and related services to this population. In addition, education of these individuals is imperative as research indicates educational success is a key component for decreasing recidivism (relapse into unlawful activity) rates and providing opportunities toward productive adulthood. The cost of recidivism to detention is not only monetary; criminal misconduct also threatens the safety of society members as well. The Yale University Child Study Center under the auspices of the Connecticut Judicial Branch, Court Support Services Division (CSSD) conducted a situational analysis of the juvenile detention centers and community residential centers. The focus of this analysis was to: (1) describe the educational characteristics of detained children and youth; (2) describe the educational programs currently used in detention and assess whether the educational programming provided is consistent with the framework of the State of Connecticut Department of Education; (3) typify the community of teachers working with students in detention, identify systemic obstacles and/or challenges to educating this population, ascertain the pathways of educational records of detained children and youth; and (4) identify system barriers or challenges to delivering education to this population and teaching in detention or alternative to detention settings. This report is a summary of findings.