Explore the vast range of titles available.

While much has been written about the effects of extended work hours on quality of nursing care, nurse burnout, and job attrition, the potential adverse effects of acute and chronic sleep loss on the overall health and well-being of nurses has received little attention. The author describes the acute and chronic effects of sleep loss on nurses, strategies nurses can use to increase the quantity and quality of their sleep, and institutional policies that can promote adequate rest and recuperation between work shifts for nursing staff.

While moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) has been widely accepted as a major factor in promoting optimal health, emerging research specific to sedentary behavior suggests that MVPA alone may not be enough. This integrative literature review examines the evidence on sedentary behavior as an independent health risk for cardiometabolic health conditions, certain cancers, and all-cause mortality. In so doing, it reveals new insights into high-volume sitting and prolonged uninterrupted sitting and their relationship to adverse health conditions in order to increase awareness of sedentary behavior as an independent health risk factor, examine the potential effects of displacing sedentary time with light-intensity physical activity, and encourage nurses to advance the overall reduction of sedentary behavior.

While moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) has been widely accepted as a major factor in promoting optimal health, emerging research specific to sedentary behavior suggests that MVPA alone may not be enough. This integrative literature review examines the evidence on sedentary behavior as an independent health risk for cardiometabolic health conditions, certain cancers, and all-cause mortality. In so doing, it reveals new insights into high-volume sitting and prolonged uninterrupted sitting and their relationship to adverse health conditions in order to increase awareness of sedentary behavior as an independent health risk factor, examine the potential effects of displacing sedentary time with light-intensity physical activity, and encourage nurses to advance the overall reduction of sedentary behavior.

OVERVIEWWhile much has been written about the effects of extended work hours on quality of nursing care, nurse burnout, and job attrition, the potential adverse effects of acute and chronic sleep loss on the overall health and well-being of nurses has received little attention. The author describes the acute and chronic effects of sleep loss on nurses, strategies nurses can use to increase the quantity and quality of their sleep, and institutional policies that can promote adequate rest and recuperation between work shifts for nursing staff.

College students are expected to exhibit the surface correctness of standard edited English. Instructors and employers judge harshly errors in standard English. Debate continues on how to achieve surface correctness. College composition instructors often rely on teaching formal grammar in assisting students in mastering standard English. They do so despite the conclusion reached by two major reviews of research on composition: that teaching formal grammar is not effective in improving writing. Many instructors disagree and contend that teaching formal grammar improves writing--at least in adherence to requirements of standard English. This project evolved as a result of my dissatisfaction with using a textbook and exercises in teaching formal grammar. Few students enjoyed using them, and many performed poorly on a written objective grammar examination. In this project, I use student writing and model writing to teach grammar at Southside Virginia Community College. The experimental group is compared with a control group, who studied grammar using a textbook and exercises. A t-test comparison of means of scores of the two groups on an objective grammar examination suggests the possibility that the treatment was effective in improving performance on the examination. The limitations of this research are those common to action research. This project also uses a survey to collect data from the treatment group and composition instructors at four Virginia community colleges. Analysis of the data indicates that faculty and students consider the study of grammar important and consider student writing, model writing, textbooks, and exercises important tools in the study of grammar, with student writing judged the most important tool. Students consider the study of grammar more important than instructors do. Students and instructors most enjoy using student writing to study grammar. It is recommended that composition instructors continue to teach formal grammar and experiment in using a model similar to that used for the treatment group in this project and that research--both action and experimental--continue in an effort to provide data necessary for concluding the debate on the efficacy of the study of formal grammar in improving writing.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a comprehensive exercise-promotion program utilizing cognitive-behavioral strategies on exercise-specific self-efficacy, attitudes toward exercise, and exercise behaviors on healthy primarily sedentary adult females. To test the hypotheses that differences in outcomes would result from an exercise-promotion program rather than through a traditional method, an experimental study was conducted with sixty-one healthy primarily sedentary adult females enrolled in The University of Texas Pan American associate degree nursing program. Simple random sampling was used to select potential participants for both groups. The experimental group (N = 31) received a lecture on the benefits of exercise and the risks associated with inactivity, and attended weekly sessions for a period of twelve weeks. The group sessions consisted of educational activities using concepts and a combination of behavioral strategies from social learning and health promotion theories. The control group (N = 30) received the same lecture on the benefits of exercise and risks associated with inactivity. Both groups were given calendars and asked to self-monitor exercise behaviors for a period of twelve weeks. Analysis of covariance was used to determine differences in exercise-specific self-efficacy, and attitudes toward exercise. Analysis for exercise-specific self-efficacy yielded an F-ratio of 14.24 which was statistically significant (p$<$ .001). Analysis for benefits-barriers orientations to exercise yielded an F-ratio of 8.25 which was statistically significant (p =.006). Differences in exercise behaviors was evaluated at the end of twelve weeks by using the t-test for independent samples. Analysis of exercise behaviors yielded a t of 2.83 which was statistically significant (p =.006). Therefore, the research hypotheses are accepted. The obtained effect size for all three outcome measures was significant ( $\\Delta$= +0.76, +0.68, +1.02, respectively). The results suggest that adult sedentary females should receive an exercise-promotion program that takes into account both confidence to engage in exercise and orientations toward exercise--not the traditional method--if increasing intentions to include regular exercise is valued. The results of this study are particularly promising, because the strategies employed take into account the complexity of people and the multidimensionality of motivation. The strategies used are not exhaustive. They do, however, represent a feasible and practical approach for which substantial empirical support is available.

A large survey of corn farmers in twelve US midwestern states (n = 6849) was used to determine the role of multiple dimensions of uncertainty on prior experience with climate change, attitudes towards climate adaptation, and use of climate outlooks in agricultural decision-making. Epistemic uncertainty refers to a perception about the level of information about a phenomenon. Aleatoric uncertainty is a perception that a phenomenon occurs at random and no new information will reduce uncertainty while response uncertainty refers to the perception of the efficacy of an action to reduce a risk. Epistemic and response uncertainty explained a large portion of variance of farmers’ attitudes towards adaptation and their willingness to use weather and climate outlook tools. Aleatoric uncertainty however did not add or added only a small portion of variance explaining farmers’ attitudes climate adaptation or use of climate tools. Our results indicate that climate scientists should not treat farmers’ uncertainty as a monolithic concept, but instead embrace its multidimensionality. We also suggest that reception of expert-led presentations or tools that have a lot of modeling data, which are often layered with statistical uncertainty, can negatively influence farmers’ model uncertainty.

Nonpoint source pollution from agricultural land uses continues to pose one of the most significant threats to water quality in the US, with measurable impacts across local, regional, and national scales. The impact and the influence of targeted conservation efforts are directly related to the degree to which farmers are familiar with and trust the entities providing the information and/or outreach. Recent research suggests that farmers consistently rank independent and retail-affiliated crop advisers as among the most trusted and influential sources for agronomic information, but little is understood about whether farmers are willing to receive advice from crop advisers on the use of practices that conserve soil and water, and, if so, whether crop advisers will be perceived as influential. We present survey data from farmers ( n  = 1461) in Michigan’s Saginaw Bay (Lake Huron) watershed to explore these questions. Results suggest that farmers view crop advisers as trustworthy sources of information about conservation, and influential on management practices that have large conservation implications. We discuss these results, along with perceived barriers and opportunities to crop advisers partnering with traditional conservation agencies to enhance the impact of voluntary conservation programs.