Letteratura scientifica selezionata sul tema "Day care centers Activity programs"

Introduction. Interest has grown in how systems thinking could be used in obesity prevention. Relationships between key actors, represented by social networks, are an important focus for considering intervention in systems.Method. Two long day care centers were selected in which previous obesity prevention programs had been implemented. Measures showed ways in which physical activity and dietary policy are conversations and actions transacted through social networks (interrelationships) within centers, via an eight item closed-ended social network questionnaire. Questionnaire data were collected from (17/20; response rate 85%) long day care center staff. Social network density and centrality statistics were calculated, using UCINET social network software, to examine the role of networks in obesity prevention.Results. “Degree” (influence) and “betweeness” (gatekeeper) centrality measures of staff inter-relationships about physical activity, dietary, and policy information identified key players in each center. Network density was similar and high on some relationship networks in both centers but markedly different in others, suggesting that the network tool identified unique center social dynamics. These differences could potentially be the focus of future team capacity building.Conclusion. Social network analysis is a feasible and useful method to identify existing obesity prevention networks and key personnel in long day care centers.

Center-based early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs are well-positioned to create positive impacts on the health and development of large numbers of young children by promoting physical activity using evidence-based programs. Studies testing physical activity programs for young children should examine the circumstances under which programs are most effective by assessing the role of contextual factors on program outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the moderating effects of baseline ECEC center characteristics on the relationship between the Study of Health and Activity in Preschool Environments (SHAPES) intervention and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). MVPA was assessed via accelerometry; center characteristics, practices, and social and physical environments were assessed by director interview and observation; and center quality was assessed using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised Edition. Mixed-model analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) examined intervention effects on MVPA during the school day; interactions between baseline center variables and group assignment (intervention vs. control) tested for moderation. Two center instructional practices, two social environment characteristics, and one physical environment characteristic at baseline moderated the effects of SHAPES on MVPA outcomes. Assessing baseline practices and center characteristics may aid efforts to match centers with interventions likely to increase physical activity as well as suggest additional intervention strategies to test.

Purpose. To examine the effects of a structured physical activity program on executive functions and perceived physical competence as compared to a traditional recess among preschool children. Methods. Participants were 40 preschool children aged 4-5 from an urban child care center in a southern Chinese metropolitan area. Prior to the intervention, baseline assessments of children’s executive functions and perceived physical competence were conducted. Children were then assigned to (1) intervention condition: a structured physical activity intervention group; (2) control condition: free-activity recess. The structured physical activity or recess programs were provided to the intervention and control groups 30 minutes daily for 3 months, respectively, followed by the identical postintervention measures. Results. Thirty-nine children (19 girls; mean age = 4.67 years old, BMI = 15.54±1.21) were included in the analysis. In general, children’s executive functions and perceived physical competence increased over time. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed the intervention group had significant greater increases in executive functions compared to the control children (F(1, 37) = 4.20, p=0.04, η2=.10), yet there were no greater increases in perceived physical competence (F(1, 37) = 2.35, p=0.13, η2=.06). Conclusion. The intervention exerted significant greater increases in executive functions in preschool children. It is meaningful to offer structured physical activity programs in day care centers.

Abstract With increased prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease, there is a need for long-term care services (e.g., Adult Day Centers (ADCs)) to provide physical activity (PA) programs to maintain physical function of older adults. ADCs report offering PA programs; however, information on PA programs and physical function of participants attending ADCs is limited. The study aims to a) explore perspectives of ADC directors on PA programming; b) examine physical function in older adults attending ADCs. A cross-sectional mixed-methods study was conducted among ADC directors and attending participants. Interviews were conducted with ADC directors to assess barriers and facilitators of PA programming. Physical function was assessed among ADC participants via the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and Timed Up and Go (TUG). Five director interviews were conducted and three major themes emerged; 1) current PA programming limited by fear of falls, 2) staff training and retention, and 3) diversifying PA programming. Twenty-nine ADC participants enrolled in the study, Mage= 74.5±8.2 years; BMI= 29.2 ±7.4 kg/m2; MMSE= 25.6 ±3.3; 51.7% (n=15) African American; 79.3% (n=23) males. ADC participants scored 6.7±3.1 on the SPPB and 15.4±5.3 seconds on the TUG. Directors expressed the importance of PA; however, mentioned current programming was limited due to risk of falls and untrained staff in PA. Findings indicate that older adults attending ADCs have physical function scores indicative of high fall risk. Future PA programming may consider including alternative forms of PA while embedding falls prevention strategies to reduce risk of falls and improve physical function among ADC participants.

Evidence about the benefits and costs of supported and transitional employment for persons with severe disabilities is presented along with relevant caveats in the absence of controlled studies. Some of the major forms of supported and transitional employment services are compared with adult day care and traditional sheltered workshops, including work activity centers. Despite weaknesses in the data, sufficient information exists to argue that all forms of employment—supported, transitional, and sheltered—are more productive in terms of earnings and less costly to provide than adult day care. The lack of definitive data is seen as a major impediment to the expansion of supported and transitional employment options for people with severe disabilities; hence, stricter accountability is recommended. All service providers, regardless of the vintage of their programs, should be required to show benefits and costs within a uniform framework of measurement.

Background. We conducted a comparative effectiveness analysis to evaluate the difference in the amount of physical activity children engaged in when enrolled in a physical activity-enhanced after-school program based in a community recreation center versus a standard school-based after-school program.Methods. The study was a natural experiment with 54 elementary school children attending the community ASP and 37 attending the school-based ASP. Accelerometry was used to measure physical activity. Data were collected at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks, with 91% retention.Results. At baseline, 43% of the multiethnic sample was overweight/obese, and the mean age was 7.9 years (SD = 1.7). Linear latent growth models suggested that the average difference between the two groups of children at Week 12 was 14.7 percentage points in moderate-vigorous physical activity (P<.001). Cost analysis suggested that children attending traditional school-based ASPs—at an average cost of $17.67 per day—would need an additional daily investment of $1.59 per child for 12 weeks to increase their moderate-vigorous physical activity by a model-implied 14.7 percentage points.Conclusions. A low-cost, alternative after-school program featuring adult-led physical activities in a community recreation center was associated with increased physical activity compared to standard-of-care school-based after-school program.

Abstract Adult Day Services provide an opportunity for social engagement for older adults who might otherwise become isolated. Communication environments at many Adult Day Centers can be difficult for participants due to the high prevalence of hearing loss and poor acoustics in large activity rooms. The purpose of this study is to understand the hearing and social health status of participants across multiple group care settings as well as participants’ challenges and motivations to engage in social communication. A mixed methods approach was undertaken. Seventy-two participants from two Programs for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE®) completed quantitative measures: hearing test, cognitive screener (MOST™), IOM Social and Behavioral Determinants of Health, UCLA Loneliness Scale, and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living. Using maximum variation sampling based on hearing status and UCLA loneliness scores, ten participants were invited to complete one-on-one semi-structure interviews. Interviews aimed to learn more about how and why participants did and/or did not engage in social communication with other PACE participants. Transcripts were coded and thematic analysis was used to identify common barriers and motivations to communication. A conceptual framework was developed by integrating quantitative and qualitative findings to recognize what contributes to meaningful interactions or engaged communication. The findings from this study will contribute to the development of an intervention to address hearing loss and support communication for older adults in group care settings. In order to maximize the potential benefit of attending group-based day services, the communication barriers and motivations of older adults need to be addressed.

Abstract Purpose The long-term impact of primary care behavior change programs on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and physical activity (PA) level is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in HRQoL and PA among participants after a 3-month behavior change intervention at Norwegian healthy life center (HLCs) and at a 15-month follow-up. Furthermore, we aimed to study associations between changes in PA and HRQoL. Methods We followed 524 adult participants (18–83 years), recruited from 32 HLCs in August 2016–January 2018, who provided data on HRQoL (SF-36) and PA (ActiGraph accelerometers) 12 months after a 3-month behavior change intervention. Changes in HRQoL and PA between baseline, 3-month and 15-month follow-ups, and associations between changes in PA and HRQoL were analyzed by linear mixed models. Results All HRQoL dimensions improved from baseline to 3-month follow-up, and the improvements maintained at 15-month follow-up (mean 3.1–13.1 points, p < 0.001). PA increased from baseline to 3 months (mean 418 steps/day, p < 0.001), but declined from 3 to 15 months (mean − 371 steps/day, p < 0.001). We observed positive associations between changes in PA and HRQoL (0.84–3.23 points per 1000 steps/day, p < 0.023). Conclusions Twelve months after completing a 3-month HLC intervention we found improved HRQoL, but not PA level. Still, there were positive associations between PA and HRQoL over this period, indicating that participants increasing their PA were more likely to improve their HRQoL.

The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of a horticultural activity program on the emotional intelligence, prosocial behavior, and scientific investigation abilities and attitudes of kindergarteners. A total of 336 children aged 5 to 7 years in public and private kindergartens and day care centers in Incheon, South Korea, participated in a 24-session horticultural activity program. This program included indoor and outdoor activities such as planting seeds, transplanting plants, making and applying eco-friendly fertilizer, watering, harvesting, using plants to make crafts, and cooking with produce. It was designed to improve the emotional intelligence, prosocial behavior, and scientific investigation abilities and attitudes of kindergarteners. Each session lasted an average of 50 minutes and was held once per week. The results of the study showed that the 24-session horticultural activity program improved the emotional intelligence, prosocial behavior, and scientific investigation abilities and attitudes of the children (P < 0.05). Satisfaction with the program was very high among both the children and their teachers and parents. Future studies should consider exploring the effects of horticultural activity programs on children in different age groups.

The gold standard in infant feeding and child starting from Early Initiation of Breastfeeding (IMD), exclusive breastfeeding for the six months. One of the health problems faced in the area of †health centers Pucang Sawit is the lack of motivation of counselor support group exclusive breastfeeding. There are only three groups motivator breastfeeding support so not comparable with the number of babies in the region Pucang Sawit. Approaches through peer (Peer Support) on exclusive breastfeeding support group as one of the community-based empowerment efforts so as to help improve coverage eksklusive breastfeeding in Surakarta close to the target so that the vision of becoming a pilot Surakarta can be realized. Implementation ofservice programs are divided into three programs: the first socialization to the cadre and peer group as well as breastfeeding support group facilitator conducted one day, both the implementation of training activities breastfeeding support group for 4 days which consists of four small groups and accompanied by two facilitators each and third activity is monitoring and evaluation results formations breastfeeding support groups.

Exploratory case studies investigated the day care benefit from the multiple perspectives of the person with dementia, caregiver, and day care worker. The routines, daily processes, and factors promoting benefit were reported. The day care client was also queried to explore their ability to contribute useful information about their care environment. The adult day care is primarily a social occasion for its clients, who enjoy the benefits of companionship and interaction. Day cares were differentiated by the environmental features: worker:client ratio, size, suitability of the site for intended purpose, quality of client-worker relationships, and quality of the activities offered. The quality of each of these features is an important component in the day care environment. All components at their highest quality are not necessary for the environment to be beneficial. The most important factors contributing to day care quality were workers who (1) communicated safety to the client through a relaxed, uncritical environment, and (2) facilitated client stimulation through activity and personal interaction, satisfying the clients’ basic needs to be safe and occupied. This evaluation was comprised of: two sets of case studies. Each evaluation was concurrently conducted and consistently designed. Participant observation and survey were the primary methods of data collection. Informed consent was sought from day care clients with dementia, family caregivers, and day care workers.

This study examined a neglected area in long term care and adult day care research: staff development. The specific purposes of this study were to describe the provision of a comprehensive staff development program in adult day care centers in Virginia in order to (a) differentiate those centers providing only the minimum required inservice training from those centers providing more comprehensive staff development programs and (b) define what meaning is placed upon staff education programs by center administrators.

A mail survey design was used for this study. The questionnaire developed for the study has three sections: (a) center characteristics, (b) staff characteristics, and (c) the meaning of staff development. Quantitative analysis was conducted on the first two sections while qualitative analysis was used to examine the final section. A conceptual model for adult day care staff development programs was also developed for the study. The model was used to compare the staff development programs across adult day care centers in Virginia. The sample included all licensed adult day care center administrators in Virginia (n=43). The total response rate for this survey was 88%.

Results were discussed in terms of the provision of staff development programs, as well as the meaning that was placed on staff development by the responding center administrators. The results showed that much importance is placed upon staff development programs by the center administrators and they follow through with this by providing a well rounded staff development program for their staff.
Master of Science

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Bachelors
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Exceptional Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the perceptions of urban parents of two countries concerning standards of selected criteria of high quality standards of early childhood programs developed by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs (NAECP).Two hundred and forty nine parents ( U. S. = 129, Taiwan = 120) participated in the study. The effects of country, sex, and educational background were examined.The study was conducted by using the questionnaire survey. The instrument was constructed by the researcher based on the Accreditation Criteria and Procedures of the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs.A three-way.MANOVA on 10 dependent variables with independent factors of country, sex, and educational background was used to test Hypothesis I at the .05 level of significance. The Hypothesis I was rejected.To test Hypothesis II, a Spearman's Rho rank order correlation coefficient was computed using the mean ranks of the 10 criteria. Significance was examined at the .05 level. The Hypothesis II was accepted.These findings leading to the following conclusions:1. American and Taiwanese parents shared the similar perceptions that supported the quality standards developed by the NAECP. Most of the statistically differences that existed between American and Taiwanese parents were the differences of the degree of acceptance of the quality standards.2. The only criterion that caused parents' selections to lean toward negative responses was the staffing standards.3. Whenever there was a statistically significant difference between American and Taiwanese parents, the Taiwanese parents were always agreed more than the American parents.4. Regardless of factors of sex and educational background, both American and Taiwanese parents shared similar values in that they ranked health-and-safety and teacher-child interactions as the first or second important factors.5. Regardless of the factors of sex and educational background, both American and Taiwanese parents shared the same values in that they ranked administration and evaluations as the two least important factors when selecting an early childhood program for their children.
Department of Elementary Education

Even if a school or district has done a good job providing thorough information on its website or has made efforts to connect online with incoming families, that work might be in vain if the school doesn’t feel inviting once the students and parents arrive. As parents have shared, that first reception that families receive when they walk into a school or district office can determine whether they view the new school community as welcoming or unwelcoming. Schools—as well as individual teachers—should have procedures in place for when someone new walks in the door. For example, previous work on schools serving military children showed that many Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools ask parents to wait a day after enrollment before their child starts class. This gives the teacher and the students in a class a chance to prepare for the new student. They get a desk, books, and other materials ready—thus allowing the new student to feel less as if he or she is a disruption. Clearly, DoDEA schools are accustomed to welcoming new students all the time, but it’s a practice that could be implemented in any school. This chapter focuses on how to make early face-to-face interactions with new students and parents a positive experience. Every new family in a school needs that person who can say, “If I don’t know the answer, I will find out who does.” The approaches described here not only create an initial welcoming atmosphere, but also provide families with links should they need more information. Many school districts have a central location where families can receive information on the district and learn about the enrollment process, school choice options, community resources, and additional services. Welcome centers tend to be more common in a school district that handles registration at the central office level, instead of in each local school, and especially if the district serves an immigrant population. In addition to providing information on registration, these centers often provide information on other community agencies and services that families might need, such as housing, food assistance, child care, and after-school programs.

The main caregivers of elderly people with dementia in Singapore are the family. In recent years, community services like day care centres, home care, respite care, and nursing homes have expanded. Non-governmental organizations are actively involved in providing a spectrum of services, ranging from medical, nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and counselling. General hospitals have set up geriatric and psycho-geriatric teams for dementia patients. There is now a focus on dementia prevention, and a successful prevention programme has been extended to three additional community centres. The challenge ahead is not only having sufficient dementia services, but also ensuring there are sufficient trained health professionals to provide the services. Current strengths in dementia care include strong emphasis on family care, increased availability of dementia community services like day care centres, and increased number of health professionals trained in dementia care. Future priorities include integrating hospital care into the community, keeping down the cost of dementia care, and creating dementia-friendly environments.

All of chemical kinetics is based on rate equations, but this is especially true of steady-state enzyme kinetics: in other applications a rate equation can be regarded as a differential equation that has to be integrated to give the function of real interest, whereas in steady-state enzyme kinetics it is used as it stands. Although the early enzymologists tried to follow the usual chemical practice of deriving equations that describe the state of reaction as a function of time there were too many complications, such as loss of enzyme activity, effects of accumulating product etc., for this to be a fruitful approach. Rapid progress only became possible when Michaelis and Menten (1) realized that most of the complications could be removed by extrapolating back to zero time and regarding the measured initial rate as the primary observation. Since then, of course, accumulating knowledge has made it possible to study time courses directly, and this has led to two additional subdisciplines of enzyme kinetics, transient-state kinetics, which deals with the time regime before a steady state is established, and progress-curve analysis, which deals with the slow approach to equilibrium during the steady-state phase. The former of these has achieved great importance but is regarded as more specialized. It is dealt with in later chapters of this book. Progress-curve analysis has never recovered the importance that it had at the beginning of the twentieth century. Nearly all steps that form parts of the mechanisms of enzyme-catalysed reactions involve reactions of a single molecule, in which case they typically follow first-order kinetics: . . . v = ka . . . . . . 1 . . . or they involve two molecules (usually but not necessarily different from one another) and typically follow second-order kinetics: . . . v = kab . . . . . . 2 . . . In both cases v represents the rate of reaction, and a and b are the concentrations of the molecules involved, and k is a rate constant. Because we shall be regarding the rate as a quantity in its own right it is not usual in steady-state kinetics to represent it as a derivative such as -da/dt.

In my three decades of teaching university courses in child development, I have come to know thousands of students, many of whom were parents or who became parents soon after completing my class. I also served on boards of directors and advisory committees for child-care centers, preschools, elementary schools, and parent organizations. And my research continually drew me into classrooms, where for countless hours I observed and recorded preschool and school-age children’s activities, social interactions, and solitary behaviors, in hopes of answering central questions about how they learn. As a byproduct of those experiences, parents repeatedly approached me with concerns about how to foster their child’s development in the early years. Their fervent questions, at times riddled with doubt and anxiety, revealed that creating optimum learning environments for young children at home—and ensuring their access to development-enhancing experiences in child care, preschool, and school—have become mounting parental challenges. Consider the following problematic situations that parents recently raised with me: • Bob and Sharon, parents of a 4-year-old: Our daughter, Lydia, could recite her ABCs and count from 1 to 20 by age 2 1/2. When we looked for a preschool, many programs appeared to do little more than let children play, so we chose one with lots of emphasis on academics. To me, Lydia’s preschool seems like great preparation for kindergarten and first grade, but each morning, Lydia hates to go. Why is Lydia, who’s always been an upbeat, curious child, so unhappy? • Angela, mother of a 4-year-old and 6-year-old: My husband and I have demanding careers and need to bring work home in the evenings. I’ve read that it’s the quality of time we spend with our children that’s important, not the quantity. We try hard to give Victor and Jeannine our undivided attention, but they’re often whiny, demanding, and quarrelsome. Many times we end up sending them to their rooms or letting them watch TV, just to get some peace after a long day. What’s the best way to create quality parent–child time? • Talia, mother of a 7-year-old: My son Anselmo, a first grader, constantly asks us to help him with his homework.

Since HIV disease was first recognized three decades ago, numerous efforts have been made to prevent its continued transmission. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 56,000 Americans become infected each year—one person every 9 1/2 minutes—and that more than one million people in this country are now living with HIV (CDC, 2008, 2009;Hall et al., 2008). The CDC estimates that roughly 1 in 5 people infected with HIV in the United States is unaware of his or her infection and may be unknowingly transmitting the virus to others (CDC, 2008). Over the past 15 years, many behavioral HIV risk reduction interventions have been developed, with prevention efforts targeting mostly HIV-negative individuals and focusing almost exclusively on HIV testing and counseling. More recently, comprehensive HIV prevention has involved both primary and secondary prevention activities to decrease the number of new HIV infections and associated complications, respectively (Marks et al., 2006; O’Leary and Wolitski, 2009). Psychiatric factors both complicate and perpetuate the HIV pandemic as a result of unsafe sexual practices and substance use disorders. In this chapter, we describe some of the psychiatric and psychodynamic factors that lead to HIV transmission and present novel strategies to assist clinicians and health-care policymakers in prevention efforts. Primary prevention is defined as any activity that reduces the burden of morbidity or mortality from disease; it is to be distinguished from secondary prevention, in which activities are designed to prevent the complications of already existing disease. In the case of HIV, primary prevention efforts focus on strategies designed to prevent the transmission of HIV—keeping seronegative people seronegative. In the HIV pandemic, however, many prevention strategies share characteristics of both primary and secondary efforts, so the distinction is somewhat artificial. Multiple prevention strategies have been devised, and these center around HIV counseling, substance abuse programs, and HIV prevention and intervention programs for children. Counseling healthy pregnant women, uninfected children, adolescents, adults, and older persons about HIV risk reduction and providing information about sexual health are important components to primary prevention strategies, but few physicians and other clinicians actually do this unless it is a part of a program specifically designed to prevent HIV transmission.

Starting in 2003, Belgoprocess will proceed with the treatment and conditioning of some 200 m3 of widely varying high- and medium-level waste from earlier research and development work, to meet standard acceptance criteria for later disposal. The gross volume of primary and secondary packages amounts to 2,600 m3. The waste has been kept in decay storage for up to 30 years. The project was started in 1997. Operation of the various processing facilities will take 7–8 years. The overall volume of conditioned waste will be of the order of 800 m3. All conditioned waste will be stored in appropriate storage facilities onsite. In November 2002, a new processing facility has been constructed, the functional tests of the equipment have been performed and the start-up phase has been started. Several cells of the Pamela vitrification facility onsite will be adapted for the treatment of high-level and highly α-contaminated waste; low-level β/γ waste will be treated in the existing facility for super compaction and conditioning by embedding into cement (CILVA). The bulk of these waste, of which 95% are solids, the remainder consisting of mainly solidified liquids, have been produced between 1967 and 1988. They originate from various research programmes and reactor operation at the Belgian nuclear energy research centre SCK-CEN, isotope production, decontamination and dismantling operations. The waste is stored in 4800 primary packages, of which 700 contain 120 g (5.1012 Bq) radium. Half the radium inventory is present in 25 containers. The presence of radium in waste packages, resulting in the emission of radon gas, requires particular measurements. The total activity at the moment of production amounted to 18,811 TBq β/γ and 34.4 TBq α, with individual packages emitting up to 555 TBq β/γ and 2.2 TBq α. According to calculations, the β/γ activity has decreased to some 2,000 TBq, with individual packages up to 112 TBq. The extreme diversity of the waste is not only expressed in their radiological characteristics, but also in their chemical composition, physical state, the nature and condition of the packages. Radioactivity ranges between 0.01 mCi to 1,000 Ci per package. Some packages contain resins, Na, NaK and Al containing waste, poison rods, residues of fuel elements. Although most of the liquid waste are solidified, a small fraction — both aqueous and organic — still remains liquid. Primary packages may be plastic bags, metal boxes, wire gauze, La Cale`ne boxes; secondary packages may be steel drums and concrete containers. Solid waste may be sources, counters, nuclear fuel residues, filters, synthetic materials, metals, resins, granulates, rock, sludges, cables, glass, etc. Some 1000 primary packages are stored in a dry storage vault comprising 20 concrete cells, while 3800 primary packages are stored in some 2,000 concrete containers, on a concrete floor, surrounded by an earth bank to the height of the waste stacking and covered by a metal construction. At present, the annual production of similar waste amounts to 2 m3 divided over some 30 containers. Generally, the primary waste packages will be loaded in 80-1 drums (an average of 2 packages per drum), and compacted in a 150 ton hydraulic press. The pellets will be collected in 100 1 drums (an average of 3 pellets per drum). Low-level β/γ waste is transferred to the CILVA facility for further treatment, while the other 100-1 drums are filled up with sand and, in the case of radium-contaminated waste, tight-welded. Subsequently, the 100-1 drums are loaded into 400-1 drums and embedded into cement. Certain packages, for example solidified radium-contaminated liquids in welded metal containers, are conditioned as such in overpacks. Specific procedures will be established for the various non-standard waste, such as sources, control and poison rods, resins and filters, fuel residues. Highly active and/or heavily α-contaminated waste are transferred to the existing Pamela facility for treatment and conditioning. Ideally, gamma spectrometry measurements are carried out on the primary packages, but due to the extreme diversity of these packages, ranging from plastic bags containing cardboard to highly active steel valves, preference was given to measurements on the conditioned waste, or at least on already pre-compacted waste in the case of treatment in the 2,000 ton press of the CILVA facility. Thus tremendous problems of calibration can be largely avoided. All operations are remotely controlled. Transfers between buildings are carried out within appropriately shielded containers and secondary waste will be treated in existing facilities onsite. The new processing facility is being built partly over the dry storage vaults, in the immediate vicinity of the already covered storage area.

Abstract Starting in 2002, Belgoprocess will proceed with the treatment and conditioning of some 200 m3 of widely varying high- and medium-level wastes from earlier research and development work, to meet standard acceptance criteria for later disposal. The gross volume of primary and secondary packages amounts to 2,600 m3. The wastes have been kept in decay storage for up to 30 years. The project was started in 1998. Operation of the various processing facilities will take 7–8 years. The overall volume of conditioned waste will be of the order of 800 m3. All conditioned waste will be stored in appropriate storage facilities onsite. At present (August, 2000), the construction of a new processing facility is in progress and the call for venders for the equipment has been sent out. Several cells of the Pamela vitrification facility onsite will be adapted for the treatment of high-level and highly α-contaminated wastes; low-level β/γ wastes will be treated in the existing facility for supercompaction and conditioning by embedding into cement (CILVA). The bulk of these wastes, of which 95% are solids, the remainder consisting of mainly solidified liquids, have been produced between 1967 and 1988. They originate from various research programmes and reactor operation at the Belgian nuclear energy research centre SCK•CEN, isotope production, decontamination and dismantling operations. The wastes are stored in 4800 primary packages, of which 700 contain 120 g (5.1012 Bq) radium. Half the radium inventory is present in 25 containers. The presence of radium in waste packages, resulting in the emission of radon gas, requires particular measurements and the welding of packages for storage, in order to allow a correct interpretation of alpha measurements onsite. The total activity at the moment of production amounted to 18,811 TBq β/γ and 34.4 TBq α, with individual packages emitting up to 555 TBq β/γ and 2.2 TBq α. According to calculations, the β/γ activity has decreased to some 2,000 TBq, with individual packages up to 112 TBq. The extreme diversity of the wastes is not only expressed in their radiological characteristics, but also in their chemical composition, physical state, the nature and condition of the packages. Radioactivity ranges between 0.01 mCi to 1,000 Ci per package. Some packages contain resins, Na, NaK and Al containing wastes, poison rods, residues of fuel elements. Although most of the liquid wastes are solidified, a small fraction — both aqueous and organic — still remains liquid. Primary packages may be plastic bags, metal boxes, wire gauze, La Calène boxes; secondary packages may be steel drums and concrete containers. Solid wastes may be sources, counters, control and poison rods, nuclear fuel residues, filters, synthetic materials, metals, resins, granulates, rock, sludges, cables, glass … Some 1000 primary packages are stored in a dry storage vault comprising 20 concrete cells, while 3800 primary packages are stored in some 2,000 concrete containers, on a concrete floor, surrounded by an earth bank to the height of the waste stacking and covered by a metal construction. At present, the annual production of similar wastes amounts to 2 m3 divided over some 30 containers. Generally, the primary waste packages will be loaded in 80 l drums (an average of 2 packages per drum), and compacted in a 150 t hydraulic press. The pellets will be collected in 100 l drums (an average of 3 pellets per drum). Low-level β/γ waste is transferred to the CILVA facility for further treatment, while the other 100 l drums are filled up with sand and, in the case of radium-contaminated wastes, tight-welded. Subsequently, the 100 l drums are loaded into 400 l drums and embedded into cement. Certain packages, for example solidified radium-contaminated liquids in welded metal containers, are conditioned as such in overpacks. Specific procedures will be established for the various non-standard wastes, such as sources, control and poison rods, resins and filters, fuel residues. The new processing facility is being built partly over the dry storage vaults, in the immediate vicinity of the already covered storage area. It comprises 1) feeder locks for the introduction of the various waste packages; 2) a dispatching cell in which the primary packages are loaded into 80 l drums; 3) the processing cell in which the 80 l drums are compacted and the pellets loaded into 100 l drums; and either sent to the CILVA facility (low-level β/γ wastes), or the Pamela facility (highly active and/or heavily α-contaminated), or further treated in 4) the transport area, in which radium and medium-level waste containing drums are conditioned into cement; 5) the measurement and characterisation cell, in which the conditioned waste is characterized by gamma spectrometry, and checked for compliance with maximum allowed surface contamination and dose rate in view of interim storage in the appropriate facilities onsite. Ideally, gamma spectrometry measurements are carried out on the primary packages, but due to the extreme diversity of these packages, ranging from plastic bags containing cardboard to highly active steel valves, preference was given to measurements on the conditioned wastes, or at least on already pre-compacted wastes in the case of treatment in the 2,000 t press of the CILVA facility. Thus tremendous problems of calibration can be largely avoided. All operations are remotely controlled. Transfers between buildings are carried out within appropriately shielded containers and secondary wastes will be treated in existing facilities onsite.

Aim/Purpose: This paper provides the results of the preliminary analysis of the findings of an ongoing study that seeks to examine the social media use, cultural and political awareness, civic engagement, issue prioritization, and social activism of Gen Z students enrolled at four different institutional types located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The aim of this study is to look at the group as a whole as well as compare findings across populations. The institutional types under consideration include a mid-sized majority serving or otherwise referred to as a traditionally white institution (TWI) located in a small coastal city on the Atlantic Ocean, a small Historically Black University (HBCU) located in a rural area, a large community college located in a county that is a mixture of rural and suburban and which sits on the border of Maryland and Pennsylvania, and graduating high school students enrolled in career and technical education (CTE) programs in a large urban area. This exploration is purposed to examine the behaviors and expectations of Gen Z students within a representative American region during a time of tremendous turmoil and civil unrest in the United States. Background: Over 74 million strong, Gen Z makes up almost one-quarter of the U.S. population. They already outnumber any current living generation and are the first true digital natives. Born after 1996 and through 2012, they are known for their short attention spans and heightened ability to multi-task. Raised in the age of the smart phone, they have been tethered to digital devices from a young age with most having the preponderance of their childhood milestones commemorated online. Often called Zoomers, they are more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation and are on track to be the most well-educated generation in history. Gen Zers in the United States have been found in the research to be progressive and pro-government and viewing increasing racial and ethnic diversity as positive change. Finally, they are less likely to hold xenophobic beliefs such as the notion of American exceptionalism and superiority that have been popular with by prior generations. The United States has been in a period of social and civil unrest in recent years with concerns over systematic racism, rampant inequalities, political polarization, xenophobia, police violence, sexual assault and harassment, and the growing epidemic of gun violence. Anxieties stirred by the COVID-19 pandemic further compounded these issues resulting in a powder keg explosion occurring throughout the summer of 2020 and leading well into 2021. As a result, the United States has deteriorated significantly in the Civil Unrest Index falling from 91st to 34th. The vitriol, polarization, protests, murders, and shootings have all occurred during Gen Z’s formative years, and the limited research available indicates that it has shaped their values and political views. Methodology: The Mid-Atlantic region is a portion of the United States that exists as the overlap between the northeastern and southeastern portions of the country. It includes the nation’s capital, as well as large urban centers, small cities, suburbs, and rural enclaves. It is one of the most socially, economically, racially, and culturally diverse parts of the United States and is often referred to as the “typically American region.” An electronic survey was administered to students from 2019 through 2021 attending a high school dual enrollment program, a minority serving institution, a majority serving institution, and a community college all located within the larger mid-Atlantic region. The survey included a combination of multiple response, Likert scaled, dichotomous, open ended, and ordinal questions. It was developed in the Survey Monkey system and reviewed by several content and methodological experts in order to examine bias, vagueness, or potential semantic problems. Finally, the survey was pilot tested prior to implementation in order to explore the efficacy of the research methodology. It was then modified accordingly prior to widespread distribution to potential participants. The surveys were administered to students enrolled in classes taught by the authors all of whom are educators. Participation was voluntary, optional, and anonymous. Over 800 individuals completed the survey with just over 700 usable results, after partial completes and the responses of individuals outside of the 18-24 age range were removed. Findings: Participants in this study overwhelmingly were users of social media. In descending order, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, WhatsApp, LinkedIn and Tik Tok were the most popular social media services reported as being used. When volume of use was considered, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Twitter were the most cited with most participants reporting using Instagram and Snapchat multiple times a day. When asked to select which social media service they would use if forced to choose just one, the number one choice was YouTube followed by Instagram and Snapchat. Additionally, more than half of participants responded that they have uploaded a video to a video sharing site such as YouTube or Tik Tok. When asked about their familiarity with different technologies, participants overwhelmingly responded that they are “very familiar” with smart phones, searching the Web, social media, and email. About half the respondents said that they were “very familiar” with common computer applications such as the Microsoft Office Suite or Google Suite with another third saying that they were “somewhat familiar.” When asked about Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Blackboard, Course Compass, Canvas, Edmodo, Moodle, Course Sites, Google Classroom, Mindtap, Schoology, Absorb, D2L, itslearning, Otus, PowerSchool, or WizIQ, only 43% said they were “very familiar” with 31% responding that they were “somewhat familiar.” Finally, about half the students were either “very” or “somewhat” familiar with operating systems such as Windows. A few preferences with respect to technology in the teaching and learning process were explored in the survey. Most students (85%) responded that they want course announcements and reminders sent to their phones, 76% expect their courses to incorporate the use of technology, 71% want their courses to have course websites, and 71% said that they would rather watch a video than read a book chapter. When asked to consider the future, over 81% or respondents reported that technology will play a major role in their future career. Most participants considered themselves “informed” or “well informed” about current events although few considered themselves “very informed” or “well informed” about politics. When asked how they get their news, the most common forum reported for getting news and information about current events and politics was social media with 81% of respondents reporting. Gen Z is known to be an engaged generation and the participants in this study were not an exception. As such, it came as no surprise to discover that, in the past year more than 78% of respondents had educated friends or family about an important social or political issue, about half (48%) had donated to a cause of importance to them, more than a quarter (26%) had participated in a march or rally, and a quarter (26%) had actively boycotted a product or company. Further, about 37% consider themselves to be a social activist with another 41% responding that aren’t sure if they would consider themselves an activist and only 22% saying that they would not consider themselves an activist. When asked what issues were important to them, the most frequently cited were Black Lives Matter (75%), human trafficking (68%), sexual assault/harassment/Me Too (66.49%), gun violence (65.82%), women’s rights (65.15%), climate change (55.4%), immigration reform/deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) (48.8%), and LGBTQ+ rights (47.39%). When the schools were compared, there were only minor differences in social media use with the high school students indicating slightly more use of Tik Tok than the other participants. All groups were virtually equal when it came to how informed they perceived themselves about current events and politics. Consensus among groups existed with respect to how they get their news, and the community college and high school students were slightly more likely to have participated in a march, protest, or rally in the last 12 months than the university students. The community college and high school students were also slightly more likely to consider themselves social activists than the participants from either of the universities. When the importance of the issues was considered, significant differences based on institutional type were noted. Black Lives Matter (BLM) was identified as important by the largest portion of students attending the HBCU followed by the community college students and high school students. Less than half of the students attending the TWI considered BLM an important issue. Human trafficking was cited as important by a higher percentage of students attending the HBCU and urban high school than at the suburban and rural community college or the TWI. Sexual assault was considered important by the majority of students at all the schools with the percentage a bit smaller from the majority serving institution. About two thirds of the students at the high school, community college, and HBCU considered gun violence important versus about half the students at the majority serving institution. Women’s rights were reported as being important by more of the high school and HBCU participants than the community college or TWI. Climate change was considered important by about half the students at all schools with a slightly smaller portion reporting out the HBCU. Immigration reform/DACA was reported as important by half the high school, community college, and HBCU participants with only a third of the students from the majority serving institution citing it as an important issue. With respect to LGBTQ rights approximately half of the high school and community college participants cited it as important, 44.53% of the HBCU students, and only about a quarter of the students attending the majority serving institution. Contribution and Conclusion: This paper provides a timely investigation into the mindset of generation Z students living in the United States during a period of heightened civic unrest. This insight is useful to educators who should be informed about the generation of students that is currently populating higher education. The findings of this study are consistent with public opinion polls by Pew Research Center. According to the findings, the Gen Z students participating in this study are heavy users of multiple social media, expect technology to be integrated into teaching and learning, anticipate a future career where technology will play an important role, informed about current and political events, use social media as their main source for getting news and information, and fairly engaged in social activism. When institutional type was compared the students from the university with the more affluent and less diverse population were less likely to find social justice issues important than the other groups. Recommendations for Practitioners: During disruptive and contentious times, it is negligent to think that the abounding issues plaguing society are not important to our students. Gauging the issues of importance and levels of civic engagement provides us crucial information towards understanding the attitudes of students. Further, knowing how our students gain information, their social media usage, as well as how informed they are about current events and political issues can be used to more effectively communicate and educate. Recommendations for Researchers: As social media continues to proliferate daily life and become a vital means of news and information gathering, additional studies such as the one presented here are needed. Additionally, in other countries facing similarly turbulent times, measuring student interest, awareness, and engagement is highly informative. Impact on Society: During a highly contentious period replete with a large volume of civil unrest and compounded by a global pandemic, understanding the behaviors and attitudes of students can help us as higher education faculty be more attuned when it comes to the design and delivery of curriculum. Future Research This presentation presents preliminary findings. Data is still being collected and much more extensive statistical analyses will be performed.