Eleven-year physical activity trends in a Swiss urban area.

OBJECTIVE: Regular physical activity is a major health determinant. Little is known about physical activity trends. We evaluated whether adult physical activity levels are changing in a Swiss urban state (Geneva). METHOD: We analyzed 11-year trends of physical activity indicators, including 3+MET-minutes per week and physical activity outside working hours, in population representative adults (n=9320, aged 35-74years, 50% women), relating declared physical activity to socioeconomic status, lifestyle, and clinical and blood markers. RESULTS: Combining yearly cohorts from 1999 to 2009, we found a significant trend for increased physical activity levels. Weekly age and sex adjusted 3+MET-minutes per week increased from 3023 to 3752, between 1999 and 2009 (P=0.02). The increase also concerned physical activity outside working hours (+18kcal/day/year). There was a shift from low levels of physical activity levels towards higher activities. Physical activity indicators were associated with socioeconomic status, comorbidities, and biological and anthropometric measures. The trend for increased physical activity was more prominent over the latter 5years. CONCLUSION: We found that physical activity levels have increased in an urban Swiss state. The increase is significant but small, and further efforts to promote physical activity are therefore warranted.

The INTERNORM project : bridging two worlds of expert- and layknowledge in standardization

This paper presents a pilot project to reinforce participatory practices in standardization. The INTERNORM project is funded by the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. It aims to create an interactive knowledge center based on the sharing of academic skills and the experiences accumulated by the civil society, especially consumer associations, environmental associations and trade unions to strengthen the participatory process of standardization. The first objective of the project is action-oriented: INTERNORM provides a common knowledge pool supporting the participation of civil society actors to international standard-setting activities by bringing them together with academic experts in working groups and by providing logistic and financial support to their participation to meetings of national and international technical committees. The second objective of the project is analytical: the standardization action initiated through INTERNORM provides a research field for a better understanding of the participatory dynamics underpinning international standardization. The paper presents three incentives that explain civil society (non-)involvement in standardization that try to overcome conventional resource-based hypotheses: an operational incentive, related to the use of standards in the selective goods provided by associations to their membership; a thematic incentive, provided by the setting of priorities by strategic committees created in some standardization organization; a rhetorical incentive, related to the discursive resource that civil society concerns offers to the different stakeholders.

Report of Highway Research Board Research and Development Activities FY2007

The Highway Division of the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) engages in research and development for two reasons: first, to find workable solutions to the many problems that require more than ordinary, routine investigation; second, to identify and implement improved engineering and management practices. This report, entitled “Iowa Highway Research Board Research and Development Activities FY2007” is submitted in compliance with Sections 310.36 and 312.3A, Code of Iowa, which direct the submission of a report of the Secondary Road Research Fund and the Street Research Fund respectively. It is a report of the status of research and development projects, which were in progress on June 30, 2007; it is also a report on projects completed during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2006, and ending June 30, 2007. Detailed information on each of the research and development projects mentioned in this report is available in the Research and Technology Bureau in the Highway Division of the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Teaching, research and service: Experience and opinions of accounting Spanish academics

Research, teaching and service are the main activities carried out in almost all European universities. Previous research, which has been mainlycentred in North-American universities, has found solid results indicatingthat research and teaching are not equally valued when deciding on facultypromotion. This conclusion creates a potential conflict for accountingacademics on how to distribute working time in order to accomplish personalcareer objectives. This paper presents the results of a survey realisedin two European countries: Spain and the United Kingdom, which intendedto explore the opinions and personal experience of accounting academicsworking in these countries. Specifically, we focus on the following issues:(i) The impact of teaching and service on time available for research;(ii) The integration of teaching and research; (iii) The perceived valueof teaching and research for career success and (iv) The interaction betweenprofessional accounting and accounting research. The results show thatboth in Spain and in the United Kingdom there is a conflict between teachingand research, which has its origin in the importance attached to researchactivities on promotion decisions. It also seems evident that so far, theconflict is being solved in favour of research in prejudice of teaching.

Review of Targeted Small Business (TSB) procurement activities for the period July 1, 2007 through September 30, 2007

Review of Targeted Small Business (TSB) procurement activities for the period July 1, 2007 through September 30, 2007

Relação dos Estagiários e seus Orientadores com as TIC: um Estudo Realizado no Ano Letivo 2011/2012 no Departamento de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade de Cabo Verde

No contexto das atividades de formação de professores ao nível da Universidade Pública de Cabo Verde (Uni-CV), constatamos que existem algumas dificuldades associadas ao funcionamento dos estágios pedagógicos, que consideramos poderem ser superadas com recurso às tecnologias de informação e comunicação (TIC). Entendemos que o estágio curricular constitui uma das etapas decisivas para os futuros docentes de ensino secundário no país, garantindo-lhes a oportunidade de contato com estratégias de trabalho atuais e inovadoras para esses contextos. Esta comunicação enquadra-se num processo de investigação-ação que pretende dinamizar as metodologias de trabalho com os estagiários e seus orientadores no Departamento de Ciências Sociais e Humanas no campus do Palmarejo da Uni-CV. Para tal, pretende-se recorrer à dinamização de um espaço virtual na Moodle, de forma a superar algumas das dificuldades previamente identificadas. Os dados aqui apresentados resultam de um diagnóstico de necessidades de formação e representam uma breve avaliação das condições existentes para o acompanhamento dos estágios pedagógicos através de um ambiente online, onde se constatou que os estagiários e seus orientadores, além de serem utilizadores e terem bons conhecimentos das TIC, gostariam de poder contar com um espaço virtual que os apoiasse ao longo de todo o estágio.

Working with Persons with Disabilities: Title I of The Americans with Disabilities Act: A Guide for State Supervisors and Managers, 2003

What are a supervisor’s responsibilities when it comes to interviewing, hiring, and retaining persons with disabilities? First and foremost, do not discriminate against persons with disabilities. What this means is that you are required to provide the same level of employment consideration and supervision for a disabled employee that you would for an able-bodied employee. No more – no less. State of Iowa management personnel must be proactive with regard to Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and managers and supervisory personnel should have an operational knowledge of the significant aspects of The Americans with Disabilities Act. This manual is for Iowa management personnel to use.

Review of targeted small business procurement activities for the year ended June 30, 2008

Review of targeted small business procurement activities for the year ended June 30, 2008

Annual Report of Iowa Highway Research Board Research and Development Activities FY 08

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT The Highway Division of the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) engages in research and development for two reasons: first, to find workable solutions to the many problems that require more than ordinary, routine investigation; second, to identify and implement improved engineering and management practices. This report, entitled "Iowa Highway Research Board Research and Development Activities FY2008" is submitted in compliance with Sections 310.36 and 3 I2.3A, Code of Iowa, which direct the submission of a report of the Secondary Road Research Fund and the Street Research Fund respectively. It is a report of the status of research and development projects in progress on June 30, 2008; it is also a report on projects completed during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007, and ending June 30, 2008. Detailed information on each of the research and development projects mentioned in this report is available in the Research and Technology Bureau in the Highway Division of the Iowa Department of Transportation. IOWA HIGHWAY RESEARCH BOARD In developing a progressive, continuing and coordinated program of research and development, the Highway Division is assisted by the Iowa Highway Research Board. This advisory group was established in 1949 by the Iowa State Highway Commission to respond to the research denoted in Section 310.36 of the Code of Iowa and now is denoted by 312.3A. The Research Board consists of 15 regular members: seven Iowa county engineers, four Iowa DOT engineers, one representative from Iowa State University, one from The University of Iowa, and two engineers employed by Iowa municipalities. Each regular member may have an alternate who will serve at the request of the regular member. The regular members and their alternates are appointed for a three-year term. The membership of the Research Board as of June 30, 2008, is listed in Table I. The Research Board held nine regular meetings during the period ofJuly 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008. Suggestions for research and development were reviewed at these meetings and recommendations were made by the Board.

Critical Role of the GM-CSF Signaling Pathway in Macrophage Pro-Repair Activities.

OBJECTIVE: Macrophages play a critical role in intestinal wound repair. However, the molecular pathways that regulate macrophage wound repair activities remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of GM-CSF receptor signaling in the wound repair activities of macrophages. METHODS: Murine macrophages were differentiated from bone marrow cells and human macrophages from monocytes isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of Crohn's disease (CD) patients. In vitro models were used to study the repair activities of macrophages. RESULTS: We provide evidence that GM-CSF receptor signaling is required for murine macrophages to promote epithelial repair. In addition, we demonstrate that the deficient repair properties of macrophages from CD patients with active disease can be recovered via GM-CSF therapy. CONCLUSION: Our data support a critical role of the GM-CSF signaling pathway in the pro-repair activities of mouse and human macrophages. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

The role of incidental variables of time in mood assessment

Determining what influences mood is important for theories of emotion and research onsubjective well-being. We consider three sets of factors: activities in which people areengaged; individual differences; and incidental variables that capture when mood ismeasured, e.g., time-of-day. These three factors were investigated simultaneously in a studyinvolving 168 part-time students who each responded 30 times in an experience samplingstudy conducted over 10 working days. Respondents assessed mood on a simple bipolarscale from 1 (very negative) to 10 (very positive). Activities had significant effects but,with the possible exception of variability in the expression of mood, no systematicindividual differences were detected. Diurnal effects, similar to those already reported inthe literature, were found as was an overall Friday effect. However, these effects weresmall. Lastly, the weather had little or no influence. We conclude that simple measures ofoverall mood are not greatly affected by incidental variables.

Performance Report for Fiscal Year, 2007

I am pleased to present the performance report for the Iowa Department for the Blind for fiscal year 2007. This report is provided in compliance with sections 8E.210 and 216B.7 of the Code of Iowa. It contains valuable information about the services the Department and its partners provided for Iowans during the past fiscal year in the areas of Vocational Rehabilitation, Independent Living, Library Services, and Resource Management. The Department determines its competitive success in a number of ways. We look at the federal standards and indicators to learn our ranking in relation to the performance of other public rehabilitation agencies. We compare our library's production and circulation figures with those from previous years to determine trends. We set our own standards for success by looking at such factors as the number of successful case closures, average hourly wage at case closure, skills training provided, and compliance with regulations. Results show that the Department is working positively toward achieving its strategic goals of increasing the independence and productivity of blind Iowans and improving access to information for blind Iowans. Major accomplishments of the year included the selection of our Library as the only agency authorized to distribute educational materials using the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) to students in Iowa. Our Independent Living program received the Shining Star award at the Governor's Conference on Aging for its work with and outreach to older blind Iowans. The Department, the Iowa Braille School, and the Department of Education implemented new cooperative efforts to improve the coordination and delivery of services to blind and visually impaired students in Iowa. Finally, earnings ratios and the percentage of employment for vocational rehabilitation clients of the Department remain among the best in the nation, as measured by the U.S. Rehabilitation Services Administration, which on June 27, 2007 released data on federal standards and indicators for the year ended September 30, 2006. Overall, we met or exceeded 11 of 16 results targets included in this report. A discussion of the Department's services, customers, organizational structure, and budget appears in the "Department Overview" that follows. The success of the Department's programs is evident in the success achieved by blind Iowans. It is reflected in the many blind persons who can be seen traveling about independently, going to their jobs and to the community and family activities in which they participate. Sincerely, Allen C. Harris Director, Iowa Department for the Blind

Performance Report for Fiscal Year, 2008

I am pleased to present the performance report for the Iowa Department for the Blind for fiscal year 2008. This report is provided in compliance with sections 8E.210 and 216B.7 of the Code of Iowa. It contains valuable information about results achieved because of the services that we and our partners provided to blind and visually impaired Iowans during the past fiscal year in the areas of Vocational Rehabilitation, Independent Living, Library Services, and Resource Management. We determine our competitive success in a number of ways. We look at the federal standards and indicators to learn our ranking in relation to the performance of other public rehabilitation agencies. We compare our library's production and circulation figures with those from previous years to determine trends. We set our own standards for success by looking at such factors as the number of successful case closures, average hourly wage at case closure, skills training provided, and compliance with regulations. Results show that the Department is working positively toward achieving its strategic goals of increasing the independence and productivity of blind Iowans and improving access to information for blind Iowans. Major accomplishments of the year included:  The selection of our Library as one of eight libraries to receive the new digital talking book machines and books in digital media from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Priority for distribution of the machines is given to Library patrons who are veterans.  The Department, the Iowa Braille School, and the Department of Education have been promoting the new expanded core curriculum as part of their continued efforts to improve the coordination and delivery of services to blind and visually impaired students in Iowa.  The Department's five-year grant funded Pathfinders mentoring program ended this year. A total of 49 blind youths aged 16-26 were paired with successful blind adult mentors. Assessments of the program clearly showed that participation in the program had a measurable positive effect on the youth involved.  Finally, earnings ratios and the percentage of employment for vocational rehabilitation clients of the Department are among the best in the nation, as measured by the U.S. Rehabilitation Services Administration's standards and indicators for the year ended September 30, 2007. Overall, we met or exceeded 13 of 18 targets included in this report. A discussion of the Department's services, customers, and organizational structure, and budget appears in the "Department Overview" that follows. Information pertaining to performance results appears in the final section of this document. The success of the Department's programs is evident in the success achieved by blind Iowans. It is reflected in the many blind persons who can be seen traveling about independently, going to their jobs and to the community and family activities in which they participate. Sincerely, Karen A. Keninger, Director Iowa Department for the Blind

Annual Report of Iowa Highway Research Board Research and Development Activities 2007

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT The Highway Division of the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) engages in research and development for two reasons: first, to find workable solutions to the many problems that require more than ordinary, routine investigation; second, to identify and implement improved engineering and management practices. This report, entitled "Iowa Highway Research Board Research and Development Activities FY2008" is submitted in compliance with Sections 310.36 and 3 I2.3A, Code of Iowa, which direct the submission of a report of the Secondary Road Research Fund and the Street Research Fund respectively. It is a report of the status of research and development projects in progress on June 30, 2008; it is also a report on projects completed during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007, and ending June 30, 2008. Detailed information on each of the research and development projects mentioned in this report is available in the Research and Technology Bureau in the Highway Division of the Iowa Department of Transportation. IOWA HIGHWAY RESEARCH BOARD In developing a progressive, continuing and coordinated program of research and development, the Highway Division is assisted by the Iowa Highway Research Board. This advisory group was established in 1949 by the Iowa State Highway Commission to respond to the research denoted in Section 310.36 of the Code of Iowa and now is denoted by 312.3A. The Research Board consists of 15 regular members: seven Iowa county engineers, four Iowa DOT engineers, one representative from Iowa State University, one from The University of Iowa, and two engineers employed by Iowa municipalities. Each regular member may have an alternate who will serve at the request of the regular member. The regular members and their alternates are appointed for a three-year term. The membership of the Research Board as of June 30, 2008, is listed in Table I. The Research Board held nine regular meetings during the period ofJuly 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008. Suggestions for research and development were reviewed at these meetings and recommendations were made by the Board.