A Path Analysis of Agitation in Persons with Alzheimer Disease

This study tested a theory-driven path model of predictors and outcomes of agitated behavioral symptoms in persons with Alzheimer Disease (AD) guided by the Nursing Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms. This secondary analysis included data from 48 persons with AD from institutional residences in Midwestern United States. Data included measures of physical, psychological, and situational antecedents of agitation, the symptom of agitation, and functional outcomes of agitation with 15 instruments and subscales. The data were a good fit for the empirical path model (χ2 = 1.049, df = 2, p = .592). Statistically significant paths were found from measures of physical, psychological, and situational antecedents to agitation (B = 0.58, 0.446, and 0.51; p ≤ .001) which explained 63% of the variance in agitation. Functional performance was influenced only by physical antecedents, which explained 66% of the variance in functional performance. While physical and psychological states may be comorbid to the AD disease process and therefore less modifiable, the situational measure was primarily defined by measures related to caregiver burden. Therefore, future agitation interventions should target strategies to improve caregiver burden.

Spatial Clustering of County-Level COVID-19 Rates in the U.S

Despite the widespread prevalence of cases associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, little is known about the spatial clustering of COVID-19 in the United States. Data on COVID-19 cases were used to identify U.S. counties that have both high and low COVID-19 incident proportions and clusters. Our results suggest that there are a variety of sociodemographic variables that are associated with the severity of COVID-19 county-level incident proportions. As the pandemic evolved, communities of color were disproportionately impacted. Subsequently, it shifted from communities of color and metropolitan areas to rural areas in the U.S. Our final period showed limited differences in county characteristics, suggesting that COVID-19 infections were more widespread. The findings might address the systemic barriers and health disparities that may result in high incident proportions of COVID-19 clusters.

An Analysis of Coaches’ Perceptions of Inappropriate Coaching Behaviors

The use of inappropriate coaching behaviors has been an ongoing concern for many years. However, not yet well researched is the use of inappropriate and bullying behaviors by coaches toward student-athletes. The purpose of this study was aimed at gathering relevant information on coaches’ use of inappropriate behaviors towards athletes, as reported by coaches. Participants for this study included 488 public/private school sport coaches, males (N=332) and females (N=153), from eight states. Data were gathered via an on-line survey in which participants identified if they had engaged in any of 22 listed actions among three types of bullying (physical, relational, verbal). Participants identified three actions (‘poking fun at an athlete’, ‘embarrassed an athlete in front of others’, and ‘name calling without hurtful intent’) as having been done by at least 30% of them. In summary, most actions were reported to have not been used by most coaches, three-fourths of the actions were considered inappropriate, and less than half were considered bullying. Keywords: coaching, bullying, sports

Malware Infections in the U.S. during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Empirical Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world in many ways, especially in the landscape of cyber threats. The pandemic has pro-vided cybercriminals with more opportunities to commit crimes due to more people engaging in online activities, along with the increased use of computers for school, work, and social events. The current study seeks to explore cybercrime trends, in particular malware infections, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, this study examines the relationship between the number of malware in-fections, COVID-19 positive cases, closed non-essential businesses, and closed K-12 public schools in the United States. Data utilized in this study derives from (1) Kaspersky Cyberthreat Real-Time Map, (2) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and (3) COVID-19 US State Policy Database over the course of six months from January of 2020 to June of 2020. The findings of this study reveal that there are associations between the number of malware infections, COVID-19 positive cases, and closed non-essential busi-nesses. However, interestingly, there is no link between the number of malware infections and closed K-12 public schools. Policy impli-cations and the limitations of this study are also discussed.

Socio-economic and Socio-personal Characteristics of Agri-Entrepreneurs: A Study of Uttarakhand and Punjab State of India

This study investigated the Socio-economic and Socio-personal characteristics of agripreneurs. The study was conducted in Uttarakhand and Punjab states. Data for the investigation were collected from 120 respondent trainees, 60 each from the selected state. The study discovered that the majority of respondents (65.83) belonged to middle age group of 29-40 years, were married (75.83%) and had a low level of experience (0-5 years) in the agri enterprises. It was found that the majority of the respondents (50.83%) were engaged in agriculture belonged to the General caste and had education up to graduation (57.50%). A maximum number of the respondents were involved in social and political institutions holding more than one position (35.83%), belonged to medium family size (49.17%), possessed 5-10 animal (biogas plant, pump set, two-wheeler (36.67%). The majority of the respondents (81.17%) had a medium level of socio-economic status (SES).

Level of Acceptance of News Stories on Social Media Platforms Among Youth in Nigeria

This study investigates the level of acceptance of news stories on social media platforms among youth in Nigeria following the assumption that the proliferation of news stories on social media promotes the circulation of both factual and fake news. The sample consisted of 600 youth; however, 583 validly participated in the study. The participants were equitably selected in six States in Nigeria that represented the six geo-political zones of the country. The multi-stage sampling technique was employed to evenly select the youth from the major cities/towns in the States. Data generated were analysed and presented through descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS version 20 software. Results show that the youth accepted entertainment news stories more than any other type of news stories on social media platforms. The majority of the youth considered Twitter as the most acceptable social media platform for receiving news stories in Nigeria. Findings also revealed that despite their love to read news stories on social media platforms, the youth’s level of acceptance of it was low. Furthermore, the age and gender of the youth were found to directly influence their level of acceptance of news stories on social media platforms. The study concluded that the multi-dimensional inter-play that characterised the low level of acceptance of news stories on social media platforms among the youth in Nigeria does not portend ominous signs. Keywords: Acceptance, mainstream media, news stories, social media platforms, youth.

Policy Implications, Eligibility, and Demographic Characteristics of People With Intellectual Disability Who Access Self-Directed Funding in the United States

This study identifies factors (state of residence, personal characteristics, and living situation) associated with access to self-directed funding (SDF) for adults with intellectual disability in the United States. Data from 10,033 participants from 26 states in the 2012–2013 National Core Indicators Adult Consumer Survey were analyzed. We examined state, age group, residence type, disability diagnoses, mental health status, and type of disability support funding used. Availability of SDF for people with ID varied by state and aligned mostly with state-by-state policy data on SDF eligibility and availability. The results of a logistic regression analysis demonstrated that access to SDF was lower in older adults and higher for people who lived in their parents' or relatives' home, an independent home, and with certain personal characteristics. Potential influences from policy and practice, and approaches to increase access to SDF are discussed.