Student rating of skill performance opportunities in faculty-directed research

The purpose was to examine the feasibility of creating a faculty-driven research-based fieldwork (FW) I experience and to examine whether students engaged in a research-based FW I would report equivalent skill performance opportunities as students engaged in traditional FW I experiences. Twenty-four first-year occupational therapy students were given the option of choosing either a research-based FW I experience with a faculty member (n = 5) or a traditional FW I site (n = 19). The students self-reported their opportunities to perform ACOTE standards of practice related to professionalism, professional reasoning, use of sciences, and experiential learning using a Likert scale. Results are provided through non-parametric tests. Students in the research-based FW I reported significantly higher scores for skill performance opportunities than the students in the traditional FW I in areas of professionalism (p = .03), professional reasoning (p = .02), and experiential learning (p = .04), but there were no differences in use of sciences scores. In this small sample, first-year occupational therapy students reported a difference in skill performance opportunities for practicing professionalism, professional reasoning, and experiential learning in a research-based FW I structured by a faculty member, compared to students who chose a traditional FW I setting

Examining the Health Action Process Approach for Predicting Physical Activity Behavior in Adults with Back Pain

This study investigated the appropriateness of the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) as it relates to physical activity (PA) behavior in the back pain population. The motivational and volitional constructs of the HAPA, PA, and back pain-related disability variables were assessed in a sample of 350 men and women with back pain. HAPA model fit was satisfactory accounting for 21% of the variance in PA intentions and 28% of PA behavior. All motivational phase constructs relate to PA intention. Action/coping planning and recovery self-efficacy do not relate to PA behavior. PA intentions are the strongest predictor of PA behavior. An expanded model, including disability-specific variables, satisfactorily fit the data, accounting for 32% of PA intentions and 29% of PA participation. These data partially support assumptions of the HAPA for the back pain population. For the back pain population, interventions designed to affect PA behavior must account for disability-specific variables

LSST Science Book, Version 2.0

A survey that can cover the sky in optical bands over wide fields to faint magnitudes with a fast cadence will enable many of the exciting science opportunities of the next decade. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will have an effective aperture of 6.7 meters and an imaging camera with field of view of 9.6 deg^2, and will be devoted to a ten-year imaging survey over 20,000 deg^2 south of +15 deg. Each pointing will be imaged 2000 times with fifteen second exposures in six broad bands from 0.35 to 1.1 microns, to a total point-source depth of r~27.5. The LSST Science Book describes the basic parameters of the LSST hardware, software, and observing plans. The book discusses educational and outreach opportunities, then goes on to describe a broad range of science that LSST will revolutionize: mapping the inner and outer Solar System, stellar populations in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, the structure of the Milky Way disk and halo and other objects in the Local Volume, transient and variable objects both at low and high redshift, and the properties of normal and active galaxies at low and high redshift. It then turns to far-field cosmological topics, exploring properties of supernovae to z~1, strong and weak lensing, the large-scale distribution of galaxies and baryon oscillations, and how these different probes may be combined to constrain cosmological models and the physics of dark energy

LSST Science Book, Version 2.0

A survey that can cover the sky in optical bands over wide fields to faint magnitudes with a fast cadence will enable many of the exciting science opportunities of the next decade. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will have an effective aperture of 6.7 meters and an imaging camera with field of view of 9.6 deg^2, and will be devoted to a ten-year imaging survey over 20,000 deg^2 south of +15 deg. Each pointing will be imaged 2000 times with fifteen second exposures in six broad bands from 0.35 to 1.1 microns, to a total point-source depth of r~27.5. The LSST Science Book describes the basic parameters of the LSST hardware, software, and observing plans. The book discusses educational and outreach opportunities, then goes on to describe a broad range of science that LSST will revolutionize: mapping the inner and outer Solar System, stellar populations in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, the structure of the Milky Way disk and halo and other objects in the Local Volume, transient and variable objects both at low and high redshift, and the properties of normal and active galaxies at low and high redshift. It then turns to far-field cosmological topics, exploring properties of supernovae to z~1, strong and weak lensing, the large-scale distribution of galaxies and baryon oscillations, and how these different probes may be combined to constrain cosmological models and the physics of dark energy.Comment: 596 pages. Also available at full resolution at http://www.lsst.org/lsst/sciboo

Perspectives on ethnic and racial disparities in Alzheimer\u27s disease and related dementias: Update and areas of immediate need

Alzheimer\u27s disease and related dementias (ADRDs) are a global crisis facing the aging population and society as a whole. With the numbers of people with ADRDs predicted to rise dramatically across the world, the scientific community can no longer neglect the need for research focusing on ADRDs among underrepresented ethnoracial diverse groups. The Alzheimer\u27s Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer\u27s Research and Treatment (ISTAART; alz.org/ISTAART) comprises a number of professional interest areas (PIAs), each focusing on a major scientific area associated with ADRDs. We leverage the expertise of the existing international cadre of ISTAART scientists and experts to synthesize a cross-PIA white paper that provides both a concise “state-of-the-science” report of ethnoracial factors across PIA foci and updated recommendations to address immediate needs to advance ADRD science across ethnoracial populations. © 2018 The Author

Efficacy and safety of baricitinib or ravulizumab in adult patients with severe COVID-19 (TACTIC-R): a randomised, parallel-arm, open-label, phase 4 trial

Background From early in the COVID-19 pandemic, evidence suggested a role for cytokine dysregulation and complement activation in severe disease. In the TACTIC-R trial, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of baricitinib, an inhibitor of Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) and JAK2, and ravulizumab, a monoclonal inhibitor of complement C5 activation, as an adjunct to standard of care for the treatment of adult patients hospitalised with COVID-19. Methods TACTIC-R was a phase 4, randomised, parallel-arm, open-label platform trial that was undertaken in the UK with urgent public health designation to assess the potential of repurposing immunosuppressants for the treatment of severe COVID-19, stratified by a risk score. Adult participants (aged ≥18 years) were enrolled from 22 hospitals across the UK. Patients with a risk score indicating a 40% risk of admission to an intensive care unit or death were randomly assigned 1:1:1 to standard of care alone, standard of care with baricitinib, or standard of care with ravulizumab. The composite primary outcome was the time from randomisation to incidence (up to and including day 14) of the first event of death, invasive mechanical ventilation, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, cardiovascular organ support, or renal failure. The primary interim analysis was triggered when 125 patient datasets were available up to day 14 in each study group and we included in the analysis all participants who were randomly assigned. The trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04390464). Findings Between May 8, 2020, and May 7, 2021, 417 participants were recruited and randomly assigned to standard of care alone (145 patients), baricitinib (137 patients), or ravulizumab (135 patients). Only 54 (39%) of 137 patients in the baricitinib group received the maximum 14-day course, whereas 132 (98%) of 135 patients in the ravulizumab group received the intended dose. The trial was stopped after the primary interim analysis on grounds of futility. The estimated hazard ratio (HR) for reaching the composite primary endpoint was 1·11 (95% CI 0·62–1·99) for patients on baricitinib compared with standard of care alone, and 1·53 (0·88–2·67) for ravulizumab compared with standard of care alone. 45 serious adverse events (21 deaths) were reported in the standard-of-care group, 57 (24 deaths) in the baricitinib group, and 60 (18 deaths) in the ravulizumab group. Interpretation Neither baricitinib nor ravulizumab, as administered in this study, was effective in reducing disease severity in patients selected for severe COVID-19. Safety was similar between treatments and standard of care. The short period of dosing with baricitinib might explain the discrepancy between our findings and those of other trials. The therapeutic potential of targeting complement C5 activation product C5a, rather than the cleavage of C5, warrants further evaluation

Improving Personal Characterization of Meaningful Activity in Adults with Chronic Conditions Living in a Low-Income Housing Community

Purpose: To understand how adults living in a low-income, public housing community characterize meaningful activity (activity that gives life purpose) and if through short-term intervention, could overcome identified individual and environmental barriers to activity engagement. Methods: We used a mixed methods design where Phase 1 (qualitative) informed the development of Phase 2 (quantitative). Focus groups were conducted with residents of two low-income, public housing communities to understand their characterization of meaningful activity and health. From these results, we developed a theory-based group intervention for overcoming barriers to engagement in meaningful activity. Finally, we examined change in self-report scores from the Meaningful Activity Participation Assessment (MAPA) and the Engagement in Meaningful Activity Survey (EMAS). Results: Health literacy appeared to impact understanding of the questions in Phase 1. Activity availability, transportation, income and functional limitations were reported as barriers to meaningful activity. Phase 2 within group analysis revealed a significant difference in MAPA pre-post scores (p =0.007), but not EMAS (p =0.33). Discussion: Health literacy should be assessed and addressed in this population prior to intervention. After a group intervention, participants had a change in characterization of what is considered healthy, meaningful activity but reported fewer changes to how their activities aligned with their values

Exploring families’ perceptions of family health

Statement of purpose: Vital to positive child outcomes is the “health” of the family or family health, as the family is the most important context for child development (Fiese, Rhodes, & Beardslee, 2013). To date, investigation of family health has been limited to studies investigating discrete factors of family life such as family interaction, family functioning, parenting stress, and parenting styles (Carr, & Springer, 2010;Kremer-Sadlik & Paugh, 2007). Yet, dissecting a construct into components does not account for the complexities of a phenomenon that has conceptual influences from biological, psychological, ecological, and social health perspectives (Denham, 2003; Fiese, 2007). Given critical associations between components of family health and child development, inquiry into explicating the experience of family health is warranted to reveal indicators for robust family health to strengthen current models of interventions aimed to support positive health outcomes for the family and child. Description of methods (participants, data collection, analysis): Constructivist grounded theory methods were used to explore the experience of family health in families with typically developing children. Ten families were recruited and interviewed, including 17 parents and 15 children. A team of four analysts convened weekly for eight weeks to triangulate analyses, along with family input, for collaborative development of a family health model. Report of results: These results informed the development of a preliminary family health model to frame families’ experiences of family health. The model captures family health being constructed of a sense of connectedness and family identity through shared purpose. Positive mediating factors on family health included conscious engagement in family occupation and intentional time use. Individual or family stressors of having a baby, losing a job, or experiencing poor physical health negatively mediated the overall family’s health. Indirect influences of family communication, emotional safety, healthy food choices, and physical exercise contributed to the formation of healthy habits families attributed to robust family health. Discussion/implications as related to occupational science: Revealing family occupation in families with typically developing children and its relationship to family health provides another step in refining the construct of family occupation and provides a portal through which occupational scientists can investigate the integrity of occupation at a systems level. This study exposes occupational processes that can be explored and provides a platform for discussion for occupational science to be translatable to models of service delivery. Word Count: 400 Key Words: Family Health, Family Occupation, Grounded Theory Learning Objectives for Session: 1. Participants will understand constructs of family health and mediating factors supporting and inhibiting robust family health from the perspective of families raising typically developing children. 2. Participants will discuss implications of these findings for practice, research, and potential translation to service delivery