COLLEGE ATHLETES AND ALCOHOL USE: THE NEED FOR EFFECTIVE PREVENTION/INTERVENTION PROGRAMS

The literature review investigates the relationship between alcohol and college athletes. College athletes are a high-risk drinking group; alcohol use amongst collegiate athletes is a major concern due to the consequences associated with use. It is important to review student-athlete behavior and influences that contribute to alcohol use in order to design a program that effectively prevents use and intervenes use when it occurs. Results from original articles were used to support the need for effective prevention/intervention programs for this population based on the severity and frequency of use, negative effects of alcohol, and lack of effective prevention/intervention programs. Coaches, athletic personnel, and universities need to implement effective programs in order to promote student-athlete well-being and athletic success. This paper concludes with practical recommendations for coaches, athletic personnel, and universities to take into consideration when implementing an effective prevention/intervention program

P25. Psychological Well-Being in Sport: Examining the construct validity of a modified version of the Scales of Psychological Well-Being

Background: Participation in sport can contribute in individuals\u27 physical health, psychological well-being (PWB), and general quality of life (Coakley, 2007). In the sport literature, the majority of studies have failed to distinguish between general well-being and well-being specific to the sport context (Lundqvist, 2011). This is partly because of a lack of sport specific PWB measurement tools; thus the purpose of the present study was to adapt an existing PWB global instrument (i.e., Scales of Psychological Well-Being; Ryff, 1989) for the sport context and examine the construct validity of the modified version of the instrument. Methods: Nine experts assessed the content relevance of each of the modified items of three scales (i.e. Personal Growth through Sport, Purpose in Sport, Self-Acceptance in Sport) of the SPWB. 400 athletes (Mage = 25.507, SD = 7.34), engaged in a variety of sports completed the modified questionnaire. Factorial validity was examined using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results: Taking into account the experts’ assessments regarding the content validity of the modified items, 19 out of 42 items were retained with additional modifications. After the items have been finalized, model fit of the hypothesized three-factor model was examined. The data revealed adequate fit to the model. Revision may needed for some items. Discussion & Conclusion: Initial support is provided for the construct validity of SPWB in Sport indicating that the modified instrument is relevant for the sport domain. Interdisciplinary Reflection: Researchers and sport psychology consultants are encouraged to use the SPWB for assessing athletes’ PWB. However, more research is needed to further evaluate the validity of the SPWB. Keywords: psychological well-being, construct validity, spor

Measuring eudaimonic wellbeing in sport: Validation of the Eudaimonic Wellbeing in Sport Scale

The purpose of this study was to create and validate a sport-specific eudaimonic wellbeing measure (EWBSS; Eudaimonic Wellbeing in Sport Scale) and included three phases.  In Phase 1, an initial pool of 19 items was developed and five items were selected by five experts to represent eudaimonic wellbeing in sport (EWBSS).  Four hundred athletes (Mage = 24.32, SD = 6.69) from various individual and team sports participated in Phase 2.  Factorial validity and reliability scores were examined using confirmatory factor analysis and alpha coefficient calculations.  Results indicated initial evidence for both factorial validity and internal consistency of the EWBSS.  In Phase 3, further psychometric testing of the EWBSS with two independent samples (i.e., competitive and recreational athletes) ensued.  The findings provided further evidence of sound validity and reliability scores of the EWBSS in competitive athletes.  Partial support for the psychometric properties of the EWBSS was provided in recreational athletes.  As the validation of an instrument is an ongoing process, more research is needed to further evaluate the validity of the EWBSS

Exploring Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Urban Growth Scenarios for Metropolitan Boston (USA): The Relationship Between Urban Trees and Perceived Density

Achieving multiple goals rather than trading one goal off for another is the essence of sustainability. Visualizing alternative futures in a participatory planning process helps disentangle complex planning issues particularly when stakeholders may perceive key goals as imposing potential tradeoffs, such as increased housing for a growing population and availability of green space. This study explored the effects of using visualization and scenarios as planning tools in a workshop with stakeholders in the Boston Metro Area, Massachusetts (USA), in achieving multiple benefits of sustainable future growth of the region. We applied mixed methods sequential explanatory design and a survey instrument with a landscape preference survey designed to garner stakeholders\u27 preference and acceptability of perceived urban density versus urban greening in four future growth scenarios reflecting multiple goals in sustainability. The results of the landscape preference survey demonstrated that increasing tree canopy appears to ameliorate the low ratings of high-rise buildings for the region\u27s urban development. In addition, the scenario planning process, especially the use of small group discussions, represented an effective tool in facilitating stakeholders\u27 discussion about achieving the multiple benefits of the three goals of sustainability: Environment, Economy, Equity. This study provided theoretical and applied insights for planners in the use of visualization and scenario planning methodologies to engage stakeholders in the participatory planning process. It revealed the potential for a policy decision shift among stakeholders in the Boston region, namely that higher density urban development would likely be more acceptable to them when combined with a simultaneous increase in tree canopy cover. Through practices like these, stakeholders are more likely to consider policies and designs that embrace a variety of goals for their community’s future instead of simplistically placing one goal in opposition to another or trading them off against each other

Mental health and well-being of LGBT+ Veterans dismissed from the British Armed Forces before January 2000

Between 1955 and January 2000, the U.K. Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence enforced a ban on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and related (LGBT+) service, dismissing or forcing the immediate retirement of thousands of personnel because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. They fell on hard times and were left isolated and unsupported by the nation they had proudly stood to defend. Although more than 21 years has elapsed since the ban was lifted, little academic literature has explored the ban’s impact on the mental health and well-being of the United Kingdom’s LGBT+ Veteran community. Anecdotal evidence suggests many still endure consequential hardship and mental health struggles and remain isolated from the military family and traditional support services. Fighting With Pride, an LGBT+ military charity launched in January 2020, and Northumbria University’s Veterans and Military Families Research Hub joined in partnership to remedy this by determining mental health and well-being impacts and consequences and identifying recovery pathways. Lived experience narratives must be used to help build support ahead of the publication of any formal findings. Research-based evidence is vital in helping to develop recovery and support policy and in further shaping support services to develop the best possible impact-related outcomes

Scenario Planning for the Boston Metropolitan Region: Exploring Environmental and Social Implications of Alternative Futures

The Boston Metropolitan Area Urban Long-term Ecological Research Area (BMA-ULTRA-EX) Project is an interdisciplinary project that is studying the effects of socio-economic and biophysical drivers on urban ecosystems. The Boston region is experiencing low-density urban sprawl (suburbanization) on the rural-urban fringes of the metropolitan area that is creating environmental impacts to natural resources. At the same time, central cities such as Boston are seeing disinvestment in some low-income neighborhoods causing property abandonment, along with limited infill development (densification) near the commercial core and transit hubs. These competing socio-economic forces of suburbanization, densification, and disinvestment have environmental implications for urban ecosystems, including urban forest canopy, water quantity and quality, and biodiversity. Landscape planning initiatives to address these issues will require a pro-active approach to concentrating development on currently built lands and in the suburban fringe to protect forests, farms and other natural resources, while greening and enhancing ecosystem services in the current high-density urban core. It is within this landscape planning setting that the research team used a stakeholder- driven process to develop a set of four planning scenarios to explore the future of the region. This paper will describe the planning process with stakeholders to develop these plans, along with the preliminary analyses. It will conclude with insights for other landscape planners engaged in scenario planning

What Does It Take to Achieve Equitable Urban Tree Canopy Distribution? A Boston Case Study.

Considerable attention has been paid to the benefits that urban trees provide and recent research has focused on how the distribution of trees in the urban landscape is affected by socioeconomic processes like social stratification, as indicated by associations with income, race, ethnicity, and education. These studies have found marked disparity in urban canopy cover, with primarily low income and minority neighborhoods commonly being underserved. However, few studies have investigated the potential to overcome urban canopy inequities through urban planning and reforestation. This question becomes even more important as many U.S. cities pledge to increase urban canopy cover as part of larger climate change mitigation strategies. Can today’s heavily developed U.S. cities use these tree planting initiatives to increase equity in urban canopy cover while still providing the infrastructure and housing necessary for expected population growth? This case study characterizes the socioeconomic drivers of the current urban canopy cover in Boston, Massachusetts, and further explores the possibility of distributing trees to increase equitable access to environmental justice and ecosystem services, while meeting housing and infrastructure needs. Results suggest that even when tree planting initiatives focus specifically on increasing canopy cover for environmental justice communities, equitable distribution of urban trees is difficult to achieve. Our findings indicate that difficulties arise not only from the expected policy and funding aspects, but also from ecological ones, including the physical availability of tree planting sites in environmental justice communities

Mycobactericidal activity of sutezolid (PNU-100480) in sputum (EBA) and blood (WBA) of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis

Rationale: Sutezolid (PNU-100480) is a linezolid analog with superior bactericidal activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the hollow fiber, whole blood and mouse models. Like linezolid, it is unaffected by mutations conferring resistance to standard TB drugs. This study of sutezolid is its first in tuberculosis patients. METHODS: Sputum smear positive tuberculosis patients were randomly assigned to sutezolid 600 mg BID (N = 25) or 1200 mg QD (N = 25), or standard 4-drug therapy (N = 9) for the first 14 days of treatment. Effects on mycobacterial burden in sputum (early bactericidal activity or EBA) were monitored as colony counts on agar and time to positivity in automated liquid culture. Bactericidal activity was also measured in ex vivo whole blood cultures (whole blood bactericidal activity or WBA) inoculated with M. tuberculosis H37Rv. RESULTS: All patients completed assigned treatments and began subsequent standard TB treatment according to protocol. The 90% confidence intervals (CI) for bactericidal activity in sputum over the 14 day interval excluded zero for all treatments and both monitoring methods, as did those for cumulative WBA. There were no treatment-related serious adverse events, premature discontinuations, or dose reductions due to laboratory abnormalities. There was no effect on the QT interval. Seven sutezolid-treated patients (14%) had transient, asymptomatic ALT elevations to 173±34 U/L on day 14 that subsequently normalized promptly; none met Hy's criteria for serious liver injury. CONCLUSIONS: The mycobactericidal activity of sutezolid 600 mg BID or 1200 mg QD was readily detected in sputum and blood. Both schedules were generally safe and well tolerated. Further studies of sutezolid in tuberculosis treatment are warranted. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT0122564

Project ALIEN

Project ALIEN is a comprehensive plan to send humans to Mars to look for life on the Martian surface while exploring the viability and adaptability of terrestrial microbes in Martian atmospheric conditions. ALIEN will use a ballistic capture trajectory to get to Mars and stay in aerostationary orbit for a 30-day surface mission, during which two surface crewmembers will perform a variety of experiments to achieve the mission’s goals of Martian microbial discovery within brines of the Gale Crater and terrestrial microbe adaptability and viability to Martian conditions. Experimentation is based on the presumption that Martian microbes are metabolically similar to terrestrial extremophiles. Adaptability will be tested using terrestrial alkaliphiles B. Arsenicoselenatis, B. Selenitireducens and Alkalilimnicola Ehrlichii which thrive in environments of high salinity and anoxic conditions, and respire anaerobically in the presence of arsenic, selenium, and nitrogen compounds. During travel to Mars, microbes will experience steady growth condition changes to replicate Martian environmental conditions. Microbes will then be introduced to Martian soil and conditions and supplemented with respiratory facilitators which will be used to locate potential Martian microbes by indicating which electron donors are most effective for respiration. Samples of Martian brine will be exposed to arsenic and selenium compounds to trigger a respiratory response in Martian microbes. Those that initiate a response will be cryopreserved for transport back to Earth for further analysis. After the surface mission, the two surface crewmembers will reunite with mission control in orbit around Mars and return to Earth via ballistic capture trajectory