Revisiting the Global Measures of Overall Neuropsychological Function and the Impact of Race-Based Normative Data in Clinical and Forensic Populations

This study aims to examine the impact of race-based normative data on global measures of overall neuropsychological functioning. Further, it examines the changes made to the Average Impairment Rating (AIR) in the context of race-based norming and the dismissal of a previously included measure, Picture Arrangement. The AIR is a commonly used index to classify the severity of diffuseness related to brain injury. Despite its use, the AIR has a very limited body of research describing the impact of racial norming on the index. Based on a review of the literature, the Picture Arrangement subtest removal was never researched in regard to the impact on the AIR, thus the results of this study would clarify its impact. It is hypothesized that the removal of Picture Arrangement will reclassify the diffuseness and classification of brain disease using the AIR. Further, this study will observe the differences between the AIR and other cognitive measures of overall neuropsychological functioning, such as the General Neuropsychology Deficit Scale (GNDS) and the Halstead Impairment Index (HII) in the context of race-based norms. This study will illuminate the importance or not of including Picture Arrangement in an overall measure of diffuseness such as the AIR and the impact of including, or not, race as a demographic variable to control in the development of neuropsychological norms

Predictors of post-deployment distress in female veterans.

Introduction: The female veteran population is expected to increase over the next few decades, representing approximately 16.3% of the living population by the year 2042. As women are discharged from the military, they are frequently challenged with the tasks of reintegrating into society and adjusting to life. While some women successfully readjust, many continue to struggle with combat-related challenges and reintegration stressors such as mental health, military sexual assault, substance abuse, interpersonal relationship issues, and everyday necessities. The purpose of the present study was twofold: (a) to identify factors associated with and predictive of postdeployment distress and (b) to identify factors predictive of reintegration difficulty. Methods: The sample consisted of 69 female veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, who deployed to either combat or noncombat war zones at least once between 1983 to 2017. Participants were recruited through listservs, local veterans’ organizations, and social media platforms. Participants completed reliable and valid measures on postdeployment life events, postdeployment support, postdeployment family experiences, perceived stress, and reintegration as well as a demographic questionnaire. The postdeployment measures were subtests from The Deployment Risk and Resilience Inventory-2 (DRRI-2). The final two assessments administered were the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Military to Civilian Questionnaire (M2C-Q). Researchers obtained approval for the study through the Institutional Review Board at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. If a female veteran met inclusion criteria and chose to be a part of the study, she was made aware that participation was voluntary and completely anonymous and then was redirected to the study’s home page. Compensation was not provided, but subjects were offered a chance to win one of six $50.00 gift cards for their participation in the study. A list of military-related resources for obtaining help was provided. Design: A correlational/regression design was used to explore, determine, and develop a better understanding of postdeployment stressors. The linear combination of Postdeployment Life Events, Postdeployment Support, and Postdeployment Family Experiences were tested as predictors of post-deployment distress as measured by the PSS and the M2C-Q. Results: Descriptive statistics examined the demographic characteristics of the sample. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to determine if life events, support, and family experiences scores predicted stress and reintegration difficulty. For a medium effect size at the .05 level of significance at 80% power with three predictors, a power of analysis required a minimum of 107 subjects. Test of the assumptions of multiple linear regression were conducted and there was no evidence of multicollinearity or violation of the assumptions of independent errors for either analysis. The first multiple linear regression analysis revealed a multiple correlation of r = .625, with a coefficient of determination of .390 (r2 = .390), suggesting that approximately 39% of the variance observed in stress on the PSS can be attributed to the linear combination of life events, support, and family experiences. These findings indicate that female veterans may encounter higher levels of stress with exposure to challenging life events; however, stress is decreased with the presence of support and quality family experiences. Likewise, a second multiple linear regression analysis revealed a multiple correlation of r = .668, with a coefficient of determination of .466 predicting reintegration as measured by the M2C-Q. The coefficient of determination (r2 = .446) reveals that 44.6% of the total variance of difficulty in reintegration is explained by the linear combination of life events, support, and family experiences. The results imply that lack of support and quality family experiences may lead to an increase in difficulty with reintegration, whereas higher levels of support and quality family experiences can decrease challenges with reintegration. Overall, the combination of predictive variables resulted in a prediction that life events, support, and family experiences contributed to stress and issues with reintegration. However, tests of the individual predictors revealed that specifically life events and support predicted stress in female veterans; whereas, only life events predicted difficulty with reintegration. Interpretation and Implications: Untreated stress can interfere with domains of life and increase risks of developing into physical and mental health problems. Life events and support predicted stress while only life events predicted difficulties with reintegration. Limitations included the use of self-reports, the number of participants included in this study, and the lack of examination between the training and deployment differences across the different military branches. Future considerations should focus on expanding the number of participants; examining self-care practices and personality disorders that may contribute to the reintegration process; and, considering stressors specific to each military branch as they may relate to stress and reintegration problems

Inventory of Cognitive Distortions-Youth Version: The Development and Validation of a Psychometric Test for the Measurement of Cognitive Distortions

Cognitive distortions are systematic biases in an individual’s thinking that maintain a person’s belief in their negative views of themselves or others, even in the presence of contradictory evidence. The Inventory of Cognitive Distortions (ICD), created by Yurica and DiTomasso, provided a template to measure distorted thinking in adults. Currently, there is not a youth measure of cognitive distortions that adequately encapsulates the range of distorted thinking that may be present in youth. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to create and validate a newly designed instrument of cognitive distortions, The Inventory of Cognitive Distortions-Youth Version (ICD-YV), with youth ages 11 to 17. Participants will be recruited through social media, ResearchMatch.org, local school and community organizations and local business and university listservs. The psychometric properties (content validity, construct validity, convergent validity and internal reliability) of the ICD-YV will be assessed. Identifying a valid and reliable tool to evaluate cognitive distortions in youth is needed to facilitate better identification of these patterns of thinking and provide more accurate and targeted treatment, from a cognitive-behavioral perspective

Social media use, connectedness, and depression in graduate students

This study will examine the relationship between social media use, sense of connectedness, and depression among graduate students. Graduate students are often disconnected from their social supports due to their program\u27s demands; additionally, the risk of depression in this population has been established in the literature. The impact of social media on depression has been investigated, and the results are discrepant. The relationship between a sense of connection, the use of social media, and depression in a graduate student population has not yet been explored. Graduate students at The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) and other universities studying psychology, medicine, biomedical science, or physician assistant studies will be included. Participants will be recruited through email and social media platforms. A control group of participants that do not use social media will be included. The following measures will be used: The Social Connectedness Scale-Revised (SCS-R), The Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2 (GPIUS2), and The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). An inverse relationship is predicted between connectedness and depression. Participants with high scores on problematic internet use are anticipated to have elevated levels of depression and a low sense of connection compared to participants with low scores on problematic use. The subscales from the GPIUS2 are hypothesized to be predictive of participants\u27 sense of connection

Influences on Patient Satisfaction in Healthcare Centers: A Semi-Quantitative Study Over 5 Years

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of ambulatory patients\u27 satisfaction with clinic visits help improve communication and delivery of healthcare. The goal was to examine patient satisfaction in a primary care setting, identify how selected patient and physician setting and characteristics affected satisfaction, and determine if feedback provided to medical directors over time impacted patient satisfaction. METHODS: A three-phase, semi-quantitative analysis was performed using anonymous, validated patient satisfaction surveys collected from 889 ambulatory outpatients in 6 healthcare centers over 5-years. Patients\u27 responses to 21 questions were analyzed by principal components varimax rotated factor analysis. Three classifiable components emerged: Satisfaction with Physician, Availability/Convenience, and Orderly/Time. To study the effects of several independent variables (location of clinics, patients\u27 and physicians\u27 age, education level and duration at the clinic), data were subjected to multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA).. RESULTS: Changes in the healthcare centers over time were not significantly related to patient satisfaction. However, location of the center did affect satisfaction. Urban patients were more satisfied with their physicians than rural, and inner city patients were less satisfied than urban or rural on Availability/Convenience and less satisfied than urban patients on Orderly/Time. How long a patient attended a center most affected satisfaction, with patients attending \u3e10 years more satisfied in all three components than those attending60 years old. Patients were significantly more satisfied with their 30-40 year-old physicians compared with those over 60. On Orderly/Time, patients were more satisfied with physicians who were in their 50\u27s than physicians \u3e60. CONCLUSIONS: Improvement in patient satisfaction includes a need for immediate, specific feedback. Although Medical Directors received feedback yearly, we found no significant changes in patient satisfaction over time. Our results suggest that, to increase satisfaction, patients with lower education, those who are sicker, and those who are new to the center likely would benefit from additional high quality interactions with their physicians

HD152843 b & c: the masses and orbital periods of a sub-Neptune and a super-puff Neptune

We present the characterisation of the two transiting planets around HD 152843 (TOI 2319, TIC 349488688) using an intensive campaign of HARPS-N radial velocities, and two sectors of TESS data. These data reveal a unique and fascinating system: HD 152843 b and c have near equal masses of around 9 M$_\oplus$ but differing radii of $3.05 \pm 0.11$ R$_\oplus$ and $5.94^{+0.18}_{-0.16}$ R$_\oplus$ , respectively, and orbital periods of $11.62071^{+9.6e-05}_{-0.000106}$ days and $19.502104^{+7.4e-05}_{-8.5e-05}$ days. This indicates that HD 152843 c is in the lowest fifth percentile in density of the known exoplanet population, and has the longest orbital period among these low density planets. Further, HD 152843 c's radius places it in the Saturn valley, the observed lack of planets larger than Neptune, but smaller than Saturn. The orbital periods of these planets indicate they are near a 5:3 mean motion resonance, indicating the possibility of transit timing variations, and hints at the possibility of interaction with a third planet at some point in the evolution of this system. Further, the brightness of the host star and the low density of HD 152843 c make it a key target for atmospheric characterisation.Comment: Submitted for review to the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 13 pages, 16 figure

Independent validation of the temperate super-Earth HD 79211 b using HARPS-N

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship under grant No. DGE1745303. The HARPS-N project was funded by the Prodex Program of the Swiss Space Office (SSO), the Harvard- University Origin of Life Initiative (HUOLI), the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA), the University of Geneva, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), the Italian National Astrophysical Institute (INAF), University of St. Andrews, Queen's University Belfast, and University of Edinburgh. Parts of this work have been supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under grant No. NNX17AB59G, issued through the Exoplanets Research Program. Parts of this work have been supported by the Brinson Foundation. R.D.H. is funded by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)'s Ernest Rutherford Fellowship (grant No. ST/V004735/1). T.G.W and A.C.C acknowledge support from STFC consolidated grant Nos. ST/R000824/1 and ST/V000861/1, and UKSA grant ST/R003203/1.We present high-precision radial velocities (RVs) from the HARPS-N spectrograph for HD 79210 and HD 79211, two M0V members of a gravitationally bound binary system. We detect a planet candidate with a period of 24.421−0.017+0.016 days around HD 79211 in these HARPS-N RVs, validating the planet candidate originally identified in CARMENES RV data alone. Using HARPS-N, CARMENES, and RVs spanning a total of 25 yr, we further refine the planet candidate parameters to P = 24.422 ± 0.014 days, K = 3.19 ± 0.27 m s−1, M sin i = 10.6 ± 1.2M⊕, and a = 0.142 ± 0.005 au. We do not find any additional planet candidate signals in the data of HD 79211, nor do we find any planet candidate signals in HD 79210. This system adds to the number of exoplanets detected in binaries with M-dwarf members and serves as a case study for planet formation in stellar binaries.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

A systematic review of the effectiveness of art therapy delivered in school-based settings to children aged 5–12 years

Background: School-based art therapy aims to facilitate children's personal change and growth through the use of visual arts media, such as drawing, painting, sculpture, clay, or digital art. Aims: To identify and synthesise the types of school-based art therapy interventions, and appraise the effectiveness for children aged 5-12. Methods: Systematic searching through ten major electronic databases, grey literature, and contact with experts in the field. Results: Six completed and two on-going studies were identified. Art therapy was delivered to children with asthma, behavioural disorders, oppositional defiant disorders, separation anxiety disorders, learning disorders, and disruptive behaviours. All interventions were delivered over 7-25 sessions, and lasted 40-60' per session. The sample sizes ranged between 20-109 participants, involving 247 participants in total. Conclusions: Art therapy can be effective in improving children's quality of life; anxiety; self-concept; problem-solving skills, attitudes towards school; emotional and behavioural difficulties. The follow-up findings were also promising; though confirmatory evidence is needed. Implications: The risk of bias was high and unclear, highlighting the importance of following standardised reporting guidelines. Future research needs to focus on the identification of primary outcomes and measures that are tailored to art therapy interventions, and explore the (cost-) effectiveness of shorter versus longer durations of treatment

The Public Health Impact of Coccidioidomycosis in Arizona and California

The numbers of reported cases of coccidioidomycosis in Arizona and California have risen dramatically over the past decade, with a 97.8% and 91.1% increase in incidence rates from 2001 to 2006 in the two states, respectively. Of those cases with reported race/ethnicity information, Black/African Americans in Arizona and Hispanics and African/Americans in California experienced a disproportionately higher frequency of disease compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Lack of early diagnosis continues to be a problem, particularly in suspect community-acquired pneumonia, underscoring the need for more rapid and sensitive tests. Similarly, the inability of currently available therapeutics to reduce the duration and morbidity of this disease underscores the need for improved therapeutics and a preventive vaccine