Black Minds Matter: A Longitudinal Analysis Of The Persistent Underrepresentation Of Black Students In Gifted Education Programs

Gifted education programs have facilitated educational segregation since their inception and recent research has determined these programs to be the most inequitable in the field. Although a substantial body of research has established that racial inequities in gifted placement practices exist, there is an existing gap in the research around how discriminatory placement trends have evolved over time. The present study examines longitudinal gifted program enrollment data from the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) between 2011 and 2018 to compare participation rates between White and Black students over time. The analysis revealed that White students have consistently participated in gifted programs at a significantly higher rate than their Black peers over this timeframe. Moreover, despite a tendency to assume that although equity in gifted education programs has not yet been achieved, it is slowly becoming more equitable over time, the analysis also revealed that Black students have become even less likely to participate than their White peers since 2011. The need to adopt and widely implement effective approaches to diversify gifted education programs has become more dire over time, and this study serves as a call to action to ensure that educational opportunity is equitably distributed to students regardless of race

Molecular Biomarkers of Adult Human and Dog Stress During Canine-Assisted Interventions: A Systematic Scoping Review

Positive relationships, including those between humans and other animals, particularly dogs, may be a way to reduce stress in humans. However, research into this area is relatively new, and a comprehensive review of the impacts of these interactions on humans and dogs has not been conducted. A scoping review of the scientific literature was conducted to explore what is known about the impacts of canine-assisted interventions on molecular biomarkers (e.g., cortisol and oxytocin) and associated measures (e.g., heart rate and blood pressure) of human and canine stress. As reported across 27 identified studies, canine-assisted interventions have consistently been demonstrated to elicit positive changes in human stress markers, and typically do not cause negative impacts on the studied canine stress markers. However, results were inconsistent across measures of stress. For example, in humans, it was common for a study to show improvements to cortisol levels but no change to self-reported stress, or vice versa. Many of the reviewed studies also had significant methodological issues, such as not aligning the timing of sample collections to when the analyzed stress biomarkers could be expected to peak. More rigorous research should be conducted on the impacts of canine-assisted interventions on a wider range of stress biomarkers

Exploring service providers’ perceptions of the barriers and enablers to recruitment of service users into social prescribing research

\ua9 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.Objective: To explore the views of social prescribing service providers on the barriers and enablers to recruitment of service users in social prescribing research. Design: A qualitative study design, using semi-structured interviews with social prescribing service providers in the voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise sector. Data were analysed using Thematic Framework Analysis. Results: Ten interviews were conducted with service providers from five different social prescribing services. Three analytical themes were created. (1) What are you talking about?, related to service provider experiences of attempting to engage service users in social prescribing research, specifically confusion about the term social prescribing. (2) You’ve got a friend in me, focused on the positive impact of quality relationships between service providers and service users on recruitment. (3) No, no, no. Not today, reflected the experiences of service providers who reported that service users will often experience fluctuations in their mental and physical health, limiting their capacity to engage with structured research activity. Conclusions: Key implications arising from this study is a need for more accessible and person-centred strategies for strengthening recruitment to, and participation in, social prescribing research. Increasing accessibility of research language (and information about participation), providing flexibility in recruitment methods, and conduct of research can also improve recruitment and retention. Service providers are vital for supporting engagement of service users in social prescribing research

Identifying the active ingredients of training interventions for healthcare professionals to promote and support increased levels of physical activity in adults with heart failure: a systematic review

Heart failure (HF) is characterised by breathlessness and fatigue that impacts negatively on patients’ intentions to prioritise physical activity (PA). Healthcare professionals (HCPs) experience challenges when motivating patients to increase PA. It is essential to develop an understanding of how to support HCPs to deliver PA interventions. We aimed to identify active ingredients of HCP training interventions to enable delivery of PA interventions to HF patients. Nine databases were searched. Data were extracted on study characteristics, active ingredients, outcomes, and fidelity measures. Data were synthesised narratively, and a promise analysis was conducted on intervention features. Ten RCTs, which reported a training intervention for HCPs were included (N = 22 HCPs: N = 1,414 HF patients). Two studies reported the use of theory to develop HCP training. Seven behaviour change techniques (BCTs) were identified across the 10 training interventions. The most ‘promising’ BCTs were ‘instruction on how to perform the behaviour’ and ‘problem solving’. Two studies reported that HCP training interventions had been formally evaluated. Fidelity domains including study design, monitoring and improving the delivery of treatment, intervention delivery, and provider training were infrequently reported. Future research should prioritise theory-informed development and robust evaluation of training interventions for HCPs to enable faithful and quality delivery of patient interventions

Service user perspectives on social prescribing services for mental health in the UK: a systematic review

Aim: To thematically synthesise adult service users’ perspectives on how UK-based social prescribing services support them with their mental health management. Methods: Nine databases were systematically searched up to March 2022. Eligible studies were qualitative or mixed methods studies involving participants aged ⩾ 18 years accessing social prescribing services primarily for mental health reasons. Thematic synthesis was applied to qualitative data to create descriptive and analytical themes. Results: 51,965 articles were identified from electronic searches. Six studies were included in the review (n = 220 participants) with good methodological quality. Five studies utilised a link worker referral model, and one study a direct referral model. Modal reasons for referral were social isolation and/or loneliness (n = 4 studies). Two analytical themes were formulated from seven descriptive themes: (1) person-centred care was key to delivery and (2) creating an environment for personal change and development. Conclusions: This review provides a synthesis of the qualitative evidence on service users’ experiences of accessing and using social prescribing services to support their mental health management. Adherence to principles of person-centred care and addressing the holistic needs of service users (including devoting attention to the quality of the therapeutic environment) are important for design and delivery of social prescribing services. This will optimise service user satisfaction and other outcomes that matter to them. Keywords: systematic review, social prescribing, qualitative synthesis, mental health, public health, primary car

Undergraduate Heat Exchanger Laboratory

Heat exchangers are a fundamental part of many industrial and household devices, and a focus in the United States Military Academy at West Point’s undergraduate heat transfer course within the school’s Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering. Recently, the department expanded laboratory capabilities to enhance student learning through hands-on experimentation. Prior to this project, a heat exchanger laboratory did not exist for student use, so a new apparatus was designed, developed, built, tested, and will be implemented as a laboratory experience in West Point’s heat transfer course. The experimental apparatus includes a fan-cooled heat sink, a high-efficiency water heater, two pumps for water circulation, and numerous valves to change both the direction and route of the flows. This design allows students to test three types of heat exchangers: shell-in-tube, concentric, and flat plate. These devices allow students to evaluate parallel-flow, counter-flow, and cross-flow heat exchangers. The test section is instrumented with flow meters for the hot and cold flows as well as thermocouples at the entrance and exit of each heat exchanger. As part of this laboratory experience, students measure, collect, and analyze data, compare experimental results to theory, and assess error and uncertainty. This heat exchanger laboratory provide realistic, hands-on experience with experimental apparatus, laboratory procedure, instrumentation, and engineering technicians, all of which help students gain physical understanding of the thermal-fluids concepts

Multifunctional cytokine production reveals functional superiority of memory CD4 T cells

T cell protective immunity is associated with multifunctional memory cells that produce several different cytokines. Currently, our understanding of when and how these cells are generated is limited. We have used an influenza virus mouse infection model to investigate whether the cytokine profile of memory T cells is reflective of primary responding cells or skewed towards a distinct profile. We found that, in comparison to primary cells, memory T cells tended to make multiple cytokines simultaneously. Analysis of the timings of release of cytokine by influenza virus‐specific T cells, demonstrated that primary responding CD4 T cells from lymphoid organs were unable to produce a sustained cytokine response. In contrast CD8 T cells, memory CD4 T cells, and primary responding CD4 T cells from the lung produced a sustained cytokine response throughout the restimulation period. Moreover, memory CD4 T cells were more resistant than primary responding CD4 T cells to inhibitors that suppress T cell receptor signalling. Together, these data suggest that memory CD4 T cells display superior cytokine responses compared to primary responding cells. These data are key to our ability to identify the cues that drive the generation of protective memory CD4 T cells following infection