A SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY PERSPECTIVE ON ADJUSTMENT TO COLLEGE

Emerging adulthood, ages 18-25, is filled with transition and has been described as the most changing times of one’s life. This is also when two-thirds of the American population enters college, however, many dropout before completion of their desired degree. There is little evidence as to the existence of possible differences in adjustment trajectories or determinants of and influences on such trajectories. Thus, there is a gap in our theoretical understanding of the adjustment to college process. This study applied self-determination theory to provide theoretical insight to the adjustment to college process specifically paying attention to how and why maladjustment may occur. It was hypothesized that intrinsically motivated, authentic students and those with high basic need satisfaction at baseline would have better adjustment to college and less alcohol related problems at the one month follow-up. Further, those who are more likely to suppress their emotions and self-conceal would have worse adjustment to college and more alcohol related problems at the one month follow-up. Participants were recruited in diverse departments at the University of Houston. Three-hundred and fifty eight (Mean age = 21.82, SD = 5.520, 72.3% female) participants completed the baseline questionnaire and the follow-up one month later. All hypotheses were analyzed using multiple regression with the baseline SDT, concealment/suppression and baseline outcome variables entered as predictors of the time two outcome variables. Results revealed that baseline motivation and general needs satisfaction were positively associated with adjustment to college, while self-concealment was negatively associated with adjustment to college at time 2. However, only self-concealment remains a significant predictor when controlling for baseline adjustment to college. Alcohol related problems at time 2 were negatively associated with baseline motivation, authenticity, as well as positively associated with self-concealment. When controlling for baseline alcohol related problems results remained, however, self-concealment was no longer a significant predictor. The proposed research sheds light on our theoretical understanding of the adjustment to college process. These findings have practical utility and may inform development and implementation of interventions and programs targeting adjustment to college and alcohol related problems among college students.Psychology, Department o

Communication interventions in adult and pediatric oncology: A scoping review and analysis of behavioral targets

BackgroundImproving communication requires that clinicians and patients change their behaviors. Interventions might be more successful if they incorporate principles from behavioral change theories. We aimed to determine which behavioral domains are targeted by communication interventions in oncology.MethodsSystematic search of literature indexed in Ovid Medline, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Clinicaltrials.gov (2000-October 2018) for intervention studies targeting communication behaviors of clinicians and/or patients in oncology. Two authors extracted the following information: population, number of participants, country, number of sites, intervention target, type and context, study design. All included studies were coded based on which behavioral domains were targeted, as defined by Theoretical Domains Framework.FindingsEighty-eight studies met inclusion criteria. Interventions varied widely in which behavioral domains were engaged. Knowledge and skills were engaged most frequently (85%, 75/88 and 73%, 64/88, respectively). Fewer than 5% of studies engaged social influences (3%, 3/88) or environmental context/resources (5%, 4/88). No studies engaged reinforcement. Overall, 7/12 behavioral domains were engaged by fewer than 30% of included studies. We identified methodological concerns in many studies. These 88 studies reported 188 different outcome measures, of which 156 measures were reported by individual studies.ConclusionsMost communication interventions target few behavioral domains. Increased engagement of behavioral domains in future studies could support communication needs in feasible, specific, and sustainable ways. This study is limited by only including interventions that directly facilitated communication interactions, which excluded stand-alone educational interventions and decision-aids. Also, we applied stringent coding criteria to allow for reproducible, consistent coding, potentially leading to underrepresentation of behavioral domains

A Functional Analysis of 2013 Australian Member of Parliament and Prime Minister Debates

Kevin Rudd (Labor) engaged in two election debates in 2013: first for his seat in Parliament (Griffith) and then for Prime Minister. In seeking re-election to his Griffith seat he was challenged by Bill Glasson (Liberal), Geoff Ebbs (Green), and Karen Hunter (Palmer United). He faced Tony Abbott (Liberal) in the PM Debate. This study content analyses these two debates: an August 6, 2013 Member of Parliament debate and an August 11, 2013 Prime Minister debate. Acclaims were more common in these two debates than attacks; defenses were the least common function. Statements about policy outnumbered those on policy. In each debate, when the candidates discussed record in office (past deeds), the incumbent acclaimed more and attacked less than the challenger. More acclaims and fewer attacks addressed general goals and ideals

EXONEST: The Bayesian Exoplanetary Explorer

The fields of astronomy and astrophysics are currently engaged in an unprecedented era of discovery as recent missions have revealed thousands of exoplanets orbiting other stars. While the Kepler Space Telescope mission has enabled most of these exoplanets to be detected by identifying transiting events, exoplanets often exhibit additional photometric effects that can be used to improve the characterization of exoplanets. The EXONEST Exoplanetary Explorer is a Bayesian exoplanet inference engine based on nested sampling and originally designed to analyze archived Kepler Space Telescope and CoRoT (Convection Rotation et Transits plan\'etaires) exoplanet mission data. We discuss the EXONEST software package and describe how it accommodates plug-and-play models of exoplanet-associated photometric effects for the purpose of exoplanet detection, characterization and scientific hypothesis testing. The current suite of models allows for both circular and eccentric orbits in conjunction with photometric effects, such as the primary transit and secondary eclipse, reflected light, thermal emissions, ellipsoidal variations, Doppler beaming and superrotation. We discuss our new efforts to expand the capabilities of the software to include more subtle photometric effects involving reflected and refracted light. We discuss the EXONEST inference engine design and introduce our plans to port the current MATLAB-based EXONEST software package over to the next generation Exoplanetary Explorer, which will be a Python-based open source project with the capability to employ third-party plug-and-play models of exoplanet-related photometric effects.Comment: 30 pages, 8 figures, 5 tables. Presented at the 37th International Workshop on Bayesian Inference and Maximum Entropy Methods in Science and Engineering (MaxEnt 2017) in Jarinu/SP Brasi

Re-evaluating the role of natural killer cells in innate resistance to herpes simplex virus type 1

BACKGROUND: Interferon-γ acts to multiply the potency with which innate interferons (α/β) suppress herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) replication. Recent evidence suggests that this interaction is functionally relevant in host defense against HSV-1. However, it is not clear which WBCs of the innate immune system, if any, limit HSV-1 spread in an IFN-γ dependent manner. The current study was initiated to determine if natural killer (NK) cells provide innate resistance to HSV-1 infection, and if so to determine if this resistance is IFN-γ-dependent. RESULTS: Lymphocyte-deficient scid or rag2(-/- )mice were used to test four predictions of the central hypothesis, and thus determine if innate resistance to HSV-1 is dependent on 1. NK cell cytotoxicity, 2. NK cells, 3. WBCs, or 4. the IFN-activated transcription factor, Stat 1. Loss of NK cell cytotoxic function or depletion of NK cells had no effect on the progression of HSV-1 infection in scid mice. In contrast, viral spread and pathogenesis developed much more rapidly in scid mice depleted of WBCs. Likewise, loss of Stat 1 function profoundly impaired the innate resistance of rag2(-/- )mice to HSV-1. CONCLUSION: Lymphocyte-deficient mice possess a very tangible innate resistance to HSV-1 infection, but this resistance is not dependent upon NK cells

The Specific Globular Cluster Frequencies of Dwarf Elliptical Galaxies from the Hubble Space Telescope

The specific globular cluster frequencies (S_N) for 24 dwarf elliptical (dE) galaxies in the Virgo and Fornax Clusters and the Leo Group imaged with the Hubble Space Telescope are presented. Combining all available data, we find that for nucleated dEs --- which are spatially distributed like giant ellipticals in galaxy clusters --- S_N(dE,N)=6.5 +- 1.2 and S_N increases with M_V, while for non-nucleated dEs --- which are distributed like late-type galaxies --- S_N(dE,noN)=3.1 +- 0.5 and there is little or no trend with M_V. The S_N values for dE galaxies are thus on average significantly higher than those for late-type galaxies, which have S_N < 1. This suggests that dE galaxies are more akin to giant Es than to late-type galaxies. If there are dormant or stripped irregulars hiding among the dE population, they are likely to be among the non-nucleated dEs. Furthermore, the similarities in the properties of the globular clusters and in the spatial distributions of dE,Ns and giant Es suggest that neither galaxy mass or galaxy metallicity is responsible for high values of S_N. Instead, most metal-poor GCs may have formed in dwarf-sized fragments that merged into larger galaxies.Comment: 12 pages (uses aaspp4.sty), 2 figures, 1 table, to appear in the Astrophysical Journa

Disruptive Momentum: The Value of Implementing Best Practices in Health Research Postdoctoral Mentorship

COVID-19 called attention to the challenges postdoctoral fellows in health research face when they have times of prolonged disruption or changes in work conditions; this disruption revealed key insights on how mentors, fellows, and their institutions can work together to ensure training continuity. To prepare strong scientists, postdoctoral fellowships need mentoring, training, and networking opportunities to enhance fellows’ professional and skill development. In this article we outline potential solutions to minimize the impact of disruptions while promoting adaptable postdoctoral fellowship experiences by addressing how mentors and fellows alike can intervene on three key aspects of fellowships in health research: mentorship, training, and networking

Extracorporeal life support in pediatric trauma: a systematic review

Introduction Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was once thought to be contraindicated in trauma patients, however ECMO is now used in adult patients with post-traumatic acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multisystem trauma. Despite acceptance as a therapy for the severely injured adult, there is a paucity of evidence supporting ECMO use in pediatric trauma patients. Methods An electronic literature search of PubMed, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Database of Collected Reviews from 1972 to 2018 was performed. Included studies reported on ECMO use after trauma in patients ≤18 years of age and reported outcome data. The Institute of Health Economics quality appraisal tool for case series was used to assess study quality. Results From 745 studies, four met inclusion criteria, reporting on 58 pediatric trauma patients. The age range was <1–18 years. Overall study quality was poor with only a single article of adequate quality. Twenty-nine percent of patients were cannulated at adult centers, the remaining at pediatric centers. Ninety-one percent were cannulated for ARDS and the remaining for cardiovascular collapse. Overall 60% of patients survived and the survival rate ranged from 50% to 100%. Seventy-seven percent underwent venoarterial cannulation and the remaining underwent veno-venous cannulation. Conclusion ECMO may be a therapeutic option in critically ill pediatric trauma patients. Consideration should be made for the expansion of ECMO utilization in pediatric trauma patients including its application for pediatric patients at adult trauma centers with ECMO capabilities

Tears in your beer: Gender differences in coping drinking motives, depressive symptoms and drinking

This study evaluates associations between coping drinking motives (CDM; drinking to regulate negative affect), depressive symptoms, and drinking behavior and extends the literature by also taking into account gender differences. Two hundred forty-three college students (Mean age = 22.93, SD = 6.29, 82% female) participated. Based on previous research, we expected that CDM would be positively associated with drinking and problems, particularly among those higher in depressive symptoms, as individuals experiencing higher levels of negative affect (i.e. depressive symptoms) and who drink to cope are likely to drink more and experience more alcohol-related problems. Lastly, based on established gender differences, we expected that CDM would be positively associated with drinking and problems, especially among females higher in depressive symptoms. Unexpectedly, findings suggested that CDMs were positively related to peak drinking, especially among those lower in depressive symptoms. Results further revealed a significant three-way interaction between CDM, depressive symptoms, and gender when predicting alcohol-related problems and drinking frequency. Specifically, we found that CDM were more strongly associated with problems among women who were lower in depressive symptoms; whereas CDM were more strongly associated with problems among men who were higher in depressive symptoms. These findings offer a more comprehensive depiction of the relationship between depressive symptoms, CDM, and drinking behavior by taking into account the importance of gender differences. These results provide additional support for considering gender when designing and implementing alcohol intervention strategies