Building Advocacy Capacity: Where Grantees Started

Describes the baseline levels of core advocacy capacities of groups participating in Consumer Voices for Coverage, a twelve-state initiative to build consumer organizations' network and advocacy capacity. Discusses lessons learned and recommendations

High Cognitive Load Situations Decrease Both Gait and Cognitive Performance

A high cognitive load situation (HCLS) is completing two or more tasks simultaneously (i.e. walking while talking). Differential allocation of attentional demands creates HCLS, potentially deteriorating cognitive and/or gait performance, impacting fall risk. This study investigated whether different load types [(Single-task (ST): talking/walking only, and HCLS: walking while talking on a phone)] impacted gait and cognitive performance among young (n=8; age=23.16±1.96yrs), middle-aged (n=14; age=44.79±7.42yrs), and older (n=15; age=74.47±3.91yrs) adults. In 3-minute trials, participants completed single-task walking (ST-W) and phone conversations with easy (e.g., favorite food, ST-E) and difficult (e.g., personal relationships, ST-D) topics, and also combined walking and talking (easy: HCLS-E and difficult: HCLS-D). For gait, speed, step length (SL) and stride width (SW) were analyzed with 3(ST-W, HCLS-E, HCLS-D) x 3(Age) repeated-measures ANOVAs. HCLS resulted in slower speed (

Relationships Between Depressive Symptoms and Physical Resilience in Adulthood

Aging is a natural and multi-faceted process with changes in cognitive, psychological, and physical functioning. The experience of each person is different and may be impacted by individual levels of cognitive, psychological, and physical resilience–these are separate constructs, but may be related. Resilience is crucial as it contributes to sustained physical functioning, personal well-being, and cognitive competence, in addition to facilitating adjustment to change in capacity, activity motivations, and participation in everyday life activities. Depression is one risk factor that can negatively influence cognitive, psychological, and physical resilience. The purpose of the study was to investigate how depressive symptoms and total resilience scores were related to physical resilience. Six participants aged 61.17±9.56years (range 42-68; 4 males) performed three one-minute walking trials (physical resilience). The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) measured total resilience and depression, respectively. Correlations and multiple regressions were conducted to examine relationships between the independent variables: depression and total resilience (BRS), and the dependent variable (physical resilience measured by walking speed). There was significant positive correlation between depression and walking speed (p=.008), but no correlations between depression and total resilience, or between walking speed and total resilience. Walking speed was significantly predicted by total resilience and depression scores (p=.048), such that faster walking speed (meaning a high number) was associated with lower scores on resilience, and higher scores on depression. Since the collected sample size is very small (n=6), the results are preliminary as data collection is still underway

Depressive Symptoms, Social Activity, and Physical Activity in older adults

Depressive symptoms are negatively related to mental health and quality of life. Social and physical activities have been used as indicators of depressive symptoms in older populations. Participation in high levels of social and physical activities has been associated with decreased depressive symptoms. This pilot study explored the relationship between the levels of social and physical activities and depressive symptoms among older adults living in an independent living facility. Twenty-two participants (Age M=87.50; SD=7.50; 82% women) were recruited and completed The Geriatric Depression Scale short form, the Revised Change in Activity and Interest Index (assessed social activity level), and Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (assessed physical exercise level). Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between depressive symptoms and social and physical activities while controlling for age, gender, and education. No association was found between physical activities and depressive symptoms. Individuals’ reported participation in social activities was related to lower depressive symptoms (p=.022). In particular, “attend meeting groups” (p=.005) and “going to new restaurants/places” (p=.047) were significantly correlated with lower depressive symptoms. The relevance of these activities compared to others such as “visit with old friends and neighbors”, “invitations to events with new people”, and “spending time alone appeals”, highlights interest in activities that have a shared interest and socialization with at least some familiar people. This study demonstrates the importance of how participation in specific activities with social purposes can be associated with decreased depressive symptoms among older adults in an independent portion of a retirement community

Formulation of a Ceramic Ink for 3D Inkjet Printing

Due to its multi‐material capabilities, 3D inkjet printing allows for the fabrication of com‐ponents with functional elements which may significantly reduce the production steps. The poten‐tial to print electronics requires jettable polymer‐ceramic composites for thermal management. In this study, a respective material was formulated by functionalizing submicron alumina particles by 3‐(trimethoxysilyl)propylmethacrylate  (MPS)  and  suspending  them  in  a  mixture  of  the  oli‐gourethane Genomer 4247 with two acrylate functionalities and a volatile solvent. Ink jetting tests were performed, as well as thermal conductance and mechanical property measurements. The ma‐terial met the strict requirements of the printing technology, showing viscosities of around 16 mPa∙s as a liquid. After solidification, it exhibited a ceramic content of 50 vol%, with a thermal conductance of 1 W/(m∙K). The resulting values reflect the physical possibilities within the frame of the allowed tolerances set by the production method

“In school you notice the performance gap and how different it is between the students” – Student teachers’ collective orientations about the learners’ heterogeneity in mathematics

International audienceCollective orientations about the heterogeneity of the learners emerge on the basis of experiences that are unique to the individual, but in many ways structurally similar. Guided by the assumption that collective orientations significantly influence the practice of (student) teachers, our goal is to reconstruct (student) teachers’ ways of thinking in the context of heterogeneous learning groups in mathematics education using the documentary method. In the data of the project HeLeA , it became apparent that one main focus of the group discussions was the variety of student performance. The differences in the achievement of the students, especially in mathematics, seem to be a great challenge for student teachers. Furthermore, there are discontinuities between the everyday discourse of student teachers and the academic discourse on the topic of heterogeneity

Pluripotent Stem Cell-Based Models: A Peephole into Virus Infections during Early Pregnancy

The rubella virus (RV) was the first virus shown to be teratogenic in humans. The wealth of data on the clinical symptoms associated with congenital rubella syndrome is in stark contrast to an incomplete understanding of the forces leading to the teratogenic alterations in humans. This applies not only to RV, but also to congenital viral infections in general and includes (1) the mode of vertical transmission, even at early gestation, (2) the possible involvement of inflammation as a consequence of an activated innate immune response, and (3) the underlying molecular and cellular alterations. With the progress made in the development of pluripotent stem cell-based models including organoids and embryoids, it is now possible to assess congenital virus infections on a mechanistic level. Moreover, antiviral treatment options can be validated, and newly emerging viruses with a potential impact on human embryonal development, such as that recently reflected by the Zika virus (ZIKV), can be characterized. Here, we discuss human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and ZIKV in comparison to RV as viruses with well-known congenital pathologies and highlight their analysis on current models for the early phase of human development. This includes the implications of their genetic variability and, as such, virus strain-specific properties for their use as archetype models for congenital virus infections. In this review, we will discuss the use of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) and derived organoid systems for the study of congenital virus infections with a focus on their prominent aetiologies, HCMV, ZIKV, and RV. Their assessment on these models will provide valuable information on how human development is impaired by virus infections; it will also add new insights into the normal progression of human development through the analysis of developmental pathways in the context of virus-induced alterations. These are exciting perspectives for both developmental biology and congenital virology