What Drives Cities to Adopt Groundwater Banking? A Cross-Case Analysis of U.S. Cities

As climate change continues to increase the variability and decrease the reliability of water supplies, urban water utilities must adopt and implement innovative strategies to enhance water security and promote system sustainability. Groundwater banking (GWB), which includes managed aquifer recharge and in lieu recharge methods, is becoming an increasingly popular water management strategy in response to these challenges. Consequently, there is a growing need to better understand the factors that influence GWB adoption in cities where appropriate hydrogeology exists. Using a comparative case study design, this research investigates 16 large-scale urban water systems in the United States to assess various drivers of and barriers to GWB. Qualitative Comparative Analysis, supplemented with interview data, is used to determine configurations of conditions that promote, or hinder, GWB adoption. Results suggest that combinations of environmental and legal conditions are necessary for GWB adoption but need to coincide with favorable policy, economic, social, and/or technical conditions. However, no single combination of conditions was a consistent driver of GWB across the cases studied. The results further indicate that the barriers to GWB may be more consistent across cases than the drivers of GWB. While there may be several potential barriers to GWB adoption, such as a lack of legal protections for stored water, water utilities with access to financial and technical resources have been able to overcome barriers. As water systems become increasingly stressed, these findings can help identify other cities that may benefit fromGWB and highlight adoption pathways for innovative water management strategies that promote sustainable water management

SHARED TEAM EXPERIENCES AND TEAM EFFECTIVENESS: UNPACKING THE CONTINGENT EFFECTS OF ENTRAINED RHYTHMS AND TASK CHARACTERISTICS

This study explores the conditions under which shared team task-specific (STTS) experiences in crew-based arrangements may negatively influence team effectiveness.We suggest that the entrained rhythms featured in social entrainment theory act as a dual-edged sword with the potential to generate complacency detriments in addition to the commonly cited synchronization benefits. We argue that the manifestation and influence of the countervailing forces (i.e., synchronization and complacency) on the STTS experience—team effectiveness relationship will depend on salient task characteristics (i.e., frequency and difficulty). More specifically, frequently performed tasks create conditions for complacency tomanifest (generating an inverted-U shaped relationship between STTS experience—team efficiency), whereas infrequently performed tasks do not (generating a positive, linear relationship). We further this distinction by layering on task difficulty that, we posit, acts to amplify the respective negative and positive consequences. Analyses of archival data from 8,236 surgeries performed over one year at a large hospital located in the southwestern region of the United States were consistent with our hypotheses and 30 semi-structured interviews with operating room personnel added richness and precision to our theory. Ancillary analyses on patient post-surgery recovery rate yielded additional insights. Implications and future directions are discussed

SHARED TEAM EXPERIENCES AND TEAM EFFECTIVENESS: UNPACKING THE CONTINGENT EFFECTS OF ENTRAINED RHYTHMS AND TASK CHARACTERISTICS

This study explores the conditions under which shared team task-specific (STTS) experiences in crew-based arrangements may negatively influence team effectiveness.We suggest that the entrained rhythms featured in social entrainment theory act as a dual-edged sword with the potential to generate complacency detriments in addition to the commonly cited synchronization benefits. We argue that the manifestation and influence of the countervailing forces (i.e., synchronization and complacency) on the STTS experience—team effectiveness relationship will depend on salient task characteristics (i.e., frequency and difficulty). More specifically, frequently performed tasks create conditions for complacency tomanifest (generating an inverted-U shaped relationship between STTS experience—team efficiency), whereas infrequently performed tasks do not (generating a positive, linear relationship). We further this distinction by layering on task difficulty that, we posit, acts to amplify the respective negative and positive consequences. Analyses of archival data from 8,236 surgeries performed over one year at a large hospital located in the southwestern region of the United States were consistent with our hypotheses and 30 semi-structured interviews with operating room personnel added richness and precision to our theory. Ancillary analyses on patient post-surgery recovery rate yielded additional insights. Implications and future directions are discussed

Development and Application of an Interdisciplinary Rapid Message Testing Model for COVID-19 in North Carolina

Introduction From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, public health officials have sought to develop evidence-based messages to reduce COVID-19 transmission by communicating key information to media outlets and the public. We describe the development of an interdisciplinary rapid message testing model to quickly create, test, and share messages with public health officials for use in health campaigns and policy briefings. Methods An interdisciplinary research team from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assembled in March 2020 to assist the state health department in developing evidence-based messages to influence social distancing behaviors in the state. We developed and iteratively executed a rapid message testing model; the components of the 4-step model were message creation, survey development, survey administration, and analysis and presentation to health department officials. The model was executed 4 times, each during a 7-day period in April and May, and each subsequent survey included new phrasing and/or messaging informed by the previous week’s survey. A total of 917 adults from North Carolina participated in the 4 surveys. Results Survey participants rated messages focused on protecting oneself and others higher than messages focused on norms and fear-based approaches. Pairing behaviors with motivations increased participants’ desire to social distance across all themes and subgroups. For example, adding “Protect your grandmother, your neighbor with cancer, and your best friend with asthma,” to messaging received a 0.9-point higher score than the base message, “Stay 6 feet apart from others when out in public.” Practice Implications Our model to promote social distancing in North Carolina during the COVID-19 pandemic can be used for rapid, iterative message testing during public health emergencies

The effects and determinants of exercise participation in first-episode psychosis: A qualitative study

© 2016 Firth et al. Background: Previous qualitative studies have found that exercise may facilitate symptomatic and functional recovery in people with long-term schizophrenia. This study examined the perceived effects of exercise as experienced by people in the early stages of psychosis, and explored which aspects of an exercise intervention facilitated or hindered their engagement. Methods: Nineteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with early intervention service users who had participated in a 10-week exercise intervention. Interviews discussed people's incentives and barriers to exercise, short- and long-term effects, and opinions on optimal interventions. A thematic analysis was applied to determine the prevailing themes. Results: The intervention was perceived as beneficial and engaging for participants. The main themes were (a) exercise alleviating psychiatric symptoms, (b) improved self-perceptions following exercise, and (c) factors determining exercise participation, with three respective sub-themes for each. Conclusions: Participants explained how exercise had improved their mental health, improved their confidence and given them a sense of achievement. Autonomy and social support were identified as critical factors for effectively engaging people with first-episode psychosis in moderate-to-vigorous exercise. Implementing such programs in early intervention services may lead to better physical health, symptom management and social functioning among service users. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN09150095. Registered 10 December 2013

SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues

Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene), including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types

SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues

Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene), including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

peer reviewe

The role of serious mental illness in motivation, participation and adoption of health behavior change among obese/sedentary Latino adults

Objective: Serious mental illness (SMI; e.g. schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder, bipolar disorder, severe major depressive disorder, and psychotic disorders) and Latino ethnicity can produce a compounded health disparity, placing individuals at particularly high risk for excess morbidity and premature mortality. In this study we sought to identify the role of SMI in motivation, participation, and adoption of health behavior change among overweight Latino adults. Design: Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 overweight Latinos with SMI who were enrolled in a randomized trial evaluating the effectiveness of a motivational health promotion intervention adapted for persons with SMI, In SHAPE. The interviews explored the complicated role having an SMI had in the lives of the Latino participants. Results: SMI had both positive and negative impact on Latino participants' health behaviors. The nature of their mental illness along with medication side effects (e.g. lethargy, weight gain, etc.) negatively impacted their ability to making lasting health behavior change. However, the regular appointments with various specialists provided them with structure that they otherwise would have lacked and gave them a reason to get out of the house. Conclusions: This exploratory research provides insight into the experience of overweight Latinos with SMI and the ways in which SMI impacts their participation in health behavior change. An understanding of the positive and negative effects of SMI on health behavior change will inform the development of health promotion interventions targeted at Latinos with SMI

Do you observe what I perceive? : The relationship between two perspectives on the ability of people with cognitive impairments to use everyday technology

Objectives: Everyday technologies (ETs) can be challenging to use, particularly for older adults with cognitive impairments. This study evaluated the relationship between the self-perceived ability to use ET and observable performance of self-chosen and familiar, but challenging ETs in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. Method: A self-perceived report, the Everyday Technology Use Questionnaire (S-ETUQ), and a structured observational tool, the Management of Everyday Technology Assessment (META), assessing the perceived and observed ability to use ET, were used in 41 people with MCI and 38 people with dementia. Correlations were investigated with non-parametric statistical tests. Results: In the dementia group, self-perceived report and observational scores correlated on a significant medium level (Rs=0.44, p = 0.006). In the MCI group, no significant correlation was found. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest the ability of older adults with cognitive impairments to use ETs can be depicted with self-perceived reports as well as with observations. However, the combination of both approaches is recommended to get a comprehensive picture. While the S-ETUQ provides a broad picture of the use, presence and relevance of technologies in an individual’s life, the META describes a specific human-technology interaction in detail. Furthermore, the results suggest people with early dementia retain the ability and insight to accurately reflect on their own ability to use ET, emphasizing the need to include their experiences in research and clinical work