Student Success Tracking Pilot Program

Objective: The purpose of study is to pilot a program in which all P1 students input their exam grades for each course in the fall semester into E*Value. Alongside their grades they record reflections on their performance. This information, visible only to the individual students and their advisors, is used to promote meaningful dialog during advising sessions. Method: A form was created in E*Value for students to input their exam grades and reflections on those grades. Faculty advisors were asked to use this data during advising sessions. Feedback was collected through Qualtrics surveys for faculty and students as well as from a personal meeting with the P1 students. Data from the surveys and meeting were used to evaluate the program. Results: 100% of students recorded exam grades; 94% of students recorded reflections. Faculty survey results (77% response rate) indicate that 90% used the program data to offer advice to students. On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being extremely valuable, faculty rated the program value with a mean score was 3.54. 68% of students responded to the survey and when rating the program as part of their advising session, they rated it 3.11 on a scale of 1-5. During a meeting with the students, they requested automation of grade input. Implications: Program implementation would enable faculty to offer more specific recommendations to students during their advising sessions. It would provide students a personal record to track their success across courses and years

Event--related desynchronization in diffusively coupled oscillator models

We seek explanation for the neurophysiological phenomenon of event related desynchronization (ERD) by using models of diffusively coupled nonlinear oscillators. We demonstrate that when the strength of the event is sufficient, ERD is found to emerge and the accomplishment of a behavioral/functional task is determined by the nature of the desynchronized state. We illustrate the phenomenon for the case of limit cycle and chaotic systems. We numerically demonstrate the occurrence of ERD and provide analytical explanation. We also discuss possible applications of the observed phenomenon in real physical systems other than the brain.Comment: Accepted in Physical Review Letter

“Everything Seems to Be the Right Eye in Our Family”: Intergenerational Family Living with Facial Eye Disfigurement: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

This paper presents the lived experience of an intergenerational family, spanning three generations living with Facial Eye Disfigurement (FED). Living with vision loss and FED is estimated to affect nearly 8 billion people worldwide. Inadequate attention is paid to the impact of Living with FED (LwFED) on the lives of individuals. This research offers a deep dive into the lived experiences of one family LwFED. This family comprises a grandfather (deceased), son, wife, and child, all of whom have lived or live with FED. In this Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study three interviewees are deemed the experts. Data were collected using in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted by Zali who lives with FED. Our findings speak of childhood and subsequent issues living with FED (LwFED), family experiences of living with family members with FED while simultaneously LwFED themselves, shared stories and role modelling. We discuss LwFED healthily through the creation of a safe family space through acceptance, belonging, and support. We introduce and discuss the role of the eyelid, functioning versus non-functioning. We offer insights and understandings of an intergenerational family living with LwFED to advance research and inform practice within diverse fields

Application of Photovoice with Focus Groups to Explore Dietary Behaviors of Older Filipino Adults with Cardiovascular Disease

Filipino Americans have high rates of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This study explored the dietary behaviors, a modifiable risk factor, of Filipinos with CVD. Filipinos with CVD were recruited and trained to do Photovoice. Participants took photos to depict their “food experience,” defined as their daily dietary activities. Participants then shared their photos during focus groups. Focus group transcripts were analyzed using an iterative, grounded theory approach. Among 38 Filipino participants, the mean age was 70 years old and all were foreign-born. Major themes included efforts to retain connection to Filipino culture through food, and dietary habits shaped by cultural health beliefs. Many believed that traditional dietary practices increased CVD risk. Receiving a CVD diagnosis and clinician advice changed their dietary behaviors. Household members, the physical environment, and economic constraints also influenced dietary behaviors. Photovoice is feasible among older Filipinos and may enhance understanding of drivers of dietary behaviors

Hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19: An individual participant data meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Results from observational studies and randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have led to the consensus that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and chloroquine (CQ) are not effective for COVID-19 prevention or treatment. Pooling individual participant data, including unanalyzed data from trials terminated early, enables more detailed investigation of the efficacy and safety of HCQ/CQ among subgroups of hospitalized patients. METHODS: We searched ClinicalTrials.gov in May and June 2020 for US-based RCTs evaluating HCQ/CQ in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in which the outcomes defined in this study were recorded or could be extrapolated. The primary outcome was a 7-point ordinal scale measured between day 28 and 35 post enrollment; comparisons used proportional odds ratios. Harmonized de-identified data were collected via a common template spreadsheet sent to each principal investigator. The data were analyzed by fitting a prespecified Bayesian ordinal regression model and standardizing the resulting predictions. RESULTS: Eight of 19 trials met eligibility criteria and agreed to participate. Patient-level data were available from 770 participants (412 HCQ/CQ vs 358 control). Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. We did not find evidence of a difference in COVID-19 ordinal scores between days 28 and 35 post-enrollment in the pooled patient population (odds ratio, 0.97; 95% credible interval, 0.76-1.24; higher favors HCQ/CQ), and found no convincing evidence of meaningful treatment effect heterogeneity among prespecified subgroups. Adverse event and serious adverse event rates were numerically higher with HCQ/CQ vs control (0.39 vs 0.29 and 0.13 vs 0.09 per patient, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this individual participant data meta-analysis reinforce those of individual RCTs that HCQ/CQ is not efficacious for treatment of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients

A Competing-Risk Approach for Modeling Length of Stay in Severe Malaria Patients in South-East Asia and the Implications for Planning of Hospital Services.

Background: Management of severe malaria with limited resources requires comprehensive planning. Expected length of stay (LOS) and the factors influencing it are useful in the planning and optimisation of service delivery. Methods: A secondary, competing-risk approach to survival analysis was performed for 1217 adult severe malaria patients from the South-East Asia Quinine Artesunate Malaria Trial. Results: Twenty percent of patients died; 95.4% within 7 days compared to 70.3% of those who were discharged. Median time to discharge was 6 days. Compared to quinine, artesunate increased discharge incidence (subdistribution-Hazard ratio, 1.24; [95% confidence interval 1.09-1.40]; P = .001) and decreased incidence of death (0.60; [0.46-0.80]; P < .001). Low Glasgow coma scale (discharge, 1.08 [1.06-1.11], P < .001; death, 0.85 [0.82-0.89], P < .001), high blood urea-nitrogen (discharge, 0.99 [0.99-0.995], P < .001; death, 1.00 [1.00-1.01], P = .012), acidotic base-excess (discharge, 1.05 [1.03-1.06], P < .001; death, 0.90 [0.88-0.93], P < .001), and development of shock (discharge, 0.25 [0.13-0.47], P < .001; death, 2.14 [1.46-3.12], P < .001), or coma (discharge, 0.46 [0.32-0.65], P < .001; death, 2.30 [1.58-3.36], P < .001) decreased cumulative incidence of discharge and increased incidence of death. Conventional Kaplan-Meier survival analysis overestimated cumulative incidence compared to competing-risk model. Conclusions: Clinical factors on admission and during hospitalisation influence LOS in severe malaria, presenting targets to improve health and service efficiency. Artesunate has the potential to increase LOS, which should be accounted for when planning services. In-hospital death is a competing risk for discharge; an important consideration in LOS models to reduce overestimation of risk and misrepresentation of associations

Pendirian Inkubator Bisnis – Teknologi UNPAR

UNPAR, sebagai salah satu institusi pendidikan tinggi, aktif ambil bagian dalam pemberdayaan kewirausahaan, melalui pendirian Center of Excellence (COE) Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) yang bertujuan menfasilitasi berbagai upaya pengembangan dan peningkatan kapasitas pelaku UMKM. Selain pendirian COE SME, pada dasarnya kontribusi UNPAR tercermin dari penyelenggaraan mata kuliah Kewirausahaan, Teknopreneurship dan Simulasi Bisnis di beberapa Jurusan yaitu Administrasi Bisnis, Manajemen, Teknik Kimia dan Teknik Industri. Melalui kuliah-kuliah tersebut terlahir pelaku USAha muda di berbagai bidang. Selama ini, orientasi mata kuliah tersebut hanya semata-mata berorientasi pada pengetahuan, sehingga kesinambungan bisnis yang sudah digagas dari para peserta tidak disiapkan secara terstruktur. Oleh karenanya dibutuhkan sebuah wadah untuk membantu mahasiswa yang betul-betul ingin menjalankan bisnisnya secara terstruktur dan profesional. Wadah ini disebut dengan Inkubator Bisnis Teknologi (IBT). Berbagai kegiatan dalam rangka pendirian IBT di tingkat universitas sudah dilakukan, dan diperoleh hasil berupa pendirian IBT di awal tahun 2016. Sebagai salah satu tindak lanjut dari program pengabdian ini adalah, pengajuan Proposal untuk Hibah Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat DIkti tahun 2016 guna mendukung operasional dari IBT yang dimaksud. Pengajuan co-worker space sebagai salah satu syarat pelaksanaan IBT akan diajukan kepada pihak universitas di awal tahun 2016. Perlunya sinergi antar program studi, terutama yang menyelenggarakan mata kuliah kewirausahaan mulai dilakukan lewat diskusi bersama dengan prodi yang dimaksud

Mother Centriole Distal Appendages Mediate Centrosome Docking at the Immunological Synapse and Reveal Mechanistic Parallels with Ciliogenesis.

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) are highly effective serial killers capable of destroying virally infected and cancerous targets by polarized release from secretory lysosomes. Upon target contact, the CTL centrosome rapidly moves to the immunological synapse, focusing microtubule-directed release at this point [1-3]. Striking similarities have been noted between centrosome polarization at the synapse and basal body docking during ciliogenesis [1, 4-8], suggesting that CTL centrosomes might dock with the plasma membrane during killing, in a manner analogous to primary cilia formation [1, 4]. However, questions remain regarding the extent and function of centrosome polarization at the synapse, and recent reports have challenged its role [9, 10]. Here, we use high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) tomography analysis to show that, as in ciliogenesis, the distal appendages of the CTL mother centriole contact the plasma membrane directly during synapse formation. This is functionally important as small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting of the distal appendage protein, Cep83, required for membrane contact during ciliogenesis [11], impairs CTL secretion. Furthermore, the regulatory proteins CP110 and Cep97, which must dissociate from the mother centriole to allow cilia formation [12], remain associated with the mother centriole in CTLs, and neither axoneme nor transition zone ciliary structures form. Moreover, complete centrosome docking can occur in proliferating CTLs with multiple centriole pairs. Thus, in CTLs, centrosomes dock transiently with the membrane, within the cell cycle and without progression into ciliogenesis. We propose that this transient centrosome docking without cilia formation is important for CTLs to deliver rapid, repeated polarized secretion directed by the centrosome.We thank the Wellcome Trust for funding to GMG (075880) and CIMR (100140).This is the final version of the article. It was first available from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.10.02

Complete replication of hepatitis C virus in cell culture.

Many aspects of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) life cycle have not been reproduced in cell culture, which has slowed research progress on this important human pathogen. Here, we describe a full-length HCV genome that replicates and produces virus particles that are infectious in cell culture (HCVcc). Replication of HCVcc was robust, producing nearly 10(5) infectious units per milliliter within 48 hours. Virus particles were filterable and neutralized with a monoclonal antibody against the viral glycoprotein E2. Viral entry was dependent on cellular expression of a putative HCV receptor, CD81. HCVcc replication was inhibited by interferon-alpha and by several HCV-specific antiviral compounds, suggesting that this in vitro system will aid in the search for improved antivirals

Practice patterns for acute ischemic stroke workup: A longitudinal population‐based study

Background We examined practice patterns of inpatient testing to identify stroke etiologies and treatable risk factors for acute ischemic stroke recurrence. Methods and Results We identified stroke cases and related diagnostic testing from four 1‐year study periods (July 1993 to June 1994, 1999, 2005, and 2010) of the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Stroke Study. Patients aged ≥18 years were included. We focused on evaluation of extracranial arteries for carotid stenosis and assessment of atrial fibrillation because randomized controlled trials supported treatment of these conditions for stroke prevention across all 4 study periods. In each study period, we also recorded stroke etiology, as determined by diagnostic testing and physician adjudication. An increasing proportion of stroke patients received assessment of both extracranial arteries and the heart over time (50%, 58%, 74%, and 78% in the 1993–1994, 1999, 2005, and 2010 periods, respectively; P &lt;0.0001 for trend), with the most dramatic individual increases in echocardiography (57%, 63%, 77%, and 83%, respectively). Concurrently, we observed a decrease in strokes of unknown etiology (47%, 48%, 41%, and 38%, respectively; P &lt;0.0001 for trend). We also found a significant increase in strokes of other known causes (32%, 25%, 45% and 59%, respectively; P &lt;0.0001 for trend). Conclusions Stroke workup for treatable causes of stroke are being used more frequently over time, and this is associated with a decrease in cryptogenic strokes. Future study of whether better determination of treatable stroke etiologies translates to a decrease in stroke recurrence at the population level will be essential. </jats:sec