Investigating the Process of Consequential Validity with the Ambassador Questionnaire

Validity in psychometrics refers to the degree to which evidence and theory supports the interpretations drawn from a test, and Messick’s Contemporary Validity Theory (1994) includes several facets with well-established evidence collection methods. However, there is a lack of consensus on appropriate methods of evaluating the facet of consequential validity, which is the degree to which interpretation of scores could have consequences for test-takers. The primary objective of this study was to illustrate a method of identifying potential consequences of survey in the stage of manual development. This method was placed in the context of the Ambassador Questionnaire (AQ) used in Engineering Ambassador (EA) programs that aim to broaden participation in the discipline with outreach. Because this program focuses on equity and inclusion, a second objective was to determine if the AQ could include a subscale sensitive to equity perceptions. A mixed method was employed to address these objectives. Qualitative interviews informed both the capacity for interviews to solicit potential consequences of use and the utility of an equity perception subscale to EA chapter advisors. Quantitative analyses included factor analytic techniques. Existing AQ data was proportionately stratified for separate exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to determine if controlling for demographic differences would reinforce the AQ’s existing factor structure that omits pilot items sensitive to perceptions of equity differences. Ten advisors were interviewed and a total of eleven hours of interview data was collected. Several themes related to consequences of use emerged from these interviews, including use of the AQ to track student growth, potential influences on students as a result of taking the AQ, programmatic changes that could be made with AQ data, and sharing of AQ data with interested parties. These findings suggest that interviewing stakeholders during the development of an instrument’s manual can provide developers with foreseeable consequences. Integration of advisor feedback on items sensitive to perceptions of equity differences with quantitative findings that reinforce the AQ’s existing factor structure also suggests that a scale sensitive to said perceptions would be best served by an additional subscale with added items or an independent equity perceptions scale

Validation of the Ambassador Questionnaire for Undergraduate Students Conducting Engineering Outreach

Although K-12 engineering outreach commonly involves college students, the young professionals who act as ambassadors for their field are less likely to be studied than the students they serve. Yet, outreach activities may offer opportunities for undergraduate students to develop aspects of their professional selves. As there is currently no comprehensive measure that allows researchers, program evaluators, and outreach advisors to examine ambassadors\u27 professional development and growth, this study sought to develop and validate an Ambassador Questionnaire (AQ). The multi-step process included the selection and adaptation of items from extant measures of engineering students\u27 motivation, beliefs, professional skills, and perceptions of ambassador training. After an expert panel evaluated the initial group of items, the 57-item AQ was completed by a diverse group of 350 undergraduate engineering students engaged in ambassadorship. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to examine construct validity, and internal consistency reliability analyses followed. The findings indicated a five-factor model that accounted for 53% of the variance and demonstrated strong internal consistency reliability. Potential uses for the measure are discussed

Adequação de medicamentos prescritos em pacientes em uso de sonda enteral em um hospital público no sul do Brasil

Patients receiving enteral nutritional therapy are fed via enteral feeding tubes, which are also routes of medical administration. Nutrients and drugs interact with each other and with the gastrointestinal tract; care is needed to ensure that this therapy is properly performed in order to avoid adverse effects related to enteral nutritional therapy. The professionals involved in prescribing, dispensing and administrating drugs by feeding tubes should have the technical ability and skills that ensure the adequacy of the drug treatment in patients who use this type of therapy. There are few clinical protocols that refer to drug use in solid pharmaceutical form via enteral catheter. This study aimed to verify the inadequacy of the prescription of the solid pharmaceutical form through enteral feeding tube in patients hospitalized in a clinical unit in a public hospital in the south of Brazil. This is an observational, cross-sectional study whose data were analyzed from medical prescriptions of patients using enteral tubes. Among the drugs with pharmaceutical form of oral use prescribed via enteral feeding tubes, 94% (604) were prescribed in a solid dosage form, of which 42% (253) were inadequately prescribed. The high prevalence of inadequately prescribed drugs for tube administration demonstrates the importance of the pharmaceutical activity among the multidisciplinary team who assists patients with enteral nutritional therapy

Efficacy and moderators of efficacy of trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapies in children and adolescents: protocol for an individual participant data meta-analysis from randomised trials.

INTRODUCTION: Trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapies are the first-line treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children and adolescents. Nevertheless, open questions remain with respect to efficacy: why does this first-line treatment not work for everyone? For whom does it work best? Individual clinical trials often do not provide sufficient statistical power to examine and substantiate moderating factors. To overcome the issue of limited power, an individual participant data meta-analysis of randomised trials evaluating forms of trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy in children and adolescents aged 6-18 years will be conducted. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will update the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline literature search from 2018 with an electronic search in the databases PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and CINAHL with the terms (trauma* OR stress*) AND (cognitive therap* OR psychotherap*) AND (trial* OR review*). Electronic searches will be supplemented by a comprehensive grey literature search in archives and trial registries. Only randomised trials that used any manualised psychological treatment-that is a trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy for children and adolescents-will be included. The primary outcome variable will be child-reported posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) post-treatment. Proxy-reports (teacher, parent and caregiver) will be analysed separately. Secondary outcomes will include follow-up assessments of PTSS, PTSD diagnosis and symptoms of comorbid disorders such as depression, anxiety-related and externalising problems. Random-effects models applying restricted maximum likelihood estimation will be used for all analyses. We will use the Revised Cochrane Risk of Bias tool to measure risk of bias. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Contributing study authors need to have permission to share anonymised data. Contributing studies will be required to remove patient identifiers before providing their data. Results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at international conferences. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019151954

Administration of BPX-501 Cells Following Αβ T and B-Cell-Depleted HLA Haploidentical HSCT (haplo-HSCT) in Children with Acute Leukemias (AL)

Background Allogeneic HSCT is a well-established treatment for children with AL. For pts lacking a compatible matched related or unrelated donor, HLA-haplo-HSCT represents an alternative. Promising results were reported with selective depletion of αβ T and B cells (Locatelli, Blood 2017). PX-501 is an allogeneic product consisting of T cells modified to express the inducible caspase-9 (iC9) safety switch and truncated CD19 to allow monitoring and expansion of BPX-501 following transplant. BPX-501 provides broad virus and tumor-specific immunity; the safety switch provides the unique ability to promptly and durably resolve graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) symptoms following the administration of rimiducid. Aims Evaluate the safety and efficacy of BPX-501 in pediatric pts with AL by determining whether BPX-501 infusion can increase efficacy outcomes through an enhanced graft-versus-leukemic (GvL) effect, while maintaining a low risk of GvHD. Methods A subset of pts had high-risk ALs. BPX-501 was planned to be infused on day14±4 after the allograft with no post-transplant GvHD prophylaxis allowed. Pts who developed steroid-resistant GvHD could receive ≥1 dose of rimiducid. Results As of June 30, 2018, 100 pts with AL (described in Table 1) were efficacy evaluable. Median time for neutrophil and platelet engraftment was 16 and 12 days, respectively. Four pts (4.1%) experienced primary graft failure. Of 96 evaluable pts, 5 (3.1%) developed Grade III-IV aGvHD. Of 82 evaluable pts, 12 developed cGvHD (18.1%), with 3 moderate-severe. Rimiducid was administered to 10 pts. Best overall clinical response (CR/PR) post-rimiducid was 80% (8 pts). Among responding patients, 7 (87.5%) had a CR. Six (6.6%) pts died after transplantation. Efficacy outcomes in AL subsets are in Table 2. CD3+ and CD3+CD4+ T cells above 500 cells/ml were achieved by 180 and 270 days, respectively. IgA and IgM levels achieved normal values by 180 days. Conclusion BPX-501 following αβ-T and B-cell depleted haplo-HSCT represents a highly effective transplantation strategy for pediatric pts with AL. Rimiducid was an effective treatment for pts with steroid-resistant GvHD

Biological parameters and fertility life table of Neopamera bilobata (Hemiptera: Rhyparochromidae) on strawberry

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os parâmetros biológicos e determinar a tabela de vida de fertilidade de Neopamera bilobata (Hemiptera: Rhyparochromidae) em morangueiro. O experimento foi realizado no Laboratório de Entomologia da Embrapa Uva e Vinho, em Bento Gonçalves, RS, em câmara climatizada (a 23±1°C, 70±10% UR e fotófase de 12 horas). Utilizaram-se folíolos, flores, frutos verdes e maduros de morangueiro 'Aromas' como alimento para os percevejos. O desenvolvimento das fases imaturas e os parâmetros biológicos dos adultos foram monitorados diariamente. O percevejo N. bilobata não completou o ciclo biológico em folíolos e flores de morangueiro. Em frutos maduros e verdes, o tempo de desenvolvimento da ninfa ao adulto foi de 32,8±9,12 e 36,7±6,80 dias, com viabilidade de 27,3 e 51%, respectivamente. O período de oviposição foi de 34,7±21,2 dias, com 319,1±262,7 ovos em frutos maduros, e de 43,9±18,3 dias, com 318,2±144,7 ovos em frutos verdes. Neopamera bilobata completa seu ciclo biológico na cultura do morangueiro. Frutos verdes de morangueiro são mais adequados ao desenvolvimento deste inseto do que frutos maduros.The objective of this work was to evaluate the biological parameters and to determinate the fertility life table of Neopamera bilobata (Hemiptera: Rhyparochromidae) on strawberry. The experiment was carried out in the Laboratory of Entomology of Embrapa Uva e Vinho, in Bento Gonçalves, RS, Brazil, in a climatic chamber (at 23±1°C, 70±10% RH, and 12-hour photoperiod). Leaflets, flowers, and green and ripe fruit of 'Aromas' strawberry were used to feed the insects. The development of immature stages and the biological parameters of adults were daily monitored. The bug N. bilobata did not complete the life cycle on strawberry leaflets and flowers. On mature and green fruit, the nymph-adult development time was of 32.8±9.12 and 36.7±6.80 days, with viability of 27.3 and 51%, respectively. The oviposition period was of 34.7±21.2 days, with 319.1±262.7 eggs on ripe fruit, and of 43.9±18.3 days, with 318.2±144.7 eggs on green fruit. Neopamera bilobata completes its biological cycle on strawberry crop. Green fruit of strawberry are more suitable for this insect development than ripe ones