Cancer caregiving : an exploration of values, burden, repetitive thinking, and depression.

Individuals who provide emotional, social, and physical care to a care recipient with cancer, without receiving financial compensation, are considered informal cancer caregivers. Research has identified that depression is a significant concern for cancer caregivers and likely impacts the care recipient’s health as well. However, limited literature has evaluated constructs that may affect depression in cancer caregivers. The current study explored how intrinsic and extrinsic cultural motivations, caregiver burden, and repetitive thinking relate to depression in a sample of 46 current cancer caregivers. Results revealed that while cancer caregivers did endorse both intrinsic and extrinsic cultural motivations for providing care as well as repetitive thinking, repetitive thinking did not mediate the relationship between cultural motivations and depressive symptoms. However, repetitive thinking did mediate the relationship between caregiver burden and depressive symptoms. Thus, repetitive thinking may play an important role in maintaining and potentially exacerbating caregiving distress. Implications for how the findings may inform caregiver interventions, as well as future research, are discussed

How do USU Students Use University Support Services?

The central mission of USU is to be one of the nation’s premier student-centered universities. This is accomplished by fostering academics and offering opportunities to expand students’ vision of the world around them through co- and extra-curricular activities. These auxiliary activities are designed to support academic achievement and to engage students in meaningful opportunities to practice and enhance their personal and professional well-being. This analysis describes how students are using co- and extra-curricular services. It investigates the most salient student-facing programming in supporting student retention

Exploratory Advising Impact Report: Spring 2016 to Spring 2019

Academic advising performs a pivotal contribution to student success by providing information about univeristy expectations and avenues towards graduation. Exploratory student advising has the additional task of supporting students in major selection. This analysis investigated the relationship between academic advising and student persistence for exploratory students to better understand the impact of current advising practices. METHODS: Exploratory academic advisors met with an average 53% of exporatory students each semester. Students with a record of meeting with an academic advisor were compared to similar exploratory students who did not. Students were compared using prediction-based propensity score matching. Students who met with an advisor were matched with students who did not based on their persistence predication and their propensity to participate. The groups were compared using difference-in-difference testing (DID). FINDINGS: Students were 99% similar following matching. Students who met with an academic advisor were significantly more likely to persist at USU than similar students who did not (DID = 0.099, p \u3c .001). The unstandardized effect size can be estimated through student impact. It is estimated that academic advising assisted in retaining 91 (CI: 74 to 107) exploratory students each year who were otherwise not expected to persist

Hopelessness the ‘active ingredient’? : associations of hopelessness and depressive symptoms with Interleukin-6.

Objective: Previous research has revealed a relationship of depressive symptoms and hopelessness with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) which are associated with elevated levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6). The objective of this study was to explore whether depressive symptoms and hopelessness are independent predictors of IL-6 levels. Method: Hopelessness, depressive symptoms, and IL-6 were measured in 45 Swedish adults (26 women and 19 men; age range: 31-65 years). Two separated linear regressions were conducted with hopelessness and depressive symptoms serving as individual predictors of IL-6. Another regression analysis examined whether the two predictors predict IL-6 when controlling for each other. The regression coefficients of the models with one predictor and with both predictors were compared. Results: As predicted, after adjusting for age, BMI, illness, smoking, and gender, more depressive symptoms and more hopelessness predicted higher IL-6 levels in independent regressions. When controlling for each other, hopelessness, but not depressive symptoms, predicted IL-6 levels. Finally, when controlling for hopelessness, the regression between depressive symptoms and IL-6 level was significantly reduced; however, there was no significant change in the regression between hopelessness and IL-6 level when controlling for depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Thus, these results suggest that depressive symptoms and hopelessness are not independent predictors of IL-6 levels. Future research should explore the interplay of hopelessness and depressive symptoms on other risk factors of CVDs

Connections Impact on Student Persistence: Impact Report Spring 2015 to Fall 2018

Connections is Utah State University\u27s (USU) first-year seminary. A primary objective of Connections is student persistence. It is designed to help students become learners. While being a learner is not synonymous with being a college student, it aligns students’ expectations with what is required to succeed in college and at USU. This impact report explores the influence of Connections participation on student persistence to the next term. Participation in Connections is associated with a 1.4% increase in persistence to the next term. The positive impact of Connections is increasing with strategic programmatic changes

Aggie Recreation Center Impact Report Fall 2015 to Spring 2019

Recreation facilities are an integral part of the university community. The Aggie Recreation Center is a place that helps foster a well balanced student. The ARC provides students with a myriad of opportunities for recreation, exercise, and community that can support students on their academic journey. This report explored the association between ARC facility use and student persistence to the next term at Utah State University. METHODS: Students recreation center use was captured with entry log-ins as students entered the facility. Students who had a record of using the facility were compared to similar students who did not have a record of facility use. Students were compared using prediction-based propensity score matching. Students who used the recreation center were matched with non-users based on their persistence predication and their propensity to participate. FINDINGS: Students were 99% similar following matching. Participating and comparison students were compared using difference-in-difference testing. Students who access ARC resources were significantly more likely to persist at USU than similar students who did not use library resources (DID = 0.0115, p \u3c .001). The unstandardized effect size can be estimated through student impact. It is estimated that library resources assisted in retaining 130 (CI: 87 – 173) students each year who were otherwise not expected to persist

Elevated plasma levels of TIMP-3 are associated with a higher risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome and death following severe isolated traumatic brain injury.

BackgroundComplications after injury, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), are common after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and associated with poor clinical outcomes. The mechanisms driving non-neurologic organ dysfunction after TBI are not well understood. Tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (TIMP-3) is a regulator of matrix metalloproteinase activity, inflammation, and vascular permeability, and hence has plausibility as a biomarker for the systemic response to TBI.MethodsIn a retrospective study of 182 patients with severe isolated TBI, we measured TIMP-3 in plasma obtained on emergency department arrival. We used non-parametric tests and logistic regression analyses to test the association of TIMP-3 with the incidence of ARDS within 8 days of admission and in-hospital mortality.ResultsTIMP-3 was significantly higher among subjects who developed ARDS compared with those who did not (median 2810 pg/mL vs. 2260 pg/mL, p=0.008), and significantly higher among subjects who died than among those who survived to discharge (median 2960 pg/mL vs. 2080 pg/mL, p<0.001). In an unadjusted logistic regression model, for each SD increase in plasma TIMP-3, the odds of ARDS increased significantly, OR 1.5 (95% CI 1.1 to 2.1). This association was only attenuated in multivariate models, OR 1.4 (95% CI 1.0 to 2.0). In an unadjusted logistic regression model, for each SD increase in plasma TIMP-3, the odds of death increased significantly, OR 1.7 (95% CI 1.2 to 2.3). The magnitude of this association was greater in a multivariate model adjusted for markers of injury severity, OR 1.9 (95% CI 1.2 to 2.8).DiscussionTIMP-3 may play an important role in the biology of the systemic response to brain injury in humans. Along with clinical and demographic data, early measurements of plasma biomarkers such as TIMP-3 may help identify patients at higher risk of ARDS and death after severe isolated TBI.Level of evidenceIII

USU STARS! GEAR UP: Fall 2018 to Spring 2019

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is a federally funded program designed to prepared secondary students for college. USU has received several of these competitive grants to work with middle and high school students throughout Utah. This analysis explores how GEAR Up students utilized services. Use patterns were regressed on college enrollment. METHODS: Latent profile analysis (LPA) is a powerful tool for uncovering common response patterns across multiple continuous variables. Following the LPA, the common response patterns were regressed on post-secondary enrollment. FINDINGS: The latent profile analysis exposed 4 well-defined use patterns across the GEAR UP services. Profiles were differentially associated with college enrollment post-graduation from high school. The profile named Preppers, defined by high use of College & Career and Advising services and Family Involvement, was associated with increased college enrollment. Future directions are discussed

Student Involvement & Leadership Center: Impact Report Spring 2015 to Fall 2018

Leadership and involvement programs are an integral part of the student experience on University campuses. Volunteers and scholars within leadership and involvement serve their peers by providing rewarding events that unify the student body. Volunteers and scholars also benefit through opportunities for personal exploration and growth. Working with SILC allows students to serve and lead in a unique way. This report explored the association between student participation in leadership and involvement programs, and student persistence to the next term at Utah State University. METHODS: Students participation was captured by rosters across all SILC programs. Students who had a record of participation were compared to similar students who did not have a record of participation. Similar students were identified through prediction-based propensity score matching. Students were matched based on their persistence prediction and their propensity to participate. FINDINGS: Students were 99% similar following matching. Participating and comparison students were compared using difference-in-difference testing. Students who participated in SILC programs were significantly more likely to persist at USU than similar students who did not (DID = 0.0326, p \u3c .001). The unstandardized effect size can be estimated through student impact. It is estimated that SILC participation assisted in retaining 12 (CI: 6 – 18) students each year who were otherwise not expected to persist

Exploring the dimensionality of morphological knowledge for adolescent readers

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135649/1/jrir12064.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135649/2/jrir12064_am.pd