A Substruction Approach to Assessing the Theoretical Validity of Measures

Background Validity is about the logic, meaningfulness, and evidence used to defend inferences made when interpreting results. Substruction is a heuristic or process that visually represent the hierarchical structure between theory and measures. Purpose To describe substruction as a method for assessing the toretical validity of research measures. Methods Using Fawcett\u27s Conceptual-Theoretical-Empirical Structure. an exemplar is presented of substruction from the Individual and Family Self-Management Theory to the Striving to be strong study concepts and empirical measures. Results Substruction tables display evidence supporting theoretical validity of the instruments used in the study. Conclusion A high degree of congruence between theory and measure is critical to support the validity of the theory and to support attributions made about moderating, mediating, causal relationships, and intervention effects

Testing the Integrated Theory of Health Behaviour Change for Postpartum Weight Management

Aim.  This is a report of a correlational study to test the Integrated Theory of Health Behaviour Change within the context of postpartum weight self‐management including the impact of race/ethnicity and weight classification. Background.  Women experiencing childbirth face increasing challenges to manage their weight postpartum. Little is known about women’s weight self‐management during the complex physiological and psychosocial transition of the postpartum period. Methods.  Data were collected during the birth hospitalization and 4 months postbirth during 2005 and 2006. A quota sample of 250 postpartum women using two strata, race/ethnicity and prepregnant weight classification, were enrolled; 179 women completed the follow‐up survey. A survey questionnaire measured concepts from the Integrated Theory of Health Behaviour Change concepts, including knowledge and beliefs (self‐efficacy, outcome expectancy and goal congruence), self‐regulation skills and abilities, and social facilitation (social support and social influence) and the proximal outcome of weight retention. Factor analysis identified 5 factors consistent with the theoretical concepts that accounted for 47·1% of total survey variance. Results.  Model testing using path analysis explored the relationship among factors. The final model explained 25·7% of the variance in self regulation at 4 months, but did not explain weight retention. The contribution of select concepts to total variance was different for Caucasian and African American women, but not by weight classification. Conclusions.  Findings support use of theoretical concepts and relationships to understand postpartum weight self‐management. The different relationships among concepts in Caucasian and African American women should be considered in planning targeted postpartum weight self‐management interventions

Weight-Management Information Needs of Postpartum Women

Purpose: To describe the weight loss information-seeking behaviors of postpartum women. Study Design and Methods: The study is part of a larger longitudinal descriptive study of factors associated with women\u27s self-management of their gestational weight loss after birth. Participants answered questions about weight loss information they planned to access, had received, wished they had received, and desired sources of information. A total of 250 women were enrolled during the postpartum hospital stay; 179 completed a 4-month follow-up. Results: A large portion of the sample (53.3% of normal weight women, 79% of overweight women, and 81.4% obese women) identified plans to seek weight loss information, yet nearly 85% received no information from healthcare providers by 4 months postpartum. The most frequently reported desired information topics fell under the category of specific strategies to lose weight. The majority of women in the sample had access to online health information from home, work, or a library; however, more White women had this access than did Black or Hispanic women. Clinical Implications: Postpartum hospital nurses are in a unique position to provide high-quality information with strategies for managing postpartum loss of gestational weight. Provision of high-quality online or print information can provide the foundation for successful weight-management support for prevention of gestational weight retention and long-term maintenance of a healthy weight

Efficacy of Osteoporosis Prevention Smartphone App

Background The Striving to be Strong study tested the efficacy of a multifaceted, theory-based, complex osteoporosis prevention smartphone application (app). We hypothesized use of the app would improve bone mineral density and trabecular bone scores. Methods The study was a three-group, prospective, repeated-measure, longitudinal randomized trial. Baseline sample consisted of 290 healthy women between 40 and 60 years of age. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: “Striving,” a dynamically tailored, person-centered app; “Boning Up,” a standardized osteoporosis-education e-book; and “Wait List,” a participant’s choice of intervention in the final 3 months of the 12-month study. Participants had or were provided a smart phone. Bone mineral density and trabecular bone scores were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at baseline and 12 months. To assess engagement in health behavior change processes, ecological momentary assessments were administered via text messaging during the 12 months participants actively used the app. Results The final sample reflects an 89.6% retention rate. There were decreases in bone mineral density over time but not among the three groups. The percentage of bone density lost over 12 months was lower than expected. Trabecular bone scores were not different over time or by group but improved across all three groups. Discussion Small but positive results were observed across all groups, suggesting one or more aspects of participation might have affected outcomes, including dissemination of the intervention across groups, retention without participation, ecological momentary assessments functioning as both an intervention and measure, and selective engagement in research-based recommendations

Optimized Sequence Library Design for Efficient In Vitro Interaction Mapping

Sequence libraries that cover all k-mers enable universal, unbiased measurements of binding to both oligonucleotides and peptides. While the number of k-mers grows exponentially in k, space on all experimental platforms is limited. Here, we shrink k-mer library sizes by using joker characters, which represent all characters in the alphabet simultaneously. We present the JokerCAKE (joker covering all k-mers) algorithm for generating a short sequence such that each k-mer appears at least p times with at most one joker character per k-mer. By running our algorithm on a range of parameters and alphabets, we show that JokerCAKE produces near-optimal sequences. Moreover, through comparison with data from hundreds of DNA-protein binding experiments and with new experimental results for both standard and JokerCAKE libraries, we establish that accurate binding scores can be inferred for high-affinity k-mers using JokerCAKE libraries. JokerCAKE libraries allow researchers to search a significantly larger sequence space using the same number of experimental measurements and at the same cost. We present a new compact sequence design that covers all k-mers utilizing joker characters and develop an efficient algorithm to generate such designs. We show through simulations and experimental validation that these sequence designs are useful for identifying high-affinity binding sites at significantly reduced cost and space. Keywords: sequence libraries; microarray design; de Bruijn graphNational Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01GM081871

Enantioselective N-heterocyclic carbene catalyzed formal [3+2] cycloaddition using α-aroyloxyaldehydes and oxaziridines

We thank the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Critical Resource Catalysis (CRITICAT, grant code EP/L016419/1) (R.W.F.K.) for funding. The European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) ERC Grant Agreement No. 279850 is also acknowledged. A.D.S. thanks the Royal Society for a Wolfson Research Merit Award.An enantioselective N-heterocyclic carbene catalysed formal [3+2] cycloaddition has been developed for the synthesis of oxazolindin-4-one products. The reaction of oxaziridines and α-aroyloxyaldehydes under N-heterocyclic carbene catalysis provides the formal cycloaddition products with excellent control of the diastereo- and enantioselectivity (12 examples, up to >95:5 dr, >99:1 er). A matched-mismatched effect between the enantiomer of the catalyst and oxaziridine was identified, and preliminary mechanistic studies have allowed the proposal of a model to explain these observations.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Ultrarapid cerium(III)–NHC catalysts for high molar mass cyclic polylactide

The EPSRC are acknowledged for research funding through the Centre for Doctoral Training in Critical Resource Catalysis (CRITICAT, EP/ L016419/1, R. W. F. K., P. M. D. A. E.), EP/J018139/1, the UK Catalysis Hub (EP/K014714/1, P. L. A., C. K. W., S. K. R.), EP/M010554/1 (P. L. A.) and EP/S018603/1 (C. K. W.). This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 740311, P.L.A.).Cyclic polyesters could improve the properties of degradable plastics, but routes to them that provide a product with faster rates, higher molar mass, and greater selectivity for cyclic vs linear polymer are needed. Here, homogeneous Ce(III)–N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalysts show outstanding activities (turn-over-frequency (TOF) > 864 000 h–1), excellent control, and selectivity for cyclic polylactide (PLA) topology (>95%), yielding high molar mass PLA (60 < Mn < 250 kg mol–1). They efficiently produce cyclic PLA from rac-lactide or l-lactide and aliphatic cyclic polyesters from ε-caprolactone or β-butyrolactone. The enhanced performances are only achievable from combining cooperative Lewis acidic cerium(III) and hemilabile N-heterocyclic carbene functionalities.PostprintPostprintPeer reviewe

Validity and Reliability of the Perceived Readiness for Discharge After Birth Scale

Objective: To assess the psychometric properties of a scale measuring mothers’ perceptions of readiness for discharge after birth. Design: Psychometric analyses including construct validity using factor analysis and known groups comparisons, predictive validity, and reliability. Data were collected at discharge and 6 weeks postdischarge. Setting: Tertiary-level perinatal center in the Midwestern United States. Participants: 1,462 postpartum mothers. Intervention: None. Main Outcome Measures: Perceived Readiness for Discharge After Birth Scale scores; subscale scores for personal status and knowledge factors.\u27 Results: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the scale contained two factors. Perceived Readiness for Discharge After Birth Scale scores were lower for mothers who were breast-feeding, married, primiparous, and had a short hospital stay (less than 30 hours) than for their comparison groups. The Perceived Readiness for Discharge After Birth Scale personal status factor was predictive of self-reported physical and psychosocial problems and unscheduled utilization of health services in the first 6 weeks postpartum. The knowledge factor was predictive of postdischarge telephone calls to the pediatric provider. Reliability estimates ranged from 0.83 to 0.89 for the total scale and subscales. Conclusions: The Perceived Readiness for Discharge After Birth Scale performed well in psychometric testing. Assessing mothers’perceptions of readiness for discharge is important for measuring outcomes of hospitalization and for identifying mothers at risk for postdischarge problems