Younger adolescents’ perceptions of physical activity, exergaming, and virtual reality:qualitative intervention development study

Background. Novel strategies to promote physical activity (PA) in adolescence are required. The vEngage study aims to test whether a virtual reality (VR) exergaming intervention can engage younger adolescents (13-15 year old) with physical activity. Objective: This study aimed to gather adolescents’ views of using VR to encourage PA and identify the key features they would like to see in a VR exergaming intervention via interviews. Methods: Participants were recruited through two schools in London, UK. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with adolescents about their views on PA and what might work to increase PA, technology, knowledge and experience of VR, and desired features in a VR exergaming intervention. Data were analysed using Framework Analysis. Results: 31 13-15 year olds (58% female, 62% from non-white ethnicities) participated in this interview study. The vast majority had no awareness of government PA recommendations, but felt they should be more thoroughly informed. All participants were positive about the use of VR in PA promotion. Rewards, increasing challenges and a social/multiplayer aspect were identified by participants as crucial aspects to include in a VR exercise game. Barriers were related to cost of high-end systems. Being able to exercise at home was very appealing. VR exergaming was viewed as a way to overcome multiple perceived social and cultural barriers to PA, particularly for girls. Conclusions: Key elements that should be incorporated into a VR for health intervention were identified and described. These also included the use of rewards, novelty and enjoyment in immersive game play, multi-player options, real-world elements, as well as continual updates and new challenge levels. The use of VR to promote PA in adolescents is promising, but some barriers were raised

Genetic variations in GBA1 and LRRK2 genes: Biochemical and clinical consequences in Parkinson disease

Variants in the GBA1 and LRRK2 genes are the most common genetic risk factors associated with Parkinson disease (PD). Both genes are associated with lysosomal and autophagic pathways, with the GBA1 gene encoding for the lysosomal enzyme, glucocerebrosidase (GCase) and the LRRK2 gene encoding for the leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 enzyme. GBA1-associated PD is characterized by earlier age at onset and more severe non-motor symptoms compared to sporadic PD. Mutations in the GBA1 gene can be stratified into severe, mild and risk variants depending on the clinical presentation of disease. Both a loss- and gain- of function hypothesis has been proposed for GBA1 variants and the functional consequences associated with each variant is often linked to mutation severity. On the other hand, LRRK2-associated PD is similar to sporadic PD, but with a more benign disease course. Mutations in the LRRK2 gene occur in several structural domains and affect phosphorylation of GTPases. Biochemical studies suggest a possible convergence of GBA1 and LRRK2 pathways, with double mutant carriers showing a milder phenotype compared to GBA1-associated PD. This review compares GBA1 and LRRK2-associated PD, and highlights possible genotype-phenotype associations for GBA1 and LRRK2 separately, based on biochemical consequences of single variants

Characterisation of a mural cell network in the murine pituitary gland

The anterior and intermediate lobes of the pituitary are composed of endocrine cells, as well as vasculature and supporting cells, such as folliculostellate cells. Folliculostellate cells form a network with several postulated roles in the pituitary, including production of paracrine signalling molecules and cytokines, coordination of endocrine cell hormone release, phagocytosis, and structural support. Folliculostellate cells in rats are characterised by expression of S100B protein, and in humans by glial fibrillary acid protein. However, there is evidence for another network of supporting cells in the anterior pituitary that has properties of mural cells, such as vascular smooth muscle cells and pericytes. The present study aims to characterise the distribution of cells that express the mural cell marker platelet derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRβ) in the mouse pituitary and establish whether these cells are folliculostellate. By immunohistochemical localisation, we determine that approximately 80% of PDGFRβ+ cells in the mouse pituitary have a non‐perivascular location and 20% are pericytes. Investigation of gene expression in a magnetic cell sorted population of PDGFRβ+ cells shows that, despite a mostly non‐perivascular location, this population is enriched for mural cell markers but not enriched for rat or human folliculostellate cell markers. This is confirmed by immunohistochemistry. The present study concludes that a mural cell network is present throughout the anterior pituitary of the mouse and that this population does not express well‐characterised human or rat folliculostellate cell markers

Evaluating Interprofessional Fast Forward Rounds for Transition of Care Education

Background: Interprofessional Education is gaining recognition by key pharmacy organizations for its value in healthcare education, producing various models for implementation among healthcare students and professionals. Unfolding cases incorporating transitions of care may improve student skills and attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration. Objectives: This project assessed the efficacy of unfolding cases in improving interprofessional skills and attitudes among pharmacy, nursing, and social work students. The ultimate goal is to integrate this model, if proven effective, into the curricula of multiple health science centers. Methodology: First, pharmacy, nursing, and social work students completed a pre-intervention survey regarding interprofessional skills and attitudes before discussing the first “fast-forward rounds” case in professional silos. After a transitions of care lecture, subjects completed the alternative cases in interprofessional groups in a crossover design. The comparable transitions of care cases included common healthcare topics that were challenging but within the scope of regular practice. “Fast forwards” between transitions of care required students to interpret changes in the case throughout the hospital stay. Following the interprofessional session, group debriefing allowed for feedback on cases, transitions, and differences working with and without other professions. Finally, a post-intervention survey was administered to measure changes in interprofessional attitudes and skills. Analysis: Kruskall-Wallis analysis identified differences among the three majors on the pretest and posttest separately. The Wilcoxon sign rank test assessed changes within each group since normal distribution was not assumed. A Chi-squared test analyzed demographic data. Results: Data analysis of results from the conference revealed a significant improvement in 15 of 25 survey questions in the composite group, while 14, 7, and 4 questions showed significant improvement in the pharmacy, nursing, and social work sub-analyses, respectively. Fewer questions showed significant improvement in the social work group, possibly due to the specific medical details of the cases as well as fewer social work participants relative to pharmacy and nursing. Discussion: Results suggest that this intervention can effectively improve student attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration and understanding of transitions of care. Changes can be made to improve the benefit to social work students and to increase the number of majors participating

Evaluating Pedagogy and Practice of Universal Design for Learning in Public Schools

How can education change to meet the demands of effectively educating an increasingly diverse student population with the skills, knowledge, and abilities they need to be productive and successful citizens in the 21st century? One possible solution is to create classrooms, teachers, and schools that embrace the progressive and inclusive practices espoused by Universal Design for Learning (UDL). In addition to being rooted in UDL pedagogy, classrooms designed to meet the challenge of 21st century education need to substantially integrate and utilize advances in technology. The vanguard of literature to date in UDL could be characterized as rhetorical advocacy. That is, UDL literature is in the early stages of introducing and promoting UDL pedagogy, but to date there is not a research base strong enough to establish UDL as a scientifically validated intervention (Edyburn, 2010). UDL might sound like a good idea, but until the research base turns the corner from advocating to assessing and measuring UDL outcomes, the promise of this approach will not be realized. This article describes a study exploring effects and outcomes of a professional development program on the perceptions and practice of UDL principles in K–12 public school inclusive classrooms, and could be one step toward bridging the gap from a good idea to a solidified best practice. Specifically, this study investigated a professional development program’s effect on teachers’ perceptions, conceptualizations, and implementation of UDL principles and practice in their classrooms

Gravity Spy: Integrating Advanced LIGO Detector Characterization, Machine Learning, and Citizen Science

(abridged for arXiv) With the first direct detection of gravitational waves, the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) has initiated a new field of astronomy by providing an alternate means of sensing the universe. The extreme sensitivity required to make such detections is achieved through exquisite isolation of all sensitive components of LIGO from non-gravitational-wave disturbances. Nonetheless, LIGO is still susceptible to a variety of instrumental and environmental sources of noise that contaminate the data. Of particular concern are noise features known as glitches, which are transient and non-Gaussian in their nature, and occur at a high enough rate so that accidental coincidence between the two LIGO detectors is non-negligible. In this paper we describe an innovative project that combines crowdsourcing with machine learning to aid in the challenging task of categorizing all of the glitches recorded by the LIGO detectors. Through the Zooniverse platform, we engage and recruit volunteers from the public to categorize images of glitches into pre-identified morphological classes and to discover new classes that appear as the detectors evolve. In addition, machine learning algorithms are used to categorize images after being trained on human-classified examples of the morphological classes. Leveraging the strengths of both classification methods, we create a combined method with the aim of improving the efficiency and accuracy of each individual classifier. The resulting classification and characterization should help LIGO scientists to identify causes of glitches and subsequently eliminate them from the data or the detector entirely, thereby improving the rate and accuracy of gravitational-wave observations. We demonstrate these methods using a small subset of data from LIGO's first observing run.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures, 1 tabl

Patterns of initiation of second generation antipsychotics for bipolar disorder: a month-by-month analysis of provider behavior

Background: Several second generation antipsychotics (SGAs) received FDA approval for bipolar disorder in the 2000s. Although efficacious, they have been costly and may cause significant side effects. Little is known about the factors associated with prescribers’ decisions to initiate SGA prescriptions for this condition. Methods: We gathered administrative data from the Department of Veterans Affairs on 170,713 patients with bipolar disorder between fiscal years 2003–2010. Patients without a prior history of taking SGAs were considered eligible for SGA initiation during the study (n =126,556). Generalized estimating equations identified demographic, clinical, and comorbidity variables associated with initiation of an SGA prescription on a month-by-month basis. Results: While the number of patients with bipolar disorder using SGAs nearly doubled between 2003 and 2010, analyses controlling for patient characteristics and the rise in the bipolar population revealed a 1.2% annual decline in SGA initiation during this period. Most medical comorbidities were only modestly associated with overall SGA initiation, although significant differences emerged among individual SGAs. Several markers of patient severity predicted SGA initiation, including previous hospitalizations, psychotic features, and a history of other antimanic prescriptions; these severity markers became less firmly linked to SGA initiation over time. Providers in the South were somewhat more likely to initiate SGA treatment. Conclusions: The number of veterans with bipolar disorder prescribed SGAs is rising steadily, but this increase appears primarily driven by a corresponding increase in the bipolar population. Month-by-month analyses revealed that higher illness severity predicted SGA initiation, but that this association may be weakening over time

Reviews

The Collected Poems of C.S. Lewis: A Critical Edition. Edited by Don W. King. Reviewed by Joe R. Christopher. Tree of Salvation: Yggdrasil and the Cross in the North. G. Ronald Murphy. Reviewed by Jon Garrad. Anglo-Saxon Community in J.R.R. Tolkien\u27s The Lord of the Rings. Deborah A. Higgins. Reviewed by Yvette Kisor. Surprised by the Feminine: A Rereading of C.S. Lewis and Gender. Monika B. Hilder. Reviewed by Laura Lee Smith. Arda Inhabited: Environmental Relationships in The Lord of The Rings. Susan Jeffers. Reviewed by Jeremy Larson. Joy: Poet, Seeker, and the Woman Who Captivated C.S. Lewis. Abigail Santamaria. Reviewed by Crystal Hurd. A Naked Tree: Love Sonnets to C.S. Lewis and Other Poems. Joy Davidman. Ed. Don W. King. Reviewed by Joe R. Christopher. The Hero Enkidu. Lewis Turco. Reviewed by Nicholas Birns. Encyclopedia of Goddesses & Heroines. Patricia Monaghan. Reviewed by Cait Coker. The Oxford Inklings. Colin Duriez. Reviewed by Crystal Hurd. The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings. Philip Zaleski and Carol Zaleski. Reviewed by Crystal Hurd. The Pilgrim\u27s Regress: Wade Annotated Edition. C.S. Lewis. Edited and introduced by David C. Downing. Reviewed by Mike Foster. North Wind: A Journal of George MacDonald Studies. Editors John Pennington and Fernando Soto. Reviewed by Janet Brennan Croft. Supernatural Studies. Special Issue: Television and the Supernatural. Editor Leah Richards; Guest editor Marisa C. Hayes. Reviewed by Janet Brennan Croft. Journal of Inklings Studies: Theology, Philosophy, Literature. Special Issue: Inklings and the Bible. Executive editor Judith Wolfe. Reviewed by Janet Brennan Croft