A Qualitative Analysis Of Facilitators And Barriers To Breastfeeding Among Black Mothers In The Greater New Haven Area

Objective: Racial and ethnic disparities in breastfeeding persist in Connecticut, with Black and African American mothers breastfeeding at the lowest rate. A qualitative study of Black mothers in the Greater New Haven Area was conducted to understand the barriers and facilitators to breastfeeding. Methods: A qualitative design adapting the Barrier Analysis tool was used to conduct in-depth focus groups with Black mothers who did exclusively breastfeed for 3 months (EBF3) and Black mothers who did not exclusively breastfeed for 3 months (NEBF3). 3 focus groups were conducted with EBF3 participants and 3 focus groups were conducted with NEBF3 participants. Focus groups were recorded and transcripts were analyzed by a four-person research team. Results: Barriers and facilitators were categorized based on the ecological model at the following levels: policy, cultural, institutional, interpersonal, and individual. The major barriers include lack of awareness and access to workplace policies, sexualization of breastfeeding, lack of publicly-accessible lactation spaces, cultural bias against breastfeeding, inaccessible lactation support, unhelpful breastfeeding support, lack of lactation supplies, discouragement from social networks, returning to work and having to make substantial lifestyle changes. The major facilitators include staying home from work, generational breastfeeding, and having a strong support network. Conclusion: This study describes the additional barriers that Black mothers face when trying to breastfeed and the facilitators that can help mitigate difficulties. These findings help to contextualize racial and ethnic disparities in breastfeeding to inform public health practitioners in breastfeeding campaigns and program development

Stony Brook University Author Perspectives on Article Processing Charges

INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of Stony Brook University (SBU) author perspectives on article processing charges (APCs). Publishing an article without restrictions, also known as open access publishing, can be a costly endeavor. Many publishers charge APCs ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars to publish an article without access restrictions. Authors who cannot obtain funding from grant agencies or their institution must pay APCs on their own. Do APCs fundamentally impact how authors choose their preferred publication venues? METHODS A cross-sectional survey was designed to learn SBU author perspectives on, and concerns about, APCs. RESULTS Responses mainly came from the sciences. Many SBU authors preferred to publish in a prestigious journal or journal of their choice rather than in an open access journal. Most authors published their articles in open access journals even if they were required to pay APCs. Many authors found that it was difficult finding funding for APCs and some expressed their concerns about the double charging practice. DISCUSSION SBU authors might believe that publishing in established and prestigious journals could secure their career’s advancement. Authors who chose to pay open access journals with APCs might be following publishing criteria. Libraries can encourage authors to negotiate with publishers to obtain a discount or waiver of APCs, when possible. Institutions should negotiate shifting journal subscription costs toward hybrid open access publishing. CONCLUSION Data will be used to inform how the SBU Libraries can help authors locate funding opportunities for APCs

Pemphigoid Gestationis: A Rare Dermatosis of Pregnancy

INTRODUCTION Pemphigoid gestationis is a rare dermatosis of pregnancy that often goes unrecognized or misdiagnosed. It can lead to adverse fetal outcomes including preterm delivery, low fetal birth weight, and even neonatal pemphigoid gestationis1. As such, proper diagnosis and management is critical in reducing fetal risk

Environmental Changes Following the Implementation of the Childcare PhysicaL ActivitY (PLAY) Policy

Environmental factors such as the infrastructure and equipment in childcare centres can influence the physical activity levels of young children. This study explored if implementing the Childcare PhysicaL ActivitY (PLAY) policy resulted in unintended environmental changes that were conducive to physical activity in childcare. Childcare centres were randomized to an experimental (n = 5) or control (n = 4) condition. Three Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation Self-Report (EPAO-SR) tools were used to measure 12 best practice items in relation to the childcare environment and early childhood educators’ (ECEs) practices. Descriptive statistics and mixed-effects logistics regression models were used to explore the best practice items from pre-intervention to 6-months post-intervention. The models indicated no evidence of an association between groups and best practice items (p \u3e .004). Additional research is warranted to explore the impact of implementing childcare policies on the environment and ECEs’ practices

Viability of Non-Coplanar VMAT for Liver SBRT as Compared to Coplanar VMAT and Beam Orientation Optimized 4π IMRT.

PurposeThe 4π static non-coplanar radiotherapy delivery technique has demonstrated better normal tissue sparing and dose conformity than the clinically used volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). It is unclear whether this is a fundamental limitation of VMAT delivery or the coplanar nature of its typical clinical plans. The dosimetry and the limits of normal tissue toxicity constrained dose escalation of coplanar VMAT, non-coplanar VMAT and 4π radiotherapy are quantified in this study.Methods and materialsClinical stereotactic body radiation therapy plans for 20 liver patients receiving 30-60 Gy using coplanar VMAT (cVMAT) were re-planned using 3-4 partial non-coplanar arcs (nVMAT) and 4π with 20 intensity-modulated non-coplanar fields. The conformity number (CN), homogeneity index (HI), 50% dose spillage volume (R50), normal liver volume receiving >15 Gy (VL>15), dose to organs at risk (OARs), and tumor control probability (TCP) were compared for all three treatment plans. The maximum tolerable dose (MTD) yielding a normal liver normal tissue control probability (NTCP) below 1%, 5%, and 10% was calculated with the Lyman-Kutcher-Burman model for each plan, as well as the resulting survival fractions at one, two, three, and four years.ResultsCompared to cVMAT, the nVMAT and 4π plans reduced VL>15 by an average of 5 cm3 and 80 cm3, respectively. 4π reduced the 50% dose spillage volume by ~23% compared to both VMAT plans, and either significantly decreased or maintained OAR doses. The 4π MTDs and survival fractions were significantly higher than both cVMAT and nVMAT (p<0.05) for all normal liver NTCP limits used in this study.ConclusionsThe 4π technique provides significantly better OAR sparing than both cVMAT and vMAT and enables more clinically relevant dose escalation for tumor local control. Therefore, despite the current accessibility of nVMAT, it is not a viable alternative to 4π for liver SBRT

Vuelta a la universidad

Victoria Rodrigo, PhD- Serie Leamos’ EditorProfessor of Spanish World Languages and Cultures DepartmentGeorgia State Universityhttps://scholarworks.gsu.edu/wcl_leamos/1034/thumbnail.jp

Understanding Willingness to Respond to Messages and its Relationship to Driving Performance

Research has demonstrated that distracted driving degrades performance. Factors influencing the decision to drive distracted were investigated. In experiment one, participants completed a discounting task where they chose between a smaller reward immediately or a delayed larger reward paired with the opportunity to text. Participants indicated willingness to wait to respond to a text in four scenes: two weather conditions and two modalities of the message. Willingness to wait to respond was related to modality but not weather. Individuals were placed into groups based on responses and differed in waiting preferences in all scenes. In experiment two, the discounting task was used and participants completed six drives consisting of three secondary tasks in two traffic levels. Participants completed the DRT measure of workload and rated driving performance. Drivers differed in driving performance and rating of driving performance for the tasks. These results have implications understanding the decision to drive distracted

Persistence of eosinophilic asthma endotype and clinical outcomes : A real-world observational study

Acknowledgments Writing and editing support, including preparation of the draft manuscript under the direction and guidance of the authors, incorporating author feedback, and manuscript submission, was provided by Crystal Murcia, PhD (CiTRUS Healthcare Communications Group). This support was funded by AstraZeneca (Gaithersburg, Maryland). Funding This work was supported by AstraZeneca. A named author is an employee of AstraZeneca; therefore, AstraZeneca was involved in the study design; collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; and the development and review of the manuscript. The decision to submit the manuscript for publication was made by the authors.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

When Jesus Takes the Wheel: An Investigation of Distraction in Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous vehicles have been suggested to be a solution to the problem of distracted driving. However, because autonomous vehicles are still developing, little is known about how drivers interact with them. Today’s autonomous vehicles still require drivers to be available to take control quickly. If drivers are engaged in secondary tasks, they are less able to safely take control or detect system notifications to take control. Using the delay discounting method, the cognitive underpinnings of the human decision-making process can be understood to inform us of the extent to which drivers are willing to engage with a distraction. The current work found a distinct group of high impulsivity group who were more willing to engage with distraction sooner, opposed to the low impulsive group. Regardless of impulsivity group, willingness to engage with distraction decreased after driving a partially autonomous vehicle. This timing effect was present in subsequent analyses for the high impulsive group but not the low impulsive group. However, there was an interaction for timing and vehicle driven among both the high and low groups in which the high impulsive group generally became less willing to engage with distraction after driving the most vehicles, and the low impulsive group became more willing to engage with distraction. Also, the overall group was less willing to engage with distraction when hypothetically driving a standard vehicle than a fully autonomous vehicle. This effect was also found among the high impulsivity group but not the low impulsivity group. Finally, only the low impulsivity group reported less willingness to respond when the message was on the phone’s screen rather than the vehicle voice system. However, there was an interaction with the message modality and timing. After driving, both the overall sample and low impulsivity group were less willing to respond to a message via the phone but more willing to respond via voice system. Examining driver behavior and cognitive demand in autonomous vehicles has critical implications for understanding how drivers interact with these vehicles. As autonomous vehicles become more mainstream, it becomes increasingly necessary for our safety to understand driver behavior in varying circumstances