Positional behavior of black-handed spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi), including a one-armed individual, at El Zota Biological Field Station, Costa Rica

Adaptions to arboreal habitats result in species-specific patterns of locomotion and postures in non-human primates. Having a range of positional behaviors enables spider monkeys (Ateles spp.) to manage the varying aspects of habitat structure that may hinder their access to preferred food sources, escape predators and myriad of other challenges to an arboreal primate. This study presents new data on the positional behavior and habitat use of black-handed spider monkeys (A. geoffroyi) living in lowland tropical rainforest in northeastern Costa Rica, a habitat that is common for the species but where they are not well-studied due to the challenges of this wet environment. The contexts of travel and foraging were compared to observe context-specific postural and locomotor behaviors. Comparisons of locomotor and postural behaviors between contexts approached significance when all individuals were analyzed as a whole. However, results did not reveal significant differences between sexes or age-classes within these contexts. This may be indicative of the value of certain positions when exploiting the environment, regardless of sex or age-class. This study also included data on a one-armed juvenile male spider monkey (JF) to observe his varied use of postural and locomotor modes when compared to the A. geoffroyi at the site with all functioning limbs. Overall, his positional behavior appears to mimic that of the other spider monkeys, though results reveal behaviors unique to JF, as well. JF adjusted to accommodate his missing limb in ways to improve his efficiency during daily activities, such as decreasing use of positions involving the forelimbs. Aspects of social behavior were recorded, as well, to assess JF’s social development in comparison to others in his age-class, though the sample size was small. Few encounters yielded social data on JF or other juvenile males, but in interactions with adult males, all of the immature monkeys exhibited similar behavior

Dancing Around Infertility: The Use of Metaphors in a Complex Medical Situation

People use metaphors to cognitively frame their experiences as well as to explain those experiences to others, especially in complex medical situations. However, previous research has not fully explored the extent to which metaphors may be helpful or harmful to achieving well-being. This investigation fills this gap by identifying and explaining metaphor use in the context of infertility. Guided by self-determination theory, in-depth interviews were conducted with 22 women and men who had experienced an inability to conceive a child. Analysis of participant narratives yielded 10 prominent metaphors that reflect how participants’ need for competence, autonomy, and relatedness were (and were not) met during their infertility experience. Results indicate that cognitively framing the infertility experience using certain metaphors is more likely to enhance personal and relational well-being, while others may be more harmful. Suggestions for communication with doctors, partners, families, and friends are discussed

Thermo-imaging bipedalism on the savanna: Chimpanzee locomotion at Fongoli, Senegal and implications for the evolution of hominin bipedalism

Pressures associated with savanna habitats, such as heat stress, are often cited to explain adaptive traits in hominins, like the evolution of bipedalism. Wheeler’s (1984) physiological model, for instance, predicts that bipedal posture reduces contact with UV radiation by lessening the total body area exposed to direct sunlight. Chimpanzees occupying a savanna mosaic environment provide a unique opportunity to assess aspects of these hypotheses, such as how thermal stresses impact furred apes in a hot, arid and open environment. This study followed chimpanzees at the Fongoli site in Senegal, as they are thus far the only habituated savanna woodland community. Chimpanzees here display more bipedal behavior than is observed at other sites and are known to soak in pools and use caves to cope with heat stress. Apes here are, therefore, good living primate models to use in assessing selective pressures associated with hot, arid savanna environments. This research tested the hypothesis that body temperature differs between the array of positional behaviors used by West African chimpanzees throughout their home range; more specifically, bipedalism was predicted to correlate with a lower chimpanzee body temperature when compared to quadrupedal positions. Using a thermo-imaging camera to record individual body temperatures, I evaluated the heat load related to various postural and locomotor behaviors, specifically that of bipedalism. Results reveal lower body temperatures associated with bipedalism when compared to positions like sit and quadrupedal stand. These data offer support to models of hominin evolution that suggest bipedalism confers a thermoregulatory advantage

The Center for Inquiry: Anatomy of a Successful Progressive School

Describes the work of the Center for Inquiry Schools in Indianapolis, Indiana. Authors Leland, Wackerly, and Collier were part of the original cohort of teachers and university faculty who founded a progressive magnet school. Premised on inquiry-based teaching and learning, the Center for Inquiry has grown from one to four schools

Community Health Worker Employer Survey: Perspectives on CHW Workforce Development in the Midwest

A statewide Community Health Worker Employer Survey was administered to various clinical, community, and faith-based organizations (n = 240) across a range of rural and urban settings in the Midwest. At least 80% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that items characterized as supervisory support were present in their work environment. Thirty-six percent of respondents currently employed CHWs, over half (51%) of survey respondents reported seeing the need to hire/work with more CHWs, and 44% saw the need for CHWs increasing in the future. Regarding CHW support, a majority of respondents indicated networking opportunities (63%), paid time for networking (80%), adequate time for supervision (75%), orientation training (78%), mandatory training (78%), ongoing training (79%), and paid time for training (82%). Open-ended responses to the question “In your organization, what needs could CHWs meet?” resulted in the largest number of respondents reporting mental health issues as a priority, followed by connecting people with services or resources, educating the public on preventive health, family support, and home care/visitations. Our findings suggest that respondents, who largely have supervisory or managerial roles, view workplace environments in Nebraska favorably, despite the fact that nearly two-thirds of respondents typically work well over 40 h per week. In addition, CHWs could help address mental and physical health needs in a variety of community and clinical settings through primary and secondary prevention activities, such as provision of health screenings, health and nutrition education, connecting people to resources and empowering community members through these activities and more

The Role of Health Care Provider and Partner Decisional Support in Patients’ Cancer Treatment Decision-Making Satisfaction

Cancer patients rely on multiple sources of support when making treatment decisions; however, most research studies examine the influence of health care provider support while the influence of family member support is understudied. The current study fills this gap by examining the influence of health care providers and partners on decision-making satisfaction. In a cross-sectional study via an online Qualtrics panel, we surveyed cancer patients who reported that they had a spouse or romantic partner when making cancer treatment decisions (n = 479). Decisional support was measured using 5-point, single-item scales for emotional support, informational support, informational-advice support, and appraisal support. Decision-making satisfaction was measured using Holmes-Rovner and colleagues’ (1996) Satisfaction With Decision Scale. We conducted a mediated regression analysis to examine treatment decision-making satisfaction for all participants and a moderated mediation analysis to examine treatment satisfaction among those patients offered a clinical trial. Results indicated that partner support significantly and partially mediated the relationship between health care provider support and patients’ decision-making satisfaction but that results did not vary by enrollment in a clinical trial. This study shows how and why decisional support from partners affects communication between health care providers and cancer patients

Extraction of Step-Repulsion Strengths from Terrace Width Distributions: Statistical and Analytic Considerations

Recently it has been recognized that the so-called generalized Wigner distribution may provide at least as good a description of terrace width distributions (TWDs) on vicinal surfaces as the standard Gaussian fit and is particularly applicable for weak repulsions between steps, where the latter fails. Subsequent applications to vicinal copper surfaces at various temperatures confirmed the serviceability of the new analysis procedure but raised some theoretical questions. Here we address these issues using analytical, numerical, and statistical methods. We propose an extension of the generalized Wigner distribution to a two-parameter fit that allows the terrace widths to be scaled by an optimal effective mean width. We discuss quantitatively the approach of a Wigner distribution to a Gaussian form for strong repulsions, how errors in normalization or mean affect the deduced interaction, and how optimally to extract the interaction from the variance and mean of the TWD. We show that correlations reduce by two orders of magnitude the number of {\em independent} measurements in a typical STM image. We also discuss the effect of the discreteness ("quantization") of terrace widths, finding that for high misorientation (small mean width) the standard continuum analysis gives faulty estimates of step interactions.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures; info added on # ind. measurements/STM imag

Age Differences in Cancer Treatment Decision Making and Social Support

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the decision-making (DM) styles of younger (18-39 years), middle-aged (40-59 years), and older (≥60 years) cancer survivors, the type and role of social support, and patient satisfaction with cancer treatment DM. Method: Adult cancer survivors (N = 604) were surveyed using Qualtrics online software. Results: Older adults reported significantly lower influence of support on DM than younger adults. The most common DM style for the age groups was collaborative DM with their doctors. Younger age was a significant predictor of independent (p \u3c .05), collaborative with family (p \u3c .001), delegated to doctor (p \u3c .01), delegated to family (p \u3c .001), and demanding (p \u3c .001) DM styles. Discussion: Despite having lower received social support in cancer treatment DM, older adults were more satisfied with their DM than younger and middleaged adults. Health care workers should be aware of different DM styles and influence of social networks to help facilitate optimal patient DM and satisfaction

Listening to the Voices of Community Health Workers: A Multilevel, Culture-Centered Approach to Overcoming Structural Barriers in U.S. Latinx Communities

Community Health Workers (CHWs) are often incorporated into efforts to reduce health disparities for vulnerable populations. However, their voices are rarely the focus of research when considering how to increase their job effectiveness and sustainability. The current study addresses this gap by privileging the voices of 28 CHWs who work with Latinx communities in Nebraska through in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Using a multilevel, Culture-Centered Approach (CCA) to Health Communication, we identified two key structural communication issues: (a) increasing language accommodation and (b) increasing (and stabilizing) network integration across three ecological levels of health behavior (individual, microsystem, and exosystem). This study shows the uniquely valuable perspective that CHWs have as they navigate hierarchical health care structures and community cultures to meet the needs of their Latinx clients. Findings suggest that CHWs should be included in health care organization and policy discussions to reduce health disparities for Latinx populations

Distributed Cognition in Cancer Treatment Decision Making: An Application of the DECIDE Decision-Making Styles Typology

Distributed cognition occurs when cognitive and affective schemas are shared between two or more people during interpersonal discussion. Although extant research focuses on distributed cognition in decision making between health care providers and patients, studies show that caregivers are also highly influential in the treatment decisions of patients. However, there are little empirical data describing how and when families exert influence. The current article addresses this gap by examining decisional support in the context of cancer randomized clinical trial (RCT) decision making. Data are drawn from in-depth interviews with rural, Appalachian cancer patients (N = 46). Analysis of transcript data yielded empirical support for four distinct models of health decision making. The implications of these findings for developing interventions to improve the quality of treatment decision making and overall well-being are discussed