Dom Cyprian Davis - In Gratitude and Praise

A poem in honor of Father Cyprian Davis, O.S.B

Thirty Years of Impact: The Institute for Black Catholic Studies

The Institute for Black Catholic Studies arose out of a passion for authentically Black and truly Catholic theology and ministry in 1980. It continues to inspire its students, its faculty, and all those who are touched by its unique approach and identity. Kathleen Dorsey Bellow and C. Vanessa White reflect on the history and mission of the IBCS

The Wnt receptor Ryk is a negative regulator of mammalian dendrite morphogenesis

This work was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia (Grants 1061512, 1063080). ML and KS were supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award or a University of Queensland International Scholarship, respectively. Imaging work was performed in the Queensland Brain Institute’s Advanced Microscopy Facility and generously supported by an ARC LIEF grant (LE130100078). We thank Assoc. Prof. Julian Heng (Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Perth, Australia) for providing the pCA-ß-EGFPm5-Silencer 3 vector, Prof. Joseph LoTurco (University of Connecticut, USA) for the piggyBAC vector, and Prof. Steven Stacker (Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia) for providing the Ryk knockout mice and the full-length Ryk plasmid. We are also grateful to Mr Luke Hammond for expert advice on microscopy and Ms Rowan Tweedale for critical reading of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The Relationship Between Infant-Family Routines, Number of Caregivers and Infant Basal Cortisol

Background: Family routines have been found to be related to child adjustment, marital satisfaction, and parenting competence (Fiese, 2002). Persistent stress, and the resulting frequent activation of the body’s stress responses, can result in excessive wear-and-tear on the body and brain known as allostatic load (McEwen, 2000). In infants, basal cortisol levels act as an instrument to measure allostatic load (White, 2020). To our knowledge, no existing work on the impact of routines on infant development has examined the role of family structure. In traditional and minority cultures it is common for caregiving responsibilities to be divided among multiple individuals. Similarly, cultural shifts in the rigidity of gender norms have led to an increase in father’s taking on a major caregiving role. Thus, it is possible that the number of caregivers in the home could be a metric of home stability that infants are sensitive to such that caregiver inconsistency elevates their stress when accompanied with a low adherence to routines. Accordingly, this study examined whether adherence to household routines will moderate the relationship between number of caregivers and cortisol levels in a sample of 3.5-month-old infants. Methods: Participants were 3.5-month-old infants (n=108; White, 2020) surveyed at the University of Kentucky Infant Memory Lab. Families were surveyed from November 2018- March 2020. Parents reported adherence to routines using an adapted version of the Daily Living Routine subscale of the Child Routine Inventory (Sytsma, Kelley, & Wymer, 2001), and cortisol levels were assessed using saliva samples. Results: A linear regression where cortisol was predicted by routines, number of caregivers (one vs. multiple), and the interactions of routines and number of caregivers was conducted. There was a marginally significant effect of number of caregivers such that more than one primary caregiver was associated with lower infant cortisol levels and all other effects were non-significant. Discussion: It was expected that adherence to family routines would act as a protective factor against adverse effects resulting from home instability in the form of the number of caregivers and elevated cortisol levels. Contrary to hypothesis, adherence to household routines does not moderate the relationship between the number of caregivers and cortisol levels in infants. Instead, the greater number of caregivers infants had the lower their cortisol levels were. Findings suggest that an increased number of caregivers may be a protective factor against infant stress

A Comparison of Modified Team-Based Learning and Lecture-Based Instruction in Occupational Therapy Education

This study explored the comparative effectiveness of team-based learning and lecture-based instruction in consecutive cohorts of occupational therapy students. Further, the study explored student perceptions of team-based learning. The mixed method study employed a two-group, quasi-experimental design and a broad qualitative design using thematic analysis with a convenience sample of consecutive occupational therapy student cohorts (N=70, N=62) in a human movement class. Cohort A (N=70) received instruction using a lecture-based instruction (LBI) approach and individual assessment. Cohort B (N=62) received modified team-based learning (TBL). Mid-term, final examination, and final course grades were compared. Thematic analysis was employed to assess student perceptions of TBL as an instructional method. Students receiving LBI had higher mid-term scores than those receiving TBL (p=.000). Final examination scores were also higher for LBI when compared to TBL (p=.000). However, the final course grade score showed no significant difference between LBI and TBL (p=.562). Thematic analysis revealed that students felt positive about the TBL instructional method. Further, students who participated in the TBL class perceived less academic stress, and believed testing and competency assessments were effective reflections of their learning. Both TBL and LBI are viable methods for occupational therapy educators to use in human movement/kinesiology-based courses