Overcoming the COVID-19 Pandemic for Dementia Research: Engaging Rural, Older, Racially and Ethnically Diverse Church Attendees in Remote Recruitment, Intervention and Assessment

Background: Access to cognitive screening in rural underserved communities is limited and was further diminished during the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined whether a telephone-based cognitive screening intervention would be effective in increasing ADRD knowledge, detecting the need for further cognitive evaluation, and making and tracking the results of referrals. Method: Using a dependent t-test design, older, largely African American and Afro-Caribbean participants completed a brief educational intervention, pre/post AD knowledge measure, and cognitive screening. Results: Sixty of 85 eligible individuals consented. Seventy-percent of the sample self-reported as African American, Haitian Creole, or Hispanic, and 75% were female, with an average age of 70. AD knowledge pre-post scores improved significantly (t (49) = −3.4, p \u3c .001). Of the 11 referred after positive cognitive screening, 72% completed follow-up with their provider. Five were newly diagnosed with dementia. Three reported no change in diagnosis or treatment. Ninety-percent consented to enrolling in a registry for future research. Conclusion: Remote engagement is feasible for recruiting, educating, and conducting cognitive screening with rural older adults during a pandemic

Fossil Pollen and Insect Evidence for Postglacial Environmental Conditions, Nushagak and Holitna Lowland Regions, Southwest Alaska

This paper discusses the results of pollen and insect analyses of postglacial samples from the Nushagak and Holitna lowlands, southwest Alaska. Although radiocarbon dating control is poor, the samples can be arranged in a relative-age sequence based on stratigraphic occurrence. The fossil pollen data record the regional transition from a late-glacial dry graminoid tundra through the postglacial Birch, Alder, and Spruce zones. The lack of xeric insect species in the early postglacial suggests that the lowlands of southwest Alaska experienced maritime climatic conditions, in contrast to the interior. Rapid climatic warming is subsequently indicated by the fossil insect data, although the arrival of alder in the region postdates 8500 yr BP. There is no evidence for coniferous forest in the Nushagak lowland at any time in the postglacial, although spruce arrived in the Holitna lowland in the mid-postglacial.Key words: pollen analysis, fossil insects, paleoenvironments, postglacial, southwest AlaskaRÉSUMÉ. Cet article traite des résultats d’analyses polliniques et d’insectes d’échantillons postglaciaires venant des basses-terres de Nushagak et d’Holitna, dans le sud-ouest de l’Alaska. Bien que le contrôle de la datation par le radiocarbone soit médiocre, les échantillons peuvent être classés en ordre d’âger elatif, d’après leur occurrence stratigraphique. Les données de pollens fossiles traduisent le passage de la région d’une toundra sèche de graminées datant de la fin de l’époque glaciaire, à des zones postglaciaires de bouleaux, d’aulnes et d’épicéas. L’absence d’espèces d’insectes xérophiles au début du postglaciaire donne à penser que les basses-terres du sud-ouest de l’Alaska ont connu des conditions climatiques maritimes, contrairement à l’intérieur. Les données sur les insectes fossiles permettent donc d’établir qu’il y a eu un réchauffement climatique rapide, bien que l’arrivée de l’aulne dans la région soit postérieure à 8500 ans avant le présent. On n’a pas de preuve de l’existence d’une forêt de coniferes dans la basse-terre de Nushagak à un moment quelconque du postglaciaire, bien que l’épicéa fasse son arrivée dans la basse-terre d’Holitna au milieu du postglaciaire.Mots clés: analyse pollinique, insectes fossiles, paléoenvironnements, postglaciaire, sud-ouest de l’Alask

The Differential Effects of Sleep Quality and Quantity on the Relationship between SES and Health

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73341/1/j.1749-6632.1999.tb08162.x.pd

Unbending Gender: Why Family and Work Conflict and What To Do About It (Panel Two: Who\u27s Minding the Baby?)

A central characteristic of our current gender arrangements is that they pit ideal worker women against marginalized caregiver women in a series of patterned conflicts I call gender wars. One version of these are the mommy wars that we see often covered in the press between employed mothers and mothers at home. Employed mothers at times participate in the belittlement commonly felt by homemakers. Also mothers at home, I think, at times participate in the guilt-tripping that\u27s often felt by mothers who are employed. These gender wars are a central but little understood characteristic of the gender system that grew up after 1780, which historians call domesticity. One of the basic arguments in the book is that gender has proved unbending in the sense that we\u27ve progressed from the original form of domesticity, the breadwinner/housewife version, to the contemporary form of domesticity, the ideal worker-marginalized caregiver system. This modern form is what I sometimes call an attempt again to invent a language that is widely accessible, the dominant domestic ecology. I found that if you call it the sex-gender system, people feel somewhat differently than if you call it the dominant family ecology. The important point is that these gender wars, which are an inherent characteristic of domesticity, are seriously undertheorized by feminist theorists. I think they\u27re really important, because they go to the core of building an effective coalition for gender change with respect to this work-family axis, these economic meanings of gender that Adrienne and I are focusing on. The classic strategy of American feminists has been that women should achieve equality by performing as ideal workers along with the men, with child care delegated to the market. I call this the full commodification model, until Adrienne came up with a far better name. She calls it the delegation model. So I\u27ll call it the delegation model. Delegation to the market in this country, which was originally conceived of to involve some degree of social subsidy, has become delegation to a largely unsubsidized market in which child care workers are among the lowest-paid workers in the society. They also have extremely high rates of turnover, which is not good because children need continuity of care. The result is a delegation model that is not likely to appeal to nonprivileged people, because in this social context, delegation means that working-class people, who a generation ago had access to the same kind of mothercare that middle-class people had, today have only market child care that reflects their disadvantaged class position

Employing Polyethnography to Navigate Researcher Positionality on Weight Bias

Researchers often focus on the content of their research interests but, depending on the research approach, may pay less attention to the process of locating themselves in relation to the research topic. This paper outlines the dialogue between an interdisciplinary team of researchers who were at the initial stages of forming a research agenda related to weight bias and social justice. Using a polyethnographic approach to guide our discussion, we sought to explore the diverse and common life experiences that influenced our professional interests for pursuing research on weight bias. As a dialogic method, polyethnography is ideally suited for the reflexive work required of researchers seeking to address issues of equity and social justice. Beyond more traditional approaches such as journaling, personal interviews, or researcher notes, the intersubjectivity highlighted by this method affords a richer space for exploration, challenging ideas, taking risks, and collectively interrogating both self and society. Following a discussion of positionality, the dialogue between researchers is presented, followed by their critique of the discussion, informed by professional literature

Immunogenicity and efficacy of alphavirus-derived replicon vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus in nonhuman primates

Human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV) are major causes of illness among children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised. No vaccine has been licensed for protection against either of these viruses. We tested the ability of two Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus-based viral replicon particle (VEE-VRP) vaccines that express the hRSV or hMPV fusion (F) protein to confer protection against hRSV or hMPV in African green monkeys. Animals immunized with VEE-VRP vaccines developed RSV or MPV F-specific antibodies and serum neutralizing activity. Compared to control animals, immunized animals were better able to control viral load in the respiratory mucosa following challenge and had lower levels of viral genome in nasopharyngeal and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids. The high level of immunogenicity and protective efficacy induced by these vaccine candidates in nonhuman primates suggest that they hold promise for further development

Exploring first semester allied health students’ transition to graduate school through the lens of Occupational Adaptation

The purpose of the study was to examine experiences of students transitioning into graduate allied health programs within a public university in the United States. Researchers assessed students’ occupational adaptation as well as factors that facilitated and inhibited their transition. Researchers collected data using the Relative Mastery Scale (RMS) (George-Paschal, Krusen, & Fan, 2022) and a researcher-developed transition survey. Participants included 129 students from three allied-health professions. Researchers conducted a mixed ANOVA to explore differences in RMS ratings across three disciplines. There was a statistically significant increase in RMS ratings over time for all disciplines and statistically significant differences between disciplines for some time periods. The top five facilitating and inhibiting factors are presented for each discipline. The study contributes to the literature through use of a person-centered approach to understand students’ state and process of adaptation over time

The role of Nrf1 and Nrf2 in the regulation of glutathione and redox dynamics in the developing zebrafish embryo

© The Author(s), 2017. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Redox Biology 13 (2017): 207–218, doi:10.1016/j.redox.2017.05.023.Redox signaling is important for embryogenesis, guiding pathways that govern processes crucial for embryo patterning, including cell polarization, proliferation, and apoptosis. Exposure to pro-oxidants during this period can be deleterious, resulting in altered physiology, teratogenesis, later-life diseases, or lethality. We previously reported that the glutathione antioxidant defense system becomes increasingly robust, including a doubling of total glutathione and dynamic shifts in the glutathione redox potential at specific stages during embryonic development in the zebrafish, Danio rerio. However, the mechanisms underlying these changes are unclear, as is the effectiveness of the glutathione system in ameliorating oxidative insults to the embryo at different stages. Here, we examine how the glutathione system responds to the model pro-oxidants tert-butylhydroperoxide and tert-butylhydroquinone at different developmental stages, and the role of Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf) proteins in regulating developmental glutathione redox status. Embryos became increasingly sensitive to pro-oxidants after 72 h post-fertilization (hpf), after which the duration of the recovery period for the glutathione redox potential was increased. To determine whether the doubling of glutathione or the dynamic changes in glutathione redox potential are mediated by zebrafish paralogs of Nrf transcription factors, morpholino oligonucleotides were used to knock down translation of Nrf1 and Nrf2 (nrf1a, nrf1b, nrf2a, nrf2b). Knockdown of Nrf1a or Nrf1b perturbed glutathione redox state until 72 hpf. Knockdown of Nrf2 paralogs also perturbed glutathione redox state but did not significantly affect the response of glutathione to pro-oxidants. Nrf1b morphants had decreased gene expression of glutathione synthesis enzymes, while hsp70 increased in Nrf2b morphants. This work demonstrates that despite having a more robust glutathione system, embryos become more sensitive to oxidative stress later in development, and that neither Nrf1 nor Nrf2 alone appear to be essential for the response and recovery of glutathione to oxidative insults.This research was supported by several NIH grants, including F32ES028085 (to KES), F32ES017585 (to ART-L), F32ES019832 (to LMW), P20GM103423 (to LMW), R01ES025748 (to ART-L), R01ES015912 (JJS), and R01ES016366 (MEH). Additional research support was provided by the J. Seward Johnson Fund at WHOI and the WHOI Postdoctoral Scholar Award with funding from Walter A. and Hope Noyes Smith (to ART-L)

COVID-19 and the Impact on Rural and Black Church Congregants: Results of the C-M-C Project

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on Black and rural populations with a mortality rate among Blacks three times that of Whites and both rural and Black populations experiencing limited access to COVID-19 resources. The primary purpose of this study was to explore the health, financial, and psychological impact of COVID-19 among rural White Appalachian and Black nonrural central Kentucky church congregants. Secondarily we sought to examine the association between sociodemographics and behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs regarding COVID-19 and intent to vaccinate. We used a cross sectional survey design developed with the constructs of the Health Belief and Theory of Planned Behavior models. The majority of the 942 respondents were ≥ 36 years. A total of 54% were from central Kentucky, while 47.5% were from Appalachia. Among all participants, the pandemic worsened anxiety and depression and delayed access to medical care. There were no associations between sociodemographics and practicing COVID-19 prevention behaviors. Appalachian region was associated with financial burden and delay in medical care (p = 0.03). Appalachian respondents had lower perceived benefit and attitude for COVID-19 prevention behaviors (p = 0.004 and \u3c 0.001, respectively). Among all respondents, the perceived risk of contracting COVID was high (54%), yet 33.2% indicated unlikeliness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine if offered. The COVID-19 pandemic had a differential impact on White rural and Black nonrural populations. Nurses and public health officials should assess knowledge and explore patient\u27s attitudes regarding COVID-19 prevention behaviors, as well as advocate for public health resources to reduce the differential impact of COVID-19 on these at-risk populations

Experiential education and outreach based on nearshore monitoring of the Elwha River restoration project

Nearshore monitoring of benthic habitats and the coastal environment following the Elwha River Restoration project has engaged students and citizens with coastal science and management issues. In the post-dam-removal period, the lessons learned will continue to be disseminated via a UW undergraduate course and an interactive digital map, both designed to engage students and communities in restoration science. The research-focused course developed at the UW Friday Harbor Labs has allowed us to engage diverse undergraduate students (and graduate teaching assistants) in the research process. The course integrates interdisciplinary lectures and workshops on data analysis and laboratory methods, with the research process; from proposal to oceanographic data collection to analysis to publication. The course provides opportunities for student creativity and leadership. Outcome tracking indicates that these undergraduate (and post-bac) students are generally attending graduate school at a high rate, and launching careers in education, coastal management, and other STEM fields. To engage a broader segment of the community and to support decision-making about large-scale coastal restoration projects, we have developed an interactive digital map that will be available on-line, and will also be piloted as a physical interpretive display at the Feiro Marine Life Center in Port Angeles, WA. The interactive digital map is designed to effectively tell the story of the Elwha restoration in the coastal environment through the compilation and display of multiple data sets, some of which have never before been publicly available. Ultimately, the result of long-term monitoring of the Elwha nearshore system will provide a better understanding of the effects of restoration activities, such as dam removal on benthic habitats, and this knowledge will be passed to future managers and citizens through educational and outreach activities that captivate and inspire a broad audience