Heritage Sites

A written thesis to accompany the M.F.A. Exhibition Heritage Sites, in which vignettes of the artist’s personal and familial narratives become a backdrop for examining themes such as global tourism, the notion of universal heritage, and questioning Puerto Rico as a postcolonial place. A two channel short video layers archival imagery with original material to examine the ways Puerto Rico has been represented and misrepresented personally and globally

The Mechanisms of Implementation Support - Findings from a Systematic Integrative Review

Purpose: Mechanisms of Change (MoC) explain how strategies used to enhance the uptake of evidence in social and human services enable change in the behaviors of individual practitioners, organizational leaders or entire organizations, and systems. One such strategy is the use of implementation support practitioner (ISPs). This study examines the mechanisms through which ISPs facilitate behavior supportive of the implementation of research-supported interventions. Methods: A systematic, integrative review was conducted. The conceptualization of MoCs built on a model by Dalkin and colleagues. Results: Based on a unique combination of knowledge, skills, and attitudes, ISPs install trust in and among their stakeholders and utilize this trust to promote meaningful and relevant learning; provide ongoing opportunities for learning, reflection, and support; help to span boundaries; and positively motivate stakeholders. Discussion: ISPs do not represent a short cut to better implementation. They represent an additional implementation challenge that requires dedicated attention and resources

Evaluating a Relationship Education Program with Incarcerated Adults

Research indicates healthy family relationships can reduce recidivism. More effort has been placed towards providing family life programming in prisons to promote healthy individual and relational functioning, yet only a handful of studies have evaluated and provided insight on relationship education (RE) for incarcerated adults. This study contributes to this emerging effort and examines changes following participation in a RE program, using a sample of 461 incarcerated men and women. Findings indicate significant improvements in anxiety and depressive symptoms and conflict resolution skills. Additional tests of moderation of change by gender, relationship status, and child age revealed a greater change in individual functioning for those in a relationship compared to those who were not. Indications are that RE programs hold promise for contributing to better individual well-being and healthy relationships during incarceration and the potential for reducing recidivism incidence after re-entry

The Mechanisms of Implementation Support - Findings from a Systematic Integrative Review

Purpose: Mechanisms of Change (MoC) explain how strategies used to enhance the uptake of evidence in social and human services enable change in the behaviors of individual practitioners, organizational leaders or entire organizations, and systems. One such strategy is the use of implementation support practitioner (ISPs). This study examines the mechanisms through which ISPs facilitate behavior supportive of the implementation of research-supported interventions. Methods: A systematic, integrative review was conducted. The conceptualization of MoCs built on a model by Dalkin and colleagues. Results: Based on a unique combination of knowledge, skills, and attitudes, ISPs install trust in and among their stakeholders and utilize this trust to promote meaningful and relevant learning; provide ongoing opportunities for learning, reflection, and support; help to span boundaries; and positively motivate stakeholders. Discussion: ISPs do not represent a short cut to better implementation. They represent an additional implementation challenge that requires dedicated attention and resources

Knowledge and attitudes of Implementation Support Practitioners—Findings from a systematic integrative review

Background: It requires thoughtful planning and work to successfully apply and sustain research-supported interventions like healthcare treatments, social support, or preventive programs in practice. Implementation support practitioners (ISPs) such as facilitators, technical assistance providers, knowledge brokers, coaches or consultants may be involved to actively support the implementation process. This article presents knowledge and attitudes ISPs bring to their work. Methods: Building on a previously developed program logic, a systematic integrative review was conducted. Literature was sourced by searching nine electronic data bases, organizational websites, and by launching a call for publications among selected experts and social media. Article screening was performed independently by two researchers, and data from included studies were extracted by members of the research team and quality-assured by the lead researcher. The quality of included RCTs was assessed based on a framework by Hodder and colleagues. Thematic Analysis was used to capture information on knowledge and attitudes of ISPs across the included studies. Euler diagrams and heatmaps were used to present the results. Results: Results are based on 79 included studies. ISPs reportedly displayed knowledge about the clinical practice they work with, implementation / improvement practice, the local context, supporting change processes, and facilitating evidence-based practice in general. In particular, knowledge about the intervention to be implemented and its target population, specific improvement / implementation methods and approaches, organizational structures and sensitivities, training, and characteristics of (good) research was described in the literature. Seven themes describing ISPs’ attitudes were identified: 1) professional, 2) motivated / motivating / encouraging / empowering, 3) empathetic / respectful / sensitive, 4) collaborative / inclusive, 5) authentic, 6) creative / flexible / innovative / adaptive, and 7) frank / direct / honest. Pertaining to a professional attitude, being responsive and focused were the most prevalent indicators across included publications. Conclusion: The wide range and complexity of knowledge and attitudes found in the literature calls for a comprehensive and systematic approach to collaboratively develop a professional role for ISPs across disciplines. Embedding the ISP role in different health and social welfare settings will enhance implementation capacities considerably

Atmosperic CO₂ uptake by a coastal upwelling system

A biological pump for transferring atmospheric CO₂ to deep ocean regimes has been identified in the upwelling zone of the U.S. Pacific coast off Oregon using high-resolution measurements of Pco₂ and nutrient concentrations that were made in May through August 2001. Surface water over most of the shelf was a strong sink for atmospheric CO₂, while a narrow nearshore strip was an intense source. The dominance of the low-CO₂ waters over the shelf area makes the region a net sink during upwelling season. This is due to (1) upwelled water that carries abundant preformed nutrients, (2) complete photosynthetic uptake of these excess nutrients and a stoichiometric proportion of CO₂, and (3) moderate warming of upwelled waters. If the remaining North Pacific’s eastern boundary area is assumed to have similar conditions, this area should represent a sink of atmospheric CO₂ that is 5% of the annual North Pacific CO₂ uptake, and roughly equivalent to the North Pacific’s uptake in the summer season. By mid-August, Pco₂ in subsurface waters increased 20–60%, corresponding to a 1.0–2.3% TCO₂ increase, due to respiration of settling biogenic debris. This water would be transported off the shelf to depth by winter downwelling flow, providing an important mechanism for sequestering atmospheric CO₂ into the oceans’ interior.Keywords: upwelling, biological pump, CO sin

Relationship between latent and rebound viruses in a clinical trial of anti-HIV-1 antibody 3BNC117.

A clinical trial was performed to evaluate 3BNC117, a potent anti-HIV-1 antibody, in infected individuals during suppressive antiretroviral therapy and subsequent analytical treatment interruption (ATI). The circulating reservoir was evaluated by quantitative and qualitative viral outgrowth assay (Q2VOA) at entry and after 6 mo. There were no significant quantitative changes in the size of the reservoir before ATI, and the composition of circulating reservoir clones varied in a manner that did not correlate with 3BNC117 sensitivity. 3BNC117 binding site amino acid variants found in rebound viruses preexisted in the latent reservoir. However, only 3 of 217 rebound viruses were identical to 868 latent viruses isolated by Q2VOA and near full-length sequencing. Instead, 63% of the rebound viruses appeared to be recombinants, even in individuals with 3BNC117-resistant reservoir viruses. In conclusion, viruses emerging during ATI in individuals treated with 3BNC117 are not the dominant species found in the circulating latent reservoir, but frequently appear to represent recombinants of latent viruses