Evaluating the Implementation of a Wellness Initiative in an Independent Living Community

Background: An independent living community in New England is transforming their philosophical approach to wellness by implementing a new wellness initiative based on the Eight Dimensions of Wellness framework. Purpose: Using implementation science, we evaluated the process of implementing the Eight Dimensions of Wellness. Methods: A Pre-Implementation Survey was given to residents prior to the implementation and Post-Intervention Interviews of residents and staff was planned post-implementation. The post-intervention phase was not completed due to the delay in implementation at the site related to COVID-19. The data analysis of the of the Pre-Implementation Surveys included Kendall’s tau and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The results were intended to guide the implementation at the project site. The results of the Post-Intervention Interviews were meant to provide feedback regarding the success of the implementation. Results: Program participation was significantly related to age (p=.033) and living situation (p=.048). A significant relationship was found between program satisfaction and program participation (p\u3c.001) and living situation (p=.016).Barriers to participation included time conflicts or participation in activities outside the Community; physical limitations; and lack of interest. The social dimension of wellness was a common theme that emerged, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions: Applying implementation science provided a critical view of the process and success of the implementation of the philosophical shift to Wellness thinking at one independent living community

AlGaAs top solar cell for mechanical attachment in a multi-junction tandem concentrator solar cell stack

The AstroPower self-supporting, transparent AlGaAs top solar cell can be stacked upon any well-developed bottom solar cell for improved system performance. This is an approach to improve the performance and scale of space photovoltaic power systems. Mechanically stacked tandem solar cell concentrator systems based on the AlGaAs top concentrator solar cell can provide near term efficiencies of 36 percent (AMO, 100x). Possible tandem stack efficiencies greater than 38 percent (100x, AMO) are feasible with a careful selection of materials. In a three solar cell stack, system efficiencies exceed 41 percent (100x, AMO). These device results demonstrate a practical solution for a state-of-the-art top solar cell for attachment to an existing, well-developed solar cell

Forward model and CO retrieval algorithm

A progress report on the forward model and CO retrieval algorithm is presented. For the forward model, the fast-transmittance algorithm is discussed including monochromatic calculations, determination of fast-transmittance parameters, and regression errors. Simulations, retrieval technique, and sensitivity of the CO retrieval algorithm are discussed

Slip Length in a Dilute Gas

We study the phenomenon of slip length using molecular dynamics and direct simulation Monte Carlo simulations of a dilute gas. Our work extends the range of Knudsen numbers that have been previously studied. In a recent paper, Bhattacharya and Lie [Phys. Rev. 43, 761 (1991)] suggest a logarithmic dependence of slip length on Knudsen number. By a simple redefinition of the mean free path, we obtain good agreement between simulation results and Maxwell theory for slip length. The anomalies seen by Bhattacharya and Lie appear to be due to their definition of the mean free path

The guardian's little helper: MicroRNAs in the p53 tumor suppressor network

Several microRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in tumor development based on both changes in their expression patterns and gene structural alterations in human tumors. However, we are only now beginning to see how miRNAs interact with classic oncogene and tumor suppressor mechanisms. Several recent studies have implicated the miR-34 family of miRNAs in the p53tumor suppressor network. The expression of miR-34a, miR-34b, and miR-34c is robustly induced by DNA damage and oncogenic stress in a p53-dependent manner. When overexpressed, miR-34 leads to apoptosis or cellular senescence, whereas reduction of miR-34 function attenuates p53-mediated cell death. These findings, together with the fact that miR-34 is down-regulated in several types of human cancer, show that miRNAs can affect tumorigenesis by working within the confines of well-known tumor suppressor pathways. ©2007 American Association for Cancer Research

Children and Pedometers: A Study in Reactivity and Knowledge

International Journal of Exercise Science 6(3) : 230-235, 2013. Pedometers are simple inexpensive tools that are widely used for the measurement of physical activity. Reactivity is always a concern when using pedometers. An issue not yet addressed is the role previous knowledge has on the impact of reactivity. The primary purpose of this study was to examine if reactivity exists in 4th-6th grade students and if prior knowledge about pedometers had an effect on reactivity. Participants included 109 (54 females) 4th- 6th grade students from a suburban charter school. Prior to data collection, students completed a questionnaire to measure their knowledge of pedometers. Pedometers were worn from after-school until before school each day for two weeks with half of the students wearing sealed devices the first week, then switching to unsealed. Steps were counted and pedometers were redistributed each afternoon. Repeated measures ANOVA results showed no significant differences in step counts between unsealed and sealed conditions, or when knowledge and experience regarding pedometers was included as a covariate. Pedometers are inexpensive and reliable tools that researchers and educators can use to measure physical activity. In this study reactivity did not occur with older elementary students and a student’s knowledge of pedometers did not affect reactivity

Improving Pharmacy Services at Lerdsin Hospital

The outpatient pharmacy at Lerdsin Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, struggles to meet the demands of an increased prescription workload due to a new social healthcare scheme. Through an analysis of the present process, we identified the main factors that contribute to the substandard thirty-five minute prescription wait time. Recommendations were developed for pharmacy service improvements in the areas of layout, staffing, and equipment in an effort to decrease patient wait time and prescription error

Tempo Perception Across Cultures: The Beat is All It Takes

Dancing to music is a human universal that relies on beat perception. Listeners may infer the “tempo” or speed of music from: the time interval between beats; the density of events; higher-level features of musical temporal organization (the meter). The “Gabbling Foreigner Illusion” is the observation that listeners perceive unfamiliar languages as being faster than familiar ones. Even when music is the same speed, listeners tap faster to unfamiliar music. Does culture background impact how we perceive musical tempo

Depressive symptoms and metabolic markers of risk for type 2 diabetes in obese adolescents

OBJECTIVE: Although higher rates of depression are found among individuals with type 2 diabetes, it remains unknown if the presence of depressive symptoms is associated with heightened metabolic risk for the development of type 2 diabetes among youth. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether depressive symptoms in obese adolescents are associated with impaired β-cell function relative to insulin sensitivity [oral disposition index (oDI)] and/or dysglycemia or prediabetes, predictors of type 2 diabetes development. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Fasting and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)-derived indices of glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, secretion, and oDI were evaluated in obese youth (n = 56, age 15.0 ± 1.6 yr, 68% female). The Children's Depression Inventory was utilized to determine depressive symptomatology. RESULTS: Despite no association between depressive symptoms and measures of adiposity, youth with higher depressive symptoms had (i) significantly higher fasting and stimulated glucose levels (13% higher glucose area under the OGTT curve), (ii) ∼50% lower oDI, and (iii) a 50% frequency of prediabetes. CONCLUSIONS: These data point to an important relationship between depressive symptoms and a heightened metabolic risk for type 2 diabetes in obese adolescents, including prediabetes and impairment in β-cell function relative to insulin sensitivity. While the directionality of these relationships is unknown, it should be determined if treating one disorder improves the other or vice versa