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Key ideas from a workshop convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to discuss developments in IVG (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2023) chaired by Dr Eli Y. Adashi (former Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences at Brown University). The authors are solely responsible for the content of this paper, which does not necessarily represent the views of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies suggest that actively fighting back against an attacker is effective in decreasing the severity and completion of a sexual assault, yet little is known about the factors that contribute to women's confidence in fighting back. Accordingly, the present study examines correlates of college women's self-efficacy in resisting unwanted sexual advances (N = 650). Results suggest that fewer psychological barriers to resistance, greater sexual communication, increased use of dating self-protective behaviors, and greater sexual assertiveness were associated with increased sexual resistance self-efficacy. Findings underscore the importance of developing sexual assault prevention programs that increase women's confidence in fighting back. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for acute ischemic strokes from large vessel occlusion (LVO) have better outcomes with effective reperfusion. However, it is unknown which technique leads to better technical and clinical success. We aimed to determine which technique yields the most effective first pass reperfusion during MT. Methods In a prospective, multicenter global registry we enrolled patients treated with operator preferred MT technique at 71 hospitals from January 2019 to January 2022. Three techniques were assessed: SR Classic with stent retriever (SR) and balloon guide catheter (BGC); SR Combination which employed SR with contact aspiration with or without BGC; and direct aspiration (DA) with or without BGC. The primary outcome was achieving an expanded Thrombolysis In Cerebral Infarction (eTICI) score of 2c or 3 on the first pass, with the primary technique as adjudicated by core lab. The primary clinical outcome measure was a 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0--2. Results A total of 1492 patients were enrolled. Patients treated with SR Classic or SR Combination were more likely to achieve first pass eTICI 2c or 3 reperfusion (P=0.01). There was no significant difference in mRS 0--2 (P=0.46) or safety endpoints. Conclusions The use of SR Classic or SR Combination was more likely to achieve first pass eTICI 2c or 3 reperfusion. There were no significant differences in clinical outcomes and safety endpoints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of firearm violence in Mexico has primarily focused on homicides and trafficking. Less attention has been given to understanding how firearms affect other crimes and facilitate criminal activity beyond drug markets. By analyzing two questions, this study explores the role of firearms in extortions perpetrated in Mexico from 2012 to 2021. Questions are: What is the likelihood of reporting extortions to the police if offenders exhibited firearms? What is the likelihood of compliance with demands when offenders are armed with firearms? We obtained data from Mexico's National Crime Victimization Surveys and analyzed 2,619 extortions reported from 2012 to 2021. To explore our research questions, we ran two binary logistic regressions. Our dependent variables were dichotomous (reported to police = 1, complied with demands = 1). The independent variables were weapon types (extortions involving firearms as the reference group). We controlled for victim demographics as well as crime characteristics. Our results indicate that 40% of these extortions (n = 1,058) were perpetrated with a firearm. Fifty-two percent of extortions were perpetrated by unarmed offenders (n = 1,348) and 8% (n = 213) were perpetrated with other weapons (no firearms). Models suggest that, when compared to extortions perpetrated by unarmed offenders or those exhibiting other weapons (no firearms), victims of extortions involving firearms are less likely to report these crimes to police, mainly because of fear of reprisal. Similarly, victims are more likely to comply with demands if offenders exhibit firearms. Findings highlight the role of firearms in criminal enterprises and support the need for a comprehensive policy agenda to address firearm violence in Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this logistic regression study was to identify predictors of teacher-reported sustained use of data-based instruction (DBI) during the COVID-19 pandemic and assess the extent to which the identified predictors explained teachers' sustained use after completing programmatic support for intensive early writing instruction. We surveyed 58 teachers who participated in a professional development efficacy trial regarding their sustained use of DBI in writing. The model indicated a higher predicted probability of sustaining DBI for teachers who received the full treatment (tools, learning modules, and coaching for 20 weeks of intervention during their year of participation in the efficacy trial) compared to teachers in the control group who only received tools and learning modules at the end of their participation year. In addition, teachers who taught in-person were more likely to sustain compared to those who taught in remote or hybrid models, controlling for other variables. Furthermore, as the number of facilitators that teachers reported increased, teachers were more likely to sustain their use of DBI components, controlling for other variables. Further research could shed light on the relative impact of different types of facilitators and different levels of support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the perspectives of stakeholders on consenting and reconsenting children and adolescents living with HIV (CALWH) to participate in research involving biological sampling and biobanking. Stakeholders included CALWH, their caregivers, subject matter experts (SMEs) such as Institutional Review Board (IRB) members, Community Advisory Board (CAB) members, Healthcare Providers, researchers, and community leaders. Study design: This qualitative study was conducted at the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) in Kenya. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with CALWH, their caregivers, and SMEs. Audio recordings were transcribed, thematically analyzed, and emerging themes derived. Results: In total, 99 participants were interviewed, of which the majority (52%) were female; 50% of CALWH were female with a median age of 17.5 years (range 11-24); 70% of caregivers and 44% of SMEs were female. All SMEs, CALWH, and caregivers emphasized that recontacting and reconsenting were their strong preferences for the use of biospecimens and also an essential procedure to address legal and ethical considerations and confidentiality. All CALWH wanted consent to detail how they will be informed about research findings and emphasized making their results available to them. Caregivers highlighted the importance of trust in the use of the stored samples to be maintained as per the consents. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that CALWH and their caregivers want researchers to go beyond the typical information provided about biospecimen storage and use. They desire to be recontacted and reconsented as well as maintain ongoing communication with the research team about the research findings. Plain Language Summary: Bioethics of reconsenting biospecimen samples of adolescents and children living with HIV from the perspective of stakeholders The study explores the bioethics surrounding re-consent for children and adolescents living with HIV from a stakeholder perspective. Stakeholders include children and adolescents living with HIV (CALWH), their caregivers, Institutional Review Board (IRB) members, Community Advisory Board (CAB) members, healthcare providers, researchers, and community leaders. Results found that repeat contacting and reconsenting is an essential procedure to ensure legal and ethical considerations and confidentiality are upheld. The findings suggest researchers should provide comprehensive information on the purpose of biospecimen storage to participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social reactions to disclosure of sexual victimization play an important role in the process of recovery. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the impact of online disclosure of sexual victimization. The sample for this qualitative study (n = 17) focused on participants who shared their experiences with disclosing about their sexual victimization online and the reactions received in these spaces. Using applied thematic analysis, the research team identified three major themes from the data, each with respective subthemes, including helpful, harmful, and mixed reactions to online disclosure. Findings highlighted the nuances of disclosing online and the diverse reactions that were received. Participants provided in-depth descriptions of not only how the disclosure experience and resulting reactions could be helpful or harmful but also nuanced, mixed, and simultaneously harmful and helpful. This data is a crucial reminder that survivors' stories are unique and that survivors experience many varying motivations for choosing if, when, where, to whom, or for whom they may disclose. The findings may help inform clinical recommendations for mental health practitioners working with survivors of sexual victimization and holding therapeutic space to process these decisions of disclosure. Future researchers should also consider further studying online interactions, especially within and between survivors, including when and how survivors choose to connect or disconnect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic and measures taken to decrease the spread impacted youth in foster care and foster parents in a myriad of ways. One critical yet unexplored area is how educational changes during the first 2 years of the pandemic impacted this specific group of youth in foster care and foster parents. This exploratory study used three methods: (1) A scoping review of the prior research on pandemics/climate events and school closures and the research from early 2020; (2) individual interviews and focus groups with foster parents and teachers; and (3) an online survey of 88 foster parents. We endeavored to include findings at each stage of the process. Research from prior epidemics and school closures and predictive models predicted learning losses which were verified by the findings in the survey and interviews. Foster parents reported that the youth in foster care had great difficulty concentrating with on-line delivery and the absence or greatly limited access to mental health services compounded the challenges. Even as children returned to classrooms, the behavior of children, youth resulted in suspensions and expulsions likely increasing learning losses. The discussion identifies some approaches to addressing COVID-19 learning gaps and the mental health needs of this vulnerable group of children and youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: School-based telefacilitators are critical yet underresearched members of telepractice programs. They are the face of the telepractice program and are often telepractice champions in their communities. However, we have little research explaining the typical profile of telefacilitators, making it more difficult to identify personnel characteristics that contribute to the implementation of sustainable telepractice programs. The purpose of this study was to describe the typical profile and preparation of school-based telefacilitators for physical, occupational, and speech therapy in the United States. Method: A cross-sectional survey gathered 21 telefacilitator responses about their primary job title, preparation, confidence, and basic demographics. Survey recruitment followed an adaptive sampling method with three phases: stratified random sampling, purposive sampling, and targeted convenience sampling. Results were analyzed using frequency counts and descriptive statistics where appropriate. Results: Most respondents held the primary job title of paraprofessional, but a diverse range of titles were reported, including superintendents and directors of special education. Half of the respondents received various methods of formal training for the role, whereas the other half were self-taught. Overall levels of confidence in job performance were high, yet self-taught telefacilitators felt that lack of training negatively impacted their performance. Most respondents had a bachelor's degree or higher. Conclusions: There is a high degree of variability in the profile and preparation of telefacilitators. Inconsistency in terminology and lack of agreed-upon job responsibilities are significant barriers to studying the role of telefacilitators and the ability to plan telepractice staffing needs adequately. Clinical implications and opportunities for future investigation are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Little is known about the hospital outcomes of moderately preterm (MPT; 29 0/7–33 6/7 weeks gestational age) infants born to insulin-dependent diabetic mothers (IDDMs). We evaluated characteristics and outcomes of MPT infants born to IDDMs compared with those without IDDM (non-IDDM). Study Design Cohort study of infants from 18 centers included in the MPT infant database from 2012 to 2013. We compared characteristics and outcomes of infants born to IDDMs and non-IDDMs. Results Of 7,036 infants, 527 (7.5%) were born to IDDMs. Infants of IDDMs were larger at birth, more often received continuous positive pressure ventilation in the delivery room, and had higher risk of patent ductus arteriosus (adjusted relative risk or aRR: 1.49, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20–1.85) and continued hospitalization at 40 weeks postmenstrual age (aRR: 1.55, 95% CI: 1.18–2.05). Conclusion MPT infants of IDDM received more respiratory support and prolonged hospitalizations, providing further evidence of the important neonatal health consequences of maternal diabetes. Key Points Little data are available on moderate preterm infants of IDDMs. MPT infants of IDDMs need more respiratory support. Longer neonatal intensive care unit stays among MPT infants of IDDMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Medications for addiction treatment (MAT) are the evidence-based standard of care for treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD), but stigma continues to surround their use. We conducted an exploratory study to characterize perceptions of different types of MAT among people who use drugs. Methods: We conducted this qualitative study in adults with a history of non-medical opioid use who presented to an emergency department for complications of OUD. A semi-structured interview that explored knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes toward MAT was administered, and applied thematic analysis conducted. Results: We enrolled 20 adults. All participants had prior experience with MAT. Among participants indicating a preferred treatment modality, buprenorphine was the commonly favored agent. Previous experience with prolonged withdrawal symptoms upon MAT discontinuation and the perception of "trading one drug for another" were common reasons for reluctance to engage in agonist or partial-agonist therapy. While some participants preferred treatment with naltrexone, others were unwilling to initiate antagonist therapy due to fear of precipitated withdrawal. Most participants strongly considered the aversive nature of MAT discontinuation as a barrier to initiating treatment. Participants overall viewed MAT positively, but many had strong preferences for a particular agent. Conclusion: The anticipation of withdrawal symptoms during initiation and cessation of treatment affected willingness to engage in a specific therapy. Future educational materials for people who use drugs may focus on comparisons of respective benefits and drawbacks of agonists, partial agonists, and antagonists. Emergency clinicians must be prepared to answer questions about MAT discontinuation to effectively engage patients with OUD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the association between manganese intake and the risk of type 2 diabetes in postmenopausal women and determine whether this association is mediated by circulating markers of inflammation.Research Design and Methods: We included 84,285 postmenopausal women without a history of diabetes from the national Women's Health Initiative Observational Study (WHI-OS). Replication analysis was then conducted among 62,338 women who participated in the WHI-Clinical Trial (WHI-CT). Additionally, data from a case-control study of 3,749 women nested in the WHI-OS with information on biomarkers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction were examined using mediation analysis to determine the relative contributions of these known biomarkers by which manganese affects type 2 diabetes risk.Results: Compared with the lowest quintile of energy-adjusted dietary manganese, WHI-OS participants in the highest quintile had a 30% lower risk of type 2 diabetes (hazard ratio [HR] 0.70 [95% CI 0.65, 0.76]). A consistent association was also confirmed in the WHI-CT (HR 0.79 [95% CI 0.73, 0.85]). In the nested case-control study, higher energy-adjusted dietary manganese was associated with lower circulating levels of inflammatory biomarkers that significantly mediated the association between dietary manganese and type 2 diabetes risk. Specifically, 19% and 12% of type 2 diabetes risk due to manganese were mediated through interleukin 6 and hs-CRP, respectively.Conclusions: Higher intake of manganese was directly associated with a lower type 2 diabetes risk independent of known risk factors. This association may be partially mediated by inflammatory biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Introduction: Prevalence and risk factors for elevated glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and blood pressure (BP) are poorly understood among Pacific children. We examined associations of HbA1c and BP in 6–9 year‐olds with body mass index (BMI) at ages 2, 5, and BMI velocity between 2–9 years in Samoa. Methods: HbA1c (capillary blood) and BP were measured in n = 410 Samoan children who were part of an ongoing cohort study. Multilevel models predicted BMI trajectory characteristics. Generalized linear regressions assessed associations of childhood characteristics and BMI trajectories with HbA1c and BP treated as both continuous and categorical outcomes. Primary caregiver‐reported childhood characteristics were used as covariates. Results: Overall, 12.90% (n = 53) of children had high HbA1c (≥5.7%) and 33.17% (n = 136) had elevated BP. BMI at 5‐years and BMI velocity were positively associated with high HbA1c prevalence in males. A 1 kg/m2 per year higher velocity was associated with a 1.71 (95% CI: 1.07, 2.75) times higher prevalence of high HbA1c. In females, higher BMI at 5‐years and greater BMI velocity were associated with higher BP at 6–9 years (95% CI: 1.12, 1.40, and 1.42, 2.74, respectively). Conclusion: Monitoring childhood BMI trajectories may inform cardiometabolic disease screening and prevention efforts in this at‐risk population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of National Education / Millî Eğitim Dergisi is the property of Milli Egitim Bakanligi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Aiming to disrupt the way fashion studies is developed – often from a Eurocentric approach and within rigid disciplinary, methodological and social boundaries – this Special Issue invites different scholars to present their own way of studying and exploring fashion, but also to make their familiar methods strange, re-assessing what fashion means and what it means to do fashion research in the first place. Promoting an interdisciplinary dialogue, the articles in this Special Issue show how fashion studies would benefit from 'bending' existing methodological boundaries and blending cross-disciplinary methodologies, conceptual orientations, objects, ideas, forms, subjects and questions in their epistemological approach. We hope that the curation, organization and general assemblage of the texts give rise to the intellectual alchemy of unpredictable encounters: conversations, clashes and contradictions. From article to article, readers will encounter different ways of doing research on and through fashion and be inspired to imagine more divergent epistemologies of fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incarcerated women, in comparison to nonincarcerated women, are at high risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and many have experienced interpersonal violence. The psychological construct of emotional dysregulation—which includes heightened intensity of emotions, poor understanding of emotions, negative reactivity to emotion state, inability to control behaviors when experiencing emotional distress, and maladaptive emotion management responses—is a possible pathway to explain the link between interpersonal violence exposure and STI risk. The present study examined maladaptive emotion management responses for emotional dysregulation (i.e., avoidance and numbing, and dissociation) occurring in the context of risky sexual behavior. We collected qualitative data from 4 focus groups with a sample of n = 21 incarcerated women (aged 18+ years) from urban facilities in New England. Qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Findings indicated that incarcerated women reported engaging in a variety of maladaptive responses for emotion management during sexual encounters. These maladaptive responses for emotion management appear to increase sexual risk behaviors and alter women’s ability to implement STI protective behaviors, such as sexual negotiation and condom use. Preventive interventions to reduce sexual risk behaviors should incorporate strategies to promote emotional regulation among incarcerated women with histories of interpersonal violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Lung screening is an opportunity for smoking cessation and relapse prevention, but smoking behaviors may differ across screening results. Changes in smoking were evaluated among 18 840 current and former smokers aged 55-74 scheduled to receive three annual lung screenings.Methods: Participants were randomized to low-dose computed tomography or single-view chest radiography in the American College of Radiology/National Lung Screening Trial. Outcome measures included point and sustained (6-month) abstinence and motivation to quit among smokers; and relapse among smokers who quit during follow-up, recent quitters (quit < 6 months), and long-term former smokers (quit ≥ 6 months).Results: During five years of follow-up, annual point prevalence quit rates ranged from 11.6%-13.4%; 48% of current smokers reported a quit attempt and 7% of long-term former smokers relapsed. Any false positive screening result was associated with subsequent increased point (multivariable hazard ratio HR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.13, 1.35) and sustained (HR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.15, 1.43) abstinence among smokers. Recent quitters with ≥1 false positive screen were less likely to relapse (HR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.54, 0.96). Screening result was not associated with relapse among long-term former smokers or among baseline smokers who quit during follow-up.Conclusions: A false positive screen was associated with increased smoking cessation and less relapse among recent quitters. Consistently negative screens were not associated with greater relapse among long-term former smokers. Given the Affordable Care Act requires most health plans to cover smoking cessation and lung screening, the impact and cost-effectiveness of lung screening could be further enhanced with the addition of smoking cessation interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Affective response to exercise may mediate the effects of self-paced exercise on exercise adherence. Fiftynine low-active (exercise <60 min/week), overweight (body mass index: 25.0-39.9) adults (ages 18-65) were randomly assigned to self-paced (but not to exceed 76% maximum heart rate) or prescribed moderate intensity exercise (64-76% maximum heart rate) in the context of otherwise identical 6-month print-based exercise promotion programs. Frequency and duration of exercise sessions and affective responses (good/bad) to exercise were assessed via ecological momentary assessment throughout the 6-month program. A regression-based mediation model was used to estimate (a) effects of experimental condition on affective response to exercise (path a = 0.20, SE = 0.28, f2 = 0.02); (b) effects of affective response on duration/latency of the next exercise session (path b = 0.47, SE = 0.25, f2 = 0.04); and (c) indirect effects of experimental condition on exercise outcomes via affective response (path ab = 0.11, SE = 0.06, f2 = 0.10). Results provide modest preliminary support for a mediational pathway linking self-paced exercise, affective response, and exercise adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Skilled nursing facility (SNF) care has historically been influenced by systemic issues that could impact speech-language pathology (SLP) service provision. However, there has been little study specifically on factors associated with SLP service provision in SNFs. Large administrative data sets are rarely analyzed in SLP research but can be used to understand real-world SLP services. This study investigated associations between patient and facility characteristics and SLP services. Method: Mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to evaluate factors associated with SLP service provision in 2018 Medicare administrative data representing 833,653 beneficiaries. Results: Beneficiaries had higher odds of receiving SLP services when they had neurologic diagnosis (odds ratio [OR] = 3.32), had SLP-related functional impairments (ORs = 1.19-3.41), and received other rehabilitative services (ORs = 3.11- 3.78). Beneficiaries had lower odds of receiving SLP services when they received care from SNFs located in hospitals versus freestanding (OR = 0.45), with need for interpreter services (OR = 0.76) and with thresholding (OR = 0.68), a financially motivated practice. Direction of association varied across racial and ethnic groups and measures of location. Odds of being provided SLP services decreased with increasing communication impairment severity. Conclusions: The results suggest that clinicians are identifying patients with diagnoses most likely to warrant SLP services. However, association disparities and weakening association of service provision with increasing impairment severity have concerning clinical implications. Health services research methods can be used to further explore SLP practices in SNFs to support equitable service provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the diverse health challenges faced by today's youth and their extensive time spent in schools, we conducted a school health awareness campaign aimed at prioritizing well-being and academic performance. This analytical longitudinal study, spanning 27 schools in Lebanon, aimed to assess the impact of the awareness campaign on the health knowledge and practices of 5-, 8-, and 11-year-old students throughout pre- and post-intervention testing focused on general health and healthy habits, employing 11, 14, and 15 questions tailored to 5, 8, and 11 year olds, respectively. The questions covered various aspects, including sleep, personal and dental hygiene, nutrition, physical activity, addiction, security measures, and bullying. Out of the 7100 students who participated, 16.11% (1144 students) were evaluated before and after the campaign. The results indicated a significant increase in health awareness post-intervention across all age groups. For instance, in 5-year-olds, limited awareness decreased from 91.6% to 36.38%, while adequate awareness rose from 8.03% to 62.3%. Improvement varied across health knowledge topics, with security-related questions showing the highest enhancement. Factors such as governorate, normal-weight status, and close supervision influenced improvement. However, no significant correlations were found with school type, size, gender, age, nationality, parental factors, or comorbidities. The study concludes that the school health awareness campaign successfully heightened children's health awareness, advocating for the integration of regular health promotions into the standard educational curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study evaluated the racial and ethnic diversity of physician associate/assistant (PA) graduating cohorts during the profession's transition from a standard undergraduate degree to an entry-level master's degree. Methods: Using all existing program reports from the Physician Assistant Education Association (1985-2019), we explored potential associations between changes in tuition, degree types offered, and racial/ethnic makeup of graduating cohorts. Results: We observed a strong negative association between Black students and graduates versus increasing tuition and the rise of master's level programs. Conclusions: More equitable opportunities for joining the PA profession may be needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Music therapy has growing evidence for its effectiveness in mental health. People with mental health conditions often face significant barriers in obtaining personal valued social roles and feeling a sense of belonging to their community. Overcoming these barriers is an important step in the recovery process. This pilot study investigated whether long-term group music therapy might have an impact on participants' social skill development, group cohesion and expression of emotional states. The study was an exploratory, retrospective, quantitative, longitudinal single-case study (N = 8). Five video recorded sessions were selected and micro-analyzed by independent raters, who rated the Group Environmental Scale (n = 8) and Individual Behavior Observation Categorization scale (n = 4). Statistical analysis was carried out to identify trends over time. The study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04435405). A longitudinal improvement was found in the group domains of Relationship (1.6-fold), Personal growth (1.9-fold) and System maintenance (1.5-fold) along the 9-month follow-up period. On the individual level, an improvement was found over time in social skills and group cohesion (4.85-fold), affect (3.15-fold), and musical activities performances (19.9-fold). The study demonstrated longitudinal improvement trends in social skills, group cohesion and expression of emotional states (affect) in the group as a whole and in each of the four individual assessments. Future studies which will include a larger sample and longer follow-up periods are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents updates on the activities of universities and colleges in the U.S. in relation to labor management. The Labor Relations Council of the University of Pennsylvania has prepared essays on different aspects of wage determination. Several studies have been conducted by the Department of Economics of Brown University including an analysis of workmen's compensation. A study of membership relations and attitudes of trade union members in upstate New York has been completed by faculty at the University of Buffalo. The Iowa Bureau of Labor and Management is experimenting with new techniques for estimating available labor supply in rural areas.

Background: The FDA recently acquired regulatory authority over tobacco products, leading to renewed interest in whether reducing the nicotine content of cigarettes would reduce tobacco dependence in the United States. Given the association between depressive symptoms and cigarette smoking, it is important to consider whether smokers with elevated depressive symptoms experience unique benefits or negative consequences of nicotine reduction.Methods: In this secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial that examined the effects of cigarettes varying in nicotine content over a 6-week period in non-treatment-seeking smokers, we used linear regression to examine whether baseline depressive symptom severity (scores on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale [CES-D]) moderated the effects of reduced-nicotine content (RNC) cigarettes, relative to normal-nicotine content (NNC) cigarettes, on smoking rates, depressive symptom severity, and related subjective and physiological measures.Results: Of the 717 participants included in this analysis, 109 (15.2%) had CES-D scores ≥ 16, indicative of possible clinical depression. Relative to NNC cigarettes, RNC cigarettes reduced smoking rates, nicotine dependence, and cigarette craving, and these effects were not significantly moderated by baseline CES-D score. A significant interaction between baseline CES-D score and cigarette condition on week 6 CES-D score was observed (p < .05); among those with CES-D scores ≥ 16 at baseline, those assigned to RNC cigarettes had lower week 6 CES-D scores than those assigned to NNC cigarettes. Among those in the lowest nicotine content conditions, biochemically confirmed compliance with the RNC cigarettes was associated with an increase in CES-D score for those with baseline CES-D scores < 16 and no change in CES-D score for those with baseline CES-D scores ≥ 16.Conclusions: These findings provide initial evidence that a reduced-nicotine standard for cigarettes may reduce smoking, without worsening depressive symptoms, among smokers with elevated depressive symptoms.Implications: This secondary analysis of a recent clinical trial examined whether depressive symptom severity moderated the effects of reduced-nicotine cigarettes on smoking and depressive symptoms. Results indicate that, regardless of baseline depressive symptoms, participants randomized to reduced-nicotine cigarettes had lower smoking rates, nicotine intake, nicotine dependence, and craving at week 6 post-randomization than those assigned to normal-nicotine cigarettes. In participants with higher baseline depressive symptoms, those assigned to reduced-nicotine cigarettes had lower week 6 depressive symptoms than those assigned to normal-nicotine cigarettes. These results suggest that a nicotine reduction policy could have beneficial effects for smokers, regardless of depressive symptom severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covid‐19‐related school closures worldwide had an enormous impact on literacy instruction and learning. In this article, we share an overview of what research tells us about what happened to elementary learners' reading comprehension during these school closures and what reading comprehension instruction looked like in homes and schools during this time. We also provide recommendations for the path forward on the road to revitalizing reading comprehension achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent work has highlighted that process–outcome relationships are likely to vary depending on the client, yet much work remains to be done in the area of tailoring interventions to a given client. This naturalistic single-case analysis provides an example of augmenting a treatment protocol with "off protocol" relaxation methods, based on routinely collected outcome information to guide shared decision making. Intensive case study analyses were applied to one client with principal generalized anxiety disorder and comorbid major depressive disorder receiving transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral therapy. The client completed two routine anxiety and depression symptom and functioning scales prior to each session of naturalistic treatment. Time series analyses were applied to the two symptom measures. Among the results, (a) significant linear decreases in anxiety and depression from baseline to posttreatment were observed; and (b) the introduction of relaxation methods had a significant impact on the course of anxiety symptom change. In conclusion, routine outcome assessment can be used to inform intervention augmentation with individual clients. Furthermore, regular assessment is needed to determine if a client may benefit from an alternative set of specific intervention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to use Victor Ray's theory of racialized organizations (TRO), and multiple applied exemplars, as a framework and call to action for community college researchers and policymakers. In doing so, we provide a meso-level analytic view on how and why the most accessible postsecondary pathway for minoritized students is also the most chronically under-resourced sector of higher education in the United States. Argument: Understanding community colleges as a type of racialized organization opposes traditional meritocratic perspectives that view these institutions as culturally neutral spaces, guided by open access and unrestricted credential choice. Decades of research suggest that egalitarian principles attached to community colleges do not necessarily translate into equitable student experiences and outcomes. Responses to these inequitable outcomes, however, primarily assign blame to individual dispositions. Without deep consideration of contextual conditions that shape organizational policies and practices, outcome disparities are viewed as a condition of cultural deficits rather than structured impotence. Conclusions: This paper advances our collective attunement, as community college scholars, to organizational arrangements that perpetuate and weaken white supremacy. In short, we use a racialized organizational lens to think in new ways about how community colleges, as an institutional type, are often as marginalized as the students they serve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine characteristics that are associated with receipt of Aid and Attendance (A&A), an enhanced pension benefit for Veterans who qualify on the basis of needing daily assistance, among Veterans who receive pensions.Data Sources: Secondary data analysis of 2016-2017 national VA administrative data linked with Medicare claims.Study Design: Observational study examining sociodemographic, medical, and healthcare utilization characteristics associated with receipt of A&A among Veterans receiving pension.Principal Findings: In 2017, 9.7% of Veterans with pension newly received the A&A benefit. The probability of receiving A&A among black and Hispanic pensioners was 4.6 percentage points lower than for white pensioners (95%CI = -0.051, -0.042). Married Veterans receiving pension had a 4.4-percentage point higher probability of receiving A&A (95%CI = 0.039, 0.048). Most indicators of need for assistance (eg, home health utilization, dementia, stroke) were associated with significantly higher probabilities of receiving A&A, with notable exceptions: pensioners with a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (marginal effect = -0.029 95%CI = -0.037, -0.021) or enrolled in Medicaid (marginal effect = -0.053, 95%CI = -0.057, -0.050) had lower probabilities of receiving A&A. Unadjusted and adjusted rates of receiving A&A among Veterans receiving pension varied by VA medical center.Conclusions: This study identified potential inequities in receipt of the A&A enhanced pension among a sample of Veterans receiving pension. Increased Veteran outreach, provider education, and VA office coordination can potentially reduce inequities in access to this benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the problem of designing a confirmatory randomized trial for comparing two treatments versus a common control in two disjoint subpopulations. The subpopulations could be defined in terms of a biomarker or disease severity measured at baseline. The goal is to determine which treatments benefit which subpopulations. We develop a new class of adaptive enrichment designs tailored to solving this problem. Adaptive enrichment designs involve a preplanned rule for modifying enrollment based on accruing data in an ongoing trial. At the interim analysis after each stage, for each subpopulation, the preplanned rule may decide to stop enrollment or to stop randomizing participants to one or more study arms. The motivation for this adaptive feature is that interim data may indicate that a subpopulation, such as those with lower disease severity at baseline, is unlikely to benefit from a particular treatment while uncertainty remains for the other treatment and/or subpopulation. We optimize these adaptive designs to have the minimum expected sample size under power and Type I error constraints. We compare the performance of the optimized adaptive design versus an optimized nonadaptive (single stage) design. Our approach is demonstrated in simulation studies that mimic features of a completed trial of a medical device for treating heart failure. The optimized adaptive design has $25\%$ smaller expected sample size compared to the optimized nonadaptive design; however, the cost is that the optimized adaptive design has $8\%$ greater maximum sample size. Open-source software that implements the trial design optimization is provided, allowing users to investigate the tradeoffs in using the proposed adaptive versus standard designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Blacks in the United States experience greater persistent pain than non-Hispanic Whites across a range of medical conditions, but to our knowledge no longitudinal studies have examined the risk factors or incidence of persistent pain among Blacks experiencing common traumatic stress exposures such as after a motor vehicle collision (MVC). We evaluated the incidence and predictors of moderate to severe axial musculoskeletal pain (MSAP) and widespread pain six weeks after a MVC in a large cohort of Black adults presenting to the emergency department (ED) for care. Methods: This prospective, multi-center, cohort study enrolled Black adults who presented to one of 13 EDs across the US within 24 hours of a MVC and were discharged home after their evaluation. Data were collected at the ED visit via patient interview and self-report surveys at six weeks after the ED visit via internet-based, self-report survey, or telephone interview. We assessed MSAP pain at ED visit and persistence at six weeks. Multivariable models examined factors associated with MSAP persistence at six weeks post-MVC. Results: Among 787 participants, less than 1% reported no pain in the ED after their MVC, while 79.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 77.1 -- 82.2) reported MSAP and 28.3 (95% CI, 25.5 -- 31.3) had widespread pain. At six weeks, 67% (95% CI, 64, 70%) had MSAP and 31% (95% CI, 28, 34%) had widespread pain. ED characteristics predicting MSAP at six weeks post-MVC (area under the curve = 0.74; 95% CI, 0.72, 0.74) were older age, peritraumatic dissociation, moderate to severe pain in the ED, feeling uncertain about recovery, and symptoms of depression. Conclusion: These data indicate that Blacks presenting to the ED for evaluation after MVCs are at high risk for persistent and widespread musculoskeletal pain. Preventive interventions are needed to improve outcomes for this high-risk group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Boarding of patients in the emergency department (ED) is associated with decreased ED efficiency. The provider-in-triage (PIT) model has been shown to improve ED throughput, but it is unclear how these improvements are affected by boarding. We sought to assess the effects of boarding on ED throughput and whether implementation of a PIT model mitigated those effects. Methods: We performed a multi-site retrospective review of 955 days of ED operations data at a tertiary care academic ED (AED) and a high-volume community ED (CED) before and after implementation of PIT. Key outcome variables were door to provider time (D2P), total length of stay of discharged patients (LOSD), and boarding time (admit request to ED departure [A2D]). Results: Implementation of PIT was associated with a decrease in median D2P by 22 minutes or 43% at the AED (p < 0.01), and 18 minutes (31%) at the CED (p < 0.01). LOSD also decreased by 19 minutes (5.9%) at the AED and 8 minutes (3.3%) at the CED (p<0.01). After adjusting for variations in daily census, the effect of boarding (A2D) on D2P and LOSD was unchanged, despite the implementation of PIT. At the AED, 7.7 minutes of boarding increased median D2P by one additional minute (p < 0.01), and every four minutes of boarding increased median LOSD by one minute (p < 0.01). At the CED, 7.1 minutes of boarding added one additional minute to D2P (p < 0.01), and 4.8 minutes of boarding added one minute to median LOSD (p < 0.01). Conclusion: In this retrospective, observational multicenter study, ED operational efficiency was improved with the implementation of a PIT model but worsened with boarding. The PIT model was unable to mitigate any of the effects of boarding. This suggests that PIT is associated with increased efficiency of ED intake and throughput, but boarding continues to have the same effect on ED efficiency regardless of upstream efficiency measures that may be designed to minimize its impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Online therapy is becoming increasingly popular as well as necessary. There is little research regarding the experience of psychologists delivering online therapy to individuals with an intellectual disability. Method: The study used online semistructured interviews and interpretive phenological analysis to explore the experiences of five psychologists delivering online therapy to individuals with an intellectual disability. Findings: Four superordinate themes were generated from the data: Environment: "You can't control the environment"; Person centred: "I do not think it's one size fits all"; Rapport: "slightly trickier to build"; and Clinician ability and experience: "it was a bit of a learning process". Psychologists spoke of prior negative beliefs and a range of challenges to video therapy. Their discomfort with using this technology was noted; however, a motivation to continue offering therapy to clients overweighed this. All participants concluded with benefits to using video therapy, notably increased accessibility. Conclusion: A hybrid model including face‐to‐face and online therapy appears preferable for future ways of working. Training is recommended for professionals and individuals supporting clients, and an assessment tool for the suitability of online therapy. Further research exploring online therapy experiences of people with intellectual disabilities is required. Accessible summary: During COVID‐19, face‐to‐face therapy was not allowed in England. Psychologists were asked to give therapy on video calls. We wanted to find out what this is like for psychologists working with people who have learning disabilities.We asked five psychologists about their experience in providing video therapy.Psychologists described some things they found hard: It was hard to control the environment online. It was hard to make changes to therapy for people with learning disabilities. It was sometimes hard to communicate. It was hard to build relationships online. Psychologists did not have experience doing video therapy. They were not confident.Some ideas that could help: Training for psychologists and carers or families, an assessment tool to check if someone can do video therapy, and giving information about video therapy to people with learning disabilities All psychologists said there were good things about online therapy. They would like to keep using it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of individual institutions on the outcome after surgery for Stanford type A aortic dissection (TAAD). Methods: This is an observational, multicenter, retrospective cohort study including 3902 patients who underwent surgery for TAAD at 18 university and non-university hospitals. Results: Logistic regression showed that four hospitals had increased risk of in-hospital mortality, while two hospitals were associated with decreased risk of in-hospital mortality. Risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality rates were lower in four hospitals and higher in other four hospitals compared to the overall in-hospital mortality rate (17.7%). Participating hospitals were classified as overperforming or underperforming if their risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality rate was lower or higher than the in-hospital mortality rate of the overall series, respectively. Propensity score matching yielded 1729 pairs of patients operated at over- or underperforming hospitals. Overperforming hospitals had a significantly lower in-hospital mortality (12.8% vs. 22.2%, p < 0.0001) along with decreased rate of stroke and/or global brain ischemia (16.5% vs. 19.9%, p = 0.009) compared to underperforming hospitals. Aggregate data meta-regression of the results of participating hospitals showed that hospital volume was inversely associated with in-hospital mortality (p = 0.043). Hospitals with an annual volume of less than 15 cases had an increased risk of in-hospital mortality (adjusted OR, 1.345, 95% CI 1.126–1.607). Conclusion: The present findings indicate that there are significant differences between hospitals in terms of early outcome after surgery for TAAD. Low hospital volume may be a determinant of poor outcome of TAAD. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04831073. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refugees are one of the most at-risk groups to experience economic exclusion and poverty due to the often abrupt and unplanned nature of their forced displacement and structural barriers after resettlement. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of multidimensional poverty (deprivations in five domains of education, health, living standard, economic security and housing) and factors associated with this complex problem amongst newly resettled refugees in the USA. Using 2016, 2017 and 2018 Annual Survey of Refugees data-sets and an adjusted version of the census Multidimensional Deprivation Index, poverty in different aspects of life was measured. Multivariate correlational analyses were utilised to explore possible associations between poverty, length of residence in the USA, permanent residency status and English language proficiency. The findings of this study suggested that over half of the surveyed refugees were multidimensionally poor. Limited English language proficiency at the time of the data collection was the best predictor of multidimensional poverty amongst the explored factors. Estimated rates of poverty amongst refugees call for further attention to policies fostering the economic integration of refugees as new Americans in the USA. Recommendations for resources, interventions and policies fostering refugees' economic integration and well-being were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory study examined the simultaneous interactions and relative contributions of bottom-up social information (regional dialect, speaking style), top-down contextual information (semantic predictability), and the internal dynamics of the lexicon (neighborhood density, lexical frequency) to lexical access and word recognition. Cross-modal matching and intelligibility in noise tasks were conducted with a community sample of adults at a local science museum. Each task featured one condition in which keywords were presented in isolation and one condition in which they were presented within a multiword phrase. Lexical processing was slower and more accurate when keywords were presented in their phrasal context, and was both faster and more accurate for auditory stimuli produced in the local Midland dialect. In both tasks, interactions were observed among stimulus dialect, speaking style, semantic predictability, phonological neighborhood density, and lexical frequency. These interactions revealed that bottom-up social information and top-down contextual information contribute more to speech processing than the internal dynamics of the lexicon. Moreover, the relatively stronger bottom-up social effects were observed in both the isolated word and multiword phrase conditions, suggesting that social variation is central to speech processing, even in non-interactive laboratory tasks. At the same time, the specific interactions observed differed between the two experiments, reflecting task-specific demands related to processing time constraints and signal degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The future of child and adolescent counseling research is now. The call for more rigorous research designs while maintaining the humanity of the participants is critical to understanding what works and for whom. In this best practices for research report, we outlined how to plan meaningful, quality research that is grounded in current literature and best serves children and adolescents. Further, we noted substantial ways to counter racist research practices and elevate rigor of design and scholarly production. We aim for this report to serve as a call to action for conducting eminent child and adolescent research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A cigarette purchase task (CPT) is a behavioral economic measure of the reinforcing value of smoking in monetary terms (ie, cigarette demand). This study investigated whether cigarette demand predicted response to contingent monetary rewards for abstinence among individuals with substance use disorders. It also sought to replicate evidence for greater price sensitivity at whole-dollar pack price transitions (ie, left-digit effects).Methods: Participants (N = 338) were individuals in residential substance use disorder treatment who participated in a randomized controlled trial that compared contingent vouchers to noncontingent vouchers for smoking abstinence. Baseline demand indices were used to predict number of abstinent days during the 14-day voucher period (after the reduction lead-in) and at 1 and 3 months afterward.Results: Demand indices correlated with measures of smoking and nicotine dependence. As measured by elasticity, intensity and O max, higher demand significantly predicted fewer abstinent exhaled carbon monoxide readings during voucher period for individuals in the noncontingent vouchers condition. Breakpoint exhibited a trend-level association with abstinent exhaled carbon monoxide readings. Demand indices did not predict abstinence in the contingent vouchers group, and did not predict abstinence at 1- and 3-month follow-ups. Left-digit price transitions were associated with significantly greater reductions in consumption.Conclusions: The association of cigarette demand with smoking behavior only in the group for whom abstinence was not incentivized indicates that CPT assesses the value of smoking more than the value of money per se and that vouchers counteract the effects of the intrinsic reinforcing value of cigarettes. Results provide initial short-term evidence of predictive validity for the CPT indices.Implications: This study provides the first evidence of the validity of the CPT for predicting early response to brief advice for smoking cessation plus nicotine replacement in smokers with substance dependence. However, demand for cigarettes did not predict voucher-based treatment response, indicating that incentives serve as a powerful motivator not to smoke that acts in opposition to the intrinsic reinforcing value of cigarettes and that the indices reflect the value of smoking more than the value of money per se. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social work profession in the United States is striving to advance antiracism amidst increasing threats of white supremacist violence. However, tensions and paradoxes in the contexts of academic research and knowledge development, education and teaching, and service undermine the profession's efforts. Structural or institutional processes—in higher education broadly and in schools of social work specifically—shape who publishes research, educates, and serves, and how labor is evaluated and rewarded. We identify practical recommendations to advance antiracism while cautioning against overemphasizing the responsibility of individual actors. Recommendations include prioritizing and generously funding scholarship on white supremacy and antiracism, providing clinical and adjunct faculty with sufficient remuneration and supports to excel in teaching, joining with students in protest against oppressive conditions in higher education, and equalizing rewards for service in accordance with those for research. Social workers must work proactively across multiple contexts to realize our professional commitment to dismantling white supremacy and advancing antiracism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Disclosure of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status can be a problematic issue; it may cause a stressful and anxious situation in one's life before and after the process of HIV disclosure. Disclosure of HIV status to own child or children is even more difficult, as they may fear stigma, and many questions may arise after HIV disclosure. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe barriers and facilitators of disclosure of HIV status by parents, caregivers, and/or guardians, and to propose strategies to promote HIV status disclosure to infected minors. Material and methods: The study employed a qualitative exploratory-descriptive design. Participants were purposively selected in one community healthcare center in Thulamela municipality. Twenty-two participants were interviewed during data collection. Data were analyzed through thematic analysis. Results: Four themes emerged from the data, which included psycho-social challenge related to HIV disclosure, barriers that hinder HIV disclosure, facilitators of HIV disclosure, and suggestions to improve HIV disclosure. Conclusions: It is important to design strategies of HIV status disclosure that would improve parents/caregivers/guardians' skills and knowledge through health promotion, and constant involvement of key stakeholders in the process. There is a need for support groups for children living with HIV, as children would be able to mingle with their peers and learn from their experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: HIV stigma affects medication adherence, psychosocial outcomes, and clinical management for youth living with HIV (YLWH). We explored the impact of HIV stigma on research participation, to inform the ethical engagement of this vulnerable group. Methods: We interviewed 40 YLWH, 20 caregivers, and 39 subject matter experts (SMEs); transcripts were analyzed by HK and EG, with emerging themes confirmed by JA and AC. Results: All categories of participants identified the impacts of stigma on YLWH research participation, suggesting implementing privacy protections, considering recruitment locations carefully, and developing supportive relationships with YLWH. SMEs suggested that YLWH experience uniquely high risks from stigma due to the compounding effects of developmental challenges and transitionary life period. Accidental HIV disclosure and subsequent stigma were identified as a risk of research participation; some viewed the creation of community through research as a benefit. Conclusion: Participants provided insights into stigma-related considerations for research with YLWH, which may guide engagement protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors measured the impact of educational efforts on the number of college students who received meningococcal vaccine. First-year Brown University students from the classes of 2004 (n = 1,562) and 2005 (n = 1,518) received educational vaccine materials before they arrived on campus, whereas students from the class of 2003 (n = 1,441) did not. Students in the class of 2003, 13% (n = 184) of whom had received vaccine before their arrival on campus, served as the baseline. These educational efforts by the college health services before students arrived on campus increased the number of students immunized before campus arrival to 46% (n = 724) for the class of 2004, and 60% (n = 913) for the class of 2005. Education about the benefits of meningococcal vaccine before students' arrival on campus increased both the number of immunized students and the overall immunization rate among students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Greater depressive symptoms and low positive affect (PA) are associated with poor smoking cessation outcomes. Smoking cessation approaches that incorporate a focus on PA may benefit smokers trying to quit. The purpose of this study was to conduct a pilot randomized clinical trial to compare standard smoking cessation treatment (ST) with smoking cessation treatment that targets positive affect, termed positive psychotherapy for smoking cessation (PPT-S).Method: Smokers who were seeking smoking cessation treatment were assigned by urn randomization to receive, along with 8 weeks of nicotine replacement therapy, either ST (n = 31) or PPT-S (n = 35). Seven-day point prevalence smoking abstinence was biochemically confirmed at 8, 16, and 26 weeks.Results: Compared to ST, a greater percentage of participants in PPT-S were abstinent at 8 weeks, 16 weeks, and 26 weeks, but these differences were nonsignificant. In a more statistically powerful longitudinal model, participants in PPT-S had a significantly higher odds of abstinence (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.75; 95% CI = 1.02, 7.42; p = .046) across follow-ups compared to those in ST. The positive effect of PPT-S was stronger for those higher in PA (OR = 6.69, 95% CI = 1.16, 38.47, p = .03). Greater use of PPT-S strategies during the initial 8 weeks of quitting was associated with a less steep decline in smoking abstinence rates over time (OR = 2.64, 95% CI = 1.06, 6.56, p =.04).Conclusion: This trial suggests substantial promise for incorporating PPT into smoking cessation treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Missouri Mothers and Their Children Study (MO-MATCH) was specifically designed to critically investigate prenatal environmental influences on child attention problems and associated learning and cognitive deficits. The project began as a pilot study in 2004 and was formally launched in 2008. Participants in the study were initially identified via the Department of Vital Statistics birth record (BR) database. Interview and lab-based data were obtained from: (1) mothers of Missouri-born children (born 1998–2005), who smoked during one pregnancy but not during another pregnancy; (2) biological fathers when available; and (3) the children (i.e., full sibling pairs discordant for exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy (SDP). This within-mother, between-pregnancy contrast provides the best possible methodological control for many stable maternal and familial confounding factors (e.g., heritable and socio-demographic characteristics of the mother that predict increased probability of SDP). It also controls for differences between mothers who do and do not smoke during pregnancy, and their partners, that might otherwise artifactually create, or alternatively mask, associations between SDP and child outcomes. Such a design will therefore provide opportunities to determine less biased effect sizes while also allowing us to investigate (on a preliminary basis) the possible contribution of paternal or other second-hand smoke exposure during the pre, peri, and postnatal periods to offspring outcome. This protocol has developed a cohort that can be followed longitudinally through periods typically associated with increased externalizing symptoms and substance used initiation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Medical education research focused on patient-centered outcomes holds the promise of improved decision-making by medical educators. In 2001, Prystowsky and Bordage demonstrated that patient-centered outcomes were evaluated in fewer than one percent of studies published in a survey of major medical education journals. Though many have called for increased inclusion of patient-centered outcomes in medical education literature, it remains uncertain to what degree this need has been addressed systematically. Using the same data sources as in the original report (Academic Medicine, Medical Education, and Teaching and Learning in Medicine), we sought to replicate Prystowsky and Bordage's study. We extracted data from original empirical research reports from these three journal sources for the years 2014–2016. We selected 652 articles that met the inclusion criteria for further analysis. Study participants were largely trainees (64% of studies) or faculty (25% of studies). Only 2% of studies included patients as active or passive participants. Study outcomes reported were satisfaction (40% of studies), performance (39%), professionalism (20%), and cost (1%). These results do not differ significantly from the original 2001 study. The medical education literature as represented in these three prominent journals has made little progress in placing a greater focus on patient-centered outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To compare survival by gender and race among transgender and cisgender people enrolled in private insurance in the United States between 2011 and 2019. Methods. We examined Optum's Clinformatics Data Mart Database. We identified transgender enrollees using claims related to gender-affirming care. Our analytic sample included those we identified as transgender and a 10% random sample of cisgender enrollees. We limited our sample to those 18 years or older who were non-Hispanic Black or White. We identified 18 033 transgender and more than 4 million cisgender enrollees. We fit Kaplan–Meier survival curves and calculated standardized mortality ratios while adjusting for census region. Results. Black transfeminine and nonbinary people assigned male sex at birth were 2.73 times more likely to die than other Black transgender people and 2.38 and 3.34 times more likely than Black cisgender men and women, respectively; similar results were found when White transfeminine and nonbinary people assigned male sex at birth were compared with White cisgender cohorts. Conclusions. Our findings highlight glaring inequities in mortality risks among Black transfeminine and nonbinary people assigned male sex at birth and underscore the need to monitor mortality risks in transgender populations and address the social conditions that increase these risks. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(10):1507–1514. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306963) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal postpartum depression, maternal sensitivity, and family functioning were examined as predictors of the stability of observed infant temperament over the first 30 months of life (N = 147 families). Eight observations at 8, 15, and 30 months postpartum were used to assess infant temperament. Structured clinical interviews were used to assess maternal depression, and observational assessments were used to assess family functioning and maternal sensitivity. Family context moderated the effect of maternal depression on change in infant temperament. Maternal depression was associated with change in infant temperament when maternal sensitivity was low but not when maternal sensitivity was high. Family functioning similarly moderated these links. Results underscore the centrality of the family context in shaping child behavior over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of terahertz science and technology has been an active and thriving research area for several decades. However, the field has recently experienced an inflection point, as several exciting breakthroughs have enabled new opportunities for both fundamental and applied research. These events are reshaping the field, and will impact research directions for years to come. In this Perspective article, I discuss a few important examples: the development of methods to access nonlinear optical effects in the terahertz range; methods to probe nanoscale phenomena; and, the growing likelihood that terahertz technologies will be a critical player in future wireless networks. Here, a few examples of research in each of these areas are discussed, followed by some speculation about where these exciting breakthroughs may lead in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]