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This study explored second year undergraduates' academic motivators and blockers at multiple ecological system levels. A total of 47 second year undergraduate students from Engineering, Nursing and Psychology in an Australian city university took part in participant-led interviews regarding their academic experience beyond their foundational semester. Using an ecological system approach as the overarching theoretical framework, Tinto's model of student retention/persistence and Self-Determination Theory (SDT) were merged within this framework to identify potential motivators and blockers across individual, microsystem, mesosystem and macrosystem levels. Results revealed that academic motivators and blockers existed at multiple ecological levels and wielded direct as well as indirect impacts on student persistence. Cohort and context-specific challenges were also identified and this demonstrated the need to better understand the contributions of an ecological approach to student persistence experience.

aime E Dickerson Jr9,101Private Practice, Philadelphia, PA, USA; 2Schwartz Laser Eye Center, Scottsdale, AZ, USA; 3Loh Ophthalmology Associates, Miami, FL, USA; 4Cleveland Eye Clinic, Brecksville, OH, USA; 5Rosenberg School of Optometry, University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX, USA; 6LASIK San Antonio, Kerrville, TX, USA; 7Gordon Schanzlin New Vision Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA; 8Kannarr Eye Care, Pittsburg, KS, USA; 9Sight Sciences, Menlo Park, CA, USA; 10North Texas Eye Research Institute, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA Correspondence: Jaime E Dickerson Jr, Email [email protected] Purpose: To evaluate dry eye disease (DED) signs and symptoms six months after a single treatment with Localized Heat Therapy (LHT) (TearCare, Sight Sciences) for patients previously treated for six months with cyclosporine (0.05%) ophthalmic emulsion (CsA) BID (Restasis, Allergan). Setting: Nineteen ophthalmic and optometric practices in 11 US states. Design: Multicenter, cross-over, six month extension to the SAHARA randomized, controlled trial (RCT). Included patients were those randomized to CsA in Phase 1 of the SAHARA RCT. Methods: This was the second phase of the SAHARA RCT in which, following the 6-month endpoint, all patients that had been randomized to CsA discontinued CsA and were treated with LHT and subsequently followed for an additional six months. Outcome measures at 12 months for CsA patients crossed over to LHT included TBUT, OSDI and MGSS. Results: One hundred and sixty-one patients (322 eyes) were analyzed. Mean (SD) baseline TBUT prior to CsA was 4.4 (1.2) seconds, 5.6 (2.6) at 6 months which improved to 6.6 (3.2) and 6.1 (2.8) seconds (both P < 0.001) at 9 and 12 months (3, 6 months post LHT). Mean (SD) OSDI was 50.0 (14.9) at baseline and 34.2 (21.5) after CsA. With LHT at 6 months, this improved to 30.0 (20.6) and 31.0 (19.5) at 9 and 12 months (P = 0.162 vs month 6, P < 0.0001 vs baseline). MGSS was 7.1 (3.2) at baseline, 13.3 (8.2) at the end of CsA treatment which improved to 17.4 (8.8) and 16.1 (9.0) at 9 and 12 months; both P < 0.001. Conclusion: SAHARA showed 6-month superiority of LHT to CsA in clinical signs and non-inferiority in symptom scores. This extension shows that patients treated with CsA for 6 months can achieve meaningful additional improvement in signs and symptoms lasting for as long as 6 months following a single LHT treatment without the need for topical prescription therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

aime E Dickerson Jr10,111Private Practice, Philadelphia, PA, USA; 2Schwartz Laser Eye Center, Scottsdale, AZ, USA; 3Loh Ophthalmology Associates, Miami, FL, USA; 4Cleveland Eye Clinic, Brecksville, OH, USA; 5Rosenberg School of Optometry, University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX, USA; 6LASIK San Antonio, Kerrville, TX, USA; 7Gordon Schanzlin New Vision Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA; 8Kannarr Eye Care, Pittsburg, KS, USA; 9Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; 10Sight Sciences, Menlo Park, CA, USA; 11North Texas Eye Research Institute, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USACorrespondence: Jaime E Dickerson Jr, Email [email protected] Purpose: We compare outcomes in eyes with dry eye disease (DED) treated with TearCare (TC) or topical cyclosporine 0.05% (RESTASIS; CsA).Setting: Nineteen ophthalmic and optometric practices in 11 US states.Design: Multicenter, randomized, assessor-masked, controlled IRB-approved trial. Eligible subjects: ≥ 22 years of age, dry eye symptoms within 3– 6 months, Tear Break-up Time (TBUT) ≥ 1 to ≤ 7 s, Meibomian Gland Secretion Score (MGSS) ≤ 12, Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) of 23– 79. Randomized (1:1) to TC or CsA. TC subjects treated at baseline and month 5; CsA was twice daily for 6 months.Methods: Follow-up visits were scheduled for Day 1, Week 1, Months 1, 3, and 6 with primary inference at Month 6. Primary outcomes: TBUT and OSDI; secondary outcomes: MGSS, conjunctival and corneal staining, eye dryness score (EDS), symptoms assessment in dry eye (SANDE) score, and Schirmer tear score (STS). Safety assessments included adverse events, best corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, and slit-lamp findings.Results: Overall, 345 subjects, 172 TC and 173 CsA. TBUT improved at all time points in both groups (p< 0.0001), with statistically greater improvement for TC versus CsA (p=0.0006). OSDI improved significantly at all time points in both groups (p< 0.0001) with no significant differences between treatments. MGSS and other measures of meibomian gland function improved significantly more with TC eyes versus CsA; other secondary outcomes showed significant improvements in both groups with no difference between groups. Treatment-related adverse events were uncommon (10 total, 8 in the CsA group consistent with prior CsA studies); most (9/10) mild.Conclusion: TC provides statistically superior and sustained improvement in TBUT and multiple measures of meibomian gland secretion, and non-inferior improvement in OSDI, corneal and conjunctival staining, SANDE, EDS, and STS versus CsA. TC should be a preferred treatment for DED associated with MGD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigated opinions on what constitute parental abuse with interviews of 30 high school students, 30 parents, and 28 counselors. Despite increased reported cases of emotional abuses and child maltreatments in the Philippines, few empirical studies have explored the exact nature of parental verbal abuses in this country. This study is designed to address this gap in the literature. The results revealed nine categories of parental verbal abuses namely: (a) Put downs and shaming, (b) Rejection, (c) Blaming, (d) Fault Exaggerating, (e) Threat, (f) Invoking harm, (g) Regrets, (h) Unfair comparison, and (i) Negative prediction. Implications for research and practice were discussed. (Contains 2 tables.)

Virtual Reality (VR) techniques are increasingly being used in e-health education, training and in trial clinical programs in the treatment of certain types of mental illness. Undergraduate psychology student opinion of the use of Virtual Reality (VR) to teach them about schizophrenia at the University of Queensland, was determined with reference to 3 general teaching objectives. Their ratings and comments concerning different aspects were used to evaluate the VR techniques and make suggestions concerning the delivery of undergraduate psychology teaching programs. The results also indicate the enormous potential significance in using VR in educating students about schizophrenia and psychosis.