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Objectives/Goals: We aim to establish a systematic approach to distinguish translational science from translational research. Our goal is to create a simple tool that would enable individuals with different backgrounds and levels of expertise to readily determine whether a study truly features translational science. Methods/Study Population: Participants were recruited from a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program hub and randomly divided into 2 groups. One group was asked, with minimal guidance, to categorize whether publications described translational science or translational research. The group met to resolve disagreements and identify key indicators and challenges in determining whether a study involves translational science. They provided input on a set of guiding questions intended to facilitate the identification of translational science. The second group did not participate in discussion or tool development. Both groups reviewed a new set of publications, using the tool to guide their assessments. Results/Anticipated Results: Based on publication assessments, we will assess the percent agreement among reviewers in each group for each publication and across the set. We anticipate that the first group will exhibit higher agreement for its second round of review than its first, owing to the benefit of discussion with colleagues and provision of guiding questions. We anticipate that the tool will also promote higher agreement among the second group in their first round of review. We predict that both groups will exhibit high rates of agreement when reviewing with the support of guiding questions. Discussion/Significance of Impact: This study will help us understand interpretations of translational science, a term that has sparked debate and disagreement within CTSA hubs. If successful, the guiding questions will provide CTSAs a tool to improve training, proposal responsiveness, and review for translational science projects.
It is important for the research produced by industrial-organizational (I-O) psychologists to be rigorous, relevant, and useful to organizations. However, I-O psychology research is often not used in practice. In this paper, we (both practitioners and academics) argue that engaged scholarship—a particular method of inclusive, collaborative research that incorporates multiple stakeholder perspectives throughout the research process—can help reduce this academic–practice gap and advance the impact of I-O psychology. To examine the current state of the field, we reviewed empirical evidence of the current prevalence of collaborative research by examining the number of articles that contain nonacademic authors across 14 key I-O psychology journals from 2018 to 2023. We then build on these findings by describing how engaged scholarship can be integrated throughout the research process and conclude with a call to action for I-O psychologists to conduct more collaborative research. Overall, our goal is to facilitate a fruitful conversation about the value of collaborative research that incorporates multiple stakeholder perspectives throughout the research process in hopes of reducing the academic–practice gap. We also aim to inspire action in the field to maintain and enhance the impact of I-O psychology on the future world of work.
Social connection is associated with better health, including reduced risk of dementia. Personality traits are also linked to cognitive outcomes; neuroticism is associated with increased risk of dementia. Personality traits and social connection are also associated with each other. Taken together, evidence suggests the potential impacts of neuroticism and social connection on cognitive outcomes may be linked. However, very few studies have simultaneously examined the relationships between personality, social connection and health.
Research objective:
We tested the association between neuroticism and cognitive measures while exploring the potential mediating roles of aspects of social connection (loneliness and social isolation).
Method:
We conducted a cross-sectional study with a secondary analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) Comprehensive Cohort, a sample of Canadians aged 45 to 85 years at baseline. We used only self-reported data collected at the first follow-up, between 2015 and 2018 (n= 27,765). We used structural equation modelling to assess the association between neuroticism (exposure) and six cognitive measures (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test immediate recall and delayed recall, Animal Fluency Test, Mental Alternation Test, Controlled Oral Word Association Test and Stroop Test interference ratio), with direct and indirect effects (through social isolation and loneliness). We included age, education and hearing in the models and stratified all analyses by sex, females (n= 14,133) and males (n=13,632).
Preliminary results of the ongoing study:
We found positive, statistically significant associations between neuroticism and social isolation (p<0.05) and loneliness (p<0.05), for both males and females. We also found inverse, statistically significant associations between neuroticism and all cognitive measures (p<0.05), except the Stroop Test interference ratio. In these models, there was consistent evidence of indirect effects (through social isolation and loneliness) and, in some cases, evidence of direct effects. We found sex differences in the model results.
Conclusion:
Our findings suggest that the association between neuroticism and cognitive outcomes may be mediated by aspects of social connection and differ by sex. Understanding if and how modifiable risk factors mediate the association between personality and cognitive outcomes would help develop and target intervention strategies that improve social connection and brain health.
Many individuals who experienced a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) have persistent cognitive complaints. Traditional cognitive rehabilitation (TCR) interventions were primarily developed for severe neurological injury which has limited effectiveness in rehabilitation of active duty military personnel who have the goal of returning to full military operational status. To remain on active duty, warfighters must have sufficient mental competency to safely and effectively function in complex environments such as combat. There is need for a cognitive rehabilitation approach that addresses demands of military personnel to expedite return to duty. The Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Training (SMART) program is novel alternative to TCR. SMART is an evidence-based advanced reasoning protocol that enhances cognitive domains essential to military readiness (e.g., mental agility, strategic learning, problem solving, and focus) and requires less than half of the treatment time. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of SMART compared to TCR in terms of overall recovery as well as change in specific cognitive domains.
Participants and Methods:
Participants were recruited from a military treatment facility. All patients had at least one diagnosed mTBI as well as persistent cognitive complaints. Participants completed the Rey-15 to ensure performance validity. Final sample was SMART n = 28 and SCORE n = 19. Primary dependent measure was the Global Deficit Scale (GDS). GDS was calculated from: Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R); Delis Kaplan Executive Functioning System Color Word (CW) and Trail Making (TM), Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), and the Symbol Digit Modality Test (SDMT). Demographically corrected t-scores were converted to deficit scores as follows: >40 = 0, 35-39 = 1, 30-34 = 2, 25-29 = 3, 20-24 = 4, <20 = 5. Deficit scores were averaged to calculate GDS. For each measure, Hohen’s g was analyzed for effect size comparisons pre-post treatment.
Results:
Average number of treatment hours was significantly lower in the SMART condition (SMART: M = 18.47 hours, SD = 2.17; TCR: M = 42.42 hours, SD = 3.79, p <.001). A repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant change on GDS post-treatment (F = 30.25, p < .001) with a large effect size (n2 = .402); however, the interventions did not differ on GDS change. Impact on cognitive domains was relatively equivalent for processing speed (SMART h = 0.67 vs TCR h = -.54) and executive function (SMART h = -0.92 vs TCR h = -.85); however, SMART had a larger impact on memory (SMART h = -0.81 vs TCR h = -.39). SMART resulted in large improvements in retention and recognition memory which were minimally impacted by TCR.
Conclusions:
Both TCR and SMART had comparable effectiveness in improving cognitive impairment, though SMART was completed in less than half of the treatment time. Both interventions had large effect sizes on processing speed and executive functioning; however, SMART was more effective in improving long-term memory. Memory is an integral part of military readiness. Further investigation is required to determine the relative effectiveness of these two approaches to improving cognitive readiness of the warfighter.
Schizotypy represents an index of psychosis-proneness in the general population, often associated with childhood trauma exposure. Both schizotypy and childhood trauma are linked to structural brain alterations, and it is possible that trauma exposure moderates the extent of brain morphological differences associated with schizotypy.
Methods
We addressed this question using data from a total of 1182 healthy adults (age range: 18–65 years old, 647 females/535 males), pooled from nine sites worldwide, contributing to the Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) Schizotypy working group. All participants completed both the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire Brief version (SPQ-B), and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and underwent a 3D T1-weighted brain MRI scan from which regional indices of subcortical gray matter volume and cortical thickness were determined.
Results
A series of multiple linear regressions revealed that differences in cortical thickness in four regions-of-interest were significantly associated with interactions between schizotypy and trauma; subsequent moderation analyses indicated that increasing levels of schizotypy were associated with thicker left caudal anterior cingulate gyrus, right middle temporal gyrus and insula, and thinner left caudal middle frontal gyrus, in people exposed to higher (but not low or average) levels of childhood trauma. This was found in the context of morphological changes directly associated with increasing levels of schizotypy or increasing levels of childhood trauma exposure.
Conclusions
These results suggest that alterations in brain regions critical for higher cognitive and integrative processes that are associated with schizotypy may be enhanced in individuals exposed to high levels of trauma.
Background: Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) has emerged as a major cause of bloodstream infection among hospitalized patients in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). CRAB infections can be difficult to treat and are devastating in neonates (~30% mortality). CRAB outbreaks are hypothesized to arise from reservoirs in the hospital environment, but outbreak investigations in LMICs seldom incorporate whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Methods: WGS (Illumina NextSeq) was performed at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (South Africa) on 43 preserved A. baumannii isolates from a 530-bed referral hospital in Gaborone, Botswana, from March 2021–August 2022. This included 23 blood-culture isolates from 21 unique patients (aged 2 days–69 years) and 20 environmental isolates collected at the 36-bed neonatal unit in April–June 2021. Infections were considered healthcare-associated if the culture was obtained >72 hours after hospital arrival (or sooner in inborn infants). Blood cultures were incubated using an automated system (BACT/ALERT, BioMérieux) and were identified using manual methods. Environmental isolates were identified using selective or differential chromogenic media (CHROMagarTM). Taxonomic assignment, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), antimicrobial resistance gene identification, and phylogenetic analyses were performed using publicly accessible analysis pipelines. Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) matrices were used to assess clonal lineage. Results: All 23 blood isolates and 5 (25%) of 20 environmental isolates were confirmed as A. baumannii; thus, 28 A. baumannii isolates were included in the phylogenetic analysis. MLST revealed that 22 (79%) of 28 isolates were sequence type 1 (ST1), including all 19 healthcare-associated blood isolates and 3 (60%) of 5 environmental isolates. Genes encoding for carbapenemases (blaNDM-1, blaOXA-23) and biocide resistance (qacE) were present in all 22 ST1 isolates; colistin resistance genes were not identified. Phylogenetic analysis of the ST1 clade demonstrated spatial clustering by hospital unit. Related isolates spanned wide ranges in time (>1 year), suggesting ongoing transmission from environmental sources (Fig. 1). An exclusively neonatal clade (0–2 SNPs) containing all 8 neonatal blood isolates was closely associated with 3 environmental isolates from the neonatal unit: a sink drain, bed rail, and a healthcare worker’s hand. Conclusions: WGS analysis of clinical and environmental A. baumannii revealed the presence of unit-specific CRAB clones, with evidence of ongoing transmission likely driven by persistent environmental reservoirs. This research highlights the potential of WGS to detect hospital outbreaks and reaffirms the importance of environmental sampling to identify and remediate reservoirs (eg, sinks) and vehicles (eg, hands and equipment) within the healthcare environment.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) has been a leader in weed science research covering topics ranging from the development and use of integrated weed management (IWM) tactics to basic mechanistic studies, including biotic resistance of desirable plant communities and herbicide resistance. ARS weed scientists have worked in agricultural and natural ecosystems, including agronomic and horticultural crops, pastures, forests, wild lands, aquatic habitats, wetlands, and riparian areas. Through strong partnerships with academia, state agencies, private industry, and numerous federal programs, ARS weed scientists have made contributions to discoveries in the newest fields of robotics and genetics, as well as the traditional and fundamental subjects of weed–crop competition and physiology and integration of weed control tactics and practices. Weed science at ARS is often overshadowed by other research topics; thus, few are aware of the long history of ARS weed science and its important contributions. This review is the result of a symposium held at the Weed Science Society of America’s 62nd Annual Meeting in 2022 that included 10 separate presentations in a virtual Weed Science Webinar Series. The overarching themes of management tactics (IWM, biological control, and automation), basic mechanisms (competition, invasive plant genetics, and herbicide resistance), and ecosystem impacts (invasive plant spread, climate change, conservation, and restoration) represent core ARS weed science research that is dynamic and efficacious and has been a significant component of the agency’s national and international efforts. This review highlights current studies and future directions that exemplify the science and collaborative relationships both within and outside ARS. Given the constraints of weeds and invasive plants on all aspects of food, feed, and fiber systems, there is an acknowledged need to face new challenges, including agriculture and natural resources sustainability, economic resilience and reliability, and societal health and well-being.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obesity are positively associated, with increasing evidence that they share genetic risk factors. Our aim was to examine whether these findings apply to both types of ADHD symptoms for female and male adolescents. We used data from 791 girl and 735 boy twins ages 16−17 years to examine sex-specific phenotypic correlations between the presence of ADHD symptoms and overweight/obese status. For correlations exceeding .20, we then fit bivariate twin models to estimate the genetic and environmental correlations between the presence of ADHD symptoms and overweight/obese status. ADHD symptoms and height/weight were parent- and self-reported, respectively. Phenotypic correlations were .30 (girls) and .08 (boys) for inattention and overweight/obese status and .23 (girls) and .14 (boys) for hyperactivity/impulsivity and overweight/obese status. In girls, both types of ADHD symptoms and overweight/obese status were highly heritable, with unique environmental effects comprising the remaining variance. Furthermore, shared genetic effects explained most of the phenotypic correlations in girls. Results suggest that the positive association of both types of ADHD symptoms with obesity may be stronger in girls than boys. Further, in girls, these associations may stem primarily from shared genetic factors.
The field of clinical decision making is polarized by two predominate views. One holds that treatment recommendations should conform with guidelines; the other emphasizes clinical expertise in reaching case-specific judgments. Previous work developed a test for a proposed alternative, that clinical judgment should systematically incorporate both general knowledge and patient-specific information. The test was derived from image theory’s two phase-account of decision making and its “simple counting rule”, which describes how possible courses of action are pre-screened for compatibility with standards and values. The current paper applies this rule to clinical forecasting, where practitioners indicate how likely a specific patient will respond favorably to a recommended treatment. Psychiatric trainees evaluated eight case vignettes that exhibited from 0 to 3 incompatible attributes. They made two forecasts, one based on a guideline recommendation, the other based on their own alternative. Both forecasts were predicted by equally- and unequally-weighted counting rules. Unequal weighting provided a better fit and exhibited a clearer rejection threshold, or point at which forecasts are not diminished by additional incompatibilities. The hypothesis that missing information is treated as an incompatibility was not confirmed. There was evidence that the rejection threshold was influenced by clinician preference. Results suggests that guidelines may have a de-biasing influence on clinical judgment. Subject to limitations pertaining to the subject sample and population, clinical paradigm, guideline, and study procedure, the data support the use of a compatibility test to describe how clinicians make patient-specific forecasts.
In late 2008 increasingly high concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) exceeding Federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA/PL 93-523) standards of 500 milligrams per liter (mg/L) for public water supplies were found in the Monongahela River. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) began investigating TDS levels at points along approximately 70 stream miles on the Monongahela River from the West Virginia border to the confluence with the Youghiogheny River. In response, the West Virginia Water Research Institute (WVWRI) spearheaded a long-term water quality monitoring program in the Monongahela River Basin to identify sources and potential remediation options. The team found that modulation of the discharge volume from acid mine drainage treatment plants along the river could control TDS and sulfate levels below SDWA limits. Operators of the AMD treatment plants implemented the newly developed discharge management plan. The monitoring program expanded in 2012 to include the Allegheny and Upper Ohio River basins, adopting the name Three Rivers Quest (3RQ).
Predictive models of aboveground plant biomass derived from nondestructive measurements greatly assist in monitoring and surveying natural areas. Where invasive species are concerned, these models can provide insights to the impacts of invasions and efficacy of management strategies. Furthermore, tools that facilitate a rapid inventory allow for multiple assessments of impact over larger areas. Downy rose myrtle [Rhodomyrtus tomentosa (Aiton) Hassk.] is an invasive shrub in Florida and Hawaii that is native to southeastern Asia. Rhodomyrtus tomentosa was imported into Florida in the early 20th century through the ornamental plant trade and produces pink flowers and edible purple globe fruits. This woody shrub is particularly problematic in the understory of Florida’s mesic pine forests, where it forms dense, impenetrable thickets. To characterize the populations more accurately in Florida and build predictive equations for biomass that could be used to inform control methods, we established a network of sites from which we harvested individuals over 3 yr. Based on these measurements, we built a simple predictive equation for R. tomentosa dry biomass. Crown area strongly associates with biomass in a linear relationship (P < 0.001, R2 = 0.82). Fruit production is highly variable, but positively correlates to plant height in individuals that have reached reproductive size (plants below 1 m generally do not produce fruit), albeit weakly (P < 0.002, R2 = 0.27). We demonstrate here that two simple measurements—height and crown area—can accurately predict biomass and, to some degree, fruit production for R. tomentosa in Florida and may guide control methods by focusing on removing individuals larger than 1 m tall.
In view of the increasing complexity of both cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) and patients in the current era, practice guidelines, by necessity, have become increasingly specific. This document is an expert consensus statement that has been developed to update and further delineate indications and management of CIEDs in pediatric patients, defined as ≤21 years of age, and is intended to focus primarily on the indications for CIEDs in the setting of specific disease categories. The document also highlights variations between previously published adult and pediatric CIED recommendations and provides rationale for underlying important differences. The document addresses some of the deterrents to CIED access in low- and middle-income countries and strategies to circumvent them. The document sections were divided up and drafted by the writing committee members according to their expertise. The recommendations represent the consensus opinion of the entire writing committee, graded by class of recommendation and level of evidence. Several questions addressed in this document either do not lend themselves to clinical trials or are rare disease entities, and in these instances recommendations are based on consensus expert opinion. Furthermore, specific recommendations, even when supported by substantial data, do not replace the need for clinical judgment and patient-specific decision-making. The recommendations were opened for public comment to Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society (PACES) members and underwent external review by the scientific and clinical document committee of the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), the science advisory and coordinating committee of the American Heart Association (AHA), the American College of Cardiology (ACC), and the Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC). The document received endorsement by all the collaborators and the Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS), the Indian Heart Rhythm Society (IHRS), and the Latin American Heart Rhythm Society (LAHRS). This document is expected to provide support for clinicians and patients to allow for appropriate CIED use, appropriate CIED management, and appropriate CIED follow-up in pediatric patients.
Barriers to research participation by racial and ethnic minority group members are multi-factorial, stem from historical social injustices and occur at participant, research team, and research process levels. The informed consent procedure is a key component of the research process and represents an opportunity to address these barriers. This manuscript describes the development of the Strengthening Translational Research in Diverse Enrollment (STRIDE) intervention, which aims to improve research participation by individuals from underrepresented groups.
Methods:
We used a community-engaged approach to develop an integrated, culturally, and literacy-sensitive, multi-component intervention that addresses barriers to research participation during the informed consent process. This approach involved having Community Investigators participate in intervention development activities and using community engagement studios and other methods to get feedback from community members on intervention components.
Results:
The STRIDE intervention has three components: a simulation-based training program directed toward clinical study research assistants that emphasizes cultural competency and communication skills for assisting in the informed consent process, an electronic consent (eConsent) framework designed to improve health-related research material comprehension and relevance, and a “storytelling” intervention in which prior research participants from diverse backgrounds share their experiences delivered via video vignettes during the consent process.
Conclusions:
The community engaged development approach resulted in a multi-component intervention that addresses known barriers to research participation and can be integrated into the consent process of research studies. Results of an ongoing study will determine its effectiveness at increasing diversity among research participants.
Measuring Behaviour is the established go-to text for anyone interested in scientific methods for studying the behaviour of animals or humans. It is widely used by students, teachers and researchers in a variety of fields, including biology, psychology, the social sciences and medicine. This new fourth edition has been completely rewritten and reorganised to reflect major developments in how behavioural studies are conducted. It includes new sections on the replication crisis, covering Open Science initiatives such as preregistration, as well as fully up-to-date information on the use of remote sensors, big data and artificial intelligence in capturing and analysing behaviour. The sections on the analysis and interpretation of data have been rewritten to align with current practices, with advice on avoiding common pitfalls. Although fully revised and revamped, this new edition retains the simplicity, clarity and conciseness that have made Measuring Behaviour a classic since the first edition appeared more than 30 years ago.
Identifying a good research question is a vital first step in any behavioural study because the question will focus the rest of the research cycle. Four logically distinct types of question can be asked about any behaviour. These concern its mechanisms, its development (or ontogeny), its function and its evolution (or phylogeny). The mechanisms underlying behaviour can be studied at many different levels, ranging from the social or physical environmental conditions that influence the behaviour down to the neural networks responsible for behavioural output. The nature of the research question will influence decisions about what species to study. Research questions are developed through a combination of approaches, including reading the literature, preliminary observations and exploratory data analysis. A research question leads to a set of hypotheses that need not be mutually exclusive but should all be testable. Each hypothesis should generate one or more specific predictions.