Final Interview Research Articles

NIA and the White House Conference on Aging: Decades of Collaboration.

On the National Institute on Aging's (NIA's) timeline of major milestones, the 1961 White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA) and the 1971 WHCOA are credited with recommending the creation of a separate National Institute on Aging. This article explores the relationship between NIA and the WHCOA, and how the two entities have worked together to increase research in the mechanisms of aging, diseases of older people, and long-term care.. Historical analyses of past WHCOA Final Reports, supplemental documents, websites, and interviews with key participants, including Dr. Richard Hodes, director of the NIA, from 1993 until the present. The results affirmed that NIA has been an active and collaborative partner of past WHCOAs, especially regarding the shared objective of increased funding for Alzheimer's disease. While not always a primary partner, NIA has played a key role in advising and assisting organizers of past WHCOAs, assuring that research remains an underlying theme and content generator of each conference. The Older Americans Act Reauthorization of 2024 (S. 4776) calls for a 2025 Conference to be planned and directed under the Secretary of HHS in cooperation with the Assistant Secretary for Aging and the Director of the NIA, among others.

Traditional Chinese medicine for premature ventricular contraction caused by obstructive sleep apnea: A case report and literature review.

Premature ventricular contraction (PVC) is a common type of arrhythmia, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common trigger for this condition. Some patients still have PVC, even if ventilation is improved by wearing a respirator. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a long history of arrhythmia treatment, and this is the first report of a patient with PVC caused by OSA treated with TCM. Twenty-four-hour Holter showed that the number of PVCs decreased from 8968 to 0 before and after TCM treatment, and discomfort symptoms disappeared completely. A 37-year-old middle-aged man, with no history of hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, or other underlying diseases, had been suffering from OSA for over 1 year and currently uses a respirator to sleep. He was diagnosed with PVC at Beijing Anzhen Hospital 1 year ago and had been taking propafenone hydrochloride tablets following the physician's advice, but palpitation had not been relieved. The patient did not consider surgery and hoped to take TCM to treat the palpitations. The patient was diagnosed with PVC. After excluding other factors that could cause PVC, it was ultimately considered that the patient's PVC was related to OSA. The patient visited Xiyuan Hospital on December 5, 2023, on the basis of existing Western medicine and TCM, using the modified Huanglian Wendan Decoction. After taking TCM for 21 days, the Holter tests were conducted again. The results showed that the number of PVCs decreased from 8968 to 0 within 24 hours. Meanwhile, his palpitations were relieved, and the dosage of propafenone hydrochloride tablets was halved. After 7 days, he did not experience any discomfort; therefore, propafenone hydrochloride tablets were discontinued and TCM was exclusively administered. He received 7 additional courses in TCM. During the final consultation on April 23, 2024, the patient reported no discomfort, and snoring improved. After treatment with TCM, the patient's palpitations disappeared completely and snoring improved, which proved that TCM can treat PVC caused by OSA. To verify this conclusion, more high-quality research is necessary to establish the efficacy and underlying mechanisms of TCM in treating PVC caused by OSA.

In-Service Teacher Understanding and Use of Sacrificial Listening During Morning Meeting

ABSTRACT In today’s educational landscape, in-service teachers (IST) should strive to find ways that allow students to expand upon their social and emotional skills. The act of sacrificial listening (SL) has the potential to build understanding between unfamiliar voices. Building upon the knowledge surrounding this specific act of listening, this arts-based qualitative case study used solicited audio diaries to investigate an IST’s understanding of SL, including its key components and their experiences resulting from applying SL during morning meetings. Findings from audio diaries and final interviews with the IST demonstrate how SL corresponds to and builds on several existing theories related to education. The use of SL within morning meetings provided students with opportunities to make connections, strengthen relationships, interact with different cultures, and SL was found to have the ability to be featured in a variety of content areas.

Suicidal Communication Prior to Suicide in Children and Young Adults-A Medical Records Review in Health Care Services in Sweden.

Suicide among children and young adults is a leading cause of mortality, highlighting the importance of the development of life-saving interventions. This study is part of the nationwide study Retrospective investigation of health care utilization of individuals who died by suicide in Sweden in 2015, Lund University, Sweden. The aim was to gain a better understanding of verbal suicidal communication and suicidal behaviour in children and young adults who die by suicide, to analyse gender and age differences, and to discuss the findings in relation to the prevailing psychological theories of suicidality. The study sample consisted of medical records from final health care consultations of 114 individuals up to 25 years, who died by suicide in Sweden a single year. Suicidal plans were documented in 13 percent of children and young adults. Females were more likely to have a notation of suicidal communication than males. Twenty-seven percent had made previous suicide attempts. Approximately 90 percent of the study cohort had contact with health care settings within 24 months prior to suicide. Questioning about suicidal plans appears to be an insufficient tool to assess suicidality in children and young adults. Clinical implications regarding alternative assessment methods and preventive measures are discussed.

Farmers’ adaptation strategies towards soil salinity effects in sunflower cultivation: A gender-based analysis of some selected south-central coastal areas in Bangladesh

Rising salinity levels in the coastal regions of Bangladesh, driven by climate change, significantly affect agricultural productivity. Adaptation strategies to mitigate the effects of salinity are crucial for increasing crop production. This paper examines the adaptation strategies employed by male and female sunflower farmers in response to salinity intrusion in the south-central coastal zones of Bangladesh. We collected data through a household survey of 50 men and 50 women, supplemented by interviews and focus group discussions with farmers. The sample size was determined using a probabilistic sampling method. The questionnaire included open-ended and closed-ended questions and pretested with farmers before conducting final interview. Our results indicated that significant variables influencing adaptation strategies among male sunflower farmers included age, communication exposure, and training experience (p < 0.05). For female sunflower farmers, significant factors were age, communication exposure, training experience, and cultivated sunflower area (p < 0.01). Both regression models exhibited a satisfactory fit. Additionally, the primary adaptation strategies adopted by both male and female farmers included the application of fertilizers and pesticides. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers in formulating future farm-level gender based adaptation strategies for cultivating sunflower.

Mitigating Sexual Violence in Early Childhood through Information Service and Group Guidance to Parent

Sexual violence in early childhood continues to increase and is a phenomenon that hurts the Indonesian generation. Sexual violence experienced in early childhood has a serious impact on their growth and development, such as physical damage, trauma, stress, depression to loss of opportunities to continue life because they are victims of murder. Community Service (PKM) aims to mitigate through information services and Group Guidance to improve the skills of early childhood children to avoid sexual violence through parents. The target group is mothers who have early childhood. PKM activities are carried out through planning, implementation, and evaluation. Planning includes need assessment activities at the service location, including surveying the place of activity, coordinating with community leaders, namely RW and RT, and managing administration up to the RT level. Implementation activities start from perception, providing information services on mitigating sexual violence against early childhood, and conducting Group Guidance to explore the problems of target groups. The last activity is to conduct qualitative evaluations and conclude results thematically. The results of the final interview showed that the target group was satisfied because the service material was by the problems and anxieties they experienced. Target groups reveal the information provided is very useful in preventing their children from sexually violent behavior both from outside and from the family environment.

Acceptability of a city-wide transport plan: A thematic analysis of written consultation responses

IntroductionPolicy intervention to reduce car use is required for environmental and health benefits. Multi-component interventions with both positive (i.e. ‘carrot’) and negative (i.e. ‘stick’) strategies are effective in promoting modal shift, but ‘stick’ strategies are less acceptable and often abandoned before implementation. This study aims to understand the arguments surrounding policy acceptability for a multi-component transport plan including both carrot and stick strategies in Cambridge, UK. MethodsA series of public consultations between 2017 and 2022 informed transport priorities and provided feedback on a range of proposals. The final public consultation sought views on detailed proposals to expand the bus network and invest in sustainable travel infrastructure funded by the implementation of a road user charge. Following the consultation, concessions were made to the plans and they were later abandoned due to a lack of political consensus. We downloaded and analysed written responses generated during the consultation to identify arguments influencing policy acceptance. ResultsFrom 115 included responses, we identified five themes: (1) support for the overall vision of the transport strategy; (2) mixed support on proposals (favouring carrots but not sticks); (3) concerns about consultation process; (4) concerns about deliverability of proposals; and (5) the effects of the scheme on transport, inequalities and economic growth. ConclusionsOur findings suggest that policy design and communication should focus on perceived effectiveness and equity and building trust among agencies ahead of policy proposals to support the effective implementation of travel policy solutions.

Habilidades sociales y discapacidad intelectual: reporte de una secuencia didáctica en lenguas materna y extranjera

The present study reports the implementation of a didactic sequence in Spanish and English with the objective of supporting the development of social skills in a person with mild functional diversity. Based on socio-cognitive and linguistic frameworks, the didactic intervention proposed consists of classes in Spanish and English adapted to the specific context and situation of the individual. The study’s methodological strategy is based on a qualitative approach and descriptive reach, viewed from the perspective of action research and a case study design. The data is collected as follows: documentary analysis, participatory observation, initial interviews, a journal and observations, and final interviews. The results indicate that the didactic sequence develops three of the six social skills proposed by Monjas Casares (2007). The research concludes that instruction mediated by Spanish and English can help to develop the social skills of subjects with functional diversity. Also, aspects such as context and audience can cause these skills not to develop linearly or in all settings. All in all, this study indicates that social cognition, empowered by friendly and comprehensive interaction, can work as a mechanism to develop individual cognitive processes in subjects with mild functional diversity, which entails improvements in higher cognitive processes like executive functions, language, and empathy.

Luonteenvahvuuksien hyödyntäminen aikuisten suomen kielen oppimisessa

In this article, I will explore how to utilize character strengths in Finnish language learning. This study relies on VIA strengths inventory (Peterson & Seligman 2004). I will examine which character strengths adult Finnish learners utilize and how character strengths are related to learning Finnish, as well as participants’ beliefs regarding character strength intervention. The data of this qualitative study consist of an online questionnaire (n=32), individual and group info meetings online (n=21), character strengths intervention (n=8) and final interviews (n=4). The data were analyzed using content analysis. The results indicate that while some strengths are easily applicable to learning Finnish, others prove challenging to employ in language learning. Furthermore, the findings suggest that while participants found the character strength exercise interesting and enlightening, they expressed a desire for examples demonstrating the application of strengths, along with guidance on identifying and utilizing them.

Expert opinions on an optimal infant feeding quantitative data framework: a mixed methods Delphi-style study

BackgroundTo robustly evaluate breastfeeding interventions and share learning across the UK, there is a need for collection and alignment of data at national level. However, overarching frameworks remain inconsistent between different UK nations. This study aimed to determine how expert stakeholders involved in research, policy and practice would define an ideal dataset for collecting infant feeding data. MethodsUsing the Delphi method, three stages of consultation were completed with a total of 41 stakeholders. During stage 1, qualitative and quantitative surveys were distributed to an interdisciplinary panel. They were asked to openly define ideal definitions and timepoints for potential indicators, before rating their agreement with consensus statements generated from initial qualitative responses. During stage 2, policy-led stakeholders discussed outcomes from stage 1 as part of a consensus workshop. Each nation was then invited to submit a final consultation response in stage 3. Individual-level panel consensus was defined as agreement among ≥70% of stakeholders (stage 1), and group-level consensus was defined as ‘unanimous’ or ‘partial’ final agreement between nations (stages 2 and 3). FindingsDuring stage 1, 13 of 15 indicators reached consensus for definitions, and 11 of 13 for timepoints. During stages 2 and 3, 5 of 7 indicators reached final agreement. Data collection was suggested to focus on the intention to breastfeed (around birth), and the early initiation of feeding (from birth to 10 days). Monitoring of ‘exclusive’ breastfeeding from 0–6 months, ‘any’ breastfeeding from 0–24 months, and complementary feeding at 6 and 12 months, were identified as key touchpoints. At present, no indicator is collected consistently in line with these findings across all nations. InterpretationThese results support opportunities to improve comparability across the UK. Further work should consider the feasibility of data collection in routine practice, and the adjustments needed to support implementation. FundingWe confirm that Public Health Wales is responsible for supporting delivery of work aligned with the All-Wales Breastfeeding Action Plan, led by Rachel Bath, Rachel Evans, & Varsha Nagaraj, who co-developed this study as participating stakeholders. No additional funds were sought for this project..

A Problem-Solving Approach Aimed at Helping Calculus I Students Solve Related Rates Problems

After analyzing our Calculus I students’ performance on a related rates problem from a final exam, we designed a teaching experiment aimed at improving our students’ performance at problem solving. For our analysis, we used two frameworks – one specific to related rates problems and Polya’s general framework for problem solving. The analysis of student work on a final exam problem (N = 57) and interviews with 10 students revealed difficulties understanding the problem and making connections between data and unknowns. The results informed a teaching experiment the following semester when a different group of students (N = 13) used Polya’s approach to problem solving. The students solved and discussed related rates problems in geometric contexts, wrote their algorithms, and were assessed by a related rates problem on the final exam. All 13 students understood the problem, used diagrams, and all but one, established a meaningful relation with quantities from the problem. Having students create their algorithms seems to be a promising strategy in the teaching and learning of related rates problems.

Longitudinal Study of Mobile Telepresence Robots in Older Adults’ Homes: Uses, Social Connection, and Comfort with Technology

Mobile telepresence robots can help reduce loneliness by facilitating people to visit each other and have more social presence than visiting via video or audio calls. However, using new technology can be challenging for many older adults. In this article, we examine how older adults use and want to use mobile telepresence robots, how these robots affect their social connection, and how they can be improved for older adults’ use. We placed a mobile telepresence robot in the home of older adult primary participants ( N = 7; age 60 \(+\) ) for 7 months and facilitated monthly activities between them and a secondary participant ( N = 8; age 18 \(+\) ) of their choice. Participants used the robots as they liked between monthly activities. We collected diary entries and monthly interviews from primary participants and a final interview from secondary participants. Results indicate that older adults found many creative uses for the robots, including conversations, board games, and hide “n” seek. Several participants felt more socially connected with others and a few had improved their comfort with technology because of their use of the robot. They also suggested design recommendations and updates for the robots related to size, mobility, and more, which can help practitioners improve robots for older adults’ use.

Telegram channel development in promoting a political brand

The article is devoted to the construction of a political brand of a candidate in the elections of the President of the Russian Federation in Telegram. The authors consider the official channel of the candidate as one of the components of the communication activities of the politician within the framework of the election campaign. At the same time, this communication activity is studied from the point of view of the text component – both individual materials and the communication canvas of the channel as a whole. The study was conducted based on the examination of posts published in the official Telegram channel of the candidate for the post of the President of the Russian Federation Nikolai Kharitonov in the period from January 9, 2024 to March 21, 2024 (from the moment of publication of the first post to the publication of the final interview on the results of the election campaign, a total of 69 text messages). The analysis has shown the cross-cutting images used by the politician in the posts – heart / soul, home, and village. The authors analyze these images in relation to the political brand and sum up the results of the campaign in Telegram in terms of maintaining the required level of positioning of the political brand.

Clinical outcomes in chronic conditions: An observational case series at a US complementary medicine student clinical facility employing the MYMOP outcome measure

Objective/purposeThis study reports on a case series of clients using individualized homeopathy on a wide variety of health complaints seen in cases from a supervised teaching clinical setting between 2017 and 2020 at the Academy of Homeopathy Education. This teaching clinic sees self-selecting clients of all ages, and cases were taken by faculty or advanced students and subsequently managed by advanced students under supervision. MethodsThe cohort study evaluated n = 85 cases using the patient-generated outcome measure, the Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile (MYMOP). Average MYMOP values for initial and final consultations were analyzed for degree of change across the intervention period. Principle ResultsScores from initial consultation to last follow up showed a positive change in 80.23 % of cases. Clinically significant improvements were seen in all profile areas. The average profile score at last reported follow up of all cases showed a reduction in symptom severity of.56, and the greatest change between first and last average MYMOP scores showed a reduction of 1.2 after the homeopathic intervention. The greatest positive change was seen in Skin (1.88) followed by Respiratory (1.83) and Digestive-related (1.71) complaints. ConclusionsClinically significant improvement in physical and psychological health is found across a diverse population of people with a wide variety of long-term conditions. These results suggest that individualized homeopathic care in a teaching clinic setting proved to be valuable for complex chronic health problems, and that further similar, confirmatory research is warranted.

On the Value of Measuring Recent Drug Use by Self-Reports and Urinalysis in Clinical Trials

Background: Valid measurement of drug use in patients enrolled in clinical trials that treat substance use disorder is vital to determine the trial’s outcome. Self-reports are often used but their validity has been studied with mixed results. Urinalysis may sometimes be employed as an alternative or supplement to self-reports. Objectives: This study examined how estimating drug use by either method would affect the results from a randomized clinical trial conducted in a methadone treatment program. At the initial Baseline interview and four follow-up interviews, participants were asked about their drug use history and provided a urine specimen for drug testing. Results: In most cases, the urinalyses detected more drugs than the patients had reported using. A major exception was heroin, whose use was an eligibility criterion for enrollment in the study and methadone treatment. Conclusions: The patients’ self-reports would have led us to conclude that the use of heroin and fentanyl had declined from the initial Baseline interview to the final follow-up interview, while the urinalysis results indicated no change in exposure to heroin and an increase in exposure to fentanyl. Clinical trials would be well served to employ the use of biological tests in addition to self-reports to measure recent drug use and to accurately estimate the efficacy of the experimental protocols and patients’ exposure to drugs.

Dipping Your Toe in The CURE Pool: Longitudinal Tracking of Instructors Suggests Use of a Short-Duration CURE Can Catalyze Expansion to Longer CURE Experiences.

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are an effective method of engaging large numbers of students in authentic research but are associated with barriers to adoption. Short CURE modules may serve as a low-barrier entryway, but their effectiveness in promoting expansion has not been studied. The Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance in the Environment (PARE) project is a modular CURE designed to be a low-barrier gateway into CURE use. In a series of interviews, we track and characterize use of PARE in 19 PARE-interested instructors throughout the Innovation-Decision Process described by Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations theory. The majority (16/19) implement PARE at least once, and a majority of these implementers (11/16) expanded use by the final interview. Three of four cases of discontinuance were due to a disruption such as moving institutions or a change in course assignment and occurred for community college faculty. Expanders expressed fewer personal challenges than nonexpanders. Overall analysis shows that perception of barriers is nuanced and impacted by the innovation itself, the institutional context, and one's own experiences. These results suggest that a short duration, low barrier CURE can serve as a catalyst for implementation of a longer duration CURE.

A Phenomenological Study On The Social Isolation Experiences Of Elderly Living Alone In Korea

Background: The purpose of this study is to identify the social isolation process of seniors living alone. Methods: Data collection was conducted over a total of 8 days from July 8, 2024 to July 15, 2024. The participants in this study were elderly people living alone and aged 65 or older. 11 subjects participated in the final interview. All interviews were recorded with recorder and transcribed for analyzing by Van Kaam method of phenomenology. Results: Demographic characteristics (Sex, age, job, education, housing status, religion, and economic condition) were derived from the raw data, and these were grouped into 14 sub-themes and four categories: ‘economic deprivation,’ ‘physical difficulties,’ ‘social relationships,’ and ‘emotional withdrawal.’ Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it is believed that counseling and program development are necessary to address the social isolation of elderly people living alone

Long-term results after medial patellotibial ligament reconstruction for the treatment of patellofemoral instability.

To evaluate long-term clinical outcomes and redislocation rate after medial patellotibial ligament reconstruction. A total of 26 knees with mean age 26.3 ± 10.6 years (25 patients, 7 males and 18 females) treated for patellar instability (at least two objective dislocations) with medialization of the patellar tendon medial third were evaluated with an intermediate clinical follow-up (FU) at a mean of 6.5 ± 2.1 years and with a final telephone interview follow-up at mean of 15.6 ± 2.5 years (11.4-20.1). Western Ontario and MacMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Kujala, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain and Tegner activity scores were used. Information about further redislocation and knee surgery was also collected. All the clinical scores had a significant improvement compared to preoperative status (WOMAC pre-op 55.9 ± 27.2 vs. WOMAC final FU 80.8 ± 22.2; KUJALA pre-op 41.0 ± 24.0 vs. KUJALA final FU 77.2 ± 24.1; VAS pre-op 6.0 ± 3.1 vs. VAS final FU 3.44 ± 2.35; TEGNER pre-op 2.1 ± 2.0 vs. TEGNER final FU 3.6 ± 1.8; p < 0.001), and the outcomes remained stable at the final follow-up compared to the intermediate follow-up (p > 0.05). A total of 4 knees had at least one redislocation at the final follow-up, while 3 knees underwent total knee replacement surgery. The redislocation-survival rate at 5 years is 92%, meanwhile is 84% at 10 and 15 years. MPTL reconstruction produced good clinical results and a survival rate of 84% at a mean of 16 years follow-up and could be considered as associated procedure in case of patellofemoral instability. Level IV.

“I’ve become more critical”: Development of Dutch elementary teachers’ beliefs about history and history teaching in an inquiry-based professional learning program

This study aims to explore how elementary school teachers’ beliefs about the nature of history and pedagogical beliefs about teaching history developed over the course of a two-year professional development (PD) program and which elements of the program stimulated this development. This PD program aimed to develop participants’ skills in historical reasoning and in designing inquiry-based history lessons that encourage students to reason historically. Teachers engaged in historical reasoning and developed and implemented activities for inquiry-based learning in their history lessons. In this qualitative study, we interviewed nine teachers before and after the program, and they completed the Beliefs about Learning and Teaching History questionnaire before, during and after the program. Thematic analysis of the data shows that elementary teachers participating in our PD program developed more nuanced beliefs about history. Both epistemic and pedagogical beliefs became more crystallized and more criterialist in nature, but it is especially participants’ pedagogical beliefs that became more oriented toward inquiry into historical sources and the importance of developing historical reasoning skills in students. Our findings also indicate that more naïve ideas remained in addition to more nuanced beliefs. Participants indicated that their pedagogical beliefs about teaching history and conducting historical inquiry changed because of the program. Based on the final interviews, we identified five elements that enhanced participants’ professional development toward teaching inquiry-based history lessons and influenced their epistemic beliefs. It was the combination of engaging in historical inquiry, modeling by the facilitator, participating in group discussions about historical inquiry, searching for historical sources themselves and developing and discussing their own lesson designs and putting them into practice that made participants see the possibilities of inquiry-based history learning and stimulated the development of their beliefs. The findings of this study imply that to prepare elementary teachers to teach history in a way that fosters inquiry into historical sources and historical reasoning, PD programs and teacher education should pay attention to the epistemology of history as a discipline and provide teachers with tools to do inquiry.

The emotional ambiguities of healthcare professionals’ platform experiences

This paper investigates how healthcare professionals experience digital platforms in their work practices and how these relationships enable forms of emotional labour and contribute to shaping their emotional health.Methodologically, the contribution draws on audio-diaries kept by 15 healthcare professionals and a final semi-structured interview conducted with the same informants. The research material was analysed using open and axial coding techniques, in a grounded theory fashion.Findings provides meaningful insights to the literature on the emotional labour of healthcare professionals, as well as to studies on digital health and labour. Specifically, we show that participants associate different and even contrasting reflections and emotional states with their relationships with digital platforms. Thus, there is not exclusively one trajectory that can explain the implications of media uses, as different and potentially conflicting emotions coexist within the same experience. Given this scenario, we argue that it can be fruitful to use the lens of ‘ambiguity’ to scrutinise the ambivalences and tensions characterising platform experiences, and how emotional labour in healthcare intertwines with technological developments. Moreover, we advocate for the development of critical digital literacy skills among healthcare professionals.