Overarching Concepts Research Articles

Concept Mapping STI/HIV Prevention and Condom Use among Young African American Adults.

Theory-based HIV prevention programs have resulted in increased condom use, which remains the best method for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among sexually active heterosexual individuals. Particularly, the integrative model of behavior prediction theorizes that attitudes, norms, self-efficacy, and socioenvironmental factors influence intention and behavior and has been useful in understanding STI risk among adolescents. However, more research is needed regarding young African American adults. Given the increased freedom and decision-making independence afforded to young adults compared to adolescents, it is important to consider the STI/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention messages that would resonate with them, particularly regarding condom use. The present study sought to explore how attitudes, subjective norms, self-efficacies, and socioenvironmental factors may influence condom use and STI/HIV prevention, as conceptualized by the participants. We conducted a group-based concept map, a systems-thinking mixed methodology that resulted in a geospatial map reflecting the conceptualizations of the participants. Self-identified young heterosexual African American adults (N = 43) aged 20-26 engaged in an interactive concept mapping procedure in order to "map out" their overarching concepts about STI/HIV risk and condom use. Seven overall conceptual domains emerged: self-efficacy for partner communication, condom use self-efficacy, social media/sociocultural influences, condom use/STI knowledge, condom use cons, condom use pros, and subjective and social norms about condom use. We presented the concept map and discussed the conceptual interpretations and the relationships among the overarching concepts. We also discussed how the social environment, including the social media environment, was conceptualized regarding STI/HIV risk and prevention among young African American adults. Concept mapping can be viewed as a way to determine worthwhile messages for intervention development. The findings may provide information for prevention programs aimed at reducing the incidence of STIs among young adult heterosexual persons within African American communities.

한국 카지노산업의 국제 경쟁력 강화를 위한 모델 개발에 관한 연구

This study aims to develop models and indicators that can effectively measure the competitiveness of the casino industry. By comprehending the concept of competitiveness within the context of the casino industry and identifying key factors that contribute to competitiveness, the study seeks to provide valuable insights. To achieve this goal, a Delphi survey and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) were conducted with 22 casino industry experts. The research builds upon previous studies that explored competitiveness in national and tourism industries, incorporating their findings into a new model specifically tailored for the casino industry. The initial model, as proposed in previous research, consisted of six overarching concepts and 70 detailed indicators. However, the final model derived from this study comprises five upper concepts, 14 lower concepts, and 49 detailed indicators. The relative weights of the upper concepts were determined, with the most significant contribution coming from the elemental conditions underlying the casino industry (24.4%), followed by government policy (22.6%), which reflects the unique characteristics of the casino industry, and human resources (15.2%). Furthermore, this study presents an overall ranking and weighting of detailed indicators that measure the competitiveness of the casino industry. The top-ranked indicator was “Casino-related R&D support investment budget”, while the 49th place was occupied by “Gallery” with a weight of 0.054%. This research is particularly meaningful as it establishes a comprehensive model for assessing competitiveness in the casino industry and provides prioritization based on detailed measurement items and their respective weights, thus enabling the practical measurement of competitiveness in this specific sector.

Abstract C104: A scoping review of diet and physical activity interventions in Latina and Black breast cancer survivors

Abstract Background: A growing number of lifestyle interventions are being developed to promote weight loss and adoption of a healthy lifestyle among breast cancer (BC) survivors. However, Black and Latina BC survivors remains underrepresented. We performed a scoping review to examine the available peer-reviewed literature to describe the content, design, methods, and primary outcomes of current diet and/or physical activity (PA) interventions designed specifically for Black and Latina BC survivors. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, MEDLINE and Clinicaltrials.gov databases were queried up to May 14, 2022, using an inclusion criterion that consisted of four overarching concepts: 1) female breast cancer, 2) diet and/or PA intervention, 3) self-reported race, ethnicity as Black/African American and/or Hispanic/Latina and 4) randomized study design. Results: Our search yielded 1,436 trials, of which 22 trials met inclusion criteria for this review. We identified 6 efficacy trials, 12 pilot trials, and 5 currently ongoing studies. Nine trials were conducted among Latina BC survivors (4 diet, 5 PA, and 2 diet and PA interventions), 6 trials were among Black BC survivors (2 PA and 1 diet and PA interventions) and 7 were conducted among both groups (5 PA and 2 diet and PA interventions). Only 8 out of 22 trials incorporated intervention content on both diet and PA behaviors, of which, 3 incorporated a culturally focused approach for Latinas BC survivors and 1 for Black BC survivors (i.e., traditional/cultural foods, music, education materials in Spanish, bicultural health coaches, connections to spirituality). Among the 8 trials targeting both diet and PA, all of them were pilot studies and only 3 were found to have favorable impact on healthy diet and exercise behaviors. Out of 4 trials with one-year outcomes, 3 (1 diet, 1 PA and 1 diet and PA intervention) showed a change in behavior sustained at this time point with only 1 being an efficacy trial for PA. Electronic/mobile components (e.g., websites, mobile applications, emails) were incorporated in 6 trials (3 among Black BC survivors , 2 among Latina BC survivors , and 2 among both groups) and just 1 trial conducted among Latina BC survivors involved informal caregivers (i.e., family or friends). Lastly, most trials in this review were conducted in the Northeast (n=7, NY, NC, DC, NJ) and Texas (n=4), limiting generalizability of findings to Black and Latina BC survivors residing in other states and settings. Conclusions: There is a growing number of lifestyle interventions among BC survivors, yet few are designed and culturally tailored to the unique needs of Black and Latina BC survivors. There is an unmet need for dietary and PA randomized clinical interventions for Black and Latina BC survivors as well as randomized rials that incorporate technology and informal sources of support (e.g., caregivers, family, etc.)—factors that are critical to increase access, adoption, and maintenance of healthful lifestyles among cancer survivors. Citation Format: Yaideliz M. Romero-Ramos, Melinda Irwin, Ana I. Velazquez, Leah M. Ferruci, Tara Sanft, Brenda Cartmel, Margaret S. Pichardo. A scoping review of diet and physical activity interventions in Latina and Black breast cancer survivors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr C104.

Approaching value co-creation in different contexts through a bibliometric analysis

Value co-creation has become a widely used concept in various domains due to its broad applicability. However, the lack of a consensus among researchers regarding the underlying concepts and related processes has resulted in disparate definitions, leading to misunderstandings both within and across disciplines. Moreover, the abundance of literature on value co-creation makes it challenging to identify relevant papers and derive future research directions. Therefore, it is difficult to find the most relevant papers and to derive future research directions in each case. To address these challenges, this paper elaborates a bibliometric analysis of value co-creation, which offers the possibility to analyse the multitude of contributions on the topic. Through the use of different techniques of performance analysis and science mapping, we outline the different domains in which value co-creation is studied, identify connections between different streams, highlight overarching concepts and find emerging trends. This provides a foundation for future researchers in disciplines such as management, business, social sciences, information systems as well as engineering, who are interested in contributing to the value co-creation research.

Response to Bill Rowe Review

Bill Rowe wrote a review of my book A Thousand Brains for the American Journal of Psychology. Bill and his colleague Dominic Massaro, both with the University of California, Santa Cruz, asked me to write a commentary on the review. I was happy to do so, and you are reading the result of that request.First, I would like to thank Bill for the effort he put into his review; it is remarkable. He not only covers what is in my book, he also summarizes several of our technical papers, providing a deeper insight into the science discussed in my book and a bridge to those who want to learn more. He even includes figures from some of our papers, although his are improved over the originals. Readers who are not ready for this level of detail can skim over these sections of the review and still get insights from the rest of the review.I feel that the review is genuine in its praise and criticisms. I see not much to gain by commenting on the former or being picky about the latter. Instead, I would like to comment on a few unexpected things that I was happy to see in the review.One theme that Bill brings up is the openness of our research. (I run a research team at a company called Numenta.) For example, we often post recordings of our internal research meetings, including meetings when we fail to make progress or when we openly debate each other. Openness is also why I included personal stories in the book. Science is a messy affair, with its good days and bad days. It doesn't progress linearly, as it is often portrayed. To me, being honest about our struggles lends credibility when we claim to have made progress. I was pleased to see that Bill mentioned this and appreciates it.Another thing I was pleased to see in the review was an emphasis on some of the foundational concepts underlying our brain theory. Our theory is called The Thousand Brains Theory, hence the title of the book. In the book, I emphasize the overarching concepts of the theory, such as how the brain learns by moving, the need for reference frames to store knowledge, and how the brain has thousands of models that work together. I deemphasized several low-level details that are essential to the theory but might be hard for an average reader to understand. Bill saw this as an opportunity and picked up where I left off. For example, he goes into detail about how we model individual neurons and discusses the important topic of sparsity, something that I didn't even mention in the book. His discussion is clear and conveys the importance of these ideas. I am glad he made the effort to describe these things.Finally, I want to mention what Bill didn't cover in his review. The book has three sections. The first describes the progress we have made in reverse engineering the neocortex. The second section is about machine intelligence based on brain theory. And the third section is about the future of humanity from the perspective of intelligence and machine intelligence. Bill Rowe's review covers only the first section. I am not surprised. When I wrote the book, I realized that it was almost as if I was writing three books. The three sections are united by the theme of intelligence, but not everyone who is interested in how the brain works is interested in intelligent machines, and vice versa. From the perspective of a psychologist, the first section is most relevant. But I want to take this opportunity to encourage readers to give all three sections their consideration.Understanding how the brain works will have large consequences for psychology, education, and mental health. However, my team at Numenta is starting to build machines that work on these brain principles, and the impact of these machines on society and our planet will be profound. There are simultaneously concerns about the risk of intelligent machines. These are the topics discussed in the second section. The book's third section is about the far future, and consequently it may appear to be less relevant given all the problems we face today. But I believe it is not too early to consider these issues. Long-term problems require long-term solutions. I will leave it at that.I want to thank Bill Rowe once again for his comprehensive review of A Thousand Brains and the brain theory we have developed. The thought and care he put into it shows his deep interest in the topic and our theories. As a scientist and a writer, that is all I can hope for.

A scoping review of interventions to improve oral health in prison settings.

To describe the characteristics of oral health interventions implemented in prison settings and explore the barriers and facilitators towards implementation. Following Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methodology, six databases were searched including Medline (R), Emcare, Embase, AMED, Cochrane and PsycINFO. A total of 978 studies were returned and screened. The inclusion criteria were those studies conducted in a prison population, with an intervention to address oral health and published since 2000. Ten studies published between 2008 and 2021 were included. All were conducted in high-income countries. Three intervention types were identified: health education (n=5), teledentistry (n=3) and screening or triaging (n=2). The barriers and facilitators to successful implementation were grouped into a framework of four overarching concepts. These included prison environment, population makeup, compliance and staffing. Evidence suggests that oral health interventions in prisons are focused on improving access to services and oral health messages. A range of drivers including the prison environment, staffing levels, recruitment and intervention compliance influence implementation and the success of interventions.

A ventral stream-prefrontal cortex processing cascade enables working memory gating dynamics

The representation of incoming information, goals and the flexible processing of these are required for cognitive control. Efficient mechanisms are needed to decide when it is important that novel information enters working memory (WM) and when these WM ‘gates’ have to be closed. Compared to neural foundations of maintaining information in WM, considerably less is known about what neural mechanisms underlie the representational dynamics during WM gating. Using different EEG analysis methods, we trace the path of mental representations along the human cortex during WM gate opening and closing. We show temporally nested representational dynamics during WM gate opening and closing depending on multiple independent neural activity profiles. These activity profiles are attributable to a ventral stream-prefrontal cortex processing cascade. The representational dynamics start in the ventral stream during WM gate opening and WM gate closing before prefrontal cortical regions are modulated. A regional specific activity profile is shown within the prefrontal cortex depending on whether WM gates are opened or closed, matching overarching concepts of prefrontal cortex functions. The study closes an essential conceptual gap detailing the neural dynamics underlying how mental representations drive the WM gate to open or close to enable WM functions such as updating and maintenance.

Novel molecular mechanisms in Alzheimer's disease: The potential role of DEK in disease pathogenesis.

Alzheimer’s disease and age-related dementias (AD/ADRD) are debilitating diseases that exact a significant physical, emotional, cognitive, and financial toll on the individual and their social network. While genetic risk factors for early-onset AD have been identified, the molecular and genetic drivers of late-onset AD, the most common subtype, remain a mystery. Current treatment options are limited for the 35 million people in the United States with AD/ADRD. Thus, it is critically important to identify novel molecular mechanisms of dementia-related pathology that may be targets for the development of new interventions. Here, we summarize the overarching concepts regarding AD/ADRD pathogenesis. Then, we highlight one potential molecular driver of AD/ADRD, the chromatin remodeling protein DEK. We discuss in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo findings, from our group and others, that link DEK loss with the cellular, molecular, and behavioral signatures of AD/ADRD. These include associations between DEK loss and cellular and molecular hallmarks of AD/ADRD, including apoptosis, Tau expression, and Tau hyperphosphorylation. We also briefly discuss work that suggests sex-specific differences in the role of DEK in AD/ADRD pathogenesis. Finally, we discuss future directions for exploiting the DEK protein as a novel player and potential therapeutic target for the treatment of AD/ADRD.

Evolution and Current Status of the Multidisciplinary Management of Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer.

The management of locally advanced rectal cancer has grown in both complexity and quality since the first proctectomy. What once was a malignancy with a fairly consistent treatment algorithm for decades, a recent paradigm shift in the care of these patients has led to a more personalized, multidisciplinary approach with variations in timing, sequence, duration, and potential exclusion of multimodality therapies. This review summarizes the most important evidence behind these developing overarching concepts to provide a context for this paradigm shift.

Improving Safety and Quality During Interhospital Transfer of Patients With Nontraumatic Intracranial Hemorrhage: A Simulation-Based Pilot Program.

The presentation of critically ill patients to emergency departments often necessitates interhospital transfer (IHT) to a tertiary care center for specialized neurocritical care. Patients with nontraumatic intracranial hemorrhage represent a critically ill population subject to high rates of IHT and who is thus an important target for research and quality improvement of IHT. We describe the use of an innovative simulation methodology engaging transfer staff, clinicians, and stakeholders to refine and facilitate the adoption of a standardized IHT protocol for transferring patients with neurovascular emergencies. This was a qualitative study using a phenomenological approach. Participants consisted of IHT call center staff members, neurointensivists, neurosurgeons, and emergency physicians. We conducted a standardized telephone-based simulation case to prime participants for feedback on their experiences with IHT for intracranial hemorrhage patients. Facilitators conducted focus groups immediately after the simulation to identify process improvement opportunities. A structured thematic analysis identified overarching concepts from the data. We achieved data saturation with 7 simulations and a total of 24 participants. Thematic analysis identified 3 IHT-specific themes: (1) challenges unique to multispecialty critical illness, (2) interdisciplinary relationships and dynamics, and (3) communication and information processing for IHT. Three quality improvement initiatives emerged from the debriefings: standardized communication checklist, early acceptance protocol, and structure for telephone-based care handoffs. We demonstrate the use of telephone-based simulation technology to identify potential pitfalls and accelerate the adoption of a new IHT protocol for patients with nontraumatic intracranial hemorrhage. New quality improvement strategies can organically result through interprofessional debriefings for patients with potentially complex handoffs between hospitals.

The Essentials of Marine Biotechnology

Coastal countries have traditionally relied on the existing marine resources (e.g., fishing, food, transport, recreation, and tourism) as well as tried to support new economic endeavors (ocean energy, desalination for water supply, and seabed mining). Modern societies and lifestyle resulted in an increased demand for dietary diversity, better health and well-being, new biomedicines, natural cosmeceuticals, environmental conservation, and sustainable energy sources. These societal needs stimulated the interest of researchers on the diverse and underexplored marine environments as promising and sustainable sources of biomolecules and biomass, and they are addressed by the emerging field of marine (blue) biotechnology. Blue biotechnology provides opportunities for a wide range of initiatives of commercial interest for the pharmaceutical, biomedical, cosmetic, nutraceutical, food, feed, agricultural, and related industries. This article synthesizes the essence, opportunities, responsibilities, and challenges encountered in marine biotechnology and outlines the attainment and valorization of directly derived or bio-inspired products from marine organisms. First, the concept of bioeconomy is introduced. Then, the diversity of marine bioresources including an overview of the most prominent marine organisms and their potential for biotechnological uses are described. This is followed by introducing methodologies for exploration of these resources and the main use case scenarios in energy, food and feed, agronomy, bioremediation and climate change, cosmeceuticals, bio-inspired materials, healthcare, and well-being sectors. The key aspects in the fields of legislation and funding are provided, with the emphasis on the importance of communication and stakeholder engagement at all levels of biotechnology development. Finally, vital overarching concepts, such as the quadruple helix and Responsible Research and Innovation principle are highlighted as important to follow within the marine biotechnology field. The authors of this review are collaborating under the European Commission-funded Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action Ocean4Biotech – European transdisciplinary networking platform for marine biotechnology and focus the study on the European state of affairs.

Exoskeleton use in post-stroke gait rehabilitation: a qualitative study of the perspectives of persons post-stroke and physiotherapists

BackgroundWearable powered exoskeletons are a new and emerging technology developed to provide sensory-guided motorized lower limb assistance enabling intensive task specific locomotor training utilizing typical lower limb movement patterns for persons with gait impairments. To ensure that devices meet end-user needs it is important to understand and incorporate end-users perspectives, however research in this area is extremely limited in the post-stroke population. The purpose of this study was to explore in-depth, end-users perspectives, persons with stroke and physiotherapists, following a single-use session with a H2 exoskeleton.MethodsWe used a qualitative interpretive description approach utilizing semi-structured face to face interviews, with persons post-stroke and physiotherapists, following a 1.5 h session with a H2 exoskeleton.ResultsFive persons post-stroke and 6 physiotherapists volunteered to participate in the study. Both participant groups provided insightful comments on their experience with the exoskeleton. Four themes were developed from the persons with stroke participant data: (1) Adopting technology; (2) Device concerns; (3) Developing walking ability; and, (4) Integrating exoskeleton use. Five themes were developed from the physiotherapist participant data: (1) Developer-user collaboration; (2) Device specific concerns; (3) Device programming; (4) Patient characteristics requiring consideration; and, (5) Indications for use.ConclusionsThis study provides an interpretive understanding of end-users perspectives, persons with stroke and neurological physiotherapists, following a single-use experience with a H2 exoskeleton. The findings from both stakeholder groups overlap such that four over-arching concepts were identified including: (i) Stakeholder participation; (ii) Augmentation vs. autonomous robot; (iii) Exoskeleton usability; and (iv) Device specific concerns. The end users provided valuable perspectives on the use and design of the H2 exoskeleton, identifying needs specific to post-stroke gait rehabilitation, the need for a robust evidence base, whilst also highlighting that there is significant interest in this technology throughout the continuum of stroke rehabilitation.

Time to listen: a mixed-method study examining community-based views of mobile technology for interventions to promote physical activity

IntroductionA mixed-method, co-design approach to studying the adoption of mobile health (mHealth) technology among African-American (AA) women has not been fully explored. Qualitative data may contextualise existing knowledge surrounding perceptions...

793-P: Exploring the Lived Experience of Inner-City, Food Insecure, African Americans with Type 2 Diabetes

Food insecurity influences the health of adults with diabetes, however, limited information exists on the contribution of the lived experience of inner-city African Americans on clinical outcomes. The goal of this study was to understand the lived experience and its role in managing type 2 diabetes in inner-city, food insecure, African Americans. Two focus groups and two semi-structured interviews were conducted. Participants had a diagnosis of diabetes and indicated it was difficult to obtain enough food, or worried food would run out. Questions explored a) challenges and barriers in managing diabetes, b) the role of food insecurity in managing diabetes, and c) facilitators and resources that improve diabetes management. A grounded theory approach was used by reviewing field notes and identifying overarching concepts. In addition, following each session, facilitators and notetakers discussed key findings and incorporated into themes identified. Four themes emerged. 1) Barriers to eating healthy foods, included availability and cost of food, lack of discipline to follow a healthy diet, and uncertainty in taste of new foods. 2) Life stressors, included difficult decisions regarding money, the inner-city environment, such as violence and poverty, and needs of family and friends that distract from their needs. 3) Support resources, included obtaining food at pantries, community resources, such as social workers to identify programs and determine eligibility, and faith as an important supportive function. 4) Facilitators to obtaining healthcare, included access to care through insurance and transportation, providers who understood the financial situation and treated them with respect, options for medication, and knowledge of diabetes. Greater attention needs to be paid to the lived experience of inner-city, food insecure, African Americans with diabetes when designing interventions to improve health in this highly vulnerable population. Disclosure R.J. Walker: None. E. Mosley-Johnson: None. L.E. Egede: None. Funding American Diabetes Association (1-19-JDF-075 to R.J.W.); National Institutes of Health (R01MD013826, K24DK093699, R01DK118038, R01DK120861)

Communication, identity, respect: a case study of collaborative music practice in a community music project

ABSTRACT This study is a qualitative insider-researcher investigation into aspects of social development that emerged through collaborative music practice with young people aged 16–25. The work took place in the Welsh capital, Cardiff, as part of a UK-national funded project facilitated by a major radio station. The data includes observations of rehearsals and other group activities both during, before and after musical practice; video recordings of performances; and interviews with 5 of the 30 participants and 3 of the 4 staff members. The major points discussed concern three over-arching concepts: ‘communication’, ‘musical identity’ and ‘respect’. Using theory from sources concerning group dynamics and collaborative musical practice: ‘communication’ is considered in relation to ways of communicating both about, and through the act of music-making itself; ‘identity’ refers to the role of music in forming our self-identities and the ways in which we present our identities to others; and ‘respect’ is considered from a range of perspectives such as the importance of friendship, as well as being coloured by the foregoing discussions of communication and identity. The article is aimed toward using music as a vehicle for enabling growth, development and engagement, and to bridge certain social transitional gaps.

Using Electronic Health Record Data to Support Research and Quality Improvement: Practical Guidance from a Qualitative Investigation

Abstract Objective The aim of the study is to identify how academic health centers (AHCs) have established infrastructures to leverage electronic health record (EHR) data to support research and quality improvement (QI). Methods Phone interviews of 18 clinical informaticians with expertise gained over three decades at 24 AHCs were transcribed for qualitative analysis on three levels. In Level I, investigators independently used NVivo software to code and identify themes expressed in the transcripts. In Level II, investigators reexamined coded transcripts and notes and contextualized themes in the learning health system paradigm. In Level III, an informant subsample validated and supplemented findings. Results Level I analysis yielded six key “determinants”—Institutional Relationships, Resource Availability, Data Strategy, Response to Change, Leadership Support, and Degree of Mission Alignment—which, according to local context, affect use of EHR data for research and QI. Level II analysis contextualized these determinants in a practical frame of reference, yielding a model of learning health system maturation, over-arching key concepts, and self-assessment questions to guide AHC progress toward becoming a learning health system. Level III informants validated and supplemented findings. Discussion Drawn from the collective knowledge of experienced informatics professionals, the findings and tools described offer practical support to help clinical informaticians leverage EHR data for research and QI in AHCs. Conclusion The learning health system model builds on the tripartite AHC mission of research, education, and patient care. AHCs must deliberately transform into learning health systems to capitalize fully on EHR data as a staple of health learning.

What do clients say about their experiences of EMDR in the research literature? A systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative research papers

BackgroundEye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has been shown to be efficacious for PTSD in adults and children in quantitative research, and its effectiveness has been demonstrated in qualitative studies. Limited research, however, has investigated EMDR from the perspective of clients. Therefore, this systematic review aims to locate and assess the qualitative empirical research about clients’ experiences of EMDR. Data sourcesAdhering to a pre-defined protocol, the title, abstracts and keywords of 2489 papers retrieved using keyword searches related to EMDR from 5 electronic academic databases (ASSIA, ERIC, PsycINFO, SCOPUS and Web of Science) were screened. Twenty-seven full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. Five qualitative papers met the inclusion criteria and proceeded to quality assessment and data analysis. Data synthesisThematic synthesis was applied to the findings of the primary research studies to generate over-arching concepts regarding what clients say about their experiences of EMDR. ResultsFour super-ordinate themes (and 16 sub-themes) were identified in the data: EMDR changes a person, necessary conditions for EMDR to effect change, EMDR method as agent of change and EMDR therapist as agent of change. ConclusionEMDR is talked about in a transformative manner. There are conditions, which need to be present for EMDR to work, and connections exist between the EMDR method and therapist as agents of change. For practitioners, a pluralistic approach, incorporating the EMDR method could be used to carry out tasks in therapy to achieve therapeutic goals based on the client's requirements. In research, the paucity of qualitative studies could be addressed by engaging counselling psychologists, as scientific enquirers and artistic therapists, to expand research into clients’ experiences of EMDR to improve therapeutic practice and treatment programmes. Areas suggested for further qualitative experiential research include adverse effects, tolerability and withdrawal from therapy; EMDR for specific populations, such as combat veterans where the quantitative evidence is equivocal; and EMDR therapy practised in inpatient settings.

Moving Toward Excellence in Pediatric Physical Therapy Education: A Scoping Review.

The purpose of this scoping review was to identify and map current evidence that underpins excellence in pediatric physical therapy education. An extensive review was conducted of literature published over a 27-year period regarding pediatric physical therapy/medical/allied health education. Thirty articles were reviewed and analyzed. Articles were classified as levels of evidence 4 to 7. Three major overarching concepts emerged: faculty characteristics, curriculum, and pedagogy. Few published studies with methodological rigor exist on this topic. More research and higher quality studies are needed to identify exemplar programs, curriculum, and pedagogy. The key concepts identified in this review will help inform the definition of excellence, as it is perceived through the lens of pediatric physical therapy educators, clinicians, and students.

New frontiers in agricultural geography: transformations, food security, land grabs and climate change

Agriculture as a central focus of study featured prominently at several different times in the historical development of human geography, but it has also been an important contributor to the disciplinary transformation that has occurred since 1970. This essay outlines this more recent history, arguing that agricultural geography developed its own concepts and concerns, paralleling some of those within the wider discipline. It illustrates how in the past two decades attempts to examine changes occurring across the breadth of the agri-food system (from supply, to production, to consumption) have brought about a more issues-focused agricultural geography. There is discussion of the use of broad overarching concepts, which have conceived of changes to agriculture and the agri-food system in terms of episodic developments. This has seen recognition of different food regimes, acknowledging possible transitions from productivism to post-productivism to multifunctionality and perhaps neo-productivism. Having discussed these concepts, drawing extensively upon literature written in English, the essay then focuses on selected major problems or key issues to which agriciultural geographers are currently contributing new insights, namely the closely related topics of food security, land grabs and adaptations to climate change.

Recent advances in our understanding of the pathobiology of non-coding RNA

The central dogma of molecular biology recognised RNA as a mere intermediate between DNA sequence and proteins, the main protagonists of cellular functions. The shadow of a wrinkle in this concept appeared when the Human Genome Project revealed that protein-coding genes only account for 2% of our genome and the remaining 98% was originally dismissed as elusive “junk DNA.” Recent advances in next-generation sequencing provided tantalising evidence that 70-90% of human genome is actively transcribed(1). Numerous studies started discerning the functional importance of long and short (>200 and <200 nucleotides, respectively) non-coding transcripts far beyond the initial textbook-engraved infrastructural and information-transmitting role of rRNA, tRNA and mRNA. By “rediscovering the junk,” this essay reviews a selection of recent disease-associated advances in the field of small non-coding RNAs before extending the discussion to long non-coding RNAs and finally to the overarching concepts of competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) and ‘social’ RNA.