University-based Research Center Research Articles

Exploring the Distribution of 3D-Printed Simulator Designs Using Open-Source Databases to Facilitate Simulation-Based Learning Through a University and Nonprofit Collaboration: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

Advancements in technology have enhanced education, training, and application in health care. However, limitations are present surrounding the accessibility and use of simulation technology (eg, simulators) for health profession education. Improving the accessibility of technology developed in university-based research centers by nonprofit organizations (NPOs; eg, hospitals) has the potential to benefit the health of populations worldwide. One example of such technology is 3D-printed simulators. This scoping review aims to identify how the use of open-source databases for the distribution of simulator designs used for 3D printing can promote credible solutions for health care training while minimizing the risks of commercialization of designs for profit. This scoping review will follow the Arksey and O'Malley methodological framework and the Joanna Briggs Institute guidance for scoping reviews. Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and PsycINFO will be searched with an applied time frame of 2012 to 2022. Additionally, gray literature will be searched along with reference list searching. Papers that explore the use of open-source databases in academic settings and the health care sector for the distribution of simulator designs will be included. A 2-step screening process will be administered to titles and abstracts, then full texts, to establish paper eligibility. Screening and data extraction of the papers will be completed by 2 reviewers (MS and SS) for quality assurance. The scoping review will report information on the facilitation of distributing 3D-printed simulator designs through open-source databases. The results of this review will identify gaps in forming partnerships with NPOs and university-based research centers to share simulator designs. The scoping review will be initiated in December 2024. The information collected will be relevant and useful for stakeholders such as health care providers, researchers, and NPOs for the purpose of overcoming the gaps in research regarding the use and distribution of simulation technology. The scoping review has not been conducted yet. Therefore, there are currently no findings to report on. PRR1-10.2196/53167.

Community‐Engaged Sociology Within an University‐Based Research Center: Successes and Challenges in Doing the Work and Meeting Outcomes in an Institutional Context

In this article, I focus on community‐engaged sociology (CES) conducted by faculty members, in partnerships between universities and community partners, and situated within the context of a university‐based research center (UBRC). There has been scant research on UBRCs and their impacts, and I highlight the role that these centers can play in contributing to or impeding outcomes in CES. Beginning with an overview of the institutional context within which I conduct CES, I then discuss three case studies of collaborations with different traits and varying degrees of success. I examine some common challenges that all three collaborations faced, discuss the differences between project (easier to achieve) and institutional (more difficult to achieve) goals, and analyze the reasons for differential results in meeting outcomes. Finally, I conclude by proposing recommendations on how we can better support and boost the work of UBRCs in CES.

Association of Sex With Neurobehavioral Markers of Executive Function in 2-Year-Olds at High and Low Likelihood of Autism

Children with autism and their siblings exhibit executive function (EF) deficits early in development, but associations between EF and biological sex or early brain alterations in this population are largely unexplored. To investigate the interaction of sex, autism likelihood group, and structural magnetic resonance imaging alterations on EF in 2-year-old children at high familial likelihood (HL) and low familial likelihood (LL) of autism, based on having an older sibling with autism or no family history of autism in first-degree relatives. This prospective cohort study assessed 165 toddlers at HL (n = 110) and LL (n = 55) of autism at 4 university-based research centers. Data were collected from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2013, and analyzed between August 2021 and June 2022 as part of the Infant Brain Imaging Study. Direct assessments of EF and acquired structural magnetic resonance imaging were performed to determine frontal lobe, parietal lobe, and total cerebral brain volume. A total of 165 toddlers (mean [SD] age, 24.61 [0.95] months; 90 [54%] male, 137 [83%] White) at HL for autism (n = 110; 17 diagnosed with ASD) and LL for autism (n = 55) were studied. The toddlers at HL for autism scored lower than the toddlers at LL for autism on EF tests regardless of sex (mean [SE] B = -8.77 [4.21]; 95% CI, -17.09 to -0.45; η2p = 0.03). With the exclusion of toddlers with autism, no group (HL vs LL) difference in EF was found in boys (mean [SE] difference, -7.18 [4.26]; 95% CI, 1.24-15.59), but EF was lower in HL girls than LL girls (mean [SE] difference, -9.75 [4.34]; 95% CI, -18.32 to -1.18). Brain-behavior associations were examined, controlling for overall cerebral volume and developmental level. Sex differences in EF-frontal (B [SE] = 16.51 [7.43]; 95% CI, 1.36-31.67; η2p = 0.14) and EF-parietal (B [SE] = 17.68 [6.99]; 95% CI, 3.43-31.94; η2p = 0.17) associations were found in the LL group but not the HL group (EF-frontal: B [SE] = -1.36 [3.87]; 95% CI, -9.07 to 6.35; η2p = 0.00; EF-parietal: B [SE] = -2.81 [4.09]; 95% CI, -10.96 to 5.34; η2p = 0.01). Autism likelihood group differences in EF-frontal (B [SE] = -9.93 [4.88]; 95% CI, -19.73 to -0.12; η2p = 0.08) and EF-parietal (B [SE] = -15.44 [5.18]; 95% CI, -25.86 to -5.02; η2p = 0.16) associations were found in girls not boys (EF-frontal: B [SE] = 6.51 [5.88]; 95% CI, -5.26 to 18.27; η2p = 0.02; EF-parietal: B [SE] = 4.18 [5.48]; 95% CI, -6.78 to 15.15; η2p = 0.01). This cohort study of toddlers at HL and LL of autism suggests that there is an association between sex and EF and that brain-behavior associations in EF may be altered in children at HL of autism. Furthermore, EF deficits may aggregate in families, particularly in girls.

A Preliminary Examination of the use of Simultaneous Prompting to Teach Math Content to Students with Disabilities

This manuscript presents an examination of 15 experimental studies that investigated the use of the simultaneous prompting procedure to teach math content to students with disabilities, which were reported to be a mild or moderate intellectual disability, autism, or hearing impairment. A nearly equal number of elementary, middle, and high school participants were involved in the investigations, which were conducted in general and special education classrooms, participants’ homes, clinics, and university-based research centers. A single subject research design was used in each study, and both discrete and chained math skills were targeted. A visual analysis of the results, based on percentage of non-overlapping data, indicates variable support for the effectiveness of the procedure with all 35 of the participants. Likewise, in the studies that reported maintenance and generalization data, the results were variable. Altogether, this descriptive report serves as a preliminary examination to guide the work of teachers and researchers.

Editorial introductions.

Editorial introductions.

Editors' Note

Our longtime friend and colleague Ashton B. Carter departed this life abruptly and unexpectedly in October of 2022. Ash was an extraordinary figure, combining an accomplished academic career with an impressive career in government. At the Pentagon, he occupied one high-level position after another, culminating in his appointment to be Secretary of Defense. He brought to these roles a high intelligence, a passion for public service, and a relentless determination to get things done and to make a difference. And all who knew him know of his quiet but steadfast devotion to the military personnel whom he felt privileged to lead and his boundless concern and appreciation for those who sacrificed in service to their country.When not in government, Ash was a dedicated teacher and leader at Harvard Kennedy School. He was for many years director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, where his energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to serious, policy-relevant research helped make the Belfer Center, in its field, among the most highly ranked university-based research centers in the world. Ash loved being around students, who flocked to his classes, attracted by his warmth, wisdom, sense of humor, and his genuine belief in their ability to contribute to the public good. Ash also had a long connection with this journal, serving as co-editor at an early phase of his career and later as chairman of the Editorial Board.For those of us who worked with him and befriended him, Ash was more than just the sum of his accomplishments. He was a large and inspiring presence, a personality that filled a room and lifted up everything that he was involved in. For his family and friends, his passing is a huge and irreplaceable loss. But his absence will be felt on a wider stage as well. In these days of bitterly polarized politics and policy discourse unhinged from reason, Ash was a rare and distinctive figure: thoughtful, knowledgeable, experienced, pragmatic, reasonable, filled with integrity and concerned not with political subterfuge but with advancing the best interests of the country. He was the epitome of what a public servant should be.A needed voice has been stilled. A treasured friend has been lost. His sudden death has left behind a stunned community that mourns the absence of its leader.—The Editors

State of Disaster: A Historical Geography of Louisiana’s Land Loss Crisis by Craig E. Colten

<i>State of Disaster: A Historical Geography of Louisiana’s Land Loss Crisis</i> by Craig E. Colten

Mainstreaming Moderation in Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) in Pesantrens in Central Java

&lt;p&gt;As religious-violent extremism (RVE) is snowballing, government, authorities, and also Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are trying to seek various approaches from soft to hard measures to eradicate and decrease religious-violent extremism at many levels of society. CISForm, as a study center at UIN Sunan Kalijaga, has quite long been active in preventing/countering violent extremism (P/CVE) through its delicate methods, i.e., mainstreaming moderation in some pesantrens in Yogyakarta and Surakarta, Indonesia. This paper will display the methods, strategies, and responses of the programs that have been carried out by the university-based research center. Due to the problematic terms or concepts of radicalization and deradicalization, the whole program of CISForm on CVE is termed as mainstreaming moderation instead of deradicalization. This research found that some conservative pesantrens, as dormant entities, should be approached properly through soft measures since hard measures could neither touch nor address the roots of radicalism appropriately. The indirect and soft approaches initiated by CISForm could re-mainstream pesantrens to moderate Islam (wasathiyah).&lt;/p&gt;

The relationship between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and amnestic mild cognitive impairment among older adults living with HIV

Older people with HIV (PWH) experience increased risk of age-related neurodegenerative disorders and cognitive decline, such as amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between aMCI and plasma VEGF biomarkers among older PWH. Data were collected at a university-based research center from 2011 to 2013. Participants were 67 antiretroviral therapy-treated, virally suppressed PWH. Participants completed comprehensive neurobehavioral and neuromedical evaluations. aMCI status was determined using adapted Jak/Bondi criteria, classifying participants as aMCI + if their performance was > 1 SD below the normative mean on at least two of four memory assessments. VEGF family plasma biomarkers (i.e., VEGF, VEGF-C, VEGF-D, and PIGF) were measured by immunoassay. Logistic regression models were conducted to determine whether VEGF biomarkers were associated with aMCI status. Participants were mostly non-Hispanic white (79%) men (85%) with a mean age of 57.7 years. Eighteen (26.9%) participants met criteria for aMCI. Among potential covariates, only antidepressant drug use differed by aMCI status, and was included as a covariate. VEGF-D was significantly lower in the aMCI + group compared to the aMCI − group. No other VEGF levels (VEGF, VEGF-C, PIGF) differed by aMCI classification (ps > .05). In a sample of antiretroviral therapy-treated, virally suppressed PWH, lower levels of VEGF-D were associated with aMCI status. Longitudinal analyses in a larger and more diverse sample are needed to support VEGF-D as a putative biological marker of aMCI in HIV.

Editorial introductions.

Editorial introductions.

Cumulative Burden of Depression and Neurocognitive Decline Among Persons With HIV: A Longitudinal Study.

Higher cumulative burden of depression among people with HIV (PWH) is associated with poorer health outcomes; however, longitudinal relationships with neurocognition are unclear. This study examined hypotheses that among PWH, (1) higher cumulative burden of depression would relate to steeper declines in neurocognition, and (2) visit-to-visit depression severity would relate to fluctuations in neurocognition within persons. Data were collected at a university-based research center from 2002 to 2016. Participants included 448 PWH followed longitudinally. All participants had >1 visit (M = 4.97; SD = 3.53) capturing depression severity (Beck Depression Inventory-II) and neurocognition (comprehensive test battery). Cumulative burden of depression was calculated using an established method that derives weighted depression severity scores by time between visits and total time on study. Participants were categorized into low (67%), medium (15%), and high (18%) depression burden. Multilevel modeling examined between- and within-person associations between cumulative depression burden and neurocognition over time. The high depression burden group demonstrated steeper global neurocognitive decline compared with the low depression burden group (b = -0.100, P = 0.001); this was driven by declines in executive functioning, delayed recall, and verbal fluency. Within-person results showed that compared with visits when participants reported minimal depressive symptoms, their neurocognition was worse when they reported mild (b = -0.12, P = 0.04) or moderate-to-severe (b = -0.15, P = 0.03) symptoms; this was driven by worsened motor skills and processing speed. High cumulative burden of depression is associated with worsening neurocognition among PWH, which may relate to poor HIV-related treatment outcomes. Intensive interventions among severely depressed PWH may benefit physical, mental, and cognitive health.

A policy mix experiment to promote start-up success: exploratory evaluation of the NSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Industry University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) membership supplement

This paper investigates the outcomes of a policy experiment, the NSF SBIR/IUCRC Membership Supplement, designed to promote the success of small high-tech entrepreneurial ventures by providing subsidized memberships in university-based cooperative research centers (IUCRCs). Data collected via semi-structured interviews with representatives of 61 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) firms indicated that SBIR firms who used the supplement to join an IUCRC reported multiple R&D benefits including research cost avoidance, research savings, and access to expensive equipment. A vast majority of SBIR firms also reported realizing or anticipated realizing commercial benefits (e.g., new investors, new products, and improvements to existing products). As suggested by social capital theory, SBIR firms reported that the policy mix experiment helped them make new connections with faculty and industry. Following our qualitative results, a structural equation model was applied to test the effect of social capital as an antecedent of SBIR firm R&D and commercialization outcomes. Results suggested that the SBIR firms who developed more social capital through interactions with faculty and industry members realized significantly more R&D and commercialization benefits. Further, commercialization benefits mediated the relationship between social capital and the SBIR firm’s perceived return on investment. Overall, this study demonstrates the feasibility of subjecting mixed policy interventions to evaluative scrutiny and provides evidence that such instruments can have substantive and positive effects on small high-tech entrepreneurial ventures. We discuss implications for social capital theory, policy mix initiatives and entrepreneurship policy.

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

The Patterning of Collaborative Behavior and Knowledge Culminations in Interdisciplinary Research Centers

Due to investments in interdisciplinary research endeavors, the number and variety of interdisciplinary research centers have grown exponentially during the past decades. While interdisciplinary research centers rely on varied organizational arrangements, we know little about the conditions and processes that mediate collaborative arrangements and interdisciplinary research outcomes. This study examines how different collaborative arrangements shape scholars’ experiences of interdisciplinary research and understandings of interdisciplinary knowledge culminations in the context of university-based research centers. We conducted three in-depth qualitative case studies on different centers, which recruited researchers from natural sciences, medicine, and social sciences. We refer to them as the Biotech Center, the Environmental Center, and the Premature Birth Center. Our analysis of 53 interviews with interdisciplinary scholars across the three centers demonstrates that the scholars perceive particular features of the centers’ collaborative arrangements as meaningful for interdisciplinary collaboration. Specifically, the center’s mission, physical architecture, and leadership and task structure were seen as affecting scholars’ motivation, interaction, and inclusion in the centers, which then shaped the interdisciplinary knowledge culminations. At the Biotech Center, knowledge was translated towards concrete products, at the Environmental Center knowledge was pooled together from varied fields to create new problem framings, and at the Premature Birth Center, interdisciplinary collaboration was crafted through top-down knowledge brokerage.

The Factor Structure of Outcome Questionnaire–45.2 Scores Using Confirmatory Tetrad Analysis–Partial Least Squares

The researchers employed a confirmatory tetrad analysis (CTA) using partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with Outcome Questionnaire–45.2 (OQ-45) data, examining the measurement model of the OQ-45 scores with a sample of male adult clients ( N = 1,558) receiving individual therapy at a university-based community counseling and research center (UBCCRC). Using CTA-PLS, this study examined the reflective and formative nature of each of the OQ-45 items and dimensions. These results identified the innovative second-order formative–formative three-factor model as a best alternative measurement model to represent and calculate the scores of OQ-45 scale.

An Analysis of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 Measurement Model Using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling.

The researchers examined the factor structure and model specifications of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) with confirmatory tetrad analysis (CTA) using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with a sample of adult clients (N = 298) receiving individual therapy at a university-based counseling research center. The CTA and PLS-SEM results identified the formative nature of the WHODAS 2.0 subscale scores, supporting an alternative measurement model of the WHODAS 2.0 scores as a second-order formative-formative model.

Development and Evaluation of Two Integrated Care Models for Children Using a Partnered Formative Evaluation Approach.

To describe the development and evaluation of two integrated care models using a partnered formative evaluation approach across a private foundation, clinic leaders, providers and staff, and a university-based research center. Retrospective cohort study using multiple data sources. Two federal qualified health care centers serving low-income children and families in Chicago. Private foundation, clinic and academic partners. Development of two integrated care models and partnered evaluation design. Accomplishments and early lessons learned. Together, the foundation-clinic-academic partners worked to include best practices in two integrated care models for children while developing the evaluation design. A shared data collection approach, which empowered the clinic partners to collect data using a web-based tool for a prospective longitudinal cohort study, was also created. Across three formative evaluation stages, the foundation, clinic, and academic partners continued to reach beyond their respective traditional roles of project oversight, clinical service, and research as adjustments were collectively made to accommodate barriers and unanticipated events. Together, an innovative shared data collection approach was developed that extends partnered research to include data collection being led by the clinic partners and supported by the technical resources of a university-based research center.

Prevalence of Mathematical and Visuospatial Learning Disabilities in Patients With Posterior Cortical Atrophy

Increased prevalence of language-based learning disabilities (LDs) has been previously reported in patients with primary progressive aphasia (PPA). This study hypothesized that patients with focal neurodegenerative syndromes outside the language network, such as posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), would have a higher rate of nonlanguage LDs, congruent with their mainly visuospatial presentation. To investigate the prevalence and type of LD (language and/or mathematical and visuospatial) in a large cohort of patients with PCA compared with patients with logopenic variant PPA (lvPPA) and amnestic Alzheimer disease (AD). This case-control study reviewed 279 medical records from a university-based clinic and research center for patients with neurodegenerative diseases for LD history, including patients with PCA (n = 95), patients with lvPPA (n = 84), and a matched cohort with amnestic AD (n = 100). No records were excluded. The study compared cognitive and neuroimaging features of patients with PCA with and without LDs. A review of the records of patients presenting from March 1, 1999, to August 31, 2014, revealed 95 PCA cases and 84 lvPPA cases. Then 100 patients with amnestic AD from this same period were chosen for comparison, matching against the groups for age, sex, and disease severity. Data analysis was performed from September 8, 2013, to November 6, 2017. Prevalence of total LD history and prevalence of language and mathematical or visuospatial LD history across all cohorts. A total of 179 atypical AD cases (95 with PCA and 84 with lvPPA) and 100 disease control cases (amnestic AD) were included in the study. The groups were not statistically different for mean (SD) age at first visit (PCA, 61.9 [7.0] years; lvPPA, 65.1 [8.7] years; amnestic AD, 64.0 [12.6] years; P = .08), mean (SD) age at first symptom (PCA, 57.5 [7.0] years; lvPPA, 61.1 [9.0] years; amnestic AD, 59.6 [13.7] years; P = .06), or sex (PCA, 66.3% female; lvPPA, 56.0% female; amnestic AD, 57.0% female; P = .30) but differed on non-right-hand preference (PCA, 18.3%; lvPPA, 20.2%; amnestic AD, 7.7%; P = .04), race/ethnicity (PCA, 88.3% white; lvPPA, 99.0% white; amnestic AD, 80.0% white; P < .001), and mean (SD) educational level (PCA, 15.7 [3.2] years; lvPPA, 16.2 [3.3] years; amnestic AD, 14.8 [3.5] years; P = .02). A total of 18 of the 95 patients with PCA (18.9%) reported a history of LD, which is greater than the 3 of 100 patients (3.0%) in the amnestic AD cohort (P < .001) and the 10.0% expected rate in the general population (P = .007). In the PCA cohort, 13 of 95 patients (13.7%) had a nonlanguage mathematical and/or visuospatial LD; this rate was greater than that in the amnestic AD (1 of 100 [1.0%]; P < .001) and lvPPA (2 of 84 [2.4%]; P = .006) cohorts and greater than the 6.0% expected general population rate of mathematical LD (P = .003). Compared with the patients with PCA without LDs, the group with LDs had greater preservation of global cognition and a more right-lateralized pattern of atrophy. Nonlanguage mathematical and visuospatial LDs were associated with focal, visuospatial predominant neurodegenerative clinical syndromes. This finding supports the hypothesis that neurodevelopmental differences in specific brain networks are associated with phenotypic manifestation of later-life neurodegenerative disease.

Effect of Problem-Solving Therapy Versus Supportive Management in Older Adults with Low Back Pain and Depression While on Antidepressant Pharmacotherapy

Testing stepped-care approaches that address both depression and low back pain are needed to optimize outcomes in older adults. This university-based late-life depression research center assessed 227 adults aged ≥ 60 years with chronic low back pain and depression. In Phase 1 participants received 6 weeks of low-dose venlafaxine (≤150 mg/day). Nonresponders were randomized to 10 weeks of high-dose venlafaxine (up to 300 mg/day) plus problem-solving therapy (PST) or high-dose venlafaxine with supportive management. Definition of response was 2 weeks of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 ≤ 5 and ≥30% pain reduction on a numeric rating scale. Function was measured with the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ). Of those who completed Phase 1 (N = 209), 78.5% (N = 164) were nonresponders and 139 proceeded to Phase 2, with 68 randomized to venlafaxine/PST and 71 randomized to venlafaxine/supportive management. Of those in venlafaxine/PST, 41.2% (28/68) responded, and of those in venlafaxine/supportive management, 39.4% (28/71) responded. Cumulative proportion responding over time did not differ across the two arms (hazard ratio: 1.07; 95% confidence interval: 0.63-1.80). We observed clinically significant improvements in physical performance (SPPB) and disability (RMDQ) across both Phase 1 and 2, independent of intervention. Over 12 months of follow-up there was no difference between groups for stability of depression, pain, or disability. The combination of antidepressant pharmacotherapy and PST was not superior to antidepressant pharmacotherapy and supportive management. Clinically, the rates of response and stability of response over 1 year observed in both groups suggest that these approaches may have clinical utility in these chronically suffering patients.

Efficacy of dry needling on latent myofascial trigger points in male subjects with neck/shoulders musculoskeletal pain. A case series

Abstract Aims To assess the impact of dry needling on neural mechanosensitivity and grip strength in male subjects with a history of persistent pain in the neck/shoulder area. Methods Case series study. Eight male subjects (mean age 25±6.24 years) with a recurrent history of bilateral neck/shoulder pain for at least 6 months, and with symptoms provoked by neck/shoulder postures or movement were recruited from a University-based clinical research center. Measurements were taken at baseline, immediately after intervention, and fifteen days later, of the pressure pain threshold (PPT) over the median, ulnar, and radial nerves, and the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle. Secondary measures included free-pain grip strength with a hydraulic dynamometer. A therapist assessed the presence of latent (not spontaneously painful, but painful upon palpation) myofascial trigger points (MTrP) over the scalene, subclavius, pectoralis minor, infraspinatus and serratus posterior superior muscles, on the most painful side. Deep dry needling was then performed on the latent MtrP by quickly inserting and partially removing the needle from the MTrP until 2 local twitch responses were provoked. Results PPT over the nerve trunks significantly increased after intervention (p &lt; 0.05 for all locations). These changes remained constant in the second assessment, both in the treated (p &lt; 0.001 for median and ulnar nerves, and p = 0.004 for radial nerve), and the non-treated upper limb (median nerve p &lt; 0.001, ulnar nerve p = 0.003, and radial nerve p = 0.006). No statistical significance was found for PPT over the TA muscle (p &gt; 0.05) or for grip strength (p = 0.153 on the treated side, and p = 0.564 on the non-treated upper limb). Conclusions Dry needling on the cervicothoracic and shoulder areas may help to improve peripheral neural features over the brachial plexus nerve trunks in subjects with recurrent neck/shoulder pain. No effect was observed for grip strength.