US Team Research Articles

Pepea Pamoja:† Applying the Ecological Validity Framework to co-develop a wellbeing and behavioural training program for caregivers of young children with autism in low-resource settings of Kenya and the United States.

Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disability with global prevalence of one in 100 individuals. Poor access to interventions in both under-resourced regions of high-income countries and low- and middle-income countries has deleterious effects on the health and wellbeing of individuals with autism and their families. Our objective was to utilize a reciprocal innovation framework and participatory methods to adapt and co-develop a culturally grounded group-based wellbeing and naturalistic developmental behavioural intervention (NDBI) training program for caregivers of young children with autism to be implemented in Kenya and rural Indiana. This study was conducted within the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) program. An evidence-informed Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention (NDBI) previously utilized in Indiana was adapted and iteratively refined using the Ecological Validity Framework (EVF) by a team of US and Kenyan disability experts. Key adaptations to the program were made across the EVF domains of language, persons, metaphors/content, concepts, goals, methods, and context. Substantial cultural adaptations were made to the NDBI following the EVF model, including the addition of traditional Kenyan cultural practices, use of narrative principles, and focus on daily routines over play. Pepea, the adapted program, involves 10 group sessions covering content in basic education on autism, positive caregiver coping strategies, and behavioural skills training to promote child communication and reduce challenging behaviour. Key adaptations for Pepea were integrated back into a US NDBI caregiver training program. This study fills a critical gap by detailing the adaptation process of a caregiver wellbeing and naturalistic developmental behavioural training program for caregivers of children with autism in low-resource settings. Our next steps are to report on mixed-methods outcomes from pilot implementation. Our long-term goal is to apply these insights to advance sustainable and scalable autism intervention services across the globe.

Perceived context typicality and beliefs in the generalizability of management research findings

Despite growing calls for a greater internationalization of management research, the discipline still struggles with the challenge of integrating diverse national contexts. While recent decades have seen a change toward a more equitable treatment of all national contexts, the belief that research conducted outside the United States is less generalizable remains strong. In this research note, we explore the general perceptions of what is considered a “typical” study context by associating them with authors' variable tendencies to report threats to external validity. Using a sample of 400 papers from seven top-tier management journals, we find that research based on non-US data tends to report more external validity threats, which makes it appear less generalizable. While the belief that the US constitutes a “typical” study context is shared by both US and non-US author teams, non-US co-authors tend to exhibit a relatively stronger bias against the generalizability of non-US samples in their studies. Collectively, our results contribute to the literature on external validity threats, generalizability, and biases in peer review, while also responding to recent calls for a more diverse and inclusive management research program.

Supporting widening access, continuation and success: the positive impact of the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)

The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is a Level 3, post-16 UK qualification that students usually take alongside A Levels, prior to entering university or the labour market. It plays an important role in improving access to, and success at university. The University of Southampton's Learn with US Transition Programme has developed support particularly for students undertaking the EPQ, who are underrepresented at university. This programme responds to the Office for Students′ (OfS) requirement to develop and submit an Access and Participation Plan (APP). The EPQ challenges the lack of aspiration and deficit discourses that are especially damaging to students from underrepresented backgrounds. Students who complete the EPQ are shown to perform better in terms of Key Stage 5 attainment and at degree level due to developing key academic and research skills prior to enrolment. The Learn with US team is exploring links between EPQ attainment and other institutional goals, such as addressing degree awarding gaps for under-represented students. The University of Southampton takes a whole-institution, lifecycle approach to removing barriers for underrepresented students, and the Learn with US Transition Programme is a key element of our provision that is proven to have positive outcomes for students transitioning into university, especially for those students who are already impacted by structural disadvantage.

Recognize and Support Caregiving Youth in Your Care.

Recognize and Support Caregiving Youth in Your Care.

Американская традиция проведения интеллектуальных состязаний: конкурсы и олимпиады

Importance. The Olympiad movement is gaining popularity around the world, attracting the attention of schoolchildren as a reliable tool for self-development and study of subjects at an increased level. The problem of the study is the analysis of foreign practices of organizing intellectual competitions for schoolchildren, in the context of the development of creative abilities of students. The focus of our attention is the national ecosystem of the implementation of intellectual competitions in the United States. The purpose of our study is refracted in identifying the peculiarities of the implementation of these competitive events in the American tradition, while the relevance is due to the success of the US teams at international olympiads. Materials and methods. Methodologically, we rely on the principles of systemic, de-factional and cultural approaches. Among the theoretical methods we used are the study of scientific literature on the topic, including in English; generalization, categorization, comparative analysis, as well as analysis of US legal acts in the field of education, and websites of operators of intellectual competitions. Results. As a result of the study, a number of features of the American system for the selection and development of talented schoolchildren in school were established, among the features were the decentralization of the organization of competitions and the widespread introduction of team competitions. Conclusion. The novelty of the study is refracted in the study of the features of the competitive and Olympiad movement in the United States at the present stage. The theoretical significance lies in the increase in pedagogical knowledge about foreign education in the implementation of the Olympiad movement, at the practical level, the obtained data can be adapted and introduced into domestic practices for finding talented youth.

A Conversation with … Cecilia Aragon PhD, Champion Aerobatic Pilot, on Grace Under Pressure.

A Conversation with … Cecilia Aragon PhD, Champion Aerobatic Pilot, on Grace Under Pressure.

POCUS: the anesthetist’s emerging stethoscope

Summary: The development of clinical ultrasound was perhaps the greatest revolution in the medical profession during the last half century. The rapid evolution allowed novel uses od US in almost every field of medical practice. Its best use, probably has been in the hands of the anesthetists, who employ it the operating room, in the pain clinic as well as in the emergency room and in the intensive care units. Apicare Journal has strived to introduce this novel modality in this part of the world by editorials and research papers. This invited editorial has been written by one of the best US and POCUS teams in Pakistan, at Ghurki Trust Teaching Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. It offers a brief introduction to some of the countless options in which it can be used. The authors stress on the availability of US facility and the training to all clinicians. Key words: POCUS (Point of Care Ultrasound); FAST Scan; eFAST Scan; Pain; Pain Management; Anesthetist; Stethoscope; Gastroparesis; Airway Citation: Ayub L, Dar SR, Chaudhary WA. POCUS: the anesthetist’s emerging stethoscope. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2022;26(6):736−738; DOI: 10.35975/apic.v26i6.2065Received: October 26, 2022; Revised: October 29, 2022; Accepted: October 29, 2022

The development of Chinese Swimming Leagues in recent years

So this study aims to explore and examine the future development and prospects of the Chinese Swimming League. This study provides some novel approaches to quantifying; the first is to analyze the current situation of the Chinese swimming team and why China's swimming strength is not as good as that of the US and Australia teams. What can we learn from them?t. Second, collect the number of prize winners in current China's key leagues, analyze how to do better in the next competition, and learn other countries' strategies. The third is to compare the training ways of the Chinese swimming team with other countries swimming. Moreover, providing suggestions to promote swimming in the school or society to train more outstanding swimmers. Although the history of the Chinese Swimming League is not long, there is a measureless development space in the future. It still takes time and relatively strives to catch up with the world's first-place swimming team. Everyone firmly believes that Chinese swimmers will achieve better results in major international games in the next few years.

Sport or Spectacle? The Harlem Globetrotters’ 1955 Visit to Israel

The Harlem Globetrotters basketball team visited Israel as part of its 1955 world tour. As representatives of American culture, the US team challenged the leaders of Israeli sports culture who sought to maintain a tight alignment between local sports, Zionist values, and political interests. This paper uses Debord's society of the spectacle theory to analyse the public criticism of the Globetrotters’ visit to Israel. The analysis finds that the critique, which extended beyond strictly sports criticism, reveals the zeitgeist of Israel’s first decade of independence and its prevalent attitudes toward body culture norms, and illuminates the role assigned to sport in Israeli ethos.

‘We Didn’t Kill Any Babies’: The 1988 Rebel Track and Field Tour of South Africa

Just after the 1988 Seoul Olympics concluded, a handful of US athletes defied national and international customs and codes and accepted invitations to compete in South Africa, then a pariah state barred from international athletic competitions by almost every global sporting organization. The sporting boycotts represented one phalanx of the decades-long campaign to isolate South Africa until it dismantled apartheid. The US team included both white and Black athletes, as well as women and men. Condemned by many of their fellow athletes, international sporting officials, and the world press corps as mercenaries bent on violating the embargo righteously imposed on apartheid South Africa for a lucrative payday, the ‘rebel’ track and field team fought back. They declared that their interracial goodwill visit would do more to undermine apartheid than boycotts, proclaimed themselves as missionaries determined to change the world, and condemned their critics as hypocrites who denied athletes the rights of free expression and choice while encouraging sporting interchanges with other ‘pariah nations’, including Iran, North Korea, the Soviet Union, and the People’s Republic of China. The tour became an international sensation that highlighted tensions over how to best fight apartheid while also changing the careers of many of the athletes involved.

Oncology specialists' perspective on caring for patients with cancer during the early days of war in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Many Ukrainian oncologists woke up to a new wartime reality on Feb 24, 2022. In this Reportage, we describe the unique challenges in Ukraine and ways oncologists coped with them in the early days of the humanitarian disaster. Two authors are Ukrainian oncologists from the National Cancer Institute in Kyiv, Ukraine. Through a messaging service, they provided first-hand accounts from the war zone to a second group of researchers in Baltimore, MD, USA. The US team documented the narrative and organised it into several themes.

Creation of an Electronic Resource Repository for Differences of Sex Development (DSD): Collaboration Between Advocates and Clinicians in the DSD-Translational Research Network

Introduction: People with differences of sex development (DSD) and their families need education about these conditions while receiving emotional and peer support to participate in shared decision-making, reduce social isolation, and optimize physical and psychosocial outcomes. Barriers to education and support include limited knowledge and awareness by healthcare providers, tension among patient and medical communities, varied quality of educational resources, and the sensitive nature of DSD. We aimed to create an electronic repository of vetted quality online resources about DSD. Methods: The electronic resource repository (e-RR) was a collaboration between affected individuals and advocates and healthcare providers in the DSD-Translational Research Network (DSD-TRN), an NIH-supported consortium of US teams committed to standardizing and optimizing care in DSD. The e-RR development and ongoing growth involved: (1) identification of resources by the project team (3 advocates and 1 physician), (2) evaluation and feedback by DSD-TRN clinical teams, (3) creation of the e-RR, and (4) review and revision. Twitter-like descriptions accompanied each entry; resources were categorized by target age, audience, and condition. Results: Thirty-seven web-based educational, peer and advocacy support, and clinician-oriented resources were reviewed. Eight of 10 DSD-TRN teams responded to a survey regarding resource inclusion. Awareness of individual resources varied widely. Consensus was achieved when opinions differed; 30 resources were included. The e-RR is available online and as a downloadable booklet at http://www.accordalliance.org/resource-guide/. Conclusion: The e-RR increases awareness of and access to vetted educational and support resources for those with DSD and healthcare providers. It represents important collaboration between advocates and providers.

Stanley J. Stein (1920–2019)

Stanley J. Stein (1920–2019)

Participatory Design and Process Testing to Optimize Utility, Usability, and Acceptability of a Mobile Game for Promoting Evidence-Driven Public Health Decision-Making in Resource-Constrained Settings.

Innovative game-based training methods that leverage the ubiquity of cellphones and familiarity with phone-based interfaces have the potential to transform the training of public health practitioners in low-income countries such as Liberia. This article describes the design, development, and testing of a prototype of the Figure It Out mobile game. The prototype game uses a disease outbreak scenario to promote evidence-based decision-making in determining the causative agent and prescribing intervention measures to minimize epidemiological and logistical burdens in resource-limited settings. An initial prototype of the game developed by the US team was playtested and evaluated by focus groups with 20 University of Liberia Masters of Public Health (UL MPH) students. Results demonstrate that the learning objectives—improving search skills for identifying scientific evidence and considering evidence before decision-making during a public health emergency—were considered relevant and important in a setting that has repeatedly and recently experienced severe threats to public health. However, some of the game mechanics that were thought to enhance engagement such as trial-and-error and choose-your-own-path gameplay, were perceived by the target audience as distracting or too time-consuming, particularly in the context of a realistic emergency scenario. Gameplay metrics that mimicked real-world situations around lives lost, money spent, and time constraints during public health outbreaks were identified as relatable and necessary considerations. Our findings reflect cultural differences between the game development team and end users that have emphasized the need for end users to have an integral part of the design team; this formative evaluation has critically informed next steps in the iterative development process. Our multidisciplinary, cross-cultural and cross-national design team will be guided by Liberia-based public health students and faculty, as well as community members who represent our end user population in terms of experience and needs. These stakeholders will make key decisions regarding game objectives and mechanics, to be vetted and implemented by game design experts, epidemiologists, and software developers.

Inaugurating ‘Good Feeling between the United States and South Africa’: The 1931 All-White Tour of South Africa

ABSTRACT In 1931, a track and field team sponsored by the American Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) toured South Africa, the first official visit of a US team to the African nation. The AAU fielded an all-white squad in this inaugural tour, even though African Americans held several world records in a variety of events during this era. Though it was not clear that US and South African officials explicitly coordinated to draw a colour line on the tour, it was clear that both sides were comfortable excluding non-whites. Nearly two decades later, when in 1950 the AAU selected another all-white team to visit South Africa, the African American press recalled the 1931 tour and condemned US officials for blatant racism. In 1931, however, both the black and white media were silent on the racial issues involved, in spite of an increasing focus on race and colour lines in athletics that developed in the era. Given the deeply embedded racial segregation systems in both South Africa and the US during this period, the first AAU visit to South Africa set a precedent that colour lines would be drawn and fought over in future track and field exchanges between the two nations.

China brings home top 4 golds in Chemistry Olympiad

Students from China garnered the top four gold medals in the 53rd International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO), held July 25–Aug. 2. The US team received two gold and two silver medals. In all, more than 300 students from 79 countries participated. Shu Yang, Zhangyi Huang, Xinyu Cai, and Bangsen Zhao of China placed first through fourth, respectively. Sobirjon Amanov of Uzbekistan rounded out the top five finishers. This year’s competition was slated to take place in Japan, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, students logged into the weeklong Olympiad virtually. They sat for the 5-hour exam on July 28, and the full results were posted Aug. 3. Unlike last year, however, the US team and their mentors were able to gather in Washington, DC, at the offices of the American Chemical Society. “The kids did really awesome,” says Joseph Houck of Pennsylvania State University, who served as the team’s head mentor.

Establishing women's cancer care services in a fragile, conflict and violence affected ecosystem in Africa.

BackgroundThe majority of the world’s poorest women (income < $1.90/day) reside in fragile, conflict and violence (FCV)-affected countries, like the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Health services in these settings have traditionally focused on immediate relief efforts, communicable diseases and malnutrition. Recent data suggests there is need to widen the focus to include cancer, as its incidence and mortality rates are rising.MethodsEmploying competency-based learning strategies, Congolese health professionals were trained to perform same-day cervical cancer screening and treatment of precancerous lesions of the cervix; same-day clinical breast examination and breast ultrasound diagnostics; surgical treatment of invasive cancers of the breast and cervix; and infusion of cytotoxic chemotherapy. Outpatient breast and cervical cancer care clinics, a chemotherapy suite and surgical theatres were outfitted with equipment and supplies.ResultsCombining local and regional hands-on training seminars with wise infrastructure investments, a team of US and Zambian oncology experts successfully implemented a clinical service platform for women’s cancers in a private sector health facility in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.ConclusionWe forged a novel partnership between oncology health professionals from Africa and its Diaspora, international philanthropic organisations, a cancer medicine access initiative and an established African cancer centre to build women’s cancer services in a FVC-affected African setting.

Space Mining Robot Prototype for NASA Robotic Mining Competition Utilizing Systems Engineering Principles

The 2017 National Aeronautics and Space Ad-ministration (NASA) Robotic Mining Competition (RMC) is an outstanding opportunity for engineering students to imple-ment all the knowledge and experience that they gained in the undergraduate years, in building a robot that will provide an intellectual insight to NASA, to develop innovative robotic excavation concepts. For this competition, multiple universities from all over the U.S. will create teams of students and faculty member to design and build a mining robot that can traverse, mine, excavate at least 10 kg of regolith, then deposit it in a bin in the challenging simulated Martian terrain. Our team’s goal is to improve on our current design, and overcome DustyTRON 2.0’s limitations by analyzing them and implementing new engineering solutions. The process to improve this system will enable our team members to learn mechanical, electrical, and software engineering. DustyTRON 3.0 is divided into three sub-teams, namely, Mechanical, Circuitry, Software sub-teams. Mechanical team focused on solving the mechanical structure, robot mobility, stability and weight distribution. Circuitry team focused on the electrical components such as batteries, wiring, and motors. The Software team focused on programming the NVidia TK1, Arduino controller, and cameras integration. This paper will outline the detailed work following systems engineering principles to complete this project, from research, to design process and robot building compete at the Kennedy Space Center. Only 54 teams were invited to participate from allover the US and DustyTRON team represented the state of Texas and placed the 29th and awarded the “Innovative Design” award.

Patient satisfaction with US Hemophilia Treatment Center Care, Teams and Services: The First National Survey.

Patient satisfaction with health care is a key quality metric, associated with adherence and better outcomes. However, satisfaction with US Hemophilia Treatment Centers (HTC) is unknown. To assess patient satisfaction with US Hemophilia Treatment Centers. A nationally uniform survey was conducted using the US HTC Network's regional infrastructure. Satisfaction with multidisciplinary team members, services and care processes was assessed. The anonymous survey, in English and Spanish, was disseminated to 28289 households. Data were aggregated using 4 standard US Census regions. 5006 individuals (17.7%) who obtained care from 133 (96.4%) of 138 HTCs in 2014 responded. Satisfaction with overall HTC care at 'always' or 'usually' (A/U) levels ranged 94.2%-97.9% regardless of patient gender, age, race, ethnicity, language, diagnosis, severity, region or frequency of HTC contact. A/U satisfaction with HTC haematologist, nurse, social worker or physical therapist, individually, ranged 95.1%-97.3% nationally. A/U satisfaction with three HTC services was 89.5%-96.9% and 94.9%-98.0% for five HTC care processes nationally. Regional satisfaction at A/U levels was at least 87.0%. Nationally, 26.4% and 21.2% rated insurance and language, respectively, as A/U problems in getting needed HTC services. Patient satisfaction with US Hemophilia Treatment Center care, multi-disciplinary teams, services and processes was consistently high, documenting the value patients place on HTCs. The successful survey administration demonstrates the capability of the Network's regional infrastructure. Access to the US HTC Network is particularly critical to ongoing health in this new era of novel and gene therapies.

A qualitative exploration of mechanisms of intimate partner violence reduction for Zambian couples receiving the Common Elements Treatment Approach (CETA) intervention.

Despite well-established associations between alcohol use, poor mental health, and intimate partner violence (IPV), limited attention has been given to how psychological and behavioral interventions might prevent or treat IPV in low- and middle-income countries. In a recent randomized controlled trial in Lusaka, Zambia, transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy (the Common Elements Treatment Approach; CETA) demonstrated significant treatment effects on men's alcohol use and women's IPV victimization in couples in which hazardous alcohol use by the male and intimate partner violence against the female was reported. In this study, we sought to gain a more in-depth understanding of mechanisms of behavior change among CETA participants. We conducted 50 semi-structured in-depth interviews and 4 focus groups with a purposeful sample of adult men and women who received CETA between April and October 2018. Transcripts were analyzed using an inductive constant comparison approach by a team of US- and Zambia-based coders. Participants described interrelated mechanisms of change, including the use of safety strategies to not only avoid or prevent conflict but also to control anger; reductions in alcohol use that directly and indirectly reduced conflict; and, positive changes in trust and understanding of one's self and their partner. Several overarching themes also emerged from the data: how gender norms shaped participants' understanding of violence reduction strategies; the role of household economics in cycles of alcohol and violence; and, deleterious and virtuous intercouple dynamics that could perpetuate or diminish violence. Results suggest important avenues for future research including the potential for combining CETA with poverty reduction or gender norms focused interventions and for incorporating cognitivebehavioral skills into community level interventions.