Understanding rural social networks addressing adverse childhood experiences: A case study of the San Luis Valley.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study is to assess a cross-sector, interorganizational network addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in a rural Colorado community. We characterize the organizations in the network, assess their awareness of ACEs, and evaluate how they participate in the network. We also assess the network health. METHOD: Employing a social network analysis approach, we collected survey data from 45 organizations that support young children and their families, including nonprofits, health care clinics, and early childhood education centers, among others. RESULTS: On average, nonprofit organizations had relationships with a greater percentage of network members than other types of organizations. Network members engaged in relationships focused on a wide range of activities (e.g., client assessments, sharing information, providing services), with some organizational types leading the network in certain activities. Scores across all dimensions of trust and value were above 3 (range: 2.1-3.8), which is advantageous for a network and network relationships existed across a range of relational intensities (from awareness to organizational integration). DISCUSSION: Nonprofit organizations that reported high levels of connectedness in the network were able to effectively mobilize the ACEs network. Health clinics participated in a greater share of relationships involving assessment, service provision, and tool sharing than other types of organizations. As such, health care clinics may serve as leaders in directly serving children and families experiencing ACEs in rural communities. The rural context may also explain high levels of trust and value, which can serve as assets for future network development and mobilization. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

From parts to whole: Embracing systems science in community psychology.

With our field's strong focus on context for understanding and acting on social problems, community psychologists have frequently elevated the importance of employing systems thinking and methods that help us to understand systems more effectively. As a result, community psychologists have adopted some methods from the interdisciplinary field of systems science. In this virtual special issue, we will compare how several of these approaches have been used in publications in the AJCP in the last 50 years. We identify differences in their popularity, implementation with communities, and how they create generative discussion in the field. We conclude by looking to the future to explore ways community psychology can deepen engagement with methods from systems science.

Spatially clustered neurons encode vocalization categories in the bat midbrain.

Rapid categorization of vocalizations enables adaptive behavior across species. While categorical perception is thought to arise in the neocortex, humans and other animals could benefit from functional organization of ethologically-relevant sounds at earlier stages in the auditory hierarchy. Here, we developed two-photon calcium imaging in the awake echolocating bat (Eptesicus fuscus) to study encoding of sound meaning in the Inferior Colliculus, which is as few as two synapses from the inner ear. Echolocating bats produce and interpret frequency sweep-based vocalizations for social communication and navigation. Auditory playback experiments demonstrated that individual neurons responded selectively to social or navigation calls, enabling robust population-level decoding across categories. Strikingly, category-selective neurons formed spatial clusters, independent of tonotopy within the IC. These findings support a revised view of categorical processing in which specified channels for ethologically-relevant sounds are spatially segregated early in the auditory hierarchy, enabling rapid subcortical organization of call meaning.

The cholinergic basal forebrain provides a parallel channel for state-dependent sensory signaling to auditory cortex.

Cholinergic basal forebrain (CBF) signaling exhibits multiple timescales of activity with classic slow signals related to brain and behavioral states and fast, phasic signals reflecting behavioral events, including movement, reinforcement and sensory-evoked responses. However, it remains unknown whether sensory cholinergic signals target the sensory cortex and how they relate to local functional topography. Here we used simultaneous two-channel, two-photon imaging of CBF axons and auditory cortical neurons to reveal that CBF axons send a robust, nonhabituating and stimulus-specific sensory signal to the auditory cortex. Individual axon segments exhibited heterogeneous but stable tuning to auditory stimuli allowing stimulus identity to be decoded from population activity. However, CBF axons displayed no tonotopy and their frequency tuning was uncoupled from that of nearby cortical neurons. Chemogenetic suppression revealed the auditory thalamus as a major source of auditory information to the CBF. Finally, slow fluctuations in cholinergic activity modulated the fast, sensory-evoked signals in the same axons, suggesting that a multiplexed combination of fast and slow signals is projected from the CBF to the auditory cortex. Taken together, our work demonstrates a noncanonical function of the CBF as a parallel channel for state-dependent sensory signaling to the sensory cortex that provides repeated representations of a broad range of sound stimuli at all points on the tonotopic map.

Pupillary dynamics reflect the impact of temporal expectation on detection strategy.

Everyday life's perceptual decision-making is informed by experience. In particular, temporal expectation can ease the detection of relevant events in noisy sensory streams. Here, we investigated if humans can extract hidden temporal cues from the occurrences of probabilistic targets and utilize them to inform target detection in a complex acoustic stream. To understand what neural mechanisms implement temporal expectation influence on decision-making, we used pupillometry as a proxy for underlying neuromodulatory activity. We found that participants' detection strategy was influenced by the hidden temporal context and correlated with sound-evoked pupil dilation. A model of urgency fitted on false alarms predicted detection reaction time. Altogether, these findings suggest that temporal expectation informs decision-making and could be implemented through neuromodulatory-mediated urgency signals.

Orienting our view of the superior colliculus: specializations and general functions.

The mammalian superior colliculus (SC) and its non-mammalian homolog, the optic tectum are implicated in sensorimotor transformations. Historically, emphasis on visuomotor functions of the SC has led to a popular view that it operates as an oculomotor structure rather than a more general orienting structure. In this review, we consider comparative work on the SC/optic tectum, with a particular focus on non-visual sensing and orienting, which reveals a broader perspective on SC functions and their role in species-specific behaviors. We highlight several recent studies that consider ethological context and natural behaviors to advance knowledge of the SC as a site of multi-sensory integration and motor initiation in diverse species.

Exploitable metabolic dependencies in MLL-ENL-induced leukemia.

Mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL) fusions are transcriptional activators that induce leukemia, with a dismal prognosis that mandates further elucidation of their transformation mechanism. In this study, knockdown of the direct MLL-ENL target gene polypyrimidine tract binding protein-1 (PTBP1) was rate limiting for cell proliferation and caused a metabolic phenotype associated with reduced glucose consumption and lactate production. This effect was accompanied by a reduction of splice isoform-2 of pyruvate kinase M (PKM2). Because PKM2 restricts glycolytic outflow to provide anabolic intermediates, we tested the consequences of glucose, energy, and Ser/Gly starvation for cell physiology. Administration of deoxyglucose, energetic decoupling with rotenone, and inhibition of Ser biosynthesis by CBR5884 had a significantly stronger influence on self-renewal and survival of transformed cells than on normal controls. In particular, inhibition of Ser synthesis, which branches off glycolysis caused accumulation of reactive oxygen species, DNA damage, and apoptosis, predominantly in leukemic cells. Depletion of exogenous Ser/Gly affected proliferation and self-renewal of murine and human leukemia samples, even though they are classified as nonessential amino acids. Response to Ser/Gly starvation correlated with glucose transport, but did not involve activation of the AMPK energy homeostasis system. Finally, survival times in transplantation experiments were significantly extended by feeding recipients a Ser/Gly-free diet. These results suggest selective starvation as an option for supportive leukemia treatment.

What is research? Educators' conceptions and alignment with United States federal policies.

This study draws on two communities theory to address two major research questions related conceptions of research in educational practice and policy. First, how do educators conceptualize research? Second, to what extent do educators' conceptions of research align with recent U.S. federal educational policies? We conducted 90 semi-structured interviews with educators in the United States, asking them what comes to mind when they think of research. We used open, axial, and selective coding to characterize educators' conceptions of research. We also compared educators' conceptions of research to two U.S. federal educational policies that define scientifically based research and evidence-based interventions. Findings indicate that educators and policies defined research in similar ways, but each included some unique characteristics. Implications from the study include the need for increased communication between federal policy-makers and educators and improved reporting by researchers to better attend to the needs of educators and policymakers.

The BOND Framework: A Practical Application of Visual Communication Design and Marketing to Advance Evaluation Reporting.

Despite growing interest in data visualization and graphically aided reporting, the evaluation literature could benefit from additional guidance on systematically integrating visual communication design and marketing into comprehensive communication strategies to improve data dissemination. This article describes the role of targeted communication strategies-based on visual communications, design, and marketing theory-in producing more effective reports. In evaluation practice, well-synthesized and translated reports often require the integration of data from multiple sources, methods, and/or time points to communicate complex findings in ways that elicit productive responses. Visual communication strategies, such as project branding or designing actionable tools with marketing principles in mind, can be applied to optimize effective reporting of complex evaluation findings. This article references a longitudinal, mixed-method evaluation of public school administrators in Michigan to illustrate the application of a systematic communication design framework to produce several graphically aided project materials and subsequent findings reports.

Large amplicon droplet digital PCR for DNA-based monitoring of pediatric chronic myeloid leukaemia.

Quantification of tumour-specific molecular markers at the RNA and DNA level for treatment response monitoring is crucial for risk-adapted stratification and guidance of individualized therapy in leukaemia and other malignancies. Most pediatric leukaemias and solid tumours of mesenchymal origin are characterized by a relatively low mutation burden at the single nucleotide level and the presence of recurrent chromosomal translocations. The genomic fusion sites resulting from translocations are stable molecular tumour markers; however, repeat-rich DNA sequences flanking intronic breakpoints limit the design of high sensitivity PCR assays for minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring. Here, we quantitatively evaluated the impact of repeat elements on assay selection and the feasibility of using extended amplicons (≤1330 bp) amplified by droplet digital PCR to monitor pediatric chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Molecular characterization of 178 genomic BCR-ABL1 fusion sites showed that 64% were located within sequence repeat elements, impeding optimal primer/probe design. Comparative quantification of DNA and RNA BCR-ABL1 copy numbers in 687 specimens from 55 pediatric patients revealed that their levels were highly correlated. The combination of droplet digital PCR, double quenched probes and extended amplicons represents a valuable tool for sensitive MRD assessment in CML and may be adapted to other translocation-positive tumours.

Just Google it: Measuring schools' use of research evidence with internet search results.

Measuring the use of research evidence (URE) by schools has become a central of education researchers. However, it has proven challenging due to low response rates, social desirability bias, and costly or time consuming data collection methods. To overcome these challenges and meet the needs of research focused on URE, this paper introduces a non-reactive archival measure: Archival Search of Use of Research Evidence (ASURE). ASURE counts references to research or evidence on a school's or school district's website to capture the extent of its rhetorical use of research evidence. After illustrating the collection of ASURE in all public school districts in Michigan (N = 595), we use data on these districts to show that ASURE is reliable and valid, and thus offers a promising new strategy for measuring URE in schools. We conclude by considering future steps for exploring ASURE not simply as a measure of URE in schools, but instead as a measurement strategy for assessing URE in a broad range of organizational contexts.

Multiple Audiences for Encouraging Research Use: Uncovering a Typology of Educators.

PURPOSE: We apply diffusion of innovations theory to examine two key research questions designed to inform efforts to improve the research-practice gap in education: (1) Are there distinct types of educators that differ in their prioritization of the compatibility, observability, complexity, relative advantage, and trialability of research? and (2) Are educators' roles or context associated with their categorization in this typology? RESEARCH METHODS: Using semi-structured interview data in two Michigan counties from intermediate school district staff (N=24), district central office staff (N=18), principals (N=22), and school building staff (N=23), we first used directed content analysis to code for mentions of compatibility, observability, complexity, relative advantage, and trialability. Next, using the coded data, we conducted a hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis and follow-up cross-tabulations to assess whether cluster memberships were associated with educators' roles or county context. FINDINGS: Educators in our sample could be categorized in one of five clusters distinguished primarily by different patterns of prioritization of the compatibility, observability, and complexity of research. Membership in these clusters did not vary by role but did vary by county, suggesting the importance of context for educators' perceptions of research. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH AND PRACTICE: These findings suggest that narrowing the research-practice gap in education will require attending to multiple audiences of educators with distinct priorities that guide their perceptions and use of educational research and evidence-based practices.

What Types of Brokerage Bridge the Research-Practice Gap? The Case of Public School Educators.

The presence of a research-practice gap is recognized across multiple fields including education, psychology, and public health. In this paper, we examine which of five structural types of brokerage are most and least effective in bridging this research-practice gap in the context of education. Using a small world survey design, we tracked how a statewide random sample of 247 K-12 principals and superintendents in Michigan seek information about social skills programs from brokering individuals and organizations. We find that some triadic brokerage structures are more effective than others in closing the communication gap between practitioners and researchers. Specifically, educators relying on itinerant brokerage, which circulates information between members of the same community, were five times less likely to obtain information from a researcher. In contrast, educators relying on representative or liaison brokerage, which facilitate information transfer between members of different communities, were more than twice as likely to obtain information from a researcher. We conclude by discussing implications for the development of interventions designed to facilitate information sharing between practitioners and researchers.

Approaches to measuring use of research evidence in K-12 Settings: A systematic review.

An increased focus on the use of research evidence (URE) in K-12 education has led to a proliferation of instruments measuring URE in K-12 education settings. However, to date, there has been no review of these measures to inform education researchers' assessment of URE. Here, we systematically review published quantitative measurement instruments in K-12 education. Findings suggest that instruments broadly assess user characteristics, environmental characteristics, and implementation and practices. In reviewing instrument quality, we found that studies infrequently report reliability, validity, and demographics about the instruments they develop or use. Future work evaluating and developing instruments should explore environmental characteristics that affect URE, generate items that match up with URE theory, and follow standards for establishing instrument reliability and validity.

What Makes Research Useful for Public School Educators?

In this study, we explored the extent to which educators discuss and prioritize Rogers' (Diffusion of innovations, The Free Press: New York, 1995) five attributes of innovations-relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, observability, and trialability-in the context of research use. Using a directed content analysis of 54 semi-structured interviews and exemplar quotes, we describe how educators mentioned compatibility most frequently, but also commonly invoked observability and complexity in their discussions of research use. Our results also revealed key differences between educators in executive and non-executive roles. We discuss the implications of our findings for closing the research-practice gap in school-based mental health services and psychosocial interventions.

Making or buying evidence: Using transaction cost economics to understand decision-making in public school districts.

We propose transaction cost economics theory as a tool for exploring when school administrators rely on information from two types of sources: internal sources like their own colleagues, and external sources like researchers and government agencies. The theory's application is illustrated in a comparative case study of two public school districts in Michigan. Consistent with the theory's predictions, the smaller, homogeneous, high-performing district used more external sources of information, while the larger, diverse, low-performing district used internal sources of information. We conclude by identifying some strengths and limitations of the theory, which can serve as starting points for debate.

Clinical characteristics and outcome of 60 pediatric patients with malignant melanoma registered with the German Pediatric Rare Tumor Registry (STEP).

Background Malignant melanoma (MM) is a common malignancy in adults while it is rare in children. Thus, information on clinical behavior of pediatric MM is incomplete. Patients The German Pediatric Rare Tumor Registry (STEP) presents a prospective analysis of 60 childhood MM cases diagnosed between June 2006 and December 2014. Method Patients' ages ranged between 0 and 17 years at initial diagnosis (median age 9.6 years). Information on patient's and tumor characteristics was obtained by standardized documentation. Three-year overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier test. Results Follow-up ranged from 0 to 116 months with a median of 36.5 months, however, univariate analysis was performed for 46 cases with a follow-up > 3 months, only. Cases with spitzoid histotype (40%) did not show a significantly different outcome compared to cases with non-spitzoid MM. Breslow thickness ≤ 2.00 mm was identified in 30% of the cases and 18% were Clark level I to III. Adjuvant therapy was used in 45% of cases. OS at 3 years was 100%, EFS 95.2%. Conclusion We present a series of cases with a high number of spitzoid malignant melanoma and advanced pediatric melanoma, but surprisingly good overall survival rates. Spitzoid and non-spitzoid MM do not differ in clinical behavior and survival.

Agent-based modeling as a tool for program design and evaluation.

Recently, systems thinking and systems science approaches have gained popularity in the field of evaluation; however, there has been relatively little exploration of how evaluators could use quantitative tools to assist in the implementation of systems approaches therein. The purpose of this paper is to explore potential uses of one such quantitative tool, agent-based modeling, in evaluation practice. To this end, we define agent-based modeling and offer potential uses for it in typical evaluation activities, including: engaging stakeholders, selecting an intervention, modeling program theory, setting performance targets, and interpreting evaluation results. We provide demonstrative examples from published agent-based modeling efforts both inside and outside the field of evaluation for each of the evaluative activities discussed. We further describe potential pitfalls of this tool and offer cautions for evaluators who may chose to implement it in their practice. Finally, the article concludes with a discussion of the future of agent-based modeling in evaluation practice and a call for more formal exploration of this tool as well as other approaches to simulation modeling in the field.

Detecting changes in dynamic and complex acoustic environments.

Natural sounds such as wind or rain, are characterized by the statistical occurrence of their constituents. Despite their complexity, listeners readily detect changes in these contexts. We here address the neural basis of statistical decision-making using a combination of psychophysics, EEG and modelling. In a texture-based, change-detection paradigm, human performance and reaction times improved with longer pre-change exposure, consistent with improved estimation of baseline statistics. Change-locked and decision-related EEG responses were found in a centro-parietal scalp location, whose slope depended on change size, consistent with sensory evidence accumulation. The potential's amplitude scaled with the duration of pre-change exposure, suggesting a time-dependent decision threshold. Auditory cortex-related potentials showed no response to the change. A dual timescale, statistical estimation model accounted for subjects' performance. Furthermore, a decision-augmented auditory cortex model accounted for performance and reaction times, suggesting that the primary cortical representation requires little post-processing to enable change-detection in complex acoustic environments.

Networked Community Change: Understanding Community Systems Change through the Lens of Social Network Analysis.

Addressing complex problems in communities has become a key area of focus in recent years (Kania & Kramer, 2013, Stanford Social Innovation Review). Building on existing approaches to understanding and addressing problems, such as action research, several new approaches have emerged that shift the way communities solve problems (e.g., Burns, 2007, Systemic Action Research; Foth, 2006, Action Research, 4, 205; Kania & Kramer, 2011, Stanford Social Innovation Review, 1, 36). Seeking to bring clarity to the emerging literature on community change strategies, this article identifies the common features of the most widespread community change strategies and explores the conditions under which such strategies have the potential to be effective. We identify and describe five common features among the approaches to change. Then, using an agent-based model, we simulate network-building behavior among stakeholders participating in community change efforts using these approaches. We find that the emergent stakeholder networks are efficient when the processes are implemented under ideal conditions.