Reinhardt University

While participatory research is increasingly used in global health, more has been written for researchers compared to communities. This article synthesizes insights from a community panel convened during a participatory research workshop. The discussion identified key factors for communities to understand and assumptions to set aside when beginning participatory research. These considerations may help communities navigate power imbalances, inclusively design, and participate as more equal partners in research. Implications for participatory methodology and partnership training are also discussed.

This paper proposes a method for dynamic modeling of digital media user interests based on deep learning, which integrates convolutional neural networks, long short-term memory networks and attention mechanisms, aiming to capture the temporal variation characteristics of user interests. The model is designed through a multi-level framework, combining feature extraction and representation learning, as well as a dynamic prediction mechanism to achieve accurate modeling of user behavior. Experimental results show that this method is significantly superior to traditional collaborative filtering, multi-layer perceptron and recurrent neural network models without attention mechanism in terms of mean square error, mean absolute error and Pearson correlation coefficient, especially in high-frequency user interest prediction. Data analysis reveals the seasonal fluctuation characteristics of user interaction behavior, providing theoretical and practical basis for the optimization of personalized recommendation systems. This study verifies the application value of deep learning in dynamic interest modeling and provides effective technical support for content recommendation on digital media platforms.

ABSTRACTBackgroundInadequate intake of micronutrients is common even among active, resistance-trained individuals. Supplementation with a foundational nutrition supplement (AG1®) may promote adequate intake of key micronutrients, close nutrient gaps, and improve diet quality.MethodsIn a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design, this study evaluated the effect of daily AG1 supplementation on nutritional adequacy in 20 resistance-trained men (n = 10; 26.4 ± 6.5 y; 174.5 ± 9.8 cm; 85.8 ± 9.6 kg; 10.3 ± 7.9 y resistance training experience [RTE]) and women (n = 10; 26.9 ± 5.3 y; 163.8 ± 8.7 cm; 66.1 ± 13.0 kg; 9.1 ± 5.4 y RTE). Participants supplemented daily with AG1 or placebo for 14 days. Following a 2-week washout, participants crossed over to the other condition. Participants completed a 24-hour dietary intake assessment at the start (baseline) and end of each 14-day supplementation period (endpoint) using the Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24®). Nutrient gaps were defined as the difference between an individual’s reported dietary intake and established dietary targets [the Estimated Average Requirements (EARs) for specific nutrients]. Sixteen micronutrients were included in the assessment based on the following criteria: micronutrients were present in the study product, could be measured by ASA24®, and had an EAR. The combined nutrient gap score was determined by adding the nutrient intakes that met the EAR, with each micronutrient meeting the EAR counting as 1, for a total maximum score of 16. Nutrient values from AG1 or placebo were added to the respective endpoint diets, and a nutrient gap score was computed to determine the impact of each treatment. Data were analyzed using 2-way analysis of variance and Fishers’s LSD test for multiple comparisons.ResultsAll 20 participants completed baseline and endpoint recalls and were included in the nutrient gap analysis. At baseline, the AG1 and placebo groups met 13.9 ± 2.5 and 12.8 ± 2.8 out of 16 nutrient EARs, respectively with no significant difference between groups (p > 0.05). Following the intervention, AG1 significantly increased the total number of EARs met compared to placebo [2.8 (95% CI: 1.1, 4.4); p = 0.0011]. Within the AG1 group, 1.4 (95% CI: 0.3, 2.5) nutrient gaps were closed on average compared to −0.2 (95% CI: −1.3, 0.9) in the placebo group. Vitamins A, C, and E were the most common nutrient gaps filled by AG1 supplementation.ConclusionsAG1® consumption significantly improved nutrient adequacy by reducing nutrient gaps in healthy resistance-trained adults.

Yael Goverover, OTR/L, Ph.D., professor and post-professional program director of occupational therapy at New York University at Steinhardt (NYU), provided the cover art for the summer issue of the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy. This oil painting on canvas, titled, Still Life, 2024, features an arrangement of everyday objects with vibrant tones of gold, yellow, orange, and green found in the vase, and a coffeepot, fruits, and botanicals set against a backdrop of scarlet and striped patterned fabrics. She created this piece while on sabbatical in Israel as she studied under the tutelage of a seasoned oil painter. The composition is derived from two different arrangements combined into a single image, and is one of her many works that feature elegant, celebratory arrangements of still lifes, landscapes, and figures. While she refers to it as "a vacation," painting from observation is a difficult practice that provides never-ending problems to solve and opportunities for growth. With art as a lifelong occupation, the skills of careful observation and self-reflection gained from years of painting have helped to deepen her observation and problem-solving abilities required in her roles as an educator, clinician, and researcher focused on interventions for individuals with neurological impairments.

Background: Children with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy often showed impaired trunk control and upper limb function, which limited their daily activities and independence. Neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT) was used as a physiotherapy approach to improve motor control and reduce abnormal muscle tone. However, the evidence on its effectiveness for upper limb function and trunk control remained limited. This study aimed to examine the effect of non-invasive treatment based on NDT on trunk control and upper extremity functional ability in children with spastic diplegia. Methods: This pre-experimental one-group pre-test–post-test study involved 20 children aged 5–12 years with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy (gross motor gunction classification system (GMFCS) Level III) who received NDT-based physiotherapy twice a week for eight weeks at Yayasan Ramah Cerebral Palsy (RCP), Bogor. The study excluded children with spastic hemiplegia, quadriplegia, athetoid CP, comorbid conditions such as heart disease, non-active members, and those who did not undergo therapy at RCP. Researchers measured upper extremity function using the quality of upper extremity skills test (QUEST) and assessed trunk control using the trunk control measurement scale (TCMS). They analyzed the data using paired sample t-tests to compare pre- and post-intervention results and applied Pearson’s correlation to examine the relationship between trunk control and upper limb function. Results: Post-intervention evaluation revealed a significant improvement in upper extremity function (QUEST mean increase: 22.45±3.05, p< 0.001) and trunk control (TCMS mean increase: 16.15±5.01, p< 0.001). The relationship between improved trunk control and enhanced upper extremity function was significant, as indicated by Pearson's correlation of 0.696, p < 0.001. Conclusion: In children diagnosed with spastic diplegia CP, an 8-week NDT intervention significantly improved upper extremity functional capacity and trunk control. The findings emphasized that the application of NDT in enhancing motor coordination and independence, thereby contributing to an improved quality of life for this population.

Providing automated feedback that facilitates the practice and acquisition of oral presentation skills has been one of the notable applications of multimodal learning analytics (MmLA). However, the closedness and general unavailability of existing systems have reduced their potential impact and benefits. This work introduces OpenOPAF, an open-source system designed to provide automated multimodal feedback for oral presentations. By leveraging analytics to assess body language, gaze direction, voice volume, articulation speed, filled pauses, and the use of text in visual aids, it provides real-time, actionable information to presenters. Evaluations conducted on OpenOPAF show that it performs similarly, both technically and pedagogically, to existing closed solutions. This system targets practitioners who wish to use it as-is to provide feedback to novice presenters, developers seeking to adapt it for other learning contexts, and researchers interested in experimenting with new feature extraction algorithms and report mechanisms and studying the acquisition of oral presentation skills. This initiative aims to foster a community-driven approach to democratize access to sophisticated analytics tools for oral presentation skill development.

Introduction: Atherosclerotic plaques from patients with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) present a more severe pathology than non-T2D (ND) plaques and response to cholesterol-lowering is compromised. An increased level of circulating senescent CD8 T cells in T2D patients is associated with increased risk for myocardial infarction. However, whether senescent T cells infiltrate human atherosclerotic plaques and how they are regulated by lipid lowering is unknown. Hypothesis: Senescent CD8+ T cells are increased in atherosclerotic plaques and circulation of T2D, and are normalized by aggressive lipid lowering in T2D. Methods: We performed unbiased scRNA-seq analysis (75,049 total cells) of immune cells in plaques from T2D (n=12) and ND patients (n=10) to identify senescent T cells in human atherosclerotic plaques. Using CyTOF we tested the effect of aggressive lipid lowering on circulating CD8 T cells in T2D (n=16) and ND (n=6) patients. Results: We identified senescent T cells within atherosclerotic plaques and found that senescent CD8 T cells largely accumulate in plaques from T2D patients (p<0.001). Plaque CD8 T cells showed a terminally differentiated effector memory phenotype with high expression of CX3CR1 and low expression of SELL and CCR7 genes. CD8 T cell clusters express senescence markers ( B3GAT1,KLRG1,KLRD1,KLRF1 ) and presented senescence associated secretory phenotype with high expression of cytotoxic ( GZMB,PRF1,GNLY ) and proatherogenic ( IFNG,TNFA,CCL5 ) genes. CyTOF analysis showed higher levels of circulating senescent CD57+CD28-CD8 T cells in patients with T2D vs ND controls (p<0.001). Potent lipid lowering with PCSK9 inhibitor + statin/ezetimibe, which reduced LDL-C levels by >70% in all patients at 4 weeks, normalized the frequency of circulating senescent CD8 T cells (p<0.001) in T2D patients to the levels found in ND. Conclusion: Our results show that senescent CD8 T cells accumulated in blood and plaques of T2D patients and that potent lipid lowering diminished circulating aged CD8 T cells, suggesting that CD8 T cell senescence can be improved by aggressive lipid control in high-risk T2D subjects. Further analyses are needed to understand the role of lipid metabolism in the T cell senescence and the impact on atherosclerosis progression.