California State University, Los Angeles

Divorce and remarriage rates have increased dramatically in China, and more children live in stepfamilies. There remain valuable opportunities to understand the various family and school assets that support the well‐being of Chinese youth amid family structural transitions, such as the transition to stepfamily life. Using latent profile analysis, the current study seeks to identify patterns of youth support using seven family‐related variables and two school‐related variables as indicators among a sample of Chinese youth ( N = 269; = 14 years; 129 females and 117 males) residing with a parent and stepparent. Four profiles were identified: low support, academic focus/low support, moderate support, and high support. Results further demonstrated that youth in the moderate support profile had significantly better well‐being outcomes compared to youth in the low support or academic focus/low support profiles; demographic characteristics such as low SES families and parents with lower education backgrounds were associated with the low support profile; and stepfamilies with stepfathers were overrepresented in the moderate support profile, whereas stepfamilies with stepmothers were overrepresented in the low support and academic focus/low support profiles. These findings can inform the development of interventions intended to bolster the well‐being of Chinese adolescents in stepfamilies.

This study explores a boundary-crossing collaboration between the author, a mathematics educator, and an educator with three decades of informal mathematics experience. By investigating their shared experiences, the study illustrates how such collaboration redefines mathematics beyond a school subject. The findings reveal that the boundary-crossing collaboration between the mathematics education community and broader communities fosters mutual learning and facilitate new insights into mathematics, highlighting the importance of learning opportunities beyond traditional school curricula.

Elite-level sport culture places a large emphasis on the pursuit of peak performance at all costs. A common avenue for performance improvement involves the pursuit of leanness, weight loss, and body composition alteration. These practices are based upon weight-centric beliefs and cultural norms that can lead to devastating health consequences for athletes. Sport psychology professionals are uniquely situated to challenge weight-centric norms by implementing weight-inclusive practices and interventions. The purpose of this paper is to educate sport psychology professionals on the dangers of weight-centric practices in sport and provide practical resources for the implementation of weight inclusivity in professional practice. We provide strategies sport psychology professionals can adopt at intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural levels to promote a weight-inclusive approach to applied sport psychology. Intrapersonal interventions involve seeking education regarding the impacts of weight stigma in both societal and athletic performance contexts. Interpersonal interventions involve the practice of weight inclusivity in professional interactions. We introduced eight principles that can be adopted by sport psychology professionals to make their daily interactions with coaches and athletes more weight-inclusive. Finally, structural interventions centre around the advocacy for and implementation of weight-inclusive policies at the team or athletics programme level. By adopting a weight-inclusive approach, sport psychology professionals can support the physical and mental health of all athletes.

The present article describes the career of Maria Malott. The various phases of Maria’s professional life are reviewed chronologically, including attending University and working in the public sector in Venezuela, graduate school, working in industry, and leading the Association for Behavior Analysis International. Maria’s many scholarly accomplishments are also considered. Among them, we mention her work on behavioral systems analysis, metacontingencies, and culturo-behavioral science. Finally, as an influential presence in the field of behavior analysis for many years, the lessons we might learn from considering Maria’s life are discussed. Her thoroughgoing systems approach to complex organizational and cultural circumstances is highlighted, as is her enduring commitment to the vision and mission of behavior analysis.

In this article, we investigate the existence, uniqueness and regularity of weak solutions to the following semilinear mixed local and nonlocal elliptic operators $\begin{aligned} \left\{ \begin{array}{rl} -\Delta u+(-\Delta )^s u=h(u)f, & \quad x\in \Omega ,\\ u\geqslant 0,~~~~~~~& \quad x\in \Omega ,\\ u=0,~~~~~~~& \quad x\in {\mathbb {R}}^{N}\setminus \Omega , \end{array} \right. \end{aligned}$where $0<s<1$, $\Omega \subset {\mathbb {R}}^N(N\geqslant 3)$ is a bounded ${\mathcal {C}}^{1,1}$ domain, $(-\Delta )^s$ is the restricted fractional Laplace operator, h(s) is a continuous function that behaves as $s^{-\gamma _1}$ near zero and as $s^{-\gamma _2}$ at infinity with $\gamma _1, \gamma _2\geqslant 0$. $f\in L^m(\Omega )(m\geqslant 1)$ is a nonnegative function, or has a growth of negative powers of eigenfunction $\phi$ near the boundary $\partial \Omega$, where $\phi$ is the first positive eigenfunction to the mixed local and nonlocal eigenvalue problem. A distinguished feature of this paper is that we show that the existence and the regularity of the solutions are influenced by the competition between the nonlocal term $(-\Delta )^s$, the behavior of h at infinity (or zero) and the summability of the datum f. Additionally, we prove that $(-\Delta )^s$ and the behavior of h at infinity have regularizing effect. Moreover, we establish a threshold for m$(f\in L^m(\Omega ))$ for the boundedness of the solutions. We explain how the regularity of the datum f and the behavior of the nonlinearly of h, when $0\leqslant \gamma _2\leqslant 1$, effect the important properties of the solution. We also show when $\gamma _2>1$, this does not effect the regularly. Our study includes more general nonlinear h and data f than all the previous results of mixed local and nonlocal operators.

In fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe), cell length is a crucial indicator of cell cycle progression. Microscopy screens that examine the effect of agents or genotypes suspected of altering genomic or metabolic stability and thus cell size are crucial for studying disruptions to cell cycle dynamics. This method is based on using an automated cell segmentation algorithm to measure S. pombe cells imaged by brightfield (BF) microscopy methods. PhotoPhenosizer (PP) is a machine learning-based tool designed for automated cell measuring and dimensional analysis of morphology frequency distributions. Integration of this method into large-scale pipelines for tracking cell dimension change streamlines morphological measurements, which facilitates the examination of cellular responses to genomic and metabolic stresses. In this protocol, we use PP to observe the effect of genomic instability on cell size dynamics over a 12-day chronological lifespan assay. Our results show that relative to wild-type cells, a replication stress mutant shows larger cells during chronological aging in excess glucose media. Our results are consistent with activation of checkpoints that regulate cell morphology in response to DNA damage. This method’s application highlights the relevance of its incorporation in experimental routines that require large-scale image processing and its adoption by users with routine needs in S. pombe molecular research projects.

Objectives Mandated by the Affordable Care Act of 2010, hospices were required to provide information regarding the Hospice Quality Reporting Program, with a reduced reimbursement tied to hospices if they fail to submit data to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between hospice organizational and community factors and quality of hospice care as measured by patient experience through Hospice Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (CAHPS®) survey. Methods We used secondary data from Hospice Compare, Healthcare Cost Report Information System Dataset, Rural–urban commuting area codes, and the American Community Survey to examine the relationship between hospice patient/family experience and hospice organizational-level and community-level factors for the period 2017–2020. The unit of analysis was hospice-year observations. Results For-profit and chain-affiliated hospices were negatively associated with CAHPS® scores. Organizational longevity and Medicare payer mix were positively associated with CAHPS® scores. Hospice community factors including competition, per capita income, and the racial/ethnic minorities’ percentage were negatively associated with CAHPS® scores. Significance of results Hospice organizational and community factors were related to hospice quality of care. Interventions that account for organizational and community factors may be needed to improve patient/family experience of hospice care.

Research has shown that as the size of government assistance programs grow, and the recipients of such programs are increasingly non-white and/or non-citizen, public support for them declines. Our study examines this phenomenon on the question of deservingness in federal disaster assistance. Using a 2018 survey experiment that leverages two devastating hurricanes—Hurricane Maria and Hurricane Harvey—that hit different parts of the United States in 2017, we explore how the social identities of race/ethnicity and partisanship affect attitudes about disaster deservingness. Our results demonstrate that although federal disaster assistance has broad support, it is contingent on perceptions about the disaster victim and the type of assistance. Respondents were less likely to support disaster assistance to Hurricane Maria–affected people than those affected by Hurricane Harvey. Moreover, white and Republican respondents were more likely to favor market-based assistance whereas race-/ethnic-minority and Democratic respondents were more likely to support more generous forms of disaster assistance. These findings have important implications for the allocation of disaster funds as climate change intensifies and the frequency of billion-dollar disaster events increases. This is exacerbated by political polarization and heightened social vulnerability due to changing population demographics.

Purpose Informal caregivers play a pivotal role in providing support to cancer survivors, yet have reported challenges with communicating with health providers to get all the information they need to provide optimal care. We aimed to adapt and pilot test a brief communication skills training program (COMFORT) to improve caregiver-provider communication in an Australian cancer setting. Methods Module adaptation was guided by the cultural adaptation model. A working group completed the module and provided feedback for adaptation. The adapted module underwent pilot testing with cancer caregivers to examine module impact on communication confidence, preparedness for caregiving, health literacy, and psychological outcomes. Semi-structured interviews and survey data provided evidence of acceptability, usability, and preliminary efficacy. Results Eight working group members provided mostly positive feedback on module language, content, and images. Module modifications reflected Australian services and terminology. Nineteen caregivers provided pre-post-pilot data and participated in semi-structured interviews. Following module exposure, repeated measures t-test analyses showed significant improvements in communication confidence, preparedness for caregiving, health literacy, and depressive symptoms (p < 0.05). Survey and interview data supported the acceptability and utility of the program. Conclusion The findings support the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of the brief module in improving communication confidence, caregiving preparedness, health literacy, and depressive symptoms in Australian cancer caregivers.

Four metalloporphyrinic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) were successfully synthesized and exhibited enhanced activities for the photooxidation of a sulfur mustard simulant, 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES). Among them, a Sn-porphyrin functionalized 2D...

Background Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most prevalent childhood psychiatric condition with profound public health, personal, and family consequences. ADHD requires comprehensive treatment; however, lack of communication and integration across multiple points of care is a substantial barrier to progress. Given the chronic and pervasive challenges associated with ADHD, innovative approaches are crucial. We developed the digital health intervention (DHI)—CoolTaCo [Cool Technology Assisting Co-regulation] to address these critical barriers. CoolTaCo uses Patient-Centered Digital Healthcare Technologies (PC-DHT) to promote co-regulation (child/parent), capture patient data, support efficient healthcare delivery, enhance patient engagement, and facilitate shared decision-making, thereby improving access to timely and targeted mental health intervention for children at significant risk for poor outcomes. The present paper will describe our planned protocol to evaluate the efficacy of CoolTaCo via randomized control trial (RCT). Methods/design We will recruit 60 children (ages 8–12) with ADHD who will be randomized to either immediate ( n = 30) or delayed ( n = 30) treatment (i.e., a waitlist control group). Among those randomized to immediate treatment, half will be assigned to DHI (delivered via a smartwatch and smartphone application), the other half to an active control treatment as usual (TAU). Unlike the DHI group, the TAU group will receive the smartwatch with no assigned activities, applications, or interventions on the devices. The intervention period will last 16 weeks; after a participant has been in the delayed treatment group for 16 weeks and has completed the post-waiting period assessment, they will be randomly assigned to either the intervention or active control group. Thus, 30 participants will complete the intervention, and 30 will complete the active control, with half of the total sample completing a waitlist period. Discussion Individuals with ADHD have complex needs. Despite improvement in outcomes following cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) and pharmaceutical treatment, long-term maintenance is a challenge often not addressed by traditional medical approaches, and, as we described, ineffective approaches to information sharing across points of care create further barriers to progress. Our research will fill a significant gap in translating early treatment investments and gains into long-term, sustainable outcomes. This study was registered as a clinic trial at ClinicalTrials.gov (Digital Health Intervention for Children With ADHD, ID# NCT06456372) on 06/13/2024.

Drawing on Self-Congruity and Equity Theories, this research examines the distinct impacts of communicating uniform sustainability initiatives for luxury brands versus commodity brands. This paper introduces a conceptual model that highlights the moderated mediation effect of brand-self value congruity and the three-way moderating effect of value-consciousness on the adverse impact of sustainability on luxury versus commodity brands. The findings from two experimental studies demonstrate that communicating sustainability initiatives has distinct effects on different brands. Specifically, sustainability initiatives enhance the evaluations of commodity brands but diminish the evaluations of luxury brands. The negative impact of sustainability on luxury brands is mediated by brand-self congruity. Moreover, value-consciousness moderates the relationship between sustainability and luxury brands, such that low value-conscious consumers tend to value sustainable luxury brands less than their non-sustainable counterparts, unlike high value-conscious consumers. These findings offer valuable managerial and practical insights for brand managers and communication strategists considering adopting sustainability communication strategies.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of engines and the produced emissions by adding diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (DGM), an oxygen-rich additive with a high cetane number, into n-pentanol and diesel fuel blends. Using pure diesel (OXG0) as the benchmark, five fuel blends were tested in a single-cylinder compression ignition engine. While always keeping a diesel ratio of 70%, the blends displayed a range of DGM content ranging from 5 to 20%. Analysis showed that by 1.27% in contrast to pure diesel, the mix of 70% diesel, 10% n-pentanol and 20% DGM (OXG4) enhanced brake thermal efficiency (BTE). Moreover, OXG4 was shown to be efficient in lowering CO and NOx emissions under all load conditions, therefore demonstrating its ability to control negative emissions. Still, when the DGM content rose, CO2 emissions clearly started to rise—probably because of improved combustion efficiency. Furthermore, the study showed that compared to OXG0 other blends—OXG1, OXG2 and OXG3—often produced greater brake-specific fuel consumption and slightly worse BTE. The findings highlight the feasibility of DGM as a suitable additive to enhance diesel fuel blends to get better emission characteristics without appreciably compromising engine performance.

Although several studies highlight the benefit of short-term immersion programs abroad among social work students, few studies have examined their transformative nature. In response, this study aimed to describe the transformative change experienced by MSW students from the Southwest USA who participated in a short-term, immersion program in either Panama or Italy. The structure of the program consisted of two components: a 10-week hybrid classroom during the semester and a-12-13 day, short-term immersion program during the summer. Content analysis was utilized to examine student reflections on the impact of the short-term study abroad experience in areas such as cultural awareness and humility, professional and personal growth, and the most impactful and transformative experiences. The results included the following themes: (1) Community, (2) Adaptation, (3) Empowerment/Inspiration/ Transformation, &; (4) Culture. Implications for future research in this area are identified along with considerations for educators regarding planning, teaching, and/or leading the in-country experience to best support student transformation in short-term immersion programs abroad.

Secondary metabolites often function as antipredator defenses, but when bioactive at low concentrations, their off-target effects on other organisms may be overlooked. Candidate “keystone molecules” are proposed to affect community structure and ecosystem functions, generally originating as defenses of primary producers; the broader effects of animal chemistry remain largely unexplored, however. Here, we characterize five previously unreported polyketides (alderenes A to E) biosynthesized by sea slugs reaching exceptional densities (up to 9000 slugs per square meter) in Northern Hemisphere estuaries. Alderenes comprise only 0.1% of slug wet weight, yet rendered live slugs or dead flesh unpalatable to three co-occurring consumers, making a potential food resource unavailable and redirecting energy flow in critical nursery habitat. Alderenes also displaced infauna from the upper sediment of the mudflat but attracted ovipositing snails. By altering communities, such compounds may have unexpected cascading effects on processes ranging from bioturbation to reproduction of species not obviously connected to the producing organisms, warranting greater attention by ecologists.