Development and Two-Year Follow-Up Evaluation of a Training Workshop for the Large Preventive Positive Psychology Happy Family Kitchen Project in Hong Kong

Evidence-based practice and capacity-building approaches are essential for large-scale health promotion interventions. However, there are few models in the literature to guide and evaluate training of social service workers in community settings. This paper presents the development and evaluation of the “train-the-trainer” workshop (TTT) for the first large scale, community-based, family intervention projects, entitled “Happy Family Kitchen Project” (HFK) under the FAMILY project, a Hong Kong Jockey Club Initiative for a Harmonious Society. The workshop aimed to enhance social workers’ competence and performance in applying positive psychology constructs in their family interventions under HFK to improve family well-being of the community they served. The two-day TTT was developed and implemented by a multidisciplinary team in partnership with community agencies to 50 social workers (64% women). It focused on the enhancement of knowledge, attitude, and practice of five specific positive psychology themes, which were the basis for the subsequent development of the 23 family interventions for 1419 participants. Acceptability and applicability were enhanced by completing a needs assessment prior to the training. The TTT was evaluated by trainees’ reactions to the training content and design, changes in learners (trainees) and benefits to the service organizations. Focus group interviews to evaluate the workshop at three months after the training, and questionnaire survey at pre-training, immediately after, six months, one year and two years after training were conducted. There were statistically significant increases with large to moderate effect size in perceived knowledge, self-efficacy and practice after training, which sustained to 2-year follow-up. Furthermore, there were statistically significant improvements in family communication and well-being of the participants in the HFK interventions they implemented after training. This paper offers a practical example of development, implementation and model-based evaluation of training programs, which may be helpful to others seeking to develop such programs in diverse communities.     

Visuospatial Attention to Single and Multiple Objects Is Independently Impaired in Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with deficits in visuospatial attention. It is as yet unknown whether these attentional deficits begin at a perceptual level or instead reflect disruptions in oculomotor or higher-order processes. In the present study, non-demented individuals with PD and matched normal control adults (NC) participated in two tasks requiring sustained visuospatial attention, both based on a multiple object tracking paradigm. Eye tracking was used to ensure central fixation. In Experiment 1 (26 PD, 21 NC), a pair of identical red dots (one target, one distractor) rotated randomly for three seconds at varied speeds. The task was to maintain the identity of the sole target, which was labeled prior to each trial. PD were less accurate than NC overall (p = .049). When considering only trials where fixation was maintained, however, there was no significant group difference, suggesting that the deficit’s origin is closely related to oculomotor processing. To determine whether PD had additional impairment in multifocal attention, in Experiment 2 (25 PD, 15 NC), two targets were presented along with distractors at a moderate speed, along with a control condition in which dots remained stationary. PD were less accurate than NC for moving (p = 0.02) but not stationary targets. This group difference remained significant when considering only trials where fixation was maintained, suggesting the source of the PD deficit was independent from oculomotor processing. Taken together, the results implicate separate mechanisms for single vs. multiple object tracking deficits in PD.     

Stomatal acclimation to vapour pressure deficit doubles transpiration of small tree seedlings with warming

Future climate change is expected to increase temperature (T) and atmospheric vapour pressure deficit (VPD) in many regions, but the effect of persistent warming on plant stomatal behaviour is highly uncertain. We investigated the effect of experimental warming of 1.9–5.1 °C and increased VPD of 0.5–1.3 kPa on transpiration and stomatal conductance (g_s) of tree seedlings in the temperate forest understory (Duke Forest, North Carolina, USA). We observed peaked responses of transpiration to VPD in all seedlings, and the optimum VPD for transpiration (D_opt) shifted proportionally with increasing chamber VPD. Warming increased mean water use of Carya by 140% and Quercus by 150%, but had no significant effect on water use of Acer. Increased water use of ring‐porous species was attributed to (1) higher air T and (2) stomatal acclimation to VPD resulting in higher g_s and more sensitive stomata, and thereby less efficient water use. Stomatal acclimation maintained homeostasis of leaf T and carbon gain despite increased VPD, revealing that short‐term stomatal responses to VPD may not be representative of long‐term exposure. Acclimation responses differ from expectations of decreasing g_s with increasing VPD and may necessitate revision of current models based on this assumption.     

Paediatric brain tissue properties measured with magnetic resonance elastography

Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology - The aim of this study is to characterise the stiffness of white and grey matter in paediatric subjects using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and...     

Chelate-assisted phytoextraction of lead using Fagopyrum esculentum: laboratory vs. field experiments

Abstract

The development of more sustainable remediation techniques has been receiving greater attention, as an alternative to soil excavation plan in urban gardens. An in situ phytoextraction experiment with buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) was performed with a 5?mmol kg^?1 citric acid (CA) application. Joint experiments under laboratory conditions were conducted using various cultivars of F. esculentum in two soils with a Pb contamination of either geogenic or anthropogenic origin and various chelate concentrations. Results show that a minimum dose of 50?mmol kg^?1 of CA is required to lower soil pH and raise the concentration of mobile Pb–CaCl₂ for both soils. Consequently, Pb shoot uptake is increased from 6.3 to 8.9 times depending on soil type. Phytoextraction efficiency is found to be 1.3 to 2.0 times higher in the anthropogenic contaminated soil than in the soil with geogenic Pb. A scale effect has also been identified since Pb root accumulation under laboratory conditions was 2.4 times higher than in the field experiment. Despite an increase in the Pb extraction rate with CA, buckwheat appears to lack the efficiency needed to remove Pb in moderately contaminated soils. The calculated remediation period would last 166?years to remove the mobile Pb fraction.     

Polarization of Myosin II Refines Tissue Material Properties to Buffer Mechanical Stress

1. Download high-res image (94KB)
2. Download full-size image

     

Unlocking biodiversity and conservation studies in high‐diversity environments using environmental DNA (eDNA): A test with Guianese freshwater fishes

Determining the species compositions of local assemblages is a prerequisite to understanding how anthropogenic disturbances affect biodiversity. However, biodiversity measurements often remain incomplete due to the limited efficiency of sampling methods. This is particularly true in freshwater tropical environments that host rich fish assemblages, for which assessments are uncertain and often rely on destructive methods. Developing an efficient and nondestructive method to assess biodiversity in tropical freshwaters is highly important. In this study, we tested the efficiency of environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to assess the fish diversity of 39 Guianese sites. We compared the diversity and composition of assemblages obtained using traditional and metabarcoding methods. More than 7,000 individual fish belonging to 203 Guianese fish species were collected by traditional sampling methods, and ~17 million reads were produced by metabarcoding, among which ~8 million reads were assigned to 148 fish taxonomic units, including 132 fish species. The two methods detected a similar number of species at each site, but the species identities partially matched. The assemblage compositions from the different drainage basins were better discriminated using metabarcoding, revealing that while traditional methods provide a more complete but spatially limited inventory of fish assemblages, metabarcoding provides a more partial but spatially extensive inventory. eDNA metabarcoding can therefore be used for rapid and large‐scale biodiversity assessments, while at a local scale, the two approaches are complementary and enable an understanding of realistic fish biodiversity.