Examining Links Between Distinct Affective States and Tobacco Lapse During a Cessation Attempt Among African Americans: A Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Affect states are posited to play a pivotal role in addiction-related processes, including tobacco lapse (i.e., smoking during a quit attempt), and distinct affective states (e.g., joy vs. happiness) may differentially influence lapse likelihood. However, few studies have examined the influence of distinct affective states on tobacco lapse. PURPOSE: This study examines the influence of 23 distinct affect states on tobacco lapse among a sample of tobacco users attempting to quit. METHODS: Participants were 220 adults who identified as African American (50% female, ages 18-74). Ecological momentary assessment was used to assess affect and lapse in real-time. Between and within-person associations testing links between distinct affect states and lapse were examined with multilevel modeling for binary outcomes. RESULTS: After adjusting for previous time's lapse and for all other positive or negative affect items, results suggested that at the between-person level, joy was associated with lower odds of lapse, and at the within-person level, attentiveness was associated with lower odds of lapse. Results also suggested that at the between-person level, guilt and nervous were associated with higher odds of lapse, and at the within-person level, shame was associated with higher odds of lapse. CONCLUSIONS: The present study uses real-time, real-world data to demonstrate the role of distinct positive and negative affects on momentary tobacco lapse. This work helps elucidate specific affective experiences that facilitate or hinder the ability to abstain from tobacco use during a quit attempt.

SCALE-UP II: protocol for a pragmatic randomised trial examining population health management interventions to increase the uptake of at-home COVID-19 testing in community health centres.

INTRODUCTION: SCALE-UP II aims to investigate the effectiveness of population health management interventions using text messaging (TM), chatbots and patient navigation (PN) in increasing the uptake of at-home COVID-19 testing among patients in historically marginalised communities, specifically, those receiving care at community health centres (CHCs). METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The trial is a multisite, randomised pragmatic clinical trial. Eligible patients are >18 years old with a primary care visit in the last 3 years at one of the participating CHCs. Demographic data will be obtained from CHC electronic health records. Patients will be randomised to one of two factorial designs based on smartphone ownership. Patients who self-report replying to a text message that they have a smartphone will be randomised in a 2×2×2 factorial fashion to receive (1) chatbot or TM; (2) PN (yes or no); and (3) repeated offers to interact with the interventions every 10 or 30 days. Participants who do not self-report as having a smartphone will be randomised in a 2×2 factorial fashion to receive (1) TM with or without PN; and (2) repeated offers every 10 or 30 days. The interventions will be sent in English or Spanish, with an option to request at-home COVID-19 test kits. The primary outcome is the proportion of participants using at-home COVID-19 tests during a 90-day follow-up. The study will evaluate the main effects and interactions among interventions, implementation outcomes and predictors and moderators of study outcomes. Statistical analyses will include logistic regression, stratified subgroup analyses and adjustment for stratification factors. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The protocol was approved by the University of Utah Institutional Review Board. On completion, study data will be made available in compliance with National Institutes of Health data sharing policies. Results will be disseminated through study partners and peer-reviewed publications. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05533918 and NCT05533359.

Co-action and changes in alcohol use during a smoking cessation attempt.

AIMS: Three smoking cessation studies (CARE, Break Free, Por Nuestra Salud [PNS]) were used to measure changes in average alcohol consumption, binge drinking and alcohol-related problems during a smoking cessation attempt and to explore co-action with smoking abstinence. DESIGN: CARE and PNS were longitudinal cohort cessation studies; Break Free was a two-arm randomized clinical trial. SETTING: Texas, USA. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were current smokers who were recruited from the community and received smoking cessation interventions. All participants received nicotine replacement therapy and smoking cessation counseling. CARE included 424 smokers (1/3 White, 1/3 African American and 1/3 Latino); Break Free included 399 African American smokers; PNS included 199 Spanish-speaking Mexican-American smokers. MEASUREMENTS: Weekly alcohol consumption was collected multiple times pre and post-quit, and binge drinking and alcohol-related problems were collected at baseline and 26 weeks post-quit. Analyses included only those who indicated current alcohol use. FINDINGS: Average alcohol consumption decreased from baseline to 26 weeks post-quit in CARE (F = 17.09, P < 0.001), Break Free (F = 12.08, P < 0.001) and PNS (F = 10.21, P < 0.001). Binge drinking decreased from baseline to 26 weeks post-quit in CARE (F = 3.94, P = 0.04) and Break Free (F = 10.41, P < 0.001) but not PNS. Alcohol-related problems decreased from baseline to 26 weeks post-quit in CARE (Chi-sq = 6.41, P = 0.010) and Break Free (Chi sq = 14.44, P = 0.001), but not PNS. CONCLUSIONS: Among current drinkers, alcohol use/problems appear to decrease during a smoking cessation attempt and remain low through 26 weeks after the quit attempt. Little evidence was found for co-action, with smoking abstainers and relapsers showing similar change in alcohol use/problems.

Diabetes alters neuroeconomically dissociable forms of mental accounting.

Those with diabetes mellitus are at high-risk of developing psychiatric disorders, yet the link between hyperglycemia and alterations in motivated behavior has not been explored in detail. We characterized value-based decision-making behavior of a streptozocin-induced diabetic mouse model on a naturalistic neuroeconomic foraging paradigm called Restaurant Row. Mice made self-paced choices while on a limited time-budget accepting or rejecting reward offers as a function of cost (delays cued by tone-pitch) and subjective value (flavors), tested daily in a closed-economy system across months. We found streptozocin-treated mice disproportionately undervalued less-preferred flavors and inverted their meal-consumption patterns shifted toward a more costly strategy that overprioritized high-value rewards. We discovered these foraging behaviors were driven by impairments in multiple decision-making systems, including the ability to deliberate when engaged in conflict and cache the value of the passage of time in the form of sunk costs. Surprisingly, diabetes-induced changes in behavior depended not only on the type of choice being made but also the salience of reward-scarcity in the environment. These findings suggest complex relationships between glycemic regulation and dissociable valuation algorithms underlying unique cognitive heuristics and sensitivity to opportunity costs can disrupt fundamentally distinct computational processes and could give rise to psychiatric vulnerabilities.

Multiple imputation of missing data in multilevel ecological momentary assessments: an example using smoking cessation study data.

Advances in digital technology have greatly increased the ease of collecting intensive longitudinal data (ILD) such as ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) in studies of behavior changes. Such data are typically multilevel (e.g., with repeated measures nested within individuals), and are inevitably characterized by some degrees of missingness. Previous studies have validated the utility of multiple imputation as a way to handle missing observations in ILD when the imputation model is properly specified to reflect time dependencies. In this study, we illustrate the importance of proper accommodation of multilevel ILD structures in performing multiple imputations, and compare the performance of a multilevel multiple imputation (multilevel MI) approach relative to other approaches that do not account for such structures in a Monte Carlo simulation study. Empirical EMA data from a tobacco cessation study are used to demonstrate the utility of the multilevel MI approach, and the implications of separating participant- and study-initiated EMAs in evaluating individuals' affective dynamics and urge.

Increasing the reach of evidence-based interventions for weight management and diabetes prevention among Medicaid patients: study protocol for a pilot Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomised Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Over 40% of US adults meet criteria for obesity, a major risk factor for chronic disease. Obesity disproportionately impacts populations that have been historically marginalised (eg, low socioeconomic status, rural, some racial/ethnic minority groups). Evidence-based interventions (EBIs) for weight management exist but reach less than 3% of eligible individuals. The aims of this pilot randomised controlled trial are to evaluate feasibility and acceptability of dissemination strategies designed to increase reach of EBIs for weight management. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This study is a two-phase, Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial, conducted with 200 Medicaid patients. In phase 1, patients will be individually randomised to single text message (TM1) or multiple text messages (TM+). Phase 2 is based on treatment response. Patients who enrol in the EBI within 12 weeks of exposure to phase 1 (ie, responders) receive no further interventions. Patients in TM1 who do not enrol in the EBI within 12 weeks of exposure (ie, TM1 non-responders) will be randomised to either TM1-Continued (ie, no further TM) or TM1 & MAPS (ie, no further TM, up to 2 Motivation And Problem Solving (MAPS) navigation calls) over the next 12 weeks. Patients in TM+ who do not enrol in the EBI (ie, TM+ non-responders) will be randomised to either TM+Continued (ie, monthly text messages) or TM+ & MAPS (ie, monthly text messages, plus up to 2 MAPS calls) over the next 12 weeks. Descriptive statistics will be used to characterise feasibility (eg, proportion of patients eligible, contacted and enrolled in the trial) and acceptability (eg, participant opt-out, participant engagement with dissemination strategies, EBI reach (ie, the proportion of participants who enrol in EBI), adherence, effectiveness). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Study protocol was approved by the University of Utah Institutional Review Board (#00139694). Results will be disseminated through study partners and peer-reviewed publications. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: clinicaltrials.gov; NCT05666323.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of Clostridioides difficile infection in the intensive care unit: a KASID multi-centre study.

BACKGROUND: Despite the growing clinical and economic burden of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), data on CDI in the intensive care unit (ICU) in the Asia-Pacific region are lacking. METHODS: This retrospective study analysed 191 patients who were treated with CDI in the ICUs of three hospitals in South Korea from January 2017 to May 2021. Backward-stepwise multiple logistic regression was used to identify factors influencing the treatment response and mortality. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients (30.4%) were considered immunocompromised. The mean Charlson comorbidity index was 5.65 ± 2.39 (10-year survival rate: 21%), the APACHE II score was 20.86 ± 7.78 (mortality rate: 40%), the ATLAS score was 5.45 ± 1.59 (cure rate: 75%), and the SOFA score was 7.97 ± 4.03 (mortality rate: 21.5%). Fifty-eight (30.4%) of the CDI cases were severe and 40 (20.9%) were fulminant. Oral vancomycin or oral metronidazole was the most frequently first-line treatments (N = 57; 32.6%). The 10-day response rate was 59.7% and the eight-week overall mortality rate was 41.4%. Fulminant CDI (OR 0.230; 95% CI 0.085-0.623) and each one-unit increment in the SOFA score (OR 0.848; 95% CI 0.759-0.947) were associated with treatment failure. High APACHE II (OR 0.355; 95% CI 0.143-0.880) and SOFA (OR 0.164; 95% CI 0.061-0.441) scores were associated with higher mortality. CONCLUSIONS: High-risk patients in the ICU had a higher mortality rate and a lower cure rate of CDI. Further research is required to provide more accurate prediction scoring systems and better clinical outcomes.

A phase IIb, open-label, randomized controlled dose ranging multi-centre trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and exposure-response relationship of different doses of delpazolid in combination with bedaquiline delamanid moxifloxacin in adult subjects with newly diagnosed, uncomplicated, smear-positive, drug-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: Linezolid is an effective, but toxic anti-tuberculosis drug that is currently recommended for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Improved oxazolidinones should have a better safety profile, while preserving efficacy. Delpazolid is a novel oxazolidinone developed by LegoChem Biosciences Inc. that has been evaluated up to phase 2a clinical trials. Since oxazolidinone toxicity can occur late in treatment, LegoChem Biosciences Inc. and the PanACEA Consortium designed DECODE to be an innovative dose-ranging study with long-term follow-up for determining the exposure-response and exposure-toxicity relationship of delpazolid to support dose selection for later studies. Delpazolid is administered in combination with bedaquiline, delamanid and moxifloxacin. METHODS: Seventy-five participants with drug-sensitive, pulmonary tuberculosis will receive bedaquiline, delamanid and moxifloxacin, and will be randomized to delpazolid dosages of 0 mg, 400 mg, 800 mg, 1200 mg once daily, or 800 mg twice daily, for 16 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint will be the rate of decline of bacterial load on treatment, measured by MGIT liquid culture time to detection from weekly sputum cultures. The primary safety endpoint will be the proportion of oxazolidinone class toxicities; neuropathy, myelosuppression, or tyramine pressor response. Participants who convert to negative liquid media culture by week 8 will stop treatment after the end of their 16-week course and will be observed for relapse until week 52. Participants who do not convert to negative culture will receive continuation phase treatment with rifampicin and isoniazid to complete a six-month treatment course. DISCUSSION: DECODE is an innovative dose-finding trial, designed to support exposure-response modelling for safe and effective dose selection. The trial design allows assessment of occurrence of late toxicities as observed with linezolid, which is necessary in clinical evaluation of novel oxazolidinones. The primary efficacy endpoint is the change in bacterial load, an endpoint conventionally used in shorter dose-finding trials. Long-term follow-up after shortened treatment is possible through a safety rule excluding slow-and non-responders from potentially poorly performing dosages. TRIAL REGISTRATION: DECODE was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov before recruitment start on 22 October 2021 (NCT04550832).

Arterial Spin-Labeling MR Imaging for the Differential Diagnosis of Venous-Predominant AVMs and Developmental Venous Anomalies.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Venous-predominant AVMs are almost identical in appearance to developmental venous anomalies on conventional MR imaging. Herein, we compared and analyzed arterial spin-labeling findings in patients with developmental venous anomalies or venous-predominant AVMs, using DSA as the criterion standard. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively collected patients with either DVAs or venous-predominant AVMs, each available on both DSA and arterial spin-labeling images. Arterial spin-labeling imaging was visually assessed for the presence of hyperintense signal. CBF measured at the most representative section was normalized to the contralateral gray matter. The temporal phase of developmental venous anomalies or venous-predominant AVMs was measured on DSA as a delay between the first appearance of the intracranial artery and the lesion. Correlation between the normalized CBF and the temporal phase was evaluated. RESULTS: Analysis of 15 lesions (13 patients) resulted in categorization into 3 groups: typical venous-predominant AVMs (temporal phase, <2 seconds), intermediate group (temporal phase between 2.5 and 5 seconds), and classic developmental venous anomalies (temporal phase, >10 seconds). Arterial spin-labeling signal was markedly increased in the typical venous-predominant AVM group, while there was no discernible signal in the classic developmental venous anomaly group. In the intermediate group, however, 3 of 6 lesions showed mildly increased arterial spin-labeling signal. The normalized CBF on arterial spin-labeling and the temporal phase on DSA were moderately negatively correlated: r(13) = 0.66, P = .008. CONCLUSIONS: Arterial spin-labeling may predict the presence and amount of arteriovenous shunting in venous-predominant AVMs, and using arterial spin-labeling enables confirmation of typical venous-predominant AVMs without DSA. However, lesions with an intermediate amount of shunting suggest a spectrum of vascular malformations ranging from purely vein-draining developmental venous anomalies to venous-predominant AVMs with overt arteriovenous shunting.

The Effects of Scheduled Smoking Reduction and Precessation Nicotine Replacement Therapy on Smoking Cessation: Randomized Controlled Trial With Compliance.

BACKGROUND: Smoking remains a major public health problem, and it is important to provide a variety of efficacious and appealing options to encourage smokers to quit smoking. Scheduled smoking is a method of gradual reduction, preparing smokers to quit by systematically reducing cigarette consumption according to a predetermined schedule that increases the time between cigarette consumption. Gradual reduction may be preferred to abrupt quitting, but the efficacy of this cessation approach is unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study aims, first, to evaluate the overall effectiveness of scheduled smoking alone, or in combination with precessation nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), versus standard NRT starting on the quit date with no prior smoking reduction and, second, to evaluate the impact of schedule compliance on the effectiveness of the intervention. METHODS: A total of 916 participants recruited from the Houston metropolitan area were randomly assigned to 1 of the following 3 groups: scheduled smoking plus a precessation nicotine patch (n=306, 33.4%), scheduled smoking only with no precessation patch (n=309, 33.7%), and enhanced usual care (n=301, 32.9%) control. The primary abstinence outcomes were carbon monoxide-verified, self-reported, 7-day point prevalence abstinence at 2 and 4 weeks after the quit date. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the intervention effect. Scheduled smoking was implemented using a handheld device for 3 weeks before quitting. This trial was not registered because data collection began before July 1, 2005. RESULTS: Results for the first aim showed no overall differences in abstinence among the 3 groups in both the unadjusted and adjusted models. However, the results for the second aim showed a clear effect on abstinence by schedule compliance at 2 and 4 weeks and 6 months after quitting (odds ratio [OR] 2.01, 95% CI 1.31-3.07), 4 weeks (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.05-2.38), and 6 months (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.04-2.64), with the differences at 2 and 4 weeks after quitting being the most robust. We also found that scheduled smoking was related to a reduction in nicotine withdrawal, negative affect, and craving when compared with the controls. CONCLUSIONS: Scheduled smoking, when combined with precessation use of NRT, can result in significantly higher abstinence rates than usual care (abrupt quitting with NRT), particularly in the early postquit phase (2 and 4 weeks after cessation) when smokers are compliant with the procedure. Scheduled smoking also produced a better overall quitting experience by reducing symptoms of nicotine withdrawal and craving, in comparison with usual care, which could encourage future quit attempts. Studies in this area should focus on the use of counseling or other methods to improve adherence.

Data envelopment analysis to evaluate the efficiency of tobacco treatment programs in the NCI Moonshot Cancer Center Cessation Initiative.

BACKGROUND: The Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I) is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Moonshot Program that supports NCI-designated cancer centers developing tobacco treatment programs for oncology patients who smoke. C3I-funded centers implement evidence-based programs that offer various smoking cessation treatment components (e.g., counseling, Quitline referrals, access to medications). While evaluation of implementation outcomes in C3I is guided by evaluation of reach and effectiveness (via RE-AIM), little is known about technical efficiency-i.e., how inputs (e.g., program costs, staff time) influence implementation outcomes (e.g., reach, effectiveness). This study demonstrates the application of data envelopment analysis (DEA) as an implementation science tool to evaluate technical efficiency of C3I programs and advance prioritization of implementation resources. METHODS: DEA is a linear programming technique widely used in economics and engineering for assessing relative performance of production units. Using data from 16 C3I-funded centers reported in 2020, we applied input-oriented DEA to model technical efficiency (i.e., proportion of observed outcomes to benchmarked outcomes for given input levels). The primary models used the constant returns-to-scale specification and featured cost-per-participant, total full-time equivalent (FTE) effort, and tobacco treatment specialist effort as model inputs and reach and effectiveness (quit rates) as outcomes. RESULTS: In the DEA model featuring cost-per-participant (input) and reach/effectiveness (outcomes), average constant returns-to-scale technical efficiency was 25.66 (SD = 24.56). When stratified by program characteristics, technical efficiency was higher among programs in cohort 1 (M = 29.15, SD = 28.65, n = 11) vs. cohort 2 (M = 17.99, SD = 10.16, n = 5), with point-of-care (M = 33.90, SD = 28.63, n = 9) vs. no point-of-care services (M = 15.59, SD = 14.31, n = 7), larger (M = 33.63, SD = 30.38, n = 8) vs. smaller center size (M = 17.70, SD = 15.00, n = 8), and higher (M = 29.65, SD = 30.99, n = 8) vs. lower smoking prevalence (M = 21.67, SD = 17.21, n = 8). CONCLUSION: Most C3I programs assessed were technically inefficient relative to the most efficient center benchmark and may be improved by optimizing the use of inputs (e.g., cost-per-participant) relative to program outcomes (e.g., reach, effectiveness). This study demonstrates the appropriateness and feasibility of using DEA to evaluate the relative performance of evidence-based programs.

Time-varying model of engagement with digital self reporting: Evidence from smoking cessation longitudinal studies.

Objective: Insufficient engagement is a critical barrier impacting the utility of digital interventions and mobile health assessments. As a result, engagement itself is increasingly becoming a target of studies and interventions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the dynamics of engagement in mobile health data collection by exploring whether, how, and why response to digital self-report prompts change over time in smoking cessation studies. Method: Data from two ecological momentary assessment (EMA) studies of smoking cessation among diverse smokers attempting to quit (N = 573) with a total of 65,974 digital self-report prompts. We operationalize engagement with self-reporting in term of prompts delivered and prompt response to capture both broad and more granular engagement in self-reporting, respectively. The data were analyzed to describe trends in prompt delivered and prompt response over time. Time-varying effect modeling (TVEM) was employed to investigate the time-varying effects of response to previous prompt and the average response rate on the likelihood of current prompt response. Results: Although prompt response rates were relatively stable over days in both studies, the proportion of participants with prompts delivered declined steadily over time in one of the studies, indicating that over time, fewer participants charged the device and kept it turned on (necessary to receive at least one prompt per day). Among those who did receive prompts, response rates were relatively stable. In both studies, there is a significant, positive and stable relationship between response to previous prompt and the likelihood of response to current prompt throughout all days of the study. The relationship between the average response rate prior to current prompt and the likelihood of responding to the current prompt was also positive, and increasing with time. Conclusion: Our study highlights the importance of integrating various indicators to measure engagement in digital self-reporting. Both average response rate and response to previous prompt were highly predictive of response to the next prompt across days in the study. Dynamic patterns of engagement in digital self-reporting can inform the design of new strategies to promote and optimize engagement in digital interventions and mobile health studies.

Local anaesthetic for pain post rubber band ligation of haemorrhoids: a prospective, single-blinded randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Rubber band ligation (RBL) is a widely accepted intervention for the treatment of haemorrhoids. However, post procedure pain is a common complaint. The aim of this study was to determine whether the addition of local anaesthetic (LA) to the haemorrhoid pedicle base, post RBL, aids in reducing early post-procedure pain. Additionally, to compare perceived perianal numbness, oral analgesia usage and total consumption, and adverse events. METHODS: This study was a prospective, single-blinded randomised controlled trial. Patients were recruited from colorectal clinics in two Australian hospitals between 2018-2019. Patients randomised to the intervention (LA) group received 2mls bupivacaine 0.5% with adrenaline 1:200,000 to each haemorrhoid base. Patients in the control group were not administered LA. Pain scores were recorded over 48 h using visual analogue scales. Analgesia consumption was documented and other secondary objectives were recorded dichotomously (yes/no). RESULTS: At 1 h post-procedure, patient reported pain scores were significantly lower in the LA group compared to the control group (p = 0.04). There were no significant differences in pain scores between the groups at 4, 24 or 48 h. Additionally, there were no significant differences between groups with respect to oral analgesia usage, perianal numbness or adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: LA to the haemorrhoid pedicle post RBL may significantly reduce early post procedure pain without any increased risk of adverse effects.

Rapid-cycle designs to adapt interventions for COVID-19 in safety-net healthcare systems.

Racial/ethnic minority, low socioeconomic status, and rural populations are disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Developing and evaluating interventions to address COVID-19 testing and vaccination among these populations are crucial to improving health inequities. The purpose of this paper is to describe the application of a rapid-cycle design and adaptation process from an ongoing trial to address COVID-19 among safety-net healthcare system patients. The rapid-cycle design and adaptation process included: (a) assessing context and determining relevant models/frameworks; (b) determining core and modifiable components of interventions; and (c) conducting iterative adaptations using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles. PDSA cycles included: Plan. Gather information from potential adopters/implementers (e.g., Community Health Center [CHC] staff/patients) and design initial interventions; Do. Implement interventions in single CHC or patient cohort; Study. Examine process, outcome, and context data (e.g., infection rates); and, Act. If necessary, refine interventions based on process and outcome data, then disseminate interventions to other CHCs and patient cohorts. Seven CHC systems with 26 clinics participated in the trial. Rapid-cycle, PDSA-based adaptations were made to adapt to evolving COVID-19-related needs. Near real-time data used for adaptation included data on infection hot spots, CHC capacity, stakeholder priorities, local/national policies, and testing/vaccine availability. Adaptations included those to study design, intervention content, and intervention cohorts. Decision-making included multiple stakeholders (e.g., State Department of Health, Primary Care Association, CHCs, patients, researchers). Rapid-cycle designs may improve the relevance and timeliness of interventions for CHCs and other settings that provide care to populations experiencing health inequities, and for rapidly evolving healthcare challenges such as COVID-19.

Racial/ethnic minority, low socioeconomic status, and rural populations experience a disproportionate burden of COVID-19. Finding ways to address COVID-19 among these populations is crucial to improving health inequities. The purpose of this paper is to describe the rapid-cycle design process for a research project to address COVID-19 testing and vaccination among safety-net healthcare system patients. The project used real-time information on changes in COVID-19 policy (e.g., vaccination authorization), local case rates, and the capacity of safety-net healthcare systems to iteratively change interventions to ensure interventions were relevant and timely for patients. Key changes that were made to interventions included a change to the study design to include vaccination as a focus of the interventions after the vaccine was authorized; change in intervention content according to the capacity of local Community Health Centers to provide testing to patients; and changes to intervention cohorts such that priority groups of patients were selected for intervention based on characteristics including age, residency in an infection "hot spot," or race/ethnicity. Iteratively improving interventions based on real-time data collection may increase intervention relevance and timeliness, and rapid-cycle adaptions can be successfully implemented in resource constrained settings like safety-net healthcare systems.

Socio-economic status moderates within-person associations of risk factors and smoking lapse in daily life.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Individuals of lower socio-economic status (SES) display a higher prevalence of smoking and have more diffxiculty quitting than higher SES groups. The current study investigates whether the within-person associations of key risk (e.g. stress) and protective (self-efficacy) factors with smoking lapse varies by facets of SES. DESIGN AND SETTING: Observational study using ecological momentary assessment to collect data for a 28-day period following a smoking quit attempt. Multi-level mixed models (i.e. generalized linear mixed models) examined cross-level interactions between lapse risk and protective factors and indicators of SES on smoking lapse. PARTICIPANTS: A diverse sample of 330 adult US smokers who completed a larger study examining the effects of race/ethnicity and social/environmental influences on smoking cessation. MEASUREMENTS: Risk factors included momentary urge, negative affect, stress; protective factors included positive affect, motivation, abstinence self-efficacy; SES measures: baseline measures of income and financial strain; the primary outcome was self-reported lapse. FINDINGS: Participants provided 43 297 post-quit observations. Mixed models suggested that income and financial strain moderated the effect of some risk factors on smoking lapse. The within-person association of negative [odds ratio (OR) = 0.967, 95% CI= 0.945, 0.990, P < 0.01] and positive affect (OR = 1.023, 95% CI = 1.003, 1.044, P < 0.05) and abstinence self-efficacy (OR = 1.020, 95% CI = 1.003, 1.038, P < 0.05) on lapse varied with financial strain. The within-person association of negative affect (OR = 1.005, 95% CI = 1.002, 1.008, P < 0.01), motivation (OR = 0.995, 95% CI = 0.991, 0.999, P < 0.05) and abstinence self-efficacy (OR = 0.996, 95% CI = 0.993, 0.999, P < 0.01) on lapse varied by income. The positive association of negative affect with lapse was stronger among individuals with higher income and lower financial strain. The negative association between positive affect and abstinence self-efficacy with lapse was stronger among individuals with lower financial strain, and the negative association between motivation and abstinence self-efficacy with lapse was stronger among those with higher income. The data were insensitive to detect statistically significant moderating effects of income and financial strain on the association of urge or stress with lapse. CONCLUSION: Some risk factors (e.g. momentary negative affect) exert a weaker influence on smoking lapse among lower compared to higher socio-economic status groups.

An ecological momentary assessment study of outcome expectancies and smoking lapse in daily life.

OBJECTIVE: Outcome expectancies have been identified as key components of behavior change. Expectancies related to affect control are hypothesized to play an important role in smoking cessation, such that smokers may be more likely to lapse if they believe they can control their affect by smoking and less likely if they believe they can control their affect by means other than smoking. However, little is known about whether real-time, real-world changes in affect control expectancies influence smoking lapse during a quit attempt. METHODS: A diverse sample (N = 369) of adult smokers completed ecological momentary assessment of smoking expectancies and lapse for 28 days following a quit attempt. Multilevel logistic regression was used to examine whether the difference score of positive smoking outcome expectancies (the belief that smoking would improve mood) minus positive coping outcome expectancies (the belief that something other than smoking would improve mood) was related to smoking lapse in daily life. RESULTS: There was a significant within-person association between the expectancies difference score and lapse likelihood. When the difference score was 1 unit above a person's typical level, odds of lapse increased by 18.65 % (ß = 0.174, SE = 0.024, p < .0001, OR = 1.189, 95 % CI [1.135, 1.247]). CONCLUSION: Smokers undergoing a quit attempt were more likely to lapse in moments when the difference in the belief that smoking would improve their mood minus the belief that something other than smoking would improve their mood was larger. This work has relevance for tailoring interventions to both cultivate positive coping outcome expectancies and reduce smoking outcome expectancies, and informs theoretical models about the dynamic nature of outcome expectancies.

Spacecraft sample collection and subsurface excavation of asteroid (101955) Bennu.

Carbonaceous asteroids, such as (101955) Bennu, preserve material from the early Solar System, including volatile compounds and organic molecules. We report spacecraft imaging and spectral data collected during and after retrieval of a sample from Bennu's surface. The sampling event mobilized rocks and dust into a debris plume, excavating a 9-meter-long elliptical crater. This exposed material is darker, spectrally redder, and more abundant in fine particulates than the original surface. The bulk density of the displaced subsurface material was 500 to 700 kilograms per cubic meter, which is about half that of the whole asteroid. Particulates that landed on instrument optics spectrally resemble aqueously altered carbonaceous meteorites. The spacecraft stored 250 ± 101 grams of material, which will be delivered to Earth in 2023.

Seasonal variability of ocean circulation near the Dotson Ice Shelf, Antarctica.

Recent rapid thinning of West Antarctic ice shelves are believed to be caused by intrusions of warm deep water that induce basal melting and seaward meltwater export. This study uses data from three bottom-mounted mooring arrays to show seasonal variability and local forcing for the currents moving into and out of the Dotson ice shelf cavity. A southward flow of warm, salty water had maximum current velocities along the eastern channel slope, while northward outflows of freshened ice shelf meltwater spread at intermediate depth above the western slope. The inflow correlated with the local ocean surface stress curl. At the western slope, meltwater outflows followed the warm influx along the eastern slope with a ~2-3 month delay. Ocean circulation near Dotson Ice Shelf, affected by sea ice distribution and wind, appears to significantly control the inflow of warm water and subsequent ice shelf melting on seasonal time-scales.

Search for magnetic monopoles produced via the Schwinger mechanism.

Electrically charged particles can be created by the decay of strong enough electric fields, a phenomenon known as the Schwinger mechanism1. By electromagnetic duality, a sufficiently strong magnetic field would similarly produce magnetic monopoles, if they exist2. Magnetic monopoles are hypothetical fundamental particles that are predicted by several theories beyond the standard model3-7 but have never been experimentally detected. Searching for the existence of magnetic monopoles via the Schwinger mechanism has not yet been attempted, but it is advantageous, owing to the possibility of calculating its rate through semi-classical techniques without perturbation theory, as well as that the production of the magnetic monopoles should be enhanced by their finite size8,9 and strong coupling to photons2,10. Here we present a search for magnetic monopole production by the Schwinger mechanism in Pb-Pb heavy ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, producing the strongest known magnetic fields in the current Universe11. It was conducted by the MoEDAL experiment, whose trapping detectors were exposed to 0.235 per nanobarn, or approximately 1.8 × 109, of Pb-Pb collisions with 5.02-teraelectronvolt center-of-mass energy per collision in November 2018. A superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer scanned the trapping detectors of MoEDAL for the presence of magnetic charge, which would induce a persistent current in the SQUID. Magnetic monopoles with integer Dirac charges of 1, 2 and 3 and masses up to 75 gigaelectronvolts per speed of light squared were excluded by the analysis at the 95% confidence level. This provides a lower mass limit for finite-size magnetic monopoles from a collider search and greatly extends previous mass bounds.