Movement through motherhood: Exploring mood, wellbeing, and prenatal emotional availability (EA) through EA-based dance intervention.

Emotional availability (EA) is a construct that describes the observed emotional connection in parent-child relationships. During pregnancy, EA is assessed only using caregiver sensitivity and nonhostility. We used the nonverbal aspects of these qualities to create a new dance/movement intervention ("EA-Based Dance Intervention"). Given the scarcity of pregnancy interventions, we provided training to participants on how to be emotionally engaged with their unborn babies through dance/movement. The EA-Based Dance Intervention alone comprised the first intervention arm (n = 12). A second intervention arm involved the combination of EA-Based Dance Intervention with brief psychoeducation (n = 10). The third arm was a control group, which received only the assessments (n = 7). Measures of self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety, emotional expressivity, flourishing, and the (newly developed) self-reported prenatal EA were used at pre- and posttest. The measure of observed prenatal EA was used to compare intervention versus control at posttest only. In this pilot study, we found that participants receiving the EA-Based Dance Intervention alone or combined with psychoeducation, self-reported improved anxiety symptoms and self-reported higher prenatal EA. When compared with the control group, those experiencing EA-Based Dance Intervention reported fewer depressive symptoms from pre- to posttest.

La disponibilidad emocional (EA) es una construcción que describe la observada conexión emocional en las relaciones entre progenitor y niño. Durante el embarazo, EA se evalúa solamente usando la sensibilidad y el nivel de no hostilidad de quien presta el cuidado. Usamos los aspectos no verbales de estas cualidades para crear una nueva intervención de baile/movimiento ("Intervención de Baile con Base en la Disponibilidad Emocional"). Dada la escasez de intervenciones de embarazo, les ofrecimos entrenamiento a las participantes en cuanto a cómo interactuar emocionalmente con sus bebés no nacidos por medio del baile/movimiento. La Intervención de Baile con Base en la Disponibilidad Emocional abarca por sí sola el primer grupo o brazo de la intervención (n = 12). Un segundo grupo o brazo de intervención incluyó la combinación de la Intervención de Baile con Base en la Disponibilidad Emocional con psicoeducación breve (n = 10). El tercer grupo o brazo de intervención fue un grupo de control, el cual sólo recibió las evaluaciones (n = 7). Anterior y posteriormente a la prueba, se usaron medidas de auto reportados síntomas de depresión y ansiedad, de expresividad emocional, de mejorar y salir adelante, y la (recién desarrollada) EA prenatal auto reportada. La medida de EA prenatal observada se usó para comparar los grupos de intervención vs. de control sólo con posterioridad a la prueba. En este estudio piloto, encontramos que las participantes que recibían la Intervención de Baile con Base en la Disponibilidad Emocional solamente o combinada con psicoeducación, auto reportaron mejoras en los síntomas de ansiedad y auto reportaron una EA prenatal más alta. Cuando se les comparó con el grupo de control, quienes experimentaban la Intervención de Baile con Base en la Disponibilidad Emocional reportaron menos síntomas depresivos desde antes hasta después de la prueba.

Mother-Child and Father-Child Emotional Availability during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

While the body of literature on COVID-19's impacts on family life is rapidly expanding, most studies are based entirely on self-report data, leaving a critical gap in observational studies of parent-child interactions. The goal of this study was to evaluate parent-child relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic using the observational emotional availability (EA) construct. Parents (n = 43) were assessed using the Epidemic-Pandemic Impacts Inventory (EPII), the Flourishing Scale (FLS), and the adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) questionnaires. The subcategories of the EPII were used to develop an EPII negative and an EPII positive for each parent. EA (sensitivity, structuring, nonhostility, nonintrusiveness, child responsiveness, and child involvement) was coded from filmed parent-child interactions. Separate hierarchical multiple regressions (HMRs) were run to evaluate each of the variables of interest (EPII and FLS) as predictive of EA. Child age (M = 6, SD = 4.68) and ACEs were added in subsequent steps for EPII negative and positive if the initial step was significant. For mothers (n = 25), results demonstrated EPII negative as a significant predictor of EA with child age and ACEs adding only small amount of variance to the prediction. The same HMR process was repeated for flourishing, with the covariate child age alone. For fathers (n = 18), flourishing was a significant predictor of EA and child age added only a small amount of variance to the prediction. Results indicate that experiencing high COVID-19-related stressors is associated with lower EA for mothers, but not fathers. Having high levels of flourishing during the pandemic was predictive of higher EA for fathers, but not mothers.

Enhancing Postoperative Pain Management and Decreasing Hospital Length of Stay on a Pediatric Orthopedic Unit: Implementation of an Ambulatory Continuous Peripheral Nerve Block Program.

PURPOSE: Pediatric Ambulatory Continuous Peripheral Nerve Block (ACPNB) programs are a safe and effective pain management modality that can reduce patient length of stay (LOS) while ensuring optimal, multimodal pain management at home after surgery. Our institution previously solely used electronic infusion pumps to deliver local anesthetic via peripheral nerve catheters, requiring postoperative inpatient admissions for pain management. We aimed to enhance postoperative pain management and decrease hospital LOS after orthopedic foot and ankle surgery through implementation of an ACPNB program. DESIGN: An ACPNB program was developed and implemented for pediatric patients undergoing foot and ankle reconstruction surgery. METHODS: We provide a detailed description of the multidepartment collaboration led by the acute pain service (APS) and orthopedics that resulted in the development and implementation of a pediatric ACPNB program using portable, elastomeric devices for patients undergoing reconstructive foot and ankle surgery. Implementation tools, including caregiver and nursing education resources, a data collection log, a process map, and staff surveys are shared. FINDINGS: Twenty-eight patients received elastomeric devices during the 12 months of data collection. All 28 patients who required a continuous peripheral nerve block (CPNB) for pain management following foot and ankle reconstruction surgery received their block via an elastomeric device rather than an electronic hospital infusion pump. All patients and caregivers expressed positive satisfaction with pain management after hospital discharge. No patient with an elastomeric device required scheduled opioids for pain management by the end of their hospital admission. LOS on the orthopedic inpatient unit for foot and ankle surgery decreased by 58%, representing an estimated 29 days and $27,557.88 saved. A majority (96.4%) of staff survey respondents reported feeling satisfied with their overall experience working with an elastomeric device. CONCLUSIONS: The successful implementation of a pediatric ACPNB program has led to positive patient outcomes, including a significant decrease in hospital LOS and health system cost savings for this patient population.

Driving error and anxiety related to iPod mp3 player use in a simulated driving experience.

Driver distraction due to cellular phone usage has repeatedly been shown to increase the risk of vehicular accidents; however, the literature regarding the use of other personal electronic devices while driving is relatively sparse. It was hypothesized that the usage of an mp3 player would result in an increase in not only driving error while operating a driving simulator, but driver anxiety scores as well. It was also hypothesized that anxiety scores would be positively related to driving errors when using an mp3 player. 32 participants drove through a set course in a driving simulator twice, once with and once without an iPod mp3 player, with the order counterbalanced. Number of driving errors per course, such as leaving the road, impacts with stationary objects, loss of vehicular control, etc., and anxiety were significantly higher when an iPod was in use. Anxiety scores were unrelated to number of driving errors.

Nanoporous Ni-Ce0.8Gd0.2O1.9-x thin film cermet SOFC anodes prepared by pulsed laser deposition.

Nickel oxide-gadolinia-doped ceria thin films with a ceria composition of 80 at% Ce and 20 at% Gd were grown by pulsed laser deposition on sapphire and SiO2/Si wafers as well as on yttria stabilized zirconia polycrystalline substrates. Upon reduction of the NiO phase in a H2/N2 atmosphere at 600 degrees C, a stable three-phase, 3-D interconnecting microstructure was obtained of metallic Ni, ceramic, and pores. Coarsening and segregation of the Ni to the surface of the film was observed at higher temperatures. The kinetics of this process depend strongly on the microstructures that can be developed in situ during deposition or post-deposition heat treatments. In situ minimization of Ni-coarsening can be achieved at temperatures as low as 500 degrees C when the deposition pressure does not exceed 0.02 mbar. For films deposited at higher pressure and at temperatures below 800 degrees C, coarsening can be minimized post deposition by annealing in air at 1000 degrees C. The films showed very good metallic conductivity and stability upon thermal cycling in a reducing atmosphere. Redox cycles performed at 600 degrees C between air and H2 induced a loss of connectivity of the metallic phase and consequent degradation of the conductivity. After 16 cycles, corresponding to 65 hrs, the conductivity is reduced by one order of magnitude.

Oxidation states of Co and Fe in Ba(1-x)Sr(x)Co(1-y)Fe(y)O(3-delta) (x, y = 0.2-0.8) and oxygen desorption in the temperature range 300-1273 K.

Four compositions of Ba(1-x)Sr(x)Co(1-y)Fe(y)O(3-delta) were studied for phase, oxygen uptake-release, and transition metal (TM) oxidation states after solid state processing and with in situ heating from 300 to 1273 K in air. X-Ray diffraction showed that all compositions except one had the cubic perovskite structure at all temperatures; that with x, y = 0.2 was a mixture as prepared, becoming predominantly cubic at high temperature. Thermogravimetry showed a reversible oxygen absorption-desorption of approximately +/-1% from 700 to 1273 K. X-Ray absorption and Mössbauer spectroscopy showed a majority TM(3+) valence, with at most 40% TM(4+). Up to a temperature of 1073 K, the TM(4+) was reduced to TM(3+). Further heating of the composition with x, y = 0.2 to 1233 K resulted in the reduction of Co(3+) to Co(2+). Results from room temperature measurements confirm the thermally activated carrier hopping mechanism with charge fluctuations, while the high temperature delocalized carrier conductivity occurs with a small amount of TM reduction and without phase change for the initially cubic samples.