Measurement of airborne influenza virus in a hospital emergency department.

Size-fractionated aerosol particles were collected in a hospital emergency department to test for airborne influenza virus. Using real-time polymerase chain reaction, we confirmed the presence of airborne influenza virus and found that 53% of detectable influenza virus particles were within the respirable aerosol fraction. Our results provide evidence that influenza virus may spread through the airborne route.

Celebrate victory.

The promise of a community-partnered participatory research (CPPR) initiative to build capacity and reinforce assets is realized through a fully implemented Victory stage. This article reviews the process to plan for victory by including its goals in the main action plans and reviews several key activities that comprise the main accomplishments, which might include products for the community and scientific articles and presentations that are co-authored and co-presented; as well as partnered conferences and reflection retreats on major accomplishments and transitions. Because dealing with conflict is an important part of the work of projects in general and of developing victories, this article also reviews strategies to turn conflicts into celebrations of growth that can set the stage for the next phase of partnership development as well as for further partnered research.

The vision, valley, and victory of community engagement.

This chapter provides an overview of Community-Partnered Participatory Research (CPPR) and introduces the articles in this special issue. CPPR is a model to engage community and academic partners equally in an initiative to benefit the community while contributing to science. This article reviews the history of the partnership of community and academic institutions that developed under the leadership of Healthy African American Families. Central to the CPPR model is a framework of community engagement that includes and mobilizes the full range of community and academic stakeholders to work collaboratively. The three stages of CPPR (Vision, Valley and Victory) are reviewed, along with the organization and purpose of the guidebook presented as articles in this issue.

Work through the valley: evaluate.

While all stages of a community-partnered participatory research (CPPR) initiative involve evaluation, the main focus is the evaluation of the action plans, which often involves the most rigorous evaluation activities of the project, from both a community-engagement and scientific perspective. This article reviews evaluation principles for a community-based project, and describes the goals and functions of the Council's research and evaluation committee. It outlines 10 steps to partnered evaluation, and concludes by emphasizing the importance of asset-based evaluation that builds capacity for the community and the partnership.

Begin your partnership: the process of engagement.

Community Partnered-Participatory Research (CPPR) is based on and utilizes community engagement as its central method and principle. In this chapter, we explain the key differences between engaging the community vs merely involving the community. The chapter also reviews the plan-do-action cycle of work that is used in each stage of CPPR. We define five key values of CPPR: respect for diversity, openness, equality, redirected power (empowerment), and an asset-based approach. In addition, we present 12 operational principles, which guide work throughout every stage of all CPPR initiatives.

Develop a vision.

The Vision stage is the development of the agreed-upon framework for the study, including identifying the issue, the community, the stakeholders, and major aspects of the approach. Achieving the Vision requires planning through a Framing Committee, agreeing on a vision by sharing perspectives and identifying commonalities or "win-wins" that hold the partnership together for community benefit, and evaluating the emergence of the Vision and the partnership. Here, we review tools and strategies.

Work through the valley: plan.

This first of three chapters on the Valley stage, or main work of a Community-Partnered Participatory Research (CPPR) initiative, concerns the planning phase of the work cycle. The main goal of this phase is to develop an action plan, which clarifies the goals, methods, responsible individuals, and timeline for doing the work. Further, this chapter reviews approaches, such as creativity and use of humor, that help level the playing field and assure community co-leadership with academic partners in developing effective action plans.

Work through the valley: do.

Much of the work for a community-partnered participatory research (CPPR) initiative is done in committees that operate under the principles of CPPR and the vision of the partnership, while implementing the action plans of the initiative. Action plans are developed in work group meetings and sponsored events that engage the community in discussion about programs or new policy directions. This article provides detailed recommendations for conducting meetings, completing assignments, and running events as the main body of work.

Analysis of immunotoxicity by enumeration of antibody-producing B cells.

The plaque-forming cell (PFC) assay measures the humoral immune response mediated by the concerted actions of antigen-presenting cells, T lymphocytes, and B lymphocytes. The most common form of the plaque method is used for the detection of murine primary IgM antibodies directed against the T cell-dependent sheep red blood cell (sRBC) surface antigens. Research has shown that the PFC response to sRBC is not only an excellent monitor of the primary effector function of the B cell, but that it may be the most sensitive immune parameter currently available to identify chemical perturbation. Several modifications and variations of the PFC assay are described in detail in this unit.