bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
DEVELOPING A CULTURALLY TAILORED INTERVENTION FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN PARENT–ADULT DAUGHTER DEMENTIA DYADS
Authors: Johnson Kalisha Bonds , Lyons Karen , Monin Joan , Daniel Gaea , Powell Wizdom , Hepburn Kenneth 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
African American older adults are suggested to be two times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) compared to non-Hispanic White older adults. Thus, there is a need for more African American care partners. The largest group of care partners of African American persons living with ADRD, African American adult daughters, must navigate formal care decision making through the lens of race, gender, culture, and associated health disparities. Formal care—paid health care services for older adults usually associated with an institution— is important in the treatment of ADRD and maintenance of quality of life. Guided by the NIA Health Disparities Research Framework, Black Family Social-Ecological Context Model, and Superwoman Schema (SWS), this presentation will describe the first aim of this explanatory sequential design of a culturally tailored prototype intervention to support the formal care decision-making process for African American parent-adult daughter dementia dyads. Results from the preliminary analysis of 20 dyads highlight most are mother-daughter dyads (90%) with parents, on average, experiencing moderate cognitive impairment. Both parents and adult daughters report “good” health, “some” difficulty with family listening to their opinions, moderate to high decision self-efficacy, and moderate quality of life. Daughters report low SWS characteristics but high cultural justification for caregiving. Using these results, we will showcase the next steps of data collection, how theory guided our study, the intentionality of relationships status, and the role of community engagement as important considerations for dyadic prototype intervention development.
MIXED-METHODS RESEARCH DESIGNS FOR EARLY-PHASE DYADIC HEALTH RESEARCH
Authors: McCarthy Michael , Cerino Eric , McCoy Megan , Martinez Margarita 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Individuals and family caregivers living in rural areas face a double bind when it comes to health. First, they may be at increased risk for chronic health conditions. Second, they are frequently hampered in seeking support for these conditions due to factors including geographic isolation, cultural barriers, and lack of financial resources. These inequities result in delayed diagnosis and treatment and poor health outcomes. Researchers seeking to address these issues are often faced with recruitment challenges in small rural communities and subsequently modest sample sizes. Mixed-methods designs offer advantages for early-phase dyadic studies including strengthening participant engagement, maximizing resources, surfacing new questions to be explored in future research, and in general, providing a deeper understanding of the phenomenon being studied. In this presentation, we draw on several of our mixed-methods early-phase dyadic studies in stroke, dementia, and cognitive health to provide examples. We identify mixed-methods designs that deepen understanding in early-phase dyadic health research and the advantages of certain mixed-methods designs for certain inquiries. Finally, we discuss recommendations for maximizing the approach, and strategies for blending analytical methods.
INTENTIONAL EVALUATION OF DYADIC BENEFITS OF EARLY-PHASE INTERVENTIONS: ROLES OF PRETEST RISK AND RELATIONAL IMPACT
Authors: Lyons Karen , Russell Luke , Johnson Kalisha Bonds , Brewster Glenna , Miller Lyndsey 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
The evaluation of early-phase (i.e., Stage I, NIH Stage Model), small sample dyadic interventions is still primarily focused on testing separate effects for each member of the older adult-care partner dyad, rather than the benefits for dyads as a whole. Moreover, there is little attention to assessing pre-test risk status within dyads (especially in quasi-experimental or single-arm designs) or the relational impact of interventions. We first examined pre-test risk status across several outcomes (e.g., depressive symptoms, self-efficacy, communication) in 39 dyads and found 37-68% of older adults with chronic illness were at-risk at baseline; 40-79% of care partners; and 15-53% of dyads. Second, we examined dyadic benefits of a health behavior intervention, using two approaches, and found above zero approaches may deflate dyadic benefits compared to pre-test risk approaches. We used a pattern analysis to examine benefits across outcomes and within dyads and found 40% of dyads who received the intervention had expected positive outcomes for depressive symptoms and self-efficacy; 20% had expected positive scores for depressive symptoms, self-efficacy and aerobic exercise; and 13% had expected positive scores for all five target outcomes. Dyads where both members had highest pre-test risk level did not experience expected dyadic benefits. Finally, although we did not find strong evidence the intervention improved communication compared to a wait-list condition, there was no evidence it resulted in worse communication. Implications of using each approach and selecting different benchmarks for defining success are discussed. Results provide rationale for more intentional evaluation of small-sample, early-phase dyadic interventions.
SINGLE-CELL ANALYSIS OF SOMATIC MUTATIONS IN HUMAN LUNG REVEALS ASSOCIATION WITH TRANSCRIPTIONAL CHANGES IN AGING
Authors: De Man Ruben , Adams Taylor , McDonough John , Cala-Garcia Juan , Moss Benjamin , Yan Xiting , Rosas Ivan , Kaminski Naftali 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Age is a major risk factor for lung disease. Accumulation of somatic mutations has been implicated in both aging and cellular senescence. We analyzed somatic mutations called from single-cell RNAseq (scRNAseq) data. scRNAseq was performed on lung parenchyma samples from healthy donors (32 samples, 11-72 years, 21M/11F). Following standard pre-processing and cell type annotation, mutations were called using SComatic with the default parameters. Mutation burden was calculated for each cell type-sample combination by dividing the number of mutations by the number of callable sites. Our resulting scRNAseq dataset consisted of 199,400 cells, comprising 25 distinct cell types. Mutation burden was highest in alveolar type 1 (AT1) cells (93.6 mutations/MB), alveolar macrophages (79.1), and general capillary (gCap) cells (62.1). Mutation burden was positively correlated with age (r=0.28, p&lt; 0.001). Globally, the top genes correlated with mutation burden included ubiquitin ligase genes (AMBRA1, ANAPC1, SEL1L, USP25, USP33) and DNA damage response genes (RAD50, PRKDC). Notably, mutation burden also correlated with expression of senescence marker CDKN2A (r=0.48, p&lt; 0.05). In AT1 cells, mutation burden correlated with decreased expression of cell marker genes such as AGER (r=-0.64, p&lt; 0.05) and HOPX (r=-0.83, p&lt; 0.05). Similarly, gCap cells exhibited decreased expression of marker genes Il7R (r=-0.54) and VIPR1 (r=-0.64), while MAPK/ERK signaling genes were increased (p &lt; 0.05). These genes were also significantly correlated with age in the same direction (p &lt; 0.05). These results suggest that somatic mutation accumulation may contribute to age-associated transcriptional changes and loss of cell function, with cell types of the alveoli and endothelium experiencing the greatest effects.
AN INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION TO SUPPORT AGING RESEARCH IN GHANA
Authors: Washington Tiffany , Bortey Dennis , Epps Fayron , Gore Janelle , Dey Venance 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Nearly 3 million people live with dementia in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, ineffective methods for increasing detection and raising awareness contribute to stigma about dementia. By leveraging the resources of universities in developed countries, global community engaged research can increase knowledge and education about dementia in SSA. Using a collaboration between Ghanian community partners and two research-intensive universities in the U.S. as a case example, this paper offers guidance on conducting community-engaged aging research in Ghana. The Alter Program is a dementia education initiative to increase dementia-friendly spaces in faith communities. We used thematic analysis of field notes to identify key components of building international partnerships centered on dementia education. Five were identified: ethics review, relationship-building with community partners, identifying community needs, cultural adaptations, and capacity building. Future research can leverage these aspects of community-universities partnerships to increase dementia knowledge and attitudes in SSA countries.
THE VALUE OF COMMUNITY–UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIPS IN GHANA: IMPLEMENTING CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE DEMENTIA EDUCATION
Authors: Gore Janelle , Epps Fayron 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias have not been given much attention in sub-Saharan Africa. Although the prevalence of dementia in Ghana is not yet established, those who present cognitive impairment are often stigmatized, discriminated against, or physically harmed by community members. The mistreatment may be due to a lack of dementia knowledge and awareness in Ghana. Recognizing the critical need to increase dementia knowledge and awareness in Ghana, Alzheimer’s Ghana (Ghana), AlterDementia (US), and researchers from the University of Georgia and Emory University (US) partnered to develop and implement a culturally adapted and relevant dementia education intervention. Through a series of collaborative sessions, both organizations and researchers co-created educational materials and intervention strategies addressing dementia awareness and knowledge. Education sessions consisted of a dementia overview, brain health overview, community testimonies, local resources, question and answer session, and closing remarks. Community-based participatory research principles were used to engage public officials, faith-based organizations, television personalities, healthcare professionals, secondary school educators, and researchers in Ghana to facilitate nine dementia education sessions, spanning 15-90 minutes, to over 800 participants across four regions of Ghana. Surveys and field notes were used to collect demographic and dementia knowledge and awareness data. Preliminary findings suggest promising avenues for improving dementia knowledge and reducing stigma. This work underscores the value of community-university partnerships to culturally adapt evidence-based interventions to advance ongoing community initiatives addressing dementia.
GHANAIAN NURSING STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES IN CARING FOR OLDER ADULTS IN ACUTE CARE SETTINGS
Authors: Abudu-Birresborn Diana , Puts Martine , McCleary Lynn , Chu Charlene , Yakong Vida , Cranley Lisa 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Evidence suggests that nursing students’ experiences in acute care settings may negatively impact their views on caring for older adults, resulting in poor interest and quality of care. However, Ghanaian nursing students’ experiences caring for older adults are unknown. We aimed to explore students’ experiences in caring for older adults to help develop and improve strategies, that promote students’ positive experiences and promote quality of care for older adults. We employed a descriptive qualitative approach and interviewed 17 second and third-year nursing students since they had clinical exposure. Interviews were conducted face-to-face and via telephone from November 2020- December 2020 and lasted 45-60 minutes. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, coded, and sorted with Nvivo. Data were analyzed and interpreted, themes were generated using critical thematic analysis and contextual meanings students ascribed to their responses. Two broad themes were generated. 1) experiences in caring for older adults and 2) inadequate staff and resources. Students had challenging experiences caring for older adults who were dependent and unable to manage their activities of daily living. They described caring for older adults as physically and emotionally demanding. They noted that limited staff and resources constrained caring for older adults which frustrated them when providing care. However, they expressed caring for older adults as a positive learning experience as they perceive them as a source of wisdom and blessings. Nurse leaders and administrators can help shape students’ experiences caring for older adults by ensuring adequate staff and resources and supporting students’ clinical learning.
MOMENTARY ASSESSMENT OF SOCIAL DISCONNECTION IN OLDER ADULTS AT HEIGHTENED RISK FOR SUICIDE
Authors: Bower Emily , Loskot Taylor , Van Orden Kimberly 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Social disconnection is a proximal and modifiable risk factor for suicide among older adults. Identifying periods of acute or intensified disconnection can inform just-in-time interventions for individuals at heightened risk for suicide. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) using mobile devices is feasible and acceptable for older adults, and is a promising method for capturing daily changes in social disconnection. To assess preliminary validity of EMA for assessing social disconnection in older adults at heightened risk for suicide, we compare mobile EMA to paper-and-pencil assessments of social disconnection within a sample of older adults with subjective cognitive decline (n=27, mean age=69 years, 81% female). Participants completed baseline paper-and-pencil measures of social disconnection (INQ) and depression symptoms, then completed daily surveys (EMA) that were delivered to their smartphone up to 4 times a day for 14 days. Three EMA LIkert-type items items assessed aspects of social disconnection (burdensomeness, belonging, and disconnection). Participants completed a mean of 37.2 surveys with an average response rate of 67%. EMA items correlated strongly with INQ scores (r’s=.6-.7) and depression (r’s=.5-.7). Intercorrelations among EMA items were low to moderate (r’s=.3-.6), suggesting items assessed unique aspects of social disconnection. Among 19 participants who reported no perceived burden on the INQ, 63% reported daily variability in the EMA burden item. Additional analyses will examine within-person variations in EMA items using multilevel mixed models. Findings provide initial evidence of validity for mobile EMA to assess momentary changes in social disconnection among older adults at heightened risk for suicide.
DYNAMICS OF DAILY LONELINESS AND DIURNAL CORTISOL
Authors: Van Bogart Karina , Almeida David , Felt John , Rush Jonathan , Cerino Eric , Charles Susan 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Loneliness impedes healthy aging. Previous research shows robust findings between loneliness and poor health, including stress-related diseases and conditions (e.g., cardiovascular disease). Less is known about how loneliness experienced in daily life relates to indices of health, such as diurnal cortisol level patterns. The slope of diurnal cortisol shows a peak upon waking from sleep and a nadir close to bedtime; however, specific rhythms of cortisol slopes fluctuate in daily life. Emerging research suggests that capturing the dynamic range of diurnal cortisol in daily life could be an important marker of allostatic load (i.e., the cumulative burden of chronic stress), with a compressed range indicating dysregulation and a wider range suggesting a more adaptive cortisol profile. In the current research, we investigated whether daily self-reported loneliness related to the dynamic range of diurnal cortisol (calculated via 4 days of salivary cortisol collection, 4 times a day) and explored age differences across the lifespan. Data come from a national daily assessment study with participants ranging between 25-75 years old who completed 8 days of daily diary assessments on loneliness and other factors in daily life. Findings from the current analyses will be presented in the context of how the dynamic range of cortisol might serve as a potential mechanism for outcomes related to loneliness in later life.
THE LANGUAGE OF LONELINESS: ANALYZING UNSTRUCTURED SPEECH TO DETECT LONELINESS AND SOCIAL ISOLATION
Authors: Lee Ellen , Wang Ning , Badal varsha , Goel Sanchit , Subbalakshmi Koduvayur 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
The mental and physical toll of loneliness and social isolation lead to increased mortality for older adults. Early detection of social disconnection will aid in delivering timely interventions, however current assessments involve long surveys that cannot capture the individualized experiences of loneliness. Our group has been analyzing unstructured speech data using Natural Language Processing (NLP)and openSMILE as well as identifying linguistic and audio features that are associated with social disconnection among older adults. We will present our findings from using linguistic features alone, thematic categories, analyses of different interview segments, sex differences, and audio features. We will also present the association of social disconnection with longitudinal physical, mental, and cognitive outcomes in a community-dwelling healthy aging sample in San Diego. The sample includes older adults living independently in senior housing communities who have completed semi-structured interviews, sleep and physical activity assessments using wearable fitness trackers, a cognitive assessment battery, and clinical assessments for mental health concerns.
DAILY SLEEP, SOCIAL ENCOUNTERS, AND MOMENTARY LONELINESS IN LATE LIFE
Authors: Zhou Zexi , Fingerman Karen 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Social experiences have implications for well-being in late life, and everyday sleep may play an important role in shaping those experiences. This study examines the associations between sleep, quality of social encounters, and momentary loneliness in older adults’ daily life. We used the ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data over 5 to 6 days from the Daily Experiences and Well-being Study (N = 287, Mage = 74.88). Every morning, older adults reported their sleep the prior night (e.g., duration, subjective quality, disturbances). At each three-hour assessment, they reported encounters with close social partners and partners not identified as close (i.e., less close partners), indicated the pleasantness and stressfulness of each encounter, and rated their feelings of loneliness. Multilevel models showed that older adults who overall reported higher sleep quality or fewer sleep disturbances also had more pleasant encounters and fewer stressful encounters with both close and less close social partners across the study period. More pleasant and less stressful social encounters with close partners were associated with feeling less lonely especially on days when older adults had better sleep the prior night, compared to days when they had worse prior night’s sleep. Higher-quality encounters with less close social partners were associated with feeling less lonely throughout the day regardless of prior night’s sleep. Findings suggest the promotive and protective role that better sleep plays in older adults’ everyday social life, and highlight the robust benefits that positive social encounters with less close ties may confer in mitigating loneliness in late life.
SHORT-TERM ASSOCIATIONS OF ACTIVITY ENGAGEMENT WITH COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE
Authors: Luo Minxia , Driver Charles , Scott Stacey , Zavala Daisy , Hall Charles , Roecke Christina 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Prior research showed that activity engagement had short-term effects on numerical working memory over hours in German-speaking older adults. However, it is unclear whether these effects could be generalized to other cognitive outcomes and populations. This study examined short-term associations of activity engagement with cognitive performance using data from two studies that included adults of different demographic backgrounds in the US. That is, 16 days’ data from 282 older adults aged 70 to 90 years (M = 76.62, SD = 4.68; 66% women; 44% White, 40% Black, 11% Hispanic White, 3% Hispanic Black) from the Einstein Aging Study (EAS) and 14 days’ data from 260 participants aged 25 to 65 (M = 46.49, SD =11.09; 65% women; 8% White, 63% Black, 18% Hispanic White, 6% Hispanic Black) from the Effects of Stress on Cognitive Aging, Physiology, and Emotion Project (ESCAPE). For 4 or 5 times per day, participants reported whether they engaged in different social and cognitive activities (e.g., social interactions, TV watching) and completed smartphone cognitive assessments (i.e., processing speed, spatial working memory). Using hierarchical continuous-time dynamic modeling, we did not find any time-lagged associations between activity engagement and cognitive performance. Additionally, age, sex, and race-ethnicity did not moderate the time-lagged associations. Our results suggest that activity engagement did not have short-term effects on processing speed and spatial working memory in young and older populations with ethnic and racial diversity.
MOMENTARY INTERACTIONS WITH FRIENDS AND CARE RECIPIENTS AND CARDIOVASCULAR REACTIVITY IN DEMENTIA CAREGIVERS
Authors: Ng Yee To 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Friends may serve as an important resource for dementia caregivers who often experience stress and heightened cardiovascular risk. This study examines momentary associations between friend interactions and cardiovascular reactivity, and tests whether friend interactions moderate the association between interaction with the care recipients (CRs; both positive and negative) and cardiovascular reactivity among Black and White dementia caregivers. Using Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMA), 159 dementia caregivers (Mean age: 62.24, 60% White) reported interactions with CRs (including time spent and levels of positivity and negativity) and indicated any friend interactions every 3 hours over five days. ECG monitors collected real-time physiological data (including heart rate [HR] and heart rate variability [HRV-RMSSD]). Findings revealed no racial differences in contact frequency with friends. Although Black caregivers spent less time with CRs, they reported similar levels of positive and negative interactions with CRs than White caregivers. While positive interactions with CRs were not associated with HR or HRV among caregivers, negative interactions with CRs were linked to momentary increases in HR, observed only among Black caregivers. Moreover, friend interactions were linked to momentary elevation in HR and reduction in HRV for both Black and White caregivers. However, friend interactions did not moderate the effect of negative interactions with CRs on cardiovascular reactivity. This study highlights racial disparities in the amount of time spent with the care recipients and its momentary effects on cardiovascular health. Friend interactions may not alleviate the impact of caregiving on cardiovascular burden but remain linked to momentary cardiovascular health.