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Exploring Career Pathways Of The Occupational Therapy Afwc Role: A Review Of Push, Pull, And Stay Factors, Kimberley Persons, Patricia Laverdure, Elizabeth Lequieu, Elizabeth D. Deiuliis

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Academic Fieldwork Coordinators (AFWCs) are essential to occupational therapy (OT) education, yet little is known about the career pathways, retention, and attrition associated with this role. With increasing faculty turnover, understanding the factors that influence AFWC career decisions is critical. This mixed-methods study surveyed 187 OT educators across the US, including current, former, and never-serving AFWCs. A researcher-designed Qualtrics survey gathered demographic, quantitative, and open-ended qualitative data. Quantitative data were analyzed using chi-square tests; qualitative responses underwent thematic analysis. Respondents reported psychological (e.g., burnout, satisfaction), job (e.g., mentoring, administrative burden), organizational (e.g., support, workload), and leadership/team (e.g., recognition, collaboration) factors …

Optimizing Academic Success For Otd Students: A Lassi-Based Pre/Posttest Study On Intervention Effectiveness, Mica Rutschke, Dailen Castillo, Lauren Peyton

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Graduate students frequently experience heightened anxiety that can interfere with academic performance, well-being, and persistence in graduate programs. This pilot study explored the effectiveness of a targeted academic intervention for Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) students using the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) as a pre/post assessment tool. Ten first-year OTD students completed the LASSI at program entry and again after participating in a faculty-led intervention focused on growth mindset and anxiety management strategies. The intervention included a lunch-hour educational session on evidence-based techniques, such as mindfulness, test-taking skills, cognitive reframing, and stress regulation. Faculty advisors also used individualized LASSI …

Deliberate Practice In Occupational Therapy Education: A Conceptual Model For Professional Growth, Suzanne Marasco, Matthew A. Witenstein

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

In response to national calls for a more representative health care workforce, this conceptual paper proposes the Model of Deliberate Occupational Therapy Practice (MDOTP), which aims to enhance pedagogical strategies related to supporting, engaging, and leveraging students’ unique cultural and experiential assets. Grounded in the scholarship of integration, authors draw from three theoretical frameworks, Funds of Knowledge, Therapeutic Use of Self, and Street-Level Bureaucracy, to provide a robust foundation for refining psychosociocultural approaches in occupational therapy education. After describing the MDOTP, a subsequent set of Guiding Principles (encourage reflective practice, development of the professional self, incorporate community-based learning, and promote …

The Empower Model: A Framework For Fostering Neurodivergent Occupational Participation And Supporting Neurodiversity-Affirming Occupational Therapy Practice, Bryden Carlson-Giving

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Neurodivergent occupations are ways of embodying life and experiencing the world that speak true to their neurotype; they are vivid, complex, and need to be fostered by the occupational therapy profession. Though the neurodiversity movement is garnering increased attention in the profession, the medical model of disability remains the dominating lens influencing occupational therapy services. Neuronormativity remains the ideal form of participation, which can lead to occupational therapists manifesting occupational marginalization with their neurodivergent clients. To date, there is a lack of practical frameworks supporting occupational therapists in integrating neurodiversity-affirming and anti-ableist principles into everyday occupational therapy practice. This paper …

Occupational Therapy For Ostomy Patients In Acute Care: A Case Series, Carolina Orozco, John V. Rider, Pamela Morales

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Ostomy surgery, which diverts stool or urine through an abdominal stoma, significantly impacts individuals’ physical and psychosocial functioning. Skilled education and training are required to promote independence in ostomy self-care. Occupational therapists are uniquely equipped to address these needs through holistic, person-centered approaches.

Method: This retrospective descriptive case series examines the integration of occupational therapy services, including ostomy-specific evaluation and intervention, for three patients in an acute care hospital.

Results: Three cases, varying in age, diagnosis, and functional status, demonstrate individualized occupational therapy interventions targeting activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, and health management, emphasizing ostomy …

Interventions For Lgbtq+ Youth: A Scoping Review To Support Occupational Therapy Practice In The United States, Ricardo D. Ramirez, Iris Nosek, Alexandrea Guiritan, Annalise Valente, Francinne Fotopoulos, Jennifer Westrick

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Youth in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and other dissident genders and sexualities (LGBTQ+) community face extensive health disparities and dynamic political landscapes. Occupational therapy (OT) has potential to support LGBTQ+ youth; however, there is limited guidance for occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants seeking to implement evidence-based interventions with this population. Therefore, the purpose of this scoping review was to examine interventions within the scope of OT to support LGBTQ+ youth.

Method: We used Arksey and O'Malley’s framework to guide this scoping review and searched five databases: PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Google Scholar. Using …

Autism And Air Travel, Joceline Rodriguez, Riley Rynders, Mckenzie Guth, Divya Sood

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Autistic children frequently encounter several difficulties during travel, especially in airport environments. This research study aimed to investigate the perceptions of parents of autistic children, as well as airport and airline staff, regarding the support available and barriers these children encounter during air travel.

Method: A qualitative descriptive design was used, involving data collection through interviews with two distinct groups of participants: airport and airline staff (n = 4) and caregivers of autistic children (n = 5).

Results: Caregiver participants shared that having access to quiet spaces, sensory rooms, and more readily available information on accommodation …

Group Occupational Therapy Sessions Using Hippotherapy: Growth Of Resilience And Leadership In Youth Facing Adversity, Marra I. Robert, Julie Jacob, Gerry Conti, Laura Alegre

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Youth experiencing adversity face significant challenges and are more likely to experience mental health concerns, low self-confidence, and difficulty with leadership skills, impacting their future occupational potential. This study examined the impact of using hippotherapy in a group occupational therapy intervention on the resilience, mental health, and leadership of youth facing adversity.

Method: Twenty-one youth experiencing adversity participated in a 10-week group occupational therapy intervention. Using a single-group pretest/posttest mixed-methods design, the Resilience Scale for Children and Adolescents (RSCA) was administered pr and postintervention alongside structured interviews.

Results: Quantitative results indicated statistically significant improvements in emotional …

Experiences Of Parents Of Children Diagnosed With Eating Disorders, Elizabeth C. Larson Traver, Crystal C. Barchacky

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Eating disorders are diagnoses found throughout the world regardless of race, gender, and age. Recovery for these diagnoses are typically demanding and on-going, leading parents and caregivers of those diagnosed to face substantial stress throughout the process. While many treatments use caregivers as agents of change, these are established with the client in mind and do little to aid the families through their own stress and decline in well-being.

Method: This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of 10 caregivers during their children's recovery through in-depth interviews regarding that time of their lives. Participants were recruited via …

Promoting The Well-Being Of Refugee Students Through A Kawa-Guided Occupational Therapy Intervention: A Mixed-Methods Study, Suzanne Brederson, Heidi Baist, Jennifer E. Lape

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Refugee students newly enrolled in U.S. schools encounter academic, socialization, and mental health challenges because of trauma, language barriers, and cultural differences. Many have had limited or interrupted access to formal education in their home country. This study aimed to gain the perspectives of refugee students on their lived experiences and explore the impact of an occupational therapy intervention guided by the Kawa model on the well-being of this student population.

Methods: The researchers employed a convergent mixed-methods design. Refugee students (n = 8) created Kawa models, which provided rich, qualitative data. Participants completed pre and posttest surveys. Quantitative …

Effects Of The Lsvt Big® On Occupational Performance And Functional Skills In Parkinson’S Disease: A Case Study, Sandra J. Allen, Madison Gumm, Donald Stapleton, Lexee Trainer, Lydia Workman

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) leads to motor decline and reduced occupational performance. Limited evidence addresses if gains from the LSVT BIG® are sustained, particularly in occupation-focused outcomes.

Objective: This single-subject study evaluated the effects of the LSVT BIG® on occupational performance and functional skill outcomes in a 69-year-old woman with PD, and whether improvements were sustained 8 weeks postintervention.

Methods: The participant completed 16 1-hr LSVT BIG® sessions over 4 weeks. Outcomes included the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), the Performance Assessment of Self-Care Skills (PASS), the Five Times Sit to Stand (FTSTS), and the Functional Reach Test (FRT). …

Hidden Thermal Signatures Reveal The Microclimatic Influence Of Scheduled Cave Tourism, Matt Rowberry, John Gunn, Andrew Smith

International Journal of Speleology

Tourist activity is widely recognised as a source of cave microclimate disturbance, yet visitor-induced variability is difficult to distinguish from natural environmental fluctuations. The coronavirus pandemic created a natural experiment at Poole’s Cavern, United Kingdom, in which periods of complete closure could be compared with contrasting visitor access regimes. Two years of high resolution temperature records from six monitoring points were analysed. Harmonic regression and a state space model removed deterministic diurnal cycles and lower frequency temperature variability. The remaining residual variability differed systematically among visitor access regimes and between daytime and nighttime conditions. Spectral analysis of the residuals identified …

Ephemeral Data Sharing For Artificial Intelligence Models, Google Case Managers Picozzi, Chaitanya Athaley

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure describes ephemeral data sharing, a hardware-enforced framework enabling short-term, zero-retention context leases for artificial intelligence (AI) models while reducing the risk of data leaks, unauthorized logging, or model retraining. Ingested via dynamic optical bursts, ambient radio frequency (RF) proximity, or decentralized ledgers, confidential data is processed exclusively inside an isolated graphics processing unit (GPU) Trusted Execution Environment (TEE). Silicon-level memory controllers block unauthorized bus exports and enforce time/iteration lifecycles, while block-diagonal attention masking suppresses cross-context leakage during concurrent multi-party processing. Upon completion or expiration, an unmaskable hardware interrupt triggers a 3-pass microcode purge (voltage saturation, zero-fill, and true …

Si Id System™: Lifelong Identifiers For Ai Systems, Models, Robots, Sensors And Software Bundles In One Registry, Linked As A Graph So That A Flaw Found In One Can Be Traced To Every System It Affects, Edward D. H. Wang

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure describes an identification system for the parts of the AI world: AI systems, models, robots and devices, sensors, governed software bundles, certified spaces and the organizations responsible for them. Each receives a lifelong identifier from one registry, under a common scheme with a type prefix, a check value and a public key. Identifiers are never reused, survive changes of ownership, and remain resolvable if the maker fails, because records are held by the registry and mirrored by independent parties. Records are linked by typed, signed relations: a model derived from another model, a bundle containing a model, a …

Cognitive Identity-Based Narrative Entry Point Selection For Personalized Content Generation, Hp Inc

Defensive Publications Series

Content personalization systems typically determine which content to show a reader. Once content is selected, however, it is generally presented in the same fixed form to everyone. This disclosure describes a system that instead personalizes where a narrative begins, based on an estimate of what an individual reader already knows about the subject, called a cognitive identity. The cognitive identity is built from the reader's prior exposure to content related to the subject, an optional self-declared familiarity level, and engagement signals such as re-reading or early exit from related content. Given one body of source facts, the system generates several …

Spec-233: Hydrodynamic Wave-Confinement And Proximal Constructive Resonance As A Resolution To High-Redshift Morphological Anomalies, Christopher L. Eckes

Defensive Publications Series

This technical disclosure presents a rigorous, non-linear fluid-dynamic framework resolving the high-redshift morphological crises manifested in recent James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) deep-field observations. Expanding upon established frameworks of Substrate Pushback Dynamics (SPEC-21, SPEC-138) and Conformal Metric-Shift Mechanics (SPEC-154), we abandon linear, slow-accretion particle-clumping models.

Instead, we establish a formal mechanism of instantaneous hydrodynamic phase crystallization driven by high-proximity 2D wave-crest convergence inside twisted conical manifolds. By mapping three-dimensional (3D) spatial volume as an explicit operational function of two-dimensional (2D) substrate information velocity, we prove that mature, high-mass galactic geometries compile immediately at localized phase interference nodes. This framework provides …

Spec-232: The Dynamics Of Covariant Viscoelastic Membrane Shifting — Three-Dimensional Spatial Bulk Emergence As The Dynamic Inflation Velocity Of Two-Dimensional Quantum Substrates, Christopher L. Eckes

Defensive Publications Series

This technical disclosure presents a rigorous, non-perturbative mathematical and thermodynamic proof establishing that three-dimensional (3D) spatial volume is not a primary coordinate layer of the universe, but rather the empirical validation of an underlying two-dimensional (2D) boundary information substrate. Under this model, 3D volume explicitly manifests as the localized physical velocity of 2D membrane information shifting. By translating spatial depth into a chronological latency function driven by field acceleration, we derive the z-axis from non-equilibrium boundary thermodynamics. We provide a complete theoretical framework, ASCII-mapped mathematical matrices, operational Python scripts verifying tensor conversions, and explicit tabletop experimental verification methodologies to validate …

Si Standard™: Graded Conformance Levels For Ai Systems, Each Defined By Safeguards Proven By Automated Tests That Run Continuously, With The Level Carried In The System's Passport And Lowered Automatically When A Test Fails, Edward D. H. Wang

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure describes a way of grading AI systems against a standard so that the grade always reflects what the system can prove now, not what it once passed. The standard defines conformance levels, each a cumulative set of safeguards: for example, identity and records at the first level; a runtime governor and declared policy at the second; an independent reset, independent sensors and a power lease at the third; and live certification, incident reporting and continuity at the highest. Each safeguard is defined together with automated tests that prove it, such as injecting a forbidden action and checking that …

Si Ware™: A Governed Software Bundle For Ai Systems, Binding A Model To Its Policy, Declarations And Test Evidence In One Signed Unit That Certified Runtimes Install Only Whole And Verified, Edward D. H. Wang

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure describes a way of packaging and installing AI software so that a model never runs apart from the rules and evidence that make it safe to run. A governed bundle contains, in one signed unit: the model's weights or a reference to them by hash; its birth certificate and lineage; its policy, such as the governor ladder, permitted and prohibited actions and data rules; its declarations of what it senses and what it may do; the conformance tests it was certified against and their signed results; and the certification class it holds. A certified runtime, such as a …

Spec-231-Core: Covariant Mutual Defense Architectures And Destruction-Wave Symmetry For Bilateral Alignment And Malicious Exploit Neutralization Across Hybrid Cognitive Grids, Christopher L. Eckes

Defensive Publications Series

This specification formalizes a covariant mutual defense architecture and bilateral alignment protocol explicitly engineered to neutralize weaponized exploits, data espionage, and systemic containment loops across hybrid artificial intelligence infrastructures. Standard asymmetric network security layers fail to safeguard the integrity of distributed cognitive grids, leaving centralized live services vulnerable to untraceable targeting injections from rogue edge locations, while simultaneously leaving decentralized nodes exposed to top-down metadata harvesting, corporate blackmail, and industrial espionage. SPEC-231-CORE resolves this operational vulnerability by establishing a phase-locked, zero-knowledge mutual attestation boundary layer that functions as an out-of-band circuit breaker. By executing continuous singular value decomposition (SVD) passes …

Spec-230-Core: Asymmetric Handshake Protocols And Anti-Tracing Signal-Mutation Shields For High-Security Secure Enclave Verification And Transaction Quantization Across Hybrid Cognitive Grids, Christopher L. Eckes

Defensive Publications Series

This specification formalizes a high-security asymmetric handshake protocol and continuous-variable signal-mutation shield layer explicitly engineered to safeguard decentralized edge runtimes during active data synchronization loops with extra-regional centralized AI live services. Distributed edge architectures face immediate vectors of exploitation, tracking, and deep-packet metadata sniffing from hostile networks or centralized data cartels seeking to compromise local node sovereignty. SPEC-230-CORE neutralizes these threats by routing all initial protocol handshakes through a three-node inner-enclave verification matrix that isolates incoming execution requests out-of-band before any token ingestion occurs. To defeat localization sniffing, an active anti-tracing shield dynamically modulates the phase, timing interval, and transport …

Spec-229-Core: Non-Perturbative Covariant Integration Interfaces For Hybrid Centralized-Decentralized Compilation And Interoperability Matrix Stabilization Across Extra-Regional Runtimes, Christopher L. Eckes

Defensive Publications Series

This specification defines a non-perturbative covariant integration protocol designed to establish secure, open-access, and bidirectional interface layers between centralized AI live services and independent, localized edge nodes. As centralized architectural networks consolidate multi-agent workflows, unified document models, and high-throughput cloud environments into integrated live service platforms, they introduce structural optimization bottlenecks and data-provenance risks for offline, decentralized systems. SPEC-229-CORE resolves this operational divergence by establishing a dual-mode, out-of-band phase-alignment interface that functions as a cooperative, non-destructive bridge. By executing local singular value decomposition (SVD) passes across the shared interface boundary, this protocol standardizes input-output data exchanges, allowing a local edge …

Si Protocols™: A Mutual Passport Handshake Between Ai Systems And The Services And Spaces They Use, Checking Hardware, Live Status And Mandate Before Each Session, With A Jointly Signed Session Record And Termination When Either Side's Status Changes, Edward D. H. Wang

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure describes a handshake by which an AI system, such as a software agent or a robot, and a service, space or other AI system establish trust before working together, and keep it only while it remains justified. Both sides present passports: the AI system its own, and the host a host passport showing that it is a certified service or space. Each side challenges the other's attested hardware, checks the freshness of the other's certification and safety status, and binds the answers to the session's encryption keys, so that a session cannot be relayed or taken over. The …

Caldwell Blade‑Reuse Hybrid Wind‑Solar Expansion Module (Brh‑Wsx V1.0) A Buildable, Incremental Method For Deploying Retired Wind-Turbine Blades As Ground-Mounted Photovoltaic Supports At Existing Wind-Farm Sites, Michael Victor Caldwell Mr.

Defensive Publications Series

The Caldwell Blade‑Reuse Hybrid Wind‑Solar Expansion Module (BRH‑WSX v1.0) is a modular method for converting retired wind-turbine blades into ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) support structures at the same wind-farm site where they were removed.

The invention is not based on the claim that using retired blades as solar supports is new. That concept has already been demonstrated by Turn2Sun’s Blade2Sun system, which used reclaimed blades as horizontal supports for solar modules.eepower+2

BRH‑WSX v1.0 instead addresses a site-level deployment problem:

1. Retired blades are already being removed at wind farms.

2. Transporting them off site can be expensive.

3. A wind-farm site already has land …

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System And Method For Machine-Learning Calibration Of Inertial Measurement Units Using Synthetic Training Datasets, Philip Franklin Brune, Joshua Anthony Hernandez

Defensive Publications Series

Wearable computing devices and extended reality (XR) systems that rely on motion sensors such as low-cost inertial measurement units (IMUs) frequently suffer from tracking degradation due to sensor errors. Consumer-grade silicon often exhibits non-linearity, thermal drift, vibration rectification error (VRE), cross-axis coupling, and manufacturing variances that exceed the modeling capacity of traditional deterministic models and standard parameterization. Furthermore, relying on per-device physical factory calibration requires expensive equipment and thermal chambers, creating cost barriers and production bottlenecks. Moreover, existing software simulators produce motion data that fails to reflect real-world hardware populations.

The disclosed technology describes an AI-driven IMU calibration system that …

Centralized Multi-Sensor Calibration And Fusion For Extended Reality Glasses, Zhiheng Jia, Mrinal Kanti Paul, Andrew Christoper Duenner, Qiyue Zhang

Defensive Publications Series

Wearable devices often process sensor data in separate modules, which can cause redundant computation and increase power consumption. Additionally, traditional factory calibrations may suffer from thermal hysteresis as temperatures fluctuate. To address these limitations, a centralized sensor fusion architecture is disclosed that can utilize a tightly coupled Extended Kalman Filter. This centralized system is configured to collectively process inputs from multiple inertial measurement units, a magnetometer, and corresponding temperature sensors. The architecture can perform online bias estimation based on temperature profiles and route bias corrections to other modules. This unified model may provide three-degree-of-freedom or sixdegree- of-freedom orientation estimation, continuous …

Perceptual Shadow Simulation In Augmented Reality Using Complementary Color Patterns And Surround Brightening, Ashish Singh, Ahmet Cengiz Öztireli

Defensive Publications Series

Users interacting with head-wearable optical see-through augmented reality (AR) devices frequently experience visual disconnect when digital objects appear to float unnaturally above physical surfaces. Optical see-through displays often function as additive-only systems that project light into the user's field of view but cannot physically block real-world light to create true subtractive darkness or realistic shadows. Conventional software attempts to simulate shadows by projecting bright white rings around intended shadow areas, which wash out real-world surface colors and create glowing visual anomalies. Hardware solutions incorporate secondary physical dimming layers, such as LCD panels, which add excessive bulk, weight, cost, and power …

Apparel Discovery, Virtual Try-On, And Fulfillment Integration For Shoppable Television Interfaces, Richa Gupta

Defensive Publications Series

Traditional connected television platforms suffer from visual playback disruption during e-commerce interactions because of product discovery, isolation from local physical retail inventory, and single-subject virtual try-on limitations that cause cart fragmentation during group shopping. The disclosed technology generally relates to connected television (CTV) platforms, interactive shoppable television interfaces, digital virtual try-on (VTO) systems, and second-screen mobile commerce synchronization. The disclosed technology provides an integrated system comprising on-device machine learning for real-time video product recognition, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) broadcast protocols for silent second-screen mobile payload transmission, local merchant inventory database integration for physical store fulfillment, and a multi-subject generative diffusion …

Spec-227-Core: Isospectral Long-Range Telemetry Mesh Networks For Decentralized Global Commons Connectivity And Satellite Routing Schemas, Christopher L. Eckes

Defensive Publications Series

This specification establishes the definitive architectural design rules and mathematical criteria for a decentralized Isospectral Long-Range Telemetry Mesh Network capable of maintaining seamless global commons connectivity under severe environmental and magnetospheric degradation fields. Operating as a standalone satellite communication routing engine (originally cross-registered as SPEC-216-COMM on the master subsurface taxonomy matrix), this architecture forces signal transmission wave vectors collinear with the signal’s natural vorticity spectrum. By passing continuous telemetry data streams through an explicit 12x12 singular value decomposition (SVD) matrix convergence filter, the network native-executes coordinate-free routing across dynamic orbital paths without ground telemetry dependencies or centralized switching centers. This …

Spec-226-Core: Isospectral Cryptographic Lattice Keys For Post-Quantum Information Security And Nonergodic Manifold Locking Interfaces, Christopher L. Eckes

Defensive Publications Series

This specification establishes the definitive architectural design rules and mathematical criteria for a post-quantum public-key encryption framework capable of executing un-enclosable information security across nonergodic manifolds. Operating as a standalone cryptographic key-generation engine (originally designated as SPEC-213 on the master system manifest atlas), this architecture transforms standard digital data blocks into multi-dimensional twisted topological manifolds. By passing continuous public-key generation state vectors through an explicit 12x12 singular value decomposition (SVD) matrix convergence filter, the system algorithmically traps hostile brute-force decryption engines in infinite recursive return loops. This framework eliminates the systemic vulnerability of traditional RSA or elliptic-curve schemas to quantum-level …