Coupled ‘storm-flood’ depositional model: application to the Miocene–Modern Baram Delta Province, north-west Borneo

The Miocene to Modern Baram Delta Province is a highly efficient source to sink system that has accumulated 9 to 12 km of coastal-deltaic to shelf sediments over the past 15 Myr. Facies analysis based on ca 1 km of total vertical outcrop stratigraphy, combined with subsurface geology and sedimentary processes in the present-day Baram Delta Province, suggests a ‘storm-flood’ depositional model comprising two distinct periods: (i) fair-weather periods are dominated by alongshore sediment reworking and coastal sand accumulation; and (ii) monsoon-driven storm periods are characterised by increased wave energy and offshore-directed downwelling storm flow that occur simultaneously with peak fluvial discharge caused by storm-precipitation (‘storm-floods’). The modern equivalent environment has the following characteristics: (i) humid-tropical monsoonal climate; (ii) narrow (ca <100 km) and steep (ca 1°), densely vegetated, coastal plain; (iii) deep tropical weathering of a mudstone-dominated hinterland; (iv) multiple independent, small to moderate-sized (102 to 105 km2) drainage basins; (v) predominance of river-mouth bypassing; and (vi) supply-dominated shelf. The ancient, proximal part of this system (the onshore Belait Formation) is dominated by strongly cyclical sandier-upward successions (metre to decametre-scale) comprising (from bottom to top): (i) finely laminated mudstone with millimetre-scale silty laminae; (ii) heterolithic sandstone-mudstone alternations (centimetre to metre-scale); and (iii) sharp-based, swaley cross-stratified sandstone beds and bedsets (metre to decimetre-scale). Gutter casts (decimetre to metre-scale) are widespread, they are filled with swaley cross-stratified sandstone and their long-axes are oriented perpendicular to the palaeo-shoreline. The gutter casts and other associated waning-flow event beds suggest that erosion and deposition was controlled by high-energy, offshore-directed, oscillatory-dominated, sediment-laden combined flows within a shoreface to delta front setting. The presence of multiple river mouths and exceptionally high rates of accommodation creation (characteristic of the Neogene to Recent Baram Delta Province; up to 3000 m/Ma), in a ‘storm-flood’ dominated environment, resulted in a highly efficient and effective offshore-directed sediment transport system

Exchanges in a Virtual Environment for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support: Social Network Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes remains a major health problem in the United States, affecting an estimated 10.5% of the population. Diabetes self-management interventions improve diabetes knowledge, self-management behaviors, and clinical outcomes. Widespread internet connectivity facilitates the use of eHealth interventions, which positively impacts knowledge, social support, and clinical and behavioral outcomes. In particular, diabetes interventions based on virtual environments have the potential to improve diabetes self-efficacy and support, while being highly feasible and usable. However, little is known about the patterns of social interactions and support taking place within type 2 diabetes-specific virtual communities. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine social support exchanges from a type 2 diabetes self-management education and support intervention that was delivered via a virtual environment. METHODS: Data comprised virtual environment-mediated synchronous interactions among participants and between participants and providers from an intervention for type 2 diabetes self-management education and support. Network data derived from such social interactions were used to create networks to analyze patterns of social support exchange with the lens of social network analysis. Additionally, network correlations were used to explore associations between social support networks. RESULTS: The findings revealed structural differences between support networks, as well as key network characteristics of supportive interactions facilitated by the intervention. Emotional and appraisal support networks are the larger, most centralized, and most active networks, suggesting that virtual communities can be good sources for these types of support. In addition, appraisal and instrumental support networks are more connected, suggesting that members of virtual communities are more likely to engage in larger group interactions where these types of support can be exchanged. Lastly, network correlations suggest that participants who exchange emotional support are likely to exchange appraisal or instrumental support, and participants who exchange appraisal support are likely to exchange instrumental support. CONCLUSIONS: Social interaction patterns from disease-specific virtual environments can be studied using a social network analysis approach to better understand the exchange of social support. Network data can provide valuable insights into the design of novel and effective eHealth interventions given the unique opportunity virtual environments have facilitating realistic environments that are effective and sustainable, where social interactions can be leveraged to achieve diverse health goals

Drinking behavior in nursery pigs: Determining the accuracy between an automatic water meter versus human observers

Assimilating accurate behavioral events over a long period can be labor-intensive and relatively expensive. If an automatic device could accurately record the duration and frequency for a given behavioral event, it would be a valuable alternative to the traditional use of human observers for behavioral studies. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the accuracy in the time spent at the waterer and the number of visits to the waterer by individually housed nursery pigs between human observers scoring video files using Observer software (OBS) and an automatic water meter Hobo (WM, control) affixed onto the waterline. Eleven PIC USA genotype gilts (22 ± 2 d of age; 6.5 ± 1.4 kg of BW) were housed individually in pens with ad libitum access to a corn-based starter ration and one nipple waterer. Behavior was collected on d 0 (day of weaning), 7, and 14 of the trial using 1 color camera positioned over 4 attached pens and a RECO-204 DVR at 1 frame per second. For the OBS method, 2 experienced observers recorded drinking behavior from the video files, which was defined as when the gilt placed her mouth over the nipple waterer. Data were analyzed using nonparametric methods and the general linear model and regression procedures in SAS. The experimental unit was the individual pen housing 1 gilt. The GLM model included the method of observation (WM vs. OBS) and time (24 h) as variables, and the gilt nested within method was used as the error term. Gilts consumed more water (P = 0.04) on d 14 than on d 0. The time of day affected (P \u3c 0.001) the number of visits and the time spent at the waterer regardless of the method. However, the OBS method underestimated (P \u3c 0.001) the number of visits to the waterer (3.48 ± 0.33 visits/h for OBS vs. 4.94 ± 0.33 for WM) and overestimated (P \u3c 0.001) the time spent at the waterer (22.6 ± 1.46 s/h for OBS vs. 13.9 ± 1.43 for WM) compared with WM. The relationship between the 2 methods for prediction of time spent at the waterer and number of visits made by the gilts was weak (R2 = 0.56 and 0.69, respectively). Collectively, these data indicate that the use of the traditional OBS method for quantifying drinking behavior in pigs can be misleading. Quantifying drinking behavior and perhaps other behavioral events via the OBS method must be more accurately validated

Effects of Autonomy on Worker Performance

Having autonomy can produce positive effects on an individual’s well-being as well as overall job-satisfaction. Research has shown that background music influences listener attention and is associated with the listeners fondness of the music (Huang & Shih, 2011). This study investigates the effects that autonomy may also have on performance levels in the workplace. Specifically, the effects of listening to music of preference and the effects it has on attention, concentration, and enjoyment of task. In this study worker autonomy is operationally defined as preferred genre of music. Performance will be measured by participants score on a recall task that mimics a medical scenario where a healthcare worker would have to recall specific patient information. We hypothesize that participants autonomy preferred background music will have a positive effect on worker performance. If the predicted results are found, this research could be beneficial to companies that are considering implementing new policies to encourage autonomy and in turn produce greater success in the workplace

Effect of Increasing Military-Related Load Carriage Magnitude on Dynamic Postural Stability in Men and Women

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Tidal dynamics and mangrove carbon sequestration during the Oligo–Miocene in the South China Sea

Modern mangroves are among the most carbon-rich biomes on Earth, but their long-term (≥106 yr) impact on the global carbon cycle is unknown. The extent, productivity and preservation of mangroves are controlled by the interplay of tectonics, global sea level and sedimentation, including tide, wave and fluvial processes. The impact of these processes on mangrove-bearing successions in the Oligo–Miocene of the South China Sea (SCS) is evaluated herein. Palaeogeographic reconstructions, palaeotidal modelling, and facies analysis suggest that elevated tidal range and bed shear stress optimised mangrove development along tide-influenced tropical coastlines. Preservation of mangrove organic carbon (OC) was promoted by high tectonic subsidence and fluvial sediment supply. Lithospheric storage of OC in peripheral SCS basins potentially exceeded 4000 Gt (equivalent to 2000 ppm of atmospheric CO2). These results highlight the crucial impact of tectonic and oceanographic processes on mangrove OC sequestration within the global carbon cycle on geological timescales

Factors Influencing Sun Protection Behaviors among Patients with Skin Cancer: An Application of the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model

© 2019 by the Dermatology Nurses\u27 Association. This study aimed to assess predictors of sun protection behaviors based on the information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) model among people diagnosed with nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). For this descriptive, cross-sectional study, a convenience sample of 311 patients with NMSC was recruited at a medical center in Mississippi. Patients were invited to complete a face- A nd content-valid, IMB-model-based questionnaire. The average age of the participants was 64.12 (±12.02) years, and most (58.8%) were male. Most participants indicated not using sun protection behaviors while outdoors. Findings showed that sun protection behaviors were directly predicted by self-efficacy (standardized path coefficient = 0.504, p \u3c.001) and social support (standardized path coefficient = 0.199, p =.010). In addition, sun protection behavior was indirectly predicted (through self-efficacy) by social support (standardized indirect effect = 0.160, p \u3c.001) and attitudes (standardized indirect effect = 0.192, p =.001). The explained variances for self-efficacy and sun protection behaviors were 43% and 35.4%, respectively. In conclusion, the IMB model appears to be a useful theoretical framework for predicting sun protection behaviors among patients with NMSC. Sun safety intervention programs should be developed based on this theoretical model for patients with NMSC

Recruitment activities for a nationwide, population-based, group-randomized trial: the VA MI-Plus study

Abstract Background The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) oversees the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States. The feasibility of a large-scale, nationwide, group-randomized implementation trial of VHA outpatient practices has not been reported. We describe the recruitment and enrollment of such a trial testing a clinician-directed, Internet-delivered intervention for improving the care of postmyocardial infarction patients with multiple comorbidities. Methods With a recruitment goal of 200 eligible community-based outpatient clinics, parent VHA facilities (medical centers) were recruited because they oversee their affiliated clinics and the research conducted there. Eligible facilities had at least four VHA-owned and -operated primary care clinics, an affiliated Institutional Review Board (IRB), and no ongoing, potentially overlapping, quality-improvement study. Between December 2003 and December 2005, in two consecutive phases, we used initial and then intensified recruitment strategies. Results Overall, 48 of 66 (73%) eligible facilities were recruited. Of the 219 clinics and 957 clinicians associated with the 48 facilities, 168 (78%) clinics and 401 (42%) clinicians participated. The median time from initial facility contact to clinic enrollment was 222 days, which decreased by over one-third from the first to the second recruitment phase (medians: 323 and 195 days, respectively; p < .001), when more structured recruitment with physician recruiters was implemented and a dedicated IRB manager was added to the coordinating center staff. Conclusions Large group-randomized trials benefit from having dedicated physician investigators and IRB personnel involved in recruitment. A large-scale, nationally representative, group-randomized trial of community-based clinics is feasible within the VHA or a similar national healthcare system.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112896/1/13012_2010_Article_417.pd

Recruitment activities for a nationwide, population-based, group-randomized trial: the VA MI-Plus study

BACKGROUND: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) oversees the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States. The feasibility of a large-scale, nationwide, group-randomized implementation trial of VHA outpatient practices has not been reported. We describe the recruitment and enrollment of such a trial testing a clinician-directed, Internet-delivered intervention for improving the care of postmyocardial infarction patients with multiple comorbidities. METHODS: With a recruitment goal of 200 eligible community-based outpatient clinics, parent VHA facilities (medical centers) were recruited because they oversee their affiliated clinics and the research conducted there. Eligible facilities had at least four VHA-owned and -operated primary care clinics, an affiliated Institutional Review Board (IRB), and no ongoing, potentially overlapping, quality-improvement study. Between December 2003 and December 2005, in two consecutive phases, we used initial and then intensified recruitment strategies. RESULTS: Overall, 48 of 66 (73%) eligible facilities were recruited. Of the 219 clinics and 957 clinicians associated with the 48 facilities, 168 (78%) clinics and 401 (42%) clinicians participated. The median time from initial facility contact to clinic enrollment was 222 days, which decreased by over one-third from the first to the second recruitment phase (medians: 323 and 195 days, respectively; p \u3c .001), when more structured recruitment with physician recruiters was implemented and a dedicated IRB manager was added to the coordinating center staff. CONCLUSIONS: Large group-randomized trials benefit from having dedicated physician investigators and IRB personnel involved in recruitment. A large-scale, nationally representative, group-randomized trial of community-based clinics is feasible within the VHA or a similar national healthcare system