Acute exercise and appetite-regulating hormones in overweight and obese individuals: A meta-analysis

In lean individuals, acute aerobic exercise is reported to transiently suppress sensations of appetite, suppress blood-concentrations of acylated ghrelin (AG) and increase glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide-YY (PYY). Findings in overweight/obese individuals have yet to be synthesised. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we quantified the effects acute exercise has on AG, total PYY and GLP-1 in overweight/obese individuals. The potential for body mass index (BMI) to act as a moderator for AG was also explored. Six published studies (73 participants, 78% male, mean BMI: 30.6 kg.m-2) met the inclusion criteria. Standardised mean differences (SMD) and standard errors were extracted for AG, total PYY and GLP-1 concentrations in control and exercise trials and synthesised using a random effects meta-analysis model. BMI was the predictor in a meta-regression for AG. Exercise moderately suppressed AG area-under-the-curve concentrations (pooled SMD -0.34, 95%CI: -0.53 to -0.15). The magnitude of this reduction was greater for higher mean BMIs (pooled meta-regression slope: -0.04 SMD/kg.m-2 (95%CI: -0.07 to 0.00)). Trivial SMDs were obtained for total PYY (0.10, 95%CI: -0.13 to 0.31) and GLP-1 (-0.03, 95%CI: -0.18 to 0.13). This indicates that exercise in overweight/obese individuals moderately alters AG in a direction that could be associated with decreased hunger and energy intake. (PROSPERO registration: CRD42014006265)

Velocity unwrap for high resolution slice-selective Fourier Velocity Encoding using spiral SENSE

Quantification of peak velocity is important in the assessment of stenotic flow jets. It is possible to measure peak velocity accurately using Fourier Velocity Encoding (FVE). In this study, a fast, high-resolution slice-selective FVE sequence was developed with the use of spiral trajectories, parallel-imaging, partial-Fourier in the velocity-dimension and a novel velocity-unwrap technique. The resulting sequence was acquired within a short breath-hold. Peak velocities were compared from Doppler ultrasound (US), phase-contrast MR (PCMR) and FVE. Experiments carried out in-vitro and in-vivo showed that PCMR tended to underestimate peak velocity compared to Doppler US, whereas FVE agreed well with Doppler US

Real time flow with fast GPU reconstruction for continuous assessment of cardiac output

A novel approach for continuous cardiac output quantification during an exercise was developed and implemented on a heterogeneous image reconstruction system. Combination of spiral real-time PCMR sequence with parallel imaging allowed on high-temporal acquisition. Application of a GPU for image processing resulted in almost instantaneous reconstruction. An external computer equipped with the GPU was networked using CORBA technology. This let on seamless processing from a clinician point of view. The implementation was tested and validated against our multi -core CP

Changes in behaviour drive inter-annual variability in the at-sea distribution of northern gannets

The at-sea distribution of seabirds primarily depends on the distance from their breeding colony, and the abundance, distribution and predictability of their prey, which are subject to strong spatial and temporal variation. Many seabirds have developed flexible foraging strategies to deal with this variation, such as increasing their foraging effort or switching to more predictable, less energy dense, prey, in poor conditions. These responses may vary both within and between individuals, and understanding this variability is vital to predict the population-level impacts of spatially explicit environmental disturbances, such as offshore windfarms. We conducted a multi-year tracking study in order to investigate the inter-annual variation in the foraging behaviour and location of a population of northern gannets breeding on Alderney in the English Channel. To do so, we investigated the link between individual-level behaviour and population-level behaviour. We found that a sample of gannets tracked in 2015 had longer trip durations, travelled further from the colony and had larger core foraging areas and home range areas than gannets tracked in previous years. This inter-annual variation may be associated with oceanographic conditions indexed by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Our findings suggest that this inter-annual variation was driven by individuals visiting larger areas in all of their trips rather than individuals diversifying to visit more, distinct areas. These findings suggest that, for gannets at least, if prey becomes less abundant or more widely distributed, more individuals may be required to forage further from the colony, thus increasing their likelihood of encountering pressures from spatially explicit anthropogenic disturbances

Fabrication and characterisation of nanoscale Ni-CGO electrode from nanocomposite powders

Incorporating nanoparticles into SOC electrode is a viable method to improve the electrochemical performance. In this work, nanoparticles of NiO and gadolinia-doped ceria (CGO) approximately 10 nm in diameter fabricated using a continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis are made into nano-structured SOC fuel electrodes via mixing and co-sintering. Both the Ni and CGO are of 50-100 nm in diameter in the final electrode. FIB-SEM 3-D tomography is carried out on the nanoscale Ni-CGO electrode which has been aged for 70 h, showing a high active triple phase boundary density of 3 µm-2 and a high active double phase boundary density of 2 µm-1. The total polarisation resistance of the electrode is stable at 0.20 Ω cm2 under open circuit conditions at 800 °C annealing in humidified 5% H2-N2

Antibodies to the Mr 64,000 (64K) protein in islet cell antibody positive non-diabetic individuals indicate high risk for impaired Beta-cell function

A prospective study of a normal childhood population identified 44 islet cell antibody positive individuals. These subjects were typed for HLA DR and DQ alleles and investigated for the presence of antibodies to the Mr 64,000 (64K) islet cell antigen, complement-fixing islet cell antibodies and radiobinding insulin autoantibodies to determine their potency in detecting subjects with impaired Beta-cell function. At initial testing 64K antibodies were found in six of 44 islet cell antibody positive subjects (13.6%). The same sera were also positive for complement-fixing islet cell antibodies and five of them had insulin autoantibodies. During the follow-up at 18 months, islet cell antibodies remained detectable in 50% of the subjects studied. In all six cases who were originally positive, 64K antibodies were persistently detectable, whereas complement-fixing islet cell antibodies became negative in two of six and insulin autoantibodies in one of five individuals. HLA DR4 (p < 0.005) and absence of asparic acid (Asp) at position 57 of the HLA DQ chain (p < 0.05) were significantly increased in subjects with 64K antibodies compared with control subjects. Of 40 individuals tested in the intravenous glucose tolerance test, three had a first phase insulin response below the first percentile of normal control subjects. Two children developed Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus after 18 and 26 months, respectively. Each of these subjects was non-Asp homozygous and had persistent islet cell and 64K antibodies. We conclude that 64K antibodies, complement-fixing islet cell antibodies and insulin autoantibodies represent sensitive serological markers in assessing high risk for a progression to Type 1 diabetes in islet cell antibody positive non-diabetic individuals

Real Time Hand Movement Trajectory Tracking for Enhancing Dementia Screening in Ageing Deaf Signers of British Sign Language

Real time hand movement trajectory tracking based on machine learning approaches may assist the early identification of dementia in ageing Deaf individuals who are users of British Sign Language (BSL), since there are few clinicians with appropriate communication skills, and a shortage of sign language interpreters. Unlike other computer vision systems used in dementia stage assessment such as RGB-D video with the aid of depth camera, activities of daily living (ADL) monitored by information and communication technologies (ICT) facilities, or X-Ray, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images fed to machine learning algorithms, the system developed here focuses on analysing the sign language space envelope(sign trajectories/depth/speed) and facial expression of deaf individuals, using normal 2D videos. In this work, we are interested in providing a more accurate segmentation of objects of interest in relation to the background, so that accurate real-time hand trajectories (path of the trajectory and speed) can be achieved. The paper presents and evaluates two types of hand movement trajectory models. In the first model, the hand sign trajectory is tracked by implementing skin colour segmentation. In the second model, the hand sign trajectory is tracked using Part Afinity Fields based on the OpenPose Skeleton Model [1, 2]. Comparisons of results between the two different models demonstrate that the second model provides enhanced improvements in terms of tracking accuracy and robustness of tracking. The pattern differences in facial and trajectory motion data achieved from the presented models will be beneficial not only for screening of deaf individuals for dementia, but also for assessment of other acquired neurological impairments associated with motor changes, for example, stroke and Parkinsons disease

Acute Exercise and Appetite-Regulating Hormones in Overweight and Obese Individuals: A Meta-Analysis.

In lean individuals, acute aerobic exercise is reported to transiently suppress sensations of appetite, suppress blood concentrations of acylated ghrelin (AG), and increase glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide-YY (PYY). Findings in overweight/obese individuals have yet to be synthesised. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we quantified the effects that acute exercise has on AG and total PYY and GLP-1 in overweight/obese individuals. The potential for body mass index (BMI) to act as a moderator for AG was also explored. Six published studies (73 participants, 78% male, mean BMI: 30.6 kg·m-2) met the inclusion criteria. Standardised mean differences (SMDs) and standard errors were extracted for AG and total PYY and GLP-1 concentrations in control and exercise trials and synthesised using a random effects meta-analysis model. BMI was the predictor in metaregression for AG. Exercise moderately suppressed AG area-under-the-curve concentrations (pooled SMD: -0.34, 95% CI: -0.53 to -0.15). The magnitude of this reduction was greater for higher mean BMIs (pooled metaregression slope: -0.04 SMD/kg·m-2 (95% CI: -0.07 to 0.00)). Trivial SMDs were obtained for total PYY (0.10, 95% CI: -0.13 to 0.31) and GLP-1 (-0.03, 95% CI: -0.18 to 0.13). This indicates that exercise in overweight/obese individuals moderately alters AG in a direction that could be associated with decreased hunger and energy intake. This trial is registered with PROSPERO: CRD42014006265

Autonomous decision-making against induced seismicity in deep fluid injections

The rise in the frequency of anthropogenic earthquakes due to deep fluid injections is posing serious economic, societal, and legal challenges to geo-energy and waste-disposal projects. We propose an actuarial approach to mitigate this risk, first by defining an autonomous decision-making process based on an adaptive traffic light system (ATLS) to stop risky injections, and second by quantifying a "cost of public safety" based on the probability of an injection-well being abandoned. The ATLS underlying statistical model is first confirmed to be representative of injection-induced seismicity, with examples taken from past reservoir stimulation experiments (mostly from Enhanced Geothermal Systems, EGS). Then the decision strategy is formalized: Being integrable, the model yields a closed-form ATLS solution that maps a risk-based safety standard or norm to an earthquake magnitude not to exceed during stimulation. Finally, the EGS levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) is reformulated in terms of null expectation, with the cost of abandoned injection-well implemented. We find that the price increase to mitigate the increased seismic risk in populated areas can counterbalance the heat credit. However this "public safety cost" disappears if buildings are based on earthquake-resistant designs or if a more relaxed risk safety standard or norm is chosen.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, conference (International Symposium on Energy Geotechnics, 26-28 September 2018, Lausanne, Switzerland