1,343 research outputs found
PROGRAMMING Intergenerational Exercise Addresses the Public Health Issue of Obesity
ABSTRACT. Health practitioners are increasingly concerned about the rise in obesity and decrease in physical activity in society. This article reports on an intergenerational exercise program involving participants from Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly and four preschool classes in Newton, Massachusetts. The program attempts to address those health issues using an intergenerational approach. Children between ages 3 and 5, and older adults come together weekly during the course of a school year for pre-literacy play, intergenerational stories that raise awareness of aging issues and nutritional snacks. An exercise class is added to this program monthly. The exercise component reflects the physical needs of both groups. The classes enable older adults to recognize their important role as models for lifelong exercise, while simultaneously addressing their own health habits. Children see olde
Macroecology and macroevolution of the latitudinal diversity gradient in ants
published_or_final_versio
Patient-Specific Prosthetic Fingers by Remote Collaboration - A Case Study
The concealment of amputation through prosthesis usage can shield an amputee
from social stigma and help improve the emotional healing process especially at
the early stages of hand or finger loss. However, the traditional techniques in
prosthesis fabrication defy this as the patients need numerous visits to the
clinics for measurements, fitting and follow-ups. This paper presents a method
for constructing a prosthetic finger through online collaboration with the
designer. The main input from the amputee comes from the Computer Tomography
(CT) data in the region of the affected and the non-affected fingers. These
data are sent over the internet and the prosthesis is constructed using
visualization, computer-aided design and manufacturing tools. The finished
product is then shipped to the patient. A case study with a single patient
having an amputated ring finger at the proximal interphalangeal joint shows
that the proposed method has a potential to address the patient's psychosocial
concerns and minimize the exposure of the finger loss to the public.Comment: Open Access articl
Headache prevalence in the population of L’Aquila (Italy) after the 2009 earthquake
Stress induced by the events of daily life is considered a major factor in pathogenesis of primary tension-type headache. Little is known about the impact that could have a more stressful event, like a natural disaster, both in patients with chronic headache, both in people that do not had headache previously. The aim of the present study was to observe the prevalence of headache in the population following the devastating earthquake that affected the province of L’Aquila on April 6, 2009. The study population was conducted in four tent cities (Onna, Bazzano, Tempera-St. Biagio, Paganica). Sanitary access is recorded in the registers of medical triage, in the first 5 weeks, after the April 6, 2009. The prevalence of primary headache presentation was 5.53% (95% CI 4.2–7.1), secondary headache was 2.82% (95% CI 1.9–4.9). Pain intensity, assessed by Numerical Rating Scale score showed a mean value of 7 ± 1.1 (range 4–10). The drugs most used were the NSAIDs (46%) and paracetamol (36%), for impossibility of finding causal drugs. This study shows how more stressful events not only have an important role in determining acute exacerbation of chronic headache, but probably also play a pathogenic role in the emergence of primary headache. Also underlines the lack of diagnostic guidelines or operating protocols to early identify and treat headache in the emergency settings
The SNAPSHOT study protocol : SNAcking, Physical activity, Self-regulation, and Heart rate Over Time
Peer reviewedPublisher PD
FISH as an effective diagnostic tool for the management of challenging melanocytic lesions
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The accuracy of melanoma diagnosis continues to challenge the pathology community, even today with sophisticated histopathologic techniques. Melanocytic lesions exhibit significant morphological heterogeneity. While the majority of biopsies can be classified as benign (nevus) or malignant (melanoma) using well-established histopathologic criteria, there exists a cohort for which the prediction of clinical behaviour and invasive or metastatic potential is difficult if not impossible to ascertain on the basis of morphological features alone. Multiple studies have shown that there is significant disagreement between pathologists and even expert dermatopathologists in the diagnosis of this subgroup of difficult melanocytic lesions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A four probe FISH assay was utilized to analyse a cohort of 500 samples including 157 nevus, 176 dysplastic nevus and 167 melanoma specimens.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Review of the lesions determined the assay identified genetic abnormalities in a total of 83.8% of melanomas, and 1.9% of nevus without atypia, while genetic abnormalities were identified in 6.3%, 6.7%, and 10.3% of nevus identified with mild, moderate and severe atypia, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Based on this study, inheritable genetic damage/instability identified by FISH testing is a hallmark of a progressive malignant process, and a valuable diagnostic tool for the identification of high risk lesions.</p
A Bayesian Network Driven Approach to Model the Transcriptional Response to Nitric Oxide in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
The transcriptional response to exogenously supplied nitric oxide in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was modeled using an integrated framework of Bayesian network learning and experimental feedback. A Bayesian network learning algorithm was used to generate network models of transcriptional output, followed by model verification and revision through experimentation. Using this framework, we generated a network model of the yeast transcriptional response to nitric oxide and a panel of other environmental signals. We discovered two environmental triggers, the diauxic shift and glucose repression, that affected the observed transcriptional profile. The computational method predicted the transcriptional control of yeast flavohemoglobin YHB1 by glucose repression, which was subsequently experimentally verified. A freely available software application, ExpressionNet, was developed to derive Bayesian network models from a combination of gene expression profile clusters, genetic information and experimental conditions
Conceptualising Gamification Risks to Teamwork within Enterprise
Gamification in businesses refers to the use of technology-assisted
solutions to boost or change staff attitude, perception and behaviour, in relation
to certain business goals and tasks, individually or collectively. Previous research
indicated that gamification techniques can introduce risks to the business
environment, and not only fail to make a positive change, but also raise concerns
in relation to ethics, quality of work, and well-being at a workplace. Although
the problem is already recognised in principle, there is still a need to
clarify and concretise those risks, their factors and their relation to the gamification
dynamics and mechanics. To address this, we conducted multi-staged empirical
research, including two months’ observation and interview study, in two
large-scale businesses using gamification in their workplace. In this paper, we
focus on gamification risks related to teamwork within the enterprise. We outline
various risk mitigation strategies and map them to primary types of gamification
risks. By accomplishing such conceptualisation, we pave the way towards
methods to model, detect and predict gamification risks on teamwork and
recommend and design practices and strategies to tackle them
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