Smoking and intention to quit in deprived areas of Glasgow: is it related to housing improvements and neighbourhood regeneration because of improved mental health?

Background: People living in areas of multiple deprivation are more likely to smoke and less likely to quit smoking. This study examines the effect on smoking and intention to quit smoking for those who have experienced housing improvements (HI) in deprived areas of Glasgow, UK, and investigates whether such effects can be explained by improved mental health. Methods: Quasi-experimental, 2-year longitudinal study, comparing residents’ smoking and intention to quit smoking for HI group (n=545) with non-HI group (n=517), adjusting for baseline (2006) sociodemographic factors and smoking status. SF-12 mental health scores were used to assess mental health, along with self-reported experience of, and General Practitioner (GP) consultations for, anxiety and depression in the last 12 months. Results: There was no relationship between smoking and HI, adjusting for baseline rates (OR=0.97, 95% CI 0.57 to 1.67, p=0.918). We found an association between intention to quit and HI, which remained significant after adjusting for sociodemographics and previous intention to quit (OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.12 to 4.16, p=0.022). We found no consistent evidence that this association was attenuated by improvement in our three mental health measures. Conclusions: Providing residents in disadvantaged areas with better housing may prompt them to consider quitting smoking. However, few people actually quit, indicating that residential improvements or changes to the physical environment may not be sufficient drivers of personal behavioural change. It would make sense to link health services to housing regeneration projects to support changes in health behaviours at a time when environmental change appears to make behavioural change more likely

Cy Joins Veterinarian Staff

Amy C. Kearns. Yep, that\u27s me. At least that\u27s the name I sign with my Iowa State pen everytime I use one of my Iowa State checks that are found inside my Iowa State checkbook holder. I am probably the biggest Iowa State fan you will ever meet. Ever since my parents met on the campus ofIowa State University some 33 years ago, my blood has been destined to flow both red and yellow. So what does that C stand for in my name? Well, my parents would like to have you believe it stands for my middle name, but they are off their rocker, because everyone knows it stands for Cy

The Effects of Resistance Training on Running Economy and Plantarflexor Function in Middle-Age Runners

Endurance running exposure alone may not be sufficient to slow the age-related decline in plantarflexor function that is also thought to contribute to declines in running economy. Thus, it is important to identify interventions beyond running alone, plantarflexor-focused resistance training, that could help maintain plantarflexor function and “youthful” metabolic costs in aging runners. PURPOSE: To assess the influence of three types of resistance training interventions on running economy (RE), plantarflexor function, and Achilles tendon (AT) stiffness in middle-aged runners. METHODS: Twenty-six middle-aged runners (51±5 yrs) participated in one of three different 10-week resistance training interventions: 1) heavy resistance training, 2) heavy resistance training + plyometrics, and 3) endurance resistance training + plyometrics. Laboratory testing for RE, peak plantarflexor torque, and AT stiffness during isometric contractions occurred before and after the interventions. A mixed-design repeated measures ANOVA was used to address our research question and paired and independent t-tests were used to compare time and group effects, respectively. RESULTS: Relative (to V ̇O_2max) running economy (-2.4%, p=0.016), AT stiffness (26.1%, p=0.002), and peak isometric plantarflexor torque (26.4%, p=0.001) improved over time with no interaction or group effects. No significant interaction, time, or group effects were observed forV ̇O_2max and peak plantarflexor torque, peak positive ankle power, or positive and negative ankle work while running. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that resistance training improves running economy for middle-aged, recreational runners, potentially by inducing increases in AT stiffness. We present a novel finding that multiple modalities of resistance training increase AT stiffness and improve running economy in middle-aged runners

Pedometer Use on Walking Performance, Body Composition, and Bone Density in Older Adults

Please refer to the pdf version of the abstract located adjacent to the title

Differential Privacy and the Fat-Shattering Dimension of Linear Queries

In this paper, we consider the task of answering linear queries under the constraint of differential privacy. This is a general and well-studied class of queries that captures other commonly studied classes, including predicate queries and histogram queries. We show that the accuracy to which a set of linear queries can be answered is closely related to its fat-shattering dimension, a property that characterizes the learnability of real-valued functions in the agnostic-learning setting.Comment: Appears in APPROX 201

Distribution of contaminants in the environment and wildlife habitat use: a case study with lead and waterfowl on the Upper Texas Coast

The magnitude and distribution of lead contamination remain unknown in wetland systems. Anthropogenic deposition of lead may be contributing to negative population-level effects in waterfowl and other organisms that depend on dynamic wetland habitats, particularly if they are unable to detect and differentiate levels of environmental contamination by lead. Detection of lead and behavioral response to elevated lead levels by waterfowl is poorly understood, but necessary to characterize the risk of lead-contaminated habitats. We measured the relationship between lead contamination of wetland soils and habitat use by mottled ducks (Anas fulvigula) on the Upper Texas Coast, USA. Mottled ducks have historically experienced disproportionate negative effects from lead exposure, and exhibit a unique nonmigratory life history that increases risk of exposure when inhabiting contaminated areas. We used spatial interpolation to estimate lead in wetland soils of the Texas Chenier Plain National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Soil lead levels varied across the refuge complex (0.01–1085.51 ppm), but greater lead concentrations frequently corresponded to areas with high densities of transmittered mottled ducks. We used soil lead concentration data and MaxENT species distribution models to quantify relationships among various habitat factors and locations of mottled ducks. Use of habitats with greater lead concentration increased during years of a major disturbance. Because mottled ducks use habitats with high concentrations of lead during periods of stress, have greater risk of exposure following major disturbance to the coastal marsh system, and no innate mechanism for avoiding the threat of lead exposure, we suggest the potential presence of an ecological trap of quality habitat that warrants further quantification at a population scale for mottled ducks

If It Looks Like a *uck: A Provocation on B*d Words

For some decades, we’ve been considering (and using) “b*d” words. Such a large part of the document space is made up of words; it seems necessary, upon occasion, to explore the crooked little paths and messy gutters occupied by some words. We invite your company on such a little exploration now

[For the system, alternate title: If It Sort of Looks Like a Duck: Reflecting on Bad Photographs and Chains of Custody]

Though the system will not permit it, our abstract is an out-of-focus photograph of ducks at 1900 pixels wide and black and white, which is approximately 20% the size of the original color photograph we use for our title. By most technical standards, it is a bad picture. Straightening the horizon, cropping the image to emphasize the two foremost ducks, brightening the image to highlight the feet, and adding a caption that indicates activity might yield a “better” picture for some viewers. This piece captures nearly 20 years of conversations about good and bad pictures, and continues the conversation from the 2016 Proceedings about bad words