Clinical exercise testing in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis.

ArticleThis is the author version of an article published in Pediatric Physical Therapy, 2009, Vol. 21, Iss. 3, pp. 275-281. The final published version is available via: http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/PEP.0b013e3181b15445PURPOSE: To review the most common field and laboratory exercise tests available for children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis (CF). METHODS: Relevant studies for this review were identified by electronic search of Medline and PubMed databases between the years 1958 and 2008. The bibliographies of all accessed publications were also searched. Key descriptors were cystic fibrosis, exercise testing, aerobic fitness, children, and adolescents. RESULTS: Five field tests were selected for presentation, including discussion of their strengths and weaknesses. Laboratory tests measuring aerobic and anaerobic responses to exercise in children with CF were also selected for presentation and discussed along with a summary of safety considerations for exercise testing of children with CF. CONCLUSION: Exercise testing is regarded an important prognostic tool in CF care. However, despite its beneficial effects, clinical exercise testing seems underused. Clinicians and their staff should encourage patients with CF to be physically active and recommend exercise testing annually

Entanglements and Entrapment on the Pathway toward Domestication

The domestication of wild species that sustained hunter-gatherers, as happened with cereals, is a prime example of cultural and ecological entanglement. As humans relied more on a narrower range of species for calories, the changes associated with their processing required them to engage in different behavioral patterns. In turn, the species themselves evolved characteristics that is, domestication traits, which further transformed human behavior. Eventually these changes made plants reliant on human management and propagation for reproduction, and likewise humans became more dependent on plants to maintain subsistence and cultural trajectories

Fatigue behaviour of unidirectional carbon-cord reinforced composites and parametric models for life prediction

© 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK. Unidirectional Carbon Cord reinforced HNBR composites (CF-HNBR) were prepared and fatigue tests under stress control were performed under non-relaxed tension-tension conditions. In this paper, various Constant Life Diagrams (CLD) that are based on different theoretical formulations have been applied to the measured fatigue data of the CF-HNBR composites. The results show that the predictions made by piecewise CLD and modified Harries CLD produce the most accurate results. In addition, a novel experimental set-up is described that replicates in a simplified way the real-pulley situation encountered under typical service conditions to investigate the effect of the bending curvature on the lifetime of the composite subject to coupled tension and bending conditions

A Quantitative, Non-Destructive Methodology for Habitat Characterisation and Benthic Monitoring at Offshore Renewable Energy Developments

Following governments' policies to tackle global climate change, the development of offshore renewable energy sites is likely to increase substantially over coming years. All such developments interact with the seabed to some degree and so a key need exists for suitable methodology to monitor the impacts of large-scale Marine Renewable Energy Installations (MREIs). Many of these will be situated on mixed or rocky substrata, where conventional methods to characterise the habitat are unsuitable. Traditional destructive sampling is also inappropriate in conservation terms, particularly as safety zones around (MREIs) could function as Marine Protected Areas, with positive benefits for biodiversity. Here we describe a technique developed to effectively monitor the impact of MREIs and report the results of its field testing, enabling large areas to be surveyed accurately and cost-effectively. The methodology is based on a high-definition video camera, plus LED lights and laser scale markers, mounted on a “flying array” that maintains itself above the seabed grounded by a length of chain, thus causing minimal damage. Samples are taken by slow-speed tows of the gear behind a boat (200 m transects). The HD video and randomly selected frame grabs are analysed to quantify species distribution. The equipment was tested over two years in Lyme Bay, UK (25 m depth), then subsequently successfully deployed in demanding conditions at the deep (>50 m) high-energy Wave Hub site off Cornwall, UK, and a potential tidal stream energy site in Guernsey, Channel Islands (1.5 ms−1 current), the first time remote samples from such a habitat have been achieved. The next stage in the monitoring development process is described, involving the use of Remote Operated Vehicles to survey the seabed post-deployment of MREI devices. The complete methodology provides the first quantitative, relatively non-destructive method for monitoring mixed-substrate benthic communities beneath MPAs and MREIs pre- and post-device deployment

Statistical methodologies to pool across multiple intervention studies

Combining and analyzing data from heterogeneous randomized controlled trials of complex multiple-component intervention studies, or discussing them in a systematic review, is not straightforward. The present article describes certain issues to be considered when combining data across studies, based on discussions in an NIH-sponsored workshop on pooling issues across studies in consortia (see Belle et al. in Psychol Aging, 18(3):396–405, 2003). Several statistical methodologies are described and their advantages and limitations are explored. Whether weighting the different studies data differently, or via employing random effects, one must recognize that different pooling methodologies may yield different results. Pooling can be used for comprehensive exploratory analyses of data from RCTs and should not be viewed as replacing the standard analysis plan for each study. Pooling may help to identify intervention components that may be more effective especially for subsets of participants with certain behavioral characteristics. Pooling, when supported by statistical tests, can allow exploratory investigation of potential hypotheses and for the design of future interventions

Discolouring the Amazon Rainforest: how deforestation is affecting butterfly coloration

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer via the DOI in this record .Butterflies are among the most colourful organisms in the world and colour plays a central role in many of their life-history strategies. However, the efficacy of coloration strategies in these and other animals could be affected by sudden environmental changes, including anthropogenic disturbances such as habitat loss and fragmentation. Here we investigate the effect of forest disturbance gradients on the colours of fruit-feeding butterflies in the Amazon Rainforest. The disturbance gradients tested represented habitat-size (continuous primary forests versus forest fragments of 1, 10 and 100 ha) and succession gradients (continuous primary forests, 30 year old secondary forests, and three year old early successional forests). Using digital image analysis, we obtained intrinsic measures of butterfly colour patches corresponding to hue, saturation, brightness, in addition to measures of the contrast among patches and of the overall wing-colour diversity corresponding to 220 individuals, belonging to 60 species. Our results showed that butterflies in the secondary forest and continuous primary forest are more colourful than those found in early succession and fragments of forests. Individuals occurring in forests of early succession showed higher average values of hue and saturation, but lower brightness. Accompanying changes in colour composition, wing-colour diversity among species was lower in human-disturbed habitats, such as those of early forest succession and secondary forest. Forest fragments have smaller effects on butterfly colour composition, indicating that well-structured forest habitats can house butterfly assemblages with more diverse phenotypic features and colours. We show how high deforestation rates in recent years is linked with negative changes in functional coloration strategies (e.g. camouflage, warning colours), something that has to date been poorly explored or demonstrated for butterflies. Specifically, human interference has apparently placed butterflies under strong selection for lower diversity in their colours and range of defensive strategies. Those species that are most colourful are the first to be locally extinguished, likely due to removal of native vegetation and increased exposure to predators, and more broadly owing to inhospitable environmental conditions. This illustrates an accelerated loss of local fauna and a “discolouration” of the Amazonian butterflies due to anthropogenic impacts.Thomas Lovejoy research fellowshi

The impact of Covid-19 upon the delivery of exercise services within cystic fibrosis clinics in the United Kingdom

This is the final version. Available on open access from Wiley via the DOI in this recordObjectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedent changes to clinical practice, and as the impact upon delivery of exercise services for people with cystic fibrosis (CF) in the UK was unknown, this was characterised via a national survey. Methods: An electronic survey was distributed to healthcare professionals involved in the exercise management of CF via established professional networks. Results: In total, 31 CF centres participated. Findings included significant reductions in exercise testing, and widespread adaptation to deliver exercise training using telehealth methods. Promisingly, 71% stated that they would continue using virtual methods of engaging patients in future practice. Conclusion: These findings highlight adaptation to the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to develop sustainable and standardised telehealth services to manage patients moving forwards