Ninja data analysis with a detection pipeline based on the Hilbert-Huang Transform

The Ninja data analysis challenge allowed the study of the sensitivity of data analysis pipelines to binary black hole numerical relativity waveforms in simulated Gaussian noise at the design level of the LIGO observatory and the VIRGO observatory. We analyzed NINJA data with a pipeline based on the Hilbert Huang Transform, utilizing a detection stage and a characterization stage: detection is performed by triggering on excess instantaneous power, characterization is performed by displaying the kernel density enhanced (KD) time-frequency trace of the signal. Using the simulated data based on the two LIGO detectors, we were able to detect 77 signals out of 126 above SNR 5 in coincidence, with 43 missed events characterized by signal to noise ratio SNR less than 10. Characterization of the detected signals revealed the merger part of the waveform in high time and frequency resolution, free from time-frequency uncertainty. We estimated the timelag of the signals between the detectors based on the optimal overlap of the individual KD time-frequency maps, yielding estimates accurate within a fraction of a millisecond for half of the events. A coherent addition of the data sets according to the estimated timelag eventually was used in a characterization of the event.Comment: Accepted for publication in CQG, special issue NRDA proceedings 200

Efficacy of Online Training for Improving Camp Staff Competency

Preparing competent staff is a critical issue within the camp community. This quasi-experimental study examined the effectiveness of an online course for improving staff competency in camp healthcare practices among college-aged camp staff and a comparison group (N = 55). We hypothesized that working in camp would increase competency test scores due to opportunities for staff to experientially apply knowledge learned online. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyse the cross-level effects of a between-individuals factor (assignment to experimental or comparison group) and within-individual effects of time (pre-test, post-test #1, and post-test #2) on online course test scores. At post-test #2, the difference in average test scores between groups was ~30 points, with the treatment group scoring lower on average than the comparison group. Factors that may have influenced these findings are explored, including fatigue and the limited durability of online learning. Recommendations for research and practice are discussed

Search for Gravitational Waves from Intermediate Mass Binary Black Holes

We present the results of a weakly modeled burst search for gravitational waves from mergers of non-spinning intermediate mass black holes (IMBH) in the total mass range 100-450 solar Mass and with the component mass ratios between 1:1 and 4:1. The search was conducted on data collected by the LIGO and Virgo detectors between November of 2005 and October of 2007. No plausible signals were observed by the search which constrains the astrophysical rates of the IMBH mergers as a function of the component masses. In the most efficiently detected bin centered on 88 + 88 solar Mass , for non-spinning sources, the rate density upper limit is 0.13 per Mpc(exp 3) per Myr at the 90% confidence level

Epidemiology and Impact of Abdominal Oblique Injuries in Major and Minor League Baseball.

BACKGROUND: Oblique injuries are known to be a common cause of time out of play for professional baseball players, and prior work has suggested that injury rates may be on the rise in Major League Baseball (MLB). PURPOSE: To better understand the current incidence of oblique injuries, determine their impact based on time out of play, and to identify common injury patterns that may guide future injury prevention programs. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiological study. METHODS: Using the MLB Health and Injury Tracking System, all oblique injuries that resulted in time out of play in MLB and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) during the 2011 to 2015 seasons were identified. Player demographics such as age, position/role, and handedness were included. Injury-specific factors analyzed included the following: date of injury, timing during season, days missed, mechanism, side, treatment, and reinjury status. RESULTS: A total of 996 oblique injuries occurred in 259 (26%) MLB and 737 (74%) MiLB players. Although the injury rate was steady in MiLB, the MLB injury rate declined (P = .037). A total of 22,064 days were missed at a mean rate of 4413 days per season and 22.2 days per injury. The majority of these occurred during batting (n = 455, 46%) or pitching (n = 348, 35%), with pitchers losing 5 days more per injury than batters (P \u3c .001). The leading side was injured in 77% of cases and took 5 days longer to recover from than trailing side injuries (P = .009). Seventy-nine (7.9%) players received either a corticosteroid or platelet-rich plasma injection, and the mean recovery time was 11 days longer compared with those who did not receive an injection (P \u3c .001). CONCLUSION: Although the rate of abdominal oblique injuries is on the decline in MLB, this is not the case for MiLB, and these injuries continue to represent a significant source of time out of play in professional baseball. The vast majority of injuries occur on the lead side, and these injuries result in the greatest amount time out of play. The benefit of injections for the treatment of oblique injuries remains unknown

Using a gamified monitoring app to change adolescents' snack intake : the development of the REWARD app and evaluation design

Background: As the snacking pattern of European adolescents is of great concern, effective interventions are necessary. Till now health promotion efforts in children and adolescents have had only limited success in changing adolescents' eating patterns and anthropometrics. Therefore, the present study proposes an innovative approach to influence dietary behaviors in youth based on new insights on effective behavior change strategies and attractive intervention channels to engage adolescents. This article describes the rationale, the development, and evaluation design of the 'Snack Track School' app. The aim of the app is to improve the snacking patterns of Flemish 14- to 16-year olds. Methods: The development of the app was informed by the systematic, stepwise, iterative, and collaborative principles of the Intervention Mapping protocol. A four week mHealth intervention was developed based on the dual-system model with behavioral change strategies targeting both the reflective (i.e., active learning, advance organizers, mere exposure, goal-setting, monitoring, and feedback) and automatic processes (i.e., rewards and positive reinforcement). This intervention will be evaluated via a controlled pre-post design in Flemish schools among 1400 adolescents. Discussion: When this intervention including strategies focused on both the reflective and automatic pathway proves to be effective, it will offer a new scientifically-based vision, guidelines and practical tools for public health and health promotion (i.e., incorporation of learning theories in intervention programs)

Isotopic constraints on the role of hypohalous acids in sulfate aerosol formation in the remote marine boundary layer

Sulfate is an important component of global atmospheric aerosol, and has partially compensated for greenhouse gas-induced warming during the industrial period. The magnitude of direct and indirect radiative forcing of aerosols since preindustrial times is a large uncertainty in climate models, which has been attributed largely to uncertainties in the preindustrial environment. Here, we report observations of the oxygen isotopic composition (Δ¹⁷O) of sulfate aerosol collected in the remote marine boundary layer (MBL) in spring and summer in order to evaluate sulfate production mechanisms in pristine-like environments. Model-aided analysis of the observations suggests that 33–50 % of sulfate in the MBL is formed via oxidation by hypohalous acids (HOX  =  HOBr + HOCl), a production mechanism typically excluded in large-scale models due to uncertainties in the reaction rates, which are due mainly to uncertainties in reactive halogen concentrations. Based on the estimated fraction of sulfate formed via HOX oxidation, we further estimate that daily-averaged HOX mixing ratios on the order of 0.01–0.1 parts per trillion (ppt  =  pmol/mol) in the remote MBL during spring and summer are sufficient to explain the observations

Acetylcholinesterase expression in muscle is specifically controlled by a promoter-selective enhancesome in the first intron

Mammalian acetylcholinesterase (AChE) gene expression is exquisitely regulated in target tissues and cells during differentiation. An intron located between the first and second exons governs a similar to 100-fold increase in AChE expression during myoblast to myotube differentiation in C2C12 cells. Regulation is confined to 255 bp of evolutionarily conserved sequence containing functional transcription factor consensus motifs that indirectly interact with the endogenous promoter. To examine control in vivo, this region was deleted by homologous recombination. The knock-out mouse is virtually devoid of AChE activity and its encoding mRNA in skeletal muscle, yet activities in brain and spinal cord innervating skeletal muscle are unaltered. The transcription factors MyoD and myocyte enhancer factor-2 appear to be responsible for muscle regulation. Selective control of AChE expression by this region is also found in hematopoietic lineages. Expression patterns in muscle and CNS neurons establish that virtually all AChE activity at the mammalian neuromuscular junction arises from skeletal muscle rather than from biosynthesis in the motoneuron cell body and axoplasmic transport

Bounds on gravitational wave backgrounds from large distance clock comparisons

Our spacetime is filled with gravitational wave backgrounds that constitute a fluctuating environment created by astrophysical and cosmological sources. Bounds on these backgrounds are obtained from cosmological and astrophysical data but also by analysis of ranging and Doppler signals from distant spacecraft. We propose here a new way to set bounds on those backgrounds by performing clock comparisons between a ground clock and a remote spacecraft equipped with an ultra-stable clock, rather than only ranging to an onboard transponder. This technique can then be optimized as a function of the signal to be measured and the dominant noise sources, leading to significant improvements on present bounds in a promising frequency range where different theoretical models are competing. We illustrate our approach using the SAGAS project which aims to fly an ultra stable optical clock in the outer solar system.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, minor amendment