Response of pet owners to Whistle FIT® activity monitor digital alerts of increased pruritic activity in their dogs: a retrospective observational study

Pruritus is a common clinical sign in dogs and is often underrecognized by dog owners and veterinarians. The Whistle FIT®, a wearable accelerometer paired with analytics, can detect changes in pruritic activity in dogs, which can be reported to owners in a smartphone/tablet application. The objectives of this retrospective observational study were to investigate the impact of digital alerts for increased pruritic behaviors received by dog owners in a real-life setting, on (1) the initiation of veterinary clinic visits, and (2) if such visits resulted in initiation of therapy for pruritus. Whistle FIT® data and electronic health records from 1,042 Banfield veterinary clinics in the United States were obtained for a 20-month period and reviewed retrospectively. Data on times of increased pruritic behaviors was calculated retrospectively by the investigators by applying the same algorithms used in the Whistle system. Data from the first 10-month interval was compared to the second 10 months, when reports on pruritic behaviors and alerts for increased pruritic behaviors were viewable by pet owners. Signalment of dogs with clinic visits in the first (n = 7,191) and second (n = 6,684) 10-month groups was similar. The total number of pruritic alerts was 113,530 in the first 10 months and 93,217 in the second 10 months. The odds of an ‘alert visit’ (the first veterinary clinic visit that occurred within 4 weeks after the time of a pruritus alert) was statistically significantly more likely (odds ratio, 1.6264; 95% CI, 1.57–1.69; p < 0.0001) in the second 10-month period compared to the first 10-month period. The total number of medications administered was 10,829 in the first 10 months and 9,863 in the second 10 months. The percentage of medications prescribed within 4 weeks after a pruritus alert was higher in the second 10 month period (53.3%) compared to the first 10 month period (38.8%). This study suggests that pruritus alerts sent to dog owners may improve owner recognition of pruritic behaviors and increase the likelihood of a veterinary visit to treat canine pruritus

Opening the Window for Electroweak Baryogenesis

We perform an analysis of the behaviour of the electroweak phase transition in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, in the presence of light stops. We show that, in previously unexplored regions of parameter space, the order parameter $v(T_c)/T_c$ can become significantly larger than one, for values of the Higgs and supersymmetric particle masses consistent with the present experimental bounds. This implies that baryon number can be efficiently generated at the electroweak phase transition. As a by-product of this study, we present an analysis of the problem of colour breaking minima at zero and finite temperature, and we use it to investigate the region of parameter space preferred by the best fit to the present precision electroweak measurement data, in which the left-handed stops are much heavier than the right-handed ones.Comment: 16 pages, LaTeX + 4 figures, psfig. (uuencoded

Corporate manslaughter: An examination of the determinants of prosecutorial policy

Although the offence of corporate manslaughter has arguably been established in English law for over twenty five years, it has been prosecuted only twice and both indictments failed. There is, however, much prima facie evidence to implicate companies in reckless manslaughter. The purpose of this paper is to present an explanation of why companies which appear to commit homicide have been treated with conspicuous indulgence by the state. I begin by examining the evidence that incriminates companies in homicide. I look at how the state has responded to these deaths with marked leniency. A brief account is given of the historical development of corporate liability in this area. The state's prosecutorial policy is then considered from three perspectives, moving outwards from close focus to a wide historical angle: I examine (a) the mechanics of the criminal justice system, its procedures and the decisions of its personnel; (b) the role of public perception in influencing those decisions and (c) the aspects of the political economy which engender the public perception in question

Alternative approaches for studying shared and distributed leadership

Scholars hold different perspectives about leadership which are not limited to a formally appointed leader. Of the abundance of terms used to describe this phenomenon, shared and distributed are the most prevalent. These terms are often used interchangeably, resulting in confusion in the way that shared and distributed leadership is conceptualized and investigated. This paper provides a historical development of this field, challenges existing conceptions and reveals inconsistencies and contradictions that are seldom acknowledged. Four distinct approaches to the study of shared and distributed leadership are identified in the literature, each embracing different ontological views and leadership epistemologies. Individually, the four approaches offer valuable - yet partial - understanding. Comparing and contrasting the assumptions and insights from the four approaches raises fundamental issues about how we think about leadership in terms of research, practice and development

Effects of a twelve-week exercise intervention on subsequent compensatory behaviours in adolescent girls: an exploratory study

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Human Kinetics Publishers Inc. in Pediatric Exercise Science on 19/07/2019, available online: https://doi.org/10.1123/pes.2019-0012 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.Purpose: Chronic exercise programmes can induce adaptive compensatory behavioural responses through increased energy intake (EI) and/or decreased free-living physical activity in adults. These responses can negate the benefits of an exercise-induced energy deficit; however, it is unclear whether young people experience similar responses. This study examined whether exercise-induced compensation occurs in adolescent girls. Methods: Twenty-three adolescent girls, heterogeneous for weight status, completed the study. Eleven, 13-year-old adolescent girls completed a twelve-week supervised exercise intervention (EX). Twelve body size matched girls comprised the non-exercise control group (CON). Body composition, EI, free-living energy expenditure (EE) and peak oxygen uptake (V ̇O_2) were measured repeatedly over the intervention. Results: Laboratory EI (EX: 9027, 9610, 9243 kJd-1 and CON: 9953, 9770, 10052 kJd-1 at 0, 12 and 18 weeks respectively) (ES = 0.26, P = 0.46) and free living EI (EX: 7288, 6412, 5273, 4916 kJd-1 and CON: 7227, 7128, 6470, 6337 kJd-1 at 0, 6, 12 and 18 weeks respectively) (ES ≤ 0.26, P = 0.90) did not change significantly over time and were similar between groups across the duration of the study. Free-living EE was higher in EX than CON (13295 vs. 12115 kJd-1, ES ≥ 0.88, P ≥ 0.16), but no significant condition by time interactions were observed (P ≥ 0.17). Conclusion: The current findings indicate that compensatory changes in EI and EE behaviours did not occur at a group level within a small cohort of adolescent girls. However, analysis at the individual level highlights large inter-individual variability in behaviours, which suggest a larger study may be prudent to extend this initial exploratory research

A novel 65 kDa RNA-binding protein in squid presynaptic terminals

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2009. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Neuroscience 166 (2010): 73-83, doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.12.005.A polyclonal antibody (C4), raised against the head domain of chicken myosin Va, reacted strongly towards a 65 kDa polypeptide (p65) on western blots of extracts from squid optic lobes but did not recognize the heavy chain of squid myosin V. This peptide was not recognized by other myosin Va antibodies, nor by an antibody specific for squid myosin V. In an attempt to identify it, p65 was purified from optic lobes of Loligo plei by cationic exchange and reverse phase chromatography. Several peptide sequences were obtained by mass spectroscopy from p65 cut from SDS-PAGE gels. BLAST analysis and partial matching with ESTs from a Loligo pealei data bank indicated that p65 contains consensus signatures for the hnRNP A/B family of RNA-binding proteins. Centrifugation of post mitochondrial extracts from optic lobes on sucrose gradients after treatment with RNase gave biochemical evidence that p65 associates with cytoplasmic RNP complexes in an RNA-dependent manner. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence studies using the C4 antibody showed partial co-labeling with an antibody against squid synaptotagmin in bands within the outer plexiform layer of the optic lobes and at the presynaptic zone of the stellate ganglion. Also, punctate labeling by the C4 antibody was observed within isolated optic lobe synaptosomes. The data indicate that p65 is a novel RNA-binding protein located to the presynaptic terminal within squid neurons and may have a role in synaptic localization of RNA and its translation or processing.REL, JCR and JEM received financial support from the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP), the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and the Fundação de Apoio ao Ensino, Pesquisa e Assistência do Hospital das Clínicas da FMRP-USP (FAEPA). JAD received financial support from the RI-INBRE Program Grant #P20RR016457 from the Nation Center for Research Resources, NIH, Bethesda, MD. DTPL, LC, SBFT, EJRV and MMAB were recipients of research fellowships from FAPESP and CNPq. REL and JEM received Productivityin- Research fellowships from CNPq

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators for the treatment of arrhythmias and cardiac resynchronisation therapy for the treatment of heart failure: systematic review and economic evaluation

Background This assessment updates and expands on two previous technology assessments that evaluated implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) for arrhythmias and cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) for heart failure (HF). Objectives To assess the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of ICDs in addition to optimal pharmacological therapy (OPT) for people at increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) as a result of ventricular arrhythmias despite receiving OPT; to assess CRT with or without a defibrillator (CRT-D or CRT-P) in addition to OPT for people with HF as a result of left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) and cardiac dyssynchrony despite receiving OPT; and to assess CRT-D in addition to OPT for people with both conditions. Data sources Electronic resources including MEDLINE, EMBASE and The Cochrane Library were searched from inception to November 2012. Additional studies were sought from reference lists, clinical experts and manufacturers’ submissions to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Review methods Inclusion criteria were applied by two reviewers independently. Data extraction and quality assessment were undertaken by one reviewer and checked by a second. Data were synthesised through narrative review and meta-analyses. For the three populations above, randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing (1) ICD with standard therapy, (2) CRT-P or CRT-D with each other or with OPT and (3) CRT-D with OPT, CRT-P or ICD were eligible. Outcomes included mortality, adverse events and quality of life. A previously developed Markov model was adapted to estimate the cost-effectiveness of OPT, ICDs, CRT-P and CRT-D in the three populations by simulating disease progression calculated at 4-weekly cycles over a lifetime horizon. Results A total of 4556 references were identified, of which 26 RCTs were included in the review: 13 compared ICD with medical therapy, four compared CRT-P/CRT-D with OPT and nine compared CRT-D with ICD. ICDs reduced all-cause mortality in people at increased risk of SCD, defined in trials as those with previous ventricular arrhythmias/cardiac arrest, myocardial infarction (MI) > 3 weeks previously, non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy (depending on data included) or ischaemic/non-ischaemic HF and left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 35%. There was no benefit in people scheduled for coronary artery bypass graft. A reduction in SCD but not all-cause mortality was found in people with recent MI. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) ranged from £14,231 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) to £29,756 per QALY for the scenarios modelled. CRT-P and CRT-D reduced mortality and HF hospitalisations, and improved other outcomes, in people with HF as a result of LVSD and cardiac dyssynchrony when compared with OPT. The rate of SCD was lower with CRT-D than with CRT-P but other outcomes were similar. CRT-P and CRT-D compared with OPT produced ICERs of £27,584 per QALY and £27,899 per QALY respectively. The ICER for CRT-D compared with CRT-P was £28,420 per QALY. In people with both conditions, CRT-D reduced the risk of all-cause mortality and HF hospitalisation, and improved other outcomes, compared with ICDs. Complications were more common with CRT-D. Initial management with OPT alone was most cost-effective (ICER £2824 per QALY compared with ICD) when health-related quality of life was kept constant over time. Costs and QALYs for CRT-D and CRT-P were similar. The ICER for CRT-D compared with ICD was £27,195 per QALY and that for CRT-D compared with OPT was £35,193 per QALY. Limitations Limitations of the model include the structural assumptions made about disease progression and treatment provision, the extrapolation of trial survival estimates over time and the assumptions made around parameter values when evidence was not available for specific patient groups. Conclusions In people at risk of SCD as a result of ventricular arrhythmias and in those with HF as a result of LVSD and cardiac dyssynchrony, the interventions modelled produced ICERs of < £30,000 per QALY gained. In people with both conditions, the ICER for CRT-D compared with ICD, but not CRT-D compared with OPT, was < £30,000 per QALY, and the costs and QALYs for CRT-D and CRT-P were similar. A RCT comparing CRT-D and CRT-P in people with HF as a result of LVSD and cardiac dyssynchrony is required, for both those with and those without an ICD indication. A RCT is also needed into the benefits of ICD in non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy in the absence of dyssynchrony. Study registration This study is registered as PROSPERO number CRD42012002062. Funding The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme

The Westray Mine Disaster and its Aftermath: The Politics of Causation

Causation analysis is densely political in at least three ways. First, because causation is crucial to our system of attributing moral, legal, and political responsibility, causation arguments are advanced for purely instrumental purposes. They do political work. Second, because any particular occurrence is the outcome of an almost infinite number of antecedent events, “but for” causation analysis produces trivial results. A judgment about causal significance is required and will depend, in part, on the goals of the analysis. The choice of goals is political, but unstated goals and hidden assumptions often exclude consideration of some possible causes as significant. Theses politics of causation need to be made explicit. Third, the institutional setting in which official determinations of causation are made influence the outcome. Hence, it is necessary to explore these as well. Each of these three dimensions of the politics of causation is explored through an analysis of the 1992 Westray Mine disaster which killed 29 miners in Nova Scotia, and the official responses to it. It is argued that if the goal is to protect workers and nothing else, the political-economic context that promotes the creation of hazardous conditions must be considered a significant cause of harmful occurrences. It is unlikely, however that any of the official responses to the disaster will take this approach