1,618 research outputs found
Peer coaching through mHealth targeting physical activity in people with Parkinson disease: feasibility study
BACKGROUND: Long-term engagement in exercise and physical activity mitigates the progression of disability and increases quality of life in people with Parkinson disease (PD). Despite this, the vast majority of individuals with PD are sedentary. There is a critical need for a feasible, safe, acceptable, and effective method to assist those with PD to engage in active lifestyles. Peer coaching through mobile health (mHealth) may be a viable approach.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to develop a PD-specific peer coach training program and a remote peer-mentored walking program using mHealth technology with the goal of increasing physical activity in persons with PD. We set out to examine the feasibility, safety, and acceptability of the programs along with preliminary evidence of individual-level changes in walking activity, self-efficacy, and disability in the peer mentees.
METHODS: A peer coach training program and a remote peer-mentored walking program using mHealth was developed and tested in 10 individuals with PD. We matched physically active persons with PD (peer coaches) with sedentary persons with PD (peer mentees), resulting in 5 dyads. Using both Web-based and in-person delivery methods, we trained the peer coaches in basic knowledge of PD, exercise, active listening, and motivational interviewing. Peer coaches and mentees wore FitBit Zip activity trackers and participated in daily walking over 8 weeks. Peer dyads interacted daily via the FitBit friends mobile app and weekly via telephone calls. Feasibility was determined by examining recruitment, participation, and retention rates. Safety was assessed by monitoring adverse events during the study period. Acceptability was assessed via satisfaction surveys. Individual-level changes in physical activity were examined relative to clinically important differences.
RESULTS: Four out of the 5 peer pairs used the FitBit activity tracker and friends function without difficulty. A total of 4 of the 5 pairs completed the 8 weekly phone conversations. There were no adverse events over the course of the study. All peer coaches were "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the training program, and all participants were "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the peer-mentored walking program. All participants would recommend this program to others with PD. Increases in average steps per day exceeding the clinically important difference occurred in 4 out of the 5 mentees.
CONCLUSIONS: Remote peer coaching using mHealth is feasible, safe, and acceptable for persons with PD. Peer coaching using mHealth technology may be a viable method to increase physical activity in individuals with PD. Larger controlled trials are necessary to examine the effectiveness of this approach.This study is supported by Boston Roybal Center for Active Lifestyle Interventions (RALI Boston), Grant #P30 AG048785, and the American Parkinson Disease Association, Massachusetts chapter. The authors would like to thank Nicole Sullivan, SOT, for her assistance with data management and data collection and Nick Wendel, DPT, for his assistance with data collection. Additionally, the authors would like to thank the participants in this study for their time, effort, and insights. (P30 AG048785 - Boston Roybal Center for Active Lifestyle Interventions (RALI Boston); American Parkinson Disease Association, Massachusetts chapter)Accepted manuscrip
Seafloor Control on Sea Ice
The seafloor has a profound role in Arctic sea ice formation and seasonal evolution. Ocean bathymetry controls the distribution and mixing of warm and cold waters, which may originate from different sources, thereby dictating the pattern of sea ice on the ocean surface. Sea ice dynamics, forced by surface winds, are also guided by seafloor features in preferential directions. Here, satellite mapping of sea ice together with buoy measurements are used to reveal the bathymetric control on sea ice growth and dynamics. Bathymetric effects on sea ice formation are clearly observed in the conformation between sea ice patterns and bathymetric characteristics in the peripheral seas. Beyond local features, bathymetric control appears over extensive ice-prone regions across the Arctic Ocean. The large-scale conformation between bathymetry and patterns of different synoptic sea ice classes, including seasonal and perennial sea ice, is identified. An implication of the bathymetric influence is that the maximum extent of the total sea ice cover is relatively stable, as observed by scatterometer data in the decade of the 2000s, while the minimum ice extent has decreased drastically. Because of the geologic control, the sea ice cover can expand only as far as it reaches the seashore, the continental shelf break, or other pronounced bathymetric features in the peripheral seas. Since the seafloor does not change significantly for decades or centuries, sea ice patterns can be recurrent around certain bathymetric features, which, once identified, may help improve short-term forecast and seasonal outlook of the sea ice cover. Moreover, the seafloor can indirectly influence cloud cover by its control on sea ice distribution, which differentially modulates the latent heat flux through ice covered and open water areas
GJ 1252 b: A 1.2 R\u3csub\u3e⊕\u3c/sub\u3e Planet Transiting An M3 Dwarf At 20.4 pc
We report the discovery of GJ 1252 b, a planet with a radius of 1.193 ± 0.074 R⊕ and an orbital period of 0.52 days around an M3-type star (0.381 ± 0.019 M⊕, 0.391 ± 0.020 R⊕) located 20.385 ± 0.019 pc away. We use Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) data, ground-based photometry and spectroscopy, Gaia astrometry, and high angular resolution imaging to show that the transit signal seen in the TESS data must originate from a transiting planet. We do so by ruling out all false-positive scenarios that attempt to explain the transit signal as originating from an eclipsing stellar binary. Precise Doppler monitoring also leads to a tentative mass measurement of 2.09 ± 0.56 M⊕. The host star proximity, brightness (V = 12.19 mag, K = 7.92 mag), low stellar activity, and the system\u27s short orbital period make this planet an attractive target for detailed characterization, including precise mass measurement, looking for other objects in the system, and planet atmosphere characterization
Simultaneous infrared and optical observations of the transiting debris cloud around WD 1145+017
We present multi-wavelength photometric monitoring of WD 1145+017, a white dwarf exhibiting periodic dimming events interpreted to be the transits of orbiting, disintegrating planetesimals. Our observations include the first set of near-infrared light curves for the object, obtained on multiple nights over the span of one month, and recorded multiple transit events with depths varying between ~20 to 50 per cent. Simultaneous near-infrared and optical observations of the deepest and longest duration transit event were obtained on two epochs with the Anglo-Australian Telescope and three optical facilities, over the wavelength range of 0.5 to 1.2 microns. These observations revealed no measurable difference in transit depths for multiple photometric pass bands, allowing us to place a 2 sigma lower limit of 0.8 microns on the grain size in the putative transiting debris cloud. This conclusion is consistent with the spectral energy distribution of the system, which can be fit with an optically thin debris disc with minimum particle sizes of 10 +5/-3 microns.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
Hit-and-run transcriptional control by bZIP1 mediates rapid nutrient signaling in Arabidopsis
The dynamic nature of gene regulatory networks allows cells to rapidly respond to environmental change. However, the underlying temporal connections are missed, even in kinetic studies, as transcription factor (TF) binding within at least one time point is required to identify primary targets. The TF-regulated but unbound genes are dismissed as secondary targets. Instead, we report that these genes comprise transient TF-target interactions most relevant to rapid signal transduction. We temporally perturbed a master TF (Basic Leucine Zipper 1, bZIP1) and the nitrogen (N) signal it transduces and integrated TF regulation and binding data from the same cell samples. Our enabling approach could identify primary TF targets based solely on gene regulation, in the absence of TF binding. We uncovered three classes of primary TF targets: (i) poised (TF-bound but not TF-regulated), (ii) stable (TF-bound and TF-regulated), and (iii) transient (TF-regulated but not TF-bound), the largest class. Unexpectedly, the transient bZIP1 targets are uniquely relevant to rapid N signaling in planta, enriched in dynamic N-responsive genes, and regulated by TF and N signal interactions. These transient targets include early N responders nitrate transporter 2.1 and NIN-like protein 3, bound by bZIP1 at 1-5 min, but not at later time points following TF perturbation. Moreover, promoters of these transient targets are uniquely enriched with cis-regulatory motifs coinherited with bZIP1 binding sites, suggesting a recruitment role for bZIP1. This transient mode of TF action supports a classic, but forgotten, "hit-and-run" transcription model, which enables a "catalyst TF" to activate a large set of targets within minutes of signal perturbation
Limits on a Composite Higgs Boson
Precision electroweak data are generally believed to constrain the Higgs
boson mass to lie below approximately 190 GeV at 95% confidence level. The
standard Higgs model is, however, trivial and can only be an effective field
theory valid below some high energy scale characteristic of the underlying
non-trivial physics. Corrections to the custodial isospin violating parameter T
arising from interactions at this higher energy scale dramatically enlarge the
allowed range of Higgs mass. We perform a fit to precision electroweak data and
determine the region in the (m_H, Delta T) plane that is consistent with
experimental results. Overlaying the estimated size of corrections to T arising
from the underlying dynamics, we find that a Higgs mass up to 500 GeV is
allowed. We review two composite Higgs models which can realize the possibility
of a phenomenologically acceptable heavy Higgs boson. We comment on the
potential of improvements in the measurements of m_t and M_W to improve
constraints on composite Higgs models.Comment: 9 pages, 2 eps figures. Shortened for PRL; some references elminate
KELT-7b: A hot Jupiter transiting a bright V=8.54 rapidly rotating F-star
We report the discovery of KELT-7b, a transiting hot Jupiter with a mass of
MJ, radius of RJ, and an orbital
period of days. The bright host star (HD33643;
KELT-7) is an F-star with , Teff K, [Fe/H]
, and . It has a mass of
Msun, a radius of Rsun, and
is the fifth most massive, fifth hottest, and the ninth brightest star known to
host a transiting planet. It is also the brightest star around which KELT has
discovered a transiting planet. Thus, KELT-7b is an ideal target for detailed
characterization given its relatively low surface gravity, high equilibrium
temperature, and bright host star. The rapid rotation of the star (
km/s) results in a Rossiter-McLaughlin effect with an unusually large amplitude
of several hundred m/s. We find that the orbit normal of the planet is likely
to be well-aligned with the stellar spin axis, with a projected spin-orbit
alignment of degrees. This is currently the second most
rapidly rotating star to have a reflex signal (and thus mass determination) due
to a planetary companion measured.Comment: Accepted to The Astronomical Journa
A Universal Phase Diagram for PMN-xPT and PZN-xPT
The phase diagram of the Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 and PbTiO3 solid solution (PMN-xPT)
indicates a rhombohedral ground state for x < 0.32. X-ray powder measurements
by Dkhil et al. show a rhombohedrally split (222) Bragg peak for PMN-10%PT at
80 K. Remarkably, neutron data taken on a single crystal of the same compound
with comparable q-resolution reveal a single resolution-limited (111) peak down
to 50 K, and thus no rhombohedral distortion. Our results suggest that the
structure of the outer layer of these relaxors differs from that of the bulk,
which is nearly cubic, as observed in PZN by Xu et al.Comment: Replaced Fig. 3 with better versio
AN OVERVIEW OF BUILDING AMERICA INDUSTRIALIZED HOUSING PARTNERSHIP (BAIHP) ACTIVITIES IN HOT-HUMID CLIMATES
BAIHP (www.baihp.org ) conducts systems
research and technical assistance activities for new
housing. Hot-humid climate efforts described here
include:
Systems research : NightCool – A hybrid cooling
and dehumidification strategy employing radiative
cooling and desiccant materials. Interior Duct
Systems in Manufactured Houses – Tests are ongoing
in an occupied prototype home in Alabama and the
FSEC manufactured housing lab. Ventilation and
Dehumidification – A new strategy has been
developed to hook up a whole-house dehumidifier so
that it only runs when the air conditioning
compressor is off. Plug Load Reduction – Whole
house feedback devices and security system based
plug load reductions are being evaluated in prototype
homes. Solar and Conventional Domestic Hot Water
(DHW) Testing – A test facility is being constructed
to conduct side by side testing of three active and
passive solar, two gas and two electric DHW
systems.
Technical assistance was provided on the design,
construction and evaluation of four near zero energy
homes and over 300 highly energy efficient
production homes in subdivisions during 2007 and
2008
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