Providing Farmers with the Legal Tools Needed to Keep the Equipment Running: An Update on the Agricultural Right to Repair Movement

This presentation examines and summarizes the right to repair movement from the perspective of its origins, development, legal basis and – most significantly – its unique manifestation within an agriculture perspective. The agricultural equipment sector is more concentrated and less competitive than many other industries, while the typical farmer remains fiercely independent and self-reliant. This unique situation has led to conflict, forming the basis of the current agricultural right to repair dispute. Accordingly, the current state of the agricultural right to repair movement is examined and explained based on the recent policy, legislation, and litigation efforts employed at federal and state levels

Transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation: treatments for cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms in the neurodegenerative dementias?

INTRODUCTION: Two methods of non-invasive brain stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), have demonstrable positive effects on cognition and can ameliorate neuropsychiatric symptoms such as depression. Less is known about the efficacy of these approaches in common neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we evaluate the effects of TMS and tDCS upon cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms in the major dementias, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), Parkinson's disease with dementia (PDD), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), as well as the potential pre-dementia states of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: PubMed (until 7 February 2014) and PsycINFO (from 1967 to January Week 3 2014) databases were searched in a semi-systematic manner in order to identify relevant treatment studies. A total of 762 studies were identified and 32 studies (18 in the dementias and 14 in PD populations) were included. RESULTS: No studies were identified in patients with PDD, FTD or VaD. Of the dementias, 13 studies were conducted in patients with AD, one in DLB, and four in MCI. A total of 16 of the 18 studies showed improvements in at least one cognitive or neuropsychiatric outcome measure. Cognitive or neuropsychiatric improvements were observed in 12 of the 14 studies conducted in patients with PD. CONCLUSIONS: Both TMS and tDCS may have potential as interventions for the treatment of symptoms associated with dementia and PD. These results are promising; however, available data were limited, particularly within VaD, PDD and FTD, and major challenges exist in order to maximise the efficacy and clinical utility of both techniques. In particular, stimulation parameters vary considerably between studies and are likely to subsequently impact upon treatment efficacy

Experienced demand does not affect subsequent sleep and the cortisol awakening response

Purpose: Stress is associated with subjective and objective sleep disturbances; however, it is not known whether stress disrupts sleep and relevant physiological markers of stress immediately after it is experienced. The present study examined whether demand, in the form of cognitive tasks, disrupted sleep and the cortisol awakening response (CAR), depending on whether it was experienced or just anticipated. Participants and Methods: Subjective and objective sleep was measured in 22 healthy adults on three nights (Nights 0– 2) in a sleep laboratory using sleep diaries and polysomnography. Saliva samples were obtained at awakening, +15, +30, +45 and +60 minutes on each subsequent day (Day 1– 3) and CAR measurement indices were derived: awakening cortisol levels, the mean increase in cortisol levels (MnInc) and total cortisol secretion (AUCG). On Night 1, participants were informed that they were required to complete a series of demanding cognitive tasks within the sleep laboratory during the following day. Participants completed the tasks as expected or unexpectedly performed sedentary activities. Results: Compared to the no-demand group, the demand group displayed significantly higher levels of state anxiety immediately completing the first task. There were no subsequent differences between the demand and no-demand groups in Night 2 subjective sleep continuity, objective sleep continuity or architecture, or on any Day 3 CAR measure. Conclusion: These results indicate that sleep and the CAR are not differentially affected depending on whether or not an anticipated stressor is then experienced. This provides further evidence to indicate that the CAR is a marker of anticipation and not recovery. In order to disrupt sleep, a stressor may need to be personally relevant or of a prolonged duration or intensity

Poor false sleep feedback does not affect pre-sleep cognitive arousal or subjective sleep continuity in healthy sleepers: a pilot study

Purpose: Modern wearable devices calculate a numerical metric of sleep quality (sleep feedback), which are intended to allow users to monitor and, potentially, improve their sleep. This feedback may have a negative impact upon pre-sleep cognitive arousal, and subjective sleep, even in healthy sleepers, but it is not known if this is the case. This pilot study examined the impact of poor false sleep feedback, upon pre-sleep arousal and subjective sleep continuity in healthy sleepers.Methods: A total of 54 healthy sleepers (Mage = 30.19 years; SDage = 12.94 years) were randomly allocated to receive good, or poor, false sleep feedback, in the form of a numerical sleep score. Participants were informed that this feedback was a true reflection of their habitual sleep. Pre-sleep cognitive and somatic arousal was measured at baseline, immediately after the presentation of the feedback, and one week afterwards. Subjective sleep continuity was measured using sleep diaries for one week before, and after, the presentation of the feedback.Results: There were no significant differences between good and poor feedback groups in terms of pre-sleep cognitive arousal, or subjective sleep continuity, before or after the presentation of the sleep feedback.Conclusions: The presentation of false sleep feedback, irrespective of direction (good vs. poor) does not negatively affect pre-sleep cognitive arousal or subjective sleep continuity in healthy sleepers. Whilst the one-off presentation of sleep feedback does not negatively affect subjective sleep, the impact of more frequent sleep feedback upon sleep should be examined

Sleep Disturbances and Physical Health Problems in Caregivers of Children with ASD

Objectives: Caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder self-report more physical health problems than controls. Sleep disturbances are also more prevalent in caregivers, and are positively associated with physical health problems. The negative impact of caring for a child with ASD on physical health therefore, might occur indirectly via poorer sleep.Methods: Participants, of which n=43 were caregivers and n=17 were controls, completed self-report measures of physical health problems and, to capture objective measures of sleep, wore an actigraphy device. Results: Physical health problems were greater in caregivers, as were subjective reports of disturbed sleep. Objectively, waking after sleep onset (WASO) and average number of awakenings were higher, as was sleep latency, and sleep efficiency was poorer, in caregivers. Total sleep time however, was greater in caregivers, as was time in bed. Physical health problems, while unrelated to actigraphy measures, were positively associated with self-reported sleep disturbances. Caregivers’ increased risk for physical health problems occurred indirectly via greater self-reports of disturbed sleep. Conclusions: Interventions that help alleviate caregivers’ sleep disturbances might be effective, by reducing physical health problems, for improving quality of provided care, and this might be explored in future research

Habitual subjective sleep continuity is not associated with fluid intelligence: an exploratory study

The link between sleep and cognition is well-established, but the link between subjective sleep and fluid intelligence is poorly understood. The aim of this exploratory study was to examine the relationship between habitual subjective sleep continuity and fluid intelligence. In this study, a total of 56 healthy sleepers (Mage = 30.91 years; SDage = 12.93 years) completed two fluid intelligence (abstract reasoning and two-dimensional mental rotation) tasks after completing seven consecutive days of sleep diaries. Relationships between subjective sleep continuity (total sleep time (TST); sleep efficiency (SE); wake after sleep onset (WASO) and sleep onset latency (SOL), and task accuracy and speed were assessed using Pearson correlations. Overall, there were no associations between subjective sleep continuity (TST, SE, WASO, SOL) and either task accuracy or speed (adjusted p-values > .0125). Overall, habitual subjective sleep continuity and fluid intelligence may not be associated. These results should be replicated in larger samples

Exploration of potential objective and subjective daily indicators of sleep health in normal sleepers

Purpose: While the concept of "sleep health" has only recently been defined, how it relates to both subjective and objective sleep parameters is yet to be determined. The current study aimed to identify potential indicators of poorer sleep health, from subjective and objective daily sleep characteristics, in normal sleepers. Participants and methods: Eighty-three individuals aged 18-65 years with no history of sleep disorders, chronic physical or psychiatric illnesses, or substance misuse were recruited from the North of England. Secondary analysis of a series of standardized studies, which included psychometrics, actigraphy, and an in-lab polysomnography (PSG) component, was undertaken. Questions from several psychometric sleep scales were combined to create an aggregate measure of sleep health status. Subjective sleep continuity was assessed by 2-week sleep diary. Objective measures comprised two continuous weeks of actigraphy and two nights of in-lab PSG. Results: Significant negative correlations were evident between sleep health scores and both diary-derived subjective sleep latency (SL; diary) and actigraphy-derived SL (actigraphy). This was reflected by independent samples t-test between high and low sleep health groups. No relationships between sleep health and PSG parameters were observed. Regression analyses indicated sleep latencies from both the sleep diary and actigraphy as significant predictors, explaining 28.2% of the variance in sleep health. Conclusion: Perceived increases in SL appear to be a primary indicator of declining sleep health in normal sleepers. The majority of objective sleep parameters, including gross PSG sleep parameters, appear not to be sensitive to sleep health status in normal sleepers. Future research is needed to understand the physical and psychological correlates of sleep health in larger samples

Pre-sleep cognitive arousal is negatively associated with sleep misperception in healthy sleepers during habitual environmental noise exposure: an actigraphy study

Specific noises (e.g., traffic or wind turbines) can disrupt sleep and potentially cause a mismatch between subjective sleep and objective sleep (i.e., “sleep misperception”). Some individuals are likely to be more vulnerable than others to noise-related sleep disturbances, potentially as a result of increased pre-sleep cognitive arousal. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationships between pre-sleep cognitive arousal and sleep misperception. Sixteen healthy sleepers participated in this naturalistic, observational study. Three nights of sleep were measured using actigraphy, and each 15-s epoch was classified as sleep or wake. Bedside noise was recorded, and each 15-s segment was classified as containing noise or no noise and matched to actigraphy. Participants completed measures of habitual pre-sleep cognitive and somatic arousal and noise sensitivity. Pre-sleep cognitive and somatic arousal levels were negatively associated with subjective–objective total sleep time discrepancy (p < 0.01). There was an association between sleep/wake and noise presence/absence in the first and last 90 min of sleep (p < 0.001). These results indicate that higher levels of habitual pre-sleep arousal are associated with a greater degree of sleep misperception, and even in healthy sleepers, objective sleep is vulnerable to habitual bedside noise

Testing an early online intervention for the treatment of disturbed sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic (Sleep COVID-19): structured summary of a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Objectives The primary aim of the present study is to examine the efficacy of an online intervention for poor sleep in the context of an ongoing stressful major life event, by assessing if this intervention can reduce insomnia severity at short-term (one week post-intervention) and long-term (one and three months post-intervention) follow-up time points. It is hypothesised that the intervention will: 1) reduce insomnia severity in poor sleepers, compared to wait-list control poor sleepers, and good sleepers; 2) reduce subjective symptoms of anxiety and depression in all groups, and 3) prevent the transition to acute insomnia in good sleepers. Trial design This study is a cluster randomised controlled trial. Participants Both healthy good sleepers, who do not report having any current sleep problems, and individuals who report having sleep problems, will be recruited for the present study. This is a single-site study (Northumbria University). This study will be delivered using the internet and there are no geographic restrictions. Individuals who self-report as poor sleepers will meet DSM-5 criteria for acute insomnia, which is where individuals: 1) have difficulties in falling asleep, staying asleep, or awakening too early for at least three nights per week, for a time period of between two weeks and three months; and 2) report experiencing distress or impairment caused by sleep loss. Both 1) and 2) must have occurred despite the individual having had an adequate opportunity for sleep during this time period. Good sleepers will be individuals who do not have current sleep problems. All participants must have a sufficient level of English comprehension to understand and complete study measures. Individuals cannot participate if they report having chronic sleep problems (where they have existed for more than three months immediately prior to providing consent), nor will individuals who are actively seeking treatment for their sleep problems irrespective of how long they have had the sleep problem. Individuals also cannot participate if they have a self-reported history of head injuries, or if they have a self-reported diagnosis of schizophrenia, epilepsy or personality disorder, as the distraction techniques involved in the insomnia intervention may increase rumination in individuals with these conditions, and influence the effectiveness of the intervention. Intervention and comparator Participants who receive the intervention will be provided with an online version of a self-help leaflet. A printed version of this leaflet has been successfully used in previous treatment studies, which have been conducted by our research group. Participants will be encouraged to download, save or print out this leaflet, which will be provided in PDF format. There will be no restrictions on use and participants will be encouraged to refer to this leaflet as often as they wish to. Briefly, this self-help leaflet aims to improve sleep by identifying and addressing sleep-related dysfunctional thinking by providing education about sleep, providing techniques to distract from intrusive worrisome thoughts at night, and providing guidelines for sleep-related stimulus control. The comparator is a wait-list control (i.e. where they will receive the intervention after a one month delay) group. Main outcomes The primary outcome measure will be insomnia severity, as measured using the Insomnia Severity Index (Bastien, Vallières, & Morin, 2001), assessed immediately prior to the intervention and at one week, one month and three months post-intervention, compared to baseline. Secondary outcome measures will include subjective mood, measured using the 7-item Generalised Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7; Spitzer, Kroenke, Williams, & Lowe, 2006)) and 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9; Kroenke, Spitzer, & Williams, 2001), assessed immediately prior to the intervention, and one week, one month and three months post-intervention, compared to baseline. Additionally, subjective sleep continuity, derived from sleep diaries (Carney et al., 2012), will be compared pre and post-intervention. Randomisation This study will operate as a cluster randomised controlled trial. Good sleepers will be randomised into an intervention or a no-intervention group, with a 1:1 allocation. Poor sleepers will be randomised into an intervention or wait-list control group, with a 1:1 allocation. Randomisation will be conducted automatically using Qualtrics study software, where block sizes will be equal and randomisation will be computer-generated. Blinding (masking) Participants will not be blinded to group assignment. The outcomes will be assessed by a blinded investigator. Numbers to be randomised (sample size) The minimum sample size is 60. A total of 30 poor sleepers will be randomised to the intervention or wait-list control group. A total of 30 good sleepers will be randomised to the intervention or no intervention group. Trial Status Recruitment for this study has yet to start. It is anticipated that recruitment will begin in August 2020 and end in April 2022. The current study protocol is version 1.0 (20 July 2020) Trial registration This study was prospectively registered in the ISRCTN registry (registration number ISRCTN43900695, date of registration: 8 April 2020). Full protocol The full protocol is attached as an additional file, accessible from the Trials website (Additional file 1). In the interest in expediting dissemination of this material, the familiar formatting has been eliminated; this Letter serves as a summary of the key elements of the full protocol. The study protocol has been reported in accordance with the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Clinical Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) guidelines (Additional file 2)