964 research outputs found
Body Image in Primary Schools: A pilot evaluation of a primary school intervention program designed by teachers to improve children's body satisfaction
© 2016 Body Image in the Primary School (Hutchinson & Calland, 2011) is a body image curriculum that is widely available but has not yet been evaluated. This study evaluates a set of 6 of the 49 available lessons from this curriculum. Seventy-four girls and 70 boys aged 9â10 were recruited from four primary schools in the UK. Schools were randomly allocated into the intervention condition, where students received 6hours of body image lessons, or to lessons as normal. Body esteem was significantly higher among girls in the intervention group, compared to the control group, immediately post intervention, and at 3-month follow-up. Moreover, girls with lowest levels of body esteem at baseline reported the largest gains. Internalization was significantly lower among boys in the control group compared to the intervention group at 3-month follow-up. The pattern of results among the control group raises interesting issues for intervention evaluation
Outdoor Microplastic Analysis Using Inlet Filters from an NOx Regulatory Air Quality Monitoring Device
Atmospheric microplastics (MPs) are a ubiquitous environmental contaminant of emerging concern. Sampling methods provide information relating to surface area concentration and MP characteristics, without direct comparison with routinely measured standard air quality parameters. This study analysed 6 active air samples generated by a local authority as part of their routine air quality monitoring activities. Continuous sampling totalled 10 months, within the city centre of Kingston-upon-Hull. By using ÎŒFTIR analysis, levels of total particles detected using the NOx inlet filters ranged from 5139 ± 2843 particles mâ2 dayâ1, comprising 1029 ± 594 MPs mâ2 dayâ1. The controls displayed a mean level of 2.00 ± 3.49 MPs. The polymers nylon (32%) and polypropylene, PP (22%) were the most abundant. Small fragments of 47.42 ± 48.57 ÎŒm (length) and 21.75 ± 13.62 ÎŒm (width) were most common. An increase in MP levels during April 2020 coincided with an increase in PM10 levels. This study used robust procedures to measure MPs in the air by exploiting existing air quality monitoring equipment. Knowing the levels, types, and characteristics of MPs can inform toxicity studies to provide more environmentally relevant exposures, which is urgent now that MPs have been reported in human lung tissu
XCC: An X-ray FEL-based Compton Collider Higgs Factory
This report describes the conceptual design of a Higgs factory
in which 62.8 GeV electron beams collide with 1 keV X-ray free electron laser
(XFEL) beams to produce colliding beams of 62.5 GeV photons. The Higgs boson
production rate is 80,000 Higgs bosons per 10 second year, roughly the same
as the ILC Higgs rate at =250 GeV. The electron accelerator is based
on cold copper distributed coupling (C) accelerator technology. Unlike the
center-of-mass energy spectra of previous optical wavelength
collider designs, the sharply peaked center-of-mass energy
spectrum of XCC produces model independent Higgs coupling measurements with
precision on par with colliders. For the triple Higgs coupling
measurement, the XCC center-of-mass energy can be upgraded to 380 GeV, where
the cross section for is twice that of at =500 GeV. Design challenges are discussed, along
with the R\&D to address them, including demonstrators.Comment: 30 pages, 21 figures, submitted to JINST. arXiv admin note:
substantial text overlap with arXiv:2203.0848
Behavior of copperâcontaining highâentropy alloys in harsh metalâdusting environments
Metal dusting is still an unresolved issue at high temperatures. Currently, two materialârelated strategies to mitigate metal dusting are described in the literature. On the one hand, highly alloyed materials are used, which contain large amounts of protective oxideâforming elements, such as Cr, Al, and Si. The second mitigation strategy is based on inhibiting the catalytic effect of Fe, Ni, and Co. These elements all strongly catalyze the formation of solid carbon from the gas phase. Combining the catalytic protection of Cu alloying for metal dusting with protection by a classical alumina/chromia barrier is a native feature that highâentropy alloys (HEAs) can offer. In this study, the behavior of different equiatomic HEAs with and without Al and/or Cu are studied when exposed at 620°C in a highly aggressive metalâdusting environment
Machine learning-based automated phenotyping of inflammatory nocifensive behavior in mice.
The discovery and development of new and potentially nonaddictive pain therapeutics requires rapid, yet clinically relevant assays of nociception in preclinical models. A reliable and scalable automated scoring system for nocifensive behavior of mice in the formalin assay would dramatically lower the time and labor costs associated with experiments and reduce experimental variability. Here, we present a method that exploits machine learning techniques for video recordings that consists of three components: key point detection, per frame feature extraction using these key points, and classification of behavior using the GentleBoost algorithm. This approach to automation is flexible as different model classifiers or key points can be used with only small losses in accuracy. The adopted system identified the behavior of licking/biting of the hind paw with an accuracy that was comparable to a human observer (98% agreement) over 111 different short videos (total 284âmin) at a resolution of 1âs. To test the system over longer experimental conditions, the responses of two inbred strains, C57BL/6NJ and C57BL/6J, were recorded over 90âmin post formalin challenge. The automated system easily scored over 80âh of video and revealed strain differences in both response timing and amplitude. This machine learning scoring system provides the required accuracy, consistency, and ease of use that could make the formalin assay a feasible choice for large-scale genetic studies
C-reactive protein testing to guide antibiotic prescribing for COPD exacerbations
BACKGROUND: Point-of-care testing of C-reactive protein (CRP) may be a way to reduce unnecessary use of antibiotics without harming patients who have acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: We performed a multicenter, open-label, randomized, controlled trial involving patients with a diagnosis of COPD in their primary care clinical record who consulted a clinician at 1 of 86 general medical practices in England and Wales for an acute exacerbation of COPD. The patients were assigned to receive usual care guided by CRP point-of-care testing (CRP-guided group) or usual care alone (usual-care group). The primary outcomes were patient-reported use of antibiotics for acute exacerbations of COPD within 4 weeks after randomization (to show superiority) and COPD-related health status at 2 weeks after randomization, as measured by the Clinical COPD Questionnaire, a 10-item scale with scores ranging from 0 (very good COPD health status) to 6 (extremely poor COPD health status) (to show noninferiority). RESULTS: A total of 653 patients underwent randomization. Fewer patients in the CRP-guided group reported antibiotic use than in the usual-care group (57.0% vs. 77.4%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.20 to 0.47). The adjusted mean difference in the total score on the Clinical COPD Questionnaire at 2 weeks was â0.19 points (two-sided 90% CI, â0.33 to â0.05) in favor of the CRP-guided group. The antibiotic prescribing decisions made by clinicians at the initial consultation were ascertained for all but 1 patient, and antibiotic prescriptions issued over the first 4 weeks of follow-up were ascertained for 96.9% of the patients. A lower percentage of patients in the CRP-guided group than in the usual-care group received an antibiotic prescription at the initial consultation (47.7% vs. 69.7%, for a difference of 22.0 percentage points; adjusted odds ratio, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.45) and during the first 4 weeks of follow-up (59.1% vs. 79.7%, for a difference of 20.6 percentage points; adjusted odds ratio, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.20 to 0.46). Two patients in the usual-care group died within 4 weeks after randomization from causes considered by the investigators to be unrelated to trial participation. CONCLUSIONS: CRP-guided prescribing of antibiotics for exacerbations of COPD in primary care clinics resulted in a lower percentage of patients who reported antibiotic use and who received antibiotic prescriptions from clinicians, with no evidence of harm
Annual cycles are the most common reproductive strategy in African tropical tree communities
Abstract We present the first crossâcontinental comparison of the flowering and fruiting phenology of tropical forests across Africa. Flowering events of 5446 trees from 196 species across 12 sites and fruiting events of 4595 trees from 191 species across 11 sites were monitored over periods of 6 to 29Â years and analyzed to describe phenology at the continental level. To study phenology, we used Fourier analysis to identify the dominant cycles of flowering and fruiting for each individual tree and we identified the time of year African trees bloom and bear fruit and their relationship to local seasonality. Reproductive strategies were diverse, and no single regular cycle was found in >50% of individuals across all 12 sites. Additionally, we found annual flowering and fruiting cycles to be the most common. Subâannual cycles were the next most common for flowering, whereas supraâannual patterns were the next most common for fruiting. We also identify variation in different subsets of species, with species exhibiting mainly annual cycles most common in West and West Central African tropical forests, while more species at sites in East Central and East African forests showed cycles ranging from subâannual to supraâannual. Despite many trees showing strong seasonality, at most sites some flowering and fruiting occurred all year round. Environmental factors with annual cycles are likely to be important drivers of seasonal periodicity in trees across Africa, but proximate triggers are unlikely to be constant across the continent.Additional co-authors: Roman M. Wittig, Thomas Breuer, Mireille BreuerâNdoundou Hockemba, Crickette M. Sanz, David B. Morgan, Anne E. Pusey, Badru Mugerwa, Baraka Gilagiza, Caroline Tutin, Corneille E. N. Ewango, Douglas Sheil, Edmond Dimoto, FidĂšle Baya, Flort Bujo, Fredrick Ssali, JeanâThoussaint Dikangadissi, Kim Valenta, Michel Masozera, Michael L. Wilson, Robert Bitariho, Sydney T. Ndolo Ebika, Sylvie GourletâFleury, Felix Mulindahabi, Colin M. Beal
Determinants of fracture risk in a UK-population-based cohort of older women: a cross-sectional analysis of the Cohort for Skeletal Health in Bristol and Avon (COSHIBA)
Background: identification of individuals with high fracture risk from within primary care is complex. It is likely that the true contribution of falls to fracture risk is underestimated
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