The Effects of Meditative Activities for Primary-Aged Children

The purpose of this research was to optimize the development of the will, a level of self-regulation, and cognitive function of primary-aged children through the habitual use of designated meditative activities. Past research and studies relating to meditation, neuroscience, the sensory needs of children and human development have determined that age-appropriate meditation exercises with preschool children would foster the development of self-regulation (Schwatz, 2011; Semple, Lee & Rosa, Miller, 2009; Thompson & Raisor, 2013; Zelazo & Lyons 2011). This four week study integrated tangible meditation tools and outlets: a yoga mat, bolster, a booklet with pictures of four restorative yoga poses, a wood hand-massaging ball, noise-cancelling headphones and a meditation space with a floor cushion. It involved 28 children between the ages of three and six-years-old in a private Montessori school in Minnesota. Data collection included a daily observation chart, behavioral scale, tally and end of study parent feedback/observations. Results showed the meditative activities did not increase the children’s self-regulated behavior. However, it did indicate any work done with intention could be considered a meditative activity that does not necessarily consist of yoga or massage. Suggestions for further research include an extended study period that could expand to providing meditative opportunities for infants and toddlers and interviewing adults who were exposed to meditative activities as a primary-aged child, infant or toddler. Following up with adults who were provided the opportunity to engage in meditative activities as a child may solidify whether exposure to meditative activities at an early age would help individuals achieve an optimal development of self-regulation and will through habitual use of meditative activities

Assessing Unfair Pricing under China\u27s Anti-Monopoly Law for Innovation-Intensive Industries

China, like a number of other antitrust jurisdictions, has a law concerning unfair pricing. This article develops an economic framework for applying the unfair pricing law in China. The framework draws on the experience of courts and competition authorities in other jurisdictions and the writings of various commentators, particularly economists, on unfair pricing in those jurisdictions. It shows that virtually all jurisdictions have decided to consider unfair pricing claims only in exceptional circumstances, and rarely, if ever, in innovation-intensive industries. For those cases that pass this screen and receive consideration, the courts and competition authorities then, under the leading test, insist on substantial evidence that the price is significantly higher than cost and is unfair given the value provided to the buyer. This article shows that the exceptional circumstances screen and the rigorous unfair pricing test are motivated by a recognition, supported by substantial empirical evidence, that successful firms must have the assurance of receiving significant rewards to induce them to invest time and capital in highly risky innovation that is the source of economic growth and welfare. It concludes by showing that this approach is consistent with modern Chinese economic policy

The treatment effect of rivaroxaban on clot characteristics in patients who present acutely with first time deep vein thrombosis

BACKGROUND: The acute vascular disease deep vein thrombosis (DVT) requires oral anticoagulants to prevent progression. Monitoring therapeutic efficacy of direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC), including rivaroxaban, is problematic as no reliable test is available. Advances in rheometry have led to the development of a functional coagulation biomarker using Gel Point (GP) analysis which assesses clot structure formation. The biomarker measures incipient clot formation time (TGP) and quantifies fibrin clot structure in terms of fractal dimension (df).OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate clot structure formation in first time DVT and the effect of rivaroxaban treatment.METHODS: This prospective observational cohort study measured the GP and standard laboratory markers at three sample points: pre-treatment and at 20 and 60 days following 15mg BD and 20mg OD rivaroxaban respectively. RESULTS: Forty DVT patients (mean age 64 years [SD±14.8]; 23 males, 17 female) were recruited. The results show that DVT vs non-DVT patients did not have a significantly different GP profile (df: 1.72±0.06 vs 1.70±0.06 and TGP: 267±68sec vs 262±73sec) with both within the defined healthy index. In addition, rivaroxaban therapy increased TGP to 392s (±135s) after 20 days, and subsequently increased to 395s (±194s) at 60 days but did not significantly increase df (from 1.69±0.05 to 1.71±0.06). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate in this cohort of DVT patients there was no underlying hypercoagulable effect as determined by gel point analysis. Furthermore, the anticoagulant effect of rivaroxaban prolonged clotting, suggesting a protective effect against clot formation, without significantly reducing clot microstructural properties

Geogenic lead isotope signatures from meat products in Great Britain: potential for use in food authentication and supply chain traceability

This paper presents lead (Pb) isotope data from samples of farm livestock raised in three areas of Britain that have elevated natural Pb levels: Central Wales, the Mendips and the Derbyshire Peak District. This study highlights three important observations; that the Pb found in modern British meat from these three areas is geogenic and shows no clear evidence of modern tetraethyl anthropogenic Pb contribution; that the generally excellent match between the biological samples and the ore field data, particularly for the Mendip and Welsh data, suggests that this technique might be used to provenance biological products to specific ore sites, under favourable conditions; and that modern systems reflect the same process of biosphere averaging that is analogous to cultural focusing in human archaeological studies that is the process of biological averaging leading to an homogenised isotope signature with increasing Pb concentration

Publication trends in Family Medicine graduates: A cross-sectional review

Purpose: The ACGME emphasizes the importance of research throughout residency as it establishes the basis of evidence-based medicine. As future physicians practicing evidence-based medicine, it is crucial that physicians in training are able to both interpret and produce quality research. Currently, the long-term impact of active research participation is unknown in this population. In this study, we aim to (1) explore research activity as measured by peer-reviewed publications among family medicine residency graduates and (2) determine if an association exists between publication rates before, during, or after family medicine residency.Methods: We utilized a cross-sectional study design analyzing research output by family medicine residency graduates in relation to future publications and academic involvement from a random sample of 50 family medicine programs. Data were extracted for each graduate and analyzed using STATA 15.1 and Microsoft Excel. The public protocol can be found here: https://osf.io/pwa6d/.Results: We identified 654 residency programs of which we randomly sampled 50. Among the 50 programs, 8 were included, totaling 101 graduates from family medicine residencies for analysis. Of the 101 analyzed residents, 76 (75.2%) produced zero publications. Of the analyzed residents, 30 (29.7%) pursued a fellowship, with most in sports medicine (5/101 [5.0%]). The mean number of publications for all analyzed residents was 0.8, with most publishing after completion of residency.Conclusion: While a majority of family medicine graduate's publications were post-residency, the average number of publications was lowest during residency training. Increased research opportunity and activity during residency may increase the proportion of family medicine graduates pursuing fellowships and careers in academia, as well as increase resident comfort with both interpretation and utilization of evidence-based interventions in clinical practice

PULSE - Fall 2015, Issue Two

PULSE is the bi-quarterly student-run lifestyle magazine of Central Washington University.https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/pulse/1001/thumbnail.jp

Impact of Land Surface Initialization Approach on Subseasonal Forecast Skill: a Regional Analysis in the Southern Hemisphere

The authors use a sophisticated coupled land-atmosphere modeling system for a Southern Hemisphere subdomain centered over southeastern Australia to evaluate differences in simulation skill from two different land surface initialization approaches. The first approach uses equilibrated land surface states obtained from offline simulations of the land surface model, and the second uses land surface states obtained from reanalyses. The authors find that land surface initialization using prior offline simulations contribute to relative gains in subseasonal forecast skill. In particular, relative gains in forecast skill for temperature of 10%-20% within the first 30 days of the forecast can be attributed to the land surface initialization method using offline states. For precipitation there is no distinct preference for the land surface initialization method, with limited gains in forecast skill irrespective of the lead time. The authors evaluated the asymmetry between maximum and minimum temperatures and found that maximum temperatures had the largest gains in relative forecast skill, exceeding 20% in some regions. These results were statistically significant at the 98% confidence level at up to 60 days into the forecast period. For minimum temperature, using reanalyses to initialize the land surface contributed to relative gains in forecast skill, reaching 40% in parts of the domain that were statistically significant at the 98% confidence level. The contrasting impact of the land surface initialization method between maximum and minimum temperature was associated with different soil moisture coupling mechanisms. Therefore, land surface initialization from prior offline simulations does improve predictability for temperature, particularly maximum temperature, but with less obvious improvements for precipitation and minimum temperature over southeastern Australia