Behavioural Interventions for Obese Adults with Additional Risk Factors for Morbidity : Systematic Review of Effects on Behaviour, Weight and Disease Risk Factors

Peer reviewedPostprin

Labor Law - National Labor Relations Act - Managerial Employees - University Faculty

The United States Supreme Court has held that full-time faculty members at Yeshiva University are managerial employees excluded from the protections of the National Labor Relations Act. NLRB v. Yeshiva University, 444 U.S. 672 (1980)

Pathogenetic and Prognostic Significance of Inactivation of RASSF Proteins in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most frequent solid tumors worldwide, with limited treatment options and a dismal prognosis. Thus, there is a strong need to expand the basic and translational research on this deadly disease in order to improve the prognosis of HCC patients. Although the etiologic factors responsible for HCC development have been identified, the molecular pathogenesis of liver cancer remains poorly understood. Recent evidence has shown the frequent downregulation of Ras association domain family (RASSF) proteins both in the early and late stages of hepatocarcinogenesis. Here, we summarize the data available on the pathogenetic role of inactivation of RASSF proteins in liver cancer, the molecular mechanisms responsible for suppression of RASSF proteins in HCC, and the possible clinical implications arising from these discoveries. Altogether, the data indicate that inactivation of the RASSF1A tumor suppressor is ubiquitous in human liver cancer, while downregulation of RASSF2 and RASSF5 proteins is limited to specific HCC subsets. Also, the present findings speak in favour of therapeutic strategies aimed at reexpressing RASSF1A, RASSF2, and RASSF5 genes and/or inactivating the RASSF cellular inhibitors for the treatment of human liver cancer

The harmonic oscillator on Riemannian and Lorentzian configuration spaces of constant curvature

The harmonic oscillator as a distinguished dynamical system can be defined not only on the Euclidean plane but also on the sphere and on the hyperbolic plane, and more generally on any configuration space with constant curvature and with a metric of any signature, either Riemannian (definite positive) or Lorentzian (indefinite). In this paper we study the main properties of these `curved' harmonic oscillators simultaneously on any such configuration space, using a Cayley-Klein (CK) type approach, with two free parameters \ki, \kii which altogether correspond to the possible values for curvature and signature type: the generic Riemannian and Lorentzian spaces of constant curvature (sphere ${\bf S}^2$, hyperbolic plane ${\bf H}^2$, AntiDeSitter sphere {\bf AdS}^{\unomasuno} and DeSitter sphere {\bf dS}^{\unomasuno}) appear in this family, with the Euclidean and Minkowski spaces as flat limits. We solve the equations of motion for the `curved' harmonic oscillator and obtain explicit expressions for the orbits by using three different methods: first by direct integration, second by obtaining the general CK version of the Binet's equation and third, as a consequence of its superintegrable character. The orbits are conics with centre at the potential origin in any CK space, thereby extending this well known Euclidean property to any constant curvature configuration space. The final part of the article, that has a more geometric character, presents those results of the theory of conics on spaces of constant curvature which are pertinent.Comment: 29 pages, 6 figure

Randomised controlled feasibility trial of an evidence-informed behavioural intervention for obese adults with additional risk factors

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Participants' perspectives on making and maintaining behavioural changes in a lifestyle intervention for type 2 diabetes prevention: A qualitative study using the theory domain framework

Objectives: In a qualitative substudy, we sought to elicit participants' perspectives of their behavioural change and maintenance of new behaviours towards intervention optimisation. Setting: The intervention was delivered in leisure and community settings in a local authority, which according to the UK government statistics ranks as 1 of the 10 most socioeconomically deprived areas in England. Participants: We recruited 218 adults aged 40-65 years at elevated risk of type 2 diabetes (Finnish Diabetes Risk Score≥11) to the intervention. Follow-up at 12 months was completed by 134 (62%). We recruited 15 participants, purposively sampled for physical activity increase, to the qualitative substudy. Intervention: Lifestyle intervention can prevent type 2 diabetes, but translation to service provision remains challenging. The ‘New life, New you' intervention aimed to promote physical activity, healthy eating and weight loss, and included supervised group physical activity sessions. Behavioural change and weight loss at 12-month follow-up were encouraging. Design: We conducted 15 individual semistructured interviews. The Framework approach, with a comparison of emerging themes, was used in analysis of the transcribed data and complemented by the Theory Domains Framework. Results: Themes emerging from the data were grouped as perceptions that promoted initiating, enacting and maintaining behavioural change. The data were then categorised in accordance with the Theory Domains Framework: intentions and goals; reinforcement; knowledge; social role and identity; social influences; skills and beliefs about capabilities; behavioural regulation, memory, emotion, attention and decision processes and environmental context and resources. Participant perceptions of intervention features that facilitated behavioural change processes were then similarly analysed. Conclusions: Social influences, reference to social role and identity (eg, peer support), and intentions and goals (eg, to lose weight) were dominant themes across the three phases of behavioural change. Reinforcement, regulation and decision processes were more evident in the maintenance phase. The socioeconomic status of participants was reflected in the environmental context and resource theme. Analysis of phases and theoretical domains of behavioural change added depth and utility to inform intervention optimisation. We will develop the intervention with improved peer support and explicit monitoring of the behavioural change techniques used, prior to a definitive trial

Perspectives of UK Pakistani women on their behaviour change to prevent type 2 diabetes: Qualitative study using the theory domain framework

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a debilitating disease, highly prevalent in UK South Asians, and preventable by lifestyle intervention. The ‘New life, New you' (NLNY) physical activity (PA) and dietary intervention for T2D prevention was culturally adapted to better engage minority ethnic populations and tested for feasibility. Objectives: To investigate Pakistani female participants' perspectives of their behaviour change and of salient intervention features. Setting: A community-based 8-week programme of group delivered PA sessions with behavioural counselling and dietary advice, culturally adapted for ethnic minority populations, in an area of socioeconomic deprivation. Participants to NLNY were recruited through screening events in community venues across the town. Participants: Interviews were conducted with 20 Pakistani female NLNY participants, aged 26-45 (mean 33.5) years, from different parts of town. Results: Within the a priori Theoretical Domains Framework (intentions and goals, reinforcement, knowledge, nature of the activity, social role and identity, social influences, capabilities and skills, regulation and decision, emotion and environment), we identified the importance of social factors relating to participants' own PA and dietary behaviour change. We also identified cross-cutting themes as collateral benefits of the intervention including participants' ‘psychological health'; ‘responsibility' (for others' health, especially family members included in the new PA and diet regimes) and ‘inclusion' (an ethos of accommodating differences). Conclusions:  Our findings suggest that culturally adapted interventions for Pakistani women at risk of T2D, delivered via group PA sessions with counselling and dietary advice, may encourage their PA and dietary behaviour change, and have collateral health and social benefits. The NLNY intervention appeared to be acceptable. We plan to evaluate recruitment, retention and likely effect of the intervention on participant behaviour prior to definitive evaluation

Systematic combination of Lean Management with digitalization to improve production systems on the example of Jidoka 4.0

© The Author(s) 2020. Lean Management builds the basis for efficient production systems for many industrial companies. However, lots of potentials of Lean Management have been lifted and information and communication technologies in the context of digitalization and cyber-physical production systems (CPPS) offer new possibilities to enhance the performance of companies. Even though surveys indicate that companies recognize these potentials, especially small and medium-sized companies still face challenges in selection and implementation of suitable solutions. Thus, the research project GaProSys 4.0 aims at supporting companies with a systematic approach to combine existing structures of Lean Management with potentials of digitalization in development of a new set of methods to enhance production systems. This paper presents the approach of the research project to develop a structured set of methods and provides an example to illustrate the potentials