The effects of graded motor imagery and its components on chronic pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in The Journal of Pain. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2013 The American Pain Society.Graded motor imagery (GMI) is becoming increasingly used in the treatment of chronic pain conditions. The objective of this systematic review was to synthesize all evidence concerning the effects of GMI and its constituent components on chronic pain. Systematic searches were conducted in 10 electronic databases. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of GMI, left/right judgment training, motor imagery, and mirror therapy used as a treatment for chronic pain were included. Methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Six RCTs met our inclusion criteria, and the methodological quality was generally low. No effect was seen for left/right judgment training, and conflicting results were found for motor imagery used as stand-alone techniques, but positive effects were observed for both mirror therapy and GMI. A meta-analysis of GMI versus usual physiotherapy care favored GMI in reducing pain (2 studies, n = 63; effect size, 1.06 [95% confidence interval, .41, 1.71]; heterogeneity, I2 = 15%). Our results suggest that GMI and mirror therapy alone may be effective, although this conclusion is based on limited evidence. Further rigorous studies are needed to investigate the effects of GMI and its components on a wider chronic pain population.NHMR

Role of Farmer Knowledge in Agroecosystem Science: Rice Farming and Amphibians in the Philippines

Rice (Oryza sativa) agriculture provides food and economic security for nearly half of the world’s population. Rice agriculture is intensive in both land and agrochemical use. However, rice fields also provide aquatic resources for wildlife, including amphibians. In turn, some species may provide ecosystem services back to the farmers working in the rice agroecosystem. The foundation for understanding the complexity of agroecosystem–human relationships requires garnering information regarding human perceptions and knowledge of the role of biodiversity in these rice agroecosystems. Understanding farmer knowledge and perceptions of the ecosystem services provided by wildlife in their fields, along with their understanding of the risks to wildlife associated with agrochemical exposure, can inform biodiversity preservation efforts. In June and July 2014, we used focus groups and structured and semi-structured interviews that engaged 22 individuals involved in rice agriculture operations in Laguna, Philippines, a village close to the International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños, Philippines, to learn more about farmer perceptions and knowledge of amphibians in their rice fields. We found that many, though not all farm workers (managers, tenants, and laborers) noted declines in amphibian populations over time, expressed how they incorporated frogs and toads (Anura) into their daily lives, and recognized the value of amphibians as ecosystem service providers. Specifically, farmers noted that amphibians provide pest-management through consumption of rice pests, act as biomonitors for pesticide-related health outcomes, and provide a local food and economic resource. Some farmers and farm workers noted the general cultural value of listening to the “frogs sing when it rains.” Overall, our findings demonstrate that farmers have an understanding of the value of amphibians in their fields. Future efforts can support how engagement with farmers and farm workers to evaluate the value of wildlife in their fields can lead to directed education efforts to support biodiversity conservation in agroecosystems

Distributed situation awareness in dynamic systems: Theoretical development and application of an ergonomics methodology

The purpose of this paper is to propose foundations for a theory of situation awareness based on the analysis of interactions between agents (i.e., both human and non-human) in subsystems. This approach may help promote a better understanding of technology-mediated interaction in systems, as well as helping in the formulation of hypotheses and predictions concerning distributed situation awareness. It is proposed that agents within a system each hold their own situation awareness which may be very different from (although compatible with) other agents. It is argued that we should not always hope for, or indeed want, sharing of this awareness, as different system agents have different purposes. This view marks situation awareness as a 1 dynamic and collaborative process that binds agents together on tasks on a moment-by-moment basis. Implications of this viewpoint for development of a new theory of, and accompanying methodology for, distributed situation awareness are offered

Epidemiologic surveillance of nosocomial infections in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of a developing country

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nosocomial Infections (NI) are a frequent and relevant problem. The purpose of this study was to determine the epidemiology of the three most common NI in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit from a developing country.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed a prospective study in a single Pediatric Intensive Care Unit during 12 months. Children were assessed for 3 NI: bloodstream infections (BSI), ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and urinary tract infections (UTI), according to Center for Disease Control criteria. Use of devices (endotracheal tube [ETT], central venous catheter [CVC] and urinary catheter [UC]) was recorded.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Four hundred fourteen patients were admitted; 81 patients (19.5%) developed 85 NIs. Density of incidence of BSI, VAP and UTI was 18.1, 7.9 and 5.1/1000 days of use of CVC, ETT and UC respectively. BSI was more common in children with CVCs than in those without CVCs (20% <it>vs</it>. 4.7%, p < 0.05). <it>Candida </it>spp. was the commonest microorganism in BSI (41%), followed by Coagulase-negative <it>Staphylococcus </it>(17%). <it>Pseudomonas </it>(52%) was the most common germ for VAP and <it>Candida </it>(71%) for UTI. The presence of NI was associated with increased mortality (38.2% <it>vs</it>. 20.4% in children without NI; p < 0.001) and the median length of ICU stay (23 <it>vs</it>. 6 days in children without NI; p < 0.001). Children with NI had longer average hospital stay previous to diagnosis of this condition (12.3 <it>vs</it>. 6 days; p < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>One of every 5 children acquires an NI in the PICU. Its presence was associated with increased mortality and length of stay. At the same time a longer stay was associated with an increased risk of developing NI.</p

The Dampening Effect of Iceberg Orders on Small Traders' Welfare

Iceberg orders, which allow traders to hide a portion of their order size, have become prevalent in many electronic limit order markets. This paper investigates, via a real options analysis, whether small traders, who have no use for submitting iceberg orders, are better off submitting their orders to fully transparent markets which have low depth, or to more liquid markets which do permit the placement of iceberg orders by large traders. Surprisingly, we find that in the context of our model, small traders are better off submitting to fully transparent markets in spite of them being less liquid

Fox Squirrels (Sciurus niger) Develop West Nile Virus Viremias Sufficient for Infecting Select Mosquito Species

The West Nile virus (WNV) viremia and shedding profiles of 11 adult fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) infected by needle inoculation or mosquito bite were characterized. Daily mean titers (95% confidence intervals) for all squirrels on days 1 through 6 postexposure (p.e.) were: 10(1.7 (1.32.1)), 10(4.4 (4.04.8)), 10(5.3 (5.05.6)), 10(4.4 (3.94.9)), 10(2.7 (2.03.4)), and 10(1.1 (0.52.1)) plaque-forming units (PFU)/mL. The highest WNV serum titers of individual squirrels infected by needle inoculation or mosquito bite ranged from 10(4.5) to 10(6.1) and from 10(5.1) to 10(5.3) PFU/mL, respectively. Nine (82%) squirrels, including all 4 squirrels infected by mosquito bite, had WNV serum titers \u3e or =10(5.1) PFU/mL that persisted on average for 1.6 +/- 0.3 days. Infection and dissemination rates of Culex pipiens (L.) that fed on squirrels with serum titers of 10(4.4 +/- 0.1) PFU/mL were 56% and 13%, respectively. Both of these rates increased to over 80% when fed on squirrels with a mean WNV titer of 10(5.5 +/- 0.1) PFU/mL. Infection and dissemination also occurred in Aedes triseriatus (Say) but at a much lower rate. WNV was isolated from the oral and rectal cavities of all squirrels and from urine that was opportunistically collected from 5 squirrels. The largest quantity of WNV recovered from swabs of the oral cavity and urine was 10(3.1) PFU. The longest periods after exposure that WNV was isolated from the oral cavity and urine from a squirrel were 22 and 17 days p.e., respectively. WNV RNA was also detected in kidney tissue in 1 squirrel 29 days p.e., suggesting that fox squirrels can be persistently infected. Collectively these observations provide further evidence that squirrels can contribute to the natural history and epidemiology of WNV, especially in peridomestic environments

Previous SARS-CoV-2 Infection Increases B.1.1.7 Cross-Neutralization by Vaccinated Individuals

With the spread of new variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), there is a need to assess the protection conferred by both previous infections and current vaccination. Here we tested the neutralizing activity of infected and/or vaccinated individuals against pseudoviruses expressing the spike of the original SARS-CoV-2 isolate Wuhan-Hu-1 (WH1), the D614G mutant and the B.1.1.7 variant. Our data show that parameters of natural infection (time from infection and nature of the infecting variant) determined cross-neutralization. Uninfected vaccinees showed a small reduction in neutralization against the B.1.1.7 variant compared to both the WH1 strain and the D614G mutant. Interestingly, upon vaccination, previously infected individuals developed more robust neutralizing responses against B.1.1.7, suggesting that vaccines can boost the neutralization breadth conferred by natural infection

Exchange Effects in the Invar Hardening: Fe0.65Ni0.35Fe_{0.65}Ni_{0.35} as a test case

An increase of the critical resolved shear stress of Invar alloys (Invar hardening) with a lowering temperature is explained. The effect is caused by a growth of the exchange interaction between dangling $d$-electron states of dislocation cores and paramagnetic obstacles (e.g., Ni atoms in FeNi alloys) which occurs below the Curie temperature. The spins of the two electrons align along the magnetization due to the exchange interaction with the surrounding atoms of the ferromagnetic. The exchange interaction between the dislocations and obstacles is enhanced in Invars due to a strong growth of the magnetic moments of atoms under the action of elastic strains near the dislocation cores. Parameters characterizing the exchange interaction are determined for the case of the Fe$_{0.65}$Ni$_{0.35}$ Invar. The influence of the internal magnetic field on the dislocation detachment from the obstacles is taken into account. The obtained temperature dependence of the critical resolved shear stress in the Fe$_{0.65}$Ni$_{0.35}$ Invar agrees well with the available experimental data. Experiments facilitating a further check of the theoretical model are suggested.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure