The association between work-related rumination and heart rate variability: A field study

This is the final version. Available on open access from Frontiers Media via the DOI in this recordThe objective of this study was to examine the association between perseverative cognition in the form of work-related rumination, and heart rate variability (HRV). We tested the hypothesis that high ruminators would show lower vagally mediated HRV relative to low ruminators during their leisure time. Individuals were classified as being low (n = 17) or high ruminators (n = 19), using the affective scale on the work-related rumination measure. HRV was assessed using a wrist sensor band (Microsoft Band 2). HRV was sampled between 8 pm and 10 pm over three workday evenings (Monday to Wednesday) while individuals carried out their normal evening routines. Compared to the low ruminators, high affective ruminators demonstrated lower HRV in the form of root mean square successive differences (RMSSDs), relative to the low ruminators, indicating lower parasympathetic activity. There was no significant difference in heart rate, or activity levels between the two groups during the recording periods. The current findings of this study may have implications for the design and delivery of interventions to help individuals unwind post work and to manage stress more effectively. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed

I feel it in my finger: Measurement device affects cardiac interoceptive accuracy

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordIn recent years, measures of cardiac interoceptive accuracy have been heavily scrutinised. The focus has been on potentially confounding physiological and psychological factors; little research has examined whether the device used to record objective heartbeats may influence cardiac interoceptive accuracy. The present studies assessed whether the device employed influences heartbeat counting (HCT) accuracy and the location from which heartbeats are perceived. In Study One, participants completed the HCT using a hard-clip finger pulse oximeter, electrocardiogram (ECG) and a smartphone application. In Study Two, an ECG, hard-clip and soft-clip oximeter were compared. Moderate-strong correlations were observed across devices, however, mean HCT accuracy and confidence varied as a function of device. Increased sensation in the finger when using a hard-clip pulse oximeter was related to increased accuracy relative to ECG. Results suggest that the device employed can influence HCT performance, and argue against comparing, or combining, scores obtained using different devices.Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)Baily Thomas TrustFonds de Recherche Québec – Sant

A spatially-structured PCG method for content diversity in a Physics-based simulation game

This paper presents a spatially-structured evolutionary algorithm (EA) to procedurally generate game maps of di ferent levels of di ficulty to be solved, in Gravityvolve!, a physics-based simulation videogame that we have implemented and which is inspired by the n- body problem, a classical problem in the fi eld of physics and mathematics. The proposal consists of a steady-state EA whose population is partitioned into three groups according to the di ficulty of the generated content (hard, medium or easy) which can be easily adapted to handle the automatic creation of content of diverse nature in other games. In addition, we present three fitness functions, based on multiple criteria (i.e:, intersections, gravitational acceleration and simulations), that were used experimentally to conduct the search process for creating a database of maps with di ferent di ficulty in Gravityvolve!.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Efficacy of the Digital Therapeutic Mobile App "BioBase" to Reduce Stress and Improve Mental Wellbeing Among University Students: a Randomized Controlled Trial.

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from JMIR Publications via the DOI in this record.BACKGROUND: UK university students are experiencing increasing levels of anxiety. A programme designed to increase awareness of one's present levels of wellbeing and suggest personalized health behaviours may reduce anxiety and improve mental wellbeing in students. The efficacy of a digital version of such a programme, providing biofeedback and therapeutic content based on personalized wellbeing metrics, is reported here. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test the efficacy and sustained effects of using a mobile app (BioBase) and paired wearable device (BioBeam), compared to a wait-list control group, on anxiety and wellbeing in university students with elevated levels of anxiety and stress. METHODS: The study employed a randomized, wait-list controlled, trial with assessments at baseline, 2-weeks, post-intervention (4 weeks), and at follow-up (6 weeks). Participants were eligible if they were current full-time undergraduate students and (1) at least 18 years of age, (2) scored >14 points on the DASS-21 stress subscale or > 7 points on the DASS-21 anxiety subscale, (3) owned an iOS smartphone, (4) did not have any previous psychiatric or neurological conditions, (6) were not pregnant at the time of testing, and (7) were able to read and understand English. Participants were encouraged to use BioBase daily and complete at least one course of therapeutic content. A p value ≤.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: We found that a 4-weeks intervention with the BioBase programme significantly reduced anxiety and increased perceived wellbeing, with sustained effects at a 2-weeks follow-up. Furthermore, a significant reduction in depression levels was found following 4-weeks usage of Biobase. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the efficacy of a biofeedback digital intervention in reducing self-reported anxiety and increasing perceived wellbeing in UK university students. Results suggest that digital mental health interventions could constitute a novel approach to treat stress and anxiety in students, which could be combined, or integrated with, existing therapeutic pathways. CLINICALTRIAL: https://osf.io/2w5sy/

Effectiveness of a Smartphone App (BioBase) for Reducing Anxiety and Increasing Mental Well-Being: Pilot Feasibility and Acceptability Study

This is the final version. Available on open access from JMIR Publications via the DOI in this recordBACKGROUND: The prevalence of workplace-related stress and anxiety is high, resulting in stress-related physical and mental illness. Digital self-guided interventions aimed at key areas of workplace design may be able to provide remote anxiolytic effects. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this feasibility study is to assess changes in anxiety and mental wellbeing after use of the BioBase programme, a mobile phone platform for psycho-educational modules, tools and real-time feedback of physiological data. METHODS: A four-week observational study was carried out in 55 healthy adults who were screened for stress with the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) Stress subscale. Participants completed anxiety (6-item State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; STAI) and mental wellbeing (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale; WEMWBS) questionnaires at baseline and at 4 weeks. Feedback questionnaires were administered after 4 weeks. RESULTS: After 4 weeks of using the programme and controlling for any effect of being paid to take part in the study, STAI significantly decreased (baseline mean= 45.52 ± 13.2, 4-weeks mean: 39.82 ± 11.2, t54 = -3.51, P < 0.001, CI: -8.88 - -2.52, Cohen's d = 0.96) and WEMWBS significantly increased (baseline mean = 48.12 ± 6.4, 4-weeks mean: 50.4 ± 6.9, t53 = 2.41, p = 0.019, CI: 0.44-4.23, Cohen's d = 0.66). Further, higher baseline stress was significantly associated with a greater decrease in STAI (t53 = -3.41, P = 0.001, CI: -8.10- -2.10, R2 = 0.180) and a greater increase in WEMWBS (t52 = 2.41, P = 0.019, CI: 0.38 - 4.11, R2 = 0.101). On feedback, participants found the programme easy to use navigate, with the content being acceptable and relevant to workplace-related stressors. 70% of participants would recommend the programme to a friend. CONCLUSIONS: The BioBase programme is a potentially effective intervention in decreasing anxiety and increasing mental wellbeing, with larger changes in those with higher baseline levels of stress. CLINICALTRIAL

Development and Feasibility of a Digital Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-Based Intervention for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Pilot Acceptability Study

This is the final version. Available on open access from JMIR Publications via the DOI in this recordBACKGROUND: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive worry that is difficult to control and has high comorbidity with mood disorders including depression. Individuals experience long wait times for diagnosis and often face accessibility barriers to treatment. There is a need for a digital solution that is accessible and acceptable to those with GAD. OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to describe the development of a digital intervention prototype of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for GAD that sits within an existing well-being app platform, BioBase. A pilot feasibility study evaluating acceptability and usability is conducted in a sample of adults with a diagnosis of GAD, self-referred to the study. METHODS: Phase 1 applied the person-based approach (creation of guiding principles, intervention design objectives, and the key intervention features). In Phase 2 participants received the app-based therapeutic and paired wearable for 2 weeks. Self-report questionnaires were obtained at baseline and posttreatment. The primary outcome was psychological flexibility (Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II [AAQ-II]) as this is the aim of ACT. Mental well-being (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale [WEMWBS]) and symptoms of anxiety (7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment [GAD-7]) and depression (9-item Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]) were also assessed. Posttreatment usability was assessed via self-report measures (System Usability Scale [SUS]) in addition to interviews that further explored feasibility of the digital intervention in this sample. RESULTS: The app-based therapeutic was well received. Of 13 participants, 10 (77%) completed the treatment. Results show a high usability rating (83.5). Participants found the digital intervention to be relevant, useful, and helpful in managing their anxiety. Participants had lower anxiety (d=0.69) and depression (d=0.84) scores at exit, and these differences were significantly different from baseline (P=.03 and .008 for GAD-7 and PHQ-9, respectively). Participants had higher psychological flexibility and well-being scores at exit, although these were not significantly different from baseline (P=.11 and .55 for AAQ-II and WEMWBS, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This ACT prototype within BioBase is an acceptable and feasible digital intervention in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. This study suggests that this intervention warrants a larger feasibility study in adults with GAD.European Union Horizon 202

Azithromycin to Prevent Pertussis in Household Contacts, Catalonia and Navarre, Spain, 2012-2013

We retrospectively assessed the effectiveness of azithromycin in preventing transmission of pertussis to a patient's household contacts. We also considered the duration between symptom onset in the primary patient and azithromycin administration. We categorized contacts into 4 groups: those treated within 21 days after illness onset in the primary patient. We studied 476 primary index patients and their 1,975 household contacts, of whom 4.5% were later identified as having pertussis. When contacts started chemoprophylaxis within 14 days after primary patient's symptom onset was less effective. We recommend that contacts of persons with pertussis begin chemoprophylaxis within <14 days after primary patient's symptom onset

A New Hierarchy of Research Evidence for Tumor Pathology: A Delphi Study to Define Levels of Evidence in Tumor Pathology

Copyright \ua9 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. The hierarchy of evidence is a fundamental concept in evidence-based medicine, but existing models can be challenging to apply in laboratory-based health care disciplines, such as pathology, where the types of evidence and contexts are significantly different from interventional medicine. This project aimed to define a comprehensive and complementary framework of new levels of evidence for evaluating research in tumor pathology-introducing a novel Hierarchy of Research Evidence for Tumor Pathology collaboratively designed by pathologists with help from epidemiologists, public health professionals, oncologists, and scientists, specifically tailored for use by pathologists-and to aid in the production of the World Health Organization Classification of Tumors (WCT) evidence gap maps. To achieve this, we adopted a modified Delphi approach, encompassing iterative online surveys, expert oversight, and external peer review, to establish the criteria for evidence in tumor pathology, determine the optimal structure for the new hierarchy, and ascertain the levels of confidence for each type of evidence. Over a span of 4 months and 3 survey rounds, we collected 1104 survey responses, culminating in a 3-day hybrid meeting in 2023, where a new hierarchy was unanimously agreed upon. The hierarchy is organized into 5 research theme groupings closely aligned with the subheadings of the WCT, and it consists of 5 levels of evidence-level P1 representing evidence types that merit the greatest level of confidence and level P5 reflecting the greatest risk of bias. For the first time, an international collaboration of pathology experts, supported by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, has successfully united to establish a standardized approach for evaluating evidence in tumor pathology. We intend to implement this novel Hierarchy of Research Evidence for Tumor Pathology to map the available evidence, thereby enriching and informing the WCT effectively

Dislocations in graphene

We study the stability and evolution of various elastic defects in a flat graphene sheet and the electronic properties of the most stable configurations. Two types of dislocations are found to be stable: "glide" dislocations consisting of heptagon-pentagon pairs, and "shuffle" dislocations, an octagon with a dangling bond. Unlike the most studied case of carbon nanotubes, Stone Wales defects are unstable in the planar graphene sheet. Similar defects in which one of the pentagon-heptagon pairs is displaced vertically with respect to the other one are found to be dynamically stable. Shuffle dislocations will give rise to local magnetic moments that can provide an alternative route to magnetism in graphene