Prepare for Citizen Science Challenges at CERN

Abstract: To inspire more people to contribute to science, and educate the public about science, two Citizen Science "challenges" were prepared during summer 2013: the CERN Summer Webfest 2013 and the Virtual LHC Challenge. The first part of this report summarizes how to organize a Webfest at CERN and the outcome of the CERN Summer Webfest 2013.The second part gives an introduction to the current state of the Virtual LHC Challenge: a development of the LHC@Home Test4Theory project planned to attract many unskilled volunteers. This work was supported by a grant from the EU Citizen Cyberlab project, with assistance from the Citizen Cyberscience Centre (CCC)

Stressful Life Events in Young Adults With Type 1 Diabetes in the U.S. T1D Exchange Clinic Registry

PurposeThe purpose was to test associations among stressful life events, frequency of missed insulin doses, and glycemic control in young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D).DesignThe study was a cross‐sectional descriptive secondary analysis.MethodsData from 2,921 participants (ages 18–26 years) in the U.S. T1D Exchange Clinic Registry were analyzed. Report of a stressful life event was defined as one or more positive responses on a 17‐item stressful life events index and defined as a dichotomous variable (yes or no). Frequency of missed insulin doses was measured using a single self‐report item and collapsed into two levels (fewer than three times a week, three or more times a week). The glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c) level recorded at the time of enrollment was used to assess glycemic control.FindingsNearly half (48.6%) of the participants reported having a stressful life event during the previous year. The most frequently reported stressful life events were problems at work or school (16.1%), serious arguments with family members or a close friend (15.2%), and financial problems in the family (13.8%). Compared to the participants not reporting stressful life events, those who reported stressful life events were more likely to be older, female, with a higher educational attainment level, and not working or unemployed. Those who reported a stressful life event were more likely than those who did not to say they typically missed insulin doses at least three times a week and less likely to say they typically missed insulin doses fewer than three times a week (p < .001 adjusted for age, sex, race or ethnicity, educational attainment level, duration of T1D diagnosis, and insulin delivery method). Mean A1c level was higher for the group who reported having a stressful life event in the past 12 months compared to the group who did not (8.7 ± 1.8% vs. 8.2 ± 1.6%; adjusted p < .001). The results of a mediation analysis suggest that the measure of frequency of missed insulin doses may be a mediator of the relationship between recent stressful life events and glycemic control (Sobel test: ab = .841, 95% confidence interval = 0.064–1.618).ConclusionsThese findings suggest that, for young adults with T1D, the experience of stressful life events may increase their risk for poorer glycemic control, possibly by disrupting adherence with insulin doses.Clinical RelevanceFurther exploration of these relationships may allow for the potential for identifying those at risk and assisting them with more positive approaches to managing stressful events.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146646/1/jnu12428.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146646/2/jnu12428_am.pd

The science of intervention development for type 1 diabetes in childhood: a systematic review

This paper is a report of a review of the science of intervention development for type 1 diabetes in childhood and its implications for improving health outcomes in children, adolescents, and/or their families

Reversible Capacity of Conductive Carbon Additives at Low Potentials: Caveats for Testing Alternative Anode Materials for Li-Ion Batteries

The electrochemical performance of alternative anode materials for Li-ion batteries is often measured using composite electrodes consisting of active material and conductive carbon additives. Cycling of these composite electrodes at low voltages demonstrates charge storage at the operating potentials of viable anodes, however, the conductive carbon additive is also able to store charge in the low potential regime. The contribution of the conductive carbon additives to the observed capacity is often neglected when interpreting the electrochemical performance of electrodes. To provide a reference for the contribution of the carbons to the observed capacity, we report the charge storage behavior of two common conductive carbon additives Super P and Ketjenblack as a function of voltage, rate, and electrolyte composition. Both carbons exhibit substantial capacities after 100 cycles, up to 150 mAh g^(−1), when cycled to 10 mV. The capacity is dependent on the discharge cutoff voltage and cycling rate with some dependence on electrolyte composition. The first few cycles are dominated by the formation of the SEI followed by a fade to a steady, reversible capacity thereafter. Neglecting the capacity of the carbon additive can lead to significant errors in the estimation of charge storage capabilities of the active material

An intervention for multiethnic obese parents and overweight children

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the effects of the addition of coping skills training for obese multiethnic parents whose overweight children were attending a weight management program. At 6 months, parents in the experimental group had significantly lower body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (BFP), and higher numbers of pedometer steps compared to the control group. Parents also demonstrated significant improvement in interpersonal relationships, behavior control, and stress management compared to the control group. Children in the experimental group demonstrated trends toward decreased BMI and BFP and increased pedometer steps

[Beta]-tubulin Genes and Benzimidazole Resistance in 'Trichostrongylus colubriformis'

This thesis describes the characterisation of the β-tubulin gene family in 'Trichostrongylus colubriformis' and the role of a particular β-tubulin locus (tcb-1) in BZ resistance and the subsequent development of a PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) based assay that can be used to genotype individual 'T. colubriformis' for a marker associated with a BZ resistance allele. This is the first genotypic assay for the detection of a drug resistance allele in this species of nematode and one of only two (the other detects BZ resistance in Haemonchus contortus) genotypic assays for the detection of a drug resistance gene in parasitic nematodes of sheep. The assay detects a polymorphism in a 13-tubulin allele shown to be involved in BZ resistance in an RFLP analysis. Sequence analysis of this allele revealed striking sequence homology to a β-tubulin allele shown to be involved in BZ resistance in the closely related nematode 'H. contortus' suggesting that these genes have functional homology. Comparison of these sequences with other nematode 13-tubulins suggested that the gene responsible for BZ resistance in these parasitic nematodes was closely related to the ben-1 gene in the free-living nematode 'Caenorhabditis elegans', the product of which has been shown to be responsible for BZ susceptibility in that nematode. When the PCR assay was applied to a BZ naive strain (McMaster susceptible) the resistance allele could be readily detected and the allele frequency of the resistance allele was shown to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. This suggests that the resistance allele was present in the unselected population as a natural polymorphism and that no deleterious effects were associated with the resistance allele. The assay was also applied successfully to a number of independently selected BZ resistant populations implying that the same allele was selected in each population. Clones for an additional three 'T. colubriformis' β-tubulin genes were obtained. Sequence analysis of the variable 3' ends of these genes showed that the sequence of the loci vary within 'T. colubriformis' but are highly conserved between closely related nematodes species. This degree of homology between species has only been reported for vertebrates and this is the first example of conservation of isotypic classes for β-tubulins in invertebrates

Reversible Capacity of Conductive Carbon Additives at Low Potentials: Caveats for Testing Alternative Anode Materials for Li-Ion Batteries

The electrochemical performance of alternative anode materials for Li-ion batteries is often measured using composite electrodes consisting of active material and conductive carbon additives. Cycling of these composite electrodes at low voltages demonstrates charge storage at the operating potentials of viable anodes, however, the conductive carbon additive is also able to store charge in the low potential regime. The contribution of the conductive carbon additives to the observed capacity is often neglected when interpreting the electrochemical performance of electrodes. To provide a reference for the contribution of the carbons to the observed capacity, we report the charge storage behavior of two common conductive carbon additives Super P and Ketjenblack as a function of voltage, rate, and electrolyte composition. Both carbons exhibit substantial capacities after 100 cycles, up to 150 mAh g^(−1), when cycled to 10 mV. The capacity is dependent on the discharge cutoff voltage and cycling rate with some dependence on electrolyte composition. The first few cycles are dominated by the formation of the SEI followed by a fade to a steady, reversible capacity thereafter. Neglecting the capacity of the carbon additive can lead to significant errors in the estimation of charge storage capabilities of the active material

Assessment of the Psychometric Properties of the Family Management Measure

Objective This paper reports development of the Family Management Measure (FaMM) of parental perceptions of family management of chronic conditions. Method By telephone interview, 579 parents of children age 3 to 19 with a chronic condition (349 partnered mothers, 165 partners, 65 single mothers) completed the FaMM and measures of child functional status and behavioral problems and family functioning. Analyses addressed reliability, factor structure, and construct validity. Results Exploratory factor analysis yielded six scales: Child's Daily Life, Condition Management Ability, Condition Management Effort, Family Life Difficulty, Parental Mutuality, and View of Condition Impact. Internal consistency reliability ranged from .72 to .91, and test-retest reliability from .71 to .94. Construct validity was supported by significant correlations in hypothesized directions between FaMM scales and established measures. Conclusion Results support FaMM's; reliability and validity, indicating it performs in a theoretically meaningful way and taps distinct aspects of family response to childhood chronic conditions