Factor score regression with social relations model components : a case study exploring antecedents and consequences of perceived support in families

The family social relations model (SRM) is applied to identify the sources of variance in interpersonal dispositions in families, but the antecedents or consequences of those sources are rarely investigated. Simultaneous modeling of the SRM with antecedents or consequences using structural equation modeling (SEM) allows to do so, but may become computationally prohibitive in small samples. We therefore consider two factor score regression (FSR) methods: regression and Bartlett FSR. Based on full information maximum likelihood (FIML), we derive closed-form expressions for the regression and Bartlett factor scores in the presence of missingness. A simulation study in both a complete- and incomplete-case setting compares the performance of these FSR methods with SEM and an ANOVA-based approach. In both settings, the regression FIML factor scores as explanatory variable produces unbiased estimators with precision comparable to the SEM-estimators. When SRM-effects are used as dependent variables, none of the FSR methods are a suitable alternative for SEM. The latter result deviates from previous studies on FSR in more simple settings. As an example, we explore whether gender and past victimhood of relational and physical aggression are antecedents for family dynamics of perceived support, and whether those dynamics predict physical and relational aggression

Nightly treatment of primary insomnia with prolonged release melatonin for 6 months: a randomized placebo controlled trial on age and endogenous melatonin as predictors of efficacy and safety

<p>Background: Melatonin is extensively used in the USA in a non-regulated manner for sleep disorders. Prolonged release melatonin (PRM) is licensed in Europe and other countries for the short term treatment of primary insomnia in patients aged 55 years and over. However, a clear definition of the target patient population and well-controlled studies of long-term efficacy and safety are lacking. It is known that melatonin production declines with age. Some young insomnia patients also may have low melatonin levels. The study investigated whether older age or low melatonin excretion is a better predictor of response to PRM, whether the efficacy observed in short-term studies is sustained during continued treatment and the long term safety of such treatment.</p> <p>Methods: Adult outpatients (791, aged 18-80 years) with primary insomnia, were treated with placebo (2 weeks) and then randomized, double-blind to 3 weeks with PRM or placebo nightly. PRM patients continued whereas placebo completers were re-randomized 1:1 to PRM or placebo for 26 weeks with 2 weeks of single-blind placebo run-out. Main outcome measures were sleep latency derived from a sleep diary, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Quality of Life (World Health Organzaton-5) Clinical Global Impression of Improvement (CGI-I) and adverse effects and vital signs recorded at each visit.</p> <p>Results: On the primary efficacy variable, sleep latency, the effects of PRM (3 weeks) in patients with low endogenous melatonin (6-sulphatoxymelatonin [6-SMT] ≤8 μg/night) regardless of age did not differ from the placebo, whereas PRM significantly reduced sleep latency compared to the placebo in elderly patients regardless of melatonin levels (-19.1 versus -1.7 min; P = 0.002). The effects on sleep latency and additional sleep and daytime parameters that improved with PRM were maintained or enhanced over the 6-month period with no signs of tolerance. Most adverse events were mild in severity with no clinically relevant differences between PRM and placebo for any safety outcome.</p> <p>Conclusions: The results demonstrate short- and long-term efficacy and safety of PRM in elderly insomnia patients. Low melatonin production regardless of age is not useful in predicting responses to melatonin therapy in insomnia. The age cut-off for response warrants further investigation.</p&gt

Spatio-temporal analysis of fish behaviour: lessons learnt to stimulate fish passage

Obstacles like weirs, watermills and locks are barriers for migratory fish. The fact that specific fish species cannot reach their optimal spawning habitat can have severe consequences for the survival of these species. While numerous fish passage types have been designed to solve this problem, these are sometimes not efficient. More insight into fish behavior is needed to improve fish pass efficiency, and acoustic telemetry allows such detailed observation of spatio-temporal migration patterns. We present novel findings on fish behavior at anthropogenic structures based on acoustic telemetry. The impact of several constructions like sluices, weirs, pumping stations and small-scale hydropower plants will be assessed and potential solutions to enhance fish migration at these structures will be discussed. This approach will identify crucial information needs for effective fish passage management and reveal a range of opportunities for fish passage research

Developmental changes in the balance of disparity, blur and looming/proximity cues to drive ocular alignment and focus

Accurate co-ordination of accommodation and convergence is necessary to view near objects and develop fine motor co-ordination. We used a remote haploscopic videorefraction paradigm to measure longitudinal changes in simultaneous ocular accommodation and vergence to targets at different depths, and to all combinations of blur, binocular disparity, and change-in-size (“proximity”) cues. Infants were followed longitudinally and compared to older children and young adults, with the prediction that sensitivity to different cues would change during development. Mean infant responses to the most naturalistic condition were similar to those of adults from 6-7 weeks (accommodation) and 8-9 weeks (vergence). Proximity cues influenced responses most in infants less than 14 weeks of age, but sensitivity declined thereafter. Between 12-28 weeks of age infants were equally responsive to all three cues, while in older children and adults manipulation of disparity resulted in the greatest changes in response. Despite rapid development of visual acuity (thus increasing availability of blur cues), responses to blur were stable throughout development. Our results suggest that during much of infancy, vergence and accommodation responses are not dependent on the development of specific depth cues, but make use of any cues available to drive appropriate changes in response

Assessing sleep health in a European population: results of the catalan health survey 2015

Objective To describe the overall sleep health of the Catalan population using data from the 2015 Catalan Health Survey and to compare the performance of two sleep health indicators: sleep duration and a 5-dimension sleep scale (SATED). Methods Multistage probability sampling representative of the non-institutionalized population aged 15 or more years, stratified by age, gender and municipality size, was used, excluding nightshift-workers. A total of 4385 surveys were included in the analyses. Associations between sleep health and the number of reported chronic diseases were assessed using non-parametric smoothed splines. Differences in the predictive ability of age-adjusted logistic regression models of self-rated health status were assessed. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to assess SATED determinants. Results Overall mean (SD) sleep duration was 7.18 (1.16) hours; and SATED score 7.91 (2.17) (range 0–10), lower (worse) scores were associated with increasing age and female sex. Alertness and efficiency were the most frequently impaired dimensions across age groups. SATED performed better than sleep duration when assessing self-rated health status (area under the curve = 0.856 vs. 0.798; p-value <0.001), and had a linear relationship with the number of reported chronic diseases, while the sleep duration relationship was u-shaped. Conclusions Sleep health in Catalonia is associated with age and gender. SATED has some advantaged compared to sleep duration assessment, as it relates linearly to health indicators, has a stronger association with self-rated health status, and provides a more comprehensive assessment of sleep health. Therefore, the inclusion of multi-dimensional sleep health assessment tools in national surveys should be considered.This work was cofunded by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad [COFUND2014-51501]. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Hyperoxia in pediatric severe traumatic brain injury (TBI): a comparison of patient classification by cutoff versus cumulative (area-under-the-curve) analysis

Objective: Hyperoxia is associated with adverse outcome in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study explored differences in patient classification of oxygen exposure by PaO2 cutoff and cumulative areaunder-the-curve (AUC) analysis. Methods: Retrospective, explorative study including children (<18 years) with accidental severe TBI (2002–2015). Oxygen exposure analysis used three PaO2 cutoff values and four PaO2 AUC categories during the first 24 hours of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) admission. Results: Seventy-one patients were included (median age 8.9 years [IQR 4.6–12.9]), mortality 18.3% (n = 13). Patient hyperoxia classification differed depending on PaO2 cutoff vs AUC analysis: 52% vs. 26%, respectively, were classified in the highest hyperoxia category. Eleven patients (17%) classified as ‘intermediate oxygen exposure’ based on cumulative PaO2 analysis whereby they did not exceed the 200 mmHg PaO2 cutoff threshold. Patient classification variability was reflected by Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.40 (p-value 0.001). Conclusions: Hyperoxia classification in pediatric severe TBI during the first 24 hours of PICU admission differed depending on PaO2 cutoff or cumulative AUC analysis. We consider PaO2 cumulative (AUC) better approximates (patho-)physiological circumstances due to its time- and dose-dependent approach. Prospective studies exploring the association between cumulative PaO2, physiological parameters (e.g. ICP, PbtO2) and outcome are warranted as different patient classifications of oxygen exposure influences how its relationship to outcome is interpreted

The need to promote sleep health in public health agendas across the globe.

Healthy sleep is essential for physical and mental health, and social wellbeing; however, across the globe, and particularly in developing countries, national public health agendas rarely consider sleep health. Sleep should be promoted as an essential pillar of health, equivalent to nutrition and physical activity. To improve sleep health across the globe, a focus on education and awareness, research, and targeted public health policies are needed. We recommend developing sleep health educational programmes and awareness campaigns; increasing, standardising, and centralising data on sleep quantity and quality in every country across the globe; and developing and implementing sleep health policies across sectors of society. Efforts are needed to ensure equity and inclusivity for all people, particularly those who are most socially and economically vulnerable, and historically excluded

Voluntary exercise can strengthen the circadian system in aged mice

Consistent daily rhythms are important to healthy aging according to studies linking disrupted circadian rhythms with negative health impacts. We studied the effects of age and exercise on baseline circadian rhythms and on the circadian system's ability to respond to the perturbation induced by an 8 h advance of the light:dark (LD) cycle as a test of the system's robustness. Mice (male, mPer2luc/C57BL/6) were studied at one of two ages: 3.5 months (n = 39) and &gt;18 months (n = 72). We examined activity records of these mice under entrained and shifted conditions as well as mPER2::LUC measures ex vivo to assess circadian function in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) and important target organs. Age was associated with reduced running wheel use, fragmentation of activity, and slowed resetting in both behavioral and molecular measures. Furthermore, we observed that for aged mice, the presence of a running wheel altered the amplitude of the spontaneous firing rate rhythm in the SCN in vitro. Following a shift of the LD cycle, both young and aged mice showed a change in rhythmicity properties of the mPER2::LUC oscillation of the SCN in vitro, and aged mice exhibited longer lasting internal desynchrony. Access to a running wheel alleviated some age-related changes in the circadian system. In an additional experiment, we replicated the effect of the running wheel, comparing behavioral and in vitro results from aged mice housed with or without a running wheel (&gt;21 months, n = 8 per group, all examined 4 days after the shift). The impact of voluntary exercise on circadian rhythm properties in an aged animal is a novel finding and has implications for the health of older people living with environmentally induced circadian disruption

Impact of the citizen science project COLLECT on ocean literacy and well-being within a north/west African and south-east Asian context

Plastic pollution is both a societal and environmental problem and citizen science has shown to be a useful tool to engage both the public and professionals in addressing it. However, knowledge on the educational and behavioral impacts of citizen science projects focusing on marine litter remains limited. Our preregistered study investigates the impact of the citizen science project Citizen Observation of Local Litter in coastal ECosysTems (COLLECT) on the participants' ocean literacy, pro-environmental intentions and attitudes, well-being, and nature connectedness, using a pretest-posttest design. A total of 410 secondary school students from seven countries, in Africa (Benin, Cabo Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria) and Asia (Malaysia) were trained to sample plastics on sandy beaches and to analyze their collection in the classroom. Non-parametric statistical tests (n = 239 matched participants) demonstrate that the COLLECT project positively impacted ocean literacy (i.e., awareness and knowledge of marine litter, self-reported litter-reducing behaviors, attitudes towards beach litter removal). The COLLECT project also led to higher pro-environmental behavioral intentions for students in Benin and Ghana (implying a positive spillover effect) and higher well-being and nature connectedness for students in Benin. Results are interpreted in consideration of a high baseline in awareness and attitudes towards marine litter, a low internal consistency of pro-environmental attitudes, the cultural context of the participating countries, and the unique settings of the project's implementation. Our study highlights the benefits and challenges of understanding how citizen science impacts the perceptions and behaviors towards marine litter in youth from the respective regions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio