Exercise, Service and Support: Client Experiences of Physical Activity Referral Schemes(PARS)

Physical activity referral schemes (PARS) represent one of the most prevalent interventions in the fight against chronic illness such as coronary heart disease and obesity. Despite this, issues surrounding low retention and adherence continue to hinder the potential effectiveness of such schemes on public health. This article reports on the second stage of a larger investigation into client experiences of PARS focusing specifically on findings from five client-based focus groups and interviews with five Scheme Organisers. The resulting analysis reveals three main factors impacting participant perceptions of the quality of service and support received: the organisation of PARS provision, client engagement with the PARS community and the nature and extent of client support networks. The article demonstrates that staff have a considerable role to play in engaging clients in the PARS system and that Scheme Organisers should give serious thought to ensuring that clients have valuable and sustainable networks of support. Furthermore, it is suggested that Scheme Organisers need to facilitate a system in which staff are genuinely engaged with the needs of clients and are able to provide individualised programmes of physical activity

Distinct gut virome profile of pregnant women with type 1 diabetes in the ENDIA study

Background:The importance of gut bacteria in human physiology, immune regulation, and disease pathogenesis is well established. In contrast, the composition and dynamics of the gut virome are largely unknown; particularly lacking are studies in pregnancy. We used comprehensive virome capture sequencing to characterize the gut virome of pregnant women with and without type 1 diabetes (T1D), longitudinally followed in the Environmental Determinants of Islet Autoimmunity study. Methods:In total, 61 pregnant women (35 with T1D and 26 without) from Australia were examined. Nucleic acid was extracted from serial fecal specimens obtained at prenatal visits, and viral genomes were sequenced by virome capture enrichment. The frequency, richness, and abundance of viruses were compared between women with and without T1D. Results:Two viruses were more prevalent in pregnant women with T1D: picobirnaviruses (odds ratio [OR], 4.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-17.1; P = .046) and tobamoviruses (OR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.1-9.3; P = .037). The abundance of 77 viruses significantly differed between the 2 maternal groups (≥2-fold difference; P < .02), including 8 Enterovirus B types present at a higher abundance in women with T1D. Conclusions:These findings provide novel insight into the composition of the gut virome during pregnancy and demonstrate a distinct profile of viruses in women with T1D.Ki Wook Kim, Digby W. Allen ... Simon C. Barry ... Lynne C Giles ... Megan A S Penno ... Rebecca L Thomson ... et al

Synchronous communication in PLM environments using annotated CAD models

The connection of resources, data, and knowledge through communication technology plays a vital role in current collaborative design methodologies and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems, as these elements act as channels for information and meaning. Despite significant advances in the area of PLM, most communication tools are used as separate services that are disconnected from existing development environments. Consequently, during a communication session, the specific elements being discussed are usually not linked to the context of the discussion, which may result in important information getting lost or becoming difficult to access. In this paper, we present a method to add synchronous communication functionality to a PLM system based on annotated information embedded in the CAD model. This approach provides users a communication channel that is built directly into the CAD interface and is valuable when individuals need to be contacted regarding the annotated aspects of a CAD model. We present the architecture of a new system and its integration with existing PLM systems, and describe the implementation details of an annotation-based video conferencing module for a commercial CAD application.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the FEDER Funds, through the ANNOTA project (Ref. TIN2013-46036-C3-1-R).Camba, JD.; Contero, M.; Salvador Herranz, GM.; Plumed, R. (2016). Synchronous communication in PLM environments using annotated CAD models. Journal of Systems Science and Systems Engineering. 25(2):142-158. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11518-016-5305-5S142158252Abrahamson, S., Wallace, D., Senin, N. & Sferro, P. (2000). Integrated design in a service marketplace. Computer-Aided Design, 32(2):97–107.Ahmed, S. (2005). Encouraging reuse of design knowledge: a method to index knowledge. Design Studies, 26:565–592.Alavi, M. & Tiwana, A (2002). Knowledge integration in virtual teams: the potential role of KMS. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 53:1029–1037.Ameri, F. & Dutta, D. (2005). Product lifecycle management: closing the knowledge loops. Computer-Aided Design and Applications, 2(5):577–590.Anderson, A.H., Smallwood, L., MacDonald, R., Mullin, J., Fleming, A. & O'Malley, C. (2000). Video data and video links in mediated communication: what do users value? International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 52(1):165–187.Arias, E., Eden, H., Fischer, G., Gorman, A. & Scharff, E. (2000). Transcending the individual human mind–creating shared understanding through collaborative design. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI) 7(1): 84–113.Barley, W.C., Leonardi, P.M., & Bailey, D.E. (2012). Engineering objects for collaboration: strategies of ambiguity and clarity at knowledge boundaries. Human Communication Research, 38:280–308.Boujut, J.F. & Dugdale, J. (2006). Design of a 3D annotation tool for supporting evaluation activities in engineering design. Cooperative Systems Design, COOP 6:1–8.Camba, J., Contero, M., Johnson, M. & Company, P. (2014). Extended 3D annotations as a new mechanism to explicitly communicate geometric design intent and increase CAD model reusability. Computer-Aided Design, 57:61–73.Camba, J., Contero, M. & Salvador-Herranz, G. (2014). Speak with the annotator: promoting interaction in a knowledge-based CAD environment built on the extended annotation concept. Proceedings of the 2014 IEEE 18th International Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design (CSCWD), 196–201.Chudoba, K.M., Wynn, E., Lu, M. & Watson-Manheim, M.B. (2005). How virtual are we? Measuring virtuality and understanding its impact in a global organization. Information Systems Journal, 15(4):279–306.Danesi, F., Gardan, N. & Gardan, Y. (2006). Collaborative Design: from Concept to Application. Geometric Modeling and Imaging—New Trends, 90–96.Durstewitz, M., Kiefner, B., Kueke, R., Putkonen, H., Repo, P. & Tuikka, T. (2002). Virtual collaboration environment for aircraft design. Proceedings of the IEEE 6th International Conference on Information Visualisation, 502–507.Fisher, D., Brush, A.J., Gleave, E. & Smith, M.A. (2006). Revisiting Whittaker and Sidner’s email overload ten years later. Proceedings of the 2006 20th Anniversary Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work. ACM, BanffFonseca, M.J., Henriques, E., Silva, N., Cardoso, T. & Jorge, J.A. (2006). A collaborative CAD conference tool to support mobile engineering. Rapid Product Development (RPD’06), Marinha Grande, Portugal.Frechette, S.P. (2011). Model based enterprise for manufacturing. Proceedings of the 44th CIRP International Conference on Manufacturing Systems.Fu, W.X., Bian, J. & Xu, Y.M. (2013). A video conferencing system for collaborative engineering design. Applied Mechanics and Materials, 344:246–252.Fuh, J.Y.H. & Li, W.D. (2005). Advances in collaborative CAD: the-state-of-the art. Computer-Aided Design, 37:571–581.Fussell, S.R., Kraut, R.E. & Siegel, J. (2000). Coordination of communication: effects of shared visual context on collaborative work. Proceedings of the 2000 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 21–30.Gajewska, H., Kistler, J., Manasse, M.S. & Redell, D. (1994). Argo: a system for distributed collaboration. Proceedings of the ACM Second International Conference on Multimedia, San Francisco, CA, USA. 433–440.Gantz, J., Reinsel, D., Chute, C., Schlichting, W., Mcarthur, J., Minton, S., Xheneti, I., Toncheva, A. & Manfrediz, A. (2007). The expanding digital universe: a forecast of worldwide information growth through 2010. IDC, Massachusetts.Gowan, Jr. J.A. & Downs, J.M. (1994). Video conferencing human-machine interface: a field study. Information and Management, 27(6):341–356.Gupta, A., Mattarelli, E., Seshasai, S. & Broschak, J. (2009). Use of collaborative technologies and knowledge sharing in co-located and distributed teams: towards the 24-h knowledge factory. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 18:147–161.Hickson, I. (2009). The Web Socket Protocol IETF, Standards Track.Hong, J., Toye, G. & Leifer, L.J. (1996). Engineering design notebook for sharing and reuse. Computers in Industry, 29:27–35.Isaacs, E.A. & Tang, J.C. (1994). What video can and cannot do for collaboration: a case study. Multimedia Systems, 2(2):63–73.Karsenty, L. (1999). Cooperative work and shared visual context: an empirical study of comprehension problems in side-by-side and remote help dialogues. Human Computer Interaction, 14(3): 283–315.Lahti, H., Seitamaa-Hakkarainen, P. & Hakkarainen, K. (2004). Collaboration patterns in computer supported collaborative designing. Design Studies, 25:351–371.Leenders, R.T.A., Van Engelen, J.M. & Kratzer, J. (2003). Virtuality, communication, and new product team creativity: a social network perspective. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 20(1):69–92.Levitt, R.E., Jin, Y. & Dym, C.L. (1991). Knowledge-based support for management of concurrent, multidisciplinary design. Artificial Intelligence for Engineering, Design, Analysis and Manufacturing, 5(2):77–95.Li, C., McMahon, C. & Newnes, L. (2009). Annotation in product lifecycle management: a review of approaches. Proceedings of the ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, DETC2009. Vol. 2. New York: ASME, 797–806.Li, W.D., Lu, W.F., Fuh, J.Y. & Wong, Y.S. (2005). Collaborative computer-aided design-research and development status. Computer-Aided Design, 37(9):931–940.Londono, F., Cleetus, K.J., Nichols, D.M., Iyer, S., Karandikar, H.M., Reddy, S.M., Potnis, S.M., Massey, B., Reddy, A. & Ganti, V. (1992). Coordinating a virtual team. CERC-TR-RN-92-005, Concurrent Engineering Research Centre, West Virginia University, West Virginia.Lubell, J., Chen, K., Horst, J., Frechette, S., & Huang, P. (2012). Model based enterprise/technical data package summit report. NIST Technical Note, 1753.May, A. & Carter, C. (2001). A case study of virtual team working in the European automotive industry. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 27(3):171–186.Olson, J.S., Olson, G.M. & Meader, D.K. (1995). What mix of video and audio is useful for small groups doing remote real-time design work? Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM Press, Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.Ping-Hung, H., Mishra, C.S. & Gobeli, D.H. (2003). The return on R&D versus capital expenditures in pharmaceutical and chemical industries. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 50:141–150.Sharma, A. (2005). Collaborative product innovation: integrating elements of CPI via PLM framework. Computer-Aided Design, 37(13):1425–1434.Shum, S.J.B., Selvin, A.M., Sierhuis, M., Conklin, J., Haley, C.B. & Nuseibeh, B. (2006). Hypermedia support for argumentation-based rationale: 15 Years on from Gibis and Qoc. Rationale Management in Software Engineering, 111–132.Siltanen, P. & Valli, S. (2013). Web-based 3D Mediated Communication in Manufacturing Industry. Concurrent Engineering Approaches for Sustainable Product Development in a Multidisciplinary Environment, 1181–1192. Springer London.Stark, J. (2011). Product Lifecycle Management. 1–16. Springer London.Tavcar, J., Potocnik, U. & Duhovnik, J. (2013). PLM used as a backbone for concurrent engineering in supply chain. Concurrent Engineering Approaches for Sustainable Product Development in a Multi-Disciplinary Environment, 681–692.Tay, F.E.H. & Ming, C. (2001). A shared multi-media design environment for concurrent engineering over the internet. Concurrent Engineering, 9(1):55–63.Tay, F.E.H. & Roy, A. (2003). CyberCAD: a collaborative approach in 3D-CAD technology in a multimedia-supported environment. Computers in Industry, 52(2):127–145.Toussaint, J. & Cheng, K. (2002). Design agility and manufacturing responsiveness on the web. Integrated Manufacturing Systems, 13(5):328–339.Tsoi, K.N. & Rahman, S.M. (1996). Media-on-demand multimedia electronic mail: a tool for collaboration on the web. Proceedings of the 5th IEEE International Symposium on High Performance Distributed Computing.Upton, D.M. & Mcafee, A. (1999). The Real Virtual Factory. Harvard Business School Press, 69–89.Vila, C., Estruch, A., Siller, H.R., Abellán, J.V. & Romero, F. (2007). Workflow methodology for collaborative design and manufacturing. Cooperative Design, Visualization, and Engineering 42–49, Springer Berlin Heidelberg.Wasiak, J., Hicks, B., Newnes, L., Dong, A., & Burrow, L. (2010). Understanding engineering email: the development of a taxonomy for identifying and classifying engineering work. Research in Engineering Design, 21(1):43–64.Wasko, M.M. & Faraj, S. (2005). Why should I share? Examining social capital and knowledge contribution in electronic networks of practice. MIS Quarterly: Management Information Systems, 29:35–57.Yang, Q.Z., Zhang, Y., Miao, C.Y. & Shen, Z.Q. (2008). Semantic annotation of digital engineering resources for multidisciplinary design collaboration. ASME 2008 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, 617–624. American Society of Mechanical Engineers.You, C.F. & Chao, S.N. (2006). Multilayer architecture in collaborative environment. Concurrent Engineering Research and Applications, 14(4):273–281.Yuan, Y.C., Fulk, J., Monge, P.R. & Contractor, N. (2010). Expertise directory development, shared task interdependence, and strength of communication network ties as multilevel predictors of expertise exchange in transactive memory work groups. Communication Research, 37: 20–47

WGS-based telomere length analysis in Dutch family trios implicates stronger maternal inheritance and a role for RRM1 gene

Telomere length (TL) regulation is an important factor in ageing, reproduction and cancer development. Genetic, hereditary and environmental factors regulating TL are currently widely investigated, however, their relative contribution to TL variability is still understudied. We have used whole genome sequencing data of 250 family trios from the Genome of the Netherlands project to perform computational measurement of TL and a series of regression and genome-wide association analyses to reveal TL inheritance patterns and associated genetic factors. Our results confirm that TL is a largely heritable trait, primarily with mother’s, and, to a lesser extent, with father’s TL having the strongest influence on the offspring. In this cohort, mother’s, but not father’s age at conception was positively linked to offspring TL. Age-related TL attrition of 40 bp/year had relatively small influence on TL variability. Finally, we have identified TL-associated variations in ribonuclease reductase catalytic subunit M1 (RRM1 gene), which is known to regulate telomere maintenance in yeast. We also highlight the importance of multivariate approach and the limitations of existing tools for the analysis of TL as a polygenic heritable quantitative trait

Pharmacogenomics study of thiazide diuretics and QT interval in multi-ethnic populations: The cohorts for heart and aging research in genomic epidemiology

Thiazide diuretics, commonly used antihypertensives, may cause QT interval (QT) prolongation, a risk factor for highly fatal and difficult to predict ventricular arrhythmias. We examined whether common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) modified the association between thiazide use and QT or its component parts (QRS interval, JT interval) by performing ancestry-specific, trans-ethnic and cross-phenotype genome-wide analyses of European (66%), African American (15%) and Hispanic (19%) populations (N=78 199), leveraging longitudinal data, incorporating corrected standard errors to account for underestimation of interaction estimate variances and evaluating evidence for pathway enrichment. Although no loci achieved genome-wide significance (P&lt;5 × 10 -8 m), we found suggestive evidence (P&lt;5 × 10 -6 ) for SNPs modifying the thiazide-QT association at 22 loci, including ion transport loci (for example, NELL1, KCNQ3). The biologic plausibility of our suggestive results and simulations demonstrating modest power to detect interaction effects at genome-wide significant levels indicate that larger studies and innovative statistical methods are warranted in future efforts evaluating thiazide-SNP interactions

Fifteen Genetic Loci Associated with the Electrocardiographic P Wave

The P wave on an ECG is a measure of atrial electric function, and its characteristics may serve as predictors for atrial arrhythmias. Increased mean P-wave duration and P-wave terminal force traditionally have been used as markers for left atrial enlargement, and both have been associated with increased risk of atrial fibrillation. Here, we explore the genetic basis of P-wave morphology through meta-analysis of genome-wide association study results for P-wave duration and P-wave terminal force from 12 cohort studies. Methods and Results - We included 44 456 individuals, of which 6778 (16%) were of African ancestry. Genotyping, imputation, and genome-wide association study were performed at each study site. Summary-level results were meta-analyzed centrally using inverse-variance weighting. In meta-analyses of P-wave duration, we identified 6 significant (P<5×10-8) novel loci and replicated a prior association with SCN10A. We identified 3 loci at SCN5A, TBX5, and CAV1/CAV2 that were jointly associated with the PR interval, PR segment, and P-wave duration. We identified 6 novel loci in meta-analysis of P-wave terminal force. Four of the identified genetic loci were significantly associated with gene expression in 329 left atrial samples. Finally, we observed that some of the loci associated with the P wave were linked to overall atrial conduction, whereas others identified distinct phases of atrial conduction. Conclusions - We have identified 6 novel genetic loci associated with P-wave duration and 6 novel loci associated with P-wave terminal force. Future studies of these loci may aid in identifying new targets for drugs that may modify atrial conduction or treat atrial arrhythmias

Genetic architecture of spatial electrical biomarkers for cardiac arrhythmia and relationship with cardiovascular disease

The 3-dimensional spatial and 2-dimensional frontal QRS-T angles are measures derived from the vectorcardiogram. They are independent risk predictors for arrhythmia, but the underlying biology is unknown. Using multi-ancestry genome-wide association studies we identify 61 (58 previously unreported) loci for the spatial QRS-T angle (N = 118,780) and 11 for the frontal QRS-T angle (N = 159,715). Seven out of the 61 spatial QRS-T angle loci have not been reported for other electrocardiographic measures. Enrichments are observed in pathways related to cardiac and vascular development, muscle contraction, and hypertrophy. Pairwise genome-wide association studies with classical ECG traits identify shared genetic influences with PR interval and QRS duration. Phenome-wide scanning indicate associations with atrial fibrillation, atrioventricular block and arterial embolism and genetically determined QRS-T angle measures are associated with fascicular and bundle branch block (and also atrioventricular block for the frontal QRS-T angle). We identify potential biology involved in the QRS-T angle and their genetic relationships with cardiovascular traits and diseases, may inform future research and risk prediction

Multi-ancestry GWAS of the electrocardiographic PR interval identifies 202 loci underlying cardiac conduction

The electrocardiographic PR interval reflects atrioventricular conduction, and is associated with conduction abnormalities, pacemaker implantation, atrial fibrillation (AF), and cardiovascular mortality. Here we report a multi-ancestry (N = 293,051) genome-wide association meta-analysis for the PR interval, discovering 202 loci of which 141 have not previously been reported. Variants at identified loci increase the percentage of heritability explained, from 33.5% to 62.6%. We observe enrichment for cardiac muscle developmental/contractile and cytoskeletal genes, highlighting key regulation processes for atrioventricular conduction. Additionally, 8 loci not previously reported harbor genes underlying inherited arrhythmic syndromes and/or cardiomyopathies suggesting a role for these genes in cardiovascular pathology in the general population. We show that polygenic predisposition to PR interval duration is an endophenotype for cardiovascular disease, including distal conduction disease, AF, and atrioventricular pre-excitation. These findings advance our understanding of the polygenic basis of cardiac conduction, and the genetic relationship between PR interval duration and cardiovascular disease

Genetic insights into resting heart rate and its role in cardiovascular disease.

Resting heart rate is associated with cardiovascular diseases and mortality in observational and Mendelian randomization studies. The aims of this study are to extend the number of resting heart rate associated genetic variants and to obtain further insights in resting heart rate biology and its clinical consequences. A genome-wide meta-analysis of 100 studies in up to 835,465 individuals reveals 493 independent genetic variants in 352 loci, including 68 genetic variants outside previously identified resting heart rate associated loci. We prioritize 670 genes and in silico annotations point to their enrichment in cardiomyocytes and provide insights in their ECG signature. Two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses indicate that higher genetically predicted resting heart rate increases risk of dilated cardiomyopathy, but decreases risk of developing atrial fibrillation, ischemic stroke, and cardio-embolic stroke. We do not find evidence for a linear or non-linear genetic association between resting heart rate and all-cause mortality in contrast to our previous Mendelian randomization study. Systematic alteration of key differences between the current and previous Mendelian randomization study indicates that the most likely cause of the discrepancy between these studies arises from false positive findings in previous one-sample MR analyses caused by weak-instrument bias at lower P-value thresholds. The results extend our understanding of resting heart rate biology and give additional insights in its role in cardiovascular disease development