Exploring Resistance Training as a Potential Standalone Treatment for Anxious Adults Who Screen Positive for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Introduction: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disabling psychological disorder that affects about 7% of adults in the United States. PTSD and its symptoms have consistently been shown to have an inverse relationship with exercise participation. The strongest reported associations have been between high intensity exercise, and the hyperarousal and avoidance symptom clusters. Importantly, resistance training (i.e., weight lifting) is thought to have beneficial effects for several conditions that commonly co-occur with PTSD, such as anxiety, depression, and poor sleep quality. However, no studies have examined the effects of high intensity resistance training on PTSD symptoms. Purpose: This study sought to examine the effects of a 3-week high intensity resistance training program on the PTSD hyperarousal and avoidance symptom clusters, sleep quality, anxiety, and depression symptoms in anxious adults who screened positive for PTSD. Additionally, this study explored potential mechanisms of action (e.g., cognitive appraisal, perceived exertion, acute changes in affect, arousal, and distress) between exercise and PTSD. Methods: Thirty trait anxious individuals who screened positive for PTSD were randomly assigned to either a 3-week high intensity resistance training intervention, or a 3-week time-matched attention control group, while blocking for gender. Both groups were required to attend 3 on-site sessions per week, for 3 weeks (i.e., 9 total sessions). Each resistance training session consisted of a 5-minute warm-up, 20 minutes of high intensity resistance training, and a 5-minute cool-down. Each control session consisted of a brief 30-minute educational video on topics not relating to exercise or PTSD. Changes in PTSD symptoms, sleep quality, anxiety and depression were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA, and potential mechanisms of action were explored with a series of longitudinal mixed-effects regression models. Results: Participants were 73.3% female, with a mean age of 29.1 years (SD = 7.4), and 63.3% identified as a racial minority. Groups did not significantly differ at baseline. There was a Time*Group interaction for hyperarousal symptoms (F = 4.7, p = .04, η2 .18), demonstrating a significantly larger reduction in hyperarousal symptoms for the resistance training group (d = -1.84) relative to the control (d = -1.13). The Time*Group interaction for avoidance symptoms was not significant (F = 1.7, p = .20, η2 = .08); however, the effect size of resistance training was larger (d = -2.71) than the control (d = -1.16). There was a significant Time*Group interaction for sleep quality (F = 4.7, p = .04, η2 = .19), demonstrating greater improvements in global sleep quality for resistance training (d = -1.06) relative to the control (d = -.15). However, there was no significant effect of Time on PTSD-related sleep disturbances (F = 3.0, p = .1, η2 = .13) nor was there a significant Time*Group interaction (F = .09, p = .80, η2 .05). Conclusion: This is the first randomized attention-controlled trial testing the effects of high intensity resistance training on PTSD symptoms. The overall results support the hypothesis that resistance training can beneficially affect PTSD symptoms and its commonly co-occurring conditions, such as poor sleep quality. Future adequately powered studies are warranted

The fragmentation of expanding shells III: Oligarchic accretion and the mass spectrum of fragments

We use SPH simulations to investigate the gravitational fragmentation of expanding shells through the linear and non--linear regimes. The results are analysed using spherical harmonic decomposition to capture the initiation of structure during the linear regime; the potential-based method of Smith et al. (2009) to follow the development of clumps in the mildly non-linear regime; and sink particles to capture the properties of the final bound objects during the highly non-linear regime. In the early, mildly non--linear phase of fragmentation, we find that the clump mass function still agrees quite well with the mass function predicted by the analytic model. However, the sink mass function is quite different, in the sense of being skewed towards high-mass objects. This is because, once the growth of a condensation becomes non-linear, it tends to be growing non-competitively from its own essentially separate reservoir; we call this Oligarchic Accretion.Comment: 14 pages, accepted for publication in MNRA

Student Perceptions of Project Management: Comparing students’ start and end of course Perceptions of the importance of PM, PMBOK Categories, and Contributing Subject Areas

Institutions of higher education are receiving steady pressure to better prepare students for project management (PM) positions and therefore the value being placed on project management courses is increasing in higher education, especially in computing disciplines. IS curricula models specifically address PM courses and concepts. The need for appropriately skilled project managers has also motivated industries to take advantage of PM training and certification programs offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI, 2000). The Standish group indicates that CIOs believe that having an experienced project manager is a key factor in IT projects success. This investigation focuses on the perception of students on the overall importance of PM, the Project Management Body of Knowledge Areas (PMBOK), and knowledge of specific subject areas that contribute to the preparation of students for PM positions. Graduate and undergraduate PM students at a regional institution in the southeast were survey at both the start and end of their courses

Preparing Students to be Effective Information Technology Project Managers: Can More Focus on Dialogue and Communication Processes Help?

The overall importance of dialogue and communication processes to scientific and technical problem solving is already well established in communication and project management literature (e.g., Bohm, 1999; Isaacs, 1999; Schwalbe, 1999; Kerzner, 1998). However, very little of this literature has been specifically applied to the fast-growing field of Information Technology/Information Systems (IT/IS) project management and to the pedagogical issues surrounding the teaching of students how to be more effective in working together as a team to solve IT/IS systems development problems. Many of the articles and books that address the subject have focused on some of the more obvious needs for better listening skills, more effective written and oral communication skills, techniques for helping to get your point across, etc. These are important but there is also a need for a more in depth look at the problem by applying some of the more ideological concepts related to “dialogue” introduced by Bohm and Isaacs

Outbreak science: recent progress in the detection and response to outbreaks of infectious diseases.

The frequency of reported outbreaks of infectious diseases has increased over the past 3 decades, with predictions that this rise will continue. Outbreak response continues to follow nine basic principles: establish the presence of an outbreak, verify the diagnosis, make a case definition, find cases and contacts, conduct basic epidemiology, test hypotheses, institute control measures, communicate the situation and establish ongoing surveillance. Within each of these areas, significant advances have been made over the past 5 years using progress in digital, laboratory, epidemiology and anthropological equipment or techniques. Irrespective of these, future outbreaks of high-consequence are inevitable, and vigilance and preparation must continue in order to prevent significant mortality, morbidity and socio-economic crisis

The Effects Of Information Technology Innovativeness On Audit Efficiencies

Information technology (IT) has been identified as an important component of a company’s internal control and general business environment (COSO 2009).  This paper examines how IT innovativeness can create value in the accounting domain through its role in improving efficiencies associated with the audit process by reducing overall inherent risks and business risks.  To test the relationship between IT innovativeness and audit efficiencies, we use a sample of IT firms recognized by the publication InformationWeek as innovative users of IT and compare those firms with a control group.  For the dependent variables measuring audit efficiencies, we focus on audit fees and audit delays.  Our research suggests that firms recognized as IT innovators pay lower audit fees and receive their audit reports in a timelier manner than the control firms.  Our results are consistent with the idea that investments in IT can provide significant benefits for firms in terms of audit efficiencies

How best to manage the patient in term labor whose group B strep status is unknown?

Monitor the patient and treat her with intrapartum chemoprophylaxis based on identified risk factors, unless a rapid, highly sensitive (greater than or equal to 85%) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is immediately available to evaluate for group B Streptococcus (GBS) (strength of recommendation: B, inconsistent or limited quality evidence)

Identification of the genetic basis of multicentric tumourigenesis

Multiple primary malignant tumours (MPMT) are an indicator of potential inherited cancer susceptibility and occur at appreciable frequency among unselected cancer patients and, particularly, among referrals to cancer genetics services. However, there is little information on the clinical genetic evaluation of cohorts of MPMT patients representing a variety of tumour types. A referral based case series was ascertained and is described. Service-based molecular genetic testing had demonstrated a pathogenic germline variant in a cancer predisposition gene in less than a quarter of referrals. To assess for evidence of unidentified variants in those who tested negative, comparisons were made with those who tested positive, revealing considerable overlap between the two groups with respect to clinical characteristics indicative of an inherited cancer syndrome. A subset of unexplained MPMT cases was subsequently analysed for mutations in $TP53$, $PTEN$ and $CDKN2B$ but none were detected. MPMT individuals may receive negative genetic test results for a number of reasons, which are discussed. They include referral bias and MPMT cases from a population based registry were also analysed and compared with the referral based series. The increasing application of next generation sequencing techniques in clinical services is likely to address many of these issues

How can we minimize recurrent ankle sprains?

Using external ankle supports during physical activity significantly reduces the likelihood of primary and secondary sprains (strength of recommendation [SOR]: A, systematic review). Proprioception rehabilitation substantially decreases further injury after an ankle sprain (SOR: A, 3 randomized control trials [RCTs] and 1 prospective cohort study)