Social comparison processes as contributors to consistent physical activity.

The present study examined the impact that attention to social comparison (SC) information may have on consistency in physical activity (PA) behaviors across genders. SC factors, including SC frequency, SC direction and trait tendency to compare (SCO) were assessed within the Dynamic Relapse Model (DRM) as markers of PA consistency within men and women. Participants were N=200 individuals engaging in physical activity at YMCA gym facilities. Data collection utilized cross-sectional methods including anthropomorphic data collection at the point of recruitment and online selfreport measures post-recruitment. High adherence to regular physical activity was observed, with participants reporting infrequent slips in PA (modal PA slips was 0). Participants reported engaging in upward and lateral SC most frequently, with downward SC being infrequently reported. Overall reported engagement in SC was intermittent; the modal frequency of SC engagement was “sometimes.” Specific hypotheses were developed to explore the relationships between SC direction, SCO, gender and PA consistency outcomes. SC direction and frequency were not related to PA consistency. Gender differences were not observed in the frequency of SC constructs or PA consistency, however, a significant interaction was observed between gender and SCO; women’s PA consistency was impacted by SCO to a greater extent than their male counterparts’. A decrease in PA consistency was observed at high levels of SCO in women, but not in men. Study findings suggest that SCO may be most impactful on women’s PA behaviors, regardless of SC direction and frequency. Results identify possible clinical intervention points for the promotion of PA consistency, particularly focusing on women who demonstrate a high tendency to compare themselves (SCO). The study provides support for the contribution of social comparison processes to PA consistency and demonstrates that social cognitions warrant greater exploration within models of health behavior

Outcome Expectations and Environmental Factors Associated with Engineering College-Going: A Case Study

Family, school, and community contexts each link to secondary school enrollment, yet these factors have been comparatively examined only in limited ways. A holistic examination of contextual factors will be particularly important for engineering where college enrollment patterns vary by demographics. To begin explaining patterns of engineering college-going at different high schools across the Commonwealth of Virginia, we answered the following research questions: Within a single school system and from a socializer’s perspective, what outcome expectations and environmental factors influence students’ engineering-related postsecondary educational plans? How are these factors the same and different between high schools within a school district? Using a single-case-study approach and in-depth interviews with socializers (teachers, administrators, and counselors), we examined similarities and differences in outcome expectations and environmental factors at three high schools within a single school district. By integrating the results regarding outcome expectations and environmental factors, three important findings emerged: (1) relationships between outcome expectations and environmental factors vary across schools within the same system, (2) proximity to a postsecondary institution is not just about physical distance, and (3) messaging regarding career pathways matters. Each of these has practical implications but can also set the foundation for future research

What nonpharmacological treatments are effective against common nongenital warts?

Cryotherapy has similar cure rates to topical salicylate (a pharmacologic therapy) for non-genital common warts (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, based on systemic review of variable quality randomized trials). Duct tape may be equivalent to cryotherapy (SOR: B, based on a single randomized trial). CO2 laser, photodynamic therapy, pulsed dye laser (PDL), and Er:Yag laser therapies may also be effective for recalcitrant warts (SOR: C, based on observational cohort studies)

Does advice based on biomarkers of liver injury or non-invasive tests of liver fibrosis impact high-risk drinking behaviour: A systematic review with meta-analysis

Background: Alcohol dependence affects over 240 million people worldwide and attributed to 3 million deaths annually. Early identification and intervention are key to prevent harm. We aim to systematically review literature on the effectiveness of adding advice based on biomarkers of liver injury or non-invasive tests of liver fibrosis (intervention-based advice ) to prevent alcohol misuse. Methods: Electronic search was conducted on Ovid Medline, PubMed, EMBASE, Psychinfo and CINAHL for articles published up to end of February 2020. Additionally, we searched study citations, Scopus, Ethos and Clinical trials. The primary outcome measure was changed in self-reported alcohol consumption analysed by random-effects meta-analysis. Secondary outcomes included change to liver blood markers and alcohol-related health outcomes.Results: 14 RCT and 2 observational studies comprising n=3763 participants were included. Meta-analyses showed a greater reduction in alcohol consumption and liver biomarkers for the intervention compared to control group: mean difference for weekly alcohol intake was -74.4 gram/week (95%CI -126.1, -22.6, p=0.005); and mean difference for GGT -19.7 IU/L (95% CI -33.1, -6.4, p=0.004). There was a higher incidence of alcohol attributed mortality, number of days spent in the hospital, physician visits and sickness absence in the non-intervention group. The quality of the included studies was moderate for RCT’s and high for observational studies. Conclusions: The review confirmed a significant association between the addition of intervention-based advice in routine care to the reduction of harmful alcohol consumption, GGT and alcohol-related mortality. The findings support the inclusion of this type of advice in routine alcohol care

An open reproducible framework for the study of the iterated prisoner's dilemma

The Axelrod library is an open source Python package that allows for reproducible game theoretic research into the Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma. This area of research began in the 1980s but suffers from a lack of documentation and test code. The goal of the library is to provide such a resource, with facilities for the design of new strategies and interactions between them, as well as conducting tournaments and ecological simulations for populations of strategies. With a growing collection of 139 strategies, the library is a also a platform for an original tournament that, in itself, is of interest to the game theoretic community. This paper describes the Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma, the Axelrod library and its development, and insights gained from some novel research.Comment: 11 pages, Journal of Open Research Software 4.1 (2016

Acceptability of chronic liver disease screening in a UK primary care setting: a qualitative evaluation

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. OBJECTIVES: The increasing incidence of chronic liver disease (CLD) in the UK may be attributed to a rise in preventable risk factors, including hazardous alcohol use and type 2 diabetes. Transient elastography (TE) can rapidly stratify risk of CLD in primary care populations and provide an opportunity to raise patient awareness of risk factors.This study explores patients' experiences of TE screening in a primary care setting. In addition, patient awareness of CLD risk is explored. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: This study used a qualitative process evaluation of a community screening pathway for CLD (Nottingham, UK). Participants completed semistructured interviews, which were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty adults were purposively recruited 6 months to 2 years after TE screening. Inclusion criteria included (1) hazardous alcohol use, (2) type 2 diabetes and/or (3) persistently elevated liver enzymes without known cause. RESULTS: Undergoing TE in primary care was seen as acceptable to most participants. Hazardous alcohol use was identified as the primary cause of CLD; no participants were aware of metabolic risk factors. TE improved understanding of personal risk factors and prompted contemplation of lifestyle changes across all TE stratifications. However, participants' perceptions of risk were altered by the healthcare providers' communication of TE scores. CONCLUSIONS: High acceptability of TE, regardless of the risk factor, provides strong support for inclusion of TE stratification in primary care. Findings highlight the positive impact of receiving TE on risk awareness. Future clinical iterations should improve the structure and communication of TE results to patients