Taking real-life seriously : an approach to decomposing context beyond 'environment' in living labs

The maturity of Living Labs has grown and several researchers have tried to create a uniform definition of what Living Labs are by emphasizing the multi-method and real-life, contextual approach. Although researchers thus recognize the importance of context in Living Labs, they do not provide insights into how context can be taken into account. The real-life context predominantly focuses on the in-situ use of a product during field trials where users are observed in their everyday life. The contribution of this paper will be twofold. By means of a case study we will show how context can be evaluated in the front end of design, so Living Lab researchers are no longer dependent on the readiness level of a product, and we will show how field trials can be evaluated in a more structured way to cover all components of context. By using a framework to evaluate the impact of context on product use, Living Lab researchers can improve the overall effectiveness of data gathering and analysis methods in a Living Lab project

Macro Dark Matter

Dark matter is a vital component of the current best model of our universe, $\Lambda$CDM. There are leading candidates for what the dark matter could be (e.g. weakly-interacting massive particles, or axions), but no compelling observational or experimental evidence exists to support these particular candidates, nor any beyond-the-Standard-Model physics that might produce such candidates. This suggests that other dark matter candidates, including ones that might arise in the Standard Model, should receive increased attention. Here we consider a general class of dark matter candidates with characteristic masses and interaction cross-sections characterized in units of grams and cm$^2$, respectively -- we therefore dub these macroscopic objects as Macros. Such dark matter candidates could potentially be assembled out of Standard Model particles (quarks and leptons) in the early universe. A combination of Earth-based, astrophysical, and cosmological observations constrain a portion of the Macro parameter space. A large region of parameter space remains, most notably for nuclear-dense objects with masses in the range $55 - 10^{17}$ g and $2\times10^{20} - 4\times10^{24}$ g, although the lower mass window is closed for Macros that destabilize ordinary matter.Comment: 13 pages, 1 table, 4 figures. Submitted to MNRAS. v3: corrected small errors and a few points were made more clear, v4: included CMB bounds on dark matter-photon coupling from Wilkinson et al. (2014) and references added. Final revision matches published versio

Association of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Promoter of Apolipoprotein H with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that targets the vascular system, and can result in premature atherosclerotic vascular disease. The causes of SLE and many of the SLE associated problems, such as thrombosis, anitphospholipid syndrome, and atherosclerosis, which are significant public health concerns, are thought to be multifactorial, or caused by interactions of many environmental and genetic factors. Several genes have been proposed and studied in conjunction with these manifestations. This study focuses on one of these genes, apolipoprotein H (APOH gene, beta-2-GPI protein). The effects of several polymorphisms within the coding region in the APOH gene have been studied; however, possible effects of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the promoter region have not been characterized. In this study, 6 SNPs in the APOH promoter were genotyped in 381 SLE women and 497 healthy women controls. This study aimed to determine the association of these polymorphisms with the occurrence of SLE, with the plasma levels of beta-2-GPI, and with the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (APA). It was hypothesized that the genetic variation in the promoter region of the APOH gene may affect the risk of SLE and may do so through an effect on plasma beta-2-GPI levels or through its influence on APA. Among whites, the risk of SLE was modestly affected by the -1219 SNP (p = 0.057). While in blacks, the -759 SNP (p = 0.022) and the -700 SNP (p = 0.035) showed association with SLE. The haplotype pattern in whites was associated with SLE risk (p = 0.00015). The -643 SNP showed a modest effect on plasma beta-2-GPI levels in white SLE cases (p = 0.096) and black controls (p = 0.081). Significant differences were seen between antibody negative and all antibody positive groups in whites for the -1284 SNP (p = 0.02) and the -759 SNP (p = 0.046). These results suggest that genetic variation in the APOH promoter may affect SLE risk, beta-2-GPI levels, and the occurrence of antiphospholipid antibodies

Effects of glutamine supplementation on maximal performance and recovery from high-intensity exercise.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of acute glutamine supplementation on maximal performance and recovery from high-intensity exercise. In a placebo-controlled, crossover study, seven (six males and one female) healthy subjects performed maximal treadmill exercise one-hour after the ingestion of 0.03 g·kg body mass -1 glutamine mixed with caffeine-free fruit juice or placebo. Expired gases, respiratory exchange ratios (RER), heart rate (HR), ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and blood samples were collected pre-, during, and post-exercise. In addition, urine and saliva samples were obtained pre- and post-exercise. No significant differences in oxygen consumption, CO 2 production, HR, RPE, urine and saliva pH were found between treatments. The GLN trial (1.20 ± 0.07) produced a higher RER value than the PLC trial (1.11 ± 0.09) at 5-min post-exercise, resulting in a significant difference (p = 0.042). However, the significant difference was due to the inclusion of the female in the group analysis. This study demonstrates that acute glutamine supplementation does not enhance maximal performance or recovery from high-intensity treadmill running

The Effects of a Feedback Package on the Facial Orientation of a Young Girl with Autism During Restricted and Free Operant Conditions

A multiple baseline design across activities and people was used to assess the effectiveness of a feedback package on the facial orientation of a young girl with autism. During baseline, observations indicated low rates of facial orientation and high rates of gaze avoidance during conversation (restricted operant) and play (free operant) conditions. After treatment, facial orientation rates increased and gaze avoidance rates decreased to levels similar to typically-developing peers and maintained at one month follow up. These results suggest that the feedback package was effective in producing durable facial orientation across different environments and people. Possible interpretations, strengths, and limitations are discussed

Female Sports Officials and Mental Health: The Overlooked Problem

Sporting culture often celebrates mental toughness and chides weakness, which can stigmatize mental health issues. While some sport organizations have prioritized addressing mental well-being, referees have been ignored. Referees work in high-pressure environments; thus, the need to understand, destigmatize, and normalize the conversation around mental health within the referee community and the larger sporting system is important. Because the prevalence of stress-related issues is greater for women, this study focused on female referees’ well-being, interviewing 20 female U.S. basketball referees via a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Participants represented various geographical regions in the United States and officiated at levels ranging from high school to professional. Findings revealed Gendered Aggressions negatively impacted the referees, mental health issues are Stigmatized, and more Resources and Support are needed. Results also indicated that officiating can be Cathartic. Suggestions for addressing the referee shortage and improving the officiating experience are included