Self-reported pain severity is associated with a history of coronary heart disease

This study was funded by Arthritis Research UK (grant number: 17292).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Hypergraph-based Multi-robot Motion Planning with Topological Guidance

We present a multi-robot motion planning algorithm that efficiently finds paths for robot teams up to ten times larger than existing methods in congested settings with narrow passages in the environment. Narrow passages represent a source of difficulty for sampling-based motion planning algorithms. This problem is exacerbated for multi-robot systems where the planner must also avoid inter-robot collisions within these congested spaces, requiring coordination. Topological guidance, which leverages information about the robot's environment, has been shown to improve performance for mobile robot motion planning in single robot scenarios with narrow passages. Additionally, our prior work has explored using topological guidance in multi-robot settings where a high degree of coordination is required of the full robot group. This high level of coordination, however, is not always necessary and results in excessive computational overhead for large groups. Here, we propose a novel multi-robot motion planning method that leverages topological guidance to inform the planner when coordination between robots is necessary, leading to a significant improvement in scalability.Comment: This work has been submitted for revie

Representativeness of a digitally engaged population and a patient organisation population with rheumatoid arthritis and their willingness to participate in research: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To describe (1) the representativeness of (a) users of an online health community (HealthUnlocked.com (HU)) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and (b) paid members of an RA patient organisation, the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS), compared with the general RA population; and (2) the willingness of HU users with RA to participate in types of research (surveys, use of an app or activity tracker, and trials). Methods: A pop-up survey was embedded on HU to determine the characteristics of users and their willingness to participate in research. An anonymous data set of NRAS member characteristics was provided by the NRAS (N=2044). To represent the general RA population, characteristics of people with RA were identified from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) (N=20 594). Cross-sectional comparisons were made across the three groups. Results: Compared with CPRD, HU respondents (n=615) were significantly younger (49% aged below 55 years compared with 23% of CPRD patients), significantly more deprived (21% in the most deprived Townsend quintile compared with 12% of CPRD patients) and had more recent disease, with 62% diagnosed between 2010 and 2016 compared with 37% of CPRD patients. NRAS members were more similar to the CPRD, but significantly under-represented those aged 75 years or over and over-represented those aged 55-75 years compared with the CPRD. High proportions of HU users were willing to participate in future research of all types. Conclusions: NRAS members were broadly representative of the general RA population. HU users were younger, more deprived and more recently diagnosed. HU users were willing to participate in most types of research

Musculoskeletal pain is associated with a long-term increased risk of cancer and cardiovascular-related mortality

Objectives. To test the hypothesis that individuals with regional and widespread pain disorders have an increased risk of mortality

An experimental comparison of two methods of teaching ninth year algebra

Not Available.Grace M. McBethNot ListedNot ListedMaster of ScienceDepartment Not ListedCunningham Memorial library, Terre Haute, Indiana State University.isua-thesis-1938-mcbeth.pdfMastersTitle from document title page. Document formatted into pages: contains 112p. : ill. Includes appendix and bibliography

The relationship between psychological distress and multiple tender points across the adult lifespan

Multiple tender points are common in the population and, in studies of mid-life adults, are strongly associated with high levels of psychological distress. Whether this relationship occurs in older adults is unclear. This cross-sectional study investigated whether high levels of psychological distress would be associated with a high tender point count and whether the relationship would be moderated by age. Three thousand three hundred and seventy-nine individuals were mailed a questionnaire which included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale, the Pain Catastrophising Scale (PCS), the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). A random sample of approximately 10% of subjects who returned the questionnaire undertook a physical assessment, including a manual tender point count assessment.A total of 2385 (71%) subjects completed the questionnaire, of whom 798 (33%) were invited to take part in the physical assessment and 290 (12%) participated. Of the 290 participants the median age was 64 years (range 34-97) and 63% were female. The median HAD score was 9 (IQR 5-14) and the median number of tender points was 3 (range 0-7).Increasing HAD score was positively and significantly associated with tender point count, but this relationship was not moderated by age. In a final multivariable model, sex, HAD score and PSQI score were independent predictors of multiple tender points.Psychological distress was associated with multiple tender points independent of age. Psychological distress and trouble sleeping were important, potentially modifiable factors associated with the outcome

Widespread pain and depression are key modifiable risk factors associated with reduced social participation in older adults: A prospective cohort study in primary care.

In older adults, reduced social participation increases the risk of poor health-related quality of life, increased levels of inflammatory markers and cardiovascular disease, and increased mortality. Older adults frequently present to primary care, which offers the potential to deliver interventions at the point of care to increase social participation. The aim of this prospective study was to identify the key modifiable exposures that were associated with reduced social participation in a primary care population of older adults.The study was a population-based prospective cohort study. Participants (n = 1991) were those aged ≥65 years who had completed questionnaires at baseline, and 3 and 6-year follow-ups. Generalized linear mixed modeling framework was used to test for associations between exposures and decreasing social participation over 6 years.At baseline, 44% of participants reported reduced social participation, increasing to 49% and 55% at 3 and 6-year follow-up. Widespread pain and depression had the strongest independent association with reduced social participation over the 6-year follow-up period. The prevalence of reduced social participation for those with widespread pain was 106% (adjusted incidence rate ratio 2.06, 95% confidence interval 1.72, 2.46), higher than for those with no pain. Those with depression had an increased prevalence of 82% (adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.82, 95% confidence interval 1.62, 2.06). These associations persisted in multivariate analysis.Population ageing will be accompanied by increasing numbers of older adults with pain and depression. Future trials should assess whether screening for widespread pain and depression, and targeting appropriate treatment in primary care, increase social participation in older people

The microbial ferrous wheel in a neutral pH groundwater seep

Evidence for microbial Fe redox cycling was documented in a circumneutral pH ground-water seep near Bloomington, Indiana. Geochemical and microbiological analyses were conducted at two sites, a semi-consolidated microbial mat and a floating puffball structure. In situ voltammetric microelectrode measurements revealed steep opposing gradients of o2 and Fe(I I) at both sites, similar to other groundwater seep and sedimentary environments known to support microbial Fe redox cycling. The puffball structure showed an abrupt increase in dissolved Fed I) just at its surface (~5cm depth), suggesting an internal Fe(I I) source coupled to active Fed 1I) reduction. Most probable number enumerations detected microaerophilic Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria (FeoB) and dissimilatory Fe(III)-reducing bacteria (FeRB) at densities of 102 to 105 cells ml_~1 in samples from both sites. In vitro Fed 1I) reduction experiments revealed the potential for immediate reduction (no lag period) of native Fe(III) oxides. Conventional full-length 16S rRNA gene clone libraries were compared with high throughput barcode sequencing of theV1, V4, orV6 variable regions of 16S rRNA genes in order to evaluate the extent to which new sequencing approaches could provide enhanced insight into the composition of Fe redox cycling microbial community structure. The composition of the clone libraries suggested a lithotroph-dominated microbial community centered around taxa related to known FeoB (e.g., Gallionella, Sideroxydans, Aquabacterium). Sequences related to recognized FeRB (e.g., Rhodoferax, Aeromonas, Geobacter, Desulfovibrio) were also well-represented. overall, sequences related to known FeoB and FeRB accounted for 88 and 59% of total clone sequences in the mat and puffball libraries, respectively. Taxa identified in the barcode libraries showed partial overlap with the clone libraries, but were not always consistent across different variable regions and sequencing platforms. However, the barcode libraries provided confirmation of key clone library results (e.g., the predominance of Betaproteobacteria) and an expanded view of lithotrophic microbial community composition

Persistence of earnings and prediction of future cash flows: the role of timely recognition of bad news

Timely recognition of losses and expenses compared to revenues and increased values precipitates future expenses to match with current revenues. Thus, timely recognition of losses acts to reduce the persistence of earnings. However, it is expected that a more timely recognition of negative cash flows, as bad news, increase the power of earnings for predicting future cash flows. This study investigates the effects of the timely recognition of bad news (loss) versus the good news on the decrease of the persistence of earnings, and the effect of negative cash flows on forecasting future cash flows. In this study, two pooling type models and a panel type model have been used to estimate the persistence of earnings and cash flows. Seventy eight firms that were listed in the Tehran Stock Exchange during the period 2003–2010 were duly reviewed. The results of this research proved that the timely recognition of loss does not affect the persistence and the power of earnings for the purpose of forecasting future cash flows. The findings imply that conservatism does not distort persistence of earnings