Vitamin D Status and Bone Mineral Density in Female Collegiate Dancers and Cheerleaders

Bone mineral density reflects an athlete’s cumulative history of energy availability, physical activity, and menstrual status, as well as nutritional and environmental factors. Although sports with high-impact loading are associated with higher bone mineral density than low-impact or non-impact sports, confounding variables are differences in the athletes’ body size and sport-specific training. The purpose of this study was to determine if bone mineral density (BMD) and vitamin D status are different between two groups of female collegiate athletes who have comparable body size/weight requirements, but who engage in qualitatively different training regimens. Full body, spine and dual femur BMD was assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in members of a university pep-dance team (n = 10) or cheer team (n = 9), ages 18-22. Plasma vitamin D status was assessed by ELIZA. There was no significant difference between the groups for total body BMD (1.23 g/cm2 dance vs 1.22 g/cm2 cheer, P = 0.70), spine BMD (1.39 g/cm2 dance vs 1.36 g/cm2 cheer, P = 0.72) or dual femur BMD (1.20 g/cm2 dance vs 1.11 g/cm2, P = 0.23). Insufficient serum vitamin D status (20-32 ng/mL) was found in 74% of the athletes (27 ± 4 ng/mL, dance and 25 ± 8 ng/mL, cheer). In addition, estimated daily vitamin D and calcium intakes were less than the RDA for both dancers and cheerleaders. Despite nutritional insufficiencies, BMD was not significantly different between the low-impact activity pep dance team and high-impact activity cheer team, suggesting that the type of physical activity was not as important for BMD in these athletes as participating in 20+ hours a week of physical activity, which could have counteracted the negative effects of the nutrient insufficiencies on their bone health

Effect of plant regulators on set and berry development in certain seedless and seeded varieties of Vitis vinifera L.

Flowering clusters on ungirdled, nondefoliated shoots of 'Black Corinth', and girdled shoots defoliated to 1 /ia leaf, were dipped in 4-CPA at 15 ppm, or GA3 at 5 or 15 ppm. In nondefoliated shoots the set was decreased about 13 °/o at 15 ppm, but there were no significant differences among the other treatments. All treatments produced heavier rachises, berries, and clusters than the ungirdled, untreated controls. In defoliated shoots the set was decreased approximately 85 °/o by GA3 at 15 ppm. 4-CPA significantly increased set, but a mixture of GA3 and 4-CPA did not alter set.Similar experiments were carried on with the seeded varieties 'Pinot Chardonnay', 'Muscat of Alexandria', and 'Grenache'. Clusters on ungirdled nondefoliated shoots were dipped in GA3, 4-CPA, or a mixture of the two compounds. Like treatments were made on other clusters on shoots defoliated to 1/4 leaf. There was a varietal difference in response among the seeded varieties. The compounds injured the Muscat and reduced the set and berry size.All treatments increased the set of seedless berries on nondefoliated shoots of 'Pinot'. In both 'Chardonnay' and 'Grenache' there was a shift from seeded to seedless berries. Application of 4-CPA resulted in a significantly greater set in total number of berries on defoliated shoots of 'Chardonnay' and 'Muscat'.All solutions containing GA3 increased siz'e of seedless berries on nondefoliated shoots of 'Pinot'. GA3 applied at shatter stage increased size of seedless 'Muscat' berries. With one exception, there was no increase in size of one-, two-, or three-seeded berries.Percentage set was significantly increased in defoliated shoots of 'Muscat' by 4-CPA, and in 'Pinot' by 4-CPA or a mixture of 4-CPA and GA3.A kinin, benzyladenine, failed to increase set or berry size, but intensified the development of a purple anthocyanin pigment in 'Muscat'.The possible importance of the ratio of a leaf-produced set factor to gibberellin in berry set in 'Black Corinth' is discussed

Sampling a Littoral Fish Assemblage: Comparison of Small-Mesh Fyke Netting and Boat Electrofishing

We compared small-mesh (4-mm) fyke netting and boat electrofishing for sampling a littoral fish assemblage in Muskegon Lake, Michigan. We hypothesized that fyke netting selects for small-bodied fishes and electrofishing selects for large-bodied fishes. Three sites were sampled during May (2004 and 2005), July (2005 only), and September (2004 and 2005). We found that the species composition of captured fish differed considerably between fyke netting and electrofishing based on nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). Species strongly associated with fyke netting (based on NMDS and relative abundance) included the brook silverside Labidesthes sicculus, banded killifish Fundulus diaphanus, round goby Neogobius melanostomus, mimic shiner Notropis volucellus, and bluntnose minnow Pimephales notatus, whereas species associated with electrofishing included the Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, catostomids (Moxostoma spp. and Catostomus spp.), freshwater drum Aplodinotus grunniens, walleye Sander vitreus, gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum, and common carp Cyprinus carpio. The total length of fish captured by electrofishing was 12.8 cm (95% confidence interval ¼ 5.5– 17.2 cm) greater than that of fish captured by fyke netting. Size selectivity of the gears contributed to differences in species composition of the fish captured, supporting our initial hypothesis. Thus, small-mesh fyke nets and boat electrofishers provided complementary information on a littoral fish assemblage. Our results support use of multiple gear types in monitoring and research surveys of fish assemblages. Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2007, Originally published in the North American Journal of Fisheries Management 27: 825-831, 2007

A method for finding new sets of axioms for classes of semigroups

We introduce a general technique for finding sets of axioms for a given class of semigroups. To illustrate the technique, we provide new sets of defining axioms for groups of exponent n, bands, and semilattices

Security by Spatial Reference:Using Relative Positioning to Authenticate Devices for Spontaneous Interaction

Spontaneous interaction is a desirable characteristic associated with mobile and ubiquitous computing. The aim is to enable users to connect their personal devices with devices encountered in their environment in order to take advantage of interaction opportunities in accordance with their situation. However, it is difficult to secure spontaneous interaction as this requires authentication of the encountered device, in the absence of any prior knowledge of the device. In this paper we present a method for establishing and securing spontaneous interactions on the basis of emphspatial references that capture the spatial relationship of the involved devices. Spatial references are obtained by accurate sensing of relative device positions, presented to the user for initiation of interactions, and used in a peer authentication protocol that exploits a novel mechanism for message transfer over ultrasound to ensures spatial authenticity of the sender

Systemic lupus during pregnancy with refractory alveolar haemorrhage: recovery following termination of pregnancy

A case of refractory pulmonary hemorrhage in a pregnant 22-year-old with systemic lupus is presented. The clinical difficulty of management of pulmonary haemorrhage and lupus flare during pregnancy are discussed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68549/2/10.1177_096120339700600909.pd

Mapping change in medical student attitudes regarding lesbian, gay and bisexual healthcare

Despite significant social advances among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, healthcare disparities remain prevalent. Medical education represents a prime opportunity for addressing this need. Thus, we undertook this study to explore second year medical students’ attitudes regarding equal access to healthcare services including erectile dysfunction medication, family planning medications and technology, and partner health insurance coverage. Nearly 1500 allopathic medical students were surveyed from 2006 to 2014 during their second pre-clinical training year. While attitudes regarding care between LGB patients and heterosexual patients were often similar, there was a significant change in favor of providing insurance coverage for in-vitro and assisted reproduction services for lesbian women (increasing from 70% of students in favor in 2008 to 87% of students in 2013). Similarly, the proportion of students in favor of providing health insurance coverage for prescription drugs to same sex partners significantly increased from 2009 to 2013. Additionally, students noted healthcare providers should be required to provide equal access to care for all patients regardless of marital status or sexual practices (96% agreement in 2006 and 98.6% agreement in 2014). Even with this significant increase in medical student approval of certain healthcare services for LGB patients, continuing to integrate LGBT healthcare topics into medical education curriculum remains critically important

Increased usage of special educational services by children born to mothers with systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid antibodies

Introduction: Surveys of long-term health and developmental outcomes of children born to mothers with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have suggested an increase in learning disabilities among these children. We performed this observational study to investigate the relationship between maternal autoantibodies and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) in maternal lupus patients and neurocognitive development among their offspring. Methods: SLE mothers with at least one live birth postlupus diagnosis were enrolled. Data on maternal medical/obstetric history and children’s perinatal/ medical history were collected by structured interview and medical record reviews. The primary outcome was requirement for special educational (SE) services, a proxy for developmental delays. Multiple logistic regression modelling was used to examine associations between APS and autoantibodies with SE usage, accounting for SLE disease severity and potential confounders. Results: Data on 38 mothers and 60 offspring were analysed: SE service usage was reported for 15 of 60 (25%) offspring. Maternal APS history was significantly associated with increased use of SE services among offspring, including after adjustment for lupus anticoagulant (LA) positivity and potential confounders (OR 5.5–9.4 for delays age ≥2; p<0.05). The presence of LA, but not other antiphospholipid antibodies, was also associated with increased SE services usage. Conclusions: Maternal APS and LA were independently associated with increased usage of special educational services among offspring of women with SLE.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108201/1/Lupus Sci Med-2014-Marder-.pdf5

The worrying mind in control: an investigation of adaptive working memory training and cognitive bias modification in worry-prone individuals

Worry refers to the experience of uncontrollable negative thoughts. Cognitive models suggest that the combination of negative information processing biases along with diminished attentional control contribute to worry. In the current study we investigate whether promoting a) adaptive interpretation bias and b) efficient deployment of attentional control would influence the tendency to worry. Worry-prone individuals (n = 60) received either active cognitive bias modification for interpretation bias (CBM-I) combined with sham working memory training (WMT), adaptive WMT combined with sham CBM-I, or sham WMT combined with sham CBM-I. Neither of the active training conditions reduced worry during a breathing focus task relative to the control condition. However, when considering inter-individual differences in training-related improvements, we observed a relation between increases in positive interpretation bias and a decrease in negative intrusions. Moreover, increases in working memory performance were related to a reduction in reactivity of negative intrusions to a worry period. Our findings show that facilitating a more benign interpretation bias and improving working memory capacity can have beneficial effects in terms of worry, but also highlight that transfer related gains from existing training procedures can be dependent upon improvement levels on the training task