Stasis, Flow and the Political Production of Mental Disorders

POLS 3070, Psychology and PoliticsLA&PS 2016 Writing Prize Finalists, 3rd Year Winne

Formulation of a Basic Constitutive Model for Fine - Grained Soils Using the Hypoplastic Framework

A hypoplastic approach to constitutive modelling was developed by Kolymbas 1996 considering a non-linear tensor function in the form of strain and stress rate. However, the implicit formulation of the hypoplastic model with indirect material parameters severely limits its applicability to real-world geotechnical problems. In many cases, the numerical analysis of geotechnical problems relies on simple elastoplastic constitutive models that cannot model a wide range of soil response aspects. One promising paradigm of constitutive modelling in geotechnics is hypoplasticity, but many of the hypoplastic models belong to advanced models. In the article, we present the simple hypoplastic model as an alternative to the widely used Mohr Coulomb elastoplastic model

Further Studies On The Grafting Of Monocotyledonous Plants

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141724/1/ajb214362.pd

Assessment of Oxidative Metabolism in Brown Fat Using PET Imaging

Objective: Although it has been believed that brown adipose tissue (BAT) depots disappear shortly after the perinatal period in humans, positron emission tomography (PET) imaging using the glucose analog 18F-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) has shown unequivocally the existence of functional BAT in humans, suggesting that most humans have some functional BAT. The objective of this study was to determine, using dynamic oxygen-15 (15O) PET imaging, to what extent BAT thermogenesis is activated in adults during cold stress and to establish the relationship between BAT oxidative metabolism and FDG tracer uptake. Methods: Fourteen adult normal subjects (9F/5M, 30 ± 7 years) underwent triple oxygen scans (H215O, C15O, 15O2) as well as indirect calorimetric measurements at both rest and following exposure to mild cold (16°C). Subjects were divided into two groups (BAT+ and BAT−) based on the presence or absence of FDG tracer uptake (SUV > 2) in cervical–supraclavicular BAT. Blood flow and oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) was calculated from dynamic PET scans at the location of BAT, muscle, and white adipose tissue (WAT). The metabolic rate of oxygen (MRO2) in BAT was determined and used to calculate the contribution of activated BAT to daily energy expenditure (DEE). Results: The median mass of activated BAT in the BAT+ group (5F, age 31 ± 8) was 52.4 g (range 14–68 g) and was 1.7 g (range 0–6.3 g) in the BAT − group (5M/4F, age 29 ± 6). Corresponding SUV values were significantly higher in the BAT+ as compared to the BAT− group (7.4 ± 3.7 vs. 1.9 ± 0.9; p = 0.03). Blood flow values in BAT were significantly higher in the BAT+ group as compared to the BAT− group (13.1 ± 4.4 vs. 5.7 ± 1.1 ml/100 g/min, p = 0.03), but were similar in WAT (4.1 ± 1.6 vs. 4.2 ± 1.8 ml/100 g/min) and muscle (3.7 ± 0.8 vs. 3.3 ± 1.2 ml/100 g/min). Moreover, OEF in BAT was similar in the two groups (0.56 ± 0.18 in BAT+ vs. 0.46 ± 0.19 in BAT−, p = 0.39). Calculated MRO2 values in BAT increased from 0.95 ± 0.74 to 1.62 ± 0.82 ml/100 g/min in the BAT+ group and were significantly higher than those determined in the BAT− group (0.43 ± 0.27 vs. 0.56 ± 0.24, p = 0.67). The DEE associated with BAT oxidative metabolism was highly variable in the BAT+ group, with an average of 5.5 ± 6.4 kcal/day (range 0.57–15.3 kcal/day). Conclusion: BAT thermogenesis in humans accounts for less than 20 kcal/day during moderate cold stress, even in subjects with relatively large BAT depots. Furthermore, due to the large differences in blood flow and glucose metabolic rates in BAT between humans and rodents, the application of rodent data to humans is problematic and needs careful evaluation

Do Words Speak Louder than Actions? Sovereignty Theatre in Canadian Arctic Policy

POLS 4101, Canada and the ArcticLA&PS 2016 Writing Prize Finalists, 4th Year Winne

Prenatal Attachment, Parental Confidence, and Mental Health in Expecting Parents: The Role of Childhood Trauma

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154515/1/jmwh13034_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154515/2/jmwh13034.pd

Enhancing Breastfeeding Rates Among African American Women: A Systematic Review of Current Psychosocial Interventions

The goals of this article are to provide a review of key interventions and strategies that impact initiation and duration of breastfeeding with particular focus on low-income African American mothers' maternal psychological vulnerabilities during the early postpartum period using a social ecological perspective as a guiding framework. Although modest gains have been achieved in breastfeeding initiation rates in the United States, a projected gap remains between infant feeding practices and national Healthy People breastfeeding goals set for 2020, particularly among African Americans. These disparities raise concerns that socially disadvantaged mothers and babies may be at increased risk for poor postnatal outcomes because of poorer mental health and increased vulnerability to chronic health conditions. Breastfeeding can be a protective factor, strengthening the relationship between mother and baby and increasing infant health and resilience. Evidence suggests that no single intervention can sufficiently address the multiple breastfeeding barriers faced by mothers. Effective intervention strategies require a multilevel approach. A social ecological perspective highlights that individual knowledge, behavior, and attitudes are shaped by interactions between the individual woman, her friends and family, and her wider historical, social, political, economic, institutional, and community contexts, and therefore effective breastfeeding interventions must reflect all these aspects. Current breastfeeding interventions are disjointed and inadequately meet all African American women's social and psychological breastfeeding needs. Poor outcomes indicate a need for an integrative approach to address the complexity of interrelated breastfeeding barriers mothers' experience across layers of the social ecological system.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140312/1/bfm.2014.0023.pd

Control of Blood Glucose for Type-1 Diabetes by Using Reinforcement Learning with Feedforward Algorithm

Source at https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/4091497.Background: Type-1 diabetes is a condition caused by the lack of insulin hormone, which leads to an excessive increase in blood glucose level. The glucose kinetics process is difficult to control due to its complex and nonlinear nature and with state variables that are difficult to measure. Methods: This paper proposes a method for automatically calculating the basal and bolus insulin doses for patients with type-1 diabetes using reinforcement learning with feedforward controller. The algorithm is designed to keep the blood glucose stable and directly compensate for the external events such as food intake. Its performance was assessed using simulation on a blood glucose model. The usage of the Kalman filter with the controller was demonstrated to estimate unmeasurable state variables. Results: Comparison simulations between the proposed controller with the optimal reinforcement learning and the proportional-integral-derivative controller show that the proposed methodology has the best performance in regulating the fluctuation of the blood glucose. The proposed controller also improved the blood glucose responses and prevented hypoglycemia condition. Simulation of the control system in different uncertain conditions provided insights on how the inaccuracies of carbohydrate counting and meal-time reporting affect the performance of the control system. Conclusion: The proposed controller is an effective tool for reducing postmeal blood glucose rise and for countering the effects of external known events such as meal intake and maintaining blood glucose at a healthy level under uncertainties

Self-Reported Physical Activity and Myocardial Flow Reserve in Postmenopausal Women at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease

Background: Regular exercise protects against coronary heart disease (CHD) events and improves vascular reactivity. Exercise effects on myocardial flow reserve (MFR) are not well studied. Methods: We performed dynamic N-13 ammonia positron emission tomography (PET) in 16 postmenopausal women (60 ± 6 years) to measure myocardial blood flow (MBF) and MFR. We also obtained information from each woman on her self-reported physical activity. Results: Of the 16 patients, 6 reported moderate regular physical activity, and 10 did not. Women who reported regular, at least moderate physical activity had a higher percentage increase in adenosine MBF from rest compared with women who did not exercise (268% vs. 129%, p = 0.04) and had a significantly higher mean maximal MFR (3.68 vs. 2.29, p = 0.04). Conclusions: These findings provide further mechanistic support for the beneficial cardiovascular effects of exercise.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/63137/1/jwh.2006.15.45.pd