The Development and Evaluation of the Multicultural Gender Roles Scale – Male Version

The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate a scale that measures gender role construction and the various components associated with this process in men of color (i.e., African American, Latinx, and Asian American men). Existing psychological models for understanding this paradigm have primarily focused on the experiences and worldviews of White, Euro-American men without taking into consideration the various societal influences and socializing agents that uniquely impact this process in men of color. In an attempt to more accurately capture this process in people of color, through qualitative data, Miville, Bratini, Corpus, Lau, and Redway (2013) developed the Multicultural Gender Roles Model, which described eight unique components people of color may experience in their gender roles negotiation. For this study, the Multicultural Gender Roles Model (MGRM) was adapted for the development of the Multicultural Gender Roles Scale – Male Version (MGRS – Male Version). Qualitative research from the MGRM and feedback from experts in gender/gender roles research contributed to the development of 69 items that were analyzed through an exploratory factor analysis resulting in a 41-item measure. Exploratory factor analysis of data from 200 men of color resulted in 5 factors reflecting experiences men of color undergo in the gender role development process: (a) Transforming Self-Perceptions, (b) Negative Psychological Symptomatology, (c) Understanding Impact on Others in Family, Community, and Society, (d) Intersecting Identities, and (e) Navigating Emotions related to Privilege and Oppression

Identifying candidates for targeted gait rehabilitation: better prediction through biomechanics-informed characterization

BACKGROUND: Walking speed has been used to predict the efficacy of gait training; however, poststroke motor impairments are heterogeneous and different biomechanical strategies may underlie the same walking speed. Identifying which individuals will respond best to a particular gait rehabilitation program using walking speed alone may thus be limited. The objective of this study was to determine if, beyond walking speed, participants' baseline ability to generate propulsive force from their paretic limbs (paretic propulsion) influences the improvements in walking speed resulting from a paretic propulsion-targeting gait intervention. METHODS: Twenty seven participants >6 months poststroke underwent a 12-week locomotor training program designed to target deficits in paretic propulsion through the combination of fast walking with functional electrical stimulation to the paretic ankle musculature (FastFES). The relationship between participants' baseline usual walking speed (UWSbaseline), maximum walking speed (MWSbaseline), and paretic propulsion (propbaseline) versus improvements in usual walking speed (∆UWS) and maximum walking speed (∆MWS) were evaluated in moderated regression models. RESULTS: UWSbaseline and MWSbaseline were, respectively, poor predictors of ΔUWS (R 2  = 0.24) and ΔMWS (R 2  = 0.01). Paretic propulsion × walking speed interactions (UWSbaseline × propbaseline and MWSbaseline × propbaseline) were observed in each regression model (R 2 s = 0.61 and 0.49 for ∆UWS and ∆MWS, respectively), revealing that slower individuals with higher utilization of the paretic limb for forward propulsion responded best to FastFES training and were the most likely to achieve clinically important differences. CONCLUSIONS: Characterizing participants based on both their walking speed and ability to generate paretic propulsion is a markedly better approach to predicting walking recovery following targeted gait rehabilitation than using walking speed alone

Phase Portraits of general f(T) Cosmology

We use dynamical system methods to explore the general behaviour of $f(T)$ cosmology. In contrast to the standard applications of dynamical analysis, we present a way to transform the equations into a one-dimensional autonomous system, taking advantage of the crucial property that the torsion scalar in flat FRW geometry is just a function of the Hubble function, thus the field equations include only up to first derivatives of it, and therefore in a general $f(T)$ cosmological scenario every quantity is expressed only in terms of the Hubble function. The great advantage is that for one-dimensional systems it is easy to construct the phase space portraits, and thus extract information and explore in detail the features and possible behaviours of $f(T)$ cosmology. We utilize the phase space portraits and we show that $f(T)$ cosmology can describe the universe evolution in agreement with observations, namely starting from a Big Bang singularity, evolving into the subsequent thermal history and the matter domination, entering into a late-time accelerated expansion, and resulting to the de Sitter phase in the far future. Nevertheless, $f(T)$ cosmology can present a rich class of more exotic behaviours, such as the cosmological bounce and turnaround, the phantom-divide crossing, the Big Brake and the Big Crunch, and it may exhibit various singularities, including the non-harmful ones of type II and type IV. We study the phase space of three specific viable $f(T)$ models offering a complete picture. Moreover, we present a new model of $f(T)$ gravity that can lead to a universe in agreement with observations, free of perturbative instabilities, and applying the Om(z) diagnostic test we confirm that it is in agreement with the combination of SNIa, BAO and CMB data at 1$\sigma$ confidence level.Comment: 39 pages, 12 figures, version published in JCA

Exosuit-induced improvements in walking after stroke: comprehensive analysis on gait energetics and biomechanics

Outstanding Poster Presentation Finalis

Should chloride-rich crystalloids remain the mainstay of fluid resuscitation to prevent ‘pre-renal’ acute kidney injury?: con

The high chloride content of 0.9% saline leads to adverse pathophysiological effects in both animals and healthy human volunteers, changes not seen after balanced crystalloids. Small randomized trials confirm that the hyperchloremic acidosis induced by saline also occurs in patients, but no clinical outcome benefit was demonstrable when compared with balanced crystalloids, perhaps due to a type II error. A strong signal is emerging from recent large propensity-matched and cohort studies for the adverse effects that 0.9% saline has on the clinical outcome in surgical and critically ill patients when compared with balanced crystalloids. Major complications are the increased incidence of acute kidney injury and the need for renal replacement therapy, and that pathological hyperchloremia may increase postoperative mortality. However, there are no large-scale randomized trials comparing 0.9% saline with balanced crystalloids. Some balanced crystalloids are hypo-osmolar and may not be suitable for neurosurgical patients because of their propensity to cause brain edema. Saline may be the solution of choice used for the resuscitation of patients with alkalosis and hypochloremia. Nevertheless, there is evidence to suggest that balanced crystalloids cause less detriment to renal function than 0.9% saline, with perhaps better clinical outcome. Hence, we argue that chloride-rich crystalloids such as 0.9% saline should be replaced with balanced crystalloids as the mainstay of fluid resuscitation to prevent ‘pre-renal’ acute kidney injury

Higher Dimensional Taub-NUTs and Taub-Bolts in Einstein-Maxwell Gravity

We present a class of higher dimensional solutions to Einstein-Maxwell equations in d-dimensions. These solutions are asymptotically locally flat, de-Sitter, or anti-de Sitter space-times. The solutions we obtained depend on two extra parameters other than the mass and the nut charge. These two parameters are the electric charge, q and the electric potential at infinity, V, which has a non-trivial contribution. We Analyze the conditions one can impose to obtain Taub-Nut or Taub-Bolt space-times, including the four-dimensional case. We found that in the nut case these conditions coincide with that coming from the regularity of the one-form potential at the horizon. Furthermore, the mass parameter for the higher dimensional solutions depends on the nut charge and the electric charge or the potential at infinity.Comment: 11 pages, LaTe

Multimodal Classification of Urban Micro-Events

In this paper we seek methods to effectively detect urban micro-events. Urban micro-events are events which occur in cities, have limited geographical coverage and typically affect only a small group of citizens. Because of their scale these are difficult to identify in most data sources. However, by using citizen sensing to gather data, detecting them becomes feasible. The data gathered by citizen sensing is often multimodal and, as a consequence, the information required to detect urban micro-events is distributed over multiple modalities. This makes it essential to have a classifier capable of combining them. In this paper we explore several methods of creating such a classifier, including early, late, hybrid fusion and representation learning using multimodal graphs. We evaluate performance on a real world dataset obtained from a live citizen reporting system. We show that a multimodal approach yields higher performance than unimodal alternatives. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our hybrid combination of early and late fusion with multimodal embeddings performs best in classification of urban micro-events

Anticonvulsant Activity of Capsicum Annum (Red Pepper) Fruit Extract using Pentylentetrazole and Maximum Electroshock Induced Seizure Tests in Rats

Background: Epilepsy is a disorder of brain function characterized by periodic and unpredictable occurrence of seizures that refers to as a transient alteration of behavior due to disordered, synchronous and rhythmic firing of populations of brain neurons. Modern drug therapy of epilepsy is complicated by side effects and inability to control seizures in some patients.Objectives: The present study was conducted to test the anticonvulsant activity of Capsicum annum fruit extract in rat models.Materials and Methods: The methanolic extract of Capsicum annum fruit was tested for its potential anticonvulsant activity using pentylentetrazole (PTZ) and maximum electroshock (MES) induced seizure models in rats. The simple activity meter was used to determine the sedative activity of Capsicum annum fruit extract. Thereafter, the protective index was calculated.Results: Results obtained showed that the extract at concentrations of 5, 9, 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg produced dose dependent anticonvulsant activity. Capsicum annum (40 mg/kg, i.p.) caused 100% protection from seizure induced by PTZ and sedation in 50% of rats (TD50). Fifty percent anticonvulsant activity was produced by 9mg/kg Capsicum annum. Moreover, the protective index was calculated to be more than four. When tested on seizure induced by MES, Capsicum annum extract at doses of 10, 20 and 40 mg\kg showed no seizure protection.Conclusion: It could be concluded that Capsicum annum fruit could be a source for potential antiepileptic agent(s). Further studies are needed to determine the active constituents responsible for the anticonvulsant activity as well as to elucidate their mechanism(s) of action.Key words: Epilepsy, Pentylenetetrazole, electroshock, Capsicum annum, Sudan

Inner Waves Characteristics in a Stratified Ventilated Environment (The Effect of Momentum Jet)

An experimental work was carried out to investigate the effect of inner waves on the stability of flow characteristics in ventilated space. Theoretical and experimental techniques were presented. Energy dissipation by waves and its effect on the performance of ventilation was considered. Analysis of engineering systems in the bases of the internal waves and thermal concept was considered to find out the best ventilation process. The mixing process was investigated experimentally using a turbulent round jet impinged from the ceiling on the inner wave’s zone. It was carried out at a flow Reynolds number of 7,000< Re <30,000 and a flow Richardson number of 0< Ri< 200 based on the local jet scales. In the mixing process a hot and cold air are introduced to a confined space, to mix in the ventilated space to break down the waves. The results showed that the amount of momentum needed is depending on the wave’s amplitude, frequency and flow conditions. It can be seen that the jet momentum has significant influence on breaking down the inner waves and mixing the flow. Keywords: inner waves, stability, ventilated space, Energy dissipatio