Promoting Team-Based Exercise Among African American Breast Cancer Survivors

Physical activity benefits the health and well-being of breast cancer survivors (BCS). Yet, many African American survivors do not routinely exercise and have increased risk of poor outcomes. The purpose of this mixed-method study was to identify motivational factors compelling African American BCS to participate in a 14-week team walking program and to intend to continue exercise after the intervention concluded. Focus groups were held with participants (n = 12) before and after training. Content analysis discovered themes before the intervention: Not wanting to go at it alone, exercise not a life or treatment priority, cancer treatment affected activity, advocates to exercise, and can exercise really help? Four themes postintervention themes included: In the same boat, changed mind-set, improved weight and activity, and overcoming barriers. Physical data verified improvements. Results suggest that a team-based exercise training program may assist in overcoming a sedentary behavior tendency and subsequently improve health among survivors

Survivors Speak: A Qualitative Analysis of Motivational Factors Influencing Breast Cancer Survivors’ Participation in a Sprint Distance Triathlon

Aims and Objectives To examine motivational factors influencing breast cancer survivors to participate in triathlon training, complete a triathlon and maintain an exercise thereafter. Background Routine exercise has been shown to improve quality of life and reduce recurrence for breast cancer survivors. Yet physical and psychological factors present barriers for initiating and maintaining an exercise routine. Research is limited in exploring factors of exercise motivation from the survivor\u27s perspective. Design Qualitative design using focus groups and individual follow-up phone interviews to explore motivation for exercise initiation and maintenance. Methods One to two weeks after completing a triathlon, 11 breast cancer survivors who trained together participated in one of three focus groups to discuss their experience. Five months post triathlon 6 of the 11 participants were successfully contacted and phone interviews were conducted to explore exercise maintenance. Focus groups and interviews were analysed using content and thematic analysis. Results Five themes emerged (1) Champion for Exercise, (2) Part of a Team, (3) Everyone Had a Story, (4) Not Really Exercise and (5) What Do We Do Now? Overall, survivors recognised their need for lifestyle change (e.g. moving from a sedentary lifestyle to a more active one). More importantly, they identified the team approach to exercise initiation was crucial in their success in sustaining a behavioural change. Conclusions Emphasis needed on developing team exercise training programmes for survivors. Nurses can play a critical role in discussing with survivors, the benefits of exercise initiation and maintenance. Relevance to clinical practice Breast cancer survivors are hesitant to initiate routine exercise. Training with women who share a common lived experience increases the likelihood of success. Nurses are in a position to encourage breast cancer survivors to participate in group exercise programmes as a way to improve quality of life

Time Series Analysis using Embedding Dimension on Heart Rate Variability

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is the measurement sequence with one or more visible variables of an underlying dynamic system, whose state changes with time. In practice, it is difficult to know what variables determine the actual dynamic system. In this research, Embedding Dimension (ED) is used to find out the nature of the underlying dynamical system. False Nearest Neighbour (FNN) method of estimating ED has been adapted for analysing and predicting variables responsible for HRV time series. It shows that the ED can provide the evidence of dynamic variables which contribute to the HRV time series. Also, the embedding of the HRV time series into a four-dimensional space produced the smallest number of FNN. This result strongly suggests that the Autonomic Nervous System that drives the heart is a two features dynamic system: sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Brane Splitting via Quantum Tunneling

We study the two-centred AdS_7 x S^4 solution of eleven-dimensional supergravity using the Euclidean path-integral approach, and find that it can be interpreted as an instanton, signalling the splitting of the throat of the M5 brane. The instanton is interpreted as indicating a coherent superposition of the quantum states corresponding to classically distinct solutions. This is a surprising result since it leads, through the AdS/CFT correspondence, to contradictory implications for the dual (2,0) superconformal field theory on the M5 brane. We also argue that similar instantons should exist for other branes in ten- and eleven-dimensional supergravity. The counterterm subtraction technique for gravitational instantons, which arose from the AdS/CFT correspondence, is examined in terms of its applicability to our results. Connections are also made to the work of Maldacena et al on anti-de Sitter fragmentation.Comment: 23 pages, 1 figure, LaTeX; v3: Minor clarifications and references added. Comments on self-dual field strengths added in Section 5.2, and on entropy in the final section. Version to appear in Nuclear Physics

N′-(2-Hydr­oxy-5-nitro­benzyl­idene)-2-(1H-indol-3-yl)acetohydrazide

The mol­ecule of the title compound, C17H14N4O4, uses its amide –NH– group to form a hydrogen bond to the amido –C(=O)– group of an adjacent mol­ecule to furnish a linear chain structure. The hydr­oxy group forms an intra­molecular hydrogen bond; the indolyl –NH– unit does not engage in any strong hydrogen-bonding inter­actions

N′-[1-(2-Hydr­oxy-5-methyl­phen­yl)ethyl­idene]benzene­sulfonohydrazide

The two independent mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit of the title compound, C15H16N2O3S, are each linked by an N—H⋯Osulfon­yl hydrogen bond into a linear chain that runs along the shortest axis of the triclinic unit cell. The hydr­oxy groups are engaged in intra­molecular hydrogen bonding and the amino N atom shows pyramidal coordination

IMPLEMENTATION OF A QUASI-OPTICAL FREE-SPACE S-PARAMETERS MEASUREMENT SYSTEM

A quasi-optical (QO) free-space test bench, based on two dual reflector Compact Test Range (CTR) systems, has been developed to characterise the RF properties of materials and QO components used in mm-wave astronomical instrumentation. While this facility has been designed to operate for several spectral bandwidths, in the first instance measurements have been performed in the W-band (75-110 GHz). We present the modelled and measured performance of the test bench and the procedure for calibrating and measuring samples under test. First measured results of the field across a 10 cm quiet zone indicate a maximum intensity variation of -4.5 dB and a maximum phase variation of 7°. Measurements of the cross-polarisation indicate higher levels than were predicted. A free-space calibration method has been developed based on the use of 3 calibration standards (Thru-Reflect-Line). Initial measurements of the reflectivity and transmittance for a range of materials have been performed, allowing the deduction of the refractive index