A model of quality of life and emotional and behavioral functioning in obese children and adolescents

Review of literature indicates that obesity is on the rise nationally and obese individuals are at inherent risk for a variety of comorbid physical, psychological, and social problems which often result in significant functional impairment due to sequelae. Previous research suggests a meaningful association between obesity and greater internalizing difficulties typically manifested by symptoms of depression and anxiety (Faith, Matz, & Jorge, 2002; Scott et al., 2008; Stunkard, Faith, & Allison, 2003; Zhao, Ford, Dhingra, Strine, & Mokdad, 2009). In recent years, there has been emerging interest in exploring the relationship between obesity and individuals with externalizing problems including aggression, oppositionality and hyperactivity (Agranat-Meged et al., 2005; Altfas, 2002; Fornarotto & O\u27Connell, 2002; Pine et al., 1996). However, few studies have investigated differences among subgroups of obese individuals, possibly masking considerable psychological variability and vulnerability in this population (Onyike, Crum, Lee, Lyketsos, & Eaton, 2003; Scott et al., 2008; Stunkard, Faith, & Allison, 2003). The goal of the current study was to examine causal pathways associated with quality of life and the internalizing and externalizing symptom categories in 206 significantly overweight (Body Mass Index \u3e95th percentile) male and female patients, 6 to 17 years old, presenting for the first time in a multidisciplinary pediatric fitness clinic for treatment. A parent or legal guardian of the participants completed a demographic questionnaire, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (PedsQL 4.0; Varni, Seid, & Kurtin, 2001), and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach 1991 a). The research hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling as the data analytic technique for measuring and modeling of factors derived from demographic variables, Body Mass Index, health status, as well as child and adolescent quality of life and internalizing and externalizing symptom constructs. A model was developed to examine the pattern of the relationships indicating the hypothesized path and direction of influence. The results indicated that the baseline path model did not fit the data well when goodness of fit indices was assessed. The hypothesis that Quality of Life (QOL) influences Internalizing syndrome scores is supported; however, QOL does not significantly influence Externalizing syndrome scores. It was found that Comorbid Conditions correlate very strongly to Internalizing and Externalizing syndrome scores (p \u3c .001, p \u3c .006) and correlates significantly (p \u3c .05) to age and QOL. These findings underscore the complexity in the relationships among variables as predictors of emotional and behavioral functioning in significantly obese populations. The current study will have important implications in advancing the field of pediatric obesity in the areas of research, education, clinical care, and public policy

Four week lumbopelvic-hip complex intervention program and its effects on tuck jump assessment in active youth

Injury in youth physical activity has become a major concern with the rising rate of participation. Lumbopelvic-hip complex (LPHC) stability, also known as core stability, has been found to contribute to proper force dissipation and ultimately more effective mechanics. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a LPHC neuromuscular strengthening program on at-risk youth using the Tuck Jump Assessment. Forty-five youth grades 6, 7, and 8 participated in the Tuck Jump Assessment. Then those participants who scores were indicative of \u27at risk\u27 were enrolled in a four-week LPHC intervention program. Those participants whose sores did not fall into the \u27at risk\u27 category were the control group. After four-weeks groups were retested with the Tuck Jump Assessment. A paired-T test revealed that the intervention group had significant improvement on their Tuck Jump Assessment (p \u3c 0.01), while the control group\u27s scores did not change. It was thus concluded that strengthening the LPHC provides more control and stability in functional activity. Implementation of an intervention program in youth may decrease the susceptibility to injury in physical activity as well as contribute to more sound mechanics

Derivation of the UK national and regional runoff series

This technical report details the derivation and updating of the daily and monthly outflow series for the UK and its constituent parts. These series are widely exploited in the National Hydrological Monitoring Programme (NHMP), to meet international data exchange obligations, and in an extensive range of research applications particularly those relating to the detection and quantification of hydrological trends at the macro scale. The selection criteria for the individual gauging stations which provide the basis for the calculation of the national and regional outflow series are discussed together with the methodology used to assess flows for the ungauged areas in each domain (here taken to include both national and regional divisions) and thence to derive a time series of total daily outflows for the post‑1960 period

Relative sea-level highstands in Thailand since the Mid-Holocene based on \u3csup\u3e14\u3c/sup\u3eC rock oyster chronology

© 2018 Elsevier B.V. The relative sea-level highstands in Thailand from the Mid-Holocene to the present day have been studied in horizontal tidal erosion notches and inside a sea cave in limestone and marble coastal cliffs through 14C dating of rock oysters. Rock oyster ages progressively increase with elevation up from a ~1 m wide living oyster band at the present day sea level and up into the roof of the notch. The oldest age obtained is 6513–6390 cal yr B·P. (Mid-Holocene) for a shell at an elevation of 2.5 ± 0.1 m above present day MSL. However, comparison of the results from different sites shows that oysters of the same age occur at different elevations due to different environmental conditions: ~6000 cal yr B.P. old oysters can be found from between 3.8 ± 0.1 m to 2.5 ± 0.1 m above present day mean sea level. A conservative view of these results from Thailand is that relative sea levels were 2.5 ± 0.5 m above the present sea level during the temperature maximum of the Holocene Climactic Optimum between 7000 and 6000 cal yr B.P. Since then, relative sea levels fell until the onset of the Industrial Revolution

Dynamical decoupling and dephasing in interacting two-level systems

We implement dynamical decoupling techniques to mitigate noise and enhance the lifetime of an entangled state that is formed in a superconducting flux qubit coupled to a microscopic two-level system. By rapidly changing the qubit's transition frequency relative to the two-level system, we realize a refocusing pulse that reduces dephasing due to fluctuations in the transition frequencies, thereby improving the coherence time of the entangled state. The coupling coherence is further enhanced when applying multiple refocusing pulses, in agreement with our $1/f$ noise model. The results are applicable to any two-qubit system with transverse coupling, and they highlight the potential of decoupling techniques for improving two-qubit gate fidelities, an essential prerequisite for implementing fault-tolerant quantum computing

Mach-Zehnder Interferometry in a Strongly Driven Superconducting Qubit

We demonstrate Mach-Zehnder-type interferometry in a superconducting flux qubit. The qubit is a tunable artificial atom, whose ground and excited states exhibit an avoided crossing. Strongly driving the qubit with harmonic excitation sweeps it through the avoided crossing two times per period. As the induced Landau-Zener transitions act as coherent beamsplitters, the accumulated phase between transitions, which varies with microwave amplitude, results in quantum interference fringes for n=1...20 photon transitions. The generalization of optical Mach-Zehnder interferometry, performed in qubit phase space, provides an alternative means to manipulate and characterize the qubit in the strongly-driven regime.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figure

Ancient high-energy storm boulder deposits on Ko Samui, Thailand, and their significance for identifying coastal hazard risk

© 2016 Elsevier B.V. Coastal geomorphic processes associated with high-energy storm events are difficult to estimate over recent geological history, though their frequency and magnitude are important to assess in order to understand present-day coastal vulnerability. Studying ancient coastal boulder deposits can shed light on the previous physical conditions necessary for their deposition. In this study, we estimated the physical processes required to move reef-derived coral boulders on the east coast of Ko Samui, a rapidly developing tourist island off eastern peninsular Thailand. The position and dimensions of 97 coral boulders (weight: mean 2.9. t, max. 12.7. t; transport distance: max. 125. m) were measured at two sites and dated using uranium/thorium methods. Flow velocities of 2.3-8.6. m/s were required to transport the measured boulders, with individuals deposited up to 4.7. m above mean sea level. Age-dating suggests that events capable of the highest flow velocities occurred around AD 1600 and AD 1750. These were probably driven by tropical cyclones (typhoons). Boulder transport by events of similar magnitude has not been detected within the last 250. years. The non-occurrence of similar events in living memory has implications for hazard perceptions at this important tourist destination. However, there is also evidence of substantial Holocene sea-level changes in the Gulf of Thailand, as observed at nearby Ko Phaluai. This potentially offers a challenge for the interpretation of older boulders dating from the mid-Holocene, as sea level may have been more than 2. m higher than present. Thus, studies using coral boulders as a proxy for past storm-wave conditions must consider the broader sea-level history, and are probably best limited to the period post-2000. BP in the Gulf of Thailand