91 research outputs found
What Drives Fitness Apps Usage? An Empirical Evaluation
Part 3: Creating Value through ApplicationsInternational audienceThe increased health problems associated with lack of physical activity is of great concern around the world. Mobile phone based fitness applications appear to be a cost effective promising solution for this problem. The aim of this study is to develop a research model that can broaden understanding of the factors that influence the user acceptance of mobile fitness apps. Drawing from Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), we conceptualize the antecedents and moderating factors of fitness app use. We validate our model using field survey. Implications for research and practice are discussed
Aging traits and sustainable trophy hunting of African lions
Trophy hunting plays a significant role in wildlife conservation in some contexts in various
parts of the world. Yet excessive hunting is contributing to species declines, especially for
large carnivores. Simulation models suggest that sustainable hunting of African lions may be
achieved by restricting offtakes to males old enough to have reared a cohort of offspring. We
tested and expanded criteria for an age-based approach for sustainably regulating lion
hunting. Using photos of 228 known-age males from ten sites across Africa, we measured
change in ten phenotypic traits with age and found four age classes with distinct
characteristics: 1-2.9 years, 3-4.9 years, 5-6.9 years, and â„7 years. We tested the aging
accuracy of professional hunters and inexperienced observers before and after training on
aging. Before training, hunters accurately aged more lion photos (63%) than inexperienced
observers (48%); after training, both groups improved (67-69%). Hunters overestimated 22%
of lions <5 years as 5-6.9 years (unsustainable) but only 4% of lions <5 years as â„7 years
(sustainable). Due to the lower aging error for males â„7 years, we recommend 7 years as a
practical minimum age for hunting male lions. Results indicate that age-based hunting is
feasible for sustainably managing threatened and economically significant species such as the
lion, but must be guided by rigorous training, strict monitoring of compliance and error, and
conservative quotas. Our study furthermore demonstrates methods for identifying traits to age
individuals, information that is critical for estimating demographic parameters underlying
management and conservation of age-structured species.http://www.elsevier.com/ locate/biocon2017-09-30hb2016Centre for Wildlife ManagementMammal Research InstituteZoology and Entomolog
A muon-track reconstruction exploiting stochastic losses for large-scale Cherenkov detectors
IceCube is a cubic-kilometer Cherenkov telescope operating at the South Pole. The main goal of IceCube is the detection of astrophysical neutrinos and the identification of their sources. High-energy muon neutrinos are observed via the secondary muons produced in charge current interactions with nuclei in the ice. Currently, the best performing muon track directional reconstruction is based on a maximum likelihood method using the arrival time distribution of Cherenkov photons registered by the experiment\u27s photomultipliers. A known systematic shortcoming of the prevailing method is to assume a continuous energy loss along the muon track. However at energies >1 TeV the light yield from muons is dominated by stochastic showers. This paper discusses a generalized ansatz where the expected arrival time distribution is parametrized by a stochastic muon energy loss pattern. This more realistic parametrization of the loss profile leads to an improvement of the muon angular resolution of up to 20% for through-going tracks and up to a factor 2 for starting tracks over existing algorithms. Additionally, the procedure to estimate the directional reconstruction uncertainty has been improved to be more robust against numerical errors
Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.
BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362
In vivo effects of methimazole (MMI) and thyroxine (T4) on thyroid microsomal antibody (MsAb) titers in hashimoto's thyroiditis
511 SOMATOSTATIN IS EXPRESSED IN THE HUMAN PROSTATE STEM CELL NICHE AND INHIBITS EXPANSION OF LUMINAL PRECURSOR CELLS
THE IDENTIFICATION OF A NOVEL STROMAL STEM/PROGENITOR CELL PHENOTYPE IN THE HUMAN ADULT PROSTATE
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