Examining the Influence of Crossfit Participation and the Crossfit Environment on Body Image, Self-Esteem, and Eating Behaviours Among Women Using a Mixed Methods Approach

The purpose of this thesis was to use a mixed methods approach to investigate the associations between CrossFit participation and women’s body image, self-esteem, and eating behaviours. Women from five CrossFit affiliates (N = 149) completed a survey composed of both open and close-ended questions. In addition, ethnographic observations were conducted at all five affiliates. Four multiple linear regressions revealed that CrossFit participation was positively associated with body image, negatively associated with disordered eating, and not associated with trait self-esteem (Study 1). Thematic analysis revealed that women chose to CrossFit for its community, sense of inclusion, its programming (i.e., structured), and because it was challenging. Five one-way analysis of covariances (ANOVAs) revealed no differences between CrossFit affiliates and their women members’ body image, self-esteem, or eating behaviours (Study 2). Conversely, thematic analysis of open-ended survey questions and ethnographic observations revealed potential positive (e.g., community, performance over appearance, food as fuel) and negative (e.g., self-comparison, exercising to eat) influences on all three variables, with most themes reoccurring across all affiliates. However, some differing experiences were reported within and between affiliates (Study 2). Thus, this study provides initial evidence of positive associations between CrossFit participation and women’s body image and eating behaviours, with all five CrossFit affiliates creating similar environments. Although no associations with global self-esteem were reported, future research should investigate whether or not state and/or specific domains of self-esteem are associated with participation

A Social Media Give and Take: A Study of What Young Adults Would Give up to Stay Connected

Background: Social media presents both opportunities and risks for young adults. Although they may experience increased connectivity and creativity, excessive use can result in neglect of other aspects of life (e.g., physical activity, sleep). Purpose: Investigate social media usage patterns and addictions among young adults, while exploring what trade-offs they would be willing to make to stay connected on social media. Methods: Participants (N = 750) completed an online survey containing questions concerning demographics, social media usage patterns, relationships with social media, and trade-offs participants would make to remain on social media. A weighted least squares hierarchical multiple linear regression was performed to examine whether usage patterns/addiction predicted total trade-off scores. Results: Most participants (n = 727) had 2+ social media accounts, with Instagram (n = 693) being the most popular. Almost half of the sample (n = 342) reported checking social media 9+ times/day and more than three quarters spend at least one hour/day using social media (n = 626). More participants were willing to make food/drink or hobby-related trade-offs than health or life-related trade-offs. The regression was significant, F(6, 733) = 21.941, p \u3c.001, R2 = .390, with the number of social checks/day (p \u3c 0.05), time/day spent on social media (p \u3c 0.01), and social media addiction (p \u3c 0.001) all predicting increases in the number of trade-offs participants were willing to make. Conclusion: Higher social media usage rates/addiction can increase young adults\u27 willingness to make trade-offs in their personal lives to remain on social media

High-dose Cefepime vs Carbapenems for Bacteremia Caused by Enterobacterales With Moderate to High Risk of Clinically Significant AmpC β-lactamase Production

BACKGROUND: Limited data suggest that serious infections caused by Enterobacterales with a moderate to high risk of clinically significant AmpC production can be successfully treated with cefepime if the cefepime minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) is ≤2 µg/mL. However, isolates with a cefepime-susceptible dose-dependent (SDD) MIC of 4-8 µg/mL should receive a carbapenem due to target attainment and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) concerns. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of hospitalized patients with RESULTS: Of the 315 patients included, 169 received cefepime and 146 received a carbapenem (ertapenem n = 90, meropenem n = 56). Cefepime was not associated with an increased risk of 30-day mortality compared with carbapenem therapy (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.45; 95% CI, 0.79-2.14), which was consistent for patients with cefepime SDD isolates (aHR, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.52-1.77). Multivariable weighted Cox models identified Pitt bacteremia score \u3e4 (aHR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.04-1.92), deep infection (aHR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.21-4.32), and ceftriaxone-resistant AmpC-E (aHR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.03-1.59) to be independent predictors associated with increased mortality risk, while receipt of prolonged-infusion β-lactam was protective (aHR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.40-0.89). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with bacteremia caused by Enterobacterales with moderate to high risk of clinically significant AmpC production, these data demonstrate similar risk of 30-day mortality for high-dose cefepime or a carbapenem as definitive β-lactam therapy

Natural Variation in Decision-Making Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

There has been considerable recent interest in using Drosophila melanogaster to investigate the molecular basis of decision-making behavior. Deciding where to place eggs is likely one of the most important decisions for a female fly, as eggs are vulnerable and larvae have limited motility. Here, we show that many natural genotypes of D. melanogaster prefer to lay eggs near nutritious substrate, rather than in nutritious substrate. These preferences are highly polymorphic in both degree and direction, with considerable heritability (0.488) and evolvability

All-sky search for gravitational-wave bursts in the second joint LIGO-Virgo run

We present results from a search for gravitational-wave bursts in the data collected by the LIGO and Virgo detectors between July 7, 2009 and October 20, 2010: data are analyzed when at least two of the three LIGO-Virgo detectors are in coincident operation, with a total observation time of 207 days. The analysis searches for transients of duration < 1 s over the frequency band 64-5000 Hz, without other assumptions on the signal waveform, polarization, direction or occurrence time. All identified events are consistent with the expected accidental background. We set frequentist upper limits on the rate of gravitational-wave bursts by combining this search with the previous LIGO-Virgo search on the data collected between November 2005 and October 2007. The upper limit on the rate of strong gravitational-wave bursts at the Earth is 1.3 events per year at 90% confidence. We also present upper limits on source rate density per year and Mpc^3 for sample populations of standard-candle sources. As in the previous joint run, typical sensitivities of the search in terms of the root-sum-squared strain amplitude for these waveforms lie in the range 5 10^-22 Hz^-1/2 to 1 10^-20 Hz^-1/2. The combination of the two joint runs entails the most sensitive all-sky search for generic gravitational-wave bursts and synthesizes the results achieved by the initial generation of interferometric detectors.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures: data for plots and archived public version at https://dcc.ligo.org/cgi-bin/DocDB/ShowDocument?docid=70814&version=19, see also the public announcement at http://www.ligo.org/science/Publication-S6BurstAllSky

Recreational Screen Time Use among a Small Sample of Canadians during the First Six Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic

(1) Background: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused disruptions in the daily lives of individuals in Canada. Purpose: Examine how total and specific (i.e., watching television, using social media, going on the Internet, playing video games, and engaging in virtual social connection) recreational screen time behaviours changed throughout the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic, in comparison to pre-pandemic levels; (2) Methods: Sixty four Canadians (mostly Caucasian, female, age range = 21&ndash;77 years) completed monthly surveys from April to September of 2020; (3) Results: A one-way repeated measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA) and subsequent post hoc analysis revealed that total recreational screen time was statistically higher in late March/April (292.5 min/day &plusmn; 143.0) and into May, compared to pre-COVID-19 (187.8 min/day &plusmn; 118.3), before declining in subsequent months; (4) Conclusions: Generally, specific recreational screen time behaviours, such as time spent watching television, followed the same trend. Future studies with larger sample sizes and from other countries examining recreational screen time behaviours longitudinally over the pandemic are still needed to allow for greater generalizability

A comparison of self-report and objective measurements of smartphone and social media usage

Smartphone and social media research continue to be plagued by concerns regarding their dependence on self-report measures of usage. Specifically, the extent to which self-report measures of usage reflect actual objective usage continues to be questioned and warrants further investigation. Thus, the purpose of this study was to leverage mobile data donation (specifically iPhone Screen Time data) to evaluate single estimates and behavioural scales of smartphone and social media usage against objective measures of smartphone and mobile social media usage. Findings of the current study suggest that despite differences in single estimates and objective smartphone use data, single estimates do show moderate agreement and association with objective data. Conversely, single estimates of mobile social media use and smartphone pickups displayed questionable to poor agreement and association with objective data, suggesting reduced reliability. Finally, self-report behavioural scales (i.e., problematic use, nomophobia, fear of missing out, phubbing) showed mostly negligible and non-significant associations with objective data. The findings of this study, in conjunction with the existing but limited research in this area, have a number of methodological implications for future smartphone and social media research and with regard to interpretations of findings from existing research

A case study using Instagram to create an online learning environment

Although there is a high prevalence of personal distractions/distractors (e.g., social media) in higher education, only a few instructors are implementing them for educational purposes. The present case study explored how Instagram engaged first year students in a Kinesiology class by utilizing hashtag data. Results suggested that greater than half of the class engaged in the online learning environment. Text analysis revealed nearly half of the data was categorized as good feelings, and Instagram posts revealed that students applied course concepts and met learning outcomes. &nbsp;Social network analysis revealed a lack of discussion/communication amongst students, however, conversation appeared to be centralized around the opinion leader (i.e., the instructor), and extended beyond those registered in the class. This case study provided an insight into how distractors, such as social media, may be used to elicit agency, deep learning, reflection, and critical thinking among students in higher education

Filtering the truth on Instagram: Exploring #nofilter images when a filter has in fact been used, a mixed methods approach using Netlytic and photo analysis

Background: Exposure to the media’s portrayal of the ideal body, including social media (SM), may influence body dissatisfaction. Many users are now relying on photo editing techniques, like filtering, in order to receive more positive attention (i.e., likes/comments). It is often hard to tell whether an image has been edited, leading many users to make upward social comparisons. Recently, the hashtag #nofilter has become popular to highlight that no filters were applied prior to posting. Aim: To complete a descriptive analysis examining the use of the hashtag #nofilter by Instagram users over 7 days. Of particular interest were those who used #nofilter but did filter their images. Methods: A mixed methods approach was utilized. A text/content analysis of 18,366 images was conducted using the Netlytic program. For those images that used a filter, author/image information was manually obtained and a photo-coding scheme for this group of images was implemented. Results: Of 18,366 images that used #nofilter, 12% (N=1630) did use a filter. Listwise deletions were conducted (n=286) and 1344 images remained. Among images with a filter, the majority were from personal accounts (90%) and belonged to females (55%) compared to males (34%) and unknown (11%). Further, likes on the #nofilter image (M=5.01, SD=19.89), total number of posts (M=642.41, SD=1329.54), total number of followers (M=1625.64, SD=6339.11), and total number following (M=649.92, SD=1012.75) were also collected. The coding of images indicated 704 (52%) had people in them, 425 (32%) were of scenery, 82 (6%) contained food, and 294 (22%) were categorized as other (animal/quote/art piece). Conclusions: This study highlights that many people using #nofilter do filter their images. A limitation was that other photo editing techniques (besides filtering) where not analyzed, thus still potentially aiding in unrealistic ideals. Further research into why people are being deceptive on SM is needed