A systematic review of randomised control trials examining the effects of mindfulness on stress and anxious symptomatology

Anxiety is a leading source of disability worldwide and current treatment methods are not beneficial for all individuals. There is evidence that meditation has mood-enhancing properties however the biological mechanisms are largely unknown. This systematic review investigates the effects of meditation on sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis activation measures. It focuses on studies collecting physiological parameters such as blood pressure, heart rate, cortisol, and peripheral cytokine expression. Overall the 23 trials reviewed trials indicate that meditation practice increases parasympathetic nervous system activation, as well as decreases anxious symptomatology in diverse populations. Further research is required to confirm these preliminary findings and facilitate implementation in clinical settings

Living and Learning With New Media: Summary of Findings From the Digital Youth Project

Summarizes findings from a three-year study of how new media have been integrated into youth behaviors and have changed the dynamics of media literacy, learning, and authoritative knowledge. Outlines implications for educators, parents, and policy makers

Ustilospores of Tilletia ehrhartae, a smut of Ehrharta calycina, are common contaminants of Australian wheat grain, and a potential source of confusion with Tilletia indica, the cause of Karnal bunt of wheat

Australian wheat consigned for export from Australian ports was surveyed in March 2004 using a national diagnostic protocol for detection and identification of Tilletia indica. No ustilospores of T. indica were detected, confirming previous surveys which have failed to detect T. indica in Australia. However, the survey detected moderate levels of the common smuts Tilletia caries (syn. Tilletia tritici), Tilletia laevis and Urocystis agropyri, and very low levels (average fewer than six ustilospores per 150 g sample) of an unidentified dark, tuberculate-spored Tilletia in ≈ 60% of samples tested. Comparison with herbarium specimens enabled identification of the majority of the tuberculate ustilospores as Tilletia ehrhartae, a smut fungus known to infect only Ehrharta calycina (perennial veldt grass) and which is common in southern Australia. A smaller number of tuberculate smut ustilospores were identified as Tilletia walkeri, a smut of Lolium spp. recorded in Australia but apparently uncommon. Both T. ehrhartae and T. walkeri bear sufficient resemblance to T. indica for misidentifications to be possible where only a very few ustilospores are seen, although T. ehrhartae ustilospores are always <25 µm in diameter. The frequent presence of ustilospores of both T. ehrhartae and T. walkeri as contaminants of Australian wheat grain exports has significance for diagnosticians testing Australian export wheat, as it demonstrates the potential for tuberculate ustilospores of species other than those covered in existing diagnostic protocols to be misidentified as T. indica. This paper describes T. ehrhartae in detail, and provides criteria for its differentiation from T. indica, T. walkeri and some other species

Fast magnetoacoustic wave trains in magnetic funnels of the solar corona

Context: Fast magneto-acoustic waves are highly dispersive in waveguides, so they can generate quasi-periodic wave trains if a localised, impulsive driver is applied. Such wave trains have been observed in the solar corona and may be of use as a seismological tool since they depend upon the plasma structuring perpendicular to the direction of propagation. Aims. We extend existing models of magnetoacoustic waveguides to consider the effects of an expanding magnetic field. The funnel geometry employed includes a field-aligned density structure. Methods: We performed 2D numerical simulations of impulsively generated fast magneto-acoustic perturbations. The effects of the density contrast ratio, density stratification, and spectral profile of the driver upon the excited wave trains were investigated. Results: The density structure acts as a dispersive waveguide for fast magneto-acoustic waves and generates a quasi-periodic wave train similar to previous models. The funnel geometry leads to generating additional wave trains that propagate outside the density structure. These newly discovered wave trains are formed by the leakage of transverse perturbations, but they propagate upwards owing to the refraction caused by the magnetic funnel. Conclusions: The results of our funnel model may be applicable to wave trains observed propagating in the solar corona. They demonstrate similar properties to those found in our simulations

Reservoir water reallocation and community welfare.pdf

The introduction of culture-based fisheries (CBF) in small scale irrigation systems is increasing the marginal value of water in rice farming. The amount of water that is used in Sri Lanka for rice farming could be utilised to generate more profitable non-crop economic activities such as CBF. This paper examines whether the re-allocation of water to more efficient, high return uses would increase the total economic welfare of farmer community. Primary data was collected from 460 rice farmers in the Kurunegala District and 334 fish farming groups in two districts (Anuradhapura and Kurunegala) in Sri Lanka. The estimation of the value of water used for rice farming and CBF production is derived from the marginal value product by estimating stochastic translog frontier production functions. We then derive benefit calculations on the basis of the water demand functions for rice and CBF. Reducing the inefficient usage of water in rice farming by 32% increases the volume of water which can be used for CBF production by 53%. This greater efficiency can increase, farmers' total net benefits by 17% per Metres/ha of water used for reservoir-based agriculture. But in order to achieve this benefit, it is critical to ensure the water rights of the multiple users of small scale irrigation systems. This paper recommends introducing a community transferable quota, combined with co-management of water resources, to enhance the welfare of fishing and farming communities which use small scale irrigation systems

Sustained inflammation 1.5 years post-stroke is not associated with depression in elderly stroke survivors

Background: Depression is common in elderly stroke survivors and has been associated with systemic inflammation. We aimed to investigate an elderly population of Swedish stroke patients for evidence of sustained peripheral inflammation 18 months post-stroke and to identify if inflammation is associated with post-stroke depression at 18 months post-stroke. Methods: The Barthel Index was used to measure the level of impairment in activities of daily living at 3 days post-stroke. Serum concentrations of inflammation markers, ie, C-reactive protein and white cell count, were measured in 149 stroke patients (mean age 81 ± 5.33 years, 35% male) at 18 months post-stroke, and a comparison was made with an age-matched sample of elderly Swedish individuals who had not suffered a stroke. At the same visit, clinical depression was diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition-Revised criteria. Severity of depression was assessed using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Results: Mean C-reactive protein and white cell count levels in stroke patients were significantly elevated at 18 months post-stroke compared with population probands. Disability scores were associated with MADRS depression scores, but C-reactive protein and white cell count were not. Conclusion: We found evidence for a sustained peripheral inflammatory response at 18 months post-stroke. C-reactive protein and white cell count were not associated with depression in this study

EVALUATING MOVEMENT CONSISTENCY IN WHEELCHAIR PROPULSION USING FLOQUET MULTIPLIERS AND QUATERNIONS

Wheelchair users may develop repetitive stress injuries that are associated with the wheelchair-stroke. Evaluating if a stroke pattern is consistent may reveal the existence of a possible injury. However, there is no standardized method to evaluate the stability of the wheelchair-stroke. The purpose of this paper was to develop a method to measure movement consistency during manual wheelchair propulsion without the need of normreferenced tests. The method is based (a) on the Floquet theory, (b) on Poincaré, and (c) on quaternion transformations. The method was evaluated with experimental data and the results showed that the method is sensitive enough to identify instabilities in the wheelchair stroke cycle. Furthermore, the method can be generalized to study other aspects of human motor control

Fish oil supplementation associated with decreased cellular degeneration and increased cellular proliferation 6 weeks after middle cerebral artery occlusion in the rat

Anti-inflammatory long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3-LC-PUFAs) are both neuroprotective and have antidepressive effects. However the influence of dietary supplemented n-3-LC-PUFAs on inflammation-related cell death and proliferation after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo)-induced stroke is unknown. We have previously demonstrated that anxiety-like and hyperactive locomotor behaviors are reduced in n-3-LC-PUFA-fed MCAo animals. Thus in the present study, male hooded Wistar rats were exposed to MCAo or sham surgeries and examined behaviorally 6 weeks later, prior to euthanasia and examination of lesion size, cell death and proliferation in the dentate gyrus, cornu ammonis region of the hippocampus of the ipsilesional hemispheres, and the thalamus of the ipsilesional and contralesional hemispheres. Markers of cell genesis and cell degeneration in the hippocampus or thalamus of the ipsilesional hemisphere did not differ between surgery and diet groups 6 weeks post MCAo. Dietary supplementation with n-3-LC-PUFA decreased cell degeneration and increased cell proliferation in the thalamic region of the contralesional hemisphere. MCAo–associated cell degeneration in the hippocampus and thalamus positively correlated with anxiety-like and hyperactive locomotor behaviors previously reported in these animals. These results suggest that anti-inflammatory n-3-LC-PUFA supplementation appears to have cellular protective effects after MCAo in the rat, which may affect behavioral outcomes