Stroke-related Effects on Maximal Dynamic Hip Flexor Fatigability and Functional Implications

Introduction: Stroke-related changes in maximal dynamic hip flexor muscle fatigability may be more relevant functionally than isometric hip flexor fatigability. Methods: Ten chronic stroke survivors performed 5 sets of 30 hip flexion maximal dynamic voluntary contractions (MDVC). A maximal isometric voluntary contraction (MIVC) was performed before and after completion of the dynamic contractions. Both the paretic and nonparetic legs were tested. Results: Reduction in hip flexion MDVC torque in the paretic leg (44.7%) was larger than the nonparetic leg (31.7%). The paretic leg had a larger reduction in rectus femoris EMG (28.9%) between the first and last set of MDVCs than the nonparetic leg (7.4%). Reduction in paretic leg MDVC torque was correlated with self-selected walking speed (r2 = 0.43), while reduction in MIVC torque was not (r2 = 0.11). Conclusions: Reductions in maximal dynamic torque of paretic hip flexors may be a better predictor of walking function than reductions in maximal isometric contractions

Striped Magnetic Ground State of the Kagome Lattice in Fe4Si2Sn7O16

We have experimentally identified a new magnetic ground state for the kagome lattice, in the perfectly hexagonal Fe2+ (3d6, S = 2) compound Fe4Si2Sn7O16. Representational symmetry analysis of neutron diffraction data shows that below T_N = 3.5 K, the spins on 2/3 of the magnetic ions order into canted antiferromagnetic chains, separated by the remaining 1/3 which are geometrically frustrated and show no long-range order down to at least T = 0.1 K. Moessbauer spectroscopy confirms that there is no static order on the latter 1/3 of the magnetic ions - i.e., they are in a liquid-like rather than a frozen state - down to at least 1.65 K. A heavily Mn-doped sample Fe1.45Mn2.55Si2Sn7O16 has the same magnetic structure. Although the propagation vector q = (0, 1/2 , 1/2 ) breaks hexagonal symmetry, we see no evidence for magnetostriction in the form of a lattice distortion within the resolution of our data. We discuss the relationship to partially frustrated magnetic order on the pyrochlore lattice of Gd2Ti2O7, and to theoretical models that predict symmetry breaking ground states for perfect kagome lattices.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Commercialisation and commodification of breastfeeding: video diaries by first-time mothers.

BACKGROUND: Many of aspects of our lives became increasingly commercialised in post-modern society. Although breastfeeding is perhaps a late comer to this process in recent years, it too has seen significant commercialisation facilitated by social media and our obsession with celebrity culture. This paper explores how the commercialisation and commodification of breastfeeding impacts mothers' experiences of breastfeeding. METHODS: In a qualitative study, five mothers in the United Kingdom recorded their real-time breastfeeding experiences in video diaries. Using a multi-modal method of analysis, incorporating both visual and audio data, a thematic approach was applied. FINDINGS: Women preparing for breastfeeding are exposed to increasing commercialisation. When things do not go to plan, women are even more exposed to commercial solutions. The impact of online marketing strategies fuelled their need for paraphernalia so that their dependence on such items became important aspects of their parenting and breastfeeding experiences. CONCLUSIONS: The audio-visual data demonstrated the extent to which "essential" paraphernalia was used, offering new insights into how advertising influenced mothers' need for specialist equipment and services. Observing mothers in their video diaries, provided valuable insights into their parenting styles and how this affected their breastfeeding experience

Comparative absorption of curcumin formulations

BACKGROUND: The potential health benefits of curcumin are limited by its poor solubility, low absorption from the gut, rapid metabolism and rapid systemic elimination. The purpose of this study was the comparative measurement of the increases in levels of curcuminoids (curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin) and the metabolite tetrahydrocurcumin after oral administration of three different curcumin formulations in comparison to unformulated standard. METHODS: The relative absorption of a curcumin phytosome formulation (CP), a formulation with volatile oils of turmeric rhizome (CTR) and a formulation of curcumin with a combination of hydrophilic carrier, cellulosic derivatives and natural antioxidants (CHC) in comparison to a standardized curcumin mixture (CS) was investigated in a randomized, double-blind, crossover human study in healthy volunteers. Samples were analyzed by HPLC-MS/MS. RESULTS: Total curcuminoids appearance in the blood was 1.3-fold higher for CTR and 7.9-fold higher for CP in comparison to unformulated CS. CHC showed a 45.9-fold higher absorption over CS and significantly improved absorption over CP (5.8-fold) and CTR (34.9-fold, all p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A formulation of curcumin with a combination of hydrophilic carrier, cellulosic derivatives and natural antioxidants significantly increases curcuminoid appearance in the blood in comparison to unformulated standard curcumin CS, CTR and CP

Detection of Suicide Clusters using Small-Area Geographic Data from the Virginia Violent Death Reporting System, 2010 – 2015

Introduction: From 1999 to 2020, the suicide rate in Virginia increased from 13.1 to 15.9 per 100,000 persons aged 10 years and older. Few studies have examined spatial patterns of suicide geographies smaller than the county level. Methods: We analyzed data from suicide decedents aged ≥10 years from 2010 through 2015 in the Virginia Violent Death Reporting System. We identified spatial clusters of high suicide rates using spatially adaptive filtering with standardized mortality ratio (SMR) significantly higher than the state SMR (p \u3c 0.001). We compared demographic characteristics, method of injury, and suicide circumstances of decedents within each cluster to decedents outside any cluster. Results: We identified 13 high-risk suicide clusters (SMR between 1.7 and 2.0). Suicide decedents in the clusters were more likely to be older (40+ years), non-Hispanic white, widowed/divorced/separated, and less likely to have certain precipitating suicide circumstances than decedents outside the clusters. Suicide by firearm was more common in four clusters, and suicide by poisoning was more common in two clusters compared to the rest of the state. Conclusions: There are important differences between geographic clusters of suicide in Virginia. These results suggest that place-specific risk factors for suicide may be relevant for targeted suicide prevention

Avoiding Seeking Help in the Classroom: Who and Why?

Why do some students avoid seeking help in the classroom when they need it? When students do not seek the help they need, they put themselves at a disadvantage for learning. We discuss how students' personal motivational characteristics relate to their avoidance of help seeking. In particular, we discuss our work regarding perceived academic and social competence and achievement- and social-goal orientations. We also discuss how various dimensions of the classroom context relate to help avoidance. Specifically, we discuss rules and norms of classrooms as well as our work examining the achievement goal structure and social climate of classrooms. We conclude by discussing how new developments in achievement goal theory distinguishing between approach- and avoidance-goal orientations might add to psychologists' understanding of help avoidance. We also consider how students' strivings for autonomy and different aspects of the social climate might be incorporated into theories of students' help avoidance behavior.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44450/1/10648_2004_Article_292341.pd

Furthering the Growth of Cloud Computing by Providing Privacy as a Service

The evolution of Cloud Computing as a viable business solution for providing hardware and software has created many security concerns. Among these security concerns, privacy is often overlooked. If Cloud Computing is to continue its growth, this privacy concern will need to be addressed. In this work we discuss the current growth of Cloud Computing and the impact the public sector and privacy can have in furthering this growth. To begin to provide privacy protection for Cloud Computing, we introduce privacy constraints that outline privacy preferences. We propose the expansion of Cloud Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to include these privacy constraints as Quality of Service (QoS) levels. This privacy QoS must be agreed upon along with the rest of the QoS terms within the SLA by the Cloud consumer and provider. Finally, we introduce Privacy as a Service (PraaS) to monitor the agreement and provide enforcement if necessary

Genetic association analysis of the cardiovascular biomarker: N-terminal fragment of pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP)

BACKGROUND: NT-proBNP is a biomarker of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Little is known about the heritability and genetic variants associated with NT-proBNP. Therefore, we estimated the heritability of and examined genetic associations of SNPs in the BNP gene region with circulating NT-proBNP and prevalent CVD in 4,331 participants from the Long Life Family Study (LLFS). METHODS AND RESULTS: Genotypes of 10 SNPs from the NPPB and NPPA regions that encode BNP and A-type natriuretic peptide, respectively, were tested for association with NT-proBNP and prevalent cardiovascular disease and risk factors. We performed analyses using the Sequential Oligogenic Linkage Analysis (SOLAR) program to account for family relatedness, and adjusted all models for age, sex, and field center. The mean age of the LLFS was 69.8 years (range 24-110) with 55.4% females. NT-proBNP was significantly heritable (h2 = 0.21; P = 4x10-14), and the minor alleles of rs632793 (p\u3c0.001) and rs41300100 (p = 0.05) were independently associated with higher serum NT-proBNP levels. Additionally, the minor allele of rs632793 was significantly and consistently associated with lower prevalent CVD, including blood pressures, independent of NT-proBNP level (all P\u3c0.05). Results for prevalent CVD, but not NT-proBNP levels, showed significant interaction by familial generation. CONCLUSION: In this family-based study of subjects with exceptional longevity, we identified several allelic variants in the BNP gene region associated with NT-pro-BNP levels and prevalent CVD

Testing a scalable web and smartphone based intervention to improve depression, anxiety, and resilience: A randomized controlled trial

Psychological interventions targeting wellbeing can reliably increase wellbeing and decrease depressive symptoms. However, only a handful of studies have implemented wellbeing interventions online, and those studies have largely done so in a way that prioritizes experimental control over realism and scalability. We sought to take existing wellbeing interventions with established efficacy and to evaluate their impact when translated into a format that is publicly accessible, scalable, and designed with the goal of engaging users. Participants in this fully online trial were first-time registrants of the Happify platform, a fully automated web and mobile wellbeing intervention grounded in positive psychology, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and mindfulness-based stress reduction, which has offered wellbeing programs to over 3 million registrants to date. Consenting participants were randomly assigned to access the full Happify platform or a psychoeducation comparison condition and further categorized by their usage during the study: recommended usage (a minimum of 2-3 activities per week) or low usage (usage less than the recommended level). Participants were assessed on depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and a composite measure of resilience at baseline and 8 weeks later. Participants who used Happify at the recommended level reported fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms and greater resilience after 8 weeks than participants who used Happify at a low level or participants who used the psychoeducation condition at any level. The Happify group also experienced greater rates of reduction in depression and anxiety symptom severity category, and had a greater net benefit (% users who improved minus % users who deteriorated), compared to the other groups. The results of this study suggest a successful first attempt at implementing and scaling a comprehensive package of lab-tested wellbeing interventions without losing efficacy

Accretion History of AGN II: Constraints on AGN Spectral Parameters using the Cosmic X-ray Background

We constrain X-ray spectral shapes for the ensemble of AGN based on the shape of the Cosmic X-ray Background (CXB). Specifically, we rule out regions of X-ray spectral parameter space that do not reproduce the CXB in the energy range 1-100 keV. The key X-ray spectral parameters are the photon index, {\Gamma}; the cutoff energy, Ecutoff; and the reflection scaling factor, R. Assuming each parameter follows a Gaussian distribution, we first explore the parameter space using a Bayesian approach and a fixed X-ray luminosity function (XLF). For {\sigma}_E = 36 keV and {\sigma}_R = 0.14, fixed at the observed values from the Swift-BAT 70-month sample, we allow , and to vary subject to reproducing the CXB. We report results for {\sigma}_{\Gamma} = 0.1-0.5. In an alternative approach, we define the parameter distributions, then forward model to fit the CXB by perturbing the XLF using a neural network. This approach allows us to rule out parameter combinations that cannot reproduce the CXB for any XLF. The marginalized conditional probabilities for the four free parameters are: = 0.99^{+0.11}_{-0.26}, = 118^{+24}_{-23}, {\sigma}_{\Gamma} = 0.101^{+0.097}_{-0.001} and = 1.9^{+0.08}_{-0.09}. We provide an interactive online tool for users to explore any combination of , {\sigma}_E, , {\sigma}_{\Gamma}, and {\sigma}_R including different distributions for each absorption bin, subject to the integral CXB constraint. The distributions observed in many AGN samples can be ruled out by our analysis, meaning these samples can not be representative of the full AGN population. The few samples that fall within the acceptable parameter space are hard X-ray-selected, commensurate with their having fewer selection biases.Comment: Accepted by ApJ, 15 pages, 7 figures and 3 table