Decrease in health-related quality of life associated with awareness of hepatitis C virus infection among people who inject drugs in Scotland

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can significantly reduce health-related quality of life (QoL), but it is not clear if reduction is associated with the infection or with being aware of one's infection status. Understanding the impact of a HCV diagnosis on QoL is essential to inform decision-making regarding screening/testing and treatment. Using a cross-sectional design, we assessed QoL in 2898 people who inject drugs (PWID), surveyed in Scotland during 2010 using EQ-5D. Multifactorial regression compared self-reported QoL between PWID who were (i) chronically HCV-infected and aware of their infected status, (ii) chronically HCV-infected but unaware, and (iii) not chronically infected. Median time since onset of injecting was 10years; not chronically infected PWID were younger and had shorter injecting careers than chronically infected PWID. Median EQ-5D was highest for the not chronically infected and the chronic/unaware groups (0.73) compared with the chronic/aware group (0.66). After adjustment for demographic and behavioural co-factors, QoL was significantly reduced in chronic/aware compared with chronic/unaware PWID (adjusted B=-0.09, p=0.005); there was no evidence for a difference in QoL between not chronically infected and chronic/unaware PWID (adjusted B=-0.03, p=0.13). Awareness of one's chronic HCV status was associated with reduced health-related QoL, but there was no evidence for further reduction attributable to chronic infection itself after adjusting for important covariate differences

Exploring the relationship between baseline physical activity levels and mortality reduction associated with increases in physical activity : a modelling study

Background Increasing physical activity (PA) levels among the general adult population of developed nations is important for reducing premature mortality and the burdens of preventable illness. Assessing how effective PA interventions are as health interventions often involves categorising participants as either ‘active’ or ‘sedentary’ after the interventions. A model was developed showing that doing this could significantly misestimate the health effect of PA interventions. Methods A life table model was constructed combining evidence on baseline PA levels with evidence indicating the non-linear relationship between PA levels and all-cause mortality risks. PA intervention scenarios were modelled which had the same mean increase in PA but different levels of take-up by people who were more active or more sedentary to begin with. Results The model simulations indicated that, compared with a scenario where already-active people did most of the additional PA, a scenario where the least active did the most additional PA was around a third more effective in preventing deaths between the ages of 50 and 60 years. The relationship between distribution of PA take-up and health effect was explored systematically and appeared non-linear. Conclusions As the health gains of a given PA increase are greatest among people who are most sedentary, smaller increases in PA in the least active may have the same health benefits as much larger PA increases in the most active. To help such health effects to be assessed, PA studies should report changes in the distribution of PA level between the start and end of the study

Aeroheating Measurements of BOLT Aerodynamic Fairings and Transition Module

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) has sponsored the Boundary Layer Transition (BOLT) Experiments to investigate hypersonic boundary layer transition on a low-curvature, concave surface with swept leading edges. This paper presents aeroheating measurements on a subscale model of the BOLT Flight Geometry, aerodynamic fairings, and Transition Module (TSM) in the NASA Langley 20-Inch Mach 6 Air Tunnel. The purpose of the test was to investigate and identify any areas of localized heating on the TSM for inclusion in the BOLT Critical Design Review (CDR). Surface heating distributions were measured using global phosphor thermography, and data were obtained for a range of model attitudes and free stream Reynolds numbers. Measurements showed low heating on the fairings and TSM. Additional analysis was completed after the CDR to compare heating on the TSM for the nominal BOLT vehicle reentry angle-of-attack with heating on the TSM for possible reentry angle-of-attack excursions. The results of this analysis were used in conjunction with thermal analyses from Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab (JHU/APL) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to assess the need for thermal protection on the flight vehicle TSM

Effect of Exercise and Sham Exercise Trackers on Perceived Workout Intensity and Mood in College Students

Exercise is an essential contributor to both physical and mental health and is a significant part of a person’s overall lifestyle. With the increasing popularity of exercise trackers, researchers were interested in the effects of sham exercise trackers on perceptions of workouts and affect. Researchers predicted participants wearing a sham Fitbit band would report greater perceptions of workout intensity, challenge, and satisfaction compared to those without sham Fitbit bands. In addition, those wearing sham Fitbit bands were predicted to report greater positive affect and lower negative affect than those without bands. One hundred twenty student participants (60 in each group; one group with a sham Fitbit and one group with no Fitbit) were recruited from campus workout classes of Zumba, spinning, and body sculpting. Participants worked out and completed a PANAS survey, plus other workout perception questions. When using a sham Fitbit, participants believed the workout was more intense, physically challenging, and they were more satisfied with their workout. However, presence of a sham Fitbit band did not significantly affect mood. Results suggest that knowledge of wearing an exercise tracker, even without any workout data feedback, has an effect on workout perceptions, but has little effect on mood

HUNK Phosphorylates Rubicon to Support Autophagy

Background: Autophagy is a catabolic cellular recycling pathway that is essential for maintaining intracellular homeostasis. Autophagosome formation is achieved via the coordination of the Beclin-1 protein complex. Rubicon is a Beclin-1 associated protein that suppresses autophagy by impairing the activity of the class III PI3K, Vps34. However, very little is known about the molecular mechanisms that regulate Rubicon function. Methods: In this study, co-immunoprecipitation and kinase assays were used to investigate the ability of Hormonally Upregulated Neu-associated Kinase (HUNK) to bind to and phosphorylate Rubicon. LC3B was monitored by immunofluorescence and immunoblotting to determine whether phosphorylation of Rubicon by HUNK controls the autophagy suppressive function of Rubicon. Results: Findings from this study identify Rubicon as a novel substrate of HUNK and show that phosphorylation of Rubicon inhibits its function, promoting autophagy

The economics of REDD through an incidence of burdens and benefits lens

Forests in lower-income countries provide a global public good, carbon sequestration. REDD, "reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation" is a performance-based payment designed to align private incentives at the country level with the socially optimal level of forest loss. This review article focuses on the distributional implications of REDD, specifically on whom the burdens and benefits fall. First, REDD implementation has proven more difficult and costly than originally anticipated. The literature highlights many costs of REDD over and above the opportunity cost, including readiness, enforcement and monitoring, which initially were underestimated or ignored. Second, ensuring additionality, minimising leakage, and spatial targeting of carbon rich locations, are difficult and costly, and shown in the literature to sometimes be at odds with pro-poor efforts. Third, benefit sharing has emerged in the literature as a central element of REDD implementation. Rural households may use nearby forests yet have no rights, and REDD may bring no benefits whilst imposing costs on these communities. Where REDD is implemented at the community level, incentives may not be aligned at the level of the individual, reducing REDD's impact and increasing conflict. Finally, funding sources are closely linked to the incidence of benefits and burdens. Our review suggests that, over a decade on from the Paris Agreement, REDD continues to be controversial, with equity-efficiency trade-offs often difficult to avoid. However, the literature provides considerable theoretical and empirical evidence as to how and where REDD can have a positive impact on both carbon sequestration and livelihoods

Pedometer-determined physical activity and active transport in girls

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>It is well established that the risk of insufficient physical activity is greater in girls than in boys, especially during the adolescent years. The promotion of active transport (AT) to and from school has been posited as a practical and convenient solution for increasing girls' total daily activity. However, there is limited information describing the associations between AT choices and girls' physical activity across a range of age, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. The objectives of this study were to (1) investigate physical activity patterns in a large multiethnic sample of female children and adolescents, and to (2) estimate the physical activity associated with AT to and from school.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 1,513 girls aged 5–16 years wore sealed multiday memory (MDM) pedometers for three weekdays and two weekend days. The ethnic composition of this sample was 637 European (42.1%), 272 Pacific Island (18.0%), 207 East Asian (13.7%), 179 Maori (11.8%), 142 South Asian (9.4%), and 76 from other ethnic groups (5%). Pedometer compliance and school-related AT were assessed by questionnaire.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mean weekday step counts (12,597 ± 3,630) were higher and less variable than mean weekend steps (9,528 ± 4,407). A consistent decline in daily step counts was observed with age: after adjustment for ethnicity and SES, girls in school years 9–10 achieved 2,469 (weekday) and 4,011 (weekend) fewer steps than girls in years 1–2. Daily step counts also varied by ethnicity, with Maori girls the most active and South Asian girls the least active. Overall, 44.9% of participants used AT for school-related travel. Girls who used AT to and from school averaged 1,052 more weekday steps than those who did not use AT. However, the increases in steps associated with AT were significant only in older girls (school years 5–10) and in those of Maori or European descent.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our data suggest that adolescent-aged girls and girls of Asian descent are priority groups for future physical activity interventions. While the apparent benefits of school-related AT vary among demographic groups, promoting AT in girls appears to be a worthwhile strategy.</p

Young Adulthood as a Transitional Legal Category: Science, Social Change, and Justice Policy

In the past decade, much attention has focused on developmental brain research and its implications for the regulation of crime. Public and policy interest has been directed primarily toward juveniles. In light of recent research, courts and legislatures increasingly have rejected the punitive response of the 1990s and embraced a developmental approach to young offenders. Of particular importance in propelling this trend has been the framework offered by the U.S. Supreme Court in a series of Eighth Amendment opinions that have rejected harsh adult sentences for juveniles. These decisions, supported by adolescent brain research, rested on two empirically based principles: First, juvenile offenders, due to their developmental immaturity, typically are less culpable and, therefore, deserve less punishment than their adult counterparts. Second, because their criminal conduct is the product of immaturity, most juveniles have a greater potential to reform than do adults. This framework has influenced broader sentencing reforms for juvenile offenders. It has also led policymakers to focus on the impact of juvenile justice settings and programs on youth development and crime reduction. More recently, advocates and some policymakers have argued that developmental research should shape the law\u27s response to young adult offenders. Over the past decade, developmental psychologists and neuroscientists have found that biological and psychological development continues into the early twenties, well beyond the age of majority. Recently, researchers have found that eighteen- to twenty-one-year-old adults are more like younger adolescents than older adults in their impulsivity under conditions of emotional arousal. It is also well established that young adults, like teenagers, engage in risky behavior, such as drinking, smoking, unsafe sex, drug use, and criminal activity, to a greater extent than older adults. The possibility that much risky behavior, including involvement in criminal activity, is a product of psychological and social immaturity raises the question of whether the presumption of reduced culpability and greater potential for reform should be applied to young adult offenders as well as juveniles

Social support moderates D-dimer and self-rated successful aging within people with HIV and older adults.

Many factors can influence perceptions of successful aging (SA), including social isolation and poor physical health. We hypothesized that social support attenuates the negative effect of plasma D-dimer, a correlate of HIV and aging, on SA. Participants included 230 adults (134 people with HIV; PWH, 96 HIV-), ages 36-65, segregated into age cohorts with up to 5&nbsp;yearly visits. Multilevel modeling examined longitudinal within-person associations between D-dimer, social support, and SA. Social support moderated the relationship between D-dimer and SA and was significant among PWH and older individuals (ages 56-65), but not HIV- or younger cohorts. This association was significant only at extreme levels of social support, with significant decreases in social support potentiating the negative impact of D-dimer on SA and significant increases in social support facilitating increased SA. Despite declining health, high social support may improve SA in PWH and older adults, and low support may be especially problematic for older adults