Heroic Helping: The Effects of Priming Superhero Images on Prosociality

Two experiments examined how exposure to superhero images influences both prosociality and meaning in life. In Experiment 1 (N = 246) exposed individuals to scenes with superhero images or neutral images. Individuals primed with superhero images reported greater helping intentions relative to the control group, which, in turn, were associated with increased meaning in life (indirect effect only; no direct effect). In Experiment 2 (N = 123), individuals exposed to a superhero poster helped an experimenter in a tedious task more than those exposed to a bicycle poster, though no differences were found for meaning in life. These results suggest that subtle activation of superhero stimuli increases prosocial intentions and behavior

Novel Pressure Induced Structural Phase Transition in AgSbTe2_{2}

We report a novel high pressure structural sequence for the functionally graded thermoelectric, narrow band gap semiconductor AgSbTe$_{2}$, using angle dispersive x-ray diffraction in a diamond anvil cell with synchrotron radiation at room temperature. The compound undergoes a B1 to B2 transition; the transition proceeds through an intermediate amorphous phase found between 17-26 GPa that is quenchable down to ambient conditions. The pressure induced structural transition observed in this compound is the first of its type reported in this ternary cubic family, and it is new for the B1-B2 transition pathway reported to date. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations performed for the B1 and B2 phases are in good agreement with the experimental results.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Exit rates of accountable care organizations that serve high proportions of beneficiaries of racial and ethnic minority groups

Importance: The Medicare Shared Savings Program provides financial incentives for accountable care organizations (ACOs) to reduce costs of care. The structure of the shared savings program may not adequately adjust for challenges associated with caring for patients with high medical complexity and social needs, a population disproportionately made up of racial and ethnic minority groups. If so, ACOs serving racial and ethnic minority groups may be more likely to exit the program, raising concerns about the equitable distribution of potential benefits from health care delivery reform efforts. Objective: To evaluate whether ACOs with a high proportion of beneficaries of racial and ethnic minority groups are more likely to exit the Medicare Shared Savings Program and identify characteristics associated with this disparity. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective observational cohort study used secondary data on Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs from January 2012 through December 2018. Bivariate and multivariate cross-sectional regression analyses were used to understand whether ACO racial and ethnic composition was associated with program exit, and how ACOs with a high proportion of beneficaries of racial and ethnic minority groups differed in characteristics associated with program exit. Exposures: Racial and ethnic composition of an ACO\u27s beneficiaries. Main Outcomes and Measures: Shared savings program exit before 2018. Results: The study included 589 Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs. The ACOs in the highest quartile of proportion of beneficaries of racial and ethnic minority groups were designated high-proportion ACOs (145 [25%]), and those in the lowest 3 quartiles were designated low-proportion ACOs (444 [75%]). In unadjusted analysis, a 10-percentage point increase in the proportion of beneficiaries of racial and ethnic minority groups was associated with a 1.12-fold increase in the odds of an ACO exit (95% CI, 1.00-1.25; P = .04). In adjusted analysis, there were significant associations among high-proportion ACOs between characteristics such as patient comorbidities, disability, and clinician composition and a higher likelihood of exit. Conclusions and Relevance: The study results suggest that ACOs that served a higher proportion of beneficaries of racial and ethnic minority groups were more likely to exit the Medicare Shared Savings Program, partially because of serving patients with greater disease severity and complexity. These findings raise concerns about how current payment reform efforts may differentially affect racial and ethnic minority groups

Relationship between Upper and Lower Body Strength and Basketball Shooting Performance

Strength is one of the key physiological performance attributes related to optimal on-court basketball performance. However, there is a lack of scientific literature studying how strength relates to shooting proficiency, as a key basketball skill capable of discriminating winning from losing game outcomes. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between maximal upper and lower body strength and free-throw, two-point, and three-point shooting accuracy. Ten males and seven females performed bench press and back squat one repetition maximum (1RM) and basketball shooting testing during two laboratory visits. The shooting protocol consisted of five sets of 15 free-throw, two-point, and three-point shots performed in sequential order. Each set was separated by a 30 min rest interval to minimize the influence of fatigue. Each subject attempted 225 shots, combining for a total of 3825 shots. The average free-throw, two-point, and three-point shooting accuracy for men were 74.5 ± 11.9, 68.4 ± 9.9, and 53.3 ± 14.9%, and for women 79.2 ± 11.2, 65.5 ± 8.4, and 51.2 ± 15.3%, respectively. The average bench press and back squat 1RM for men was 88.2 ± 18.6 and 117.0 ± 21.2 kg, and for women, 40.6 ± 7.5 and 66.9 ± 9.9 kg, respectively. The findings of the present study revealed no significant relationships between maximal upper and lower body strength and basketball shooting performance for both male and female participants. Neither bench press nor back squat 1RM was a good predictor of free-throw, two-point, and three-point shooting performance

Effectiveness of inactivated influenza vaccines in preventing influenza-associated deaths and hospitalizations among Ontario residents aged ≥ 65 years: estimates with generalized linear models accounting for healthy vaccinee effects.

BACKGROUND: Estimates of the effectiveness of influenza vaccines in older adults may be biased because of difficulties identifying and adjusting for confounders of the vaccine-outcome association. We estimated vaccine effectiveness for prevention of serious influenza complications among older persons by using methods to account for underlying differences in risk for these complications. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study among Ontario residents aged ≥ 65 years from September 1993 through September 2008. We linked weekly vaccination, hospitalization, and death records for 1.4 million community-dwelling persons aged ≥ 65 years. Vaccine effectiveness was estimated by comparing ratios of outcome rates during weeks of high versus low influenza activity (defined by viral surveillance data) among vaccinated and unvaccinated subjects by using log-linear regression models that accounted for temperature and time trends with natural spline functions. Effectiveness was estimated for three influenza-associated outcomes: all-cause deaths, deaths occurring within 30 days of pneumonia/influenza hospitalizations, and pneumonia/influenza hospitalizations. RESULTS: During weeks when 5% of respiratory specimens tested positive for influenza A, vaccine effectiveness among persons aged ≥ 65 years was 22% (95% confidence interval [CI], -6%-42%) for all influenza-associated deaths, 25% (95% CI, 13%-37%) for deaths occurring within 30 days after an influenza-associated pneumonia/influenza hospitalization, and 19% (95% CI, 4%-31%) for influenza-associated pneumonia/influenza hospitalizations. Because small proportions of deaths, deaths after pneumonia/influenza hospitalizations, and pneumonia/influenza hospitalizations were associated with influenza virus circulation, we estimated that vaccination prevented 1.6%, 4.8%, and 4.1% of these outcomes, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: By using confounding-reducing techniques with 15 years of provincial-level data including vaccination and health outcomes, we estimated that influenza vaccination prevented ~4% of influenza-associated hospitalizations and deaths occurring after hospitalizations among older adults in Ontario

Resolvin D1 prevents injurious neutrophil swarming in transplanted lungs

Neutrophils are the primary cell type involved in lung ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), which remains a frequent and morbid complication after organ transplantation. Endogenous lipid mediators that become activated during acute inflammation-resolution have gained increasing recognition for their protective role(s) in promoting the restoration of homeostasis, but their influence on early immune responses following transplantation remains to be uncovered. Resolvin D1,

Extensive Nuclear Reprogramming Underlies Lineage Conversion into Functional Trophoblast Stem-like Cells

SummaryInduced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) undergo extensive nuclear reprogramming and are generally indistinguishable from embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in their functional capacity and transcriptome and DNA methylation profiles. However, direct conversion of cells from one lineage to another often yields incompletely reprogrammed, functionally compromised cells, raising the question of whether pluripotency is required to achieve a high degree of nuclear reprogramming. Here, we show that transient expression of Gata3, Eomes, and Tfap2c in mouse fibroblasts induces stable, transgene-independent trophoblast stem-like cells (iTSCs). iTSCs possess transcriptional profiles highly similar to blastocyst-derived TSCs, with comparable methylation and H3K27ac patterns and genome-wide H2A.X deposition. iTSCs generate trophoectodermal lineages upon differentiation, form hemorrhagic lesions, and contribute to developing placentas in chimera assays, indicating a high degree of nuclear reprogramming, with no evidence of passage through a transient pluripotent state. Together, these data demonstrate that extensive nuclear reprogramming can be achieved independently of pluripotency

Telomerase Activity and the Risk of Lung Cancer

Telomerase play a key role in the maintenance of telomere length and chromosome integrity. We have evaluated the association between telomerase activity and the risk of lung cancer in peripheral blood. Telomerase activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was measured by a PCR-designed telomeric repeat amplification protocol in 63 lung cancer patients and 190 healthy controls that were matched for age, gender, and smoking status. Telomerase activity was significantly lower in the lung cancer patients than in controls (mean ± standard deviation; 1.32 ± 1.65 vs 2.60 ± 3.09, P < 1 × 10-4). When telomerase activity was categorized into quartiles based on telomerase activity in the controls, the risk of lung cancer increased as telomerase activity reduced (Ptrend = 1 × 10-4). Moreover, when the subjects were categorized based on the median value of telomerase activity, subjects with low telomerase activity were at a significantly increased risk of lung cancer compared to subjects with high telomerase activity (adjusted odds ratio = 3.05, 95% confidence interval = 1.60-5.82, P = 7 × 10-4). These findings suggest that telomerase activity may affect telomere maintenance, thereby contributing to susceptibility to lung cancer

Twenty year fitness trends in young adults and incidence of prediabetes and diabetes: the CARDIA study

The prospective association between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) measured in young adulthood and middle age on development of prediabetes, defined as impaired fasting glucose and/or impaired glucose tolerance, or diabetes by middle age remains unknown. We hypothesised that higher fitness levels would be associated with reduced risk for developing incident prediabetes/diabetes by middle age