Online prevention of disordered eating in at-risk young-adult women: A two-country pragmatic randomized controlled trial

This article has been published in a revised form in Psychological Medicine. This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works. © Cambridge University Press 2017. This author accepted manuscript is made available following 6 month embargo from date of publication (Dec 2017) in accordance with the publisher’s copyright policyDisordered eating (DE) is a widespread, serious problem. Efficacious prevention programs that can be delivered at-scale are needed. A pragmatic randomized controlled trial of two online programs was conducted. Participants were young-adult women from Australia and New Zealand seeking to improve their body image. Media Smart-Targeted (MS-T) and Student Bodies (SB) were both 9-module interventions released weekly, whilst control participants received positive body image information. Primary [Eating Disorder Examination–Questionnaire (EDE-Q) Global], secondary (DE risk factors) and tertiary (DE) outcome measures were completed at baseline, post-program, 6- and 12-month follow-up. Baseline was completed by 608 women (M age = 20.71 years); 33 were excluded leaving 575 randomized to: MS-T (N = 191); SB (N = 190) or control (N = 194). Only 66% of those randomized to MS-T or SB accessed the intervention and were included in analyses with controls; 78% of this sample completed measures subsequent to baseline. Primary intent-to-treat (ITT) analyses revealed no differences between groups, while measure completer analyses found MS-T had significantly lower EDE-Q Global than controls at 12-month follow-up. Secondary ITT analyses found MS-T participants reported significantly higher quality of life–mental relative to both SB and controls (6-month follow-up), while MS-T and controls had lower clinical impairment relative to SB (post-program). Amongst measure completers, MS-T scored significantly lower than controls and SB on 5 variables. Of those with baseline DE, MS-T participants were significantly less likely than controls to have DE at 12-month follow-up. Given both programs were not therapist-moderated, MS-T has potential to achieve reductions in DE risk at low implementation costs

Real-Time Quantitative Bronchoscopy

The determination of motion within a sequence of images remains one of the fundamental problems in computer vision after more than 30 years of research. Despite this work, there have been relatively few applications of these techniques to practical problems outside the fields of robotics and video encoding. In this paper, we present the continuing work to apply optical flow and egomotion recovery to the problem of measuring and navigating through the airway using a bronchoscope during a standard procedure, without the need for any additional data, localization systems or other external components. The current implementation uses a number of techniques to provide a range of numerical measurements and estimations to physicians in real time, using standard computer hardware

All-Wales licensed premises intervention (AWLPI): a randomised controlled trial to reduce alcohol-related violence

Background: Alcohol-related violence in and in the vicinity of licensed premises continues to place a considerable burden on the United Kingdom’s (UK) health services. Robust interventions targeted at licensed premises are therefore required to reduce the costs of alcohol-related harm. Previous evaluations of interventions in licensed premises have a number of methodological limitations and none have been conducted in the UK. The aim of the trial was to determine the effectiveness of the Safety Management in Licensed Environments intervention designed to reduce alcohol-related violence in licensed premises, delivered by Environmental Health Officers, under their statutory authority to intervene in cases of violence in the workplace.<p></p> Methods/Design: A national randomised controlled trial, with licensed premises as the unit of allocation. Premises were identified from all 22 Local Authorities in Wales. Eligible premises were those with identifiable violent incidents on premises, using police recorded violence data. Premises were allocated to intervention or control by optimally balancing by Environmental Health Officer capacity in each Local Authority, number of violent incidents in the 12 months leading up to the start of the project and opening hours. The primary outcome measure is the difference in frequency of violence between intervention and control premises over a 12 month follow-up period, based on a recurrent event model. The trial incorporates an embedded process evaluation to assess intervention implementation, fidelity, reach and reception, and to interpret outcome effects, as well as investigate its economic impact.<p></p> Discussion: The results of the trial will be applicable to all statutory authorities directly involved with managing violence in the night time economy and will provide the first formal test of Health and Safety policy in this environment. If successful, opportunities for replication and generalisation will be considered.<p></p&gt

Single copy/knock-in models of ALS SOD1 in C. elegans suggest loss and gain of function have different contributions to cholinergic and glutamatergic neurodegeneration

Mutations in Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) lead to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease that disproportionately affects glutamatergic and cholinergic motor neurons. Previous work with SOD1 overexpression models supports a role for SOD1 toxic gain of function in ALS pathogenesis. However, the impact of SOD1 loss of function in ALS cannot be directly examined in overexpression models. In addition, overexpression may obscure the contribution of SOD1 loss of function in the degeneration of different neuronal populations. Here, we report the first single-copy, ALS knock-in models in C. elegans generated by transposon- or CRISPR/Cas9- mediated genome editing of the endogenous sod-1 gene. Introduction of ALS patient amino acid changes A4V, H71Y, L84V, G85R or G93A into the C. elegans sod-1 gene yielded single-copy/knock-in ALS SOD1 models. These differ from previously reported overexpression models in multiple assays. In single-copy/knock-in models, we observed differential impact of sod-1 ALS alleles on glutamatergic and cholinergic neurodegeneration. A4V, H71Y, G85R, and G93A animals showed increased SOD1 protein accumulation and oxidative stress induced degeneration, consistent with a toxic gain of function in cholinergic motor neurons. By contrast, H71Y, L84V, and G85R lead to glutamatergic neuron degeneration due to sod-1 loss of function after oxidative stress. However, dopaminergic and serotonergic neuronal populations were spared in single-copy ALS models, suggesting a neuronal-subtype specificity previously not reported in invertebrate ALS SOD1 models. Combined, these results suggest that knock-in models may reproduce the neurotransmitter-type specificity of ALS and that both SOD1 loss and gain of toxic function differentially contribute to ALS pathogenesis in different neuronal populations.Peer reviewe

Initial Survey of Engineering Technology Capstone Courses and TeamworkBuilding Using CATME

This paper represents a first step in what is to become a multi –institutional initiative focused on identifying best practices for developing and improving teamwork skills within the Capstone experiences of engineering, technology and computing programs. Teamwork in this paper is defined and measured as the dimensions measured by the CATME Peer Review [1], which is currently used by thousands of technology and engineering instructors and institutions worldwide. The CATME Peer Review measurement tool is used to collect self and peer evaluations of team members’ contributions on five different teamwork dimensions [2]. These teamwork dimensions are 1) pose the knowledge, skills, and abilities to help the team; 2) expect quality work from the team; 3) keep the team on schedule; 4) positive interactions between teammates to help the team; and 5) all team members contribute to the team\u27s work and success. Pung and Farris[3] used CATME in a one semester junior level design class and reported a “significant improvement” in student behavior when compared to the old system of peer review. A workshop was developed to assemble all the participants, and develop a systematic method of evaluating teamwork building using CATME. All the participating schools and faculty will be testing changes in their Capstone courses and sharing the results of this analysis, in teamwork skills, with their colleagues

Hidden intrabasin extension: Evidence for dike-fault interaction from magnetic, gravity, and seismic reflection data in Surprise Valley, northeastern California

The relative contributions of tectonic and magmatic processes to continental rifting are highly variable. Magnetic, gravity, and seismic reflection data from Surprise Valley, California, in the northwest Basin and Range, reveal an intrabasin, fault-controlled, ~10-m-thick dike at a depth of ~150 m, providing an excellent example of the interplay between faulting and dike intrusion. The dike, likely a composite structure representing multiple successive intrusions, is inferred from modeling a positive magnetic anomaly that extends ~35 km and parallels the basin-bounding Surprise Valley normal fault on the west side of the valley. A two-dimensional high-resolution seismic reflection profile acquired across the magnetic high images a normal fault dipping 56°E with ~275 m of throw buried ~60 m below the surface. Densely spaced gravity measurements reveal a \u3c1 mGal gravity low consistent with the fault offset inferred from the seismic data. Collinearity of the magnetic high and gravity low for ~6 km implies normal fault control of the dike along that length. The unusually shallow angle of the dike suggests that motion along the fault (perhaps aided by reduced friction along the dike) and associated block rotation resulted in post-intrusion tilting of the dike. The source of the dike is likely related to a shallow brittle-ductile transition zone that was elevated following rapid slip on the Surprise Valley fault after 3 Ma. Prior to our work, the Surprise Valley fault was assumed to accommodate the vast majority of extension across the region. Our results indicate that subsurface features, although no longer active, are significant contributors to the processes, timing, and total amount of extension observed in continental rift environments