183 research outputs found
An Examination of Active Commuting by Race/Ethnicity, Income and Location
Introduction
Active commuting (AC; walking and biking to work) is associated with a number of positive health outcomes, low participation remains low in the USA. Our objective was to examine the multi-level influences on AC considering social determinants of health: race/ethnicity, income level and location.
Methods
We conducted a cross-sectional survey examining correlates of AC in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The sample consisted of 1,310 adults over the age of 18 who were employed part- or full-time outside of the home and physically able to walk and bike. One-way ANOVAs, t-tests, and Pearson correlation analyses were run to examine the relationship between AC and influences based on the Social Ecological Model for each of the different groups (non/metro, higher/lower-income, white/black/other).
Results
There was not a significant difference in active commuting for higher income participants compared to lower income participants. Among both low and high income individuals, males were more likely to AC than females. Metro participants reported significantly more AC trips compared to non-metro participants. Blacks were least likely to AC, followed by whites, with all other racial/ethnic groups having the highest rates of AC. Variables from multiple levels were significant influencers on AC in each population.
Conclusion
The findings from this study provide insight into the multi-level influences of AC in a variety of diverse population that are often at higher risk for diseases associated with physical inactivity and obesity. This information is useful in providing a foundation for future multi-level approaches targeting AC identifying populations with which to implement AC
Employee Satisfaction and Performance: A Study of the RC Hotel Company Kitchen Environment
Employee satisfaction and performance are a major determinant of the corporate culture of a property. Discussion of whether or not this statement is true within the kitchens of The Ritz Carlton Hotel in New Orleans is the basis for this study. By using the corporate mandated tools (the annual employee satisfaction survey and the employee performance appraisals) the determination of this question was confirmed. However, there were some great concerns about the validity of the two tools. The tools showed a definite relationship between the employee satisfaction survey and the performance appraisal, as well as a negative employee perception of the communication from managers on certain topics
The Relationship of Living Environment with Behavioral and Fitness Outcomes by Sex: an Exploratory Study in College-aged Students
International Journal of Exercise Science 10(3): 330-339, 2017. Although physical activity (PA) is associated with several health benefits, there is a marked decline during college years, which is an influential period for the development of health behaviors. This study examined the relationship of neighborhood and living environment with behavioral (PA and sedentary behavior) and fitness outcomes by sex. Participants were college students that participated in a fitness assessment, followed by a survey that measured self-reported exercise and perception of oneās environment (sidewalks, crime, traffic, access to PA resources in their neighborhood and/or apartment complex). Pearson correlations examined the relationship between behavioral (moderate and vigorous PA, sedentary behavior, active travel) and fitness outcomes (VO2max, percent body fat, body mass index, push-ups, curl-ups, blood lipids and glucose) with environmental measures separately by sex. Among participants (n=444; female=211, male n=234) environment was significantly related to PA and fitness, with noted differences by sex. For males, seeing others exercising in the neighborhood and in their apartment complex, using neighborhood bike lanes, crime and the number of PA resources at their apartment complex were associated with behavioral and fitness outcomes. Among females, sidewalks in the neighborhood, seeing others exercising, using neighborhood bike lanes and number of PA apartment complex resources were significantly correlated with fitness and behavioral outcomes. These findings suggest a possible relationship between studentsā objectively measured fitness and their environment for PA. Future implications include the development of policies to create student housing that supports physical activity and expansion of campus wellness initiatives to off-campus locations
Ionic Liquids to Replace Hydrazine
A method for developing safe, easy-to-handle propellants has been developed based upon ionic liquids (ILs) or their eutectic mixtures. An IL is a binary combination of a typically organic cation and anion, which generally produces an ionic salt with a melting point below 100 deg C. Many ILs have melting points near, or even below, room temperature (room temperature ionic liquids, RTILs). More importantly, a number of ILs have a positive enthalpy of formation. This means the thermal energy released during decomposition reactions makes energetic ILs ideal for use as propellants. In this specific work, to date, a baseline set of energetic ILs has been identified, synthesized, and characterized. Many of the ILs in this set have excellent performance potential in their own right. In all, ten ILs were characterized for their enthalpy of formation, density, melting point, glass transition point (if applicable), and decomposition temperature. Enthalpy of formation was measured using a microcalorimeter designed specifically to test milligram amounts of energetic materials. Of the ten ILs characterized, five offer higher Isp performance than hydrazine, ranging between 10 and 113 seconds higher than the state-of-the-art propellant. To achieve this level of performance, the energetic cations 4- amino-l,2,4-triazolium and 3-amino-1,2,4-triazolium were paired with various anions in the nitrate, dicyanamide, chloride, and 3-nitro-l,2,4-triazole families. Protonation, alkylation, and butylation synthesis routes were used for creation of the different salts
Population-average mediation analysis for zero-inflated count outcomes
Mediation analysis is an increasingly popular statistical method for
explaining causal pathways to inform intervention. While methods have
increased, there is still a dearth of robust mediation methods for count
outcomes with excess zeroes. Current mediation methods addressing this issue
are computationally intensive, biased, or challenging to interpret. To overcome
these limitations, we propose a new mediation methodology for zero-inflated
count outcomes using the marginalized zero-inflated Poisson (MZIP) model and
the counterfactual approach to mediation. This novel work gives
population-average mediation effects whose variance can be estimated rapidly
via delta method. This methodology is extended to cases with exposure-mediator
interactions. We apply this novel methodology to explore if diabetes diagnosis
can explain BMI differences in healthcare utilization and test model
performance via simulations comparing the proposed MZIP method to existing
zero-inflated and Poisson methods. We find that our proposed method minimizes
bias and computation time compared to alternative approaches while allowing for
straight-forward interpretations.Comment: 34 pages, 2 figures, 4 tables, 49 pages of Supplemental material, 2
supplemental figure
Maternal assault admissions are associated with increased risk of child protection involvement
Introduction
Almost half of Australian women assaulted by their partner have children in their care. Evidence suggests a link between childrenās exposure to violence, and subsequent maltreatment allegations. However, this evidence is limited by small sample sizes. Linked administrative data present an opportunity to further investigate this sensitive topic.
Objectives and Approach
This study investigated the relationship between assaults on mothers and subsequent child maltreatment allegations. The sample included all live births in Western Australia from 1990 to 2009 (N=524,534) and their parents, with follow up to 2013. Linked administrative data on child maltreatment allegations and mothersā assault-related hospital admissions were obtained. Multivariate Cox regression estimated the risk of maltreatment allegation following maternal assault admission. Adjusted and unadjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95\% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for the risk of maltreatment allegation, and time (in months) between assault admission and the first maltreatment allegation.
Results
One in five children whose mother had an assault admission had a subsequent maltreatment allegation, increasing to more than one in three children when restricted to assault admissions in the prenatal period. More than half of the children who had a maltreatment allegation after their mother was admitted for assault were Aboriginal. After adjusting for covariates, children whose mother had an assault admission had two-fold increased risk of having a maltreatment allegation. The risk of maltreatment allegation was greatest in young children, 5.5-year-old (SD=4.6), when restricted to maternal assault admissions in the prenatal period the children were younger at 4-year-old (SD=4.1). The time from maternal assault admission to maltreatment allegation was around 12 months longer for Aboriginal children than for non-Aboriginal children.
Conclusion/Implications
Children of mothers who have been assaulted are at higher risk of child maltreatment allegation. Targeted early intervention is required for families with young children, and pregnant women experiencing violence. The time to maltreatment allegation for Aboriginal children warrants community developed culturally-safe partnerships between Aboriginal communities and government services
Distribution of cardiovascular health by individual- and neighborhood-level socioeconomic status: Findings from the Jackson Heart Study
BACKGROUND: Data demonstrate a positive relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and cardiovascular health (CVH).
OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between individual- and neighborhood-level SES and CVH among participants of the JHS (Jackson Heart Study), a community-based cohort of African Americans in Jackson, Mississippi.
METHODS: We included all JHS participants with complete SES and CVH information at the baseline study visit (n = 3,667). We characterized individual- and neighborhood-level SES according to income (primary analysis) and education (secondary analysis), respectively. The outcome of interest for these analyses was a CVH score, based on 7 modifiable behaviors and factors, summed to a total of 0 (worst) to 14 (best) points. We utilized generalized estimating equations to account for the clustering of participants within the same residential areas to estimate the linear association between SES and CVH.
RESULTS: The median age of the participants was 55 years, and 64% were women. Nearly one-third of eligible participants had individual incomes \u3c25,480). Adjusted for age, sex, and neighborhood SES, there was an average increase in CVH score of 0.31 points associated with each 1-category increase in individual income. Similarly, each 1-category increase in neighborhood SES was associated with a 0.19-point increase in CVH score. These patterns held for our secondary analyses, which used educational attainment in place of income. These data did not suggest a synergistic effect of individual- and neighborhood-level SES on CVH.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a potential causal pathway for disparities in CVH among vulnerable populations. These data can be useful to the JHS community to empower public health and clinical interventions and policies for the improvement of CVH
A structural study of hcp and liquid iron under shock compression up to 275 GPa
We combine nanosecond laser shock compression with \emph{in-situ} picosecond
X-ray diffraction to provide structural data on iron up to 275 GPa. We
constrain the extent of hcp-liquid coexistence, the onset of total melt, and
the structure within the liquid phase. Our results indicate that iron, under
shock compression, melts completely by 258(8) GPa. A coordination number
analysis indicates that iron is a simple liquid at these pressure-temperature
conditions. We also perform texture analysis between the ambient
body-centered-cubic (bcc) , and the hexagonal-closed-packed (hcp)
high-pressure phase. We rule out the Rong-Dunlop orientation
relationship (OR) between the and phases. However, we
cannot distinguish between three other closely related ORs: Burger's,
Mao-Bassett-Takahashi, and Potter's OR. The solid-liquid coexistence region is
constrained from a melt onset pressure of 225(3) GPa from previously published
sound speed measurements and full melt (246.5(1.8)-258(8) GPa) from X-ray
diffraction measurements, with an associated maximum latent heat of melting of
623 J/g. This value is lower than recently reported theoretical estimates and
suggests that the contribution to the earth's geodynamo energy budget from heat
release due to freezing of the inner core is smaller than previously thought.
Melt pressures for these nanosecond shock experiments are consistent with gas
gun shock experiments that last for microseconds, indicating that the melt
transition occurs rapidly
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DOE FY 2011 Budget Request for Energy Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment: Analysis and Recommendations
MPLEx: a Robust and Universal Protocol for Single-Sample Integrative Proteomic, Metabolomic, and Lipidomic Analyses
ABSTRACT Integrative multi-omics analyses can empower more effective investigation and complete understanding of complex biological systems. Despite recent advances in a range of omics analyses, multi-omic measurements of the same sample are still challenging and current methods have not been well evaluated in terms of reproducibility and broad applicability. Here we adapted a solvent-based method, widely applied for extracting lipids and metabolites, to add proteomics to mass spectrometry-based multi-omics measurements. The m etabolite, p rotein, and l ipid ex traction (MPLEx) protocol proved to be robust and applicable to a diverse set of sample types, including cell cultures, microbial communities, and tissues. To illustrate the utility of this protocol, an integrative multi-omics analysis was performed using a lung epithelial cell line infected with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, which showed the impact of this virus on the host glycolytic pathway and also suggested a role for lipids during infection. The MPLEx method is a simple, fast, and robust protocol that can be applied for integrative multi-omic measurements from diverse sample types (e.g., environmental, in vitro , and clinical). IMPORTANCE In systems biology studies, the integration of multiple omics measurements (i.e., genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics) has been shown to provide a more complete and informative view of biological pathways. Thus, the prospect of extracting different types of molecules (e.g., DNAs, RNAs, proteins, and metabolites) and performing multiple omics measurements on single samples is very attractive, but such studies are challenging due to the fact that the extraction conditions differ according to the molecule type. Here, we adapted an organic solvent-based extraction method that demonstrated broad applicability and robustness, which enabled comprehensive proteomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics analyses from the same sample
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