Children should be seen and also heard : an explorative qualitative study into the influences on children’s choice of footwear, their perception of comfort and the language they use to describe footwear experiences

Background: Footwear has an essential role including protection of the feet, overall performance, foot health and potentially, supporting normal development of the foot. In addition to these physical aspects which may influence choice of footwear design, there are psychological influences on what a person chooses to wear. The concept of footwear ‘comfort’ spans physical and psychological perceptions of comfort in adults. However, there is little understanding of what influences children’s footwear choices, how children perceive footwear comfort, or the language used to describe footwear experiences. Therefore, this study aimed to explore these three parameters as the first step to informing the development of a scale to measure footwear comfort in children. Methods: A pragmatic qualitative design with thematic analysis as an analytical approach was implemented. Passive observation and short interviews were carried out with 23 children (aged 1 – 12 years) at a footwear manufactures headquarters and store. Prompts included shoes being tried on and field-notes were taken relating to verbal and non-verbal communication. Field notes were coded then themes were identified, reviewed and named. Results: Overall, the children equated comfort to softness. However, influences on footwear choice were multidimensional including aesthetics, psychosocial influences, identified ‘comfort’ and ‘discomfort’ areas, practical issues and predictive concerns; all interacting with the age of the child. Conclusions: For children, footwear comfort is a complex phenomenon having physical, cognitive, social and emotional developmental components. This can be seen in how the children perceive the ‘feel’ of the shoe and how the shoe is assessed in the context of how the shoe meets the child’s physical and psychosocial developmental needs. In younger children footwear preference is related to idiosyncratic tastes in aesthetics, physical ability and comfort. As children age, societal influences begin to expand the social function of footwear denoting group membership, to include themes that transcend the functional and social function of footwear. The knowledge from this study can inform the development of age group specific tools to evaluate comfort

A first step to defining a measurement method for footwear comfort in children

Conference abstract

Free satellite data key to conservation

Biodiversity is in crisis, with extinction rates orders of magnitude higher than background levels ([ 1 ][1]). Underfunded conservationists need to target their limited resources effectively. Over the past decade, satellite remote sensing has revolutionized our ability to monitor biodiversity globally, and is now used routinely, especially by nongovernmental organizations, to detect changes, set priorities, and target conservation action. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) unlocked high-resolution Landsat data in 2008 ([ 2 ][2]), making data available online ([ 3 ][3]), and the Copernicus program from the European Commission subsequently made their data available as well ([ 4 ][4]). These resources have been instrumental to biodiversity research. Assessments of environmental changes such as deforestation are now readily available. The current spatial and spectral resolution of Landsat data make them appropriate to many conservation applications, and although they are not always ideal, pragmatic researchers with limited resources use them regularly. Conservationists have already called for these data to remain free ([ 5 ][5]). Consequently, the news that USGS may charge for data ([ 6 ][6]) is deeply troubling. USGS has recently convened an advisory committee to determine whether users would be prepared to pay for increased spectral and spatial resolution images ([ 7 ][7]). Requiring users to pay would put these images beyond the reach of conservationists. It would halt time-series analyses that have been useful in monitoring the effects of climate change, land-cover change, and ocean surfaces, likely hindering the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals ([ 8 ][8]). We urge the USGS to reconsider their position and continue to provide data from the Landsat program freely to all users. 1. [↵][9]1. J. DeVos et al ., Cons. Biol. 29, 452 (2015). [OpenUrl][10] 2. [↵][11]1. C. Woodcock et al . Science 320, 1011 (2008). [OpenUrl][12][CrossRef][13][PubMed][14] 3. [↵][15]USGS, Earth Explorer ([https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/][16]). 4. [↵][17]European Commission, Copernicus (). 5. [↵][18]1. W. Turner et al ., Biol. Conserv. 182, 173 (2015). [OpenUrl][19] 6. [↵][20]1. G. Popkin , Nature 556, 417 (2018). [OpenUrl][21] 7. [↵][22]USGS, Landsat Advisory Group undertakes a Landsat Cost Recovery Study (2018); [www.usgs.gov/center-news/landsat-advisory-group-undertakes-a-landsat-cost-recovery-study][23]. 8. [↵][24]Sustainable Development Goals ([https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300][25]). [1]: #ref-1 [2]: #ref-2 [3]: #ref-3 [4]: #ref-4 [5]: #ref-5 [6]: #ref-6 [7]: #ref-7 [8]: #ref-8 [9]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1 in text" [10]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DCons.%2BBiol.%26rft.volume%253D29%26rft.spage%253D452%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [11]: #xref-ref-2-1 "View reference 2 in text" [12]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DScience%26rft.volume%253D320%26rft.spage%253D1011%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1126%252Fscience.320.5879.1011a%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F18497274%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [13]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1126/science.320.5879.1011a&link_type=DOI [14]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=18497274&link_type=MED&atom=%2Fsci%2F361%2F6398%2F139.2.atom [15]: #xref-ref-3-1 "View reference 3 in text" [16]: http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/ [17]: #xref-ref-4-1 "View reference 4 in text" [18]: #xref-ref-5-1 "View reference 5 in text" [19]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DBiol.%2BConserv.%26rft.volume%253D182%26rft.spage%253D173%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [20]: #xref-ref-6-1 "View reference 6 in text" [21]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DNature%26rft.volume%253D556%26rft.spage%253D417%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [22]: #xref-ref-7-1 "View reference 7 in text" [23]: http://www.usgs.gov/center-news/landsat-advisory-group-undertakes-a-landsat-cost-recovery-study [24]: #xref-ref-8-1 "View reference 8 in text" [25]: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=130

Depression and Sexual Orientation During Young Adulthood: Diversity Among Sexual Minority Subgroups and the Role of Gender Nonconformity.

Sexual minority individuals are at an elevated risk for depression compared to their heterosexual counterparts, yet less is known about how depression status varies across sexual minority subgroups (i.e., mostly heterosexuals, bisexuals, and lesbians and gay men). Moreover, studies on the role of young adult gender nonconformity in the relation between sexual orientation and depression are scarce and have yielded mixed findings. The current study examined the disparities between sexual minorities and heterosexuals during young adulthood in concurrent depression near the beginning of young adulthood and prospective depression 6 years later, paying attention to the diversity within sexual minority subgroups and the role of gender nonconformity. Drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N = 9421), we found that after accounting for demographics, sampling weight, and sampling design, self-identified mostly heterosexual and bisexual young adults, but not lesbians and gay men, reported significantly higher concurrent depression compared to heterosexuals; moreover, only mostly heterosexual young adults were more depressed than heterosexuals 6 years later. Furthermore, while young adult gender nonconforming behavior was associated with more concurrent depression regardless of sexual orientation, its negative impact on mental health decreased over time. Surprisingly, previous gender nonconformity predicted decreased prospective depression among lesbians and gay men whereas, among heterosexual individuals, increased gender nonconformity was not associated with prospective depression. Together, the results suggested the importance of investigating diversity and the influence of young adult gender nonconformity in future research on the mental health of sexual minorities.The authors acknowledge support for this research: the University of Arizona Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences Fitch Nesbitt Endowment and a University of Arizona Graduate Access Fellowship to the second author. This research uses data from Add Health, a program project directed by Kathleen Mullan Harris and designed by J. Richard Udry, Peter S. Bearman, and Kathleen Mullan Harris at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and funded by grant P01-HD31921 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with cooperative funding from 23 other federal agencies and foundations. Special acknowledgment is due Ronald R. Rindfuss and Barbara Entwisle for assistance in the original design. Information on how to obtain the Add Health data files is available on the Add Health website (http://​www.​cpc.​unc.​edu/​addhealth). No direct support was received from grant P01-HD31921 for this analysis. The authors thank Noel Card and Susan Stryker for comments on the previous versions of this article and Richard Lippa and Katerina Sinclair for methodological and statistical consult. The authors also thank the anonymous reviewers and the Editor for their helpful comments.This is the accepted manuscript of a paper published in Archives of Sexual Behavior (Li G, Pollitt AM, Russell ST, Archives of Sexual Behavior 2015, doi:10.1007/s10508-015-0515-3). The final version is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-015-0515-3

Valid and reliable instruments for arm-hand assessment at ICF activity level in persons with hemiplegia: a systematic review

Contains fulltext : 110141.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Loss of arm-hand performance due to a hemiparesis as a result of stroke or cerebral palsy (CP), leads to large problems in daily life of these patients. Assessment of arm-hand performance is important in both clinical practice and research. To gain more insight in e.g. effectiveness of common therapies for different patient populations with similar clinical characteristics, consensus regarding the choice and use of outcome measures is paramount. To guide this choice, an overview of available instruments is necessary. The aim of this systematic review is to identify, evaluate and categorize instruments, reported to be valid and reliable, assessing arm-hand performance at the ICF activity level in patients with stroke or cerebral palsy. METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed to identify articles containing instruments assessing arm-hand skilled performance in patients with stroke or cerebral palsy. Instruments were identified and divided into the categories capacity, perceived performance and actual performance. A second search was performed to obtain information on their content and psychometrics. RESULTS: Regarding capacity, perceived performance and actual performance, 18, 9 and 3 instruments were included respectively. Only 3 of all included instruments were used and tested in both patient populations. The content of the instruments differed widely regarding the ICF levels measured, assessment of the amount of use versus the quality of use, the inclusion of unimanual and/or bimanual tasks and the inclusion of basic and/or extended tasks. CONCLUSIONS: Although many instruments assess capacity and perceived performance, a dearth exists of instruments assessing actual performance. In addition, instruments appropriate for more than one patient population are sparse. For actual performance, new instruments have to be developed, with specific focus on the usability in different patient populations and the assessment of quality of use as well as amount of use. Also, consensus about the choice and use of instruments within and across populations is needed

Biallelic variants in the ectonucleotidase ENTPD1 cause a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with intellectual disability, distinct white matter abnormalities, and spastic paraplegia.

OBJECTIVE: Human genomics established that pathogenic variation in diverse genes can underlie a single disorder. For example, hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is associated with over 80 genes with frequently only few affected individuals described for each gene. Herein, we characterize a large cohort of individuals with biallelic variation in ENTPD1, a gene previously linked to spastic paraplegia 64 (MIM# 615683). METHODS: Individuals with biallelic ENTPD1 variants were recruited worldwide. Deep phenotyping and molecular characterizations were performed. RESULTS: A total of 27 individuals from 17 unrelated families were studied; additional phenotypic information was collected from published cases. Twelve novel pathogenic ENTPD1 variants are described: c.398_399delinsAA; p.(Gly133Glu), c.540del; p.(Thr181Leufs* 18), c.640del; p.(Gly216Glufs* 75), c.185T>G; p.(Leu62*), c.1531T>C; p.(*511Glnext* 100), c.967C>T; p.(Gln323*), c.414-2_414-1del, and c.146 A>G; p.(Tyr49Cys) including four recurrent variants c.1109T>A; p.(Leu370* ), c.574-6_574-3del, c.770_771del; p.(Gly257Glufs*18), and c.1041del; p.(Ile348Phefs*19). Shared disease traits include: childhood-onset, progressive spastic paraplegia, intellectual disability (ID), dysarthria, and white matter abnormalities. In vitro assays demonstrate that ENTPD1 expression and function are impaired and that c.574-6_574-3del causes exon skipping. Global metabolomics demonstrates ENTPD1 deficiency leads to impaired nucleotide, lipid, and energy metabolism. INTERPRETATION: The ENTPD1 locus trait consists of childhood disease-onset, ID, progressive spastic paraparesis, dysarthria, dysmorphisms, and white matter abnormalities with some individuals showing neurocognitive regression. Investigation of an allelic series of ENTPD1: i) expands previously described features of ENTPD1-related neurological disease, ii) highlights the importance of genotype-driven deep phenotyping, iii) documents the need for global collaborative efforts to characterize rare AR disease traits, and iv) provides insights into the disease trait neurobiology. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Endodontics: Part 4 Morphology of the root canal system

Unless the practitioner is familiar with the morphology of the roots of all teeth, and the associated intricate root canal anatomy, effective debridement and obturation may be impossible. Recent research has improved knowledge and understanding of this intricate aspect of dental practice. After studying this part you should know in what percentage of each tooth type you may expect unusual numbers of root canals and other anatomical variations