The Effect of Napping on Sleep Quality and Quantity in Healthy and Concussed Collegiate Athletes

Clinicians are increasingly prescribing a regulated sleep schedule to athletes post injury; however, baseline sleep habits of collegiate athletes are unknown. Moreover, the connection between napping and sleep quality and quantity has not been studied in collegiate athletes. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate napping behaviors and their effects on sleep quantity and quality in concussed and non-concussed collegiate athletes. In a sample of 233 non-concussed collegiate athletes, 74% (172/233) of participants reported napping. Napping was not significantly associated with sleep quantity (χ 2 (2) = .23, p = .64) or quality (χ 2 (1) = .42, p =.52). Due to a small sample size (n = 6) in the concussed group, the results are inconclusive. The majority of non-concussed collegiate athletes reported napping; however, it did not affect their nighttime sleep quality or quantity. Athletes are advised to regulate their sleep after injury; however, the current study provides evidence that athletes are not regulated prior to their injury. Future research should investigate if these results are congruent with those post-concussion

Student musicians' self- and task-theories of musical performance : the influence of primary genre affiliation

165 undergraduate music students studying in Scotland completed a 30-statement Q-sort to describe their self and task-theories of musical performance. Statements reflected the importance of effort, confidence, technical ability, significant others and luck/ chance in determining a successful performance. The Q-sorts were reduced to six underlying sorting patterns, or viewpoints. The relationship between sorting patterns and participants' primary genre affiliation was explored in order to identify whether self and task-theories were a function of genre affiliation. Some intuitive hypotheses of what performers of particular musical genres might think were supported by the data. However, results suggested that there was considerable diversity in self and task-theory of performance within each of the genre affiliation groups, which supports previous research. Other background factors, such as gender, years of playing, chronological age and type of institution, were not significant predictors of self or task-theory of musical performance

Role of tumour necrosis factor gene polymorphisms (-308 and -238) in breast cancer susceptibility and severity

Introduction Genetic polymorphisms in the promoter region of the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) gene can regulate gene expression and have been associated with inflammatory and malignant conditions. We have investigated two polymorphisms in the promoter of the TNF gene (-308 G>A and -238 G>A) for their role in breast cancer susceptibility and severity by means of an allelic association study. Methods Using a case–control study design, breast cancer patients (n = 709) and appropriate age-matched and sex-matched controls obtained from the Breast Screening Unit (n = 498) were genotyped for these TNF polymorphisms, using a high-throughput allelic discrimination method. Results Allele frequencies for both polymorphisms were similar in both breast cancer cases and controls. However, the -308 polymorphism was found to be associated with vascular invasion in breast tumours (P = 0.024). Comparison with other standard prognostic indices did not show any association for either genotype. Conclusions We demonstrated no association between the -308G>A polymorphism and the -238G>A polymorphism in the promoter region of TNF and susceptibility to breast cancer, in a large North European population. However, the -308 G>A polymorphism was found to be associated with the presence of vascular invasion in breast tumours

Model for the Quasifree Polarization-Transfer Measurements in the (p,n) reaction at 495 MeV

The recent (p,n) polarization transfer experiments at LAMPF are explained in terms of a dropping rho-meson mass in the medium.Comment: 12 pages of text (LATEX), 4 figures (not included, available from the authors). February 199

Geometric morphometric analyses of sexual dimorphism and allometry in two sympatric snakes: Natrix helvetica (Natricidae) and Vipera berus (Viperidae)

The non-venomous grass snake (Natrix helvetica) and the venomous adder (Vipera berus) are two native species that are often found in sympatry in Great Britain and Europe. They occupy partially overlapping ecological niches and prey on small vertebrates, but use different feeding strategies. Here, we investigated the morphologies of grass snakes and adders from Dorset (UK) using twodimensional geometric morphometrics to assess the degree of sexual dimorphism in size and shape together with the relative impact of allometry and general body dimensions on head shape. Both species showed significant sexual dimorphism in head size, but not in head shape. We found a clear allometric pattern in N. helvetica, whereas allometry in V. berus was generally less pronounced. Body dimensions were strongly correlated with head shape in the grass snake, but not in the adder. The fact that V. berus is venomous appears to explain the lack of allometric patterns and the lack of an association between body dimensions and head shape. The high degree of size dimorphism identified in both species could originate from the advantages of reduced intraspecific competition that are conveyed by a partial differentiation in feeding morphology

Converting a Small Online Catalog - Improving Service and Satisfaction

Converting the online catalog to a cloud-based system. The library’s software-based catalog experienced technical issues whenever the hospital’s Information Technology department performed updates, and remote access to the system was not available. The authors describe the process of successfully converting the online catalog to a cloud-based system with remote access. It was critical for the library staff to preserve data from the former system. The initial step was to download the statistics from the former system to preserve them for future use. While the library staff weeded both the collection and the online records, they checked to ensure the existing catalog reflected the actual holdings. Patron records older than five years were deleted. Prior to importing the records, the library staff determined which fields, branch locations, and spine label abbreviations to use. Although the new system automatically provided barcodes during cataloging, the library staff chose to keep the existing barcodes from the former system. Circulation polices were established for each book and AV category. The Library staff exported the records to the new vendor and notified the previous vendor of the libraries’ decision to select a new product. Once the catalog and patron records were imported, use of the software-based system was discontinued. Emails were sent to patrons asking them to return circulating books. Outstanding materials were signed out using the cloud-based system. Some of the users commented that the cloud-based interface was easier to use. After the staff shifted to telework due to Covid-19, the catalog remained available remotely. The catalog’s conversion eliminated many of the technical problems encountered with the previous system. Users preferred the catalog’s simplified interface. Remote catalog access has allowed the library staff to continue circulation and catalog services while teleworking during COVID-19

The source of topography across the Cumberland Peninsula, Baffin Island, Arctic Canada : differential exhumation of a North Atlantic rift flank

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Topological properties of full QCD at the phase transition

We investigate the topological properties of the QCD vacuum with 4 flavours of dynamical staggered fermions at finite temperature. To calculate the topological susceptibility we use the field-theoretical method. As in the quenched case, a sharp drop is observed for the topological susceptibility across the phase transition.Comment: LATTICE98(confine

Estimating the Density of Intermediate Size KBOs from Considerations of Volatile Retention

By using a hydrodynamic atmospheric escape mechanism \citep{amit09} we show how the unusually high mass density of Quaoar could have been predicted (constrained), without any knowledge of a binary companion. We suggest an explanation of the recent spectroscopic observations of Orcus and Charon \citep{delsanti10,cook07}. We present a simple relation between the detection of certain volatile ices and the body mass density and diameter. As a test case we implement the relations on the KBO 2003 AZ$_{84}$ and give constraints on its mass density. We also present a method of relating the latitude-dependence of hydrodynamic gas escape to the internal structure of a rapidly rotating body and apply it to Haumea.Comment: 37 pages, 5 figures. Much revised version. To appear in Icaru