Development of the Wheelchair Interface Questionnaire and initial face and content validity

Background: Because resources are limited in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), the development of outcome measures is of interest. Wheelchair outcome measures are useful to support evidence-based practice in wheelchair provision. Objectives: The Wheelchair Interface Questionnaire (WIQ) is being developed to provide a professional perspective on the quality of the interface between a wheelchair and its user. This article discusses the development of the WIQ and its face and content validity. Method: During field studies in Kenya, we sought to include professional report data on the wheelchair–user interface that could be analysed to inform design changes. None of the existing measures was focused on the interface between users and their wheelchairs. The WIQ was developed to meet this need. To investigate face and content validity, 24 experienced wheelchair professionals participated in a study that included two rounds of an online survey and a focus group in Kenya. Results: Responses were categorised by topic and the WIQ was modified following each iteration. Participants affirmed the usefulness of a brief professional report measure to provide a snapshot of the user–wheelchair interface. Participants emphasised the importance of brevity, wide applicability and provision of specific feedback for wheelchair modification or design changes. The focus group agreed that the final version provided useful data and was applicable to virtually all wheelchair users in LMIC. Conclusion: These preliminary studies indicate initial face and content validity of the WIQ as a method for providing a professional perspective on the interface between a user and his or her wheelchair

Morinda citrifolia (Noni) Juice Augments Mammary Gland Differentiation and Reduces Mammary Tumor Growth in Mice Expressing the Unactivated c-erbB2 Transgene

Morinda citrifolia (noni) is reported to have many beneficial properties, including on immune, inflammatory, quality of life, and cancer endpoints, but little is known about its ability to prevent or treat breast cancer. To test its anticancer potential, the effects of Tahitian Noni Juice (TNJ) on mammary carcinogenesis were examined in MMTV-neu transgenic mice. Mammary tumor latency, incidence, multiplicity, and metastatic incidence were unaffected by TNJ treatment, which suggests that it would not increase or decrease breast cancer risk in women taking TNJ for its other benefits. However, noni may be useful to enhance treatment responses in women with existing HER2/neu breast cancer since TNJ resulted in significant reductions in tumor weight and volume and in longer tumor doubling times in mice. Remarkably, its ability to inhibit the growth of this aggressive form of cancer occurred with the mouse equivalent of a recommended dose for humans (<3 oz/day). A 30-day treatment with TNJ also induced significant changes in mammary secondary ductule branching and lobuloalveolar development, serum progesterone levels, and estrous cycling. Additional studies investigating TNJ-induced tumor growth suppression and modified reproductive responses are needed to characterize its potential as a CAM therapy for women with and without HER2+ breast cancer

Stock boundaries for spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) in Florida based on population genetic structure

The Spotted Seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus (Sciaenidae) is an estuarine fish of economic importance, commercially and recreationally, in Florida. Harvesting of this fish has been steadily decreasing since the 1950s. In the late 1980s, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) implemented a major effort to stop the decline in landings and classified the species as restricted, regulating the importation, transportation, and possession of these fish. Over the period 1981-2012, combined recreational and commercial landings of Spotted Seatrout have been flat, primarily because of regulation of the fishery. In the absence of a well-resolved population genetic structure for the Spotted Seatrout, the FWC has relied on coastal watershed features and reproductive differences among estuaries to demarcate regions for management purposes. ... In the present study we identify three genetic stocks of Spotted Seatrout in Florida waters, each with a unique range: 1) from the western border of Florida to Apalachicola Bay, 2) east of Apalachicola Bay through Biscayne Bay, and 3) from Sebastian Inlet to the northeast border of the state. The genetic patterns observed indicate that little if any contemporaneous reproductive exchange takes place between these stocks and that recruitment usually occurs in the natal estuary. The geographic boundaries that frame the FWC’s periodic stock assessments and other demographic evaluations of Spotted Seatrout are not a perfect match with those of the genetically identified stocks. We recommend that, in its assessments of Florida stock of the Spotted Seatrout, the FWC use the genetic stock boundaries that we describe here

AEGIS: Demographics of X-ray and Optically Selected AGNs

We develop a new diagnostic method to classify galaxies into AGN hosts, star-forming galaxies, and absorption-dominated galaxies by combining the [O III]/Hbeta ratio with rest-frame U-B color. This can be used to robustly select AGNs in galaxy samples at intermediate redshifts (z<1). We compare the result of this optical AGN selection with X-ray selection using a sample of 3150 galaxies with 0.3<z<0.8 and I_AB<22, selected from the DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey and the All-wavelength Extended Groth Strip International Survey (AEGIS). Among the 146 X-ray sources in this sample, 58% are classified optically as emission-line AGNs, the rest as star-forming galaxies or absorption-dominated galaxies. The latter are also known as "X-ray bright, optically normal galaxies" (XBONGs). Analysis of the relationship between optical emission lines and X-ray properties shows that the completeness of optical AGN selection suffers from dependence on the star formation rate and the quality of observed spectra. It also shows that XBONGs do not appear to be a physically distinct population from other X-ray detected, emission-line AGNs. On the other hand, X-ray AGN selection also has strong bias. About 2/3 of all emission-line AGNs at L_bol>10^44 erg/s in our sample are not detected in our 200 ks Chandra images, most likely due to moderate or heavy absorption by gas near the AGN. The 2--7 keV detection rate of Seyfert 2s at z~0.6 suggests that their column density distribution and Compton-thick fraction are similar to that of local Seyferts. Multiple sample selection techniques are needed to obtain as complete a sample as possible.Comment: 24 pages, 14 figures, submitted to ApJ. Version 2 matches the ApJ accepted version. Sec 3 was reorganized and partly rewritten with one additional figure (Fig.3

2001 AAPP Monograph Series

The African American Professors Program (AAPP) at the University of South Carolina is pleased to produce this premier edition of its annual monograph series. It is fitting that the program assume a leadership role in promoting scholarly products that will prove to be useful in future research efforts by faculty and students in higher education. Scholars who have contributed manuscripts for this monograph are to be commended for adding this additional responsibility to their academic workload. Writing across disciplines adds to the intellectual diversity of these papers. From neophytes, relatively speaking, to an array of very experienced individuals, the chapters have been researched and, comprehensively, written. AAPP was created in 1997 under the leadership of Drs. Aretha B. Pigford and Leonard 0. Pellicer, Department of Educational Leadership and Policies. It was designed to address the underrepresentation of African American professors on college and university campuses. Its mission is to expand the pool of these professors in critical academic and research areas. Sponsored by the University of South Carolina, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and the South Carolina General Assembly, the program recruits students with bachelor\u27s, master\u27s, and doctoral degrees for disciplines in which African Americans, currently, are underrepresented. An important component of the program is the mentoring experience that is provided. Each student is assigned to a mentor professor who guides the student through a selected academic program and provides various learning experiences. When possible, the mentor serves as chair of the student\u27s doctoral committee. The mentor, also, provides opportunities for the student to team teach, conduct research, and co-author publications. Students have opportunities to attend committee, faculty, and professional meetings, as well as engage in a range of activities that characterize professional life in academia. Scholars enrolled in the program, also, are involved in programmatic and institutional workshops, independent research, and program development. The establishment or genesis of this monograph series is seen as responding to an opportunity to be sensitive to an academic expectation of graduates as they pursue career placement and, also, one that allows for the dissemination of AAPP products to a broader community. We hope that you, likewise, will read this premier monograph of the African American Professors Program with enthusiasm or enlightenment. John McFadden, Ph.D. The Benjamin Elijah Mays Professor Director, African American Professors Program University of South Carolinahttps://scholarcommons.sc.edu/mcfadden_monographs/1005/thumbnail.jp

Impact of antipsychotic treatment on nonfasting triglycerides in the CATIE Schizophrenia Trial phase 1

Recent literature documents a stronger association between nonfasting triglycerides (TG) and cardiovascular risk compared to fasting TG. Given concerns over antipsychotic effects on serum TG, this analysis explored changes in nonfasting TG in phase 1 of the CATIE Schizophrenia Trial

Antipsychotic effects on estimated 10-year coronary heart disease risk in the CATIE schizophrenia study

Persons with schizophrenia die earlier than the general population, in large part due to cardiovascular disease. The study objective was to examine effects of different antipsychotic treatments on estimates of 10 year coronary heart disease (CHD) risk calculated by the Framingham Heart Study formula