Relations of Changes in Self-Efficacy, Exercise Attendance, Mood, and Perceived and Actual Physical Changes in Obese Women: Assessing Treatment Effects Using Tenets of Self- Efficacy Theory

Obese and sedentary women ( N = 76) initiated an exercise and nutrition program based on self-efficacy theory. Significant within-group improvements in body fat, waist size, and body mass index were found over 6 months. Changes in Physical Self-Concept (task self-efficacy) and Exercise Self-Efficacy (self-regulatory efficacy) scores, together, accounted for a significant portion of the variance in exercise session attendance, R2 = .24, F = 11.67, p \u3c .001, with both significantly contributing to the overall explained variance. Exercise attendance was significantly related to changes in Body Areas Satisfaction (β = .39) and Total Mood Disturbance (β = -.27) scores. Findings suggested a path from increased self-efficacy, to exercise attendance, to improvements in body satisfaction and overall mood. Suggestions for replication and extensions were given

Space environment durability of beta cloth in LDEF thermal blankets

Beta cloth performance for use on long-term space vehicles such as Space Station Freedom (S.S. Freedom) requires resistance to the degrading effects of the space environment. The major issues are retention of thermal insulating properties through maintaining optical properties, preserving mechanical integrity, and generating minimal particulates for contamination-sensitive spacecraft surfaces and payloads. The longest in-flight test of beta cloth's durability was on the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF), where it was exposed to the space environment for 68 months. The LDEF contained 57 experiments which further defined the space environment and its effects on spacecraft materials. It was deployed into low-Earth orbit (LEO) in Apr. 1984 and retrieved Jan. 1990 by the space shuttle. Among the 10,000 plus material constituents and samples onboard were thermal control blankets of multilayer insulation with a beta cloth outer cover and Velcro attachments. These blankets were exposed to hard vacuum, thermal cycling, charged particles, meteoroid/debris impacts, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and atomic oxygen (AO). Of these space environmental exposure elements, AO appears to have had the greatest effect on the beta cloth. The beta cloth analyzed in this report came from the MSFC Experiment S1005 (Transverse Flat-Plate Heat Pipe) tray oriented approximately 22 deg from the leading edge vector of the LDEF satellite. The location of the tray on LDEF and the placement of the beta cloth thermal blankets are shown. The specific space environment exposure conditions for this material are listed

Fluorescence observations of LDEF exposed materials as an indicator of induced material reactions

Observations and measurements of induced changes in the fluorescent emission of materials exposed to the space environment on the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) have revealed systematic patterns of material-dependent behavior. These results have been supplemented by inspection of similar materials exposed on previous Space Shuttle Missions and in laboratory testing. The space environmental factors affecting the fluorescence of exposed materials have been found to include (but are not necessarily limited to) solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation, atomic oxygen (AO), thermal vacuum exposure, and synergistic combinations of these factors. Observed changes in material fluorescent behavior include stimulation, quenching, and spectral band shifts of emission. For example, the intrinsic yellow fluorescence of zinc oxide pigmented thermal control coatings undergoes quenching as a result of exposure, while coloration is stimulated in the fluorescent emission of several polyurethane coating materials. The changes in fluorescent behavior of these materials are shown to be a revealing indicator of induced material reactions as a result of space environmental exposure

Durability of reflector materials in the space environment

Various reflector configurations were flown as part of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) A0171 experiment. These reflectors consisted of nickel substrates with aluminum, enhanced aluminum (multiple layers of aluminum and silver), silver, and silver alloy coatings with glassy ceramic overcoatings. These samples have been evaluated for changes in reflectance due to 5.8 years in the space environment. The reflector materials have also been evaluated using angstrometer, Rutherford backscattering (RBS), and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) techniques

Orbital atomic oxygen effects on materials: An overview of MSFC experiments on the STS-46 EOIM-3

The third Evaluation of Oxygen Interaction with Materials experiment was flown on Space Shuttle Mission STS-46 (July 31 - August 8, 1992), representing a joint effort of several NASA centers, universities, and contractors. This array of active instrumentation and material exposure sub-assemblies was integrated as a Shuttle cargo bay pallet experiment for investigating the effects of orbital atomic oxygen on candidate space materials. Marshall Space Flight Center contributed several passive exposure trays of material specimens, uniform stress and static stress material exposure fixtures, the Atomic Oxygen Resistance Monitor (AORM), and specimens of thermal coatings for the EOIM-3 variable exposure mechanisms. As a result of 42 hours of spacecraft velocity vector-oriented exposure during the later phases of the STS-46 mission in LEO, EOIM-3 materials were exposed to an atomic oxygen fluence of 2.2 x 10(exp 20) atoms/sq cm. In this paper, an overview is presented of the technical approaches and results from analyses of the MSFC flight specimens, fixtures, and the AORM. More detailed results from earlier EOIM missions, the LDEF, and from laboratory testing are included in associated papers of this conference session

Correction:A two-arm parallel double-blind randomised controlled pilot trial of the efficacy of Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids for the treatment of women with endometriosis-associated pain (PurFECT1)

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227695.]

Early (Days 1–4) post-treatment serum hCG level changes predict single-dose methotrexate treatment success in tubal ectopic pregnancy

Acknowledgements S.C.M. was supported by the South-East Scotland Academic Foundation Programme. Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre grants to the Centre for Reproductive Health (CRH) (G1002033 and MR/N022556/1) are also gratefully acknowledged. Funding This project was supported by funding from the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation programme, a Medical Research Council and National Institute for Health Research partnership (grant reference number 14/150/03).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Satellite content and quenching of star formation in galaxy groups at z ~ 1.8

We study the properties of satellites in the environment of massive star-forming galaxies at z ~ 1.8 in the COSMOS field, using a sample of 215 galaxies on the main sequence of star formation with an average mass of ~1011M⊙. At z> 1.5, these galaxies typically trace halos of mass ≳1013M⊙. We use optical-near-infrared photometry to estimate stellar masses and star formation rates (SFR) of centrals and satellites down to ~ 6 × 109M⊙. We stack data around 215 central galaxies to statistically detect their satellite halos, finding an average of ~3 galaxies in excess of the background density. We fit the radial profiles of satellites with simple β-models, and compare their integrated properties to model predictions. We find that the total stellar mass of satellites amounts to ~68% of the central galaxy, while spectral energy distribution modeling and far-infrared photometry consistently show their total SFR to be 25-35% of the central's rate. We also see significant variation in the specific SFR of satellites within the halo with, in particular, a sharp decrease at <100 kpc. After considering different potential explanations, we conclude that this is likely an environmental signature of the hot inner halo. This effect can be explained in the first order by a simple free-fall scenario, suggesting that these low-mass environments can shut down star formation in satellites on relatively short timescales of ~0.3 Gyr

Validity of a self-reported measure of familial history of obesity

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Familial history information could be useful in clinical practice. However, little is known about the accuracy of self-reported familial history, particularly self-reported familial history of obesity (FHO).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two cross-sectional studies were conducted. The aims of study 1 was to compare self-reported and objectively measured weight and height whereas the aims of study 2 were to examine the relationship between the weight and height estimations reported by the study participants and the values provided by their family members as well as the validity of a self-reported measure of FHO. Study 1 was conducted between 2004 and 2006 among 617 subjects and study 2 was conducted in 2006 among 78 participants.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In both studies, weight and height reported by the participants were significantly correlated with their measured values (study 1: r = 0.98 and 0.98; study 2: r = 0.99 and 0.97 respectively; p < 0.0001). Estimates of weight and height for family members provided by the study participants were strongly correlated with values reported by each family member (r = 0.96 and 0.95, respectively; p < 0.0001). Substantial agreement between the FHO reported by the participants and the one obtained by calculating the BMI of each family members was observed (kappa = 0.72; p < 0.0001). Sensitivity (90.5%), specificity (82.6%), positive (82.6%) and negative (90.5%) predictive values of FHO were very good.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A self-reported measure of FHO is valid, suggesting that individuals are able to detect the presence or the absence of obesity in their first-degree family members.</p