Impacts of Casino Gambling Availability in Plainville, Massachusetts: A Repeated Cross-sectional Analysis

The impacts of the introduction of casino gambling in Plainville, MA and surrounding communities are of interest in developing informed policy. Problem gambling is a public health issue as associated harms include physical and mental illness, impaired relationships with one’s close social network, impacts on school or work, financial difficulties and illegal behavior. The results of surveys prior to and after the introduction of the casino were used to evaluate potential differences in the prevalence of at-risk and problem gambling, associations amongst health and gambling behavior covariates with at-risk and problem gambling status by year, and changes of covariate relationships with at-risk and problem gambling between years (2014 Total n = 1,090; 2016 Total n = 999; Total N = 2,089). No change in prevalence of at-risk and problem gambling was observed. A borderline significant higher rate in casino gambling between survey years was observed for at-risk and problem gamblers. Future research should aim to explore the influence of gambling availability on vulnerable subgroups of the population to create fully informed policy

There Are No Nonresponders to Resistance-Type Exercise Training in Older Men and Women

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordOBJECTIVE: To assess the proposed prevalence of unresponsiveness of older men and women to augment lean body mass, muscle fiber size, muscle strength, and/or physical function following prolonged resistance-type exercise training. DESIGN/SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: A retrospective analysis of the adaptive response to 12 (n = 110) and 24 (n = 85) weeks of supervised resistance-type exercise training in older (>65 years) men and women. MEASUREMENTS: Lean body mass (DXA), type I and type II muscle fiber size (biopsy), leg strength (1-RM on leg press and leg extension), and physical function (chair-rise time) were assessed at baseline, and after 12 and 24 weeks of resistance-type exercise training. RESULTS: Lean body mass increased by 0.9 ± 0.1 kg (range: -3.3 to +5.4 kg; P < .001) from 0 to 12 weeks of training. From 0 to 24 weeks, lean body mass increased by 1.1 ± 0.2 kg (range: -1.8 to +9.2 kg; P < .001). Type I and II muscle fiber size increased by 324 ± 137 μm(2) (range: -4458 to +3386 μm(2); P = .021), and 701 ± 137 μm(2) (range: -4041 to +3904 μm(2); P < .001) from 0 to 12 weeks. From 0 to 24 weeks, type I and II muscle fiber size increased by 360 ± 157 μm(2) (range: -3531 to +3426 μm(2); P = .026) and 779 ± 161 μm(2) (range: -2728 to +3815 μm(2); P < .001). The 1-RM strength on the leg press and leg extension increased by 33 ± 2 kg (range: -36 to +87 kg; P < .001) and 20 ± 1 kg (range: -22 to +56 kg; P < .001) from 0 to 12 weeks. From 0 to 24 weeks, leg press and leg extension 1-RM increased by 50 ± 3 kg (range: -28 to +145 kg; P < .001) and 29 ± 2 kg (range: -19 to +60 kg; P < .001). Chair-rise time decreased by 1.3 ± 0.4 seconds (range: +21.6 to -12.5 seconds; P = .003) from 0 to 12 weeks. From 0 to 24 weeks, chair-rise time decreased by 2.3 ± 0.4 seconds (range: +10.5 to -23.0 seconds; P < .001). Nonresponsiveness was not apparent in any subject, as a positive adaptive response on at least one training outcome was apparent in every subject. CONCLUSIONS: A large heterogeneity was apparent in the adaptive response to prolonged resistance-type exercise training when changes in lean body mass, muscle fiber size, strength, and physical function were assessed in older men and women. The level of responsiveness was strongly affected by the duration of the exercise intervention, with more positive responses following more prolonged exercise training. We conclude that there are no nonresponders to the benefits of resistance-type exercise training on lean body mass, fiber size, strength, or function in the older population. Consequently, resistance-type exercise should be promoted without restriction to support healthy aging in the older population.This work was funded by TI Food and Nutrition, a public-private partnership on precompetitive research in food and nutrition

Conservation physiology can inform threat assessment and recovery planning processes for threatened species

Conservation physiology has emerged as a discipline with many success stories. Yet, it is unclear how it is currently integrated into the activities of the IUCN and other bodies which undertake international, national, or regional species threat assessments and work with partners to develop recovery plans. Here we argue that conservation physiology has much to offer for the threat assessment process and we outline the ways in which this can be operationalized. For instance, conservation physiology is effective in revealing causal relationships and mechanisms that explain observed patterns, such as population declines. Identifying the causes of population declines is a necessary precursor to the design of actions to reverse or mitigate such threats. Conservation physiology can also identify complex interactions and support modeling activities that consider emerging threats. When a population or species is deemed threatened and recovery plans are needed, physiology can be used to predict how organisms will respond to the conservation intervention and future threats. For example, if a recovery plan was focused on translocation, understanding how to safely translocate organisms would be necessary, as would ensuring that the recipient habitat provides the necessary environmental characteristics to meet the fundamental physiological needs/tolerances of that organism. Our hope is that this paper will clarify ways in which physiological data can make an important contribution to the conservation activities of bodies like the IUCN that are engaged in threat assess

Three-dimensional ultrasound for knee osteophyte depiction: a comparative study to computed tomography

Purpose Osteophytes are common radiographic markers of osteoarthritis. However, they are not accurately depicted using conventional imaging, thus hampering surgical interventions that rely on pre-operative images. Studies have shown that ultrasound (US) is promising at detecting osteophytes and monitoring the progression of osteoarthritis. Furthermore, three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound reconstructions may offer a means to quantify osteophytes. The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of osteophyte depiction in the knee joint between 3D US and conventional computed tomography (CT). Methods Eleven human cadaveric knees were pre-screened for the presence of osteophytes. Three osteoarthritic knees were selected, and then, 3D US and CT images were obtained, segmented, and digitally reconstructed in 3D. After dissection, high-resolution structured light scanner (SLS) images of the joint surfaces were obtained. Surface matching and root mean square (RMS) error analyses of surface distances were performed to assess the accuracy of each modality in capturing osteophytes. The RMS errors were compared between 3D US, CT and SLS models. Results Average RMS error comparisons for 3D US versus SLS and CT versus SLS models were 0.87 mm ± 0.33 mm (average ± standard deviation) and 0.95 mm ± 0.32 mm, respectively. No statistical difference was found between 3D US and CT. Comparative observations of imaging modalities suggested that 3D US better depicted osteophytes with cartilage and fibrocartilage tissue characteristics compared to CT. Conclusion Using 3D US can improve the depiction of osteophytes with a cartilaginous portion compared to CT. It can also provide useful information about the presence and extent of osteophytes. Whilst algorithm improvements for automatic segmentation and registration of US are needed to provide a more robust investigation of osteophyte depiction accuracy, this investigation puts forward the potential application for 3D US in routine diagnostic evaluations and pre-operative planning of osteoarthritis

Електродинамічні характеристики розподілено-зв'язаних діелектричних хвилеводів з екраном змінної провідності

Широке розповсюдження та використання, як окремих приладів так і елементної бази електроніки НВЧ, отримали хвилеводні системи із розподіленим зв‘язком. Найбільш відомими серед них є спрямовані відгалужувачі, хвилеводно-пучкові перетворювачі, елементи сумарнорізнецевих перетворювачів сигналів, пристрої на базі планарних лінз Люненберга. Тому питання оптимізації вже відомих та пошук нових способів керування міжхвилеводним розподіленим зв‘язком в таких системах є актуальними