Why I Write

Sometimes when I am asked why I write I say it was because my father was a stationery manufacturer and I always had plenty of paper to write on. However, reading and writing was always something that interested me. As a child I was not an extrovert so that writing was one means of self-expression

Bones of Contention: Bone Mineral Density Recovery in Celiac Disease—A Systematic Review

Metabolic bone disease is a frequent co-morbidity in newly diagnosed adults with celiac disease (CD), an autoimmune disorder triggered by the ingestion of dietary gluten. This systematic review of studies looked at the efficacy of the gluten-free diet, physical activity, nutrient supplementation, and bisphosphonates for low bone density treatment. Case control and cohort designs were identified from PubMed and other academic databases (from 1996 to 2015) that observed newly diagnosed adults with CD for at least one year after diet treatment using the dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan. Only 20 out of 207 studies met the inclusion criteria. Methodological quality was assessed using the Strengthening of the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement checklist. Gluten-free diet adherence resulted in partial recovery of bone density by one year in all studies, and full recovery by the fifth year. No treatment differences were observed between the gluten-free diet alone and diet plus bisphosphonates in one study. For malnourished patients, supplementation with vitamin D and calcium resulted in significant improvement. Evidence for the impact of physical activity on bone density was limited. Therapeutic strategies aimed at modifying lifestyle factors throughout the lifespan should be studied

Social Cognitive Theories and Electronic Health Design: Scoping Review

Background: There are several social cognitive theories (SCTs) and models that support platform design in electronic health (eHealth) promotion trials. The rationale for this scoping review was to determine how social design features (informational aid, expressive support, gaming, and tailored content) are used to promote self-efficacy, engagement, knowledge, and behavior change. Objective: This study aimed to review a broad spectrum of digital health interventions in the literature seeking trials that use SCTs for the design of eHealth applications. Methods: The author conducted a systematic scoping review of 161 Web-based health interventions from published randomized clinical trials using 1 or more tools to address the social cognitive determinants in their website design from January 2006 to April 2016. An iterative approach was used in the selection of studies and data extraction. The studies were analyzed for quality and coded for type of social design features employed. Results: Expressive interaction tools were found in 48.6% (54/111) of studies categorized as a strong recommendation by the Joanna Briggs Institute criteria. Overall, less than half of the studies addressed participant social support and motivational needs (43.8%). The vast majority of studies (100%) relied on the use of the Web for delivery of informational aid and tailored content for the individual participant (75.9%). Conclusions: This review fills a research gap by linking social theory to Web strategy to improve the impact and sustainability of eHealth interventions. A Digital Health Intervention Model was developed to provide a framework to enhance future Web-based health intervention design and execution

Self-Reported Diet and Health Outcomes of Participants of the CCSVI-Tracking Survey Study

Of the 1575 participants of the CCSVI-Tracking Survey, 475 patients recorded their quality of life and EDSS outcomes for at least 2 months. Self-reported use of complementary and conventional therapies included diet, use of drug therapy, symptoms, quality of life, and mobility. Analysis included comparing outcomes related to different diets within and between groups. Adherence to the MS diet was not associated with a greater quality of life, less disability, a lower Symptom Score, or faster walking speed compared to other diets. Alternately, the participants from the Mediterranean diet region as a whole (µ = 32.65 (SD = 11.37, SEM = 2.37, p = 0.05) had a significantly greater QoL (µ = 60, p = 0.05) and a lower MS symptom score, µ = 32.65 (11.37), p = 0.0029. A decline of symptoms was observed in all diet groups over 3 months with the most dramatic decline observed in participants from the Eastern Mediterranean diet region. The main effect for the within-subjects factor was significant, F(3, 1056) = 55.95, p \u3c 0.001, indicating that there were significant differences between the groups

Availability and use of food resources by two species of Automolus (Aves, Furnariidae)

Foraging specialization is one mechanism that has been hypothesized to promote species coexistence and, thus, higher bird species diversity in tropical forests. Dead-leaves suspended in vegetation above the forest floor constitute a focal substrate that may promote specialization (Rosenberg 1990a, b). In a study locality in Amazonia, Remsen and Parker (1984) reported 16 species of birds closely associated with this system. Therefore, it represents a microcosm of high diversity in tropical forests. As such, one natural question is how this substrate can support so many coexisting species, and at what level does specialization occur? In the present study, I address these questions using two approaches. First, I compare composition and abundance of arthropods (grouped by taxa and trophic group) in dead-leaf clumps from two different habitats (river edge and terrace forests) and from clumps composed of small, medium, or large leaves (Chapter I). Second, I compare diets of Automolus rufipileatus and A. ochrolaemus, two species that specialize on this substrate, that occur in river edge and terrace forests, respectively. Diets of the specialists are compared to that of A. rubioinosus, a non-specialist that occurs in terrace forest (Chapter II). Samples of arthropods from dead-leaf clumps in terrace and river edge forests were collected (n= 12) during the dry season at Pakitza (Manu National Park, Dpt. of Madre de Dios, Peru). I sorted arthropods to OTU (Operational Taxonomic Units) (Vandermeer 1972) and counted and measured individuals for each unit. Each taxon was assigned to one trophic group based on known primary food habits (predators, blood suckers, parasitoids, scavengers, herbivores, fungivores, detritivores, omnivores, and non-feeding). Individuals also were divided into size categories (1 =0.1-4.99 mm; 2=5.0-9.99 mm; 3=\u3e_10.0 mm). Composition of arthropod taxa, trophic groups and size classes available in dead-leaf clumps from river edge and terrace forest did not vary greatly, although more arthropods/m3 were available in river edge forest. I gathered stomach contents (n = 7, A. rufipileatus; n = 24, A. ochrolaemus; n= 10, A. rubioinosus) from birds collected during the dry season in the study area from museum collections (MUSM and FMNH). Arthropod fragments were sorted, mounted and identified to OTU. They also were measured and assigned to two size categories (1 = 0.1 -4.9mm; 2= \u3e5mm). Jacob\u27s Electivity Index (1974) was used to evaluate the use of arthropod taxa by the two specialists relative to what was available from the samples from river edge and terrace forest. In general, the two specialists overlapped more in diet than either did with the non-specialist. Diets of the two specialists were similar in arthropod taxa and size of prey items they contained but they differed from the non-specialist in the number of Orthoptera consumed and size of prey. Anecdotal data on aggressive interactions between the two specialists when they come in contact at the edges of their habitats suggest that segregation might have developed to avoid interactions with each other in exploiting the same substrate, and same prey items. This study, although limited in scope as it summarizes data only from the dry season, contributes to our knowledge of the level at which specialization occurs in the Automolus-dead leaf system. Thus it is helpful in understanding general patterns of how species coexist, addressing the main question of why there are more species in the tropics

A Higher Duty:\u27 The Sectionalization of American Institutions of Higher Education

This thesis is a comparative study of the rise of sectionalism in northern and southern antebellum American institutions of higher education. The West Point Military Academy, which maintained a roughly equal number of southern and northern cadets. presents a case-study of how faculty, staff, and students dealt with sectionalism in a mixed group. Information was gathered from numerous sources including college histories, archival material from the University of Mississippi, and southern military school studies. Several general trends were discovered from this data. 1) Southern academia actively encouraged the development of sectionalism because it provided public funding and enrollment for southern college establishment. 2) Southern educators did not originally intend to encourage secessionist sentiment; however, their conception of southern sectional identity under attack gradually radicalized southern academic and students. 3) Northern students were generally indifferent to southern sectionalism, slavery, and the prospect of war; however, following the Battle of Fort Sumter, they were inspired to enlist. 4) Sectionalism was very present at West Point though it was forced underground by faculty and staff concerned with preserving the nationalizing influence of the military academy on cadets