Dynamical Hierarchies

<Guest Editor's Introduction&gt

Defining the gap between research and practice in public relations programme evaluation - towards a new research agenda

The current situation in public relations programme evaluation is neatly summarized by McCoy who commented that 'probably the most common buzzwords in public relations in the last ten years have been evaluation and accountability' (McCoy 2005, 3). This paper examines the academic and practitioner-based literature and research on programme evaluation and it detects different priorities and approaches that may partly explain why the debate on acceptable and agreed evaluation methods continues. It analyses those differences and proposes a research agenda to bridge the gap and move the debate forward

Active commuting to school and association with physical activity and adiposity among US youth

Background: Walking or bicycling to school (ie, active commuting) has shown promise for improving physical activity and preventing obesity in youth. Our objectives were to examine, among US youth, whether active commuting was inversely associated with adiposity and positively associated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). We also examined whether MVPA mediated the relationships between active commuting and adiposity. Methods: Using data of participants aged 12 to 19 years from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003 to 2004 (n = 789 unweighted), we constructed multiple linear regression models that controlled for dietary energy intake and sociodemographics. The main exposure variable was active commuting. The outcomes were BMI z-score, waist circumference, skinfolds and objectively measured MVPA. The product-of-coefficients method was used to test for mediation. Results: Active commuting was inversely associated with BMI z-score (β = –0.07, P = .046) and skinfolds (β = –0.06, P = .029), and positively associated with overall daily (β = 0.12, P = .024) and before- and after-school (β = 0.20, P < .001) MVPA. Greater before- and after-school MVPA explained part of the relationship between active commuting and waist circumference (Sobel z = –1.98, P = .048). Conclusions: Active commuting was associated with greater MVPA and lower measures of adiposity among US youth. Before- and after-school MVPA mediated the relationships between active commuting and waist circumference

Initiating e-learning by stealth, participation and consultation in a late majority institution

The extent to which opportunities afforded by e-learning are embraced by an institution can depend in large measure on whether it is perceived as enabling and transformative or as a major and disruptive distraction. Most case studies focus on the former. This paper describes how e-learning was introduced into the latter environment. The sensitivity of competing pressures in a research intensive university substantially influenced the manner in which e-learning was promoted. This paper tells that story, from initial stealth to eventual university acknowledgement of the relevance of e-learning specifically to its own context

Exact steady-state velocity of ratchets driven by random sequential adsorption

We solve the problem of discrete translocation of a polymer through a pore, driven by the irreversible, random sequential adsorption of particles on one side of the pore. Although the kinetics of the wall motion and the deposition are coupled, we find the exact steady-state distribution for the gap between the wall and the nearest deposited particle. This result enables us to construct the mean translocation velocity demonstrating that translocation is faster when the adsorbing particles are smaller. Monte-Carlo simulations also show that smaller particles gives less dispersion in the ratcheted motion. We also define and compare the relative efficiencies of ratcheting by deposition of particles with different sizes and we describe an associated "zone-refinement" process.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures New asymptotic result for low chaperone density added. Exact translocation velocity is proportional to (chaperone density)^(1/3

Ethnic Minority Children’s Active Commuting to School and Association with Physical Activity and Pedestrian Safety Behaviors

Background: Children\u27s active commuting to school, i.e. walking or cycling to school, was associated with greater moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, although studies among ethnic minorities are sparse. Objectives: Among a low-income, ethnic minority sample of fourth grade students from eight public schools, we examined (1) correlates of active commuting to school and (2) the relationship between active commuting to school and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of baseline measurements from a sample of participants (n=149) aged 9-12 years from a walk to school intervention study in Houston, Texas. The primary outcome was the weekly rate of active commuting to school. Daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, measured by accelerometers, was a secondary outcome. Child self-efficacy (alpha=0.75), parent self-efficacy (alpha=0.88), and parent outcome expectations (alpha=0.78) were independent variables. Participant characteristics (age, gender, race/ethnicity, distance from home to school, acculturation, and BMI percentile) were independent sociodemographic variables. We used mixed-model regression analyses to account for clustering by school and a stepwise procedure with backward elimination of non-significant interactions and covariates to identify significant moderators and predictors. School-level observations of student pedestrians were assessed and compared using chi-square tests of independence. Results: Among our sample, which was 61.7% Latino, the overall rate of active commuting to school was 43%. In the mixed model for active commuting to school, parent self-efficacy (std. beta = 0.18, p=0.018) and age (std. beta = 0.18, p=0.018) were positively related. Latino students had lower rates of active commuting to school than non-Latinos ( 16.5%, p=0.040). Distance from home to school was inversely related to active commuting to school (std. beta = 0.29, p\u3c0.001). In the mixed model for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, active commuting to school was positively associated (std. beta = 0.31, p \u3c0.001). Among the Latino subsample, child acculturation was negatively associated with active commuting to school (std. beta = -0.23, p=0.01). With regard to school-level pedestrian safety observations, 37% of students stopped at the curb and 2.6% looked left-right-left before crossing the street. Conclusion: Although still below national goals, the rate of active commuting was relatively high, while the rate of some pedestrian safety behaviors was low among this low-income, ethnic minority population. Programs and policies to encourage safe active commuting to school are warranted and should consider the influence of parents, acculturation, and ethnicity

Diabetes Center of Excellence Hypoglycemia Emergency Preparedness Project

IN BRIEF Quality Improvement Success Stories are published by the American Diabetes Association in collaboration with the American College of Physicians, Inc., and the National Diabetes Education Program. This series is intended to highlight best practices and strategies from programs and clinics that have successfully improved the quality of care for people with diabetes or related conditions. Each article in the series is reviewed and follows a standard format developed by the editors of Clinical Diabetes. The following article describes a successful effort to ensure that patients who are at risk for severe hypoglycemic events have a viable glucagon emergency plan in place

Evaluation of the Group Lifestyle Balance Program in a Military Setting: An Investment Worth Expanding

Introduction: The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) demonstrated that lifestyle intervention programs were effective in preventing or delaying the onset of diabetes. The Group Lifestyle Balance (GLB) program translated the DPP curriculum into a 12-wk group intervention for those at risk for diabetes. This retrospective evaluation examined clinical outcomes for patients in the Diabetes Center of Excellence GLB program located at Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center from 2009 to 2013. Objectives included determining rates of retention, demographic characteristics of program completers, and changes in metabolic surrogates of disease prevalence. Study Design: Adults with prediabetes or metabolic syndrome (MetS) were referred to the GLB program. Updated participant metabolic data were collected at regular intervals during their participation. Results: During the 5-yr study, 704 patients attended the initial class. Overall, 52% of all participants completed the program with the greatest decline in participation occurring by the fourth week (30%). Baseline prevalence of conditions of interest for those who completed the program was prediabetes (93.2%), obesity (56.1%), and MetS (31.5%). GLB completers were older and retired (p \u3c 0.05). A significant number of active duty military members (44.9%, p \u3c 0.01, n = 53) dropped out of the program before the fourth week. Furthermore, those who completed the program saw a 2.0% reduction in prediabetes prevalence (p \u3c 0.001), obesity decreased by 8.7% (p \u3c 0.001), and MetS decreased by 6.8% (p \u3c 0.01). Significant differences were found for central obesity, triglycerides, and fasting blood sugar (p \u3c 0.001). Conclusions: The GLB program is a valuable DPP and was effective at improving clinical outcomes and reducing the incidence of prediabetes, obesity, and MetS for participants who completed the program. Every effort should be made to support and encourage GLB participants to complete the program

Preconception Counseling for Women With Diabetes

Quality Improvement Success Stories are published by the American Diabetes Association in collaboration with the American College of Physicians, Inc., and the National Diabetes Education Program. This series is intended to highlight best practices and strategies from programs and clinics that have successfully improved the quality of care for people with diabetes or related conditions. Each article in the series is reviewed and follows a standard format developed by the editors o

Doppler tomography as a tool for detecting exoplanet atmospheres

High-resolution Doppler spectroscopy is a powerful tool for identifying molecular species in the atmospheres of both transiting and non-transiting exoplanets. Currently, such data is analysed using cross-correlation techniques to detect the Doppler shifting signal from the orbiting planet. In this paper we demonstrate that, compared to cross-correlation methods currently used, the technique of Doppler tomography has improved sensitivity in detecting the subtle signatures expected from exoplanet atmospheres. This is partly due to the use of a regularizing statistic, which acts to suppress noise, coupled to the fact that all the data is fit simultaneously. In addition, we show that the technique can also effectively suppress contanimating spectral features that may arise due to overlapping lines, repeating line patterns, or the use of incorrect linelists. These issues can confuse conventional cross-correlation approaches, primarily due to aliasing issues inherent in such techniques, whereas Doppler tomography is less susceptible to such effects. In particular, Doppler tomography shows exceptional promise for simultaneously detecting multiple line species (e.g. isotopologues), even when there are high contrasts between such species – and far outperforms current CCF analyses in this respect. Finally, we demonstrate that Doppler tomography is capable of recovering molecular signals from exoplanets using real data, by confirming the strong detection of CO in the atmosphere of τ Boo b. We recover a signal with a planetary radial velocity semi-amplitude Kp = 109.6 ± 2.2 km s−1, in excellent agreement with the previously reported value of 110.0 ± 3.2 km s−1