Search

Cardiometabolic disease (CMD) is increased after spinal cord injury (SCI), with an increased number of CMD risk factors that relate to higher mortality. The study objective was to characterize the relationship of age and injury duration with CMD.Retrospective cohort assessment of CMD risks using unbiased recursive partitioning to divide for group comparison: (1) Lowest Risk, (2) Moderate Risk, and (3) Highest Risk based on classification and regression trees predicting CMD diagnosis by age and injury duration.Academic rehabilitation center laboratory.Adults (NA.CMD risk factors (obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hypertension) using Paralyzed Veterans of America SCI-specific guidelines.Obesity was prevalent (82%) and co-occurred with most other risk factors present. Age increased odds for CMD diagnosis by 1.05 per year (While SCI is linked to an increased risk of CMD, age is associated with higher CMD risk. Increased SCI duration related to improvement in individual CMD risk factors but did not decrease overall risk for CMD diagnosis. SCI may not uniformly increase CMD risks and highlight a necessary focus on weight management for risk prevention.

The goal of health professional education programs is to produce competent graduates, with an ability to work collaboratively as effective healthcare team members. We explored the reflections of students and clinical facilitators, in response to participation in a structured interprofessional education (IPE) clinical placement program. In our qualitative study we used an exploratory case study design. In our analysis, we highlight the benefits of interprofessional practice. Key themes identified by students included: limited opportunities to engage in IPE across their course; lack of clarity around IPE; value of IPE for students, practitioners, and patient outcomes; and need for IPE opportunities to be integrated into placements. Key themes identified by the clinical facilitators included: being reminded of the value of IPE for students and patients; preparation for IPE placements need to be embedded in curricula; coordination and communication of IPE learning activities need to be clear for staff and students; and IPE should continue as part of the broader clinical education agenda. Our findings reinforce the notion that students and clinical facilitators value the importance of IPE for student learning within the clinical placement setting. The outcomes offer valuable insights for universities and hospital and health care contexts for setting up and implementing IPE activities, and we provide recommendations for improving ongoing IPE efforts within clinical placement setting.

Discussion is a crucial component for learning in a college classroom. Increasingly, university and college faculty are using online learning management systems to facilitate and assess course disc...

The recent Covid-19 outbreak has had a tremendous impact on the world, and many countries are struggling to help incoming patients and at the same time, rapidly enact new public health measures such as lock downs. Many of these decisions are guided by the outcomes of so-called Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered (SEIR) models that operate on a national level. Here we introduce the Flu And Coronavirus Simulator (FACS), a simulation tool that models the viral spread at the sub-national level, incorporating geospatial data sources to extract buildings and residential areas in a region. Using FACS, we can model Covid-19 spread at the local level, and provide estimates of the spread of infections and hospital arrivals for different scenarios. We validate the simulation results with the ICU admissions obtained from the local hospitals in the UK. Such validated models can be used to support local decision-making for an effective health care capability response to the epidemic. European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 824115 and 800925 (HiDALGO and VECMA projects).

This paper presents an application of the Lifespan Model of Ethnic-Racial Identity (ERI) Development (see Williams, et al., this volume). Using a tripartite approach, we present the affective, beha...

The current paper presents a lifespan model of ethnic-racial identity (ERI) from infancy into adulthood. We conceptualize that ethnic-racial priming during infancy prompts nascent awareness of ethn...

In the United States (U.S.), adolescent identity development occurs within a socio-historical context characterized by an ethnic-racial hierarchy, as well as an unequal distribution of power and pr...

Research on ethnic-racial identity (ERI) and its development has increased exponentially over the past decade. In this paper we discuss five questions that the Lifespan ERI Study Group grappled wit...

INTRODUCTION:The potentials of Africa for growth and economic transformation through science remains challenging because of existing gaps in knowledge and infrastructure. The Africa Pharmacological Science Gateway project and the Medicines Utilization Research in Africa Group seeks to meet the research needs of African pharmacologists. This study aimed at identifying priority needs that might be met by access to information and tools through e-infrastructure. METHODS:A web-based cross-sectional study among 472 members of pharmacological societies in Africa to obtain information on their research interests and skills, available resources, needs and knowledge gaps. Descriptive analyses were done. RESULTS:A total of 118 responses from 13 countries were received, mostly from Nigeria (48.3%) and South Africa (21.3%). Respondents had wide ranges of research interests predominantly in drug utilization research.The desired resources included drug utilization research training and tools, pharmacokinetics and pharmacometrics modelling training and tools, drug-drug interaction and medicine prices resources, statistical analysis resources, access to journals, training in specific laboratory techniques, equipment and funding for research-related activities. CONCLUSIONS:Key areas of needs not currently provided by the African Pharmacological Science Gateway e-infrastructure were identified to guide further provision of resources on the e-infrastructure and potentially enhance research capacity within the continent.

Despite growing awareness of the negative effects of ethnic-racial discrimination, we know little about the frequency of these experiences among Latina/o youth. Utilizing three independent studies, we examined estimates of general discrimination and police discrimination among Latino/a youth living in the U.S. Southwest (total N = 1,066; ages 12 to 21 years old). Ethnic-racial discrimination experiences differed by adolescent gender; for girls, 47% reported discrimination at age 12; highest estimates were at age 17 (70%) and 18 years old (68%). Boys reported greater general discrimination than girls during early and late adolescence; the highest estimates were observed at ages 19, 20, and 21 years (94%, 86%, and 87% respectively). Gender differences also emerged with police discrimination; boys reported being hassled by a police officer more often than girls at every age. Findings suggest that most Latino/a adolescents experience discrimination, and Latino/a boys are particularly vulnerable.

An awareness of sex differences in gait can be beneficial for detecting the early stages of gait abnormalities that may lead to pathology. The same may be true for wheelchair propulsion. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of sex on wheelchair biomechanics and mechanical efficiency in novice young able-bodied wheelchair propulsion. Thirty men and 30 women received 12 min of familiarisation training. Subsequently, they performed two 10-m propulsion tests to evaluate comfortable speed (CS). Additionally, they performed a 4-min submaximal propulsion test on a treadmill at CS, 125% and 145% of CS. Propulsion kinetics (via Smartwheel) and oxygen uptake were continuously measured in all tests and were used to determine gross mechanical efficiency (GE), net efficiency (NE) and fraction of effective force (FEF). Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were assessed directly after each trial. Results indicated that CS for men was faster (0.98 ± 0.24 m/s) compared to women (0.71 ± 0.18 m/s). A lower GE was found in women compared to men. Push percentage, push angle and local RPE were different across the three speeds and between men and women. NE and FEF were not different between groups. Thus, even though their CS was lower, women demonstrated a higher locally perceived exertion than men. The results suggest sex differences in propulsion characteristics and GE. These insights may aid in optimising wheelchair propulsion through proper training and advice to prevent injuries and improve performance. This is relevant in stimulating an active lifestyle for those with a disability.

Amy L. Atchison and Shauna L. Shames pose two questions to open their book, Survive and Resist: The Definitive Guide to Dystopian Politics: (1) how can political science inform viewers and readers ...

Z-beamlet experiments conducted at the PECOS test facility at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) investigated the nonlinear processes in laser plasma interaction (or laser-plasma instabilities) that complicate the deposition of laser energy by enhanced absorption, backscatter, filamentation, and beam-spray that can occur in large-scale laser-heated gas cell targets. These targets and experiments were designed to provide better insight into the physics of the laser preheat stage of the Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion scheme being tested on the SNL Z-machine. The experiments aim to understand the trade-offs between laser spot size, laser pulse shape, laser entrance hole window thickness, and fuel density for laser preheat. Gas cell target design evolution and fabrication adaptations to accommodate the evolving experiment and scientific requirements are described in this paper.

A class of dynamic material property (DMP) experiments on the Sandia National Laboratories pulse power Z-Machine requires planar samples to be held in a panel assembly. A custom press device to fabricate the assemblies has the ability to assemble one sample, window, or stack at a time, resulting in a 1-week lead time for a typical three-pocket panel assembly. Fabrication of targets with more than three pockets can take longer. In late 2015, General Atomics conceptualized a new multi-press device to enable several samples, windows, or stacks to be assembled simultaneously, and a prototype was designed, procured, and outfitted in 6 months. Since June 2016, this multi-press design has successfully assembled 60 planar DMP targets. The development considerations for this new device and the resulting benefits for the fabrication of targets are discussed.

A measurement instrument utilizing dual, chromatic, confocal, distance sensors has been jointly developed by General Atomics and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) for thickness and flatness measur...

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Simulation on 19/12/2017, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1057/s41273-016-0039-4 Distributed simulation represents a solid discipline and an effective approach for handling the increasing complexity in the analysis and design of modern Systems and Systems of Systems (SoSs). The IEEE 1516-2010 – High-Level Architecture (HLA) is one of the most mature and popular standards for distributed simulation, and it is increasingly exploited in a great variety of application domains, ranging from aerospace to energy, due to its capabilities to enable the interoperability and reusability of distributed simulation components. However, the development of fully fledged simulation models, based on the IEEE 1516-2010 standard, is still a challenging task and requires considerable development effort that often results not only in an increase in development time but also in low reliability. In this context, the paper presents the HLA Development Kit framework, a general-purpose, domain-independent software framework that aims to ease the development of HLA-based simulations by letting the developers to focus on the specific aspects of their simulation rather than dealing with the common HLA functionalities. Moreover, the so obtained simulation code is independent of any specific HLA platform, thus enabling its deployment and execution on any desired implementation of the HLA standard provided it is written in Java. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is shown in the context of the Simulation Exploration Experience (SEE), a project organized by the Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization (SISO) and led by NASA that involves several U.S. and European Institutions.

The United Nations O ce on Drugs and Crime and the US Government make extensive use of remote sensing to quantify and monitor trends in Afghanistans illicit opium production. Cultivation gures from their independent annual surveys can vary because of systematic di erences in survey methodologies relating to spectral strati cation and the addition of a pixel bu er to the agricultural area. We investigated the e ect of strati cation and bu ering on area estimates of opium poppy using SPOT5 imagery covering the main opium cultivation area of Helmand province and sample data of poppy elds interpreted from very high resolution satellite imagery. The e ect of resolution was investigated by resampling the original 10 m pixels to 20, 30 and 60 m, representing the range of available imagery. The number of strata (1, 4, 8, 13, 23, 40) and sample fraction (0.2 to 2%) used in the estimate were also investigated. Strati cation reduced the con dence interval by improving the precision of estimates. Cultivation estimates of poppy using 40 spectral strata and a sample fraction of 1.1% had a similar precision to direct expansion estimates using a 2% sample fraction. Strati ed estimates were more robust to changes in sample size and distribution. The mapping of the agricultural area had a signi cant e ect on poppy cultivation estimates in Afghanistan, where the area of total agricultural production can vary signi cantly between years. The ndings of this research explain di erences in cultivation gures of the opium monitoring programmes in Afghanistan and recommendations can be applied to improve resource monitoring in other geographic areas.

Austen’s letters, maligned by E. M. Forster, a self-confessed ‘Jane Austenite’, as ‘catalogues of trivialities which do not come alive’, have in many ways brought to life the consumer world of the late eighteenth century. However, we cannot pass over Austen’s letters as simple historical records of how and where the author participated in a burgeoning consumer culture. Rather, we must consider them alongside her fiction as literary artefacts actively engaging with the rising fashion system. In her letters and early fiction Austen cultivates a style that is precariously positioned between satire and earnestness in her depiction of consumer experience, celebrating ambivalence and paradox. This article reads Austen’s playful linguistic representations of the trifles of fashionable consumption alongside the flourishing market of fashion-related literature, in particular the nascent fashion magazine. In doing so, it reveals the diverse ways in which these magazines, like Austen’s letters and fiction, b...

The image-interpretation of opium poppy crops from very high resolution satellite imagery forms part of the annual Afghanistan opium surveys conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the United States Government. We tested the effect of generalization of field delineations on the final estimates of poppy cultivation using survey data from Helmand province in 2009 and an area frame sampling approach. The sample data was reinterpreted from pan-sharpened IKONOS scenes using two increasing levels of generalization consistent with observed practice. Samples were also generated from manual labelling of image segmentation and from a digital object classification. Generalization was found to bias the cultivation estimate between 6.6% and 13.9%, which is greater than the sample error for the highest level. Object classification of image-segmented samples increased the cultivation estimate by 30.2% because of systematic labelling error. Manual labelling of image-segmented samples gave a similar estimate to the original interpretation. The research demonstrates that small changes in poppy interpretation can result in systematic differences in final estimates that are not included within confidence intervals. Segmented parcels were similar to manually digitized fields and could provide increased consistency in field delineation at a reduced cost. The results are significant for Afghanistan’s opium monitoring programmes and other surveys where sample data are collected by remote sensing.

Myogenesis is a crucial process governing skeletal muscle development and homeostasis. Differentiation of primitive myoblasts into mature myotubes requires a metabolic switch to support the increased energetic demand of contractile muscle. Skeletal myoblasts specifically shift from a highly glycolytic state to relying predominantly on oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) upon differentiation. We have found that this phenomenon requires dramatic remodeling of the mitochondrial network involving both mitochondrial clearance and biogenesis. During early myogenic differentiation, autophagy is robustly upregulated and this coincides with DNM1L/DRP1 (dynamin 1-like)-mediated fragmentation and subsequent removal of mitochondria via SQSTM1 (sequestosome 1)-mediated mitophagy. Mitochondria are then repopulated via PPARGC1A/PGC-1α (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, coactivator 1 alpha)-mediated biogenesis. Mitochondrial fusion protein OPA1 (optic atrophy 1 [autosomal dominant]) is then briskly upregulated, resulting in the reformation of mitochondrial networks. The final product is a myotube replete with new mitochondria. Respirometry reveals that the constituents of these newly established mitochondrial networks are better primed for OXPHOS and are more tightly coupled than those in myoblasts. Additionally, we have found that suppressing autophagy with various inhibitors during differentiation interferes with myogenic differentiation. Together these data highlight the integral role of autophagy and mitophagy in myogenic differentiation.

Complex and precise research targets are required for the inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments conducted at the National Ignition Facility. During the National Ignition Campaign (NIC) the ...

Objectives: Osteonecrosis of the hip joint (ONHJ) is a known sequella of dysbaric events in professional divers. Its occurrence in sport divers has been rarely reported in the literature. Such a circumstance may represent a diagnostic challenge to clinicians as a potential dysbaric event may be long forgotten, and ONHJ is not typically associated with sports divers.Methods: This case study identifies the occurrence of osteonecrosis of the hip in a recreational diver, which may be related to a dysbaric event several years prior to the onset of hip joint pain and loss of function.Discussion: Advances in recreational diving gear (technical diving) have allowed for greater depths and dive duration. However, these technological developments may have outpaced awareness of the significantly increased risks of permanent illness. A review of the literature also indicates that there may be inaccuracies in some decompression tables which could unknowingly predispose dysbaric events. As ONHJ carries a high rate of mo...

Using a unique panel data set from rural Mexico, we find strong evidence of a negative relationship between farm size and both productivity and technical efficiency: large farms not only have a lower value of output per hectare than small farms, they also produce further from the efficiency frontier. Our findings suggest that, in spite of the ongoing transformation of agricultural supply chains and economists’ recommendations for small farmers to exit crop production, there may be sustained advantages for smallholder farms. Our analysis offers new insights into inverse-farm size relationship, the productivity–efficiency relationship, and the use of stochastic frontier techniques.

Theory and research have long indicated that ethnic-racial identity is a complex and multifaceted construct. However, there is a paucity of brief, easily administered measures that adequately capture this multidimensionality. Two studies were conducted to develop an abbreviated version of the Ethnic Identity Scale (EIS) and to explore its psychometric properties in the United States. In Study 1, the use of item-reduction techniques with a sample of adolescent Latinos (n = 323) resulted in a 9-item brief version of the EIS (EIS-B), including subscales of Exploration, Resolution, and Affirmation; furthermore, longitudinal analyses provided initial support for the construct validity of the subscales. In Study 2, the factor structure of the EIS-B was examined among an ethnically diverse sample of college students (n = 9,492), and findings provided support for strong measurement invariance across ethnic groups for the EIS-B. Together, findings from both studies provided preliminary evidence for the validity an...

It is suggested that gonad color in sea urchins depends upon the in vivo accumulation and metabolism of red and yellow carotenoid pigments. We hypothesized that differential light exposure could affect carotenoid deposition and, hence, gonad color in sea urchins. We therefore performed two experiments to determine whether light spectra affect the gonad color of Lytechinus variegatus. In the first experiment, urchins were fed a formulated feed supplemented with or without β-carotene and held beneath three lighting regimes designed to emit differing wavelengths of the visible spectrum. After 12 weeks, urchins were dissected and gonad color (CIE L*a*b*) was measured with a Pantone Capsure RM200. Actinic light significantly increased the value of a* (red) in gonad color. Color in the orange and yellow spectra in the gonads increased in individuals fed the β-carotene supplemented diet. In the second experiment, we cultured urchins for nine weeks under lamps specialized to emit UV radiation. All urchins in this...

We investigated and developed a prototype crop information system integrating 250 m Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data with other available remotely sensed imagery, field data, and knowledge as part of a wider project monitoring opium and cereal crops. NDVI profiles exhibited large geographical variations in timing, height, shape, and number of peaks, with characteristics determined by underlying crop mixes, growth cycles, and agricultural practices. MODIS pixels were typically bigger than the field sizes, but profiles were indicators of crop phenology as the growth stages of the main first-cycle crops (opium poppy and cereals) were in phase. Profiles were used to investigate crop rotations, areas of newly exploited agriculture, localized variation in land management, and environmental factors such as water availability and disease. Near-real-time tracking of the current years’ profile provided forecasts of crop growth stages, early warning of drought, and mapping of affected areas. Derived data products and bulletins provided timely crop information to the UK Government and other international stakeholders to assist the development of counter-narcotic policy, plan activity, and measure progress. Results show the potential for transferring these techniques to other agricultural systems.

Today in Guatemala, coffee is a dominant feature in the landscape (Figure 1). Dominance in this case doesn't simply refer to export earnings, but also refers to how coffee shapes and has shaped Guatemala's environment, labor history, economy, and political landscape for almost 150 years (Brockett 1990; Lyon 2010). Exposure to coffee's dominance is evident upon arrival in Guatemala. Coffee advertisements and associated images greet tourists at the international airport, and gourmet beans are available for purchase as one leaves the country. Between arrival and departure, one cannot help but come into contact (in various forms) with large coffee fincas, coffee shops, coffee laborers, and of course the sociopolitical results of coffee's dominance in Guatemala. Coffee's modern dominance has been in the making for more than a century. It is not hyperbolic to state that the roots of Guatemala's 20th-century political, economic, and related social woes can be traced to the expansion and entrenchment of the coffee economy in the 19th century (McCreery 1976; Cambranes 1985; Paige 1997; Lyon 2007a). Perhaps most importantly, political elites associated with coffee laid the foundation for the present-day's highly unequal land distribution, which continues to be Guatemala's most pressing and deeply embedded political-economic problem. The disparity of land holdings between the haves and have-nots was the primary cause of Guatemala's 36-year civil war that ended in 1996, and continues to limit rural development and stability today (Handy 1994; Wilkinson 2004). Thus, labeling coffee as a historically repressive crop is not hyperbole. However dominant as coffee is today, it was almost nonexistent as an export crop in Guatemala until the 1870s (Paige 1997). In 1860, for example, coffee constituted only 1 percent of Guatemala's export earnings. Instead, cochineal (Dactylopius coccus; from which a crimson-colored dye is produced), which replaced indigo as the chief export crop after independence from Spain in 1821, stood as the most significant cash crop produced in the rural western highlands (Handy 1984). Cochineal accounted for 93 percent of Guatemala's exports in 1850 (Handy 1984). The cochineal economy depended on cultivation by Mayan smallholders. It was not until the 1871 Liberal overthrow of the Conservative regime that coffee began to emerge as a powerful economic force (Handy 1984; Johnson 2002; McCreery 2003). In a few short decades after its introduction, coffee came to dominate Guatemala's physical, economic, and social landscape. [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] The rise of coffee in the late-nineteenth century brought with it conflict because Liberal regimes opposed colonial restrictions on labor, land, and markets (Paige 1997; McCreery 2003). In rural Guatemala, the coffee coup and the new polices that it set in motion radically altered the political-ecological landscape and consolidated a coffee oligarchy. Prior to the 1871 coup, Guatemala's Mayan population controlled extensive ancestral lands. These lands were held communally and controlled and governed by each village. Because cochineal production was so important to the state and Catholic Church, there was little incentive to disrupt this profitable system that relied on smallholders and their control of their own land. That situation changed in 1871 when the coffee economy provided an opening for the state and economic elites, often one in the same, to begin to gain widespread control of Mayan land, labor, and life (Lovell 1985 and 2010). Policies ushered in by the new Liberal regime intended to stimulate coffee production resulted in "a massive assault upon village lands" (McCreery 1976, 457). If coffee was to expand, the leaders of the Liberal regime believed that land in the highlands had to be freed so that coffee could be planted. The emerging Liberal-capitalist Guatemalan society began to successfully transform local cultural relations to economic ones. …

The 8-repetition maximum test has the potential to be a feasible, cost-effective method of measuring muscle strength for clinicians. The purpose of this study was to investigate the concurrent validity of the 8-repetition maximum test in the measurement of muscle strength by comparing the 8-repetition maximum test to the gold standard of isokinetic dynamometry. Thirty participants (15 males and 15 females, mean age = 23.2 years [standard deviation = 1.0]) underwent 8-repetition maximum testing and isokinetic dynamometry testing of the knee extensors (at 60, 120, and 240 degrees per second) on two separate sessions with 2-3 days between each mode of testing. Linear regression was used to assess the validity by comparing the findings between 8-repetition maximum testing and isokinetic dynamometry testing. Significant correlations were found between the 8-repetition maximum and isokinetic dynamometry peak torque at each testing velocity (r = 0.71-0.85). The highest correlations were between the 8-repetition maximum and isokinetic dynamometry peak torques at 60 (r = 0.85) and 120 (r = 0.85) degrees per second. The findings of this study provide supportive evidence for the use of 8-repetition maximum testing as a valid, alternative method for measuring muscle strength.

Political discussion research often focuses on general discussion without analyzing interesting subsets of interpersonal communication, such as political advocacy. Political advocacy is crucial to study because it is where citizens make clear statements of their beliefs when trying to influence others, which democratic theorists cite as valuable in spreading information in discussion networks. In this project, we test theoretically relevant determinants of political advocacy, focusing on campaign spending. Using multilevel logistic regression models of American National Election Study survey data from presidential elections between 1976 and 2008, we find that campaign spending correlates with an increase in the likelihood of advocating. We also find that the likelihood of being an advocate correlates with greater political discussion, television usage, interest in politics, partisanship, efficacy, and socioeconomic status. Additionally, we break these results down by party spending and party identificatio...

In this paper, we describe a pilot mental health impact assessment (MHIA) undertaken by the Institute on Social Exclusion (ISE) at the Adler School of Professional Psychology. This pilot involved a multi-method approach that included literature reviews and direct engagement of community stakeholders. It resulted in a policy document that summarized the anticipated effects of a proposed amendment to Chicago's Vacant Buildings Ordinance on the collective mental health of people living in Englewood, a neighbourhood located on the city's southwest side. The Chicago City Council passed the proposed amendment in the summer of 2011.Working to advance health impact assessment (HIA) practice, the project aimed to assist Englewood residents by empowering them to participate in the systematic review of a proposed policy change that would impact their own community's mental health. Additionally, the pilot sought to ensure that any policy decision reflected an evidence-based understanding of its probable effects on th...

The aim of this study was to provide normative data for performance on the 20 m shuttle-run test of cardiorespiratory fitness in English schoolchildren. A total of 7366 10-16 year olds completed the 20 m shuttle-run test. We expressed performance as the number of shuttles completed, test score (shuttles and levels) and estimated peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak). We calculated descriptive statistics for each age-sex group to construct percentile curves and tables. To assess the cardiorespiratory fitness of our sample, we calculated the number of participants who fell below proposed cut-offs for low cardiorespiratory fitness based on either completed shuttles or VdotO2peak. These cut-offs did not agree in terms of frequency of classification. The classification based on estimated VO2peak suggested low fitness was more prevalent in males and that the incidence of low fitness increased with age in both sexes. These are the first normative data for shuttle-run performance in English youth and can now be used to interpret data from this cardiorespiratory fitness test. The two cut-offs used for low fitness did not agree and future research should establish a cut-off for test performance which can predict present or future ill-health.

Two studies were designed to validate a measure of American identity for use with diverse ethnic groups. The American Identity Measure (AIM) was created by adapting the Multi-Group Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) to refer to exploration and affirmation of individuals' identification with the United States. In Study 1, students from nine U.S. universities (N = 1,773) completed the AIM and the MEIM. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the AIM fit the data well and that the factor structures of ethnic and American identity were equivalent. In Study 2 students from 30 U.S. universities (N = 10,573) completed the AIM, a comparison measure of American identity drawn from recent qualitative work, and measures of American cultural practices and individualist values. The factor structure of scores generated by the AIM was equivalent across ethnicity and immigrant generation, and latent mean scores on the AIM were only modestly different across ethnicity and immigrant generation. Whites and later-generation ...

We use a disaggregated rural economy-wide modelling framework to simulate and compare the impacts of an input subsidy, cash transfer, and output price support on production and welfare in rural Malawi and Ghana. Household groups in the models are defined by their eligibility for current transfers. Simulations are calibrated to official government spending. No intervention appears as unequivocally superior. The impacts and efficiency of each transfer mechanism are shaped by the structure of the economy, market conditions, and programme design.

More than a century after the introduction of electric power transmission, almost 3 billion people still rely on biomass fuels to meet their energy needs. Use of this renewable fuel in unvented coo...

The Precision Robotic Assembly Machine was developed to manufacture the small and intricate laser-driven fusion ignition targets that are being used in the National Ignition Facility. The machine e...

Radical vaginal trachelectomy now affords a fertility-sparing procedure for the treatment of early-stage cervical cancer in young women. Subsequent obstetric management within this group of women remain a challenge to the obstetrician, with risks of premature labour a continuing probability throughout pregnancy. Here the authors describe four cases of successful pregnancy following radical vaginal trachelectomy within our unit. The merits of early antenatal intervention, regular lower uterine segment length monitoring and use of daily progesterone pessaries are discussed alongside the current supportive evidence. The authors conclude with a discussion of proposed recommendations for obstetric management of pregnancy in women postradical vaginal trachelectomy.

An integrated application of remote-sensing technology was devised and applied in Afghanistan during 2003–2009 providing critical information on cereal and poppy cultivation and poppy eradication. The results influenced UK and international policy and counter-narcotics actions in Afghanistan.

This empirical note examines the relationship between nuclear energy consumption growth and real gross domestic product (GDP) growth within a neoclassical production function framework for the US using annual data from 1957 to 2006. The Toda-Yamamoto (1995) test for long-run Granger-causality reveals the absence of Granger-causality between nuclear energy consumption growth and real GDP growth which supports the neutrality hypothesis within the energy consumption-economic growth literature.

Although vertical jumping is often incorporated into physical activity tests for both adults and children, normative data for children and adolescents are lacking in the literature. The objectives of this study were to provide normative data of jump height and predicted peak leg power for males and females aged 10.0-15.9 years. Altogether, 1845 children from 12 state primary and secondary schools in the East of England participated in the study. Each child performed two countermovement jumps, and jump height was calculated using a NewTest jump mat. The highest jump was used for analysis and in the calculation of predicted peak power. Jump height and predicted peak leg power were significantly higher for males than females from the age of 11 years. Jump height and peak power increased significantly year on year for males. For females, jump height and predicted peak leg power reached a plateau after age 12 and 13 years respectively. This study provides normative data that can be used as a tool to classify jumping performance in children aged 10-15 years.

VCP (VCP/p97) is a ubiquitously expressed member of the AAA+-ATPase family of chaperone-like proteins that regulates numerous cellular processes including chromatin decondensation, homotypic membrane fusion, and ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation by the proteasome. Mutations in VCP cause a multisystem degenerative disease consisting of inclusion body myopathy, Paget’s disease of bone, and frontotemporal dementia (IBMPFD). Here we show that VCP is essential for autophagosome maturation. We generated cells stably expressing dual-tagged LC3 (mCherry-EGFP-LC3) which permit monitoring of autophagosome maturation. We determined that VCP deficiency by RNAi-mediated knockdown or over-expression of dominant-negative VCP results in significant accumulation of immature autophagic vesicles, some of which are abnormally large, acidified and exhibit cathepsin B activity. Furthermore, expression of disease-associated VCP mutants (R155H and A232E) also causes this autophagy defect. VCP was found to be essential to autophagosome maturation under basal conditions and in cells challenged by proteasome inhibition, but not in cells challenged by starvation, suggesting that VCP might be selectively required for autophagic degradation of ubiquitinated substrates. Indeed, a high percentage of the accumulated autophagic vesicles contain ubiquitin-positive contents, a feature that is not observed in autophagic vesicles that accumulate following starvation or treatment with Bafilomycin A. Finally, we show accumulation of numerous, large LAMP-1 and LAMP-2 –positive vacuoles and accumulation of LC3-II in myoblasts derived from patients with IBMPFD. We conclude that VCP is essential for maturation of ubiquitin-containing autophagosomes and that defect in this function may contribute to IBMPFD pathogenesis.

The migration of labour out of rural areas and the flow of remittances from migrants to rural households are an increasingly important feature of less developed countries. This paper explores ways in which migration influences incomes and productivity of land and human capital in rural households over time, using new household survey data from Mexico. Our findings suggest that a massive increase in migration to the United States increased per-capita incomes via remittances and also by raising land productivity in migrant-sending households. They do not support the pessimistic view that migration discourages production in migrant-sending economies, nor the view implicit in separable agricultural household models that migration and remittances influence household incomes but not production.

Most economic research on migration impacts focuses on the households that send the migrants and get the remittances, ignoring linkages with others in the sending economies. This paper offers an alternative, disaggregated economy-wide perspective on migration and its impacts. Data from the 2003 Mexico National Rural Household Survey are used to calibrate a series of interacting rural household models nested within a general equilibrium model of the whole rural economy. Simulations reveal that the impacts of international migration and remittances on sending areas depend critically on the ways in which local markets transmit influences among households.

Simulation modelling is a fascinating research field. The techniques and tools of simulation modelling have been used to research and investigate the behaviour of various systems in a wide range of areas such as commerce, computer networks, defence, health, manufacturing and transportation. Indeed, the study of the use of these techniques and tools, and the development of new forms of these, are a rich source of research in their own right. Simulation modelling is about to reach the 50th anniversary of the development of GSP (General Simulation Program), the first simulation modelling language (Tocher and Owen, 1960). There have been several historical accounts of simulation modelling research. To complement these, we have performed a review of the recent history of simulation modelling. This study targeted three leading journals dedicated to this field. These are the ACM Transactions of Modeling and Computer Simulation, Simulation: Transactions of The Society for Modeling and Simulation International and Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory (formerly Simulation Practice and Theory). The study covered the first 6 years of this century (2000–2005) and included 576 papers. The key observation of this work was the relative lack of ‘real world’ involvement in simulation modelling research and an even greater lack of evidence of ‘real world’ benefit, arguably very alarming outcomes for an applied field. To further investigate this observation two additional surveys were carried out, one to study if real world papers appeared in the more widely known OR/MS literature (837 papers in 12 journals) and one to study if such papers appeared in Manufacturing and Logistics, an application area closely associated with simulation modelling (1077 papers in 10 journals). The results of these surveys confirmed our observations. We ask if this is the natural evolution of a field that has existed for half a century or an indication of a worrying problem? This paper reports on our findings and discusses whether or not simulation modelling research urgently needs to face a ‘reality check.’

This article reports on a successful case of collaboration between business librarians and faculty members in selecting, procuring, and servicing electronic databases in meeting academic objectives in one of the largest undergraduate business programs in the United States. Using a survey to measure students' self-reported knowledge before and after a training module developed and conducted by librarian and faculty, this study shows the extent of learning gain with respect to students' ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the required information. Comparing to the results of a control group of students without the training, the authors adjusted for learning gain due to other activities or measurement. The findings show significant perceived as well as objective learning gain as a result of concerted team efforts in training and teaching by the librarian and discipline faculty.