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Recent years brought a growing interest in environmental statistics, as evidenced by the emergence of three new journals: Environmetrics, Journal of Ecological and Environmental Statistics, and Journal of Agricultural, Biological, [...]

. Ecological momentary assessment is a method for collecting realtime data in subjects' environments. It often uses electronic devices to obtain information on psychological state through administration of questionnaires at times that are selected from a probability-based sampling design. This information can be used to model the effect of momentary variation in psychological state on the lifetimes to events such as smoking lapse. Motivated by this, a probability sampling framework is proposed for estimating the effect of time varying covariates on the lifetimes to events. Presented as an alternative to joint modelling of the covariate process as well as event lifetimes, this framework calls for sampling covariates at the event lifetimes and at times that are selected according to a probability-based sampling design. A design-unbiased estimator for the cumulative hazard is substituted into the log-likelihood, and the resulting objective function is maximized to obtain the proposed estimator. This estimator has two quantifiable sources of variation: that due to the survival model and that due to sampling the covariates. Data from a nicotine patch trial are used to illustrate the approach proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advancing the understanding of spatiotemporal aspects of air pollution in the urban environment is an area where improved methods can be of great benefit to exposure assessment and policy support. This paper explores the potential of a technique known as kriging with external drift (KED) to provide high resolution maps of fine particulate matter for a downtown region of Cusco, Peru. There were three stages in this research. The first was to conduct a pilot level monitoring campaign to investigate ambient, regional, and street-level air pollutant concentrations for particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10) and carbon monoxide (CO) in the Province of Cusco. The second was to compile observations within a geographic information system (GIS) in order to characterize the proximal effect of the local transportation network, elevation, and land use classifications on PM2.5. Third, regression, ordinary kriging and kriging with external drift were used to model PM2.5 for three select time periods during a 24-h day. Statistical evaluations indicate kriging with external drift resulted in the strongest models explaining 64% of variability seen with morning particle concentrations, 25% for afternoon particles, and 53% in evening particles. These models capture spatial and temporal variability for air pollution in Cusco. These variations seem to be influenced, to varying degrees, by elevation, meteorological conditions, spatial location, and transportation characteristics. In conclusion, combining GIS, meteorological data and geostatistics proved to be a complementary suite of tools for incorporating spatiotemporal analysis into the air quality assessment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Discrepancies found between preference and performance for herbivorous insects are often explained using a variety of interpretations. Inthis study the relationship between clutch size and larval performance is considered in the context of preference. Sequential choice trials were used to determine the preference ranking of the pollen beetle(Meligethes aeneus) for five different plant species. Performance estimated as larval weights after one week was measured in a separate experiment on the same plant species. M. aeneus showed a strong preference for three Brassica species (Brassica napus, B. juncea and B. nigra) when compared to Sinapis alba and Eruca sativa. Overall larval performance on B. napus was highest followed by E. sativa, B. nigra, B.juncea and S. alba (in descending order). Thus discrepancies betweenpreference and performance were demonstrated. Some of these differences could be explained when clutch size and larval competition were considered. Clutch size per bud differed among plant species, from thehighest on E. sativa to the lowest on B. nigra. Competition among larvae in a bud was demonstrated on B. nigra, B. juncea and S. alba. Onthese species larvae from buds containing four or more larvae weighed less than larvae from buds with a single larva. Reduction in weightsuffered by larvae from multiple clutches was correlated to the expected number of larvae per bud for each plant species. Larvae on plantspecies receiving small clutch sizes and sustaining high larval mortality suffered most from competition. On plant species with larger clutch sizes and little larval mortality no competition among larvae was demonstrated. Clutch size was correlated to mean bud size on the different plant species. It is suggested that the pollen beetle modifies clutch size according to expectation of larval competition on different host plant species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Evidence-based research on the effectiveness of neuraminidase inhibitors for H7N9 infection was lacking. • Several observational studies have reached inconsistent conclusions. • Analyses were performed on all laboratory-confirmed cases in Zhejiang Province between 2013 and 2017. • Time-dependent survival models and multiple imputation on missing data were used. • No association was found between treatment with neuraminidase inhibitors and survival in patients with H7N9 infection. Avian influenza virus A(H7N9) remains a threat to humans and has great potential to cause a pandemic in the foreseeable future. Antiviral treatment with neuraminidase inhibitors has been recommended to treat patients with H7N9 infection as early as possible, although evidence-based research on their effectiveness for H7N9 infection is lacking. Data from all laboratory-confirmed cases of H7N9 infection in Zhejiang Province between 2013 and 2017 were retrieved, and time-dependent survival models were used to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment with neuraminidase inhibitors to reduce the risk of mortality. The final optimal model found no significant association (odds ratio 1.29, 95% confidence interval 0.78–2.15) between time to treatment with neuraminidase inhibitors and survival after controlling for age and white blood cell count. Sensitivity analyses with multiple imputation for missing data concurred with the primary analysis. No association was found between treatment with neuraminidase inhibitors and survival in patients with H7N9 infection using various adjusted models and sensitivity analyses of missing data imputations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We are conducting a 12-month behavioral weight loss study to provide the background for the study of relapse following intentional weight loss. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is being used to assess the triggers of relapse in real time and in the person's own environment. Objective: The purpose of this abstract is to report on the associations between sleep and self-efficacy for sticking to or adhering to a healthy lifestyle. Methods: Using a smartphone for EMA data collection, participants were prompted daily for 6 months to complete a beginning of the day (BOD) survey that reported on 1) difficulty falling asleep, 2) number of hours slept, 3) number of awakenings, and 4) how well they slept the previous night. Using the BOD survey data, separate mixed linear models were carried out predicting confidence in sticking to a healthy diet from the four items to which participants responded. For each model, subject and subject by predictor interaction were included as random effects. Results: The sample for this analysis is comprised of 89 participants who have completed the first 6 mos. of the study. It is predominantly female (90.3%) and White (81.9%), 58.3% are married with 16.72±2.56 years of education and a mean BMI of 33.90±4.56 kg/m². All four items on the BOD survey were significant predictors of self-efficacy for adhering to a healthy lifestyle: trouble sleeping (b = 0.0182, p 0.0068); hours slept (b = 0.0011, p < 0.0001); number awakenings (b = 0.0706, p 0.0002); and how well slept (b = 0.1117, p <0.0001). Self-efficacy increased with the number of hours slept and how well the person slept, and decreased with trouble sleeping and number of awakenings. Standard deviation (SD) components for intercept were generally larger than the SD components for error suggesting that there was more variability within subjects than between subjects. Moreover, SD components for the slopes of the regression lines were large relative to the slopes of the regression lines, suggesting that that there is considerable variation among subjects in the predictive equations. While on average confidence in maintaining a healthy lifestyle increases with how well subjects slept, a high SD component suggests that for some subjects, confidence in maintaining a healthy lifestyle is negatively related to how well they slept. Conclusions: These preliminary EMA data suggest that for most participants in a weight loss study, reduced quality and quantity of sleep negatively impacted their confidence in adhering to their established plan for a healthy lifestyle. However, some participants reported higher self-efficacy despite poor or reduced sleep the previous night, which might suggest the use of greater resolve and problemsolving to do well in the face of what might be a challenging day. These findings have implications for content and standard approaches to behavioral weight loss treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) conventions are trade shows held across the globe to promote e-cigarette products and provide a venue for users to socialize. E-cigarette users that attend these events likely represent the most intensive e-cigarette user group. No study has characterized addiction and behavior characteristics in this population. We surveyed 131 e-cigarette users attending a large Southeastern e-cigarette convention in Fall 2015. All questions from the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), select questions from the Penn State Electronic Cigarette Dependence Index, and novel user behavior questions were included. In total, 25 questions were included in the survey. FTND scores were calculated for each respondent who answered all six FTND questions (n = 117). Fisher's Exact Chi square test was used to assess the relationship between addiction and behavior characteristics and FTND scores. Most respondents were classified as moderately dependent (score 5-7, 45.3% of respondents). Length of use, waking at night to use an e-cigarette, strength of cravings, strength of urges over the past week, and frequency of visiting e-cigarette blogs were significantly associated with FTND scores. E-cigarettes users have average FTND scores higher than tobacco smokers. Scores were not significantly associated with prior tobacco cigarette use. Characteristics associated with tobacco smokers' nicotine addiction, such as waking at night to smoke and strength of cravings experienced, are relevant to e-cigarette users. E-cigarettes do not contain the magnitude of toxicants in tobacco cigarettes, but e-cigarettes may produce new chemical exposures evidenced by the adverse health effects reported by some respondents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewater surveillance has proven to be an effective tool to monitor the transmission and emergence of infectious agents at a community scale. Workflows for wastewater surveillance generally rely on concentration steps to increase the probability of detection of low-abundance targets, but preconcentration can substantially increase the time and cost of analyses while also introducing additional loss of target during processing. To address some of these issues, we conducted a longitudinal study implementing a simplified workflow for SARS-CoV-2 detection from wastewater, using a direct column-based extraction approach. Composite influent wastewater samples were collected weekly for 1 year between June 2020 and June 2021 in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, USA. Bypassing any concentration step, low volumes (280 μl) of influent wastewater were extracted using a commercial kit, and immediately analyzed by RT-qPCR for the SARS-CoV-2 N1 and N2 gene targets. SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA was detected in 76% (193/254) of influent samples, and the recovery of the surrogate bovine coronavirus was 42% (IQR: 28%, 59%). N1 and N2 assay positivity, viral concentration, and flow-adjusted daily viral load correlated significantly with per-capita case reports of COVID-19 at the county-level (ρ = 0.69-0.82). To compensate for the method's high limit of detection (approximately 106-107 copies l-1 in wastewater), we extracted multiple smallvolume replicates of eachwastewater sample. With this approach, we detected as fewas five cases of COVID-19 per 100 000 individuals. These results indicate that a direct-extraction-based workflow for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance can provide informative and actionable results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildland firefighters (WLFFs) are exposed to a mixture of chemicals found in wildland fire smoke and emissions from nonwildland-fuel smoke sources such as diesel. We investigated compositional differences in exposure to particulate matter and explored differences in ventilation rate and potential inhaled dose relative to the work tasks of WLFFs. Repeated measures on ten professional and two volunteer firefighters were collected on prescribed burn and nonburn days. Personal monitoring consisted of real-time and gravimetric fine particulate matter (PM2.5), carbon monoxide (CO), and accelerometer measurements to estimate ventilation rate and potential dose of PM2.5. The fine particulate matter was analyzed for levoglucosan (LG) and light absorbing carbon as a surrogate for black carbon (BC). Breathing zone personal exposure concentrations of PM2.5, LG, BC, and CO were higher on burn days (P < 0.05). Differences in exposure concentrations were observed between burn day tasks (P < 0.05) with firefighters managing fire boundaries (holders) being exposed to higher CO and LG concentrations and less BC concentrations than those conducting lighting (lighters). While no statistical difference in PM2.5 exposure measures was observed between the two tasks, holders in the study tended to be exposed to higher PM2.5 concentrations (~1.4×), while lighters tended to have more inhaled amounts of PM2.5 (~1.3×). Our findings demonstrate possible diversity in the sources of particulate matter exposure at the fireline and suggest the potential importance of using dose as a metric of inhalation exposure in occupational or other settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Self-efficacy, or the perceived capability to engage in a behavior, has been shown to play an important role in adhering to weight loss treatment. Given that adherence is extremely important for successful weight loss outcomes and that sleep and self-efficacy are modifiable factors in this relationship, we examined the association between sleep and self-efficacy for adhering to the daily plan. Investigators examined whether various dimensions of sleep were associated with self-efficacy for adhering to the daily recommended lifestyle plan among participants (N = 150) in a 12-month weight loss study. Method: This study was a secondary analysis of data from a 12-month prospective observational study that included a standard behavioral weight loss intervention. Daily assessments at the beginning of day (BOD) of self-efficacy and the previous night's sleep were collected in real-time using ecological momentary assessment. Results: The analysis included 44,613 BOD assessments. On average, participants reported sleeping for 6.93 ± 1.28 h, reported 1.56 ± 3.54 awakenings, and gave low ratings for trouble sleeping (3.11 ± 2.58; 0: no trouble; 10: a lot of trouble) and mid-high ratings for sleep quality (6.45 ± 2.09; 0: poor; 10: excellent). Participants woke up feeling tired 41.7% of the time. Using linear mixed effects modeling, a better rating in each sleep dimension was associated with higher self-efficacy the following day (all p values <.001). Conclusion: Our findings supported the hypothesis that better sleep would be associated with higher levels of reported self-efficacy for adhering to the healthy lifestyle plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: claudication; mitochondria; rehabilitation; exercise therapy EN claudication mitochondria rehabilitation exercise therapy 585 586 2 12/12/22 20221201 NES 221201 Claudication in peripheral artery disease (PAD) results from abnormalities in skeletal muscle oxygen delivery, mitochondrial oxygen utilization, or both.[1] Supervised exercise training improves claudication, although the mechanisms of benefit remain incompletely defined. Claudication, mitochondria, rehabilitation, exercise therapy. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: A repeated measures study was used to assess the effect of work tasks on select proinflammatory biomarkers in firefighters working at prescribed burns. Methods: Ten firefighters and two volunteers were monitored for particulate matter and carbon monoxide on workdays, January to July 2015. Before and after workshift dried blood spots were analyzed for inflammatory mediators using the Meso Scale Discovery assay, while blood smears were used to assess leukocyte parameters. Results: Firefighters lighting with drip-torches had higher cross-work-shift increases in interleukin-8, C-reactive protein, and serum amyloid A compared with holding, a task involving management of fire boundaries. A positive association between interleukin-8 and segmented-neutrophil was observed. Conclusion: Results from this study suggest that intermittent occupational diesel exposures contribute to cross-work-shift changes in host systemic innate inflammation as indicated by elevated interleukin-8 levels and peripheral blood segmented-neutrophils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/objective: A study was undertaken at the United States Department of Energy''s Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, South Carolina to investigate radionuclide activity concentrations in litter and duff from select areas at SRS. Litter (i.e. vegetative debris) and duff (i.e. highly decomposed vegetative debris) can often be the major fuels consumed during prescribed burns and have potential to release radiological contaminants into the environment. Methods: Repeated samples from 97 locations were collected systematically across SRS and analyzed for radionuclide activity. Radionuclide activity concentrations found in litter and duff were compared. As spatial trends were of interest, spatial distributions of radionuclide activity concentrations found in litter and duff and spatial dependency amongst the data were explored. Results: 7Be, 40K, and 137Cs showed statistically significant proportional differences between litter and duff samples. Duff sample concentrations for 137Cs (p < 0.0001) and 40K (p = 0.0015) were statistically higher compared to litter samples. 7Be activity concentrations were statistically higher in litter as compared to duff (p < 0.0001). For 40K litter and duff samples, spatial correlation tests were not significant at p = 0.05 and the maps did not indicate any apparent high concentrations centered near possible radionuclide sources (i.e. SRS facilities). For 7Be litter samples, significant spatial correlation was calculated (p = 0.0085). No spatial correlation was evident in the 7Be duff samples (p = 1.0000) probably due to small sample size (n = 7). 137Cs litter and duff samples showed significant spatial correlations (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0001, respectively). Conclusions: To date, few studies characterize radionuclide activity concentrations in litter and duff, and to our knowledge none present spatial analysis. Key findings show that across SRS, 137Cs is the primary radionuclide of concern, with the highest number of samples reported above MDC in litter (51.4%) and duff samples (83.2%). However, 137Cs litter and duff spatial trends in the maps generated from the kriging parameters do not appear to directly link the areas with higher activity concentrations with SRS facilities. The results found herein provide valuable baseline monitoring data for future studies of forest surface fuels and can be used to evaluate changes in radioactivity in surface fuels in the southeast region of the U.S. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the racial and ethnic disparities in delivery hospitalizations involving severe maternal morbidity (SMM) by location of residence and community income. We used the 2016 to 2019 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample. International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification codes were used to identify delivery hospitalizations with SMM. Using logistic regression models, we examined the association between race and ethnicity and delivery hospitalizations involving SMM. In adjusted analyses, the models were stratified by location of residence and community income and adjusted for patient and hospital characteristics. In rural areas, non-Hispanic Black women (AOR 1.50; 95% CI 1.25-1.79) and women of other races (AOR 1.32; 95% CI 1.03-1.69) had an increased odds of experiencing a delivery hospitalization involving SMM when compared to non-Hispanic White women. In micropolitan areas, non-Hispanic Black women (AOR 1.88; 95% CI 1.79-1.97), non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander women (AOR 1.54; 95% CI 1.16-2.05), and women of other races (AOR 1.31; 95% CI 1.03-1.67) had an increased odds of experiencing a delivery hospitalization involving SMM when compared to non-Hispanic White women. Non-Hispanic Black women also had increased odds of experiencing a delivery hospitalization involving SMM in communities with the lowest income (quartile 1) (AOR 1.59; 95% CI 1.49-1.66), middle income (quartiles 2 and 3) (AOR 1.81; 95% CI 1.72-1.91), and highest income (AOR 2.09; 95% CI 1.90-2.29) when compared to non-Hispanic White women. We found that location of residence and community income are associated with racial and ethnic differences in SMM in the United States. These factors, outside of individual factors assessed in previous studies, provide a better understanding of some of the structural and systemic factors that may contribute to SMM., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

6-11-year-old children provide a critical window for physical activity (PA) interventions. The Virtual Fitness Buddy ecosystem is a precision health PA intervention for children integrating mixed reality technology to connect people and devices. A cluster randomized, controlled trial was conducted across 19 afterschool sites over two 6-month cohorts to test its efficacy in increasing PA and decreasing sedentary behavior. In the treatment group, a custom virtual dog via a mixed reality kiosk helped children set PA goals while sharing progress with parents to receive feedback and support. Children in the control group set PA goals using a computer without support from the virtual dog or parents. 303 children had 8+ hours of PA data on at least one day of each of the 3 intervention time intervals. Conversion of sedentary time was primarily to light-intensity PA and was strongest for children with low baseline moderate-to-vigorous PA than children above 45 min of baseline moderate-to-vigorous PA. Findings suggest that the VFB ecosystem can promote sustainable PA in children and may be rapidly diffused for widespread public health impact., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Black childbearing individuals in the US experience a higher risk of postpartum weight retention (PPWR) compared to their White counterparts. Given that PPWR is related to adverse health outcomes, it is important to investigate predictors of weight-related health behaviors, such as self-weighing (i.e., using a scale at home). Regular self-weighing is an evidence-based weight management strategy, but there is minimal insight into sociodemographic factors related to frequency. The Postpartum Mothers Mobile Study (PMOMS) facilitated longitudinal ambulatory weight assessments to investigate racial inequities in PPWR. Our objective for the present study was to describe self-weighing behavior during and after pregnancy in the PMOMS cohort, as well as related demographic and psychosocial factors. Applying tree modeling and multiple regression, we examined self-weighing during and after pregnancy. Participants (N = 236) were 30.2 years old on average (SD = 4.7), with the majority being college-educated (53.8%, n = 127), earning at least $30,000 annually (61.4%, n = 145), and self-identifying as non-Hispanic White (NHW; 68.2%, n = 161). Adherence to regular self-weighing (at least once weekly) was highest among participants during pregnancy, with a considerable decline after giving birth. Low-income Black participants (earning < $30,000) were significantly less likely to reach a completion rate of ≥ 80% during pregnancy (AOR = 0.10) or the postpartum period (AOR = 0.16), compared to NHW participants earning at least $30,000 annually. Increases in perceived stress were associated with decreased odds of sustained self-weighing after delivery (AOR = 0.79). Future research should consider behavioral differences across demographic intersections, such as race and socioeconomic status, and the impact on efficacy of self-weighing., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

Purpose: To examine the association between intensive, longitudinal ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and self-reported eating behaviors., Methods: Secondary analysis of the EMPOWER study-a 12-month observational study that examined the microprocesses of relapse following intentional weight loss using smartphone-administered EMA-was conducted. Participants were asked to complete four types of EMA surveys using a mobile app. For this analysis, only the number of completed random EMA surveys was used. Using linear mixed-effects modeling, we analyzed whether the number of completed random EMA surveys was associated with changes in self-reported dietary restraint, dietary disinhibition, and susceptibility to hunger measured using the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ)., Results: During the 12-month study, 132 participants completed a mean of 1062 random EMA surveys (range: 673-1362). The median time it took for participants to complete random EMA surveys was 20 s and 90% of random EMA surveys were completed within 46 s. The number of completed random EMA surveys was not significantly associated with the TFEQ scores., Conclusions: Intensive longitudinal EMA did not influence self-reported eating behaviors. The findings suggest that EMA can be used to frequently assess real-world eating behaviors with minimal concern about assessment reactivity. Nonetheless, care must be taken when designing EMA surveys-particularly when using self-reported outcome measures., Level of Evidence: Level III, prospective observational study., (© 2023. The Author(s).)