Time-Indexed Effect Size for P-12 Reading and Math Program Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jaekyung; Finn, Jeremy; Liu, Xiaoyan

2012-01-01

This study contextualizes an effect-size-like index of educational treatment effects or any group mean differences in academic achievement by referencing time. The new effect size metric can enrich effect size interpretations while serving as a supplement (but not substitute) for conventional standardized effect size measures. Specifically, the…

Treatment Effect on Recidivism for Juveniles Who Have Sexually Offended: a Multilevel Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Ter Beek, Ellis; Spruit, Anouk; Kuiper, Chris H Z; van der Rijken, Rachel E A; Hendriks, Jan; Stams, Geert Jan J M

2018-04-01

The current study investigated the effect on recidivism of treatment aimed at juveniles who have sexually offended. It also assessed the potential moderating effect of type of recidivism, and several treatment, participant and study characteristics. In total, 14 published and unpublished primary studies, making use of a comparison group and reporting on official recidivism rates, were included in a multilevel meta-analysis. This resulted in the use of 77 effect sizes, and 1726 participants. A three-level meta-analytic model was used to calculate the combined effect sizes (Cohens d) and to perform moderator analyses. Study quality was assessed with the EPHPP Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. A moderate effect size was found (d = 0.37), indicating that the treatment groups achieved an estimated relative reduction in recidivism of 20.5% as compared to comparison groups. However, after controlling for publication bias, a significant treatment effect was no longer found. Type of recidivism did not moderate the effect of treatment, indicating that treatment groups were equally effective for all types of recidivism. Also, no moderating effects of participant or treatment characteristics were found. Regarding study characteristics, a shorter follow up time showed a trend for larger effect sizes, and the effect size calculation based on proportions yielded larger effect sizes than calculation via mean frequency of offending. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.

Optimizing trial design in pharmacogenetics research: comparing a fixed parallel group, group sequential, and adaptive selection design on sample size requirements.

PubMed

Boessen, Ruud; van der Baan, Frederieke; Groenwold, Rolf; Egberts, Antoine; Klungel, Olaf; Grobbee, Diederick; Knol, Mirjam; Roes, Kit

2013-01-01

Two-stage clinical trial designs may be efficient in pharmacogenetics research when there is some but inconclusive evidence of effect modification by a genomic marker. Two-stage designs allow to stop early for efficacy or futility and can offer the additional opportunity to enrich the study population to a specific patient subgroup after an interim analysis. This study compared sample size requirements for fixed parallel group, group sequential, and adaptive selection designs with equal overall power and control of the family-wise type I error rate. The designs were evaluated across scenarios that defined the effect sizes in the marker positive and marker negative subgroups and the prevalence of marker positive patients in the overall study population. Effect sizes were chosen to reflect realistic planning scenarios, where at least some effect is present in the marker negative subgroup. In addition, scenarios were considered in which the assumed 'true' subgroup effects (i.e., the postulated effects) differed from those hypothesized at the planning stage. As expected, both two-stage designs generally required fewer patients than a fixed parallel group design, and the advantage increased as the difference between subgroups increased. The adaptive selection design added little further reduction in sample size, as compared with the group sequential design, when the postulated effect sizes were equal to those hypothesized at the planning stage. However, when the postulated effects deviated strongly in favor of enrichment, the comparative advantage of the adaptive selection design increased, which precisely reflects the adaptive nature of the design. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Accounting for One-Group Clustering in Effect-Size Estimation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Citkowicz, Martyna; Hedges, Larry V.

2013-01-01

In some instances, intentionally or not, study designs are such that there is clustering in one group but not in the other. This paper describes methods for computing effect size estimates and their variances when there is clustering in only one group and the analysis has not taken that clustering into account. The authors provide the effect size…

Resource distribution and group size in the common langur Semnopithecus entellus in southern India.

PubMed

Vasudev, Divya; Kumar, Ajith; Sinha, Anindya

2008-07-01

We investigated the influence of resource abundance and distribution on the group size and composition of the common langur Semnopithecus entellus in the contiguous forests of Bandipur National Park, Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary and Nagarahole National Park in southern India. We also explored any additional effect of predator pressure and the risk of take-over on the same attributes. Data on group composition and vegetation were collected from January to May 2006. The size and composition of 94 bisexual groups were obtained. The group size varied from 7 to 40 and the groups included unimale and multimale groups. Thirty-five all-male groups were encountered. Vegetation was sampled from 17 grids of dimension 1 km x 1 km, each containing twelve 25 m x 25 m plots. The list of food species was compiled from previous studies and observations made during the study period. The mean basal area of all the food trees within each plot and its coefficient of variation at the level of the grid were used to represent resource abundance and distribution, respectively. The number of adult females and males within groups were analyzed separately to test for differential effects on age-sex categories. Group size increased as resources became spatially more heterogeneous. The abundance of resources had a negative effect on group size. This study did not find evidence supporting the direct effect of predator presence or of the risk of take-over. Contrary to what were expected, adult males reacted more strongly and predictably to resources than did adult females. The group attributes and their relationship with food resource abundance and distribution differed between two sites in the study area possibly owing to langur subspecies differences.

The Effect of Grouping by Formal Reasoning Ability, Formal Reasoning Ability Levels, Group Size, and Gender on Achievement in Laboratory Chemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moody, Judith D.; Gifford, Vernon D.

This study investigated the grouping effect on student achievement in a chemistry laboratory when homogeneous and heterogeneous formal reasoning ability, high and low levels of formal reasoning ability, group sizes of two and four, and homogeneous and heterogeneous gender were used for grouping factors. The sample consisted of all eight intact…

The Effects of Group Size, Memory Instruction, and Session Length on the Creative Performance in Electronic Brainstorming Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coskun, Hamit

2011-01-01

In the literature, there has been a focus on the effectiveness of larger sized electronic brainstorming groups; however, mechanisms for its effectiveness still remain open to question and some methodological concerns (e.g., the evaluation of ideas and the typing speed, and the use of different formats) continue to be important problems. To…

The more the merrier? Increasing group size may be detrimental to decision-making performance in nominal groups.

PubMed

Amir, Ofra; Amir, Dor; Shahar, Yuval; Hart, Yuval; Gal, Kobi

2018-01-01

Demonstrability-the extent to which group members can recognize a correct solution to a problem-has a significant effect on group performance. However, the interplay between group size, demonstrability and performance is not well understood. This paper addresses these gaps by studying the joint effect of two factors-the difficulty of solving a problem and the difficulty of verifying the correctness of a solution-on the ability of groups of varying sizes to converge to correct solutions. Our empirical investigations use problem instances from different computational complexity classes, NP-Complete (NPC) and PSPACE-complete (PSC), that exhibit similar solution difficulty but differ in verification difficulty. Our study focuses on nominal groups to isolate the effect of problem complexity on performance. We show that NPC problems have higher demonstrability than PSC problems: participants were significantly more likely to recognize correct and incorrect solutions for NPC problems than for PSC problems. We further show that increasing the group size can actually decrease group performance for some problems of low demonstrability. We analytically derive the boundary that distinguishes these problems from others for which group performance monotonically improves with group size. These findings increase our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie group problem-solving processes, and can inform the design of systems and processes that would better facilitate collective decision-making.

An event-related potential investigation of spatial attention orientation in children trained with mental abacus calculation.

PubMed

Liu, Xiaoqin; Sun, Yanchao

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of long-term mental abacus calculation training (MACT) on children's spatial attention orientation. Fifteen children with intensive MACT (MACT group) and 15 children without MACT (non-MACT group) were selected. The two groups of children were matched in age, sex, handedness, and academic grade. The participants were tested with a Posner spatial cueing task while their neural activities were recorded with a 32-channel electroencephalogram system. The participants' behavior scores (reaction time and accuracy) as well as early components of event-related potential (ERP) during the tests were statistically analyzed. The behavioral scores showed no significant difference between the two groups of children, although the MACT group tended to have a shorter reaction time. The early ERP components showed that under valid cueing condition, the MACT group had significantly higher P1 amplitude [F(1, 28)=5.06, P<0.05, effective size=0.72] and lower N1 amplitude [F(1, 28)=6.05, P<0.05, effective size=0.82] in the occipital region compared with the non-MACT group. In the centrofrontal brain region, the MACT group had lower N1 amplitude [F(1, 28)=4.89, P<0.05, effect size=0.70] and longer N1 latency [F(1, 28)=6.26, P<0.05, effect size=0.80] than the non-MACT group. In particular, the MACT group also showed a higher centrofrontal P2 amplitude in the right hemisphere [F(1, 28)=4.82, P<0.05, effect size 0.81] compared with the left hemisphere and the middle location. MACT enhances the children's spatial attention orientation, which can be detected in the early components of ERP.

Effect of relative weight group change on nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy derived lipoprotein particle size and concentrations among adolescents.

PubMed

Jago, Russell; Drews, Kimberly L; Otvos, James D; Foster, Gary D; Marcus, Marsha D; Buse, John B; Mietus-Snyder, Michele; Willi, Steven M

2014-05-01

To examine whether longitudinal changes in relative weight category (as indicated by change in body mass index [BMI] classification group) were associated with changes in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-derived lipoprotein particles among US youth. Secondary analysis of data from a clustered randomized controlled trial. BMI and fasting blood samples were obtained from 2069 participants at the start of the 6th grade and end of the 8th grade. BMI was categorized as normal weight, overweight, or obese at both time points. Lipoprotein particle profiles were measured with NMR spectroscopy at both time points. Regression models were used to examine changes in relative weight group and change in lipoprotein variables. A total of 38% of participants changed relative weight category (BMI group) during the 2.5-year study period. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and non-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol decreased almost universally, but more with improved BMI category. There were adverse effects on LDL size and total LDL particles, HDL size, and cholesterol for participants who remained obese or whose relative weight group worsened. Changes in relative category had no impact on HDL particles. Improvement in relative weight group from 6th to 8th grade was associated with favorable changes in non-HDL cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein size, LDL size, HDL size, and LDL particles but had no effect on HDL particles. Findings indicate that an improvement in relative weight group between 6th and 8th grade had an effect on NMR-derived particles sizes and concentrations among a large group of adolescents, which overrepresented low-income minorities. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Harvest and group effects on pup survival in a cooperative breeder

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ausband, David E.; Mitchell, Michael S.; Stansbury, Carisa R.; Stenglein, Jennifer L.; Waits, Lisette P.

2017-01-01

Recruitment in cooperative breeders can be negatively affected by changes in group size and composition. The majority of cooperative breeding studies have not evaluated human harvest; therefore, the effects of recurring annual harvest and group characteristics on survival of young are poorly understood. We evaluated how harvest and groups affect pup survival using genetic sampling and pedigrees for grey wolves in North America. We hypothesized that harvest reduces pup survival because of (i) reduced group size, (ii) increased breeder turnover and/or (iii) reduced number of female helpers. Alternatively, harvest may increase pup survival possibly due to increased per capita food availability or it could be compensatory with other forms of mortality. Harvest appeared to be additive because it reduced both pup survival and group size. In addition to harvest, turnover of breeding males and the presence of older, non-breeding males also reduced pup survival. Large groups and breeder stability increased pup survival when there was harvest, however. Inferences about the effect of harvest on recruitment require knowledge of harvest rate of young as well as the indirect effects associated with changes in group size and composition, as we show. The number of young harvested is a poor measure of the effect of harvest on recruitment in cooperative breeders.

Effectiveness of various innovative learning methods in health science classrooms: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Kalaian, Sema A; Kasim, Rafa M

2017-12-01

This study reports the results of a meta-analysis of the available literature on the effectiveness of various forms of innovative small-group learning methods on student achievement in undergraduate college health science classrooms. The results of the analysis revealed that most of the primary studies supported the effectiveness of the small-group learning methods in improving students' academic achievement with an overall weighted average effect-size of 0.59 in standard deviation units favoring small-group learning methods. The subgroup analysis showed that the various forms of innovative and reform-based small-group learning interventions appeared to be significantly more effective for students in higher levels of college classes (sophomore, junior, and senior levels), students in other countries (non-U.S.) worldwide, students in groups of four or less, and students who choose their own group. The random-effects meta-regression results revealed that the effect sizes were influenced significantly by the instructional duration of the primary studies. This means that studies with longer hours of instruction yielded higher effect sizes and on average every 1 h increase in instruction, the predicted increase in effect size was 0.009 standard deviation units, which is considered as a small effect. These results may help health science and nursing educators by providing guidance in identifying the conditions under which various forms of innovative small-group learning pedagogies are collectively more effective than the traditional lecture-based teaching instruction.

Human Activity Dampens the Benefits of Group Size on Vigilance in Khulan (Equus hemionus) in Western China.

PubMed

Wang, Mu-Yang; Ruckstuhl, Kathreen E; Xu, Wen-Xuan; Blank, David; Yang, Wei-Kang

2016-01-01

Animals receive anti-predator benefits from social behavior. As part of a group, individuals spend less time being vigilant, and vigilance decreases with increasing group size. This phenomenon, called "the many-eyes effect", together with the "encounter dilution effect", is considered among the most important factors determining individual vigilance behavior. However, in addition to group size, other social and environmental factors also influence the degree of vigilance, including disturbance from human activities. In our study, we examined vigilance behavior of Khulans (Equus hemionus) in the Xinjiang Province in western China to test whether and how human disturbance and group size affect vigilance. According to our results, Khulan showed a negative correlation between group size and the percentage time spent vigilant, although this negative correlation depended on the groups' disturbance level. Khulan in the more disturbed area had a dampened benefit from increases in group size, compared to those in the undisturbed core areas. Provision of continuous areas of high-quality habitat for Khulans will allow them to form larger undisturbed aggregations and to gain foraging benefits through reduced individual vigilance, as well as anti-predator benefits through increased probability of predator detection.

Effect Sizes for Growth-Modeling Analysis for Controlled Clinical Trials in the Same Metric as for Classical Analysis

PubMed Central

Feingold, Alan

2009-01-01

The use of growth-modeling analysis (GMA)--including Hierarchical Linear Models, Latent Growth Models, and General Estimating Equations--to evaluate interventions in psychology, psychiatry, and prevention science has grown rapidly over the last decade. However, an effect size associated with the difference between the trajectories of the intervention and control groups that captures the treatment effect is rarely reported. This article first reviews two classes of formulas for effect sizes associated with classical repeated-measures designs that use the standard deviation of either change scores or raw scores for the denominator. It then broadens the scope to subsume GMA, and demonstrates that the independent groups, within-subjects, pretest-posttest control-group, and GMA designs all estimate the same effect size when the standard deviation of raw scores is uniformly used. Finally, it is shown that the correct effect size for treatment efficacy in GMA--the difference between the estimated means of the two groups at end of study (determined from the coefficient for the slope difference and length of study) divided by the baseline standard deviation--is not reported in clinical trials. PMID:19271847

Computer-Delivered Interventions to Reduce College Student Drinking: A Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Carey, Kate B.; Scott-Sheldon, Lori A. J.; Elliott, Jennifer C.; Bolles, Jamie R.; Carey, Michael P.

2009-01-01

Aims This meta-analysis evaluates the efficacy and moderators of computer-delivered interventions (CDIs) to reduce alcohol use among college students. Methods We included 35 manuscripts with 43 separate interventions, and calculated both between-group and within-group effect sizes for alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems. Effects sizes were calculated for short-term (≤ 5 weeks) and longer-term (≥ 6 weeks) intervals. All studies were coded for study descriptors, participant characteristics, and intervention components. Results The effects of CDIs depended on the nature of the comparison condition: CDIs reduced quantity and frequency measures relative to assessment-only controls, but rarely differed from comparison conditions that included alcohol content. Small-to-medium within-group effect sizes can be expected for CDIs at short- and longer-term follow-ups; these changes are less than or equivalent to the within-group effect sizes observed for more intensive interventions. Conclusions CDIs reduce the quantity and frequency of drinking among college students. CDIs are generally equivalent to alternative alcohol-related comparison interventions. PMID:19744139

The widespread misuse of effect sizes.

PubMed

Dankel, Scott J; Mouser, J Grant; Mattocks, Kevin T; Counts, Brittany R; Jessee, Matthew B; Buckner, Samuel L; Loprinzi, Paul D; Loenneke, Jeremy P

2017-05-01

Studies comparing multiple groups (i.e., experimental and control) often examine the efficacy of an intervention by calculating within group effect sizes using Cohen's d. This method is inappropriate and largely impacted by the pre-test variability as opposed to the variability in the intervention itself. Furthermore, the percentage change is often analyzed, but this is highly impacted by the baseline values and can be potentially misleading. Thus, the objective of this study was to illustrate the common misuse of the effect size and percent change measures. Here we provide a realistic sample data set comparing two resistance training groups with the same pre-test to post-test change. Statistical tests that are commonly performed within the literature were computed. Analyzing the within group effect size favors the control group, while the percent change favors the experimental group. The most appropriate way to present the data would be to plot the individual responses or, for larger samples, provide the mean change and 95% confidence intervals of the mean change. This details the magnitude and variability within the response to the intervention itself in units that are easily interpretable. This manuscript demonstrates the common misuse of the effect size and details the importance for investigators to always report raw values, even when alternative statistics are performed. Copyright © 2016 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimal group size in a highly social mammal

PubMed Central

Markham, A. Catherine; Gesquiere, Laurence R.; Alberts, Susan C.; Altmann, Jeanne

2015-01-01

Group size is an important trait of social animals, affecting how individuals allocate time and use space, and influencing both an individual’s fitness and the collective, cooperative behaviors of the group as a whole. Here we tested predictions motivated by the ecological constraints model of group size, examining the effects of group size on ranging patterns and adult female glucocorticoid (stress hormone) concentrations in five social groups of wild baboons (Papio cynocephalus) over an 11-y period. Strikingly, we found evidence that intermediate-sized groups have energetically optimal space-use strategies; both large and small groups experience ranging disadvantages, in contrast to the commonly reported positive linear relationship between group size and home range area and daily travel distance, which depict a disadvantage only in large groups. Specifically, we observed a U-shaped relationship between group size and home range area, average daily distance traveled, evenness of space use within the home range, and glucocorticoid concentrations. We propose that a likely explanation for these U-shaped patterns is that large, socially dominant groups are constrained by within-group competition, whereas small, socially subordinate groups are constrained by between-group competition and predation pressures. Overall, our results provide testable hypotheses for evaluating group-size constraints in other group-living species, in which the costs of intra- and intergroup competition vary as a function of group size. PMID:26504236

The effects of group selection harvest size on logging productivity

Treesearch

Curt C. Hassler; Shawn T. Grushecky; Chris B. LeDoux

2000-01-01

Because increasing demands are being placed on industry to harvest timber by aesthetically, economically, and ecologically acceptable means, we investigated the effects of a ground-based group selection harvest on logging productivity. Results show that size of opening had little or no effect on skidding productivity. However, significant skidder operator differences...

A Procedure for Testing the Difference between Effect Sizes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lambert, Richard G.; Flowers, Claudia

A special case of the homogeneity of effect size test, as applied to pairwise comparisons of standardized mean differences, was evaluated. Procedures for comparing pairs of pretest to posttest effect sizes, as well as pairs of treatment versus control group effect sizes, were examined. Monte Carlo simulation was used to generate Type I error rates…

Effects of Group Size and Lack of Sphericity on the Recovery of Clusters in K-Means Cluster Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Craen, Saskia; Commandeur, Jacques J. F.; Frank, Laurence E.; Heiser, Willem J.

2006-01-01

K-means cluster analysis is known for its tendency to produce spherical and equally sized clusters. To assess the magnitude of these effects, a simulation study was conducted, in which populations were created with varying departures from sphericity and group sizes. An analysis of the recovery of clusters in the samples taken from these…

The Role of Social Norms in the Portion Size Effect: Reducing Normative Relevance Reduces the Effect of Portion Size on Consumption Decisions

PubMed Central

Versluis, Iris; Papies, Esther K.

2016-01-01

People typically eat more from large portions of food than from small portions. An explanation that has often been given for this so-called portion size effect is that the portion size acts as a social norm and as such communicates how much is appropriate to eat. In this paper, we tested this explanation by examining whether manipulating the relevance of the portion size as a social norm changes the portion size effect, as assessed by prospective consumption decisions. We conducted one pilot experiment and one full experiment in which participants respectively indicated how much they would eat or serve themselves from a given amount of different foods. In the pilot (N = 63), we manipulated normative relevance by allegedly basing the portion size on the behavior of either students of the own university (in-group) or of another university (out-group). In the main experiment (N = 321), we told participants that either a minority or majority of people similar to them approved of the portion size. Results show that in both experiments, participants expected to serve themselves and to eat more from larger than from smaller portions. As expected, however, the portion size effect was less pronounced when the reference portions were allegedly based on the behavior of an out-group (pilot) or approved only by a minority (main experiment). These findings suggest that the portion size indeed provides normative information, because participants were less influenced by it if it communicated the behaviors or values of a less relevant social group. In addition, in the main experiment, the relation between portion size and the expected amount served was partially mediated by the amount that was considered appropriate, suggesting that concerns about eating an appropriate amount indeed play a role in the portion size effect. However, since the portion size effect was weakened but not eliminated by the normative relevance manipulations and since mediation was only partial, other mechanisms may also play a role. PMID:27303324

Analysis of the effect of CPP-ACP tooth mousse on enamel remineralization by circularly polarized images.

PubMed

Wu, Guotao; Liu, Xinqiang; Hou, Yongfu

2010-09-01

To evaluate the effect of casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate tooth mousse on the remineralization of bovine incisor by circularly polarized images. Eighty bovine incisors, each with a 4 x 4 mm artificially demineralized area, were used. The samples were divided into four groups: Group A, casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate tooth mousse; Group B, fluoride toothpaste; Group C, casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate tooth mousse and fluoride toothpaste; and Group D, no treatment. Circularly polarized images were taken after the specimens were treated for 3, 6, 9, or 12 weeks, and the size of the demineralized area and the mean grey level were measured. Data analysis was done using repeated measures variance analysis. Pearson correlation coefficients were computed to evaluate the correlation between the size of the demineralized area and the mean grey level. In all four groups, the size of the demineralized area and the mean grey level declined with time. The size of the demineralized area of Group C was significantly smaller than that of Group A at the end of the third and sixth weeks (P = .039, P = .000, respectively), and the mean grey level of Group C was lower than that of Group A at the end of the 6th and 12th weeks (P = .037, P = .004, respectively). At the end of the 6th, 9th, and 12th weeks, the size of the demineralized area of Group C was smaller (P = .000, P = .005, P = .005, respectively) and the mean grey level was lower (P = .000) than those of Group B. No statistically significant correlations were detected between the size of the demineralized area and the mean grey level. Casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate tooth mousse can reduce the size and mean grey level of demineralized areas and promote the remineralization of bovine enamel. Combined application with fluoride toothpaste strengthens the effect.

The Relative Impacts of Disease on Health Status and Capability Wellbeing: A Multi-Country Study

PubMed Central

Mitchell, Paul Mark; Al-Janabi, Hareth; Richardson, Jeff; Iezzi, Angelo; Coast, Joanna

2015-01-01

Background Evaluations of the impact of interventions for resource allocation purposes commonly focus on health status. There is, however, also concern about broader impacts on wellbeing and, increasingly, on a person's capability. This study aims to compare the impact on health status and capability of seven major health conditions, and highlight differences in treatment priorities when outcomes are measured by capability as opposed to health status. Methods The study was a cross-sectional four country survey (n = 6650) of eight population groups: seven disease groups with: arthritis, asthma, cancer, depression, diabetes, hearing loss, and heart disease and one health population ‘comparator’ group. Two simple self-complete questionnaires were used to measure health status (EQ-5D-5L) and capability (ICECAP-A). Individuals were classified by illness severity using condition-specific questionnaires. Effect sizes were used to estimate: (i) the difference in health status and capability for those with conditions, relative to a healthy population; and (ii) the impact of the severity of the condition on health status and capability within each disease group. Findings 5248 individuals were included in the analysis. Individuals with depression have the greatest mean reduction in both health (effect size, 1.26) and capability (1.22) compared to the healthy population. The effect sizes for capability for depression are much greater than for all other conditions, which is not the case for health. For example, the arthritis group effect size for health (1.24) is also high and similar to that of depression, whereas for the same arthritis group, the effect size for capability is much lower than that for depression (0.55). In terms of severity within disease groups, individuals categorised as 'mild' have similar capability levels to the healthy population (effect sizes <0.2, excluding depression) but lower health status than the healthy population (≥0.4). Conclusion Significant differences exist in the relative effect sizes across diseases when measured by health status and capability. In terms of treating morbidity, a shift in focus from health gain to capability gain would increase funding priorities for patients with depression specifically and severe illnesses more generally. PMID:26630131

How does plate size affect estimated satiation and intake for individuals in normal‐weight and overweight groups?

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Summary Objective Manipulating plate sizes could possibly introduce perceptual biases for judging food satiation and intake, which is thought to be related to the Delbeouf illusion – a visual illusion based on the perceived size of one object related to another. This study was to investigate whether an association exists between an individual's susceptibility to the plate‐size‐effect and their weight status (i.e. normal‐weight versus overweight). Methods The study assessed the effect of plate size amongst normal‐weight (N = 124) and overweight (N = 79) New Zealand Europeans. All participants were asked to rate estimated satiation (ES) and intake (EI) on Visual Analogue Scales for 20 food images, which comprised photographs of ten different dishes placed on large versus small plates. These responses were analysed by mixed‐model ANCOVA. Results The results showed that the plate size had significant effects on ES (F (1, 1986) = 19.14, p < 0.001) and EI (F (1,1986) = 5.25; p = 0.048), with the small plate associated with higher ES and lower EI than the large plate. Significant differences in ES and EI were also evident across the weight groups (ES: F (1,1986) = 4.26, p = 0.039; EI: F (1,1986) = 42.22, p < 0.001), with the normal‐weight group reported higher ES and lower EI than the overweight group. Furthermore, the weight group and the plate‐size‐effect were found to be involved in a significant interaction for EI. Post‐hoc tests showed that the plate size only had a significant effect for the normal‐weight group (p < 0.05), but not for the overweight group. Conclusions Overall, the study demonstrated that the normal‐weight and overweight group differed in their susceptibilities to the plate‐size‐effect (reflected by EI). This study revealed some potential moderators for the plate‐size‐effect, such as the type of dish, and its associated appeal and familiarity, and provided useful indications about the effectiveness of small plates for food reduction. PMID:29071104

Ecological correlates of group-size variation in a resource-defense ungulate, the sedentary guanaco.

PubMed

Marino, Andrea; Baldi, Ricardo

2014-01-01

For large herbivores, predation-risk, habitat structure and population density are often reported as major determinants of group size variation within and between species. However, whether the underlying causes of these relationships imply an ecological adaptation or are the result of a purely mechanistic process in which fusion and fragmentation events only depend on the rate of group meeting, is still under debate. The aim of this study was to model guanaco family and bachelor group sizes in contrasting ecological settings in order to test hypotheses regarding the adaptive significance of group-size variation. We surveyed guanaco group sizes within three wildlife reserves located in eastern Patagonia where guanacos occupy a mosaic of grasslands and shrublands. Two of these reserves have been free from predators for decades while in the third, pumas often prey on guanacos. All locations have experienced important changes in guanaco abundance throughout the study offering the opportunity to test for density effects. We found that bachelor group size increased with increasing density, as expected by the mechanistic approach, but was independent of habitat structure or predation risk. In contrast, the smaller and territorial family groups were larger in the predator-exposed than in the predator-free locations, and were larger in open grasslands than in shrublands. However, the influence of population density on these social units was very weak. Therefore, family group data supported the adaptive significance of group-size variation but did not support the mechanistic idea. Yet, the magnitude of the effects was small and between-population variation in family group size after controlling for habitat and predation was negligible, suggesting that plasticity of these social units is considerably low. Our results showed that different social units might respond differentially to local ecological conditions, supporting two contrasting hypotheses in a single species, and highlight the importance of taking into account the proximate interests and constraints to which group members may be exposed to when deriving predictions about group-size variation.

Group size of veal calves does not affect production, physiological, or hematological indicators of welfare and has transient effects on health

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Holstein-Friesian bull calves (n = 168; 44 ± 3 d of age), were used to investigate the effect of group size on performance, health, hematology, and welfare of veal calves. Groups of calves were assigned to 1 of 3 group housing treatments with 2, 4, or 8 calves per pen (initial BW 65.3 ± 3.7, 66.5 ± ...

Heterogeneity effects in visual search predicted from the group scanning model.

PubMed

Macquistan, A D

1994-12-01

The group scanning model of feature integration theory (Treisman & Gormican, 1988) suggests that subjects search visual displays serially by groups, but process items within each group in parallel. The size of these groups is determined by the discriminability of the targets in the background of distractors. When the target is poorly discriminable, the size of the scanned group will be small, and search will be slow. The model predicts that group size will be smallest when targets of an intermediate value on a perceptual dimension are presented in a heterogeneous background of distractors that have higher and lower values on the same dimension. Experiment 1 demonstrates this effect. Experiment 2 controls for a possible confound of decision complexity in Experiment 1. For simple feature targets, the group scanning model provides a good account of the visual search process.

Set-size procedures for controlling variations in speech-reception performance with a fluctuating masker

PubMed Central

Bernstein, Joshua G. W.; Summers, Van; Iyer, Nandini; Brungart, Douglas S.

2012-01-01

Adaptive signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) tracking is often used to measure speech reception in noise. Because SNR varies with performance using this method, data interpretation can be confounded when measuring an SNR-dependent effect such as the fluctuating-masker benefit (FMB) (the intelligibility improvement afforded by brief dips in the masker level). One way to overcome this confound, and allow FMB comparisons across listener groups with different stationary-noise performance, is to adjust the response set size to equalize performance across groups at a fixed SNR. However, this technique is only valid under the assumption that changes in set size have the same effect on percentage-correct performance for different masker types. This assumption was tested by measuring nonsense-syllable identification for normal-hearing listeners as a function of SNR, set size and masker (stationary noise, 4- and 32-Hz modulated noise and an interfering talker). Set-size adjustment had the same impact on performance scores for all maskers, confirming the independence of FMB (at matched SNRs) and set size. These results, along with those of a second experiment evaluating an adaptive set-size algorithm to adjust performance levels, establish set size as an efficient and effective tool to adjust baseline performance when comparing effects of masker fluctuations between listener groups. PMID:23039460

The effect of peer-group size on the delivery of feedback in basic life support refresher training: a cluster randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Cho, Youngsuk; Je, Sangmo; Yoon, Yoo Sang; Roh, Hye Rin; Chang, Chulho; Kang, Hyunggoo; Lim, Taeho

2016-07-04

Students are largely providing feedback to one another when instructor facilitates peer feedback rather than teaching in group training. The number of students in a group affect the learning of students in the group training. We aimed to investigate whether a larger group size increases students' test scores on a post-training test with peer feedback facilitated by instructor after video-guided basic life support (BLS) refresher training. Students' one-rescuer adult BLS skills were assessed by a 2-min checklist-based test 1 year after the initial training. A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of student number in a group on BLS refresher training. Participants included 115 final-year medical students undergoing their emergency medicine clerkship. The median number of students was 8 in the large groups and 4 in the standard group. The primary outcome was to examine group differences in post-training test scores after video-guided BLS training. Secondary outcomes included the feedback time, number of feedback topics, and results of end-of-training evaluation questionnaires. Scores on the post-training test increased over three consecutive tests with instructor-led peer feedback, but not differ between large and standard groups. The feedback time was longer and number of feedback topics generated by students were higher in standard groups compared to large groups on the first and second tests. The end-of-training questionnaire revealed that the students in large groups preferred the smaller group size compared to their actual group size. In this BLS refresher training, the instructor-led group feedback increased the test score after tutorial video-guided BLS learning, irrespective of the group size. A smaller group size allowed more participations in peer feedback.

A Quantitative Review of Ethnic Group Differences in Experimental Pain Response: Do Biology, Psychology and Culture Matter?

PubMed Central

Riley, Joseph L.; Williams, Ameenah K.K.; Fillingim, Roger B.

2012-01-01

Objective Pain is a subjectively complex and universal experience. We examine research investigating ethnic group differences in experimental pain response, and factors contributing to group differences. Method We conducted a systematic literature review and analysis of studies using experimental pain stimuli to assess pain sensitivity across multiple ethnic groups. Our search covered the period from 1944-2011, and utilized the PUBMED bibliographic database; a reference source containing over 17 million citations. We calculated effect sizes, identified ethnic/racial group categories, pain stimuli and measures, and examined findings regarding biopsychosociocultural factors contributing to ethnic/racial group differences. Results We found 472 studies investigating ethnic group differences and pain. Twenty-six of these met our review inclusion criteria of investigating ethnic group differences in experimental pain. The majority of studies included comparisons between African Americans (AA) and non-Hispanic Whites (NHW). There were consistently moderate to large effect sizes for pain tolerance across multiple stimulus modalities; African Americans demonstrated lower pain tolerance. For pain threshold, findings were generally in the same direction, but effect sizes were small to moderate across ethnic groups. Limited data were available for suprathreshold pain ratings. A subset of studies comparing NHW and other ethnic groups showed a variable range of effect sizes for pain threshold and tolerance. Conclusion There are potentially important ethnic/racial group differences in experimental pain perception. Elucidating ethnic group differences, has translational merit for culturally-competent clinical care and for addressing and reducing pain treatment disparities among ethnically/racially diverse groups. PMID:22390201

A quantitative review of ethnic group differences in experimental pain response: do biology, psychology, and culture matter?

PubMed

Rahim-Williams, Bridgett; Riley, Joseph L; Williams, Ameenah K K; Fillingim, Roger B

2012-04-01

Pain is a subjectively complex and universal experience. We examine research investigating ethnic group differences in experimental pain response and factors contributing to group differences. We conducted a systematic literature review and analysis of studies using experimental pain stimuli to assess pain sensitivity across multiple ethnic groups. Our search covered the period from 1944 to 2011, and used the PubMed bibliographic database; a reference source containing over 17 million citations. We calculated effect sizes; identified ethnic/racial group categories, pain stimuli, and measures; and examined findings regarding biopsychosociocultural factors contributing to ethnic/racial group differences. We found 472 studies investigating ethnic group differences and pain. Twenty-six of these met our review inclusion criteria of investigating ethnic group differences in experimental pain. The majority of studies included comparisons between African Americans (AA) and non-Hispanic Whites (NHW). There were consistently moderate to large effect sizes for pain tolerance across multiple stimulus modalities; AA demonstrated lower pain tolerance. For pain threshold, findings were generally in the same direction, but effect sizes were small to moderate across ethnic groups. Limited data were available for suprathreshold pain ratings. A subset of studies comparing NHW and other ethnic groups showed a variable range of effect sizes for pain threshold and tolerance. There are potentially important ethnic/racial group differences in experimental pain perception. Elucidating ethnic group differences has translational merit for culturally competent clinical care and for addressing and reducing pain treatment disparities among ethnically/racially diverse groups. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effect of anti-smoking health education on infant size at birth: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

MacArthur, C; Newton, J R; Knox, E G

1987-04-01

The effects of anti-smoking health education during pregnancy on smoking behaviour and the subsequent infant's size at birth were investigated in a controlled trial. It was found that the planned educational intervention was incompletely carried out and was given more effectively to primigravidae in whom subsequent reduction of smoking was more evident. The effects of educative intervention on size at birth were therefore analysed for first and later pregnancies separately. The differences in birthweight and length between the intervention and control groups were concentrated almost entirely among the first born infants who were 68 g heavier and 0.75 cm longer in the intervention group than the first born infants in the control group.

Group heterogeneity increases the risks of large group size: a longitudinal study of productivity in research groups.

PubMed

Cummings, Jonathon N; Kiesler, Sara; Bosagh Zadeh, Reza; Balakrishnan, Aruna D

2013-06-01

Heterogeneous groups are valuable, but differences among members can weaken group identification. Weak group identification may be especially problematic in larger groups, which, in contrast with smaller groups, require more attention to motivating members and coordinating their tasks. We hypothesized that as groups increase in size, productivity would decrease with greater heterogeneity. We studied the longitudinal productivity of 549 research groups varying in disciplinary heterogeneity, institutional heterogeneity, and size. We examined their publication and citation productivity before their projects started and 5 to 9 years later. Larger groups were more productive than smaller groups, but their marginal productivity declined as their heterogeneity increased, either because their members belonged to more disciplines or to more institutions. These results provide evidence that group heterogeneity moderates the effects of group size, and they suggest that desirable diversity in groups may be better leveraged in smaller, more cohesive units.

How Much Do Metamemory Beliefs Contribute to the Font-Size Effect in Judgments of Learning?

PubMed Central

Hu, Xiao; Li, Tongtong; Zheng, Jun; Su, Ningxin; Liu, Zhaomin; Luo, Liang

2015-01-01

Evidence shows that the font size of study items significantly influences judgments of learning (JOLs) and that people’s JOLs are generally higher for larger words than for smaller words. Previous studies have suggested that font size influences JOLs in a belief-based way. However, few studies have directly examined how much people’s beliefs contribute to the font-size effect in JOLs. This study investigated the degree to which font size influenced JOLs in a belief-based way. In Experiment 1, one group of participants (learners) studied words with different font sizes and made JOLs, whereas another group of participants (observers) viewed the learners' study phase and made JOLs for the learners. In Experiment 2, participants made both JOLs and belief-based recall predictions for large and small words. Our results suggest that metamemory beliefs play an important role in the font-size effect in JOLs. PMID:26556478

Life Adaptation Skills Training (LAST) for persons with depression: A randomized controlled study.

PubMed

Chen, Yun-Ling; Pan, Ay-Woan; Hsiung, Ping-Chuan; Chung, Lyinn; Lai, Jin-Shei; Shur-Fen Gau, Susan; Chen, Tsyr-Jang

2015-10-01

To investigate the efficacy of the "Life Adaptation Skills Training (LAST)" program for persons with depression. Sixty-eight subjects with depressive disorder were recruited from psychiatric outpatient clinics in Taipei city and were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (N=33), or a control group (N=35). The intervention group received 24-sessions of the LAST program, as well as phone contact mainly related to support for a total of 24 times. The control group only received phone contact 24 times. The primary outcome measure utilized was the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF-Taiwan version. Secondary outcome measures included the Occupational self-assessment, the Mastery scale, the Social support questionnaire, the Beck anxiety inventory, the Beck depression inventory-II, and the Beck scale for suicide ideation. The mixed-effects linear model was applied to analyze the incremental efficacy of the LAST program, and the partial eta squared (ηp(2)) was used to examine the within- and between- group effect size. The subjects who participated in the LAST program showed significant incremental improvements with moderate to large between-group effect sizes on their level of anxiety (-5.45±2.34, p<0.05; ηp(2)=0.083) and level of suicidal ideation (-3.09±1.11, p<0.01; ηp(2)=0.157) when compared to the control group. The reduction of suicidal ideations had a maintenance effect for three months after the end of intervention (-3.44±1.09, p<0.01), with moderate between-group effect sizes (ηp(2)=0.101). Both groups showed significant improvement on overall QOL, overall health, physical QOL, psychological QOL, level of anxiety, and level of depression. The within-group effect sizes achieved large effects in the intervention group (ηp(2)=0.328-0.544), and were larger than that of the control group. A small sample size in the study, a high dropout rate, lower compliance rates for the intervention group, and lacking of true control group. The occupation-based LAST program, which focuses on lifestyle rearrangement and coping skills enhancement, could significantly improve the level of anxiety and suicidal ideations for persons with depression. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

When is bigger better? The effects of group size on the evolution of helping behaviours.

PubMed

Powers, Simon T; Lehmann, Laurent

2017-05-01

Understanding the evolution of sociality in humans and other species requires understanding how selection on social behaviour varies with group size. However, the effects of group size are frequently obscured in the theoretical literature, which often makes assumptions that are at odds with empirical findings. In particular, mechanisms are suggested as supporting large-scale cooperation when they would in fact rapidly become ineffective with increasing group size. Here we review the literature on the evolution of helping behaviours (cooperation and altruism), and frame it using a simple synthetic model that allows us to delineate how the three main components of the selection pressure on helping must vary with increasing group size. The first component is the marginal benefit of helping to group members, which determines both direct fitness benefits to the actor and indirect fitness benefits to recipients. While this is often assumed to be independent of group size, marginal benefits are in practice likely to be maximal at intermediate group sizes for many types of collective action problems, and will eventually become very small in large groups due to the law of decreasing marginal returns. The second component is the response of social partners on the past play of an actor, which underlies conditional behaviour under repeated social interactions. We argue that under realistic conditions on the transmission of information in a population, this response on past play decreases rapidly with increasing group size so that reciprocity alone (whether direct, indirect, or generalised) cannot sustain cooperation in very large groups. The final component is the relatedness between actor and recipient, which, according to the rules of inheritance, again decreases rapidly with increasing group size. These results explain why helping behaviours in very large social groups are limited to cases where the number of reproducing individuals is small, as in social insects, or where there are social institutions that can promote (possibly through sanctioning) large-scale cooperation, as in human societies. Finally, we discuss how individually devised institutions can foster the transition from small-scale to large-scale cooperative groups in human evolution. © 2016 Cambridge Philosophical Society.

Choice of the Metric for Effect Size in Meta-analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGaw, Barry; Glass, Gene V.

1980-01-01

There are difficulties in expressing effect sizes on a common metric when some studies use transformed scales to express group differences, or use factorial designs or covariance adjustments to obtain a reduced error term. A common metric on which effect sizes may be standardized is described. (Author/RL)

Outcome Benchmarks for Adaptations of Research-Supported Treatments for Adult Traumatic Stress

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubin, Allen; Parrish, Danielle E.; Washburn, Micki

2016-01-01

This article provides benchmark data on within-group effect sizes from published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the efficacy of research-supported treatments (RSTs) for adult traumatic stress. Agencies can compare these benchmarks to their treatment group effect size to inform their decisions as to whether the way they are…

Physical therapy treatments for low back pain in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Low back pain (LBP) in adolescents is associated with LBP in later years. In recent years treatments have been administered to adolescents for LBP, but it is not known which physical therapy treatment is the most efficacious. By means of a meta-analysis, the current study investigated the effectiveness of the physical therapy treatments for LBP in children and adolescents. Methods Studies in English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese, and carried out by March 2011, were selected by electronic and manual search. Two independent researchers coded the moderator variables of the studies, and performed the effect size calculations. The mean effect size index used was the standardized mean change between the pretest and posttest, and it was applied separately for each combination of outcome measures, (pain, disability, flexibility, endurance and mental health) and measurement type (self-reports, and clinician assessments). Results Eight articles that met the selection criteria enabled us to define 11 treatment groups and 5 control groups using the group as the unit of analysis. The 16 groups involved a total sample of 334 subjects at the posttest (221 in the treatment groups and 113 in the control groups). For all outcome measures, the average effect size of the treatment groups was statistically and clinically significant, whereas the control groups had negative average effect sizes that were not statistically significant. Conclusions Of all the physical therapy treatments for LBP in children and adolescents, the combination of therapeutic physical conditioning and manual therapy is the most effective. The low number of studies and control groups, and the methodological limitations in this meta-analysis prevent us from drawing definitive conclusions in relation to the efficacy of physical therapy treatments in LBP. PMID:23374375

Physical therapy treatments for low back pain in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Calvo-Muñoz, Inmaculada; Gómez-Conesa, Antonia; Sánchez-Meca, Julio

2013-02-02

Low back pain (LBP) in adolescents is associated with LBP in later years. In recent years treatments have been administered to adolescents for LBP, but it is not known which physical therapy treatment is the most efficacious. By means of a meta-analysis, the current study investigated the effectiveness of the physical therapy treatments for LBP in children and adolescents. Studies in English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese, and carried out by March 2011, were selected by electronic and manual search. Two independent researchers coded the moderator variables of the studies, and performed the effect size calculations. The mean effect size index used was the standardized mean change between the pretest and posttest, and it was applied separately for each combination of outcome measures, (pain, disability, flexibility, endurance and mental health) and measurement type (self-reports, and clinician assessments). Eight articles that met the selection criteria enabled us to define 11 treatment groups and 5 control groups using the group as the unit of analysis. The 16 groups involved a total sample of 334 subjects at the posttest (221 in the treatment groups and 113 in the control groups). For all outcome measures, the average effect size of the treatment groups was statistically and clinically significant, whereas the control groups had negative average effect sizes that were not statistically significant. Of all the physical therapy treatments for LBP in children and adolescents, the combination of therapeutic physical conditioning and manual therapy is the most effective. The low number of studies and control groups, and the methodological limitations in this meta-analysis prevent us from drawing definitive conclusions in relation to the efficacy of physical therapy treatments in LBP.

The effects of group size and group economic factors on collaboration: a study of the financial performance of rural hospitals in consortia.

PubMed

Chan, B; Feldman, R; Manning, W G

1999-04-01

To determine factors that distinguish effective rural hospital consortia from ineffective ones in terms of their ability to improve members' financial performance. Two questions in particular were addressed: (1) Do large consortia have a greater collective impact on their members? (2) Does a consortium's economic environment determine the degree of collective impact on members? Based on the hospital survey conducted during February 1992 by the Robert Wood Johnson Hospital-Based Rural Health Care project of rural hospital consortia. The survey data were augmented with data from Medicare Cost Reports (1985-1991), AHA Annual Surveys (1985-1991), and other secondary data. Dependent variables were total operating profit, cost per adjusted admission, and revenue per adjusted admission. Control variables included degree of group formalization, degree of inequality of resources among members (group asymmetry), affiliation with other consortium group(s), individual economic environment, common hospital characteristics (bed size, ownership type, system affiliation, case mix, etc.), year (1985-1991), and census region dummies. All dependent variables have a curvilinear association with group size. The optimum group size is somewhere in the neighborhood of 45. This reveals the benefits of collective action (i.e., scale economies and/or synergy effects) and the issue of complexity as group size increases. Across analyses, no strong evidence exists of group economic environment impacts, and the environmental influences come mainly from the local economy rather than from the group economy. There may be some success stories of collaboration among hospitals in consortia, and consortium effects vary across different collaborations. When studying consortia, it makes sense to develop a typology of groups based on some performance indicators. The results of this study imply that government, rural communities, and consortium staff and steering committees should forge the consortium concept by expanding membership in order to gain greater financial benefits for individual hospitals.

[Effective size of subpopulations in early-run sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka from Azabach'e Lake (Kamchatka): the effect of relative reproductive success of different-year cohorts].

PubMed

Efremov, V V

2004-05-01

The effect of variation in reproductive success of cohorts of different year of birth (within generation) on the effective subpopulation (breeding group) size in early-run sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka from Azabach'e Lake (Kamchatka). The annual variation in census size and overlapping of year classes reduced the ratio of the effective subpopulation size to the census size by 7 to 88% in different subpopulations. The total effect of the variance of reproductive success in individual years and the variance of reproductive success of different cohorts reduced the effective size/census size ratio by 68-96%.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Schizophrenia: Effect Sizes, Clinical Models, and Methodological Rigor

PubMed Central

Wykes, Til; Steel, Craig; Everitt, Brian; Tarrier, Nicholas

2008-01-01

Background: Guidance in the United States and United Kingdom has included cognitive behavior therapy for psychosis (CBTp) as a preferred therapy. But recent advances have widened the CBTp targets to other symptoms and have different methods of provision, eg, in groups. Aim: To explore the effect sizes of current CBTp trials including targeted and nontargeted symptoms, modes of action, and effect of methodological rigor. Method: Thirty-four CBTp trials with data in the public domain were used as source data for a meta-analysis and investigation of the effects of trial methodology using the Clinical Trial Assessment Measure (CTAM). Results: There were overall beneficial effects for the target symptom (33 studies; effect size = 0.400 [95% confidence interval {CI} = 0.252, 0.548]) as well as significant effects for positive symptoms (32 studies), negative symptoms (23 studies), functioning (15 studies), mood (13 studies), and social anxiety (2 studies) with effects ranging from 0.35 to 0.44. However, there was no effect on hopelessness. Improvements in one domain were correlated with improvements in others. Trials in which raters were aware of group allocation had an inflated effect size of approximately 50%–100%. But rigorous CBTp studies showed benefit (estimated effect size = 0.223; 95% CI = 0.017, 0.428) although the lower end of the CI should be noted. Secondary outcomes (eg, negative symptoms) were also affected such that in the group of methodologically adequate studies the effect sizes were not significant. Conclusions: As in other meta-analyses, CBTp had beneficial effect on positive symptoms. However, psychological treatment trials that make no attempt to mask the group allocation are likely to have inflated effect sizes. Evidence considered for psychological treatment guidance should take into account specific methodological detail. PMID:17962231

Effect of glide path and apical preparation size on the incidence of apical crack during the canal preparation using Reciproc, WaveOne, and ProTaper Next systems in curved root canals: A stereomicroscope study.

PubMed

Topçuoğlu, Hüseyin Sinan; Düzgün, Salih; Akpek, Firdevs; Topçuoğlu, Gamze

2016-11-01

This study evaluated the effect of creating a glide path and apical preparation size on the incidence of apical cracks during canal preparation in mandibular molar teeth with curved canals. One hundred and forty extracted teeth were used. The teeth were randomly assigned to one control group or six experimental groups (n = 20 per group) for canal preparation. No preparation was performed on teeth in the control group. In three of the six experimental groups, a glide path was not created; a glide path was created on the curved mesial canals of all teeth in the remaining three experimental groups. All teeth in experimental groups were then instrumented with the following systems: Reciproc, WaveOne (WO), and ProTaper Next (PTN). Digital images of the apical root surfaces of these teeth were recorded before preparation, after instrumentation with size 25 files, and after instrumentation with size 40 files. The images were then inspected for the presence of any new apical cracks and propagation. There was no significant difference between the experimental groups during canal preparation using size 25 files (p > 0.05). Reciproc and WO caused more new apical cracks than did PTN during canal preparation using size 40 files (p < 0.05). However, canal preparation using size 40 files did not cause propagation of existing cracks (p > 0.05). Performing a glide path prior to canal preparation did not change the incidence of apical crack during preparation. Additionally, increasing apical preparation size may increase the incidence of apical crack during canal preparation. SCANNING 38:585-590, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Benefits of Group Living Include Increased Feeding Efficiency and Lower Mass Loss during Desiccation in the Social and Inbreeding Spider Stegodyphus dumicola

PubMed Central

Vanthournout, Bram; Greve, Michelle; Bruun, Anne; Bechsgaard, Jesper; Overgaard, Johannes; Bilde, Trine

2016-01-01

Group living carries a price: it inherently entails increased competition for resources and reproduction, and may also be associated with mating among relatives, which carries costs of inbreeding. Nonetheless, group living and sociality is found in many animals, and understanding the direct and indirect benefits of cooperation that override the inherent costs remains a challenge in evolutionary ecology. Individuals in groups may benefit from more efficient management of energy or water reserves, for example in the form of reduced water or heat loss from groups of animals huddling, or through reduced energy demands afforded by shared participation in tasks. We investigated the putative benefits of group living in the permanently social spider Stegodyphus dumicola by comparing the effect of group size on standard metabolic rate, lipid/protein content as a body condition measure, feeding efficiency, per capita web investment, and weight/water loss and survival during desiccation. Because energetic expenditure is temperature sensitive, some assays were performed under varying temperature conditions. We found that feeding efficiency increased with group size, and the rate of weight loss was higher in solitary individuals than in animals in groups of various sizes during desiccation. Interestingly, this was not translated into differences in survival or in standard metabolic rate. We did not detect any group size effects for other parameters, and group size effects did not co-vary with experimental temperature in a predictive manner. Both feeding efficiency and mass loss during desiccation are relevant ecological factors as the former results in lowered predator exposure time, and the latter benefits social spiders which occupy arid, hot environments. PMID:26869936

Internet-Assisted Parent Training Intervention for Disruptive Behavior in 4-Year-Old Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

PubMed

Sourander, Andre; McGrath, Patrick J; Ristkari, Terja; Cunningham, Charles; Huttunen, Jukka; Lingley-Pottie, Patricia; Hinkka-Yli-Salomäki, Susanna; Kinnunen, Malin; Vuorio, Jenni; Sinokki, Atte; Fossum, Sturla; Unruh, Anita

2016-04-01

There is a large gap worldwide in the provision of evidence-based early treatment of children with disruptive behavioral problems. To determine whether an Internet-assisted intervention using whole-population screening that targets the most symptomatic 4-year-old children is effective at 6 and 12 months after the start of treatment. This 2-parallel-group randomized clinical trial was performed from October 1, 2011, through November 30, 2013, at a primary health care clinic in Southwest Finland. Data analysis was performed from August 6, 2015, to December 11, 2015. Of a screened population of 4656 children, 730 met the screening criteria indicating a high level of disruptive behavioral problems. A total of 464 parents of 4-year-old children were randomized into the Strongest Families Smart Website (SFSW) intervention group (n = 232) or an education control (EC) group (n = 232). The SFSW intervention, an 11-session Internet-assisted parent training program that included weekly telephone coaching. Child Behavior Checklist version for preschool children (CBCL/1.5-5) externalizing scale (primary outcome), other CBCL/1.5-5 scales and subscores, Parenting Scale, Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits, and the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale. All data were analyzed by intention to treat and per protocol. The assessments were made before randomization and 6 and 12 months after randomization. Of the children randomized, 287 (61.9%) were male and 79 (17.1%) lived in other than a family with 2 biological parents. At 12-month follow-up, improvement in the SFSW intervention group was significantly greater compared with the control group on the following measures: CBCL/1.5-5 externalizing scale (effect size, 0.34; P < .001), internalizing scale (effect size, 0.35; P < .001), and total scores (effect size, 0.37; P < .001); 5 of 7 syndrome scales, including aggression (effect size, 0.36; P < .001), sleep (effect size, 0.24; P = .002), withdrawal (effect size, 0.25; P = .005), anxiety (effect size, 0.26; P = .003), and emotional problems (effect size, 0.31; P = .001); Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits callousness scores (effect size, 0.19; P = .03); and self-reported parenting skills (effect size, 0.53; P < .001). The study reveals the effectiveness and feasibility of an Internet-assisted parent training intervention offered for parents of preschool children with disruptive behavioral problems screened from the whole population. The strategy of population-based screening of children at an early age to offering parent training using digital technology and telephone coaching is a promising public health strategy for providing early intervention for a variety of child mental health problems. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01750996.

The effects of gait retraining in runners with patellofemoral pain: A randomized trial.

PubMed

Roper, Jenevieve L; Harding, Elizabeth M; Doerfler, Deborah; Dexter, James G; Kravitz, Len; Dufek, Janet S; Mermier, Christine M

2016-06-01

Running popularity has increased resulting in a concomitant increase in running-related injuries with patellofemoral pain most commonly reported. The purpose of this study was to determine whether gait retraining by modifying footstrike patterns from rearfoot strike to forefoot strike reduces patellofemoral pain and improves associated biomechanical measures, and whether the modification influences risk of ankle injuries. Sixteen subjects (n=16) were randomly placed in the control (n=8) or experimental (n=8) group. The experimental group performed eight gait retraining running sessions over two weeks where footstrike pattern was switched from rearfoot strike to forefoot strike, while the control group performed running sessions with no intervention. Variables were recorded pre-, post-, and one-month post-running trials. Knee pain was significantly reduced post-retraining (P<0.05; effect size=0.294) and one-month follow-up (P<0.05; effect size=0.294). Knee abduction was significantly improved post-retraining (P<0.05; effect size=0.291) and one-month follow-up (P<0.05; effect size=0.291). Ankle flexion was significantly different post-retraining (P<0.05; effect size=0.547), as well as ankle range of motion post-retraining (P<0.05; effect size=0.425) and one-month follow-up (P<0.05; effect size=0.425). Findings suggest running with a forefoot strike pattern leads to reduced knee pain, and should be considered a possible strategy for management of patellofemoral pain in recreational runners. This trial is registered at the US National Institutes of Health (clinicaltrials.gov) #NCT02567123. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Effects of shape, size, and chromaticity of stimuli on estimated size in normally sighted, severely myopic, and visually impaired students.

PubMed

Huang, Kuo-Chen; Wang, Hsiu-Feng; Chen, Chun-Ching

2010-06-01

Effects of shape, size, and chromaticity of stimuli on participants' errors when estimating the size of simultaneously presented standard and comparison stimuli were examined. 48 Taiwanese college students ages 20 to 24 years old (M = 22.3, SD = 1.3) participated. Analysis showed that the error for estimated size was significantly greater for those in the low-vision group than for those in the normal-vision and severe-myopia groups. The errors were significantly greater with green and blue stimuli than with red stimuli. Circular stimuli produced smaller mean errors than did square stimuli. The actual size of the standard stimulus significantly affected the error for estimated size. Errors for estimations using smaller sizes were significantly higher than when the sizes were larger. Implications of the results for graphics-based interface design, particularly when taking account of visually impaired users, are discussed.

Immediate effects of atlanto-occipital joint manipulation on active mouth opening and pressure pain sensitivity in women with mechanical neck pain.

PubMed

Mansilla-Ferragut, Pilar; Fernández-de-Las Peñas, César; Alburquerque-Sendín, Francisco; Cleland, Joshua A; Boscá-Gandía, Juan José

2009-02-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a spinal thrust manipulation directed to the upper cervical segments (atlanto-occipital joint) on active mouth opening and pressure pain sensitivity in a trigeminal nerve innervated region (sphenoid bone) in women with mechanical neck pain. Thirty-seven women, ages 21 to 50 years old (mean age, 35 +/- 8 years) with mechanical neck pain were recruited for this study. Participants were randomly assigned into 1 of 2 groups as follows: an experimental group that received a spinal manipulation of the atlanto-occipital joint and a control group that received a manual contact placebo intervention. Outcomes collected were assessed pretreatment and 5 minutes posttreatment by an assessor blinded to the treatment allocation and included active mouth opening and pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) over both sides of the sphenoid bone. A 2-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with time (pre-post) as the within subjects variable and group (control, experimental) as the between subjects variable was used to examine the effects of the intervention. The hypothesis of interest was group-time interaction. The ANOVA showed a significant effect for time (F = 23.1; P < .001) and an interaction between group and time (F = 37.7; P < .001) for active mouth opening as follows: the experimental group showed a greater improvement when compared to the control group. A large positive within-group effect size (d > 1.5) for the experimental group, whereas a negative medium within-group effect size (d = -0.5) for the control group were identified. The ANOVA showed a significant interaction between group and time (F = 14.4; P < .001) for PPT levels at the sphenoid bone as follows: the experimental group showed a greater improvement when compared to the control group. A medium positive within-group effect size (d = -0.5) for the experimental group, whereas a negative medium within-group effect size (d = -0.5) for the control group was found. Our findings suggest that the application of an atlantoaxial joint thrust manipulation resulted in an increase in active mouth opening and PPT over a trigeminal nerve distribution area (sphenoid bone) in women with mechanical neck pain.

Generalizations and Extensions of the Probability of Superiority Effect Size Estimator

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruscio, John; Gera, Benjamin Lee

2013-01-01

Researchers are strongly encouraged to accompany the results of statistical tests with appropriate estimates of effect size. For 2-group comparisons, a probability-based effect size estimator ("A") has many appealing properties (e.g., it is easy to understand, robust to violations of parametric assumptions, insensitive to outliers). We review…

Within-Group Effect-Size Benchmarks for Problem-Solving Therapy for Depression in Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubin, Allen; Yu, Miao

2017-01-01

This article provides benchmark data on within-group effect sizes from published randomized clinical trials that supported the efficacy of problem-solving therapy (PST) for depression among adults. Benchmarks are broken down by type of depression (major or minor), type of outcome measure (interview or self-report scale), whether PST was provided…

The Hard but Necessary Task of Gathering Order-One Effect Size Indices in Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ortego, Carmen; Botella, Juan

2010-01-01

Meta-analysis of studies with two groups and two measurement occasions must employ order-one effect size indices to represent study outcomes. Especially with non-random assignment, non-equivalent control group designs, a statistical analysis restricted to post-treatment scores can lead to severely biased conclusions. The 109 primary studies…

The Efficacy of Two Improvement-over-Chance Effect Sizes for Two-Group Univariate Comparisons under Variance Heterogeneity and Nonnormality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hess, Brian; Olejnik, Stephen; Huberty, Carl J.

2001-01-01

Studied the efficacy of two improvement-over-chance or "I" effect sizes derived from predictive discriminant analysis and logistic regression analysis for two-group univariate mean comparisons through simulation. Discusses the ways in which the usefulness of each of the indices depends on the population characteristics. (SLD)

The Effect of Computer-Assisted Cooperative Learning Methods and Group Size on the EFL Learners' Achievement in Communication Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

AbuSeileek, Ali Farhan

2012-01-01

This study explored the effect of cooperative learning small group size and two different instructional modes (positive interdependence vs. individual accountability) on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) undergraduate learners' communication skills (speaking and writing) achievement in computer-based environments. The study also examined the…

Overlap between treatment and control distributions as an effect size measure in experiments.

PubMed

Hedges, Larry V; Olkin, Ingram

2016-03-01

The proportion π of treatment group observations that exceed the control group mean has been proposed as an effect size measure for experiments that randomly assign independent units into 2 groups. We give the exact distribution of a simple estimator of π based on the standardized mean difference and use it to study the small sample bias of this estimator. We also give the minimum variance unbiased estimator of π under 2 models, one in which the variance of the mean difference is known and one in which the variance is unknown. We show how to use the relation between the standardized mean difference and the overlap measure to compute confidence intervals for π and show that these results can be used to obtain unbiased estimators, large sample variances, and confidence intervals for 3 related effect size measures based on the overlap. Finally, we show how the effect size π can be used in a meta-analysis. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Meta-analysis of studies assessing the efficacy of projective techniques in discriminating child sexual abuse.

PubMed

West, M M

1998-11-01

This meta-analysis of 12 studies assesses the efficacy of projective techniques to discriminate between sexually abused children and nonsexually abused children. A literature search was conducted to identify published studies that used projective instruments with sexually abused children. Those studies that reported statistics that allowed for an effect size to be calculated, were then included in the meta-analysis. There were 12 studies that fit the criteria. The projectives reviewed include The Rorschach, The Hand Test, The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), the Kinetic Family Drawings, Human Figure Drawings, Draw Your Favorite Kind of Day, The Rosebush: A Visualization Strategy, and The House-Tree-Person. The results of this analysis gave an over-all effect size of d = .81, which is a large effect. Six studies included only a norm group of nondistressed, nonabused children with the sexual abuse group. The average effect size was d = .87, which is impressive. Six studies did include a clinical group of distressed nonsexually abused subjects and the effect size lowered to d = .76, which is a medium to large effect. This indicates that projective instruments can discriminate distressed children from nondistressed subjects, quite well. In the studies that included a clinical group of distressed children who were not sexually abused, the lower effect size indicates that the instruments were less able to discriminate the type of distress. This meta-analysis gives evidence that projective techniques have the ability to discriminate between children who have been sexually abused and those who were not abused sexually. However, further research that is designed to include clinical groups of distressed children is needed in order to determine how well the projectives can discriminate the type of distress.

Sample size considerations when groups are the appropriate unit of analyses

PubMed Central

Sadler, Georgia Robins; Ko, Celine Marie; Alisangco, Jennifer; Rosbrook, Bradley P.; Miller, Eric; Fullerton, Judith

2007-01-01

This paper discusses issues to be considered by nurse researchers when groups should be used as a unit of randomization. Advantages and disadvantages are presented, with statistical calculations needed to determine effective sample size. Examples of these concepts are presented using data from the Black Cosmetologists Promoting Health Program. Different hypothetical scenarios and their impact on sample size are presented. Given the complexity of calculating sample size when using groups as a unit of randomization, it’s advantageous for researchers to work closely with statisticians when designing and implementing studies that anticipate the use of groups as the unit of randomization. PMID:17693219

Effect size and statistical power in the rodent fear conditioning literature - A systematic review.

PubMed

Carneiro, Clarissa F D; Moulin, Thiago C; Macleod, Malcolm R; Amaral, Olavo B

2018-01-01

Proposals to increase research reproducibility frequently call for focusing on effect sizes instead of p values, as well as for increasing the statistical power of experiments. However, it is unclear to what extent these two concepts are indeed taken into account in basic biomedical science. To study this in a real-case scenario, we performed a systematic review of effect sizes and statistical power in studies on learning of rodent fear conditioning, a widely used behavioral task to evaluate memory. Our search criteria yielded 410 experiments comparing control and treated groups in 122 articles. Interventions had a mean effect size of 29.5%, and amnesia caused by memory-impairing interventions was nearly always partial. Mean statistical power to detect the average effect size observed in well-powered experiments with significant differences (37.2%) was 65%, and was lower among studies with non-significant results. Only one article reported a sample size calculation, and our estimated sample size to achieve 80% power considering typical effect sizes and variances (15 animals per group) was reached in only 12.2% of experiments. Actual effect sizes correlated with effect size inferences made by readers on the basis of textual descriptions of results only when findings were non-significant, and neither effect size nor power correlated with study quality indicators, number of citations or impact factor of the publishing journal. In summary, effect sizes and statistical power have a wide distribution in the rodent fear conditioning literature, but do not seem to have a large influence on how results are described or cited. Failure to take these concepts into consideration might limit attempts to improve reproducibility in this field of science.

Effect size and statistical power in the rodent fear conditioning literature – A systematic review

PubMed Central

Macleod, Malcolm R.

2018-01-01

Proposals to increase research reproducibility frequently call for focusing on effect sizes instead of p values, as well as for increasing the statistical power of experiments. However, it is unclear to what extent these two concepts are indeed taken into account in basic biomedical science. To study this in a real-case scenario, we performed a systematic review of effect sizes and statistical power in studies on learning of rodent fear conditioning, a widely used behavioral task to evaluate memory. Our search criteria yielded 410 experiments comparing control and treated groups in 122 articles. Interventions had a mean effect size of 29.5%, and amnesia caused by memory-impairing interventions was nearly always partial. Mean statistical power to detect the average effect size observed in well-powered experiments with significant differences (37.2%) was 65%, and was lower among studies with non-significant results. Only one article reported a sample size calculation, and our estimated sample size to achieve 80% power considering typical effect sizes and variances (15 animals per group) was reached in only 12.2% of experiments. Actual effect sizes correlated with effect size inferences made by readers on the basis of textual descriptions of results only when findings were non-significant, and neither effect size nor power correlated with study quality indicators, number of citations or impact factor of the publishing journal. In summary, effect sizes and statistical power have a wide distribution in the rodent fear conditioning literature, but do not seem to have a large influence on how results are described or cited. Failure to take these concepts into consideration might limit attempts to improve reproducibility in this field of science. PMID:29698451

Some Effects of Television Screen Size and Viewer Distance on Recognition of Short Sentences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewin, Earl P.

A study investigated changes in recognition time for short sentences presented on television screens of varying sizes with viewers at varying distances. In a posttest only control group design, subjects in several different groups viewed a series of similar sentences under conditions where screen size and distance from the screen were varied. The…

Effect of verbal instructions and image size on visual search strategies in basketball free throw shooting.

PubMed

Al-Abood, Saleh A; Bennett, Simon J; Hernandez, Francisco Moreno; Ashford, Derek; Davids, Keith

2002-03-01

We assessed the effects on basketball free throw performance of two types of verbal directions with an external attentional focus. Novices (n = 16) were pre-tested on free throw performance and assigned to two groups of similar ability (n = 8 in each). Both groups received verbal instructions with an external focus on either movement dynamics (movement form) or movement effects (e.g. ball trajectory relative to basket). The participants also observed a skilled model performing the task on either a small or large screen monitor, to ascertain the effects of visual presentation mode on task performance. After observation of six videotaped trials, all participants were given a post-test. Visual search patterns were monitored during observation and cross-referenced with performance on the pre- and post-test. Group effects were noted for verbal instructions and image size on visual search strategies and free throw performance. The 'movement effects' group saw a significant improvement in outcome scores between the pre-test and post-test. These results supported evidence that this group spent more viewing time on information outside the body than the 'movement dynamics' group. Image size affected both groups equally with more fixations of shorter duration when viewing the small screen. The results support the benefits of instructions when observing a model with an external focus on movement effects, not dynamics.

Boundaries around Group Interaction: The Effect of Size and Status.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knowles, Eric S.

The stimulus value of group boundaries was investigated in a field experiment. It was hypothesized that the size of a group and the status of its members would reduce the permeability of a boundary around an interacting group. Two or 4 interacting people of high or low status interrupted the traffic flow in a university hallway. Results indicate…

Influence of social mixing and group size on skin lesions and mounting in organic entire male pigs.

PubMed

Thomsen, R; Edwards, S A; Rousing, T; Labouriau, R; Sørensen, J T

2016-07-01

Alternatives to surgical castration are needed, due to stress and pain caused by castration of male pigs. One alternative is production of entire male pigs. However, changed behaviour of entire males compared with castrated males might adversely affect the welfare of entire males and changes in management procedures and production system might be needed. Elements from the organic pig production system might be beneficial in this aspect. The aim of this article is to investigate the effect of grouping strategy including social mixing and group size on levels of mounting behaviour and skin lesions, hypothesising that procedures that disrupt the social stability (e.g. regrouping) will have a larger negative effect in small groups compared with large groups. Approximately 1600 organic entire male pigs of the breed (Landrace×Yorkshire)×Duroc were reared in parallel in five organic herds, distributed across four batches in a 2×2 factorial design in order to test the influence of social mixing (presence or absence of social mixing at relocation) and group size (15 and 30 animals). Animals were able to socialise with piglets from other litters during the lactation period, and were all mixed across litters at weaning. A second mixing occurred at insertion to fattening pens for pigs being regrouped. Counting of skin lesions (1348 or 1124 pigs) and registration of mounting behaviour (1434 or 1258 pigs) were done on two occasions during the experimental period. No interactive effects were found between social mixing and group size on either skin lesions or mounting frequency. Herd differences were found for both mounting frequency and number of skin lesions. No association between skin lesions and mounting were revealed. Social mixing and group size were shown as interacting effects with herds on mounting frequency (P<0.0001), but with no consistent pattern across all herds. In addition, no effect of social mixing was found on mean number of skin lesions, but more lesions were observed in large groups (P<0.036). This could indicate that keeping entire male pigs in groups of 30 animals as compared with smaller groups of 15 may marginally decrease the welfare of these animals.

The relation between visualization size, grouping, and user performance.

PubMed

Gramazio, Connor C; Schloss, Karen B; Laidlaw, David H

2014-12-01

In this paper we make the following contributions: (1) we describe how the grouping, quantity, and size of visual marks affects search time based on the results from two experiments; (2) we report how search performance relates to self-reported difficulty in finding the target for different display types; and (3) we present design guidelines based on our findings to facilitate the design of effective visualizations. Both Experiment 1 and 2 asked participants to search for a unique target in colored visualizations to test how the grouping, quantity, and size of marks affects user performance. In Experiment 1, the target square was embedded in a grid of squares and in Experiment 2 the target was a point in a scatterplot. Search performance was faster when colors were spatially grouped than when they were randomly arranged. The quantity of marks had little effect on search time for grouped displays ("pop-out"), but increasing the quantity of marks slowed reaction time for random displays. Regardless of color layout (grouped vs. random), response times were slowest for the smallest mark size and decreased as mark size increased to a point, after which response times plateaued. In addition to these two experiments we also include potential application areas, as well as results from a small case study where we report preliminary findings that size may affect how users infer how visualizations should be used. We conclude with a list of design guidelines that focus on how to best create visualizations based on grouping, quantity, and size of visual marks.

Social enhancement of fitness in yellow-bellied marmots.

PubMed

Armitage, K B; Schwartz, O A

2000-10-24

The yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) is a social, ground-dwelling squirrel that lives either individually or in kin groups of from two to five adult females. Philopatry and daughter recruitment lead to the formation and persistence of matrilines at habitat sites. By using 37 years of demographic data for 12 habitat sites, we could determine long-term trends in the effects of group size on two measures of fitness, survivorship and net reproductive rate, which otherwise are obscured by annual fluctuations in these measures. Both size and number of matrilines varied among sites and survivorship and net reproductive rate varied among sites and among matriline sizes. The role of social organization was explored further by examining the effect of matriline size, averaged over all years and sites, on fitness. For both survivorship and net reproductive rate the relationship with matriline size was curvilinear. Fitness increased with the increase in matriline size and then decreased in the largest groups. Decreased fitness in matrilines of four or five was associated with agonistic behavior, a large number of 2-year-old females in the social group, and reproductive suppression. There is no evidence that females acted to increase their fitness by increasing indirect fitness; i.e., by assisting relatives, but attempted to increase direct fitness. Direct fitness increased when mortality and fission of large matrilines reduced group size and the surviving females increased reproduction.

Social enhancement of fitness in yellow-bellied marmots

PubMed Central

Armitage, Kenneth B.; Schwartz, Orlando A.

2000-01-01

The yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) is a social, ground-dwelling squirrel that lives either individually or in kin groups of from two to five adult females. Philopatry and daughter recruitment lead to the formation and persistence of matrilines at habitat sites. By using 37 years of demographic data for 12 habitat sites, we could determine long-term trends in the effects of group size on two measures of fitness, survivorship and net reproductive rate, which otherwise are obscured by annual fluctuations in these measures. Both size and number of matrilines varied among sites and survivorship and net reproductive rate varied among sites and among matriline sizes. The role of social organization was explored further by examining the effect of matriline size, averaged over all years and sites, on fitness. For both survivorship and net reproductive rate the relationship with matriline size was curvilinear. Fitness increased with the increase in matriline size and then decreased in the largest groups. Decreased fitness in matrilines of four or five was associated with agonistic behavior, a large number of 2-year-old females in the social group, and reproductive suppression. There is no evidence that females acted to increase their fitness by increasing indirect fitness; i.e., by assisting relatives, but attempted to increase direct fitness. Direct fitness increased when mortality and fission of large matrilines reduced group size and the surviving females increased reproduction. PMID:11035771

Detecting and correcting for family size differences in the study of sexual orientation and fraternal birth order.

PubMed

Blanchard, Ray

2014-07-01

The term "fraternal birth order effect" denotes a statistical relation most commonly expressed in one of two ways: Older brothers increase the odds of homosexuality in later born males or, alternatively, homosexual men tend to have more older brothers than do heterosexual men. The demonstrability of this effect depends partly on the adequate matching of the homosexual and heterosexual study groups with respect to mean family size. If the homosexual group has too many siblings, relative to the heterosexual group, the homosexual group will tend to show the expected excess of older brothers but may also show an excess of other sibling-types (most likely older sisters); if the homosexual group has too few siblings, it will tend not to show a difference in number of older brothers but instead may show a deficiency of other sibling-types (most likely younger brothers and younger sisters). In the first part of this article, these consequences are illustrated with deliberately mismatched groups selected from archived data sets. In the second part, two slightly different methods for transforming raw sibling data are presented. These are intended to produce family-size-corrected variables for each of the four original sibling parameters (older brothers, older sisters, younger brothers, and younger sisters). Both versions are shown to render the fraternal birth order effect observable in the deliberately mismatched groups. In the third part of the article, fraternal birth order studies published in the last 5 years were surveyed for failures to find a statistically significant excess of older brothers for the homosexual group. Two such studies were found in the nine examined. In both cases, the collective findings for older sisters, younger brothers, and younger sisters suggested that the mean family size of the homosexual groups was smaller than that of the heterosexual comparison groups. Furthermore, the individual findings for the four classes of siblings resembled those for the present experimentally mismatched groups in which the mean family size of the homosexual group was significantly smaller. This illustrates the necessity of comparing groups on measures of mean family size and removing this confound in some way when those means are markedly different.

Group size effects on survivorship and adult development in the gregarious larvae of Euselasia chrysippe (Lepidoptera, Riodinidae)

Treesearch

P. E. Allen

2010-01-01

Caterpillars living in aggregations may derive several benefits that outweigh the costs, including better survivorship and improved growth rates. I tested whether larval group size had an effect on these two vital rates in Euselasia chrysippe. These caterpillars feed gregariously during all instars and move in processionary form over the host plant...

Less precise representation of numerical magnitude in high math-anxious individuals: an ERP study of the size and distance effects.

PubMed

Núñez-Peña, M Isabel; Suárez-Pellicioni, Macarena

2014-12-01

Numerical comparison tasks are widely used to study the mental representation of numerical magnitude. In study, event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded while 26 high math-anxious (HMA) and 27 low math-anxious (LMA) individuals were presented with pairs of single-digit Arabic numbers and were asked to decide which one had the larger numerical magnitude. The size of the numbers and the distance between them were manipulated in order to study the size and the distance effects. The results showed that both distance and size effects were larger for the HMA group. As for ERPs, results showed that the ERP distance effect had larger amplitude for both the size and distance effects in the HMA group than among their LMA counterparts. Since this component has been taken as a marker of the processing of numerical magnitude, this result suggests that HMA individuals have a less precise representation of numerical magnitude. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Ownship Information and NexRad Resolution on Pilot Decision Making in the Use of a Cockpit Weather Information Display

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Novacek, Paul F.; Burgess, Malcolm A.; Heck, Michael L.; Stokes, Alan F.; Stough, H. Paul, III (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

A two-phase experiment was conducted to explore the effects of data-link weather displays upon pilot decision performance. The experiment was conducted with 49 instrument rated pilots who were divided into four groups and placed in a simulator with a realistic flight scenario involving weather containing convective activity. The inflight weather display depicted NEXRAD images, with graphical and textual METARs over a moving map display. The experiment explored the effect of weather information, ownship position symbology and NEXRAD cell size resolution. The phase-two experiment compared two groups using the data-linked weather display with ownship position symbology. These groups were compared to the phase-one group that did not have ownship position symbology. The phase-two pilots were presented with either large NEXRAD cell size (8 km) or small cell size (4 km). Observations noted that the introduction of ownship symbology did not appear to significantly impact the decision making process, however, the introduction of ownship did reduce workload. Additionally, NEXRAD cell size resolution did appear to influence the tactical decision making process.

OA03.02. The effect of kutaja pratisaraniya kshara in the management of ardra arshas.

PubMed Central

Pathak, Avnish; Yashawanth, BN

2013-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of Kutaja Pratisaraniya Kshara and Apamarga Pratisaraniya Kshara in the management of Ardra Arshas and to compare the effect of both the Groups. Method: Cases presenting with classical signs and symptoms of Ardra Arshas were selected and randomly allocated into two groups i.e. GroupA and GroupB. In GroupA Apamarga Pratisaraniya Kshara was applied and in GroupB Kutaja Pratisaraniya Kshara was applied. The signs and symptoms of Ardra Arshas i.e. bleeding per rectum, pain, defecation, tonicity of anal sphincter, sloughing of the pile mass and size of Arshas was assessed before and after the completion of treatment. Result: After the 30 days of treatment with Kutaja Pratisaraniya Kshara provided significant relief in pain by 100%, in bleeding by 97.61%, in defecation 100%, slough by 100%, in colour of pile mass by 98.33%. in tonicity of the anal canal by 95% and in size of pile mass by 98.33%, and no recurrence noticed. After the 30 days treatment with Apamarga Pratisaraniya Kshara provided significant relief in pain by 100%, in bleeding by 97.7%, in defecation 95.5, in slough by 100%, in colour of pile mass by 98.1%. in tonicity of the anal canal by 95.2% and in size of pile mass by 96.6% and no recurrence noticed. On the basis of comparison of the effects as mentioned above it can be said that the application of Kutaja Kshara provided better relief in pain, defecation, slough and size of the pile mass of the patients in comparison to Apamarga Kshara. Conclusion: Group B cases showed better improvement when compared to Group A However all 20 cases of Group A and 20 cases of Group B showed good results.

Confidence Intervals for the Probability of Superiority Effect Size Measure and the Area under a Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruscio, John; Mullen, Tara

2012-01-01

It is good scientific practice to the report an appropriate estimate of effect size and a confidence interval (CI) to indicate the precision with which a population effect was estimated. For comparisons of 2 independent groups, a probability-based effect size estimator (A) that is equal to the area under a receiver operating characteristic curve…

Developing the Noncentrality Parameter for Calculating Group Sample Sizes in Heterogeneous Analysis of Variance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luh, Wei-Ming; Guo, Jiin-Huarng

2011-01-01

Sample size determination is an important issue in planning research. In the context of one-way fixed-effect analysis of variance, the conventional sample size formula cannot be applied for the heterogeneous variance cases. This study discusses the sample size requirement for the Welch test in the one-way fixed-effect analysis of variance with…

Using baby books to increase new mothers' safety practices.

PubMed

Reich, Stephanie M; Penner, Emily K; Duncan, Greg J

2011-01-01

To determine whether educational baby books are an effective method for increasing low-income, first-time mothers' safety practices during their child's first 18 months. Primiparous women (n = 167) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: an educational book group, a noneducational book group, or a no-book group. Home visits and interviews measured safety practices when women were in their third trimester of pregnancy (baseline) and when their children were 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, and 18 months of age. Women in the educational book group had fewer risks in their homes and exercised more safety practices than the no-book group (- 20% risk reduction; effect size = -.30). When the safety practices involved little time or expense (eg, putting away sharp objects), the educational book group was significantly more likely to engage in these behaviors than the no-book group (40% higher practices; effect size = 0.19) or noneducational book group (27% higher practices; effect size = 0.13). However, no differences were found between groups for behaviors that required high effort in time, money, or hassle (eg, installing latches on cabinets). Educational baby books appear to be an easy and low-cost way to increase the safety practices of new mothers, especially if the practices involve little to no time, money, or hassle. Copyright © 2011 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Group size alters postures, and maintenance, oral, locomotor and social behaviors of veal calves

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of group size on behavior of veal calves. Holstein-Friesian bull calves (n = 168; 44 ± 3 d of age), were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments of group housing with 2, 4, or 8 calves per pen (1.82 m2 per calf for all groups). Behavior was obser...

A Regression Framework for Effect Size Assessments in Longitudinal Modeling of Group Differences

PubMed Central

Feingold, Alan

2013-01-01

The use of growth modeling analysis (GMA)--particularly multilevel analysis and latent growth modeling--to test the significance of intervention effects has increased exponentially in prevention science, clinical psychology, and psychiatry over the past 15 years. Model-based effect sizes for differences in means between two independent groups in GMA can be expressed in the same metric (Cohen’s d) commonly used in classical analysis and meta-analysis. This article first reviews conceptual issues regarding calculation of d for findings from GMA and then introduces an integrative framework for effect size assessments that subsumes GMA. The new approach uses the structure of the linear regression model, from which effect sizes for findings from diverse cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses can be calculated with familiar statistics, such as the regression coefficient, the standard deviation of the dependent measure, and study duration. PMID:23956615

Effect of Habitat Size, Quality, and Isolation on Functional Groups of Beetles in Hollow Oaks

PubMed Central

Pilskog, Hanne Eik; Birkemoe, Tone; Framstad, Erik; Sverdrup-Thygeson, Anne

2016-01-01

One of the largest threats to biodiversity is land use change and habitat loss. Hollow oaks (Quercus spp. L.) are well-defined patches that are hotspots for biodiversity and red-listed species, but they are often rare and fragmented in the landscape. We investigated the effect of patch size, habitat quality, and isolation on functional groups and red-listed saproxylic beetles in hollow oaks (n = 40) in Norway. The groups were defined by host tree association, trophic grouping, and red-listed status. Habitat quality, represented by tree form was most important in explaining species richness for most groups. Patch size, represented by circumference and amount of dead branches, was most important in explaining abundance. Isolation, that is single oaks compared with oaks in groups, had a negative effect on the abundance of beetles feeding both on wood and fungi (xylomycethopagous), as well as on species associated with broadleaved trees (oak semi-specialists), but did not affect species richness. This indicates that at this scale and in this landscape, isolated oaks are as species rich and valuable for conservation as other oaks, although some functional groups may be more vulnerable to isolation than others. The red-listed species only responded to patch size, indicating that oaks with large circumference and many dead branches are especially important for red-listed species and for conservation. PMID:26945089

Impact of root canal preparation size and taper on coronal-apical micro-leakage using glucose penetration method

PubMed Central

Tabrizizadeh, Mehdi; Hekmati-Moghadam, Seyed-Hossein; Hakimian, Roqayeh

2014-01-01

Objectives: The purpose of this in vitro study was to assess the effect of root canal preparation size and taper on the amounts of glucose penetration. Material and Methods: For conducting this experimental study, eighty mandibular premolars with single straight canals were divided randomly into 2 experimental groups of 30 samples each and 2 control groups. Using K-files and the balance force technique, canals in group 1 were prepared apically to size 25 and coronally to size 2 Peesoreamer. Group 2 were instrumented apically and coronally to size 40 and size 6 Peesoreamer, respectively. Rotary instrumentation was accomplished in group 1; using size 25 and .04 tapered and in group 2, size 35 and .06 tapered Flex Master files. Canals were then obturated by lateral compaction of cold gutta-percha. Glucose penetration through root canal fillings was measured at 1, 8, 15, 22 and 30 days. Data were recorded as mmol/L and statistically analyzed with Mann-Whitney U test (P value=. 05). Results: In comparison to group 1, group 2 showed significant glucose leakage during the experimental period (P value < .0001). Also, in each experimental group, the amount of micro-leakage was significantly increased at the end of the study. Conclusions: Under the condition of this study, the amounts of micro-leakage through root canal fillings are directly related to the size and taper of root canal preparation and reducing the preparation size may lead to less micro-leakage. Key words:Dental leakage, root canal preparation, endodontics. PMID:25593654

Trait overdispersion and the role of sociality in the assembly of social spider communities across the Americas.

PubMed

Fernandez-Fournier, Philippe; Guevara, Jennifer; Hoffman, Catherine; Avilés, Leticia

2018-05-21

Among the factors that may lead to differences in resource use among closely related species, body size and morphology have been traditionally considered to play a role in community assembly. Here we argue that for animals that live and forage in groups, level of sociality, reflecting differences in group size and cooperative tendencies, can be an additional and powerful dimension separating species in niche space. We compare 50+ communities of the social spider genus Anelosimus across the Americas against a null model that accounts for known effects of biotic and abiotic factors on the distribution of social systems in the genus. We show that these communities are more overdispersed than expected by chance in either or both body size and level of sociality, traits we have previously shown to be associated with differences in resource utilization (prey size, microhabitat, and phenology). We further show that the contribution of sociality to differences in the size of the prey captured is two to three times greater than that of body size, suggesting that changes in group size and cooperative tendencies may be more effective than changes in body size at separating species in niche space.

The impact of electronic mail versus print delivery of an exercise program on muscular strength and aerobic capacity in people with type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Taylor, J David

2008-09-01

Previous research indicates that the Internet, electronic mail (e-mail), and printed materials can be used to deliver interventions to improve physical activity in people with type 2 diabetes. However, no studies have been conducted investigating the effect of e-mail or print delivery of an exercise program on muscular strength and aerobic capacity in people with type 2 diabetes. The purpose of this clinical trial was to investigate the impact of e-mail vs. print delivery of an exercise program on muscular strength and aerobic capacity in people with type 2 diabetes. Nineteen participants with type 2 diabetes were allocated to either a group that was delivered a prescribed exercise program using e-mail (e-mail group, n = 10) or a group that was delivered the same prescribed exercise program in print form (print group, n = 9). Chest press and leg press estimated one-repetition maximum (1-RM) scores as well as estimated peak oxygen uptake ([latin capital V with dot above]O2peak) were measured at baseline and follow-up. Intention-to-treat analysis indicated significant improvements in chest press (mean = 7.00 kg, p = 0.001, effect size = 2.22) and leg press (mean = 19.32 kg, p = 0.002, effect size = 1.98) 1-RM scores and [latin capital V with dot above]O2peak (mean = 9.38 mL of oxygen uptake per kilogram of body mass per minute, p = 0.01, effect size = 1.45) within the e-mail group. Within the print group, significant improvements in chest press (mean = 9.13 kg, p = 0.01, effect size = 1.49) and leg press (mean = 16.68 kg, p = 0.01, effect size = 1.31) 1-RM scores and [latin capital V with dot above]O2peak (mean = 5.14 ml of oxygen uptake per kilogram of body mass per minute, p = 0.03, effect size = 1.14) were found. No significant between-group differences in improvements were found. Clinicians can deliver a prescribed exercise program, either by e-mail or in print form, to significantly improve muscular strength and aerobic capacity in people with type 2 diabetes, and expect similar outcomes.

A Meta-analytic Review of Non-specific Effects in Randomized Controlled Trials of Cognitive Remediation for Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Radhakrishnan, Rajiv; Kiluk, Brian D; Tsai, Jack

2016-03-01

Cognitive remediation (CR) has been found to improve cognitive performance among adults with schizophrenia in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). However, improvements in cognitive performance are often observed in the control groups of RCTs as well. There has been no comprehensive examination of change in control groups for CR, which may inform trial methodology and improve our understanding of measured outcomes for cognitive remediation. In this meta-analysis, we calculated pre-post change in cognitive test performance within control groups of RCTs in 32 CR trials (n = 794 participants) published between 1970 and 2011, and examined the association between pre-post change and sample size, duration of treatment, type of control group, and participants' age, intelligence, duration of illness, and psychiatric symptoms. Results showed that control groups in CR trials showed small effect size changes (Cohen's d = 0.12 ± 0.16) in cognitive test performance over the trial duration. Study characteristics associated with pre-post change included participant age and sample size. These findings suggest attention to change in control groups may help improve detection of cognitive remediation effects for schizophrenia.

Reef Fishes at All Trophic Levels Respond Positively to Effective Marine Protected Areas

PubMed Central

Soler, German A.; Edgar, Graham J.; Thomson, Russell J.; Kininmonth, Stuart; Campbell, Stuart J.; Dawson, Terence P.; Barrett, Neville S.; Bernard, Anthony T. F.; Galván, David E.; Willis, Trevor J.; Alexander, Timothy J.; Stuart-Smith, Rick D.

2015-01-01

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) offer a unique opportunity to test the assumption that fishing pressure affects some trophic groups more than others. Removal of larger predators through fishing is often suggested to have positive flow-on effects for some lower trophic groups, in which case protection from fishing should result in suppression of lower trophic groups as predator populations recover. We tested this by assessing differences in the trophic structure of reef fish communities associated with 79 MPAs and open-access sites worldwide, using a standardised quantitative dataset on reef fish community structure. The biomass of all major trophic groups (higher carnivores, benthic carnivores, planktivores and herbivores) was significantly greater (by 40% - 200%) in effective no-take MPAs relative to fished open-access areas. This effect was most pronounced for individuals in large size classes, but with no size class of any trophic group showing signs of depressed biomass in MPAs, as predicted from higher predator abundance. Thus, greater biomass in effective MPAs implies that exploitation on shallow rocky and coral reefs negatively affects biomass of all fish trophic groups and size classes. These direct effects of fishing on trophic structure appear stronger than any top down effects on lower trophic levels that would be imposed by intact predator populations. We propose that exploitation affects fish assemblages at all trophic levels, and that local ecosystem function is generally modified by fishing. PMID:26461104

Meta-Analysis with Complex Research Designs: Dealing with Dependence from Multiple Measures and Multiple Group Comparisons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scammacca, Nancy; Roberts, Greg; Stuebing, Karla K.

2014-01-01

Previous research has shown that treating dependent effect sizes as independent inflates the variance of the mean effect size and introduces bias by giving studies with more effect sizes more weight in the meta-analysis. This article summarizes the different approaches to handling dependence that have been advocated by methodologists, some of…

The Effect of Size and Taper of Apical Preparation in Reducing Intra-Canal Bacteria: A Quantitative SEM Study.

PubMed

Mohammadzadeh Akhlaghi, Nahid; Rahimifard, Nahid; Moshari, Amirabbas; Vatanpour, Mehdi; Darmiani, Soheila

2014-01-01

Bacteria and their byproducts are major etiologic factors in endodontic diseases. Prevention or reduction of root canal bacterial contamination is the main aim of endodontic treatment. The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of size and taper of master apical file (MAF) in reducing bacteria from the apical third of the curved canals using a quantitative scanning electron microscope (SEM) study. Eighty-nine human mandibular first molars with curved MB canals (20(º)-35(º)) were divided into one control group (n=5) (without rotary instrumentation) and 6 experimental groups (n=14). The canals were prepared using RaCe rotary files to the MAF sizes 25/0.04, 25/0.06, 30/0.04, 30/0.06, 35/0.04 and 35/0.06, in groups 1 to 6, respectively. All the experimental groups were finally rinsed with 2 mL of 17% EDTA followed by 3 mL of 5.25% NaOCl. The mesial roots were split longitudinally. Remaining bacteria in the apical third of MB canals were evaluated using SEM (2000×). Data analysis was performed using one way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc test. The level of significance was set at 0.05. All the experimental groups showed significant bacterial reduction (P<0.001). Although the greater size and/or taper resulted in decrease in bacteria, differences between the groups were not significant. Based on this in vitro study the MAF #25/0.04 had no significant difference compared to other groups with greater apical size/taper; all groups could effectively reduce intra-canal bacteria.

Knowledge and psychosocial effects of the film super size me on young adults.

PubMed

Cottone, Ellen; Byrd-Bredbenner, Carol

2007-07-01

The prevalence of overweight and obesity has risen dramatically over the past 2 decades. Among the many contributing factors is increased consumption of fast foods. Mass media outlets have cited the potential of the film Super Size Me to alter this behavior. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of this film on young adults' fast-food knowledge and psychosocial measures (ie, attitudes, self-efficacy, healthy weight locus of control, and stage of change) and evaluate the effectiveness of this film as a form of emotional arousal and consciousness-raising. A pretest-posttest follow-up control group design with random assignment was used. Young adults (n=135; 54% female) completed the pretest; approximately 10 days later viewed a film then completed the posttest; and about 9 days later completed the follow-up test. The experimental group (n=80) viewed Super Size Me. The control group (n=55) viewed an unrelated film. Unpaired t tests revealed that the study groups did not differ significantly (P>0.05) at pretest on any measure. Analysis of covariance, with pretest score as the covariate, revealed the experimental group scored substantially better than the control group at posttest on knowledge and nearly all psychosocial measures. In addition, the experimental group continued to score substantially higher than the control group at follow-up on knowledge, stage of change, and consciousness-raising and lower on external: chance health locus of control. Super Size Me represents a potentially powerful tool for nutrition education. Nutrition practitioners should consider using Super Size Me as a consciousness-raising and emotional arousal change process with patients in pre-action stages of change for reducing fast-food intake.

Effect of Shenzhu Guanxin Recipe () on patients with angina pectoris after percutaneous coronary intervention: A prospective, randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Xu, Dan-Ping; Wu, Huan-Lin; Lan, Tao-Hua; Wang, Xia; Sheng, Xiao-Gang; Lin, Yu; Li, Song; Zheng, Chao-Yang

2015-06-01

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a combination therapy using Chinese medicine (CM) Shenzhu Guanxin Recipe (, SGR) and standard Western medicine treatment (SWMT) in patients with angina pectoris after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Double-blind randomized controlled trial was used in this experimental procedure. One hundred and eighty-seven patients with coronary heart disease receiving SWMT after PCI were randomly assigned to the treatment (SGR) and control (placebo) groups. Outcome measures including angina pectoris score (APS), CM symptom score, and Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) score were evaluated in 1, 2, 3 and 12 months, and the death rate, restenosis and other emergency treatments were observed. The mixed-effects models were employed for the data analysis. In the treatment group, a larger within-treatment effect size (d=1.74) was found, with a 76.7% reduction in APS from pretreatment to 12-month follow-up assessment compared with the control group (d=0.83, 53.8% symptom reduction); betweentreatment (BT) effect size was d=0.66. CM symptom scores included an 18.3% reduction in the treatment group (d=0.46), and a 16.1% decrease in the control group (d=0.31); d=0.62 for BT effect size. In regard to scores of SAQ, the BT effect size of cognition level of disease was larger in the treatment group (d=0.63), followed by the level of body limitation of activity (d=0.62), condition of angina pectoris attacks (d=0.55), satisfaction level of treatments (d=0.31), and steady state of angina pectoris (d=0.30). Two cardiovascular related deaths and one incidental death were recorded in the control and treatment groups, respectively. No significant difference in any cardiovascular event (including death toll, frequency of cardiovascular hospitalization or emergency room visits) was found between the two groups. The combination therapy of SGR and SWMT is effective and safe in patients with angina pectoris after PCI when compared with SWMT alone.

Teachers and Group Size as Variables in Stimulating Oral Language Development with Grade One Disadvantaged Children. IMRID, Volume III, No. 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunn, Lloyd M.; And Others

The purpose of this study was to evaluate both the relative effectiveness of different instructional personnel and the effect of differences in group size upon oral language acquisition for educationally disadvantaged first grade children. Involved in the treatment program were 23 classes in eight schools, all serving lower class areas of a…

The Effect of Diet or Exercise on Visceral Adipose Tissue in Overweight Youth.

PubMed

Vissers, Dirk; Hens, Wendy; Hansen, Dominique; Taeymans, Jan

2016-07-01

Excess visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in children with obesity is associated with the development of cardiovascular and metabolic disease. This meta-analysis investigated if lifestyle interventions can reduce VAT in overweight and obese youth. Pubmed, Cochrane, and PEDro were searched for clinical trials that objectively assessed VAT and included study arms with supervised diet, exercise, or a combination of both. If there was a no-therapy control group, the data of the control group and the intervention groups were used to meta-analyze the data. In all other cases, the preintervention and the postintervention data were used to meta-analyze. Effect sizes were calculated as standardized mean differences or changes of VAT and expressed as Hedges' g. The overall weighted mean effect size on VAT of all included interventions was -0.69 (95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.90 to -0.48) (P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that the overall weighted mean effect size of diet-only interventions on VAT was 0.23 (95% CI = -0.22 to 0.68) (P = 0.311). Interventions that combined diet and exercise showed a pooled effect size on VAT of -0.55 (95% CI = -0.75 to -0.39) (P < 0.001). The pooled effect size of exercise-only interventions on VAT was -0.85 (95% CI = -1.20 to -0.57) (P < 0.001). Supervised exercise-only or combined diet and exercise interventions can reduce VAT in overweight and obese children and adolescents. The strongest effect was found in exercise-only groups. However, high-quality randomized controlled trials describing the effect of supervised dietary interventions on VAT in children are lacking.

Effects of chalazia on corneal astigmatism : Large-sized chalazia in middle upper eyelids compress the cornea and induce the corneal astigmatism.

PubMed

Jin, Ki Won; Shin, Young Joo; Hyon, Joon Young

2017-03-31

A chalazion is a common eyelid disease that causes eye morbidity due to inflammation and cosmetic disfigurement. Corneal topographic changes are important factors in corneal refractive surgery, intraocular lens power calculations for cataract surgery, and visual acuity assessments. However, the effects of chalazia on corneal astigmatism have not been thoroughly investigated. The changes in corneal astigmatism according to chalazion size and location is necessary for better outcome of ocular surgery. The aim of this study is to evaluate changes in corneal astigmatism according to chalazion size and location. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 44 eyes from 33 patients were included in the chalazion group and 70 eyes from 46 patients comprised the control group. Chalazia were classified according to location and size. An autokeratorefractometer (KR8100, Topcon; Japan) and a Galilei™ dual-Scheimpflug analyzer (Ziemer Group; Port, Switzerland) were utilized to evaluate corneal changes. Oblique astigmatism was greater in the chalazion group compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Astigmatism by simulated keratometry (simK), steep K by simK, total root mean square, second order aberration, oblique astigmatism, and vertical astigmatism were significantly greater in the upper eyelid group (p < 0.05). Astigmatism by simK, second order aberration, oblique astigmatism, and vertical astigmatism were significantly greater in the large-sized chalazion group (p < 0.05). Corneal wavefront aberration was the greatest in the upper eyelid chalazion group, whole area group, and large-sized chalazion group (p < 0.05). Large-sized chalazia in the whole upper eyelid should be treated in the early phase because they induced the greatest change in corneal topography. Chalazion should be treated before corneal topography is performed preoperatively and before the diagnosis of corneal diseases.

Reciprocal Relations Between Student-Teacher Relationship and Children's Behavioral Problems: Moderation by Child-Care Group Size.

PubMed

Skalická, Věra; Belsky, Jay; Stenseng, Frode; Wichstrøm, Lars

2015-01-01

In this Norwegian study, bidirectional relations between children's behavior problems and child-teacher conflict and closeness were examined, and the possibility of moderation of these associations by child-care group size was tested. Eight hundred and nineteen 4-year-old children were followed up in first grade. Results revealed reciprocal effects linking child-teacher conflict and behavior problems. Effects of child-teacher closeness on later behavior problems were moderated by group size: For children in small groups only (i.e., ≤ 15 children), greater closeness predicted reduced behavior problems in first grade. In consequence, stability of behavior problems was greater in larger than in smaller groups. Results are discussed in light of regulatory mechanisms and social learning theory, with possible implications for organization of child care. © 2015 The Authors. Child Development © 2015 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

The impact of multiple endpoint dependency on Q and I(2) in meta-analysis.

PubMed

Thompson, Christopher Glen; Becker, Betsy Jane

2014-09-01

A common assumption in meta-analysis is that effect sizes are independent. When correlated effect sizes are analyzed using traditional univariate techniques, this assumption is violated. This research assesses the impact of dependence arising from treatment-control studies with multiple endpoints on homogeneity measures Q and I(2) in scenarios using the unbiased standardized-mean-difference effect size. Univariate and multivariate meta-analysis methods are examined. Conditions included different overall outcome effects, study sample sizes, numbers of studies, between-outcomes correlations, dependency structures, and ways of computing the correlation. The univariate approach used typical fixed-effects analyses whereas the multivariate approach used generalized least-squares (GLS) estimates of a fixed-effects model, weighted by the inverse variance-covariance matrix. Increased dependence among effect sizes led to increased Type I error rates from univariate models. When effect sizes were strongly dependent, error rates were drastically higher than nominal levels regardless of study sample size and number of studies. In contrast, using GLS estimation to account for multiple-endpoint dependency maintained error rates within nominal levels. Conversely, mean I(2) values were not greatly affected by increased amounts of dependency. Last, we point out that the between-outcomes correlation should be estimated as a pooled within-groups correlation rather than using a full-sample estimator that does not consider treatment/control group membership. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Using Baby Books to Increase New Mothers’ Safety Practices

PubMed Central

Reich, Stephanie M.; Penner, Emily K.; Duncan, Greg J.

2010-01-01

Objective To determine if educational baby books are an effective method for increasing low-income, first-time mothers’ safety practices during their child’s first 18 months. Patients and Methods Primiparous women (n = 167) were randomly assigned to one of three groups: an educational book group, a non-educational book group, or a no-book group. Home visits and interviews measured safety practices when women were in their third trimester of pregnancy (baseline) and when their child was 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, and 18 months of age. Results Women in the educational book group had fewer risks in their homes and exercised more safety practices than the no-book group (effect size = −0.30; 20% risk reduction). When the safety practices involved little time or expense (e.g., putting away sharp objects), the educational book group was significantly more likely to engage in these behaviors than the no-book (40% higher practices; effect size = 0.19) or non-educational book groups (27% higher practices; effect size = 0.13). However, no differences were found between groups for behaviors that required high effort in time, money or hassle (e.g., installing latches on cabinets). Discussion Educational baby books appear to be an easy and low cost way to increase the safety practices of new mothers, especially if the practices involve little to no time, money, and hassle. PMID:21272822

Effects of Number of Animals Monitored on Representations of Cattle Group Movement Characteristics and Spatial Occupancy

PubMed Central

Liu, Tong; Green, Angela R.; Rodríguez, Luis F.; Ramirez, Brett C.; Shike, Daniel W.

2015-01-01

The number of animals required to represent the collective characteristics of a group remains a concern in animal movement monitoring with GPS. Monitoring a subset of animals from a group instead of all animals can reduce costs and labor; however, incomplete data may cause information losses and inaccuracy in subsequent data analyses. In cattle studies, little work has been conducted to determine the number of cattle within a group needed to be instrumented considering subsequent analyses. Two different groups of cattle (a mixed group of 24 beef cows and heifers, and another group of 8 beef cows) were monitored with GPS collars at 4 min intervals on intensively managed pastures and corn residue fields in 2011. The effects of subset group size on cattle movement characterization and spatial occupancy analysis were evaluated by comparing the results between subset groups and the entire group for a variety of summarization parameters. As expected, more animals yield better results for all parameters. Results show the average group travel speed and daily travel distances are overestimated as subset group size decreases, while the average group radius is underestimated. Accuracy of group centroid locations and group radii are improved linearly as subset group size increases. A kernel density estimation was performed to quantify the spatial occupancy by cattle via GPS location data. Results show animals among the group had high similarity of spatial occupancy. Decisions regarding choosing an appropriate subset group size for monitoring depend on the specific use of data for subsequent analysis: a small subset group may be adequate for identifying areas visited by cattle; larger subset group size (e.g. subset group containing more than 75% of animals) is recommended to achieve better accuracy of group movement characteristics and spatial occupancy for the use of correlating cattle locations with other environmental factors. PMID:25647571

Power and sample-size estimation for microbiome studies using pairwise distances and PERMANOVA.

PubMed

Kelly, Brendan J; Gross, Robert; Bittinger, Kyle; Sherrill-Mix, Scott; Lewis, James D; Collman, Ronald G; Bushman, Frederic D; Li, Hongzhe

2015-08-01

The variation in community composition between microbiome samples, termed beta diversity, can be measured by pairwise distance based on either presence-absence or quantitative species abundance data. PERMANOVA, a permutation-based extension of multivariate analysis of variance to a matrix of pairwise distances, partitions within-group and between-group distances to permit assessment of the effect of an exposure or intervention (grouping factor) upon the sampled microbiome. Within-group distance and exposure/intervention effect size must be accurately modeled to estimate statistical power for a microbiome study that will be analyzed with pairwise distances and PERMANOVA. We present a framework for PERMANOVA power estimation tailored to marker-gene microbiome studies that will be analyzed by pairwise distances, which includes: (i) a novel method for distance matrix simulation that permits modeling of within-group pairwise distances according to pre-specified population parameters; (ii) a method to incorporate effects of different sizes within the simulated distance matrix; (iii) a simulation-based method for estimating PERMANOVA power from simulated distance matrices; and (iv) an R statistical software package that implements the above. Matrices of pairwise distances can be efficiently simulated to satisfy the triangle inequality and incorporate group-level effects, which are quantified by the adjusted coefficient of determination, omega-squared (ω2). From simulated distance matrices, available PERMANOVA power or necessary sample size can be estimated for a planned microbiome study. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Explaining the effect of event valence on unrealistic optimism.

PubMed

Gold, Ron S; Brown, Mark G

2009-05-01

People typically exhibit 'unrealistic optimism' (UO): they believe they have a lower chance of experiencing negative events and a higher chance of experiencing positive events than does the average person. UO has been found to be greater for negative than positive events. This 'valence effect' has been explained in terms of motivational processes. An alternative explanation is provided by the 'numerosity model', which views the valence effect simply as a by-product of a tendency for likelihood estimates pertaining to the average member of a group to increase with the size of the group. Predictions made by the numerosity model were tested in two studies. In each, UO for a single event was assessed. In Study 1 (n = 115 students), valence was manipulated by framing the event either negatively or positively, and participants estimated their own likelihood and that of the average student at their university. In Study 2 (n = 139 students), valence was again manipulated and participants again estimated their own likelihood; additionally, group size was manipulated by having participants estimate the likelihood of the average student in a small, medium-sized, or large group. In each study, the valence effect was found, but was due to an effect on estimates of own likelihood, not the average person's likelihood. In Study 2, valence did not interact with group size. The findings contradict the numerosity model, but are in accord with the motivational explanation. Implications for health education are discussed.

A Systematic Review of Group Social Skills Interventions, and Meta-analysis of Outcomes, for Children with High Functioning ASD.

PubMed

Wolstencroft, J; Robinson, L; Srinivasan, R; Kerry, E; Mandy, W; Skuse, D

2018-07-01

Group social skills interventions (GSSIs) are a commonly offered treatment for children with high functioning ASD. We critically evaluated GSSI randomised controlled trials for those aged 6-25 years. Our meta-analysis of outcomes emphasised internal validity, thus was restricted to trials that used the parent-report social responsiveness scale (SRS) or the social skills rating system (SSRS). Large positive effect sizes were found for the SRS total score, plus the social communication and restricted interests and repetitive behaviours subscales. The SSRS social skills subscale improved with moderate effect size. Moderator analysis of the SRS showed that GSSIs that include parent-groups, and are of greater duration or intensity, obtained larger effect sizes. We recommend future trials distinguish gains in children's social knowledge from social performance.

Comparison of effectiveness of Calendula officinalis extract gel with lycopene gel for treatment of tobacco-induced homogeneous leukoplakia: A randomized clinical trial

PubMed Central

Singh, Manisha; Bagewadi, Anjana

2017-01-01

Aim: The aim of the study is to assess the efficacy of Calendula officinalis gel as cost-effective treatment modality in comparison to lycopene gel in the treatment of leukoplakia. Materials and Methods: The study comprised of sixty patients of clinically diagnosed and histopathologically confirmed cases of homogeneous leukoplakia which were divided into Group I and Group II with thirty patients each. Group I patients were dispensed C. officinalis extract gel whereas Group II patients were given lycopene gel. The therapy was instituted for 1 month to assess the change in the size of the lesion at the baseline and posttreatment. Results: The results revealed a statistically significant difference in both Group I and Group II when the pre- and post-treatment results were compared in the same group. The mean difference in the reduction in size before and after treatment for Group I was 2.0% ±1.0 cm while for the Group II, it was 1.57% ±0.87 cm. The intergroup comparison for the evaluation of reduction in the size of the lesion did not reveal statistically significant results. Conclusion: C. officinalis extract gel can be effectively used as an alternative to conventional treatment modality. PMID:28929051

A time-varying effect model for examining group differences in trajectories of zero-inflated count outcomes with applications in substance abuse research.

PubMed

Yang, Songshan; Cranford, James A; Jester, Jennifer M; Li, Runze; Zucker, Robert A; Buu, Anne

2017-02-28

This study proposes a time-varying effect model for examining group differences in trajectories of zero-inflated count outcomes. The motivating example demonstrates that this zero-inflated Poisson model allows investigators to study group differences in different aspects of substance use (e.g., the probability of abstinence and the quantity of alcohol use) simultaneously. The simulation study shows that the accuracy of estimation of trajectory functions improves as the sample size increases; the accuracy under equal group sizes is only higher when the sample size is small (100). In terms of the performance of the hypothesis testing, the type I error rates are close to their corresponding significance levels under all settings. Furthermore, the power increases as the alternative hypothesis deviates more from the null hypothesis, and the rate of this increasing trend is higher when the sample size is larger. Moreover, the hypothesis test for the group difference in the zero component tends to be less powerful than the test for the group difference in the Poisson component. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Variation in age composition among colony sizes in Cliff Swallows.

PubMed

Brown, Charles R; Roche, Erin A; Brown, Mary Bomberger

2014-09-01

Variation in group size is characteristic of most social species. The extent to which individuals sort among group sizes based on age may yield insight into why groups vary in size and the age-specific costs and benefits of different social environments. We investigated the age composition of Cliff Swallow ( Petrochelidon pyrrhonota ) colonies of different sizes over 18 years at a long-term study site in western Nebraska, USA. Using years elapsed since banding as a relative measure of age for over 194,000 birds, we found that the proportion of age-class-1 swallows (birds banded as nestlings or juveniles or adults in the year of banding) of both sexes increased in larger colonies and at colony sites becoming active later in the summer. Age composition was unrelated to how often a particular colony site was used. The effect of colony size most likely reflected the fact that older birds return to the same colony site in successive years even when the colony size there decreases, and that yearlings and immigrants benefit more from larger colonies than do older, more experienced individuals. The date effect probably resulted in part from later spring arrival by younger and/or immigrant swallows. At fumigated sites where ectoparasitic swallow bugs ( Oeciacus vicarius ) had been removed, age composition did not vary with either colony size or colony initiation date. The patterns reported here appear to be driven partially by the presence of ectoparasites and suggest that the hematophagous bugs influence variation in Cliff Swallow group composition. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that variation in colony size reflects, in part, age-based sorting of individuals among groups.

GROUP INEQUALITY

PubMed Central

Bowles, Samuel; Loury, Glenn C.; Sethi, Rajiv

2014-01-01

We explore the combined effect of segregation in social networks, peer effects, and the relative size of a historically disadvantaged group on the incentives to invest in market-rewarded skills and the dynamics of inequality between social groups. We identify conditions under which group inequality will persist in the absence of differences in ability, credit constraints, or labor market discrimination. Under these conditions, group inequality may be amplified even if initial group differences are negligible. Increases in social integration may destabilize an unequal state and make group equality possible, but the distributional and human capital effects of this depend on the demographic composition of the population. When the size of the initially disadvantaged group is sufficiently small, integration can lower the long-run costs of human capital investment in both groups and result in an increase the aggregate skill share. In contrast, when the initially disadvantaged group is large, integration can induce a fall in the aggregate skill share as the costs of human capital investment rise in both groups. We consider applications to concrete cases and policy implications. PMID:25554727

GROUP INEQUALITY.

PubMed

Bowles, Samuel; Loury, Glenn C; Sethi, Rajiv

2014-02-01

We explore the combined effect of segregation in social networks, peer effects, and the relative size of a historically disadvantaged group on the incentives to invest in market-rewarded skills and the dynamics of inequality between social groups. We identify conditions under which group inequality will persist in the absence of differences in ability, credit constraints, or labor market discrimination. Under these conditions, group inequality may be amplified even if initial group differences are negligible. Increases in social integration may destabilize an unequal state and make group equality possible, but the distributional and human capital effects of this depend on the demographic composition of the population. When the size of the initially disadvantaged group is sufficiently small, integration can lower the long-run costs of human capital investment in both groups and result in an increase the aggregate skill share. In contrast, when the initially disadvantaged group is large, integration can induce a fall in the aggregate skill share as the costs of human capital investment rise in both groups. We consider applications to concrete cases and policy implications.

An Alternative to Cohen's Standardized Mean Difference Effect Size: A Robust Parameter and Confidence Interval in the Two Independent Groups Case

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Algina, James; Keselman, H. J.; Penfield, Randall D.

2005-01-01

The authors argue that a robust version of Cohen's effect size constructed by replacing population means with 20% trimmed means and the population standard deviation with the square root of a 20% Winsorized variance is a better measure of population separation than is Cohen's effect size. The authors investigated coverage probability for…

Group selection on population size affects life-history patterns in the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae.

PubMed

Bashey, Farrah; Lively, Curtis M

2009-05-01

Selection is recognized to operate on multiple levels. In disease organisms, selection among hosts is thought to provide an important counterbalance to selection for faster growth within hosts. We performed three experiments, each selecting for a divergence in group size in the entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema carpocapsae. These nematodes infect and kill insect larvae, reproduce inside the host carcass, and emerge as infective juveniles. We imposed selection on group size by selecting among hosts for either high or low numbers of emerging nematodes. Our goal was to determine whether this trait could respond to selection at the group level, and if so, to examine what other traits would evolve as correlated responses. One of the three experiments showed a significant response to group selection. In that experiment, the high-selected treatment consistently produced more emerging nematodes per host than the low-selected treatment. In addition, nematodes were larger and they emerged later from hosts in the low-selected lines. Despite small effective population sizes, the effects of inbreeding were small in this experiment. Thus, selection among hosts can be effective, leading to both a direct evolutionary response at the population level, as well as to correlated responses in populational and individual traits.

Randomized Controlled Trial of Exercise for ADHD and Disruptive Behavior Disorders

PubMed Central

Bustamante, Eduardo E.; Davis, Catherine L.; Frazier, Stacy L.; Rusch, Dana; Fogg, Louis F.; Atkins, Marc S.; Marquez, David X.

2016-01-01

Purpose To test feasibility and impact of a 10-week after-school exercise program for children with ADHD and/or disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) living in an urban poor community. Methods Children were randomized to exercise (n=19) or a comparable but sedentary attention control program (n=16). Cognitive and behavioral outcomes were collected pre-post. Intent-to-treat mixed models tested group × time and group × time × attendance interactions. Effect sizes were calculated within and between groups. Results Feasibility was evidenced by 86% retention, 60% attendance, and average 75% maximum heart rate. Group × time results were null on the primary outcome, parent-reported executive function. Among secondary outcomes, between-group effect sizes favored exercise on hyperactive symptoms (d=0.47) and verbal working memory (d=0.26), and controls on visuospatial working memory (d=-0.21) and oppositional defiant symptoms (d=-0.37). In each group, within-group effect sizes were moderate-large on most outcomes (d=0.67 to 1.60). A group × time × attendance interaction emerged on visuospatial working memory (F[1,33]=7.42, p<.05), such that attendance to the control program was related to greater improvements (r=.72, p<.01) while attendance to the exercise program was not (r=.25, p=.34). Conclusions While between-group findings on the primary outcome, parent-reported executive function, were null, between-group effect sizes on hyperactivity and visuospatial working memory may reflect adaptations to the specific challenges presented by distinct formats. Both groups demonstrated substantial within-group improvements on clinically relevant outcomes. Findings underscore the importance of programmatic features such as routines, engaging activities, behavior management strategies, and adult attention; and highlight the potential for after-school programs to benefit children with ADHD and DBD living in urban poverty where health needs are high and services resources few. PMID:26829000

Randomized Controlled Trial of Exercise for ADHD and Disruptive Behavior Disorders.

PubMed

Bustamante, Eduardo Esteban; Davis, Catherine Lucy; Frazier, Stacy Lynn; Rusch, Dana; Fogg, Louis F; Atkins, Marc S; Marquez, David Xavier

2016-07-01

The objective of this study is to test the feasibility and impact of a 10-wk after-school exercise program for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and/or disruptive behavior disorders living in an urban poor community. Children were randomized to an exercise program (n = 19) or a comparable but sedentary attention control program (n = 16). Cognitive and behavioral outcomes were collected pre-/posttest. Intent-to-treat mixed models tested group-time and group-time-attendance interactions. Effect sizes were calculated within and between groups. Feasibility was evidenced by 86% retention, 60% attendance, and average 75% maximum HR. Group-time results were null on the primary outcome, parent-reported executive function. Among secondary outcomes, between-group effect sizes favored exercise on hyperactive symptoms (d = 0.47) and verbal working memory (d = 0.26), and controls on visuospatial working memory (d = -0.21) and oppositional defiant symptoms (d = -0.37). In each group, within-group effect sizes were moderate to large on most outcomes (d = 0.67 to 1.60). A group-time-attendance interaction emerged on visuospatial working memory (F[1,33] = 7.42, P < 0.05), such that attendance to the control program was related to greater improvements (r = 0.72, P < 0.01), whereas attendance to the exercise program was not (r = 0.25, P = 0.34). Although between-group findings on the primary outcome, parent-reported executive function, were null, between-group effect sizes on hyperactivity and visuospatial working memory may reflect adaptations to the specific challenges presented by distinct formats. Both groups demonstrated substantial within-group improvements on clinically relevant outcomes. Findings underscore the importance of programmatic features, such as routines, engaging activities, behavior management strategies, and adult attention, and highlight the potential for after-school programs to benefit children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and disruptive behavior disorder living in urban poverty where health needs are high and services resources few.

Effects of Modified Pyramid System on Muscular Strength and Hypertrophy in Older Women.

PubMed

Dos Santos, Leandro; Ribeiro, Alex S; Cavalcante, Edilaine F; Nabuco, Hellen C; Antunes, Melissa; Schoenfeld, Brad J; Cyrino, Edilson S

2018-06-26

This study aimed to analyze the effects of a pyramid system performed with two repetition zones on muscular strength and skeletal muscle mass (SMM) in older women. Thirty-nine physically independent older women (67.8±5.4 years) were randomly assigned into one of two of groups that performed an 8-week resistance training program in an ascending pyramid fashion. Both groups performed 3 sets: a narrow repetition zone (NPR, n=20) with 12/10/8 repetitions, and a wide repetition zone (WPR, n=19) with 15/10/5 repetitions. The program consisted of 8 whole-body exercises, performed 3 times a week. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to measure SMM, and muscular strength was evaluated by one-repetition maximum (1RM). Both groups increased (P<0.05) SMM (NPR=+ 4.7%, effect size=+ 0.34; WPR=+ 8.4%, effect size=+ 0.77), and total strength (NPR=+ 11.3%, effect size=+ 0.80; WPR=+ 13.8%, effect size=0.84), without statistical differences between them. Results suggest that both zones of repetitions in a pyramid system are effective strategies to improve muscular strength and muscle growth in older women. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

[Effect of acupuncture therapy on patients with low back pain: a Meta-analysis].

PubMed

Liang, Fei-fan; Chen, Wei-ye; Chen, Bo; Xu, Qin-guang; Zhan, Hong-sheng

2016-05-01

To systematically review the clinical efficacy of acupuncture on the patients with low back pain (LBP). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about pure acupuncture therapy versus other treatments in treating LBP were electronically searched in PubMed, CBM, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP and Wanfang Data from January 2004 to May 2014. The observed index on the results were the changed scores of VAS, ODI, JOA and RMDQ. Two reviewers independently screened the literatures according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, as well as the extracted data, and assessed the methodological quality. The results of Meta-analysis was conducted by RevMan 5.2 software. Ten RCTs involved 751 patients were finally included. The results of Meta-analysis indicated that the role of pure acupuncture group in improving the VAS score was better than that of the control group, and the combined effect size was RR = -.32, 95% CI (-1.41, -1.22); Z=27.28, P<0.00001; the role of pure acupuncture group in improving the ODI score was better than that of the control group, and the combined effect size was RR = -5.07, 95% CI (-7.50, -2.65); Z=4.10, P<0.0001; the role of pure acupuncture group on improved JOA score was better than that of the control group and the combined effect size was RR=2.83, 95% CI (2.02, 3.63), Z=6.90, P<0.00001. The role of pure acupuncture group in improving the RMDQ score was better than that of the control group, and the combined effect size was RR = -2.80, 95% CI (-3.49, -2.11), Z=7.95, P<0.00001. The result of meta-analysis demonstrates that pure acupuncture may have a favorable effect on self-reported pain and functional limitations in LBP patients.

The Effects of Size, Shape, and Surface Functional Group of Gold Nanostructures on Their Adsorption and Internalization by Cells

PubMed Central

Cho, Eun Chul; Au, Leslie; Zhang, Qiang; Xia, Younan

2010-01-01

In this study, we examined the effects of size, shape, and surface chemistry of gold nanostructures on their uptake (including both adsorption and internalization) by SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells. We used both spherical and cubic Au nanostructures (nanospheres and nanocages, respectively) of two different sizes, and their surface was modified with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), antibody anti-HER2, or poly(allyamine hydrochloride) (PAA). Our results showed that the size of the Au nanostructures influenced their uptake by the cells in a similar way regardless of the surface chemistry, while the shape dependency could vary depending on the surface functional group. In addition, the cells preferred to take up the Au nanostructures covered by different surface groups in the following order: PAA>> anti-HER2> PEG. The fraction of Au nanostructures attached to the cell surface was also dependent on the aforementioned parameters. PMID:20029850

The Effects of Natural Clinoptilolite and Nano-Sized Clinoptilolite Supplementation on Glucose Levels and Oxidative Stress in Rats With Type 1 Diabetes.

PubMed

Hossein Nia, Behnoosh; Khorram, Sirous; Rezazadeh, Hassan; Safaiyan, Abdolrasol; Tarighat-Esfanjani, Ali

2018-02-01

Oxidative stress has a major role in development of diabetic complications. In this study we investigated whether clinoptilolite and nano-sized clinoptilolite could reduce hyperglycemia and oxidative stress in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and attempted to determine which intervention was more effective. Thirty-six rats were randomly allocated to 2 groups; 1 group was randomly chosen as a diabetic group and injected with streptozotocin (60 mg/kg body weight in 0.1 mol/L sodium citrate buffer, pH 4.5) to induce diabetes. Three days after diabetes induction, each group (diabetic group and nondiabetic group) was randomly divided into 3 subgroups of 6 animals each ([1] control, [2] 1% clinoptilolite/food, [3] 1% nano-sized clinoptilolite/food). Supplementation was continued for 28 days. Blood glucose was measured 3 times, at the beginning of the study and on the 14th and 28th days. Activity of antioxidant enzymes, including glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase, and levels of total antioxidant capacity, as well as malondialdehyde, were evaluated. Blood glucose and malondialdehyde were significantly elevated, but there were no statistically significant changes in superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase or total antioxidant capacity in diabetic rats. In diabetic rats treated with nano-sized clinoptilolite, blood glucose decreased to near normal levels (12.4 vs. 27.5 mmol/L). No significant changes were found in the other groups. None of the oxidative stress indices showed significant changes in either the treated or untreated rats. Nano-sized clinoptilolite exerted a hypoglycemic effect in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats but had no significant influence on oxidative stress markers. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Body Size Is a Significant Predictor of Congruency in Species Richness Patterns: A Meta-Analysis of Aquatic Studies

PubMed Central

Velghe, Katherine; Gregory-Eaves, Irene

2013-01-01

Biodiversity losses over the next century are predicted to result in alterations of ecosystem functions that are on par with other major drivers of global change. Given the seriousness of this issue, there is a need to effectively monitor global biodiversity. Because performing biodiversity censuses of all taxonomic groups is prohibitively costly, indicator groups have been studied to estimate the biodiversity of different taxonomic groups. Quantifying cross-taxon congruence is a method of evaluating the assumption that the diversity of one taxonomic group can be used to predict the diversity of another. To improve the predictive ability of cross-taxon congruence in aquatic ecosystems, we evaluated whether body size, measured as the ratio of average body length between organismal groups, is a significant predictor of their cross-taxon biodiversity congruence. To test this hypothesis, we searched the published literature and screened for studies that used species richness correlations as their metric of cross-taxon congruence. We extracted 96 correlation coefficients from 16 studies, which encompassed 784 inland water bodies. With these correlation coefficients, we conducted a categorical meta-analysis, grouping data based on the body size ratio of organisms. Our results showed that cross-taxon congruence is variable among sites and between different groups (r values ranging between −0.53 to 0.88). In addition, our quantitative meta-analysis demonstrated that organisms most similar in body size showed stronger species richness correlations than organisms which differed increasingly in size (radj 2 = 0.94, p = 0.02). We propose that future studies applying biodiversity indicators in aquatic ecosystems consider functional traits such as body size, so as to increase their success at predicting the biodiversity of taxonomic groups where cost-effective conservation tools are needed. PMID:23468903

Evaluation of Honey as a Topical Therapy for Intraoral Wound Healing in Rats.

PubMed

Chamani, Goli; Zarei, Mohammad Reza; Mehrabani, Mitra; Mehdavinezhad, Ali; Vahabian, Mehrangiz; Ahmadi-Motamayel, Fatemah

2017-03-01

Honey is one of the oldest known medicines. Its medical and therapeutic importance has been recently rediscovered. Honey is an effective treatment for infected wounds and ulcers. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of honey as a topical therapy for intraoral wound healing in rats. Thirty-two male rats were divided into experimental and control groups (consisting of 16 rats, 4 animals in each group). A 2-mm mucosal defect was made to the depth of the periosteum using punch biopsy. Honey was applied to the wound every day, and the ulcer size was measured daily. On days 2, 4, 6, and 8, four rats were euthanized from each group (experimental and control groups), and tissues were histopathologically evaluated. Healing processes were studied as follows: the size of ulcer, inflammatory response, reepithelialization, and granulation tissue formation. The mean rank of wound size was significantly reduced in the honey group (2.50), as compared to the control group (6.50). Reepithelialization and granulation tissue formation mean rank were significantly higher in the honey group (6.50) than in the control group (2.50). Inflammation mean rank was statistically lower in the honey group (2.63) compared with the control group (6.38). Honey was shown to have a beneficial effect on the healing of oral ulcers in rats in this model. Further research may shed light on the effects of honey on different types of ulcers in humans.

Size of pneumothorax can be a new indication for surgical treatment in primary spontaneous pneumothorax: a prospective study.

PubMed

Sayar, Adnan; Kök, Abdulaziz; Citak, Necati; Metin, Muzaffer; Büyükkale, Songül; Gürses, Atilla

2014-01-01

Surgical treatment of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is usually performed in cases of prolonged air leak (PAL) or recurrence. We investigated the effect of the size of pneumothorax in surgically treated PSP cases. Between 2007 and 2008, 181 patients hospitalized with the diagnosis of PSP were prospectively recorded. The size of pneumothorax was calculated in percentages by the method defined by Kircher and Swartzel. Patients were divided into two groups, according to pneumothorax size: Group A (large pneumothorax, ≥50%), and Group B (small or moderate pneumothorax, <50%). The mean size of pneumothorax was 80.5 ± 10.4% in Group A (n = 54, 29%) and 39.5 ± 6.5% in Group B (n = 127, 71%). History of smoking and smoking index were significantly higher in Group A patients (p = 0.02, p <0.001, respectively). Fifty-five patients (29.3%) required surgery because of PAL or ipsilateral recurrence. The rate of patients requiring surgical operation was significantly higher in Group A (51.9%) than in Group B (n = 25; p <0.001). Rates of PAL and recurrence were higher in Group A than in Group B (p = 0.007, p = 0.004, respectively). The size of pneumothorax is larger in those with a smoking history and a higher smoking index. Surgical therapy can be considered in cases with a pneumothorax size ≥50% after the first episode immediately.

Predator biomass, prey density, and species composition effects on group size in recruit coral reef fishes

USGS Publications Warehouse

DeMartini, Edward E.; Anderson, Todd W.; Friedlander, Alan M.; Beets, James P.

2011-01-01

Group incidence and size are described for recruit parrotfishes, wrasses, and damselfishes on Hawaiian reefs over 3 years (2006–2008) at sites spanning the archipelago (20–28°N, 155–177°W). Coral-poor and coral-rich areas were surveyed at sites with both low (Hawaii Island) and high (Midway Atoll) predator densities, facilitating examination of relations among predator and recruit densities, habitat, and group metrics. Predator and recruit densities varied spatially and temporally, with a sixfold range in total recruit densities among years. Group (≥2 recruits) metrics varied with time and tracked predator and recruit densities and the proportion of schooling species. Groups often included heterospecifics whose proportion increased with group size. A non-saturating relationship between group size and recruit density suggests that the anti-predator benefits of aggregation exceeded competitive costs. Grouping behavior may have overarching importance for recruit survival—even at high recruit densities—and merits further study on Hawaiian reefs and elsewhere.

Defensive responses by a social caterpillar are tailored to different predators and change with larval instar and group size

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McClure, Melanie; Despland, Emma

2011-05-01

Gregariousness in animals is widely accepted as a behavioral adaptation for protection from predation. However, predation risk and the effectiveness of a prey's defense can be a function of several other factors, including predator species and prey size or age. The objective of this study was to determine if the gregarious habit of Malacosoma disstria caterpillars is advantageous against invertebrate natural enemies, and whether it is through dilution or cooperative defenses. We also examined the effects of larval growth and group size on the rate and success of attacks. Caterpillars of M. disstria responded with predator-specific behaviors, which led to increased survival. Evasive behaviors were used against stinkbugs, while thrashing by fourth instar caterpillars and holding on to the silk mat by second instar caterpillars was most efficient against spider attacks. Collective head flicking and biting by groups of both second and fourth instar caterpillars were observed when attacked by parasitoids. Increased larval size decreased the average number of attacks by spiders but increased the number of attacks by both stinkbugs and parasitoids. However, increased body size decreased the success rate of attacks by all three natural enemies and increased handling time for both predators. Larger group sizes did not influence the number of attacks from predators but increased the number of attacks and the number of successful attacks from parasitoids. In all cases, individual risk was lower in larger groups. Caterpillars showed collective defenses against parasitoids but not against the walking predators. These results show that caterpillars use different tactics against different natural enemies. Overall, these tactics are both more diverse and more effective in fourth instar than in second instar caterpillars, confirming that growth reduces predation risk. We also show that grouping benefits caterpillars through dilution of risk, and, in the case of parasitoids, through group defenses. The decreased tendency to aggregate in the last larval instar may therefore be linked to decreasing predation risk.

Effect of acorn size on development of northern red oak 1-0 seedlings

Treesearch

Paul P. Kormanik; Shi-Jean S. Sung; T.L. Kormanik; S.E. Schlarbaum; Stanley J. Zarnoch

1998-01-01

The effect of acorn size on seedling development was determined for 20 northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) mother tree selections from the USDA Forest Service's Eastern Tennessee Watauga seed orchard. Acorns from each mother tree were visually separated into three size groups, weighed, and sown separately in forest nurseries located in Georgia,...

Effects of sleep management with self-help treatment for the Japanese elderly with chronic insomnia: a quasi-experimental study.

PubMed

Tamura, Norihisa; Tanaka, Hideki

2017-08-01

This study aimed to determine whether sleep management with self-help treatment is more effective in improving insomnia, compared to a waiting-list control. A total of 51 participants with insomnia, aged ≥60 years, were assigned to two groups: the treatment group or waiting-list control group. Intervention included sleep education, group work, moderately intense exercise, and self-help treatment using a sleep diary for 2 weeks. Participants completed the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI-J) and sleep diaries wearing an activity recorder pre- and post-treatment. The treatment group showed a significant improvement in the ISI-J with a fairly large effect size (Cohen's d: within = 0.78, between = 0.70), whereas the waiting-list control group did not. Sleep diary and activity recorder data showed small to moderate effect sizes in the treatment group. Thus, sleep management with self-help treatment was superior to a waiting-list control for insomnia severity in the targeted elderly population.

A pilot randomized trial of two cognitive rehabilitation interventions for mild cognitive impairment: caregiver outcomes.

PubMed

Cuc, Andrea V; Locke, Dona E C; Duncan, Noah; Fields, Julie A; Snyder, Charlene Hoffman; Hanna, Sherrie; Lunde, Angela; Smith, Glenn E; Chandler, Melanie

2017-12-01

This study aims to provide effect size estimates of the impact of two cognitive rehabilitation interventions provided to patients with mild cognitive impairment: computerized brain fitness exercise and memory support system on support partners' outcomes of depression, anxiety, quality of life, and partner burden. A randomized controlled pilot trial was performed. At 6 months, the partners from both treatment groups showed stable to improved depression scores, while partners in an untreated control group showed worsening depression over 6 months. There were no statistically significant differences on anxiety, quality of life, or burden outcomes in this small pilot trial; however, effect sizes were moderate, suggesting that the sample sizes in this pilot study were not adequate to detect statistical significance. Either form of cognitive rehabilitation may help partners' mood, compared with providing no treatment. However, effect size estimates related to other partner outcomes (i.e., burden, quality of life, and anxiety) suggest that follow-up efficacy trials will need sample sizes of at least 30-100 people per group to accurately determine significance. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Interteaching: The Effects of Discussion Group Size on Undergraduate Student Performance and Preference

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gutierrez, Michael

2017-01-01

Interteaching is a college teaching method grounded in the principles of applied behavior analysis. Research on interteaching demonstrates that it improves academic performance, and students report greater satisfaction with interteaching as compared to traditional teaching styles. The current study investigates whether discussion group size, a…

Friends With Performance Benefits: A Meta-Analysis on the Relationship Between Friendship and Group Performance.

PubMed

Chung, Seunghoo; Lount, Robert B; Park, Hee Man; Park, Ernest S

2018-01-01

The current article examines if, and under which conditions, there exists a positive relationship between working with friends and group performance. To do so, using data from 1,016 groups obtained from 26 studies, we meta-analyzed comparisons of the performance of friendship groups versus acquaintance groups. Results show that friendship has a significant positive effect on group task performance (Cohen's d = 0.31). Furthermore, this relationship was moderated by group size (i.e., the positive effect of friendship on performance increased with group size) and task focus (i.e., friendship groups performed better than acquaintance groups on tasks requiring a high quantity of output, whereas there was no performance benefit on tasks requiring a single or high-quality output). These results help to reconcile mixed findings and illustrate when friendship groups are more likely to perform better than acquaintance groups.

Large Variations in Declared Serving Sizes of Packaged Foods in Australia: A Need for Serving Size Standardisation?

PubMed Central

Yang, Suzie; Gemming, Luke

2018-01-01

Declared serving sizes on food packaging are unregulated in Australia, and variations in serving size within similar products reduces the usability of this information. This study aimed to (i) assess the variations in declared serving sizes of packaged foods from the Five Food Groups, and (ii) compare declared serving sizes to the Australian Dietary Guidelines standard serves and typical portion sizes consumed by Australian adults. Product information, including serving size, was collected for 4046 products from four major Australian retailers. Within product categories from the Five Food Groups, coefficients of variation ranged from 0% to 59% for declared serving size and 9% to 64% for energy per serving. Overall, 24% of all products displayed serving sizes similar (within ±10%) to the standard serves, and 23–28% were similar to typical portion sizes consumed by adults, for females and males, respectively. In conclusion, there is substantial variation in the declared serving sizes of packaged foods from the Five Food Groups, and serving sizes are not aligned with either the Dietary Guidelines or typical portion sizes consumed. Future research into effective means of standardising serving sizes is warranted. PMID:29382083

Effect of Reiki therapy on pain and anxiety in adults: an in-depth literature review of randomized trials with effect size calculations.

PubMed

Thrane, Susan; Cohen, Susan M

2014-12-01

The objective of this study was to calculate the effect of Reiki therapy for pain and anxiety in randomized clinical trials. A systematic search of PubMed, ProQuest, Cochrane, PsychInfo, CINAHL, Web of Science, Global Health, and Medline databases was conducted using the search terms pain, anxiety, and Reiki. The Center for Reiki Research also was examined for articles. Studies that used randomization and a control or usual care group, used Reiki therapy in one arm of the study, were published in 2000 or later in peer-reviewed journals in English, and measured pain or anxiety were included. After removing duplicates, 49 articles were examined and 12 articles received full review. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria: four articles studied cancer patients, one examined post-surgical patients, and two analyzed community dwelling older adults. Effect sizes were calculated for all studies using Cohen's d statistic. Effect sizes for within group differences ranged from d = 0.24 for decrease in anxiety in women undergoing breast biopsy to d = 2.08 for decreased pain in community dwelling adults. The between group differences ranged from d = 0.32 for decrease of pain in a Reiki versus rest intervention for cancer patients to d = 4.5 for decrease in pain in community dwelling adults. Although the number of studies is limited, based on the size Cohen's d statistics calculated in this review, there is evidence to suggest that Reiki therapy may be effective for pain and anxiety. Continued research using Reiki therapy with larger sample sizes, consistently randomized groups, and standardized treatment protocols is recommended. Copyright © 2014 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of Reiki Therapy on Pain and Anxiety in Adults: An In-Depth Literature Review of Randomized Trials with Effect Size Calculations

PubMed Central

Thrane, Susan; Cohen, Susan M.

2013-01-01

Objective To calculate the effect of Reiki therapy for pain and anxiety in randomized clinical trials. Data Sources A systematic search of PubMed, ProQuest, Cochrane, PsychInfo, CINAHL, Web of Science, Global Health, and Medline databases was conducted using the search terms pain, anxiety, and Reiki. The Center for Reiki Research was also examined for articles. Study Selection Studies that used randomization and a control or usual care group, used Reiki therapy in one arm of the study, published in 2000 or later in peer-reviewed journals in English, and measured pain or anxiety were included. Results After removing duplicates, 49 articles were examined and 12 articles received full review. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria: four articles studied cancer patients; one examined post-surgical patients; and two analyzed community dwelling older adults. Effect sizes were calculated for all studies using Cohen’s d statistic. Effect sizes for within group differences ranged from d=0.24 for decrease in anxiety in women undergoing breast biopsy to d=2.08 for decreased pain in community dwelling adults. The between group differences ranged from d=0.32 for decrease of pain in a Reiki versus rest intervention for cancer patients to d=4.5 for decrease in pain in community dwelling adults. Conclusions While the number of studies is limited, based on the size Cohen’s d statistics calculated in this review, there is evidence to suggest that Reiki therapy may be effective for pain and anxiety. Continued research using Reiki therapy with larger sample sizes, consistently randomized groups, and standardized treatment protocols is recommended. PMID:24582620

The Effect of a Home-Based Walking Intervention on Quality of Life, Body Composition, and Estrogen Metabolism in Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Survivors

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

Effect sizes are also shown for each randomization group (i.e., effect size from pretest to posttest ) and for the comparison of the two randomization...questions were answered. This study was designed to be a pilot study to quantify effect sizes of the effect of walking on quality of life...physical activity, body composition, and depending on inclusion criteria, estrogen metabolism. Second, this study was designed to assess the degree to

The Effect of Group Size on the Interplay between Dominance and Reproduction in Bombus terrestris

PubMed Central

Amsalem, Etya; Hefetz, Abraham

2011-01-01

Social insects provide good model systems for testing trade-offs in decision-making because of their marked reproductive skew and the dilemma workers face when to reproduce. Attaining reproductive skew requires energy investment in aggression or fertility signaling, creating a trade-off between reproduction and dominance. This may be density-dependent because the cost of achieving dominance may be higher in larger groups. We investigated the effect of group-size in B. terrestris queenless workers on two major reproduction-dominance correlates: between-worker aggression, and pheromone production, aiming at mimicking decision-making during the transition of worker behavior from cooperation and sterility to aggressive reproductive competition in whole colonies. Despite the competition, reproductive division of labor in colonies can be maintained even during this phase through the production of a sterility signal by sterile workers that has an appeasement effect on dominant nestmates. Worker-worker aggression, ovary activation, and production of sterility-appeasement signals may therefore constitute components of a trade-off affecting worker reproduction decisions. By constructing queenless groups of different size and measuring how this affected the parameters above, we found that in all groups aggression was not evenly distributed with the α-worker performing most of the aggressive acts. Moreover, aggression by the α-worker increased proportionally with group-size. However, while in small groups the α-worker monopolized reproduction, in larger groups several workers shared reproduction, creating two worker groups: reproductives and helpers. It appears that despite the increase of aggression, this was evidently not sufficient for the α-worker to monopolize reproduction. If we compare the α-worker to the queen in full-sized colonies it can be hypothesized that worker reproduction in B. terrestris colonies starts due to a gradual increase in the worker population and the queen's inability to physically inhibit worker oviposition. This may shift the trade-off between cost and benefit of worker reproduction and trigger the competition phase. PMID:21464893

Behavioral and physiological responses to subgroup size and number of people in howler monkeys inhabiting a forest fragment used for nature-based tourism.

PubMed

Aguilar-Melo, Adriana R; Andresen, Ellen; Cristóbal-Azkarate, Jurgi; Arroyo-Rodríguez, Victor; Chavira, Roberto; Schondube, Jorge; Serio-Silva, Juan Carlos; Cuarón, Alfredo D

2013-11-01

Animals' responses to potentially threatening factors can provide important information for their conservation. Group size and human presence are potentially threatening factors to primates inhabiting small reserves used for recreation. We tested these hypotheses by evaluating behavioral and physiological responses in two groups of mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata mexicana) at the "Centro Ecológico y Recreativo El Zapotal", a recreational forest reserve and zoo located in the Mexican state of Chiapas. Both groups presented fission-fusion dynamics, splitting into foraging subgroups which varied in size among, but not within days. Neither subgroup size nor number of people had an effect on fecal cortisol. Out of 16 behavioral response variables tested, the studied factors had effects on six: four were affected by subgroup size and two were affected by number of people. With increasing subgroup size, monkeys increased daily path lengths, rested less, increased foraging effort, and used more plant individuals for feeding. As the number of people increased, monkeys spent more time in lower-quality habitat, and less time engaged in social interactions. Although fecal cortisol levels were not affected by the factors studied, one of the monkey groups had almost twice the level of cortisol compared to the other group. The group with higher cortisol levels also spent significantly more time in the lower-quality habitat, compared to the other group. Our results suggest that particular behavioral adjustments might allow howler monkeys at El Zapotal to avoid physiological stress due to subgroup size and number of people. However, the fact that one of the monkey groups is showing increased cortisol levels may be interpreted as a warning sign, indicating that an adjustment threshold is being reached, at least for part of the howler monkey population in this forest fragment. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Breaking a habit: a further role of the phonological loop in action control.

PubMed

Saeki, Erina; Baddeley, Alan D; Hitch, Graham J; Saito, Satoru

2013-10-01

Recent research has suggested that keeping track of a task goal in rapid task switching may depend on the phonological loop component of working memory. In this study, we investigated whether the phonological loop plays a similar role when a single switch extending over several trials is required after many trials on which one has performed a competing task. Participants were shown pairs of digits varying in numerical and physical size, and they were required to decide which digit was numerically or physically larger. An experimental cycle consisted of four blocks of 24 trials. In Experiment 1, participants in the task change groups performed the numerical-size judgment task during the first three blocks, and then changed to the physical-size judgment task in the fourth. Participants in the continuation groups performed only the physical-size judgment task throughout all four blocks. We found negative effects of articulatory suppression on the fourth block, but only in the task change groups. Experiment 2 was a replication, with the modification that both groups received identical instructions and practice. Experiment 3 was a further replication using numerical-size judgment as the target task. The results showed a pattern similar to that from Experiment 1, with negative effects of articulatory suppression found only in the task change group. The congruity of numerical and physical size had a reliable effect on performance in all three experiments, but unlike the task change, it did not reliably interact with articulatory suppression. The results suggest that in addition to its well-established role in rapid task switching, the phonological loop also contributes to active goal maintenance in longer-term action control.

Appearance-related teasing, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Menzel, Jessie E; Schaefer, Lauren M; Burke, Natasha L; Mayhew, Laura L; Brannick, Michael T; Thompson, J Kevin

2010-09-01

A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between appearance and weight-based teasing and three outcome measures: body dissatisfaction, restrictive eating, and bulimic behaviors. Four meta-analyses were conducted. Fifty effect sizes (N=10,618) resulted in a moderate effect size of .39 for the relationship between weight teasing and body dissatisfaction; 24 effect sizes (N=7190) resulted in an effect size of .32 for the relationship between appearance teasing and body dissatisfaction; 20 effect sizes (N=4792) resulted in an effect size of .35 for the relationship between weight teasing and dietary restraint; and 22 effect sizes (N=5091) resulted in an effect size of .36 for the relationship between weight teasing and bulimic behaviors. Significant moderators that emerged were teasing measure type, publication type, study type, age group, and gender. The findings offer further support for the inclusion of strategies in body image and eating disorders' prevention and intervention programs that focus on handling negative, appearance-related commentary. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stable Size Distribution of Amyloid Plaques Over the Course of Alzheimer Disease

PubMed Central

Serrano-Pozo, Alberto; Mielke, Matthew L.; Muzitansky, Alona; Gómez-Isla, Teresa; Growdon, John H.; Bacskai, Brian J.; Betensky, Rebecca A.; Frosch, Matthew P.; Hyman, Bradley T.

2012-01-01

Amyloid-β plaques are a key pathological feature of Alzheimer disease (AD), but whether plaque sizes increase or stabilize over the course of AD is unknown. We measured the size distribution of total immunoreactive (10D5-positive) and dense-core (Thioflavine-S-positive) plaques in the temporal neocortex of a large group of AD and plaque-bearing age-matched non-demented subjects to test the hypothesis that amyloid plaques continue to grow along with the progression of the disease. The size of amyloid-β (10D5)-positive plaques did not differ between groups whereas dense-core plaques from the AD group were slightly larger than those in the non-demented group (~25%–30%, p = 0.01). Within the AD group, dense-core plaque size did not independently correlate with duration of clinical disease (from 4 to 21 years, p = 0.68), whereas 10D5-positive plaque size correlated negatively with disease duration (p = 0.01). By contrast, an earlier age of symptom onset strongly predicted a larger postmortem plaque size; this effect was independent of disease duration and the presence of the APOEε4 allele (p = 0.0001). We conclude that plaques vary in size among patients, with larger size distributions correlating with an earlier age of onset, but plaques do not substantially increase in size over the clinical course of the disease. PMID:22805771

Nonlinear effects of group size on the success of wolves hunting elk

USGS Publications Warehouse

MacNulty, Daniel R.; Smith, Douglas W.; Mech, L. David; Vucetich, John A.; Packer, Craig

2012-01-01

Despite the popular view that social predators live in groups because group hunting facilitates prey capture, the apparent tendency for hunting success to peak at small group sizes suggests that the formation of large groups is unrelated to prey capture. Few empirical studies, however, have tested for nonlinear relationships between hunting success and group size, and none have demonstrated why success trails off after peaking. Here, we use a unique dataset of observations of individually known wolves (Canis lupus) hunting elk (Cervus elaphus) in Yellowstone National Park to show that the relationship between success and group size is indeed nonlinear and that individuals withholding effort (free riding) is why success does not increase across large group sizes. Beyond 4 wolves, hunting success leveled off, and individual performance (a measure of effort) decreased for reasons unrelated to interference from inept hunters, individual age, or size. But performance did drop faster among wolves with an incentive to hold back, i.e., nonbreeders with no dependent offspring, those performing dangerous predatory tasks, i.e., grabbing and restraining prey, and those in groups of proficient hunters. These results suggest that decreasing performance was free riding and that was why success leveled off in groups with >4 wolves that had superficially appeared to be cooperating. This is the first direct evidence that nonlinear trends in group hunting success reflect a switch from cooperation to free riding. It also highlights how hunting success per se is unlikely to promote formation and maintenance of large groups.

Yoga as an adjunctive treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

van der Kolk, Bessel A; Stone, Laura; West, Jennifer; Rhodes, Alison; Emerson, David; Suvak, Michael; Spinazzola, Joseph

2014-06-01

More than a third of the approximately 10 million women with histories of interpersonal violence in the United States develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Currently available treatments for this population have a high rate of incomplete response, in part because problems in affect and impulse regulation are major obstacles to resolving PTSD. This study explored the efficacy of yoga to increase affect tolerance and to decrease PTSD symptomatology. Sixty-four women with chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD were randomly assigned to either trauma-informed yoga or supportive women's health education, each as a weekly 1-hour class for 10 weeks. Assessments were conducted at pretreatment, midtreatment, and posttreatment and included measures of DSM-IV PTSD, affect regulation, and depression. The study ran from 2008 through 2011. The primary outcome measure was the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). At the end of the study, 16 of 31 participants (52%) in the yoga group no longer met criteria for PTSD compared to 6 of 29 (21%) in the control group (n = 60, χ²₁ = 6.17, P = .013). Both groups exhibited significant decreases on the CAPS, with the decrease falling in the large effect size range for the yoga group (d = 1.07) and the medium to large effect size decrease for the control group (d = 0.66). Both the yoga (b = -9.21, t = -2.34, P = .02, d = -0.37) and control (b = -22.12, t = -3.39, P = .001, d = -0.54) groups exhibited significant decreases from pretreatment to the midtreatment assessment. However, a significant group × quadratic trend interaction (d = -0.34) showed that the pattern of change in Davidson Trauma Scale significantly differed across groups. The yoga group exhibited a significant medium effect size linear (d = -0.52) trend. In contrast, the control group exhibited only a significant medium effect size quadratic trend (d = 0.46) but did not exhibit a significant linear trend (d = -0.29). Thus, both groups exhibited significant decreases in PTSD symptoms during the first half of treatment, but these improvements were maintained in the yoga group, while the control group relapsed after its initial improvement. Yoga significantly reduced PTSD symptomatology, with effect sizes comparable to well-researched psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacologic approaches. Yoga may improve the functioning of traumatized individuals by helping them to tolerate physical and sensory experiences associated with fear and helplessness and to increase emotional awareness and affect tolerance. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00839813. © Copyright 2014 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Power and sample-size estimation for microbiome studies using pairwise distances and PERMANOVA

PubMed Central

Kelly, Brendan J.; Gross, Robert; Bittinger, Kyle; Sherrill-Mix, Scott; Lewis, James D.; Collman, Ronald G.; Bushman, Frederic D.; Li, Hongzhe

2015-01-01

Motivation: The variation in community composition between microbiome samples, termed beta diversity, can be measured by pairwise distance based on either presence–absence or quantitative species abundance data. PERMANOVA, a permutation-based extension of multivariate analysis of variance to a matrix of pairwise distances, partitions within-group and between-group distances to permit assessment of the effect of an exposure or intervention (grouping factor) upon the sampled microbiome. Within-group distance and exposure/intervention effect size must be accurately modeled to estimate statistical power for a microbiome study that will be analyzed with pairwise distances and PERMANOVA. Results: We present a framework for PERMANOVA power estimation tailored to marker-gene microbiome studies that will be analyzed by pairwise distances, which includes: (i) a novel method for distance matrix simulation that permits modeling of within-group pairwise distances according to pre-specified population parameters; (ii) a method to incorporate effects of different sizes within the simulated distance matrix; (iii) a simulation-based method for estimating PERMANOVA power from simulated distance matrices; and (iv) an R statistical software package that implements the above. Matrices of pairwise distances can be efficiently simulated to satisfy the triangle inequality and incorporate group-level effects, which are quantified by the adjusted coefficient of determination, omega-squared (ω2). From simulated distance matrices, available PERMANOVA power or necessary sample size can be estimated for a planned microbiome study. Availability and implementation: http://github.com/brendankelly/micropower. Contact: brendank@mail.med.upenn.edu or hongzhe@upenn.edu PMID:25819674

[Effect of Moxibustion Preconditioning with Seed-sized Moxa Cones on Myocardial Infarction Size and Beclin 1 Expression in Myocardial Ischemia-reperfusion Injury Rats].

PubMed

Bai, Hua; Lu, Sheng-Feng; Chen, Wan-Ying; Zhong, Ze-Hao; Gu, Yi-Huang

2017-12-25

To observe the effect of moxibustion (Moxi) preconditioning with seed-sized moxa cones on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MI/RI) at different stages, and to analyze the correlation between this effect and the expression of autophagy related protein Beclin 1. This study contains two parts: 1) changes of myocardial pathological injury and percentages of myocardial infarcted area at different time-points after modeling and Moxi intervention, and 2) effect of Moxi on contents of serum cardiac troponin T(cTnT) and expression of myocardial Bcl-2, Bax and Beclin 1 proteins. In the first part, 42 SD rats were randomly divided into model group, 1 day (d) Moxi group, 2 d Moxi group, 3 d Moxi group，4 d Moxi group, 5 d Moxi group and 7 d Moxi group. The model of MI/RI was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) for 30 min and reperfusion for 240 min. The electrocardiogram (ECG) of standard limb lead Ⅱ was monitored and the heart was taken 4 h after reperfusion for examining myocardial infarcted size with triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. In the second part, 48 SD rats were randomized into sham-operation, model, moxibustion and autophagy inhibitor (3-MA) groups, with 12 rats in each group. The serum cTnT level was assayed and histopathological changes of the myocardial tissue below the ligation site were examined with HE staining, and the expression levels of Bcl-2, Bax and Beclin 1 proteins in the myocardial tissue below the LAD-ligated site were detected using Western blot. Compared with the model group, the percentages of myocardial infarcted area were significantly decreased in the 4 d, 5 d and 7 d Moxi groups ( P <0.05), but without significant differences among the 3 Moxi groups ( P >0.05). The state of MI-induced breakage and disordered arrangement of myocardial fibers with interstitial edema and inflammatory cell infiltration at the MI stage in the Moxi group and at the reperfusion stage in the autophagy inhibitor group was relatively lighter. The levels of serum cTnT content and Bax/Bcl-2 and Beclin 1 protein expression at the MI and reperfusion stages were significantly higher in the model group than in the sham-operation group ( P <0.01), and considerably lower in the Moxi and autophagy groups than in the model group ( P <0.01). The serum cTnT content, ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 expression and Beclin 1 expression levels at the MI and reperfusion stages were significantly lower in the autophagy inhibitor group than in the Moxi group ( P <0.05). Moxibustion with seed-sized moxa cones at "Neiguan" (PC 6) can effectively alleviate myocardial ischemia in MI/RI rats, which is probably related to its effect in down-regulating Bax/Bcl-2 and Beclin 1 expression and in inhibiting autophagy.

PSYCHOLOGICAL TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION IN COLLEGE STUDENTS: A METAANALYSIS

PubMed Central

Cuijpers, Pim; Cristea, Ioana A.; Ebert, David D.; Koot, Hans M.; Auerbach, Randy P.; Bruffaerts, Ronny; Kessler, Ronald C.

2015-01-01

Background Expanded efforts to detect and treat depression among college students, a peak period of onset, have the potential to bear high human capital value from a societal perspective because depression increases college withdrawal rates. However, it is not clear whether evidence-based depression therapies are as effective in college students as in other adult populations. The higher levels of cognitive functioning and IQ and higher proportions of first-onset cases might lead to treatment effects being different among college students relative to the larger adult population. Methods We conducted a metaanalysis of randomized trials comparing psychological treatments of depressed college students relative to control groups and compared effect sizes in these studies to those in trials carried out in unselected populations of depressed adults. Results The 15 trials on college students satisfying study inclusion criteria included 997 participants. The pooled effect size of therapy versus control was g = 0.89 (95% CI: 0.66~1.11; NNT = 2.13) with moderate heterogeneity (I2 = 57; 95% CI: 23~72). None of these trials had low risk of bias. Effect sizes were significantly larger when students were not remunerated (e.g. money, credit), received individual versus group therapy, and were in trials that included a waiting list control group. No significant difference emerged in comparing effect sizes among college students versus adults either in simple mean comparisons or in multivariate metaregression analyses. Conclusions This metaanalysis of trials examining psychological treatments of depression in college students suggests that these therapies are effective and have effect sizes comparable to trials carried out among depressed adults. PMID:26682536

Interaction location outweighs the competitive advantage of numerical superiority in Cebus capucinus intergroup contests.

PubMed

Crofoot, Margaret C; Gilby, Ian C; Wikelski, Martin C; Kays, Roland W

2008-01-15

Numerical superiority confers a competitive advantage during contests among animal groups, shaping patterns of resource access, and, by extension, fitness. However, relative group size does not always determine the winner of intergroup contests. Smaller, presumably weaker social groups often defeat their larger neighbors, but how and when they are able to do so remains poorly understood. Models of competition between individuals suggest that location may influence contest outcome. However, because of the logistical difficulties of studying intergroup interactions, previous studies have been unable to determine how contest location and group size interact to shape relationships among groups. We address this question by using an automated radio telemetry system to study intergroup interactions among six capuchin monkey (Cebus capucinus) social groups of varying sizes. We find that the odds of winning increase with relative group size; one additional group member increases the odds of winning an interaction by 10%. However, this effect is not uniform across space; with each 100 m that a group moves away from the center of its home range, its odds of winning an interaction decrease by 31%. We demonstrate that contest outcome depends on an interaction between group size and location, such that small groups can defeat much larger groups near the center of their home range. The tendency of resident groups to win contests may help explain how small groups persist in areas with intense intergroup competition.

Effects of simulated microgravity on otoliths growth and microstructure of Larval Zebrafish, Danio rerio

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiaoyan; Wang, Gaohong; Liu, Yongding

2012-07-01

Otolith is the vestibular endorgan that takes part in gravitational signal initiation. Environmental change can leave mark on otolith microstructure. In this study, we use zebrafish from embryo stage of 10hpf to middle larval stage of 12dpf to investigate the effect of microgravity on otolith development. It was found that otoliths size of microgravity group was larger than the control before 6dpf, but after that both groups kept nearly the same size. Surface scanning of otolith morphology with SEM showed that otolith of microgravity group were much smoother than the control. After etching with HCl, we found both groups formed daily increments, but microgravity group lack clear check marks in some special developmental stage. Widths between increments were wider, and granule shape was much sharper in microgravity group. Analysis of crystal orientation disclosed the increments of microgravity group formed irregularly. The surface etched with PKb also exhibited different granule size and orientation: the granules in the control had nearly the same size and direction, while the particles in microgravity were smaller and orientated differently along the translucent ring. The organic leftover were also found between layers in microgravity group. These results suggest that microgravity can affect otolith development, the component and structural mode of inorganic and organic parts change with different gravitation environment, which may be involved in orientation adjustment of SMS (Space Movement Sickness).

Outcomes of Group Care for Youth: A Review of Comparative Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Bethany R.; Bright, Charlotte L.; Svoboda, Deborah V.; Fakunmoju, Sunday; Barth, Richard P.

2011-01-01

Objective: The purpose of this study was to review empirical evidence of the effects of placement in group care compared to other interventions. Method: Two-group empirical studies were identified and effect sizes for all reported outcomes were calculated. Results: Nineteen two-group studies were found that compared group care with family foster…

Effects of Small-Group Learning on Transfer: A Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pai, Hui-Hua; Sears, David A.; Maeda, Yukiko

2015-01-01

This study investigated the potential benefit of small-group learning on transfer performance using the method of meta-analysis. Results showed positive support for the hypothesis that small-group learning can increase students' transfer performance (average effect size of 0.30). Unlike reviews of effects of cooperation on learning, this…

A d-statistic for single-case designs that is equivalent to the usual between-groups d-statistic.

PubMed

Shadish, William R; Hedges, Larry V; Pustejovsky, James E; Boyajian, Jonathan G; Sullivan, Kristynn J; Andrade, Alma; Barrientos, Jeannette L

2014-01-01

We describe a standardised mean difference statistic (d) for single-case designs that is equivalent to the usual d in between-groups experiments. We show how it can be used to summarise treatment effects over cases within a study, to do power analyses in planning new studies and grant proposals, and to meta-analyse effects across studies of the same question. We discuss limitations of this d-statistic, and possible remedies to them. Even so, this d-statistic is better founded statistically than other effect size measures for single-case design, and unlike many general linear model approaches such as multilevel modelling or generalised additive models, it produces a standardised effect size that can be integrated over studies with different outcome measures. SPSS macros for both effect size computation and power analysis are available.

Treatment effect on biases in size estimation in spider phobia.

PubMed

Shiban, Youssef; Fruth, Martina B; Pauli, Paul; Kinateder, Max; Reichenberger, Jonas; Mühlberger, Andreas

2016-12-01

The current study investigates biases in size estimations made by spider-phobic and healthy participants before and after treatment. Forty-one spider-phobic and 20 healthy participants received virtual reality (VR) exposure treatment and were then asked to rate the size of a real spider immediately before and, on average, 15days after the treatment. During the VR exposure treatment skin conductance response was assessed. Prior to the treatment, both groups tended to overestimate the size of the spider, but this size estimation bias was significantly larger in the phobic group than in the control group. The VR exposure treatment reduced this bias, which was reflected in a significantly smaller size rating post treatment. However, the size estimation bias was unrelated to the skin conductance response. Our results confirm the hypothesis that size estimation by spider-phobic patients is biased. This bias is not stable over time and can be decreased with adequate treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Recovery of Barotrauma Injuries Resulting from Exposure to Pile Driving Sound in Two Sizes of Hybrid Striped Bass

PubMed Central

Matthews, Frazer; Carlson, Thomas J.; Popper, Arthur N.

2013-01-01

The effects of loud sounds on fishes, such as those produced during impulsive pile driving, are an increasing concern in the management of aquatic ecosystems. However, very little is known about such effects. Accordingly, a High Intensity Controlled Impedance Fluid Filled wave Tube (HICI-FT) was used to investigate the effects of sounds produced by impulsive pile driving on two size groups of hybrid striped bass (white bass Morone chrysops x striped bass Morone saxatilis ). The larger striped bass (mean size 17.2 g) had more severe injuries, as well as more total injuries, than the smaller fish (mean size 1.3 g). However, fish in each size group recovered from most injuries within 10 days of exposure. A comparison with different species from previously published studies show that current results support the observation that fishes with physoclistous swim bladders are more susceptible to injury from impulsive pile driving than are fishes with physostomous swim bladders. PMID:24040089

Physical activity within a CBT intervention improves coping with pain in traumatized refugees: results of a randomized controlled design.

PubMed

Liedl, Alexandra; Müller, Julia; Morina, Naser; Karl, Anke; Denke, Claudia; Knaevelsrud, Christine

2011-02-01

Many traumatized refugees experience both posttraumatic stress disorder and chronic pain. Based on Mutual Maintenance Theory and the Perpetual Avoidance Model, this study examined the additional effect of physical activity within a biofeedback-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-BF) for traumatized refugees. In a controlled design, 36 patients were randomized into one of three conditions (CBT-BF, CBT-BF with physical activity [CBT-BF+active], and a waiting list control group [WL]). Thirty patients (n=10 in each group) completed the treatment and a follow-up assessment 3 months later. Participants' coping strategies, pain and mental health status, and physiological reactivity were assessed before and after the intervention and at 3-month follow-up. Treatment effects were analyzed using analyses of variance with baseline scores as covariates (ANCOVAs) and the Reliable Change Index. The CBT-BF and CBT-BF+active groups showed improvements in all outcome measures relative to the WL group. The effect sizes for the main outcome measures were higher in the CBT-BF+active group than in the CBT-BF group. Repeated measures analyses of covariance showed significant group effects for coping strategies--in particular, for the "cognitive restructuring" and "counter-activities" subscales as well as a marginally significant group effect for "perceived self-competence"--with the CBT-BF+active group showing more favorable outcomes than the CBT-BF group. Moreover, 60% of participants in the CBT-BF+active group showed clinically reliable intraindividual change in at least one subscale of the pain coping strategies questionnaire, compared with just 30% of participants in the CBT-BF group. Findings of improved coping strategies, larger effect sizes, and higher rates of clinical improvement in the CBT-BF+active group suggest that physical activity adds value to pain management interventions for traumatized refugees. Given the small sample size, however, these preliminary results need replication in a larger trial. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Portion size effects on weight gain in a free living setting

PubMed Central

French, Simone A; Mitchell, Nathan R; Wolfson, Julian; Harnack, Lisa J; Jeffery, Robert W; Gerlach, Anne F; Blundell, John E; Pentel, Paul R

2014-01-01

Objective Examine the effect of weekday exposure over six months to different lunch sizes on energy intake and body weight in a free-living sample of working adults. Design and Methods Adults (n=233) were randomly assigned to one of three lunch size groups (400 kcal; 800 kcal; 1600 kcal) or to a no-free lunch control group for six months. Weight and energy intake were measured at baseline, and months 1, 3, and 6. Results Lunch energy was significantly higher in the 800 and 1600 kcal groups compared to the 400 kcal group (p < 0.0001). Total energy was significantly higher for the 1600 kcal group compared to the 400 and 800 kcal groups (p = 0.02). Body weight change at six months did not significantly differ at the 5% level by experimental group (1600 kcal group: +1.1 kg (sd=0.44); 800 kcal group: −0.1 kg (sd=0.42); 400 kcal group: −0.1 kg (sd=0.43); control group: 1.1 (sd=0.42); p=.07). Weight gain over time was significant in the 1600 kcal box lunch group (p < 0.05). Conclusions Weekday exposure for six months to a 1600 kcal lunch caused significant increases in total energy intake and weight gain. PMID:24510841

Structural effect of size on interracial friendship

PubMed Central

Cheng, Siwei; Xie, Yu

2013-01-01

Social contexts exert structural effects on individuals’ social relationships, including interracial friendships. In this study, we posit that, net of group composition, total context size has a distinct effect on interracial friendship. Under the assumptions of (i) maximization of preference in choosing a friend, (ii) multidimensionality of preference, and (iii) preference for same-race friends, we conducted analyses using microsimulation that yielded three main findings. First, increased context size decreases the likelihood of forming an interracial friendship. Second, the size effect increases with the number of preference dimensions. Third, the size effect is diluted by noise, i.e., the random component affecting friendship formation. Analysis of actual friendship data among 4,745 American high school students yielded results consistent with the main conclusion that increased context size promotes racial segregation and discourages interracial friendship. PMID:23589848

Neuromuscular adaptations induced by adjacent joint training.

PubMed

Ema, R; Saito, I; Akagi, R

2018-03-01

Effects of resistance training are well known to be specific to tasks that are involved during training. However, it remains unclear whether neuromuscular adaptations are induced after adjacent joint training. This study examined the effects of hip flexion training on maximal and explosive knee extension strength and neuromuscular performance of the rectus femoris (RF, hip flexor, and knee extensor) compared with the effects of knee extension training. Thirty-seven untrained young men were randomly assigned to hip flexion training, knee extension training, or a control group. Participants in the training groups completed 4 weeks of isometric hip flexion or knee extension training. Standardized differences in the mean change between the training groups and control group were interpreted as an effect size, and the substantial effect was assumed to be ≥0.20 of the between-participant standard deviation at baseline. Both types of training resulted in substantial increases in maximal (hip flexion training group: 6.2% ± 10.1%, effect size = 0.25; knee extension training group: 20.8% ± 9.9%, effect size = 1.11) and explosive isometric knee extension torques and muscle thickness of the RF in the proximal and distal regions. Improvements in strength were accompanied by substantial enhancements in voluntary activation, which was determined using the twitch interpolation technique and RF activation. Differences in training effects on explosive torques and neural variables between the two training groups were trivial. Our findings indicate that hip flexion training results in substantial neuromuscular adaptations during knee extensions similar to those induced by knee extension training. © 2017 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science In Sports Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Small Group Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGrath, Joseph E.

1978-01-01

Summarizes research on small group processes by giving a comprehensive account of the types of variables primarily studied in the laboratory. These include group structure, group composition, group size, and group relations. Considers effects of power, leadership, conformity to social norms, and role relationships. (Author/AV)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Management of Dyspnea: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Williams, Marie T; Cafarella, Paul; Paquet, Catherine; Frith, Peter

2015-09-01

In patients with COPD, psychological interventions usually target generalized anxiety and depression rather than the sensation of breathlessness. The objectives of this pilot study were to develop and implement a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program specific to the perceptual experience of breathlessness, identify practical issues in the study protocol, and estimate beneficial effects of combining the CBT program with comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation. The CBT program for the sensation of breathlessness (Breathing: Recognize sensations, Explore thoughts and beliefs, Validate thoughts as useful or harmful, Evolve and change behavior [BREVE]) was developed as a sequential series of 8 modules enabling it to be embedded within an 8-week comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation program. When appropriate, outcomes from the pilot group (comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation program + BREVE) were compared with those from a retrospective control group (comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation program only). Outcomes included feedback provided by pilot study subjects, sensation of breathlessness (volunteered and endorsed descriptors of breathlessness), 6-min walk distance (6MWD), and St George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) total score. Within-group analyses were undertaken for descriptors of breathlessness (the McNemar test), whereas between-group analyses (repeated-measures analysis of variance, effect-size comparison) were conducted for the 6MWD and SGRQ total score. Pilot (n = 11) and control (n = 58) groups were not significantly different at baseline. Feedback indicated that the program structure and content were positively received. No significant changes were evident for the sensation of breathlessness or the SGRQ score (< 4 points). The 6MWD improved significantly in both groups, with the pilot group demonstrating greater gains compared with the control group (mean change of 57 m and effect size of 0.73 vs mean change of 27 m and effect size of 0.23; between groups, P = .03, effect size of 0.69). The CBT program for the perceptual experience of breathlessness was feasible and well accepted by subjects, although the protocol raised a number of methodological limitations warranting modification. A larger randomized controlled trial is needed to determine the effectiveness and longer-term outcomes. Copyright © 2015 by Daedalus Enterprises.

Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Exercise Programs for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shin, In-Soo; Park, Eun-Young

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of physical exercise programs on individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). This meta-analysis analyzed 67 effect sizes and 14 studies and calculated the standardized mean difference in effect size. The unit of analysis for overall effects was the study, and the sub-group analysis focused…

Dental occlusion analysis in the Mesolithic-Neolithic Age, Bronze Age, and Roman to Medieval times in Serbia: Tooth size comparison in skeletal samples.

PubMed

Pajević, Tina; Glišić, Branislav

2017-05-01

Anthropological studies have reported that tooth size decreases in the context of diet changes. Some investigations have found a reverse trend in tooth size from the prehistoric to the modern times. The aims of this study were to analyze tooth size in skeletal samples from Mesolithic-Neolithic Age, Bronze Age, and Roman to Medieval times to determine sex differences and establish a temporal trend in tooth size in the aforementioned periods. Well-preserved permanent teeth were included in the investigation. The mesiodistal (MD) diameter of all teeth and buccolingual (BL) diameter of the molars were measured. Effects of sex and site were tested by one-way ANOVA, and the combined effect of these factors was analyzed by UNIANOVA. Sexual dimorphism was present in the BL diameters of all molars and MD diameters of the upper first and the lower third molar. The lower canine was the most dimorphic tooth in the anterior region. The MD diameter of most teeth showed no significant difference between the groups, (sample from: Mesolithic-Neolithic Age-group 1; Bronze Age-group 2; Roman times-group 3; Medieval times-group 4), whereas the BL diameters of the upper second and the lower first molar were the largest in the first group. Multiple comparisons revealed a decrease in the BL diameter of the upper second and the lower first molar from the first to the later groups. Lower canine MD diameter exhibited an increase in the fourth group compared to the second group. On the basis of the MD diameter, a temporal trend could not be observed for most of the teeth. The lower canine exhibited an increase in the MD diameter from the prehistoric to the Medieval times. Changes of BL diameter were more homogeneous, suggesting that the temporal trend of molar size decreased from the Mesolithic-Neolithic to Medieval times in Serbia. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A Virtual Reality Full Body Illusion Improves Body Image Disturbance in Anorexia Nervosa.

PubMed

Keizer, Anouk; van Elburg, Annemarie; Helms, Rossa; Dijkerman, H Chris

2016-01-01

Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) have a persistent distorted experience of the size of their body. Previously we found that the Rubber Hand Illusion improves hand size estimation in this group. Here we investigated whether a Full Body Illusion (FBI) affects body size estimation of body parts more emotionally salient than the hand. In the FBI, analogue to the RHI, participants experience ownership over an entire virtual body in VR after synchronous visuo-tactile stimulation of the actual and virtual body. We asked participants to estimate their body size (shoulders, abdomen, hips) before the FBI was induced, directly after induction and at ~2 hour 45 minutes follow-up. The results showed that AN patients (N = 30) decrease the overestimation of their shoulders, abdomen and hips directly after the FBI was induced. This effect was strongest for estimates of circumference, and also observed in the asynchronous control condition of the illusion. Moreover, at follow-up, the improvements in body size estimation could still be observed in the AN group. Notably, the HC group (N = 29) also showed changes in body size estimation after the FBI, but the effect showed a different pattern than that of the AN group. The results lead us to conclude that the disturbed experience of body size in AN is flexible and can be changed, even for highly emotional body parts. As such this study offers novel starting points from which new interventions for body image disturbance in AN can be developed.

Effects of excess salt and fat intake on myocardial function and infarct size in rat.

PubMed

Mozaffari, Mahmood S; Patel, Champa; Ballas, Claudia; Schaffer, Stephen W

2006-03-13

Important risk factors for cardiovascular disease include excess dietary intake of saturated fat and (or) salt. This study tested the hypothesis that excess intakes of saturated fat (e.g., beef tallow) and salt cause greater myocardial cell death following ischemia-reperfusion injury than each risk factor alone. Male rats were divided into four groups: basal fat diet (4.5% as calories; control), high fat diet (40% as calories; FAT), basal fat diet and high salt (1% NaCl solution; SALT) and high fat diet and high salt (FATSALT). The gain in body weight was significantly higher for FAT and FATSALT groups than those of either the control or the SALT group. Five weeks of exposure to the dietary regimens did not significantly affect the coronary flow rate and except for the salt-fed group, had no effect on the rate-pressure-product of the isolated heart perfused in Langendorff mode. Although infarct size was not affected by the high fat diet, it was reduced by the high salt regimen relative to the high fat diet or the control groups. When rats were fed the FAT and SALT combination, the effect of salt feeding on infarct size was not observed. In addition, the FATSALT group displayed a more marked deterioration in contractile function following ischemia-reperfusion injury than the other groups. In conclusion, short-term intake of a high fat diet, which significantly increases body weight, does not worsen ischemia-reperfusion injury although the treatment prevents the reduction of infarct size associated with high salt feeding.

The effect of boldness on decision-making in barnacle geese is group-size-dependent

PubMed Central

Kurvers, Ralf H. J. M.; Adamczyk, Vena M. A. P.; van Wieren, Sipke E.; Prins, Herbert H. T.

2011-01-01

In group-living species, decisions made by individuals may result in collective behaviours. A central question in understanding collective behaviours is how individual variation in phenotype affects collective behaviours. However, how the personality of individuals affects collective decisions in groups remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the role of boldness on the decision-making process in different-sized groups of barnacle geese. Naive barnacle geese, differing in boldness score, were introduced in a labyrinth in groups with either one or three informed demonstrators. The demonstrators possessed information about the route through the labyrinth. In pairs, the probability of choosing a route prior to the informed demonstrator increased with increasing boldness score: bolder individuals decided more often for themselves where to go compared with shyer individuals, whereas shyer individuals waited more often for the demonstrators to decide and followed this information. In groups of four individuals, however, there was no effect of boldness on decision-making, suggesting that individual differences were less important with increasing group size. Our experimental results show that personality is important in collective decisions in pairs of barnacle geese, and suggest that bolder individuals have a greater influence over the outcome of decisions in groups. PMID:21123271

The effect of boldness on decision-making in barnacle geese is group-size-dependent.

PubMed

Kurvers, Ralf H J M; Adamczyk, Vena M A P; van Wieren, Sipke E; Prins, Herbert H T

2011-07-07

In group-living species, decisions made by individuals may result in collective behaviours. A central question in understanding collective behaviours is how individual variation in phenotype affects collective behaviours. However, how the personality of individuals affects collective decisions in groups remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the role of boldness on the decision-making process in different-sized groups of barnacle geese. Naive barnacle geese, differing in boldness score, were introduced in a labyrinth in groups with either one or three informed demonstrators. The demonstrators possessed information about the route through the labyrinth. In pairs, the probability of choosing a route prior to the informed demonstrator increased with increasing boldness score: bolder individuals decided more often for themselves where to go compared with shyer individuals, whereas shyer individuals waited more often for the demonstrators to decide and followed this information. In groups of four individuals, however, there was no effect of boldness on decision-making, suggesting that individual differences were less important with increasing group size. Our experimental results show that personality is important in collective decisions in pairs of barnacle geese, and suggest that bolder individuals have a greater influence over the outcome of decisions in groups.

Effect of methyl groups on conformational properties of small ionized comb-like polyelectrolytes at the atomic level.

PubMed

Zhao, Hongxia; Liu, Jiaping; Ran, Qianping; Yang, Yong; Shu, Xin

2017-03-01

Comb-like polycarboxylate ether (PCE) molecules with different content of methyl groups substituted on backbone and different location of methyl groups substituted on the side chains, respectively, were designed and were studied in explicit salt solutions by all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. Methyl groups substituted on the backbone of PCE have a great effect on the conformation of PCE. Stiffness of charged backbone was not only affected by the rotational freedom but also the electrostatic repulsion between the charged COO - groups. The interaction of counterions (Na + ) with COO - groups for PCE3 (with part of AA substituted by MAA on the backbone) was stronger and the screen effect was great, which decided the smaller size of PCE3. The interaction between water and COO - groups was strong regardless of the content of AA substituted by MAA on the backbone. The effect of methyl groups substituted on the different location of side chains on the conformation of PCE was less than that of methyl groups substituted on the backbone. The equilibrium sizes of the four PCE molecules with methyl groups substituted on the side chains were similar. Graphical Abstract Effect of methyl groups on conformational properties of small ionized comb-like polyelectrolytes at the atomic level.

The consequences of perceived discrimination for psychological well-being: a meta-analytic review.

PubMed

Schmitt, Michael T; Branscombe, Nyla R; Postmes, Tom; Garcia, Amber

2014-07-01

In 2 meta-analyses, we examined the relationship between perceived discrimination and psychological well-being and tested a number of moderators of that relationship. In Meta-Analysis 1 (328 independent effect sizes, N = 144,246), we examined correlational data measuring both perceived discrimination and psychological well-being (e.g., self-esteem, depression, anxiety, psychological distress, life satisfaction). Using a random-effects model, the mean weighted effect size was significantly negative, indicating harm (r = -.23). Effect sizes were larger for disadvantaged groups (r = -.24) compared to advantaged groups (r = -.10), larger for children compared to adults, larger for perceptions of personal discrimination compared to group discrimination, and weaker for racism and sexism compared to other stigmas. The negative relationship was significant across different operationalizations of well-being but was somewhat weaker for positive outcomes (e.g., self-esteem, positive affect) than for negative outcomes (e.g., depression, anxiety, negative affect). Importantly, the effect size was significantly negative even in longitudinal studies that controlled for prior levels of well-being (r = -.15). In Meta-Analysis 2 (54 independent effect sizes, N = 2,640), we examined experimental data from studies manipulating perceptions of discrimination and measuring well-being. We found that the effect of discrimination on well-being was significantly negative for studies that manipulated general perceptions of discrimination (d = -.25), but effects did not differ from 0 when attributions to discrimination for a specific negative event were compared to personal attributions (d = .06). Overall, results support the idea that the pervasiveness of perceived discrimination is fundamental to its harmful effects on psychological well-being. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Effect of the Size of the Left Atrium on Sustained Sinus Rhythm in Patients Undergoing Mitral Valve Surgery and Concomitant Bipolar Radiofrequency Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation.

PubMed

Avdagić, Harun; Sijerčić Avdagić, Selma; Pirić Avdagić, Melika; Antonič, Miha

2017-12-01

Atrial fibrillation is associated with systemic embolization and complications due to anticoagulant therapy. Radiofrequency ablation has been established as an effective and safe method for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the size of the left atrium on the outcome of surgical radiofrequency ablation. Forty patients scheduled for elective mitral valve surgery and radiofrequency ablation were enrolled in the study. Group 1 consisted of patients with a left atrium diameter ≤5 cm and group 2 of patients with left atrium diameter >5 cm. The primary endpoint of the study was stable sinus rhythm 6 months postoperatively. At 6 months postoperatively, sinus rhythm was present in significantly more group 1 patients as compared with group 2 patients, i.e. 15 (75%) vs. 8 (40%), p=0.025. Multivariate analysis proved the size of the left atrium to be an independent predictor of the radiofrequency ablation outcome. Accordingly, the size of the left atrium was demonstrated to be an important predictor of the outcome of radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation. A lower cut-off value of surgical reduction of the atria than previously reported should be considered in order to improve the radiofrequency ablation outcome.

A Spiritually Based Group Intervention for Combat Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

PubMed Central

Bormann, Jill E.; Thorp, Steven; Wetherell, Julie L.; Golshan, Shahrokh

2014-01-01

Purpose To assess the feasibility, effect sizes, and satisfaction of mantram repetition—the spiritual practice of repeating a sacred word/phrase throughout the day—for managing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans. Design A two group (intervention vs. control) by two time (pre- and postintervention) experimental design was used. Methods Veterans were randomly assigned to intervention (n = 14) or delayed-treatment control (n = 15). Measures were PTSD symptoms, psychological distress, quality of life, and patient satisfaction. Effect sizes were calculated using Cohen’s d. Findings Thirty-three male veterans were enrolled, and 29 (88%) completed the study. Large effect sizes were found for reducing PTSD symptom severity (d = −.72), psychological distress (d = −.73) and increasing quality of life (d = .70). Conclusions A spiritual program was found to be feasible for veterans with PTSD. They reported moderate to high satisfaction. Effect sizes show promise for symptom improvement but more research is needed. PMID:18356284

LIMITED HIP AND KNEE FLEXION DURING LANDING IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED FRONTAL PLANE KNEE MOTION AND MOMENTS

PubMed Central

Pollard, Christine D.; Sigward, Susan M.; Powers, Christopher M.

2009-01-01

Background It has been proposed that female athletes who limit knee and hip flexion during athletic tasks rely more on the passive restraints in the frontal plane to deceleration their body center of mass. This biomechanical pattern is thought to increase the risk for anterior cruciate ligament injury. To date, the relationship between sagittal plane kinematics and frontal plane knee motion and moments has not been explored. Methods Subjects consisted of fifty-eight female club soccer players (age range: 11 to 20 years) with no history of knee injury. Kinematics, ground reaction forces, and surface electromyography were collected while each subject performed a drop landing task. Subjects were divided into two groups based on combined sagittal plane knee and hip flexion angles during the deceleration phase of landing (high flexion and low flexion). Findings Subjects in the low flexion group demonstrated increased knee valgus angles (P = 0.02, effect size 0.27), increased knee adductor moments (P = 0.03, effect size 0.24), decreased energy absorption at the knee and hip (P = 0.02, effect size 0.25; and P< 0.001, effect size 0.59), and increased vastus lateralis EMG when compared to subjects in the high flexion group (P = 0.005, effect size 0.35). Interpretation Female athletes with limited sagittal plane motion during landing exhibit a biomechanical profile that may put these individuals at greater risk for anterior cruciate ligament injury. PMID:19913961

Viral Richness is Positively Related to Group Size, but Not Mating System, in Bats.

PubMed

Webber, Quinn M R; Fletcher, Quinn E; Willis, Craig K R

2017-12-01

Characterizing host traits that influence viral richness and diversification is important for understanding wildlife pathogens affecting conservation and/or human health. Behaviors that affect contact rates among hosts could be important for viral diversification because more frequent intra- and inter-specific contacts among hosts should increase the potential for viral diversification within host populations. We used published data on bats to test the contact-rate hypothesis. We predicted that species forming large conspecific groups, that share their range with more heterospecifics (i.e., sympatry), and with mating systems characterized by high contact rates (polygynandry: multi-male/multi-female), would host higher viral richness than species with small group sizes, lower sympatry, or low contact-rate mating systems (polygyny: single male/multi-female). Consistent with our hypothesis and previous research, viral richness was positively correlated with conspecific group size although the relationship plateaued at group sizes of approximately several hundred thousand bats. This pattern supports epidemiological theory that, up to a point, larger groups have higher contact rates, greater likelihood of acquiring and transmitting viruses, and ultimately greater potential for viral diversification. However, contrary to our hypothesis, there was no effect of sympatry on viral richness and no difference in viral richness between mating systems. We also found no residual effect of host phylogeny on viral richness, suggesting that closely related species do not necessarily host similar numbers of viruses. Our results support the contact-rate hypothesis that intra-specific viral transmission can enhance viral diversification within species and highlight the influence of host group size on the potential of viruses to propagate within host populations.

Local processes in preattentive feature detection.

PubMed

Bacon, W F; Egeth, H E

1991-02-01

Sagi and Julesz (1987) claimed that for a target to be detected preattentively, it must be within some small critical distance of a nontarget. The independent effects of separation and display size, which were confounded in the Sagi and Julesz experiments, were examined. Experiments 1 and 2 revealed that in tasks requiring search for a color-defined target, target-nontarget separation had no effect on reaction time (RT). Display size, however, was inversely related to RT. Experiment 3 ruled out the possibility that the decreasing function of RT with display size was due to arousal caused by higher display luminance. When nontarget grouping was inhibited, (Exp. 4) it was found that RT no longer decreased with increasing display size. This suggests that nontarget grouping may have been the cause of the improved performance at larger display sizes. Experiments 5 and 6 extended the results to line segments, the stimuli used by Sagi and Julesz.

Uterine insemination with a standard AI dose in a sow pool system.

PubMed

Peltoniemi, O A T; Alm, K; Andersson, M

2009-06-01

The effect of uterine AI with a standard dose of spermatozoa on fertility of the sow was studied in a field trial. The trial involved a sow pool system with 440 sows using AI as the primary method of breeding. Sows were twice a day checked for oestrus symptoms by back pressure test in front of a boar on days 3-6 after weaning. When in standing heat, sows were randomly allocated into either a uterine insemination group (UTER, n = 157) or standard AI group (CONT, n = 169) and bred accordingly using 3 billion spermatozoa in 80 ml of extender. In both treatment groups, insemination was repeated once if the sow was still receptive 24 h later. Using pregnancy (farrowed or not) and live-born litter size as the outcome variables, a logistic and linear regression approach, respectively, was taken to study the effect of the following factors: treatment (UTER vs CONT), AI operator, breed, satellite herd preceding weaning, parity, weaning-to-oestrus interval and length of lactation. Overall, live-born litter size was 11.3 +/- 2.9, repeat breeding rate 4.2% and farrowing rate 91.2%. In the UTER group, 93.6% of inseminated sows farrowed, whereas farrowing rate for the CONT group was 88.8% (p = 0.13). Intrauterine insemination with a standard AI dose did not result in a significant improvement in the live-born litter size (11.5 +/- 2.8 for the UTER and 11.1 +/- 3.0 for the CONT sows, respectively, p = 0.13). However, the preceding satellite herd had a highly significant effect on the live-born litter size (12.4 +/- 2.6; 11.1 +/- 2.9; 10.8 +/- 2.9 and 10.9 +/- 2.9 for the four satellite herds, p < 0.01). We conclude that uterine insemination did not have a significant effect on live-born litter size and farrowing rate and we also conclude that satellite herd appears to have a major effect on fertility in a sow pool system.

Critical appraisal of arguments for the delayed-start design proposed as alternative to the parallel-group randomized clinical trial design in the field of rare disease.

PubMed

Spineli, Loukia M; Jenz, Eva; Großhennig, Anika; Koch, Armin

2017-08-17

A number of papers have proposed or evaluated the delayed-start design as an alternative to the standard two-arm parallel group randomized clinical trial (RCT) design in the field of rare disease. However the discussion is felt to lack a sufficient degree of consideration devoted to the true virtues of the delayed start design and the implications either in terms of required sample-size, overall information, or interpretation of the estimate in the context of small populations. To evaluate whether there are real advantages of the delayed-start design particularly in terms of overall efficacy and sample size requirements as a proposed alternative to the standard parallel group RCT in the field of rare disease. We used a real-life example to compare the delayed-start design with the standard RCT in terms of sample size requirements. Then, based on three scenarios regarding the development of the treatment effect over time, the advantages, limitations and potential costs of the delayed-start design are discussed. We clarify that delayed-start design is not suitable for drugs that establish an immediate treatment effect, but for drugs with effects developing over time, instead. In addition, the sample size will always increase as an implication for a reduced time on placebo resulting in a decreased treatment effect. A number of papers have repeated well-known arguments to justify the delayed-start design as appropriate alternative to the standard parallel group RCT in the field of rare disease and do not discuss the specific needs of research methodology in this field. The main point is that a limited time on placebo will result in an underestimated treatment effect and, in consequence, in larger sample size requirements compared to those expected under a standard parallel-group design. This also impacts on benefit-risk assessment.

Nonlinear effects of group size on the success of wolves hunting elk

USGS Publications Warehouse

MacNulty, D.R.; Smith, D.W.; Mech, L.D.; Vucetich, J.A.; Packer, C.

2012-01-01

Despite the popular view that social predators live in groups because group hunting facilitates prey capture, the apparent tendency for hunting success to peak at small group sizes suggests that the formation of large groups is unrelated to prey capture. Few empirical studies, however, have tested for nonlinear relationships between hunting success and group size, and none have demonstrated why success trails off after peaking. Here, we use a unique dataset of observations of individually known wolves (Canis lupus) hunting elk (Cervus elaphus) in Yellowstone National Park to show that the relationship between success and group size is indeed nonlinear and that individuals withholding effort (free riding) is why success does not increase across large group sizes. Beyond 4 wolves, hunting success leveled off, and individual performance (a measure of effort) decreased for reasons unrelated to interference from inept hunters, individual age, or size. But performance did drop faster among wolves with an incentive to hold back, i.e., nonbreeders with no dependent offspring, those performing dangerous predatory tasks, i.e., grabbing and restraining prey, and those in groups of proficient hunters. These results suggest that decreasing performance was free riding and that was why success leveled off in groups with >4 wolves that had superficially appeared to be cooperating. This is the first direct evidence that nonlinear trends in group hunting success reflect a switch from cooperation to free riding. It also highlights how hunting success per se is unlikely to promote formation and maintenance of large groups. ?? 2011 The Author.

Effects of dynamical grouping on cooperation in N-person evolutionary snowdrift game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, M.; Xu, C.; Hui, P. M.

2011-09-01

A population typically consists of agents that continually distribute themselves into different groups at different times. This dynamic grouping has recently been shown to be essential in explaining many features observed in human activities including social, economic, and military activities. We study the effects of dynamic grouping on the level of cooperation in a modified evolutionary N-person snowdrift game. Due to the formation of dynamical groups, the competition takes place in groups of different sizes at different times and players of different strategies are mixed by the grouping dynamics. It is found that the level of cooperation is greatly enhanced by the dynamic grouping of agents, when compared with a static population of the same size. As a parameter β, which characterizes the relative importance of the reward and cost, increases, the fraction of cooperative players fC increases and it is possible to achieve a fully cooperative state. Analytically, we present a dynamical equation that incorporates the effects of the competing game and group size distribution. The distribution of cooperators in different groups is assumed to be a binomial distribution, which is confirmed by simulations. Results from the analytic equation are in good agreement with numerical results from simulations. We also present detailed simulation results of fC over the parameter space spanned by the probabilities of group coalescence νm and group fragmentation νp in the grouping dynamics. A high νm and low νp promotes cooperation, and a favorable reward characterized by a high β would lead to a fully cooperative state.

A pilot study to evaluate multi-dimensional effects of dance for people with Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Ventura, Maria I; Barnes, Deborah E; Ross, Jessica M; Lanni, Kimberly E; Sigvardt, Karen A; Disbrow, Elizabeth A

2016-11-01

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with deficits in motor, cognitive, and emotion/quality of life (QOL) domains, yet most pharmacologic and behavioral interventions focus only on motor function. Our goal was to perform a pilot study of Dance for Parkinson's-a community-based program that is growing in popularity-in order to compare effect sizes across multiple outcomes and to inform selection of primary and secondary outcomes for a larger trial. Study participants were people with PD who self-enrolled in either Dance for Parkinson's classes (intervention group, N=8) or PD support groups (control group, N=7). Assessments of motor function (Timed-Up-and-Go, Gait Speed, Standing Balance Test), cognitive function (Test of Everyday Attention, Verbal Fluency, Alternate Uses, Digit Span Forward and Backward), and emotion/QOL (Geriatric Depression Scale, Falls Efficacy Scale-International, Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 (total score and Activities of Daily Living subscale)) were performed in both groups at baseline and follow-up. Standardized effect sizes were calculated within each group and between groups for all 12 measures. Effect sizes were positive (suggesting improvement) for all 12 measures within the intervention group and 7 of 12 measures within the control group. The largest between-group differences were observed for the Test of Everyday Attention (a measure of cognitive switching), gait speed and falls efficacy. Our findings suggest that dance has potential to improve multiple outcomes in people with PD. Future trials should consider co-primary outcomes given potential benefits in motor, cognitive and emotion/QOL domains. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A pilot study to evaluate multi-dimensional effects of dance for people with Parkinson’s disease

PubMed Central

Ventura, Maria I.; Barnes, Deborah E.; Ross, Jessica M.; Lanni, Kimberly E.; Sigvardt, Karen A.; Disbrow, Elizabeth A.

2016-01-01

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with deficits in motor, cognitive, and emotion/quality of life (QOL) domains, yet most pharmacologic and behavioral interventions focus only on motor function. Our goal was to perform a pilot study of Dance for Parkinson’s—a community-based program that is growing in popularity—in order to compare effect sizes across multiple outcomes and to inform selection of primary and secondary outcomes for a larger trial. Study participants were people with PD who self-enrolled in either Dance for Parkinson’s classes (intervention group, N=8) or PD support groups (control group, N=7). Assessments of motor function (Timed-Up-and-Go, Gait Speed, Standing Balance Test), cognitive function (Test of Everyday Attention, Verbal Fluency, Alternate Uses, Digit Span Forward and Backward), and emotion/QOL (Geriatric Depression Scale, Falls Efficacy Scale-International, Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-39 (total score and Activities of Daily Living subscale)) were performed in both groups at baseline and follow-up. Standardized effect sizes were calculated within each group and between groups for all 12 measures. Effect sizes were positive (suggesting improvement) for all 12 measures within the intervention group and 7 of 12 measures within the control group. The largest between-group differences were observed for the Test of Everyday Attention (a measure of cognitive switching), gait speed and falls efficacy. Our findings suggest that dance has potential to improve multiple outcomes in people with PD. Future trials should consider co-primary outcomes given potential benefits in motor, cognitive and emotion/QOL domains. PMID:27765693

Interaction location outweighs the competitive advantage of numerical superiority in Cebus capucinus intergroup contests

PubMed Central

Crofoot, Margaret C.; Gilby, Ian C.; Wikelski, Martin C.; Kays, Roland W.

2008-01-01

Numerical superiority confers a competitive advantage during contests among animal groups, shaping patterns of resource access, and, by extension, fitness. However, relative group size does not always determine the winner of intergroup contests. Smaller, presumably weaker social groups often defeat their larger neighbors, but how and when they are able to do so remains poorly understood. Models of competition between individuals suggest that location may influence contest outcome. However, because of the logistical difficulties of studying intergroup interactions, previous studies have been unable to determine how contest location and group size interact to shape relationships among groups. We address this question by using an automated radio telemetry system to study intergroup interactions among six capuchin monkey (Cebus capucinus) social groups of varying sizes. We find that the odds of winning increase with relative group size; one additional group member increases the odds of winning an interaction by 10%. However, this effect is not uniform across space; with each 100 m that a group moves away from the center of its home range, its odds of winning an interaction decrease by 31%. We demonstrate that contest outcome depends on an interaction between group size and location, such that small groups can defeat much larger groups near the center of their home range. The tendency of resident groups to win contests may help explain how small groups persist in areas with intense intergroup competition. PMID:18184811

A Preliminary Study of the Effects of Within-Group Covariance Structure on Recovery in Cluster Analysis. Research Report RR-94-46.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donoghue, John R.

Monte Carlo studies investigated effects of within-group covariance structure on subgroup recovery by several widely used hierarchical clustering methods. In Study 1, subgroup size, within-group correlation, within-group variance, and distance between subgroup centroids were manipulated. All clustering methods were strongly affected by…

Does group size have an impact on welfare indicators in fattening pigs?

PubMed

Meyer-Hamme, S E K; Lambertz, C; Gauly, M

2016-01-01

Production systems for fattening pigs have been characterized over the last 2 decades by rising farm sizes coupled with increasing group sizes. These developments resulted in a serious public discussion regarding animal welfare and health in these intensive production systems. Even though large farm and group sizes came under severe criticism, it is still unknown whether these factors indeed negatively affect animal welfare. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of group size (30 pigs/pen) on various animal-based measures of the Welfare Quality(®) protocol for growing pigs under conventional fattening conditions. A total of 60 conventional pig fattening farms with different group sizes in Germany were included. Moderate bursitis (35%) was found as the most prevalent indicator of welfare-related problems, while its prevalence increased with age during the fattening period. However, differences between group sizes were not detected (P>0.05). The prevalence of moderately soiled bodies increased from 9.7% at the start to 14.2% at the end of the fattening period, whereas large pens showed a higher prevalence (15.8%) than small pens (10.4%; P<0.05). With increasing group size, the incidence of moderate wounds with 8.5% and 11.3% in small- and medium-sized pens, respectively, was lower (P<0.05) than in large-sized ones (16.3%). Contrary to bursitis and dirtiness, its prevalence decreased during the fattening period. Moderate manure was less often found in pigs fed by a dry feeder than in those fed by a liquid feeding system (P<0.05). The human-animal relationship was improved in large in comparison to small groups. On the contrary, negative social behaviour was found more often in large groups. Exploration of enrichment material decreased with increasing live weight. Given that all animals were tail-docked, tail biting was observed at a very low rate of 1.9%. In conclusion, the results indicate that BW and feeding system are determining factors for the welfare status, while group size was not proved to affect the welfare level under the studied conditions of pig fattening.

Effective population size of korean populations.

PubMed

Park, Leeyoung

2014-12-01

Recently, new methods have been developed for estimating the current and recent changes in effective population sizes. Based on the methods, the effective population sizes of Korean populations were estimated using data from the Korean Association Resource (KARE) project. The overall changes in the population sizes of the total populations were similar to CHB (Han Chinese in Beijing, China) and JPT (Japanese in Tokyo, Japan) of the HapMap project. There were no differences in past changes in population sizes with a comparison between an urban area and a rural area. Age-dependent current and recent effective population sizes represent the modern history of Korean populations, including the effects of World War II, the Korean War, and urbanization. The oldest age group showed that the population growth of Koreans had already been substantial at least since the end of the 19th century.

[A clinical study on the effect of nattokinase on carotid artery atherosclerosis and hyperlipidaemia].

PubMed

Ren, N N; Chen, H J; Li, Y; Mcgowan, G W; Lin, Y G

2017-07-11

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of oral nattokinase (NK) in the reduction of common carotid artery intimal medial thickness (CCA-IMT) and carotid artery plaque size and in lowering blood lipids, and to explore the underlying mechanism of actions of NK and its potential clinical use. Methods: All enrolled patients were from the Out-Patient Clinic of the Department of TCM at the 3(rd) Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. Using randomised picking method, all patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups, NK and Statin (ST) group. NK Group-patients were given NK at a daily dose of 6 000 FU and ST Group-patients were treated with statin (simvastatin 20 mg) daily. The treatment course was 26 weeks. CCA-IMT, carotid plaque size and blood lipid profile of the patients were measured before and after treatment. Results: A total of 82 patients were enrolled in the study and 76 patients (NK 39, ST 37) completed the study. Following the treatments for 26 weeks, there was a significant reduction in CCA-IMT and carotid plaque size in both groups compared with the baseline before treatment. The carotid plaque size and CCA-IMT reduced from(0.25±0.12)cm(2) to (0.16±0.10)cm(2) and from (1.13±0.12)mm to (1.01±0.11)mm, repectively. The reduction in the NK group was significantly profound ( P <0.01, 36.6% reduction in plaque size in NK group versus 11.5% change in ST group). Both treatments reduced total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglyceride (TG). While the reduction in both groups was shown to be statistically significant ( P <0.01), the reduction of TC, LDL-C and TG in ST group was significantly greater ( P <0.05). In addition, NK significantly increased the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ( P <0.05), in contrast, HDL-C in the ST group did not change. The lipid lowering effect observed in the NK group was not correlated to the reduction of CCA-IMT and carotid artery plaque size ( r =0.35, P =0.09). Conclusions: Our findings from this pioneer clinical study suggests that daily NK supplementation is an effective way to manage the progression of atherosclerosis and potentially may be a better alternative to statins which are commonly used to reduce atherosclerosis and further to prevent cardiovascular attack and stroke in patients. The mechanism underlying the reduction of carotid atherosclerosis by NK may be independent from its lipid-lowering effect, which is different from that of statins.

Cerebral Microvascular and Systemic Effects Following Intravenous Administration of the Perfluorocarbon Emulsion Perftoran

PubMed Central

Abutarboush, Rania; Saha, Biswajit K.; Mullah, Saad H.; Arnaud, Francoise G.; Haque, Ashraful; Aligbe, Chioma; Pappas, Georgina; Auker, Charles R.; McCarron, Richard M.; Moon-Massat, Paula F.; Scultetus, Anke H.

2016-01-01

Oxygen-carrying perfluorocarbon (PFC) fluids have the potential to increase tissue oxygenation during hypoxic states and to reduce ischemic cell death. Regulatory approval of oxygen therapeutics was halted due to concerns over vasoconstrictive side effects. The goal of this study was to assess the potential vasoactive properties of Perftoran by measuring brain pial arteriolar diameters in a healthy rat model. Perftoran, crystalloid (saline) or colloid (Hextend) solutions were administered as four sequential 30 min intravenous (IV) infusions, thus allowing an evaluation of cumulative dose-dependent effects. There were no overall changes in diameters of small-sized (<50 μm) pial arterioles within the Perftoran group, while both saline and Hextend groups exhibited vasoconstriction. Medium-sized arterioles (50–100 μm) showed minor (~8–9%) vasoconstriction within saline and Hextend groups and only ~5% vasoconstriction within the Perftoran group. For small- and medium-sized pial arterioles, the mean percent change in vessel diameters was not different among the groups. Although there was a tendency for arterial blood pressures to increase with Perftoran, pressures were not different from the other two groups. These data show that Perftoran, when administered to healthy anesthetized rats, does not cause additional vasoconstriction in cerebral pial arterioles or increase systemic blood pressure compared with saline or Hextend. PMID:27869709

Cerebral Microvascular and Systemic Effects Following Intravenous Administration of the Perfluorocarbon Emulsion Perftoran.

PubMed

Abutarboush, Rania; Saha, Biswajit K; Mullah, Saad H; Arnaud, Francoise G; Haque, Ashraful; Aligbe, Chioma; Pappas, Georgina; Auker, Charles R; McCarron, Richard M; Moon-Massat, Paula F; Scultetus, Anke H

2016-11-18

Oxygen-carrying perfluorocarbon (PFC) fluids have the potential to increase tissue oxygenation during hypoxic states and to reduce ischemic cell death. Regulatory approval of oxygen therapeutics was halted due to concerns over vasoconstrictive side effects. The goal of this study was to assess the potential vasoactive properties of Perftoran by measuring brain pial arteriolar diameters in a healthy rat model. Perftoran, crystalloid (saline) or colloid (Hextend) solutions were administered as four sequential 30 min intravenous (IV) infusions, thus allowing an evaluation of cumulative dose-dependent effects. There were no overall changes in diameters of small-sized (<50 μm) pial arterioles within the Perftoran group, while both saline and Hextend groups exhibited vasoconstriction. Medium-sized arterioles (50-100 μm) showed minor (~8-9%) vasoconstriction within saline and Hextend groups and only ~5% vasoconstriction within the Perftoran group. For small- and medium-sized pial arterioles, the mean percent change in vessel diameters was not different among the groups. Although there was a tendency for arterial blood pressures to increase with Perftoran, pressures were not different from the other two groups. These data show that Perftoran, when administered to healthy anesthetized rats, does not cause additional vasoconstriction in cerebral pial arterioles or increase systemic blood pressure compared with saline or Hextend.

Size, skills, and suffrage: Motivated distortions in perceived formidability of political leaders

PubMed Central

Blaker, Nancy M.; Pollet, Thomas V.

2017-01-01

Research shows that perception of physical size and status are positively associated. The current study was developed to replicate and extend earlier research on height perceptions of political leaders, indicating that supporters perceive their leaders as taller than non-supporters do, and winners are perceived as taller after the elections, while losers are perceived as shorter after the elections (winner/loser effects). Individuals use greater height and strength as indications of greater physical formidability. We hypothesized that in-group leaders’ height and strength, but not weight, would be overestimated more compared to out-group leaders’, and that this status-size association is not only driven by dominance, but also by prestige. We also tested whether previously found gender effects in estimates were due to using one’s own height as an anchor, and we used an improved methodological approach by relying on multiple measurements of physical formidability and a within-subject design for testing winner/loser effects. The results of a two-part longitudinal study (self-selected sample via voting advice website; NWave1 = 2,011; NWave2 = 322) suggest that estimated physical formidability of political leaders is affected by motivated perception, as prestige was positively associated with estimated formidability, and in-group leaders were estimated more formidable than out-group leaders. We conclude that distortions in judged formidability related to social status are the result of motivated social perception in order to promote group functioning and leadership. Although we did not replicate a winner-effect (greater estimations of formidability after winning the elections), we did find some evidence for a loser-effect. Earlier suggestions that men make larger estimations than women because of their own larger body size are not supported. Implications for theory and future research are discussed. PMID:29267275

Recovery of function following hip resurfacing arthroplasty: a randomized controlled trial comparing an accelerated versus standard physiotherapy rehabilitation programme.

PubMed

Barker, Karen L; Newman, Meredith A; Hughes, Tamsin; Sackley, Cath; Pandit, Hemant; Kiran, Amit; Murray, David W

2013-09-01

To identify if a tailored rehabilitation programme is more effective than standard practice at improving function in patients undergoing metal-on-metal hip resurfacing arthroplasty. Randomized controlled trial. Specialist orthopaedic hospital. 80 men with a median age of 56 years. Tailored post-operative physiotherapy programme compared with standard physiotherapy. Primary outcome - Oxford Hip Score (OHS), Secondary outcomes: Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS), EuroQol (EQ-5D-3L) and UCLA activity score. Hip range of motion, hip muscle strength and patient selected goals were also assessed. At one year the mean (SD) Oxford Hip Score of the intervention group was higher, 45.1 (5.3), than the control group, 39.6 (8.8). This was supported by a linear regression model, which detected a 5.8 unit change in Oxford Hip Score (p < 0.001), effect size 0.76. There was a statistically significant increase in Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score of 12.4% (p < 0.0005), effect size 0.76; UCLA activity score differed by 0.66 points (p < 0.019), effect size 0.43; EQ 5D showed an improvement of 0.85 (p < 0.0005), effect size 0.76. A total of 80% (32 of 40) of the intervention group fully met their self-selected goal compared with 55% (22 of 40) of the control group. Hip range of motion increased significantly; hip flexion by a mean difference 17.9 degrees (p < 0.0005), hip extension by 5.7 degrees (p < 0.004) and abduction by 4 degrees (p < 0.05). Muscle strength improved more in the intervention group but was not statistically significant. A tailored physiotherapy programme improved self-reported functional outcomes and hip range of motion in patients undergoing hip resurfacing.

Effects of Self-Management Support on Structure, Process, and Outcomes Among Vulnerable Patients With Diabetes

PubMed Central

Schillinger, Dean; Handley, Margaret; Wang, Frances; Hammer, Hali

2009-01-01

OBJECTIVE Despite the importance of self-management support (SMS), few studies have compared SMS interventions, involved diverse populations, or entailed implementation in safety net settings. We examined the effects of two SMS strategies across outcomes corresponding to the Chronic Care Model. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 339 outpatients with poorly controlled diabetes from county-run clinics were enrolled in a three-arm trial. Participants, more than half of whom spoke limited English, were uninsured, and/or had less than a high school education, were randomly assigned to usual care, interactive weekly automated telephone self-management support with nurse follow-up (ATSM), or monthly group medical visits with physician and health educator facilitation (GMV). We measured 1-year changes in structure (Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care [PACIC]), communication processes (Interpersonal Processes of Care [IPC]), and outcomes (behavioral, functional, and metabolic). RESULTS Compared with the usual care group, the ATSM and GMV groups showed improvements in PACIC, with effect sizes of 0.48 and 0.50, respectively (P < 0.01). Only the ATSM group showed improvements in IPC (effect sizes 0.40 vs. usual care and 0.25 vs. GMV, P < 0.05). Both SMS arms showed improvements in self-management behavior versus the usual care arm (P < 0.05), with gains being greater for the ATSM group than for the GMV group (effect size 0.27, P = 0.02). The ATSM group had fewer bed days per month than the usual care group (−1.7 days, P = 0.05) and the GMV group (−2.3 days, P < 0.01) and less interference with daily activities than the usual care group (odds ratio 0.37, P = 0.02). We observed no differences in A1C change. CONCLUSIONS Patient-centered SMS improves certain aspects of diabetes care and positively influences self-management behavior. ATSM seems to be a more effective communication vehicle than GMV in improving behavior and quality of life. PMID:19131469

The Effectiveness of Daily Behavior Report Cards for Children With ADHD: A Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Iznardo, Michelle; Rogers, Maria A; Volpe, Robert J; Labelle, Patrick R; Robaey, Philippe

2017-11-01

This meta-analysis examined group-design studies investigating the effectiveness of Daily Behavior Report Cards (DBRC) as a school-based intervention to manage the classroom behavior of students with ADHD. A search of three article databases (PsycINFO, ERIC and Medline) identified seven group design evaluations of DBRC interventions. This meta-analysis included a total of 272 participants, with an average age of 7.9 years old. Three of the studies compared a control group to a treatment group with randomized group assignment, one study compared a control group to three treatment groups, two studies compared pre-and post-treatment scores in the same group, and one study compared pre-and post-treatment results of two intervention groups without random assignment. Dependent measures for these studies were teacher ratings (n = 5) and systematic direct observation of student academic and social behaviour (n = 2). Standardized mean differences ( Hedge's g) were calculated to obtain a pooled effect size using fixed effects. DBRCs were associated with reductions teacher-rated ADHD symptoms, with a Hedge's g of 0.36 (95% CI: 0.12-0.60, z=2.93, p ≤ .005) with low heterogeneity (Q-value: 2.40, I 2 = 0.00). This result excluded two studies that used observational coding instead of standardized tests to evaluate the effects of the intervention. A moderator analysis indicated that the effect size for systematic direct observation was large ( Hedge's G = 1.05[95% CI: 0.66-1.44, z=5.25, p ≤ .00]), with very high heterogeneity (Q-value: 46.34, I 2 : 93.53). A second moderator analysis found differences in the effects of DBRCs for comorbid externalizing symptoms with an overall effect size of 0.34 (95%CI: -0.04-0.72, z=1.76 p =0.08) with high heterogeneity (Q-value: 3.98, I 2 : 74.85). DBRCs effectively reduce the frequency and severity of ADHD symptoms in classroom settings. Additionally, they have a significant effect on co-occuring externalizing behaviors. It appears that systematic direct observation may be a more sensitive measure of treatment effects compared to teacher ratings of ADHD symptoms.

Regularity and dimensional salience in temporal grouping.

PubMed

Prince, Jon B; Rice, Tim

2018-04-30

How do pitch and duration accents combine to influence the perceived grouping of musical sequences? Sequence context influences the relative importance of these accents; for example, the presence of learned structure in pitch exaggerates the effect of pitch accents at the expense of duration accents despite being irrelevant to the task and not attributable to attention (Prince, 2014b). In the current study, two experiments examined whether the presence of temporal structure has the opposite effect. Experiment 1 tested baseline conditions, in which participants (N = 30) heard sequences with various sizes of either pitch or duration accents, which implied either duple or triple groupings (accent every two or three notes, respectively). Sequences either had regular temporal structure (isochronous) or not (irregular, via using random interonset intervals). Regularity enhanced the effect of duration accents but had negligible influence on pitch accents. The accent sizes that gave the most equivalent ratings across dimension and regularity levels were used in Experiment 2 (N = 33), in which sequences contained both pitch and duration accents that suggested either duple, triple, or neutral groupings. Despite controlling for the baseline effect of regularity by selecting equally effective accent sizes, regularity had additional effects on duration accents, but only for duple groupings. Regularity did not influence the effectiveness of pitch accents when combined with duration accents. These findings offer some support for a dimensional salience hypothesis, which proposes that the presence of temporal structure should foster duration accent effectiveness at the expense of pitch accents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Disorders on Quality of Life: A Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Hofmann, Stefan G.; Wu, Jade Q.; Boettcher, Hannah

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE Although cognitive-behavioral therapy is effective for treating anxiety disorders, little is known about its effect on quality of life. To conduct a meta-analysis of cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders on quality of life, we searched for relevant studies in PubMed, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Library, and conducted manual searches. METHOD The search identified 44 studies that included 59 CBT trials, totaling 3,326 participants receiving cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders. We estimated the controlled and within-group random effects of the treatment changes on quality of life. RESULTS The pre-post within-group and controlled effect sizes were moderately strong, Hedges’ g = 0.54 and Hedges’ g = 0.56, respectively. Improvements were greater for physical and psychological domains of quality of life than for environmental and social domains. The overall effect sizes decreased with publication year and increased with treatment duration. Face-to-face treatments delivered individually and in groups produced significantly higher effect sizes than internet-delivered treatments. CONCLUSION Cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders is moderately effective for improving quality of life, especially in physical and psychological domains. Internet-delivered treatments are less effective in improving quality of life than face-to-face treatments. PMID:24447006

A D-Estimator for Single-Case Designs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shadish, William; Hedges, Larry; Pustejovsky, James; Rindskopf, David

2012-01-01

Over the last 10 years, numerous authors have proposed effect size estimators for single-case designs. None, however, has been shown to be equivalent to the usual between-groups standardized mean difference statistic, sometimes called d. The present paper remedies that omission. Most effect size estimators for single-case designs use the…

CBT for children with depressive symptoms: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Arnberg, Alexandra; Ost, Lars-Göran

2014-01-01

Pediatric depression entails a higher risk for psychiatric disorders, somatic complaints, suicide, and functional impairment later in life. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is recommended for the treatment of depression in children, yet research is based primarily on adolescents. The present meta-analysis investigated the efficacy of CBT in children aged 8-12 years with regard to depressive symptoms. We included randomized controlled trials of CBT with participants who had an average age of  ≤ 12 years and were diagnosed with either depression or reported elevated depressive symptoms. The search resulted in 10 randomized controlled trials with 267 participants in intervention and 256 in comparison groups. The mean age of participants was 10.5 years. The weighted between-group effect size for CBT was moderate, Cohen's d = 0.66. CBT outperformed both attention placebo and wait-list, although there was a significant heterogeneity among studies with regard to effect sizes. The weighted within-group effect size for CBT was large, d = 1.02. Earlier publication year, older participants, and more treatment sessions were associated with a larger effect size. In conclusion, the efficacy of CBT in the treatment of pediatric depression symptoms was supported. Differences in efficacy, methodological shortcomings, and lack of follow-up data limit the present study and indicate areas in need of improvement.

The clinical impact of a brief transition programme for young people with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: results of the DON'T RETARD project.

PubMed

Hilderson, Deborah; Moons, Philip; Van der Elst, Kristien; Luyckx, Koen; Wouters, Carine; Westhovens, René

2016-01-01

To investigate the clinical impact of a brief transition programme for young people with JIA. The Devices for Optimization of Transfer and Transition of Adolescents with Rheumatic Disorders (DON'T RETARD) project is a mixed method project in which we first conducted a quasi-experimental study employing a one-group pre-test-post-test with a non-equivalent post-test-only comparison group design. In this quantitative study, we investigated clinical outcomes in patients with JIA and their parents who participated in the transition programme (longitudinal analyses). The post-test scores of this intervention group were compared with those of patients who received usual care (comparative analyses). Second, a qualitative study was conducted to explore the experiences of adolescents with JIA and their parents regarding their participation in the transition programme. The primary hypothesis of improved physical (effect size 0.11), psychosocial (effect size 0.46) and rheumatic-specific health status (effect size ranging from 0.21 to 0.33), was confirmed. With respect to the secondary outcomes, improved quality of life (effect size 0.51) and an optimized parenting climate (effect size ranging from 0.21 to 0.28) were observed. No effect was measured in medication adherence (odds ratio 1.46). Implementation of a transition programme as a brief intervention can improve the perceived health and quality of life of adolescents with JIA during the transition process, as well as the parenting behaviours of their parents. Based on the present study, a randomized controlled trial can be designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the transition programme. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A Virtual Reality Full Body Illusion Improves Body Image Disturbance in Anorexia Nervosa

PubMed Central

Keizer, Anouk; van Elburg, Annemarie; Helms, Rossa; Dijkerman, H. Chris

2016-01-01

Background Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) have a persistent distorted experience of the size of their body. Previously we found that the Rubber Hand Illusion improves hand size estimation in this group. Here we investigated whether a Full Body Illusion (FBI) affects body size estimation of body parts more emotionally salient than the hand. In the FBI, analogue to the RHI, participants experience ownership over an entire virtual body in VR after synchronous visuo-tactile stimulation of the actual and virtual body. Methods and Results We asked participants to estimate their body size (shoulders, abdomen, hips) before the FBI was induced, directly after induction and at ~2 hour 45 minutes follow-up. The results showed that AN patients (N = 30) decrease the overestimation of their shoulders, abdomen and hips directly after the FBI was induced. This effect was strongest for estimates of circumference, and also observed in the asynchronous control condition of the illusion. Moreover, at follow-up, the improvements in body size estimation could still be observed in the AN group. Notably, the HC group (N = 29) also showed changes in body size estimation after the FBI, but the effect showed a different pattern than that of the AN group. Conclusion The results lead us to conclude that the disturbed experience of body size in AN is flexible and can be changed, even for highly emotional body parts. As such this study offers novel starting points from which new interventions for body image disturbance in AN can be developed. PMID:27711234

Chance-corrected classification for use in discriminant analysis: Ecological applications

USGS Publications Warehouse

Titus, K.; Mosher, J.A.; Williams, B.K.

1984-01-01

A method for evaluating the classification table from a discriminant analysis is described. The statistic, kappa, is useful to ecologists in that it removes the effects of chance. It is useful even with equal group sample sizes although the need for a chance-corrected measure of prediction becomes greater with more dissimilar group sample sizes. Examples are presented.

Collaborative group work: effects of group size and assignment structure on learning gain, student satisfaction and perceived participation.

PubMed

Kooloos, Jan G M; Klaassen, Tim; Vereijken, Mayke; Van Kuppeveld, Sascha; Bolhuis, Sanneke; Vorstenbosch, Marc

2011-01-01

Collaborative group sessions in Nijmegen include 15 students who work all together on a group assignment. Sometimes, the group is split-up in three and every subgroup elaborates a part of the assignment. At the end, they peer-teach each other. It is believed that the split-up enhances participation and therefore learning gain. To establish the effect of group size and structure of the assignment on the perceived participation, the satisfaction and learning gain of collaborative group sessions. In this study, 27 groups of 15 students were equally divided into: A-group: all 15 students working on the complete assignment. B-group: subgroups of 5 students working on the complete assignment. C-group: subgroups of 5 students working on a smaller part, and peer-teaching each other at the end of the group session. All students took a pre-test, a post-test and a follow-up test and completed a questionnaire. Questionnaires were analyzed with a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc by multiple comparisons. Learning gain was analyzed using a repeated measures ANOVA. A group size effect is observed in favor of working in subgroups. Perceived participation of the students differs between A and B (p ≤ 0.001) and between A and C (p ≤ 0.001), but not between B and C. Also, an assignment effect is found in favor of the smaller assignment combined with peer-teaching. The students' satisfaction differs between A and C (p ≤ 0.003) and between B and C (p ≤ 0.001), but not between A and B. The C-group also shows higher test results (p ≤ 0.043). The students prefer smaller groups as well as smaller assignments including peer-teaching. A possible larger learning gain of this format needs to be re-investigated.

The size of the hydroxyl group and its contribution to the affinity of atropine for muscarine-sensitive acetylcholine receptors.

PubMed Central

Barlow, R. B.; Ramtoola, S.

1980-01-01

1 From measurements of the affinity constants of hydratropyltropine and its methiodide for muscarine-sensitive acetylcholine receptors in the guinea-pig ileum, the increment in log K for the hydroxyl group in atropine is 2.06 and in the methiodide it is 2.16. These effects are slightly bigger than any so far recorded with these receptors. 2 The estimate of the increment in apparent molal volume for the hydroxyl group is 1.1 cm3/mol in atropine and 1.0 cm3/mol in the methobromide. 3 The large effect of the group on affinity may be linked to its small apparent size in water as suggested in the previous paper. PMID:7470742

The effectiveness of sexual offender treatment for juveniles as measured by recidivism: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Reitzel, Lorraine R; Carbonell, Joyce L

2006-10-01

Published and unpublished data from nine studies on juvenile sexual offender treatment effectiveness were summarized by meta-analysis (N=2986, 2604 known male). Recidivism rates for sexual, non-sexual violent, non-sexual non-violent crimes, and unspecified non-sexual were as follows: 12.53%, 24.73%, 28.51%, and 20.40%, respectively, based on an average 59-month follow-up period. Four included studies contained a control group (n=2288) and five studies included a comparison treatment group (n=698). An average weighted effect size of 0.43 (CI=0.33-0.55) was obtained, indicating a statistically significant effect of treatment on sexual recidivism. However, individual study characteristics (e.g., handling of dropouts and non-equivalent follow-up periods between treatment groups) suggest that results should be interpreted with caution. A comparison of odds ratios by quality of study design indicated that higher quality designs yielded better effect sizes, though the difference between groups was not significant.

Paraprofessional-delivered home-visiting intervention for American Indian teen mothers and children: 3-year outcomes from a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Barlow, Allison; Mullany, Britta; Neault, Nicole; Goklish, Novalene; Billy, Trudy; Hastings, Ranelda; Lorenzo, Sherilynn; Kee, Crystal; Lake, Kristin; Redmond, Cleve; Carter, Alice; Walkup, John T

2015-02-01

The Affordable Care Act provides funding for home-visiting programs to reduce health care disparities, despite limited evidence that existing programs can overcome implementation and evaluation challenges with at-risk populations. The authors report 36-month outcomes of the paraprofessional-delivered Family Spirit home-visiting intervention for American Indian teen mothers and children. Expectant American Indian teens (N=322, mean age=18.1 years) from four southwestern reservation communities were randomly assigned to the Family Spirit intervention plus optimized standard care or optimized standard care alone. Maternal and child outcomes were evaluated at 28 and 36 weeks gestation and 2, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months postpartum. At baseline the mothers had high rates of substance use (>84%), depressive symptoms (>32%), dropping out of school (>57%), and residential instability (51%). Study retention was ≥83%. From pregnancy to 36 months postpartum, mothers in the intervention group had significantly greater parenting knowledge (effect size=0.42) and parental locus of control (effect size=0.17), fewer depressive symptoms (effect size=0.16) and externalizing problems (effect size=0.14), and lower past month use of marijuana (odds ratio=0.65) and illegal drugs (odds ratio=0.67). Children in the intervention group had fewer externalizing (effect size=0.23), internalizing (effect size=0.23), and dysregulation (effect size=0.27) problems. The paraprofessional home-visiting intervention promoted effective parenting, reduced maternal risks, and improved child developmental outcomes in the U.S. population subgroup with the fewest resources and highest behavioral health disparities. The methods and results can inform federal efforts to disseminate and sustain evidence-based home-visiting interventions in at-risk populations.

Perceptual Learning in Children With Infantile Nystagmus: Effects on Reading Performance.

PubMed

Huurneman, Bianca; Boonstra, F Nienke; Goossens, Jeroen

2016-08-01

Perceptual learning improves visual acuity and reduces crowding in children with infantile nystagmus (IN). Here, we compare reading performance of 6- to 11-year-old children with IN with normal controls, and evaluate whether perceptual learning improves their reading. Children with IN were divided in two training groups: a crowded training group (n = 18; albinism: n = 8; idiopathic IN: n = 10) and an uncrowded training group (n = 17; albinism: n = 9; idiopathic IN: n = 8). Also 11 children with normal vision participated. Outcome measures were: reading acuity (the smallest readable font size), maximum reading speed, critical print size (font size below which reading is suboptimal), and acuity reserve (difference between reading acuity and critical print size). We used multiple regression analyses to test if these reading parameters were related to the children's uncrowded distance acuity and/or crowding scores. Reading acuity and critical print size were 0.65 ± 0.04 and 0.69 ± 0.08 log units larger for children with IN than for children with normal vision. Maximum reading speed and acuity reserve did not differ between these groups. After training, reading acuity improved by 0.12 ± 0.02 logMAR and critical print size improved by 0.11 ± 0.04 logMAR in both IN training groups. The changes in reading acuity, critical print size, and acuity reserve of children with IN were tightly related to changes in their uncrowded distance acuity and the changes in magnitude and extent of crowding. Our findings are the first to show that visual acuity is not the only factor that restricts reading in children with IN, but that crowding also limits their reading performance. By targeting both of these spatial bottlenecks in children with IN, our perceptual learning paradigms significantly improved their reading acuity and critical print size. This shows that perceptual learning can effectively transfer to reading.

Body Size Adaptations to Altitudinal Climatic Variation in Neotropical Grasshoppers of the Genus Sphenarium (Orthoptera: Pyrgomorphidae)

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Altitudinal clines in body size can result from the effects of natural and sexual selection on growth rates and developing times in seasonal environments. Short growing and reproductive seasons constrain the body size that adults can attain and their reproductive success. Little is known about the effects of altitudinal climatic variation on the diversification of Neotropical insects. In central Mexico, in addition to altitude, highly heterogeneous topography generates diverse climates that can occur even at the same latitude. Altitudinal variation and heterogeneous topography open an opportunity to test the relative impact of climatic variation on body size adaptations. In this study, we investigated the relationship between altitudinal climatic variation and body size, and the divergence rates of sexual size dimorphism (SSD) in Neotropical grasshoppers of the genus Sphenarium using a phylogenetic comparative approach. In order to distinguish the relative impact of natural and sexual selection on the diversification of the group, we also tracked the altitudinal distribution of the species and trends of both body size and SSD on the phylogeny of Sphenarium. The correlative evidence suggests no relationship between altitude and body size. However, larger species were associated with places having a warmer winter season in which the temporal window for development and reproduction can be longer. Nonetheless, the largest species were also associated with highly seasonal environments. Moreover, large body size and high levels of SSD have evolved independently several times throughout the history of the group and male body size has experienced a greater evolutionary divergence than females. These lines of evidence suggest that natural selection, associated with seasonality and sexual selection, on maturation time and body size could have enhanced the diversification of this insect group. PMID:26684616

A meta-analysis of responses of soil biota to global change.

PubMed

Blankinship, Joseph C; Niklaus, Pascal A; Hungate, Bruce A

2011-03-01

Global environmental changes are expected to impact the abundance of plants and animals aboveground, but comparably little is known about the responses of belowground organisms. Using meta-analysis, we synthesized results from over 75 manipulative experiments in order to test for patterns in the effects of elevated CO(2), warming, and altered precipitation on the abundance of soil biota related to taxonomy, body size, feeding habits, ecosystem type, local climate, treatment magnitude and duration, and greenhouse CO(2) enrichment. We found that the positive effect size of elevated CO(2) on the abundance of soil biota diminished with time, whereas the negative effect size of warming and positive effect size of precipitation intensified with time. Trophic group, body size, and experimental approaches best explained the responses of soil biota to elevated CO(2), whereas local climate and ecosystem type best explained responses to warming and altered precipitation. The abundance of microflora and microfauna, and particularly detritivores, increased with elevated CO(2), indicative of microbial C limitation under ambient CO(2). However, the effects of CO(2) were smaller in field studies than in greenhouse studies and were not significant for higher trophic levels. Effects of warming did not depend on taxon or body size, but reduced abundances were more likely to occur at the colder and drier sites. Precipitation limited all taxa and trophic groups, particularly in forest ecosystems. Our meta-analysis suggests that the responses of soil biota to global change are predictable and unique for each global change factor.

Estimating an Effect Size in One-Way Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steyn, H. S., Jr.; Ellis, S. M.

2009-01-01

When two or more univariate population means are compared, the proportion of variation in the dependent variable accounted for by population group membership is eta-squared. This effect size can be generalized by using multivariate measures of association, based on the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) statistics, to establish whether…

The Impact of Fish Predation and Cyanobacteria on Zooplankton Size Structure in 96 Subtropical Lakes

PubMed Central

Zhang, Jing; Xie, Ping; Tao, Min; Guo, Longgen; Chen, Jun; Li, Li; XueZhen Zhang; Zhang, Lu

2013-01-01

Zooplankton are relatively small in size in the subtropical regions. This characteristic has been attributed to intense predation pressure, high nutrient loading and cyanobacterial biomass. To provide further information on the effect of predation and cyanobacteria on zooplankton size structure, we analyzed data from 96 shallow aquaculture lakes along the Yangtze River. Contrary to former studies, both principal components analysis and multiple regression analysis showed that the mean zooplankton size was positively related to fish yield. The studied lakes were grouped into three types, namely, natural fishing lakes with low nutrient loading (Type1), planktivorous fish-dominated lakes (Type 2), and eutrophic lakes with high cyanobacterial biomass (Type 3). A marked difference in zooplankton size structure was found among these groups. The greatest mean zooplankton size was observed in Type 2 lakes, but zooplankton density was the lowest. Zooplankton abundance was highest in Type 3 lakes and increased with increasing cyanobacterial biomass. Zooplankton mean size was negatively correlated with cyanobacterial biomass. No obvious trends were found in Type 1 lakes. These results were reflected by the normalized biomass size spectrum, which showed a unimodal shape with a peak at medium sizes in Type 2 lakes and a peak at small sizes in Type 3 lakes. These results indicated a relative increase in medium-sized and small-sized species in Types 2 and 3 lakes, respectively. Our results suggested that fish predation might have a negative effect on zooplankton abundance but a positive effect on zooplankton size structure. High cyanobacterial biomass most likely caused a decline in the zooplankton size and encouraged the proliferation of small zooplankton. We suggest that both planktivorous fish and cyanobacteria have substantial effects on the shaping of zooplankton community, particularly in the lakes in the eastern plain along the Yangtze River where aquaculture is widespread and nutrient loading is high. PMID:24124552

The impact of fish predation and cyanobacteria on zooplankton size structure in 96 subtropical lakes.

PubMed

Zhang, Jing; Xie, Ping; Tao, Min; Guo, Longgen; Chen, Jun; Li, Li; Xuezhen Zhang; Zhang, Lu

2013-01-01

Zooplankton are relatively small in size in the subtropical regions. This characteristic has been attributed to intense predation pressure, high nutrient loading and cyanobacterial biomass. To provide further information on the effect of predation and cyanobacteria on zooplankton size structure, we analyzed data from 96 shallow aquaculture lakes along the Yangtze River. Contrary to former studies, both principal components analysis and multiple regression analysis showed that the mean zooplankton size was positively related to fish yield. The studied lakes were grouped into three types, namely, natural fishing lakes with low nutrient loading (Type1), planktivorous fish-dominated lakes (Type 2), and eutrophic lakes with high cyanobacterial biomass (Type 3). A marked difference in zooplankton size structure was found among these groups. The greatest mean zooplankton size was observed in Type 2 lakes, but zooplankton density was the lowest. Zooplankton abundance was highest in Type 3 lakes and increased with increasing cyanobacterial biomass. Zooplankton mean size was negatively correlated with cyanobacterial biomass. No obvious trends were found in Type 1 lakes. These results were reflected by the normalized biomass size spectrum, which showed a unimodal shape with a peak at medium sizes in Type 2 lakes and a peak at small sizes in Type 3 lakes. These results indicated a relative increase in medium-sized and small-sized species in Types 2 and 3 lakes, respectively. Our results suggested that fish predation might have a negative effect on zooplankton abundance but a positive effect on zooplankton size structure. High cyanobacterial biomass most likely caused a decline in the zooplankton size and encouraged the proliferation of small zooplankton. We suggest that both planktivorous fish and cyanobacteria have substantial effects on the shaping of zooplankton community, particularly in the lakes in the eastern plain along the Yangtze River where aquaculture is widespread and nutrient loading is high.

Why size matters: differences in brain volume account for apparent sex differences in callosal anatomy: the sexual dimorphism of the corpus callosum.

PubMed

Luders, Eileen; Toga, Arthur W; Thompson, Paul M

2014-01-01

Numerous studies have demonstrated a sexual dimorphism of the human corpus callosum. However, the question remains if sex differences in brain size, which typically is larger in men than in women, or biological sex per se account for the apparent sex differences in callosal morphology. Comparing callosal dimensions between men and women matched for overall brain size may clarify the true contribution of biological sex, as any observed group difference should indicate pure sex effects. We thus examined callosal morphology in 24 male and 24 female brains carefully matched for overall size. In addition, we selected 24 extremely large male brains and 24 extremely small female brains to explore if observed sex effects might vary depending on the degree to which male and female groups differed in brain size. Using the individual T1-weighted brain images (n=96), we delineated the corpus callosum at midline and applied a well-validated surface-based mesh-modeling approach to compare callosal thickness at 100 equidistant points between groups determined by brain size and sex. The corpus callosum was always thicker in men than in women. However, this callosal sex difference was strongly determined by the cerebral sex difference overall. That is, the larger the discrepancy in brain size between men and women, the more pronounced the sex difference in callosal thickness, with hardly any callosal differences remaining between brain-size matched men and women. Altogether, these findings suggest that individual differences in brain size account for apparent sex differences in the anatomy of the corpus callosum. © 2013.

Why Size Matters: Differences in Brain Volume Account for Apparent Sex Differences in Callosal Anatomy

PubMed Central

Luders, Eileen; Toga, Arthur W.; Thompson, Paul M.

2013-01-01

Numerous studies have demonstrated a sexual dimorphism of the human corpus callosum. However, the question remains if sex differences in brain size, which typically is larger in men than in women, or biological sex per se account for the apparent sex differences in callosal morphology. Comparing callosal dimensions between men and women matched for overall brain size may clarify the true contribution of biological sex, as any observed group difference should indicate pure sex effects. We thus examined callosal morphology in 24 male and 24 female brains carefully matched for overall size. In addition, we selected 24 extremely large male brains and 24 extremely small female brains to explore if observed sex effects might vary depending on the degree to which male and female groups differed in brain size. Using the individual T1-weighted brain images (n=96), we delineated the corpus callosum at midline and applied a well-validated surface-based mesh-modeling approach to compare callosal thickness at 100 equidistant points between groups determined by brain size and sex. The corpus callosum was always thicker in men than in women. However, this callosal sex difference was strongly determined by the cerebral sex difference overall. That is, the larger the discrepancy in brain size between men and women, the more pronounced the sex difference in callosal thickness, with hardly any callosal differences remaining between brain-size matched men and women. Altogether, these findings suggest that individual differences in brain size account for apparent sex differences in the anatomy of the corpus callosum. PMID:24064068

Cost-effectiveness analysis of telephone-based support for the management of pressure ulcers in people with spinal cord injury in India and Bangladesh.

PubMed

Arora, M; Harvey, L A; Glinsky, J V; Chhabra, H S; Hossain, M S; Arumugam, N; Bedi, P K; Cameron, I D; Hayes, A J

2017-08-15

To determine from a societal perspective the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of telephone-based support for management of pressure ulcers. Cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analysis of a randomised clinical trial. Tertiary centre in India and Bangladesh. An economic evaluation was conducted alongside a randomised clinical trial comparing 12 weeks of telephone-based support (intervention group) with usual care (control group). The analyses evaluated costs and health outcomes in terms of cm 2 reduction of pressure ulcers size and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained. All costs were in Indian Rupees (INR) and then converted to US dollars (USD). The mean (95% confidence interval) between-group difference for the reduction in size of pressure ulcers was 0.53 (-3.12 to 4.32) cm 2 , favouring the intervention group. The corresponding QALYs were 0.027 (0.004-0.051), favouring the intervention group. The mean total cost per participant in the intervention group was INR 43 781 (USD 2460) compared to INR 42 561 (USD 2391) for the control group. The per participant cost of delivering the intervention was INR 2110 (USD 119). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was INR 2306 (USD 130) per additional cm 2 reduction in the size of the pressure ulcer and INR 44 915 (USD 2523) per QALY gained. In terms of QALYs, telephone-based support to help people manage pressure ulcers at home provides good value for money and has an 87% probability of being cost-effective, based on 3 times gross domestic product. Sensitivity analyses were performed using the overall cost data with and without productivity costs, and did not alter this conclusion.Spinal Cord advance online publication, 15 August 2017; doi:10.1038/sc.2017.87.

Which type of sedentary behaviour intervention is more effective at reducing body mass index in children? A meta-analytic review.

PubMed

Liao, Y; Liao, J; Durand, C P; Dunton, G F

2014-03-01

Sedentary behaviour is emerging as an independent risk factor for paediatric obesity. Some evidence suggests that limiting sedentary behaviour alone could be effective in reducing body mass index (BMI) in children. However, whether adding physical activity and diet-focused components to sedentary behaviour reduction interventions could lead to an additive effect is unclear. This meta-analysis aims to assess the overall effect size of sedentary behaviour interventions on BMI reduction and to compare whether interventions that have multiple components (sedentary behaviour, physical activity and diet) have a higher mean effect size than interventions with single (sedentary behaviour) component. Included studies (n = 25) were randomized controlled trials of children (<18 years) with intervention components aimed to reduce sedentary behaviour and measured BMI at pre- and post-intervention. Effect size was calculated as the mean difference in BMI change between children in an intervention group and a control group. Results indicated that sedentary behaviour interventions had a significant effect on BMI reduction. The pooled effect sizes of multi-component interventions (g = -0.060∼-0.089) did not differ from the single-component interventions (g = -0.154), and neither of them had a significant effect size on its own. Future paediatric obesity interventions may consider focusing on developing strategies to decrease multiple screen-related sedentary behaviours. © 2013 The Authors. obesity reviews © 2013 International Association for the Study of Obesity.

Superselective Particle Embolization Enhances Efficacy of Radiofrequency Ablation: Effects of Particle Size and Sequence of Action

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tanaka, Toshihiro, E-mail: toshihir@bf6.so-net.ne.jp; Isfort, Peter, E-mail: isfort@hia.rwth-aachen.de; Braunschweig, Till, E-mail: tbraunschweig@ukaachen.de

2013-06-15

Purpose. To evaluate the effects of particle size and course of action of superselective bland transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) on the efficacy of radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Methods. Twenty pigs were divided into five groups: group 1a, 40-{mu}m bland TAE before RFA; group 1b, 40-{mu}m bland TAE after RFA; group 2a, 250-{mu}m bland TAE before RFA; group 2b, 250-{mu}m bland TAE after RFA and group 3, RFA alone. A total of 40 treatments were performed with a combined CT and angiography system. The sizes of the treated zones were measured from contrast-enhanced CTs on days 1 and 28. Animals were humanelymore » killed, and the treated zones were examined pathologically. Results. There were no complications during procedures and follow-up. The short-axis diameter of the ablation zone in group 1a (mean {+-} standard deviation, 3.19 {+-} 0.39 cm) was significantly larger than in group 1b (2.44 {+-} 0.52 cm; P = 0.021), group 2a (2.51 {+-} 0.32 cm; P = 0.048), group 2b (2.19 {+-} 0.44 cm; P = 0.02), and group 3 (1.91 {+-} 0.55 cm; P < 0.001). The greatest volume of ablation was achieved by performing embolization with 40-{mu}m particles before RFA (group 1a; 20.97 {+-} 9.65 cm{sup 3}). At histology, 40-{mu}m microspheres were observed to occlude smaller and more distal arteries than 250-{mu}m microspheres. Conclusion. Bland TAE is more effective before RFA than postablation embolization. The use of very small 40-{mu}m microspheres enhances the efficacy of RFA more than the use of larger particles.« less

Balance exercise for persons with multiple sclerosis using Wii games: a randomised, controlled multi-centre study.

PubMed

Nilsagård, Ylva E; Forsberg, Anette S; von Koch, Lena

2013-02-01

The use of interactive video games is expanding within rehabilitation. The evidence base is, however, limited. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of a Nintendo Wii Fit® balance exercise programme on balance function and walking ability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). A multi-centre, randomised, controlled single-blinded trial with random allocation to exercise or no exercise. The exercise group participated in a programme of 12 supervised 30-min sessions of balance exercises using Wii games, twice a week for 6-7 weeks. Primary outcome was the Timed Up and Go test (TUG). In total, 84 participants were enrolled; four were lost to follow-up. After the intervention, there were no statistically significant differences between groups but effect sizes for the TUG, TUGcognitive and, the Dynamic Gait Index (DGI) were moderate and small for all other measures. Statistically significant improvements within the exercise group were present for all measures (large to moderate effect sizes) except in walking speed and balance confidence. The non-exercise group showed statistically significant improvements for the Four Square Step Test and the DGI. In comparison with no intervention, a programme of supervised balance exercise using Nintendo Wii Fit® did not render statistically significant differences, but presented moderate effect sizes for several measures of balance performance.

[Effect of gap size between tooth and restorative materials on microbiolism based caries in vitro].

PubMed

Lu, Wen-bin; Li, Yun

2012-05-01

To evaluate the effect of gap size between tooth and restorative materials on microbiolism based caries in vitro. Tooth blocks made of human molars without caries and the same size composite resin blocks were selected and prepared. Tooth-resin matrix was mounted on resin base with a gap size of 0, 25, 50, 100, 190, 250 µm and a control group was dealed with adhesive system. Six experimental groups and one control group were included, with 8 samples in one group and a total of 56 samples. The samples were cultured by a 14-day sequential batch culture technique. The development of outer surface lesion and wall lesion was assessed with confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) by measuring the maximum lesion depth, fluorescence areas and average fluorescence value. The data were collected and statistically analyzed. The deposits of the tooth-restoration interface and the development of the carious lesion were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Most groups showed outer surface lesion and wall surface lesions observed by CLSM and SEM except 2 samples in control group. There was no significant difference on the outer surface lesion (P > 0.05). The maximum lesion depth [(1145.37 ± 198.98), (1190.12 ± 290.80) µm respectively], the maximum lesion length, fluorescence areas and average fluorescence value of 190 and 250 µm groups' wall lesions were significantly higher than the 0, 25, 50 and 100 µm groups [the maximum lesion depth was (205.25 ± 122.61), (303.87 ± 118.80), (437.75 ± 154.88), (602.87 ± 269.13) µm respectively], P < 0.01. With the increase of the gap size, the demineralization developed more seriously. While the maximum lesion depth, the maximum lesion length and fluorescence areas of 0, 25, 50 µm groups' wall lesions were of no significant difference. There was close relationship between gap size and wall lesion when the gap was above 100 µm at tooth-composite resin interface. The existence of gap was the main influencing factor on the development of microbiolism based caries lesion.

Combination of endovascular graft exclusion and drug therapy in AAA with hypertension or hyperglycemia.

PubMed

Wang, Dile; Qu, Bihui; He, Tao

2017-08-01

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of combination of endovascular graft exclusion and drugs for hypertension/hyperglycemia for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). We analyzed 156 patients with AAA. Eighty-four patients were hypertensive and 72 were hyperglycemic. After endovascular graft exclusion, hypertensive patients were divided into four groups and treated with cyclopenthiazide, reserpine, propranolol, and placebo respectively. Hyperglycemic patients were divided into three groups and treated with metformin, insulin, and placebo respectively. Body temperature and peripheral blood leukocytes were measured at day 1, 2, 7, and 14 after endovascular graft exclusion. Size of AAAs, blood pressure, and blood sugar were measured again after 1 year. In hypertensive patients, the size of AAAs reduced after endovascular graft exclusion, while the combined treatments with cyclopenthiazide, reserpine, or propranolol helped to reduce blood pressure (blood pressure decrease <10 mmHg (18/21), <10 mmHg (12/21), <10 mmHg (8/21), and <10 mmHg (10/21) in the control group, cyclopenthiazide group, reserpine group, and propranolol group, respectively. AAA size decreased in the control group (P<0.001) and in the other three groups (P<0.0001). Similar results were obtained in hyperglycemic patients. The size of AAAs reduced after endovascular graft exclusion. Combined treatment with Metformin and Insulin reduced blood sugar (control, blood sugar >7.8 mmol/L (22/24), AAA size (P<0.001); metformin, blood sugar >7.8 mmol/L (14/24), AAA size (P<0.0001); insulin, blood sugar >7.8 mmol/L (11/24), AAA size (P<0.0001). Combination of endovascular graft exclusion with medicine is more effective than the former treatment alone for AAA therapy.

[Grain Size Distribution Characteristics of Suspended Particulate Matter as Influenced by the Apparent Pollution in the Eutrophic Urban Landscape Water Body].

PubMed

Gong, Dan-yan; Pan, Yang; Huang, Yong; Bao, Wei; Li, Qian-qian

2016-03-15

Grain size distribution characteristics of suspended particulate matter (SPM) reflects the apparent polluted condition of the urban landscape water. In order to explore the internal relationship between the eutrophication of urban landscape water's apparent pollution and grain size distribution of SPM, and its influencing factors, this paper selected five representative sampling sites in Feng Jin River which is a typical eutrophication river in Suzhou City, measured the grain size distribution of SPM, sensation pollution index (SPI) and water quality index, and analyzed their correlation. The results showed that: The rich nutrient water possessed a similar characteristics in grain size distribution. The grain size distribution of SPM in water was multimodal, and the the peak position was roughly the same; the grain size distribution of SPM was composed by multiple components. It could be roughly divided into six parts with the particle size range of every group being < 1.5 µm, 1.5-8 µm, 8-35 µm, 35-186 µm, 186-516 µm, > 516 µm. The component III was superior (with an average volume fraction of 38.3%-43.2%), and its volume fraction had a significant positive relation with the SPI value and the Chl-a content. The increase of component III volume fraction was the reflection of particle size's result of increasing SPI value. The increase of component III volume fraction was mainly derived from the increasing algal content. The volume fraction of group IV + group VI + group V was significantly higher under the condition of exogenous enter. When there was no exogenous component, the volume fraction of group IV + group VI + group V had a significant negative correlation with SPI value; when there were exogenous components, the volume fraction of group IV + group VI + group V had a weak positive correlation with SPI value, but the correlation did not reach a significant level. Environmental factors (Fv/Fm and DO) and exogenous factors had an influence by functioning on the algal content which signified the polluted material, and then affected the volume fraction of particle size's components and the quality of apparent water. Hydrodynamic conditions mainly had a certain influence on the median particle size, and had no effect on the apparent polluted condition of water.

Short-Term Serial Tactual Recall: Effects of Grouping on Tactually Probed Recall of Braille Letters and Nonsense Shapes by Blind Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Millar, Susanna

1978-01-01

This research tested the hypothesis that grouping has adverse effects on the recall of tactual shapes but facilitates the recall of tactual letters on the assumption that this depends on different processes. A further question was the relation of grouping to letter recall span (set-size).

The Effects of Viewed Aggression on the Group Play of Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Lee B.

The present investigation extended the methodology to investigate the effects of viewed aggression on groups of two and four children. The present study employed a 2 x 2 x 3 factorial design, using as independent variables sex of the child, group size (two or four children), and cartoon condition (aggressive cartoon, nonaggressive cartoon, and no…

Post-breeding bird responses to canopy tree retention, stand size, and edge in regenerating Appalachian hardwood stands

USGS Publications Warehouse

McDermott, Molly E.; Wood, Petra B.

2011-01-01

Avian use of even-aged timber harvests is likely affected by stand attributes such as size, amount of edge, and retained basal area, all characteristics that can easily be manipulated in timber harvesting plans. However, few studies have examined their effects during the post-breeding period. We studied the impacts of clearcut, low-leave two-age, and high-leave two-age harvesting on post-breeding birds using transect sampling and mist-netting in north-central West Virginia. In our approach, we studied the effects of these harvest types as well as stand size and edge on species characteristic of both early-successional and mature forest habitats. In 2005–2006, 13 stands ranging from 4 to 10 years post-harvest and 4–21 ha in size were sampled from late June through mid-August. Capture rates and relative abundance were similar among treatments for generalist birds. Early-successional birds had the lowest capture rates and fewer species (∼30% lower), and late-successional birds reached their highest abundance and species totals (double the other treatments) in high-leave two-age stands. Area sensitivity was evident for all breeding habitat groups. Both generalist and late-successional bird captures were negatively related to stand size, but these groups showed no clear edge effects. Mean relative abundance decreased to nearly zero for the latter group in the largest stands. In contrast, early-successional species tended to use stand interiors more often and responded positively to stand size. Capture rates for this group tripled as stand size increased from 4 to 21 ha. Few birds in the forest periphery responded to harvest edge types despite within-stand edge effects evident for several species. To create suitable habitat for early-successional birds, large, non-linear openings with a low retained basal area are ideal, while smaller harvests and increased residual tree retention would provide habitat for more late-successional birds post-breeding. Although our study has identified habitat use patterns for different species in timber harvests, understanding habitat-specific bird survival is needed to help determine the quality of silvicultural harvests for post-breeding birds.

Percentile ranks and benchmark estimates of change for the Health Education Impact Questionnaire: Normative data from an Australian sample

PubMed Central

Elsworth, Gerald R; Osborne, Richard H

2017-01-01

Objective: Participant self-report data play an essential role in the evaluation of health education activities, programmes and policies. When questionnaire items do not have a clear mapping to a performance-based continuum, percentile norms are useful for communicating individual test results to users. Similarly, when assessing programme impact, the comparison of effect sizes for group differences or baseline to follow-up change with effect sizes observed in relevant normative data provides more directly useful information compared with statistical tests of mean differences and the evaluation of effect sizes for substantive significance using universal rule-of-thumb such as those for Cohen’s ‘d’. This article aims to assist managers, programme staff and clinicians of healthcare organisations who use the Health Education Impact Questionnaire interpret their results using percentile norms for individual baseline and follow-up scores together with group effect sizes for change across the duration of typical chronic disease self-management and support programme. Methods: Percentile norms for individual Health Education Impact Questionnaire scale scores and effect sizes for group change were calculated using freely available software for each of the eight Health Education Impact Questionnaire scales. Data used were archived responses of 2157 participants of chronic disease self-management programmes conducted by a wide range of organisations in Australia between July 2007 and March 2013. Results: Tables of percentile norms and three possible effect size benchmarks for baseline to follow-up change are provided together with two worked examples to assist interpretation. Conclusion: While the norms and benchmarks presented will be particularly relevant for Australian organisations and others using the English-language version of the Health Education Impact Questionnaire, they will also be useful for translated versions as a guide to the sensitivity of the scales and the extent of the changes that might be anticipated from attendance at a typical chronic disease self-management or health education programme. PMID:28560039

Inhibitory Control and Impulsivity Levels in Women Crack Users.

PubMed

Hess, Adriana Raquel Binsfeld; Menezes, Carolina B; de Almeida, Rosa Maria Martins

2018-05-12

investigate impulsivity levels and inhibitory control in women crack users and explore the relationships between impulsivity and inhibitory control. 52 healthy women (M = 32.83 years; SD = 9.54) and 46 crack cocaine users (M = 31.02 years; SD = 7.73), in abstinence, performed the assessment protocol included a Sociodemographic Data Questionnaire, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), a GO/No-Go Task and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11). It was a quantitative research with cross-sectional design and control group. crack group showed higher levels of impulsivity in all domains when compared to the control group (crack group M = 76.39, SD = 11.39, control group M = 58.53, SD = 10.76, p <.01). Participants from the crack group presented a significantly higher total reaction time in the Go-NoGo task (F(1,93) = 9.93, p =.002; effect size =.09, observed power =.87) and significantly more commission (F(1,93) = 7.20, p =.009; effect size =.07, observed power =.75) and omission errors (F(1,93) = 6.04, p =.01; effect size =.06, observed power =.68), in Go/NoGo Task. Groups did also significantly differ on total standard deviations suggesting that variability in total reaction time was significantly greater in the crack group. Results showed that only in the crack group there were significant correlations between Go-NoGo parameters and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. Our findings are consistent that impulsivity and inhibitory control are closely linked to crack use in women. Future studies should consider to evaluate crack users in different withdrawal times, controlling the impact of abstinence time in the variables studied.

The Effectiveness of Psychoeducational Interventions Focused on Sexuality in Cancer.

PubMed

Kim, Jung-Hee; Yang, Younghee; Hwang, Eun-Suk

2015-01-01

Although sexual health is a common concern for oncology patients, no practical guidelines to sexual intervention exist, perhaps because of a lack of systematic reviews or meta-analyses. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect size for psychoeducational intervention focused on sexuality and to compare effect sizes according to intervention outcomes and characteristic. We explored quantitative evidence for the effects of sexual intervention for cancer patients or partners by using the electronic databases. Among them, we considered 15 eligible articles. The meta-analysis provided 133 effect sizes from 15 primary studies. The analysis revealed significant improvements after intervention, with a random-effects standardized mean difference of 0.75. Psychoeducational interventions focused on sexuality after cancer diagnosis were effective for compliance (2.40), cognitive aspect (1.29), and psychological aspect (0.83). Individual-based interventions (0.85) were more effective in improving outcomes than group approach and group combined with individual intervention. With regard to intervention providers, registered nurse only (2.22) and team approach including the registered nurse (2.38) had the highest effect size. Face-to-face intervention combined with telephone or the Internet (1.04) demonstrated a higher effect size than face-to-face (0.62) and telephone (0.58) independently. We conducted an analysis of data from various subgroups of preexisting studies, obtained an overall estimate of the effectiveness of the intervention, and compared its effectiveness across variables that affect intervention outcomes. These results provide empirical data for evidence-based practice and inform the development of useful intervention programs through a comprehensive review and meta-analysis of the results.

Social capital and health: civic engagement, community size, and recall of health messages.

PubMed

Viswanath, Kasisomayajula; Randolph Steele, Whitney; Finnegan, John R

2006-08-01

We explored the effects of community integration and pluralism on recall of cardiovascular disease health information messages. With 1980-1983 data from the Minnesota Heart Health Program, we examined whether ties to community groups were associated with recall of health messages, and whether this relation was modified by size and degree of differentiation of the community. A higher level of civic engagement through ties to community groups was associated with better recall of health messages. Ties to community groups independently contributed to better message recall even after control for gender, education, and other variables. The moderating role of community size was non-significant but intriguing. Community group membership could increase exposure to health messages, providing a critical pathway for social capital to influence health promotion and, thus, public health outcomes.

Effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation therapy as a worksite health promotion program in the automobile assembly line

PubMed Central

SUNDRAM, Bala Murali; DAHLUI, Maznah; CHINNA, Karuthan

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) as part of a Worksite Health Promotion Program on self-perceived stress, anxiety and depression among male automotive assembly-line workers through a quasi-experimental trial. Two assembly plants were chosen with one receiving PMR therapy and the other Pamphlets. Intention-to-treat analysis was conducted to test the effectiveness of the relaxation therapy. Stress, Depression and Anxiety levels were measured using the shortened DASS-21 questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Chi-square, Independent sample t test and Repeated-measures analysis of variance to test the significance of the effects of intervention (time * group) for the measures of Stress, Depression and Anxiety. Significant favourable intervention effects on stress were found in the PMR group (Effect size=0.6) as compared to the Pamphlet group (Effect size=0.2). There was a significant group *time interaction effect (p<0.001) on Stress levels. Depression and Anxiety levels were minimal at baseline in both the groups with mild or no reduction in levels. The improvement in stress levels showed the potential of PMR therapy as a coping strategy at the workplace. Further research in this field is necessary to examine the beneficial effects of coping strategies in the workplace. PMID:26726829

Effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation therapy as a worksite health promotion program in the automobile assembly line.

PubMed

Sundram, Bala Murali; Dahlui, Maznah; Chinna, Karuthan

2016-06-10

The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) as part of a Worksite Health Promotion Program on self-perceived stress, anxiety and depression among male automotive assembly-line workers through a quasi-experimental trial. Two assembly plants were chosen with one receiving PMR therapy and the other Pamphlets. Intention-to-treat analysis was conducted to test the effectiveness of the relaxation therapy. Stress, Depression and Anxiety levels were measured using the shortened DASS-21 questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Chi-square, Independent sample t test and Repeated-measures analysis of variance to test the significance of the effects of intervention (time * group) for the measures of Stress, Depression and Anxiety. Significant favourable intervention effects on stress were found in the PMR group (Effect size=0.6) as compared to the Pamphlet group (Effect size=0.2). There was a significant group *time interaction effect (p<0.001) on Stress levels. Depression and Anxiety levels were minimal at baseline in both the groups with mild or no reduction in levels. The improvement in stress levels showed the potential of PMR therapy as a coping strategy at the workplace. Further research in this field is necessary to examine the beneficial effects of coping strategies in the workplace.

Effects of third fragment size and displacement on non-union of femoral shaft fractures after locking for intramedullary nailing.

PubMed

Lee, J R; Kim, H-J; Lee, K-B

2016-04-01

The femoral shaft fractures with large fragments makes anatomical reduction challenging and often results in non-union. In some studies, the degree of fragment displacement was reported to have affected non-union, but the association between the one fragment size and degree of displacement has not been fully clarified. Therefore we performed a retrospective study to assess: (1) the more influential factor of non-union: the degree of fragment displacement, or the fragment size? (2) the non-union rates according to different sizes and degrees of displacement. The degree of displacement is the more potent factor of non-union than the third fragment size in femoral shaft fractures. We assessed retrospectively 64 cases, which could be followed up for longer than one year. Fragments were divided according to the length of their long axis into three groups: group A (0-3.9cm), (n=21); group B (4-7.9cm), (n=22); group C (8cm or more), (n=21). Fragment displacement was also assessed in the proximal (P) or distal (D) end to the nearest cortex of the femoral shaft, and divided into the following groups: group P1 (n=44) or D1 (n=47), (0-9mm); group P2 (n=10) or D2 (n=11), (10-19mm); group P3 (n=7) or D3 (n=3), (20-29mm); and group P4 (n=3) or D4 (n=3), (30mm or more). The bone union rate was 86% in the small (less than 8cm) fragment groups and 71% in the large (8cm or more) fragment group (P=0.046). With respect to the degree of displacement, the union rate was lower (P=0.001) and the average union time was longer (P=0.012) in the 20mm or more group for both the proximal fragment part and the distal fragment part (P=0.002, P=0.014). A logistic regression analysis underlined the displacement in the proximal site (OR: 0.298, 95% CI: 0.118-0.750) as in the distal site (OR: 0.359, 95% CI: 0.162-0.793) as a larger effect on union rate than the fragment size that as no effect in logistic regression (OR 3.8, 95% CI: 0.669-21.6). Non-union develops significantly more frequently in femoral shaft fractures with fragments 8cm or longer or when the displacement in the proximal area is 20mm or greater and 10mm or greater in the distal area during the intramedullary nailing procedure. Regarding union rate, the degree of displacement has more influence than the third fragment size in femoral shaft fractures. IV, retrospective cohort study. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Effect of thermal cycling on composites reinforced with two differently sized silica-glass fibers.

PubMed

Meriç, Gökçe; Ruyter, I Eystein

2007-09-01

To evaluate the effects of thermal cycling on the flexural properties of composites reinforced with two differently sized fibers. Acid-washed, woven, fused silica-glass fibers, were heat-treated at 500 degrees C, silanized and sized with one of two sizing resins (linear poly(butyl methacrylate)) (PBMA), cross-linked poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). Subsequently the fibers were incorporated into a polymer matrix. Two test groups with fibers and one control group without fibers were prepared. The flexural properties of the composite reinforced with linear PBMA-sized fibers were evaluated by 3-point bend testing before thermal cycling. The specimens from all three groups were thermally cycled in water (12,000 cycles, 5/55 degrees C, dwell time 30 s), and afterwards tested by 3-point bending. SEM micrographs were taken of the fibers and of the fractured fiber reinforced composites (FRC). The reduction of ultimate flexural strength after thermal cycling was less than 20% of that prior to thermal cycling for composites reinforced with linear PBMA-sized silica-glass fibers. The flexural strength of the composite reinforced with cross-linked PMMA-sized fibers was reduced to less than half of the initial value. This study demonstrated that thermal cycling differently influences the flexural properties of composites reinforced with different sized silica-glass fibers. The interfacial linear PBMA-sizing polymer acts as a stress-bearing component for the high interfacial stresses during thermal cycling due to the flexible structure of the linear PBMA above Tg. The cross-linked PMMA-sizing, however, acts as a rigid component and therefore causes adhesive fracture between the fibers and matrix after the fatigue process of thermal cycling and flexural fracture.

Age-related declines in the swallowing muscle strength of men and women aged 20-89 years: A cross-sectional study on tongue pressure and jaw-opening force in 980 subjects.

PubMed

Hara, Koji; Tohara, Haruka; Kobayashi, Kenichiro; Yamaguchi, Kohei; Yoshimi, Kanako; Nakane, Ayako; Minakuchi, Shunsuke

2018-05-31

Swallowing muscle strength weakens with aging. Although numerous studies have investigated tongue pressure (TP) changes with age, studies on jaw-opening force (JOF), an indicator of suprahyoid muscle strength, are lacking. We investigated differences between age-related declines in TP and JOF in a cross-sectional study of 980 healthy and independent participants (379 men, 601 women) without dysphagia. Hand grip strength (HGS), TP, and JOF were compared among decade-based age groups in multiple comparison analyses with post-hoc tests and effect size calculated. Participants were divided into adult (20 s-50 s) and elderly groups (60 s-80 s); within each group, Pearson correlations between age and muscle strength indices were evaluated. TP started to significantly decline in the 60 s and 50 s for men and women (p < .01, medium effect size and p < .05, small effect size, respectively); HGS also declined at these ages (men: p < .01, women: p < .01, medium effect size). JOF started to significantly decline in men in their 80 s (p < .01, large effect size), but remained unchanged in women. In the elderly group, all measurements declined with age more sharply in men (HGS: r = -0.56, TP: r = -0.63, JOF: r = -0.13) than in women (HGS: r = -0.38, TP: r = -0.49, JOF: r = -0.003). TP declined more steeply than did JOF. Thus, the age related-decline in TP was similar to that of the HGS, but not the JOF. The results reveal that different patterns exist in the age-related decline in swallowing muscle strength, and suggest that maintenance of JOF might contribute to safe swallowing in healthy elderly individuals. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy as group psychotherapy for chronically depressed inpatients: a naturalistic multicenter feasibility trial.

PubMed

Sabaß, Lena; Padberg, Frank; Normann, Claus; Engel, Vera; Konrad, Carsten; Helmle, Kristina; Jobst, Andrea; Worlitz, Andrew; Brakemeier, Eva-Lotta

2017-09-27

The Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) is a relatively new approach in the treatment of chronic depression (CD). Adapted as group psychotherapy for inpatients, CBASP is attracting increasing attention. In this naturalistic multicenter trial, we investigated its feasibility after 10 sessions of CBASP group therapy over a treatment time of at least 5 to a maximum of 10 weeks. Treatment outcome was additionally assessed. Across four centers, 116 inpatients with CD (DSM-IV-TR) attended CBASP group psychotherapy. Feasibility was focused on acceptance, and evaluated for patients and therapists after five (t1) and ten sessions (t2) of group psychotherapy. Observer- and self-rating scales (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-24 items, HDRS 24 ; Beck Depression Inventory-II, BDI-II; World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment, WHOQOL-BREF) were applied before group psychotherapy (t0) and at t2. Dropouts were low (10.3%). Patients' evaluation improved significantly from t1 to t2 with a medium effect size (d = 0.60). Most of the patients stated that the group had enriched their treatment (75.3%), that the size (74.3%) and duration (72.5%) were 'optimal' and 37.3% wished for a higher frequency. Patients gave CBASP group psychotherapy an overall grade of 2 ('good'). Therapists' evaluation was positive throughout, except for size of the group. Outcome scores of HDRS 24 , BDI-II, and WHOQOL-BREF were significantly reduced from t0 to t2 with medium to large effect sizes (d = 1.48; d = 1.11; d = 0.67). In this naturalistic open-label trial, CBASP, when applied as inpatient group psychotherapy, was well accepted by patients and therapists. The results point towards a clinically meaningful effect of inpatient treatment with CBASP group psychotherapy on depression and quality of life. Other potential factors that could have promoted symptom change were discussed. A future controlled study could investigate the safety and efficacy of CBASP group psychotherapy for inpatients.

Acute administration of vitamin C abrogates protection from ischemic preconditioning in rabbits.

PubMed

Tsovolas, Konstantinos; Iliodromitis, Efstathios K; Andreadou, Ioanna; Zoga, Anastasia; Demopoulou, Maritina; Iliodromitis, Konstantinos E; Manolaki, Theodora; Markantonis, Sophia L; Kremastinos, Dimitrios Th

2008-04-01

Vitamin C is considered to be an antioxidant agent that is broadly used. Free radicals are involved in the protective mechanism of preconditioning (PC), but some antioxidant compounds abolish this benefit. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of vitamin C on the protective effect of PC with respect to infarct size and oxidative stress in anesthetized rabbits. Male rabbits were randomly divided into six groups and subjected to 30 min of myocardial ischemia and 3h of reperfusion with the following interventions per group: (1) Control (no intervention), (2) Vit C 150 group (i.v. vitamin C at a total dose of 150 mg/kg for 75 min, starting 40 min before the onset of long ischemia and lasting up to the 5th min of reperfusion), (3) Vit C 300 group (i.v. vitamin C at a total dose of 300 mg/kg as previously described), (4) PC group (two cycles of 5 min ischemia and 10 min reperfusion), (5) combined PC-Vit C 150 group and (6) combined PC-Vit C 300 group. Blood samples were taken at different time points for malondialdehyde (MDA) assessment as a lipid peroxidation marker and for superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. At the end of the experiment the infarct size was determined. Vitamin C, at both doses, did not reduce the infarct size (35.5+/-4.1%, 38.3+/-7.0% vs. 44.9+/-3.3% in the control group) and diminished the protection afforded by PC (32.0+/-2.7%, 43.8+/-3.3% vs. 15.7+/-2.9% in the PC group, P<0.05). At reperfusion there was an elevation of circulating MDA levels in the control and PC groups while in both vitamin C groups the levels were decreased. SOD activity was enhanced in the PC group compared to the controls; vitamin C did not change SOD activity during ischemia-reperfusion. Vitamin C abrogates the beneficial effect of ischemic PC on infarct size and elicits antioxidant properties during ischemia-reperfusion.

Need for common internal controls when assessing the relative efficacy of pharmacologic agents using a meta-analytic approach: case study of cyclooxygenase 2-selective inhibitors for the treatment of osteoarthritis.

PubMed

Lee, Chin; Hunsche, Elke; Balshaw, Robert; Kong, Sheldon X; Schnitzer, Thomas J

2005-08-15

To evaluate the role of common internal controls in a meta-analysis of the relative efficacy of cyclooxygenase 2-selective inhibitors (coxibs) in the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). A systematic search of Medline and US Food and Drug Administration electronic databases was performed to identify randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials of coxibs (etoricoxib, celecoxib, rofecoxib, valdecoxib) in patients with hip and/or knee OA. The effect size for coxibs and common active internal controls (nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs [NSAIDs], naproxen) were determined by the mean changes from baseline in Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index pain subscores as compared with placebo. The effect size for all coxib groups combined (0.44) indicated greater efficacy as compared with placebo, but significant heterogeneity (P < 0.0001) was observed. Rofecoxib at dosages of 12.5 mg/day and 25 mg/day and etoricoxib at a dosage of 60 mg/day had similar effect sizes (0.68 and 0.73, respectively), but these effect sizes were comparatively greater than those for both celecoxib at dosages of 200 mg/day and 100 mg twice daily or valdecoxib at a dosage of 10 mg/day (0.26 and 0.16, respectively). The effect sizes for NSAIDs or naproxen versus placebo, as determined using data from rofecoxib/etoricoxib trials, were consistently higher than the effect sizes derived from trials of celecoxib/valdecoxib. Significant heterogeneity was present in the overall effect size for NSAIDs (P = 0.007) and naproxen (P = 0.04) groups based on data available from all coxib trials. Coxibs and common active internal controls showed larger effect sizes versus placebo in the rofecoxib/etoricoxib trials than in the celecoxib/valdecoxib trials. These findings suggest systematic differences among published coxib trials and emphasize the need for direct-comparison trials. In the absence of such trials, common internal controls should be assessed when performing indirect meta-analytic comparisons.

Effect of Pore Size and Porosity on the Biomechanical Properties and Cytocompatibility of Porous NiTi Alloys

PubMed Central

Jian, Yu-Tao; Yang, Yue; Tian, Tian; Stanford, Clark; Zhang, Xin-Ping; Zhao, Ke

2015-01-01

Five types of porous Nickel-Titanium (NiTi) alloy samples of different porosities and pore sizes were fabricated. According to compressive and fracture strengths, three groups of porous NiTi alloy samples underwent further cytocompatibility experiments. Porous NiTi alloys exhibited a lower Young’s modulus (2.0 GPa ~ 0.8 GPa). Both compressive strength (108.8 MPa ~ 56.2 MPa) and fracture strength (64.6 MPa ~ 41.6 MPa) decreased gradually with increasing mean pore size (MPS). Cells grew and spread well on all porous NiTi alloy samples. Cells attached more strongly on control group and blank group than on all porous NiTi alloy samples (p < 0.05). Cell adhesion on porous NiTi alloys was correlated negatively to MPS (277.2 μm ~ 566.5 μm; p < 0.05). More cells proliferated on control group and blank group than on all porous NiTi alloy samples (p < 0.05). Cellular ALP activity on all porous NiTi alloy samples was higher than on control group and blank group (p < 0.05). The porous NiTi alloys with optimized pore size could be a potential orthopedic material. PMID:26047515

Increasing number of small hole diameter microfracture compared with traditional microfracture in same size cartilage defects and effect of HA based aselluler scaffold. An animal study

PubMed Central

Uzer, Gökçer; Elmadağ, Nuh Mehmet; Yıldız, Fatih; Güzel, Yunus; Tok, Olgu Enis

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study is small hole microfracure method comparing with traditional microfracture method and investigation of effect of HA based acellular matrix scaffold on microfracture area. Materials-Methods: 21 Twenty-one New Zealand white rabbits were used for the in vitro portion of this study, bilateral knee joint from the same rabbit were same technic. An articular cartilage defect was established in the femoral trochlear groove about 5 mm. Control group was established alone microfracture (MF). 6 groups were formed in this study and each group has 3 rabbits and their six knees. In 3 groups were applied different number of small diameter hole microfracture (4,5,6 small holes microfracture respectively)and the other 3 groups were applied different number of small diameter hole microfracture (4,5,6 small holes micro fracture respectively added HA based acellular matrix scaffold in the same size ostechondral lesion. The regenerated tissues were harvested for gross morphology, histology at 12 weeks postoperatively. Results: Cartilage were regenerated, maintaining a constant thickness of cartilage. MF group has worse Wakitani scores than 6 small diameter holes mıcrofracture groups(group 6 and group 7) in either parameter of the score. (p=0,043, p=0,016) Matrix addition did not contribute to healing. (p=1,000) Conclusions: Increasing number of the small diameter holes microfracture (minimum %15 of defect size) improves cartilage repair compared with traditional MF in the same size ostechondral lesion. Also small diameter holes microfracture combined with HA-based AM implantation didn’t result in improved quality of the regenerated cartilage tissue.

Influence of glass particle size of resin cements on bonding to glass ceramic: SEM and bond strength evaluation.

PubMed

Valentini, Fernanda; Moraes, Rafael R; Pereira-Cenci, Tatiana; Boscato, Noéli

2014-05-01

This study investigated the effect of the filler particle size (micron or submicron) of experimental resin cements on the microtensile bond strength to a glass-ceramic pretreated with hydrofluoric acid (HFA) etching or alumina airborne-particle abrasion (AA). Cements were obtained from a Bis-GMA/TEGDMA mixture filled with 60 mass% micron-sized (1 ± 0.2 µm) or submicron-sized (180 ± 30 µm) Ba-Si-Al glass particles. Ceramic blocks (PM9; VITA) were treated with 10% HFA for 60 s or AA for 15 s. Silane and adhesive were applied. Ceramic blocks were bonded to resin composite blocks (Z250; 3M ESPE) using one of the cements. Bonded specimens were sectioned into beams (n = 20/group) and subjected to microtensile bond strength tests. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Student-Newman-Keuls' tests (5%). Failure modes were classified under magnification. Morphologies of the treated ceramic surfaces and bonded interfaces were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. The HFA-submicron group had lower bond strengths than the other groups. All AA-submicron specimens debonded prematurely. Mixed failures were predominant for HFA groups, whereas interfacial failures predominated for AA groups. SEM revealed a honeycomb-like aspect in the HFA-treated ceramic, whereas the AA-treated groups showed an irregular retentive pattern. Continuity of cement infiltration along the bonded interface was more uniform for HFA-treated compared to AA-treated specimens. Cracks toward the bulk of the ceramic were observed in AA-treated specimens. Particle size significantly influenced the ceramic bond strength, whereas surface treatment had a minor effect. Copyright © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Reading comprehension and its underlying components in second-language learners: A meta-analysis of studies comparing first- and second-language learners.

PubMed

Melby-Lervåg, Monica; Lervåg, Arne

2014-03-01

We report a systematic meta-analytic review of studies comparing reading comprehension and its underlying components (language comprehension, decoding, and phonological awareness) in first- and second-language learners. The review included 82 studies, and 576 effect sizes were calculated for reading comprehension and underlying components. Key findings were that, compared to first-language learners, second-language learners display a medium-sized deficit in reading comprehension (pooled effect size d = -0.62), a large deficit in language comprehension (pooled effect size d = -1.12), but only small differences in phonological awareness (pooled effect size d = -0.08) and decoding (pooled effect size d = -0.12). A moderator analysis showed that characteristics related to the type of reading comprehension test reliably explained the variation in the differences in reading comprehension between first- and second-language learners. For language comprehension, studies of samples from low socioeconomic backgrounds and samples where only the first language was used at home generated the largest group differences in favor of first-language learners. Test characteristics and study origin reliably contributed to the variations between the studies of language comprehension. For decoding, Canadian studies showed group differences in favor of second-language learners, whereas the opposite was the case for U.S. studies. Regarding implications, unless specific decoding problems are detected, interventions that aim to ameliorate reading comprehension problems among second-language learners should focus on language comprehension skills.

The impact of comorbid impulsive/compulsive disorders in problematic Internet use.

PubMed

Chamberlain, Samuel R; Ioannidis, Konstantinos; Grant, Jon E

2018-05-23

Background and aims Problematic Internet use (PIU) is commonplace but is not yet recognized as a formal mental disorder. Excessive Internet use could result from other conditions such as gambling disorder. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of impulsive-compulsive comorbidities on the presentation of PIU, defined using Young's Diagnostic Questionnaire. Methods A total of 123 adults aged 18-29 years were recruited using media advertisements, and attended the research center for a detailed psychiatric assessment, including interviews, completion of questionnaires, and neuropsychological testing. Participants were classified into three groups: PIU with no comorbid impulsive/compulsive disorders (n = 18), PIU with one or more comorbid impulsive/compulsive disorders (n = 37), and healthy controls who did not have any mental health diagnoses (n = 67). Differences between the three groups were characterized in terms of demographic, clinical, and cognitive variables. Effect sizes for overall effects of group were also reported. Results The three groups did not significantly differ on age, gender, levels of education, nicotine consumption, or alcohol use (small effect sizes). Quality of life was significantly impaired in PIU irrespective of whether or not individuals had comorbid impulsive/compulsive disorders (large effect size). However, impaired response inhibition and decision-making were only identified in PIU with impulsive/compulsive comorbidities (medium effect sizes). Discussion and conclusions Most people with PIU will have one or more other impulsive/compulsive disorders, but PIU can occur without such comorbidities and still present with impaired quality of life. Response inhibition and decision-making appear to be disproportionately impacted in the case of PIU comorbid with other impulsive/compulsive conditions, which may account for some of the inconsistencies in the existing literature. Large scale international collaborations are required to validate PIU and further assess its clinical, cognitive, and biological sequelae.

Comparative evaluation of rotary ProTaper, Profile, and conventional stepback technique on reduction in Enterococcus faecalis colony-forming units and vertical root fracture resistance of root canals.

PubMed

Singla, Mamta; Aggarwal, Vivek; Logani, Ajay; Shah, Naseem

2010-03-01

The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of various root canal instrumentation techniques with different instrument tapers on cleaning efficacy and resultant vertical root fracture (VRF) strength of the roots. Fifty human mandibular first premolar roots were enlarged to ISO size 20, inoculated with Enterococcus faecalis [ATCC2912] for 72 hours and divided into 5 groups: group I: prepared with .02 taper hand instruments ISO size 40; group II: Profile .04 taper size 40; group III: Profile .06 taper size 40; group IV: ProTaper size F4; and group V (control group) further divided into: Va: with bacterial inoculation and no mechanical instrumentation; and Group Vb: neither bacterial inoculation nor mechanical instrumentation. Cleaning efficacy was evaluated in terms of reduction of colony forming units (CFUs). The VRF strength was evaluated using D11 spreader as wedge in an Instron testing machine. Root canals instrumented with ProTaper and 6% Profile instruments showed maximum reduction in CFUs, with statistically insignificant difference between them. The VRF resistance decreased in all instrumented groups. The difference of VRF between 2% and 4% taper Profile groups was statistically insignificant (P = .195). One-way analysis of variance showed that canals instrumented with ProTaper F4 showed maximum reduction in VRF resistance compared with control uninstrumented group. Profile 6% taper instruments offer the advantage of maximum debridement without significant reduction in root fracture resistance. Copyright 2010 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of apical size and taper on volume of irrigant delivered at working length with apical negative pressure at different root curvatures.

PubMed

de Gregorio, Cesar; Arias, Ana; Navarrete, Natalia; Del Rio, Veronica; Oltra, Enrique; Cohenca, Nestor

2013-01-01

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect that apical preparation size and preparation taper have on the volume of irrigant delivered at the working length for different canal curvatures using apical negative pressure irrigation. One hundred fifty-five human teeth (55 maxillary canines and 100 mandibular molars) were used in this study. Root canals were prepared with rotary instruments to a size 35.04 and separated into 3 experimental groups according to their degree of curvature: group A (n = 50) included canal curvatures ranging from 0° to 10°, group B (n = 50) from 11° to 30°, and group C (n = 50) from 31° to 65°. Samples of each curvature group were further randomized to experimental subgroups according to the apical size and taper as follow: 35.06, 40.04, 40.06, 45.04, and 45.06. The apical third was irrigated using a microcannula and the volume of NaOCl suctioned at the working length under negative pressure was measured over a period of 30 seconds using a fluid recovery trap. Positive controls consisted of measuring the maximum volume of 5.25% NaOCl capable of being suctioned by the microcannula from an open glass vial over 30 seconds. Negative control was the volume of irrigant aspirated by the microcannula with a preparation size of 25.04 over 30 seconds. The volume of irrigant was significantly greater when the apical preparation size increased from 35.06 to 40.04. As the apical preparation taper increased further from 40.04 to 40.06, the volume of irrigant significantly improved in group B, but it was not significant in group A. Apical preparation sizes greater than 40.06 did not show an increase of the volume of irrigant aspirated. The degree of root canal curvature decreased the volume of irrigant at the working length for a given apical size and taper. An apical preparation of 40.06 significantly increased the volume and exchange of irrigant at the working length regardless of curvature. Copyright © 2013 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of psychosocial stimulation on improving home environment and child-rearing practices: results from a community-based trial among severely malnourished children in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Nahar, Baitun; Hossain, Md Iqbal; Hamadani, Jena D; Ahmed, Tahmeed; Grantham-McGregor, Sally; Persson, Lars-Ake

2012-08-07

Parenting programmes are effective in enhancing parenting practices and child development. This study evaluated the effects of a intervention with psychosocial stimulation (PS) on the quality of the home environment and mothers' child-rearing practices in a community-based trial with severely malnourished Bangladeshi children. Severely underweight children (n = 507), 6-24 months of age, were randomly assigned to five groups: PS; food supplementation (FS); PS + FS; clinic-control (CC); and, hospital-control (CH). PS included fortnightly follow-up visits for six months at community clinics where a play leader demonstrated play activities and gave education on child development and child rearing practices. FS comprised cereal-based supplements (150-300 kcal/day) for three months. All groups received medical care, micronutrient supplements and growth monitoring. Mothers were given the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) inventory and a questionnaire on parenting at baseline and after six months to assess the outcome. 322 children completed the study. After six months of intervention the PS + FS and PS groups benefitted in the total HOME score (depending on the comparison group, effect sizes varied from 0.66 to 0.33 SD) The PS + FS and PS groups also benefitted in two HOME subscales: maternal involvement (effect sizes: 0.8 to 0.55 SD) and play materials, (effect sizes: 0.46 to 0.6 SD), and child-rearing practices scores (effect size: 1.5 to 1.1 SD). The PS + FS group benefitted 4.0 points in total HOME score compared with CH, 4.8 points compared with CC and 4.5 points compared with FS (p < 0.001 for all). The PS group benefitted 2.4 points compared with CH (p = 0.035), 3.3 points compared with CC (p = 0.004), and 2.9 points compared with FS (p = 0.006). Child-rearing practice scores of the PS + FS group improved 7.7, 6.4 and 6.6 points and the PS group improved 8.5, 7.2 and 7.4 points more than CH, CC and FS, respectively (p < 0.001 for all). Child-rearing practices of mothers of severely malnourished children and the quality of their home environment can be improved through community-based psychosocial stimulation with or without food supplementation. This may be of importance to promote child development.

Twelve Weeks of Plyometric Training Improves Motor Performance of 7- to 9-Year-Old Boys Who Were Overweight/Obese: A Randomized Controlled Intervention.

PubMed

Nobre, Gabriela G; de Almeida, Marcelus B; Nobre, Isabele G; Dos Santos, Fernanda K; Brinco, Raphael A; Arruda-Lima, Thalison R; de-Vasconcelos, Kenya L; de-Lima, Jociellen G; Borba-Neto, Manoel E; Damasceno-Rodrigues, Emmanuel M; Santos-Silva, Steve M; Leandro, Carol G; Moura-Dos-Santos, Marcos A

2017-08-01

Nobre, GG, de Almeida, MB, Nobre, IG, dos Santos, FK, Brinco, RA, Arruda-Lima, TR, de-Vasconcelos, KL, de-Lima, JG, Borba-Neto, ME, Damasceno-Rodrigues, EM, Santos-Silva, SM, Leandro, CG, and Moura-dos-Santos, MA. Twelve weeks of plyometric training improves motor performance of 7- to 9-year-old boys who were overweight/obese: a randomized controlled intervention. J Strength Cond Res 31(8): 2091-2099, 2017-The prevalence of childhood overweight/obesity has increased, and physical training at school may to be effective to combat this scenario. We analyzed the effects of a protocol of plyometric training on body composition and motor performance of boys who were overweight/obese aged 7-9 years. The sample was randomly assigned into 2 groups: plyometric training group (T, n = 40) and control group (C, n = 19). Training consisted of 20 min·d (twice a week, during 12 weeks) of lower extremity plyometric exercise. Health-related physical fitness was measured by handgrip strength, standing long jump (SLJ), curl-ups, sit and reach, square test, running speed, and mile run test. Gross motor coordination was evaluated by means of the Körperkoordinations-test für Kinder (KTK) tests. Baseline and postintervention differences were investigated, and effect size was estimated through Cohen's d coefficient. Both groups showed increased body weight, height, and sitting height after intervention with a negligible effect size. Only T group showed increased fat-free mass (p = 0.011) compared with baseline values with small effect size. Plyometric training improved handgrip strength (d = 0.23), sit and reach (d = 0.18), curl-ups (d = 0.39), SLJ (d = 0.80), agility (d = 0.48), and time in the mile run test (d = 0.38). For gross motor coordination results, T group showed better performance in all tests after plyometric training with moderate/large effect size. Thus, 12 weeks of PT improved health-related physical fitness components and motor coordination acquisition of 7- to 9-year-old boys who were overweight/obese.

A Comparison of Uniform DIF Effect Size Estimators under the MIMIC and Rasch Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jin, Ying; Myers, Nicholas D.; Ahn, Soyeon; Penfield, Randall D.

2013-01-01

The Rasch model, a member of a larger group of models within item response theory, is widely used in empirical studies. Detection of uniform differential item functioning (DIF) within the Rasch model typically employs null hypothesis testing with a concomitant consideration of effect size (e.g., signed area [SA]). Parametric equivalence between…

Phonological skills and their role in learning to read: a meta-analytic review.

PubMed

Melby-Lervåg, Monica; Lyster, Solveig-Alma Halaas; Hulme, Charles

2012-03-01

The authors report a systematic meta-analytic review of the relationships among 3 of the most widely studied measures of children's phonological skills (phonemic awareness, rime awareness, and verbal short-term memory) and children's word reading skills. The review included both extreme group studies and correlational studies with unselected samples (235 studies were included, and 995 effect sizes were calculated). Results from extreme group comparisons indicated that children with dyslexia show a large deficit on phonemic awareness in relation to typically developing children of the same age (pooled effect size estimate: -1.37) and children matched on reading level (pooled effect size estimate: -0.57). There were significantly smaller group deficits on both rime awareness and verbal short-term memory (pooled effect size estimates: rime skills in relation to age-matched controls, -0.93, and reading-level controls, -0.37; verbal short-term memory skills in relation to age-matched controls, -0.71, and reading-level controls, -0.09). Analyses of studies of unselected samples showed that phonemic awareness was the strongest correlate of individual differences in word reading ability and that this effect remained reliable after controlling for variations in both verbal short-term memory and rime awareness. These findings support the pivotal role of phonemic awareness as a predictor of individual differences in reading development. We discuss whether such a relationship is a causal one and the implications of research in this area for current approaches to the teaching of reading and interventions for children with reading difficulties.

Effective Network Size Predicted From Simulations of Pathogen Outbreaks Through Social Networks Provides a Novel Measure of Structure-Standardized Group Size.

PubMed

McCabe, Collin M; Nunn, Charles L

2018-01-01

The transmission of infectious disease through a population is often modeled assuming that interactions occur randomly in groups, with all individuals potentially interacting with all other individuals at an equal rate. However, it is well known that pairs of individuals vary in their degree of contact. Here, we propose a measure to account for such heterogeneity: effective network size (ENS), which refers to the size of a maximally complete network (i.e., unstructured, where all individuals interact with all others equally) that corresponds to the outbreak characteristics of a given heterogeneous, structured network. We simulated susceptible-infected (SI) and susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) models on maximally complete networks to produce idealized outbreak duration distributions for a disease on a network of a given size. We also simulated the transmission of these same diseases on random structured networks and then used the resulting outbreak duration distributions to predict the ENS for the group or population. We provide the methods to reproduce these analyses in a public R package, "enss." Outbreak durations of simulations on randomly structured networks were more variable than those on complete networks, but tended to have similar mean durations of disease spread. We then applied our novel metric to empirical primate networks taken from the literature and compared the information represented by our ENSs to that by other established social network metrics. In AICc model comparison frameworks, group size and mean distance proved to be the metrics most consistently associated with ENS for SI simulations, while group size, centralization, and modularity were most consistently associated with ENS for SIR simulations. In all cases, ENS was shown to be associated with at least two other independent metrics, supporting its use as a novel metric. Overall, our study provides a proof of concept for simulation-based approaches toward constructing metrics of ENS, while also revealing the conditions under which this approach is most promising.

On the function of stress rhythms in speech: evidence of a link with grouping effects on serial memory.

PubMed

Boucher, Victor J

2006-01-01

Language learning requires a capacity to recall novel series of speech sounds. Research shows that prosodic marks create grouping effects enhancing serial recall. However, any restriction on memory affecting the reproduction of prosody would limit the set of patterns that could be learned and subsequently used in speech. By implication, grouping effects of prosody would also be limited to reproducible patterns. This view of the role of prosody and the contribution of memory processes in the organization of prosodic patterns is examined by evaluating the correspondence between a reported tendency to restrict stress intervals in speech and size limits on stress-grouping effects. French speech is used where stress defines the endpoints of groups. In Experiment 1, 40 speakers recalled novel series of syllables containing stress-groups of varying size. Recall was not enhanced by groupings exceeding four syllables, which corresponded to a restriction on the reproducibility of stress-groups. In Experiment 2, the subjects produced given sentences containing phrases of differing length. The results show a strong tendency to insert stress within phrases that exceed four syllables. Since prosody can arise in the recall of syntactically unstructured lists, the results offer initial support for viewing memory processes as a factor of stress-rhythm organization.

Group size and visitor numbers predict faecal glucocorticoid concentrations in zoo meerkats

PubMed Central

Scott, Katy; Heistermann, Michael

2017-01-01

Measures of physiological stress in zoo animals can give important insights into how they are affected by aspects of their captive environment. We analysed the factors influencing variation in glucocorticoid metabolites in faeces (fGCs) from zoo meerkats as a proxy for blood cortisol concentration, high levels of which are associated with a stress response. Levels of fGCs in captive meerkats declined with increasing group size. In the wild, very small groups of meerkats are at a higher risk of predation, while in larger groups, there is increased competition for resources. Indeed, group sizes in captivity resemble those seen in unstable coalitions in the wild, which may represent a stressful condition and predispose meerkats to chronic stress, even in the absence of natural predators. Individuals in large enclosures showed lower levels of stress, but meerkat density had no effect on the stress measures. In contrast with data from wild meerkats, neither sex, age nor dominance status predicted stress levels, which may reflect less food stress owing to more equal access to resources in captivity versus wild. The median number of visitors at the enclosure was positively correlated with fGC concentrations on the following day, with variation in the visitor numbers having the opposite effect. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that there is an optimum group size which minimizes physiological stress in meerkats, and that zoo meerkats at most risk of physiological stress are those kept in small groups and small enclosures and are exposed to consistently high numbers of visitors. PMID:28484620

Group size and visitor numbers predict faecal glucocorticoid concentrations in zoo meerkats.

PubMed

Scott, Katy; Heistermann, Michael; Cant, Michael A; Vitikainen, Emma I K

2017-04-01

Measures of physiological stress in zoo animals can give important insights into how they are affected by aspects of their captive environment. We analysed the factors influencing variation in glucocorticoid metabolites in faeces (fGCs) from zoo meerkats as a proxy for blood cortisol concentration, high levels of which are associated with a stress response. Levels of fGCs in captive meerkats declined with increasing group size. In the wild, very small groups of meerkats are at a higher risk of predation, while in larger groups, there is increased competition for resources. Indeed, group sizes in captivity resemble those seen in unstable coalitions in the wild, which may represent a stressful condition and predispose meerkats to chronic stress, even in the absence of natural predators. Individuals in large enclosures showed lower levels of stress, but meerkat density had no effect on the stress measures. In contrast with data from wild meerkats, neither sex, age nor dominance status predicted stress levels, which may reflect less food stress owing to more equal access to resources in captivity versus wild. The median number of visitors at the enclosure was positively correlated with fGC concentrations on the following day, with variation in the visitor numbers having the opposite effect. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that there is an optimum group size which minimizes physiological stress in meerkats, and that zoo meerkats at most risk of physiological stress are those kept in small groups and small enclosures and are exposed to consistently high numbers of visitors.

Effect of low-intensity resistance training with heat stress on the HSP72, anabolic hormones, muscle size, and strength in elderly women.

PubMed

Yoon, Sung Jin; Lee, Moon Jin; Lee, Hyo Min; Lee, Jin Seok

2017-10-01

Several recent studies have reported that heat stress stimulates the activation of heat shock protein 72 (HSP72), leading to an increase in muscle synthesis. Some studies suggested that low-intensity resistance training combined with heat stress could improve muscle size and strength. This study aimed to identify the effect of low-intensity resistance training with heat stress over 12 weeks on the HSP72, anabolic hormones, muscle size, and strength in elderly women. The subjects were physically healthy women of 65-75 years, who were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a low-intensity resistance training with heating sheet group (HRT group, n = 8), a moderate-intensity resistance training (RT group, n = 6), and a heating sheet group (HEAT group, n = 7). Computed tomography scans, 1-repetition maximum (1RM), and blood samples were taken pre- and post-training. The HSP72 did not vary significantly between the different groups and times. The IGF-1 and 1RM had significantly increased in all three groups after the training (respectively, p < 0.05). Moreover, the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the quadriceps showed a significantly greater increase in the HRT group than in the HEAT group (p < 0.05). We found that low-intensity training with heat stress stimulated the anabolic hormones of elderly women, improving their muscle strength and hypertrophy. We believe that low-intensity training with heat stress is an effective way to prevent muscle atrophy and to improve muscle strength in elderly women.

The effect of different physical activity levels on muscle fiber size and type distribution of lumbar multifidus. A biopsy study on low back pain patient groups and healthy control subjects.

PubMed

Mazis, N; Papachristou, D J; Zouboulis, P; Tyllianakis, M; Scopa, C D; Megas, P

2009-12-01

Previous studies examining the multifidus fiber characteristics among low back pain (LBP) patients have not considered the variable of physical activity. The present study sought to investigate the muscle fiber size and type distribution of the lumbar multifidus muscle among LBP patient groups with different physical activity levels and healthy controls. Sixty-four patients were assigned to one of three groups named according to the physical activity level, determined for each patient by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. These were low (LPA), medium (MPA) and high (HPA) physical activity groups. A control group comprising of 17 healthy individuals was also recruited. Muscle biopsy samples were obtained from the multifidus muscle at the level L4-L5. contrast with the control group, LBP patient groups showed a significantly higher Type II fiber distribution as well as reduced diameter in both fiber types (P<0.05). The physical activity level did not have an effect on multifidus characteristics since no significant differences were observed in fiber type and diameter (P>0.05) among LPA, MPA and HPA patient groups. Various pathological conditions were detected which were more pronounced in LBP groups compared to the control (P<0.05). Males had a larger fiber diameter compared to females for both fiber types (P<0.05). The results showed that the level of physical activity did not affect muscle fiber size and type distribution among LBP patients groups. These findings suggest that not only inactivity but also high physical activity levels can have an adverse effect on the multifidus muscle fiber characteristics.

A Double Blind, Placebo- controlled Trial of Rosiglitazone for Clozapine induced Glucose Metabolism Impairment in patients with Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Henderson, David C.; Fan, Xiaoduo; Sharma, Bikash; Copeland, Paul M.; Borba, Christina P; Boxill, Ryan; Freudenreich, Oliver; Cather, Corey; Evins, A. Eden; Goff, Donald C.

2014-01-01

Objective The primary purpose of this eight week double blind, placebo-controlled trial of rosiglitazone 4 mg/day was to examine its effect on insulin sensitivity index (SI) and glucose utilization (SG) in clozapine-treated schizophrenia subjects with insulin resistance. Methods Eighteen subjects were randomized and accessed with a Frequently Sampled Intravenous Glucose Tolerance Test (FSIVGTT) at the baseline and week 8 to estimate SG, and SI. Results Controlling for the baseline, comparing the rosiglitazone group to placebo group, there was a non-significant improvement of SG (0.016± 0.006 to 0.018± 0.008, effect size= 0.23, p= 0.05) with a trend of improvement in SI in the rosiglitazone group (4.6± 2.8 to 7.8± 6.7, effect size= 0.18, p= 0.08). There was a significant reduction in small low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)- particle number (987± 443 to 694± 415, effect size= 0.30, p= 0.04). Conclusion Rosiglitazone may have a role in addressing the insulin resistance and lipid abnormalities associated with clozapine. PMID:19183127

Effects of morphological Family Size for young readers.

PubMed

Perdijk, Kors; Schreuder, Robert; Baayen, R Harald; Verhoeven, Ludo

2012-09-01

Dutch children, from the second and fourth grade of primary school, were each given a visual lexical decision test on 210 Dutch monomorphemic words. After removing words not recognized by a majority of the younger group, (lexical) decisions were analysed by mixed-model regression methods to see whether morphological Family Size influenced decision times over and above several other covariates. The effect of morphological Family Size on decision time was mixed: larger families led to significantly faster decision times for the second graders but not for the fourth graders. Since facilitative effects on decision times had been found for adults, we offer a developmental account to explain the absence of an effect of Family Size on decision times for fourth graders. ©2011 The British Psychological Society.

Effect of a large-sized silicone sheet upon recovery of mastoid aeration after mastoidectomy.

PubMed

Kazama, Kyosuke; Takahashi, Haruo; Kaieda, Satoru; Iwanaga, Tetsu; Yamamoto-Fukuda, Tomomi; Yoshida, Haruo; Kumagami, Hidetaka; Takasaki, Kenji

2008-06-01

To evaluate the effect of our large-sized silicone sheet upon postoperative recovery of mastoid aeration in ears after surgery including mastoidectomy and soft-wall reconstruction (SWR). Retrospective chart review in a tertiary care center. Recovery of mastoid aeration was assessed by CT 4 to 12 months after surgery on 72 ears (69 patients), in which the silicone sheet covering from the eustachian tube (ET) to the mastoid was placed after SWR procedure with mastoidectomy were done for their chronic otitis media. Results were compared with those with a small silicone sheet. Recovery of mastoid aeration was significantly better in the large-silicone-sheet group than in the small-silicone-sheet group (chi(2) value = 11.7146, P = 0.0006). This preliminary study suggested that our large-sized silicone sheet may be effective for postoperative recovery of mastoid aeration even in ears operated with SWR procedure.

A Small Group Model for Early Intervention in Literacy: Group Size and Program Effects.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Homan, Susan; King, James R.; Hogarty, Kris

Over the last 2 years, Accelerated Literacy Learning (ALL) has experimented with the small group model in early literacy intervention, with success comparable to that in one-to-one intervention. There can be little doubt that intervention provided to struggling readers is most effectively initiated at an early stage. The ALL program was conceived…

Effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on quality of life and positive reappraisal coping among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Rayan, Ahmad; Ahmad, Muayyad

2016-08-01

Previous research has supported mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) to enhance quality of life (QOL) in different populations, but no studies have been found to examine the effectiveness of MBIs on QOL among parents of children with ASD. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of brief MBI on perceived QOL and positive stress reappraisal (PSR) among parents of children with ASD. A quasi-experimental, with nonequivalent control group design was used. One hundred and four parents of children with ASD were equally assigned to the intervention and control groups. The study groups were matched on measures of their gender and age, and level of severity of ASD in children. The intervention group participated in MBI program for 5 weeks, while the control group had not attended the program. After the intervention program, results of paired samples t-test indicated that parents in the intervention group demonstrated significant improvements in measures of psychological health domain of QOL, social health domain of QOL, mindfulness, and positive stress reappraisal with medium to large effect size (P<0.01). The control group demonstrated improvement in measures of the dependent variables with small effect size. MBI is culturally adaptable, acceptable, and effective method to improve QOL and PSR in parents of children with ASD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Whistle rates of wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): influences of group size and behavior.

PubMed

Quick, Nicola J; Janik, Vincent M

2008-08-01

In large social groups acoustic communication signals are prone to signal masking by conspecific sounds. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) use highly distinctive signature whistles that counter masking effects. However, they can be found in very large groups where masking by conspecific sounds may become unavoidable. In this study we used passive acoustic localization to investigate how whistle rates of wild bottlenose dolphins change in relation to group size and behavioral context. We found that individual whistle rates decreased when group sizes got larger. Dolphins displayed higher whistle rates in contexts when group members were more dispersed as in socializing and in nonpolarized movement than during coordinated surface travel. Using acoustic localization showed that many whistles were produced by groups nearby and not by our focal group. Thus, previous studies based on single hydrophone recordings may have been overestimating whistle rates. Our results show that although bottlenose dolphins whistle more in social situations they also decrease vocal output in large groups where the potential for signal masking by other dolphin whistles increases.

Group size effect on cooperation in one-shot social dilemmas

PubMed Central

Barcelo, Hélène; Capraro, Valerio

2015-01-01

Social dilemmas are central to human society. Depletion of natural resources, climate protection, security of energy supply, and workplace collaborations are all examples of social dilemmas. Since cooperative behaviour in a social dilemma is individually costly, Nash equilibrium predicts that humans should not cooperate. Yet experimental studies show that people do cooperate even in anonymous one-shot interactions. In spite of the large number of participants in many modern social dilemmas, little is known about the effect of group size on cooperation. Does larger group size favour or prevent cooperation? We address this problem both experimentally and theoretically. Experimentally, we find that there is no general answer: it depends on the strategic situation. Specifically, we find that larger groups are more cooperative in the Public Goods game, but less cooperative in the N-person Prisoner's dilemma. Theoretically, we show that this behaviour is not consistent with either the Fehr & Schmidt model or (a one-parameter version of) the Charness & Rabin model, but it is consistent with the cooperative equilibrium model introduced by the second author. PMID:25605124

Low central venous pressure versus acute normovolemic hemodilution versus conventional fluid management for reducing blood loss in radical retropubic prostatectomy: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Habib, Ashraf S; Moul, Judd W; Polascik, Thomas J; Robertson, Cary N; Roche, Anthony M; White, William D; Hill, Stephen E; Nosnick, Israel; Gan, Tong J

2014-05-01

To compare acute normovolemic hemodilution versus low central venous pressure strategy versus conventional fluid management in reducing intraoperative estimated blood loss, hematocrit drop and need for blood transfusion in patients undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy under general anesthesia. Patients undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy under general anesthesia were randomized to conventional fluid management, acute normovolemic hemodilution or low central venous pressure (≤5 mmHg). Treatment effects on estimated blood loss and hematocrit change were tested in multivariable regression models accounting for surgeon, prostate size, and all two-way interactions. Ninety-two patients completed the study. Estimated blood loss (mean ± SD) was significantly lower with low central venous pressure (706 ± 362 ml) compared to acute normovolemic hemodilution (1103 ± 635 ml) and conventional (1051 ± 714 ml) groups (p = 0.0134). There was no difference between the groups in need for blood transfusion, or hematocrit drop from preoperative values. The multivariate model predicting estimated blood loss showed a significant effect of treatment (p = 0.0028) and prostate size (p = 0.0323), accounting for surgeon (p = 0.0013). In the model predicting hematocrit change, accounting for surgeon difference (p = 0.0037), the treatment effect depended on prostate size (p = 0.0007) with the slope of low central venous pressure differing from the other two groups. Hematocrit was predicted to drop more with increased prostate size in acute normovolemic hemodilution and conventional groups but not with low central venous pressure. Limitations include the inability to blind providers to group assignment, possible variability between providers in estimation of blood loss, and the relatively small sample size that was not powered to detect differences between the groups in need for blood transfusion. Maintaining low central venous pressure reduced estimated blood loss compared to conventional fluid management and acute normovolemic hemodilution in patients undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy but there was no difference in allogeneic blood transfusion between the groups.

Effects of an internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy intervention on improving work engagement and other work-related outcomes: an analysis of secondary outcomes of a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Imamura, Kotaro; Kawakami, Norito; Furukawa, Toshi A; Matsuyama, Yutaka; Shimazu, Akihito; Umanodan, Rino; Kawakami, Sonoko; Kasai, Kiyoto

2015-05-01

This study reported a randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of an Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) program on work engagement and secondary work-related outcomes. Participants who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were randomly allocated to an intervention or a control group (N = 381 for each). A 6-week, 6-lesson iCBT program using a Manga (Japanese comic) story was provided only to the intervention group. Work engagement was assessed at baseline and at 3- and 6-month follow-ups for both groups. The iCBT program showed a significant intervention effect on work engagement (P = 0.04) with small effect sizes (Cohen's d = 0.16 at 6-month follow-up). The study showed computerized cognitive behavior therapy delivered via the Internet to be effective (with a small effect size) in increasing work engagement in the general working population. UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR) UMIN000006210.

Long-term treatment with antioxidants and a program of behavioral enrichment reduces age-dependent impairment in discrimination and reversal learning in beagle dogs.

PubMed

Milgram, Norton W; Head, Elizabeth; Zicker, Steven C; Ikeda-Douglas, Candace; Murphey, Heather; Muggenberg, Bruce A; Siwak, Christina T; Tapp, P Dwight; Lowry, Stephen R; Cotman, Carl W

2004-05-01

The effects of long-term treatment with both antioxidants and a program of behavioral enrichment were studied as part of a longitudinal investigation of cognitive aging in beagle dogs. Baseline performance on a battery of cognitive tests was used to assign 48 aged dogs (9-12 years) into four cognitively equivalent groups, of 12 animals per group: Group CC (control food-control environment), group CE (control food-enriched environment); Group AC (antioxidant fortified food-control environment); Group AE (fortified food-enriched environment). We also tested a group of young dogs fed the control food and a second group fed the fortified food. Both groups of young dogs received a program of behavioral enrichment. To evaluate the effects of the interventions on cognition after 1 year, the dogs were tested on a size discrimination learning task and subsequently on a size discrimination reversal learning task. Both tasks showed age-sensitivity, with old dogs performing more poorly than young dogs. Both tasks were also improved by both the fortified food and the behavioral enrichment. However, in both instances the treatment effects largely reflected improved performance in the combined treatment group. These results suggest that the effectiveness of antioxidants in attenuating age-dependent cognitive decline is dependent on behavioral and environmental experience.

School District Size and Academic Performance: A Multi-Year Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lenear, Bonnie Clariss

2013-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of school district size on the academic performance of Texas students. Specifically addressed was the extent to which differences in school district size were related to differences in student academic performance. The academic performance of the three major ethnic groups (i.e., Black,…

Effects of thread size in the implant neck area on peri-implant hard and soft tissues: an animal study.

PubMed

Choi, Jay-Yong; Moon, Ik-Sang; Yun, Jeong-Ho; Park, Kwang-Ho; Huh, Jong-Ki; Lee, Dong-Won

2016-09-01

The aim of this animal study was to examine the effects of thread size in the implant neck area on peri-implant tissues in terms of BIC and hard- and soft-tissue dimensions. Six Beagle dogs received experimental implants in the mandible 3 month after the removal of premolars and first molars (P2, P3, P4, and M1). Two different types of implants were installed in each animal: Anyone microthread(®) as Group 1 and Anyone(®) as Group 2. Resonance frequency test, intraoral radiography, micro-CT, and histomorphometry were used to evaluate peri-implant tissue after implantation periods of 4 and 8 weeks. No remarkable complication was observed during the healing period in either group. Resonance frequency testing revealed no significant difference between groups. In radiographic evaluation, Group 2 showed more bone loss than Group 1. However, this difference was not statistically significant. In the micro-CT analysis, BIC and BIV values and soft-tissue height were not significant in both groups. Histological analysis revealed no significant difference in BIC ratio, bone density, or bone loss between groups. However, soft-tissue height was significantly greater in Group 2 than in Group 1 (P = 0.0004). No difference in peri-implant hard or soft tissues was observed according to thread size in the implant neck area. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Pyridostigmine in postpolio syndrome: no decline in fatigue and limited functional improvement

PubMed Central

Horemans, H; Nollet, F; Beelen, A; Drost, G; Stegeman, D; Zwarts, M; Bussmann, J; de Visser, M; Lankhorst, G

2003-01-01

Objectives: To investigate the effect of pyridostigmine on fatigue, physical performance, and muscle function in subjects with postpoliomyelitis syndrome. Methods: 67 subjects with increased fatigue and new weakness in one quadriceps muscle showing neuromuscular transmission defects, were included in a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial of 60 mg pyridostigmine four times a day for 14 weeks. Primary outcome was fatigue (on the "energy" category of the Nottingham health profile). Secondary outcomes included two minute walking distance and quadriceps strength and jitter. Motor unit size of the quadriceps was studied as a potential effect modifier. The primary data analysis compared the changes from baseline in the outcomes in the last week of treatment between groups. Results: 31 subjects treated with pyridostigmine and 31 subjects treated with placebo completed the trial. No significant effect of pyridostigmine was found on fatigue. The walking distance improved more in the pyridostigmine group than in the placebo group (by 7.2 m (6.0%); p<0.01). Subgroup analysis showed that a significant improvement in walking performance was only found in subjects with normal sized motor units. Quadriceps strength improved more in the pyridostigmine group than in the placebo group (by 6.7 Nm (7.2%); p = 0.15). No effect of pyridostigmine was found on jitter. Conclusions: Pyridostigmine in the prescribed dose did not reduce fatigue in subjects with postpoliomyelitis syndrome. However, it may have a limited beneficial effect on physical performance, especially in subjects with neuromuscular transmission defects in normal sized motor units. PMID:14638885

Effects of Growth Medium, Inoculum Size, and Incubation Time on Culturability and Isolation of Soil Bacteria

PubMed Central

Davis, Kathryn E. R.; Joseph, Shayne J.; Janssen, Peter H.

2005-01-01

Soils are inhabited by many bacteria from phylogenetic groups that are poorly studied because representatives are rarely isolated in cultivation studies. Part of the reason for the failure to cultivate these bacteria is the low frequency with which bacterial cells in soil form visible colonies when inoculated onto standard microbiological media, resulting in low viable counts. We investigated the effects of three factors on viable counts, assessed as numbers of CFU on solid media, and on the phylogenetic groups to which the isolated colony-forming bacteria belong. These factors were inoculum size, growth medium, and incubation time. Decreasing the inoculum size resulted in significant increases in the viable count but did not appear to affect colony formation by members of rarely isolated groups. Some media that are traditionally used for soil microbiological studies returned low viable counts and did not result in the isolation of members of rarely isolated groups. Newly developed media, in contrast, resulted in high viable counts and in the isolation of many members of rarely isolated groups, regardless of the inoculum size. Increased incubation times of up to 3 months allowed the development of visible colonies of members of rarely isolated groups in conjunction with the use of appropriate media. Once isolated, pure cultures of members of rarely isolated groups took longer to form visible colonies than did members of commonly isolated groups. Using these new media and extended incubation times, we were able to isolate many members of the phyla Acidobacteria (subdivisions 1, 2, 3, and 4), Gemmatimonadetes, Chloroflexi, and Planctomycetes (including representatives of the previously uncultured WPS-1 lineage) as well as members of the subclasses Rubrobacteridae and Acidimicrobidae of the phylum Actinobacteria. PMID:15691937

Quantifying invertebrate resistance to floods: a global-scale meta-analysis.

PubMed

McMullen, Laura E; Lytle, David A

2012-12-01

Floods are a key component of the ecology and management of riverine ecosystems around the globe, but it is not clear whether floods have predictable effects on organisms that can allow us to generalize across regions and continents. To address this, we conducted a global-scale meta-analysis to investigate effects of natural and managed floods on invertebrate resistance, the ability of invertebrates to survive flood events. We considered 994 studies for inclusion in the analysis, and after evaluation based on a priori criteria, narrowed our analysis to 41 studies spanning six of the seven continents. We used the natural-log-ratio of invertebrate abundance before and within 10 days after flood events because this measure of effect size can be directly converted to estimates of percent survival. We conducted categorical and continuous analyses that examined the contribution of environmental and study design variables to effect size heterogeneity, and examined differences in effect size among taxonomic groups. We found that invertebrate abundance was lowered by at least one-half after flood events. While natural vs. managed floods were similar in their effect, effect size differed among habitat and substrate types, with pools, sand, and boulders experiencing the strongest effect. Although sample sizes were not sufficient to examine all taxonomic groups, floods had a significant, negative effect on densities of Coleoptera, Eumalacostraca, Annelida, Ephemeroptera, Diptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera. Results from this study provide guidance for river flow regime prescriptions that will be applicable across continents and climate types, as well as baseline expectations for future empirical studies of freshwater disturbance.

Social Capital and Health: Civic Engagement, Community Size, and Recall of Health Messages

PubMed Central

Viswanath, Kasisomayajula; Randolph Steele, Whitney; Finnegan, John R.

2006-01-01

Objectives. We explored the effects of community integration and pluralism on recall of cardiovascular disease health information messages. Methods. With 1980–1983 data from the Minnesota Heart Health Program, we examined whether ties to community groups were associated with recall of health messages, and whether this relation was modified by size and degree of differentiation of the community. Results. A higher level of civic engagement through ties to community groups was associated with better recall of health messages. Ties to community groups independently contributed to better message recall even after control for gender, education, and other variables. The moderating role of community size was non-significant but intriguing. Conclusions. Community group membership could increase exposure to health messages, providing a critical pathway for social capital to influence health promotion and, thus, public health outcomes. PMID:16809608

The Effects of a Transition to Minimalist Shoe Running on Intrinsic Foot Muscle Size.

PubMed

Johnson, A W; Myrer, J W; Mitchell, U H; Hunter, I; Ridge, S T

2016-02-01

A proposed benefit of minimalist shoe running is an increase in intrinsic foot muscle strength. This study examined change in intrinsic foot muscle size in runners transitioning to Vibram FiveFingers™ minimalist shoes compared to a control group running in traditional running shoes. We compare pre-transition size between runners who developed bone marrow edema to those who did not. 37 runners were randomly assigned to the Vibram FiveFingers™ group (n=18) or control group (n=19). Runners' bone marrow edema and intrinsic foot muscle size were measured at baseline and after 10 weeks. Total running volume was maintained by all runners. A significant increase in abductor hallucis cross-sectional area of 10.6% occurred in the Vibram FiveFingers™ group compared to the control group (p=0.01). There was no significant change in any of the other muscles examined (p>0.05). 8 of the Vibram FiveFingers™ runners, and 1 control runner developed bone marrow edema. Those who developed bone marrow edema, primarily women, had significantly smaller size in all assessed muscles (p≤0.05). Size of intrinsic foot muscles appears to be important in safely transitioning to minimalist shoe running. Perhaps intrinsic foot muscle strengthening may benefit runners wanting to transition to minimalist shoes. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy for anxiety and insomnia in a higher education context.

PubMed

Morris, Joanna; Firkins, Ashlyn; Millings, Abigail; Mohr, Christine; Redford, Paul; Rowe, Angela

2016-07-01

Anxiety and insomnia can be treated with internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (iCBT). iCBT may be well-suited to students who are known to be poor help-seekers and suffer these symptoms. iCBT can offer easy access to treatment and increase service availability. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of anxiety and insomnia iCBT programs in students. A randomized, controlled study. Students were randomly allocated to intervention ("Anxiety Relief": n = 43; "Insomnia Relief": n = 48; control: n = 47). Interventions lasted six weeks. Outcome measures were the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Significant within-group reductions in anxiety (t(31) = 2.00, p = .03) with moderate between-groups (compared to control) effect size (d = .64) and increases in sleep quality (t(31) = 3.46, p = .002) with a moderate between-groups effect size (d = .55) were found for completers of the anxiety program from pre- to post-intervention. Significant within-group increases in sleep quality were found for completers of the insomnia program from pre- to post-intervention (t(35) = 4.28, p > .001) with a moderate between-groups effect size (d = .51). Findings support the use of iCBT for anxiety and insomnia in students, and indicate that further research is needed.

Effectiveness of dry needling versus a classical physiotherapy program in patients with chronic low-back pain: a single-blind, randomized, controlled trial.

PubMed

Tüzün, Emİne Handan; Gıldır, Sıla; Angın, Ender; Tecer, Büşra Hande; Dana, Kezban Öztürk; Malkoç, Mehtap

2017-09-01

[Purpose] We compared the effectiveness of dry needling with a classical physiotherapy program in patients with chronic low-back pain caused by lumbar disc hernia (LHNP). [Subjects and Methods] In total, 34 subjects were allocated randomly to the study (n=18) and control groups (n=16). In the study group, dry needling was applied using acupuncture needles. The control group performed a home exercise program in addition to hot pack, TENS, and ultrasound applications. Pain was assessed with the short form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire. The number of trigger points and their pressure sensitivity were evaluated with a physical examination (palpation). The Beck Depression Inventory was used to assess depression. The Tampa Kinesiophobia Scale was used to assess fear of movement. [Results] In the study group, the calculated Cohen's effect sizes were bigger than those in the control group in terms of pain, trigger point-related variables, and fear of movement. Effect sizes for reducing depressive symptoms were similar in both groups. [Conclusion] These results suggest that dry needling can be an effective treatment for reducing pain, number of trigger points, sensitivity, and kinesiophobia in patients with chronic low-back pain caused by lumbar disc hernia.

Effects of Hypergravity on Statocyst Development in Embryonic Aplysia californica

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pedrozo, Hugo A.; Wiederhold, Michael L.

1994-01-01

Aplysia californica is a marine gastropod mollusc with bilaterally paired statocysts as gravity-reccptor organs. Data from three experiments in which embryonic Aplysia californica were exposed to 2 x g arc discussed. The experimental groups were exposed to excess gravity until hatching (9-12 day), whereas control groups were maintained at normal gravity. Body diameter was measured before exposure to 2 x g. Statocyst, statolith and body diameter were each determined for samples of 20 embryos from each group on successive days. Exposure to excess gravity led to an increase in body size. Statocyst size was not affected by exposure to 2 x g. Statolith size decreased with treatment as indicated by smaller statolith-to-body ratios observed in the 2 x g group in all three experiments. Mean statolith diameter was significantly smaller for the 2 x g group in Experiment 1 but not in Experiments 2 and 3. Defective statocysts, characterized by very small or no statoliths, were found in the 2 x g group in Experiments 1 and 2.

Impulsive Action, Psychological Stress, and Behavioral Sensitization to Nicotine in a Rat Model of lmpulsivity

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-30

animals, increases in corticosterone (the rat equivalent of cortisol) or in sensitivity to corticosterone increases vulnerability to addictive effects ...Additionally, the corticosterone inhibitor suppressed the effects of cocaine to increase locomotor activity, which was measured once following cocaine...from the Kearns group indicated that the observed effect size (Cohen’s d) of the main effect of rat strain was 1.25. A cell size of 6 rats (totaling

The influence of perceptual load on age differences in selective attention.

PubMed

Maylor, E A; Lavie, N

1998-12-01

The effect of perceptual load on age differences in visual selective attention was examined in 2 studies. In Experiment 1, younger and older adults made speeded choice responses indicating which of 2 target letters was present in a relevant set of letters in the center of the display while they attempted to ignore an irrelevant distractor in the periphery. The perceptual load of relevant processing was manipulated by varying the central set size. When the relevant set size was small, the adverse effect of an incompatible distractor was much greater for the older participants than for the younger ones. However, with larger relevant set sizes, this was no longer the case, with the distractor effect decreasing for older participants at lower levels of perceptual load than for younger ones. In Experiment 2, older adults were tested with the empty locations in the central set either unmarked (as in Experiment 1) or marked by small circles to form a group of 6 items irrespective of set size; the 2 conditions did not differ markedly, ruling out an explanation based entirely on perceptual grouping.

Stress and Fatigue Management Using Balneotherapy in a Short-Time Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Rapolienė, Lolita; Razbadauskas, Artūras; Sąlyga, Jonas; Martinkėnas, Arvydas

2016-01-01

Objective. To investigate the influence of high-salinity geothermal mineral water on stress and fatigue. Method. 180 seamen were randomized into three groups: geothermal (65), music (50), and control (65). The geothermal group was administered 108 g/L salinity geothermal water bath for 2 weeks five times a week. Primary outcome was effect on stress and fatigue. Secondary outcomes were the effect on cognitive function, mood, and pain. Results. The improvements after balneotherapy were a reduction in the number and intensity of stress-related symptoms, a reduction in pain and general, physical, and mental fatigue, and an improvement in stress-related symptoms management, mood, activation, motivation, and cognitive functions with effect size from 0.8 to 2.3. In the music therapy group, there were significant positive changes in the number of stress symptoms, intensity, mood, pain, and activity with the effect size of 0.4 to 1.1. The researchers did not observe any significant positive changes in the control group. The comparison between the groups showed that balneotherapy was superior to music therapy and no treatment group. Conclusions. Balneotherapy is beneficial for stress and fatigue reduction in comparison with music or no therapy group. Geothermal water baths have a potential as an efficient approach to diminish stress caused by working or living conditions.

Stress and Fatigue Management Using Balneotherapy in a Short-Time Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Razbadauskas, Artūras; Sąlyga, Jonas; Martinkėnas, Arvydas

2016-01-01

Objective. To investigate the influence of high-salinity geothermal mineral water on stress and fatigue. Method. 180 seamen were randomized into three groups: geothermal (65), music (50), and control (65). The geothermal group was administered 108 g/L salinity geothermal water bath for 2 weeks five times a week. Primary outcome was effect on stress and fatigue. Secondary outcomes were the effect on cognitive function, mood, and pain. Results. The improvements after balneotherapy were a reduction in the number and intensity of stress-related symptoms, a reduction in pain and general, physical, and mental fatigue, and an improvement in stress-related symptoms management, mood, activation, motivation, and cognitive functions with effect size from 0.8 to 2.3. In the music therapy group, there were significant positive changes in the number of stress symptoms, intensity, mood, pain, and activity with the effect size of 0.4 to 1.1. The researchers did not observe any significant positive changes in the control group. The comparison between the groups showed that balneotherapy was superior to music therapy and no treatment group. Conclusions. Balneotherapy is beneficial for stress and fatigue reduction in comparison with music or no therapy group. Geothermal water baths have a potential as an efficient approach to diminish stress caused by working or living conditions. PMID:27051455

Bipartite networks improve understanding of effects of waterbody size and angling method on angler–fish interactions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chizinski, Christopher J.; Martin, Dustin R.; Shizuka, Daizaburo; Pope, Kevin L.

2018-01-01

Networks used to study interactions could provide insights to fisheries. We compiled data from 27 297 interviews of anglers across waterbodies that ranged in size from 1 to 12 113 ha. Catch rates of fish species among anglers grouped by species targeted generally differed between angling methods (bank or boat). We constructed angler–catch bipartite networks (angling method specific) between anglers and fish and measured several network metrics. There was considerable variation in networks among waterbodies, with multiple metrics influenced by waterbody size. Number of species-targeting angler groups and number of fish species caught increased with increasing waterbody size. Mean number of links for species-targeting angler groups and fish species caught also increased with waterbody size. Connectance (realized proportion of possible links) of angler–catch interaction networks decreased slower for boat anglers than for bank anglers with increasing waterbody size. Network specialization (deviation of number of interactions from expected) was not significantly related to waterbody size or angling methods. Application of bipartite networks in fishery science requires careful interpretation of outputs, especially considering the numerous confounding factors prevalent in recreational fisheries.

The Effects of Multimedia Learning on Thai Primary Pupils' Achievement in Size and Depth of Vocabulary Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jingjit, Mathukorn

2015-01-01

This study aims to obtain more insight regarding the effect of multimedia learning on third grade of Thai primary pupils' achievement in Size and Depth Vocabulary of English. A quasi-experiment is applied using "one group pretest-posttest design" combined with "time series design," as well as data triangulation. The sample…

The Effect of Body Type and Camera Shot on Interpersonal Attraction and Source Credibility.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCain, Thomas A.; Divers, Lawrence

In order to examine the effects of manipulating image size (i.e., relative size) and body type of speakers in a television context on source credibility and interpersonal attraction, a study was conducted at Illinois State University during the spring of 1973. Subjects were eighteen intact groups of students enrolled in speech communication class…

Evaluation of photobiomodulation therapy associated with guided bone regeneration in critical size defects. In vivo study.

PubMed

Freitas, Nicole Rosa de; Guerrini, Luísa Belluco; Esper, Luis Augusto; Sbrana, Michyele Cristhiane; Dalben, Gisele da Silva; Soares, Simone; Almeida, Ana Lúcia Pompéia Fraga de

2018-01-01

The repair of bone defects raises the interest of investigators in several health specialties. Grafting techniques with bone substitutes and laser therapies have been investigated to replace autogenous bone and accelerate the bone healing process. Objective To evaluate the effect of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) associated with guided bone regeneration (GBR) in critical size defects. Material and Methods The study was conducted on 80 male rats (Rattus norvegicus albinus, Wistar) submitted to surgical creation of a critical size defect on the calvaria, divided into eight study groups: group C (control - only blood clot); group M (collagen membrane); group PBMT (photobiomodulation therapy); group AB (autogenous bone); group AB+PBMT; group AB+M; group PBMT+M; group AB+PBMT+M. The animals were killed 30 days postoperatively. After tissue processing, bone regeneration was evaluated by histomorphometric analysis and statistical analyses were performed (Tukey test, p<0.05). Results All groups had greater area of newly formed bone compared to group C (9.96±4.49%). The group PBMT+M (achieved the greater quantity of new bone (64.09±7.62%), followed by groups PBMT (47.67±8.66%), M (47.43±15.73%), AB+PBMT (39.15±16.72%) and AB+PBMT+M (35.82±7.68%). After group C, the groups AB (25.10±16.59%) and AB+M (22.72±13.83%) had the smallest quantities of newly formed bone. The area of remaining particles did not have statistically significant difference between groups AB+M (14.93±8.92%) and AB+PBMT+M (14.76±6.58%). Conclusion The PBMT utilization may be effective for bone repair, when associated with bone regeneration techniques.

Practice and effectiveness of web-based problem-based learning approach in a large class-size system: A comparative study.

PubMed

Ding, Yongxia; Zhang, Peili

2018-06-12

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an effective and highly efficient teaching approach that is extensively applied in education systems across a variety of countries. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of web-based PBL teaching pedagogies in large classes. The cluster sampling method was used to separate two college-level nursing student classes (graduating class of 2013) into two groups. The experimental group (n = 162) was taught using a web-based PBL teaching approach, while the control group (n = 166) was taught using conventional teaching methods. We subsequently assessed the satisfaction of the experimental group in relation to the web-based PBL teaching mode. This assessment was performed following comparison of teaching activity outcomes pertaining to exams and self-learning capacity between the two groups. When compared with the control group, the examination scores and self-learning capabilities were significantly higher in the experimental group (P < 0.01) compared with the control group. In addition, 92.6% of students in the experimental group expressed satisfaction with the new web-based PBL teaching approach. In a large class-size teaching environment, the web-based PBL teaching approach appears to be more optimal than traditional teaching methods. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of web-based teaching technologies in problem-based learning. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Team Dimensions: Their Identity, Their Measurement and Their Relationships

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-01-01

business games (e.g., Cummings, Huber & Arendt, 1974; Kennedy, 1971 ). Apart from the problem solving tasks, the second largest group of studies...positive relationship between size and number of answers on. an anagram task. In a disjunctive problem, solving-task-, Frank & Anderson ( 1971 ) found that...4, or 5 members. However, there were no differences between the groups in time to solutions. Goldman ( 1971 ) found posi’tive effects for size with

Evidence from a Large Sample on the Effects of Group Size and Decision-Making Time on Performance in a Marketing Simulation Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Treen, Emily; Atanasova, Christina; Pitt, Leyland; Johnson, Michael

2016-01-01

Marketing instructors using simulation games as a way of inducing some realism into a marketing course are faced with many dilemmas. Two important quandaries are the optimal size of groups and how much of the students' time should ideally be devoted to the game. Using evidence from a very large sample of teams playing a simulation game, the study…

Effects of the herbicide atrazine on Ambystoma tigrinum metamorphosis: duration, larval growth, and hormonal response

USGS Publications Warehouse

Larson, Diane L.; McDonald, Susan; Hamilton, Steven J.; Fivizzani, Albert J.; Newton, Wesley E.

1998-01-01

We exposed larval tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum) reared in the laboratory from eggs collected from a prairie wetland in North Dakota to three concentrations of atrazine (0, 75, and 250 i??g/L) in a static renewal test to determine the pesticide's effect on (1) plasma corticosterone and thyroxine concentrations, (2) larval size, and (3) days-to-stage at stages 2 and 4 of metamorphic climax. We found significant effects of atrazine on each of these response variables. Plasma thyroxine was elevated in both atrazine-exposed groups compared to the control group; plasma corticosterone was depressed in the 75 i??g/L treatment compared with both the control and 250 i??g/L treatment. Larvae exposed to 75 i??g/L atrazine reached stage 4 later, but at a size and weight comparable to the control group. By contrast, larvae in the 250 i??g/L treatment progressed to stage 4 at the same time but at a smaller size and lower weight than larvae in the control group. These results indicate that the herbicide has the potential to influence tiger salamander life history. We present a model consistent with our results, whereby corticosterone and thyroxine interact to regulate metamorphosis of tiger salamanders based on nutrient assimilation and adult fitness

Figurative language comprehension in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analytic review

PubMed Central

Kalandadze, Tamar; Norbury, Courtenay; Nærland, Terje; Næss, Kari-Anne B

2016-01-01

We present a meta-analysis of studies that compare figurative language comprehension in individuals with autism spectrum disorder and in typically developing controls who were matched based on chronological age or/and language ability. A total of 41 studies and 45 independent effect sizes were included based on predetermined inclusion criteria. Group matching strategy, age, types of figurative language, and cross-linguistic differences were examined as predictors that might explain heterogeneity in effect sizes. Overall, individuals with autism spectrum disorder showed poorer comprehension of figurative language than their typically developing peers (Hedges’ g = –0.57). A meta-regression analysis showed that group matching strategy and types of figurative language were significantly related to differences in effect sizes, whereas chronological age and cross-linguistic differences were not. Differences between the autism spectrum disorder and typically developing groups were small and nonsignificant when the groups were matched based on the language ability. Metaphors were more difficult to comprehend for individuals with autism spectrum disorder compared with typically developing controls than were irony and sarcasm. Our findings highlight the critical role of core language skills in figurative language comprehension. Interventions and educational programmes designed to improve social communication skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorder may beneficially target core language skills in addition to social skills. PMID:27899711

Topical Colchicine Gel versus Diclofenac Sodium Gel for the Treatment of Actinic Keratoses: A Randomized, Double-Blind Study.

PubMed

Faghihi, Gita; Elahipoor, Azam; Iraji, Fariba; Behfar, Shadi; Abtahi-Naeini, Bahareh

2016-01-01

Introduction. Actinic keratoses (AKs), a premalignant skin lesion, are a common lesion in fair skin. Although destructive treatment remains the gold standard for AKs, medical therapies may be preferable due to the comfort and reliability .This study aims to compare the effects of topical 1% colchicine gel and 3% diclofenac sodium gel in AKs. Materials and Methods. In this randomized double-blind study, 70 lesions were selected. Patients were randomized before receiving either 1% colchicine gel or 3% diclofenac sodium cream twice a day for 6 weeks. Patients were evaluated in terms of their lesion size, treatment complications, and recurrence at 7, 30, 60, and 120 days after treatment. Results. The mean of changes in the size was significant in both groups both before and after treatment (<0.001). The mean lesion size before treatment and at 30, 60, and 120 days was not different between the two groups (p > 0.05). No case of erythema was seen in the colchicine group, while erythema was seen in 22.9% (eight cases) of patients in the diclofenac sodium group (p = 0.005). Conclusions. 1% colchicine gel was a safe and effective medication with fewer side effects and lack of recurrence of the lesion.

Spermatogenic structure and fertility of Mus musculus after exposure of mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L) pericarp extract

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayati, Alfiah; Agustin, Melia Eka; Rokhimaningrum, Farida Ayu; Adro'i, Hasan; Darmanto, Win

2016-03-01

This study aimed to determine the effect of mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) pericarp extract on spermatogenics number, seminiferous tubules sized, profile protein of epididymal and testicular sperm, and fertility of mice (Mus musculus). Fourty two male mice strain BALB/C was divided equally into 7 groups. The control group was given 0.05 ml of 0.05% CMC solution. Three group were given mangosteen pericarp extract at various doses (75, 100 and 150 mg/kg body weight, respectively) for 7 days, while the other three groups were given the same extract dose for 35 days. Parameters evaluated on histological of spermatogonia, spermatocytes, round spermatids, seminiferous tubule diameter, and thickness of germinal epithelium, analysis of testicular and epidydimal protein profile with SDS-Page, and than fertility test on female mice. The results showed that mangosteen pericarp extract at 75 and 100 mg/kg dose for 7 days had no effect on spermatogenics number and seminiferous tubule sizes, but the treatment dose of 150 mg/kg for 7 days and all treatment (doses of 75, 100, and 150 mg/kg) for 35 days led to significant decrease on the number of spermatogenics and seminiferous tubule sizes; effect on protein profiles testicular and epididymal sperm; and lower fertilization.

Comparison of Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery and Micro-Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy in Moderately Sized Pediatric Kidney Stones.

PubMed

Baş, Okan; Dede, Onur; Aydogmus, Yasin; Utangaç, Mazhar; Yikilmaz, Taha Numan; Damar, Erman; Nalbant, İsmail; Bozkurt, Ömer Faruk

2016-07-01

To compare the effectiveness and reliability of retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) and micro-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (micro-perc) for the management of kidney stones in pediatric patients. A retrospective analysis was made of pediatric patients aged <18 years with kidney stones that ranged from 10 to 20 mm in size, who underwent RIRS (n = 36) or micro-perc (n = 45) in referral centers. In the RIRS group, the mean age of patients was 8.39 ± 4.72 years and in the micro-perc group, it was 5.62 ± 4.50 years (p = 0.01). The mean stone size was 12.80 ± 3.03 mm in the RIRS group and 13.97 ± 3.46 mm in the micro-perc group (p = 0.189). The success rate was 86.2% (n = 31) in the RIRS group and 80.0% (n = 36) in the micro-perc group (p = 0.47). The mean complication rate was 16.6% and 13.3% in the RIRS and micro-perc groups, respectively (p = 0.675). Hospital stay and radiation exposure were significantly lower in the RIRS group (all p < 0.001). The mean anesthesia session was 1.94 in the RIRS group and 1.26 in the micro-perc group (p < 0.001). The mean hemoglobin drop was 0.53 ± 0.87 g/dL in the micro-perc group, and none of the cases required blood transfusion. The results of this study suggested that micro-perc and RIRS were highly effective methods for the treatment of moderately sized renal stones in children, with comparable success and complication rates. Patients and their parents should be informed about the currently available treatment options, and of their efficacy and safety. However, further clinical trials are needed to support these results.

A randomized control trial of the effect of yoga on Gunas (personality) and Health in normal healthy volunteers.

PubMed

Deshpande, Sudheer; Nagendra, H R; Raghuram, Nagarathna

2008-01-01

To study the efficacy of yoga on Guna (yogic personality measure) and general health in normal adults. Of the 1228 persons who attended introductory lectures, 226 subjects aged 18-71 years, of both sexes, who satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria and who consented to participate in the study were randomly allocated into two groups. The Yoga(Y) group practised an integrated yoga module that included asanas, pranayama, meditation, notional correction and devotional sessions. The control group practised mild to moderate physical exercises (PE). Both groups had supervised practice sessions (by trained experts) for one hour daily, six days a week for eight weeks. Guna (yogic personality) was assessed before and after eight weeks using the self-administered Vedic Personality Inventory (VPI) which assesses Sattva (gentle and controlled), Rajas (violent and uncontrolled) and Tamas (dull and uncontrolled). The general health status (total health), which includes four domains namely somatic symptoms (SS), anxiety and insomnia (AI), social dysfunction (SF) and severe depression (SP), was assessed using a General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Baseline scores for all the domains for both the groups did not differ significantly (P > 0.05, independent samples t test). Sattva showed a significant difference within the groups and the effect size was more in the Y than in the PE group. Rajas showed a significant decrease within and between the groups with a higher effect size in the PE group. Tamas showed significant reduction within the PE group only. The GHQ revealed that there was significant decrease in SS, AI, SF and SP in both Y and PE groups (Wilcoxcon Singed Rank t test). SS showed a significant difference between the groups (Mann Whitney U Test). There was an improvement in Sattva in both the Yoga and control groups with a trend of higher effect size in Yoga; Rajas reduced in both but significantly better in PE than in Yoga and Tamas reduced in PE. The general health status improved in both the Yoga and control groups.

The effect of metritis on luteal function in dairy cows

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Disturbed uterine involution impairs ovarian function in the first weeks after calving. This study analyzed the long-term effect of metritis on luteal function of 47 lactating Holstein-Friesian cows during the first four postpartum estrous cycles. Cows with abnormal uterine enlargement and malodorous lochia were classified as having metritis (group M, n = 18), and all others were considered healthy (group H, n = 29). Luteal size was measured once between days 9 and 13 of the first (group H, n = 11; group M, n = 12), second (group H, n = 23; group M, n = 18) and fourth (group H, n = 11; group M, n = 7) postpartum luteal phases. Serum progesterone concentration was measured at the same time. Sixteen cows (group H, n = 9; group M, n = 7) underwent transvaginal luteal biopsy for gene expression analysis of steroidogenic regulatory proteins during the second and fourth cycles. Cows with persistence of the corpus luteum (CL) underwent determination of luteal size, luteal biopsy and serum progesterone measurement once between days 29 and 33, followed by prostaglandin treatment to induce luteolysis. The same procedures were repeated once between days 9 and 13 of the induced cycle. Results The cows in group M had smaller first-cycle CLs than the cows in group H (p = 0.04), but progesterone concentrations did not differ between groups. Luteal size, progesterone concentration and gene expression did not differ between the two groups during the second and fourth cycles. Compared with healthy cows (10%), there was a trend (p = 0.07) toward a higher prevalence of persistent CLs in cows with metritis (33%). Persistent CLs were limited to the first cycle. Persistent CLs and the induced cyclic CLs did not differ with regard to the variables investigated. Conclusions An effect of metritis on luteal activity was apparent in the first postpartum estrous cycle. However, after the first postpartum cycle, no differences occurred in analyzed parameters between metritis and control cows. Therefore, a metritis is able to impair luteal activity transiently, but does not seem to have a long-term effect on luteal function. PMID:24304943

Climate alters intraspecific variation in copepod effect traits through pond food webs.

PubMed

Charette, Cristina; Derry, Alison M

2016-05-01

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are primarily generated by phytoplankton in aquatic ecosystems, and can limit the growth, development, and reproduction of higher consumers. Among the most critical of the EFAs are highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs), which are only produced by certain groups of phytoplankton. Changing environmental conditions can alter phytoplankton community and fatty acid composition and affect the HUFA content of higher trophic levels. Almost no research has addressed intraspecific variation in HUFAs in zooplankton, nor intraspecific relationships of HUFAs with body size and fecundity. This is despite that intraspecific variation in HUFAs can exceed interspecific variation and that intraspecific trait variation in body size and fecundity is increasingly recognized to have an important role in food web ecology (effect traits). Our study addressed the relative influences of abiotic selection and food web effects associated with climate change on intraspecific differences and interrelationships between HUFA content, body size, and fecundity of freshwater copepods. We applied structural equation modeling and regression analyses to intraspecific variation in a dominant calanoid copepod, Leptodiatomus minutus, among a series of shallow north-temperate ponds. Climate-driven diurnal temperature fluctuations favored the coexistence of diversity of phytoplankton groups with different temperature optima and nutritive quality. This resulted in unexpected positive relationships between temperature, copepod DHA content and body size. Temperature correlated positively with diatom biovolume, and mediated relationships between copepod HUFA content and body size, and between copepod body size and fecundity. The presence of brook trout further accentuated these positive effects in warm ponds, likely through nutrient cycling and stimulation of phytoplankton resources. Climate change may have previously unrecognized positive effects on freshwater copepod DHA content, body size, and fecundity in the small, shallow bodies of inland waters that are commonly found in north-temperate landscapes.

Differences in shoaling behavior in two species of freshwater fish (Danio rerio and Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi).

PubMed

Gimeno, Elisabet; Quera, Vicenç; Beltran, Francesc S; Dolado, Ruth

2016-11-01

Fish can gain significant adaptive advantages when living in a group and they exhibit a wide variety of types of collective motion. The scientific literature recognizes 2 main patterns: shoals (aggregations of individuals that remain close to each other), and schools (aggregations of aligned, or polarized, individuals). We analyzed the collective motion of 2 social fish species, zebrafish (Danio rerio) and black neon tetra (Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi), and compared their patterns of movement and the effect of group size and environmental constraints such as water column height and tank geometry on the collective motion of both species. We recorded the movement of groups of fish (n = 10 and n = 20) using 2 tank geometries: a rectangular shape and a rectangular shape with rounded corners; and we also manipulated the water column height (15 and 25 cm). We extracted the individual fish trajectories and calculated indices of cohesion, coordination, group density and group shape. The results showed that the 2 species had different types of collective motion: the zebrafish's global motion matched that of a shoal, while the black neon tetra's motion matched that of a school. Indirect evidence indicated that the 2 species tended to occupy the vertical space differently while swimming in a group. Finally, we found that tank geometry did not affect group polarization, whereas group size had an effect on black neon tetra density, which was higher in small group sizes than in large ones. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of Word Frequency and Transitional Probability on Word Reading Durations of Younger and Older Speakers.

PubMed

Moers, Cornelia; Meyer, Antje; Janse, Esther

2017-06-01

High-frequency units are usually processed faster than low-frequency units in language comprehension and language production. Frequency effects have been shown for words as well as word combinations. Word co-occurrence effects can be operationalized in terms of transitional probability (TP). TPs reflect how probable a word is, conditioned by its right or left neighbouring word. This corpus study investigates whether three different age groups-younger children (8-12 years), adolescents (12-18 years) and older (62-95 years) Dutch speakers-show frequency and TP context effects on spoken word durations in reading aloud, and whether age groups differ in the size of these effects. Results show consistent effects of TP on word durations for all age groups. Thus, TP seems to influence the processing of words in context, beyond the well-established effect of word frequency, across the entire age range. However, the study also indicates that age groups differ in the size of TP effects, with older adults having smaller TP effects than adolescent readers. Our results show that probabilistic reduction effects in reading aloud may at least partly stem from contextual facilitation that leads to faster reading times in skilled readers, as well as in young language learners.

Preliminary study on the effectiveness of short group cognitive behavioral therapy (GCBT) on Indonesian older adults.

PubMed

Utoyo, Dharmayati Bambang; Lubis, Dharmayati Utoyo; Jaya, Edo Sebastian; Arjadi, Retha; Hanum, Lathifah; Astri, Kresna; Putri, Maha Decha Dwi

2013-01-01

This research aims to develop evidence based affordable psychological therapy for Indonesian older adults. An affordable psychological therapy is important as there is virtually no managed care or health insurance that covers psychological therapy in Indonesia. Multicomponent group cognitive behavior therapy (GCBGT) was chosen as a starting point due to its extensive evidence, short sessions, and success for a wide range of psychological problems. The group format was chosen to address both the economic and the cultural context of Indonesia. Then, the developed treatment is tested to common psychological problems in older adults' population (anxiety, chronic pain, depression, and insomnia). The treatment consists of 8 sessions with twice a week meetings for 2.5 hours. There are similarities and differences among the techniques used in the treatment for the different psychological problems. The final participants are 38 older adults that are divided into the treatment groups; 8 participants joined the anxiety treatment, 10 participants for the chronic pain treatment, 10 participants for depression treatment, and lastly, 10 participants joined the insomnia treatment. The research design is pre-test post-test with within group analysis. We used principal outcome measure that is specific for each treatment group, as well as additional outcome measures. Overall, the result shows statistical significance change with large effect size for the principal outcome measure. In addition, the result for the additional measures varies from slight improvement with small effect size to statistically significant improvement with large effect size. The result indicates that short multicomponent GCBT is effective in alleviating various common psychological problems in Indonesian older adults. Therefore, multicomponent GCBT may be a good starting point to develop an effective and affordable psychological therapy for Indonesian older adults. Lastly, this result adds to the accumulating body of evidence on the effectiveness of multicomponent GCBT outside western context.

Preliminary Study on the Effectiveness of Short Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (GCBT) on Indonesian Older Adults

PubMed Central

Lubis, Dharmayati Utoyo; Jaya, Edo Sebastian; Arjadi, Retha; Hanum, Lathifah; Astri, Kresna; Putri, Maha Decha Dwi

2013-01-01

This research aims to develop evidence based affordable psychological therapy for Indonesian older adults. An affordable psychological therapy is important as there is virtually no managed care or health insurance that covers psychological therapy in Indonesia. Multicomponent group cognitive behavior therapy (GCBGT) was chosen as a starting point due to its extensive evidence, short sessions, and success for a wide range of psychological problems. The group format was chosen to address both the economic and the cultural context of Indonesia. Then, the developed treatment is tested to common psychological problems in older adults' population (anxiety, chronic pain, depression, and insomnia). The treatment consists of 8 sessions with twice a week meetings for 2.5 hours. There are similarities and differences among the techniques used in the treatment for the different psychological problems. The final participants are 38 older adults that are divided into the treatment groups; 8 participants joined the anxiety treatment, 10 participants for the chronic pain treatment, 10 participants for depression treatment, and lastly, 10 participants joined the insomnia treatment. The research design is pre-test post-test with within group analysis. We used principal outcome measure that is specific for each treatment group, as well as additional outcome measures. Overall, the result shows statistical significance change with large effect size for the principal outcome measure. In addition, the result for the additional measures varies from slight improvement with small effect size to statistically significant improvement with large effect size. The result indicates that short multicomponent GCBT is effective in alleviating various common psychological problems in Indonesian older adults. Therefore, multicomponent GCBT may be a good starting point to develop an effective and affordable psychological therapy for Indonesian older adults. Lastly, this result adds to the accumulating body of evidence on the effectiveness of multicomponent GCBT outside western context. PMID:23437339

Effects of Test-Taker Characteristics and the Number of Participants in Group Oral Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nakatsuhara, Fumiyo

2011-01-01

This study explores the nature of co-constructed interaction in group oral tests by examining whether a test-taker's own and his or her group members' extraversion levels and oral proficiency levels have different influences on conversational styles between two group sizes: groups of three and groups of four. Data were collected from 269 Japanese…

The effects of age, viewing distance, display type, font type, colour contrast and number of syllables on the legibility of Korean characters.

PubMed

Kong, Yong-Ku; Lee, Inseok; Jung, Myung-Chul; Song, Young-Woong

2011-05-01

This study evaluated the effects of age (20s and 60s), viewing distance (50 cm, 200 cm), display type (paper, monitor), font type (Gothic, Ming), colour contrast (black letters on white background, white letters on black background) and number of syllables (one, two) on the legibility of Korean characters by using the four legibility measures (minimum letter size for 100% correctness, maximum letter size for 0% correctness, minimum letter size for the least discomfort and maximum letter size for the most discomfort). Ten subjects in each age group read the four letters presented on a slide (letter size varied from 80 pt to 2 pt). Subjects also subjectively rated the reading discomfort of the letters on a 4-point scale (1 = no discomfort, 4 = most discomfort). According to the ANOVA procedure, age, viewing distance and font type significantly affected the four dependent variables (p < 0.05), while the main effect of colour contrast was not statistically significant for any measures. Two-syllable letters had smaller letters than one-syllable letters in the two correctness measures. The younger group could see letter sizes two times smaller than the old group could and the viewing distance of 50 cm showed letters about three times smaller than those at a 200 cm viewing distance. The Gothic fonts were smaller than the Ming fonts. Monitors were smaller than paper for correctness and maximum letter size for the most discomfort. From a comparison of the results for correctness and discomfort, people generally preferred larger letter sizes to those that they could read. The findings of this study may provide basic information for setting a global standard of letter size or font type to improve the legibility of characters written in Korean. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: Results obtained in this study will provide basic information and guidelines for setting standards of letter size and font type to improve the legibility of characters written in Korean. Also, the results might offer useful information for people who are working on design of visual displays.

Vocal Music Therapy for Chronic Pain Management in Inner City African Americans: A Mixed Methods Feasibility Study

PubMed Central

Bradt, Joke; Norris, Marisol; Shim, Minjung; Gracely, Edward J.; Gerrity, Patricia

2017-01-01

Background To date, research on music for pain management has focused primarily on listening to pre-recorded music for acute pain. Research is needed on the impact of active music therapy interventions on chronic pain management. Objective The aim of this mixed methods research study was to determine feasibility and estimates of effect of vocal music therapy for chronic pain management. Methods Fifty-five inner city adults, predominantly African-Americans, with chronic pain were randomized to an 8-week vocal music therapy treatment group or waitlist control group. Consent and attrition rates, treatment compliance, and instrument appropriateness/burden were tracked. Physical functioning (pain interference and general activities), self-efficacy, emotional functioning, pain intensity, pain coping, and participant perception of change were measured at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Focus groups were conducted at the 12-week follow-up. Results The consent rate was 77%. The attrition rate was 27% at follow-up. We established acceptability of the intervention. Large effect sizes were obtained for self-efficacy at weeks 8 and 12; a moderate effect size was found for pain interference at week 8; no improvements were found for general activities and emotional functioning. Moderate effect sizes were obtained for pain intensity and small effect sizes for coping, albeit not statistically significant. Qualitative findings suggested that the treatment resulted in enhanced self-management, motivation, empowerment, a sense of belonging, and reduced isolation. Conclusions This study suggests that vocal music therapy may be effective in building essential stepping stones for effective chronic pain management namely enhanced self-efficacy, motivation, empowerment, and social engagement. PMID:27090149

Vocal Music Therapy for Chronic Pain Management in Inner-City African Americans: A Mixed Methods Feasibility Study.

PubMed

Bradt, Joke; Norris, Marisol; Shim, Minjung; Gracely, Edward J; Gerrity, Patricia

2016-01-01

To date, research on music for pain management has focused primarily on listening to prerecorded music for acute pain. Research is needed on the impact of active music therapy interventions on chronic pain management. The aim of this mixed methods research study was to determine feasibility and estimates of effect of vocal music therapy for chronic pain management. Fifty-five inner-city adults, predominantly African Americans, with chronic pain were randomized to an 8-week vocal music therapy treatment group or waitlist control group. Consent and attrition rates, treatment compliance, and instrument appropriateness/burden were tracked. Physical functioning (pain interference and general activities), self-efficacy, emotional functioning, pain intensity, pain coping, and participant perception of change were measured at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Focus groups were conducted at the 12-week follow-up. The consent rate was 77%. The attrition rate was 27% at follow-up. We established acceptability of the intervention. Large effect sizes were obtained for self-efficacy at weeks 8 and 12; a moderate effect size was found for pain interference at week 8; no improvements were found for general activities and emotional functioning. Moderate effect sizes were obtained for pain intensity and small effect sizes for coping, albeit not statistically significant. Qualitative findings suggested that the treatment resulted in enhanced self-management, motivation, empowerment, a sense of belonging, and reduced isolation. This study suggests that vocal music therapy may be effective in building essential stepping-stones for effective chronic pain management, namely enhanced self-efficacy, motivation, empowerment, and social engagement. © the American Music Therapy Association 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Promotional effects of CO2 laser on neoplastic lesions in hamsters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kingsbury, Jeffrey S.; Margarone, Joseph E., III; Satchidanand, S.; Liebow, Charles

1991-06-01

Surgical incision may have promotional effects on neoplastic lesions, possibly through release of tissue growth factors (e.g., EGF, FGF(beta) , IGF, TGF(alpha) ). The CO2 laser may precipitate altered release of these factors. To test this, .5 cm laser, and scalpel incisions were made into fields treated by application of .5% DMBA in acetone, 3 times a week for 6 weeks (group 1) and 12 weeks (group 2). DMBA is a complete carcinogen (initiator and promoter). At 6 weeks, chemically, but not histologically, definable premalignant lesions are seen. Treatment for 12 weeks causes histologic neoplasia which can be graded with T-N-M classification. For both groups, the surgical sites were examined clinically and histologically 4 weeks post-op in a blind fashion. Standard criteria were utilized for defining neoplasia. For group 1, 3 out of 6 laser treated animals developed large exophytic squamous cell carcinomas, but no lesions developed in 12 contralateral, 3 control and 3 scalpel treated pouches. For group 2, 12 of 16 laser treated animals developed tumor with mean grade of 1.75 and mean size of 7.4 mm, 5 of 6 scalpel treated animals developed tumor with mean grade of 1.83 and mean size of 3.6 mm and 3 of 6 control animals developed tumor with mean grade of 1.00 and mean size of 1.5 mm. By the Student 't' test on the binomial distribution lasers cause significant promotion (p < .01). These results suggest that laser surgery may have earlier and more profound promotional effects than scalpel on initiated cells relative to tumor size in the vicinity of the wound site by increased release of growth factors.

Effect of holding technique and culture drop size in individual or group culture on blastocyst development after ICSI of equine oocytes with low meiotic competence.

PubMed

Choi, Y H; Love, L B; Varner, D D; Hinrichs, K

2007-11-01

The effect of medium-to-embryo ratio on blastocyst development of equine embryos from oocytes with compact cumuli was evaluated in the present experiment. In addition, two methods for holding oocytes before in vitro maturation were compared. In Experiment 1, oocytes cultured with roscovitine for 16-18h before maturation were fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection and cultured individually in 2.5, 5, 10 or 50microl droplets. In Experiment 2, oocytes were either cultured with roscovitine or held in a modified M199 with 20% serum at room temperature (EH treatment) for 16-18h, then matured, fertilized and cultured in groups at 5microl medium per embryo. In Experiment 3, oocytes were held in the EH treatment, then were matured and fertilized. In Study 3.1, injected oocytes were cultured individually in drop sizes as for Experiment 1; in Study 3.2, groups of 2-7 oocytes were cultured in fixed drop sizes of 5 or 50microl. Blastocyst development rates of individually-cultured embryos were not significantly different among drop sizes in either Experiment 1 or 3 (15-29%). In Experiment 2, blastocyst rates were not significantly different between holding treatments (17-23%). In Experiment 3, for group-cultured oocytes, blastocyst development was not significantly different between 5 and 50microl drops (39 and 27%, respectively). In conclusion, compact-cumulus oocytes may be effectively held in the EH treatment before maturation, and single culture of equine embryos yields acceptable blastocyst development. The greatest blastocyst rate (39%) was obtained with group culture in a 5microl droplet.

The modified Yi qi decoction protects cardiac ischemia-reperfusion induced injury in rats.

PubMed

Yu, Xiao; Zhao, Xiao-Dong; Bao, Rong-Qi; Yu, Jia-Yu; Zhang, Guo-Xing; Chen, Jing-Wei

2017-06-21

To investigate the effects and involved mechanisms of the modified Yi Qi decoction (MYQ) in cardiac ischemia-reperfusion (IR) induced injury. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a 30-min coronary arterial occlusion followed by reperfusion, low or high dose decoction of MYQ was administrated orally for 1 week or 1 month. Both in 1 week and 1 month IR rat groups, cardiac function indexes were significantly impaired compared with sham group rats, accompanied with higher ratio of infarct size to risk size, decreased expressions of sodium calcium exchanger (NCX1) and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca 2+ -ATPase (Serca2a), and different expressions of autophagic proteins, Beclin-1 and LC3. Treatment with MYQ (low or high dose) for 1 week showed no marked beneficial effects on cardiac function and cardiac injury (ratio of infarct size to risk size), although expressions of anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-2, NCX1 and Serca2a were increased. Treatment with MYQ (low or high dose) for 1 month showed significantly improved effects on cardiac function and cardiac injury (ratio of infarct size to risk size), accompanied with increase of Bcl-2, NCX1 and Serca2a expressions, and decrease of Bax (a pro-apoptotic protein) and Beclin-1 expressions. The results show that MYQ have potential therapeutic effects on IR-induced cardiac injury, which may be through regulation of apoptotic proteins, cytosolic Ca 2+ handling proteins and autophagic proteins signal pathways.

The Class Size Question: A Study at Different Levels of Analysis. ACER Research Monograph No. 26.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larkin, Anthony I.; Keeves, John P.

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the ways in which class size affected other facets of the educational environment of the classroom. The study focused on the commonly found positive relationship between class size and achievement. The most plausible explanation of the evidence seems to involve the effects of grouping more able…

Meta-Analysis With Complex Research Designs: Dealing With Dependence From Multiple Measures and Multiple Group Comparisons

PubMed Central

Scammacca, Nancy; Roberts, Greg; Stuebing, Karla K.

2013-01-01

Previous research has shown that treating dependent effect sizes as independent inflates the variance of the mean effect size and introduces bias by giving studies with more effect sizes more weight in the meta-analysis. This article summarizes the different approaches to handling dependence that have been advocated by methodologists, some of which are more feasible to implement with education research studies than others. A case study using effect sizes from a recent meta-analysis of reading interventions is presented to compare the results obtained from different approaches to dealing with dependence. Overall, mean effect sizes and variance estimates were found to be similar, but estimates of indexes of heterogeneity varied. Meta-analysts are advised to explore the effect of the method of handling dependence on the heterogeneity estimates before conducting moderator analyses and to choose the approach to dependence that is best suited to their research question and their data set. PMID:25309002

Size-regulated group separation of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles using centrifuge and their magnetic resonance contrast properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Jongeun; Lee, Hyunseung; Kim, Young-Nam; Yeom, Areum; Jeong, Heejeong; Lim, Yong Taik; Hong, Kwan Soo

2013-09-01

Magnetic nanoparticle (MNP)-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents (CAs) have been the subject of extensive research over recent decades. The particle size of MNPs varies widely and is known to influence their physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties. There are two commonly used methods for synthesizing MNPs, organometallic and aqueous solution coprecipitation. The former has the advantage of being able to control the particle size more effectively; however, the resulting particles require a hydrophilic coating in order to be rendered water soluble. The MNPs produced using the latter method are intrinsically water soluble, but they have a relatively wide particle size distribution. Size-controlled water-soluble MNPs have great potential as MRI CAs and in cell sorting and labeling applications. In the present study, we synthesized CoFe2O4 MNPs using an aqueous solution coprecipitation method. The MNPs were subsequently separated into four groups depending on size, by the use of centrifugation at different speeds. The crystal shapes and size distributions of the particles in the four groups were measured and confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. Using X-ray diffraction analysis, the MNPs were found to have an inverse spinel structure. Four MNP groups with well-selected semi-Gaussian-like diameter distributions were obtained, with measured T2 relaxivities ( r 2) at 4.7 T and room temperature in the range of 60 to 300 mM-1s-1, depending on the particle size. This size regulation method has great promise for applications that require homogeneous-sized MNPs made by an aqueous solution coprecipitation method. Any group of the CoFe2O4 MNPs could be used as initial base cores of MRI T2 CAs, with almost unique T2 relaxivity owing to size regulation. The methodology reported here opens up many possibilities for biosensing applications and disease diagnosis.

Increasing Social Presence in Online Learning through Small Group Discussions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akcaoglu, Mete; Lee, Eunbae

2016-01-01

Social presence is difficult to achieve, but an imperative component of online learning. In this study, we investigated the effect of group size on students' perceptions of social presence in two graduate-level online courses, comparing small group versus whole class discussions. Our results indicated that when in small group discussions, students…

Latino Civic Group Participation, Social Networks, and Physical Activity.

PubMed

Marquez, Becky; Gonzalez, Patricia; Gallo, Linda; Ji, Ming

2016-07-01

We examined whether social networks and resource awareness for physical activity may mediate the relationship between civic group participation and physical activity. This is a cross-sectional study of a randomly selected sample of 335 Latinos (mean age 42.1 ± 16.4 years) participating in the San Diego Prevention Research Center's 2009 Household Community Survey. Serial multiple mediation analysis tested the hypothesis that civic group participation is associated with meeting physical activity recommendations through an indirect mechanism of larger social networks followed by greater knowledge of physical activity community resources. The indirect effects of level of civic group participation as well as religious, health, neighborhood, or arts group participation on meeting national physical activity recommendations were significant in models testing pathways through social network size and physical activity resource awareness. The direct effect was only significant for health group indicating that participating in a health group predicted physical activity independent of social network size and awareness of physical activity resources. Belonging to civic groups may promote physical activity engagement through social network diffusion of information on community physical activity resources which has implications for health.

The effect of honey-coated bandages compared with silver-coated bandages on treatment of malignant wounds-a randomized study.

PubMed

Lund-Nielsen, Betina; Adamsen, Lis; Kolmos, Hans Jørn; Rørth, Mikael; Tolver, Anders; Gottrup, Finn

2011-11-01

Malignant wounds (MWs) occur in 5-10% of all cancer patients. Malodor and exudation are the most common side effects. The aim was to determine the influence of honey-coated compared with silver-coated bandages on treatment of MWs. Patients were randomly selected to enter either group A (honey-coated bandages) or group B (silver-coated bandages). Parameters were the following: wound size, cleanliness, malodor, exudation, and wound pain. Digital photographs, visual analog scales (VAS), and wound morphology registration were used for measurement at baseline and following the 4-week intervention. Sixty-nine patients with MWs and advanced cancer, aged 47-90 (median 65.6), were included. No statistically significant difference was noted between the groups with respect to wound size, degree of cleanliness, exudation, malodor, and wound pain. There was a median decrease in wound size of 15 cm² and 8 cm² in group A and B, respectively (p = 0.63). Based on post-intervention pooled data from the groups, improvement was seen in 62% of the participants with respect to wound size and in 58% (n = 69) with respect to cleanliness. The VAS score for malodor (p = 0.007) and exudation (p < 0.0001) improved significantly post-intervention. Patients with reduced wound size had a median survival time of 387 days compared with 134 days in patients with no wound reduction (p = 0.003). The use of honey-coated and silver-coated bandages improved the outcome of MWs. No differences were found between the two regimens. Both types of bandages are recommended for use by patients with MWs containing tumor debris and necrosis. 2011 by the Wound Healing Society.

Properties of hypothesis testing techniques and (Bayesian) model selection for exploration-based and theory-based (order-restricted) hypotheses.

PubMed

Kuiper, Rebecca M; Nederhoff, Tim; Klugkist, Irene

2015-05-01

In this paper, the performance of six types of techniques for comparisons of means is examined. These six emerge from the distinction between the method employed (hypothesis testing, model selection using information criteria, or Bayesian model selection) and the set of hypotheses that is investigated (a classical, exploration-based set of hypotheses containing equality constraints on the means, or a theory-based limited set of hypotheses with equality and/or order restrictions). A simulation study is conducted to examine the performance of these techniques. We demonstrate that, if one has specific, a priori specified hypotheses, confirmation (i.e., investigating theory-based hypotheses) has advantages over exploration (i.e., examining all possible equality-constrained hypotheses). Furthermore, examining reasonable order-restricted hypotheses has more power to detect the true effect/non-null hypothesis than evaluating only equality restrictions. Additionally, when investigating more than one theory-based hypothesis, model selection is preferred over hypothesis testing. Because of the first two results, we further examine the techniques that are able to evaluate order restrictions in a confirmatory fashion by examining their performance when the homogeneity of variance assumption is violated. Results show that the techniques are robust to heterogeneity when the sample sizes are equal. When the sample sizes are unequal, the performance is affected by heterogeneity. The size and direction of the deviations from the baseline, where there is no heterogeneity, depend on the effect size (of the means) and on the trend in the group variances with respect to the ordering of the group sizes. Importantly, the deviations are less pronounced when the group variances and sizes exhibit the same trend (e.g., are both increasing with group number). © 2014 The British Psychological Society.

Standing in the Gaps: Examining the Effects of Early Gifted Education on Black Girl Achievement in STEM

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Jemimah L.; Young, Jamaal R.; Ford, Donna Y.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the differential effects of access to gifted education on the mathematics and science achievement of fourth-grade Black girls. This study utilized mean difference effect sizes to examine the magnitude of differences between groups. By convention, White girls were included as a comparison group. Girls…

Evaluation of Morphological Change and Aggregation Process of Ice Crystals in Frozen Food by Using Fractal Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koshiro, Yoko; Watanabe, Manabu; Takai, Rikuo; Hagiwara, Tomoaki; Suzuki, Toru

Size and shape of ice crystals in frozen food materials are very important because they affect not only quality of foods but also the viability of industrial processing such as freeze-drying of concentration. In this study, 30%wt sucrose solution is used as test samples. For examining the effect of stabilizerspectine and xantan gum is added to the sucrose solution. They are frozen on the cold stage of microscope to be observed their growing ice crystals under the circumstance of -10°C. Their size and shape are measured and quantitatively evaluated by applying fractal analysis. lce crystal of complicated shape has large fractal dimension, and vice versa. It successflly categorized the ice crystals into two groups; one is a group of large size and complicated shape, and the other is a group of small size and plain shape. The critical crystal size between the two groups is found to become larger with increasing holding time. It suggests a phenomenological model for metamorphoses process of ice crystals. Further, it is indicated that xantan gum is able to suppress the smoothing of ice crystals.

Comparing the effect of aromatase inhibitor (letrozole) + cabergoline (Dostinex) and letrozole alone on uterine myoma regression,a randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Sayyah-Melli, M; Mobasseri, M; Gharabaghi, P M; Ouladsahebmadarek, E; Rahmani, V

2017-03-01

To evaluate the effect of letrozole in combination with cabergoline and letrozole alone on regression of symptomatic uterine myomas in women of reproductive age. Randomized controlled clinical trial. University hospital. Ninety-one women of reproductive age were enrolled in the study and 88 women were eligible. Eight participants were excluded from the study. Eighty women of reproductive age with symptomatic myomas >4cm were evaluated in two groups. Participants in Group 1 received 2.5mg letrozole once daily and cabergoline 0.5mg/week from the first day of the menstrual cycle for 12 weeks, and participants in Group 2 received letrozole alone. Changes in uterine size and volume; myoma size, volume and number; and side effects of treatment. Overall, 76 patients completed the study. Compared with baseline values, mean uterine volume was reduced significantly in both groups (p=0.01), and there was no significant difference between groups (p=0.99). The mean number of dominant myomas was reduced significantly in both groups (p=0.03), with no significant difference between groups (p=0.6). The mean volume of myomas was reduced significantly in both groups (p=0.01), with no significant difference between groups (p=0.45). Although a significant decrease in number and volume of myomas was documented in each group (p<0.05), the intergroup analyses did not reveal significant differences between the two groups in terms of the change in number (p=0.28) and volume (p=0.96) of myomas. Headache was significantly more common in the letrozole+cabergoline group (nine vs two cases, p=0.02), but the two groups were comparable for the remaining minor side effects. This study showed that 12 weeks of treatment with letrozole with and without cabergoline improved the size and volume of the uterus and myomas, led to symptom improvement, and could be used for short-term treatment prior to surgery or fertility programmes. Condensation letrozole in combination with cabergoline in the management of uterine fibroids. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of removal of the size effect using data scaling and elliptic Fourier descriptors in otolith shape analysis, exemplified by the discrimination of two yellow croaker stocks along the Chinese coast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Bo; Liu, Jinhu; Song, Junjie; Cao, Liang; Dou, Shuozeng

2017-11-01

Removal of the length effect in otolith shape analysis for stock identification using length scaling is an important issue; however, few studies have attempted to investigate the effectiveness or weakness of this methodology in application. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether commonly used size scaling methods and normalized elliptic Fourier descriptors (NEFDs) could effectively remove the size effect of fish in stock discrimination. To achieve this goal, length groups from two known geographical stocks of yellow croaker, Larimichthys polyactis, along the Chinese coast (five groups from the Changjiang River estuary of the East China Sea and three groups from the Bohai Sea) were subjected to otolith shape analysis. The results indicated that the variation of otolith shape caused by intra-stock fish length might exceed that due to inter-stock geographical separation, even when otolith shape variables are standardized with length scaling methods. This variation could easily result in misleading stock discrimination through otolith shape analysis. Therefore, conclusions about fish stock structure should be carefully drawn from otolith shape analysis because the observed discrimination may primarily be due to length effects, rather than differences among stocks. The application of multiple methods, such as otoliths shape analysis combined with elemental fingering, tagging or genetic analysis, is recommended for sock identification.

Reducing Individual Variation for fMRI Studies in Children by Minimizing Template Related Errors

PubMed Central

Weng, Jian; Dong, Shanshan; He, Hongjian; Chen, Feiyan; Peng, Xiaogang

2015-01-01

Spatial normalization is an essential process for group comparisons in functional MRI studies. In practice, there is a risk of normalization errors particularly in studies involving children, seniors or diseased populations and in regions with high individual variation. One way to minimize normalization errors is to create a study-specific template based on a large sample size. However, studies with a large sample size are not always feasible, particularly for children studies. The performance of templates with a small sample size has not been evaluated in fMRI studies in children. In the current study, this issue was encountered in a working memory task with 29 children in two groups. We compared the performance of different templates: a study-specific template created by the experimental population, a Chinese children template and the widely used adult MNI template. We observed distinct differences in the right orbitofrontal region among the three templates in between-group comparisons. The study-specific template and the Chinese children template were more sensitive for the detection of between-group differences in the orbitofrontal cortex than the MNI template. Proper templates could effectively reduce individual variation. Further analysis revealed a correlation between the BOLD contrast size and the norm index of the affine transformation matrix, i.e., the SFN, which characterizes the difference between a template and a native image and differs significantly across subjects. Thereby, we proposed and tested another method to reduce individual variation that included the SFN as a covariate in group-wise statistics. This correction exhibits outstanding performance in enhancing detection power in group-level tests. A training effect of abacus-based mental calculation was also demonstrated, with significantly elevated activation in the right orbitofrontal region that correlated with behavioral response time across subjects in the trained group. PMID:26207985

The Effect of Cognitive Therapy on Structural Social Capital: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial Among Sexual Violence Survivors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

PubMed Central

Bolton, Paul A.; Annan, Jeannie; Kaysen, Debra; Robinette, Katie; Cetinoglu, Talita; Wachter, Karin; Bass, Judith K.

2014-01-01

Objectives. We evaluated changes in social capital following group-based cognitive processing therapy (CPT) for female survivors of sexual violence. Methods. We compared CPT with individual support in a cluster-randomized trial in villages in South Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Local psychosocial assistants delivered the interventions from April through July 2011. We evaluated differences between CPT and individual support conditions for structural social capital (i.e., time spent with nonkin social network, group membership and participation, and the size of financial and instrumental support networks) and emotional support seeking. We analyzed intervention effects with longitudinal random effects models. Results. We obtained small to medium effect size differences for 2 study outcomes. Women in the CPT villages increased group membership and participation at 6-month follow-up and emotional support seeking after the intervention compared with women in the individual support villages. Conclusions. Results support the efficacy of group CPT to increase dimensions of social capital among survivors of sexual violence in a low-income conflict-affected context. PMID:25033113

A randomized controlled trial of a transdiagnostic Internet intervention for individuals with panic and phobias - One size fits all.

PubMed

Schröder, Johanna; Jelinek, Lena; Moritz, Steffen

2017-03-01

Many individuals with anxiety disorders do not receive professional treatment. Internet interventions have shown to be effective in the treatment of anxiety. The present randomized controlled trial was designed to examine the effectiveness of a short-term (4-week) Internet intervention in treating panic disorder, agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobias ('ConfID'). We addressed the questions of whether this transdiagnostic program would affect these disorders to varying degrees and whether there would be moderators of effectiveness. Adults who were recruited in online forums for anxiety underwent an online baseline assessment (N = 179) and were randomized either to the intervention group (ConfID) or the control group (care as usual). Online post-assessment took place 4 weeks later. The primary outcome was assessed with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI); the secondary outcomes targeted the disorder-specific symptoms, depression, and somatization. Participants in the intervention group showed a significantly stronger anxiety reduction compared to participants receiving care as usual (small-to-medium effect size between groups in intention-to-treat analysis). The treatment effect was similar for the different disorders and was moderated by participants' attitudes towards Internet interventions. Secondary outcomes yielded effect sizes in the medium range. Moderate treatment adherence, lack of measures beyond online self-reports, and unavailability of long-term results. The study provides further evidence that transdiagnostic Internet interventions are promising in reducing the existing treatment gap in individuals with panic disorder and phobias. Results extend previous findings by showing that significant effects can also be reached by comprehensive short-term programs and that the effects might be moderated by participants' attitudes towards Internet interventions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bias from historical control groups used in orthodontic research: a meta-epidemiological study.

PubMed

Papageorgiou, Spyridon N; Koretsi, Vasiliki; Jäger, Andreas

2017-02-01

The validity of meta-analysis is dependent upon the quality of included studies. Here, we investigated whether the design of untreated control groups (i.e. source and timing of data collection) influences the results of clinical trials in orthodontic research. This meta-epidemiological study used unrestricted literature searching for meta-analyses in orthodontics including clinical trials with untreated control groups. Differences in standardized mean differences (ΔSMD) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated according to the untreated control group through multivariable random-effects meta-regression controlling for nature of the interventional group and study sample size. Effects were pooled with random-effects synthesis, followed by mixed-effect subgroup and sensitivity analyses. Studies with historical control groups reported deflated treatment effects compared to studies with concurrent control groups (13 meta-analyses; ΔSMD = -0.31; 95% CI = -0.53, -0.10; P = 0.004). Significant differences were found according to the type of historical control group (based either on growth study or clinical archive; 11 meta-analyses; ΔSMD = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.21, 0.59; P < 0.001). The use of historical control groups in orthodontic clinical research was associated with deflation of treatment effects, which was independent from whether the interventional group was prospective or retrospective and from the study's sample size. Caution is warranted when interpreting clinical studies with historical untreated control groups or when interpreting systematic reviews that include such studies. PROSPERO (CRD42015024179). None. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Orthodontic Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Simultaneous separation and purification of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate and caffeine from tea extract by size exclusion effect on modified porous adsorption material.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaofeng; Xu, Yi; Zhang, Qing; Cao, Kun; Mu, Xiuni

2016-09-15

A dual-task method for the simultaneous separation and purification of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and caffeine (CAF) from crude extract of green tea was established by size exclusion effect onto hydroquinone modified porous adsorbents. The results showed that hydroquinone modified porous adsorbents P4 provided the best separation power due to it has more porous structure and phenolic hydroxyl group. The adsorption-desorption behaviors of EGCG and CAF onto P4 adsorbents were investigated. Adsorption kinetics of EGCG and CAF results showed that the adsorption followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The results also indicated that the equilibrium adsorption data best fit the Langmuir model. Meanwhile, EGCG and CAF were separated successfully onto P4 adsorbents packed columns in a gradient eluent process, and P4 adsorbents exhibited the size exclusion effect for small molecules CAF. Based on the phenolic hydroxyl group and size exclusion effect of P4 adsorbents, the high purity EGCG and CAF were obtained with 40% (v/v) ethanol eluent successively. The process fulfilled the task of simultaneous separation and purification of EGCG and CAF, and proved to be a promising basis for preparations of difficult to obtain active components that have similar polarity and different sizes of molecules and derived from the same natural products. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Marginal predation: do encounter or confusion effects explain the targeting of prey group edges?

PubMed

Duffield, Callum; Ioannou, Christos C

2017-01-01

Marginal predation, also known as the edge effect, occurs when aggregations of prey are preferentially targeted on their periphery by predators and has long been established in many taxa. Two main processes have been used to explain this phenomenon, the confusion effect and the encounter rate between predators and prey group edges. However, it is unknown at what size a prey group needs to be before marginal predation is detectable and to what extent each mechanism drives the effect. We conducted 2 experiments using groups of virtual prey being preyed upon by 3-spined sticklebacks ( Gasterosteus aculeatus ) to address these questions. In Experiment 1, we show that group sizes do not need to be large for marginal predation to occur, with this being detectable in groups of 16 or more. In Experiment 2, we find that encounter rate is a more likely explanation for marginal predation than the confusion effect in this system. We find that while confusion does affect predatory behaviors (whether or not predators make an attack), it does not affect marginal predation. Our results suggest that marginal predation is a more common phenomenon than originally thought as it also applies to relatively small groups. Similarly, as marginal predation does not need the confusion effect to occur, it may occur in a wider range of predator-prey species pairings, for example those where the predators search for prey using nonvisual sensory modalities.

Group size, individual role differentiation and effectiveness of cooperation in a homogeneous group of hunters

PubMed Central

Escobedo, R.; Muro, C.; Spector, L.; Coppinger, R. P.

2014-01-01

The emergence of cooperation in wolf-pack hunting is studied using a simple, homogeneous, particle-based computational model. Wolves and prey are modelled as particles that interact through attractive and repulsive forces. Realistic patterns of wolf aggregation readily emerge in numerical simulations, even though the model includes no explicit wolf–wolf attractive forces, showing that the form of cooperation needed for wolf-pack hunting can take place even among strangers. Simulations are used to obtain the stationary states and equilibria of the wolves and prey system and to characterize their stability. Different geometric configurations for different pack sizes arise. In small packs, the stable configuration is a regular polygon centred on the prey, while in large packs, individual behavioural differentiation occurs and induces the emergence of complex behavioural patterns between privileged positions. Stable configurations of large wolf-packs include travelling and rotating formations, periodic oscillatory behaviours and chaotic group behaviours. These findings suggest a possible mechanism by which larger pack sizes can trigger collective behaviours that lead to the reduction and loss of group hunting effectiveness, thus explaining the observed tendency of hunting success to peak at small pack sizes. They also explain how seemingly complex collective behaviours can emerge from simple rules, among agents that need not have significant cognitive skills or social organization. PMID:24694897

Effects of parent loss: interaction with family size and sibling order.

PubMed

Sklar, A D; Harris, R F

1985-06-01

The authors studied the effect of parent loss during the first 18 years of life and its interactions with family size and sibling order in a nonpsychiatric population of 247 men. Groups defined by loss type, family size, and sibling order were compared using MMPI scale scores. The results strongly suggest that parent loss and family size and their interaction have an important impact on adult personality traits as measured by MMPI scores. The strong adverse impact of intermittent loss and temporary loss in large families (much greater than that of permanent loss) is a crucial finding not previously noted in the literature.

Effects of breeder turnover and harvest on group composition and recruitment in a social carnivore

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ausband, David E.; Mitchell, Michael S.; Waits, Lisette P.

2017-01-01

Breeder turnover can influence population growth in social carnivores through changes to group size, composition and recruitment.Studies that possess detailed group composition data that can provide insights about the effects of breeder turnover on groups have generally been conducted on species that are not subject to recurrent annual human harvest. We wanted to know how breeder turnover affects group composition and how harvest, in turn, affects breeder turnover in cooperatively breeding grey wolves (Canis lupus Linnaeus 1758).We used noninvasive genetic sampling at wolf rendezvous sites to construct pedigrees and estimate recruitment in groups of wolves before and after harvest in Idaho, USA.Turnover of breeding females increased polygamy and potential recruits per group by providing breeding opportunities for subordinates although resultant group size was unaffected 1 year after the turnover. Breeder turnover had no effect on the number of nonbreeding helpers per group. After breeding male turnover, fewer female pups were recruited in the new males’ litters. Harvest had no effect on the frequency of breeder turnover.We found that breeder turnover led to shifts in the reproductive hierarchies within groups and the resulting changes to group composition were quite variable and depended on the sex of the breeder lost. We hypothesize that nonbreeding females direct help away from non-kin female pups to preserve future breeding opportunities for themselves. Breeder turnover had marked effects on the breeding opportunities of subordinates and the number and sex ratios of subsequent litters of pups. Seemingly subtle changes to groups, such as the loss of one individual, can greatly affect group composition, genetic content, and short-term population growth when the individual lost is a breeder.

Effects of breeder turnover and harvest on group composition and recruitment in a social carnivore.

PubMed

Ausband, David E; Mitchell, Michael S; Waits, Lisette P

2017-09-01

Breeder turnover can influence population growth in social carnivores through changes to group size, composition and recruitment. Studies that possess detailed group composition data that can provide insights about the effects of breeder turnover on groups have generally been conducted on species that are not subject to recurrent annual human harvest. We wanted to know how breeder turnover affects group composition and how harvest, in turn, affects breeder turnover in cooperatively breeding grey wolves (Canis lupus Linnaeus 1758). We used noninvasive genetic sampling at wolf rendezvous sites to construct pedigrees and estimate recruitment in groups of wolves before and after harvest in Idaho, USA. Turnover of breeding females increased polygamy and potential recruits per group by providing breeding opportunities for subordinates although resultant group size was unaffected 1 year after the turnover. Breeder turnover had no effect on the number of nonbreeding helpers per group. After breeding male turnover, fewer female pups were recruited in the new males' litters. Harvest had no effect on the frequency of breeder turnover. We found that breeder turnover led to shifts in the reproductive hierarchies within groups and the resulting changes to group composition were quite variable and depended on the sex of the breeder lost. We hypothesize that nonbreeding females direct help away from non-kin female pups to preserve future breeding opportunities for themselves. Breeder turnover had marked effects on the breeding opportunities of subordinates and the number and sex ratios of subsequent litters of pups. Seemingly subtle changes to groups, such as the loss of one individual, can greatly affect group composition, genetic content, and short-term population growth when the individual lost is a breeder. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2017 British Ecological Society.

Cold-sensing regulates Drosophila growth through insulin-producing cells

PubMed Central

Li, Qiaoran; Gong, Zhefeng

2015-01-01

Across phyla, body size is linked to climate. For example, rearing fruit flies at lower temperatures results in bigger body sizes than those observed at higher temperatures. The underlying molecular basis of this effect is poorly understood. Here we provide evidence that the temperature-dependent regulation of Drosophila body size depends on a group of cold-sensing neurons and insulin-producing cells (IPCs). Electrically silencing IPCs completely abolishes the body size increase induced by cold temperature. IPCs are directly innervated by cold-sensing neurons. Stimulation of these cold-sensing neurons activates IPCs, promotes synthesis and secretion of Drosophila insulin-like peptides and induces a larger body size, mimicking the effects of rearing the flies in cold temperature. Taken together, these findings reveal a neuronal circuit that mediates the effects of low temperature on fly growth. PMID:26648410

Effect of the National Stress Check Program on mental health among workers in Japan: A 1-year retrospective cohort study.

PubMed

Imamura, Kotaro; Asai, Yumi; Watanabe, Kazuhiro; Tsutsumi, Akizumi; Shimazu, Akihito; Inoue, Akiomi; Hiro, Hisanori; Odagiri, Yuko; Yoshikawa, Toru; Yoshikawa, Etsuko; Kawakami, Norito

2018-04-18

This retrospective cohort study evaluated the impact of the Stress Check Program, a recently introduced national policy and program aimed at reducing psychological distress among Japanese workers. A baseline survey was conducted from November 2015 to February 2016, the period when Japan began enforcing the Stress Check Program. A one-year follow-up survey was conducted in December 2016. In the follow-up survey, two exposure variables were collected: having taken the annual stress survey, and experiencing an improvement in the psychosocial work environment. Psychological distress was assessed using the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ) at baseline and 1-year follow-up. The two exposure variables were used to define four groups: "Neither", "Stress survey (SS) only", "Psychosocial work environment improvement (WI) only", and "Both". BJSQ results were analyzed using repeated measures general linear modeling (GLM). The study included 2,492 participants: 1,342 in the "Neither" group, 1,009 in the "SS only" group, 76 in the "WI only" group, and 65 in the "Both" group. Overall time-group interaction effects were not significant. The "Both" group showed significantly greater improvements in psychological distress than the "Neither" group (p = 0.02) at the 1-year follow-up, although the effect size was small (d = -0.14). Combination of the annual stress survey and improvement in psychosocial work environment may have been effective in reducing psychological distress in workers, although the effect size was small.

Sample size calculation for studies with grouped survival data.

PubMed

Li, Zhiguo; Wang, Xiaofei; Wu, Yuan; Owzar, Kouros

2018-06-10

Grouped survival data arise often in studies where the disease status is assessed at regular visits to clinic. The time to the event of interest can only be determined to be between two adjacent visits or is right censored at one visit. In data analysis, replacing the survival time with the endpoint or midpoint of the grouping interval leads to biased estimators of the effect size in group comparisons. Prentice and Gloeckler developed a maximum likelihood estimator for the proportional hazards model with grouped survival data and the method has been widely applied. Previous work on sample size calculation for designing studies with grouped data is based on either the exponential distribution assumption or the approximation of variance under the alternative with variance under the null. Motivated by studies in HIV trials, cancer trials and in vitro experiments to study drug toxicity, we develop a sample size formula for studies with grouped survival endpoints that use the method of Prentice and Gloeckler for comparing two arms under the proportional hazards assumption. We do not impose any distributional assumptions, nor do we use any approximation of variance of the test statistic. The sample size formula only requires estimates of the hazard ratio and survival probabilities of the event time of interest and the censoring time at the endpoints of the grouping intervals for one of the two arms. The formula is shown to perform well in a simulation study and its application is illustrated in the three motivating examples. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Comparison of Different Instructional Multimedia Designs for Improving Student Science-Process Skill Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chien, Yu-Ta; Chang, Chun-Yen

2012-02-01

This study developed three forms of computer-based multimedia, including Static Graphics (SG), Simple Learner-Pacing Animation (SLPA), and Full Learner-Pacing Animation (FLPA), to assist students in learning topographic measuring. The interactive design of FLPA allowed students to physically manipulate the virtual measuring mechanism, rather than passively observe dynamic or static images. The students were randomly assigned to different multimedia groups. The results of a one-way ANOVA analysis indicated that (1) there was a significant difference with a large effect size ( f = .69) in mental effort ratings among three groups, and the post-hoc test indicated that FLPA imposed less cognitive load on students than did SG ( p = .007); (2) the differences of practical performance scores among groups reached the statistic significant level with a large effect size ( f = .76), and the post-hoc test indicated that FLPA fostered better learning outcomes than both SLPA and SG ( p = .004 and p = .05, respectively); (3) the difference in instructional efficiency that was computed by the z-score combination of students' mental effort ratings and practical performance scores among the three groups obtained the statistic significant level with a large effect size ( f = .79), and the post-hoc test indicated that FLPA brought students higher instructional efficiency than those of both SLPA and SG ( p = .01 and .005, respectively); (4) no significant effect was found in instructional time-spans between groups ( p = .637). Overall, FLPA was recommended as the best multimedia form to facilitate topographic measurement learning. The implications of instructional multimedia design were discussed from the perspective of cognitive load theory.

Progressive Resistance Training Improves Overall Physical Activity Levels in Patients With Early Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Going, Scott B.; McKnight, Patrick E.; Kasle, Shelley; Cussler, Ellen C.; Cornett, Michelle

2010-01-01

Background Prescription of resistance training (RT) exercises is an essential aspect of management for knee osteoarthritis (OA). However, whether patients with knee OA who are randomly assigned to receive RT simply substitute RT for other modes of physical activity remains unclear. Objective The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a structured RT intervention on overall levels of moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) in patients with early-onset knee OA. The study compared patients with early-onset OA who participated in an RT program, those who participated in a self-management (SM) program, and those who participated in both RT and SM. Because participants randomly assigned to receive the RT intervention may simply switch activity modes, resulting in little net effect, we assessed total MVPA in addition to tracking changes in strength (force-generating capacity). Design and Intervention This study was a randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of SM alone, RT alone, and combined RT+SM on MVPA in patients with early OA of the knee. Setting The study was conducted on a university campus, with patient recruitment from the local community. Participants The participants in this study were 171 patients (74% women, 26% men) with knee OA. They had a mean age of 55.1 (SD=7.1) years, a mean body mass index of 27.6 (SD=4.2) kg/m2, and radiographic status of grade II OA (and no higher) in at least one knee, as defined by the Kellgren and Lawrence classification. They wore an accelerometer while awake (X̄=14.2 [SD=2.2] hours) for 5 to 7 contiguous days (X̄=6.8 [SD=0.5] days) at baseline and at 3 and 9 months of intervention. Results The participants engaged in MVPA a mean of 26.2 (SD=19.3) minutes per day at baseline. Both groups significantly increased their MVPA from baseline to 3 months (RT group by 18% [effect size (d)=0.26]; SM group by 22% [effect size (d)=0.25]), but only the RT group sustained those changes at 9 months (RT group maintained a 10% increase [effect size (d)=0.15]; SM group maintained a 2% increase [effect size (d)=0.03]). A significant group × time interaction for MVPA indicated that the RT group maintained higher MVPA levels than the SM group. Limitations. Lack of direct measures of energy expenditure and physical function was a limitation of the study. Conclusions Patients with early-onset OA of the knee can engage in an RT program without sacrificing their overall MVPA levels. These results support the value of RT for management of knee OA. PMID:20056719

Effect of Exergames on Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Li, Jinhui; Theng, Yin-Leng; Foo, Schubert

2016-01-01

Depression is a major public health concern in current society. In recent years many studies began to investigate the potential benefits of exergames on depression. The current study aimed to provide a systematic review to synthesize the existing studies and discover the overall effect size of exergames on treating depression. A comprehensive literature search was conducted among major bibliographic databases in computer technology, psychology, and medical science. Key study characteristics of participants, interventions, and experiment were extracted in the systematic review. Both studies using independent groups and matched groups were included in meta-analysis. Overall effect size of Hedges' g was calculated, followed by subgroup analyses. Nine studies included in the review, while eight studies applying exergames of Nintendo's Wii or Wii Fit. A random effects meta-analysis on eight studies resulted an overall significant effect size of g = 0.21. Demographic factors, depression severity, number of session, and game type were found to be significant moderators for the effectiveness. The study has not only supported the positive effect of exergames on alleviating depression, but also provided many theoretical and practical implications for health professionals and police makers. More rigorous experimental controlled studies are needed in this new research field.

Modeling optimal treatment strategies in a heterogeneous mixing model.

PubMed

Choe, Seoyun; Lee, Sunmi

2015-11-25

Many mathematical models assume random or homogeneous mixing for various infectious diseases. Homogeneous mixing can be generalized to mathematical models with multi-patches or age structure by incorporating contact matrices to capture the dynamics of the heterogeneously mixing populations. Contact or mixing patterns are difficult to measure in many infectious diseases including influenza. Mixing patterns are considered to be one of the critical factors for infectious disease modeling. A two-group influenza model is considered to evaluate the impact of heterogeneous mixing on the influenza transmission dynamics. Heterogeneous mixing between two groups with two different activity levels includes proportionate mixing, preferred mixing and like-with-like mixing. Furthermore, the optimal control problem is formulated in this two-group influenza model to identify the group-specific optimal treatment strategies at a minimal cost. We investigate group-specific optimal treatment strategies under various mixing scenarios. The characteristics of the two-group influenza dynamics have been investigated in terms of the basic reproduction number and the final epidemic size under various mixing scenarios. As the mixing patterns become proportionate mixing, the basic reproduction number becomes smaller; however, the final epidemic size becomes larger. This is due to the fact that the number of infected people increases only slightly in the higher activity level group, while the number of infected people increases more significantly in the lower activity level group. Our results indicate that more intensive treatment of both groups at the early stage is the most effective treatment regardless of the mixing scenario. However, proportionate mixing requires more treated cases for all combinations of different group activity levels and group population sizes. Mixing patterns can play a critical role in the effectiveness of optimal treatments. As the mixing becomes more like-with-like mixing, treating the higher activity group in the population is almost as effective as treating the entire populations since it reduces the number of disease cases effectively but only requires similar treatments. The gain becomes more pronounced as the basic reproduction number increases. This can be a critical issue which must be considered for future pandemic influenza interventions, especially when there are limited resources available.

Measurement invariance versus selection invariance: is fair selection possible?

PubMed

Borsboom, Denny; Romeijn, Jan-Willem; Wicherts, Jelte M

2008-06-01

This article shows that measurement invariance (defined in terms of an invariant measurement model in different groups) is generally inconsistent with selection invariance (defined in terms of equal sensitivity and specificity across groups). In particular, when a unidimensional measurement instrument is used and group differences are present in the location but not in the variance of the latent distribution, sensitivity and positive predictive value will be higher in the group at the higher end of the latent dimension, whereas specificity and negative predictive value will be higher in the group at the lower end of the latent dimension. When latent variances are unequal, the differences in these quantities depend on the size of group differences in variances relative to the size of group differences in means. The effect originates as a special case of Simpson's paradox, which arises because the observed score distribution is collapsed into an accept-reject dichotomy. Simulations show the effect can be substantial in realistic situations. It is suggested that the effect may be partly responsible for overprediction in minority groups as typically found in empirical studies on differential academic performance. A methodological solution to the problem is suggested, and social policy implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved).

Optimal Distinctiveness Signals Membership Trust.

PubMed

Leonardelli, Geoffrey J; Loyd, Denise Lewin

2016-07-01

According to optimal distinctiveness theory, sufficiently small minority groups are associated with greater membership trust, even among members otherwise unknown, because the groups are seen as optimally distinctive. This article elaborates on the prediction's motivational and cognitive processes and tests whether sufficiently small minorities (defined by relative size; for example, 20%) are associated with greater membership trust relative to mere minorities (45%), and whether such trust is a function of optimal distinctiveness. Two experiments, examining observers' perceptions of minority and majority groups and using minimal groups and (in Experiment 2) a trust game, revealed greater membership trust in minorities than majorities. In Experiment 2, participants also preferred joining minorities over more powerful majorities. Both effects occurred only when minorities were 20% rather than 45%. In both studies, perceptions of optimal distinctiveness mediated effects. Discussion focuses on the value of relative size and optimal distinctiveness, and when membership trust manifests. © 2016 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

The Effect of Two Different Hand Exercises on Grip Strength, Forearm Circumference, and Vascular Maturation in Patients Who Underwent Arteriovenous Fistula Surgery

PubMed Central

Kong, Sangwon; Lee, Kyung Soo; Kim, Junho

2014-01-01

Objective To compare the effect of two different hand exercises on hand strength and vascular maturation in patients who underwent arteriovenous fistula surgery. Methods We recruited 18 patients who had chronic kidney disease and had undergone arteriovenous fistula surgery for hemodialysis. After the surgery, 10 subjects performed hand-squeezing exercise with GD Grip, and other 8 subjects used Soft Ball. The subjects continued the exercises for 4 weeks. The hand grip strength, pinch strength (tip, palmar and lateral pinch), and forearm circumference of the subjects were assessed before and after the hand-squeezing exercise. The cephalic vein size, blood flow velocity and volume were also measured by ultrasonography in the operated limb. Results All of the 3 types of pinch strengths, grip strength, and forearm circumference were significantly increased in the group using GD Grip. Cephalic vein size and blood flow volume were also significantly increased. However, blood flow velocity showed no difference after the exercise. The group using Soft Ball showed a significant increase in the tip and lateral pinch strength and forearm circumference. The cephalic vein size and blood flow volume were also significantly increased. On comparing the effect of the two different hand exercises, hand-squeezing exercise with GD Grip had a significantly better effect on the tip and palmar pinch strength than hand-squeezing exercise with Soft Ball. The effect on cephalic vein size was not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion The results showed that hand squeezing exercise with GD Grip was more effective in increasing the tip and palmar pinch strength compared to hand squeezing exercise with soft ball. PMID:25379494

Grouping principles in direct competition.

PubMed

Schmidt, Filipp; Schmidt, Thomas

2013-08-09

We (1) introduce a primed flanker task as an objective method to measure perceptual grouping, and (2) use it to directly compare the efficiency of different grouping cues in rapid visuomotor processing. In two experiments, centrally presented primes were succeeded by flanking targets with varying stimulus-onset asynchronies (SOAs). Primes and targets were grouped by the same or by different grouping cues (Exp. 1: brightness/shape, Exp. 2: brightness/size) and were consistent or inconsistent with respect to the required response. Subjective grouping strength was varied to identify its influence on overall response times, error rates, and priming effects, that served as a measure of visual feedforward processing. Our results show that stronger grouping in the targets enhanced overall response times while stronger grouping in the primes enhanced priming effects in motor responses. Also, we obtained differences between rapid visuomotor processing and the subjective impression with cues of brightness and shape but not with cues of brightness and size. Our findings establish the primed flanker task as an objective method to study the speeded visuomotor processing of grouping cues, making it a useful method for the comparative study of feedforward-transmitted base groupings (Roelfsema & Houtkamp, 2011). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Circular stapler size and risk of anastomotic complications in gastroduodenostomy for gastric cancer.

PubMed

Kim, Dae Hoon; Oh, Cheong Ah; Oh, Seung Jong; Choi, Min Gew; Noh, Jae Hyung; Sohn, Tae Sung; Bae, Jae Moon; Kim, Sung

2012-08-01

A Billroth I reconstruction with a mechanically sutured anastomosis is commonly performed in gastric cancer patients. Some surgeons prefer to use large circular staplers during suturing to minimize risks for anastomotic stricture and gastric stasis after surgery. The effect of stapler size on anastomotic complications has not been validated. This study was conducted with 1,031 patients who underwent gastrectomy and Billroth I reconstruction at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, Korea, between January 2007 and October 2008. Patients were assigned to group A (384 patients) or group B (647 patients) depending on the size of the circular stapler that the surgeon selected for mechanical anastomosis. A 25 mm circular stapler was used for patients in group A, and a 28 or 29 mm circular stapler was used for patients in group B. Postoperative complications were analyzed retrospectively. The incidence of complications (e.g., gastric stasis, anastomotic stricture, and bleeding) did not differ significantly between groups. Age greater than 60 years was the only significant risk factor for anastomotic complications identified in univariate and multivariate analyses. Stapler size was unrelated to complications, such as stricture and gastric stasis. Age was the only significant risk factor for anastomotic complications after gastroduodenostomy.

Effectiveness of cognitive remediation and emotion skills training (CREST) for anorexia nervosa in group format: a naturalistic pilot study.

PubMed

Tchanturia, Kate; Doris, Eli; Fleming, Caroline

2014-05-01

This study aims to evaluate a novel and brief skills-based therapy for inpatients with anorexia nervosa, which addressed 'cold' and 'hot' cognitions in group format. Adult inpatients with anorexia nervosa participated in the cognitive remediation and emotion skills training groups. Participants who attended all group sessions completed patient satisfaction and self-report questionnaires. Analysis of the data showed that social anhedonia (measured by the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale) decreased significantly between pre- and post-interventions, with small effect size (d=0.39). Motivation (perceived 'importance to change' and 'ability to change') was found to have increased with small effect sizes (d=0.23 and d=0.16), but these changes did not reach statistical significance. The cognitive remediation and emotion skills training group had positive feedback from both the patients and therapists delivering this structured intervention. Improved strategies are needed both in supporting inpatients to tolerate the group therapy setting and in helping them to develop the skills necessary for participation. Further larger-scale research in this area is needed to consolidate these findings. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Gelatin Microspheres: Correlation between Embolic Effect/Degradability and Cross-linkage/Particle Size

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ohta, Shinichi, E-mail: junryuhei@yahoo.co.jp; Nitta, Norihisa, E-mail: r34nitta@belle.shiga-med.ac.jp; Watanabe, Shobu, E-mail: swat@belle.shiga-med.ac.jp

2013-08-01

PurposeTo evaluate the embolic effect and degradability of gelatin microspheres (GMS) using various degrees of cross-linkage and particle sizes in rabbit renal artery embolization.MethodsFour types of GMS were used, as follows: 2 types of cross-linkage and 2 types of particle size. Twenty-four rabbits (6 in each group) were used for the renal artery embolization. Renal angiography was performed before and after embolization of right renal artery. Follow-up renal angiography was performed 2 days (n = 2), 5 days (n = 2), and 15 days (n = 2) after embolization in each group, and then kidneys were removed for histopathological evaluation.more » Vascular areas of the angiography were measured by Image J software, and the reperfusion rate was calculated. In renal specimens, residual GMS were checked and the degree of degradation was classified according to a 4-point scale.ResultsThe mean amounts of large- and small-particle-size GMS injected were 15.0 and 34.3 mg, respectively. Tissue necrosis was confirmed in each group; however, no difference was observed among groups. Renal reperfusion was observed more with small GMS than with large GMS. Renal reperfusion was also observed more with low cross-linked GMS than with high cross-linked GMS. In histopathological specimens, large GMS were confirmed in lobar artery, and small GMS were confirmed in lobular artery. Low cross-linked GMS completely degraded 15 days after embolization. In contrast, high cross-linked GMS were persistent 15 days after embolization.ConclusionDegree of cross-linkage and particle size affected degradability and reperfusion.« less

Zooplankton Grazing Effects on Particle Size Spectra under Different Seasonal Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stamieszkin, K.; Poulton, N.; Pershing, A. J.

2016-02-01

Oceanic particle size spectra can be used to explain and predict variability in carbon export efficiency, since larger particles are more likely to sink to depth than small particles. The distribution of biogenic particle size in the surface ocean is the result of many variables and processes, including nutrient availability, primary productivity, aggregation, remineralization, and grazing. We conducted a series of grazing experiments to test the hypothesis that mesozooplankton shift particle size spectra toward larger particles, via grazing and egestion of relatively large fecal pellets. These experiments were carried out over several months, and used natural communities of mesozooplankton and their microbial prey, collected offshore of the Damariscotta River in the Gulf of Maine. We analyzed the samples using Fluid Imaging Technologies' FlowCam®, a particle imaging system. With this equipment, we processed live samples, decreasing the likelihood of losing or damaging fragile particles, and thereby lessening sources of error in commonly used preservation and enumeration protocols. Our results show how the plankton size spectrum changes as the Gulf of Maine progresses through a seasonal cycle. We explore the relationship of grazing community size structure to its effect on the overall biogenic particle size spectrum. At some times of year, mesozooplankton grazing does not alter the particle size spectrum, while at others it significantly does, affecting the potential for biogenic flux. We also examine prey selectivity, and find that chain diatoms are the only prey group preferentially consumed. Otherwise, we find that complete mesozooplankton communities are "evolved" to fit their prey such that most prey groups are grazed evenly. We discuss a metabolic numerical model which could be used to universalize the relationships between whole gazer and whole microbial communities, with respect to effects on particle size spectra.

Beauty and Hope: A Moral Beauty Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diessner, Rhett; Rust, Teri; Solom, Rebecca C.; Frost, Nellie; Parsons, Lucas

2006-01-01

Pedagogical intervention regarding engagement with natural, artistic and moral beauty can lead to an increase in trait hope. In a quasi-experimental design with college students the intervention group showed significantly higher gain scores on trait hope than did the comparison group; the effect size was moderate. The experimental group also…

Distress improves after mindfulness training for progressive MS: A pilot randomised trial.

PubMed

Bogosian, A; Chadwick, P; Windgassen, S; Norton, S; McCrone, P; Mosweu, I; Silber, E; Moss-Morris, R

2015-08-01

Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to effectively reduce anxiety, depression and pain in patients with chronic physical illnesses. We assessed the potential effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a specially adapted Skype distant-delivered mindfulness intervention, designed to reduce distress for people affected by primary and secondary progressive MS. Forty participants were randomly assigned to the eight-week intervention (n = 19) or a waiting-list control group (n = 21). Participants completed standardised questionnaires to measure mood, impact of MS and symptom severity, quality of life and service costs at baseline, post-intervention and three-month follow-up. Distress scores were lower in the intervention group compared with the control group at post-intervention and follow-up (p < 0.05), effect size -0.67 post-intervention and -0.97 at follow-up. Mean scores for pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression and impact of MS were reduced for the mindfulness group compared with control group at post-therapy and follow-up; effect sizes ranged from -0.27 to -0.99 post-intervention and -0.29 to -1.12 at follow-up. There were no differences in quality-adjusted life years, but an 87.4% probability that the intervention saves on service costs and improves outcome. A mindfulness intervention delivered through Skype video conferences appears accessible, feasible and potentially effective and cost-effective for people with progressive MS. © The Author(s), 2015.

Determining Sample Size with a Given Range of Mean Effects in One-Way Heteroscedastic Analysis of Variance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shieh, Gwowen; Jan, Show-Li

2013-01-01

The authors examined 2 approaches for determining the required sample size of Welch's test for detecting equality of means when the greatest difference between any 2 group means is given. It is shown that the actual power obtained with the sample size of the suggested approach is consistently at least as great as the nominal power. However, the…

Group selections among laboratory populations of Tribolium.

PubMed

Wade, M J

1976-12-01

Selection at the population level or group selection is defined as genetic change that is brought about or maintained by the differential extinction and/or proliferation of populations. Group selection for both increased and decreased adult population size was carried out among laboratory populations of Tribolium castaneum at 37-day intervals. The effect of individual selection within populations on adult population size was evaluated in an additional control series of populations. The response in the group selection treatments occurred rapidly, within three or four generations, and was large in magnitude, at times differing from the controls by over 200%. This response to selection at the populational level occurred despite strong individual selection which caused a decline in the mean size of the control populations from over 200 adults to near 50 adults in nine 37-day intervals. "Assay" experiments indicated that selective changes in fecundity, developmental time, body weight, and cannibalism rates were responsible in part for the observed treatment differences in adult population size. These findings have implications in terms of speciation in organisms whose range is composed of many partially isolated local populations.

Group Medical Visits (GMVs) in primary care: an RCT of group-based versus individual appointments to reduce HbA1c in older people

PubMed Central

Khan, Karim M; Windt, Adriaan; Davis, Jennifer C; Dawes, Martin; Liu-Ambrose, Teresa; Madden, Ken; Marra, Carlo A; Housden, Laura; Hoppmann, Christiane; Adams, David J

2015-01-01

Introduction Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) affects more than 1.1 million Canadians aged ≥65 years. Group Medical Visits are an emerging health service delivery method. Recent systematic reviews show that they can significantly reduce glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, but Group Visits have not been evaluated within primary care. We intend to determine the clinical effectiveness, quality of life and economic implications of Group Medical Visits within a primary care setting for older people with T2DM. Methods and analysis A 2-year proof-of-concept, single-blinded (measurement team) randomised control trial to test the efficacy of Group Medical Visits in an urban Canadian primary care setting. Participants ≥65 years old with T2DM (N=128) will be equally randomised to either eight groups of eight patients each (Group Medical Visits; Intervention) or to Individual visits (Standard Care; Controls). Those administering cointerventions are not blinded to group assignment. Our sample size is based on estimates of variance (±1.4% for HbA1c) and effect size (0.9/1.4=0.6) from the literature and from our own preliminary data. Forty participants per group will provide a β likelihood of 0.80, assuming an α of 0.05. A conservative estimation of an effect size of 0.7/1.4 changes the N in the power calculation to 59 per group. Hence, we aim to enrol 64 participants in each study arm. We will use intention-to-treat analysis and compare mean HbA1c (% glycosylated HbA1c) (primary outcome) of Intervention/Control participants at 12 months, 24 months and 1 year postintervention on selected clinical, patient-rated and economic measures. Trial registration number NCT02002143. PMID:26169803

Diverse Effects of a Seven-Year Experimental Grassland Fragmentation on Major Invertebrate Groups

PubMed Central

Braschler, Brigitte; Baur, Bruno

2016-01-01

Habitat fragmentation is a major driver of biodiversity loss, but observed effects vary and may depend on the group examined. Time since fragmentation may explain some differences between taxonomical groups, as some species and thus species composition respond with a delay to changes in their environment. Impacts of drivers of global change may thus be underestimated in short-term studies. In our study we experimentally fragmented nutrient-poor dry calcareous grasslands and studied the response of species richness, individual density and species composition of various groups of invertebrates (gastropods, ants, ground beetles, rove beetles, orthoptera, spiders, woodlice) in 12 small (1.5 m * 1.5 m) and 12 large (4.5 m * 4.5 m) fragments and their corresponding control plots after 7 years. We further examined responses to fragmentation in relation to body size and habitat preferences. Responses to fragmentation varied between taxonomical groups. While spider species richness and individual density were lower in fragments, the opposite was true for an orthopteran species and woodlice. Species composition and β-diversity differed between fragments and control plots for some groups. However, the interaction treatment*plot size was rarely significant. Species with high occupancy rates in undisturbed control plots responded more negatively to the fragmentation, while species with large body size were relatively more abundant in fragments in some groups. No effect of the fragmentation was found for ants, which may have the longest lag times because of long-lived colonies. However, relationships between abundance and the species’ preferences for environmental factors affected by edge effects indicate that ant diversity too may be affected in the longer-term. Our results show the importance of considering different groups in conservation management in times of widespread fragmentation of landscapes. While species richness may respond slowly, changes in abundance related to habitat preferences or morphology may allow insights into likely long-term changes. PMID:26891049

Detection probability in aerial surveys of feral horses

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ransom, Jason I.

2011-01-01

Observation bias pervades data collected during aerial surveys of large animals, and although some sources can be mitigated with informed planning, others must be addressed using valid sampling techniques that carefully model detection probability. Nonetheless, aerial surveys are frequently employed to count large mammals without applying such methods to account for heterogeneity in visibility of animal groups on the landscape. This often leaves managers and interest groups at odds over decisions that are not adequately informed. I analyzed detection of feral horse (Equus caballus) groups by dual independent observers from 24 fixed-wing and 16 helicopter flights using mixed-effect logistic regression models to investigate potential sources of observation bias. I accounted for observer skill, population location, and aircraft type in the model structure and analyzed the effects of group size, sun effect (position related to observer), vegetation type, topography, cloud cover, percent snow cover, and observer fatigue on detection of horse groups. The most important model-averaged effects for both fixed-wing and helicopter surveys included group size (fixed-wing: odds ratio = 0.891, 95% CI = 0.850–0.935; helicopter: odds ratio = 0.640, 95% CI = 0.587–0.698) and sun effect (fixed-wing: odds ratio = 0.632, 95% CI = 0.350–1.141; helicopter: odds ratio = 0.194, 95% CI = 0.080–0.470). Observer fatigue was also an important effect in the best model for helicopter surveys, with detection probability declining after 3 hr of survey time (odds ratio = 0.278, 95% CI = 0.144–0.537). Biases arising from sun effect and observer fatigue can be mitigated by pre-flight survey design. Other sources of bias, such as those arising from group size, topography, and vegetation can only be addressed by employing valid sampling techniques such as double sampling, mark–resight (batch-marked animals), mark–recapture (uniquely marked and identifiable animals), sightability bias correction models, and line transect distance sampling; however, some of these techniques may still only partially correct for negative observation biases.

Effects of the men's program on U.S. Army soldiers' intentions to commit and willingness to intervene to prevent rape: a pretest posttest study.

PubMed

Foubert, John D; Masin, Ryan C

2012-01-01

Noncommissioned male officers in the U.S. Army stationed in Germany were trained to present a 1-hour rape prevention workshop--The Men's Program--to 237 enlisted male soldiers. A comparison group of 244 male soldiers received a briefing focused on reducing the individual's risk for experiencing sexual assault, discussion of myths and facts about sexual assault, and how to avoid being accused of sexual assault. Participants in The Men's Program experienced significant change in the predicted direction for bystander willingness to help, bystander efficacy, rape myth acceptance, likelihood of raping, and likelihood of committing sexual assault with low to medium effect sizes. Comparison group participants experienced no effect on these variables except for a significant decline in rape myth acceptance with a very low effect size. Between-group differences pointed to the efficacy of The Men's Program. Implications of these results for rape prevention programming in the military are discussed.

First among Others? Cohen's "d" vs. Alternative Standardized Mean Group Difference Measures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cahan, Sorel; Gamliel, Eyal

2011-01-01

Standardized effect size measures typically employed in behavioral and social sciences research in the multi-group case (e.g., [eta][superscript 2], f[superscript 2]) evaluate between-group variability in terms of either total or within-group variability, such as variance or standard deviation--that is, measures of dispersion about the mean. In…

Child-Centered Group Play Therapy: Impact on Social-Emotional Assets of Kindergarten Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Yi-Ju; Ray, Dee C.

2016-01-01

The current study explored the effects of child-centered group play therapy (CCGPT) on social-emotional assets of kindergarten children and the therapeutic aspect of group sizes in CCGPT outcome. A total of 43 participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention or waitlist control groups. We used Parent and Teacher forms of Social…

Effects of an integrated geriatric group balance class within an entry-level Doctorate of Physical Therapy program on students' perceptions of geriatrics and geriatric education in the United States.

PubMed

Reneker, Jennifer C; Weems, Kyra; Scaia, Vincent

2016-01-01

This study was aimed at determining the effect of an integrated group balance class for community-dwelling older adults within entry-level physical therapist coursework on student perceptions of geriatric physical therapy and geriatric physical therapy education. Twenty-nine Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students, 21-33 years old, in their second year of coursework in 2012, participated in an integrated clinical experience with exposure to geriatric patients at an outpatient facility at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Akron, Ohio, USA. Student perceptions were collected before and after participation in the 8-week balance class. The Wilcoxon sign-ranked test was used to identify differences in perceptions after participation in the group balance class. Cohen's d values were calculated to measure the size of the pre-participation to post-participation effect for each measure. At the conclusion of the group class, the DPT students demonstrated an increase in positive perceptions of geriatric physical therapy in 8 measures, with small effect sizes (d=0.15-0.30). Two perceptions of geriatric physical therapy demonstrated a significant positive increase (P<.05) with moderate effect sizes (d=0.47 and d=0.50). The students' perceptions of geriatric education in the curriculum demonstrated a large positive effect for quality (d=1.68) and enjoyment (d=1.96). Positive changes were found in most of the perceptions of geriatrics and geriatric education after participation, suggesting that integrated clinical experiences with geriatric patients are an effective way to positively influence perceptions of physical therapist practice with older adults.

Female elk contacts are neither frequency nor density dependent

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cross, Paul C.; Creech, Tyler G.; Ebinger, Michael R.; Manlove, Kezia R.; Irvine, Kathryn M.; Henningsen, John C.; Rogerson, Jared D.; Scurlock, Brandon M.; Creely, Scott

2013-01-01

Identifying drivers of contact rates among individuals is critical to understanding disease dynamics and implementing targeted control measures. We studied the interaction patterns of 149 female elk (Cervus canadensis) distributed across five different regions of western Wyoming over three years, defining a contact as an approach within one body length (∼2 m). Using hierarchical models that account for correlations within individuals, pairs, and groups, we found that pairwise contact rates within a group declined by a factor of three as group sizes increased 33-fold. Per capita contact rates, however, increased with group size according to a power function, such that female elk contact rates fell in between the predictions of density- or frequency-dependent disease models. We found similar patterns for the duration of contacts. Our results suggest that larger elk groups are likely to play a disproportionate role in the disease dynamics of directly transmitted infections in elk. Supplemental feeding of elk had a limited impact on pairwise interaction rates and durations, but per capita rates were more than two times higher on feeding grounds. Our statistical approach decomposes the variation in contact rate into individual, dyadic, and environmental effects, and provides insight into factors that may be targeted by disease control programs. In particular, female elk contact patterns were driven more by environmental factors such as group size than by either individual or dyad effects.

Adding exercise to rosuvastatin treatment: influence on C-reactive protein, monocyte toll-like receptor 4 expression, and inflammatory monocyte (CD14+CD16+) population.

PubMed

Coen, Paul M; Flynn, Michael G; Markofski, Melissa M; Pence, Brandt D; Hannemann, Robert E

2010-12-01

Statin treatment and exercise training can reduce markers of inflammation when administered separately. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of rosuvastatin treatment and the addition of exercise training on circulating markers of inflammation including C-reactive protein (CRP), monocyte toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression, and CD14+CD16+ monocyte population size. Thirty-three hypercholesterolemic and physically inactive subjects were randomly assigned to rosuvastatin (R) or rosuvastatin/exercise (RE) groups. A third group of physically active hypercholesterolemic subjects served as a control (AC). The R and RE groups received rosuvastatin treatment (10 mg/d) for 20 weeks. From week 10 to week 20, the RE group also participated in an exercise training program (3d/wk). Measurements were made at baseline (Pre), week 10 (Mid), and week 20 (Post), and included TLR4 expression on CD14+ monocytes and CD14+CD16+ monocyte population size as determined by 3-color flow cytometry. Serum CRP was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. TLR4 expression on CD14+ monocytes was higher in the R group at week 20. When treatment groups (R and RE) were combined, serum CRP was lower across time. Furthermore, serum CRP and inflammatory monocyte population size were lower in the RE group compared with the R group at the Post time point. When all groups (R, RE, and AC) were combined, TLR4 expression was greater on inflammatory monocytes (CD14+CD16+) compared with classic monocytes (CD14+CD16⁻) at all time points. In conclusion, rosuvastatin may influence monocyte inflammatory response by increasing TLR4 expression on circulating monocytes. The addition of exercise training to rosuvastatin treatment further lowered CRP and reduced the size of the inflammatory monocyte population, suggesting an additive anti-inflammatory effect of exercise. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of Wheat and Oat-Based Whole Grain Foods on Serum Lipoprotein Size and Distribution in Overweight Middle Aged People: A Randomised Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Tighe, Paula; Duthie, Garry; Brittenden, Julie; Vaughan, Nicholas; Mutch, William; Simpson, William G.; Duthie, Susan; Horgan, Graham W.; Thies, Frank

2013-01-01

Introduction Epidemiological studies suggest three daily servings of whole-grain foods (WGF) might lower cardiovascular disease risk, at least partly by lowering serum lipid levels. We have assessed the effects of consuming three daily portions of wholegrain food (provided as wheat or a mixture of wheat and oats) on lipoprotein subclass size and concentration in a dietary randomised controlled trial involving middle aged healthy individuals. Methods After a 4-week run-in period on a refined diet, volunteers were randomly allocated to a control (refined diet), wheat, or wheat + oats group for 12 weeks. Our servings were determined in order to significantly increase the intakes of non starch polysaccharides to the UK Dietary Reference Value of 18 g per day in the whole grain groups (18.5 g and 16.8 g per day in the wheat and wheat + oats groups respectively in comparison with 11.3 g per day in the control group). Outcome measures were serum lipoprotein subclasses' size and concentration. Habitual dietary intake was assessed prior and during the intervention. Of the 233 volunteers recruited, 24 withdrew and 3 were excluded. Results At baseline, significant associations were found between lipoprotein size and subclasses' concentrations and some markers of cardiovascular risk such as insulin resistance, blood pressure and serum Inter cellular adhesion molecule 1 concentration. Furthermore, alcohol and vitamin C intake were positively associated with an anti-atherogenic lipoprotein profile, with regards to lipoprotein size and subclasses' distribution. However, none of the interventions with whole grain affected lipoprotein size and profile. Conclusion Our results indicate that three portions of wholegrain foods, irrelevant of the type (wheat or oat-based) do not reduce cardiovascular risk by beneficially altering the size and distribution of lipoprotein subclasses. Trial Registration www.Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN 27657880. PMID:23940575

Dietary assessment in minority ethnic groups: a systematic review of instruments for portion-size estimation in the United Kingdom

PubMed Central

Almiron-Roig, Eva; Aitken, Amanda; Galloway, Catherine

2017-01-01

Context: Dietary assessment in minority ethnic groups is critical for surveillance programs and for implementing effective interventions. A major challenge is the accurate estimation of portion sizes for traditional foods and dishes. Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to assess records published up to 2014 describing a portion-size estimation element (PSEE) applicable to the dietary assessment of UK-residing ethnic minorities. Data sources, selection, and extraction: Electronic databases, internet sites, and theses repositories were searched, generating 5683 titles, from which 57 eligible full-text records were reviewed. Data analysis: Forty-two publications about minority ethnic groups (n = 20) or autochthonous populations (n = 22) were included. The most common PSEEs (47%) were combination tools (eg, food models and portion-size lists), followed by portion-size lists in questionnaires/guides (19%) and image-based and volumetric tools (17% each). Only 17% of PSEEs had been validated against weighed data. Conclusions: When developing ethnic-specific dietary assessment tools, it is important to consider customary portion sizes by sex and age, traditional household utensil usage, and population literacy levels. Combining multiple PSEEs may increase accuracy, but such methods require validation. PMID:28340101

Comparison of aloe vera mouthwash with triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% on oral lichen planus: a randomized double-blinded clinical trial.

PubMed

Mansourian, Arash; Momen-Heravi, Fatemeh; Saheb-Jamee, Mahnaz; Esfehani, Mahsa; Khalilzadeh, Omid; Momen-Beitollahi, Jalil

2011-12-01

Corticosteroids are the mainstay for treatment of oral lichen planus (OLP) and have their own side effects. The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic effects of aloe vera (AV) mouthwash with triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% (TA) on OLP. A total of 46 patients with OLP were enrolled in this study. The patients were randomly divided into 2 groups. Each group was treated with received AV mouthwash or TA. The treatment period for both groups was 4 weeks. The basement data were recorded for each patient. Patients were evaluated on days 8, 16 and after completing the course of treatment (visit 1-3). The last follow-up was 2 months after the start of treatment (visit 4). Visual analogue scale was used for evaluating pain and burning sensation and Thongprasom index for clinical improvement and healing. In addition, lesion sizes were measured and recorded at each visit using a grid. Baseline characteristics, including pain and burning sensation score, size and clinical characteristics of the lesions according to Thongprasom index, were not different between the 2 treatment groups. Both AV and TA significantly reduced visual analogue scale score, Thongprasom score and size of the lesions after treatment (P < 0.001) and after 2 months of discontinuation of the treatment (P < 0.001). In the AV group, 74% of patients and in the TA group 78% of patients showed some degrees of healing in the last follow-up. AV mouthwash is an effective substitute for TA in the treatment of OLP.

LOWER EXTREMITY KINEMATICS IN RUNNING ATHLETES WITH AND WITHOUT A HISTORY OF MEDIAL SHIN PAIN

PubMed Central

Reiman, Michael P.

2012-01-01

Purpose/Background: Medial shin pain (MSP) is a common complaint that may stop an athlete from running. No previous study has identified deficits in pelvic, hip or knee motion as potential contributing factors to MSP. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in kinematics during running between uninjured athletes and those with MSP. Secondary analyses investigated differences in limbs between groups and differences between sexes. Methods: This case-control study investigated fourteen runners aged 18–40 years old with a history of unilateral MSP and fourteen runner controls. Three dimensional lower quarter kinematics were captured as runners ran on a treadmill. Specifically, peak hip internal rotation (IR), frontal plane pelvic tilt (PT) excursion, and knee flexion were examined. Results: Groups were similar in age, mass, height, and training mileage. Subjects with a history of MSP demonstrated significantly greater frontal plane PT (P = 0.002, Effect size = 0.55) and peak hip IR (P = 0.004, Effect size = 0.51); and less knee flexion (P = 0.02, Effect size = 0.46) than the control group. No significant difference was found in kinematics of the MSP group during their involved side stance phase as compared to their non-involved side. Conclusions: Runners with MSP displayed greater PT excursion, peak hip IR, and decreased knee flexion while running as compared to a control group. These results should help guide treatment for the running athlete that experiences MSP. Level of Evidence: 3b PMID:22893855

Lower extremity kinematics in running athletes with and without a history of medial shin pain.

PubMed

Loudon, Janice K; Reiman, Michael P

2012-08-01

Medial shin pain (MSP) is a common complaint that may stop an athlete from running. No previous study has identified deficits in pelvic, hip or knee motion as potential contributing factors to MSP. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in kinematics during running between uninjured athletes and those with MSP. Secondary analyses investigated differences in limbs between groups and differences between sexes. This case-control study investigated fourteen runners aged 18-40 years old with a history of unilateral MSP and fourteen runner controls. Three dimensional lower quarter kinematics were captured as runners ran on a treadmill. Specifically, peak hip internal rotation (IR), frontal plane pelvic tilt (PT) excursion, and knee flexion were examined. Groups were similar in age, mass, height, and training mileage. Subjects with a history of MSP demonstrated significantly greater frontal plane PT (P = 0.002, Effect size = 0.55) and peak hip IR (P = 0.004, Effect size = 0.51); and less knee flexion (P = 0.02, Effect size = 0.46) than the control group. No significant difference was found in kinematics of the MSP group during their involved side stance phase as compared to their non-involved side. Runners with MSP displayed greater PT excursion, peak hip IR, and decreased knee flexion while running as compared to a control group. These results should help guide treatment for the running athlete that experiences MSP. 3b.

Increasing efficiency of preclinical research by group sequential designs

PubMed Central

Piper, Sophie K.; Rex, Andre; Florez-Vargas, Oscar; Karystianis, George; Schneider, Alice; Wellwood, Ian; Siegerink, Bob; Ioannidis, John P. A.; Kimmelman, Jonathan; Dirnagl, Ulrich

2017-01-01

Despite the potential benefits of sequential designs, studies evaluating treatments or experimental manipulations in preclinical experimental biomedicine almost exclusively use classical block designs. Our aim with this article is to bring the existing methodology of group sequential designs to the attention of researchers in the preclinical field and to clearly illustrate its potential utility. Group sequential designs can offer higher efficiency than traditional methods and are increasingly used in clinical trials. Using simulation of data, we demonstrate that group sequential designs have the potential to improve the efficiency of experimental studies, even when sample sizes are very small, as is currently prevalent in preclinical experimental biomedicine. When simulating data with a large effect size of d = 1 and a sample size of n = 18 per group, sequential frequentist analysis consumes in the long run only around 80% of the planned number of experimental units. In larger trials (n = 36 per group), additional stopping rules for futility lead to the saving of resources of up to 30% compared to block designs. We argue that these savings should be invested to increase sample sizes and hence power, since the currently underpowered experiments in preclinical biomedicine are a major threat to the value and predictiveness in this research domain. PMID:28282371

The building-up of social relationships: behavioural types, social networks and cooperative breeding in a cichlid

PubMed Central

Schürch, Roger; Rothenberger, Susan; Heg, Dik

2010-01-01

Consistent individual differences in behavioural types may not only cause variation in life-history decisions, but may also affect the choice of social partners and sociality in general. Here, we tested whether and how behavioural type influences the establishment of social ties using the cooperatively breeding cichlid, Neolamprologus pulcher. In a habitat saturation experiment with individuals pre-tested for behavioural type, we first analysed whether behavioural type affected the likelihood of settlement (i.e. social status), group sizes, and the types of dominant and subordinate individuals accepted as group members. Corrected for effects of body size and sex, the behavioural type did not affect settlement. However, bold dominant males only accepted smaller females, and grouped with bold subordinates, while shy dominant males accepted larger females than themselves, and grouped with shy subordinates. Second, we analysed the relationships between behavioural type and the aggressiveness or affiliation social network. Behavioural type significantly affected the number and quality of connections within the two networks. We show that behavioural types affect group composition, social networks and status achieved, in interaction with body size. Thus, the interactions within groups may depend not only on age, size and sex, but also on the behavioural type of the individuals involved. PMID:21078660

An electrophysiological investigation of non-symbolic magnitude processing: numerical distance effects in children with and without mathematical learning disabilities.

PubMed

Heine, Angela; Wissmann, Jacqueline; Tamm, Sascha; De Smedt, Bert; Schneider, Michael; Stern, Elsbeth; Verschaffel, Lieven; Jacobs, Arthur M

2013-09-01

The aim of the present study was to probe electrophysiological effects of non-symbolic numerical processing in 20 children with mathematical learning disabilities (mean age = 99.2 months) compared to a group of 20 typically developing matched controls (mean age = 98.4 months). EEG data were obtained while children were tested with a standard non-symbolic numerical comparison paradigm that allowed us to investigate the effects of numerical distance manipulations for different set sizes, i.e., the classical subitizing, counting and estimation ranges. Effects of numerical distance manipulations on event-related potential (ERP) amplitudes as well as activation patterns of underlying current sources were analyzed. In typically developing children, the amplitudes of a late parietal positive-going ERP component showed systematic numerical distance effects that did not depend on set size. For the group of children with mathematical learning disabilities, ERP distance effects were found only for stimuli within the subitizing range. Current source density analysis of distance-related group effects suggested that areas in right inferior parietal regions are involved in the generation of the parietal ERP amplitude differences. Our results suggest that right inferior parietal regions are recruited differentially by controls compared to children with mathematical learning disabilities in response to non-symbolic numerical magnitude processing tasks, but only for stimuli with set sizes that exceed the subitizing range. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Developmental Test of Visual–Motor Integration (VMI): An Effective Outcome Measure for Handwriting Interventions for Kindergarten, First-Grade, and Second-Grade Students?

PubMed Central

Moskowitz, Beverly; Paoletti, Andrew; Brusilovskiy, Eugene; Zylstra, Sheryl Eckberg; Murray, Tammy

2015-01-01

We determined whether a widely used assessment of visual–motor skills, the Beery–Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual–Motor Integration (VMI), is appropriate for use as an outcome measure for handwriting interventions. A two-group pretest–posttest design was used with 207 kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade students. Two well-established handwriting measures and the VMI were administered pre- and postintervention. The intervention group participated in the Size Matters Handwriting Program for 40 sessions, and the control group received standard instruction. Paired and independent-samples t tests were used to analyze group differences. The intervention group demonstrated significant improvements on the handwriting measures, with change scores having mostly large effect sizes. We found no significant difference in change scores on the VMI, t(202) = 1.19, p = .23. Results of this study suggest that the VMI may not detect changes in handwriting related to occupational therapy intervention. PMID:26114468

Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI): An Effective Outcome Measure for Handwriting Interventions for Kindergarten, First-Grade, and Second-Grade Students?

PubMed

Pfeiffer, Beth; Moskowitz, Beverly; Paoletti, Andrew; Brusilovskiy, Eugene; Zylstra, Sheryl Eckberg; Murray, Tammy

2015-01-01

We determined whether a widely used assessment of visual-motor skills, the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI), is appropriate for use as an outcome measure for handwriting interventions. A two-group pretest-posttest design was used with 207 kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade students. Two well-established handwriting measures and the VMI were administered pre- and postintervention. The intervention group participated in the Size Matters Handwriting Program for 40 sessions, and the control group received standard instruction. Paired and independent-samples t tests were used to analyze group differences. The intervention group demonstrated significant improvements on the handwriting measures, with change scores having mostly large effect sizes. We found no significant difference in change scores on the VMI, t(202)=1.19, p=.23. Results of this study suggest that the VMI may not detect changes in handwriting related to occupational therapy intervention. Copyright © 2015 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Gender Role Conflict, Interest in Casual Sex, and Relationship Satisfaction Among Gay Men

PubMed Central

Sanchez, Fráncisco J.; Bocklandt, Sven; Vilain, Eric

2010-01-01

This study compared single (n = 129) and partnered gay men (n = 114) to determine if they differed in their concerns over traditional masculine roles and interest in casual sex, and to measure the relationship between concerns over masculine roles and interest in casual sex. Additionally, a regression model to predict relationship satisfaction was tested. Participants were recruited at two Southern California Gay Pride festivals. Group comparisons showed single men were more restrictive in their affectionate behavior with other men (effect-size r = .14) and were more interested in casual sex than partnered men (effect-size r = .13); and partnered men were more concerned with being successful, powerful, and competitive than single men (effect-size r = .20). Different masculine roles were predictive of interest in casual sex among the two groups of men. Finally, a hierarchical regression analysis found that interest in casual sex and the length of one’s current relationship served as unique predictors of relationship satisfaction among the partnered gay men (Cohen’s f2 = .52). PMID:20721305

Effects of alcohol solvents on anatase TiO2 nanocrystals prepared by microwave-assisted solvothermal method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yu-Chun; Tai, Yu-Chuen

2013-06-01

The effects of solvents on the anatase crystallite size prepared by sol-gel microwave-assisted solvothermal method were investigated in this study. Eight different alcohol solvents classified into two groups, i.e. primary and secondary/ternary alcohols, were used as reaction media and the effects of solvent properties, such as dielectric constant, boiling point, and internal pressure during the solvothermal process, on the crystallite size and shape were analyzed. According to the experimental results, selecting the solvent type allowed not only the alteration of the crystallite size but also the crystallite shape without the need of any additives. The boiling point of solvent was determined as the major factor influencing the crystallite size. Among the solvents with similar boiling points, the solvent with a higher carbon number produced the smaller crystallite size because of steric hindrance effect. In addition, the carboxyl groups dissociated from the alcohol solvent can play a role as a structural capping agent to retard the anatase crystal growth along the [001] direction and led to a rectangular crystallite shape with preferred development in {001} facets. On the other hand, the alcoholysis reaction was found easily occurred between the primary alcohol and isopropoxide that effectively limited the hydrolysis and condensation processes but also suppressed the structural capping effect. Therefore, the anatase crystals prepared in the primary alcohols became exceptionally small and showed spherical shape. Finally, the anatase crystals prepared using isopropanol demonstrated the highest photocatalytic activity due to its evident preferred crystallization in the {001} facets.

[Managing emotions--emotions under control].

PubMed

Barnow, Sven; Löw, Christina Alexandra; Dodek, Anja; Stopsack, Malte

2014-07-01

Emotion regulation processes are of central importance to mental and physical health. Based on this relationship we developed the group intervention "Managing Emotions: Emotions under control" (German: "Gefühle im Griff"), which systematically teaches participants specific emotion regulation strategies. Structure and content of the intervention program as well as preliminary results of efficacy are presented (n=18). Using the H-FERST, large effect sizes resulted for the increase of reappraisal and acceptance and for the reduction of rumination, a medium effect size could be shown for the reduction of avoidance, and a small effect size resulted for the increase of activity and social support. Overall psychopathology by means of the BSI was reduced with an effect size of d=0.63 in participants with more severe mental strain (GSI ≥ 0.6). © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Short-Term Cognitive-Behavioural Group Treatment for Hoarding Disorder: A Naturalistic Treatment Outcome Study.

PubMed

Moulding, Richard; Nedeljkovic, Maja; Kyrios, Michael; Osborne, Debra; Mogan, Christopher

2017-01-01

The study aim was to test whether a 12-week publically rebated group programme, based upon Steketee and Frost's Cognitive Behavioural Therapy-based hoarding treatment, would be efficacious in a community-based setting. Over a 3-year period, 77 participants with clinically significant hoarding were recruited into 12 group programmes. All completed treatment; however, as this was a community-based naturalistic study, only 41 completed the post-treatment assessment. Treatment included psychoeducation about hoarding, skills training for organization and decision making, direct in-session exposure to sorting and discarding, and cognitive and behavioural techniques to support out-of-session sorting and discarding, and nonacquiring. Self-report measures used to assess treatment effect were the Savings Inventory-Revised (SI-R), Savings Cognition Inventory, and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales. Pre-post analyses indicated that after 12 weeks of treatment, hoarding symptoms as measured on the SI-R had reduced significantly, with large effect sizes reported in total and across all subscales. Moderate effect sizes were also reported for hoarding-related beliefs (emotional attachment and responsibility) and depressive symptoms. Of the 41 participants who completed post-treatment questionnaires, 14 (34%) were conservatively calculated to have clinically significant change, which is considerable given the brevity of the programme judged against the typical length of the disorder. The main limitation of the study was the moderate assessment completion rate, given its naturalistic setting. This study demonstrated that a 12-week group treatment for hoarding disorders was effective in reducing hoarding and depressive symptoms in an Australian clinical cohort and provides evidence for use of this treatment approach in a community setting. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. A 12-week group programme delivered in a community setting was effective for helping with hoarding symptoms with a large effect size. Hoarding beliefs (emotional attachment and responsibility) and depression were reduced, with moderate effect sizes. A third of all participants who completed post-treatment questionnaires experienced clinically significant change. Suggests that hoarding CBT treatment can be effectively translated into real-world settings and into a brief 12-session format, albeit the study had a moderate assessment completion rate. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Consequences of lethal intragroup aggression and alpha male replacement on intergroup relations and home range use in tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella nigritus).

PubMed

Scarry, Clara J; Tujague, M Paula

2012-09-01

In conflicts between primate groups, the resource-holding potential (RHP) of competitors is frequently related to group size or male group size, which can remain relatively constant for long periods of time, promoting stable intergroup dominance relationships. Demographic changes in neighboring groups, however, could introduce uncertainty into existing relationships. Among tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella nigritus), dominant male replacement is a relatively infrequent demographic event that can have a profound effect on both the composition and size of the social group. Here, we report such a case and the consequences for home range use and intergroup aggression. Between June 2008 and August 2010, we periodically followed two neighboring groups (Macuco and Rita) in Iguazú National Park, recording daily paths (N = 143) and encounters between the groups (N = 28). We describe the events leading to a change in the male dominance hierarchy in the larger group (Macuco), which resulted in the death or dispersal of all adult males, followed by the succession of a young adult male to the dominant position. This takeover event reduced the numerical advantage in number of males between the two groups, although the ratio of total group sizes remained nearly constant. Following this shift in numerical asymmetry, the degree of escalation of intergroup aggression increased, and we observed reversals in the former intergroup dominance relationship. These changes in behavior during intergroup encounters were associated with changes in the use of overlapping areas. In the 6 months following the takeover, the area of home range overlap doubled, and the formerly dominant group's area of exclusive access was reduced by half. These results suggest that RHPin tufted capuchin monkeys is related to male group size. Furthermore, they highlight the importance of considering rare demographic events in attempts to understand the dynamics of aggression between primate groups. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Group composition effects on aggressive interpack interactions of gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cassidy, Kira A.; MacNulty, Daniel R.; Stahler, Daniel R.; Smith, Douglas W.; Mech, L. David

2015-01-01

Knowledge of characteristics that promote group success during intraspecific encounters is key to understanding the adaptive advantages of sociality for many group-living species. In addition, some individuals in a group may be more likely than others to influence intergroup conflicts, a relatively neglected idea in research on social animals. Here we use observations of aggressive interactions between wolf (Canis lupus) packs over an extended period and use pack characteristics to determine which groups had an advantage over their opponents. During 16 years of observation in Yellowstone National Park from 1995 to 2010, we documented 121 interpack aggressive interactions. We recorded pack sizes, compositions, and spatial orientation related to residency to determine their effects on the outcomes of interactions between packs. Relative pack size (RPS) improved the odds of a pack displacing its opponent. However, pack composition moderated the effect of RPS as packs with relatively more old members (>6.0 years old) or adult males had higher odds of winning despite a numerical disadvantage. The location of the interaction with respect to pack territories had no effect on the outcome of interpack interactions. Although the importance of RPS in successful territorial defense suggests the evolution and maintenance of group living may be at least partly due to larger packs’ success during interpack interactions, group composition is also an important factor, highlighting that some individuals are more valuable than others during interpack conflicts.

The effects of anesthetic agents on pupillary function during general anesthesia using the automated infrared quantitative pupillometer.

PubMed

Shirozu, Kazuhiro; Setoguchi, Hidekazu; Tokuda, Kentaro; Karashima, Yuji; Ikeda, Mizuko; Kubo, Makoto; Nakamura, Katsuya; Hoka, Sumio

2017-04-01

Pupil reactivity can be used to evaluate central nervous system function and can be measured using a quantitative pupillometer. However, whether anesthetic agents affect the accuracy of the technique remains unclear. We examined the effects of anesthetic agents on pupillary reactivity. Thirty-five patients scheduled for breast or thyroid surgery were enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into four groups based on the technique used to maintain anesthesia: a sevoflurane-remifentanil (SEV/REM) group, a sevoflurane (SEV) group, a desflurane-remifentanil (DES/REM) group, and a propofol-remifentanil (PRO/REM) group. We measured maximum resting pupil size (MAX), reduction pupil size ratio (%CH), latency duration (LAT) and neurological pupil index (NPi). A marked reduction in MAX and %CH compared with baseline was observed in all groups, but LAT was unchanged during surgery. NPi reduced within the first hour of surgery in the SEV/REM, SEV, and DES/REM groups, but was not significantly different in the PRO/REM group. Compared with the PRO/REM group, mean %CH and NPi in patients anesthetized with SEV/REM, SEV or DES/REM were markedly lower at 1 h after surgery had commenced. There was no correlation between NPi and bispectral index. Fentanyl given alone decreased pupil size and %CH in light reflex, but did not change the NPi. NPi was decreased by inhalational anesthesia not but intravenous anesthesia. The difference in pupil reactivity between inhalational anesthetic and propofol may indicate differences in the alteration of midbrain reflexs in patients under inhalational or intravenous anesthesia.

[Laser's biostimulation in healing or crural ulcerations].

PubMed

Król, P; Franek, A; Huńka-Zurawińska, W; Bil, J; Swist, D; Polak, A; Bendkowski, W

2001-11-01

The objective of this paper was to evaluate effect of laser's biostimulation on the process of healing of crural ulcerations. Three comparative groups of patients, A, B and C, were made at random from the patients with venous crural ulcerations. The group A consisted of 17, the group B 15, the group C 17 patients. The patients in all comparative groups were treated pharmacologically and got compress therapy. Ulcerations at patients in group A were additionally irradiated by light of biostimulation's laser (810 nm) in this way that every time ulcerations got dose of energy 4 J/cm2. The patient's in-group B additionally got blind trial (with placebo in the form of quasi-laserotherapy). The evaluated factors were to estimate how laser's biostimulation causes any changes of the size of the ulcers and of the volume of tissue defect. The speed of changes of size and volume of tissue defect per week was calculated. After the treatment there was statistically significant decrease of size of ulcers in all comparative groups while there was no statistically significant difference between the groups observed. After the treatment there was statistically significant decrease of volume of ulcers only in groups A and C but there was no statistically significant difference between the groups observed.

Forming groups of aggressive sows based on a predictive test of aggression does not affect overall sow aggression or welfare.

PubMed

Verdon, Megan; Morrison, R S; Hemsworth, P H

2018-05-01

This experiment examined the effects of group composition on sow aggressive behaviour and welfare. Over 6 time replicates, 360 sows (parity 1-6) were mixed into groups (10 sows per pen, 1.8 m 2 /sow) composed of animals that were predicted to be aggressive (n = 18 pens) or groups composed of animals that were randomly selected (n = 18 pens). Predicted aggressive sows were selected based on a model-pig test that has been shown to be related to the aggressive behaviour of parity 2 sows when subsequently mixed in groups. Measurements were taken on aggression delivered post-mixing, and aggression delivered around feeding, fresh skin injuries and plasma cortisol concentrations at days 2 and 24 post-mixing. Live weight gain, litter size (born alive, total born, stillborn piglets), and farrowing rate were also recorded. Manipulating the group composition based on predicted sow aggressiveness had no effect (P > 0.05) on sow aggression delivered at mixing or around feeding, fresh injuries, cortisol, weight gain from day 2 to day 24, farrowing rate, or litter size. The lack of treatment effects in the present experiment could be attributed to (1) a failure of the model-pig test to predict aggression in older sows in groups, or (2) the dependence of the expression of the aggressive phenotype on factors such as social experience and characteristics (e.g., physical size and aggressive phenotype) of pen mates. This research draws attention to the intrinsic difficulties associated with predicting behaviour across contexts, particularly when the behaviour is highly dependent on interactions with conspecifics, and highlights the social complexities involved in the presentation of a behavioural phenotype. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the DSM-5 severity indicator for binge eating disorder in a clinical sample

PubMed Central

Grilo, Carlos M.; Ivezaj, Valentina; White, Marney A.

2015-01-01

Objective This study tested the new DSM-5 severity criterion for binge eating disorder (BED) based on frequency of binge-eating in a clinical sample. This study also tested overvaluation of shape/weight as an alternative severity specifier. Method Participants were 834 treatment-seeking adults diagnosed with DSM-5 BED using semistructured diagnostic and eating-disorder interviews. Participants sub-grouped based on DSM-5 severity levels and on overvaluation of shape/weight were compared on demographic and clinical variables. Results Based on DSM-5 severity definitions, 331 (39.7%) participants were categorized as mild, 395 (47.5%) as moderate, 83 (10.0%) as severe, and 25 (3.0%) as extreme. Analyses comparing three (mild, moderate, and severe/extreme) severity groups revealed no significant differences in demographic variables or body mass index (BMI). Analyses revealed significantly higher eating-disorder psychopathology in the severe/extreme than moderate and mild groups and higher depression in moderate and severe/extreme groups than the mild group; effect sizes were small. Participants characterized with overvaluation (N = 449; 54%) versus without overvaluation (N = 384; 46%) did not differ significantly in age, sex, BMI, or binge-eating frequency, but had significantly greater eating-disorder psychopathology and depression. The robustly greater eating-disorder psychopathology and depression levels (medium-to-large effect sizes) in the overvaluation group was observed without attenuation of effect sizes after adjusting for ethnicity/race and binge-eating severity/frequency. Conclusions Our findings provide support for overvaluation of shape/weight as a severity specifier for BED as it provides stronger information about the severity of homogeneous groupings of patients than the DSM-5 rating based on binge-eating. PMID:26114779

Effect of calcium citrate on bone integration in a rabbit femur defect model.

PubMed

Zhang, Wei; Wang, Wei; Chen, Qing-Yu; Lin, Zhong-Qin; Cheng, Shao-Wen; Kou, Dong-Quan; Ying, Xiao-Zhou; Shen, Yue; Cheng, Xiao-Jie; Nie, Peng-Fei; Li, Xiu-Cui; Rompis, Ferdinand An; Huang, Hang; Zhang, Hua; Mu, Zhong-Lin; Peng, Lei

2012-04-01

To explore effect of calcium citrate on bone integration in a rabbit femur defect model, and to compare the bone formation with different sizes by radiological and histological study. Twenty-four male Japanese white rabbits were randomly divided into three groups (Group A, B, C) in this study. Under anesthesia, defects of four sizes (1.2, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 mm) were created in each of the rabbits. Commercially pure calcium citrate powder was placed inside the medullary compartment of the femur (Experimental), while in the contralateral femur (Control) nothing was implanted. The defects were analyzed using radiography and histological analysis by using Imagepro-Plus 6.0 software after animal was sacrificed at 4th(Group A), 6th(Group B) and 8th(Group C) weeks postoperatively. Four samples were analyzed for each size of defect and each healing period. The histological and the radiologic evaluation were performed after sacrification of all rabbits on postoperative 4th and 6th weeks, It showed significant difference between the experimental group and the control group when these defects were less than or equal to 2.0 mm. No statistical difference was observed when these defects were larger than 2.0 mm at all healing periods except at the 4th week. Calcium citrate affects the early periods of bone defects healing mechanism in Japanese white rabbits positively, especially when the defect is not too large. We suggest further studies on calcium citrate to determine the effects of various dosages, administration ways and the experimental time on the bone defects. Copyright © 2012 Hainan Medical College. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Becoming a Scientist: The Effects of Work-Group Size and Organizational Climate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Louis, Karen Seashore; Holdsworth, Janet M.; Anderson, Melissa S.; Campbell, Eric G.

2007-01-01

The purpose of this article is to explore the effects of organizational and work-group characteristics on the socialization of new scientists. It focuses on the experiences of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in science. The authors chose to look at outcomes that reflect behaviors (early productivity) and attitudes (willingness to share…

Size Effects in the Resistivity of Kondo and Spin-Glass Wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Haesendonck, Chris

1998-03-01

Recently, several experiments have focused on possible size effects for the Kondo scattering in thin-film structures of very dilute magnetic alloys (concentration ~ 100 ppm) (For an overview, see M.A. Blachly and N. Giordano, Phys. Rev. B 51), 12537 (1995).. Intuitively, one expects size effects to occur as soon as the sample dimensions become smaller than the size of the Kondo screening cloud which induces a compensation of the local magnetic moments below the Kondo temperature. Since the size of the Kondo cloud is predicted to be of the order of 1 μ m, one should be able to observe pronounced size effects in thin-film Kondo alloys which have been patterned by standard electron beam lithography. Experiments performed by other groups have indeed revealed an important reduction of the slope of the Kondo resistivity for samples with micrometer dimensions. These experiments also show that the size effects are affected by disorder. On the other hand, our experiments on AuFe wires, which have been prepared by flash evaporation as well as by ion implantation, indicate the absence of size effects for the Kondo scattering down to a width of 38 nm. Therefore, the existence of the Kondo cloud remains a controversial issue. The size effects have also been investigated for more concentrated spin-glass alloys (concentration ~ 1 at.%). The resistivity measurements of thin-film spin glasses indicate that intrinsic size effects may be present for length scales below 100 nm (K.R. Lane et al., Phys. Rev. B 51), 945 (1995); G. Neuttiens et al., Europhys. Lett. 34, 617 (1996).. Due to the damping of the RKKY interaction by elastic defect scattering, size effects in the spin-glass regime can be strongly affected by disorder.

The Effects of Sex and Size on Status Ranking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crosbie, Paul V.

1979-01-01

Sex, body size, several sociocultural variables, and status rank were measured in mixed-sex small groups. The intervening sociocultural variables explained some but not all of the interrelationships. Results underscore the empirical vulnerability of social-psychological explanations of sex-role behavior and signal the need for further research.…

Effect of number of pig embryos in the uterus on their survival and development and on maternal metabolism.

PubMed

Père, M C; Dourmad, J Y; Etienne, M

1997-05-01

The effects of pig embryo number on fetal survival and growth and maternal metabolism were evaluated with 114 Large White gilts. Gilts were assigned at 38 kg to three treatments: control (CTR), ligature of the left oviduct (LIG), or right hemi-hysteroovariectomy (HHO). Insemination occurred at 311 +/- 18 d of age. A laparotomy was performed at d 35 of gestation, and gilts were slaughtered at d 112. Ovulation rate per uterine horn was 4.30, 8.70, and 17.12 in the LIG, CTR, and HHO groups, respectively. The hierarchy was the same for litter size at d 35 of gestation, but the relative differences were reduced (3.24, 5.98, and 8.40 fetuses/uterine horn, respectively). Litter size per uterine horn was similar in the CTR and HHO groups at d 112 of pregnancy (2.93, 4.69, and 4.76 fetuses in the LIG, CTR, and HHO groups, respectively). Early (before d 35 of gestation), late, and total fetal mortality increased with embryo potential per uterine horn. There was a compensation between early and late fetal mortality in the CTR and HHO groups. Fetal weight at d 112 was related to litter size in early pregnancy (1.50, 1.38, and 1.27 kg in the LIG, CTR, and HHO groups, respectively). Uterine capacity limits litter size and fetal development, even in sows with a conventional potential of embryos. Availability of energetic and gluconeogenic substrates was higher at 110 than at 60 d of gestation in the three groups. Blood substrate levels suggested that lipid mobilization and glucose uptake were higher in the gilts with a larger litter weight.

Venous leg ulcer healing with electric stimulation therapy: a pilot randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Miller, C; McGuiness, W; Wilson, S; Cooper, K; Swanson, T; Rooney, D; Piller, N; Woodward, M

2017-03-02

Compression therapy is a gold standard treatment to promote venous leg ulcer (VLU) healing. Concordance with compression therapy is, however, often sub-optimal. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of electric stimulation therapy (EST) to facilitate healing of VLUs among people who do not use moderate-to-high levels of compression (>25 mmHg). A pilot multicentre, single-blinded randomised controlled trial was conducted. Participants were randomised (2:1) to the intervention group or a control group where EST or a sham device was used 4 times daily for 20 minutes per session. Participants were monitored fortnightly for eight weeks. The primary outcome measure was percentage of area (wound size) change. In the 23 patients recruited, an average redution in wound size of 23.15% (standard deviation [SD]: 61.23) was observed for the control group compared with 32.67 % (SD: 42.54) for the intervention. A moderate effect size favouring the intervention group was detected from univariate [F(1,18)=1.588, p=0.224, partial eta squared=0.081] and multivariate repeated measures [F(1,18)=2.053, p=0.169, partial eta squared=0.102] analyses. The pilot study was not powered to detect statistical significance, however, the difference in healing outcomes are encouraging. EST may be an effective adjunct treatment among patients who have experienced difficulty adhering to moderate-to-high levels of compression therapy.

The Effects of Mobile-Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning: Meta-Analysis and Critical Synthesis.

PubMed

Sung, Yao-Ting; Yang, Je-Ming; Lee, Han-Yueh

2017-08-01

One of the trends in collaborative learning is using mobile devices for supporting the process and products of collaboration, which has been forming the field of mobile-computer-supported collaborative learning (mCSCL). Although mobile devices have become valuable collaborative learning tools, evaluative evidence for their substantial contributions to collaborative learning is still scarce. The present meta-analysis, which included 48 peer-reviewed journal articles and doctoral dissertations written over a 16-year period (2000-2015) involving 5,294 participants, revealed that mCSCL has produced meaningful improvements for collaborative learning, with an overall mean effect size of 0.516. Moderator variables, such as domain subject, group size, teaching method, intervention duration, and reward method were related to different effect sizes. The results provided implications for future research and practice, such as suggestions on how to appropriately use the functionalities of mobile devices, how to best leverage mCSCL through effective group learning mechanisms, and what outcome variables should be included in future studies to fully elucidate the process and products of mCSCL.

The Effects of Mobile-Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning: Meta-Analysis and Critical Synthesis

PubMed Central

Sung, Yao-Ting; Yang, Je-Ming; Lee, Han-Yueh

2017-01-01

One of the trends in collaborative learning is using mobile devices for supporting the process and products of collaboration, which has been forming the field of mobile-computer-supported collaborative learning (mCSCL). Although mobile devices have become valuable collaborative learning tools, evaluative evidence for their substantial contributions to collaborative learning is still scarce. The present meta-analysis, which included 48 peer-reviewed journal articles and doctoral dissertations written over a 16-year period (2000–2015) involving 5,294 participants, revealed that mCSCL has produced meaningful improvements for collaborative learning, with an overall mean effect size of 0.516. Moderator variables, such as domain subject, group size, teaching method, intervention duration, and reward method were related to different effect sizes. The results provided implications for future research and practice, such as suggestions on how to appropriately use the functionalities of mobile devices, how to best leverage mCSCL through effective group learning mechanisms, and what outcome variables should be included in future studies to fully elucidate the process and products of mCSCL. PMID:28989193

A general theory of effect size, and its consequences for defining the benchmark response (BMR) for continuous endpoints.

PubMed

Slob, Wout

2017-04-01

A general theory on effect size for continuous data predicts a relationship between maximum response and within-group variation of biological parameters, which is empirically confirmed by results from dose-response analyses of 27 different biological parameters. The theory shows how effect sizes observed in distinct biological parameters can be compared and provides a basis for a generic definition of small, intermediate and large effects. While the theory is useful for experimental science in general, it has specific consequences for risk assessment: it solves the current debate on the appropriate metric for the Benchmark response in continuous data. The theory shows that scaling the BMR expressed as a percent change in means to the maximum response (in the way specified) automatically takes "natural variability" into account. Thus, the theory supports the underlying rationale of the BMR 1 SD. For various reasons, it is, however, recommended to use a BMR in terms of a percent change that is scaled to maximum response and/or within group variation (averaged over studies), as a single harmonized approach.

Community-based group exercise for persons with Parkinson disease: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Combs, Stephanie A; Diehl, M Dyer; Chrzastowski, Casey; Didrick, Nora; McCoin, Brittany; Mox, Nicholas; Staples, William H; Wayman, Jessica

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare group boxing training to traditional group exercise on function and quality of life in persons with Parkinson disease (PD). A convenience sample of adults with PD (n = 31) were randomly assigned to boxing training or traditional exercise for 24-36 sessions, each lasting 90 minutes, over 12 weeks. Boxing training included: stretching, boxing (e.g. lateral foot work, punching bags), resistance exercises, and aerobic training. Traditional exercise included: stretching, resistance exercises, aerobic training, and balance activities. Participants were tested before and after completion of training on balance, balance confidence, mobility, gait velocity, gait endurance, and quality of life. The traditional exercise group demonstrated significantly greater gains in balance confidence than the boxing group (p < 0.025). Only the boxing group demonstrated significant improvements in gait velocity and endurance over time with a medium between-group effect size for the gait endurance (d = 0.65). Both groups demonstrated significant improvements with the balance, mobility, and quality of life with large within-group effect sizes (d ≥ 0.80). While groups significantly differed in balance confidence after training, both groups demonstrated improvements in most outcome measures. Supporting options for long-term community-based group exercise for persons with PD will be an important future consideration for rehabilitation professionals.

One-step estimation of networked population size: Respondent-driven capture-recapture with anonymity.

PubMed

Khan, Bilal; Lee, Hsuan-Wei; Fellows, Ian; Dombrowski, Kirk

2018-01-01

Size estimation is particularly important for populations whose members experience disproportionate health issues or pose elevated health risks to the ambient social structures in which they are embedded. Efforts to derive size estimates are often frustrated when the population is hidden or hard-to-reach in ways that preclude conventional survey strategies, as is the case when social stigma is associated with group membership or when group members are involved in illegal activities. This paper extends prior research on the problem of network population size estimation, building on established survey/sampling methodologies commonly used with hard-to-reach groups. Three novel one-step, network-based population size estimators are presented, for use in the context of uniform random sampling, respondent-driven sampling, and when networks exhibit significant clustering effects. We give provably sufficient conditions for the consistency of these estimators in large configuration networks. Simulation experiments across a wide range of synthetic network topologies validate the performance of the estimators, which also perform well on a real-world location-based social networking data set with significant clustering. Finally, the proposed schemes are extended to allow them to be used in settings where participant anonymity is required. Systematic experiments show favorable tradeoffs between anonymity guarantees and estimator performance. Taken together, we demonstrate that reasonable population size estimates are derived from anonymous respondent driven samples of 250-750 individuals, within ambient populations of 5,000-40,000. The method thus represents a novel and cost-effective means for health planners and those agencies concerned with health and disease surveillance to estimate the size of hidden populations. We discuss limitations and future work in the concluding section.

The effect of butorphanol postconditioning on myocardial ischaemia reperfusion injury in rats

PubMed Central

Wu, Yun; Wan, Jing; Zhen, Wen-Zhon; Chen, Liu-Fang; Zhan, Jia; Ke, Jian-Juan; Zhang,, Zong-Ze; Wang, Yan-Lin

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVES Butorphanol tartrate is a synthetic opioid partial agonist analgesic. Butorphanol targets the heart, mainly via κ-opioid receptor (κ-OR) activation. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect and mechanism underlying butorphanol postconditioning (B-Post) on myocardial ischaemia reperfusion injury in rats. METHODS Seventy-five male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups of 15 each: Group sham; Group I/R (ischaemia/reperfusion); Group B (butorphanol postconditioning); Group B/N (butorphanol postconditioning + antagonist of κ-OR nor-binaltorphimine [Nor-BNI]); Group B/G (butorphanol postconditioning + nonselective ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channel blocker glibenclamide [GLI]). The left coronary anterior descending artery (LAD) was occluded for 30 min, followed by a 120-min reperfusion. Blood samples were obtained at the end of reperfusion for determination of serum tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6 concentrations. The hearts were then excised for determination of myocardial infarct size by triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. The myocardial tissues were used for determination of the expression of myocardial superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO). RESULTS Myocardial infarct size was significantly reduced in B (26.4 ± 1.83%), B/N (34.5 ± 1.56%) and B/G (31.5 ± 1.27%) Groups compared with Group I/R (46.8 ± 1.41%) (all P < 0. 001). The serum TNF-α and IL-6 concentrations and the MDA and MPO activities in the ischaemic area in B, B/N and B/G Groups were significantly lower than those in the I/R Group (all P < 0.001). In addition, myocardial infarct size, TNF-α and IL-6 concentrations and the MDA and MPO activities in B/N and B/G Groups were higher than those in the B Group (all P < 0.001). In contrast, SOD activity was significantly increased in B, B/N and B/G Groups, and SOD activity in B/N and B/G Groups was less than in the B Group (all P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that postconditioning of butorphanol tartrate can provide a potent cardioprotective effect against myocardial ischaemic and reperfusion injury. Both the κ-OR and the KATP channels were involved in this effect. PMID:24336785

Research on the Influence of Size Effect for the mechanical Performance of GFRP tube concrete steel tube composite column under axial compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Wen; Wang, Tong; Na, Yu

2017-08-01

FRP tube-concrete-steel tube composite column (DSTC) was a new type of composite structures. The column consists of FRP outer tube and steel tube and concrete. Concrete was filled between FRP outer tube and steel tube. This column has the character of light and high strength and corrosion resistance. In this paper, properties of DSTC axial compression were studied in depth. The properties were studied by two groups DSTC short columns under axial compression performance experiment. The different size of DSTC short columns was importantly considered. According to results of the experiment, we can conclude that with the size of the column increases the ability of it to resist deformation drops. On the other hand, the size effect influences on properties of different concrete strength DSTC was different. The influence of size effect on high concrete strength was less than that of low concrete.

The effect of social alliances on wolf population on their survival under hunting

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cebrat, S.; Kakol, J.

1997-04-01

We have introduced the modified Verhulst factor to simulate the dynamics of wolves` population. The new factor enlarges the capacity of environment for organisms living in organized groups. Under this factor, social behavior allows the population to reach the larger size in the same ecological niche. The other effect of the introduced factor is that additional non-selective killing factors limit the population size not only directly but also by shrinking the effective ecological niche capacity.

The Effect of Social Alliances on Wolf Population on Their Survival Under Hunting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cebrat, Stanisław; Kakol, Jerzy

We have introduced the modified Verhulst factor to simulate the dynamics of wolves' population. The new factor enlarges the capacity of environment for organisms living in organized groups. Under this factor, social behavior allows the population to reach the larger size in the same ecological niche. The other effect of the introduced factor is that additional non-selective killing factors limit the population size not only directly but also by shrinking the effective ecological niche capacity.

Strategies for Improving Power in School-Randomized Studies of Professional Development.

PubMed

Kelcey, Ben; Phelps, Geoffrey

2013-12-01

Group-randomized designs are well suited for studies of professional development because they can accommodate programs that are delivered to intact groups (e.g., schools), the collaborative nature of professional development, and extant teacher/school assignments. Though group designs may be theoretically favorable, prior evidence has suggested that they may be challenging to conduct in professional development studies because well-powered designs will typically require large sample sizes or expect large effect sizes. Using teacher knowledge outcomes in mathematics, we investigated when and the extent to which there is evidence that covariance adjustment on a pretest, teacher certification, or demographic covariates can reduce the sample size necessary to achieve reasonable power. Our analyses drew on multilevel models and outcomes in five different content areas for over 4,000 teachers and 2,000 schools. Using these estimates, we assessed the minimum detectable effect sizes for several school-randomized designs with and without covariance adjustment. The analyses suggested that teachers' knowledge is substantially clustered within schools in each of the five content areas and that covariance adjustment for a pretest or, to a lesser extent, teacher certification, has the potential to transform designs that are unreasonably large for professional development studies into viable studies. © The Author(s) 2014.

Sample size determinations for group-based randomized clinical trials with different levels of data hierarchy between experimental and control arms.

PubMed

Heo, Moonseong; Litwin, Alain H; Blackstock, Oni; Kim, Namhee; Arnsten, Julia H

2017-02-01

We derived sample size formulae for detecting main effects in group-based randomized clinical trials with different levels of data hierarchy between experimental and control arms. Such designs are necessary when experimental interventions need to be administered to groups of subjects whereas control conditions need to be administered to individual subjects. This type of trial, often referred to as a partially nested or partially clustered design, has been implemented for management of chronic diseases such as diabetes and is beginning to emerge more commonly in wider clinical settings. Depending on the research setting, the level of hierarchy of data structure for the experimental arm can be three or two, whereas that for the control arm is two or one. Such different levels of data hierarchy assume correlation structures of outcomes that are different between arms, regardless of whether research settings require two or three level data structure for the experimental arm. Therefore, the different correlations should be taken into account for statistical modeling and for sample size determinations. To this end, we considered mixed-effects linear models with different correlation structures between experimental and control arms to theoretically derive and empirically validate the sample size formulae with simulation studies.

Polycation-sodium lauryl ether sulfate-type surfactant complexes: influence of ethylene oxide length.

PubMed

Vleugels, Leo F W; Pollet, Jennifer; Tuinier, Remco

2015-05-21

Polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes (PESC) are a class of materials which form spontaneously by self-assembly driven by electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. PESC containing sodium lauryl ether sulfates (SLES) have found wide application in hair care products like shampoo. Typically, SLES with only one or two ethylene oxide (EO) groups are used for this application. We have studied the influence of the size of the EO block (ranging from 0 to 30 EO groups) on complexation with two model polycations: linear polyDADMAC and branched PEI. PESC size and electrostatic properties were determined during stepwise titration of buffered polycation solutions. The critical aggregation concentration (CAC) of PESC was determined by surface tension measurements and fluorescence spectroscopy. For polyDADMAC, there is no influence of the size of the EO block on the complexation behavior; the stiff polycation governs the structure formation. For PEI, it was seen that the EO block size does affect the structure of the complexes. The CAC value of the investigated complexes turns out to be rather independent of the EO block size; however, the CMC/CAC ratio decreases with increasing size of the EO block. This latter observation explains why the Lochhead-Goddard effect is most effective for small EO blocks.

A meta-analytic review of overgeneral memory: The role of trauma history, mood, and the presence of posttraumatic stress disorder.

PubMed

Ono, Miyuki; Devilly, Grant J; Shum, David H K

2016-03-01

A number of studies suggest that a history of trauma, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are associated with autobiographical memory deficits, notably overgeneral memory (OGM). However, whether there are any group differences in the nature and magnitude of OGM has not been evaluated. Thus, a meta-analysis was conducted to quantify group differences in OGM. The effect sizes were pooled from studies examining the effect on OGM from a history of trauma (e.g., childhood sexual abuse), and the presence of PTSD or current depression (e.g., major depressive disorder). Using multiple search engines, 13 trauma studies and 12 depression studies were included in this review. A depression effect was observed on OGM with a large effect size, and was more evident by the lack of specific memories, especially to positive cues. An effect of trauma history on OGM was observed with a medium effect size, and this was most evident by the presence of overgeneral responses to negative cues. The results also suggested an amplified memory deficit in the presence of PTSD. That is, the effect sizes of OGM among individuals with PTSD were very large and relatively equal across different types of OGM. Future studies that directly compare the differences of OGM among 4 samples (i.e., controls, current depression without trauma history, trauma history without depression, and trauma history and depression) would be warranted to verify the current findings. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Stimulant treatment history predicts frontal-striatal structural connectivity in adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Schweren, L J S; Hartman, C A; Zwiers, M P; Heslenfeld, D J; Franke, B; Oosterlaan, J; Buitelaar, J K; Hoekstra, P J

2016-04-01

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has revealed white matter abnormalities in individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Stimulant treatment may affect such abnormalities. The current study investigated associations between long-term stimulant treatment and white matter integrity within the frontal-striatal and mesolimbic pathways, in a large sample of children, adolescents and young adults with ADHD. Participants with ADHD (N=172; mean age 17, range 9-26) underwent diffusion-weighted MRI scanning, along with an age- and gendermatched group of 96 control participants. Five study-specific white matter tract masks (orbitofrontal-striatal, orbitofrontal-amygdalar, amygdalar-striatal, dorsolateral-prefrontal-striatal and medialprefrontal-striatal) were created. First we analyzed case-control differences in fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) within each tract. Second, FA and MD in each tract was predicted from cumulative stimulant intake within the ADHD group. After correction for multiple testing, participants with ADHD showed reduced FA in the orbitofrontal-striatal pathway (p=0.010, effect size=0.269). Within the ADHD group, higher cumulative stimulant intake was associated with lower MD in the same pathway (p=0.011, effect size=-0.164), but not with FA. The association between stimulant treatment and orbitofrontal-striatal MD was of modest effect size. It fell short of significance after adding ADHD severity or ADHD type to the model (p=0.036 and p=0.094, respectively), while the effect size changed little. Our findings are compatible with stimulant treatment enhancing orbitofrontal-striatal white matter connectivity, and emphasize the importance of the orbitofrontal cortex and its connections in ADHD. Longitudinal studies including a drug-naïve baseline assessment are needed to distinguish between-subject variability in ADHD severity from treatment effects. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Long-term use of minimal footwear on pain, self-reported function, analgesic intake, and joint loading in elderly women with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Trombini-Souza, Francis; Matias, Alessandra B; Yokota, Mariane; Butugan, Marco K; Goldenstein-Schainberg, Claudia; Fuller, Ricardo; Sacco, Isabel C N

2015-12-01

Efforts have been made to retard the progressive debilitating pain and joint dysfunction in patients with knee osteoarthritis. We aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of a low-cost minimalist footwear on pain, function, clinical and gait-biomechanical aspects of elderly women with knee osteoarthritis. Throughout a randomized, parallel and controlled clinical trial, fifty-six patients with medial knee osteoarthritis were randomly allocated to an intervention (n=28) or control group (n=28), and assessed at baseline and after three and six months. The intervention involved wearing Moleca(®) footwear for at least 6h/day, 7 days/week, over 6 months. The pain subscale of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index was the primary outcome. The secondary outcomes were the other subscales, Lequesne score, distance walked in 6 min, knee oedema and effusion, knee adduction moment and paracetamol intake. Intention-to-treat analysis was performed using two-way casewise ANOVA (< .05) and Cohen's d coefficient. Intervention group showed improvement in pain (effect size: 1.41, p<.001), function (effect size: 1.22, p=.001), stiffness (effect size: 0.76, p=.001), Lequesne score (effect size: 1.07, p<.001), and reduction by 21.8% in the knee adduction moment impulse (p=.017) during gait wearing Moleca(®). The analgesic intake was lower in the intervention group. The long-term use of Moleca(®) footwear relieves pain, improves self-reported function, reduces the knee loading while wearing Moleca(®), refrains the increase of analgesic intake in elderly women with knee osteoarthritis and can be considered as a conservative mechanical treatment option. ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01342458). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of initial shock wave voltage on shock wave lithotripsy-induced lesion size during step-wise voltage ramping.

PubMed

Connors, Bret A; Evan, Andrew P; Blomgren, Philip M; Handa, Rajash K; Willis, Lynn R; Gao, Sujuan

2009-01-01

To determine if the starting voltage in a step-wise ramping protocol for extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) alters the size of the renal lesion caused by the SWs. To address this question, one kidney from 19 juvenile pigs (aged 7-8 weeks) was treated in an unmodified Dornier HM-3 lithotripter (Dornier Medical Systems, Kennesaw, GA, USA) with either 2000 SWs at 24 kV (standard clinical treatment, 120 SWs/min), 100 SWs at 18 kV followed by 2000 SWs at 24 kV or 100 SWs at 24 kV followed by 2000 SWs at 24 kV. The latter protocols included a 3-4 min interval, between the 100 SWs and the 2000 SWs, used to check the targeting of the focal zone. The kidneys were removed at the end of the experiment so that lesion size could be determined by sectioning the entire kidney and quantifying the amount of haemorrhage in each slice. The average parenchymal lesion for each pig was then determined and a group mean was calculated. Kidneys that received the standard clinical treatment had a mean (sem) lesion size of 3.93 (1.29)% functional renal volume (FRV). The mean lesion size for the 18 kV ramping group was 0.09 (0.01)% FRV, while lesion size for the 24 kV ramping group was 0.51 (0.14)% FRV. The lesion size for both of these groups was significantly smaller than the lesion size in the standard clinical treatment group. The data suggest that initial voltage in a voltage-ramping protocol does not correlate with renal damage. While voltage ramping does reduce injury when compared with SWL with no voltage ramping, starting at low or high voltage produces lesions of the same approximate size. Our findings also suggest that the interval between the initial shocks and the clinical dose of SWs, in our one-step ramping protocol, is important for protecting the kidney against injury.

Principle-based structured case discussions: do they foster moral competence in medical students? - A pilot study.

PubMed

Friedrich, Orsolya; Hemmerling, Kay; Kuehlmeyer, Katja; Nörtemann, Stefanie; Fischer, Martin; Marckmann, Georg

2017-03-03

Recent findings suggest that medical students' moral competence decreases throughout medical school. This pilot study gives preliminary insights into the effects of two educational interventions in ethics classes on moral competence among medical students in Munich, Germany. Between 2012 and 2013, medical students were tested using Lind's Moral Competence Test (MCT) prior to and after completing different ethics classes. The experimental group (EG, N = 76) participated in principle-based structured case discussions (PBSCDs) and was compared with a control group with theory-based case discussions (TBCDs) (CG, N = 55). The pre/post C-scores were compared using a Wilcoxon Test, ANOVA and effect-size calculation. The C-score improved by around 3.2 C-points in the EG, and by 0.2 C-points in the CG. The mean C-score difference was not statistically significant for the EG (P = 0.14) or between the two groups (P = 0.34). There was no statistical significance for the teachers' influence (P = 0.54) on C-score. In both groups, students with below-average (M = 29.1) C-scores improved and students with above-average C-scores regressed. The increase of the C-Index was greater in the EG than in the CG. The absolute effect-size of the EG compared with the CG was 3.0 C-points, indicating a relevant effect. Teaching ethics with PBSCDs did not provide a statistically significant influence on students' moral competence, compared with TBCDs. Yet, the effect size suggests that PBSCDs may improve moral competence among medical students more effectively. Further research with larger and completely randomized samples is needed to gain definite explanations for the results.

Effectiveness of the Size Matters Handwriting Program.

PubMed

Pfeiffer, Beth; Rai, Gillian; Murray, Tammy; Brusilovskiy, Eugene

2015-04-01

The purpose of the research was to study changes in handwriting legibility among kindergarten, first- and second-grade students in response to the Size Matters curricular-based handwriting program. A two-group pre-post-test design was implemented at two public schools with half of the classrooms assigned to receive the Size Matters program and the other continuing to receive standard instruction. All participants completed two standardized handwriting measures at pre-test and after 40 instructional sessions were completed with the classes receiving the handwriting program. Results identified significant changes in legibility in the handwriting intervention group for all three grades when compared with the standard instruction group. The results of this study support the use of a curricular-embedded handwriting program and provide the foundation for future research examining the impact of handwriting legibility on learning outcomes.

Size effects of latex nanomaterials on lung inflammation in mice

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Inoue, Ken-ichiro; Takano, Hirohisa; Yanagisawa, Rie

Effects of nano-sized materials (nanomaterials) on sensitive population have not been well elucidated. This study examined the effects of pulmonary exposure to (latex) nanomaterials on lung inflammation related to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or allergen in mice, especially in terms of their size-dependency. In protocol 1, ICR male mice were divided into 8 experimental groups that intratracheally received a single exposure to vehicle, latex nanomaterials (250 {mu}g/animal) with three sizes (25, 50, and 100 nm), LPS (75 {mu}g/animal), or LPS plus latex nanomaterials. In protocol 2, ICR male mice were divided into 8 experimental groups that intratracheally received repeated exposure to vehicle,more » latex nanomaterials (100 {mu}g/animal), allergen (ovalbumin: OVA; 1 {mu}g/animal), or allergen plus latex nanomaterials. In protocol 1, latex nanomaterials with all sizes exacerbated lung inflammation elicited by LPS, showing an overall trend of amplified lung expressions of proinflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, LPS plus nanomaterials, especially with size less than 50 nm, significantly elevated circulatory levels of fibrinogen, macrophage chemoattractant protein-1, and keratinocyte-derived chemoattractant, and von Willebrand factor as compared with LPS alone. The enhancement tended overall to be greater with the smaller nanomaterials than with the larger ones. In protocol 2, latex nanomaterials with all sizes did not significantly enhance the pathophysiology of allergic asthma, characterized by eosinophilic lung inflammation and Igs production, although latex nanomaterials with less than 50 nm significantly induced/enhanced neutrophilic lung inflammation. These results suggest that latex nanomaterials differentially affect two types of (innate and adaptive immunity-dominant) lung inflammation.« less

Effect of Metformin-sustained Release Therapy on Low-density Lipoprotein Size and Adiponectin in the South Indian Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

PubMed

Kumar, D Rama Nagendra; Seshadri, Krishna G; Pandurangi, Monna

2017-01-01

The aim of the study is to compare surrogate markers of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, such as adiponectin (APN) levels and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) size, before and after sustained release metformin (Met-SR) therapy in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Sixty women with PCOS and sixty age-matched controls in the age group 18-45 years were recruited after obtaining informed consent. Women with PCOS were initiated on Met-SR 1 g orally, which was increased to 1.5 g after 2 weeks and continued up to 24 weeks. Demographic data along with family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus, PCOS, and CVD were collected. Lipid profile plasma APN levels and LDL size were measured before and after therapy in the PCOS group. Data analysis was performed using the GraphPad Prism-5 software. Women with PCOS had greater dyslipidemia, lower APN level and LDL size, and increased lipid accumulating product index as compared to controls. After 6 months of Met-SR therapy, women with PCOS demonstrated significant increase in plasma APN levels and LDL size and significant decrease in weight, waist-hip ratio (WHR), waist circumference (WC), and blood pressure (BP). A significant decrease was observed in body mass index (BMI) in the overweight and obese PCOS subgroups. Met-SR increases LDL size, APN concentration and decreases weight, WC, WHR, and BP in patients with PCOS. Met-SR may have salutary effects on LDL particle size through effects on APN levels in women with PCOS.

Transportability of imagery-enhanced CBT for social anxiety disorder.

PubMed

McEvoy, Peter M; Erceg-Hurn, David M; Barber, Kevin C; Dupasquier, Jessica R; Moscovitch, David A

2018-07-01

Pilot and open trials suggest that imagery-enhanced group cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is highly effective for social anxiety disorder (SAD). However, before being considered reliable and generalisable, the effects of the intervention need to be replicated by clinicians in a setting that is independent of the protocol developers. The current study compared outcomes from clients with a principal diagnosis of SAD at the Australian clinic where the protocol was developed (n = 123) to those from an independent Canadian clinic (n = 46) to investigate whether the large effects would generalise. Trainee clinicians from the independent clinic ran the groups using the treatment protocol without any input from its developers. The treatment involved 12 2-h group sessions plus a one-month follow-up. Treatment retention was comparable across both clinics (74% vs. 78%, ≥9/12 sessions) and the between-site effect size was very small and non-significant on the primary outcome (social interaction anxiety, d = 0.09, p = .752). Within-group effect sizes were very large in both settings (ds = 2.05 vs. 2.19), and a substantial minority (41%-44%) achieved clinically significant improvement at follow-up. Replication of treatment effects within an independent clinic and with trainee clinicians increases confidence that outcomes are generalisable. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Case-Control Study of Esomeprazole Plus Rebamipide vs. Omeprazole Plus Rebamipide on Post-ESD Gastric Ulcers.

PubMed

Bunno, Maki; Gouda, Kyosuke; Yamahara, Kunihiro; Kawaguchi, Masanori

2013-01-01

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is useful for treating gastric tumors. Several trials have shown the efficacy of 4 or 8 weeks of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) administration for post-ESD ulcers. However, if the size of the post-ESD ulcer is larger than predicted, PPI administration alone might not be sufficient for the ulcer to heal within 4 weeks. There is no report about the efficacy of post-ESD gastric ulcers by esomeprazole. We examined retrospectively the efficacy of a combination therapy of esomeprazole plus rebamipide, a mucosal-protective antiulcer drug, on the acceleration of post-ESD ulcer healing comparing with omeprazole plus rebamipide. We reviewed the medical records of patients who underwent ESD for gastric neoplasia. We conducted a case-control study to compare the healing rates within 4 weeks effected by esomeprazole plus rebamipide (group E) and omeprazole plus rebamipide (group O). The sizes of the artificial ulcers were divided into normal-sized or large-sized. The baseline characteristics did not differ significantly between the two groups except age and sex. Stage S1 disease was observed in 27.6% and 38.7% of patients after 4 weeks of treatment in the group E and O, respectively. In large-sized artificial ulcers, the healing rate of stage S1 in group E is significantly higher than that in group O in 4 weeks.(25% VS 0%:P = 0.02). The safety and efficacy profiles of esomeprazole plus rebamipide and omeprazole and rebamipide are similar for the treatment of ESD-induced ulcers. In large-sized ulcers, esomeprazole plus rebamipide promotes ulcer healing.

Hybrid Pareto artificial bee colony algorithm for multi-objective single machine group scheduling problem with sequence-dependent setup times and learning effects.

PubMed

Yue, Lei; Guan, Zailin; Saif, Ullah; Zhang, Fei; Wang, Hao

2016-01-01

Group scheduling is significant for efficient and cost effective production system. However, there exist setup times between the groups, which require to decrease it by sequencing groups in an efficient way. Current research is focused on a sequence dependent group scheduling problem with an aim to minimize the makespan in addition to minimize the total weighted tardiness simultaneously. In most of the production scheduling problems, the processing time of jobs is assumed as fixed. However, the actual processing time of jobs may be reduced due to "learning effect". The integration of sequence dependent group scheduling problem with learning effects has been rarely considered in literature. Therefore, current research considers a single machine group scheduling problem with sequence dependent setup times and learning effects simultaneously. A novel hybrid Pareto artificial bee colony algorithm (HPABC) with some steps of genetic algorithm is proposed for current problem to get Pareto solutions. Furthermore, five different sizes of test problems (small, small medium, medium, large medium, large) are tested using proposed HPABC. Taguchi method is used to tune the effective parameters of the proposed HPABC for each problem category. The performance of HPABC is compared with three famous multi objective optimization algorithms, improved strength Pareto evolutionary algorithm (SPEA2), non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGAII) and particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO). Results indicate that HPABC outperforms SPEA2, NSGAII and PSO and gives better Pareto optimal solutions in terms of diversity and quality for almost all the instances of the different sizes of problems.

The effects of holistic health group interventions on improving the cognitive ability of persons with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Young, Kim-Wan; Ng, Petrus; Kwok, Timothy; Cheng, Daphne

2017-01-01

Persons with mild cognitive impairment (PwMCI) are at a higher risk of developing dementia than those without cognitive impairment. This research study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a holistic health group intervention, which is based on the holistic brain health approach as well as an Eastern approach to health care, on improving the cognitive ability of Chinese PwMCI. In a randomized controlled trial (RCT), 38 Chinese PwMCI were randomly assigned to either a 10-session holistic health intervention group or the control group. The holistic health treatment group attempted to promote the acceptance of their illness, enhance memory and coping skills, develop a positive lifestyle, maintain positive emotions, and facilitate emotional support among participants. The 10-session holistic health group intervention was structured, with each session conducted once per week and ~90 minutes in length. Control group patients and their family caregivers received standardized basic educational materials that provided basic information on cognitive decline for them to read at home. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test was used to assess the cognitive ability of PwMCI in the pre- and posttreatment periods by a research assistant who was blind to the group assignment of the participants. The paired-samples t -test indicated that the treatment group (n=18) showed significant improvement in the MoCA score, whereas the control group (n=20) did not. Moreover, 2×2 (group × time) repeated-measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) demonstrated that the holistic health group treatment was significantly more effective than the control intervention in improving the MoCA score, with a moderate effect size, and improving the delayed recall (ie, short-term memory), with a strong effect size, after controlling for age, sex, education, and marital status. This present RCT provides evidence to support the feasibility and effectiveness of the holistic health group intervention in improving the cognitive and short-term memory abilities of PwMCI.

Can research assessments themselves cause bias in behaviour change trials? A systematic review of evidence from solomon 4-group studies.

PubMed

McCambridge, Jim; Butor-Bhavsar, Kaanan; Witton, John; Elbourne, Diana

2011-01-01

The possible effects of research assessments on participant behaviour have attracted research interest, especially in studies with behavioural interventions and/or outcomes. Assessments may introduce bias in randomised controlled trials by altering receptivity to intervention in experimental groups and differentially impacting on the behaviour of control groups. In a Solomon 4-group design, participants are randomly allocated to one of four arms: (1) assessed experimental group; (2) unassessed experimental group (3) assessed control group; or (4) unassessed control group. This design provides a test of the internal validity of effect sizes obtained in conventional two-group trials by controlling for the effects of baseline assessment, and assessing interactions between the intervention and baseline assessment. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate evidence from Solomon 4-group studies with behavioural outcomes that baseline research assessments themselves can introduce bias into trials. Electronic databases were searched, supplemented by citation searching. Studies were eligible if they reported appropriately analysed results in peer-reviewed journals and used Solomon 4-group designs in non-laboratory settings with behavioural outcome measures and sample sizes of 20 per group or greater. Ten studies from a range of applied areas were included. There was inconsistent evidence of main effects of assessment, sparse evidence of interactions with behavioural interventions, and a lack of convincing data in relation to the research question for this review. There were too few high quality completed studies to infer conclusively that biases stemming from baseline research assessments do or do not exist. There is, therefore a need for new rigorous Solomon 4-group studies that are purposively designed to evaluate the potential for research assessments to cause bias in behaviour change trials.

Interventions to improve mental health nurses' skills, attitudes, and knowledge related to people with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder: Systematic review.

PubMed

Dickens, Geoffrey L; Hallett, Nutmeg; Lamont, Emma

2016-04-01

There is some evidence that mental health nurses have poor attitudes towards people with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder and that this might impact negatively on the development of helpful therapeutic relationships. We aimed to collate the current evidence about interventions that have been devised to improve the responses of mental health nurses towards this group of people. Systematic review in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses statement. Comprehensive terms were used to search CINAHL, PsycINFO, Medline, Biomedical Reference Collection: Comprehensive, Web of Science, ASSIA, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, ProQuest [including Dissertations/Theses], and Google Scholar for relevant studies. Included studies were those that described an intervention whose aim was to improve attitudes towards, knowledge about or responses to people with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. The sample described had to include mental health nurses. Information about study characteristics, intervention content and mode of delivery was extracted. Study quality was assessed, and effect sizes of interventions and potential moderators of those interventions were extracted and converted to Cohen's d to aid comparison. The search strategy yielded a total of eight studies, half of which were judged to be methodologically weak with the remaining four studies judged to be of moderate quality. Only one study employed a control group. The largest effect sizes were found for changes related to cognitive attitudes including knowledge; smaller effect sizes were found in relation to changes in affective outcomes. Self-reported behavioural change in the form of increased use of components of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy following training in this treatment was associated with moderate effect sizes. The largest effect sizes were found among those with poorer baseline attitudes and without previous training about borderline personality disorder. There is a dearth of high quality evidence about the attitudes of mental health nurses towards people with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. This is an important gap since nurses hold the poorest attitudes of professional disciplines involved in the care of this group. Further work is needed to ascertain the most effective elements of training programmes; this should involve trials of interventions in samples that are compared against adequately matched control groups. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

How a health and safety management training program may improve the working environment in small- and medium-sized companies.

PubMed

Torp, Steffen

2008-03-01

The objective of this controlled intervention study was to investigate the effects of a 2-year training program in health and safety (H&S) management for managers at small- and medium-sized companies. A total of 113 managers of motor vehicle repair garages participated in the training and another 113 garage managers served as a comparison group. The effects were measured using questionnaires sent before and after the intervention to the managers and blue-collar workers at the garages. The intervention group managers reported significantly greater improvement of their H&S management system than the managers in the comparison group. The results also indicate that the management training positively affected how the workers regarded their supportive working environment. H&S management training may positively affect measures at both garage and individual levels.

[Antibodies against TSH receptors (TRAb) as indicators in prognosing the effectiveness of Tiamazol therapy for Grave's Disease].

PubMed

Bojarska-Szmygin, Anna; Ciechanek, Roman

2003-01-01

The aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of TRAb determinations in prognosing and monitoring the efficacy of conservative treatment in Graves' disease. The examinations were performed in 54 patients. During the 18-month observation all the patients were treated with Tiamazol. The control group consisted of 20 healthy volunteers. The TRAb levels were determined before as well as 12 and 18 months after thyrostatic treatment. Simultaneously, the levels of TSH and FT4 were analysed. Moreover, all the patients underwent ultrasound examinations to assess the size of the thyroid gland. The findings of the 18-month follow up showed that in 31 patients (57%) the thyroid function became normal (group I--euthyreosis), in 23 patients (43%) hyperactivity persisted (group II--hyperthyreosis). The TRAb levels were analysed in both groups of patients. An increased initial level of TRAb was found in the hyperactivity group mean -54.39 + 31.21 U/l which was statistically significantly different from the TRAb levels in the euthyreosis group mean -29.13 +/- 19.14 U/l and in controls mean -2.75 +/- 2.06 U/l (p < 0.001 for both parameters). After 12-month treatment increased values of antibodies were still observed in this group of patients (mean -39.96 +/- 33.40 U/l) in comparison with the euthyreosis group (mean -9.87 +/- 8.33 U/l) and controls (mean -2.75 +/- 2.06 U/l) (p < 0.001 for both parameters). After 18-month treatment the TRAb levels in group II remained increased (mean -40.17 +/- 33.06) while in group I normal levels were achieved. The sizes of the thyroid gland were compared between the individual groups. In the hyperactivity group after 18-month treatment, the thyroid size was the biggest (mean -41.09 +/- 13.94 ml) and was statistically significantly different when compared to the average size in the euthyreosis group mean -31.65 +/- 11.74 ml (p < 0.01) and in controls mean -14.45 +/- 2.37 ml (p < 0.001). The levels of antibodies against TSH receptors are useful parameters in prognosis and monitoring the treatment effectiveness in Graves' disease. High initial levels of antibodies are the poor prognostic factors. The TRAb determinations are of some prognostic value not only before but also 12 months since the onset of therapy. The lack of antibody level normalization during treatment is connected with persisting hyperactivity. The TRAb concentration correlates with the thyroid size.

Adjuvant percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of feeding artery of hepatocellular carcinoma before treatment

PubMed Central

Hou, Yi-Bin; Chen, Min-Hua; Yan, Kun; Wu, Jin-Yu; Yang, Wei

2009-01-01

AIM: To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the feeding artery of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in reducing the blood-flow-induced heat-sink effect of RFA. METHODS: A total of 154 HCC patients with 177 pathologically confirmed hypervascular lesions participated in the study and were randomly assigned into two groups. Seventy-one patients with 75 HCCs (average tumor size, 4.3 ± 1.1 cm) were included in group A, in which the feeding artery of HCC was identified by color Doppler flow imaging, and were ablated with multiple small overlapping RFA foci [percutaneous ablation of feeding artery (PAA)] before routine RFA treatment of the tumor. Eighty-three patients with 102 HCC (average tumor size, 4.1 ± 1.0 cm) were included in group B, in which the tumors were treated routinely with RFA. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography was used as post-RFA imaging, when patients were followed-up for 1, 3 and 6 mo. RESULTS: In group A, feeding arteries were blocked in 66 (88%) HCC lesions, and the size of arteries decreased in nine (12%). The average number of punctures per HCC was 2.76 ± 1.12 in group A, and 3.36 ± 1.60 in group B (P = 0.01). The tumor necrosis rate at 1 mo post-RFA was 90.67% (68/75 lesions) in group A and 90.20% (92/102 lesions) in group B. HCC recurrence rate at 6 mo post-RFA was 17.33% (13/75) in group A and 31.37% (32/102) in group B (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: PAA blocked effectively the feeding artery of HCC. Combination of PAA and RFA significantly decreased post-RFA recurrence and provided an alternative treatment for hypervascular HCC. PMID:19496195

Comparison Between Bandage Contact Lenses and Pressure Patching on the Erosion Area and Pain Scale in Patients With Corneal Erosion.

PubMed

Triharpini, Ni Nyoman; Gede Jayanegara, I Wayan; Handayani, Ariesanti Tri; Widiana, I Gde Raka

2015-01-01

Corneal erosion is common in eye emergency cases. Extensive corneal erosions result in severe pain and prolonged healing time. This study aimed to compare bandage contact lenses with pressure patching in terms of reducing the size of the erosion area, pain scale in patients with corneal erosion and its complications. A randomized open-label clinical trial was conducted. Subjects with mechanical corneal erosion were selected to use either bandage contact lenses or pressure patching. All subjects received antibiotic eye drops and 0.5% tropicamide eye drops. Evaluations were done 24 and 72 hours after treatment. The size of the corneal erosion area, pain scale, and complications were assessed. A total of 32 eyes (16 eyes in each group) were studied. The change in the size of the corneal erosion area was greater in the bandage contact lens group than in the pressure patching group, although there was no significant difference. In the bandage contact lens group, 56.25% of the eyes were healed at 24 hours and 43.75% were healed at 72 hours. In the pressure patching group, 62.50% were healed at 24 hours and 12.50% were healed at 72 hours. The change in pain scale was significantly greater in the bandage contact lens group than in the pressure patching group. No complications were found in both groups. Bandage contact lenses are an effective alternative to treating mechanical corneal erosion because of their effect in reducing pain without causing any complications.

Early Use of N-acetylcysteine With Nitrate Therapy in Patients Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Reduces Myocardial Infarct Size (the NACIAM Trial [N-acetylcysteine in Acute Myocardial Infarction]).

PubMed

Pasupathy, Sivabaskari; Tavella, Rosanna; Grover, Suchi; Raman, Betty; Procter, Nathan E K; Du, Yang Timothy; Mahadavan, Gnanadevan; Stafford, Irene; Heresztyn, Tamila; Holmes, Andrew; Zeitz, Christopher; Arstall, Margaret; Selvanayagam, Joseph; Horowitz, John D; Beltrame, John F

2017-09-05

Contemporary ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction management involves primary percutaneous coronary intervention, with ongoing studies focusing on infarct size reduction using ancillary therapies. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is an antioxidant with reactive oxygen species scavenging properties that also potentiates the effects of nitroglycerin and thus represents a potentially beneficial ancillary therapy in primary percutaneous coronary intervention. The NACIAM trial (N-acetylcysteine in Acute Myocardial Infarction) examined the effects of NAC on infarct size in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study evaluated the effects of intravenous high-dose NAC (29 g over 2 days) with background low-dose nitroglycerin (7.2 mg over 2 days) on early cardiac magnetic resonance imaging-assessed infarct size. Secondary end points included cardiac magnetic resonance-determined myocardial salvage and creatine kinase kinetics. Of 112 randomized patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction, 75 (37 in NAC group, 38 in placebo group) underwent early cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Median duration of ischemia pretreatment was 2.4 hours. With background nitroglycerin infusion administered to all patients, those randomized to NAC exhibited an absolute 5.5% reduction in cardiac magnetic resonance-assessed infarct size relative to placebo (median, 11.0%; [interquartile range 4.1, 16.3] versus 16.5%; [interquartile range 10.7, 24.2]; P =0.02). Myocardial salvage was approximately doubled in the NAC group (60%; interquartile range, 37-79) compared with placebo (27%; interquartile range, 14-42; P <0.01) and median creatine kinase areas under the curve were 22 000 and 38 000 IU·h in the NAC and placebo groups, respectively ( P =0.08). High-dose intravenous NAC administered with low-dose intravenous nitroglycerin is associated with reduced infarct size in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. A larger study is required to assess the impact of this therapy on clinical cardiac outcomes. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry. URL: http://www.anzctr.org.au/. Unique identifier: 12610000280000. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Heavy resistance training and peri-exercise ingestion of a multi-ingredient ergogenic nutritional supplement in males: effects on body composition, muscle performance and markers of muscle protein synthesis.

PubMed

Spillane, Mike; Schwarz, Neil; Willoughby, Darryn S

2014-12-01

This study determined the effects of heavy resistance training and peri-exercise ergogenic multi-ingredient nutritional supplement ingestion on blood and skeletal markers of muscle protein synthesis (MPS), body composition, and muscle performance. Twenty-four college-age males were randomly assigned to either a multi-ingredient SizeOn Maximum Performance (SIZE) or protein/carbohydrate/creatine (PCC) comparator supplement group in a double-blind fashion. Body composition and muscle performance were assessed, and venous blood samples and muscle biopsies were obtained before and after 6 weeks of resistance training and supplementation. Data were analyzed by 2-way ANOVA (p ≤ 0.05). Total body mass, body water, and fat mass were not differentially affected (p > 0.05). However, fat-free mass was significantly increased in both groups in response to resistance training (p = 0.037). Lower-body muscle strength (p = 0.029) and endurance (p = 0.027) were significantly increased with resistance training, but not supplementation (p > 0.05). Serum insulin, IGF-1, GH, and cortisol were not differentially affected (p > 0.05). Muscle creatine content was significantly increased in both groups from supplementation (p = 0.044). Total muscle protein (p = 0.038), MHC 1 (p = 0.041), MHC 2A, (p = 0.029), total IRS- (p = 0.041), and total Akt (p = 0.011) were increased from resistance training, but not supplementation. In response to heavy resistance training when compared to PCC, the peri-exercise ingestion of SIZE did not preferentially improve body composition, muscle performance, and markers indicative of MPS. Key pointsIn response to 42 days of heavy resistance training and either SizeOn Maximum Performance or protein/carbohydrate/creatine supplementation, similar increases in muscle mass and strength in both groups occurred; however, the increases were not different between supplement groups.The supplementation of SizeOn Maximum Performance had no preferential effect on augmenting serum insulin, IGF-1, and GH, or in decreasing cortisol.While resistance training was effective in increasing total creatine content in skeletal muscle, myofibrillar protein, and the content of total IRS-1 and Akt, it was not preferentially due to SizeOn Maximum Performance supplementation.At the daily dose of 50 g, SizeOn Maximum Performance supplementation for 42 days combined with resistance training does not increases muscle mass and strength due to its ability to elevate serum hormones and growth factors or in its ability to augment skeletal muscle signaling pathway markers indicative of muscle protein synthesis when compared to an equivalent daily dose of protein/carbohydrate/creatine.

Pre-consultation educational group intervention to improve shared decision-making for postmastectomy breast reconstruction: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Causarano, Natalie; Platt, Jennica; Baxter, Nancy N; Bagher, Shaghayegh; Jones, Jennifer M; Metcalfe, Kelly A; Hofer, Stefan O P; O'Neill, Anne C; Cheng, Terry; Starenkyj, Elizabeth; Zhong, Toni

2015-05-01

Breast cancer survivors who make preference-sensitive decisions about postmastectomy breast reconstruction often have large gaps in knowledge and undergo procedures that are misaligned with their treatment goals. We evaluated the feasibility and effect of a pre-consultation educational group intervention on the decision-making process for breast reconstruction. We conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) where participants were randomly assigned to the intervention with routine education or routine education alone. The outcomes evaluated were decisional conflict, decision self-efficacy, satisfaction with information, perceived involvement in care, and uptake of reconstruction following surgical consultation. Trial feasibility and acceptability were evaluated, and effect sizes were calculated to determine the primary outcome for the full-scale RCT. Of the 41 patients enrolled, recruitment rate was 72 %, treatment fidelity was 98 %, and retention rate was 95 %. The Cohen's d effect size in reduction of decisional conflict was moderate to high for the intervention group compared to routine education (0.69, 95 % CI = 0.02-1.42), while the effect sizes of increase in decision self-efficacy (0.05, 95 % CI = -0.60-0.71) and satisfaction with information (0.11, 95 % CI = -0.53-0.76) were small. A higher proportion of patients receiving routine education signed informed consent to undergo breast reconstruction (14/20 or 70 %) compared to the intervention group (8/21 or 38 %) P = 0.06. A pre-consultation educational group intervention improves patients' shared decision-making quality compared to routine preoperative patient education. A full-scale definitive RCT is warranted based on high feasibility outcomes, and the primary outcome for the main trial will be decisional conflict.

Environmental change and predator diversity drive alpha and beta diversity in freshwater macro and microorganisms.

PubMed

Antiqueira, Pablo Augusto P; Petchey, Owen L; Dos Santos, Viviane Piccin; de Oliveira, Valéria Maia; Romero, Gustavo Quevedo

2018-05-17

Global biodiversity is eroding due to anthropogenic causes such as climate change, habitat loss, and trophic simplification of biological communities. Most studies address only isolated causes within a single group of organisms; however, biological groups of different trophic levels may respond in particular ways to different environmental impacts. Our study used natural microcosms to investigate the predicted individual and interactive effects of warming, changes in top predator diversity, and habitat size on the alpha and beta diversity of macrofauna, microfauna and bacteria. Alpha diversity (i.e., richness within each bromeliad) generally explained a larger proportion of the gamma diversity (partitioned in alpha and beta diversity). Overall, dissimilarity between communities occurred due to species turnover and not species loss (nestedness). Nevertheless, the three biological groups responded differently to each environmental stressor. Microfauna were the most sensitive group, with alpha and beta diversity being affected by environmental changes (warming and habitat size) and trophic structure (diversity of top predators). Macrofauna alpha and beta diversity was sensitive to changes in predator diversity and habitat size, but not warming. In contrast, the bacterial community was not influenced by the treatments. The community of each biological group was not mutually concordant with the environmental and trophic changes. Our results demonstrate that distinct anthropogenic impacts differentially affect the components of macro and microorganism diversity through direct and indirect effects (i.e., bottom-up and top-down effects). Therefore, a multitrophic and multispecies approach is necessary to assess the effects of different anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Outcomes of transurethral resection of the prostate in benign prostatic hyperplasia comparing prostate size of more than 80 grams to prostate size less than 80 grams.

PubMed

Joshi, H N; De Jong, I J; Karmacharya, R M; Shrestha, B; Shrestha, R

2014-01-01

Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a condition occurring in elderly men in which the prostate gland is enlarged, hence the condition also known as benign enlargement of prostate. Benign hyperplasia can lead to both obstructive and irritative symptoms. Transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) still remains the gold standard modality of surgical treatment of obstructive lower urinary tract symptoms due to Benign hyperplasia. The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of TURP in large prostate (>80 grams) in comparison to small prostate (<80 grams) in terms of efficacy, safety and complications. A total of 65 cases included in this prospective study, which were operated by a single surgeon with conventional monopolar TURP using standard technique. Intra -operative and post-operative complications, pre and post- operative quality of life (QoL) and international prostate symptom score (IPSS), operative time, time to removal of catheter and hospital stay were evaluated between small and large prostate gland volumes. Out of 65 cases, 30 were with large prostate size i.e. 80 grams or more (group 1), and 35 cases were with small prostate size than 80 grams size (group 2). Mean age was 71.8 SD ± 6.9 years in group 1 and 68.2 SD ± 12.7 years in group 2. The mean preoperative volume of prostate was 88.8 grams (range 80-115 grams) in group 1 and 40.3 (range 20-65 grams) in group 2. The mean preoperative post void residual volume of urine (PVRU) was 244 ml SD ± 190.8 ml in group 1 and 117 ml ± 70.3 ml in group 2. Mean resection time in group 1 was 110 (range 90-130) minutes and in group 2 it was 90 minutes (range 55-115) minutes. There were quite satisfactory improvements in IPSS and QoL. No significant complications were observed except TUR syndrome in 2 cases from group 2, which were managed well in postoperative period. With meticulous resection and intra-operative haemostasis using continuous out flow resectoscope, conventional monopolar TURP is equally safe and effective in large size prostate as compare in small size.

Influence of control group on effect size in trials of acupuncture for chronic pain: a secondary analysis of an individual patient data meta-analysis.

PubMed

MacPherson, Hugh; Vertosick, Emily; Lewith, George; Linde, Klaus; Sherman, Karen J; Witt, Claudia M; Vickers, Andrew J

2014-01-01

In a recent individual patient data meta-analysis, acupuncture was found to be superior to both sham and non-sham controls in patients with chronic pain. In this paper we identify variations in types of sham and non-sham controls used and analyze their impact on the effect size of acupuncture. Based on literature searches of acupuncture trials involving patients with headache and migraine, osteoarthritis, and back, neck and shoulder pain, 29 trials met inclusion criteria, 20 involving sham controls (n = 5,230) and 18 non-sham controls (n = 14,597). For sham controls, we analysed non-needle sham, penetrating sham needles and non-penetrating sham needles. For non-sham controls, we analysed non-specified routine care and protocol-guided care. Using meta-regression we explored impact of choice of control on effect of acupuncture. Acupuncture was significantly superior to all categories of control group. For trials that used penetrating needles for sham control, acupuncture had smaller effect sizes than for trials with non-penetrating sham or sham control without needles. The difference in effect size was -0.45 (95% C.I. -0.78, -0.12; p = 0.007), or -0.19 (95% C.I. -0.39, 0.01; p = 0.058) after exclusion of outlying studies showing very large effects of acupuncture. In trials with non-sham controls, larger effect sizes associated with acupuncture vs. non-specified routine care than vs. protocol-guided care. Although the difference in effect size was large (0.26), it was not significant with a wide confidence interval (95% C.I. -0.05, 0.57, p = 0.1). Acupuncture is significantly superior to control irrespective of the subtype of control. While the choice of control should be driven by the study question, our findings can help inform study design in acupuncture, particularly with respect to sample size. Penetrating needles appear to have important physiologic activity. We recommend that this type of sham be avoided.

Effects of dietary fiber with Bacillus coagulans lilac-01 on bowel movement and fecal properties of healthy volunteers with a tendency for constipation.

PubMed

Minamida, Kimiko; Nishimura, Mie; Miwa, Kazunori; Nishihira, Jun

2015-01-01

To elucidate the effects of Lilac LAB (Bacillus coagulans lilac-01 and okara [soy pulp] powder) on bowel movements/fecal properties, we conducted a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial with healthy Japanese volunteers with a tendency for constipation (n = 297). The subjects ingested 2 g/d placebo (okara powder) or test food (Lilac LAB, 1 × 10(8) CFU) once a day for 2 weeks. In the test group of functionally constipated subjects, the changes in the average scores of self-reported fecal size, sensation of incomplete evacuation, and defecation frequency were significantly improved compared to the placebo group (p < 0.05), and fecal color and odor tended to improve (p = 0.07). In the test food group of all subjects and among the non-functionally constipated subjects, the fecal size tended to improve compared to the placebo group (p = 0.06, p = 0.07, respectively). Lilac LAB was effective in improving bowel movements and fecal properties in functionally constipated persons.

Roles of participation and feedback in group potency.

PubMed

Gamero, Nuria; Peiró, José M; Zornoza, Ana; Picazo, Carmen

2009-08-01

The roles of group participation and group performance feedback were examined as antecedents of group potency, i.e., beliefs shared among a work group's members about the general effectiveness of the work group. Also examined were how group participation and the congruence of the feedback received from different sources about performance predicted convergence in members' beliefs about group effectiveness. The sample comprised 61 work groups of professionals involved in Master in Business Administration (MBA) programs (284 participants). Mean group size was 4.6 members (SD = .58). 65% of participants were male, and 51% were between 30 and 40 years of age. Data were gathered at two measurement times. Increases in group participation were positively related to increases in group potency and the convergence in beliefs about group effectiveness among group members over time. Results supported the premise that group performance feedback is an antecedent of changes in group potency over time.

Effects of single caging and cage size on behavior and stress level of domestic neutered cats housed in an animal shelter.

PubMed

Uetake, Katsuji; Goto, Akihiro; Koyama, Rumi; Kikuchi, Rieko; Tanaka, Toshio

2013-03-01

Cats need a minimum amount of space even in animal shelters. In this study the effects of single caging and cage size on the behavior and stress level of domestic cats were investigated. Six neutered cats (2-15 years old) that had been housed in a group for at least 7 months were moved to three kinds of single cages (small, medium and large) by rotation on a Latin square design. They experienced each cage size for 6 days. Cats could use vertical dimensions when housed in a group room and the large cage. Behavioral observation was conducted for 3 h in the evening, and stress levels were assessed by urine cortisol-to-creatinine ratios. The amounts (estimated proportions) of time spent in locomotion and social/solitary play were lower even in large cages than in group housing (both P < 0.05). Conversely, the amount of time spent resting tended to increase when housed singly (P = 0.104). The urine cortisol-to-creatinine ratios of singly housed cats tended to be higher than that of group-housed cats (P = 0.086). The results indicate that cats become less active when they are housed singly in cages regardless of the cage size. Cats seem to feel no undue stress even in small cages if the stay is short. © 2012 The Authors. Animal Science Journal © 2012 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Cisplatin encapsulated nanoparticle as a therapeutic agent for anticancer treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eka Putra, Gusti Ngurah Putu; Huang, Leaf; Hsu, Yih-Chih

2016-03-01

The knowledge of manipulating size of biomaterials encapsulated drug into nano-scale particles has been researched and developed in treating cancer. Cancer is the second worldwide cause of death, therefore it is critical to treat cancers challenging with therapeutic modality of various mechanisms. Our preliminary investigation has studied cisplatin encapsulated into lipid-based nanoparticle and examined the therapeutic effect on xenografted animal model. We used mice with tumor volume ranging from 195 to 214 mm3 and then few mice were grouped into three groups including: control (PBS), lipid platinum chloride (LPC) nanoparticles and CDDP (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) at dose of 3mg cisplatin /kg body weight. The effect of the treatment was observed for 12 days post-injection. It showed that LPC NPs demonstrated a better therapeutic effect compared to CDDP at same 3mg cisplatin/kg drug dose of tumor size reduction, 96.6% and 11.1% respectively. In addition, mouse body weight loss of LPC, CDDP and PBS treated group are 12.1%, 24.3% and 1.4%. It means that by compared to CDDP group, LPC group demonstrated less side effect as not much reduction of body weight have found. Our findings have shown to be a potential modality to further investigate as a feasible cancer therapy modality.

[Effects of moxibustion with seed-sized moxa cone at "Ganshu" (BL 18) on liver function in rats with precancerous lesion of hepatic cellular cancer].

PubMed

Liu, Yang; Hou, Zhongwei; Lu, Jun; Dong, Feng; Wang, Pei; Jia, Wenrui; Wang, Chaoyang

2015-07-01

To explore the effects of moxibustion with seed-sized moxa cone at "Ganshu" (BL 18) on liver furiction and morphology in rat with precancerous lesion of hepatic cellular cancer MCC). A total of 60 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into a normal group (10 rats), a model group (20 rats), a 20-day treatment group (15 rats) and a 40-day treatment group (15 rats). HCC model was established by intraperitoneal injection of diethylnitrosamine (DEN). Rats in the normal group received no treatment. Rats in the model group were treated with fixation. Rats in the 20-day treatment group and 40-day treatment group were treated by moxibustion with seed-sized moxa cone at "Ganshu" (BL 18), once every other day, for 20 days and 40 days, respectively. Blood sample in each group was collected 1 d before model establishment, 20 d, 40 d and 84 d after model establishment. Chemical method was applied to test the activity of ALT (alamine aminotransferase), AST (aspartate transaminase) and GGT (glutamyl transpeptidase); at the end of model establishment, all the rats were sacrificed to observe the liver morphology changes. After the first therapeutic course, the. content of ALT and AST in the 20-day treatment group was significantly lower than that in the model group (all P<0. 05); after the second therapeutic course, the content of ALT, AST and GGT in the 40-day treatment group was insignificantly lower than that in the model group (all P>0. 05). Under light microscope, the slice of liver tissue indicated that primary tumor was induced in the model group, and the tumor cells were stained and irregular; the cytoplasm in the 20-day treatment group was even, and the tumor cells were few with several nodules alone. In the 40-day treatment group the liver morphology was normal and the staining was even; the tumor cells were few without nodules or a few. Conclusion Moxibustion with seed-sized moxa cone at "Ganshu" (BL 18) could reduce the serum content of ALT, AST and GGT in rats with HCC, which could protect the liver and: delay the DEN-induced precancerous lesion on some levels.

Achieving temperature-size changes in a unicellular organism

PubMed Central

Forster, Jack; Hirst, Andrew G; Esteban, Genoveva F

2013-01-01

The temperature-size rule (TSR) is an intraspecific phenomenon describing the phenotypic plastic response of an organism size to the temperature: individuals reared at cooler temperatures mature to be larger adults than those reared at warmer temperatures. The TSR is ubiquitous, affecting >80% species including uni- and multicellular groups. How the TSR is established has received attention in multicellular organisms, but not in unicells. Further, conceptual models suggest the mechanism of size change to be different in these two groups. Here, we test these theories using the protist Cyclidium glaucoma. We measure cell sizes, along with population growth during temperature acclimation, to determine how and when the temperature-size changes are achieved. We show that mother and daughter sizes become temporarily decoupled from the ratio 2:1 during acclimation, but these return to their coupled state (where daughter cells are half the size of the mother cell) once acclimated. Thermal acclimation is rapid, being completed within approximately a single generation. Further, we examine the impact of increased temperatures on carrying capacity and total biomass, to investigate potential adaptive strategies of size change. We demonstrate no temperature effect on carrying capacity, but maximum supported biomass to decrease with increasing temperature. PMID:22832346

The effect of body coloration and group size on social partner preferences in female fighting fish (Betta splendens).

PubMed

Blakeslee, C; McRobert, S P; Brown, A C; Clotfelter, E D

2009-02-01

Females of the fighting fish Betta splendens have been shown to associate with other B. splendens females in a manner reminiscent of shoaling behavior. Since body coloration varies dramatically in this species, and since body coloration has been shown to affect shoalmate choice in other species of fish, we examined the influence of body coloration on association preferences in female B. splendens. In dichotomous choice tests, B. splendens females spent more time swimming near groups of females (regardless of coloration) than swimming near an empty chamber, and chose to swim near fish of similar coloration to their own when choosing between two distinctly colored groups of females. When examining the interplay between body coloration and group size, focal fish spent more time swimming near larger groups (N=5) of similarly colored fish than swimming near an individual female of similar coloration. However, focal fish showed no preference when presented with an individual female of similar coloration and a larger group of females of dissimilar coloration. These results suggest that association choices in B. splendens females are strongly affected by both body coloration and by group size.

Environmentally transmitted parasites: Host-jumping in a heterogeneous environment.

PubMed

Caraco, Thomas; Cizauskas, Carrie A; Wang, Ing-Nang

2016-05-21

Groups of chronically infected reservoir-hosts contaminate resource patches by shedding a parasite׳s free-living stage. Novel-host groups visit the same patches, where they are exposed to infection. We treat arrival at patches, levels of parasite deposition, and infection of the novel host as stochastic processes, and derive the expected time elapsing until a host-jump (initial infection of a novel host) occurs. At stationarity, mean parasite densities are independent of reservoir-host group size. But within-patch parasite-density variances increase with reservoir group size. The probability of infecting a novel host declines with parasite-density variance; consequently larger reservoir groups extend the mean waiting time for host-jumping. Larger novel-host groups increase the probability of a host-jump during any single patch visit, but also reduce the total number of visits per unit time. Interaction of these effects implies that the waiting time for the first infection increases with the novel-host group size. If the reservoir-host uses resource patches in any non-uniform manner, reduced spatial overlap between host species increases the waiting time for host-jumping. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Unequal Samples, Heterogeneity of Covariance Matrices, and Number of Variables on Discriminant Analysis Classification Tables and Related Statistics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spearing, Debra; Woehlke, Paula

To assess the effect on discriminant analysis in terms of correct classification into two groups, the following parameters were systematically altered using Monte Carlo techniques: sample sizes; proportions of one group to the other; number of independent variables; and covariance matrices. The pairing of the off diagonals (or covariances) with…

Modeling the development of written language

PubMed Central

Puranik, Cynthia S.; Foorman, Barbara; Foster, Elizabeth; Wilson, Laura Gehron; Tschinkel, Erika; Kantor, Patricia Thatcher

2011-01-01

Alternative models of the structure of individual and developmental differences of written composition and handwriting fluency were tested using confirmatory factor analysis of writing samples provided by first- and fourth-grade students. For both groups, a five-factor model provided the best fit to the data. Four of the factors represented aspects of written composition: macro-organization (use of top sentence and number and ordering of ideas), productivity (number and diversity of words used), complexity (mean length of T-unit and syntactic density), and spelling and punctuation. The fifth factor represented handwriting fluency. Handwriting fluency was correlated with written composition factors at both grades. The magnitude of developmental differences between first grade and fourth grade expressed as effect sizes varied for variables representing the five constructs: large effect sizes were found for productivity and handwriting fluency variables; moderate effect sizes were found for complexity and macro-organization variables; and minimal effect sizes were found for spelling and punctuation variables. PMID:22228924

Differences in Task Behavior and Attitudes in Two Organizational Settings by Race.

DTIC Science & Technology

intervening variables such as productivity of groups, duration of speech, satisfaction, self - esteem , Bales IPA behavior. Group composition and size had a...significant effect through both studies on the self - esteem and satisfaction of black and white subordinates.

Social behavioral testing and brain magnetic resonance imaging in chicks exposed to mobile phone radiation during development.

PubMed

Zhou, Zien; Shan, Jiehui; Zu, Jinyan; Chen, Zengai; Ma, Weiwei; Li, Lei; Xu, Jianrong

2016-06-10

The potential adverse effect of mobile phone radiation is currently an area of great concern in the field of public health. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effect of mobile phone radiation (900 MHz radiofrequency) during hatching on postnatal social behaviors in chicks, as well as the effect on brain size and structural maturity estimated using 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging. At day 4 of incubation, 76 normally developing chick embryos were divided into the control group (n = 39) and the radiation group (n = 37). Eggs in the radiation group were exposed to mobile phone radiation for 10 h each day from day 4 to 19 of incubation. Behavioral tests were performed 4 days after hatching. T2-weighted MR imaging and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were subsequently performed. The size of different brain subdivisions (telencephalon, optic lobe, brain stem, and cerebellum) and corresponding DTI parameters were measured. The Chi-square test and the student's t test were used for statistical analysis. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Compared with controls, chicks in the radiation group showed significantly slower aggregation responses (14.87 ± 10.06 vs. 7.48 ± 4.31 s, respectively; P < 0.05), lower belongingness (23.71 ± 8.72 vs. 11.45 ± 6.53 s, respectively; P < 0.05), and weaker vocalization (53.23 ± 8.60 vs. 60.01 ± 10.45 dB/30 s, respectively; P < 0.05). No significant differences were found between the radiation and control group for brain size and structural maturity, except for cerebellum size, which was significantly smaller in the radiation group (28.40 ± 1.95 vs. 29.95 ± 1.41 cm(2), P < 0.05). The hatching and heteroplasia rates were also calculated and no significant difference was found between the two groups. Mobile phone radiation exposure during chick embryogenesis impaired social behaviors after hatching and possibly induced cerebellar retardation. This indicates potential adverse effects of mobile phone radiation on brain development.

Itsy bitsy spider?: Valence and self-relevance predict size estimation.

PubMed

Leibovich, Tali; Cohen, Noga; Henik, Avishai

2016-12-01

The current study explored the role of valence and self-relevance in size estimation of neutral and aversive animals. In Experiment 1, participants who were highly fearful of spiders and participants with low fear of spiders rated the size and unpleasantness of spiders and other neutral animals (birds and butterflies). We found that although individuals with both high and low fear of spiders rated spiders as highly unpleasant, only the highly fearful participants rated spiders as larger than butterflies. Experiment 2 included additional pictures of wasps (not self-relevant, but unpleasant) and beetles. The results of this experiment replicated those of Experiment 1 and showed a similar bias in size estimation for beetles, but not for wasps. Mediation analysis revealed that in the high-fear group both relevance and valence influenced perceived size, whereas in the low-fear group only valence affected perceived size. These findings suggest that the effect of highly relevant stimuli on size perception is both direct and mediated by valence. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Heterogeneity Coefficients for Mahalanobis' D as a Multivariate Effect Size.

PubMed

Del Giudice, Marco

2017-01-01

The Mahalanobis distance D is the multivariate generalization of Cohen's d and can be used as a standardized effect size for multivariate differences between groups. An important issue in the interpretation of D is heterogeneity, that is, the extent to which contributions to the overall effect size are concentrated in a small subset of variables rather than evenly distributed across the whole set. Here I present two heterogeneity coefficients for D based on the Gini coefficient, a well-known index of inequality among values of a distribution. I discuss the properties and limitations of the two coefficients and illustrate their use by reanalyzing some published findings from studies of gender differences.

Effects of Morphological Family Size for Young Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perdijk, Kors; Schreuder, Robert; Baayen, R. Harald; Verhoeven, Ludo

2012-01-01

Dutch children, from the second and fourth grade of primary school, were each given a visual lexical decision test on 210 Dutch monomorphemic words. After removing words not recognized by a majority of the younger group, (lexical) decisions were analysed by mixed-model regression methods to see whether morphological Family Size influenced decision…

Spatially-explicit estimation of Wright's neighborhood size in continuous populations

Treesearch

Andrew J. Shirk; Samuel A. Cushman

2014-01-01

Effective population size (Ne) is an important parameter in conservation genetics because it quantifies a population's capacity to resist loss of genetic diversity due to inbreeding and drift. The classical approach to estimate Ne from genetic data involves grouping sampled individuals into discretely defined subpopulations assumed to be panmictic. Importantly,...

Influences of Mating Group Composition on the Behavioral Time-Budget of Male and Female Alpine Ibex (Capra ibex) during the Rut

PubMed Central

Tettamanti, Federico; Viblanc, Vincent A.

2014-01-01

During the rut, polygynous ungulates gather in mixed groups of individuals of different sex and age. Group social composition, which may vary on a daily basis, is likely to have strong influences on individual’s time-budget, with emerging properties at the group-level. To date, few studies have considered the influence of group composition on male and female behavioral time budget in mating groups. Focusing on a wild population of Alpine ibex, we investigated the influence of group composition (adult sex ratio, the proportion of dominant to subordinate males, and group size) on three behavioral axes obtained by Principal Components Analysis, describing male and female group time-budget. For both sexes, the first behavioral axis discerned a trade-off between grazing and standing/vigilance behavior. In females, group vigilance behavior increased with increasingly male-biased sex ratio, whereas in males, the effect of adult sex ratio on standing/vigilance behavior depended on the relative proportion of dominant males in the mating group. The second axis characterized courtship and male-male agonistic behavior in males, and moving and male-directed agonistic behavior in females. Mating group composition did not substantially influence this axis in males. However, moving and male-directed agonistic behavior increased at highly biased sex ratios (quadratic effect) in females. Finally, the third axis highlighted a trade-off between moving and lying behavior in males, and distinguished moving and female-female agonistic behavior from lying behavior in females. For males, those behaviors were influenced by a complex interaction between group size and adult sex ratio, whereas in females, moving and female-female agonistic behaviors increased in a quadratic fashion at highly biased sex ratios, and also increased with increasing group size. Our results reveal complex behavioral trade-offs depending on group composition in the Alpine ibex, and emphasize the importance of social factors in influencing behavioral time-budgets of wild ungulates during the rut. PMID:24416453

A group's physical attractiveness is greater than the average attractiveness of its members: the group attractiveness effect.

PubMed

van Osch, Yvette; Blanken, Irene; Meijs, Maartje H J; van Wolferen, Job

2015-04-01

We tested whether the perceived physical attractiveness of a group is greater than the average attractiveness of its members. In nine studies, we find evidence for the so-called group attractiveness effect (GA-effect), using female, male, and mixed-gender groups, indicating that group impressions of physical attractiveness are more positive than the average ratings of the group members. A meta-analysis on 33 comparisons reveals that the effect is medium to large (Cohen's d = 0.60) and moderated by group size. We explored two explanations for the GA-effect: (a) selective attention to attractive group members, and (b) the Gestalt principle of similarity. The results of our studies are in favor of the selective attention account: People selectively attend to the most attractive members of a group and their attractiveness has a greater influence on the evaluation of the group. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Equations for hydraulic conductivity estimation from particle size distribution: A dimensional analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ji-Peng; François, Bertrand; Lambert, Pierre

2017-09-01

Estimating hydraulic conductivity from particle size distribution (PSD) is an important issue for various engineering problems. Classical models such as Hazen model, Beyer model, and Kozeny-Carman model usually regard the grain diameter at 10% passing (d10) as an effective grain size and the effects of particle size uniformity (in Beyer model) or porosity (in Kozeny-Carman model) are sometimes embedded. This technical note applies the dimensional analysis (Buckingham's ∏ theorem) to analyze the relationship between hydraulic conductivity and particle size distribution (PSD). The porosity is regarded as a dependent variable on the grain size distribution in unconsolidated conditions. It indicates that the coefficient of grain size uniformity and a dimensionless group representing the gravity effect, which is proportional to the mean grain volume, are the main two determinative parameters for estimating hydraulic conductivity. Regression analysis is then carried out on a database comprising 431 samples collected from different depositional environments and new equations are developed for hydraulic conductivity estimation. The new equation, validated in specimens beyond the database, shows an improved prediction comparing to using the classic models.

Anticoagulation therapy is harmful to large-sized cerebellar infarction.

PubMed

Zhang, She-Qing; Wang, Wei; Ma, Xiao-Long; Xia, Yu-Ye; Liu, Ai-Jun

2014-09-01

Anticoagulants are commonly used to treat ischemic stroke. Its impact on cerebellar infarction has not been fully understood. In the clinical study, we reviewed a consecutive series of patients with large-sized cerebellar infarction (diameter > 3 cm, n = 30) treated with or without anticoagulation. In animal study, cerebellar infarction operation was performed in 12 Cynomolgus monkeys. Then the animals were administrated with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) or vehicle for 14 days. Six patients died during the following treatment. All the subjects that died received anticoagulation therapy, while nobody in the survival group received such a therapy. Compared with sham-operated animals, all monkeys with cerebellar infarction have obvious neurological deficits. The number and size of the Purkinje cells in the cerebellar area were also reduced. Two animals in the LMWH group (33%) died, while all animals in the vehicle control group survived. Compared with the vehicle group, the neurological score in the LMWH group was significantly increased (P < 0.05). The water content in the cerebella was also significantly higher (P < 0.05). Edema, hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage occurred in the cerebella as well as brainstem of all the LMWH treated animals. These results indicated the harmful effects of anticoagulation therapy on large-sized cerebellar infarction. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Increased body size along urbanization gradients at both community and intraspecific level in macro-moths.

PubMed

Merckx, Thomas; Kaiser, Aurélien; Van Dyck, Hans

2018-05-23

Urbanization involves a cocktail of human-induced rapid environmental changes and is forecasted to gain further importance. Urban-heat-island effects result in increased metabolic costs expected to drive shifts towards smaller body sizes. However, urban environments are also characterized by strong habitat fragmentation, often selecting for dispersal phenotypes. Here, we investigate to what extent, and at which spatial scale(s), urbanization drives body size shifts in macro-moths-an insect group characterized by positive size-dispersal links-at both the community and intraspecific level. Using light and bait trapping as part of a replicated, spatially nested sampling design, we show that despite the observed urban warming of their woodland habitat, macro-moth communities display considerable increases in community-weighted mean body size because of stronger filtering against small species along urbanization gradients. Urbanization drives intraspecific shifts towards increased body size too, at least for a third of species analysed. These results indicate that urbanization drives shifts towards larger, and hence, more mobile species and individuals in order to mitigate low connectivity of ecological resources in urban settings. Macro-moths are a key group within terrestrial ecosystems, and since body size is central to species interactions, such urbanization-driven phenotypic change may impact urban ecosystem functioning, especially in terms of nocturnal pollination and food web dynamics. Although we show that urbanization's size-biased filtering happens simultaneously and coherently at both the inter- and intraspecific level, we demonstrate that the impact at the community level is most pronounced at the 800 m radius scale, whereas species-specific size increases happen at local and landscape scales (50-3,200 m radius), depending on the species. Hence, measures-such as creating and improving urban green infrastructure-to mitigate the effects of urbanization on body size will have to be implemented at multiple spatial scales in order to be most effective. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Morphology of self assembled monolayers using liquid phase reaction on silica and their effect on the morphology of adsorbed insulin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Indu; Pattanayek, Sudip K.; Aggarwal, Varsha; Ghosh, Subhasis

2017-05-01

The effect of roughness of two different categories of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) with propyl amine and propyl groups respectively on the morphology of adsorbed insulin is observed. SAMs are obtained by liquid phase reaction of silica with organo silane coupling agents (SCA). The influence of the morphology and physical characteristics of the SAMs on the reaction time and concentration of the modifiers are explored. We have tested three SCA containing propyl amine with varying groups linked to Si present on it. In addition, we have used a silane coupling agent to prepare SAM of methyl head group. The approach of these molecules towards the surface depends on the head group and the groups linked to Si of the SCA. The morphology of the surfaces is analysed using power spectral density distribution (PSD), skewness, ellipsometry thickness and surface energy. Both chemical nature and physical morphology of the adsorbent influence the morphology of the adsorbed insulin. In general, a low number of aggregates of big size are formed on the surfaces obtained from low concentration of SAMs, while a higher number but of smaller size of aggregates are formed over surfaces obtained from 1% concentration of SAMs modifiers. The peak to valley ratio of the aggregates of insulin is strongly influenced by the size of grains of SCA over the adsorbent.

Atomoxetine Increased Effect over Time in Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Treated for up to 6 Months: Pooled Analysis of Two Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Trials.

PubMed

Wietecha, Linda A; Clemow, David B; Buchanan, Andrew S; Young, Joel L; Sarkis, Elias H; Findling, Robert L

2016-07-01

Changes in the magnitude of efficacy throughout 26 weeks of atomoxetine treatment, along with impact of dosing, were evaluated in adults with ADHD from two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. Pooled placebo (n = 485) and atomoxetine (n = 518) patients, dosed 25, 40, 60, 80 (target dose), or 100 mg daily, were assessed. Change from baseline in Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale-Investigator Rated Scale: Screening Version (CAARS) total ADHD symptoms score and Adult ADHD Investigator Symptom Rating Scale (AISRS) total score were analyzed using mixed-model repeated measures, with least squares mean change, effect size, and response rate calculated at 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 22, and 26 weeks. Decreases on CAARS for atomoxetine- versus placebo-treated patients were consistently statistically significantly greater at every time point beginning at one week (P ≤ 0.006, 0.28 effect size). By 4 weeks, comparison was -13.19 compared with -8.84 (P < 0.0001, 0.45 effect size). By 26 weeks, mean change was -15.42 versus -9.71 (0.52 effect size); increase in effect size over time was most pronounced in the 80 mg group (0.82 effect size). AISRS demonstrated similar results. Atomoxetine response rate (CAARS 50% decrease) continued to increase throughout 26 weeks. Atomoxetine treatment in adults with ADHD was associated with small effect sizes after 4 weeks and moderate effect sizes by 6 months of treatment. The data support increased effect size and response rate over time during longer-term treatment at target dose. © 2016 Eli Lilly and Company. CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Imagery enhancements increase the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural group therapy for social anxiety disorder: a benchmarking study.

PubMed

McEvoy, Peter M; Erceg-Hurn, David M; Saulsman, Lisa M; Thibodeau, Michel A

2015-02-01

Emerging evidence suggests that imagery-based techniques may enhance the effectiveness of traditional verbal-linguistic cognitive interventions for emotional disorders. This study extends an earlier pilot study by reporting outcomes from a naturalistic trial of an imagery-enhanced cognitive behavioural group therapy (IE-CBGT, n = 53) protocol for social anxiety disorder (SAD), and comparing outcomes to historical controls who completed a predominantly verbally-based group protocol (n = 129). Patients were consecutive referrals from health professionals to a community clinic specialising in anxiety and mood disorders. Both treatments involved 12, two-hour group sessions plus a one-month follow-up. Analyses evaluated treatment adherence, predictors of dropout, treatment effect sizes, reliable and clinically significant change, and whether self-reported tendencies to use imagery in everyday life and imagery ability predicted symptom change. IE-CBGT patients were substantially more likely to complete treatment than controls (91% vs. 65%). Effect sizes were very large for both treatments, but were significantly larger for IE-CBGT. A higher proportion of the IE-CBGT patients achieved reliable change, and better imagery ability was associated with larger symptom change. Outcomes compared very favourably to published group and individual treatments for SAD, suggesting that IE-CBGT may be a particularly effective and efficient mode of treatment delivery. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A self-help book is better than sleep hygiene advice for insomnia: a randomized controlled comparative study.

PubMed

Bjorvatn, Bjørn; Fiske, Eldbjørg; Pallesen, Ståle

2011-12-01

The objective was to compare the effects of two types of written material for insomnia in a randomized trial with follow-up after three months. Insomniacs were recruited through newspaper advertisements to a web-based survey with validated questionnaires about sleep, anxiety, depression, and use of sleep medications. A self-help book focusing on cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia was compared to standard sleep hygiene advice; 77 and 78 participants were randomized to self-help book or sleep hygiene advice, respectively. The response rate was 81.9%. The self-help book gave significantly better scores on the sleep questionnaires compared to sleep hygiene advice. The proportion using sleep medications was reduced in the self-help book group, whereas it was increased in the sleep hygiene group. Compared to pre-treatment, the self-help book improved scores on the sleep (effect sizes 0.61-0.62) and depression (effect size 0.18) scales, whereas the sleep hygiene advice improved scores on some sleep scales (effect sizes 0.24-0.28), but worsened another (effect size -0.36). In addition, sleep hygiene advice increased the number of days per week where they took sleep medications (effect size -0.50). To conclude, in this randomized controlled trial, the self-help book improved sleep and reduced the proportion using sleep medications compared to sleep hygiene advice. The self-help book is an efficient low-threshold intervention, which is cheap and easily available for patients suffering from insomnia. Sleep hygiene advice also improved sleep at follow-up, but increased sleep medication use. Thus, caution is warranted when sleep hygiene advice are given as a single treatment. © 2011 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2011 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

Under multilevel selection: "when shall you be neither spiteful nor envious?".

PubMed

Garay, József; Csiszár, Villő; Móri, Tamás F

2014-01-07

In this paper, we study the egalitarianism-game in multilevel selection situation. The individuals form reproductive groups. In each group, an egalitarianism-game determines the number of juveniles of different phenotypes (spiteful, envious, neutral and donator). Before the juveniles form the next reproductive group, they have to survive either predators' attacks or a fight between two groups. We adopt the ESS definition of Maynard Smith to multilevel selection. Based on the "group size advantage" assumption (which claims that each juvenile's survival rate depends on the size of his own group, supposing that either the survival rate under predators' attacks is higher in larger groups, or in inter-group aggression usually the larger group wins) we found that when the survival probability has a massive effect on the average fitness, then "group fitness maximizing behavior" (in our case, either neutral or donator) has evolutionary advantage over "competitive behavior" (in our case, either spiteful or envious). © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modeling electrostatic and heterogeneity effects on proton dissociation from humic substances

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tipping, E.; Reddy, M.M.; Hurley, M.A.

1990-01-01

The apparent acid dissociation constant of humic substances increases by 2-4 pK units as ionization of the humic carboxylate groups proceeds. This change in apparent acid strength is due in part to the increase in electrical charge on the humic molecules as protons are shed. In addition, proton dissociation reactions are complicated because humic substances are heterogeneous with respect to proton dissociating groups and molecular size. In this paper, we use the Debye-Hu??ckel theory to describe the effects of electrostatic interactions on proton dissociation of humic substances. Simulations show that, for a size-heterogeneous system of molecules, the weight-average molecular weight is preferable to the number-average value for averaging the effects of electrostatic interactions. Analysis of published data on the proton dissociation of fulvic acid from the Suwannee River shows that the electrostatic interactions can be satisfactorily described by a hypothetical homogeneous compound having a molecular weight of 1000 (similar to the experimentally determined weight-average value). Titration data at three ionic strengths, for several fulvic acid concentrations, and in the pH range from 2.9 to 6.4 can be fitted with three adjustable parameters (pK??int values), given information on molecular size and carboxylate group content. ?? 1990 American Chemical Society.

Ultrafine Angelica gigas powder normalizes ovarian hormone levels and has antiosteoporosis properties in ovariectomized rats: particle size effect.

PubMed

Choi, Kyeong-Ok; Lee, Inae; Paik, Sae-Yeol-Rim; Kim, Dong Eun; Lim, Jung Dae; Kang, Wie-Soo; Ko, Sanghoon

2012-10-01

The root of Angelica gigas (Korean angelica) is traditionally used to treat women's ailments that are caused by an impairment of menstrual blood flow and cycle irregularities. This study evaluated the effect particle size of Korean angelica powder on its efficacy for treating estrogen-related symptoms of menopause. Initially, Korean angelica roots were pulverized into ultrafine powder, and orally administered to the rats at a concentration of 500 mg/kg body weight for 8 weeks. The effects of Korean angelica powder particle size on extraction yield, contents of bioactive compounds (decursin and decursinol angelate), levels of serum ovarian hormones (estradiol and progesterone), reproductive hormones (luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone), and experimental osteoporosis parameters (mineral density, strength, and histological features) were determined. A significant increase (fivefold) in the contents of decursin and decursinol angelate in the extract of the ultrafine Korean angelica powder was observed compared to coarse Korean angelica powder. Rats were divided into sham-operated or ovariectomized (OVX) groups that were fed coarse (CRS) or ultrafine (UF) ground Korean angelica root. The serum levels of estradiol in the OVX_UF group were 19.2% and 54.1% higher than that of OVX_CRS group. Serum bone-alkaline phosphatase/total-alkaline phosphatase index in the OVX_UF group was half that of the OVX_CRS group. In addition, less trabecular bone loss and thick cortical areas were observed in rats administered ultrafine powder. Therefore, ultrafine grinding may enhance the bioactivity of herbal medicines and be especially useful when their extracted forms lose bioactivity during processing, storage, and oral intake.

Targeting binge eating through components of dialectical behavior therapy: preliminary outcomes for individually supported diary card self-monitoring versus group-based DBT.

PubMed

Klein, Angela S; Skinner, Jeremy B; Hawley, Kristin M

2013-12-01

The current study examined two condensed adaptations of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for binge eating. Women with full- or sub-threshold variants of either binge eating disorder or bulimia nervosa were randomly assigned to individually supported self-monitoring using adapted DBT diary cards (DC) or group-based DBT, each 15 sessions over 16 weeks. DC sessions focused on problem-solving diary card completion issues, praising diary card completion, and supporting nonjudgmental awareness of eating-related habits and urges, but not formally teaching DBT skills. Group-based DBT included eating mindfulness, progressing through graded exposure; mindfulness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance skills; and coaching calls between sessions. Both treatments evidenced large and significant improvements in binge eating, bulimic symptoms, and interoceptive awareness. For group-based DBT, ineffectiveness, drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction, and perfectionism also decreased significantly, with medium to large effect sizes. For DC, results were not significant but large in effect size for body dissatisfaction and medium in effect size for ineffectiveness and drive for thinness. Retention for both treatments was higher than recent trends for eating disorder treatment in fee-for-service practice and for similar clinic settings, but favored DC, with the greater attrition of group-based DBT primarily attributed to its more intensive and time-consuming nature, and dropout overall associated with less pretreatment impairment and greater interoceptive awareness. This preliminary investigation suggests that with both abbreviated DBT-based treatments, substantial improvement in core binge eating symptoms is possible, enhancing potential avenues for implementation beyond more time-intensive DBT.

Inhibitory control in bulimic-type eating disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Wu, Mudan; Hartmann, Mechthild; Skunde, Mandy; Herzog, Wolfgang; Friederich, Hans-Christoph

2013-01-01

The aim of this meta-analysis was to summarise data from neuropsychological studies on inhibitory control to general and disease-salient (i.e., food/eating, body/shape) stimuli in bulimic-type eating disorders (EDs). A systematic literature search was conducted to identify eligible experimental studies. The outcome measures studied included the performance on established inhibitory control tasks in bulimic-type EDs. Effect sizes (Hedges' g) were pooled using random-effects models. For inhibitory control to general stimuli, 24 studies were included with a total of 563 bulimic-type ED patients: 439 had bulimia nervosa (BN), 42 had anorexia nervosa of the binge/purge subtype (AN-b), and 82 had binge eating disorder (BED). With respect to inhibitory control to disease-salient stimuli, 12 studies were included, representing a total of 218 BN patients. A meta-analysis of these studies showed decreased inhibitory control to general stimuli in bulimic-type EDs (g = -0.32). Subgroup analysis revealed impairments with a large effect in the AN-b group (g = -0.91), impairments with a small effect in the BN group (g = -0.26), and a non-significant effect in the BED group (g = -0.16). Greater impairments in inhibitory control were observed in BN patients when confronted with disease-salient stimuli (food/eating: g = -0.67; body/shape: g = -0.61). In conclusion, bulimic-type EDs showed impairments in inhibitory control to general stimuli with a small effect size. There was a significantly larger impairment in inhibitory control to disease salient stimuli observed in BN patients, constituting a medium effect size.

Nano-sized metabolic precursors for heterogeneous tumor-targeting strategy using bioorthogonal click chemistry in vivo.

PubMed

Lee, Sangmin; Jung, Seulhee; Koo, Heebeom; Na, Jin Hee; Yoon, Hong Yeol; Shim, Man Kyu; Park, Jooho; Kim, Jong-Ho; Lee, Seulki; Pomper, Martin G; Kwon, Ick Chan; Ahn, Cheol-Hee; Kim, Kwangmeyung

2017-12-01

Herein, we developed nano-sized metabolic precursors (Nano-MPs) for new tumor-targeting strategy to overcome the intrinsic limitations of biological ligands such as the limited number of biological receptors and the heterogeneity in tumor tissues. We conjugated the azide group-containing metabolic precursors, triacetylated N-azidoacetyl-d-mannosamine to generation 4 poly(amidoamine) dendrimer backbone. The nano-sized dendrimer of Nano-MPs could generate azide groups on the surface of tumor cells homogeneously regardless of cell types via metabolic glycoengineering. Importantly, these exogenously generated 'artificial chemical receptors' containing azide groups could be used for bioorthogonal click chemistry, regardless of phenotypes of different tumor cells. Furthermore, in tumor-bearing mice models, Nano-MPs could be mainly localized at the target tumor tissues by the enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect, and they successfully generated azide groups on tumor cells in vivo after an intravenous injection. Finally, we showed that these azide groups on tumor tissues could be used as 'artificial chemical receptors' that were conjugated to bioorthogonal chemical group-containing liposomes via in vivo click chemistry in heterogeneous tumor-bearing mice. Therefore, overall results demonstrated that our nano-sized metabolic precursors could be extensively applied to new alternative tumor-targeting technique for molecular imaging and drug delivery system, regardless of the phenotype of heterogeneous tumor cells. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Is the main goal of mastication achieved after orthodontic treatment? A prospective longitudinal study

PubMed Central

Gameiro, Gustavo Hauber; Magalhães, Isabela Brandão; Szymanski, Mariana Marcon; Andrade, Annicele Silva

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate the masticatory and swallowing performances in patients with malocclusions before and after orthodontic treatment, comparing them to an age- and gender-matched control group with normal occlusion. Methods: Twenty-three patients with malocclusions requiring orthodontic treatment were included in this prospective study. One month after appliance removal, seventeen patients completed a follow-up examination and the data were compared with those of a control group with thirty subjects with normal occlusion. Masticatory performance was determined by the median particle size for the Optocal Plus® test food after 15 chewing strokes, and three variables related to swallowing were assessed: a) time and b) number of strokes needed to prepare the test-food for swallowing, and c) median particle size of the crushed particles at the moment of swallowing. Results: At the baseline examination, the malocclusion group had a significantly lower masticatory performance and did not reach the particle size reduction at the moment of swallowing, when compared with the control group. After treatment, the masticatory performance significantly improved in the malocclusion group and the particle size reduction at swallowing reached the same level as in the control group. Conclusions: The present results showed that the correction of malocclusions with fixed appliances can objectively provide positive effects in both mastication and deglutition processes, reinforcing that besides aesthetic reasons, there are also functional indications for orthodontic treatment. PMID:28746490

Effect of restricted suckling on the onset of follicular dynamics and body condition score in Brahman cattle raised under tropical conditions.

PubMed

Mondragón, Violeta; Galina, Carlos S; Rubio, Ivette; Corro, Manuel; Salmerón, Frida

2016-04-01

With the aim of evaluating the effect of restricted suckling on the onset of follicular dynamics and body condition, multiparous Bos indicus cows were distributed in two groups. One group (RS=36) was subjected to a scheme of restricted suckling starting at 21 days postpartum. Calves were allowed to suckle once per day for a period of two h whilst the control group (C=18) remained with their dams at all times. At calving, body condition score, back fat thickness and body weight had similar values (p>0.05) for both groups. By day 85 postpartum both groups had recorded losses in body weight. The cows in the continuous group formed a greater (p<0.05) number of follicles of class size <6mm in both periods before and after synchronization. The proportion of cows showing estrus and ovulation before 45 days, was not different (p>0.05). The number of cows that exhibited estrus after 45 days, was greater (p<0.05) in RS than C group, 72.2% and 55.5%, respectively. Same situation (p<0.05) occurred in cows that ovulated, 88.8 and 66.7%, for groups RS and C, respectively. The subset in the intensive observations showed that the size of the bigger follicle was larger (p<0.05) for RS cows than C cows from 36 h after CIDR withdrawal. At 57 h, the size of the biggest follicle recorded was not different between groups (p>0.05). A regime of restricted suckling favors the earlier growth of follicles and the prompt restoration of ovarian activity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of stream flow effects on smolt survival in the Yakima River basin, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Courter,; Garrison,; Kock, Tobias J.; Perry, Russell W.

2012-01-01

Yearling Chinook smolt survival and travel time estimates from 2012 suggest that migration rates and survival rates in the Roza Reach may be associated with stream flow, water temperature, release timing (i.e. migratory disposition), and fish size, but the extent to which each variable influenced survival is yet to be determined. The lowest survival rate (61%) and longest travel time (median 2.26 days) was observed in Release Group 1, which had the smallest size distribution and experienced the lowest flows, lowest temperatures, and earliest release date among the three groups. Release Groups 2 and 3 survived at 96% and 98% respectively and traveled through the Roza Reach in less than eight hours. The primary focus of years two and three of this study will be to collect data that minimizes the effect of confounding explanatory variables, so that flow effects on emigration survival can be quantified independent of these other influential factors.

Resource and competitive dynamics shape the benefits of public goods cooperation in a plant pathogen

PubMed Central

Platt, Thomas G.; Fuqua, Clay; Bever, James D.

2012-01-01

Cooperative benefits depend on a variety of ecological factors. Many cooperative bacteria increase the population size of their groups by making a public good available. Increased local population size can alleviate the constraints of kin competition on the evolution of cooperation by enhancing the between-group fitness of cooperators. The cooperative pathogenesis of Agrobacterium tumefaciens causes infected plants to exude opines—resources that provide a nearly exclusive source of nutrient for the pathogen. We experimentally demonstrate that opines provide cooperative A. tumefaciens cells a within-group fitness advantage over saprophytic agrobacteria. Our results are congruent with a resource-consumer competition model, which predicts that cooperative, virulent agrobacteria are at a competitive disadvantage when opines are unavailable, but have an advantage when opines are available at sufficient levels. This model also predicts that freeloading agrobacteria that catabolize opines but cannot infect plants competitively displace the cooperative pathogen from all environments. However, we show that these cooperative public goods also promote increased local population size. A model built from the Price Equation shows that this effect on group size can contribute to the persistence of cooperative pathogenesis despite inherent kin competition for the benefits of pathogenesis. PMID:22671559

Effects on infarct size and left ventricular function of early intravenous injection of anistreplase in acute myocardial infarction. The APSIM Study Investigators.

PubMed

Bassand, J P; Bernard, Y; Lusson, J R; Machecourt, J; Cassagnes, J; Borel, E

1990-03-01

A total of 231 patients suffering from a first acute myocardial infarction were randomly allocated within 4 hours following the onset of symptoms either to anistreplase or anisoylated plasminogen streptokinase activator complex (APSAC), 30 U over 5 minutes, or to conventional heparin therapy, 5000 IU in bolus injection. Heparin was reintroduced in both groups 4 h after initial therapy at a dosage of 500 IU/kg per day. A total of 112 patients received anistreplase and 119 received heparin within a mean period of 188 +/- 62 min following the onset of symptoms. Infarct size was estimated from single photon emission computerized tomography and expressed in percentage of the total myocardial volume. The patency rate of the infarct-related artery was 77% in the anistreplase group and 36% in the heparin group (p less than 0.001). Left ventricular ejection fraction determined from contrast angiography was significantly higher in the anistreplase group than in the heparin group (6 absolute percentage point difference). A significant 31% reduction in infarct size was found in the anistreplase group (33% for the anterior wall infarction subgroup [p less than 0.05] and 16% for the inferior wall infarction subgroup, NS). A close inverse relation was found between the values of left ventricular ejection fraction and infarct size (r = -.73, p less than 0.01). In conclusion, early infusion of anistreplase in acute myocardial infarction produced a high early patency rate, a significant limitation of infarct size, and a significant preservation of left ventricular systolic function, mainly in the anterior wall infarctions.

Effect of frozen storage on molecular weight, size distribution and conformation of gluten by SAXS and SEC-MALLS.

PubMed

Zhao, Lei; Li, Lin; Liu, Guo-Qin; Liu, Xing-Xun; Li, Bing

2012-06-12

In this study, the effects of frozen (-18 °C) storage time on molecular weight, size distribution, conformation, free amino groups and free sulfhydryl groups of gluten were studied by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), multi-angle laser light scattering (MALLS) in conjunction with a size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and spectrophotometrically. The results showed that the gluten dissolved in 50 mM acetic acid appeared to be similar to quasi-spherical of the chain conformation and the slope of the conformation plot decreased during the storage. Both the molecular weight and radius of gyration of the frozen gluten decreased with the storage time showing a depolymerization in the high molecular weight fraction of gluten (10(5) Da ~ 10(9) Da). Therefore, at constant molecular weight the change of the chain conformation did not show a clear correlation with the storage time. The free amino groups content changed little and the free sulfhydryl groups content of the gluten increased from 9.8 μmol/g for the control to 12.87 μmol/g for 120-day-stored gluten, indicating that the water redistribution and ice recrystallization lead to the breakage of the disulphide bonds and may be one of the reasons for the depolymerization of gluten polymer.

Equal-magnitude size-weight illusions experienced within and between object categories.

PubMed

Buckingham, Gavin; Goodale, Melvyn A; White, Justin A; Westwood, David A

2016-01-01

In the size-weight illusion (SWI), small objects feel heavier than larger objects of the same mass. This effect is typically thought to be a consequence of the lifter's expectation that the large object will outweigh the small object, because objects of the same type typically get heavier as they get larger. Here, we show that this perceptual effect can occur across object category, where there are no strong expectations about the correspondence between size and mass. One group of participants lifted same-colored large and small cubes with the same mass as one another, while another group lifted differently-colored large and small cubes with the same mass as one another. The group who lifted the same-colored cubes experienced a robust SWI and initially lifted the large object with more force than the small object. By contrast, the group who lifted the different-colored objects did so with equal initial forces on the first trial, but experienced just as strong an illusion as those who lifted the same-colored objects. These results demonstrate that color cues can selectively influence the application of fingertip force rates while not impacting at all upon the lifter's perception of object weight, highlighting a stark dissociation in how prior information affects perception and action.

Antimicrobial strength increases with group size: implications for social evolution.

PubMed

Turnbull, Christine; Hoggard, Stephen; Gillings, Michael; Palmer, Chris; Stow, Adam; Beattie, Doug; Briscoe, David; Smith, Shannon; Wilson, Peter; Beattie, Andrew

2011-04-23

We hypothesize that aggregations of animals are likely to attract pathogenic micro-organisms and that this is especially the case for semisocial and eusocial insects where selection ultimately led to group sizes in the thousands or even millions, attracting the epithet 'superorganism'. Here, we analyse antimicrobial strength, per individual, in eight thrips species (Insecta: Thysanoptera) that present increasing innate group sizes and show that species with the largest group size (100-700) had the strongest antimicrobials, those with smaller groups (10-80) had lower antimicrobial activity, while solitary species showed none. Species with large innate group sizes showed strong antimicrobial activity while the semisocial species showed no activity until group size increased sufficiently to make activity detectable. The eusocial species behaved in a similar way, with detectable activity appearing once group size exceeded 120. These analyses show that antimicrobial strength is determined by innate group size. This suggests that the evolution of sociality that, by definition, increases group size, may have had particular requirements for defences against microbial pathogens. Thus, increase in group size, accompanied by increased antibiotic strength, may have been a critical factor determining the 'point of no return', early in the evolution of social insects, beyond which the evolution of social anatomical and morphological traits was irreversible. Our data suggest that traits that increase group size in general are accompanied by increased antimicrobial strength and that this was critical for transitions from solitary to social and eusocial organization.

Modeling the soil water retention curves of soil-gravel mixtures with regression method on the Loess Plateau of China.

PubMed

Wang, Huifang; Xiao, Bo; Wang, Mingyu; Shao, Ming'an

2013-01-01

Soil water retention parameters are critical to quantify flow and solute transport in vadose zone, while the presence of rock fragments remarkably increases their variability. Therefore a novel method for determining water retention parameters of soil-gravel mixtures is required. The procedure to generate such a model is based firstly on the determination of the quantitative relationship between the content of rock fragments and the effective saturation of soil-gravel mixtures, and then on the integration of this relationship with former analytical equations of water retention curves (WRCs). In order to find such relationships, laboratory experiments were conducted to determine WRCs of soil-gravel mixtures obtained with a clay loam soil mixed with shale clasts or pebbles in three size groups with various gravel contents. Data showed that the effective saturation of the soil-gravel mixtures with the same kind of gravels within one size group had a linear relation with gravel contents, and had a power relation with the bulk density of samples at any pressure head. Revised formulas for water retention properties of the soil-gravel mixtures are proposed to establish the water retention curved surface models of the power-linear functions and power functions. The analysis of the parameters obtained by regression and validation of the empirical models showed that they were acceptable by using either the measured data of separate gravel size group or those of all the three gravel size groups having a large size range. Furthermore, the regression parameters of the curved surfaces for the soil-gravel mixtures with a large range of gravel content could be determined from the water retention data of the soil-gravel mixtures with two representative gravel contents or bulk densities. Such revised water retention models are potentially applicable in regional or large scale field investigations of significantly heterogeneous media, where various gravel sizes and different gravel contents are present.

Modeling the Soil Water Retention Curves of Soil-Gravel Mixtures with Regression Method on the Loess Plateau of China

PubMed Central

Wang, Huifang; Xiao, Bo; Wang, Mingyu; Shao, Ming'an

2013-01-01

Soil water retention parameters are critical to quantify flow and solute transport in vadose zone, while the presence of rock fragments remarkably increases their variability. Therefore a novel method for determining water retention parameters of soil-gravel mixtures is required. The procedure to generate such a model is based firstly on the determination of the quantitative relationship between the content of rock fragments and the effective saturation of soil-gravel mixtures, and then on the integration of this relationship with former analytical equations of water retention curves (WRCs). In order to find such relationships, laboratory experiments were conducted to determine WRCs of soil-gravel mixtures obtained with a clay loam soil mixed with shale clasts or pebbles in three size groups with various gravel contents. Data showed that the effective saturation of the soil-gravel mixtures with the same kind of gravels within one size group had a linear relation with gravel contents, and had a power relation with the bulk density of samples at any pressure head. Revised formulas for water retention properties of the soil-gravel mixtures are proposed to establish the water retention curved surface models of the power-linear functions and power functions. The analysis of the parameters obtained by regression and validation of the empirical models showed that they were acceptable by using either the measured data of separate gravel size group or those of all the three gravel size groups having a large size range. Furthermore, the regression parameters of the curved surfaces for the soil-gravel mixtures with a large range of gravel content could be determined from the water retention data of the soil-gravel mixtures with two representative gravel contents or bulk densities. Such revised water retention models are potentially applicable in regional or large scale field investigations of significantly heterogeneous media, where various gravel sizes and different gravel contents are present. PMID:23555040

The effects of group size on aggression when mixing unacquainted sows in outdoor paddocks

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Aggression is a challenge when pigs are kept in groups. Sows fight at mixing when space is limited but this project sought to determine the amount and type of aggression observed when unacquainted Berkshire sows were mixed in pairs or in two established sub-groups of three in outdoor paddocks. Treat...

A Preliminary Comparison of the Effectiveness of Cluster Analysis Weighting Procedures for Within-Group Covariance Structure.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donoghue, John R.

A Monte Carlo study compared the usefulness of six variable weighting methods for cluster analysis. Data were 100 bivariate observations from 2 subgroups, generated according to a finite normal mixture model. Subgroup size, within-group correlation, within-group variance, and distance between subgroup centroids were manipulated. Of the clustering…

Perceptions as the crucial link? The mediating role of neighborhood perceptions in the relationship between the neighborhood context and neighborhood cohesion.

PubMed

Laméris, Joran; Hipp, John R; Tolsma, Jochem

2018-05-01

This study examines the effects of neighborhood racial in-group size, economic deprivation and the prevalence of crime on neighborhood cohesion among U.S. whites. We explore to what extent residents' perceptions of their neighborhood mediate these macro-micro relationships. We use a recent individual-level data set, the American Social Fabric Study (2012/2013), enriched with contextual-level data from the U.S. Census Bureau (2010) and employ multi-level structural equation models. We show that the racial in-group size is positively related to neighborhood cohesion and that neighborhood cohesion is lower in communities with a high crime rate. Individuals' perceptions of the racial in-group size partly mediate the relationship between the objective racial in-group size and neighborhood cohesion. Residents' perceptions of unsafety from crime also appear to be a mediating factor, not only for the objective crime rate but also for the objective racial in-group size. This is in line with our idea that racial stereotypes link racial minorities to crime whereby neighborhoods with a large non-white population are perceived to be more unsafe. Residents of the same neighborhood differ in how they perceive the degree of economic decay of the neighborhood and this causes them to evaluate neighborhood cohesion differently, however perceptions of neighborhood economic decay do not explain the link between the objective neighborhood context and neighborhood cohesion. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Place matters: A longitudinal analysis measuring the association between neighbourhood walkability and walking by age group and population center size in Canada.

PubMed

Wasfi, Rania; Steinmetz-Wood, Madeleine; Kestens, Yan

2017-01-01

This study examined the influence of walkability on walking behaviour and assessed whether associations varied according to life-stage and population center (PC) size. Walkability scores were obtained for the six-digit postal codes of residential neighbourhoods of 11,200 Canadians, who participated in biennial assessments of the National Population Health Survey from 1994 to 2010. Participants were stratified by age-group. Mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to estimate the influence of cumulative exposure to neighborhood walkability on utilitarian and exercise walking by PC size and life-stage. Associations of neighbourhood walkability with utilitarian and exercise walking varied according to age-group and PC size. Exposure to high walkable neighborhoods was associated with utilitarian walking in younger and older adults in all PC sizes, except for older adults living in a medium PC. Living in a highly walkable neighborhood in a large PC was associated with walking for exercise in younger (OR: 1.42; 95%CI: 1.20-1.67) and older adults (OR: 2.09; 95%CI: 1.51-2.89). Living in highly walkable neighbourhood in a medium PC was associated with walking for exercise in older adults (OR: 1.62; 95%CI: 1.15-2.29). These results emphasize the need to consider the size and nature of every community, and the age-group of a population when implementing strategies to promote walking.

Place matters: A longitudinal analysis measuring the association between neighbourhood walkability and walking by age group and population center size in Canada

PubMed Central

Steinmetz-Wood, Madeleine; Kestens, Yan

2017-01-01

This study examined the influence of walkability on walking behaviour and assessed whether associations varied according to life-stage and population center (PC) size. Walkability scores were obtained for the six-digit postal codes of residential neighbourhoods of 11,200 Canadians, who participated in biennial assessments of the National Population Health Survey from 1994 to 2010. Participants were stratified by age-group. Mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to estimate the influence of cumulative exposure to neighborhood walkability on utilitarian and exercise walking by PC size and life-stage. Associations of neighbourhood walkability with utilitarian and exercise walking varied according to age-group and PC size. Exposure to high walkable neighborhoods was associated with utilitarian walking in younger and older adults in all PC sizes, except for older adults living in a medium PC. Living in a highly walkable neighborhood in a large PC was associated with walking for exercise in younger (OR: 1.42; 95%CI: 1.20–1.67) and older adults (OR: 2.09; 95%CI: 1.51–2.89). Living in highly walkable neighbourhood in a medium PC was associated with walking for exercise in older adults (OR: 1.62; 95%CI: 1.15–2.29). These results emphasize the need to consider the size and nature of every community, and the age-group of a population when implementing strategies to promote walking. PMID:29261706

Relationships between chemical structure and affinity for postganglionic acetylcholine receptors of the guinea-pig ileum

PubMed Central

Abramson, F.B.; Barlow, R.B.; Franks, Fiona M.; Pearson, J.D.M.

1974-01-01

1 Some phenylacetyl, diphenylacetyl, benziloyl and (±)-cyclohexylphenylglycolloyl esters have been made with 2- and 3-hydroxymethylpyrrolidines, 3-hydroxymethyl-N-methylpiperidine, piperidin-3-ols, piperidin-4-ols, 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-N-methylpiperidin-4-ol, tropine, pseudotropine and quinuclidin-3-ol, and the affinity of these compounds and of their metho- and etho- derivatives has been measured for postganglionic acetylcholine receptors of the guinea-pig isolated ileum. 2 Some of the compounds were very active indeed; the benziloyl esters of N-methylpiperidin-4-ol methiodide, tropine methiodide, and quinculidin-3-ol, and the (±)-cyclohexylphenylglycolloyl esters of N-methylpiperidin-4-ol and its methiodide had affinity constants greater than 1010. 3 The effects of inserting an additional methylene group onto the nitrogen were extremely variable, ranging from a decrease in log K of 1.64 units to an increase of 0.97 units. The effects of replacing hydrogen by phenyl in the acid portion ranged from an increase of 1.04 units to an increase of 3.06 units and of replacing hydrogen by hydroxyl from a decrease of 0.09 units to an increase of 1.94 units. 4 The extent of the variation in the effects of a particular change in structure on affinity does not appear to be any different in these relatively rigid compounds from that observed with the same changes in open-chain aminoalcohols. 5 Reasons for the variable effects of groups on affinity are discussed. If differences in effects on preferred conformations of these particular compounds in solution are of secondary importance, the effect of a group on affinity will be the net result of what it could contribute to binding, offset by the disturbance it causes to existing binding. The maximum effect observed in a large number of comparisons may indicate the contribution in the absence of disturbance and for groups containing only carbon and hydrogen it appears to be related to size, assessed from the increments in apparent molal volume at infinite dilution. The variation in the effects of these groups also appears to be related to size. Changes involving groups containing oxygen can produce bigger contributions to binding, and a bigger variation in contribution, than would be expected from their size. 6 It is difficult to predict the extent to which groups may fail to produce their maximum effects. Variation is greatest with groups which could produce the biggest changes and so are of the greatest interest. 7 The relevance of the results to the successful prediction of biological activity is discussed. PMID:4441797

Survival, growth, and tag retention in age-0 Chinook Salmon implanted with 8-, 9-, and 12-mm PIT tags

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tiffan, Kenneth F.; Perry, Russell W.; Connor, William P.; Mullins, Frank L.; Rabe, Craig; Nelson, Doug D

2015-01-01

The ability to represent a population of migratory juvenile fish with PIT tags becomes difficult when the minimum tagging size is larger than the average size at which fish begin to move downstream. Tags that are smaller (e.g., 8 and 9 mm) than the commonly used 12-mm PIT tags are currently available, but their effects on survival, growth, and tag retention in small salmonid juveniles have received little study. We evaluated growth, survival, and tag retention in age-0 Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha of three size-groups: 40–49-mm fish were implanted with 8- and 9-mm tags, and 50– 59-mm and 60–69-mm fish were implanted with 8-, 9-, and 12-mm tags. Survival 28 d after tagging ranged from 97.8% to 100% across all trials, providing no strong evidence for a fish-size-related tagging effect or a tag size effect. No biologically significant effects of tagging on growth in FL (mm/d) or weight (g/d) were observed. Although FL growth in tagged fish was significantly reduced for the 40–49-mm and 50–59-mm groups over the first 7 d, growth rates were not different thereafter, and all fish were similar in size by the end of the trials (day 28). Tag retention across all tests ranged from 93% to 99%. We acknowledge that actual implantation of 8- or 9-mm tags into small fish in the field will pose additional challenges (e.g., capture and handling stress) beyond those observed in our laboratory. However, we conclude that experimental use of the smaller tags for small fish in the field is supported by our findings.

Effect of Elevated Reperfusion Pressure on "No Reflow" Area and Infarct Size in a Porcine Model of Ischemia-Reperfusion.

PubMed

Pantsios, Chris; Kapelios, Chris; Vakrou, Styliani; Diakos, Nikolaos; Pozios, Iraklis; Kontogiannis, Chris; Nanas, John; Malliaras, Konstantinos

2016-07-01

The "no reflow" phenomenon (microvascular obstruction despite restoration of epicardial blood flow) develops postreperfusion in acute myocardial infarction and is associated with poor prognosis. We hypothesized that increased reperfusion pressure may attenuate the no reflow phenomenon, as it could provide adequate flow to overcome the high resistance of the microvasculature within the no reflow zone. Thus, we investigated the effect of modestly elevated blood pressure during reperfusion on the extent of no reflow area and infarct size in a porcine model of ischemia-reperfusion. Eighteen farm pigs underwent acute myocardial infarction by occlusion of the anterior descending coronary artery for 1 hour, followed by 2 hours of reperfusion. Just prior to reperfusion, animals were randomized into 2 groups: in group 1 (control group, n = 9), no intervention was performed. In group 2 (n = 9), aortic pressure was increased by ∼20% (compared to ischemia) by partial clamping of the ascending aorta during reperfusion. Following 2 hours of reperfusion, animals were euthanized to measure area at risk, infarct size, and area of no reflow. Partial clamping of the ascending aorta resulted in modest elevation of blood pressure during reperfusion. The area at risk did not differ between the 2 groups. The no reflow area was significantly increased in group 2 compared to control animals (50% ± 13% vs 37% ± 9% of the area at risk; P = .04). The infarcted area was significantly increased in group 2 compared to control animals (75% ± 17% vs 52% ± 23% of the area at risk; P = .03). Significant positive correlations were observed between systolic aortic pressure and no reflow area, between systolic aortic pressure and infarcted area and between infarcted area and no reflow area during reperfusion. Modestly elevated blood pressure during reperfusion is associated with an increase in no reflow area and in infarct size in a clinically relevant porcine model of ischemia-reperfusion. © The Author(s) 2015.

Effect of Olympic and traditional resistance training on vertical jump improvement in high school boys.

PubMed

Channell, Brian T; Barfield, J P

2008-09-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a ballistic resistance training program of Olympic lifts with those of a traditional resistance training program of power lifts on vertical jump improvement in male high school athletes. Twenty-seven male student athletes were recruited from a high school football program at a small, rural school in the Southeast. The subjects were divided into an Olympic training group (OT, n = 11), a power training group (PT, n = 10), and a control group (n = 6). Analysis of variance was used to determine whether a significant mean difference existed among groups on vertical jump improvement after 8 weeks of group-specific training. Effect size of vertical jump improvement between groups, and correlations between strength and vertical jump performance, were also examined. There was no significant mean difference (p >or= 0.05) among OT, PT, and control groups, but large effect sizes between OT and control (d = 1.06) and PT and control (d = 0.94) demonstrate that both OT and PT are effective in improving vertical jump performance in male high school athletes. Moderate to high correlations were noted between squat score and vertical jump after adjusting for body weight (r = 0.42) and between power clean and vertical jump after adjusting for body weight (r = 0.75). Findings from the current study indicate that Olympic lifts as well as power lifts provide improvement in vertical jump performance and that Olympic lifts may provide a modest advantage over power lifts for vertical jump improvement in high school athletes.

Beneficial effects of calcitriol on hypertension, glucose intolerance, impairment of endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation, and visceral adiposity in fructose-fed hypertensive rats.

PubMed

Chou, Chu-Lin; Pang, Cheng-Yoong; Lee, Tony J F; Fang, Te-Chao

2015-01-01

Besides regulating calcium homeostasis, the effects of vitamin D on vascular tone and metabolic disturbances remain scarce in the literature despite an increase intake with high-fructose corn syrup worldwide. We investigated the effects of calcitriol, an active form of vitamin D, on vascular relaxation, glucose tolerance, and visceral fat pads in fructose-fed rats. Male Wistar-Kyoto rats were divided into 4 groups (n = 6 per group). Group Con: standard chow diet for 8 weeks; Group Fru: high-fructose diet (60% fructose) for 8 weeks; Group Fru-HVD: high-fructose diet as Group Fru, high-dose calcitriol treatment (20 ng / 100 g body weight per day) 4 weeks after the beginning of fructose feeding; and Group Fru-LVD: high-fructose diet as Group Fru, low-dose calcitriol treatment (10 ng / 100 g body weight per day) 4 weeks after the beginning of fructose feeding. Systolic blood pressure was measured twice a week by the tail-cuff method. Blood was examined for serum ionized calcium, phosphate, creatinine, glucose, triglycerides, and total cholesterol. Intra-peritoneal glucose intolerance test, aortic vascular reactivity, the weight of visceral fat pads, adipose size, and adipose angiotensin II levels were analyzed at the end of the study. The results showed that the fructose-fed rats significantly developed hypertension, impaired glucose tolerance, heavier weight and larger adipose size of visceral fat pads, and raised adipose angiotensin II expressions compared with the control rats. High- and low-dose calcitriol reduced modestly systolic blood pressure, increased endothelium-dependent aortic relaxation, ameliorated glucose intolerance, reduced the weight and adipose size of visceral fat pads, and lowered adipose angiotensin II expressions in the fructose-fed rats. However, high-dose calcitriol treatment mildly increased serum ionized calcium levels (1.44 ± 0.05 mmol/L). These results suggest a protective role of calcitriol treatment on endothelial function, glucose tolerance, and visceral adiposity in fructose-fed rats.

Mitochondrial complex I and NAD(P)H oxidase are major sources of exacerbated oxidative stress in pressure-overloaded ischemic-reperfused hearts.

PubMed

Mozaffari, Mahmood S; Baban, Babak; Liu, Jun Yao; Abebe, Worku; Sullivan, Jennifer C; El-Marakby, Ahmed

2011-03-01

We tested the hypothesis that pressure overload exacerbates oxidative stress associated with augmented mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) pore opening and cell death in ischemic-reperfused hearts. Pressure overload decreased the level of reduced glutathione but increased nitrotyrosine and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine levels in ischemic-reperfused hearts. The activity of catalase, but not superoxide dismutase (SOD), was lower in ischemic-reperfused hearts perfused at higher pressure. Mitochondria from ischemic-reperfused hearts subjected to higher perfusion pressure displayed significantly greater [³H]-2-deoxyglucose-6-P entrapment suggestive of greater MPT pore opening and consistent with greater necrosis and apoptosis. Tempol (SOD mimetic) reduced infarct size in both groups but it remained greater in the higher pressure group. By contrast, uric acid (peroxynitrite scavenger) markedly reduced infarct size at higher pressure, effectively eliminating the differential between the two groups. Inhibition of xanthine oxidase, with allopurinol, reduced infarct size but did not eliminate the differential between the two groups. However, amobarbital (inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I) or apocynin [inhibitor of NAD(P)H oxidase] reduced infarct size at both pressures and also abrogated the differential between the two groups. Consistent with the effect of apocynin, pressure-overloaded hearts displayed significantly higher NAD(P)H oxidase activity. Furthermore, pressure-overloaded hearts displayed increased nitric oxide synthase activity which, along with increased propensity to superoxide generation, may underlie uric acid-induced cardioprotection. In conclusion, increased oxidative and nitrosative stress, coupled with lack of augmented SOD and catalase activities, contributes importantly to the exacerbating impact of pressure overload on MPT pore opening and cell death in ischemic-reperfused hearts.

Multigenerational exposure to dietary zearalenone (ZEA), an estrogenic mycotoxin, affects puberty and reproduction in female mice

PubMed Central

Zhao, Fei; Li, Rong; Xiao, Shuo; Honglu, Diao; El Zowalaty, Ahmed E.; Ye, Xiaoqin

2014-01-01

This study investigated potential cumulative effects of multiple pregnancy and multigenerational exposure to dietary ZEA (0, 0.8, 4, or 20 ppm) on female puberty and reproduction in C57BL/6J mice. Multiple pregnancies did not significantly affect litter size or offspring puberty. Significant effects were observed in 20 ppm ZEA-treated females: advanced puberty onset in F0, F1, and F2 generations; decreased implantation rate, pregnancy rate, and litter size, and increased pregnancy gap and gestation period in F1 and F2 generations; and reduced fertility index in F2 generation. F3 females from 0 and 20 ppm groups were split into 0 or 20 ppm ZEA diets at weaning, with advanced puberty onset seen in 0-20 and 20-20 groups and decreased implantation rate observed in 20-20 group. In summary, 20 ppm dietary ZEA advanced puberty onset without obvious cumulative effect and impaired fertility with multigenerational cumulative effect, which could be partially alleviated upon exposure cessation. PMID:24972337

Parent-Implemented Enhanced Milieu Teaching with Preschool Children with Intellectual Disabilities

PubMed Central

Kaiser, Ann P.; Roberts, Megan Y.

2013-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of Enhanced Milieu Teaching (EMT) implemented by parents and therapists versus therapists only on the language skills of preschool children with intellectual disabilities (ID), including children with Down syndrome and children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Method Seventy-seven children were randomly assigned to two treatments (parent + therapist EMT or therapist only EMT) and received 36 intervention sessions. Children were assessed before, immediately after, 6 months after, and 12 months after intervention. Separate linear regressions were conducted for each standardized and observational measure at each time point. Results Parents in the parent + therapist group demonstrated greater use of EMT strategies at home than untrained parents in the therapist only group and these effects maintained over time. Effect sizes for observational measures ranged from d = .10 to d = 1.32 favoring the parent + therapist group, with the largest effect sizes found 12 months after intervention. Conclusion Findings from this study indicate generally that there are benefits to training parents to implement naturalistic language intervention strategies with preschool children who have ID and significant language impairments. PMID:22744141

Perceptual grouping across eccentricity.

PubMed

Tannazzo, Teresa; Kurylo, Daniel D; Bukhari, Farhan

2014-10-01

Across the visual field, progressive differences exist in neural processing as well as perceptual abilities. Expansion of stimulus scale across eccentricity compensates for some basic visual capacities, but not for high-order functions. It was hypothesized that as with many higher-order functions, perceptual grouping ability should decline across eccentricity. To test this prediction, psychophysical measurements of grouping were made across eccentricity. Participants indicated the dominant grouping of dot grids in which grouping was based upon luminance, motion, orientation, or proximity. Across trials, the organization of stimuli was systematically decreased until perceived grouping became ambiguous. For all stimulus features, grouping ability remained relatively stable until 40°, beyond which thresholds significantly elevated. The pattern of change across eccentricity varied across stimulus feature, in which stimulus scale, dot size, or stimulus size interacted with eccentricity effects. These results demonstrate that perceptual grouping of such stimuli is not reliant upon foveal viewing, and suggest that selection of dominant grouping patterns from ambiguous displays operates similarly across much of the visual field. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Embolization of renal angiomyolipomas: short-term and long-term outcomes, complications, and tumor shrinkage.

PubMed

Lee, Shen-Yang; Hsu, Hsiang-Hao; Chen, Yung-Chang; Huang, Chen-Chih; Wong, Yon-Cheong; Wang, Li-Jen; Chuang, Cheng-Keng; Yang, Chih-Wei

2009-11-01

This study retrospectively evaluated outcomes, complications, and tumor shrinkage in renal angiomyolipomas after transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE). All renal angiomyolipoma patients who underwent TAE between August 2000 and December 2008 and had short-term (6 months) follow-up images were evaluated. Complications and tumor relapse after TAE were reviewed. The sizes of embolized tumors were measured to calculate size reductions and reduction rates after TAE. Differences in tumor size, size reduction, and reduction rate between different time points (pre-TAE, short-term follow-up, and long-term follow-up) and groups (completely and incompletely embolized) were determined. Eleven renal angiomyolipoma patients who had undergone TAE were included. Seven (63.6%) patients had postembolization syndrome and one had abscess formation following TAE. Two patients had a tumor relapse (18.2%). The mean tumor size was 8.57+/-2.66 cm on pre-TAE images. The mean size reduction was 3.1 cm (33.3%) and 3.8 cm (43.0%) at short-term and long-term follow-up. Tumor sizes differed significantly between pre-TAE and short-term (p=0.004) or long-term images (p=0.022) but not between short-term and long-term images (p=0.059). Results stratified by the completeness of embolization indicate that only the short-term size reduction rate differed significantly (p=0.025), while the long-term reduction rate and short- and long-term follow-up tumor size and size reduction were comparable between the two groups. In conclusion, selective TAE is effective for tumor shrinkage in most renal angiomyolipomas, with acceptable complication and relapse rates. Tumor shrinkage occurring within 6 months after TAE may reflect the long-term effect of TAE.

A Physical Activity Intervention for Brazilian Students From Low Human Development Index Areas: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Filho, Valter C Barbosa; da Silva, Kelly Samara; Mota, Jorge; Beck, Carmem; da Silva Lopes, Adair

2016-11-01

Promoting physical activity (PA) in low- and middle-income countries is an important public health topic as well as a challenge for practice. This study aimed to assess the effect of a school-based intervention on different PA-related variables among students. This cluster-randomized-controlled trial included 548 students in the intervention group and 537 in the control group (11-18 years-old) from 6 schools in neighborhoods with low Human Development Index (0.170-0.491) in Fortaleza, Brazil. The intervention included strategies focused on training teachers, opportunities for PA in the school environment and health education. Variables measured at baseline and again at the 4-months follow-up included the weekly time in different types of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), preference for PA during leisure-time, PA behavioral change stage and active commuting to school. Generalized linear models and binary logistic regressions were used. An intervention effect was found by increasing the weekly time in MVPA (effect size = 0.17), popular games (effect size = 0.35), and the amount of PA per week (effect size = 0.27) among students (all P < .05). The intervention was effective in promoting improvements in some PA outcomes, but the changes were not sufficient to increase the proportion of those meeting PA recommendations.

A randomised controlled trial of an SMS-based mobile epilepsy education system.

PubMed

Lua, Pei Lin; Neni, Widiasmoro Selamat

2013-01-01

We evaluated an epilepsy education programme based on text messaging (SMS). Epilepsy outpatients from three hospitals in Malaysia were randomised into two groups: intervention and control. Patients in the control group were supplied with printed epilepsy educational material while those in the intervention group also received text messages from the Mobile Epilepsy Educational System (MEES). A total of 136 patients completed the study (mean age 31 years; 91% Malay; 51% with an illness duration of more than 5 years). A between-group analysis showed that the awareness, knowledge and attitudes (AKA) about epilepsy did not significantly differ between the groups at baseline (P > 0.05). The intervention patients reported better AKA levels during follow-up compared to the control patients (P < 0.05). A within-group analysis showed that in intervention patients, there were significant improvements in all AKA domains with larger effect sizes (P < 0.01) while control patients also exhibited significant improvement in most domains except for Awareness but with smaller effect sizes. After controlling for possible confounding variables (age, gender, educational qualification, monthly income and baseline mean for each domain), the intervention group still reported significantly higher AKA than the control group particularly in Awareness (P < 0.001) and Total AKA (P = 0.003). There was also significantly better medication adherence and clinic attendance in the intervention group (P < 0.05). The results suggest that the addition of the MEES to conventional epilepsy education is effective in improving AKA.

Effect of Play-based Therapy on Meta-cognitive and Behavioral Aspects of Executive Function: A Randomized, Controlled, Clinical Trial on the Students With Learning Disabilities.

PubMed

Karamali Esmaili, Samaneh; Shafaroodi, Narges; Hassani Mehraban, Afsoon; Parand, Akram; Zarei, Masoume; Akbari-Zardkhaneh, Saeed

2017-01-01

Although the effect of educational methods on executive function (EF) is well known, training this function by a playful method is debatable. The current study aimed at investigating if a play-based intervention is effective on metacognitive and behavioral skills of EF in students with specific learning disabilities. In the current randomized, clinical trial, 49 subjects within the age range of 7 to 11 years with specific learning disabilities were randomly assigned into the intervention (25 subjects; mean age 8.5±1.33 years) and control (24 subjects; mean age 8.7±1.03 years) groups. Subjects in the intervention group received EF group training based on playing activities; subjects in the control group received no intervention. The behavior rating inventory of executive function (BRIEF) was administered to evaluate the behavioral and cognitive aspects of EF. The duration of the intervention was 6 hours per week for 9 weeks. Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to compare mean changes (before and after) in the BRIEF scores between the groups. The assumptions of multivariate analysis of covariance were examined. After controlling pre-test conditions, the intervention and control groups scored significantly differently on both the metacognition (P=0.002; effect size=0.20) and behavior regulation indices (P=0.01; effect size=0.12) of BRIEF. Play-based therapy is effective on the metacognitive and behavioral aspects of EF in students with specific learning disabilities. Professionals can use play-based therapy rather than educational approaches in clinical practice to enhance EF skills.

Effect of hypnotherapy and educational intervention on brain response to visceral stimulusin the irritable bowel syndrome

PubMed Central

Lowén, Mats B.O.; Mayer, Emeran A.; Sjöberg, Martha; Tillisch, Kirsten; Naliboff, Bruce; Labus, Jennifer; Lundberg, Peter; Ström, Magnus; Engström, Maria; Walter, Susanna A.

2013-01-01

SUMMARY Background Gut directed hypnotherapy can reduce IBS symptoms but the mechanisms underlying this therapeutic effect remain unknown. Aim We determined the effect of hypnotherapy and educational intervention on brain responses to cued rectal distensions in IBS patients. Methods 44 women with moderate to severe IBS and 20 healthy controls (HCs) were included. Blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signals were measured by functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) during expectation and delivery of high (45 mmHg) and low (15 mmHg) intensity rectal distensions. Twenty-five patients were assigned to hypnotherapy (HYP) and 16 to educational intervention (EDU). 31 patients completed treatments and post treatment fMRI. Results Similar symptom reduction was achieved in both groups. Clinically successful treatment (all responders) was associated with significant BOLD attenuation during high intensity distension in the dorsal and ventral anterior insula (cluster size 142, p=0.006, and cluster size 101, p=0.005, respectively). Moreover HYP responders demonstrated a pre-post treatment BOLD attenuation in posterior insula (cluster sizes 59, p=0.05) while EDU responders had a BOLD attenuation in prefrontal cortex (cluster size 60, p=0.05). Pre-post differences for expectation conditions were almost exclusively seen in the HYP group. Following treatment, the brain response to distension was similar to that observed in HCs, suggesting that the treatment had a normalizing effect on the central processing abnormality of visceral signals in IBS. Conclusions The abnormal processing and enhanced perception of visceral stimuli in IBS can be normalized by psychological interventions. Symptom improvement in the treatment groups may be mediated by different brain mechanisms. PMID:23617618

Effect of hypnotherapy and educational intervention on brain response to visceral stimulus in the irritable bowel syndrome.

PubMed

Lowén, M B O; Mayer, E A; Sjöberg, M; Tillisch, K; Naliboff, B; Labus, J; Lundberg, P; Ström, M; Engström, M; Walter, S A

2013-06-01

Gut-directed hypnotherapy can reduce IBS symptoms, but the mechanisms underlying this therapeutic effect remain unknown. To determine the effect of hypnotherapy and educational intervention on brain responses to cued rectal distensions in IBS patients. Forty-four women with moderate-to-severe IBS and 20 healthy controls (HCs) were included. Blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signals were measured by functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) during expectation and delivery of high- (45 mmHg) and low-intensity (15 mmHg) rectal distensions. Twenty-five patients were assigned to hypnotherapy (HYP) and 16 to educational intervention (EDU). Thirty-one patients completed treatments and posttreatment fMRI. Similar symptom reduction was achieved in both groups. Clinically successful treatment (all responders) was associated with significant BOLD attenuation during high-intensity distension in the dorsal and ventral anterior insula (cluster size 142, P = 0.006, and cluster size 101, P = 0.005 respectively). Moreover HYP responders demonstrated a pre-post treatment BOLD attenuation in posterior insula (cluster sizes 59, P = 0.05) while EDU responders had a BOLD attenuation in prefrontal cortex (cluster size 60, P = 0.05). Pre-post differences for expectation conditions were almost exclusively seen in the HYP group. Following treatment, the brain response to distension was similar to that observed in HCs, suggesting that the treatment had a normalising effect on the central processing abnormality of visceral signals in IBS. The abnormal processing and enhanced perception of visceral stimuli in IBS can be normalised by psychological interventions. Symptom improvement in the treatment groups may be mediated by different brain mechanisms. NCT01815164. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effect of oxygen therapy on myocardial salvage in ST elevation myocardial infarction: the randomized SOCCER trial.

PubMed

Khoshnood, Ardavan; Carlsson, Marcus; Akbarzadeh, Mahin; Bhiladvala, Pallonji; Roijer, Anders; Nordlund, David; Höglund, Peter; Zughaft, David; Todorova, Lizbet; Mokhtari, Arash; Arheden, Håkan; Erlinge, David; Ekelund, Ulf

2018-04-01

Recent studies suggest that administration of O2 in patients with acute myocardial infarction may have negative effects. With the use of cardiac MRI (CMR), we evaluated the effects of supplemental O2 in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) accepted for acute percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This study was a randomized-controlled trial conducted at two university hospitals in Sweden. Normoxic STEMI patients were randomized in the ambulance to either supplemental O2 (10 l/min) or room air until the conclusion of the PCI. CMR was performed 2-6 days after the inclusion. The primary endpoint was the myocardial salvage index assessed by CMR. The secondary endpoints included infarct size and myocardium at risk. At inclusion, the O2 (n=46) and air (n=49) patient groups had similar patient characteristics. There were no significant differences in myocardial salvage index [53.9±25.1 vs. 49.3±24.0%; 95% confidence interval (CI): -5.4 to 14.6], myocardium at risk (31.9±10.0% of the left ventricle in the O2 group vs. 30.0±11.8% in the air group; 95% CI: -2.6 to 6.3), or infarct size (15.6±10.4% of the left ventricle vs. 16.0±11.0%; 95% CI: -4.7 to 4.1). In STEMI patients undergoing acute PCI, we found no effect of high-flow oxygen compared with room air on the size of ischemia before PCI, myocardial salvage, or the resulting infarct size. These results support the safety of withholding supplemental oxygen in normoxic STEMI patients.

Effect of supraphysiological dose of Nandrolone Decanoate on the testis and testosterone concentration in mature and immature male rats: A time course study.

PubMed

Jannatifar, Rahil; Shokri, Saeed; Farrokhi, Ahmad; Nejatbakhsh, Reza

2015-12-01

Most studies on anabolic-androgenic steroids abuse have been done in adult rats, but few data are available to immature. This study was conducted to assay the effect of Nandrolone Decanoate (ND) on the testis and testosterone concentration in male immature rats compare with mature ones in short and long time. 40 mature rats were divided into 4 groups: group A (short term) and group B (long-term) received 10 mg/kg/day ND interaperitoneally for 35 and 70 days, respectively. Group C (control) without any treatment, and group D (vehicle) received dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solution in two periods 35 and 70 days. 40 immature rats were divided into 4 groups same as mature ones. After surgery body weight, testis size, histomorphometry of testis, and serum testosterone level were evaluated. Our results showed that ND decreased the number of Leydig cells in group B (39.9 ±. 919), group A (43.4 ±. 120), and long term (40.6 ±. 299) immature rats, which could result in a reduction of testosterone concentration significantly in all experimental groups except short term mature group. Number of sertoli cells, testis size, and diameter of seminiferous tubules decreased in the long-term immature group. Eventually, the number of sperm was decreased in mature and immature groups, but a severe depletion of sperm was occurred in both mature and immature in long time in comparison to the control group (p< 0.05). This time course study showed that supraphysiological dose of ND may negatively affect the number of Leydig cells, sperm cell, and testosterone concentration of immature rats in the same matter of mature rats. However, the number of sertoli cell, testis size, and seminferous diameter were decreased only in the long immature rats.

Effects of smolt release timing and size on the survival of hatchery-origin coho salmon in the Strait of Georgia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irvine, J. R.; O'Neill, M.; Godbout, L.; Schnute, J.

2013-08-01

Altering release sizes and timings of coho salmon smolts from hatcheries in the Strait of Georgia will not reverse the precipitous survival declines of the past three decades. We modeled the effects on survival of ocean entry year, mean smolt size (weight), and release day. Ocean entry year was by far the most important. During 1979-2006, smolt to adult survivals declined similarly for hatchery and wild coho salmon, although wild salmon consistently survived at higher rates. Best models differed among hatcheries, implying location-specific differences in the optimal size and timing of release. At four of five hatcheries, heavier smolts survived significantly better than lighter smolts. At one hatchery, a significant interaction between ocean entry year and smolt weight reflected an increased positive effect of weight later in the time series. At two Vancouver Island hatcheries, early release groups appeared to survive better than later releases in early years, while later release groups survived best in recent years. We recommend: (1) hatchery managers release coho salmon smolts throughout the outmigration period of higher surviving wild coho salmon smolts and (2) an experimental approach using hatcheries to evaluate density-dependent effects on coho salmon growth and survival.

Effects of fatiguing treadmill running on sensorimotor control in athletes with and without functional ankle instability.

PubMed

Steib, Simon; Hentschke, Christian; Welsch, Goetz; Pfeifer, Klaus; Zech, Astrid

2013-08-01

Sensorimotor control is permanently impaired following functional ankle instability and temporarily decreased following fatigue. Little is known on potential interactions between both conditions. The purpose was to investigate the effect of fatiguing exercise on sensorimotor control in athletes with and without (coper, controls) functional ankle instability. 19 individuals with functional ankle instability, 19 ankle sprain copers, and 19 non-injured controls participated in this cohort study. Maximum reach distance in the star excursion balance test, unilateral jump landing stabilization time, center of pressure sway velocity in single-leg-stance, and passive ankle joint position sense were assessed before and immediately after fatiguing treadmill running. A three factorial linear mixed model was specified for each outcome to evaluate the effects of group, exhausting exercise (fatigue) and their interactions (group by fatigue). Effect sizes were calculated as Cohen's d. Maximum reach distance in the star excursion balance test, jump stabilization time and sway velocity, but not joint position sense, were negatively affected by fatigue in all groups. Effect sizes were moderate, ranging from 0.27 to 0.68. No significant group by fatigue interactions were found except for one measure. Copers showed significantly larger prefatigue to postfatigue reductions in anterior reach direction (P≤0.001; d=-0.55) compared to the ankle instability (P=0.007) and control group (P=0.052). Fatiguing exercise negatively affected postural control but not proprioception. Ankle status did not appear to have an effect on fatigue-induced sensorimotor control impairments. © 2013.

Comparison of the analgesic effects of cryoanalgesia vs. parecoxib for lung cancer patients after lobectomy.

PubMed

Ba, Yu-Feng; Li, Xiao-Dong; Zhang, Xiaofei; Ning, Zhong-Hua; Zhang, Hanze; Liu, Yi-Ning; He, Shan-Hong; Zhu, Yu; Li, Chang-Sheng; Wang, Quan-Hui; Li, Yin

2015-10-01

This study was designed to compare the analgesic effects of cryoanalgesia and parecoxib in lung cancer patients after lobectomy. A total of 178 lung cancer patients awaiting large-sized lobectomy were enrolled in the study. The patients were randomly divided into Group A (intercostal nerve cryoanalgesia) and Group B (parecoxib). The analgesic and adverse effects were compared between the two groups. The pain score of Group A was significantly lower than that of Group B (P < 0.05). The patients in Group A used significantly less morphine than those in Group B (P < 0.05). There were also significantly fewer complications in Group A than in Group B (P < 0.05). Cryoanalgesia of the intercostal nerves can be considered an economical, safe and simple technique for the long-term management of post-lobectomy pain.

Effect of Peer Instruction on the Likelihood for Choosing the Correct Response to a Physiology Question

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Relling, Alejandro E.; Giuliodori, Mauricio J.

2015-01-01

The aims of the present study were to measure the effects of individual answer (correct vs. incorrect), individual answer of group members (no vs. some vs. all correct), self-confidence about the responses (low vs. mid vs. high), sex (female vs. male students), and group size (2-4 students) on the odds for change and for correctness after peer…

Effect of set size, age, and mode of stimulus presentation on information-processing speed.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norton, J. C.

1972-01-01

First, second, and third grade pupils served as subjects in an experiment designed to show the effect of age, mode of stimulus presentation, and information value on recognition time. Stimuli were presented in picture and printed word form and in groups of 2, 4, and 8. The results of the study indicate that first graders are slower than second and third graders who are nearly equal. There is a gross shift in reaction time as a function of mode of stimulus presentation with increase in age. The first graders take much longer to identify words than pictures, while the reverse is true of the older groups. With regard to set size, a slope appears in the pictures condition in the older groups, while for first graders, a large slope occurs in the words condition and only a much smaller one for pictures.

36 CFR 13.905 - Group size.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Group size. 13.905 Section 13... § 13.905 Group size. (a) The following are prohibited: (1) Group sizes exceeding 12 individuals on the east side of the park outside the Frontcountry Developed Area as defined by this subpart. (2) Group...

36 CFR 13.905 - Group size.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Group size. 13.905 Section 13... § 13.905 Group size. (a) The following are prohibited: (1) Group sizes exceeding 12 individuals on the east side of the park outside the Frontcountry Developed Area as defined by this subpart. (2) Group...

[Effect of 2,3-butanedione monoxime on calcium paradox-induced heart injury in rats].

PubMed

Kong, Ling-Heng; Gu, Xiao-Ming; Su, Xing-Li; Sun, Na; Wei, Ming; Zhu, Juan-Xia; Chang, Pan; Zhou, Jing-Jun

2016-05-01

To investigate the Effect of 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM) on calcium paradox-induced heart injury and its underlying mechanisms. Thirty-two adult male SD rats were randomized into 4 groups, namely the control group, BDM treatment control group, calcium paradox group, and BDM treatment group. Isolated Sprague Dawley male rat hearts underwent Langendorff perfusion and the left ventricular pressure (LVP) and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) were monitored. Left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP) was calculated to evaluate the myocardial performance. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) content in the coronary flow was determined. Triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining was used to measure the infarct size, and myocardial cell apoptosis was tested with TUNEL method. Western blotting was used to determine the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and cytochrome c. Compared with the control group, BDM at 20 mmol/L had no effect on cardiac performance, cell death, apoptotic index or the content of LDH, cleaved caspase-3 and cytochrome c at the end of perfusion under control conditions (P>0.05). Calcium paradox treatment significantly decreased the cardiac function and the level of LVDP and induced a larger infarct size (P<0.01), an increased myocardial apoptosis index (P<0.01), and up-regulated expressions of cleaved caspase-3 and cytochrome c (P<0.01). BDM (20 mmol/L) significantly attenuated these effects induced by calcium paradox, and markedly down-regulated the levels of LVEDP and LDH (P<0.01), lowered myocardial apoptosis index, decreased the content of cleaved caspase-3 and cytochrome c (P<0.01), increased LVDP, and reduced the infarct size (P<0.01). BDM suppresses cell apoptosis and contracture and improves heart function and cell survival in rat hearts exposed to calcium paradox, suggesting the value of BDM as an potential drug for myocardial ischemia reperfusion injur.

Emergent patterns in interacting neuronal sub-populations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamal, Neeraj Kumar; Sinha, Sudeshna

2015-05-01

We investigate an ensemble of coupled model neurons, consisting of groups of varying sizes and intrinsic dynamics, ranging from periodic to chaotic, where the inter-group coupling interaction is effectively like a dynamic signal from a different sub-population. We observe that the minority group can significantly influence the majority group. For instance, when a small chaotic group is coupled to a large periodic group, the chaotic group de-synchronizes. However, counter-intuitively, when a small periodic group couples strongly to a large chaotic group, it leads to complete synchronization in the majority chaotic population, which also spikes at the frequency of the small periodic group. It then appears that the small group of periodic neurons can act like a pacemaker for the whole network. Further, we report the existence of varied clustering patterns, ranging from sets of synchronized clusters to anti-phase clusters, governed by the interplay of the relative sizes and dynamics of the sub-populations. So these results have relevance in understanding how a group can influence the synchrony of another group of dynamically different elements, reminiscent of event-related synchronization/de-synchronization in complex networks.

Effect of preharvest understory treatment and group opening size on four-year survival of advance reproduction in the Boston Mountains of Arkansas

Treesearch

Martin A. Spetich; David L. Graney

2003-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine survival of regeneration in small openings. Six forest stands were located in 1990 and three understory treatments were applied to each in early 1991. In each stand, six sizes of openings were created in 1992 ranging in size from 0.025 ac to 0.50 ac. Understory treatments consisted of: 1) no control of competing...

Effect of preharvest understory treatment and group opening size on four-year survival of advance reproduction in the Boston Mountains of Arkansas

Treesearch

Martin A. Spetich; David L. Graney

2003-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine survival of regeneration in small openings. Six forest stands were located in 1990 and three understory treatments were applied to each in early 1991. In each stand, six sizes of openings were created in 1992 ranging in size from 0.025 ac to 0.50 ac. Understory treatments consisted of: 1) no control of competing regeneration, 2...

Increase in counselling communication skills after basic and advanced microskills training.

PubMed

Kuntze, Jeroen; van der Molen, Henk T; Born, Marise P

2009-03-01

Mastering counselling communication skills is one of the requirements that lead to the diploma of a registered European psychologist. The microcounseling method proves to be effective in training these skills. Research into the effectiveness of the microcounseling method often reports overall effect sizes only. The aim of this study was to investigate the adequate use of separate counselling communication skills (seven basic skills: minimal encouragements; asking questions; paraphrasing; reflection of feeling; concreteness; summarizing; and situation clarification and five advanced skills: advanced accurate empathy; confrontation; positive relabelling; examples of one's own; and directness) after respectively a basic and an advanced training in these skills. Participants were 583 first year or second year bachelor students in psychology who took the counselling communication skills progress test (CSPT). The participants are divided in a group of freshmen, who had not received any training in counselling communication skills; first year students, who had received a training in basic skills; second year students who had followed a training in advanced skills and a control group. A between-subject design, a within-subject design and a pre-test-post-test-control group design were used to examine the scores on these skills. Seven basic skills and four advanced skills had large effect sizes. One advanced skill had a moderate effect size. The microcounseling method is very effective on the level of separate microskills. However, students perform better on the basic skills than on the advanced skills. More training seems to be needed in the latter to achieve the same level of mastery.

Cuffed endotracheal tubes in children: the effect of the size of the cuffed endotracheal tube on intracuff pressure.

PubMed

Krishna, Senthil G; Hakim, Mumin; Sebastian, Roby; Dellinger, Heather L; Tumin, Dmitry; Tobias, Joseph D

2017-05-01

In children, the size of the cuffed endotracheal tube is based on various age-based formulas. However, such formulas may over or underestimate the size of the cuffed endotracheal tube. There are no data on the impact of different-sized cuffed endotracheal tubes (ETT) on the intracuff pressure in children. The current study measures intracuff pressure with different-sized cuffed ETT. The study was conducted in an in vitro and in vivo phase. For the in vitro phase, 10 cuffed ETT of size 4.0, 4.5, and 5 mm internal diameter (ID) each were randomly placed inside a 1.0 cm ID plastic tube (mimicking the trachea), which was in turn connected to a 1 l test lung. After inflation of the cuff using the air leak test at a continuous positive airway pressure of 20 cmH 2 O, the intracuff pressure was measured. The in vivo phase was conducted in 100 children (4-8 years) and were randomly divided into two groups to receive either a cuffed endotracheal tube based on the Khine formula (Group R) or a cuffed endotracheal tube that was a half-size (0.5 mm ID) smaller (Group S). Following the inflation of the cuff to seal the trachea, the intracuff pressure was measured. In the in vitro phase, the intracuff pressure was 45 ± 6, 23 ± 1, and 14 ± 6 cmH 2 O with size 4.0, 4.5, and 5 mm ID cuffed ETT, respectively (F-test P < 0.001 for difference among three groups). In the in vivo phase, the mean intracuff pressure in Group R was 25 ± 19 cmH 2 O vs 37 ± 35 cmH 2 O in Group S (95% CI of difference: 1, 23; P = 0.039). If the cuffed endotracheal tube is too small, the trachea can still be sealed by inflating the cuff with additional air. However, this transforms the cuff from the intended high-volume, low-pressure cuff to an undesirable high-volume, high-pressure cuff. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A Binomial Test of Group Differences with Correlated Outcome Measures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J.; Levin, Joel R.; Ferron, John M.

2011-01-01

Building on previous arguments for why educational researchers should not provide effect-size estimates in the face of statistically nonsignificant outcomes (Robinson & Levin, 1997), Onwuegbuzie and Levin (2005) proposed a 3-step statistical approach for assessing group differences when multiple outcome measures are individually analyzed…

Treatment Trials for Neonatal Seizures: The Effect of Design on Sample Size

PubMed Central

Stevenson, Nathan J.; Boylan, Geraldine B.; Hellström-Westas, Lena; Vanhatalo, Sampsa

2016-01-01

Neonatal seizures are common in the neonatal intensive care unit. Clinicians treat these seizures with several anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) to reduce seizures in a neonate. Current AEDs exhibit sub-optimal efficacy and several randomized control trials (RCT) of novel AEDs are planned. The aim of this study was to measure the influence of trial design on the required sample size of a RCT. We used seizure time courses from 41 term neonates with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy to build seizure treatment trial simulations. We used five outcome measures, three AED protocols, eight treatment delays from seizure onset (Td) and four levels of trial AED efficacy to simulate different RCTs. We performed power calculations for each RCT design and analysed the resultant sample size. We also assessed the rate of false positives, or placebo effect, in typical uncontrolled studies. We found that the false positive rate ranged from 5 to 85% of patients depending on RCT design. For controlled trials, the choice of outcome measure had the largest effect on sample size with median differences of 30.7 fold (IQR: 13.7–40.0) across a range of AED protocols, Td and trial AED efficacy (p<0.001). RCTs that compared the trial AED with positive controls required sample sizes with a median fold increase of 3.2 (IQR: 1.9–11.9; p<0.001). Delays in AED administration from seizure onset also increased the required sample size 2.1 fold (IQR: 1.7–2.9; p<0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that RCTs in neonates treated with hypothermia required a median fold increase in sample size of 2.6 (IQR: 2.4–3.0) compared to trials in normothermic neonates (p<0.001). These results show that RCT design has a profound influence on the required sample size. Trials that use a control group, appropriate outcome measure, and control for differences in Td between groups in analysis will be valid and minimise sample size. PMID:27824913

The effect of mydriasis from phenylephrine on corneal shape.

PubMed

Huang, Ronnie Y C; Lam, Andrew K C

2007-01-01

A previous study reported that pharmacologically-dilated pupils changed the corneal shape. Researchers used mydriatic agents with significant cycloplegic effect. The current study investigates the effect of mydriasis on corneal shape using phenylephrine alone, where phenylephrine has minimal effect on the accommodative system and whether corneal topography can be done after pupil dilation. Forty-four young healthy subjects with one eye randomly selected for mydriasis were used in this study. Twenty-two received one drop of 2.5% phenylephrine (group 1); the other 22 subjects had one drop of 0.4% benoxinate instilled prior to the application of 2.5% phenylephrine (group 2). They were matched for age and refractive error. Anterior chamber depth, pupil size and corneal parameters were compared before and after mydriasis. The corneal parameters included best-fit sphere (BFS), surface asymmetry index (SAI), surface regularity index (SRI) and the axial and tangential powers in the form of flattest and steepest powers, and in the form of M, J(0), and J(45) vector presentation. Group 1 and group 2 subjects had similar pre-mydriatic baseline ocular parameters. The mean (+/- SD) pupil dilation was 1.24 +/- 0.59 mm for group 1 and 1.80 +/- 0.95 mm for group 2. The dilation was significantly larger in group 2 (unpaired t-tests: t = 2.36, p = 0.02). There were no significant changes in corneal parameters from mydriasis in either group. Previous investigations used mydriatic agents, which affected not only the pupil size but also accommodation. The current study found that mydriasis from phenylephrine, with minimal effect on accommodation, did not result in significant corneal alteration, and corneal topography can be measured after pupil dilation with phenylephrine.

Planning Community-Based Assessments of HIV Educational Intervention Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelcey, Ben; Shen, Zuchao

2017-01-01

A key consideration in planning studies of community-based HIV education programs is identifying a sample size large enough to ensure a reasonable probability of detecting program effects if they exist. Sufficient sample sizes for community- or group-based designs are proportional to the correlation or similarity of individuals within communities.…

Brain size growth in wild and captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

PubMed

Cofran, Zachary

2018-05-24

Despite many studies of chimpanzee brain size growth, intraspecific variation is under-explored. Brain size data from chimpanzees of the Taï Forest and the Yerkes Primate Research Center enable a unique glimpse into brain growth variation as age at death is known for individuals, allowing cross-sectional growth curves to be estimated. Because Taï chimpanzees are from the wild but Yerkes apes are captive, potential environmental effects on neural development can also be explored. Previous research has revealed differences in growth and health between wild and captive primates, but such habitat effects have yet to be investigated for brain growth. Here, I use an iterative curve fitting procedure to estimate brain growth and regression parameters for each population, statistically comparing growth models using bootstrapped confidence intervals. Yerkes and Taï brain sizes overlap at all ages, although the sole Taï newborn is at the low end of captive neonatal variation. Growth rate and duration are statistically indistinguishable between the two populations. Resampling the Yerkes sample to match the Taï sample size and age group composition shows that ontogenetic variation in the two groups are remarkably similar despite the latter's limited size. Best fit growth curves for each sample indicate cessation of brain size growth at around 2 years, earlier than has previously been reported. The overall similarity between wild and captive chimpanzees points to the canalization of brain growth in this species. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A comparative appraisal of two equivalence tests for multiple standardized effects.

PubMed

Shieh, Gwowen

2016-04-01

Equivalence testing is recommended as a better alternative to the traditional difference-based methods for demonstrating the comparability of two or more treatment effects. Although equivalent tests of two groups are widely discussed, the natural extensions for assessing equivalence between several groups have not been well examined. This article provides a detailed and schematic comparison of the ANOVA F and the studentized range tests for evaluating the comparability of several standardized effects. Power and sample size appraisals of the two grossly distinct approaches are conducted in terms of a constraint on the range of the standardized means when the standard deviation of the standardized means is fixed. Although neither method is uniformly more powerful, the studentized range test has a clear advantage in sample size requirements necessary to achieve a given power when the underlying effect configurations are close to the priori minimum difference for determining equivalence. For actual application of equivalence tests and advance planning of equivalence studies, both SAS and R computer codes are available as supplementary files to implement the calculations of critical values, p-values, power levels, and sample sizes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cognitive-behavioral high parental involvement treatments for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Iniesta-Sepúlveda, Marina; Rosa-Alcázar, Ana I; Sánchez-Meca, Julio; Parada-Navas, José L; Rosa-Alcázar, Ángel

2017-06-01

A meta-analysis on the efficacy of cognitive-behavior-family treatment (CBFT) on children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) was accomplished. The purposes of the study were: (a) to estimate the effect magnitude of CBFT in ameliorating obsessive-compulsive symptoms and reducing family accommodation on pediatric OCD and (b) to identify potential moderator variables of the effect sizes. A literature search enabled us to identify 27 studies that fulfilled our selection criteria. The effect size index was the standardized pretest-postest mean change index. For obsessive-compulsive symptoms, the adjusted mean effect size for CBFT was clinically relevant and statistically significant in the posttest (d adj =1.464). For family accommodation the adjusted mean effect size was also positive and statistically significant, but in a lesser extent than for obsessive-compulsive symptoms (d adj =0.511). Publication bias was discarded as a threat against the validity of the meta-analytic results. Large heterogeneity among effect sizes was found. Better results were found when CBFT was individually applied than in group (d + =2.429 and 1.409, respectively). CBFT is effective to reduce obsessive-compulsive symptoms, but offers a limited effect for family accommodation. Additional modules must be included in CBFT to improve its effectiveness on family accommodation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Placebo can enhance creativity.

PubMed

Rozenkrantz, Liron; Mayo, Avraham E; Ilan, Tomer; Hart, Yuval; Noy, Lior; Alon, Uri

2017-01-01

The placebo effect is usually studied in clinical settings for decreasing negative symptoms such as pain, depression and anxiety. There is interest in exploring the placebo effect also outside the clinic, for enhancing positive aspects of performance or cognition. Several studies indicate that placebo can enhance cognitive abilities including memory, implicit learning and general knowledge. Here, we ask whether placebo can enhance creativity, an important aspect of human cognition. Subjects were randomly assigned to a control group who smelled and rated an odorant (n = 45), and a placebo group who were treated identically but were also told that the odorant increases creativity and reduces inhibitions (n = 45). Subjects completed a recently developed automated test for creativity, the creative foraging game (CFG), and a randomly chosen subset (n = 57) also completed two manual standardized creativity tests, the alternate uses test (AUT) and the Torrance test (TTCT). In all three tests, participants were asked to create as many original solutions and were scored for originality, flexibility and fluency. The placebo group showed higher originality than the control group both in the CFG (p<0.04, effect size = 0.5) and in the AUT (p<0.05, effect size = 0.4), but not in the Torrance test. The placebo group also found more shapes outside of the standard categories found by a set of 100 CFG players in a previous study, a feature termed out-of-the-boxness (p<0.01, effect size = 0.6). The findings indicate that placebo can enhance the originality aspect of creativity. This strengthens the view that placebo can be used not only to reduce negative clinical symptoms, but also to enhance positive aspects of cognition. Furthermore, we find that the impact of placebo on creativity can be tested by CFG, which can quantify multiple aspects of creative search without need for manual coding. This approach opens the way to explore the behavioral and neural mechanisms by which placebo might amplify creativity.

Placebo can enhance creativity

PubMed Central

Rozenkrantz, Liron; Mayo, Avraham E.; Ilan, Tomer; Hart, Yuval

2017-01-01

Background The placebo effect is usually studied in clinical settings for decreasing negative symptoms such as pain, depression and anxiety. There is interest in exploring the placebo effect also outside the clinic, for enhancing positive aspects of performance or cognition. Several studies indicate that placebo can enhance cognitive abilities including memory, implicit learning and general knowledge. Here, we ask whether placebo can enhance creativity, an important aspect of human cognition. Methods Subjects were randomly assigned to a control group who smelled and rated an odorant (n = 45), and a placebo group who were treated identically but were also told that the odorant increases creativity and reduces inhibitions (n = 45). Subjects completed a recently developed automated test for creativity, the creative foraging game (CFG), and a randomly chosen subset (n = 57) also completed two manual standardized creativity tests, the alternate uses test (AUT) and the Torrance test (TTCT). In all three tests, participants were asked to create as many original solutions and were scored for originality, flexibility and fluency. Results The placebo group showed higher originality than the control group both in the CFG (p<0.04, effect size = 0.5) and in the AUT (p<0.05, effect size = 0.4), but not in the Torrance test. The placebo group also found more shapes outside of the standard categories found by a set of 100 CFG players in a previous study, a feature termed out-of-the-boxness (p<0.01, effect size = 0.6). Conclusions The findings indicate that placebo can enhance the originality aspect of creativity. This strengthens the view that placebo can be used not only to reduce negative clinical symptoms, but also to enhance positive aspects of cognition. Furthermore, we find that the impact of placebo on creativity can be tested by CFG, which can quantify multiple aspects of creative search without need for manual coding. This approach opens the way to explore the behavioral and neural mechanisms by which placebo might amplify creativity. PMID:28892513