Analysis of mediation and reciprocal effects of changes in weight, self-esteem, and exercise in a behavioral weight loss treatment

Improving the treatment of obesity remains a critical challenge. Several health behaviour change models, often based on a social-cognitive framework, have been used to design weight management interventions (Baranowski et al., 2003). However, most interventions have only produced modest weight reductions (Wadden et al., 2002) and socialcognitive variables have shown limited power to predict weight outcomes (Palmeira et al., 2007). Other predictors, and possibl alte nati e e planatory models, are needed to better understand the mechanisms by which weight loss and other obesity treatment-outcomes are brought about (Baranowski, 2006). Self-esteem is one of these possible mechanisms, because is commonly reported to change during the treatment, although these changes are not necessarily associated with weight loss (Blaine et al., 2007; Maciejewski et al., 2005). This possibility should be more evident if the program integrates regular exercise, as it promotes improvements in subjective well-being (Biddle & Mutrie, 2001), with possible influences on long-term behavioral adherence (e.g. diet, exercise). Following the reciprocal effects model tenets (Marsh & Craven, 2006), we expect that the influences between changes in weight, selfesteem and exercise to be reciprocal and might present one of the mechanisms by which obesity treatments can be improved.

Ball Recovery in the Handball Tournament of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games: Sequential Analysis of Positional Play as Used by the Spanish Team’s Defence

In sport there is a great need to obtain as much information as possible about the factors which affect the dynamics of play. This study uses sequential analysis and temporal patterns (T-patterns)to examine the evolution of defence (against an equal number of attackers)as used by the Spanish handball team at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The aim is to help handball coaches (during their training and gathering of professional experience)to understand the importance of the structure of defensive systems. This can be achieved through observational processes that reveal the evolution and adaptation of these defensive systems according to different variables: the match score, the response of the opposing team and progress through the tournament.

Cluster analysis using affinity aoefficient in order to identify religious beliefs profiles

International Scientific Forum, ISF 2013, ISF 2013, 12-14 December 2013, Tirana.

Spatial analysis of leprosy incidence and associated socioeconomic factors

OBJECTIVE: To identify clusters of the major occurrences of leprosy and their associated socioeconomic and demographic factors. METHODS: Cases of leprosy that occurred between 1998 and 2007 in São José do Rio Preto (southeastern Brazil) were geocodified and the incidence rates were calculated by census tract. A socioeconomic classification score was obtained using principal component analysis of socioeconomic variables. Thematic maps to visualize the spatial distribution of the incidence of leprosy with respect to socioeconomic levels and demographic density were constructed using geostatistics. RESULTS: While the incidence rate for the entire city was 10.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants annually between 1998 and 2007, the incidence rates of individual census tracts were heterogeneous, with values that ranged from 0 to 26.9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year. Areas with a high leprosy incidence were associated with lower socioeconomic levels. There were identified clusters of leprosy cases, however there was no association between disease incidence and demographic density. There was a disparity between the places where the majority of ill people lived and the location of healthcare services. CONCLUSIONS: The spatial analysis techniques utilized identified the poorer neighborhoods of the city as the areas with the highest risk for the disease. These data show that health departments must prioritize politico-administrative policies to minimize the effects of social inequality and improve the standards of living, hygiene, and education of the population in order to reduce the incidence of leprosy.

Multidimensional scaling analysis of the dynamics of a country economy

This paper analyzes the Portuguese short-run business cycles over the last 150 years and presents the multidimensional scaling (MDS) for visualizing the results. The analytical and numerical assessment of this long-run perspective reveals periods with close connections between the macroeconomic variables related to government accounts equilibrium, balance of payments equilibrium, and economic growth. The MDS method is adopted for a quantitative statistical analysis. In this way, similarity clusters of several historical periods emerge in the MDS maps, namely, in identifying similarities and dissimilarities that identify periods of prosperity and crises, growth, and stagnation. Such features are major aspects of collective national achievement, to which can be associated the impact of international problems such as the World Wars, the Great Depression, or the current global financial crisis, as well as national events in the context of broad political blueprints for the Portuguese society in the rising globalization process.

Integrated analysis of climate, soil, topography and vegetative growth in Iberian viticultural regions

The Iberian viticultural regions are convened according to the Denomination of Origin (DO) and present different climates, soils, topography and management practices. All these elements influence the vegetative growth of different varieties throughout the peninsula, and are tied to grape quality and wine type. In the current study, an integrated analysis of climate, soil, topography and vegetative growth was performed for the Iberian DO regions, using state-of-the-art datasets. For climatic assessment, a categorized index, accounting for phenological/thermal development, water availability and grape ripening conditions was computed. Soil textural classes were established to distinguish soil types. Elevation and aspect (orientation) were also taken into account, as the leading topographic elements. A spectral vegetation index was used to assess grapevine vegetative growth and an integrated analysis of all variables was performed. The results showed that the integrated climate-soil-topography influence on vine performance is evident. Most Iberian vineyards are grown in temperate dry climates with loamy soils, presenting low vegetative growth. Vineyards in temperate humid conditions tend to show higher vegetative growth. Conversely, in cooler/warmer climates, lower vigour vineyards prevail and other factors, such as soil type and precipitation acquire more important roles in driving vigour. Vines in prevailing loamy soils are grown over a wide climatic diversity, suggesting that precipitation is the primary factor influencing vigour. The present assessment of terroir characteristics allows direct comparison among wine regions and may have great value to viticulturists, particularly under a changing climate.

Comparative analysis of drills for composite laminates

The characteristics of carbon fiber-reinforced plastics allow a very broad range of uses. Drilling is often necessary to assemble different components, but this can lead to various forms of damage, such as delamination which is the most severe. However, a reduced thrust force can decrease the risk of delamination. In this work, two variables of the drilling process were compared: tool material and geometry, as well as the effect of feed rate and cutting speed. The parameters that were analyzed include: thrust force, delamination extension and mechanical strength through open-hole tensile test, bearing test, and flexural test on drilled plates. The present work shows that a proper combination of all the factors involved in drilling operations, like tool material, tool geometry and cutting parameters, such as feed rate or cutting speed, can lead to the reduction of delamination damage and, consequently, to the enhancement of the mechanical properties of laminated parts in complex structures, evaluated by open-hole, bearing, or flexural tests.

Economic analysis of surgical treatment of hip fracture in older adults

OBJECTIVE To analyze the incremental cost-utility ratio for the surgical treatment of hip fracture in older patients.METHODS This was a retrospective cohort study of a systematic sample of patients who underwent surgery for hip fracture at a central hospital of a macro-region in the state of Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2011. A decision tree creation was analyzed considering the direct medical costs. The study followed the healthcare provider’s perspective and had a one-year time horizon. Effectiveness was measured by the time elapsed between trauma and surgery after dividing the patients into early and late surgery groups. The utility was obtained in a cross-sectional and indirect manner using the EuroQOL 5 Dimensions generic questionnaire transformed into cardinal numbers using the national regulations established by the Center for the Development and Regional Planning of the State of Minas Gerais. The sample included 110 patients, 27 of whom were allocated in the early surgery group and 83 in the late surgery group. The groups were stratified by age, gender, type of fracture, type of surgery, and anesthetic risk.RESULTS The direct medical cost presented a statistically significant increase among patients in the late surgery group (p < 0.005), mainly because of ward costs (p < 0.001). In-hospital mortality was higher in the late surgery group (7.4% versus 16.9%). The decision tree demonstrated the dominance of the early surgery strategy over the late surgery strategy: R$9,854.34 (USD4,387.17) versus R$26,754.56 (USD11,911.03) per quality-adjusted life year. The sensitivity test with extreme values proved the robustness of the results.CONCLUSIONS After controlling for confounding variables, the strategy of early surgery for hip fracture in the older adults was proven to be dominant, because it presented a lower cost and better results than late surgery.

Spatial analysis of the tuberculosis treatment dropout, Buenos Aires, Argentina

OBJECTIVE Identify spatial distribution patterns of the proportion of nonadherence to tuberculosis treatment and its associated factors.METHODS We conducted an ecological study based on secondary and primary data from municipalities of the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires, Argentina. An exploratory analysis of the characteristics of the area and the distributions of the cases included in the sample (proportion of nonadherence) was also carried out along with a multifactor analysis by linear regression. The variables related to the characteristics of the population, residences and families were analyzed.RESULTS Areas with higher proportion of the population without social security benefits (p = 0.007) and of households with unsatisfied basic needs had a higher risk of nonadherence (p = 0.032). In addition, the proportion of nonadherence was higher in areas with the highest proportion of households with no public transportation within 300 meters (p = 0.070).CONCLUSIONS We found a risk area for the nonadherence to treatment characterized by a population living in poverty, with precarious jobs and difficult access to public transportation.

A numerical analysis of generalized Boussinesq-type equation using continuos/discontinuous FEM

An improved class of Boussinesq systems of an arbitrary order using a wave surface elevation and velocity potential formulation is derived. Dissipative effects and wave generation due to a time-dependent varying seabed are included. Thus, high-order source functions are considered. For the reduction of the system order and maintenance of some dispersive characteristics of the higher-order models, an extra O(mu 2n+2) term (n ??? N) is included in the velocity potential expansion. We introduce a nonlocal continuous/discontinuous Galerkin FEM with inner penalty terms to calculate the numerical solutions of the improved fourth-order models. The discretization of the spatial variables is made using continuous P2 Lagrange elements. A predictor-corrector scheme with an initialization given by an explicit RungeKutta method is also used for the time-variable integration. Moreover, a CFL-type condition is deduced for the linear problem with a constant bathymetry. To demonstrate the applicability of the model, we considered several test cases. Improved stability is achieved.

Some reflections on acquisition, processing and analysis of statistical data in forest soils

Beyond the classical statistical approaches (determination of basic statistics, regression analysis, ANOVA, etc.) a new set of applications of different statistical techniques has increasingly gained relevance in the analysis, processing and interpretation of data concerning the characteristics of forest soils. This is possible to be seen in some of the recent publications in the context of Multivariate Statistics. These new methods require additional care that is not always included or refered in some approaches. In the particular case of geostatistical data applications it is necessary, besides to geo-reference all the data acquisition, to collect the samples in regular grids and in sufficient quantity so that the variograms can reflect the spatial distribution of soil properties in a representative manner. In the case of the great majority of Multivariate Statistics techniques (Principal Component Analysis, Correspondence Analysis, Cluster Analysis, etc.) despite the fact they do not require in most cases the assumption of normal distribution, they however need a proper and rigorous strategy for its utilization. In this work, some reflections about these methodologies and, in particular, about the main constraints that often occur during the information collecting process and about the various linking possibilities of these different techniques will be presented. At the end, illustrations of some particular cases of the applications of these statistical methods will also be presented.

A multivariate analysis of socio-demographic factors, water contact patterns and Schistosoma mansoni infection in an endemic area in Brazil

Associations between socio-demographic factors, water contact patterns and Schistosoma mansoni infection were investigated in 506 individuals (87% of inhabitants over 1 year of age) in an endemic area in Brazil (Divino), aiming at determining priorities for public health measures to prevent the infection. Those who eliminated S. mansoni eggs (n = 198) were compared to those without eggs in the stools (n = 308). The following explanatory variables were considered: age, sex, color, previous treatment with schistosomicide, place of birth, quality of the houses, water supply for the household, distance from houses to stream, and frequency and reasons for water contact. Factors found to be independently associated with the infection were age (10-19 and > 20 yrs old), and water contact for agricultural activities, fishing, and swimming or bathing (Adjusted relative odds = 5.0, 2.4, 3.2, 2.1 and 2.0, respectively). This suggests the need for public health measures to prevent the infection, emphasizing water contact for leisure and agricultural activities in this endemic area.

Layerwise mixed models for analysis of multilayered piezoelectric composite plates using least-squares formulation

This work provides an assessment of layerwise mixed models using least-squares formulation for the coupled electromechanical static analysis of multilayered plates. In agreement with three-dimensional (3D) exact solutions, due to compatibility and equilibrium conditions at the layers interfaces, certain mechanical and electrical variables must fulfill interlaminar C-0 continuity, namely: displacements, in-plane strains, transverse stresses, electric potential, in-plane electric field components and transverse electric displacement (if no potential is imposed between layers). Hence, two layerwise mixed least-squares models are here investigated, with two different sets of chosen independent variables: Model A, developed earlier, fulfills a priori the interiaminar C-0 continuity of all those aforementioned variables, taken as independent variables; Model B, here newly developed, rather reduces the number of independent variables, but also fulfills a priori the interlaminar C-0 continuity of displacements, transverse stresses, electric potential and transverse electric displacement, taken as independent variables. The predictive capabilities of both models are assessed by comparison with 3D exact solutions, considering multilayered piezoelectric composite plates of different aspect ratios, under an applied transverse load or surface potential. It is shown that both models are able to predict an accurate quasi-3D description of the static electromechanical analysis of multilayered plates for all aspect ratios.

Risk Acceptance in the Furniture Sector: Analysis of Acceptance Level and Relevant Influence Factors

Risk acceptance has been broadly discussed in relation to hazardous risk activities and/or technologies. A better understanding of risk acceptance in occupational settings is also important; however, studies on this topic are scarce. It seems important to understand the level of risk that stakeholders consider sufficiently low, how stakeholders form their opinion about risk, and why they adopt a certain attitude toward risk. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to examine risk acceptance in regard to occupational accidents in furniture industries. The safety climate analysis was conducted through the application of the Safety Climate in Wood Industries questionnaire. Judgments about risk acceptance, trust, risk perception, benefit perception, emotions, and moral values were measured. Several models were tested to explain occupational risk acceptance. The results showed that the level of risk acceptance decreased as the risk level increased. High-risk and death scenarios were assessed as unacceptable. Risk perception, emotions, and trust had an important influence on risk acceptance. Safety climate was correlated with risk acceptance and other variables that influence risk acceptance. These results are important for the risk assessment process in terms of defining risk acceptance criteria and strategies to reduce risks.

Analysis of genetic relatedness between populations of Aedes aegypti from different geographic regions of São Paulo state, Brazil

RAPD markers have been used for the analysis of genetic differentiation of Aedes aegypti, because they allow the study of genetic relationships among populations. The aim of this study was to identify populations in different geographic regions of the São Paulo State in order to understand the infestation pattern of A. aegypti. The dendrogram constructed with the combined data set of the RAPD patterns showed that the mosquitoes were segregated into two major clusters. Mosquitoes from the Western region of the São Paulo State constituted one cluster and the other was composed of mosquitoes from a laboratory strain and from a coastal city, where the largest Latin American port is located. These data are in agreement with the report on the infestation in the São Paulo State. The genetic proximity was greater between mosquitoes whose geographic origin was closer. However, mosquitoes from the coastal city were genetically closer to laboratory-reared mosquitoes than to field-collected mosquitoes from the São Paulo State. The origin of the infestation in this place remains unclear, but certainly it is related to mosquitoes of origins different from those that infested the West and North region of the State in the 80's.