Domains of physical activity and all-cause mortality: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies

Background The dose–response relation between physical activity and all-cause mortality is not well defined at present. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the association with all-cause mortality of different domains of physical activity and of defined increases in physical activity and energy expenditure. Methods MEDLINE, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched up to September 2010 for cohort studies examining all-cause mortality across different domains and levels of physical activity in adult general populations. We estimated combined risk ratios (RRs) associated with defined increments and recommended levels, using random-effects meta-analysis and dose–response meta-regression models. Results Data from 80 studies with 1 338 143 participants (118 121 deaths) were included. Combined RRs comparing highest with lowest activity levels were 0.65 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.60–0.71] for total activity, 0.74 (95% CI 0.70–0.77) for leisure activity, 0.64 (95% CI 0.55–0.75) for activities of daily living and 0.83 (95% CI 0.71–0.97) for occupational activity. RRs per 1-h increment per week were 0.91 (95% CI 0.87–0.94) for vigorous exercise and 0.96 (95% CI 0.93–0.98) for moderate-intensity activities of daily living. RRs corresponding to 150 and 300 min/week of moderate to vigorous activity were 0.86 (95% CI 0.80–0.92) and 0.74 (95% CI 0.65–0.85), respectively. Mortality reductions were more pronounced in women. Conclusion Higher levels of total and domain-specific physical activity were associated with reduced all-cause mortality. Risk reduction per unit of time increase was largest for vigorous exercise. Moderate-intensity activities of daily living were to a lesser extent beneficial in reducing mortality.

Cognitive impairment and cortical reorganization in children with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes

Benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) is associated with mild cognitive deficits, especially language impairment. This study aimed to clarify whether children with BECTS with left- or right-hemispheric, or bilateral focus have specific neuropsychological language deficits when compared to healthy controls, whether these deficits correlate functionally with language network organization (typical vs. atypical), and whether cofactors such as duration, handedness, and medication have a relevant impact on language reorganization processes.

Kostenorientiertes Controlling von E-Learning-Plattformen mit dem TCO-Konzept

Zur administrativen Unterstützung von Lehr- und Lernprozessen werden E-Learning-Plattformen eingesetzt, die auf der Grundlage des Internet Funktionen zur Distribution von Lehr- und Lernmaterialien und zur Kommunikation zwischen Lehrenden und Lernenden anbieten. Zahlreiche wissenschaftliche Beiträge und Marktstudien beschäftigen sich mit der multikriteriellen Evaluation dieser Softwareprodukte zur informatorischen Fundierung strategischer Investitionsentscheidungen. Demgegenüber werden Instrumente zum kostenorientierten Controlling von E-Learning-Plattformen allenfalls marginal thematisiert. Dieser Beitrag greift daher das Konzept der Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) auf, das einen methodischen Ansatzpunkt zur Schaffung von Kostentransparenz von E-Learning-Plattformen bildet. Aufbauend auf den konzeptionellen Grundlagen werden Problembereiche und Anwendungspotenziale für das kostenorientierte Controlling von LMS identifiziert. Zur softwaregestützten Konstruktion und Analyse von TCO-Modellen wird das Open Source-Werkzeug TCO-Tool eingeführt und seine Anwendung anhand eines synthetischen Fallbeispiels erörtert. Abschließend erfolgt die Identifikation weiterführender Entwicklungsperspektiven des TCO-Konzepts im Kontext des E-Learning. Die dargestellte Thematik ist nicht nur von theoretischem Interesse, sondern adressiert auch den steigenden Bedarf von Akteuren aus der Bildungspraxis nach Instrumenten zur informatorischen Fundierung von Investitions- und Desinvestitionsentscheidungen im Umfeld des E-Learning.

Health related quality of life: a changing construct?

In 186 patients with early colon cancer, we investigated the assumption that the meaning of 'quality of life' (QL) remains constant over time. Within a phase-III trial (SAKK 40/93), patients estimated both their overall QL and a range of disease- and treatment-related domains at five timepoints, comprising three concurrent and 2 retrospective estimates: their pre-surgery QL both before surgery and retrospectively thereafter, and their pre-adjuvant QL both at the beginning of adjuvant treatment and retrospectively about 2 months later, and their current QL 2 weeks thereafter. Multilevel models were developed to determine whether the selected domains made stable contributions to overall QL at the concurrent estimates. The weights of the domains changed over time. They did not differ significantly according to whether patients were considering their concurrent state or reflecting on this state at a later timepoint. In the process of adaptation, patients with early colon cancer substantially change the relative importance of QL domains to overall QL. This finding argues for QL as a changing construct and against the assumption that domain-specific weights are stable across distinct clinical phases.

Do implicit motives and basic psychological needs interact to predict well-being and flow? Testing a universal hypothesis and a matching hypothesis

Self-Determination Theory (Deci and Ryan in Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. Plenum Press, New York, 1985) suggests that certain experiences, such as competence, are equally beneficial to everyone’s well-being (universal hypothesis), whereas Motive Disposition Theory (McClelland in Human motivation. Scott, Foresman, Glenview, IL, 1985) predicts that some people, such as those with a high achievement motive, should benefit particularly from such experiences (matching hypothesis). Existing research on motives as moderators of the relationship between basic need satisfaction and positive outcomes supports both these seemingly inconsistent views. Focusing on the achievement motive, we sought to resolve this inconsistency by considering the specificity of the outcome variables. When predicting domain-specific well-being and flow, the achievement motive should interact with felt competence. However, when it comes to predicting general well-being and flow, felt competence should unfold its effects without being moderated by the achievement motive. Two studies confirmed these assumptions indicating that the universal and matching hypotheses are complementary rather than mutually exclusive.

Towards a Moldable Debugger

The debugger is an essential tool in any programming environment, as it helps developers understand the dynamic behaviour of software systems. However, traditional debuggers fail in answering domain-specific questions, as the semantics of what they show and do are fixed. In this paper we introduce our work towards a moldable debugger which, unlike traditional debuggers, both adapts itself and can be adapted to a particular debugging context. Thus, it allows developers to answer their questions by using concepts from their own application domains.

Is low self-esteem a risk factor for depression? Findings from a longitudinal study of Mexican-origin youth

We examined the relation between low self-esteem and depression using longitudinal data from a sample of 674 Mexican-origin early adolescents who were assessed at age 10 and 12 years. Results supported the vulnerability model, which states that low self-esteem is a prospective risk factor for depression. Moreover, results suggested that the vulnerability effect of low self-esteem is driven, for the most part, by general evaluations of worth (i.e., global self-esteem), rather than by domain-specific evaluations of academic competence, physical appearance, and competence in peer relationships. The only domain-specific self-evaluation that showed a prospective effect on depression was honesty-trustworthiness. The vulnerability effect of low self-esteem held for male and female adolescents, for adolescents born in the United States versus Mexico, and across different levels of pubertal status. Finally, the vulnerability effect held when we controlled for several theoretically relevant 3rd variables (i.e., social support, maternal depression, stressful events, and relational victimization) and for interactive effects between self-esteem and the 3rd variables. The present study contributes to an emerging understanding of the link between self-esteem and depression and provides much needed data on the antecedents of depression in ethnic minority populations

Understanding the link between low self-esteem and depression

Although it is well documented that low self-esteem and depression are related, the precise nature of the relation has been a topic of ongoing debate. We describe several theoretical models concerning the link between self-esteem and depression, and review recent research evaluating the validity of these competing models. Overall, the available evidence provides strong support for the vulnerability model (low self-esteem contributes to depression), weaker support for the scar model (depression erodes self-esteem), and little support for alternative accounts such as the diathesis-stress model. Moreover, the vulnerability model is robust and holds across gender, age, affective-cognitive versus somatic symptoms of depression, European background versus Mexican-origin participants, and clinical versus nonclinical samples. Research on further specifications of the vulnerability model suggests that the effect is (a) partially mediated by rumination, (b) not influenced by other characteristics of self-esteem (i.e., stability and contingency), and (c) driven predominantly by global rather than domain-specific self-esteem. The research has important theoretical implications because it counters the commonly repeated claim that self-esteem has no long-term impact. Moreover, the research has important practical implications, suggesting that depression can be prevented, or reduced, by interventions that improve self-esteem.

Grapheme-color synaesthesia is associated with a distinct cognitive style

In this study we investigated whether synaesthesia is associated with a particular cognitive style. Cognitive style refers to preferred modes of information processing, such as a verbal style or a visual style. We reasoned that related to the enriched world of experiences created by synaesthesia, its association with enhanced verbal and visual memory, higher imagery and creativity, synaesthetes might show enhanced preference for a verbal as well as for a visual cognitive style compared to non-synaesthetes. In Study 1 we tested a large convenience sample of 1046 participants, who classified themselves as grapheme-color, sound-color, lexical-gustatory, sequence-space, or as non-synaesthetes. To assess cognitive style, we used the revised verbalizer-visualizer questionnaire (VVQ), which involves three independent cognitive style dimensions (verbal style, visual-spatial style, and vivid imagery style). The most important result was that those who reported grapheme-color synaesthesia showed higher ratings on the verbal and vivid imagery style dimensions, but not on the visual-spatial style dimension. In Study 2 we replicated this finding in a laboratory study involving 24 grapheme-color synaesthetes with objectively confirmed synaesthesia and a closely matched control group. Our results indicate that grapheme-color synaesthetes prefer both a verbal and a specific visual cognitive style. We suggest that this enhanced preference, probably together with the greater ease to switch between a verbal and a vivid visual imagery style, may be related to cognitive advantages associated with grapheme color synaesthesia such as enhanced memory performance and creativity.

Dimensions of culture in intra-cultural comparisons: Individualism/collectivism and family-related values in three generations

The goal of the present study is to supplement inter-cultural comparison of values as a cultural dimension by intra-cultural comparisons, and to go beyond comparisons of single values representing cultural dimensions by studying value patterns on the individual level. Therefore, relationships among general (individualism, collectivism) and domain-specific (family- and child-related) values and the transmission of values in three generations of one family were analyzed. The sample consisted of 100 complete triads of three generations (grandmothers, mothers, and adolescents). The results showed that the individual value orientations of these three generations dif- fered in the expected direction. Individualistic values were more supported by the younger and less by the older generation. While individualism did not show significant relations to other specific values, collectivism was the most powerful dimension to predict family and child-related values. Individual- ism and collectivism clearly turned out as separate dimensions with different functions for the individual value system. The value structure of grandmoth- ers as compared to the younger generations showed more internal consistency. A relative transmission of values was obvious for the adjacent generations. The results are discussed from the perspective of cultural change and stability, and the relation among cultural dimensions and individual value orientations.

Sexual dimorphism and directional sexual selection on aposematic signals in a poison frog

It is commonly assumed that natural selection imposed by predators is the prevailing force driving the evolution of aposematic traits. Here, we demonstrate that aposematic signals are shaped by sexual selection as well. We evaluated sexual selection for coloration brightness in populations of the poison frog Oophaga [Dendrobates] pumilio in Panama's Bocas del Toro archipelago. We assessed female preferences for brighter males by manipulating the perceived brightness of spectrally matched males in two-way choice experiments. We found strong female preferences for bright males in two island populations and weaker or ambiguous preferences in females from mainland populations. Spectral reflectance measurements, coupled with an O. pumilio-specific visual processing model, showed that O. pumilio coloration was significantly brighter in island than in mainland morphs. In one of the island populations (Isla Solarte), males were significantly more brightly colored than females. Taken together, these results provide evidence for directional sexual selection on aposematic coloration and document sexual dimorphism in vertebrate warning coloration. Although aposematic signals have long been upheld as exemplars of natural selection, our results show that sexual selection should not be ignored in studies of aposematic evolution.

Terminal short arm domains of basement membrane laminin are critical for its self-assembly

Laminin self-assembles into large polymers by a cooperative two-step calcium-dependent mechanism (Yurchenco, P. D., E. C. Tsilibary, A. S. Charonis, and H. Furthmayr. 1985. J. Biol. Chem. 260:7636-7644). The domain specificity of this process was investigated using defined proteolytically generated fragments corresponding to the NH2-terminal globule and adjacent stem of the short arm of the B1 chain (E4), a complex of the two short arms of the A and B2 chains attached to the proximal stem of a third short arm (E1'), a similar complex lacking the globular domains (P1'), and the distal half of the long arm attached to the adjacent portion of the large globule (E8). Polymerization, followed by an increase of turbidity at 360 nm in neutral isotonic TBS containing CaCl2 at 35 degrees C, was quantitatively inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner with laminin fragments E4 and E1' but not with fragments E8 and P1'. Affinity retardation chromatography was used for further characterization of the binding of laminin domains. The migration of fragment E4, but not of fragments E8 and P1', was retarded in a temperature- and calcium-dependent fashion on a laminin affinity column but not on a similar BSA column. These data are evidence that laminin fragments E4 and E1' possess essential terminal binding domains for the self-aggregation of laminin, while fragments E8 and P1' do not. Furthermore, the individual domain-specific interactions that contribute to assembly are calcium dependent and of low affinity.

FEM/FD Immersed Boundary FSI Simulations

Immersed boundary simulations have been under development for physiological flows, allowing for elegant handling of fluid-structure interaction modelling with large deformations due to retained domain-specific meshing. We couple a structural system in Lagrangian representation that is formulated in a weak form with a Navier-Stokes system discretized through a finite differences scheme. We build upon a proven highly scalable imcompressible flow solver that we extend to handle FSI. We aim at applying our method to investigating the hemodynamics of Aortic Valves. The code is going to be extended to conform to the new hybrid-node supercomputers.

Einstellungen von Grundschulkindern zum Schulfach Mathematik

Einstellungen und Emotionen im Kontext der Schule spielen für das Lernen eine zentrale Rolle. Dennoch gibt es bisher eher wenige empirische Studien zu Wahrnehmungen und Bewertungen von Grundschulkindern. Insbesondere fehlen domänenspezifische Zügänge, d. h. Untersuchungen, in denen die Einstellungen der Kinder gegenüber einem bestimmten Fach analysiert werden. Im Zuge unserer Studie wurde versucht, die Einstellungen von N=165 österreichischen Grundschulkindern der Schulstufen 1-4 zum Fach Mathematik über ein Schuljahr hinweg und bis zu Beginn der nachfolgenden Schulstufen nachzuzeichnen und Veränderungen aufzuzeigen (vier Messzeitpunkte). Die Kinder wurden dabei zu ihren Fachpräferenzen in der Schule und zu ihren Bewertungen des Fachs Mathematik schriftlich befragt. Als Referenzfach diente das Fach Zeichnen, um die Ergebnisse zum Mathematikunterricht besser einzuschätzen zu können. Die Einstellungen gegenüber dem Mathematikunterricht wurden zudem mit Leistungen der Kinder (Mathematikzeugnisnoten und Rechentest) in Beziehung gesetzt. Die Ergebnisse verdeutlichen überwiegend positive Einstellungen zum Fach Mathematik, verweisen aber auch auf deren Rückgang im Verlauf des Schuljahrs, der sich weitgehend unabhängig vom Geschlecht und der Leistungen der Kinder vollzieht.

Effects of team Knowledge and ecological constraints on decisional processes in customized football game scenarios

Several theories assume that successful team coordination is partly based on knowledge that helps anticipating individual contributions necessary in a situational task. It has been argued that a more ecological perspective needs to be considered in contexts evolving dynamically and unpredictably. In football, defensive plays are usually coordinated according to strategic concepts spanning all members and large areas of the playfield. On the other hand, fewer people are involved in offensive plays as these are less projectable and strongly constrained by ecological characteristics. The aim of this study is to test the effects of ecological constraints and player knowledge on decision making in offensive game scenarios. It is hypothesized that both knowledge about team members and situational constraints will influence decisional processes. Effects of situational constraints are expected to be of higher magnitude. Two teams playing in the fourth league of the Swiss Football Federation participate in the study. Forty customized game scenarios were developed based on the coaches’ information about player positions and game strategies. Each player was shown in ball possession four times. Participants were asked to take the perspective of the player on the ball and to choose a passing destination and a recipient. Participants then rated domain specific strengths (e.g., technical skills, game intelligence) of each of their teammates. Multilevel models for categorical dependent variables (team members) will be specified. Player knowledge (rated skills) and ecological constraints (operationalized as each players’ proximity and availability for ball reception) are included as predictor variables. Data are currently being collected. Results will yield effects of parameters that are stable across situations as well as of variable parameters that are bound to situational context. These will enable insight into the degree to which ecological constraints and more enduring team knowledge are involved in decisional processes aimed at coordinating interpersonal action.