A review of preschool children's physical activity and sedentary time using objective measures

Identifying current physical activity levels and sedentary time of preschool children is important for informing government policy and community initiatives. This paper reviewed studies reporting on physical activity and time spent sedentary among preschool-aged children (2-5 years) using objective measures.

Comparison of Bispectral Index (BIS) and Patient State Index (PSI) as objective measures of sedation and analgesia in critically ill/injured patients

Critically ill and injured patients require pain relief and sedation to reduce the body's stress response and to facilitate painful diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Presently, the level of sedation and analgesia is guided by the use of clinical scores which can be unreliable. There is therefore, a need for an objective measure of sedation and analgesia. The Bispectral Index (BIS) and Patient State Index (PSI) were recently introduced into clinical practice as objective measures of the depth of analgesia and sedation. ^ Aim. To compare the different measures of sedation and analgesia (BIS and PSI) to the standard and commonly used modified Ramsay Score (MRS) and determine if the monitors can be used interchangeably. ^ Methods. MRS, BIS and PSI values were obtained in 50 postoperative cardiac surgery patients requiring analgesia and sedation from June to December 2004. The MRS, BIS and PSI values were assessed hourly for up to 6-h by a single observer. ^ The relationship between BIS and PSI values were explored using scatter plots and correlation between MRS, BIS and PSI was determined using Spearman's correlation coefficient. Intra-class correlation (ICC) was used to determine the inter-rater reliability of MRS, BIS and PSI. Kappa statistics was used to further evaluate the agreement between BIS and PSI at light, moderate and deep levels of sedation. ^ Results. There was a positive correlation between BIS and PSI values (Rho = 0.731, p<0.001). Intra-class correlation between BIS and PSI was 0.58, MRS and BIS 0.43 and MRS and PSI 0.27. Using Kappa statistics, agreement between MRS and BIS was 0.35 (95% CI: 0.27–0.43) and for MRS and PSI was 0.21 (95% CI: 0.15–0.28). The kappa statistic for BIS and PSI was 0.45 (95% CI: 0.37–0.52). Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves constructed to detect undersedation indicated an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.91 (95% CI = 0.87 to 0.94) for the BIS and 0.84 (95% CI = 0.79 to 0.88) for the PSI. For detection of oversedation, AUC for the BIS was 0.89 (95% CI = 0.84 to 0.92) and 0.80 (95% CI = 0.75 to 0.85) for the PSI. ^ Conclusions. There is a statistically significant positive correlation between the BIS and PSI but poor correlation and poor test agreement between the MRS and BIS as well as MRS and PSI. Both the BIS and PSI demonstrated a high level of prediction for undersedation and oversedation; however, the BIS and PSI can not be considered interchangeable monitors of sedation. ^

The effects of a lutein-based supplement on objective and subjective measures of retinal and visual function in eyes with age-related maculopathy - a randomised controlled trial

Lutein and zeaxanthin are lipid-soluble antioxidants found within the macula region of the retina. Links have been suggested between increased levels of these carotenoids and reduced risk for age-related macular disease (ARMD). Therefore, the effect of lutein-based supplementation on retinal and visual function in people with early stages of ARMD (age-related maculopathy, ARM) was assessed using multi-focal electroretinography (mfERG), contrast sensitivity and distance visual acuity. A total of fourteen participants were randomly allocated to either receive a lutein-based oral supplement (treated group) or no supplement (non-treated group). There were eight participants aged between 56 and 81 years (65·50 (sd 9·27) years) in the treated group and six participants aged between 61 and 83 years (69·67 (sd 7·52) years) in the non-treated group. Sample sizes provided 80 % power at the 5 % significance level. Participants attended for three visits (0, 20 and 40 weeks). At 60 weeks, the treated group attended a fourth visit following 20 weeks of supplement withdrawal. No changes were seen between the treated and non-treated groups during supplementation. Although not clinically significant, mfERG ring 3 N2 latency (P= 0·041) and ring 4 P1 latency (P= 0·016) increased, and a trend for reduction of mfERG amplitudes was observed in rings 1, 3 and 4 on supplement withdrawal. The statistically significant increase in mfERG latencies and the trend for reduced mfERG amplitudes on withdrawal are encouraging and may suggest a potentially beneficial effect of lutein-based supplementation in ARM-affected eyes. Copyright © 2012 The Authors.

XML clustering and its application to XML transformation

The continuous growth of the XML data poses a great concern in the area of XML data management. The need for processing large amounts of XML data brings complications to many applications, such as information retrieval, data integration and many others. One way of simplifying this problem is to break the massive amount of data into smaller groups by application of clustering techniques. However, XML clustering is an intricate task that may involve the processing of both the structure and the content of XML data in order to identify similar XML data. This research presents four clustering methods, two methods utilizing the structure of XML documents and the other two utilizing both the structure and the content. The two structural clustering methods have different data models. One is based on a path model and other is based on a tree model. These methods employ rigid similarity measures which aim to identifying corresponding elements between documents with different or similar underlying structure. The two clustering methods that utilize both the structural and content information vary in terms of how the structure and content similarity are combined. One clustering method calculates the document similarity by using a linear weighting combination strategy of structure and content similarities. The content similarity in this clustering method is based on a semantic kernel. The other method calculates the distance between documents by a non-linear combination of the structure and content of XML documents using a semantic kernel. Empirical analysis shows that the structure-only clustering method based on the tree model is more scalable than the structure-only clustering method based on the path model as the tree similarity measure for the tree model does not need to visit the parents of an element many times. Experimental results also show that the clustering methods perform better with the inclusion of the content information on most test document collections. To further the research, the structural clustering method based on tree model is extended and employed in XML transformation. The results from the experiments show that the proposed transformation process is faster than the traditional transformation system that translates and converts the source XML documents sequentially. Also, the schema matching process of XML transformation produces a better matching result in a shorter time.

Clinical use of objective measures of physical activity

With measurement of physical activity becoming more common in clinical practice, it is imperative that healthcare professionals become more knowledgeable about the different methods available to objectively measure physical activity behaviour. Objective measures do not rely on information provided by the patient, but instead measure and record the biomechanical or physiological consequences of performing physical activity, often in real time. As such, objective measures are not subject to the reporting bias or recall problems associated with self-report methods. The purpose of this article was to provide an overview of the different methods used to objectively measure physical activity in clinical practice. The review was delimited to heart rate monitoring, accelerometers and pedometers since their small size, low participant burden and relatively low cost make these objective measures appropriate for use in clinical practice settings. For each measure, strengths and weakness were discussed; and whenever possible, literature-based examples of implementation were provided.

Quantum clustering and network analysis of MD simulation trajectories to probe the conformational ensembles of protein-ligand interactions

In this article, we present a novel application of a quantum clustering (QC) technique to objectively cluster the conformations, sampled by molecular dynamics simulations performed on different ligand bound structures of the protein. We further portray each conformational population in terms of dynamically stable network parameters which beautifully capture the ligand induced variations in the ensemble in atomistic detail. The conformational populations thus identified by the QC method and verified by network parameters are evaluated for different ligand bound states of the protein pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase (DhPylRS) from D. hafniense. The ligand/environment induced re-distribution of protein conformational ensembles forms the basis for understanding several important biological phenomena such as allostery and enzyme catalysis. The atomistic level characterization of each population in the conformational ensemble in terms of the re-orchestrated networks of amino acids is a challenging problem, especially when the changes are minimal at the backbone level. Here we demonstrate that the QC method is sensitive to such subtle changes and is able to cluster MD snapshots which are similar at the side-chain interaction level. Although we have applied these methods on simulation trajectories of a modest time scale (20 ns each), we emphasize that our methodology provides a general approach towards an objective clustering of large-scale MD simulation data and may be applied to probe multistate equilibria at higher time scales, and to problems related to protein folding for any protein or protein-protein/RNA/DNA complex of interest with a known structure.

A Note on Risk Acceptance, Bankruptcy Avoidance and Riskiness Measures

In this work we clarify the relationships between riskiness, risk acceptance and bankruptcy avoidance. We distinguish between the restriction on the current wealth required to make a gamble acceptable to the decision maker and the restriction on the current wealth required to guarantee no bankruptcy if a gamble is accepted. We focus on the measure of riskiness proposed by Foster and Hart.

Plasma IL-6 levels correlate with clinical and ultrasound measures of arthritis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

ObjectiveThe objective of this paper is to elucidate the role of specific cytokines in lupus (SLE) arthritis.MethodsFifty SLE and 40 RA patients had an ultrasound (US) scan of their hand as per standardized protocols. US scores were expressed per joint and as a total 'US activity' score, (sum of power Doppler (PD) and grey-scale synovial hypertrophy scores in all joints) and a total erosion score. SLE disease activity was assessed (BILAG and SELENA-SLEDAI). Plasma levels of IL-6, TNF-alpha and BLyS were measured using sandwich ELISA kits (Quantikine kits, R & D).ResultsOn the basis of the US results SLE patients were divided into three groups: erosive arthritis (n?=?20), non-erosive arthritis (n?=?18) and those with a normal US scan (n?=?12). Across the SLE groups plasma IL-6 levels correlated with CRP (p?

Untreated Mild Hyperglycemia During Pregnancy and Anthropometric Measures of Obesity in Offspring at Age 5-7 Years

OBJECTIVE: Obesity in the offspring of women with hyperglycemia during pregnancy has been reported, but the results are conflicting. This study examined the association of hyperglycemia during pregnancy and anthropometry in 5- to 7-year-old offspring whose mothers participated in the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes (HAPO) Study at the Belfast Centre.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Women in the HAPO study underwent a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at approximately 28 weeks of gestation. Mothers and caregivers remained blinded to the results unless the fasting plasma glucose (FPG) concentration was >5.8 mmol/L or the 2-h plasma glucose (2hPG) concentration was >11.1 mmol/L. Offspring weight, height, and skin-fold thicknesses (triceps, subscapular, and suprailiac) were measured at age 5-7 years. Overweight, obesity, and extreme obesity were defined as a BMI z score ≥85th, ≥95th, and ≥99th percentile, respectively, based on the 1990 British Growth Standard.

RESULTS: Belfast HAPO offspring (n = 1,320, 82%) aged 5-7 years attended for follow-up. Using multiple regression, maternal FPG, 1h PG, and 2hPG did not show any relation to offspring BMI z score or offspring skin-fold sum independent of maternal BMI at OGTT and offspring birth weight z score. This lack of association with maternal glycemia persisted with the offspring BMI z score expressed as ≥85th, ≥95th, or 99th percentile, and the sum of skin folds expressed as ≥90th percentile specific for sex. The initially significant relation between FPG and all offspring adiposity measures was explained by maternal BMI at the OGTT.

CONCLUSIONS: After adjustment for maternal BMI at the OGTT, higher maternal FPG concentration during pregnancy (short of diabetes) is no longer a risk factor for obesity, as reflected by BMI and the sum of skin folds in offspring aged 5-7 years.

Investigation of the Relationship between Sexual Orientation and Objective Height, along with Predictors of Height Distortion

Studies that have used mostly self-reported height have found that men with a same-sex orientation and women with an other-sex orientation are shorter, on average, than men with an other-sex orientation and women with a same-sex orientation, respectively. This thesis examined whether an objective height difference exists or whether a psychosocial account (e.g., distortion of self-reports) may explain these putative height differences. Also, this thesis examined whether certain individual differences (e.g, gender roles and socially desirable responding) predict height distortion. Eight hundred and thirteen participants, recruited at Brock University, the Niagara Community and through surrounding LGBT events, completed self-reported height, measures of gender roles and socially desirable responding, and had their height measured. Using hierarchical linear regressions, it was found that Same-Sex/Both-Sex Oriented men were shorter, on average, than predominantly Other-Sex Oriented men; however, there was no difference in objective height between Same-Sex/Both-Sex Oriented women and predominantly Other-Sex Oriented women. These findings contribute to existing biological theories of men's sexual orientation development and do not contribute to biological theories of women's sexual orientation development. Height distortion was not related to sexual orientation and only marginally related to sex. Predictors of height distortion were Impression Management, in both men and women, and Unmitigated Agency, in men. These findings highlight the complexity of sexual orientation development in men and women. These findings also highlight the role of certain psychosocial factors in how people perceive their bodies and/or how they want their bodies to be perceived by others.

Visualization of spirography-based objective measures in Parkinson's disease

Objective: To investigate whether advanced visualizations of spirography-based objective measures are useful in differentiating drug-related motor dysfunctions between Off and dyskinesia in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Background: During the course of a 3 year longitudinal clinical study, in total 65 patients (43 males and 22 females with mean age of 65) with advanced PD and 10 healthy elderly (HE) subjects (5 males and 5 females with mean age of 61) were assessed. Both patients and HE subjects performed repeated and time-stamped assessments of their objective health indicators using a test battery implemented on a telemetry touch screen handheld computer, in their home environment settings. Among other tasks, the subjects were asked to trace a pre-drawn Archimedes spiral using the dominant hand and repeat the test three times per test occasion. Methods: A web-based framework was developed to enable a visual exploration of relevant spirography-based kinematic features by clinicians so they can in turn evaluate the motor states of the patients i.e. Off and dyskinesia. The system uses different visualization techniques such as time series plots, animation, and interaction and organizes them into different views to aid clinicians in measuring spatial and time-dependent irregularities that could be associated with the motor states. Along with the animation view, the system displays two time series plots for representing drawing speed (blue line) and displacement from ideal trajectory (orange line). The views are coordinated and linked i.e. user interactions in one of the views will be reflected in other views. For instance, when the user points in one of the pixels in the spiral view, the circle size of the underlying pixel increases and a vertical line appears in the time series views to depict the corresponding position. In addition, in order to enable clinicians to observe erratic movements more clearly and thus improve the detection of irregularities, the system displays a color-map which gives an idea of the longevity of the spirography task. Figure 2 shows single randomly selected spirals drawn by a: A) patient who experienced dyskinesias, B) HE subject, and C) patient in Off state. Results: According to a domain expert (DN), the spirals drawn in the Off and dyskinesia motor states are characterized by different spatial and time features. For instance, the spiral shown in Fig. 2A was drawn by a patient who showed symptoms of dyskinesia; the drawing speed was relatively high (cf. blue-colored time series plot and the short timestamp scale in the x axis) and the spatial displacement was high (cf. orange-colored time series plot) associated with smooth deviations as a result of uncontrollable movements. The patient also exhibited low amount of hesitation which could be reflected both in the animation of the spiral as well as time series plots. In contrast, the patient who was in the Off state exhibited different kinematic features, as shown in Fig. 2C. In the case of spirals drawn by a HE subject, there was a great precision during the drawing process as well as unchanging levels of time-dependent features over the test trial, as seen in Fig. 2B. Conclusions: Visualizing spirography-based objective measures enables identification of trends and patterns of drug-related motor dysfunctions at the patient’s individual level. Dynamic access of visualized motor tests may be useful during the evaluation of drug-related complications such as under- and over-medications, providing decision support to clinicians during evaluation of treatment effects as well as improve the quality of life of patients and their caregivers. In future, we plan to evaluate the proposed approach by assessing within- and between-clinician variability in ratings in order to determine its actual usefulness and then use these ratings as target outcomes in supervised machine learning, similarly as it was previously done in the study performed by Memedi et al. (2013).

Combined evaluation of workplace performance using occupants' subjective assessment and objective measurement of environmental conditions : a case study

The case study presents findings from a program of pre- and post-evaluations of buildings sponsored by the NSW government. The program aims to demonstrate leadership in the delivery of government accommodation and to provide feedback into the building design and management process.

The results from a combined evaluation of an ABGR 4.5 star government building using the KODO probe© occupant surveys and measures of environmental conditions, carried out by the Mobile Architecture and Built Environment Laboratory (MABEL) at Deakin University are summarised. In particular the paper will present the benefits of innovative performance evaluation of property for commercial benefit using the KODO productivity topographic maps©.

These maps isolate where facility solutions are needed as opposed to tenant/occupant solutions in order to optimise building and business outcomes with minimal capital investment.