Physical function and health-related quality of life of older adults undergoing hospital rehabilitation : how strong is the association?

The purpose of this research is to report preliminary empirical evidence regarding the association between common physical performance measures and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of hospitalized older adults recovering from illness and injury. Frequently, these patients do not return to premorbid levels of independence and physical ability. Rehabilitation for this population often focuses on improving physical functioning and mobility with the intention of maximizing their HRQoL for discharge and thereafter. For this reason, longitudinal use of physical performance measures as an indicator of improvement in physical functioning (and thus HRQoL) is common. Although this is a logical approach, there have been mixed results from previous investigations into the association between common measures of physical function and HRQoL amongst other adult patient populations.1,2 There has been no previous investigation reporting the association between HRQoL and a variety of common physical performance measures in hospitalized older adults.

Beyond sanctions : is there a need to treat first-time offenders?

Aims: Driving Under the Influence (DUI) enforcement can be a broad screening mechanism for alcohol and other drug problems. The current response to DUI is focused on using mechanical means to prevent inebriated persons from driving, with little attention the underlying substance abuse problems. ---------- Methods: This is a secondary analysis of an administrative dataset of over 345,000 individuals who entered Texas substance abuse treatment between 2005 and 2008. Of these, 36,372 were either on DUI probation, referred to treatment by probation, or had a DUI arrest in the past year. The DUI offenders were compared on demographic characteristics, substance use patterns, and levels of impairment with those who were not DUI offenders and first DUI offenders were compared with those with more than one past-year offense. T tests and chi square tests were used to determine significance. ---------- Results: DUI offenders were more likely to be employed, to have a problem with alcohol, to report more past-year arrests for any offense, to be older, and to have used alcohol and drugs longer than the non-DUI clients who reported higher ASI scores and were more likely to use daily. Those with one past-year DUI arrest were more likely to have problems with drugs other than alcohol and were less impaired than those with two or more arrests based on their ASI scores and daily use. Non-DUI clients reported higher levels of mood disorders than DUIs but there was no difference in their diagnosis of anxiety. Similar findings were found between those with one or multiple DUI arrests. ----------Conclusion: Although first-time DUIs were not as impaired as non-DUI clients, their levels of impairment were sufficient to cause treatment. Screening and brief intervention at arrest for all DUI offenders and treatment in combination with abstinence monitoring could decrease future recidivism.

It really is black and white when you look at it like this : reporting on a study into Australian professors' research and teaching priorities

Despite optimistic claims about the research-teaching nexus, Australian academics still face tension between research and teaching. The teaching and research priorities, beliefs and behaviours of 70 Professorial and Associate Professorial academics in Science, Information Technology and Engineering were examined in this study. The academics from 4 faculties in 3 Australian universities, were asked to rank 16 research activities and 16 matched learning and teaching (L&T) activities from each of three perspectives: job satisfaction, leadership behaviour, and perceptions of professional importance. The findings, which were remarkably consistent across the three universities, were unequivocally in favour of Research. The only L&T activity that was ranked consistently well was “Improving student satisfaction ratings for Teaching”. The data demonstrates that Australian government and university initiatives to raise the status of L&T activity are not impacting significantly on Australia’s future leaders of university learning.

Is a mango just a mango? Testing within-fruit oviposition site choice and larval performance of a highly polyphagous fruit fly

For fruit flies, fully ripe fruit is preferred for adult oviposition and is superior for offspring performance over unripe or ripening fruit. Because not all parts of a single fruit ripen simultaneously, the opportunity exists for adult fruit flies to selectively choose riper parts of a fruit for oviposition and such selection, if it occurs, could positively influence offspring performance. Such fine scale host variation is rarely considered in fruit fly ecology, however, especially for polyphagous species which are, by definition, considered to be generalist host users. Here we study the adult oviposition preference/larval performance relationship of the Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), a highly polyphagous pest species, at the “within-fruit” level to see if such a host use pattern occurs. We recorded the number of oviposition attempts that female flies made into three fruit portions (top, middle and bottom), and larval behavior and development within different fruit portions for ripening (color change) and fully-ripe mango, Mangifera indica L. (Anacardiaceae). Results indicate that female B. dorsalis do not oviposit uniformly across a mango fruit, but lay most often in the top (i.e., stalk end) of fruit and least in the bottom portion, regardless of ripening stage. There was no evidence of larval feeding site preference or performance (development time, pupal weight, percent pupation) being influenced by fruit portion, within or across the fruit ripening stages. There was, however, a very significant effect on adult emergence rate from pupae, with adult emergence rate from pupae from the bottom of ripening mango being approximately only 50% of the adult emergence rate from the top of ripening fruit, or from both the top and bottom of fully-ripe fruit. Differences in mechanical (firmness) and chemical (total soluble solids, titratable acidity, total non-structural carbohydrates) traits between different fruit portions were correlated with adult fruit utilisation. Our results support a positive adult preference/offspring performance relationship at within-fruit level for B. dorsalis. The fine level of host discrimination exhibited by B. dorsalis is at odds with the general perception that, as a polyphagous herbivore, the fly should show very little discrimination in its host use behavior.

Persistent ocean monitoring with underwater gliders : towards accurate reconstruction of dynamic ocean processes

Ocean processes are dynamic and complex events that occur on multiple different spatial and temporal scales. To obtain a synoptic view of such events, ocean scientists focus on the collection of long-term time series data sets. Generally, these time series measurements are continually provided in real or near-real time by fixed sensors, e.g., buoys and moorings. In recent years, an increase in the utilization of mobile sensor platforms, e.g., Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, has been seen to enable dynamic acquisition of time series data sets. However, these mobile assets are not utilized to their full capabilities, generally only performing repeated transects or user-defined patrolling loops. Here, we provide an extension to repeated patrolling of a designated area. Our algorithms provide the ability to adapt a standard mission to increase information gain in areas of greater scientific interest. By implementing a velocity control optimization along the predefined path, we are able to increase or decrease spatiotemporal sampling resolution to satisfy the sampling requirements necessary to properly resolve an oceanic phenomenon. We present a path planning algorithm that defines a sampling path, which is optimized for repeatability. This is followed by the derivation of a velocity controller that defines how the vehicle traverses the given path. The application of these tools is motivated by an ongoing research effort to understand the oceanic region off the coast of Los Angeles, California. The computed paths are implemented with the computed velocities onto autonomous vehicles for data collection during sea trials. Results from this data collection are presented and compared for analysis of the proposed technique.

Alexithymia in alcohol dependent patients is partially mediated by alcohol expectancy

Background: Up to fifty percent of alcohol dependent individuals have alexithymia, a personality trait characterised by difficulties identifying and describing feelings, a lack of imagination and an externalised cognitive style. Although studies have examined alexithymia in relation to alcohol dependence, no research exists on mechanisms underlying this relationship. The present study examined the mediational effect of alcohol expectancies on alexithymia and alcohol dependence.----- ----- Methods: 230 outpatients completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Drinking Expectancy Questionnaire (DEQ) and the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). Results: Regression analysis showed that alexithymia and alcohol dependence was, in two of three cases, partially mediated through alcohol expectancy.----- ----- Conclusions: Alcohol expectancies of assertion and affective change show promise as mediators of alcohol dependence in individuals with alexithymia.

Review of Apple iPad news applications : new media service

The launch of the Apple iPad on January 2010 has seen considerable interest from the newspaper and publishing industry in developing content and business models for the tablet PC device that can address the limits of both the print and online news and information media products. It is early days in the iPad’s evolution, and we wait to see what competitor devices will emerge in the near future. It is apparent, however, that it has become a significant “niche” product, with considerable potential for mass market expansion over the next few years, possibly at the expense of netbook sales. The scope for the iPad and tablet PCs to become a “fourth screen” for users, alongside the TV, PC and mobile phone, is in early stages of evolution. The study used five criteria to assess iPad apps: • Content: timeliness; archive; personalisation; content depth; advertisements; the use of multimedia; and the extent to which the content was in sync with the provider brand. • Useability: degree of static content; ability to control multimedia; file size; page clutter; resolution; signposts; and customisation. • Interactivity: hyperlinks; ability to contribute content or provide feedback to news items; depth of multimedia; search function; ability to use plug-ins and linking; ability to highlight, rate and/or save items; functions that may facilitate a community of users. • Transactions capabilities: ecommerce functionality; purchase and download process; user privacy and transaction security. • Openness: degree of linking to outside sources; reader contribution processes; anonymity measures; and application code ownership.

What is ERP?

Though enterprise resource planning (ERP) has gained some prominence in the information systems (IS) literature over the past few years and is a significant phenomenon in practice, through (a) a historical analysis, (b) meta-analysis of representative IS literature, and (c) a survey of academic experts, we reveal dissenting views on the phenomenon. Given this diversity of perspectives, it is unlikely that at this stage a broadly agreed definition of ERP can be achieved. We thus seek to increase awareness of the issues and stimulate further discussion, with the ultimate aim being to: (a) aid communication amongst researchers and between researchers and practitioners; (2) inform development of teaching materials on ERP and related concepts in university curricula and in commercial education and training; and (3) aid communication amongst clients, consultants and vendors. Increase transparence of the ERP concept within IS may also benefit other aligned fields of knowledge.

Geometric and force relationships for the development of a scaled model hydraulic excavator

Hydraulic excavators in the mining industry are widely used owing to the large payload capabilities these machines can achieve. However, there are very few optimisation studies for producing efficient hydraulic excavator backets. An efficient bucket can avoid unnecessary weight; greatly influence the payload and optimise the efficiency of hydraulic mining excavators. This paper presents a framework for the development of a scaled hydraulic excavator by examining the geometry and force relationships. A small hydraulic excavator was purchased and fitted with a broom scaled to a factor. Geometric and force relationships of the model were derived to assist computer instrumentation to retrieve necessary variable input for bucket design.

A navigating rat animat

This paper presents a new rat animat, a rat-sized bio-inspired robot platform currently being developed for embodied cognition and neuroscience research. The rodent animat is 150mm x 80mm x 70mm and has a different drive, visual, proximity, and odometry sensors, x86 PC, and LCD interface. The rat animat has a bio-inspired rodent navigation and mapping system called RatSLAM which demonstrates the capabilities of the platform and framework. A case study is presented of the robot's ability to learn the spatial layout of a figure of eight laboratory environment, including its ability to close physical loops based on visual input and odometry. A firing field plot similar to rodent 'non-conjunctive grid cells' is shown by plotting the activity of an internal network. Having a rodent animat the size of a real rat allows exploration of embodiment issues such as how the robot's sensori-motor systems and cognitive abilities interact. The initial observations concern the limitations of the deisgn as well as its strengths. For example, the visual sensor has a narrower field of view and is located much closer to the ground than for other robots in the lab, which alters the salience of visual cues and the effectiveness of different visual filtering techniques. The small size of the robot relative to corridors and open areas impacts on the possible trajectories of the robot. These perspective and size issues affect the formation and use of the cognitive map, and hence the navigation abilities of the rat animat.

Vibration characteristics of plate elements subjected in-plane loads (axial loads)

Axial deformations resulting from in-plane loads (axial forces) of plate elements impact significantly on their vibration characteristics. Although, numerous methods have been developed to quantify axial forces and hence deformations of individual plate elements with different boundary conditions based on their natural frequencies, these methods are unable to apply to the plate elements in a structural system. This is because the natural frequency is a global parameter for the entire structure. Thus, this paper proposes a comprehensive vibration based procedure to quantify axial deformations of plate elements in a structural framing system. Unique capabilities of the proposed method present through illustrative examples. Keywords- Plate Elements, Dynamic Stiffness Matrix, Finite Element Method, Vibration Characteristics, Axial Deformation

Apoptosis is induced in Chlamydia trachomatis infected HEp-2 cells by the addition of a combination innate immune activation compounds and the inhibitor wedelolactone

Problem: Innate immune activation of human cells, for some intracellular pathogens, is advantageous for vacuole morphology and pathogenic viability. It is unknown whether innate immune activation is advantageous to Chlamydia trachomatis viability. ----- ----- Method of study: Innate immune activation of HEp-2 cells during Chlamydia infection was conducted using lipopolysaccharide (LPS), polyI:C, and wedelolactone (innate immune inhibitor) to investigate the impact of these conditions on viability of Chlamydia. ----- ----- Results: The addition of LPS and polyI:C to stimulate activation of the two distinct innate immune pathways (nuclear factor kappa beta and interferon regulatory factor) had no impact on the viability of Chlamydia. However, when compounds targeting either pathway were added in combination with the specific innate immune inhibitor (wedelolactone) a major impact on Chlamydia viability was observed. This impact was found to be due to the induction of apoptosis of the HEp-2 cells under these conditions. ----- ----- Conclusion: This is the first time that induction of apoptosis has been reported in C. trachomatis-infected cells when treated with a combination of innate immune activators and wedelolactone.

Par4 is a coactivator for a splice isoform-specific transcriptional activation domain in WT1

The Wilms’ tumor suppressor protein WT1 is a transcriptional regulator involved in differentiation and the regulation of cell growth. WT1 is subject to alternative splicing, one isoform including a 17–amino acid region that is specific to mammals. The function of this 17–amino acid insertion is not clear, however. Here, we describe a transcriptional activation domain in WT1 that is specific to the WT1 splice isoform that contains the 17–amino acid insertion. We show that the function of this domain in transcriptional activation is dependent on a specific interaction with the prostate apoptosis response factor par4. A mutation in WT1 found in Wilms’ tumor disturbs the interaction with par4 and disrupts the function of the activation domain. Analysis of WT1 derivatives in cells treated to induce par4 expression showed a strong correlation between the transcription function of the WT1 17–amino acid insertion and the ability of WT1 to regulate cell survival and proliferation. Our results provide a molecular mechanism by which alternative splicing of WT1 can regulate cell growth in development and disease.

hSSB1 rapidly binds at the sites of DNA double-strand breaks and is required for the efficient recruitment of the MRN complex

hSSB1 is a newly discovered single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-binding protein that is essential for efficient DNA double-strand break signalling through ATM. However, the mechanism by which hSSB1 functions to allow efficient signalling is unknown. Here, we show that hSSB1 is recruited rapidly to sites of double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) in all interphase cells (G1, S and G2) independently of, CtIP, MDC1 and the MRN complex (Rad50, Mre11, NBS1). However expansion of hSSB1 from the DSB site requires the function of MRN. Strikingly, silencing of hSSB1 prevents foci formation as well as recruitment of MRN to sites of DSBs and leads to a subsequent defect in resection of DSBs as evident by defective RPA and ssDNA generation. Our data suggests that hSSB1 functions upstream of MRN to promote its recruitment at DSBs and is required for efficient resection of DSBs. These findings, together with previous work establish essential roles of hSSB1 in controlling ATM activation and activity, and subsequent DSB resection and homologous recombination (HR).

Single-stranded DNA-binding protein hSSB1 is critical for genomic stability

Single-strand DNA (ssDNA)-binding proteins (SSBs) are ubiquitous and essential for a wide variety of DNA metabolic processes, including DNA replication, recombination, DNA damage detection and repair1. SSBs have multiple roles in binding and sequestering ssDNA, detecting DNA damage, stimulating nucleases, helicases and strand-exchange proteins, activating transcription and mediating protein–protein interactions. In eukaryotes, the major SSB, replication protein A (RPA), is a heterotrimer1. Here we describe a second human SSB (hSSB1), with a domain organization closer to the archaeal SSB than to RPA. Ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase phosphorylates hSSB1 in response to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). This phosphorylation event is required for DNA damage-induced stabilization of hSSB1. Upon induction of DNA damage, hSSB1 accumulates in the nucleus and forms distinct foci independent of cell-cycle phase. These foci co-localize with other known repair proteins. In contrast to RPA, hSSB1 does not localize to replication foci in S-phase cells and hSSB1 deficiency does not influence S-phase progression. Depletion of hSSB1 abrogates the cellular response to DSBs, including activation of ATM and phosphorylation of ATM targets after ionizing radiation. Cells deficient in hSSB1 exhibit increased radiosensitivity, defective checkpoint activation and enhanced genomic instability coupled with a diminished capacity for DNA repair. These findings establish that hSSB1 influences diverse endpoints in the cellular DNA damage response.