The monotonic linear model: Testing for removable interactions.

Loftus (1978) highlighted the distinction between a theoretical concept such as memory or attention, and its observed measure such as hit rate or percent correct. If the functional relationship between the concept and its measure is nonlinear then only some interaction effects are interpretable. This is an example of the wider "problem of coordination" which pervades scientific measurement. Loftus drew on the principles of additive conjoint measurement (ACM) to discuss the consequences when the coordination function is assumed to be monotonic. This led to the distinction between removable interactions that are consistent with an additive effect on the underlying theoretical concept and nonremovable interactions that are not. However, the adoption of these ideas by researchers has been greatly limited by the fact that no statistical procedure exists to determine if and to what extent an interaction is removable or otherwise. The lack of such a procedure has similarly limited the impact of ACM on research practice. The aim of this article is to present such a procedure. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Effect of three different running gait cues on vertical tibial acceleration.

BACKGROUND: Repetitive impacts during running are associated with some running injuries. Tibial acceleration is a proxy for tibial loading, and interventions that can decrease it are likely to be of interest to the running community. RESEARCH QUESTION: What effect do running gait cues have on peak vertical tibial acceleration at a comfortable and moderate running pace, and how will these cues be executed? METHODS: Twenty-seven participants ran on a treadmill according to the following cues in random order: run softly and lightly, run with shorter steps, and increase preferred step rate by 7.5 %. Participants maintained each condition for one minute before returning to their 'preferred' running pattern for two minutes. Two tibia-mounted inertial measurement unit sensors were used to collect tibial acceleration data at a 'comfortable' and 'moderate' run pace. A repeated measures analysis of variance test was used to compare the means between running conditions. RESULTS: Compared to preferred running, the decrease step length (-8 %, p = 0.002, Cohen's d=0.33) and run softly and lightly (-9 %, p = 0.040, Cohen's d=0.38) cues provided a significant reduction in peak vertical tibial acceleration during a comfortable run pace. No significant difference was observed with an increase in step rate. Compared to preferred running, there was no significant difference in peak vertical tibial acceleration with any of the running gait cues during a moderate run pace. SIGNIFICANCE: Instructing runners to decrease step length or run softly and lightly can result in small reductions in peak vertical tibial acceleration during a comfortable run pace, but running gait cues during a moderate run pace provide no effects. Differences in the execution of each cue are likely to influence overall tibial loading throughout the stride cycle. These findings provide novel biomechanical evidence for the potential effects of running retraining strategies for reducing tibial accelerations at different running paces.

A qualitative analysis of Black men's attitudes toward obesity and bariatric surgery.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is a safe and highly effective treatment for morbid obesity and related co-morbidities. While MBS access and insurance coverage have greatly improved, sex and racial disparities remain in utilization of MBS. OBJECTIVE: To identify novel intrinsic factors that may explain Black underutilization of surgical treatments for weight management. SETTING: This study was conducted in metropolitan communities of Western New York. METHODS: We conducted semistructured face-to-face interviews with 27 adult Black men with a history of obesity and at least 2 obesity-related conditions (diabetes, hypertension, and/or chronic kidney disease [CKD]), about their attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and habits related to obesity and obesity management. Interview transcripts were reviewed using thematic analysis for patterns and themes. RESULTS: Most participants did not perceive obesity as a serious health condition and those who had weight-loss goals did not aim for a healthy body mass index (BMI). Trust and respectful communication with physician were very important in making healthcare decisions. MBS was perceived as extreme and dangerous option for weight loss, and only participants with severe symptoms such as chronic pain were open to discussing MBS with their providers. Participants acknowledged lack of role models of similar background who had successfully undergone MBS for obesity. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified misinformation about risks and benefits of MBS and lack of community role models as important factors contributing to Black men's unwillingness to consider MBS. Further research is needed to facilitate patient-provider communication about weight and improve provider's ability and motivation for weight management in primary care settings.

What is the Effect of Changing Running Step Rate on Injury, Performance and Biomechanics? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Running-related injuries are prevalent among distance runners. Changing step rate is a commonly used running retraining strategy in the management and prevention of running-related injuries. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this review were to synthesise the evidence relating to the effects of changing running step rate on injury, performance and biomechanics. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus. RESULTS: Thirty-seven studies were included that related to injury (n = 2), performance (n = 5), and biomechanics (n = 36). Regarding injury, very limited evidence indicated that increasing running step rate is associated with improvements in pain (4 weeks: standard mean difference (SMD), 95% CI 2.68, 1.52 to 3.83; 12 weeks: 3.62, 2.24 to 4.99) and function (4 weeks: 2.31, 3.39 to 1.24); 12 weeks: 3.42, 4.75 to 2.09) in recreational runners with patellofemoral pain. Regarding performance, very limited evidence indicated that increasing step rate increases perceived exertion ( - 0.49, - 0.91 to - 0.07) and awkwardness (- 0.72, - 1.38 to - 0.06) and effort (- 0.69, - 1.34, - 0.03); and very limited evidence that an increase in preferred step rate is associated with increased metabolic energy consumption (- 0.84, - 1.57 to - 0.11). Regarding biomechanics, increasing running step rate was associated with strong evidence of reduced peak knee flexion angle (0.66, 0.40 to 0.92); moderate evidence of reduced step length (0.93, 0.49 to 1.37), peak hip adduction (0.40, 0.11 to 0.69), and peak knee extensor moment (0.50, 0.18 to 0.81); moderate evidence of reduced foot strike angle (0.62, 034 to 0.90); limited evidence of reduced braking impulse (0.64, 0.29 to 1.00), peak hip flexion (0.42, 0.10 to 0.75), and peak patellofemoral joint stress (0.56, 0.07 to 1.05); and limited evidence of reduced negative hip (0.55, 0.20 to 0.91) and knee work (0.84, 0.48 to 1.20). Decreasing running step rate was associated with moderate evidence of increased step length (- 0.76, - 1.31 to - 0.21); limited evidence of increased contact time (- 0.95, - 1.49 to - 0.40), braking impulse (- 0.73, - 1.08 to - 0.37), and negative knee work (- 0.88, - 1.25 to - 0.52); and limited evidence of reduced negative ankle work (0.38, 0.03 to 0.73) and negative hip work (0.49, 0.07 to 0.91). CONCLUSION: In general, increasing running step rate results in a reduction (or no change), and reducing step rate results in an increase (or no change), to kinetic, kinematic, and loading rate variables at the ankle, knee and hip. At present there is insufficient evidence to conclusively determine the effects of altering running step rate on injury and performance. As most studies included in this review investigated the immediate effects of changing running step rate, the longer-term effects remain largely unknown. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42020167657.

Assessment of 2 Hair Removal Methods in New Zealand White Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Rabbits are frequently used as surgical models in research. However, studies assessing the effects of various hair removal methods on wound healing and surgical site infection (SSI) in rabbits are sparse. Here we evaluated the effects of 2 hair removal methods-clipping with electric clippers and using a commercial depilatory agent-on wound healing and SSI as assessed via wound scoring and histology. Incisions were assigned ASEPSIS scores on days 3 and 7. To assess whether the hair removal methods influenced aseptic preparation, swabs for bacterial culture were obtained just after hair removal on day 0, after aseptic skin preparation on day 0, and on day 1. For histopathologic assessment, full-thickness punch biopsies were obtained on days 0, 1, 3, 7, and 21. Histopathology revealed significant differences between the 2 methods, with the depilatory method having consistently higher scores (that is, more abnormalities). We conclude that for a surgical preparation regimen, clipping is safer, more efficacious, and less traumatic to tissues in rabbits.

The Neurobehavioral Effects of Buprenorphine and Meloxicam on a Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury Model in the Rat.

Previous findings have indicated that pain relieving medications such as opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be neuroprotective after traumatic brain injury in rodents, but only limited studies have been performed in a blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) model. In addition, many pre-clinical TBI studies performed in rodents did not use analgesics due to the possibility of neuroprotection or other changes in cognitive, behavioral, and pathology outcomes. To examine this in a pre-clinical setting, we examined the neurobehavioral changes in rats given a single pre-blast dose of meloxicam, buprenorphine, or no pain relieving medication and exposed to tightly-coupled repeated blasts in an advanced blast simulator and evaluated neurobehavioral functions up to 28 days post-blast. A 16.7% mortality rate was recorded in the rats treated with buprenorphine, which might be attributed to the physiologically depressive side effects of buprenorphine in combination with isoflurane anesthesia and acute brain injury. Rats given buprenorphine, but not meloxicam, took more time to recover from the isoflurane anesthesia given just before blast. We found that treatment with meloxicam protected repeated blast-exposed rats from vestibulomotor dysfunctions up to day 14, but by day 28 the protective effects had receded. Both pain relieving medications seemed to promote short-term memory deficits in blast-exposed animals, whereas vehicle-treated blast-exposed animals showed only a non-significant trend toward worsening short-term memory by day 27. Open field exploratory behavior results showed that blast exposed rats treated with meloxicam engaged in significantly more locomotor activities and possibly a lesser degree of responses thought to reflect anxiety and depressive-like behaviors than any of the other groups. Rats treated with analgesics to alleviate possible pain from the blast ate more than their counterparts that were not treated with analgesics, which supports that both analgesics were effective in alleviating some of the discomfort that these rats potentially experienced post-blast injury. These results suggest that meloxicam and, to a lesser extent buprenorphine alter a variety of neurobehavioral functions in a rat bTBI model and, because of their impact on these neurobehavioral changes, may be less than ideal analgesic agents for pre-clinical studies evaluating these neurobehavioral responses after TBI.

Healthcare Shift Workers' Temporal Habits for Eating, Sleeping, and Light Exposure: A Multi-Instrument Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Circadian misalignment can impair healthcare shift workers' physical and mental health, resulting in sleep deprivation, obesity, and chronic disease. This multidisciplinary research team assessed eating patterns and sleep/physical activity of healthcare workers on three different shifts (day, night, and rotating-shift). To date, no study of real-world shift workers' daily eating and sleep has utilized a largely-objective measurement. METHOD: During this fourteen-day observational study, participants wore two devices (Actiwatch and Bite Technologies counter) to measure physical activity, sleep, light exposure, and eating time. Participants also reported food intake via food diaries on personal mobile devices. RESULTS: In fourteen (5 day-, 5 night-, and 4 rotating-shift) participants, no baseline difference in BMI was observed. Overall, rotating-shift workers consumed fewer calories and had less activity and sleep than day- and night-shift workers. For eating patterns, compared to night- and rotating-shift, day-shift workers ate more frequently during work days. Night workers, however, consumed more calories at work relative to day and rotating workers. For physical activity and sleep, night-shift workers had the highest activity and least sleep on work days. CONCLUSION: This pilot study utilized primarily objective measurement to examine shift workers' habits outside the laboratory. Although no association between BMI and eating patterns/activity/sleep was observed across groups, a small, homogeneous sample may have influenced this. Overall, shift work was associated with 1) increased calorie intake and higher-fat and -carbohydrate diets and 2) sleep deprivation. A larger, more diverse sample can participate in future studies that objectively measure shift workers' real-world habits.

What are the Benefits and Risks Associated with Changing Foot Strike Pattern During Running? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Injury, Running Economy, and Biomechanics.

BACKGROUND: Running participation continues to increase. The ideal strike pattern during running is a controversial topic. Many coaches and therapists promote non-rearfoot strike (NRFS) running with a belief that it can treat and prevent injury, and improve running economy. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this review were to synthesise the evidence comparing NRFS with rearfoot strike (RFS) running patterns in relation to injury and running economy (primary aim), and biomechanics (secondary aim). DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Consideration was given to within participant, between participant, retrospective, and prospective study designs. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus. RESULTS: Fifty-three studies were included. Limited evidence indicated that NRFS running is retrospectively associated with lower reported rates of mild (standard mean difference (SMD), 95% CI 3.25, 2.37-4.12), moderate (3.65, 2.71-4.59) and severe (0.93, 0.32-1.55) repetitive stress injury. Studies prospectively comparing injury risk between strike patterns are lacking. Limited evidence indicated that running economy did not differ between habitual RFS and habitual NRFS runners at slow (10.8-11.0 km/h), moderate (12.6-13.5 km/h), and fast (14.0-15.0 km/h) speeds, and was reduced in the immediate term when an NRFS-running pattern was imposed on habitual RFS runners at slow (10.8 km/h; SMD = - 1.67, - 2.82 to - 0.52) and moderate (12.6 km/h; - 1.26, - 2.42 to - 0.10) speeds. Key biomechanical findings, consistently including both comparison between habitual strike patterns and following immediate transition from RFS to NRFS running, indicated that NRFS running was associated with lower average and peak vertical loading rate (limited-moderate evidence; SMDs = 0.72-2.15); lower knee flexion range of motion (moderate-strong evidence; SMDs = 0.76-0.88); reduced patellofemoral joint stress (limited evidence; SMDs = 0.63-0.68); and greater peak internal ankle plantar flexor moment (limited evidence; SMDs = 0.73-1.33). CONCLUSION: The relationship between strike pattern and injury risk could not be determined, as current evidence is limited to retrospective findings. Considering the lack of evidence to support any improvements in running economy, combined with the associated shift in loading profile (i.e., greater ankle and plantarflexor loading) found in this review, changing strike pattern cannot be recommended for an uninjured RFS runner. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42015024523.

Bariatric Outcomes: Self-Management for Sustained Surgical Success: A Multicomponent Treatment for Dysregulated Overeating in Bariatric Surgery Patients.

Binge eating disorder, food addiction, and dysregulated overeating are common among people with severe obesity and prevalent among bariatric surgery populations. These problematic eating habits share commonalities with other addictions. Effective, holistic self-management is needed to promote long-term weight loss and psychosocial adjustment among patients who are severely obese who undergo surgery, especially those with clinically remarkable levels of binge eating, food addiction, or dysregulated overeating.This article aims to briefly review binge eating disorder, food addiction, and obesity-as well as issues surrounding surgery for individuals who are severely obese-and introduce the Bariatric Outcomes: Self-management for Sustained Surgical Success (BOSSSS) program. The BOSSSS program is holistic, skill based, and designed to promote weight loss, prevent weight regain, and improve well-being in patients with severe obesity with a history of bariatric surgery.Preliminary survey data suggest that bariatric surgery patients report a lack of skill-based emotional and behavioral support designed to help them over the long term. The BOSSSS program is rooted in self-determination theory, integrating mobile health technology across program components. Self-determination theory-based interventions are personalized and encourage autonomy, competence, and social support among participating patients and providers. The behavioral self-regulation training within BOSSSS is energy balance self-monitoring and titration. Emotional self-regulation is addressed via a specialized version of dialectical behavior skills therapy, emphasizing promotion of coping skills and use of adaptive, healthy substances in immediate environments. The BOSSSS program has been well received by patients and could be implemented by nurses and other health professionals with minimal support.

A Systematic Examination of Food Intake and Adaptation to the Food Environment by Refugees Settled in the United States.

The United States is the largest refugee resettlement country in the world. Refugees may face health-related challenges after resettlement in the United States, including higher rates of chronic diseases due to problems such as language barriers and difficulty adapting to new food environments. However, reported refugee diet challenges varied, and no systematic examination has been reported. This study examined refugee food intake pre- and postresettlement in the United States and differences in intake across various refugee groups. We systematically reviewed relevant studies that reported on refugee food intake and adaptation to the US food environment. We searched PubMed for literature published between January 1985 and April 2015, including cross-sectional and prospective studies. Eighteen studies met inclusion criteria. Limited research has been conducted, and most studies were based on small convenience samples. In general, refugees increased meat and egg consumption after resettling in the United States. Changes in refugee intake of vegetables, fruits, and dairy products varied by socioeconomic status, food insecurity, past food deprivation experience, length of stay in the United States, region of origin, and age. South Asians were more likely to maintain traditional diets, and increased age was associated with more conservative and traditional diets. Despite the abundance of food in the United States, postresettlement refugees reported difficulty in finding familiar or healthy foods. More research with larger samples and follow-up data are needed to study how refugees adapt to the US food environment and what factors may influence their food- and health-related outcomes. The work could inform future interventions to promote healthy eating and living among refugees and help to reduce health disparities.

Racial Differences in Adolescents' Answering Questions About Suicide.

The present purpose was to examine racial differences in response rate and serious behavioral suicide risk based on the national Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBS). Data from 15,245 adolescents (YRBS, 2011) were included. Survey items pertaining to making suicidal plans and attempting suicide were included. Significant differences in responding and content emerged, especially with regard to suicide attempts. Racial minority adolescents are at elevated risk for serious suicidal behaviors and are more likely to omit items pertaining to suicide attempts. African American adolescents rarely reported having attempted suicide, but they also frequently failed to respond to that question.

Sexual Assault, Overweight, and Suicide Attempts in U.S. Adolescents.

Associations between overweight, sexual assault history, and suicide attempts were examined among 31,540 adolescents from the combined 2009 and 2011 nationally representative Youth Risk Behavior Surveys samples. These variables have not previously been studied concurrently. It was hypothesized that overweight and sexual assault, together, would interact and result in increased suicide attempts. Findings across analyses included (a) no significant associations between sexual assault and overweight in females or males (p = .65 and p = .90, respectively), (b) statistically significant associations between female (but not male) overweight status and suicide attempts (p = .001), (c) a strong association between sexual assault and suicide risk in males (p < .001) and females (p < .001), and (d) an elevated risk for suicide in overweight males with co-occurring sexual assault, with over 33% of males with such histories attempting suicide. Preliminary findings have powerful implications for research and secondary prevention.

Biomechanical consequences of epiphytism in intertidal macroalgae.

Epiphytic algae grow on other algae rather than hard substrata, perhaps circumventing competition for space in marine ecosystems. Aquatic epiphytes are widely thought to negatively affect host fitness; it is also possible that epiphytes benefit from associating with hosts. This study explored the biomechanical costs and benefits of the epiphytic association between the intertidal brown algal epiphyte Soranthera ulvoidea and its red algal host Odonthalia floccosa. Drag on epiphytized and unepiphytized hosts was measured in a recirculating water flume. A typical epiphyte load increased drag on hosts by ~50%, increasing dislodgment risk of epiphytized hosts compared with hosts that did not have epiphytes. However, epiphytes were more likely to dislodge from hosts than hosts were to dislodge from the substratum, suggesting that drag added by epiphytes may not be mechanically harmful to hosts if epiphytes break first. Concomitantly, epiphytes experienced reduced flow when attached to hosts, perhaps allowing them to grow larger or live in more wave-exposed areas. Biomechanical interactions between algal epiphytes and hosts are complex and not necessarily negative, which may partially explain the evolution and persistence of epiphytic relationships.

A randomized pilot trial of an integrated school-worksite weight control program.

OBJECTIVE: Worksite provision of paid time off for parent participation in a school-based healthy weight program may improve treatment adherence and outcomes. The current pilot study examined whether parents who received worksite support for attendance at a school-based healthy weight program would attend more sessions, lose more weight, and make healthier changes in home food environments than parents who did not receive worksite support. METHOD: Thirty-eight urban, low-income African American and Mexican American mothers of kindergartners were randomized to an integrated school-parent-worksite program that targeted healthy home food environments and energy balance self-monitoring or the identical school-based program without worksite support. Ten sessions were delivered to parent participants during afterschool hours. Process measures included session attendance and energy balance log completion. Outcome measures included parent body mass index (BMI) change, child BMI z-score change, and home food inventory (HFI) score changes over 12 months. RESULTS: RESULTS showed better weight change for parents (i.e., BMI unit reduction of 1.4 vs. 0.3 in comparison group, p = .001), increased parental attendance, and improvements in the home food environment when parents received paid time off from their worksite for their participation in the healthy weight program. Child weight change was also observed despite no direct contact with children. CONCLUSIONS: The current pilot study provides support for the hypothesis that worksite support for school-based interventions may improve health outcomes that depend on parental involvement. Removing barriers to attendance in a healthy weight program resulted in improved treatment adherence and outcomes in low-income, minority parents and children.

Geographic differences in physical education and adolescent BMI: have legal mandates made a difference?

The school environment is an ideal setting for healthy weight programming with adolescents. The federal government has reinforced the importance of school-based health promotion. The current study examined the preliminary influence of the 2006 school wellness policy requirement of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act (CNWICRA) on adolescent Body Mass Index (BMI) and physical education participation. Nationally representative data from the 2003 and 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBSS) were used. The authors examined BMI percentile and physical education participation based on survey year and geographic region. Results suggest a slight decrease in BMI with no changes in physical education participation. A main effect for geographic region was found for both physical education participation and BMI percentile, while a geographic region-by-survey year interaction was discovered when analyzing BMI percentiles. Results suggest a need for continued investigation and may inform future healthy weight programming and geographically tailored wellness policies.

The association between sexual assault and suicidal activity in a national sample.

Sexual violence is a potential key risk factor for adolescent suicidal behavior but has not been studied extensively. Thus, the current study examined the extent to which sexual assault predicted suicide attempts among adolescent students in the national Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System survey (2007 data). Gender differences in suicidal behavior overall and among sexual assault victims were examined. The results supported that students with sexual assault histories were significantly more likely (odds ratio [OR]=6.4) to have reported at least one suicide attempt in the past year than students who did not report sexual assault histories. Male students with a sexual assault history reported suicide attempts requiring medical attention more frequently than male attempters without sexual assault histories, as well as both groups of female suicide attempters. Implications of the findings for suicide prevention and intervention programs are discussed.