Effects of home-based exergaming on child social cognition and subsequent prediction of behavior.

The use of exergames may be one viable way to increase child physical activity, but investigation of its effects on motivation over time and prediction of adherence have seen little research attention. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of two cycling exergame interventions (single-player, multi-player) among children aged 9-12 years on motivational variables (theory of planned behavior) and to explore whether these variables could predict objective assessment of playtime across 6 weeks. Sixty-nine insufficiently active children were recruited through advertisements within the community/schools and randomized to either the single play condition (n = 30) or multi-player condition (n = 39). Exergaming use was recorded objectively via game logs and motivational variables were assessed after a familiarization session, at 2 weeks, and at 4 weeks. Participants played the exergames M = 133.45 (SD = 81.27) minutes in week 1 to M = 77.23 (SD = 84.09) minutes in week 6. The two exergame conditions did not result in differences among theory of planned behavior variables (P > .05). Mean levels of these constructs declined across the first 4 weeks (P < .05), with the exception of injunctive norm. Positive bivariate associations (P < .05) between game play and perceived control (0-6 weeks), and intention (weeks 3-4 and weeks 5-6) were identified, but only affective attitude (assessed at week 2) predicted (P < .05) game play (3-4 weeks) in a multivariate examination of the theory of planned behavior model. The results demonstrate that social cognitive motives wane across time when exposed to repeated exergame play.

The short-term effects of a mass reach physical activity campaign: an evaluation using hierarchy of effects model and intention profiles.

BACKGROUND: Mass reach physical activity campaigns are designed to deliver physical-activity related messages to a large population across different media including print, television, radio, and websites. Few evaluations have examined the short-term effects of a mass reach campaign on participants who were engaged with the campaign. The current research examined the short-term effects of the ParticipACTION 150 Play List, a mass reach physical activity campaign, on participants who registered with the campaign website. METHODS: Participants (N = 7801) completed a registration questionnaire measuring demographic information, awareness and recall of physical activity and sport advertising, and self-reported number of activities tried or planned to try from the 150 Play List. A follow-up survey was completed by 1298 participants from the original sample. Additional questions assessed experience with the 150 Play List and attitudes towards campaign advertisements. RESULTS: Approximately 14.5% of participants cited the ParticipACTION 150 Play List and 23.6% mentioned a 'getting active' message when recalling advertisements. Those who named the 150 Play List or getting active reported more activities tried and more activities planned than those who did not. They were also more likely to say they had tried a new activity and planned ongoing participation. It was also found that participants with a disability were more likely to have tried a new activity compared to those not in a minority group. Other correlates of trying new activities at follow-up were younger age, more positive reported experience with the 150 Play List, and more favourable attitudes towards campaign advertisements. Those who did not intend continued participation, or who were unsure at baseline and then decided against continued participation at follow-up, reported they were less sedentary or encouraging others to be active. CONCLUSIONS: This research addresses the gap in evidence regarding the efficacy of mass reach physical activity campaigns by informing whether a year-long campaign like the 150 Play List can be effective in influencing the behavior of those engaged with the campaign. The results reinforce the idea that 'top of mind' awareness should be measured. Investigating intention profiles can help inform campaign impacts and continuation intentions.

Application of rapid microbiological methods for the risk assessment of controlled biopharmaceutical environments.

AIMS: To assess the different operational states within a biopharmaceutical grade clean room, using a rapid microbiological method. The method was a novel system, based on spectrometry, designed for sampling, discriminating, and enumerating airborne particles. Central to the study was the aim to determine the microbiological levels as a clean room went from standard use through maintenance and shutdown, disinfection, and then back to standard use. The objective was to evaluate whether a rapid method could replace conventional environmental monitoring using growth-based media. METHODS AND RESULTS: The instrument evacuated was a BioVigilant IMD-A(®) System, which is a real-time and continuous monitoring technology based on optical spectroscopy that can differentiate between biological particles and inert ones (biological particles expressed as bio-counts based on the detection of microbial metabolites). The results indicated that certain activities lead to a high generation of biological particles and in showing an increase over the baseline, would be regarded as presenting a microbiological risk to the cleanroom. These activities include removing HEPA filter grilles, turning off an air handing unit, and tasks which requires an active personnel presence, such as cleaning and disinfection. CONCLUSIONS: The optical instrument can be used to process sufficient information, so that clean rooms can be returned to use following a period of unexpected downtime or following maintenance without the need to wait for the results from growth-based methods. As such, this type of rapid microbiological method is worth exploring further for clean room air monitoring. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Few studies have been undertaken which examine air-monitoring devices that can both enumerate and discriminate particulates, in a volume of air as 'inert' or 'biological'. This study extends this limited field. Furthermore, the data collected in relation to cleanrooms is of interest in helping microbiologists understand that risks posed by different activities in relation to clean air-handling systems and personnel particle shedding.

Medical, demographic and social cognitive correlates of physical activity in a population-based sample of colorectal cancer survivors.

Physical activity (PA) improves quality of life in colorectal cancer survivors (CRC) and may reduce the risk of disease recurrence and early death. Few studies, however, have examined the correlates of PA in CRC survivors. Using the Alberta Cancer Registry, 2000 randomly selected CRC survivors were mailed a self-reported questionnaire assessing medical, demographic, behavioural and social cognitive variables from the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Of the 600 survivors who responded, 33% were meeting public health PA guidelines and almost half were completely sedentary. Higher PA was reported by survivors who were younger, unmarried, better educated, wealthier, employed, non-smokers, social drinkers, not treated with radiation therapy, disease-free, in better health and less comorbidity. In multivariate path analysis, these variables were not directly associated with PA after controlling for the TPB variables. The TPB explained 34% (P < 0.001) of the variance in PA behaviour with direct associations for intention (ß= 0.22; P= 0.015) and planning (ß= 0.18; P= 0.001). Intention, in turn, had 62% (P < 0.001) of its variance explained by perceived behavioural control (ß= 0.43; P < 0.001), affective attitude (ß= 0.25; P < 0.001) and instrumental attitude (ß= 0.15; P < 0.001). The TPB may be a useful framework for developing population-based interventions to increase PA in CRC survivors.

Exploring exercise behavior, intention and habit strength relationships.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relevance of integrating exercise habit strength within the framework of the theory of planned behavior. Data were obtained from 538 undergraduate students [mean age=21.19 (SD=2.57); 28.4% males] using validated questionnaires and analyzed using regression analysis and discriminant function analysis. Findings indicated that exercise has both a cognitive and an automatic component and that stronger exercise habits make exercise less intentional, with the intention-exercise relationship nearly three times stronger at lower levels of exercise habit strength than at higher levels. Further, outcome expectancies regarding health and weight management resulting from sufficient exercise did not significantly differ between most profiles that were created from exercise behavior, motivation and habit strength. The results from this study demonstrate the usefulness of incorporating measures of exercise habit strength in order to further our understanding of relevant determinants of exercise behavior. Results also indicate that health outcomes of sufficient exercise are generally well known, implying that persuasive strategies should rather shift in emphasis toward instilling a sense of exercise confidence in various situations. This potentially valuable information may allow for a more thorough understanding of exercise determinants and the development of more effective interventions that target increased exercise levels.

Application of a social cognitive model in explaining physical activity in Iranian female adolescents.

Adolescent Iranian girls are at high risk for physical inactivity due to cultural barriers such as restrictions regarding exercising in public and research is needed to explore ethnic and gender-related factors associated with physical activity (PA) participation. Using social cognitive theory as the guiding model, the purpose of this study was to test the fit and strength of barriers self-efficacy, outcome expectations, self-regulation and social support in explaining PA in female Iranian adolescents (n = 558). Using path analysis, social support was modeled as an antecedent of self-efficacy and outcome expectations, while self-efficacy was modeled as an antecedent of outcome expectations, self-regulatory planning and PA. Outcome expectations and self-regulatory planning were subsequently modeled as additional antecedents of PA. The model explained 52% of the variance in PA. The two significant (P < 0.05) direct effects were from self-efficacy and outcome expectations. Social support from mothers, fathers and friends had significant indirect effects on PA through self-efficacy. These results will allow for future research and interventions not only for female Iranian adolescents but also for similar cultural and immigrant groups that have been neglected to date in the PA literature.

Does gender moderate the exercising personality? An examination of continuous and stage-based exercise.

For nearly 60 years, researchers have examined the relationship between personality traits and exercise participation. Rhodes and Smith (2006), using meta-analytic procedures reported that extraversion, conscientiousness, and neuroticism were significantly related to exercise participation (Personality correlates of physical activity: A review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 40, 958-965). Gender as a moderator of the personality and exercise relationship remained inconclusive. In addition, researchers have suggested that the stage approach may lend greater insight as to the importance of personality. The investigator's primary purpose was to determine whether gender moderated the personality and exercise relationship. The secondary purpose was to determine the importance of personality within a stage approach. Participants were 827 females and 657 males college-aged students who completed measures of the "big five" personality traits and two exercise measures. The results indicated that gender was not a moderator and that the stage approach offers insight as hypothesized differences resulted in personality between intentional exercisers and non-exercising individuals as well as within exercising individuals.

Old carbon reservoirs were not important in the deglacial methane budget.

Permafrost and methane hydrates are large, climate-sensitive old carbon reservoirs that have the potential to emit large quantities of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, as the Earth continues to warm. We present ice core isotopic measurements of methane (Δ14C, δ13C, and δD) from the last deglaciation, which is a partial analog for modern warming. Our results show that methane emissions from old carbon reservoirs in response to deglacial warming were small (<19 teragrams of methane per year, 95% confidence interval) and argue against similar methane emissions in response to future warming. Our results also indicate that methane emissions from biomass burning in the pre-Industrial Holocene were 22 to 56 teragrams of methane per year (95% confidence interval), which is comparable to today.

Distribution of enkephalin immunoreactivity in germinative cells of developing rat cerebellum.

The cellular distribution of enkephalin, an endogenous opioid, in the developing rat cerebellum was determined by immunocytochemistry. Methionine and leucine enkephalin were concentrated in the external germinal layer, a matrix of proliferative cells; staining was confined to the cortical cytoplasm. Enkephalin was not detected by immunocytochemistry in differentiated neural cells. These results indicate that endogenous opioids are involved specifically in early phases of nervous system development, particularly cell proliferation and differentiation.

The contribution of ventrolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to response reversal.

Studies investigating response reversal consistently implicate regions of medial and lateral prefrontal cortex when reinforcement contingencies change. However, it is unclear from these studies how these regions give rise to the individual components of response reversal, such as reinforcement value encoding, response inhibition, and response change. Here we report a novel instrumental learning task designed to determine whether regions implicated in processing reversal errors are uniquely involved in this process, or whether they play a more general role in representing response competition, reinforcement value, or punishment value in the absence of demands for response change. In line with previous findings, reversal errors activated orbitofrontal cortex, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, caudate, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These regions also showed increased activity to errors in the absence of contingency changes. In addition, ventrolateral PFC, caudate, and dorsolateral PFC each exhibited increased activity following correct reversals. Activity in these regions was not significantly modulated by changes in reinforcement value that were not sufficient to make an alternative response advantageous. These data do not support punishment-processing or prepotent response inhibition accounts of ventrolateral prefrontal cortex function. Instead, they support recent conceptualizations of ventrolateral prefrontal cortex function that implicate this region in resolving response competition by manipulating the representation of either motor response options, or object features. These data also suggest that dorsolateral prefrontal cortex plays a role in reversal learning, probably through top down attentional control of object or reinforcement features when task demands increase.

Evaluating UV/H2O2 processes for methyl tert-butyl ether and tertiary butyl alcohol removal: effect of pretreatment options and light sources.

In this paper, we evaluate the efficiency of UV/H2O2 process to remove methyl tert-butyl ether (MtBE) and tertiary butyl alcohol (tBA) from a drinking water source. Kinetic models were used to evaluate the removal efficiency of the UV/H2O2 technologies with different pretreatment options and light sources. Two commercial UV light sources, i.e. low pressure, high intensity lamps and medium pressure, high intensity lamps, were evaluated. The following pretreatment alternatives were evaluated: (1) ion exchange softening with seawater regeneration (NaIX); (2) Pellet Softening; (3) weak acid ion exchange (WAIX); and (4) high pH lime softening followed by reverse osmosis (RO). The presence or absence of a dealkalization step prior to the UV/H2O2 Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) was also evaluated for each pretreatment possibility. Pretreatment has a significant impact on the performance of UV/H2O2 process. The NaIX with dealkalization was shown to be the most cost effective. The electrical energy per order (EEO) values for MtBE and tBA using low pressure high output UV lamps (LPUV) and 10mg/LH2O2 are 0.77 and 3.0 kWh/kgal-order, or 0.20 and 0.79 kWh/m3-order, respectively. For medium pressure UV high output lamps (MPUV), EEO values for MtBE and tBA are 4.6 and 15 kWh/kgal-order, or 1.2 and 4.0 kWh/m3-order, for the same H2O2 dosage.

A paradigm for understanding trust and mistrust in medical research: The Community VOICES study.

BACKGROUND: To promote justice in research practice and rectify health disparities, greater diversity in research participation is needed. Lack of trust in medical research is one of the most significant obstacles to research participation. Multiple variables have been identified as factors associated with research participant trust/mistrust. A conceptual model that provides meaningful insight into the interplay of factors impacting trust may promote more ethical research practice and provide an enhanced, actionable understanding of participant mistrust. METHODS: A structured survey was developed to capture attitudes toward research conducted in emergency situations; this article focuses on items designed to assess respondents' level of trust or mistrust in medical research in general. Community-based interviews were conducted in English or Spanish with 355 New York City residents (white 42%, African American 29%, Latino 22%). RESULTS: Generally favorable attitudes toward research were expressed by a majority (85.3%), but many respondents expressed mistrust. Factor analysis yielded four specific domains of trust/mistrust, each of which was associated with different demographic variables: general trustworthiness (older age, not disabled); perceptions of discrimination (African American, Latino, Spanish language preference); perceptions of deception (prior research experience, African American); and perceptions of exploitation (less education). CONCLUSIONS: The four domains identified in the analysis provide a framework for understanding specific areas of research trust/mistrust among disparate study populations. This model offers a conceptual basis for the design of tailored interventions that target specific groups to promote trust of individual researchers and research institutions as well as to facilitate broader research participation.

Enhanced climate instability in the North Atlantic and southern Europe during the Last Interglacial.

Considerable ambiguity remains over the extent and nature of millennial/centennial-scale climate instability during the Last Interglacial (LIG). Here we analyse marine and terrestrial proxies from a deep-sea sediment sequence on the Portuguese Margin and combine results with an intensively dated Italian speleothem record and climate-model experiments. The strongest expression of climate variability occurred during the transitions into and out of the LIG. Our records also document a series of multi-centennial intra-interglacial arid events in southern Europe, coherent with cold water-mass expansions in the North Atlantic. The spatial and temporal fingerprints of these changes indicate a reorganization of ocean surface circulation, consistent with low-intensity disruptions of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). The amplitude of this LIG variability is greater than that observed in Holocene records. Episodic Greenland ice melt and runoff as a result of excess warmth may have contributed to AMOC weakening and increased climate instability throughout the LIG.

Inhibition of collagen deposition in the extracellular matrix prevents the establishment of a stroma supportive of hematopoiesis in long-term murine bone marrow cultures.

Long-term production of murine hematopoietic cells in vitro is dependent on establishment of a complex microenvironment consisting of a variety of stromal cells and an extensive extracellular matrix which includes collagen, fibronectin, laminin, proteoglycans, and other undefined components adherent to the culture dishes. Cis-4-hydroxyproline (CHP), a relatively specific inhibitor of collagen secretion, was used to examine the role of extracellular collagen deposition in supporting hematopoiesis in long-term C57B1/6J mouse bone marrow cell cultures. Throughout the 10-wk culture period, all culture dishes contained either 0, 10, 25, or 50 micrograms/ml of CHP. All medium and nonadherent cells were removed at weekly intervals and replaced with fresh medium containing the previous concentrations of CHP. Nonadherent cells were assayed weekly for total cells and pluripotent, erythroid, megakaryocytic, and granulocytic-macrophage progenitor cells. Dishes were killed at selected intervals to assess protein and collagen synthesis in the adherent layer. Adherent cell numbers, as judged by microscopic examination and DNA assays, correlated inversely with CHP concentrations used and paralleled degree of collagen synthesis inhibition. The decreased hemopoietic progenitor cell production correlated closely with percent inhibition of collagen synthesis and stromal cellularity. The CHP concentrations tested were not directly toxic to hemopoietic progenitor cells. These studies demonstrate that collagen deposition in the extracellular matrix of murine bone marrow cell cultures is essential to the establishment of a functional stromal microenvironment that is supportive of long-term hematopoiesis.

Personality correlates of physical activity: a review and meta-analysis.

This review aimed to combine the literature on major personality traits and physical activity alongside providing some meta-analytic summaries of the findings. Overall, 33 studies containing 35 independent samples, ranging from 1969 to 2006, met the inclusion criteria. Extraversion (r = 0.23), neuroticism (r = -0.11) and conscientiousness (r = 0.20) were identified as correlates of physical activity using random effects meta-analytic procedures correcting for sampling bias and attenuation of measurement error. The five-factor model traits of openness to experience/intellect and agreeableness, as well as Eysenck's psychoticism trait, were not associated with physical activity. Potential moderators of personality and physical activity relationships such as sex, age, culture/country, design and instrumentation were inconclusive given the small number of studies. Still, the existing evidence was suggestive that personality and physical activity relationships are relatively invariant to these factors. Studies examining personality and different physical activity modes suggested differences by traits such as extraversion, but more research is needed to make any conclusions. Future research using multivariate analyses, personality-channelled physical activity interventions, longitudinal designs and objective physical activity measurement is recommended.

Opioid receptors and endogenous opioids in diverse human and animal cancers.

Receptor binding studies demonstrated specific high-affinity, saturable binding of a number of opioid ligands to a wide variety of neural and nonneural human and animal tumors. Radioimmunoassays revealed the presence of beta-endorphin and methionine-enkephalin in these tumors. Both methionine- and leucine-enkephalin were detected in tumor tissue by immunocytochemistry, with immunoreactivity related to the cortical cytoplasm of tumor cells, but not to cell nuclei. Endogenous opioids and receptors were found in benign and malignant tumors representative of ectodermal, mesodermal, and endodermal origin. Receptors and endogenous opioid peptides were present in tumors from many different species, including those transplanted into nude mice. These results suggest that opioid receptors and endogenous opioids are fundamental features of human and animal cancers.

Collagen heterogeneity in normal rabbit cornea. I. Isolation and biochemical characterization of the genetically-distinct collagens.

Limited proteolysis of preparations of mature rabbit cornea with pepsin allows the recovery of approximately 90% of the tissue collagen in soluble form. Using recently described selective precipitation techniques, the soluble cornea collagen can be resolved into two major fractions. The predominant fraction, which accounts for about 95% of the solubilized collagen, was identified by means of solubility properties, electrophoretic and chromatographic properties, as well as amino acid analyses of its constituent chains, as Type I collagen. The alternate fraction, which accounts for virtually all of the remainder of the solubilized cornea collagen, was identified by means of the same criteria as collagen comprised of the A and B chains. In addition, the stoichiometry of the latter chains in preparations of cornea collagen indicate that in the cornea these chains are likely to participate in the formation of only one type of collagen molecule with the chain composition, AB2. And finally, the demonstration that Type I and the AB2 collagens are the predominant forms of collagen recoverable from the mature cornea strongly suggests that molecules comprised of the A and B chains are not necessarily confined to basement membrane structures.