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Neither beetroot juice supplementation nor increased carbohydrate oxidation enhance economy of prolonged exercise in elite race walkers
No full textGiven the importance of exercise economy to endurance performance, we implemented
two strategies purported to reduce the oxygen cost of exercise within a 4 week training camp in 21 elite male race walkers. Fourteen athletes undertook a crossover investigation with beetroot juice (BRJ) or placebo (PLA) [2 d preload, 2 h pre-exercise + 35 min during exercise] during a 26 km race walking at speeds simulating competitive events. Separately, 19 athletes undertook a parallel group investigation of a multi-pronged strategy (MAX; n = 9) involving chronic (2 w high carbohydrate [CHO] diet + gut training) and acute (CHO loading + 90 g/h CHO during exercise) strategies to promote endogenous and exogenous CHO availability, compared with strategies reflecting lower
ranges of current guidelines (CON; n = 10). There were no differences between BRJ and PLA trials for rates of CHO (p = 0.203) or fat (p = 0.818) oxidation or oxygen consumption (p = 0.090). Compared with CON, MAX was associated with higher rates of CHO oxidation during exercise, with increased exogenous CHO use (CON; peak = ~0.45 g/min; MAX: peak = ~1.45 g/min, p < 0.001). High rates of exogenous CHO use were achieved prior to gut training, without further improvement, suggesting that elite athletes already optimise intestinal CHO absorption via habitual practices. No differences in exercise economy were detected despite small differences in substrate use. Future studies should
investigate the impact of these strategies on sub-elite athletes’ economy as well as the performance effects in elite groups
Dismantling, optimising, and personalising internet cognitive behavioural therapy for depression: a systematic review and component network meta-analysis using individual participant data
No full textBackground
Internet cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) is a viable delivery format of CBT for depression. However, iCBT programmes include training in a wide array of cognitive and behavioural skills via different delivery methods, and it remains unclear which of these components are more efficacious and for whom.
Methods
We did a systematic review and individual participant data component network meta-analysis (cNMA) of iCBT trials for depression. We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published from database inception to Jan 1, 2019, that compared any form of iCBT against another or a control condition in the acute treatment of adults (aged ≥18 years) with depression. Studies with inpatients or patients with bipolar depression were excluded. We sought individual participant data from the original authors. When these data were unavailable, we used aggregate data. Two independent researchers identified the included components. The primary outcome was depression severity, expressed as incremental mean difference (iMD) in the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores when a component is added to a treatment. We developed a web app that estimates relative efficacies between any two combinations of components, given baseline patient characteristics. This study is registered in PROSPERO, CRD42018104683.
Findings
We identified 76 RCTs, including 48 trials contributing individual participant data (11 704 participants) and 28 trials with aggregate data (6474 participants). The participants\u27 weighted mean age was 42·0 years and 12 406 (71%) of 17 521 reported were women. There was suggestive evidence that behavioural activation might be beneficial (iMD −1·83 [95% credible interval (CrI) −2·90 to −0·80]) and that relaxation might be harmful (1·20 [95% CrI 0·17 to 2·27]). Baseline severity emerged as the strongest prognostic factor for endpoint depression. Combining human and automated encouragement reduced dropouts from treatment (incremental odds ratio, 0·32 [95% CrI 0·13 to 0·93]). The risk of bias was low for the randomisation process, missing outcome data, or selection of reported results in most of the included studies, uncertain for deviation from intended interventions, and high for measurement of outcomes. There was moderate to high heterogeneity among the studies and their components.
Interpretation
The individual patient data cNMA revealed potentially helpful, less helpful, or harmful components and delivery formats for iCBT packages. iCBT packages aiming to be effective and efficient might choose to include beneficial components and exclude ones that are potentially detrimental. Our web app can facilitate shared decision making by therapist and patient in choosing their preferred iCBT package.
Funding
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Anakinra for recalcitrant pyoderma gangrenosum
No full textPyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is an autoinflammatory neutrophilic dermatosis characterized by rapidly enlarging, painful ulcers. Anakinra is a recombinant interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor antagonist that blocks the activity of IL-1α and IL-1β by competitively inhibiting IL-1 binding to the IL-1 type I receptor. We present a series of two patients with recalcitrant PG, who had limited therapeutic options due to multiple previous treatment failures and multiple co-morbidities, who obtained 100% healing with anakinra. Compared to conventional first-line therapies for PG, the safety profile of anakinra may be preferable for patients with multiple co-morbidities. Further research is needed to assess the safety and efficacy of anakinra for PG
Orthogonal chirp-division multiplexing for performance enhanced optical/millimeter-wave 5G/6G communications
No full textOrthogonal chirp-division multiplexing is deployed as a novel waveform in an optical/millimeter-wave system. Enhanced channel estimation gives a 5-dB receiver sensitivity improvement over a conventional OFDM implementation, and compatibility with 256-QAM at 60-GHz is experimentally demonstrated
Democracy and the pricing of initial public offerings around the world
No full textWe find a negative relation between democracy and initial public offering (IPO) underpricing for a sample of 23,050 IPOs across 45 countries. The effect of democracy on underpricing is weaker for IPOs audited by Big 4 auditing firms, backed by venture capital firms, and with better disclosure specificity of use of proceeds. Democracy exerts a larger influence on underpricing for firms with higher agency problems, in countries with weaker institutional quality or shareholder protection, and during periods of high investor sentiment or economic policy uncertainty. Overall, our results highlight the importance of democracy in reducing IPO underpricing around the world
Thought, Freedom, and Embodiment in Kant and Sellars
No full textSellars once remarked on the "astonishing extent to which in ethics as well as in epistemology and metaphysics the fundamental themes of Kant’s philosophy contain the truth of the variations we now hear on every side" (SMx). Also astonishing was Sellars’ 1970 Presidential Address to the American Philosophical Association (APA), which borrowed its title from the phrase in Kant’s Paralogisms, "...this I or he or it (the thing) which thinks..." (B404). In its compact twenty-five pages Sellars managed to sketch novel yet plausible reconstructions of central aspects of Kant’s views on self-knowledge, persons, freedom, and morality, along the way suggesting how all of those Kantian views could plausibly be rendered consistent with a naturalistic ontology. In this chapter I focus on Sellars’ APA address as an occasion for reflection on how both Kant and Sellars offer insights into how we ought best to conceive the nature of and the relationships between our thinking selves, our practical agency, and our entirely natural, material embodiment
Teacher characteristics, knowledge and use of evidence‑based practices in autism education in Ireland
No full textAutism evidence-based practices (EBPs) are those with demonstrated improved outcomes for students with autism across a range of skill areas, yet issues persist in adopting these in classroom settings- particularly in general education (GE) settings.
This research aimed to identify teacher training, years of experience, access to allied professionals and knowledge and use of autism EBPs in GE settings in Ireland. 369 mainstream primary school teachers reported their characteristics and their knowledge and use of EBPs. Results indicated that the majority of teachers received little initial teacher education training in autism, almost no continuous professional development (CPD) before educating a child with autism, and received little support from allied professionals. Knowledge and use of EBPs differed significantly across teacher characteristics, with findings discussed in relation to teacher training
Synthesis of colloidal WSe2 nanocrystals: polymorphism control by precursor-ligand chemistry
No full textSyntheses of transition-metal dichalcogenides
(TMDs) using colloidal-chemistry approaches are gaining signifi cant interest in recent years, as these methods enable the
morphology and properties of the nanocrystals to be tuned for
targeted applications. In this work, by only varying the ligand used
during synthesis, we synthesized nanoflowers with oleic acid (OA)
and 1T′ phase dominated WSe2 nanosheets with oleylamine (OLA).
WSe2 nanocrystals show slower rate of formation for the metastable
1T′ phase. Surface chemistry analyses of the synthesized nanocryst als by solution NMR establish that neither of the ligands bind
strongly to the surface of nanocrystals but are in a dynamic
coordination with the WSe2 surface. A further examination of the
coordination of tungsten hexacarbonyl (W(CO)6) with the
respective ligands confirms that W(CO)6 decomposes in OA, losing its octahedral symmetry, which leads to fast reactivity in the
flask. In contrast to this, W(CO)6 reacts with OLA to form a new complex, which leads to slower reactivity and crystallization of the
synthesized nanocrystals in the octahedral 1T′ phase. These insights into the influence of precursor-ligand chemistry on reaction
outcome and the peculiar surface chemistry of colloidal TMD nanocrystals will be instrumental in developing future colloidal TMD
nanocrystals.PUBLISHEDpeer-reviewe
Doing intergenerational friendship: Challenging the dominance of age homophily in friendship
No full textThis article challenges the dominance of age homophily in the literature on friendship. Using findings from a recent study on intergenerational friendship, we put forward a new conceptualisation of a homophily of doing-and-being in friendships between people who are of different generations. This research took a qualitative approach using Constructivist Grounded Theory methodology. Homophily of doing-and-being has three components: being ‘friends in action’ (pursuing interests and leisure activities, or simply spending time together); being ‘not only old’ (sharing identities beyond age); and sharing attitudes and approaches to friendship and life. Additionally, ‘differences’ were perceived as being an important element of interest between the intergenerational friends. Our discovery of the centrality of doing-and-being, and the relative insignificance of age homophily constitute a novel way of looking at friendship, and a new way of conceptualising how and why (older) adults make and maintain friendships
Placental swab in supporting diagnosis of vertical transmission in SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers
No full textTo review the evidence regarding the possibility of fetal vertical transmission in COVID-19 positive pregnant mothers by diagnosing through placental swabs. The search terms ‘pregnant COVID-19 positive mothers’, ‘fetal vertical transmission’ and ‘placental swabs’ were used. 20 papers were selected