113 research outputs found
Exploring the Bidirectional Biweekly Relationship between Psychological Stress and Intervention-Prescribed Exercise in Healthcare Workers
No full textThis registration describes a secondary analysis of the COPE Healthcare Workers study (Boucher et al. 2023). This secondary analysis aims to quantify the bidirectional relationship between psychological stress (STR) and exercise (EX) in two ways. First, we will use a random intercept cross-lagged panel models to see how STR and EX are associated from each week to the subsequent week. Second, we will assess how STR at the end of the intervention affects participants continued engagement with the app-based EX.
Boucher, V. G., Haight, B. L., Hives, B. A., Zumbo, B. D., Merali-Dewji, A., Hutton, S., ... & Puterman, E. (2023). Effects of 12 weeks of At-Home, application-based Exercise on Health Care workers’ depressive symptoms, Burnout, and absenteeism: a Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA psychiatry, 80(11), 1101-1109
Appendix_PUS__791902 – Supplemental material for Researching multiple publics through latent profile analysis: Similarities and differences in science and technology attitudes in China, Japan, South Korea and the United States
No full textSupplemental material, Appendix_PUS__791902 for Researching multiple publics through latent profile analysis: Similarities and differences in science and technology attitudes in China, Japan, South Korea and the United States by Ashley Pullman, Michelle Y. Chen, Danjie Zou, Benjamin A. Hives and Yan Liu in Public Understanding of Science</p
The multidisciplinary correlates of chronic stress in Canadians
No full textBackground: Nearly one-quarter of Canadians report high levels of daily stress. This is alarming as chronic stress has been associated with several co-morbidities and premature mortality. In order to create beneficial interventions and public policy, factors associated with stress must be identified. While a wealth of research has determined a myriad of correlates of stress, the majority of this work has used approaches that focus on a very limited number of correlates per study, often from within one field of study. Currently there are no studies that analyze large-scale data sets and test multiple variables simultaneously.
Methods: This study analyzed data from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey - Mental Health, including 67 factors from a range of disciplines and over 23,000 participants. This study uses two approaches to test the associations between these factors and chronic stress including traditional statistics (i.e., simple linear regression and multiple linear regression) and machine learning algorithms (i.e., random forest analysis).
Results: The simple linear regression analysis showed that negative social interaction, life satisfaction, and higher levels of insomnia have the largest effect size in their association with chronic stress. Random forest analyses found that, after accounting for variance from other factors and considering complex interactions, life satisfaction, negative social interactions, and age were the most important correlates of chronic stress.
Conclusion: This study highlights that the important correlates of stress do not come from one field, but rather are a combination of psychological, social, and demographic factors. These novel findings highlight potential target pathways for devising new stress reduction interventions. However, as this study was exploratory and correlational, more research is needed regarding direction of effect and potential confounding variables.Education, Faculty ofKinesiology, School ofGraduat
Predicting adherence to at-home, app-based exercise and mental health improvements using latent class mixed models and machine learning: An exploratory secondary analysis of the COPE RCT
No full textThis is a two-part project that will be exploring who adheres to an exercise intervention and who responds best to an intervention. This is an exploratory secondary analysis of data collected for the COPE Trial. First, participants will be classified will be classified based on their exercise trajectories over the intervention. Then, baseline features (Psychological measures and demographic variables) will be used to predict trajectory class membership. This will help to identify who adheres to the intervention. This process will then be repeated for depressive symptom trajectories using the previous features in addition to adherence trajectory class
Exploring the Bidirectional Week-to-Week Relationship between Perceptions of Psychological Stress and Intervention-Prescribed Exercise
No full textThe present study seeks to assess the short-term reciprocal, week-to-week, association of psychological stress on prospective exercise adherence, as well as the effects of exercise on subsequent perceptions of psychological stress
Care for bees: for many reasons and in many ways
No full textPollinating insects are in decline, probably worldwide. This may imply a pollination crisis, for (food) crops as well as wild plants. Eventually this decline might result in great economic losses, a human food crisis and loss of natural biodiversity. Although the world population of honeybee colonies still increases (despite decreases in many countries) it is urgently needed to take care for bees and other pollinators. Possible drivers for the decline of insect pollinators in general are (1) habitat loss and intensive land use, (2) globalization and introductions of foreign species, (3) pollution including pesticides, and (4) climate change. For honeybees in particular: (5) worldwide presence of the invasive parasitic mite Varroa destructor (as a consequence of [2]), (6) introduction and spread of other (new) parasites, (7) loss of the honeybee’s genetic diversity, and (8) detrimental beekeeping practices. Simultaneously the beekeeping sector in many countries is vanishing for demographical reasons and a lack of incentives for beekeeping. The Dutch beekeeping almost fully depends on hobbyists, which results in little professional education and the absence of a professional extension service. Nevertheless the beekeeping standard has to improve to help the beekeeping sector to cope with the upcoming challenges and to safeguard the need for pollination in professional agricultur
Automation and modelling of robotic polishing
No full textThis research effort highlights emerging areas in the field of robotic polishing and includes an extensive literature survey conducted by the author. This survey shows that areas in need of further investigation for achieving automated polishing are surface measurement, CAD/CAM integration and polishing mechanics. The work conducted has been based on the use of an available robot end-effector for polishing unknown three-dimensional surfaces. A model for determining the mass of material removed during the polishing process is based on hardness testing, surface grinding and milling theory. Using this model the material removed during the polishing process is compared to results from practical experiments. Polishing trajectory for a robot-end effector to follow has been produced using CAD files in Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES) format. Using these files and two types of polishing patterns, the surface roughness of polished surfaces has been compared for simple planar polygonal surfaces
Vascular effects of physical activity are not modified by short-term inhaled diesel exhaust: Results of a controlled human exposure study
No full textBackground: The combined effects of physical activity and air pollution exposure on vascular function are insufficiently understood, particularly after the inhalation of a beta(2)-agonist, a vasodilating agent. Objective: To assess the micro- and macrovascular response to physical activity after beta(2)-agonist use while breathing diesel exhaust (DE) in individuals with exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. Methods: On four exposure visits, eighteen adults inhaled either 400 mu g of the beta(2)-agonist salbutamol or placebo before resting for 60 min, followed by a 30-min cycling bout. During rest and cycling, participants inhaled filtered air (FA) or DE (300 mu g/m(3) of PM2.5). Microvascular (central retinal arteriolar and venular equivalents, CRAE and CRVE, respectively) and macrovascular parameters (blood pressure (BP)) and heart rate (HR)) were assessed at baseline (T-1), 10 min (T-2) and 70 min (T-3) after cycling. Results: The cycling bout increased CRAE (T-2-T-1 difference (95th % confidence interval): 4.88 mu m (4.73, 5.00 mu m), p < 0.001; T-3-T-1 difference: 2.10 mu m (1.62, 2.58 mu m), p = 0.031) and CRVE (T-2-T-1 difference: 3.78 mu m (3.63, 3.92 mu m), p < 0.001; T-3-T-1 difference: 3.73 mu m (3.63, 3.92 mu m), p < 0.001). The exposure to DE had no effect on CRAE (FA-DE difference at T-2: 0.46 mu m (-0.02, 0.92 mu m); p = 0.790; FA-DE difference at T-3: 1.76 mu m (1.36, 2.16 mu m), p = 0.213) and CRVE (FA-DE difference at T-2: 0.26 mu m (-0.35, 0.88 mu m), p = 0.906; FA-DE difference at T-3: 0.55 mu m (0.05, 1.06 mu m), p = 0.750). Compared to T-1, systolic BP was decreased at T-2 by 2.5 mmHg (2.8, 2.3 mmHg, p = 0.047), independent of inhaled exposure. Heart rate at T-2 was significantly increased by 3 bpm (2, 3 bpm, p = 0.025) after the DE-exposure when compared to FA. Discussion: Acute physical activity induces a vasodilatory response in the micro- and macrovasculature in healthy adults by increasing CRAE and CRVE, and by reducing systolic BP post exercise, despite breathing DE. The DE-associated increase in HR might be indicative of an increased sympathetic response to physical activity while breathing DE
Procjena kapaciteta kestenove paše u lovištu Prolom
No full textPo važnosti u Hrvatskoj, odmah nakon bagremove i lipove, slijedi kestenova paša, stoga je prepoznata kod pčelara, posebice selećih, a područje Banovine predstavlja najzanačajnije sastojine kestena u Hrvtaskoj. Budući da ne postoji model upravljanja pčelinjim pašama, koji podrazumijeva pravilan raspored pčelinjih zajednica s obzirom na površinu pojedine paše, ona često puta bude neiskorištena u potpunosti. Stoga je cilj ovog istraživanja bio postaviti osnove za upravljanjem pčelinjiim pašama te time poboljšati iskoristivost prirodnih resursa određenog područja, odnosno procijeniti kapacitet kestenove paše u lovištu Prolom s obzirom na površinu kestenovih šuma i broj pčelinjih zajednica. Istraživanje je provedeno u vrijeme kestenove paše na području lovišta Prolom. Na navedenom je području utvrđen broj pčelara, kao i brojčano stanje doseljenih pčelinjih zajednica. Dnevni unos nektara praćen je pomoću elektronske vage postavljene ispod kontrolne zajednice. Količine izvrcana meda dobivene su na osnovu podataka od svakog pčelara koji je doselio košnice na istraživano područje. Također za potrebe istraživanja, na osnovu podataka lokalne šumarije utvrđene su površine pod kestenom. Rezultati pokazuju da je najveći broj košnica zabilježen na lokaciji Osoje (1 140) s prosjekom od 7,30 košnica/ha, dok je najmanji broj zabilježen na lokaciji Kobiljak (47) s prosjekom od 0,64 košnice/ha.By relevance in Croatia, right after acacia and linden follows chestnut forage, which is why it is recognised by beekeepers, especially the migratory ones, and why the area of Banovina represents the most important chestnut habitat in Croatia. Since there is no management model for bee forage, the one which implies equal distribution of bee colonies when it comes to every individual forage area, forage often doesn`t get fully used. Therefore, research goal was to set up the basics for bee forage management and thereby improve on usability of natural resources in certain area, that is to estimate the capacity of chestnut forage in Prolom hunting ground while keeping in mind surface of chestnut forest and number of bee colonies. The number of beekeepers in the mentioned area was verified, as well as the number of settled bee colonies. Daily nectar intake has been monitored by an electronic scale placed under control unit. Quantities of honey extract were obtained using data received from every beekeeper that moved his hives to researched area. Likewise, for research purposes, surfaces under chestnuts have been identified based on information obtained from local forestry. Research results show that the biggest amount of hives is located in Osoje (1140) with an average amount of 7,30 hives/ha, while a smaller amount exists in Kobiljak (47) with an average amount of 0,64 hives/ha
Beekeeping
No full textThrough its clear explanatory text and admirable illustration this book skilfully lays out the elements of good practice in tropical bee-keeping. It explains both traditional techniques using low-cost hives and more advanced methods, pointing out the most appropriate system for the level of investment the bee-keeper wishes to make. The author has a wealth of knowledge, developed through years of thoughtful observation and practical experiences working with bee-keepers all over Africa and with his own hives in Kenya. Existing bee-keepers wishing to improve their techniques and those looking to start a new bee-keeping enterprise will find the book invaluable
- …
