Bouts Of Behavior Research Articles

The accumulation of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in children with cerebral palsy and their typically developing peers aged 6–12 years

BackgroundPhysical activity and sedentary behaviour are usually described using daily volume indicators. However, for young children (6–12 years) and specifically those with conditions such as Cerebral Palsy, exploration of how physical behaviours are accumulated may provide valuable insight for behaviour change intervention planning. Research questionHow are physical activity and sedentary behaviour accumulated by 6–12 year old children with Cerebral Palsy and is this different from their typically developing peers? MethodsA cross-sectional study of a convenience sample of ambulatory children with CP (CP) and typically developing (TD) children, 6–12 years, was recruited. Children wore a thigh worn activity monitor (activPAL4) during typical daily activities. Overall volume of daily sedentary, upright and stepping time was characterised as well as how this was accumulated in bouts of activity. ResultsThere were no differences (p<0.05) in either volume or accumulation measures of physical behaviours between TD (n=14, 8.2±1.8 years) and children with CP (n=15, 8.6±1.4 years). However, there was wide variation in activity accumulation patterns between individuals. The mean proportion of daily time in each physical behaviour, accumulated in bouts above set times was: Upright time: bouts >5 mins 46 % TD & CP, bouts >20 mins 9 % TD & CP; Stepping time: bouts >0.5 mins 50 % TD, 45 % CP, bouts >2 mins 10 % TD, 9 % CP; Sedentary time: bouts >5 mins 77 % TD, 76 % CP, bouts >30 mins 26 % TD, 29 % CP. SignificanceYoung children with CP aged 6–12 years do not appear to have different physical behaviours to their TD peers. However, for individuals, descriptors of accumulation of physical activity and sedentary behaviour bouts provides additional information over and above volume measures, giving insight into behaviour which may be used to inform intervention planning.

Effects of association between resveratrol and ketamine on behavioral and biochemical analysis in mice.

Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene), a phenol commonly found in grapes and wine, has been associated as protective in experimental models involving alterations in different neurotransmitter systems. However, studies are reporting that resveratrol could have adverse effects. This study evaluated if the association of a low dose of ketamine and resveratrol could induce behavioral manifestations associated with biochemical alterations. Moreover, the effects of treatment with resveratrol and/or ketamine on monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity, oxidative stress markers, and IL-6 levels in the brain were also investigated. Male Swiss mice received a low dose of ketamine (20mg/kg) for 14 consecutive days, and resveratrol (10, 30, or 100mg/kg) from day 8 up to day 14 of the experimental period, intraperitoneally. Locomotor, stereotyped behavior, Y-maze, novel recognition object test (NORT), and social interaction were quantified as well as ex vivo analysis of MAO activity, IL-6 levels, and oxidative stress markers (TBARS and total thiol levels) in brain tissues. Ketamine per se reduced the number of bouts of stereotyped behavior on day 8 of the experimental period. Resveratrol per se reduced the locomotor and exploratory activity in the open field, the time of exploration of new objects in the NORT, MAO-A activity in the striatum and increased the IL-6 levels in the cortex. These effects were attenuated when the mice were co-treated with ketamine and resveratrol. There was a decrease in MAO-A activity in the cortex of mice treated with ketamine + resveratrol 100mg/kg. No significant alterations were found in oxidative stress markers. Resveratrol does not appear to cause summative effects with ketamine on behavioral alterations. However, the effect of resveratrol per se, mainly on locomotor and exploratory activity, should be better investigated.

Changes in sedentary behavior in the chronic phase following stroke

BackgroundSedentary behavior increases risk for cardiovascular diseases. Little is known about sedentary behavior through the chronic phase after stroke. We aimed to describe how long and short bouts of sedentary behavior changed over the first three years after stroke and if cognition at baseline was an independent risk factor for sedentary behavior. MethodsThis is a sub-study of the Norwegian cognitive impairment after stroke (Nor-COAST) study, a multicenter study recruiting patients with acute stroke. Sedentary behavior was monitored with a thigh-worn sensor (ActivPal3®), at three-, 18- and 36-months post stroke. Stroke severity was assessed by National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and cognition by Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA). Mixed model analysis with mean number of sedentary minutes accumulated daily as the dependent variable was repeated for all four zones (<30min, 30-60min, 60-90min, >90min) and for total sedentary time. ResultsThe number of included participants was 528 (mean age 71.4, NIHSS on day 1, 2.7). The total amount of sedentary time accumulated between 08.00-22.00 increased significantly from about 9.8 hours at three months to 10.1 hours at 36 months post stroke (p=0.002). Patient characteristics associated with prolonged duration of the sedentary bouts and sedentary time were age, high BMI, comorbidities, and impaired physical function. No significant associations between MoCA score and sedentary time were found. ConclusionThe participants became increasingly sedentary and had fewer breaks in sedentary time from three to 36 months after stroke. Baseline cognition was not related to later sedentary behavior.

A single incidental dark pulse during daytime attenuated food anticipatory behavior

ABSTRACT Using an open-source operant feeding device (FED3), we measured food-seeking nose poking behavior in mice. When the mice were exposed to 4 h restricted feeding at night, all mice exhibited robust food anticipatory nose poking starting ~4 h before scheduled mealtime. When the light-dark cycle was advanced by 6 h, mice exhibited two distinct bouts of anticipatory poking, one corresponding to actual mealtime which continued at the same time of day, and one corresponding to predicted mealtime which shifted parallel with the light-dark cycle. Likewise, two similar bouts of food-seeking behavior appeared when the light-dark cycle was delayed for 9 h. These data suggest that food anticipatory behavior is encoded to a circadian oscillator that entrains to the light-dark cycle. Two weeks after advancing the light-dark cycle, mice incidentally received a 3.5 h dark pulse in the middle of the day. This single dark pulse had a negligible effect on running wheel behavior but caused a temporary attenuation of both food anticipatory poking and pellet intake. These results suggest that the circadian oscillator controlling food anticipatory poking is sensitive to light disruption and that proper food anticipation is critical for sufficient food intake during temporally restricted feeding.

Abstract 23: Multidimensional Association of Sleep With Health Behaviors and Cardiometabolic Risk in Adolescents

Introduction: Insufficient sleep has been recognized by AHA as part of Life’s Essential 8 in the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). While sleep is a multidimensional phenomenon comprised of duration, efficiency, quality, timing, and regularity, prior epidemiological research in youth has predominantly focused on sleep duration. It is important to disentangle which sleep dimensions most associate with other health behaviors and biomarkers for CVD risk in adolescents. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that specific dimensions of insufficient, disturbed, and misaligned sleep will be differentially associated with nutrition, physical activity, and inflammation. Methods: We analyzed data from 421 population-based randomly-selected adolescents from the Penn State Child Cohort (median 16 years; 47% female; 21% racial/ethnic minority) who had at least 5-night at-home actigraphy (ACT), 1-night in-lab 9-h polysomnography (PSG), self-reported insomnia symptoms, daytimes sleepiness, sleep schedule, circadian preference, and dietary assessment, as well as fasting blood draw assayed for C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα). Linear regression models tested the independent association of each sleep dimension with caloric intake, ACT-derived sedentary behavior, and blood-based inflammatory biomarkers, while accounting for sex, age, race/ethnicity, and body mass index. Results: Higher ACT-measured night-to-night variability in sleep duration was most strongly associated with increased caloric intake, particularly carbohydrates (B=0.203, p&lt;0.001), while shorter PSG-measured sleep duration was also associated with carbohydrates but to a lesser extent (B=-0.150, p=0.002). Later bedtime on weekdays was most strongly associated with higher bouts of sedentary behavior (B=0.216, p&lt;0.001), while shorter ACT-measured sleep duration was most strongly associated with time spent sedentary (B=-0.226, p&lt;0.001). PSG-measured sleep apnea was most strongly associated with higher CRP (B=0.287, p&lt;0.001) and IL-6 levels (B=0.260, p&lt;0.001), while later bedtime on weekdays (B=0.136, p=0.025) and evening circadian preference (B=-0.124, p=0.017) were also associated with inflammation but to a lesser extent. Conclusions: The association of inadequate sleep with health behaviors and cardiometabolic risk in adolescents is in itself multidimensional. These data support that AHA guidelines should be updated to include insufficient, disturbed, and misaligned sleep as contributors to CVD risk.

Influence of the dose of ketamine used on schizophrenia-like symptoms in mice: A correlation study with TH, GAD67, and PPAR-γ

Schizophrenia is a chronic, debilitating mental illness that has not yet been completely understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of different doses of ketamine, a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, on the positive- and negative-like symptoms of schizophrenia. We also explored whether these effects are related to changes in the immunoreactivity of GAD67, TH, and PPAR-γ in brain structures. To conduct the study, male mice received ketamine (20–40 mg/kg) or its vehicle (0.9 % NaCl) intraperitoneally for 14 consecutive days. We quantified stereotyped behavior, the time of immobility in the forced swimming test (FST), and locomotor activity after 7 or 14 days. In addition, we performed ex vivo analysis of the immunoreactivity of GAD, TH, and PPAR-γ, in brain tissues after 14 days. The results showed that ketamine administration for 14 days increased the grooming time in the nose region at all tested doses. It also increased immobility in the FST at 30 mg/kg doses and decreased the number of rearing cycles during stereotyped behavior at 40 mg/kg. These behavioral effects were not associated with changes in locomotor activity. We did not observe any significant alterations regarding the immunoreactivity of brain proteins. However, we found that GAD and TH were positively correlated with the number of rearing during the stereotyped behavior at doses of 20 and 30 mg/kg ketamine, respectively. GAD was positively correlated with the number of rearing in the open field test at a dose of 20 mg/kg. TH was inversely correlated with immobility time in the FST at a dose of 30 mg/kg. PPAR-γ was inversely correlated with the number of bouts of stereotyped behavior at a dose of 40 mg/kg of ketamine. In conclusion, the behavioral alterations induced by ketamine in positive-like symptoms were reproduced with all doses tested and appear to depend on the modulatory effects of TH, GAD, and PPAR-γ. Conversely, negative-like symptoms were associated with a specific dose of ketamine.

Factors Associated With Prolonged Sedentary Behavior Bouts In Adults With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Factors Associated With Prolonged Sedentary Behavior Bouts In Adults With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Prolonged bouts of sedentary behavior in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and associated factors

Increased sedentary behavior (SB), especially in prolonged bouts, is associated with adverse health outcomes, but little is known about patterns of SB in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The purpose of this study was to describe SB and patterns of SB and to examine factors associated with prolonged bouts of SB in inactive community-dwelling adults with COPD. This cross-sectional analysis used data from inactive adults with COPD who were enrolled in an exercise program but had not started exercising. Participants were ≥ 50 years old with a diagnosis of COPD, had a forced expiratory volume in one second < 80% predicted, and were inactive. Participants wore an activPAL device for seven days to measure their SB and completed surveys and physical measures. Data were analyzed with multiple regression. The sample included 160 participants with a mean age (± SD) of 69±8, and a mean total sedentary time of 742±150min/day, with 254±146min/day in SB bouts ≥ 60min. Time spent in bouts of SB ≥ 60-min. was negatively associated with self-efficacy for overcoming barriers to light physical activity (P<0.05), balance (P<0.05), chair stand test (P<0.05), FEV1% predicted (P<0.05) and positively associated with BMI (P<0.001). Inactive people with COPD engage in extensive SB, much of it in prolonged bouts. Self-efficacy, balance, and lower body strength are modifiable variables associated with SB and potential targets for future interventions to reduce time in prolonged sedentary behavior.

The Partial M1 Muscarinic Cholinergic Receptor Agonist, CDD-0102A, Differentially Modulates Glutamate Efflux in Striatal Subregions during Stereotyped Motor Behavior in the BTBR Mouse Model of Autism.

The BTBR T+ Itpr3tf/J (BTBR) mouse displays elevated repetitive motor behaviors. Treatment with the partial M1 muscarinic receptor agonist, CDD-0102A, attenuates stereotyped motor behaviors in BTBR mice. The present experiment investigated whether CDD-0102A modifies changes in striatal glutamate concentrations during stereotyped motor behavior in BTBR and B6 mice. Using glutamate biosensors, change in striatal glutamate efflux was measured during bouts of digging and grooming behavior with a 1 s time resolution. Mice displayed both decreases and increases in glutamate efflux during such behaviors. Magnitude of changes in glutamate efflux (decreases and increases) from dorsomedial and dorsolateral striatum were significantly greater in BTBR mice compared to those of B6 mice. In BTBR mice, CDD-0102A (1.2 mg/kg) administered 30 min prior to testing significantly reduced the magnitude change in glutamate decreases and increases from the dorsolateral striatum and decreased grooming behavior. Conversely, CDD-0102A treatment in B6 mice potentiated glutamate decreases and increases in the dorsolateral striatum and elevated grooming behavior. The findings suggest that activation of M1 muscarinic receptors modifies glutamate transmission in the dorsolateral striatum and self-grooming behavior.

The Effect of an Electronic Passive Prompt Intervention on Prolonged Occupational Sitting and Light-Intensity Physical Activity in Desk-Based Adults Working from Home during COVID-19 in Ireland

This study aimed to assess the effect of passive prompts on occupational physical behaviours (PBs) and bouts of prolonged sitting among desk-based workers in Ireland who were working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Electronic passive prompts were delivered every 45 min, asking participants to walk for five minutes, during working hours. Twenty-eight participants (aged 30–67 years) completed the six-week intervention between October 2020 and April 2021. PBs were measured using an activPAL3TM accelerometer, following a 24 h wear protocol, worn for the duration of the study. Participants were highly sedentary at both baseline (77.71% of work hours) and during the intervention (75.81% of work hours). However, the number of prolonged occupational sedentary bouts &gt; 90 min was reduced compared to baseline (0.56 ± 0.08 vs. 0.77 ± 0.11, p = 0.009). Similar reductions were observed in the time spent in sustained sitting &gt; 60 and &gt;90 min when compared to baseline sedentary patterns (60 min: −31.27 ± 11.91 min, p = 0.014; 90 min: −27.97 ± 9.39 min, p = 0.006). Light-intensity physical activity (LIPA) significantly increased during the intervention (+14.29%, p = 0.001). This study demonstrates that passive prompts, delivered remotely, can both reduce the number and overall time spent in prolonged bouts of occupational sedentary behaviour and increase occupational LIPA.

Validation of an Algorithm for Measurement of Sedentary Behaviour in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Accurate measurement of sedentary behaviour in older adults is informative and relevant. Yet, activities such as sitting are not accurately distinguished from non-sedentary activities (e.g., upright activities), especially in real-world conditions. This study examines the accuracy of a novel algorithm to identify sitting, lying, and upright activities in community-dwelling older people in real-world conditions. Eighteen older adults wore a single triaxial accelerometer with an onboard triaxial gyroscope on their lower back and performed a range of scripted and non-scripted activities in their homes/retirement villages whilst being videoed. A novel algorithm was developed to identify sitting, lying, and upright activities. The algorithm's sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for identifying scripted sitting activities ranged from 76.9% to 94.8%. For scripted lying activities: 70.4% to 95.7%. For scripted upright activities: 75.9% to 93.1%. For non-scripted sitting activities: 92.3% to 99.5%. No non-scripted lying activities were captured. For non-scripted upright activities: 94.3% to 99.5%. The algorithm could, at worst, overestimate or underestimate sedentary behaviour bouts by ±40 s, which is within a 5% error for sedentary behaviour bouts. These results indicate good to excellent agreement for the novel algorithm, providing a valid measure of sedentary behaviour in community-dwelling older adults.

Characterizing Mosquito Biting Behavior at High Resolution.

Blood feeding is a critical event in the life cycle of female mosquitoes. In addition to providing nutrients to the mosquito, blood feeding facilitates the transmission of parasites and viruses to hosts, potentially having devastating health consequences. Our understanding of these short, yet important, bouts of behavior is incomplete. How and where a mosquito decides to bite and the success of feeding can influence the transmission of pathogens. A more thorough understanding of these processes may allow the development of interventions that reduce or prevent infections. Here, we present an overview of strategies for studying mosquito biting behavior and introduce the biteOscope, which provides an opportunity to observe and understand this behavior at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution under tightly controlled conditions. The biteOscope combines recent advances in computer vision and automated tracking with designs for behavioral arenas and controllable artificial host cues that use low-cost and readily available materials.

A cranial implant for stabilizing whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in behaving rodents

BackgroundIn vivo patch-clamp recording techniques provide access to the sub- and suprathreshold membrane potential dynamics of individual neurons during behavior. However, maintaining recording stability throughout behavior is a significant challenge, and while methods for head restraint are commonly used to enhance stability, behaviorally related brain movement relative to the skull can severely impact the success rate and duration of whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. New methodWe developed a low-cost, biocompatible, and 3D-printable cranial implant capable of locally stabilizing brain movement, while permitting equivalent access to the brain when compared to a conventional craniotomy. ResultsExperiments in head-restrained behaving mice demonstrate that the cranial implant can reliably reduce the amplitude and speed of brain displacements, significantly improving the success rate of recordings across repeated bouts of motor behavior. Comparison with existing method(s)Our solution offers an improvement on currently available strategies for brain stabilization. Due to its small size, the implant can be retrofitted to most in vivo electrophysiology recording setups, providing a low cost, easily implementable solution for increasing intracellular recording stability in vivo. ConclusionsBy facilitating stable whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in vivo, biocompatible 3D printed implants should accelerate the investigation of single neuron computations underlying behavior.

Association of device-measured physical activity and sedentary behaviour with cardiovascular risk factors, health-related quality-of-life and exercise capacity over 12-months in cardiac rehabilitation attendees with coronary heart disease

BackgroundFew studies have considered the relationship between risk factors, physical activity and sedentary behaviour in people with heart disease. Here we examine the independent relationship of device-measured physical activity and sedentary behaviour on risk factors, quality-of-life and exercise capacity over 12-months in cardiac rehabilitation attendees.MethodsHospital-based phase II cardiac rehabilitation participants with coronary heart disease were assessed at the start and end of cardiac rehabilitation (6-weeks), 6 and 12-months. Physical activity (moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA), light-intensity (LIPA); min/day) and sedentary behaviour (min/day, bouts, breaks) were measured using an ActiGraph accelerometer. Risk factors included waist circumference, body mass index, systolic blood pressure (SBP), fasting blood lipid and glucose levels, anxiety and depression. Quality-of-life and exercise capacity were also collected. Associations were assessed with Generalized Estimating Equation modeling.ResultsSixty-seven participants were included (mean age = 64 (SD 9) years; 81% male). An association was found between higher MVPA and lower high density lipoprotein (p ≤ 0.001). No significant (p ≤ 0.001) associations were found between sedentary behaviour variables and other outcomes. At p < 0.05 several associations were significant. Increased MVPA and LIPA were associated with decreased total cholesterol. Higher MVPA was associated with decreased SBP, whereas higher LIPA was associated with decreased waist circumference and body mass index. Higher sedentary behaviour bouts and breaks were associated with increased total cholesterol, anxiety and depression, and decreased SBP over time.ConclusionsAny intensity of physical activity was associated with decreased total cholesterol. Increased LIPA was associated with improved measures of adiposity, while breaking up sedentary behaviour and increasing MVPA may decrease SBP over time. Further investigation of MVPA, LIPA and the distribution of sedentary behaviour is indicated in cardiac rehabilitation attendees to explore their relationship with risk factors.Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12615000995572, http://www.ANZCTR.org.au/ACTRN12615000995572.aspx. Registered 22 September 2015.

Physical Activity Behaviors And Metabolic Syndrome Among Law Enforcement Officers

There is limited data on objectively measured activity behaviors of law enforcement officers. Due to frequent bouts of on-duty sedentary behavior, this may place them at a greater risk for metabolic syndrome. PURPOSE: To examine the associations between activity behaviors and metabolic syndrome risk among law enforcement officers. METHODS: Eighteen participants aged 33.00 ± 9.03 years participated in the study. Law enforcement officers were asked to wear activity monitoring devices for 7-consecutive days during on-duty and off-duty times. At the end of monitoring period, participants had their metabolic risk factors measured using waist circumference and a finger-prick test after fasting for at least 10 hours prior. Metabolic syndrome was determined if participants had 3 of the 5 following criteria: waist circumference measurement >89 centimeters for women or > 102 centimeters for men; serum triglycerides >150 mg/dL; high-density lipoprotein <50 mg/dL for women and 40 mg/dL for men; blood pressure ≥ 130/≥85 mmHg; and fasting glucose ≥100 mg/dL. ActiGraph worn on the wrist measured physical activity behaviors of participants who adhered to wearing the device for at least four days of the 7-consecutive day monitoring period. Descriptive statistics were used to determine means for all metabolic risk factors and to determine time spent in physical activity behaviors (sedentary, light, moderate, and vigorous). Correlation analyses were used to examine relationships between various physical activity behaviors and metabolic risk factors. RESULTS: 11.2% (n = 2) had three or more metabolic risk factors and 33.3% (n = 6) had two or more metabolic risk factors. Mean on-duty sedentary activity was 273.35 ± 59.12 minutes compared to off-duty sedentary activity of 401.02 ± 146.35 minutes. Mean on-duty moderate activity was 235.91 ± 40.09 minutes compared to off-duty moderate activity of 304.58 ± 79.80 minutes. There was a negative correlation between on-duty sedentary activity and SBP (r = -.48) and DBP (r = -.48), respectively. There was a positive correlation between off-duty moderate-vigorous activity and waist circumference (r = .62). CONCLUSION: Law enforcement officers have unfavorable physical activity behaviors during a typical day regardless of working status and may be at risk of developing metabolic syndrome.

P09-09 Hybrid work and temporal patterns of sedentary behavior in a 24-hour compositional perspective

BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, many white-collar workers were requested to exclusively work from home (WFH), which may have affected their sedentary behavior. In Sweden, having less severe restrictions than many other countries, workers were allowed to alternate between WFH and work at the office (WAO), so called hybrid work. Understanding how hybrid work influences total sedentary behavior and its temporal distribution is an important issue for future health promotion. This study aimed to investigate to what extent office workers changed their temporal pattern of sedentary behavior during days WFH compared to WAO, considering age and gender as potential moderators.MethodsData were collected from May to December 2020 in office workers (n = 199). Their mean age was 42 (SD 10) years and 55% were women. Physical behaviors were measured using a thigh-worn accelerometer (AxivityAX3) for seven consecutive days. A diary identified working hours, time-in-bed and days WFH or WAO. Time-use was classified as short (0-5 min), moderate (5-30 min) and long bouts (>30 min) of sedentary behavior (SB), non-SB, and time-in-bed during workdays (WAO and WFH) and non-workdays. We used Compositional data analysis to express data as 24-hour compositions and linear mixed models to estimate difference in 24-hour compositions between day types (within worker), including age and gender as covariates and moderators.ResultsWe found that workdays (WFH and WAO) were associated with proportionally less time-in-bed relative to time awake, more time SB relative to non-SB, and more time in longer relative to shorter sedentary bouts, compared to non-workdays (all p > 0.001). WFH was associated with more time-in-bed relative to awake and more SB relative to non-SB than WAO (p > 0.05), but the differences for sedentary bouts were not significant. Younger workers and women had more SB, and women accumulated more time than men in longer relative to shorter bouts of SB. However, age and gender did not affect differences between day types.ConclusionsWorking from home influenced 24-hour time-use in office workers by increasing sedentary behavior in total, while its temporal pattern was unchanged. Results contribute to evidence that can support organizational policies on hybrid work.

Lameness changes the behavior of dairy cows: daily rank order of lying and feeding behavior decreases with increasing number of lameness indicators present in cow locomotion

Lameness is a major animal welfare problem in modern dairy farms. Although association between cow behavior and lameness is proven, functioning and reliable on-farm applications for automatic lameness detection is still lacking because large within and between farm variation in cow behavior exists. There were two aims in this study: 1) to investigate if a simple ranking of cows in an order based on their time spent on a specific behavior or number of behavior bouts could be used for normalizing behavior data, and 2) to study how daily lying and feeding behavior, and their rank order variables are affected by lameness. We followed in total 84 cows divided in two half-year trials (N = 45 and N = 49, ten cows enrolled in both trials). Cows were locomotion scored fortnightly and their lying,roughage feeding behavior, and step count were measured continuously with automatic sensors. In addition to using absolute values of daily behavior, animals were ranked in ascending order within experimental cows in the group for each day based on their absolute value (hours/number of bouts/number of steps) of the behavior in question. Daily behavioral and cow level factors were merged with temporally closest locomotion score. Two sets of linear mixed models were fitted: 1) to investigate the effect of trial on absolute and rank order values of behavior, and 2) to investigate effect of locomotion score, parity, breed and lactation stage on absolute and rank order values of behavior. There was a significant difference between the trials in lying behavior of the cows, but not in feeding behavior; cows spent more time lying down in the first trial (P= 0.0027). This difference was not evident in rank order values. Increasing the number of lameness indicators was associated with increasing lying time, increase in number of lying bouts, decreasing roughage feeding time and decrease in feeding bouts (P<0.0001). Similar differences were observed in rank order values of behaviors (P<0.0001). No consistent change in step count was observed with respect to increasing number of lameness indicators. Based on these data, ranking the cows within the herd based on their behavior did normalize the data between two trials, and rank order values behaved similarly to absolute daily behavior with respect to a cow's lameness status. Thus, using rank order variables could address some issues in development of automated lameness detection systems arising from within and between herd variability in dairy cow behavior.

Substituting bouts of sedentary behavior with physical activity: adopting positive lifestyle choices in people with a history of cancer

PurposeTo determine in people with a history of cancer, whether substituting sitting time with other daily activities (i.e., sleeping, walking, moderate and vigorous physical activity) was associated with changes in waist circumference (WC), an important surrogate marker of cardiometabolic risk.MethodsCross-sectional analyses from the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (Atlantic PATH) cohort was conducted using isotemporal substitution models to explore the associations of substituting sedentary time, physical activity behavior (International Physical Activity Questionnaire), or sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) with changes in WC. Analyses were conducted using sex-specific WC classifications.ResultsIn 3,684 people with a history of cancer [mean age (SD) 58.2 (7.3) years; BMI 28.9 (5.2) kg m−2; 71% female], reallocating 10 min of sleep or sedentary time for 10 min of walking was associated with lower WC in women (p < 0.01). In men, PA intensity appeared to be more strongly associated with a reduced WC. Replacing 10 min of sedentary time with 10 min of moderate or vigorous PA and replacing 10 min of sleep with moderate PA were associated with a significantly reduced WC (p < 0.001). The largest effect was when 10 min of moderate PA was replaced with vigorous PA, a reduction in WC (p < 0.01) was evident.ConclusionFor people with a history of cancer, adopting small but positive changes in lifestyle behaviors could help reduce WC and potentially offset negative health-related outcomes associated with higher WC. Further research is required to examine whether such an intervention may be acceptable and manageable among this population.

Physical Activity During the School Day

A plethora of research has been conducted on physical activity (PA) during the school day as part of a CSPAP. Classroom activity, recess, and other school day opportunities such as active transitions, school-wide movement breaks, and drop-ins provide valuable opportunities for students to reach recommended levels of PA. In addition to the health benefits from engaging in PA during this time and decreasing bouts of sedentary behavior, positive outcomes have been demonstrated in terms of students’ academic performance and social/emotional health. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of research conducted on PA during the school day over the past decade and offer suggestions to practitioners on efficient and effective ways to incorporate PA during school. Based on the collective efforts of researchers, we summarize the outcomes and provide the biggest “return on investment” for physical educators, classroom teachers, and PA professionals who are most likely to implement PA during the school day as part of a CSPAP.

Acceleration as a proxy for energy expenditure in a facultative‐soaring bird: Comparing dynamic body acceleration and time‐energy budgets to heart rate

Abstract In animal ecology, energy expenditure is used for assessing the consequences of different behavioural strategies, life‐history events or environments. Animals can also influence energy expenditure through instantaneous behavioural responses to their external environment. It is therefore of interest to measure energy expenditure of free‐ranging animals across seasons and at high temporal resolutions. Heart rate has historically been used for this, but requires invasive surgery for long‐term use. Dynamic body acceleration (DBA) is an alternative proxy for energy expenditure that is simpler to deploy, yet few studies have examined how it performs over extended time periods, or for species using different locomotory modes, especially passive modes like soaring flight. We measured DBA alongside heart rate in free‐ranging lesser black‐backed gulls, a seabird that moves using flapping flight, soaring and walking, and rests on both land and water. Our objectives were to compare the relative changes in DBA and heart rate among and within behaviours and to examine how accelerometers can be used to estimate daily energy expenditure by comparing DBA to time‐energy budgets (TEBs). DBA and heart rate were sampled concurrently at 2.5‐ and 5‐min intervals throughout the breeding season, though measurements were not exactly synchronised. Behaviour was identified from accelerometer measurements, and DBA and heart rate were averaged over bouts of consistent behaviour. Heart rate was converted to metabolic rate using an allometric calibration, after confirming its fit using metabolic measurements taken in captivity and values from existing literature. Both proxies showed similar changes among behaviours, though DBA overestimated costs of floating, likely due to waves. However, relationships between DBA and heart rate were weak within a behaviour mode, possibly due to the lack of synchrony between proxy measurements. On daily scales, DBA and TEBs perform comparably for estimating daily energy expenditure. Accelerometery methods deviated from a 1:1 relationship with heart rate because acceleration could not measure variation in resting metabolic costs. We conclude DBA functions well for detecting energy expenditure arising from activity costs, including during soaring flight. We discuss scenarios where one method (DBA vs. TEBs) may be preferred over the other. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.