SC Condition Research Articles

Acute Effects of Different Foam Roller Intervention Techniques on Knee Extensors.

The usefulness of Foam Roller (FR) even without a rolling stimulus (e.g., static compression with or without dynamic joint movements) has been recently demonstrated; however, the different effects of these methods remain unclear. Thus, this study aimed to compare and investigate the effects of such FR intervention methods on knee extensors. The dominant knee extensors of 20 male university students were investigated using the following four conditions: control (CON), FR with rolling (FR_rolling), FR with static compression (FR_SC), and FR with static compression + dynamic movement of the knee joint (FR_DM). FR_SC was intervened to compress the muscle belly of the knee extensors. FR_DM involved knee flexion and extension while maintaining the FR_SC condition. Knee flexion ROM, pain pressure threshold (PPT), tissue hardness, and countermovement jump (CMJ) height were outcome variables; they were compared before and immediately after the intervention. The results of this study showed that knee flexion ROM was significantly (p < 0.01) increased in FR_rolling (d = 0.38), FR_SC (d = 0.28), and FR_DM (d = 0.64). Tissue hardness was significantly (p < 0.01) decreased in FR_rolling (d = -0.55), FR_SC (d = -0.28), and FR_DM (d = -0.42). A main effect of time (p < 0.01) was observed in knee flexion ROM, PPT, and tissue hardness, but no change in CMJ was observed. The results of this study suggested that clinicians and athletes could choose any method they like as a warm-up routine.

The Role of Tableware Size in Healthy Eating—Effects on Downstream Food Intake

Recent studies show that visual exposure to different portion sizes can lead to portion alterations in subsequent meals, suggesting that manipulations of tableware sizes may also modify portion size perception and downstream eating behaviour. The present study aims to address this novel question by testing 61 male participants (20-40 years; 19.7-41.5 kg·m-2) over three breakfast sessions in a controlled laboratory. In each session, the participant was served a pre-determined breakfast portion in either medium (control; CT), small (SC), or large (LC) jars. Participants were asked to rate post-meal satiety, and then recorded food intake for the rest of the day using Food Records. Our results indicated significant changes in post-meal satiety following the SC or LC condition, compared to CT (SC: 55.3 ± 10.8, LC: 31.0 ± 8.4, CT: 42.1 ± 9.6, F(2, 108) = 25.22, p < 0.001). SC led to a reduction in post-breakfast energy intake (F(2, 108) = 61.28, p < 0.001), but was counteracted by a substantial increase in downstream intake at the following meal (F(2, 108) = 47.79, p < 0.001), resulting in an overall increase in total daily energy intake (F(2, 108) = 11.45, p < 0.001). This study provides the first evidence that small tableware may not be a long-term solution for addressing overeating and related health issues (e.g., obesity), reinforcing the importance of considering downstream intake in eating-related intervention.

Acute Effects of Self-Correction on Spine Deviation and Balance in Adolescent Girls with Idiopathic Scoliosis.

Background: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a three-dimensional deformity of spine and trunk with a higher incidence in girls. AIS alters and reduces postural control and balance. Self-correction movement (SCM) is a well-known non-invasive approach to ameliorate spine curve in AIS subjects. We aimed to evaluate the effects of SCM on the spine and on the balance of adolescents with AIS with a new non-invasive instrumentation. Methods: A total of 38 girls with AIS were recruited. To evaluate the acute effects of SCM and the oscillations of center of pressure (COP), we used LiDAR technology combined with a stabilometric platform to evaluate both changes in spinal curves and balance at the same time. Two tests were carried out simultaneously using the two instruments: before the execution of SCM, in the spontaneously assumed position of each subject (SP) and after the execution of SCM, during the achieved position (SC). Sway area, COP medio-lateral and antero-posterior directions, eccentricity of the ellipse and vertebral lateral deviation were recorded. The two conditions were compared with a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: In general, all measures showed lower values in SC condition (p < 0.05), except the variation along the Y axis. Conclusions: Thanks to objective measured data, the therapists observed real-time changes during the performance of SCM, appreciating its efficacy on curve correction.

A Digital Signal Processing Based Detection Circuit for Short-Circuit Protection of SiC MOSFET

A short-circuit detection (SCD) circuit is proposed for power electronics systems that use silicon carbide (SiC) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). The proposed SCD circuit incorporates a digital circuit for processing the voltage induced at the parasitic inductance of the source of SiC MOSFET to obtain an improved stable turn-off operation of the SiC MOSFET under SC condition. Compared with that of the conventional analog signal processing based SCD circuits, the proposed circuit has the advantages of having a turn-off operation which is robust to process, voltage, and temperature variations, being fully integrated without the use of external components and ease of design. The proposed circuit was implemented in a 350-nm Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS process. For functional verification, an SC test board integrating the proposed SCD circuit was developed. Experimental result validates that the proposed SCD circuit effectively functions under SC condition.

Enhanced Brief Motivational Intervention for College Student Drinkers With ADHD: Goal-Directed Activation as a Mechanism of Change

College students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at risk for alcohol-related problems and disorders relative to their typically developing peers. Despite risk, the optimal therapeutic approach for reducing problem alcohol use in students with ADHD, and mechanisms of change underlying treatment effects in this population, are largely unknown. The current study evaluated putative mechanisms of change in a randomized controlled trial of two harm reduction interventions for college student drinkers with ADHD (N = 113; 49% male): brief motivational intervention plus supportive counseling (BMI + SC) versus brief motivational intervention plus behavioral activation (BMI + BA). Results showed that participants in the BMI + BA condition engaged in more goal-directed activation and less avoidant behavior over the course of treatment compared to those in the BMI + SC condition, in turn predicting reductions in alcohol-related negative consequences. Effects were more robust 1 month following intervention, and diminished by 3 months. Sensitivity analyses revealed a significant indirect effect of treatment condition on alcohol-related negative consequence via reductions in avoidance over treatment. Post hoc moderated mediations showed that BMI + BA engaged target mechanisms more robustly for students with more severe ADHD and depressive symptoms compared to BMI + SC. These findings support the application of BMI + BA intervention, particularly in targeting goal-directed activation and avoidance/rumination in at-risk student drinkers with ADHD.

Abstract P017: Increased Sodium Excretion And Urinary Output During Acute Human Sleep Deprivation

Introduction: Insufficient sleep contributes to an increased risk (e.g. ~60%) of hypertension. While BP is influenced by renal regulation of sodium and water, the underlying mechanism involved the modulation of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system (RAAS) by sleep deprivation is unknown. This project investigated the RAAS regulation of water and salt balance (e.g. urine output, sodium excretion) during prolonged sleep deprivation in humans. Methods: Twenty-six subjects (35±1 yrs; 9 women) completed a highly controlled 7-day in hospital study. They were randomly assigned to an 88-h total sleep deprivation (TSD; N=17) condition or an 8-h/night sleep control (SC; N=9) condition. Twenty-four-hour urinary output was collected from baseline (Day 2) to recovery (Day 7). Water and sodium intake were controlled and data were collected. The 24-h sodium excretion value (mmol) was calculated by multiplying the concentrations of sodium in the urine by the urinary volume. Frequent blood samples were collected throughout the experimental period in this study. Results: There was a significant interaction effect of TSD on sodium excretion and urinary output (condition x day, p&lt;0.05). Both TSD and SC groups showed continuous increases in sodium excretion during experimental period compared to baseline (p&lt;0.05). The increases in TSD were significantly higher compared to SC (condition x day, p&lt;0.05). In addition, there was a dose dependent effect of TSD on sodium excretion (i.e. p&lt;0.05 for 48-h TSD compared to 24-h TSD). Diet and fluid intake were controlled and there was no interaction effect for TSD on 24-h water intake or oral sodium intake (condition x day, p&gt;0.05). Urinary output significantly increased from baseline, to 24-h and 72-h (p&lt;0.05) during TSD, but remained at baseline levels throughout days in SC group. Preliminary plasma renin activity analyses (assays ongoing) showed a decreasing statistical trend during TSD compared to baseline (p=0.058). Conclusion: Prolonged TSD significantly increases sodium excretion and urinary output from the body compared to control group, despite similar water and sodium intake levels between two groups. In addition, the increases of sodium excretion are also dose dependent during TSD.

A Virtual Reality Simulation of Drug Users' Everyday Life: The Effect of Supported Sensorimotor Contingencies on Empathy.

Perspective taking techniques have been used to transport people into imaginary situations and the lives of others. Virtual Reality provides an immersive way to virtually experience the lives of stigmatized by society members. Through the support of sensorimotor contingencies, people can use natural movements to view and interact with the virtual world around them. In this study, we compared a perspective-taking immersive Virtual Reality system which supports a number of sensorimotor contingencies (SC group) with a perspective-taking desktop system of the same application but without support of any sensorimotor contingencies (NSC group), to investigate the effect of the supported sensorimotor contingencies in promoting empathy and positive attitudes toward drug users. Results demonstrate a strong correlation between closeness to the drug user and empathy in the SC group. In both groups there were a within group significant change in their reported attitudes before and after their exposure. Finally, participants in the SC condition reported significantly higher levels of Place Illusion (PI), body ownership, agency and plausibility of people. Further research is needed to investigate how sensorimotor contingencies can be exploited to the fullest to be used as an effective method to induce empathy and change attitudes toward stigmatized by society people.

Sodium citrate supplementation enhances tennis skill performance: a crossover, placebo-controlled, double blind study

BackgroundThe efficacy of sodium citrate supplementation (SC) in exercise performance is unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of SC on skilled tennis performance.MethodsTen Brazilian nationally-ranked young male tennis players (age: 17 ± 1 yrs.; stature: 176.7 ± 5.2 cm; body mass: 68.4 ± 7.9 kg) participated in this crossover, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. Upon arrival, at baseline, in both experimental sessions blood was collected, then subjects ingested either sodium citrate (SC - 0.5 g.kg−1BM in capsules of 500 mg) or a placebo (PLA). Two hours later, pre-match blood was collected then skills tests (skill tennis performance test - STPT, repeated-sprint ability shuttle test - RSA) were performed followed by a 1-h simulated match. Immediately following the match, blood was again collected, and STPT, and RSA were administered.ResultsAll metabolic parameters (i.e. base excess, pH, bicarbonate, and blood lactate) increased (p < 0.001) from baseline to pre-match and post-match in SC condition. Each metabolic parameter was greater (p < 0.001) in SC compared to PLA condition at both pre- and post-match. The SC condition elicited a greater (p < 0.01) shot consistency at post-match in the STPT vs. PLA condition (SC: 58.5 ± 14.8% vs. PLA: 40.4 ± 10.4%). A greater (p < 0.001) amount of games won was observed in the simulated match for SC condition vs. PLA condition (SC: 8.0 ± 1.6 vs. PLA: 6.0 ± 1.7). Additionally, the games won during the simulated match in SC condition was positively correlated with percentage shot consistency (r = 0.67, p < 0.001).ConclusionsThe current findings suggest that SC supplementation is an effective ergogenic aid to enhance skilled tennis performance.

Isotope tracing study on hydrogen donating capability of supercritical water assisted by formic acid to upgrade heavy oil: Computer simulation vs. experiment

Due to the increasing attention of the experts working in refineries on innovative techniques for heavy oil upgrading, the current research is focused on in-situ upgrading of heavy oil in supercritical water (SCW) assisted by formic acid. In dry condition, formic acid (FA) decomposes by two parallel paths, namely decarboxylation (HCOOH → H2 + CO2) and dehydration (HCOOH → CO + H2O) to produce hydrogen and carbon mono oxide, respectively. Water-gas shift (WGS) reaction which is taken place by SCW and carbon monoxide provides active hydrogen (AH) as a more favorable hydrogen source for upgrading heavy oil in SC condition. In the current study, first, thermodynamic simulation of FA decomposition in SCW was studied to evaluate the contribution of hydrogen from water in Aspen suite environment by performing sensitivity analysis. Here, the effects of operational parameters (temperature, pressure, FA to water ratio) were studied on the above-mentioned reaction. The simulation results as well as experimental data show that the increase of FA to water ratio (FA/W) enhances the contribution of dehydration path, which means that SC works better as a precursor of hydrogen due to the higher concentrations of CO at SC condition. In order to specify the portion of hydrogen from WGS and decarboxylation reaction, the isotope labeling technique was applied by replacing ordinary water (H2O) with heavy water (D2O) in SC condition in the presence of heavy oil and FA. After combining the experimental data and Hansen solubility parameter of water (δH), it was revealed that temperature has dual effects which can influence on coking reaction by physical and chemical reaction. It means that an increasing in temperature can suppress the coke formation due to better miscibility of oil with water, while at an extreme temperature condition (500 °C), the dominant condensations of polycyclic aromatics are conspicuous; consequently the rate of coking is enhanced. High pressures (∼45 MPa) also lead to the more coking reaction through the influence on the phase behavior of oil-water (δH and AH%) in which asphaltene conversion path is converted to coke rather than light products. Accordingly, T = 450 °C and Pw = 27 MPa were proposed respectively as an appropriate temperature and pressure for heavy oil upgrading in supercritical water assisted by FA to cause less coke and produce more light liquid products.

Convexity at infinity in Cartan–Hadamard manifolds and applications to the asymptotic Dirichlet and Plateau problems

We study the asymptotic Dirichlet and Plateau problems on Cartan-Hadamard manifolds satisfying the so-called Strict Convexity (abbr. SC) condition. The main part of the paper consists in studying the SC condition on a manifold whose sectional curvatures are bounded from above and below by certain functions depending on the distance to a fixed point. In particular, we are able to verify the SC condition on manifolds whose curvature lower bound can go to -infinity and upper bound to 0 simultaneously at certain rates, or on some manifolds whose sectional curvatures go to -infinity faster than any prescribed rate. These improve previous results of Anderson, Borb\'ely, and Ripoll and Telichevsky. We then solve the asymptotic Plateau problem for locally rectifiable currents with Z_2-multiplicity in a Cartan-Hadamard manifold satisfying the SC condition given any compact topologically embedded (k-1)-dimensional submanifold of \partial_{\infty}M, 2\leq k\leq n-1, as the boundary data. We also solve the asymptotic Plateau problem for locally rectifiable currents with Z-multiplicity on any rotationally symmetric manifold satisfying the SC condition given a smoothly embedded submanifold as the boundary data. These generalize previous results of Anderson, Bangert, and Lang. Moreover, we obtain new results on the asymptotic Dirichlet problem for a large class of PDEs. In particular, we are able to prove the solvability of this problem on manifolds with super-exponential decay (to -infinity) of the curvature.

Antenatal depressed mood and child cognitive and physical growth at 18-months in South Africa: a cluster randomised controlled trial of home visiting by community health workers.

To examine the child outcomes at 18-months post-birth of a population cohort of women with antenatal depressed mood, half of whom were randomly chosen to receive perinatal home visits from community health workers during pregnancy. Pregnant women in 24 neighbourhoods (98% participation) were randomised by neighbourhood to: (1) standard clinic care (SC; 12 neighbourhoods; n = 594) or (2) the Philani Intervention Program, a home visiting intervention plus standard care (12 neighbourhoods; n = 644). The physical and cognitive outcomes of children of mothers with antenatally depressed mood (Edinburg Perinatal Depression Scale >13) in the intervention condition were compared at 18-months post-birth to children of mothers without depressed mood in pregnancy in both conditions. More than a third of mothers had heightened levels of antenatal depressed mood (35%), similar across conditions. Antenatal depressed mood was significantly associated with being a mother living with HIV, using alcohol and food insecurity. At 18-months, the overall cognitive and motor scale scores on the Bayley Scales of Development were similar. However, 10.3% fewer children of mothers with antenatal depressed mood in the intervention condition had cognitive scores on the Bayley Scales that were less than 85 (i.e., s.d. = 2 lower than normal) compared with children of mothers with antenatal depressed mood in the SC condition. Intervention children of mothers with antenatal depressed mood were also significantly less likely to be undernourished (Weight-for-Age Z-scores < -2). Cognitive development and child growth among children born to mothers with antenatal depressed mood can be improved by mentor mother home visitors, probably resulting from better parenting and care received early in life.

Physiological and psychological responses while wearing firefighters’ protective clothing under various ambient conditions

Firefighters are required to carry out their responsibilities under a wide range of environmental conditions. For this reason, the physiological and psychological responses of firefighters while wearing their protective clothing should be analyzed to minimize their thermal or cold stress. Four environmental conditions were selected: hot and humid (HH, 34℃, 75% relative humidity (RH)), hot and dry (HD, 34℃, 30% RH), warm and dry (WD, 27℃, 30% RH), and slightly cold (SC, –3℃). Six professional firefighters served as subjects. The exercise was performed on a treadmill at the maximum speed of 8 km/h. The microclimate temperature and RH, skin temperature, heart rate, oxygen uptake, sweat loss, sweat evaporation, moisture accumulation within the outer shell, moisture barrier and thermal liner, and subjective sensations were measured. The microclimate wet-bulb globe temperatures (micro-WBGTs) were calculated. High microclimate measures, skin temperature, and heart rate, as well as low scored subjective sensations, were observed under the HH condition. A 45% difference in RH between HH and HD resulted in clearer differential responses compared with the 7℃ difference in air temperature between HD and WD. Under the SC condition, subjects had a cool to cold feeling. A quite different distribution of moisture accumulation in clothing layers was observed under the SC condition compared with other conditions. This moisture accumulation affected the comfort sensation. A linear relationship was found between the comfort sensation and the micro-WBGT. The micro-WBGT was a good indicator of the physiological status of the wearers. The microclimate, moisture accumulation and its distribution within firefighters’ protective clothing should be extensively studied in the future.

Effects of storage conditions on quality characteristics of commercial aquafeeds and growth of African catfish Clarias gariepinus

Abstract This study was conducted to determine the effect of storage conditions on the quality of feed and the aftermath effect of feeding fish with such feeds. Three commercial diets used for this study included Coppens®, Multifeed® and Vital feed®. Feed was stored either by opening the bag to the atmosphere (WO), the bag opened with neck tied using a rubber ring to prevent exposure to the atmosphere (OT) or sealed (SC) until the start of the feeding trials. The feed was stored under these conditions for six months. Nutrient analyses revealed significant changes in feeds held under the WO condition when compared with other storage conditions. Nutritive changes also varied with commercial feed type. Mould infestation of the feed was noticeable more in the WO condition of storage compared to the SC condition. After feeding C. gariepinus for fifty-six days, lesions were observed on fish fed mouldy feed held under the WO condition, which led to mass mortalities. Growth performance was higher in all fish fed SC stored feed, and for those fed Coppens® and Multifeed® under OT storage conditions. It is advised that storage of fish feeds up to six months should be undertaken with considerable care and attention.

Abstract 18802: Transcriptome Profiles of Chronically Closed or Cycling Aortic Valve Leaflets are Highly Similar Compared to Chronically Open Valves: Distention Drives Leaflet Homeostasis

Introduction: Throughout the valve cycle mechanical forces of multiple types and intensities are exerted on the leaflets, sinus and annulus. The mechanisms through which these forces regulate the homeostatic maintenance of valve leaflet architecture are still poorly understood. Ventricular mechanical support with a continuous flow device results in chronic closure of the outflow valve. Whether chronic valve closure affects valve leaflet homeostasis is a significant but unsettled clinical concern. Hypothesis: We asked if chronic closure of the aortic valve (AV) impairs leaflet homeostasis by comparing the transcriptome profiles of AV cultured under different mechanical force conditions: Normally cycling (Flow); Not cycling but open (Static); or Not cycling but closed (Static-Closed, SC). Methods: Ex vivo culture of native rat aortic valves, (8 valves per bioreactor, 4 valves per condition) was conducted in a flow bioreactor for seven days at 37C in endothelial cell culture media under conditions approximating the normal stroke volume of the rat heart. In each of 4 independent experiments, flow-induced valve cycling (Flow) was compared with either Static or SC condition in paired groups. After culture, leaflets were dissected from 3 valves/condition and pooled, mRNA was extracted and expression was evaluated using whole genome microarrays. Results: Statistical-based unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis of the leaflet transcriptome profiles revealed only two distinct patterns of leaflet gene expression between the three groups of AV. Flow and SC groups had nearly identical profiles whereas the Static valve group was distinctly different (p&lt;0.05). Conclusions: These results reveal that the stretching of valve leaflets by a filling volume inducing full coaptation is apparently sufficient to largely preserve their architecture and phenotypic gene expression in the seven day culture period tested. In contrast, the absence of valve closure produces a markedly different pattern of gene expression. Therefore, the absence of flow through the closed AV valve does not appear to be inherently destructive compared with conditions in which the valve remains open.

Family nurture intervention improves the quality of maternal caregiving in the neonatal intensive care unit: evidence from a randomized controlled trial.

This study assessed the impact of Family Nurture Intervention (FNI) on the quality of maternal caregiving behavior (MCB) while in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). FNI is a randomized controlled trial conducted in a high-acuity NICU to facilitate an emotional connection between mothers and their premature infants. FNI begins shortly after birth, continues until discharge, and involves mother/infant calming sessions that include scent cloth exchange, vocal soothing and emotion expression, eye contact, skin-to-skin and clothed holding, and family-based support sessions. Maternal caregiving behavior was coded during a single holding and feeding session (∼30 min) in the NICU before discharge at approximately 36 weeks gestational age (GA). Sixty-five mothers and their premature infants (34 male, 31 female; 26-34 wk GA) were included in these analyses (FNI, n = 35; standard care [SC], n = 30). Relative to mothers in the SC condition, those in the FNI group showed significantly higher quality MCB, which remained significant when controlling for birth order, twin status, maternal depression, and maternal anxiety. This is the first study to demonstrate that in-unit MCB can be enhanced by a hospital-based intervention. FNI provides a new rationale for integrating nurture-based interventions into standard NICU care.

Regularity at infinity of Hadamard manifolds with respect to some elliptic operators and applications to asymptotic Dirichlet problems

Let M M be Hadamard manifold with sectional curvature K M ≤ − k 2 K_{M}\leq -k^{2} , k &gt; 0 k&gt;0 . Denote by ∂ ∞ M \partial _{\infty }M the asymptotic boundary of M M . We say that M M satisfies the strict convexity condition (SC condition) if, given x ∈ ∂ ∞ M x\in \partial _{\infty }M and a relatively open subset W ⊂ ∂ ∞ M W\subset \partial _{\infty }M containing x x , there exists a C 2 C^{2} open subset Ω ⊂ M \Omega \subset M such that x ∈ Int ⁡ ( ∂ ∞ Ω ) ⊂ W x\in \operatorname *{Int}\left ( \partial _{\infty }\Omega \right ) \subset W and M ∖ Ω M\setminus \Omega is convex. We prove that the SC condition implies that M M is regular at infinity relative to the operator \[ Q [ u ] := d i v ( a ( | ∇ u | ) | ∇ u | ∇ u ) , \mathcal {Q}\left [ u\right ] :=\mathrm {{\,div\,}}\left ( \frac {a(|\nabla u|)}{|\nabla u|}\nabla u\right ) , \] subject to some conditions. It follows that under the SC condition, the Dirichlet problem for the minimal hypersurface and the p p -Laplacian ( p &gt; 1 p&gt;1 ) equations are solvable for any prescribed continuous asymptotic boundary data. It is also proved that if M M is rotationally symmetric or if inf B R + 1 K M ≥ − e 2 k R / R 2 + 2 ϵ , R ≥ R ∗ , \inf _{B_{R+1}}K_{M}\geq -e^{2kR}/R^{2+2\epsilon },\,\,R\geq R^{\ast }, for some R ∗ R^{\ast } and ϵ &gt; 0 , \epsilon &gt;0, where B R + 1 B_{R+1} is the geodesic ball with radius R + 1 R+1 centered at a fixed point of M , M, then M M satisfies the SC condition.

The effects of character transposition within and across words in Chinese reading.

Given the lack of spaces between words in Chinese text, Chinese readers must parse these characters into words using their word knowledge. In this situation, are the characters belonging to a single word or to different words understood via different character-order encoding processes? In this study, we explored the effects of word boundaries in Chinese text on character-order encoding. We used four-character words (the one-word condition) and two two-character words (the two-word condition) as our targets. We embedded the target words into sentences and then manipulated the previews of the words using the boundary paradigm. The preview was identical to the target word (identity condition), had the two middle characters of the target word transposed (TC condition), or had two middle characters that were different from those in the target word (SC condition). Fixation durations on the target word in the TC condition were much longer than those in the identity condition for the two-word condition, but they were not significantly different for the one-word condition. Furthermore, for the one-word condition, gaze durations were longer in the SC than in the TC condition, whereas for the two-word condition, the difference between the TC and SC conditions was not significant. Word boundaries were found to affect the character-order encoding in Chinese reading, further suggesting the early occurrence of word segmentation.

A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating the Efficacy of Peer Mentors to Support South African Women Living with HIV and Their Infants

ObjectiveWe evaluate the effect of clinic-based support by HIV-positive Peer Mentors, in addition to standard clinic care, on maternal and infant well-being among Women Living with HIV (WLH) from pregnancy through the infant's first year of life.MethodsIn a cluster randomized controlled trial in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, eight clinics were randomized for pregnant WLH to receive either: a Standard Care condition (SC; 4 clinics; n = 656 WLH); or an Enhanced Intervention (EI; 4 clinics; n = 544 WLH). WLH in the EI were invited to attend four antenatal and four postnatal meetings led by HIV-positive Peer Mentors, in addition to SC. WLH were recruited during pregnancy, and at least two post-birth assessment interviews were completed by 57% of WLH at 1.5, 6 or 12 months. EI's effect was ascertained on 19 measures of maternal and infant well-being using random effects regressions to control for clinic clustering. A binomial test for correlated outcomes evaluated EI's overall efficacy.FindingsWLH attended an average of 4.1 sessions (SD = 2.0); 13% did not attend any sessions. Significant overall benefits were found in EI compared to SC using the binomial test. Secondarily, over time, WLH in the EI reported significantly fewer depressive symptoms and fewer underweight infants than WLH in the SC condition. EI WLH were significantly more likely to use one feeding method for six months and exclusively breastfeed their infants for at least 6 months.ConclusionsWLH benefit by support from HIV-positive Peer Mentors, even though EI participation was partial, with incomplete follow-up rates from 6–12 months.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT00972699

Eliminating second-hand smoke from Mexican-American households: Outcomes from Project Clean Air–Safe Air (CASA)

Exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) is a major public health problem and a risk factor for morbidity and mortality. The objective of this randomized trial was to estimate the impact of a culturally-sensitive intervention to reduce SHS exposure in Mexican-American households. MethodA total of 91 households (with a child under 18years of age and two adults, one of whom was a smoker) were recruited from a population-based cohort of Mexican-American households and randomized to receive the experimental intervention (EI; n=47) or standard care (SC; n=44). Of these, 74 households (83%) provided baseline, 6-month, and 12-month survey and nicotine monitor data (EI, n=39; SC, n=35). The EI materials, designed to increase the participants' likelihood of adopting a smoke-free indoor home air policy, included one culturally-appropriate bilingual comic book for children and two fotonovelas for adults. ResultsAmbient nicotine levels significantly decreased over the 12 study months (F=13.6, DF=147; p<0.001); with a significantly greater decrease in the EI households compared to the SC households (F=4.1, DF=72; p<0.05). At 12months, 73% of EI households had banned smoking vs. 56% of SC households. Ambient nicotine levels, measured using nicotine air sampling monitors, were significantly associated with self-reported SHS exposure at the 12-month follow-up. Knowledge of the health effects of SHS increased from baseline to 6 and 12months in the EI condition but not in the SC condition (F=6.0, DF=238; p<0.01), and smokers and quitters in the EI group reported an increased perception of health vulnerability compared to those in the SC group. ConclusionOur low-cost intervention impacted SHS-related knowledge and exposure among Mexican Americans. This culturally-appropriate intervention has the potential to decrease SHS-related health problems in the target population substantially.

Bactericidal effect of supercritical N2O on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli

The aim of this study is to investigate the bactericidal effect of supercritical nitrous oxide (SC N(2)O) on both typical Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli while varying the operating conditions including the suspending medium (nutrient broth, phosphate buffered saline, phosphate buffer, phosphate buffer containing oleic acid), pressure, temperature, mixing intensity, and working volume (the ratio of the sample volume to the reactor volume). Approximately 7 log of both S. aureus and E. coli by SC N(2)O (10 MPa, 37°C, 10% working volume, and 600 rpm) were completely inactivated within 20 min, although S. aureus exhibited relatively low sensitivity to SC N(2)O compared to E. coli. The bactericidal efficiency was not adversely affected by varying the suspending medium and the presence of oleic acid enhanced the inactivation. The mixing intensity, which is presumed to be associated with the increasing frequency of bacteria cells in contact with SC N(2)O as a result of the fast mass transfer of N(2)O molecules into the water layer containing the microbe, significantly affected the bactericidal activity, which was also supported by the % volume expansion of the aqueous phase. On the other hand, the other parameters (pressure, temperature, and working volume) appeared to moderately affect the bactericidal efficiency as long as the SC condition was maintained. This study reports that SC N(2)O technology can be effectively employed as an alternative for SC CO(2) sterilization technique in order to control bacteria in food which contains nutrients or fat in highly phosphate buffered conditions.