Significant Bivariate Correlations Research Articles

Prevalence of obesity and hypovitaminosis D in elderly with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)

Background & aimVerify the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D and obesity in elderly patients infected by new coronavirus. The patients developed severe symptoms and were admitted in intensive care unit (ICU) to receive invasive ventilation due to diagnosis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).MethodsA cross-sectional descriptive study composed of elderly (age ≥ 60 years) admitted to the ICU. Were collected demographic (sex, age), anthropometric data, presence of comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, lung, neurological and oncological diseases), severity score in ICU (SAPS III), PaO2/FiO2 ratio, analysis of C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum dosage of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25 OHD) in the first day of hospitalization to identify elderly with hypovitaminosis D (low values < 30 ng/mL). The diagnosis of obesity in elderly was determined by calculating the body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2.ResultsA total of 176 elderly met the inclusion criteria. 54% were elderly men and mean age of 72.9 ± 9.1 years. The median BMI was 30.5 (28.1–33) kg/m2 with 68.7% having a nutritional diagnosis of obesity and 15.3% had BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2. The most prevalent comorbidities were hypertension (72.2%) and diabetes (40.9%). Prevalence of hypovitaminosis D with values of 25 OHD <30 ng/mL, < 20 ng/mL and <10 ng/mL was 93.8%, 65.9% and 21% respectively. The prevalence of hypovitaminosis D (<30 ng/mL) in obese elderly was 94.2%. There was a negative and significant bivariate correlation between BMI and levels of 25 OHD (r = - 0.15; p = 0.04).ConclusionHypovitaminosis D and obesity in elderly have a high prevalence in critically ill patients in ICU infected by the new coronavirus. Laboratory investigation of vitamin D becomes important, especially in obese elderly patients.

A-241 Five Point Test: Reliability, Validity, and Test Performance in Cognitively Intact Adults

Abstract Objective Reliability and validity evidence related to the Five Point Test (FPT) scores is severely limited. The primary purpose of this study was to examine psychometric evidence related to two commonly used FPT scores (number of unique designs (UD), percentage of repetitions (PR)) using one-week test–retest reliability, correlations with demographic and neuropsychological variables, and convergent validity in line with a regression-based explanation-focused view of validity. Methods The sample consisted of 86 cognitively intact, non-depressed adult men and women ages 21–82 years (M = 52.7, SD = 17.7) with 7–21 years of education (M = 14.2, SD = 3.13) recruited from the general community and tested individually. Results UD ranged from 8–60 (M = 35.4) and PR ranged from 0–45% (M = 6.9%). Test–retest coefficients were .83 for UD but only .43 for PR. Age was significantly correlated with UD (r = −.59) and PR (r = .23). Education was significantly correlated with UD (r = .26) but not PR (r = −.10). There were no gender differences. UD showed significant bivariate correlations with WAIS-III Block Design, Trail-Making Test (TMT) A, TMT-B, Bicycle Drawing Test, and FAS Verbal Fluency but, together in a regression, only age and TMT-B remained significant. PR scores did not correlate significantly with any neuropsychological variables. Conclusion UD showed strong test–retest reliability. UD performance tends to be poorer with older age and less education. The meaning and interpretation of UD performance using a regression-based explanation-focused view of validity will be discussed. PR reliability is poor even over a short interval and attenuates subsequent statistical findings. Use of PR is not recommended in research or practice.

Inherited and Acquired Determinants of Hepatic CYP3A Activity in Humans.

Human CYP3A enzymes (including CYP3A4 and CYP4A5) metabolize about 40% of all drugs and numerous other environmental and endogenous substances. CYP3A activity is highly variable within and between humans. As a consequence, therapy with standard doses often results in too low or too high blood and tissue concentrations resulting in therapeutic failure or dose-related adverse reactions. It is an unanswered question how much of the big interindividual variation in CYP3A activity is caused by genetic or by environmental factors. This question can be answered by the twin study approach. Using midazolam as CYP3A probe drug, we studied 43 monozygotic and 14 dizygotic twins and measured midazolam and its metabolite 1-OH-midazolam. In addition, endogenous biomarkers of CYP3A activity, 4ß-OH-cholesterol and 6ß-OH-cortisol, were analyzed. Additive genetic effects accounted for only 15% of the variation in midazolam AUC, whereas 48% was attributed to common environmental factors. In contrast, 73, 56, and 31% of 1-OH-midazolam, 4ß-OH-cholesterol and 6ß-OH-cortisol variation was due to genetic effects. There was a low phenotypic correlation between the four CYP3A biomarkers. Only between midazolam and its 1-OH-metabolite, and between midazolam and 6ß-OH-cortisol we found significant bivariate genetic correlations. Midazolam AUC differed depending on the CYP3A4∗22 variant (p = 0.001) whereas plasma 4ß-OH-cholesterol was significantly lower in homozygous carriers of CYP3A5∗3 (p = 0.02). Apparently, non-genomic factors played a dominant role in the inter-individual variation of the CYP3A probe drug midazolam. A small intra-individual pharmacokinetic variation after repeated administration of midazolam was rated earlier as indication of high heritability of CYP3A activity, but according to present data that could also largely be due to constant environmental factors and/or heritability of liver blood flow. The higher heritabilities of 4ß-OH-cholesterol and of 1-OH-midazolam may deserve further research on the underlying factors beyond CYP3A genes.Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01845194 and EUDRA-CT: 2008-006223-31.

Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms and Cannabis Misuse: The Explanatory Role of Cannabis Use Motives

Objective The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the unique explanatory role of cannabis use motives above the effects of each other, for the relationship between obsessive-compulsive symptomatology and different aspects of cannabis misuse among young adults. The transitional years of young adulthood are characterized by new opportunities for experimentation as well as novel external stressors. Collectively, this makes this developmental epoch a sensitive time for manifestations of cannabis misuse. Methods: Bivariate correlations were conducted to examine the association between obsessive-compulsive symptomatology and risky cannabis use, cannabis use problems, and the average quantity of cannabis used per occasion among a young ethno-racially diverse sample of college students with the past year history of cannabis use (N = 177, 68.95% female, Mage = 21.51, SD = 4.24). Next, multiple mediation analyses were conducted to examine the unique explanatory role of cannabis use motives (e.g., enhancement, conformity, coping, social, and expansion) for the association between the obsessive-compulsive symptoms and cannabis misuse variables which showed significant correlation with these symptoms at the bivariate level. Results: Obsessive-compulsive symptoms were significantly correlated with risky cannabis use (r = .19; p = .02), but not cannabis use problems or the average quantity of cannabis used per occasion. Conducting the multiple mediation for the relationship with the significant bivariate correlation, coping motives significantly explained the relationship between obsessive-compulsive symptoms and risky cannabis use (b = 0.04, SE = 0.02, 95% Bootstrapped CI [0.003, 0.10], Completely Standardized Indirect Effects = 0.07), after controlling for the variance accounted for by problematic alcohol use and smoking status. This indirect effect was not significant after adding anxiety and depressive symptoms as covariates to the model. Conclusions: These findings are discussed in terms of the development of specialized treatments to specifically target cannabis use coping motives among individuals with comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder and cannabis misuse.

Future preferences and prospection of future of outcomes: Independent yet specific associations with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

IntroductionSymptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conduct problems have been associated with heightened temporal discounting of reward value resulting in a preference for immediate over delayed outcomes. We examined the cross-sectional relationship between future preference (including intertemporal choice) and prospection (the ability to bring to mind and imagine the experience of future personally-relevant events and outcomes) in adolescents with a range of ADHD symptoms and aggressive behaviour. MethodsA combination of behavioural tasks and self-reports measured intertemporal decision making, individual differences in preference for future outcomes and experience of prospection in a convenience sample of English adolescents aged 11–17 (n = 64, 43.8% males). Parents rated symptoms of ADHD and aggression. Results& Conclusions: Factor analysis identified two factors: “Future Preference” and “Prospection”. Significant negative bivariate correlations were found between ADHD and the scores of both factors and between aggression and Future Preference. A path model confirmed the independent significant association of ADHD with both factors but not with aggression. There was no evidence that Prospection was associated with Future Preference or that it reduced the associations between ADHD symptoms and Future Preference. These results provide further evidence that ADHD is associated with a tendency to prefer immediate over future outcomes. The same association with aggression seemed to be driven by the overlap with ADHD symptoms. We provide some of the first evidence that individuals with high ADHD symptoms have difficulty in prospecting about future episodes. However, this is unrelated to their preference for future outcomes.

Populations Are Differentiated in Biological Rhythms without Explicit Elevational Clines in the Plant Mimulus laciniatus.

Environmental variation along an elevational gradient can yield phenotypic differentiation resulting from varying selection pressures on plant traits related to seasonal responses. Thus, genetic clines can evolve in a suite of traits, including the circadian clock, that drives daily cycling in varied traits and that shares its genetic background with adaptation to seasonality. We used populations of annual Mimulus laciniatus from different elevations in the Sierra Nevada in California to explore among-population differentiation in the circadian clock, flowering responses to photoperiod, and phenological traits (days to cotyledon emergence, days to flowering, and days to seed ripening) in controlled common-garden conditions. Further, we examined correlations of these traits with environmental variables related to temperature and precipitation. We observed that the circadian period in leaf movement was differentiated among populations sampled within about 100 km, with population means varying by 1.6 h. Significant local genetic variation occurred within 2 populations in which circadian period among families varied by up to 1.8 h. Replicated treatments with variable ecologically relevant photoperiods revealed marked population differentiation in critical day length for flowering that ranged from 11.0 to 14.1 h, corresponding to the time period between late February and mid-May in the wild. Flowering time varied among populations in a 14-h photoperiod. Regardless of this substantial population-level diversity, obvious linear clinality in trait variability across elevations could not be determined based on our genotypic sample; it is possible that more complex spatial patterns of variation arise in complex terrains such as those in the Sierra Nevada. Moreover, we did not find statistically significant bivariate correlations between population means of different traits. Our research contributes to the understanding of genetic variation in the circadian clock and in seasonal responses in natural populations, highlighting the need for more comprehensive investigations on the association between the clock and other adaptive traits in plants.

Molecular Mechanisms Underpinning The Regulation Of Peak Fat Oxidation Rates During Exercise

PURPOSE: The molecular regulation of peak fat oxidation (PFO) during exercise remains poorly characterized. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the content of key proteins involved in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle fat metabolism with PFO. METHODS: Thirty-six healthy men and women adults [15 females; mean (SD) age 40 (11) years; V̇O2peak 42.5 (9.5) mL·kg BM-1·min-1; body fat %: 21.8 (8.2) %] completed two incremental exercise tests (separated by 7-28 days) to determine PFO via indirect calorimetry. A DEXA scan and adipose tissue and/or skeletal muscle biopsies were obtained 2-7 days after the second exercise test to determine the protein content of PLIN1, CGI-58, ATGL, HSL, ACSL1, and oestrogen receptor α (ERα) in adipose tissue, and FABPpm, ATGL, ACSL1, CTP1b and ERα in skeletal muscle. Sex comparisons were performed on sub-groups of males and females matched for aerobic capacity relative to fat free mass and classifications of the physical activity level index and fat mass index (n = 14 and 12 for adipose tissue and skeletal muscle comparison sub-groups, respectively). RESULTS: Moderate strength correlations were found between PFO (mg·kg FFM-1·min-1) and the protein content of ATGL [r = 0.41 (0.05 - 0.68), p < 0.05] and CPT1b [r = 0.41 (0.05 - 0.68), p < 0.05] in skeletal muscle. No other statistically significant bivariate correlations were found between PFO and the content of proteins in adipose tissue or skeletal muscle. Females had a greater PFO compared to males when expressed relative to fat-free mass [mean (SD): 7.1 (1.9) and 7.3 (1.7) vs 4.5 (1.3) and 4.8 (1.2) mg·kg FFM-1·min-1 in the adipose tissue and skeletal muscle-sub-groups, respectively, p < 0.05]. No statistically significant sex differences were found in the content of any of the measured proteins involved in lipid metabolism in adipose tissue or skeletal muscle. CONCLUSIONS: The molecular regulation of PFO may primarily lie within skeletal muscle rather than adipose tissue, involving processes relating to intramyocellular triglyceride hydrolysis (ATGL) and mitochondrial fatty acid transport (CPT1b). Future studies should explore alternative molecular mechanisms that may account for sexual dimorphism in exercise fuel metabolism.

Predictors of life satisfaction among Hispanic/Latino immigrants in non-metropolitan communities in the Midwest

ABSTRACT The United States is changing demographically, and Hispanics/Latinos are the largest minority group in the country. Often, Hispanics/Latinos are the driving force behind population stabilization and growth in non-metropolitan areas. Examining life satisfaction among Hispanic/Latino immigrant residents is critical to ensuring the viability of these communities. The purpose of this study was to explore life satisfaction among Hispanic/Latino immigrants in non-metropolitan communities in the Midwest. The sample included 206 participants (M age = 39 years old; 61.1% female). Results indicated that life satisfaction was rated high. There were significant positive bivariate correlations between life satisfaction and sense of community, perceived safety, and good health, and there was a significant negative bivariate correlation between life satisfaction and discrimination. The linear regression model showed that sense of community, perceived safety, and community of residence were significant predictors of life satisfaction. This study has implications for community development initiatives in rural areas with immigrant residents.

Significant bivariate correlations: to be or not to be?

The influence of the level of physical activity and human development in the quality of life in survivors of stroke The Impact of Measures Recommended by the Government to Limit the Spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on Physical Activity Levels, Quality of Life, and Mental Health of Brazilians Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 318(6), H1441-H1446 https:// doi org/10 1152/aipheart 00268 2020 World Health Organization

A Pilot Study on the Relationship between Primary-School Teachers' Well-Being and the Acoustics of their Classrooms.

Although teachers’ well-being and vocal health are affected by noise, research on classroom sound environment from the teachers’ perspective is scarce. This study investigated the relationship between teachers’ well-being and classroom acoustics. The possible influence of teachers’ age, experience, teaching grade and class size on the relationship was also investigated. In this study, well-being refers to self-reported vocal health, stress, burnout and self-efficacy. Twenty-three primary-school teachers answered questionnaires on well-being. In each teacher’s classroom, the acoustical properties were measured with the variables reverberation time, clarity of speech (C50) and ventilation system noise (VSN). A series of non-parametric correlations were run to determine the relationship between teachers’ well-being and classroom acoustics. Initially, there was a significant bivariate correlation between burnout and VSN, as well as voice symptoms correlated with VSN and teaching grade. Although the results became not significant after correction for multiple tests, the findings indicate that higher degree of burnout is associated with higher levels of VSN in classrooms, and voice symptoms increase with higher VSN. Teachers working in lower grades had more voice symptoms than those working in higher grades.

Delineating the psychological and behavioural factors of successful weight loss maintenance

Overweight and obesity present alarming global health problems including detrimental health risks that call for effective interventions. Considerable research has examined behavioural and psychological factors associated with weight loss to advance the field of obesity and overweight. In line with the literature, this study aimed to develop a behavioural and psychological profile based on factors of personality, eating behaviours, emotional functioning, physical well-being, and psychopathology. The sample consisted of 105 community participants who had reduced their bodyweight by at least 10% and had either successfully maintained their weight loss for a minimum 12-month period (n = 41) or had regained their weight loss within 12 months (n = 64). Participants completed an online survey comprising demographic items and four empirical measures (Mini Marker Personality Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire, Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-Revised, and a food screening tool). Based on significant bivariate correlations results, four factors (fat intake, restrained eating, uncontrolled eating, and emotional eating) were entered into a binary logistic regression. Restrained eating was the only factor that significantly increased the likelihood of predicting successful long-term weight loss. Findings have implications for overweight and obesity future research, which may guide the direction of obesity and overweight treatments.

Consequences of alcohol use, and its association with psychological distress, sensitivity to emotional contagion and age of onset of alcohol use, in Uruguayan youth with or without college degree.

Psychological distress can promote alcohol consumption during emerging adulthood. Still unknown is, however, how predisposition to emotional contagion alters psychological distress, and how these phenomena are affected by level of education. The present study analyzed the effect of psychological distress, age of first contact with alcohol (early, late), and predisposition to emotional contagion on alcohol-induced negative consequences and on the volume of alcohol consumed during the last year. We also described alcohol-use behaviors as a function of sex, maximum level of education and age of first contact with alcohol, in 1505 youth from Uruguay (18-30 years). A survey measured alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and ad-hoc questionnaire), negative consequences of alcohol use [young adult alcohol consequences questionnaire (YAACQ)], psychological distress (Kessler scale) and proclivity to emotional contagion (Doherty Emotional contagion scale). The patterns of alcohol use were greater in men vs. women and in those featuring an early age of first alcohol use, yet similar in college and non-college graduates. Early drinkers had greater levels of psychological distress than late-onset drinkers. There was a significant bivariate and multiple correlation between psychological distress and the number of negative consequences of alcohol experienced during the last year, which remained significant even after controlling for total volume of alcohol consumed. Significant associations emerged between YAACQ scores and frequency of heavy episodic or binge drinking, and between psychological distress and emotional contagion, but not between emotional contagion and any of the remaining variables. Psychological distress was not significantly correlated with heavy episodic or binge drinking. The study indicates that, during adolescence and youth, psychological distress is associated with experiencing negative consequences of alcohol consumption. The study also suggested that greater levels of psychological distress may underlie the facilitating effect of an early age of drinking onset upon alcohol drinking patterns.

Muscle thickness contribution to sit-to-stand ability in institutionalized older adults.

Ultrasound is a low-cost, safe and accessible tool to use on muscle mass assessment. The relations between muscle thickness and lower limb function have not been investigated in institutionalized elderly people. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the associations among sit-to-stand capacity, ultrasound-measured rectus femoris muscle thickness, hand grip strength and anthropometrics in a population of institutionalized older adults. Twelve older adults (nine women and three men, mean age ± SD 86 ± 7years, body mass index 24 ± 3kg/m2) participated in this cross-sectional study. Sit-to-stand capacity using five-repetition sit-to-stand test, rectus femoris muscle thickness using B-mode ultrasonography, handgrip and anthropometric were measured. The relationships of the variables were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression analysis. Significant bivariate correlations were found between rectus femoris muscle thickness and sit-to-stand test (p < 0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed associations between rectus femoris muscle thickness and sit-to-stand test, after adjusting by body mass index and age (p < 0.0001). Rectus femoris thickness in contraction adjusted by body mass index and age was predictors of physical performance. The independent variables shared 78.6% of variance in the sit-to-stand test. Rectus femoris muscle thickness measured with ultrasonography, body mass index and age could explain functionality in institutionalized older adults measured by five-repetition sit-to-stand test.

Factor Structure of the Communication Patterns Questionnaire in Violence-Exposed Women.

Understanding and addressing violence among intimate partners requires sound assessment of their communication patterns. In prior research, the 35-item, self-report Communication Patterns Questionnaire (CPQ) has been used to assess communication patterns in violent relationships. To date, psychometric analysis of the CPQ has been examined only among nonviolent couples; no studies have examined the psychometric properties of this measure in a sample of survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Using confirmatory factor analysis, the present study evaluated the factor structure of the CPQ in a sample of women survivors of IPV who sought mental health assessments at a university research clinic. Analyses suggested that a modified three-factor solution (constructive communication [CC], self-demand/partner withdraw [SDPW], partner demand/self-withdraw [PDSW]) provided good fit in our sample. Internal consistency estimates for each of the modified scales were acceptable and exceeded reported coefficients in prior IPV studies. Significant bivariate correlations among modified scales, and between communication patterns and aggressive behaviors, provided initial validity evidence for the CPQ scales in our sample. We found CC to be negatively associated with partner psychological aggression, PDSW to be positively associated with all forms of partner aggression and respondent psychological aggression, and SDPW to be positively associated with respondent physical and psychological aggression. The results of this study indicate that the CPQ may be an appropriate measure for assessing communication patterns in violent relationships; however, modified scoring procedures should be used. We contextualize our results within existing models of IPV and address clinical, cultural, and contextual issues in communication patterns assessment.

Predicting intention to receive a seasonal influenza vaccination using Protection Motivation Theory

RationaleSeasonal influenza vaccination rates are below the recommended targets, contributing to significant preventable harms. Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), a widely applied model of motivation to respond to threats, may provide some insights into strategies to increase the rate of vaccine uptake. Yet, previous research has omitted some of the proposed predictors of intention when applying this model to vaccination. ObjectiveThe aim of the study is to assess the utility of the PMT in predicting intention to obtain the seasonal influenza vaccine. This study will be the first to examine the role of all six PMT constructs in predicting intention to receive the seasonal influenza vaccine. MethodA cross-sectional study of 547 US residents was conducted using Amazon MTurk. ResultsAll constructs show significant bivariate correlations in the direction expected from the prior literature. Further examination of the theory within a linear regression model, however, found that perceived costs of vaccinating (i.e., response costs) did not uniquely account for variance in intention. All other components, perceived severity of and susceptibility to influenza, the perceived benefits of not vaccinating (i.e., maladaptive response rewards), the self-efficacy to vaccinate, and the perceived efficacy of vaccinating in preventing influenza (i.e., response efficacy) were unique predictors of intention. Overall, the PMT accounted for 62% of the variance in intention to vaccinate. ConclusionsThe study is the first to investigate influenza vaccination using all six theorised predictors of intention from the PMT. The findings highlight the importance of the simultaneous inclusion of all components of the model in assessing their potential utility as targets for intervention. Importantly, the results identify under-utilised constructs in the promotion of vaccine uptake, such as maladaptive response rewards, which should be considered targets for future intervention.

Modeling symptom drivers of oral intake in long-term head and neck cancer survivors.

This study examined the relationship between self-reported symptom severity and oral intake in long-term head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors. An observational survey study with retrospective chart abstraction was conducted. HNC patients who had completed an MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Head and Neck (MDASI-HN) questionnaire and also had clinician graded oral intake ratings (Functional Oral Intake Scale [FOIS]) were included. Correlation coefficients were computed. FOIS scores were regressed on MDASI-HN symptom items using stepwise backwards elimination for multivariate models. One hundred and fifty-two survey pairings were included in the analysis (median 44months follow-up, range 7-198). Per FOIS, 28% of survivors maintained a total oral diet with no restrictions, 67% reported a restricted oral diet (without tube), 3% were partially tube-dependent with some oral intake, and 2% were NPO. Of the 22 symptom items, the most severe items in decreasing order were dry mouth, difficulty swallowing\chewing, problems with mucus, tasting food, and choking/coughing. Significant bivariate correlations, after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons, were present for 8 of 22 symptoms with FOIS. On multivariate analysis, symptom severity for difficulty swallowing and problems with teeth/gums remained significantly associated with FOIS. Oral intake in HNC survivorship is a multidimensional issue and functional outcome that is impacted not only by dysphagia but also by dental status. Symptom drivers of oral intake likely differ in acute survivorship. Nonetheless, these findings highlight the lack of specificity in this end point and also the need for multidisciplinary supportive care to optimize oral intake in survivors.

Sustainability and Competitiveness in Thai Rubber Industries

This article assesses the economic, legal and environmental conditions that Thai rubber farmers face and evaluates actions they can take to increase incomes.Statistical analyses determine relationships between prices of oil, natural and synthetic rubber. Pearson correlation tests found a strong positive relationship (r = 0.887) between the price of Brent crude and Thai ribbed smoked sheets, and a moderate positive relationship between price changes in Brent and synthetic rubber (r = 0.648). Regression analysis showed Brent oil price is a good predictor of natural rubber price. Moderate to strong positive relationships were also found between natural rubber price and the gross domestic products of Japan, China and the United States. Criminal antitrust behaviour in the rubber industries appeared to interfere with normal pricing in rubber markets. No significant bivariate correlation was found between rainfall in Thailand and natural rubber price, production or export, although fl ooding and other environmental issues clearly affected rubber farms. A survey of options showed that Thai rubber farmers can best improve their livelihoods through the collective purchase and use of new technologies and by integrating into downstream supplychain industries. At the very least, farmers are urged to abandon monocrop methods and supplement their incomes with fruit, fi sh, livestock or pigs.

Metabolic Syndrome and Prediabetes Fail to Detect a High Prevalence of Early Insulin Resistance—The PREMIER Study

The PREMIER Study was a multi-center randomized controlled trial of lifestyle interventions in 810 nondiabetic subjects with elevated blood pressure. At baseline, one half of the cohort met the criteria for metabolic syndrome (MetS) and one third met the fasting glucose criterion for prediabetes (PreD). The purpose of the current analysis of PREMIER data was to quantify the sensitivity of the MetS criteria and cut points for detecting hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance, defined here as fasting insulin ≥ 12 μIU/mL based on prior calibration against the euglycemic clamp. Insulin showed statistically significant bivariate correlations with 4 of the 5 MetS criteria in decreasing order of strength: waist circumference, fasting glucose, HDL-cholesterol and fasting triglycerides. By contrast, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and total- and LDL-cholesterol did not correlate with fasting insulin. Logistic regression revealed that each MetS criterion, except blood pressure, had an independent contribution to hyperinsulinemia, even after correcting for age, race and gender. Receiver operator characteristic curves showed that the harmonized MetS cut points were non-optimal for detecting hyperinsulinemia. Specifically, the fasting triglyceride and glucose cut points were too high, while those for waist circumference were too low. Using the criteria for MetS and hyperinsulinemia, the subjects were divided into four metabolic subtypes. The subtype with hyperinsulinemia but not MetS represented 14.7% (95% CI 12.4-17.5) of the cohort. The prevalence of individuals with hyperinsulinemia that did not meet the criteria for MetS or PreD was surprisingly high at 12.7% (95% CI 10.3-15.1). This subtype is an important target for early intervention and diabetes prevention, but was not detected in this population using the current criteria for MetS or PreD. New screening strategies and metabolic health measures are needed to improve outcomes for diabetes prevention. Disclosure D.P. Cistola: None. A.K. Dwivedi: None. J.D. Ard: Consultant; Self; Nestlé. Research Support; Self; Nestlé, VIVUS, Inc..

Does the business model canvas drive venture success?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the efficacy of Osterwalder and Pigneur’s Business Model Canvas for 271 teams competing in a venture pitch competition during a cleantech accelerator program.Design/methodology/approachIt uses competition results and data from a website used by participants to track their hypothesis construction and testing.FindingsTeams that used the elements of customer segment, value proposition, key activities or key partnerships performed significantly better in the competition. Yet of all nine elements in the Canvas, only customer segmentation showed a significant linear bivariate correlation between the number of validated hypotheses and performance. Finally, teams that heavily used a triumvirate of elements composed of customer segmentation, value proposition and channel performed two times better than teams that barely used these elements.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this exploratory analysis imply that the components of a business model that explain and predict early success might be different than those for a more mature firm.Practical implicationsThese results suggest that practitioners could improve early performance by narrowing their scrutiny to just the triumvirate, because the Canvas may contain components that are unhelpful for entrepreneurs as they form a business model for their nascent venture.Originality/valueThis paper fills a gap by empirically testing the prediction that application of the Business Model Canvas drives venture success and providing a revise definition for a business model that is more appropriate for start-up ventures.

Pedometer Measured Step Counts and Bone Mineral Density among Premenopausal Women

Pedometers have become popular physical activity measurement tools and have proven to be valid and reliable. Opportunity for bone impact comes mostly from weight bearing physical activity and is captured by the use of these devises. However, there is question about the intensity of impact needed to stimulate changes in bone tissue. Research focused on walking activity, which comprises a majority of daily physical activity for most individuals, has resulted in conflicting effects on the commencement of bone tissue remodeling. The purpose of this study was to measure pedometer based daily physical activity and determine whether these data significantly correlate with aBMD (areal bone mineral density) (g/cm2) measures among premenopausal women. A secondary purpose was to look specifically at the relationship between moderate intensity level data and aBMD. Forty-two pre-menopausal women from central Minnesota participated in the summer of 2011. Body mass index, calcium, vitamin D, total, and moderate intensity steps were tallied, and hip and lumbar spine aBMD was measured. Significant bivariate correlations (p < .05) were found between calcium and femoral, lumbar spine, and L2 aBMD measures. No correlations were found between age or vitamin D intake and aBMD measures. Significant bivariate correlations were also found between body mass index and L1, L3, L4, and total hip aBMD. No significant bivariate correlations were found between aBMD measures and total step or moderate intensity counts. Partial correlations, controlling for calcium and body mass index, did not reveal any correlations between total or moderate step counts and aBMD. It is plausible to conclude that the Omron HJ-303 pedometer may not be an appropriate tool for tracking bone building activity. Researchers need to continue to look for a consumer tool that effectively tracks this type of activity for those interested in improving bone health.