Significant Primary Effect Research Articles

The significance of information and communication technology education via tablets in college of physical therapy.

[Purpose] This study aimed to clarify whether collaborative learning could be promoted via information and communication technology education using tablets at college of physical therapy. [Participants and Methods] An online survey was conducted to evaluate collaborative learning among 81 first-year students at the Department of Physical Therapy actively using tablets in classes (six specific categories). [Results] The Friedman test had significant results, and a significant primary effect was observed between each questionnaire item. Following this, the Bonferroni test was performed for multiple comparisons, with significant differences were observed among certain items. [Conclusion] We reported employing tablets in the classroom positively impacted collaborative learning. Here, among the evaluations of collaborative learning, the items with the best results corresponded mainly to communication activation between students.

Evaluation of driver distraction from in-vehicle information systems: A simulator study of interaction modes and secondary tasks classes on eight production cars

Currently, various modalities for in-vehicle information systems have gained popularity. However, the secondary tasks of an in-vehicle information system (IVIS) may result in driver distraction while driving. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of classified secondary tasks performed in four modalities on driving performance and visual distraction. A driving simulator capable of connecting mass-produced cars to a virtual driving scenario was proposed. Ten secondary tasks were classified based on complexity and difficulty into three classes (basic, medium, and advanced). Thereafter, these tasks were tested using four modalities: knobs and buttons on the center stack, touch screen, steering wheel (SW) buttons, and voice control. For dependent measures, the standard deviation of speed, the standard deviation of lane position, fixation counts, and average fixation duration were collected. Consequently, significant primary effects of modality and task class were found in terms of each dependent measure. The analysis revealed that SW buttons and voice control were more suitable for basic tasks. Moreover, voice control was best for tasks in the medium class. In the advanced class, the voice control and touch screens outperformed the knobs and buttons. However, considering the efficiency and full interaction process, voice control is unsuitable for all advanced secondary tasks. Hence, cross-mode interaction was recommended for advanced class tasks with complicated input and feedback, owing to the trade-off between different interaction modes. The results of this study are significant for selecting the interaction modes and task design of IVIS for enhancing driving safety.

Adding guidance to deliberate reflection improves medical student's diagnostic accuracy.

Diagnostic competence in students is a major medical education goal. Adding instructional guidelines to prompt deliberate reflection fosters medical students' diagnostic proficiency. This study investigates the effects of this teaching strategy on diagnostic accuracy in solving clinical cases of different complexity levels by novice and senior students. Eighty third-year and 62 sixth-year medical students participated in this three-phase experimental study. First, participants were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions (free reflection, cued reflection and worked example) to diagnose 12 clinical text-based cases, following different levels of deliberate reflection. In an immediate test and a delayed test, the participants diagnosed varied sets of 12 cases, six involving the same diseases (four routine and two rare). The main outcomes were the diagnostic accuracy scores achieved for the cases assessed by repeated measures of analysis of variance for each category. There was a significant primary effect of experimental condition (P<.001), year of training (P<.001) and study phase (P<.001) on the diagnostic accuracy achieved. The use of deliberate reflection in addition to instructional guidelines resulted in improved results in the immediate test for all cases evaluated (P<.001), regardless of participants' seniority. In the delayed test, this benefit was maintained for simple cases (P<.001). For complex cases, the benefit was maintained only for senior students (P<.001). The cued reflection and worked example groups did not differ in performance (P>.05), but both groups surpassed the free reflection group (P<.001), regardless of the students' learning stage and case complexity.

Association of Exercise with Inhibitory Control and Prefrontal Brain Activity Under Acute Psychosocial Stress.

Psychosocial stress has negative effects on cognition in adolescents. The aim of this study was to investigate whether physical exercise can buffer such effects on inhibitory control and associated cortical brain areas. Forty-two male high school students aged 16–20 years and with either low or high exercise levels performed a Stroop task under stress-free conditions and after the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Oxygenation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was measured with functional near-infrared spectroscopy. For inhibitory control, there was no significant primary effect of condition (F(1,40) = 1.09, p = 303., ηp² = 0.027) and no significant condition × group interaction (F(1,40) = 2.40, p = 0.129, ηp² = 0.057). For DLPFC oxygenation, a significant primary effect of condition was observed (F (1,38) = 6.10, p = 0.018, ηp² = 0.138). However, the condition × group interaction (F (1,38) = 0.05, p = 0.823, ηp² = 0.001) remained not significant. Adolescents’ exercise level was not associated with inhibitory control before and after stress. An impact of stress on a neurocognitive level was observed.

Factorial design of experiments for optimization of photocatalytic degradation of tartrazine by zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods with different aspect ratios

The photocatalytic degradation of the azo dye tartrazine using zinc oxide (ZnO) as photocatalyst under ultraviolet light was investigated using a 24 factorial design. The variables studied were the aspect ratio of ZnO nanorods, the ZnO dosage (400 or 700 mg/L), the initial pH (7 or 10) of the tartrazine solution, and the H2O2 volume (0 or 30 μL). These variables were considered aiming to maximize the tartrazine removal efficiency and the pseudo-1st-order rate constant of the removal process. The ZnO aspect ratio was tuned by varying the Lewis base during the synthesis, hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) was used to prepare ZnO with a low aspect ratio (ZnO_LowAR), and NaOH was used to prepare ZnO with a high aspect ratio (ZnO_HighAR). The microstructural characterizations indicated that ZnO_LowAR and ZnO_HighAR nanorods have similar structural, textural, and optical properties. The only exception was the dimensions of the nanorods obtained, which could result in differences in the facets exposed on each type of nanorod surface. The factorial design revealed that the ZnO aspect ratio, the initial pH of the tartrazine solution, and the H2O2 volume all have significant primary effects. In contrast, the ZnO dosage is not significant neither in the tartrazine removal efficiency nor in the pseudo-1st-order rate constant. Statistical models considering the coefficients of the significant interactions were obtained, leading to consistent predicted results in comparison to the results experimentally obtained. The conditions leading to highest removal efficiency (∼92 %) and pseudo-1st-order rate constant (3.81 × 10−2 min−1) were carried out with ZnO_HighAR, initial pH 7, and without H2O2, which outperformed the TiO2 P-25 under the same conditions.

Publication bias examined in meta-analyses from psychology and medicine: A meta-meta-analysis.

Publication bias is a substantial problem for the credibility of research in general and of meta-analyses in particular, as it yields overestimated effects and may suggest the existence of non-existing effects. Although there is consensus that publication bias exists, how strongly it affects different scientific literatures is currently less well-known. We examined evidence of publication bias in a large-scale data set of primary studies that were included in 83 meta-analyses published in Psychological Bulletin (representing meta-analyses from psychology) and 499 systematic reviews from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR; representing meta-analyses from medicine). Publication bias was assessed on all homogeneous subsets (3.8% of all subsets of meta-analyses published in Psychological Bulletin) of primary studies included in meta-analyses, because publication bias methods do not have good statistical properties if the true effect size is heterogeneous. Publication bias tests did not reveal evidence for bias in the homogeneous subsets. Overestimation was minimal but statistically significant, providing evidence of publication bias that appeared to be similar in both fields. However, a Monte-Carlo simulation study revealed that the creation of homogeneous subsets resulted in challenging conditions for publication bias methods since the number of effect sizes in a subset was rather small (median number of effect sizes equaled 6). Our findings are in line with, in its most extreme case, publication bias ranging from no bias until only 5% statistically nonsignificant effect sizes being published. These and other findings, in combination with the small percentages of statistically significant primary effect sizes (28.9% and 18.9% for subsets published in Psychological Bulletin and CDSR), led to the conclusion that evidence for publication bias in the studied homogeneous subsets is weak, but suggestive of mild publication bias in both psychology and medicine.

Effects Of A Caffeine-carbohydrate Mouth Rinsing On Sprinting Kinetics And Kinematics In Fasted Athletes

Carbohydrate mouth rinsing during an intermittent fasting has been reported to be advantageous for endurance performance; however, there appears to be no clear effect on repeated sprints. What has not been investigated previously is the effects of combined caffeine and carbohydrate (CAF-CHO) mouth rinsing on speed-endurance performance commonly performed by track and field athletes during a fasted state. PURPOSE: To determine the influence of CAF-CHO mouth rinsing on sprinting kinetics and kinematics, as well as subjective exertion during a speed-endurance bout performed in a fasted state. METHOD: In a counterbalanced, single-blind random order design, eleven (n = 11) well-trained National level male sprinters and middle-distance runners performed three 15-sec all-out sprints on a Woodway nonmotorized force treadmill, interspersed with 2-min active recovery between sprints. Athletes rinsed 25 ml of CAF-CHO (4g carbohydrate, 5 mg caffeine), or a similarly coloured placebo solution (PLA) prior to warm-up (30-min pre-trial), 1-min pre-trial, and the mid-way of each period of active recovery. On one occasion, no mouth rinse (NMR) was administered. The study was conducted within the second and third quarters of Ramadan, and each session separated by at least 72 hours. RESULTS: At the start of each trial, the rating of perceived exertions (RPE), readiness to train, blood glucose, and lactate concentrations were similar (p > 0.05). A significant primary effect of trial (3 x 15 seconds sprint) was observed for the distance (p = 0.019), revealing a longer average distance achieved in the CAF-CHO compared to PLA trial (69.80 + 3.57 vs. 68.08 + 3.22; p = 0.026; EF: 0.5), and NMR (69.69 + 3.82; p = 0.680; EF: 0.2). The difference between NMR and PLA also approached significance (p = 0.073; ES: 0.5). The CAF-CHO intervention also obtained better results in all other sprint measures such as average velocity, peak acceleration, and peak horizontal force, although these differences were not significant. Post-trial RPE was higher during NMR (7.23 + 1.92) as compared to CAF-CHO (6.54 + 2.15) and PLA (6.38 + 1.94) (p = 0.247). CONCLUSION: In challenging metabolic conditions, CAF-CHO mouth rinsing might have potential to improve measures of sprint training performance with a positive ergogenic effect on speed endurance performance.

Evaluation of plasma cytokines in patients with cocaine use disorders in abstinence identifies transforming growth factor alpha (TGFα) as a potential biomarker of consumption and dual diagnosis.

BackgroundCocaine use disorder (CUD) is a complex health condition, especially when it is accompanied by comorbid psychiatric disorders (dual diagnosis). Dual diagnosis is associated with difficulties in the stratification and treatment of patients. One of the major challenges in clinical practice of addiction psychiatry is the lack of objective biological markers that indicate the degree of consumption, severity of addiction, level of toxicity and response to treatment in patients with CUD. These potential biomarkers would be fundamental players in the diagnosis, stratification, prognosis and therapeutic orientation in addiction. Due to growing evidence of the involvement of the immune system in addiction and psychiatric disorders, we tested the hypothesis that patients with CUD in abstinence might have altered circulating levels of signaling proteins related to systemic inflammation.MethodsThe study was designed as a cross-sectional study of CUD treatment-seeking patients. These patients were recruited from outpatient programs in the province of Malaga (Spain). The study was performed with a total of 160 white Caucasian subjects, who were divided into the following groups: patients diagnosed with CUD in abstinence (N = 79, cocaine group) and matched control subjects (N = 81, control group). Participants were clinically evaluated with the diagnostic interview PRISM according to the DSM-IV-TR, and blood samples were collected for the determination of chemokine C-C motif ligand 11 (CCL11, eotaxin-1), interferon gamma (IFNγ), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-8 (IL-8), interleukin-17α (IL-17α), macrophage inflammatory protein 1α (MIP-1α) and transforming growth factor α (TGFα) levels in the plasma. Clinical and biochemical data were analyzed in order to find relationships between variables.ResultsWhile 57% of patients with CUD were diagnosed with dual diagnosis, approximately 73% of patients had other substance use disorders. Cocaine patients displayed greater cocaine symptom severity when they were diagnosed with psychiatric comorbidity. Regarding inflammatory factors, we observed significantly lower plasma levels of IL-17α (p < 0.001), MIP-1α (p < 0.001) and TGFα (p < 0.05) in the cocaine group compared with the levels in the control group. Finally, there was a significant primary effect of dual diagnosis on the plasma concentrations of TGFα (p < 0.05) in the cocaine group, and these levels were lower in patients with dual diagnosesDiscussionIL-17α, MIP-1α and TGFα levels are different between the cocaine and control groups, and TGFα levels facilitate the identification of patients with dual diagnosis. Because TGFα reduction is associated with enhanced responses to cocaine in preclinical models, we propose TGFα as a potential biomarker of complex CUD in humans.

The effect of sex and fatigue on lower limb kinematics, kinetics, and muscle activity during unanticipated side-step cutting

To determine how sex and fatigue affect lower limb kinematics, kinetics, and muscle activity during unanticipated side-step cutting. Twenty-three physically active subjects (men 11, women 12) performed 10 successful trials of cutting manoeuvres each to either side under unanticipated conditions in response to 2 light emitting diodes before and after fatigue conditions. Data were analysed and compared regarding sex and fatigue conditions using two-way repeated measures analysis of variance. After fatigue-inducing exercise, women demonstrated larger impulses of ground reaction force (IGRF) during the first 50 ms (2.4 ± 0.8 vs. 2.1 ± 0.9, P < 0.05) than did men. Significant primary effects of sex indicated that women showed a smaller hip flexion angle at initial contact (40.4 ± 6.9° vs. 49.7 ± 9.1°, P < 0.05) and at maximum flexion angle (41.3 ± 7.7° vs. 51.4 ± 9.0°, P < 0.05) compared with men. Significant primary effects of fatigue were observed in the gluteus maximus muscle during 50 ms before initial contact (+21.5 ± 48.3 %, P < 0.05) and in the semimembranosus muscle during 50 ms before initial contact (-6.2 ± 20.1 %, P < 0.05) and the first 50 ms of side-step cutting (-7.9 ± 26.6 %, P < 0.05). Our results suggest that sex differences, especially larger IGRF in a fatigue state combined with less hip flexion angle, lead to women having a higher risk for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. These findings may contribute to understanding the underlying mechanism of injury and development of preventive exercises against ACL injury.

Effects of Bicarbonate Limitation and Salinity Stress on Growth and Photosynthesis in the Green Alga Picochlorum Oklahomensis

Photosynthetic organisms rarely experience optimal growth conditions in their natural habitat, and at any given time, two or more physical and chemical variables are likely to be suboptimal. The extreme environment of the Great Salt Plains (GSP) results in low algal biomass, such that natural selection is likely driven by survival of multiple abiotic stresses rather than rapid growth and biotic interactions. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of combined salinity stress and carbon limitation on growth and photosynthesis in the green alga Picochlorum okla-homensis isolated from the GSP habitat. Algal cells were grown in batch cultures under bicar-bonate sufficiency (control) or low bicarbonate at salinities of 10, 50 and100 ppt. in artificial seawater (AS 100) medium. Cells were physiologically characterized by initial growth rates, cell yields, photosynthetic light-response curves (oxygen evolution), pigment composition, and the chlorophyll fluorescence parameters Fv/Fm, �PSII, qP and NPQ. Low bicarbonate and increasing salinity from 10 to 100 ppt, as well as the bicarbonate-salinity interaction resulted in significant lower cell yields and initial growth rates. In general, high salinity resulted in significant primary effects for the majority of variables but a significant effect of bicarbonate and bicarbonate-salinity interaction were less common among the physiological variables.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/

In vivo gene transfer of Kv1.5 normalizes action potential duration and shortens QT interval in mice with long QT phenotype.

Mutations in cardiac voltage-gated K+ channels cause long QT syndrome (LQTS) and sudden death. We created a transgenic mouse with a long QT phenotype (Kv1DN) by overexpression of a truncated K+ channel in the heart and investigated whether the dominant negative effect of the transgene would be overcome by the direct injection of adenoviral vectors expressing wild-type Kv1.5 (AV-Kv1.5) into the myocardium. End points at 3-10 days included electrophysiology in isolated cardiomyocytes, surface ECG, programmed stimulation of the right ventricle, and in vivo optical mapping of action potentials and repolarization gradients in Langendorff-perfused hearts. Overexpression of Kv1.5 reconstituted a 4-aminopyridine-sensitive outward K+ current, shortened the action potential duration, eliminated early afterdepolarizations, shortened the QT interval, decreased dispersion of repolarization, and increased the heart rate. Each of these changes is consistent with a physiologically significant primary effect of adenoviral expression of Kv1.5 on ventricular repolarization of Kv1DN mice.

Substituted Alcohols as Mechanistic Probes of Alcohol Oxidase

The flavoprotein alcohol oxidase catalyzes the oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols to aldehydes, transferring the electrons to oxygen to form hydrogen peroxide. In order to probe the mechanism of oxidation, para-substituted benzyl alcohols and β-substituted ethyl alcohols have been characterized as substrates. With benzyl alcohol, methanol, and ethanol, a single group on the protein with a pKa value of about 0.3 must be deprotonated for productive binding. The effects of substituents in para-substituted benzyl alcohols on the V/K value show a good correlation with the σ− value of the substituent after correction for hydrophobic and steric contributions, with a ρ Value of 1.9. The effects of substituents in β-substituted ethyl alcohols show a good correlation with the σI value of the substituent after correction for steric and hydrophobic effects, with a ρ Value of −1.2. Solvent and primary deuterium kinetic isotope effects were determined on the V/K values for several alcohols. Substrates showed either a significant primary effect or a significant solvent isotope effect. The results are interpreted in terms of an asynchronous concerted transition state in which OH bond cleavage has occurred to a greater extent than CH bond cleavage.

幼児の直後・最終自由再生に及ぼすオフ時間中のリハーサル方略の効果

The present experiment examined effects of rehearsal strategies during off-time on initial free recall (IFR) and final free recall (FFR) performance in young children (aged three and five). Performance in pictorial memory was found superior to the auditory one in IFR and FFR. The five-year-old children's performance proved superior to the three-year-old in IFR and FFR. There were significant effects of OFF-TIME in IFR and FFR, while significant serial position effect was seen on pictorial and auditory in all age conditions in IFR. Significant between-rehearsal groups difference in final parts of serial position showed in IFR, but not in FFR. Pronounce rehearsal group's performance was superior to association rehearsal and silent rehearsal groups' both in IFR and FFR. Significant primary effects were seen in pictorial and auditory in all rehearsal groups in all age conditions in IFR and FFR, though significant recent effects were noticed in pictorial and auditory in all rehearsal in IFR, except in FFR.

児童・幼児の画像的記憶・聴覚的記憶の自由再生に及ぼすオフ時間効果

Two experiment examined effects of off-time (OTE) on free recall performance in pictorial and auditory memory in Kindergarten children (three, four and five years of age) and children aged six and seven. In Experiment 1, performance in pictorial memory was superior to the auditory one. The five year-old-children's performance was superior to the four-year-old, while the four-year-old children showed a superior performance to the three year old. There were significant OTEs in both pictorial and auditory memory at the three age levels. There was a significant OTE only in the four-year-old's auditory memory. There were significant serial position effects (SPE) on both pictorial and auditory in all age conditions. In Experiment 2, performance in pictorial memory was superior to the auditory. There were significant OTEs and SPEs in both pictorial and auditory in all age conditions for the six and seven year-old children. Significant effects in pictorial and auditory were seen recently; though significant primary effects were noticed in pictorial memory only.

癌細胞刺激によって誘導された自己癌障害性リンパ球を用いた頭頚部癌治療の研究 同種癌刺激誘導ｋｉｌｌｅｒ ｃｅｌｌの経動脈的移入による頭頚部癌の治療効果

Peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with lingual or maxillary cancer (well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma) were mixed allogeneic tumor cell line originated maxillary squamous cell carcinoma, and further activated with recombinant interleukin 2 (rIL2) to induce autologous tumor killing lymphoid cells (AlloTLAK). AlloTLAK was infused back to the patients directly into lingual or maxillar artery. Results indicated a significant primary effect on reduction of tumor mass in the both cases. Tumor size of lingual cancer was markedly reduced from 55mm to 18mm diameter by 4 times infusions of AlloTLAK. Tumor of maxillary cancer staged as T3 was completely disappeared by 10 times infusions of AlloTLAK, and at least the surgical operation became unneccessary in this case. The case with lingual cancer received surgical operation to remove 1/3 of the tongue with radical neck dissection, and the tissues were histologically examined. Histological findings proved marked anti tumor effect of AlloTLAK demonstrating strong degeneration of the tumor cells with infiltration of lymphocytes and scavenger macrophages. Side effects were minor, such as slight fever and blood eosinophilia, which may be due to the rIL2 function

Velocity dispersion in skeletal muscle efferent nerve bundle and its effect upon time and frequency response.

Velocity dispersion in the nerve bundle subserving a skeletal muscle is shown not to have a significant primary effect on the time and frequency response of muscle. Secondary effects due to desynchronization in efferent volleys may produce an ‘interface effect’ between the nerve bundle and the muscle. This ‘interface effect’ may be important in biocybernetic considerations of neuromuscular action.