Adaptive smartphone-based sensor fusion for estimating competitive rowing kinematic metrics.

Competitive rowing highly values boat position and velocity data for real-time feedback during training, racing and post-training analysis. The ubiquity of smartphones with embedded position (GPS) and motion (accelerometer) sensors motivates their possible use in these tasks. In this paper, we investigate the use of two real-time digital filters to achieve highly accurate yet reasonably priced measurements of boat speed and distance traveled. Both filters combine acceleration and location data to estimate boat distance and speed; the first using a complementary frequency response-based filter technique, the second with a Kalman filter formalism that includes adaptive, real-time estimates of effective accelerometer bias. The estimates of distance and speed from both filters were validated and compared with accurate reference data from a differential GPS system with better than 1 cm precision and a 5 Hz update rate, in experiments using two subjects (an experienced club-level rower and an elite rower) in two different boats on a 300 m course. Compared with single channel (smartphone GPS only) measures of distance and speed, the complementary filter improved the accuracy and precision of boat speed, boat distance traveled, and distance per stroke by 44%, 42%, and 73%, respectively, while the Kalman filter improved the accuracy and precision of boat speed, boat distance traveled, and distance per stroke by 48%, 22%, and 82%, respectively. Both filters demonstrate promise as general purpose methods to substantially improve estimates of important rowing performance metrics

Systematic review of patients’ and healthcare professionals’ views on patient‐initiated follow‐up in treated cancer patients

Background: Current follow‐up models in cancer are seen to be unsustainable and inflexible, and there is growing interest in alternative models, such as patient‐initiated follow‐up (PIFU). It is therefore important to understand whether PIFU is acceptable to patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs). Methods: Standard systematic review methodology aimed at limiting bias was used for study identification (to January 2022), selection and data extraction. Thematic synthesis was undertaken for qualitative data, and survey findings were tabulated and described. Results: Nine qualitative studies and 22 surveys were included, mainly in breast and endometrial cancer. Women treated for breast or endometrial cancer and HCPs were mostly supportive of PIFU. Facilitators for PIFU included convenience, control over own health and avoidance of anxiety‐inducing clinic appointments. Barriers included loss of reassurance from scheduled visits and lack of confidence in self‐management. HCPs were supportive of PIFU but concerned about resistance to change, unsuitability of PIFU for some patients and costs. Conclusion: PIFU is viewed mostly positively by women treated for breast or endometrial cancer, and by HCPs, but further evidence is needed from a wider range of cancers, men, and more representative samples. A protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020181412)

Peer support for carers and patients with inflammatory bowel disease:a systematic review

Background: The support provided by people with the same condition, including inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), has the potential to improve a range of psychosocial outcomes by allowing people with the disease to receive emotional support as well as to learn coping strategies from more experienced peers. The aim of this systematic review was to summarise the evidence on peer support interventions and their effectiveness on people with IBD.Methods: Bibliographic databases, conference proceedings, grey literature, and clinical trial registers were searched from inception to November 2021. Comparative and single-arm studies that evaluated interventions that were solely or contained in part peer support, for people with IBD and/or their carers of any age and in any setting were included. Effectiveness was evaluated using outcomes relating to physical and psychosocial function, disease control and healthcare utilisation. Data for each outcome were tabulated and presented in a narrative synthesis. Study design specific tools were used to assess risk of bias. Study selection and risk of bias assessment were undertaken by two reviewers independently. Results: Fourteen completed studies and five ongoing studies met the inclusion criteria. Substantial heterogeneity was observed in the studies in relation to the intervention type and peer support was usually part of a wider intervention. All but one study analysed the total effect of the intervention, so it was not possible to fully isolate the effect of the peer support alone. The appropriateness of outcomes and outcome measurement tools for the assessment of effects was a further key issue. As such, overall, no significant evidence of beneficial effects of peer support interventions on quality of life and other psychosocial outcomes was found. Conclusions: New randomised controlled trials designed to isolate the effects of peer support are needed to evaluate the (net) effects of peer support only. Agreement on the outcomes to be targeted, and the choice of reliable and validated measurement tools for standalone peer support interventions would provide a focus for further intervention design and evaluation. Systematic review registration: The protocol was accepted in the international prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO CRD42020168817).</p

Brief of Tribal Nations and Indian Organizations as Amici Curiae in Support of the Navajo Nation, U.S. Supreme Court Docket No. 21-1484

SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT: The Winters Doctrine recognizes and gives effect to the promises made by the United States in treaties, congressionally ratified agreements, and executive orders that Tribal Nations would retain permanent and viable homelands. These promises, made in exchange for the Tribal Nations’ cession of billions of acres of land, paved the way for the non-Indian settlement of the West. Although every tribal homeland is unique, invariably, each requires water to be livable. Applying the canons of construction this Court has developed as part of its federal Indian law jurisprudence, as well as the history and circumstances surrounding the creation of each individual reservation, the Winters Doctrine holds that the United States promised to provide water sufficient to fulfill the purposes for which the reservations were created. Concomitant with the promise to reserve water rights is the corresponding duty to protect and deliver on that promise and avoid rendering those rights meaningless through obstruction, depletion, or diversion to more junior users. In this way, the Winters Doctrine is a pathway for ensuring the United States fulfills its solemn obligations to Tribal Nations. The United States—through both Congress and the Executive—has repeatedly and expressly reaffirmed its understanding of these obligations. Petitioners here articulate no reason why the Lower Colorado River Basin should be treated differently. This Court should once again ensure the United States honors its obligations. In the 115 years since Winters v. United States, the Doctrine solidified into an integral part of the fabric that makes up Western water management. The Winters Doctrine forms the basis for extensive adjudication and settlement of claims by Tribal Nations to water rights. Today, millions of tribal and non-tribal citizens benefit from the certainty provided by the Winters Doctrine

Bony avulsion of the supraspinatus origin from the scapular spine

We describe a case of an avulsion of the scapular spine at the origin of the supraspinatus muscle, with successful conservative treatment. An isolated avulsion is rare, as most avulsions occur in combination with other (more severe) injuries such as fractures of the scapula body or neck, coracoid process, glenoid or humerus. These injuries are mostly seen in high-energy trauma cases and need their own specific treatment. One should therefore always rule out concurrent trauma before treating conservatively

Phylogenomics of the genus Tursiops and closely related Delphininae reveals extensive reticulation among lineages and provides inference about eco-evolutionary drivers

Phylogeographic inference has provided extensive insight into the relative roles of geographical isolation and ecological processes during evolutionary radiations. However, the importance of cross-lineage admixture in facilitating adaptive radiations is increasingly being recognised, and suggested as a main cause of phylogenetic uncertainty. In this study, we used a double digest RADseq protocol to provide a high resolution (∼ 4 Million bp) nuclear phylogeny of the Delphininae. Phylogenetic resolution of this group has been especially intractable, likely because it has experienced a recent species radiation. We carried out cross-lineage reticulation analyses, and tested for several sources of potential bias in determining phylogenies from genome sampling data. We assessed the divergence time and historical demography of T. truncatus and T. aduncus by sequencing the T. aduncus genome and comparing it with the T. truncatus reference genome. Our results suggest monophyly for the genus Tursiops, with the recently proposed T. australis species falling within the T. aduncus lineage. We also show the presence of extensive cross-lineage gene flow between pelagic and European coastal ecotypes of T. truncatus, as well as in the early stages of diversification between spotted (Stenella frontalis; Stenella attenuata), spinner (Stenella longirostris), striped (Stenella coeruleoalba), common (Delphinus delphis), and Fraser’s (Lagenodelphis hosei) dolphins. Our study suggests that cross-lineage gene flow in this group has been more extensive and complex than previously thought. In the context of biogeography and local habitat dependence, these results improve our understanding of the evolutionary processes determining the history of this lineage

Gestational Valproate Alters BOLD Activation in Response to Complex Social and Primary Sensory Stimuli

Valproic acid (VPA) has been used clinically as an anticonvulsant medication during pregnancy; however, it poses a neurodevelopmental risk due to its high teratogenicity. We hypothesized that midgestational (GD) exposure to VPA will lead to lasting deficits in social behavior and the processing of social stimuli. To test this, animals were given a single IP injection of 600 mg/kg of VPA on GD 12.5. Starting on postnatal day 2 (PND2), animals were examined for physical and behavior abnormalities. Functional MRI studies were carried out after PND60. VPA and control animals were given vehicle or a central infusion of a V1a antagonist 90 minutes before imaging. During imaging sessions, rats were presented with a juvenile test male followed by a primary visual stimulus (2 Hz pulsed light) to examine the effects of prenatal VPA on neural processing. VPA rats showed greater increases in BOLD signal response to the social stimulus compared to controls in the temporal cortex, thalamus, midbrain and the hypothalamus. Blocking the V1a receptor reduced the BOLD response in VPA animals only. Neural responses to the visual stimulus, however, were lower in VPA animals. Blockade with the V1a antagonist did not revert this latter effect. Our data suggest that prenatal VPA affects the processing of social stimuli and perhaps social memory, partly through a mechanism that may involve vasopressin V1a neurotransmission

Alterations in calmodulin content and localization in areas of rat brain after repeated intermittent amphetamine

To assess whether calmodulin (CaM) could have a role in the behavioral sensitization induced by repeated intermittent amphetamine, CaM content was determined in several brain areas from rats repeatedly administered saline or amphetamine. Rats were treated with amphetamine using an escalating dose paradigm and withdrawn for either 4 weeks (withdrawn group) or 30 min (non-withdrawn group). CaM content was measured in cytosol and 100,000 x g membrane fractions from striatum, limbic forebrain, medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum. In the withdrawn group, CaM was significantly increased in striatal membranes and cytosol and in the mesolimbic membranes from amphetamine-treated rats. There were no changes in CaM in the medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus or cerebellum. In the non-withdrawn group, there was no significant change in CaM in striatal or mesolimbic fractions but CaM was significantly decreased in cytosol of the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus as compared to saline controls. This decrease could be related to the tolerance that has developed to the amphetamine after the repeated treatments. In the withdrawn group, challenge with a low dose of amphetamine (1 mg/kg) elicited a translocation of CaM from membranes to cytosol in the striatum and limbic forebrain of rats repeatedly treated with amphetamine, but not in saline-treated rats. Our findings that the change in CaM occurs in striatum and limbic forebrain, requires time after treatment to develop and exhibits persistence after withdrawal correlate with known characteristics of behavioral sensitization to amphetamine. These results suggest that CaM could contribute to neurochemical events underlying behavioral sensitization to amphetamine.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/29084/1/0000119.pd