The current military battlefield requires aviators to make split-second decisions that often have life-and-death consequences, making identifying predictors of diminished cognitive performance a ...vital aeromedical and safety concern. The current study explored the relationship between aviator effectiveness, as determined by sleep-wake patterns, and neurocognitive functioning in a brigade-size rotary wing aviation element deployed in Iraq. Actigraphy and the Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool (FAST) were used to assess the ratio of sleep-wake patterns over a 24-hour time period, and a computerized multitasking measure, which mimics the task demands of flying, was utilized to evaluate neurocognitive functioning during preflight operations. Results showed a significant positive association between level of effectiveness and neurocognitive functioning before flight operations. The reported sleep habits and trends in types of sleep difficulties are noted. The results speak to the potential efficacy of using actigraphy and software to evaluate a pilot's effectiveness before flight operations, and suggest that flight surgeons and psychologists may be able to play a vital role in improving overall sleep patterns and enhancing the warfighting efforts of aviators in combat. They also suggest that mandated crew rest and evaluation of total reported sleep time may not be sufficient to ensure optimum performance levels.
The current study explored the relationship between religious coping and cumulative health risk associated with health behavior patterns in a sample of 256 Latina and Caucasian female caregivers of ...elderly relatives with dementia. Primary analyses examined the relationship between religious coping (both positive and negative) and an overall index of cumulative health risk. Secondary analyses were conducted on the individual health behaviors subsumed in the broader index. Findings revealed that negative religious coping was significantly associated with increased cumulative health risk. Positive religious coping was predictive of decreased cumulative health risk among Latina caregivers but not among Caucasians. Negative religious coping was significantly associated with both an increased likelihood for weight gain and increased dietary restriction. Positive religious coping was associated with decreased likelihood for weight gain in Latinas. Implications for both caregivers and clinicians are discussed.
National security professionals have few scientifically valid methods for detecting deception in people who deny being involved in illicit activities relevant to national security. Numerous detecting ...deception studies have demonstrated that the Modified Cognitive Interviewing (MCI) method is one such method - yielding detecting deception rates (i.e. 80-85%) that are significantly above those achieved by chance (i.e. 50%) or by human judgments (i.e. 54-56%). To date, however, no MCI studies have involved dilemmas of ethological interest to national security professionals. This project begins to address this gap in the scientific literature. In it, we compared the efficacy of MCI to that of human judgments for detecting deception in scientists with expertise in biological materials. Sixty-four scientists were recruited for study; 12 met with a “terrorist” and were paid to make biological materials for illicit purposes. All 64 scientists were interviewed by investigators with law enforcement experience about the bio-threat issue. MCI elicited speech content differences in deceptive, compared to truthful scientists. This resulted in a classification accuracy of 84.4%; Accuracies for Human Judgments (interviewers/raters) were 54% and 46%, respectively. MCI required little time and its efficacy suggests it is reasonable to recommend its use to national security experts.
This study examined ethnic and kinship status differences in health behavior patterns, self-rated health, and health conditions in an ethnically diverse sample of 256 female family dementia ...caregivers. The findings revealed that Latina caregivers rated their health as significantly worse than their Caucasian counterparts. Moreover, Latina caregivers were observed to be significantly more likely to eat fewer than two meals per day or to have gained more than 10 lbs. in 6 months, and to have had difficulty with bouts of dizziness. Caucasian caregivers were significantly more likely to smoke, have a heart condition, and experience gastrointestinal difficulties. With respect to kinship status, daughter caregivers were more likely to have experienced recent weight gain, to have high blood pressure, or a chronic lung condition than spousal caregivers. The findings suggest that specific interventions, designed to address the unique patterns of health behaviors and conditions observed across ethnicity and kinship status, may be needed to improve the health behavior patterns of specific populations of caregivers.
To promote caregiver well-being and to help caregivers persevere in their invaluable roles, personal resources that predict increased self-care and reduced health risk behaviors need to be ...identified. This study examined relationships between self-efficacy beliefs in three distinct domains of caregiving and cumulative health risk associated with health behavior patterns. Higher levels of self-efficacy for Obtaining Respite and self-efficacy for Controlling Upsetting Thoughts were found to be related to reduced health risk. These findings suggest that caregivers who believe that they can remove themselves from the stresses of caregiving and who can manage the distorted cognitions often associated with caregiving may experience tangible benefits in health behaviors and, ultimately, improved physical health.
The present study explored the relationship between three domains of caregiving self-efficacy (Obtaining Respite, Controlling Upsetting Thoughts, and Responding to Disruptive Behaviors) and ...cumulative health risk, as determined by health behavior patterns, in an ethnically diverse sample of female dementia caregivers of elderly relatives with Alzheimer's dementia. Participants included 256 caregivers (107 Latinas and 149 Caucasians) recruited from the San Francisco Bay Area to participate in caregiver intervention research at the Palo Alto site of the REACH (Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health) multi-site initiative. This study was conceptually based on the stress-process model of caregiver health outcomes articulated by Martire & Schulz (2000). It was hypothesized that caregiving self-efficacy would positively predict reduced cumulative health risk associated with caregiver health behavior patterns. Additionally, ethnicity and kinship status were posited to moderate the relationship between self-efficacy and cumulative health risk. Hierarchical multiple regressions were utilized for statistical analysis of the data. Variables were entered in blocks according to the conceptual model with demographic characteristics entered in the first block, caregiving demands in the second block, and self-efficacy in the third block. A scale of cumulative health risk, derived from self-reported health behavior patterns (exercise, drinking, smoking, diet, and sleep), served as the dependent variable. The data showed that caregiver self-efficacy for both Controlling Upsetting Thoughts and Obtaining Respite were significantly predictive of reduced cumulative health risk. No moderating effect was observed for ethnicity or kinship status on the relationship between caregiving self-efficacy and cumulative health risk. The findings suggested that self-efficacy may promote increased well-being and longevity in female dementia caregivers. With respect to caregiver intervention development, the implication is that caregiving self-efficacy may be a resource which, if appropriately targeted, can confer resilience to caregiver health decline. That a differential relationship between self-efficacy and health risk did not emerge across ethnicity and kinship status implies that the findings were not predicated on ethnic or kinship status differences in the sample.
To increase the database of genes expressed in human cornea and to gain insights into the molecular basis of keratoconus (KC).
A cDNA library was constructed from KC corneas harvested at keratoplasty ...and used for expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis. Data were analyzed using grouping and identification of sequence tags (GRIST). Expression of selected clones was examined by RT-PCR.
A total of 7680 clones was sequenced from the 5' end. After bioinformatics analysis, 4090 clusters of clones, each potentially representing individual genes, were identified. Of these, 887 genes were represented by more than one clone. The five most abundant transcripts, represented by >60 clones each, were for keratin-12, TGFBI (BIGH3), decorin, ALDH3, and enolase 1, all known markers for cornea. Many other markers for epithelial, stromal, and endothelial genes were also present. One cluster of six clones came from an apparently novel gene (designated KC6) located on chromosome 18 at p12.3. RT-PCR of RNA from several human tissues detected KC6 transcripts only in cornea. In addition, no clones were observed for the usually prominent corneal epithelial cell marker aquaporin 5 (AQP5), a water channel protein. Semiquantitative RT-PCR confirmed that expression of AQP5 is much lower in KC cornea than in non-KC cornea.
This analysis increases the database of genes expressed in the human cornea and provides insights into KC. KC6 is a novel gene of unknown function that shows cornea-preferred expression, whereas the suppression of transcripts for AQP5 provides the first clear evidence of a molecular defect identified in KC.
We present the photometric and spectroscopic evolution of the type Ic supernova LSQ14efd, discovered by the La Silla QUEST survey and followed by PESSTO. LSQ14efd was discovered few days after ...explosion and the observations cover up to ∼100 d. The early photometric points show the signature of the cooling of the shock break-out event experienced by the progenitor at the time of the supernova explosion, one of the first for a type Ic supernova. A comparison with type Ic supernova spectra shows that LSQ14efd is quite similar to the type Ic SN 2004aw. These two supernovae have kinetic energies that are intermediate between standard Ic explosions and those which are the most energetic explosions known (e.g. SN 1998bw). We computed an analytical model for the light-curve peak and estimated the mass of the ejecta 6.3 ± 0.5 M_⊙, a synthesized nickel mass of 0.25 M_⊙ and a kinetic energy of E_kin = 5.6 ± 0.5 × 10^51 erg. No connection between LSQ14efd and a gamma-ray burst event could be established. However we point out that the supernova shows some spectroscopic similarities with the peculiar SN-Ia 1999ac and the SN-Iax SN 2008A. A core-collapse origin is most probable considering the spectroscopic, photometric evolution and the detection of the cooling of the shock breakout.
We present optical observations of the peculiar stripped-envelope supernovae (SNe) LSQ12btw and LSQ13ccw discovered by the La Silla-QUEST survey. LSQ12btw reaches an absolute peak magnitude of M
g
... = −19.3 ± 0.2, and shows an asymmetric light curve. Stringent pre-discovery limits constrain its rise time to maximum light to less than 4 d, with a slower post-peak luminosity decline, similar to that experienced by the prototypical SN Ibn 2006jc. LSQ13ccw is somewhat different: while it also exhibits a very fast rise to maximum, it reaches a fainter absolute peak magnitude (M
g
= −18.4 ± 0.2), and experiences an extremely rapid post-peak decline similar to that observed in the peculiar SN Ib 2002bj. A stringent pre-discovery limit and an early marginal detection of LSQ13ccw allow us to determine the explosion time with an uncertainty of ±1 d. The spectra of LSQ12btw show the typical narrow He i emission lines characterizing Type Ibn SNe, suggesting that the SN ejecta are interacting with He-rich circumstellar material. The He i lines in the spectra of LSQ13ccw exhibit weak narrow emissions superposed on broad components. An unresolved Hα line is also detected, suggesting a tentative Type Ibn/IIn classification. As for other SNe Ibn, we argue that LSQ12btw and LSQ13ccw likely result from the explosions of Wolf–Rayet stars that experienced instability phases prior to core collapse. We inspect the host galaxies
of SNe Ibn, and we show that all of them but one are hosted in spiral galaxies, likely in environments spanning a wide metallicity range.
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