bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Association of Light Physical Activity With Health Indicators Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults
Authors: Moore Kristen , Li Kaigang , Diehl Manfred , Thompson Katherine , Nehrkorn-Bailey Abigail 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Physical Activity (PA) Guidelines for Americans recommend engagement in moderate or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for middle-aged and older adults. Although these guidelines encourage adults to “move more and sit less,” there are no explicit recommendations for engaging in Light PA (LPA). The purpose of this study was to examine the association between LPA and health Indicators among middle-aged and older adults, in the context of sedentary time (ST) and MVPA. We used baseline data from 171 individuals (Mean age: 59.3±8.51 years), participating in Colorado State University’s AgingPlus program. Selected health Indicators included Body Mass Index (BMI), waist circumference (WC in cm), mean arterial pressure (MAP in mmHg), grip strength (GS in lbs), and indirect VO2max (ml/kg/min). ST and PA were measured using Actigraph accelerometers worn for 7 days (excluding wear time &lt;500 mins/day). Linear regression analyses, controlling for sex, age group, and race, indicated that more ST was associated with greater BMI (B=3.33), greater WC (B=3.35), and lower VO2max (B=-3.09). More LPA was associated with lower BMI (B=-4.47), lower WC (B=-5.0), lower MAP (B=-2.81), and higher VO2max (B=4.64). MVPA was associated with lower BMI (B=-3.04), lower WC (B=-4.21), higher VO2max (B=4.74), and higher grip strength (B=2.33). In conclusion, more ST was associated with indicators of poorer physical health. LPA, similar to MVPA, was associated with indicators of better physical health and performance. Future longitudinal and experimental studies examining the causal relationship between LPA and physical health and performance are warranted.
Association Between Prescription Opioid Use and Mortality in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Authors: D’Aiuto Carina , Vasiliadis Helen-Maria 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Prescription opioid use is concerning among older adults. Yet, few studies have examined the impact of opioid use on mortality by considering multimorbidity. Our sample includes 1586 older adults aged ≥65 recruited in primary care from 2011-2013 in a large health administrative region in Quebec and participating in the ESA-Services study, a longitudinal study on aging and health service use. An opioid prescription delivered in the 3 years prior to the baseline interview was identified using the provincial pharmaceutical drug registry. Mortality was ascertained from the vital statistics registry until 2015. The presence of chronic diseases was based on self-reported and physician diagnostic codes in health administrative databases. Physical multimorbidity was defined as ≥3 chronic physical conditions from either source. Physical/psychiatric multimorbidity was defined as ≥3 chronic physical conditions and ≥1 common mental disorder from either source. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between opioid use and mortality, controlling for sociodemographic factors. Interactions were tested for opioid use and multimorbidity. Older adults with physical multimorbidity using opioids were 1.76 (95%CI: 1.02-3.03) times more likely to die than those not using opioids. Those with physical/psychiatric multimorbidity using opioids were 2.27 (95%CI: 1.26-4.09) times more likely to die than those not using opioids. Older age, male sex, and single marital status significantly increased the risk of mortality. Overall, opioid use increases the risk of death in older adults with multimorbidity. The presence of mental disorders further increases the risk of death in older adults with physical multimorbidity using opioids.
T3:T4 Ratio Can Distinguish Between Adaptive Changes and True Subclinical Hypothyroidism in Older Adults
Authors: Abbey Enoch , McGready John , Simonsick Eleanor , Mammen Jennifer 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Because of heterogeneity in hormonal aging,1 we believe isolated elevated TSH is insufficient to drive clinical decision making for thyroid hormone replacement in older adults. We performed a cross-sectional study involving 63 older adult participants of the BLSA in order to assess the diagnostic value of individual hormone levels or free T3: free T4 ratio for differentiating thyroid-aging phenotypes. We defined two phenotypic groups, central adaptation and primary hypothyroidism, both with a rising TSH and with a rising or falling FT4 respectively. Fifty-four percent of study participants were male, the average age was 78.8 years, and 66.7% had the primary hypothyroidism phenotype. The unadjusted odds ratio of having the central adaptation phenotype is 23.40 (95% CI 3.66-149.73) for every unit increase in the FT3:FT4 ratio. The ROC curve had a C-statistic of 0.815. Similarly, FT4 alone distinguished the phenotypes with a C-statistic of 0.864. In contrast, TSH and FT3 were not predictive (C-statistic of 0.617, and 0.479 respectively). When the analysis is limited to the 24 individuals with elevated TSH, the ratio remains predictive (0.839). Both the higher FT4 and the lower ratio found in individuals with adaptive changes are consistent with a physiology similar to the adaptations seen in acute illness. This supports the hypothesis that elevated TSH can represent a response to stressors with aging and doesn’t always warrant treatment with thyroid hormone. Our findings suggest that full thyroid function panel can be used to make better diagnostic decisions in older adults.
EEG Measures of Value-Directed Strategic Processing in Older Adults With and Without Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Nguyen Lydia , Shende Shraddha , Llano Daniel , Mudar Raksha 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Value-directed strategic processing is important for daily functioning. It allows selective processing of important information and inhibition of irrelevant information. This ability is relatively preserved in normal cognitive aging, but it is unclear if mild cognitive impairment (MCI) affects strategic processing and its underlying neurophysiological mechanisms. The current study examined behavioral and EEG spectral power differences between 16 cognitively normal older adults (CNOA; mean age: 74.5 ± 4.0 years) and 16 individuals with MCI (mean age: 77.1 ± 4.3 years) linked to a value-directed strategic processing task. The task used five unique word lists where words were assigned high- or low-value based on letter case and were presented sequentially while EEG was recorded. Participants were instructed to recall as many words as possible after each list to maximize their score. Results revealed no group differences in recall of low-value words, but individuals with MCI recalled significantly fewer high-value words and total number of words relative to CNOA. Group differences were observed in theta and alpha bands for low-value words, with greater synchronized theta power for CNOA than MCI and greater desynchronized alpha power for MCI than CNOA. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that more effortful neural processing of low-value words in the MCI group, relative to the CNOA group, allowed them to match their behavioral performance to the CNOA group. Individuals with MCI appear to utilize more cognitive resources to inhibit low-value information and might show memory-related benefits if taught strategies to focus on high-value information processing.
High Cognitive Load Situations Decrease Both Gait and Cognitive Performance
Authors: Kim Hyeon Jung , Fallahtafti Farahnaz , Yentes Jennifer , Venema Dawn , Boron Julie Blaskewicz 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
A high cognitive load situation (HCLS) is completing two or more tasks simultaneously (i.e. walking while talking). Differential allocation of attentional demands creates HCLS, potentially deteriorating cognitive and/or gait performance, impacting fall risk. This study investigated whether different load types [(Single-task (ST): talking/walking only, and HCLS: walking while talking on a phone)] impacted gait and cognitive performance among young (n=8; age=23.16±1.96yrs), middle-aged (n=14; age=44.79±7.42yrs), and older (n=15; age=74.47±3.91yrs) adults. In 3-minute trials, participants completed single-task walking (ST-W) and phone conversations with easy (e.g., favorite food, ST-E) and difficult (e.g., personal relationships, ST-D) topics, and also combined walking and talking (easy: HCLS-E and difficult: HCLS-D). For gait, speed, step length (SL) and stride width (SW) were analyzed with 3(ST-W, HCLS-E, HCLS-D) x 3(Age) repeated-measures ANOVAs. HCLS resulted in slower speed (p &lt;.001, shorter SL (p &lt;.001), and wider SW (p=.008) across groups. Older adults exhibited shorter SL across walking conditions (p=.002) compared to young and middle-aged. For cognition, Word Count (WC) and Authenticity (i.e. honesty) were analyzed with 2(Evs.D) x 2(STvs.HCLS) x 3(Age) repeated-measures ANOVAs. Main effects emerged for conversation topic in WC (p=.04) and Authenticity (p&lt;.001); difficult topics negatively impacted participants’ cognitive performance, likely resulting from higher attention to maintain conversations without personal interactions (i.e. visual cues). Marginal age-group differences (p=.056) revealed older age resulted in less authentic conversations. The HCLS in this study negatively impacted gait and cognitive performance. Understanding this relationship may ultimately inform development of interventions to improve allocation of attentional demands, potentially mitigating fall risk.
Neighborhood Walkability Among Older Adults With and Without Physical Disabilities
Authors: Suzuki Rie , Blackwood Jennifer , Webster Noah 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Older adults with physical disabilities (PDs) often experience obstacles to walking locally. Although health promotion programs targeting physical activity are available in lower income, few studies have compared the walking experiences of older adults in these communities who have PDs with those who do not. The purpose of this study was to compare perceptions of neighborhood walkability among adults living in lower income communities with and without PDs. Participants (N=132) were recruited in 2018 at a regional health clinic in Flint, MI. To be eligible, participants had to be over 65 years old and Flint residents. A subsample (N=12) were then followed up with in 2019/2020. We defined PDs as having difficulty performing one or more activities of daily living. Descriptive statistics and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were performed. Of the 132 participants, the mean age in 2018 was 69.75 (SD=5.00). The majority were female (68%); African American (80%); single, divorced, or widowed (80%); and educated below GED level (84%). Older adults with PDs were less likely than those without to visit stores within walking distance and walk in their neighborhoods, and more likely to complain about a lot of traffic along the street. Analysis of the longitudinal data show that older adults who had PDs at time 1 were more likely at time 2 to 1) state that their neighborhoods were unsafe; and 2) perceive their neighborhoods more negatively. Findings suggest it is essential to develop disability-friendly support systems and accommodations to encourage walking in lower income communities.
Characterizing the elusive Vancouver Island wolverine, Gulo gulo vancouverensis, using historical DNA
Authors: Hessels Evan W , Lofroth Eric C , Weir Richard D , Gorrell Jamieson C 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The wolverine (Gulo gulo) is a Holarctic species found in North America primarily across the boreal forest, the subarctic, and along the Pacific coast, including Vancouver Island (VI), British Columbia. While wolverines on VI are rare and possibly extirpated, they have been previously described as a unique subspecies, G. g. vancouverensis, distinct from G. g. luscus from the mainland of North America. However, the validity of the VI subspecies is contentious, with conflicting results from studies of skull morphology. Here, we used molecular analyses to characterize the genetic diversity of the VI population and resolve this taxonomic debate to assist with conservation priorities. Historical DNA of VI wolverines was obtained from museum specimens, amplified at 16 nuclear microsatellite loci, and sequenced at the mitochondrial D-loop control region to compare with wolverines from mainland British Columbia. The VI population had lower allelic richness and was fixed for a single common mtDNA haplotype. Bayesian and non-Bayesian assignments using microsatellites generally revealed admixture across populations, implying allele frequencies between the VI and mainland populations were not significantly different. Hence, both types of genetic markers showed little evolutionary divergence between VI and the mainland population. Combined, these results do not provide evidence of significant genetic distinction for VI wolverines, nor support the subspecific classification. Immediate conservation efforts should focus on estimating population size, while future conservation planning can assume VI wolverines likely are not a unique genetic population and there remains the potential for natural recolonization of wolverines to VI.
Determining star formation rates in active galactic nuclei hosts via stellar population synthesis
Authors: Riffel Rogério , Mallmann Nicolas D , Ilha Gabriele S , Storchi-Bergmann Thaisa , Riffel Rogemar A , Rembold Sandro B , Bizyaev Dmitry , do Nascimento Janaina C , Schimoia Jaderson S , da Costa Luiz N , Fraser Boardman Nicholas , Boquien Médéric , Couto Guilherme S 
Published: December 2020

ABSTRACT
The effect of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) feedback on the host galaxy, and its role in quenching or enhancing star formation, is still uncertain due to the fact that usual star formation rate (SFR) indicators – emission-line luminosities based on the assumption of photoionization by young stars – cannot be used for active galaxies as the ionizing source is the AGN. We thus investigate the use of SFR derived from the stellar population and its relation with that derived from the gas for a sample of 170 AGN hosts and a matched control sample of 291 galaxies. We compare the values of SFR densities obtained via the H α emission line ($\rm \Sigma SFR_{Gas}$) for regions ionized by hot stars according to diagnostic diagrams with those obtained from stellar population synthesis ($\rm \Sigma SFR_\star$) over the last 1 to 100 Myr. We find that the $\rm \Sigma SFR_\star$ over the last 20 Myr closely reproduces the $\rm \Sigma SFR_{Gas}$, although a better match is obtained via the transformation: $\mbox{log($ \rm \Sigma SFR_\star $)} = (0.872\pm 0.004)\mbox{log($\rm \Sigma SFR_{Gas}$)} -(0.075\pm 0.006)$ (or $\mbox{log($\rm \Sigma SFR_{Gas}$)} = (1.147\pm 0.005)\mbox{log($ \rm \Sigma SFR_\star $)} +(0.086\pm 0.080)$), which is valid for both AGN hosts and non-active galaxies. We also compare the reddening obtained via the gas H α/H β ratio with that derived via the full spectral fitting in the stellar population synthesis. We find that the ratio between the gas and stellar extinction is in the range 2.64 ≤AVg/AV⋆ ≤ 2.85, in approximate agreement with previous results from the literature, obtained for smaller samples. We interpret the difference as being due to the fact that the reddening of the stars is dominated by that affecting the less obscured underlying older population, while the reddening of the gas is larger as it is associated with a younger stellar population buried deeper in the dust.
Implications of the NANOGrav results for inflation
Authors: Vagnozzi Sunny 
Published: December 2020

ABSTRACT
The NANOGrav pulsar timing array experiment reported evidence for a stochastic common-spectrum process affecting pulsar timing residuals in its 12.5-yr data set, which might be interpreted as the first detection of a stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB). I examine whether the NANOGrav signal might be explained by an inflationary SGWB, focusing on the implications for the tensor spectral index nT and the tensor-to-scalar ratio r. Explaining NANOGrav while complying with upper limits on r from BICEP2/Keck Array and Planck requires $r \gtrsim {\cal O}(10^{-6})$ in conjunction with an extremely blue tensor spectrum, 0.7 ≲ nT ≲ 1.3. After discussing models, which can realize such a blue spectrum, I show that this region of parameter space can be brought in agreement with big bang nucleosynthesis constraints for a sufficiently low reheating scale, $T_{\rm rh} \lesssim 100\, {\rm GeV} \!-\! 1\, {\rm TeV}$. With the important caveat of having assumed a power-law parametrization for the primordial tensor spectrum, an inflationary interpretation of the NANOGrav signal is therefore not excluded.
How China Loses
Authors: Patey Luke 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
China wants to replace the United States as the world’s leading superpower. But what does the world want from China? In a new era of strategic competition between China and the United States, Luke Patey explores how the rest of the world is responding to China’s rise. Many fear that China’s economic power, tech innovations, and growing military might will allow it to remake the world in its own authoritarian image. But despite all its strengths, a future with China in charge is far from certain. China will rule the twenty-first century only if the world lets it. How China Loses tells the story of China’s struggles to overcome new risks and endure the global backlash against its assertive reach. Combining on-the-ground reportage with incisive analysis, Patey argues that China’s predatory economic agenda, headstrong diplomacy, and military expansion undermine its global ambitions. In travels to Africa, Latin America, East Asia, and Europe, his encounters with activists, business managers, diplomats, and thinkers show the challenges threatening China’s rising power. China’s relations with the outside world are reaching a critical juncture. Political differences and security tensions have risen, and many countries are now recognizing that economic engagement produces new strategic vulnerabilities to their competitiveness and autonomy. At a time when views from Washington and Beijing dominate the discussion, Patey’s work shows how perspectives from around the world will shape the global economy and world affairs.
Disrupting the Cycle of Incarceration
Authors: Plough Alonzo L. 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
This chapter explores the root causes for the high rate of incarceration in the United States and its health-damaging consequences. Reducing incarceration levels, particularly in communities of color and disadvantage, is a vital building block of a Culture of Health. Addressing mass incarceration in the United States, however, requires a range of approaches and tactics that target multiple levels of the complex criminal justice system. The chapter then describes both broad-based solutions and targeted local efforts to break the cycle of incarceration at various points: before arrest, within prison walls, after release, and across generations. Changing the narrative is a feature of many efforts, as activists find new ways to talk about poverty, crime, and prison, and adults with a history of incarceration commit to renewing bonds with their children.
The Green Health Care Revolution
Authors: Plough Alonzo L. 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
This chapter discusses the green health care revolution, a movement that includes efforts to: reduce greenhouse gas emissions; reduce toxic chemicals and materials in hospital buildings and operating rooms; streamline and improve supply chains; reduce material, water, and energy waste; foster farm-to-table food options; enhance green investment opportunities; and improve waste disposal practices. It traces the evolution of the movement since 1996 and the founding of Health Care Without Harm (HCWH). The challenge, however, remains daunting. An estimated 10 percent of harmful U.S. emissions still originate from health systems, making them significant contributors to the problem of climate change. According to a recent study, the U.S. health care sector would be the world's 13th-largest emitter of greenhouse gases if it were ranked as a nation. Nevertheless, support for greening health care is building.
All Africa and Her Prodigies
Authors: Parfitt Tudor 
Published: December 2020

AbstractAfrica was the acknowledged home of the monstrous and the hybrid. The kingdom of Loango was a particular focus of attention with regard to monstrous hybridity. Various creatures such as the pongo symbolized the sexual fascination with the hybrid. White negroes, thought to be a Loangan marvel, were a magnet for Western attention along with the other hybrid creatures with which Loango abounded, and which were a constant source of fascination for Enlightenment figures such as Voltaire, Diderot, and Krünitz. Toward the end of the eighteenth century another hybrid was discovered in Loango, one which impact race discussions in the future.
Information Recovery Related to Adaptive Economic Behavior and Choice
Authors: Judge George 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
In this chapter, we emphasize the connection between adaptive economic behavior and causal entropy maximization and suggest methods consistent with information recovery in an open dynamic economic system. This entropy-based causal adaptive behavior framework permits the use of a family of information-theoretic estimation and inference methods as a basis for linking the data and the unknown and unobservable system behavioral parameters. Several econometric models and applications are demonstrated, and economic-econometric implications of the information-theoretic approach are discussed. We end the chapter with a question concerning the use of traditional estimation and inference methods that do not have a connection to economic behavior and choice data.
Entropic Dynamics
Authors: Caticha Ariel 
Published: December 2020

AbstractEntropic dynamics is a framework in which dynamical laws such as those that arise in physics are derived as an application of entropic methods of inference. No underlying laws of motion such as those of classical mechanics are postulated. Instead, the dynamics is driven by entropy subject to constraints that reflect the information relevant to the problem at hand. In this chapter I review the derivation of three forms of mechanics. The first is a standard diffusion, the second is a form of Hamiltonian mechanics, and the third form is an argument from information geometry used to derive the special case known as quantum mechanics.