Obesity and excess weight are significant clinical and public health issues that disproportionate... more Obesity and excess weight are significant clinical and public health issues that disproportionately affect African Americans because of physical inactivity and unhealthy eating. We compared the effects of alternate behavioral interventions on obesity-related health behaviors. We conducted a comparative effectiveness education trial in a community-based sample of 530 adult African Americans. Outcomes variables were physical activity (PA) and fruit and vegetable intake. Outcomes were evaluated at baseline and 1-month following interventions about shared risk factors for cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) (integrated, INT) or CVD only (disease-specific). Significant increases were found in the proportion of participants who met PA guidelines from baseline (47.4%) to follow-up (52.4%) (P = 0.005). In the stratified analysis that were conducted to examine interaction between education and intervention group assignment, this effect was most apparent among participants who had ≤high s...
Proceedings of the Sixth Conference on Iasted International Conference Web Based Education Volume 2, Mar 14, 2007
... Recording an MFS videos using Fraps required a matter of a few minutes for each video, though... more ... Recording an MFS videos using Fraps required a matter of a few minutes for each video, though sometimes it was necessary to record an aerobatic maneuver more than once to assure that the final product reflects the right stuff from an aviator's point of view. ...
Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between financial analysis levels and identifiable... more Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between financial analysis levels and identifiable firm characteristics. The full text of 187 sell-side analyst reports is coded using content analysis. Publicly available information is searched to identify potential sources of ...
Liver disease is a leading cause of mortality among HIV-infected persons in the highly active ant... more Liver disease is a leading cause of mortality among HIV-infected persons in the highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) era. Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) co-infection is prevalent in, and worsened by HIV; consequently many co-infected persons require liver transplantation (LT). Despite the need, post-LT outcomes are poor in co-infection. We examined predictors of outcomes post-LT. Immunologic biomarkers of immune activation, microbial translocation, and Th1/Th2 skewing were measured pre-LT in participants enrolled in a cohort of HIV infected persons requiring solid organ transplant (HIVTR). Predictive biomarkers were analyzed in Cox-proportional hazards models; multivariate models included known predictors of outcome and biomarkers from univariate analyses. Sixty-nine HIV-HCV co-infected persons with available pre-LT samples were tested: median (IQR) CD4+ T-cell count was 286 (210-429) cells mm-3; 6 (9%) had detectable HIV RNA. Median (IQR) follow-up was 2.1 (0.7-4.0) years, 29 (42%) people died, 35 (51%) had graft loss, 22 (32%) were treated for acute rejection, and 14 (20%) had severe recurrent HCV. In multivariate models, sCD14 levels were significantly lower in persons with graft loss post-LT (HR 0.10 [95%CI 0.02-0.68]). IL-10 levels were higher in persons with rejection (HR 2.10 [95%CI 1.01-4.34]). No markers predicted severe recurrent HCV. Monocyte activation pre-LT may be mechanistically linked to graft health in HIV-HCV co-infection.
This study examined attitudes and perspectives of classroom guitar students toward the reading of... more This study examined attitudes and perspectives of classroom guitar students toward the reading of staff notation in music. The purpose of this qualitative research was to reveal these perceptions in the student's own words, and compare them to those of orchestra and band students of comparable experience. Forty-seven students from four suburban middle and high schools on the east coast were selected through purposeful sampling techniques. Research instruments included a Musical Background Questionnaire and a thirty-five question Student Survey.
We evaluated a risk counseling intervention designed to enhance understanding about risk factors ... more We evaluated a risk counseling intervention designed to enhance understanding about risk factors for cancer and cardiovascular disease, to improve self-efficacy for diet and physical activity, and to increase intentions to eat healthier and be physically active. We conducted a quasi-experimental study developed by academic investigators and community stakeholders to evaluate the effects of integrated risk counseling in a community-based sample of African American adults (n = 101). The intervention provided education about the overlap in risk factors for cancer and cardiovascular disease and included components from motivational interviewing. Changes in behavioral intentions were not statistically significant (p > .05). Participants reported significantly greater levels of self-efficacy for diet (t = 2.25, p = .03) and physical activity (t = 2.55, p = .01), and significantly increased perceived risks of developing colon cancer (chi2 = 3.86, p = .05) and having a heart attack (chi2...
The social environment is important to body mass index and obesity. However, it is unknown if per... more The social environment is important to body mass index and obesity. However, it is unknown if perceptions of the social environment are associated with obesity-related behaviors in populations at greatest risk for being overweight or obese. We evaluated the relationship between collective efficacy and diet and physical activity in a community-based sample of African American adults who were residents in an urban area. Data were collected as part of an academic-community partnership from November 2009 to 2011. We evaluated whether participants met the recommended guidelines for diet and physical activity based on collective efficacy and their sociodemographic background, health care variables, and self-efficacy in a community-based sample of African American adults (n = 338) who were residents in the Philadelphia, PA metropolitan area. Overall, many participants did not meet the recommended guidelines for fruit and vegetable intake or physical activity. The likelihood of meeting the recommended guidelines for fruit intake increased with greater levels of collective efficacy (OR 1.56, 95 % CI 1.18, 2.07, p = 0.002) and self-efficacy for diet (OR 1.56, 95 % CI 1.19, 2.04, p = 0.001). Collective efficacy was not associated with physical activity and the positive association between collective efficacy and vegetable intake was not statistically significant (OR 1.25, 95 % CI 0.94, 1.65, p = 0.12). It is important to determine the most effective methods and settings for improving diet and physical activity behaviors in urban African Americans. Enhancing collective efficacy may be important to improving adherence to recommended guidelines for obesity-related health behaviors.
In 1997 the US Army's Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation Command (STRICOM), recognizi... more In 1997 the US Army's Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation Command (STRICOM), recognizing the increasingly attractive economies of scale associated with PC 3D rendering technology, awarded a contract to the University of Central Florida's Institute for Simulation and Training (IST) to study the suitability of PCs for military real-time visual simulation (VisSim). The result was the Low-Cost Visual (LCV) Project. To date the LCV team has studied specifications for military VisSim systems to see how they compare with feature and performance criteria for PC graphics systems, and developed a real-time visual simulation benchmark suite. Currently we are trying to relate the complexity of visual databases used in the benchmark suite tests to databases used in typical military visual simulations. We also contemplate studying available graphics development software tools for the PC and may examine how available PC technology can be used in embedded real-time systems for military combat vehicles. Our results should interest the general VisSim community, however, since problems associated with real-time 3D rendering on a PC are the same whether simulations are built for the military or for a virtual reality arcade, for example
Obesity and excess weight are significant clinical and public health issues that disproportionate... more Obesity and excess weight are significant clinical and public health issues that disproportionately affect African Americans because of physical inactivity and unhealthy eating. We compared the effects of alternate behavioral interventions on obesity-related health behaviors. We conducted a comparative effectiveness education trial in a community-based sample of 530 adult African Americans. Outcomes variables were physical activity (PA) and fruit and vegetable intake. Outcomes were evaluated at baseline and 1-month following interventions about shared risk factors for cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) (integrated, INT) or CVD only (disease-specific). Significant increases were found in the proportion of participants who met PA guidelines from baseline (47.4%) to follow-up (52.4%) (P = 0.005). In the stratified analysis that were conducted to examine interaction between education and intervention group assignment, this effect was most apparent among participants who had ≤high s...
Proceedings of the Sixth Conference on Iasted International Conference Web Based Education Volume 2, Mar 14, 2007
... Recording an MFS videos using Fraps required a matter of a few minutes for each video, though... more ... Recording an MFS videos using Fraps required a matter of a few minutes for each video, though sometimes it was necessary to record an aerobatic maneuver more than once to assure that the final product reflects the right stuff from an aviator's point of view. ...
Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between financial analysis levels and identifiable... more Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between financial analysis levels and identifiable firm characteristics. The full text of 187 sell-side analyst reports is coded using content analysis. Publicly available information is searched to identify potential sources of ...
Liver disease is a leading cause of mortality among HIV-infected persons in the highly active ant... more Liver disease is a leading cause of mortality among HIV-infected persons in the highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) era. Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) co-infection is prevalent in, and worsened by HIV; consequently many co-infected persons require liver transplantation (LT). Despite the need, post-LT outcomes are poor in co-infection. We examined predictors of outcomes post-LT. Immunologic biomarkers of immune activation, microbial translocation, and Th1/Th2 skewing were measured pre-LT in participants enrolled in a cohort of HIV infected persons requiring solid organ transplant (HIVTR). Predictive biomarkers were analyzed in Cox-proportional hazards models; multivariate models included known predictors of outcome and biomarkers from univariate analyses. Sixty-nine HIV-HCV co-infected persons with available pre-LT samples were tested: median (IQR) CD4+ T-cell count was 286 (210-429) cells mm-3; 6 (9%) had detectable HIV RNA. Median (IQR) follow-up was 2.1 (0.7-4.0) years, 29 (42%) people died, 35 (51%) had graft loss, 22 (32%) were treated for acute rejection, and 14 (20%) had severe recurrent HCV. In multivariate models, sCD14 levels were significantly lower in persons with graft loss post-LT (HR 0.10 [95%CI 0.02-0.68]). IL-10 levels were higher in persons with rejection (HR 2.10 [95%CI 1.01-4.34]). No markers predicted severe recurrent HCV. Monocyte activation pre-LT may be mechanistically linked to graft health in HIV-HCV co-infection.
This study examined attitudes and perspectives of classroom guitar students toward the reading of... more This study examined attitudes and perspectives of classroom guitar students toward the reading of staff notation in music. The purpose of this qualitative research was to reveal these perceptions in the student's own words, and compare them to those of orchestra and band students of comparable experience. Forty-seven students from four suburban middle and high schools on the east coast were selected through purposeful sampling techniques. Research instruments included a Musical Background Questionnaire and a thirty-five question Student Survey.
We evaluated a risk counseling intervention designed to enhance understanding about risk factors ... more We evaluated a risk counseling intervention designed to enhance understanding about risk factors for cancer and cardiovascular disease, to improve self-efficacy for diet and physical activity, and to increase intentions to eat healthier and be physically active. We conducted a quasi-experimental study developed by academic investigators and community stakeholders to evaluate the effects of integrated risk counseling in a community-based sample of African American adults (n = 101). The intervention provided education about the overlap in risk factors for cancer and cardiovascular disease and included components from motivational interviewing. Changes in behavioral intentions were not statistically significant (p > .05). Participants reported significantly greater levels of self-efficacy for diet (t = 2.25, p = .03) and physical activity (t = 2.55, p = .01), and significantly increased perceived risks of developing colon cancer (chi2 = 3.86, p = .05) and having a heart attack (chi2...
The social environment is important to body mass index and obesity. However, it is unknown if per... more The social environment is important to body mass index and obesity. However, it is unknown if perceptions of the social environment are associated with obesity-related behaviors in populations at greatest risk for being overweight or obese. We evaluated the relationship between collective efficacy and diet and physical activity in a community-based sample of African American adults who were residents in an urban area. Data were collected as part of an academic-community partnership from November 2009 to 2011. We evaluated whether participants met the recommended guidelines for diet and physical activity based on collective efficacy and their sociodemographic background, health care variables, and self-efficacy in a community-based sample of African American adults (n = 338) who were residents in the Philadelphia, PA metropolitan area. Overall, many participants did not meet the recommended guidelines for fruit and vegetable intake or physical activity. The likelihood of meeting the recommended guidelines for fruit intake increased with greater levels of collective efficacy (OR 1.56, 95 % CI 1.18, 2.07, p = 0.002) and self-efficacy for diet (OR 1.56, 95 % CI 1.19, 2.04, p = 0.001). Collective efficacy was not associated with physical activity and the positive association between collective efficacy and vegetable intake was not statistically significant (OR 1.25, 95 % CI 0.94, 1.65, p = 0.12). It is important to determine the most effective methods and settings for improving diet and physical activity behaviors in urban African Americans. Enhancing collective efficacy may be important to improving adherence to recommended guidelines for obesity-related health behaviors.
In 1997 the US Army's Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation Command (STRICOM), recognizi... more In 1997 the US Army's Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation Command (STRICOM), recognizing the increasingly attractive economies of scale associated with PC 3D rendering technology, awarded a contract to the University of Central Florida's Institute for Simulation and Training (IST) to study the suitability of PCs for military real-time visual simulation (VisSim). The result was the Low-Cost Visual (LCV) Project. To date the LCV team has studied specifications for military VisSim systems to see how they compare with feature and performance criteria for PC graphics systems, and developed a real-time visual simulation benchmark suite. Currently we are trying to relate the complexity of visual databases used in the benchmark suite tests to databases used in typical military visual simulations. We also contemplate studying available graphics development software tools for the PC and may examine how available PC technology can be used in embedded real-time systems for military combat vehicles. Our results should interest the general VisSim community, however, since problems associated with real-time 3D rendering on a PC are the same whether simulations are built for the military or for a virtual reality arcade, for example
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