Actigraphy

The objective of this study was to explore whether accelerometer thresholds that are adjusted to account for differences in body mass influence discrepancies between self-report and accelerometer-measured physical activity (PA) volume for individuals with overweight and obesity. We analyzed 6164 adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2003-2006. Established accelerometer thresholds were adjusted to account for differences in body mass to produce a similar energy expenditure (EE) rate as individuals with normal weight. Moderate-, vigorous-, and moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) durations were measured using established and adjusted accelerometer thresholds and compared with self-report. Durations of self-report were longer than accelerometer-measured MVPA using established thresholds (normal weight: 57.8 ± 2.4 vs 9.0 ± 0.5 min/day, overweight: 56.1 ± 2.7 vs 7.4 ± 0.5 min/day, and obesity: 46.5 ± 2.2 vs 3.7 ± 0.3 min/day). Durations of subjecti...

To assess the effectiveness of a weighted-blanket intervention in treating severe sleep problems in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This phase III trial was a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover design. Participants were aged between 5 years and 16 years 10 months, with a confirmed ASD diagnosis and severe sleep problems, refractory to community-based interventions. The interventions were either a commercially available weighted blanket or otherwise identical usual weight blanket (control), introduced at bedtime; each was used for a 2-week period before crossover to the other blanket. Primary outcome was total sleep time (TST) recorded by actigraphy over each 2-week period. Secondary outcomes included actigraphically recorded sleep-onset latency, sleep efficiency, assessments of child behavior, family functioning, and adverse events. Sleep was also measured by using parent-report diaries. Seventy-three children were randomized and analysis conducted on 67 children...

Background: Although mindfulness meditation interventions have recently shown benefits for reducing stress in various populations, little is known about their relative efficacy compared with relaxation interventions.Purpose: This randomized controlled trial examines the effects of a 1-month mindfulness meditation versus somatic relaxation training as compared to a control group in 83 students (M age=25; 16 men and 67 women) reporting distress.Method: Psychological distress, positive states of mind, distractive and ruminative thoughts and behaviors, and spiritual experience were measured, while controlling for social desirability.Results: Hierarchical linear modeling reveals that both meditation and relaxation groups experienced significant decreases in distress as well as increases in positive mood states over time, compared with the control group (p<.05 in all cases). There were no significant differences between meditation and relaxation on distress and positive mood states over time. Effect sizes for distress were large for both meditation and relaxation (Cohen’s d=1.36 and .91, respectively), whereas the meditation group showed a larger effect size for positive states of mind than relaxation (Cohen’s d=.71 and .25, respectively). The meditation group also demonstrated significant pre-post decreases in both distractive and ruminative thoughts/behaviors compared with the control group (p<.04 in all cases; Cohen’s d=.57 for rumination and .25 for distraction for the meditation group), with mediation models suggesting that mindfulness meditation’s effects on reducing distress were partially mediated by reducing rumination. No significant effects were found for spiritual experience.Conclusions: The data suggest that compared with a no-treatment control, brief training in mindfulness meditation or somatic relaxation reduces distress and improves positive mood states. However, mindfulness meditation may be specific in its ability to reduce distractive and ruminative thoughts and behaviors, and this ability may provide a unique mechanism by which mindfulness meditation reduces distress.

This study presents a subject-independent model for detection of smoke inhalations from wearable sensors capturing characteristic hand-to-mouth gestures and changes in breathing patterns during cigarette smoking. Wearable sensors were used to detect the proximity of the hand to the mouth and to acquire the respiratory patterns. The waveforms of sensor signals were used as features to build a Support Vector Machine classification model. Across a data set of 20 enrolled participants, precision of correct identification of smoke inhalations was found to be &gt;87%, and a resulting recall &gt;80%. These results suggest that it is possible to analyze smoking behavior by means of a wearable and non-invasive sensor system.

To examine the validity of a novel caffeine intake questionnaire and to examine the effects of caffeine on sleep in college students. One-week, ad libitum behavior of 50 university students (28 female, 22 male; aged 20.9 ± 1.78 years) was examined with sleep logs, wrist actigraphy, and a novel daily questionnaire assessing caffeine intake at different times of day. Saliva samples were collected for caffeine assessment (questionnaire validation) and DNA extraction, and for analysis of a single nucleotide polymorphism in the adenosine receptor 2A (ADORA2A) gene. The caffeine questionnaire was able to accurately predict salivary concentrations of caffeine (R(2) = 0.41, P&lt;0.001). Estimations of integrated salivary caffeine concentration during sleep were correlated with wake after sleep onset (WASO) most strongly in morning-type individuals (R(2) = 0.49; P&lt;0.001, ANOVA), less so in intermediate chronotypes (R(2) = 0.16; P&lt;0.001, ANOVA), and not significantly in evening-types (R...

This work presents a new system for sport monitoring. The system was composed of a t-shirt with two textile electrodes and two devices for the acquisition, storage, processing and visualization of the signals. The systems allows monitoring both ECG signal (raw and processed heart-rate) and 3 axial acceleration (raw and step counter). The systems were tested in different conditions during some races; we report the results on three subjects during a skyrunning race.

The evolution and function of sleep remains an enigma in modern science. Significant variation can be observed within species and across taxa. Little is understood about how sleep exists, or presents itself in species surviving in extreme conditions. For example, harsh desert ecosystems with notably lower survival rates for resident species. It has been hypothesized that specialized sleep-related behaviours impact thermoregulation to promote survival advantage. The threatened Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx), a member of the Cetartiodactyl superorder, is a large desert dwelling ungulate species successfully residing in the arid zones of the Middle East. Arabian Oryx exhibit numerous morphophysiological adaptations and capabilities to cope with their harsh environment. The current thesis provides an examination of the neuroanatomy, physiology and behavioural patterns related to sleep in wild, free-roaming Arabian oryx under natural conditions. It was our objective to determine whether the extreme conditions and climate of the Arabian Desert has led to novelties within the organization of the oryx’s sleep related neuronal architecture, seasonal behaviour patterns and sleep physiology. Using immunohistochemistry and stereology our results indicate the sleep related nuclei in the brain of the oryx exhibit a typical mammalian organizational plan with additional order-specific and novel, species- specific features. Actigraphy revealed that oryx exhibit temporal niche switching patterns seasonally presenting with winter diurnal- and summer nocturnal activity and intermittent patterns during the transitional periods of spring and autumn. Polysomnography results indicate novel sleep patterns between seasons and physiologically confirm activity-based temporal niche switching at a seasonal level. Our work covers the first examination of the Arabian oryx brain sleep centers as well as its year-long activity patterns. Importantly, it is the first examination of physiological
sleep in wild mammals within a desert environment. Our results suggest that ambient temperature acts a dominant driving force for the adaptive behavioural and physiological features described. The Arabian oryx is a remarkable species, well adapted to such an extreme environment and its highly plastic survival mechanisms appear unique. Considering the continual desertification of our planet and the predicted consequences of climate change, knowledge of such species and their continued conservation is of vital importance.

Severely ill patients often experience problems with sleep. Either acupressure or valerian aromatherapy are reported as helpful in promoting sleep. The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of valerian acupressure on the sleep of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). A randomized clinical trial. A 42-bed adult intensive care unit. Forty-one subjects in the experimental group and 44 subjects in the control group. The measurement included observation, and actigraphy measures during 10 pm-6 am, and the Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS) measures on the next morning. Experimental groups received valerian acupressure on the Shenmen, Neiguan, and Yongquan acupoints between 7 pm and 10 pm of the second day while control groups received regular treatment. Heart rate was measured for 5 min before and after valerian acupressure present for HR variability analysis to measure relaxation response. The results indicated that after receiving valerian acupressure, patients&#39; s...

The Arabian oryx inhabits an environment where summer ambient
temperatures can exceed 40 °C for extended periods of time. While the oryx uses a suite of adaptations that aid survival, the effects of this extreme environment on inactivity are unknown. To determine how the oryx manages inactivity seasonally, we measured the daily rhythm of body temperature and used fine-grain actigraphy, in 10 animals, to reveal when the animals were inactive in relation to ambient temperature and photoperiod. We demonstrate that during the cooler winter months, the oryx was inactive during the cooler parts of the 24-h day (predawn hours), showing a nighttime (nocturnal) inactivity pattern. In contrast,
in the warmer summer months, the oryx displayed a bimodal inactivity
pattern, with major inactivity bouts (those greater than 1 h) occurring equally during both the coolest part of the night (predawn hours) and the warmest part of the day (afternoon hours). Of note, the timing of the daily rhythm of body temperature did not vary seasonally, although the amplitude did change, leading to a seasonal alteration in the phase relationship between inactivity and the body temperature rhythm. Because during periods of inactivity the oryx were presumably asleep for much of the time, we speculate that the daytime shift in inactivity may allow the oryx to take advantage of the thermoregulatory physiology
of sleep, which likely occurs when the animal is inactive for more than 1
h, to mitigate environmentally induced increases in body temperature.

Research suggests participation in youth sport does not guarantee physical activity (PA) guidelines are met. Studies indicate few children achieve recommended levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during their youth sport involvement, and habitual levels of MVPA are below the recommended 60 min per day. Informed by self-determination theory, this study examined whether the coach-created social environment and related player motivation predict variability in objectively measured MVPA within the youth sport setting. Seventy three male youth sport footballers (Mean age = 11.66 ± 1.62) completed a multisection questionnaire assessing their perceptions of the social environment created in youth sport (autonomy supportive and controlling) and motivation towards their football participation (autonomous and controlled). Intensity of PA during youth sport was measured using accelerometers (GT3X, ActiGraph). Results supported a model in which perceptions of autonomy support ...