The effect of backward locomotion training on the body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness of young women

This study investigated the effect of a backward training program on the physical and fitness condition of young women. Twenty-six healthy female university students (aged 18 - 23 years) took part in three different baseline tests: body composition, a submaximal treadmill test, and a 20-m shuttle run test. Subjects were divided into a training group (n = 13) and a control group (n = 13). The training group completed a six-week backward run/walk training program. The control group was restricted to their daily activities similar to the four weeks prior to the onset of the baseline tests. The training group showed a significant (p = 0.01) decrease in O(2) consumption during both submaximal forward and backward exercise on the treadmill (32 % decrease during backward and 30 % decrease during forward exercise). A significant (p = 0.01) decrease in percentage body fat (2.4 %), a 19.7 % decrease in the sum of skinfolds (p = 0.001) and significantly (p = 0.013) improved predicted VO(2max) values from the forward 20-m shuttle run test (5.2 %) were also found in the case of the training group. The findings suggest that backward walk/run training improves cardiorespiratory fitness for both forward and backward exercise and causes significant changes in body composition in young women.     

Alcohol-focused spouse involvement and behavioral couples therapy: evaluation of enhancements to drinking reduction treatment for male problem drinkers

This study evaluated the effects of alcohol-focused spouse involvement and behavioral couples therapy (BCT) in group drinking reduction treatment for male problem drinkers. Sixty-four male clients and their female partners were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: treatment for problem drinkers only (PDO), couples alcohol-focused treatment, or the latter combined with BCT. Clients whose partners were included in treatment evidenced fewer heavy drinking days and more abstinent/light drinking days in the year following treatment, relative to PDO clients. The combination of alcohol-focused spouse involvement and BCT yielded no better outcomes than alcohol-focused spouse involvement alone. Drinking consequences, spouse behavioral support for drinking reduction, and relationship satisfaction showed no effects of treatment condition.     

Analysis of the successional patterns of insects on carrion in southwest Virginia

Studies of carrion-insect succession on domestic pig, Sus scrofa L., were conducted in the spring and summer of 2001 and 2002 in Blacksburg, VA, to identify and analyze the successional patterns of the taxa of forensic importance in southwest Virginia. Forty-seven insect taxa were collected in the spring. These were represented by 11 families (Diptera: Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae, Muscidae, Sepsidae, Piophilidae; Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Silphidae, Cleridae, Trogidae, Dermestidae, Histeridae). In the summer, 33 taxa were collected that were represented by all of the families collected in the spring, except Trogidae. The most common flies collected were the calliphorids: Phormia regina (Meigen) and Phaenicia coeruleiviridis (Macquart). The most common beetles were Creophilus maxillosus L. (Staphylinidae), Oiceoptoma noveboracense Forster, Necrophila americana L., Necrodes surinamensis (F.) (Silphidae), Euspilotus assimilis (Paykull), and Hister abbreviatus F. (Histeridae). Occurrence matrices were constructed for the successional patterns of insect taxa during 21 sampling intervals in the spring and 8 intervals in the summer studies. Jackknife estimates (mean+/-95% confidence limits) of overall Jaccard similarity in insect taxa among sampling intervals in the occurrence matrices were 0.213+/-0.081 (spring 2001), 0.194+/-0.043 (summer 2001), 0.257+/-0.068 (spring 2002), and 0.274+/-0.172 (summer 2002). Permutation analyses of the occurrence matrices showed that the patterns of succession of insect taxa were similar between spring 2001 and 2002 (P = 0.001) and between summer 2001 and 2002 (P = 0.007). The successional patterns seem to be typical for the seasonal periods and provide data on baseline fauna for estimating postmortem interval in cases of human death. This study is the first of its kind for southwest Virginia.     

A comparison of performance on the Towers of London and Hanoi in young children

BACKGROUND: The Towers of London (TOL) and Hanoi (TOH) have been viewed as equivalent measures of planning and/or problem solving, although recent evidence in adults suggests that the underlying measurement characteristics of these two tasks may differ. As tower tasks are one of the few instruments that can be used to assess executive functioning in young children, the cognitive demands for both tasks merit further examination. METHODS: The relation among tower tasks and those of short-term memory, inhibition, and shifting ability were examined in a sample of 118 typically developing young children (M age = 4 years, 9 months, SD = 6 months). Half the children completed TOL and half completed TOH, with groups matched with respect to age, sex, and child vocabulary. RESULTS: Whilst performance on a shifting task uniquely predicted TOH performance, none of the executive function measures were related to TOL performance after statistically controlling for the influence of baseline naming speed. For both tower tasks, performance on a shifting task contributed more strongly on complex trials that required more moves in the counter-intuitive direction relative to the end-state goal, whereas inhibition task performance only predicted performance on complex TOL trials. CONCLUSIONS: Successful tower task performance may be determined, at least at higher levels of complexity, by mental flexibility in this age range. However, overall the findings suggest that TOL and TOH are not interchangeable tasks even in young children, and more generally, raise methodological issues regarding the complex nature of executive function tasks.     

Online aggressor/targets, aggressors, and targets: a comparison of associated youth characteristics

BACKGROUND: While most youth report positive experiences and activities online, little is known about experiences of Internet victimization and associated correlates of youth, specifically in regards to Internet harassment. METHODS: The Youth Internet Safety Survey is a cross-sectional, nationally representative telephone survey of young regular Internet users in the United States. Interviews were conducted between the fall of 1999 and the spring of 2000 and examined characteristics of Internet harassment, unwanted exposure to sexual material, and sexual solicitation that had occurred on the Internet in the previous year. One thousand, five hundred and one regular Internet users between the ages of 10 and 17 years were interviewed, along with one parent or guardian. To assess the characteristics surrounding Internet harassment, four groups of youth were compared: 1) targets of aggression (having been threatened or embarrassed by someone; or feeling worried or threatened by someone's actions); 2) online aggressors (making rude or nasty comments; or harassing or embarrassing someone with whom the youth was mad at); 3) aggressor/targets (youth who report both being an aggressor as well as a target of Internet harassment); and 4) non-harassment involved youth (being neither a target nor an aggressor online). RESULTS: Of the 19% of young regular Internet users involved in online aggression, 3% were aggressor/targets, 4% reported being targets only, and 12% reported being online aggressors only. Youth aggressor/targets reported characteristics similar to conventional bully/victim youth, including many commonalities with aggressor-only youth, and significant psychosocial challenge. CONCLUSIONS: Youth aggressor/targets are intense users of the Internet who view themselves as capable web users. Beyond this, however, these youth report significant psychosocial challenge, including depressive symptomatology, problem behavior, and targeting of traditional bullying. Implications for intervention are discussed.     

Using developmental, cognitive, and neuroscience approaches to understand executive control in young children

The 7 articles in this special issue address the nature of executive control in young children. Executive control is framed in a developmental context, where the unique aspects of cognition in this age range are considered. The set of articles demonstrates the multidisciplinary approaches to study cognition in young children that includes application of cognitive, neuroscience, and developmental paradigms in typically developing youngsters, as well as those affected by clinical conditions, such as traumatic brain injury, exposure to low levels of lead in the environment, and prematurity. Although much work remains to be done, these study results are illustrative of the dynamic work in this exciting developmental period.     

Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition to treat radiation-induced brain necrosis and edema

Brain necrosis and edema develop in a proportion of brain tumor patients treated with radiosurgery. Surgical resection and corticosteroids have considerable morbidity. Two metastatic melanoma brain lesions in a 14-year-old girl were treated with radiosurgery and whole-brain radiation treatment. Both lesions became symptomatic from radiologic features of necrosis and edema and were unresponsive to oral corticosteroids. The larger lesion was resected, but the other lesion continued to enlarge. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor was started, and the child improved clinically and radiologically. The usefulness of COX-2 inhibitors in treating radiation necrosis and edema, as suggested by this report, requires further study.