University of Rhode Island

About: University of Rhode Island is a education organization based out in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Bay. The organization has 11464 authors who have published 22770 publications receiving 841066 citations. The organization is also known as: URI & Rhode Island College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts.

Diabetes Self-Management: Self-reported recommendations and patterns in a large population

Abstract: OBJECTIVE Diabetes self-management is the cornerstone of overall diabetes management. Yet many questions concerning self-management remain unanswered. The current study was designed to examine several questions about diabetes self-management: 1) What do individuals report being told to do? 2) What are their self-reported levels and patterns of self-care? 3) Are there differences on self-reported self-management recommendations and levels across various subgroups? RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Mailed surveys were returned by 2,056 individuals (73.4% response rate). Of the total, 13.8% had IDDM and the remainder had NIDDM, with 65% of the NIDDM group using insulin. RESULTS The levels and patterns of self-management were consistent with those found in previous studies, i.e., individuals most regularly followed their prescribed medication regimen and least regularly followed recommendations for lifestyle changes of diet and exercise. There were significant differences on reported self-management recommendations across different subgroups. Comparisons on level of self-management across diabetes type revealed significant differences for diet and glucose testing. Differences were also found on self-management levels for a number of individual characteristics, including age, working status, and type of insurance, along with knowledge of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial findings. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide important information on perceived self-management recommendations and the specific self-management levels and patterns in individuals with diabetes. The current findings may help health professionals better understand the levels and correlates of diabetes self-management and direct future research.

Toward developing a complete understanding: A social science research agenda for marine protected areas

Abstract: Although many types of MPAs exist—including reserves, sanctuaries, and parks—each involves a group of people collectively engaged in decision-making and most MPAs have both biological and social goals. Biological goals include rehabilitating damaged habitats, sustaining biodiversity, protecting marine life, and providing a laboratory for basic natural science inquiry. Examples of social goals include restoring commercial, recreational, or subsistence fisheries, creating ecotourism experiences, generating economic opportunities, and empowering coastal communities. Biological and social goals may be contradictory or unequally appealing to different constituency groups, resulting in controversy and conflict. These dynamics contribute to the high rate of MPA failure—approaching 90% in some countries (White et al. 2002). In most cases, MPA design and impacts are examined principally from a biological perspective. Use of mainly biological evaluation criteria may contribute to MPAs being categorically defined as a successful, when, in fact, the story is more complex (Christie in press). A particular MPA may be both a biological “success”—resulting in increased fish abundance and diversity and improved habitat—and a social “failure”—lacking broad participation in management, sharing of economic benefits, and conflict resolution mechanisms. Short-term biological gains will likely disappear unless these social issues are addressed (Pollnac et al. 2001; Christie et al. 2002) Social science research is conducted too late in the design process to influence policies despite the understanding that such research is fundamentally important (Salm et al. 2000; NRC 2001; Mascia et al. 2003; Pomeroy and Hunter in press). In general, social science research that is “too little, too late” in the MPA design and implementation processes results in a poor understanding of frequently contentious social interactions operating on multiple levels (local, national, international, gender, class, ethnicity), unintended negative consequences, missed opportunities for positive change and reallocation of resources, and an incomplete scientific record. For example, managers involved in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary acknowledge that they initially underestimated the importance of a broadly participative process grounded in a sound understanding of constituents’ interests and activities—a costly oversight that set back the management process considerably (Suman et al. 1999; Causey 2000). Toward developing a complete understanding: A social science research agenda for marine protected areas

Conservation science: a 20‐year report card

Abstract: We conducted an intensive review of conservation science to find out whether the field has tracked priorities over the past 20 years. A total of 628 papers from the literature, for the years 1984, 1994, and 2004, were surveyed. For each paper, we recorded where conservation research was done and what was studied. We found geographic gaps in conservation research, with marine, tundra, and desert biomes being studied less than other systems. We also found taxonomic gaps, with amphibians being understudied as compared to other, less threatened, taxonomic groups. Finally, we discovered that studies of invasive species are still lacking, despite the magnitude of the threat they pose to global biodiversity. Although there was a weak trend towards filling these gaps between 1984 and 2004, progress has been slow. To be more effective, the research community must quickly redirect research to better match conservation priorities.

Wearable Internet of Things: Concept, architectural components and promises for person-centered healthcare

Abstract: The proliferation of mobile devices, ubiquitous internet, and cloud computing has sparked a new era of Internet of Things (IoT), thus allowing researchers to create application-specific solutions based on the interconnection between physical objects and the internet. Recently, wearable devices are rapidly emerging and forming a new segment-“Wearable IoT (WIoT)” due to their capability of sensing, computing and communication. Future generations of WIoT promise to transform the healthcare sector, wherein individuals are seamlessly tracked by wearable sensors for personalized health and wellness information-body vital parameters, physical activity, behaviors, and other critical parameters impacting quality of daily life. This paper presents an effort to conceptualize WIoT in terms of their design, function, and applications. We discuss the building blocks of WIoT-including wearable sensors, internet-connected gateways and cloud and big data support-that are key to its future success in healthcare domain applications. We also present a new system science for WIoT that suggests future directions, encompassing operational and clinical aspects.

The Effects of Myofascial Release With Foam Rolling on Performance

Abstract: In the last decade, self-myofascial release has become an increasingly common modality to supplement traditional methods of massage, so a masseuse is not necessary. However, there are limited clinical data demonstrating the efficacy or mechanism of this treatment on athletic performance. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the use of myofascial rollers before athletic tests can enhance performance. Twenty-six (13 men and 13 women) healthy college-aged individuals (21.56 ± 2.04 years, 23.97 ± 3.98 body mass index, 20.57 ± 12.21 percent body fat) were recruited. The study design was a randomized crossover design in which subject performed a series of planking exercises or foam rolling exercises and then performed a series of athletic performance tests (vertical jump height and power, isometric force, and agility). Fatigue, soreness, and exertion were also measured. A 2 × 2 (trial × gender) analysis of variance with repeated measures and appropriate post hoc was used to analyze the data. There were no significant differences between foam rolling and planking for all 4 of the athletic tests. However, there was a significant difference between genders on all the athletic tests (p ≤ 0.001). As expected, there were significant increases from pre to post exercise during both trials for fatigue, soreness, and exertion (p ≤ 0.01). Postexercise fatigue after foam rolling was significantly less than after the subjects performed planking (p ≤ 0.05). The reduced feeling of fatigue may allow participants to extend acute workout time and volume, which can lead to chronic performance enhancements. However, foam rolling had no effect on performance.