Mother-Infant Activity Synchrony as a Correlate of the Emergence of Circadian Rhythm

2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shao-Yu Tsai ◽  
Kathryn E. Barnard ◽  
Martha J. Lentz ◽  
Karen A. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Rhythm ◽  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Dark Cycle ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Fit Index

Objective: Entrainment to the day—night cycle is critical for infant sleep and social development. Synchronization of infant circadian systems with the social 24-hr day may require maternal activity signals as an entraining cue. This descriptive and exploratory research examines the activity level and circadian pattern in mothers and infants. Method: Twenty-two healthy mothers and their infants (postnatal age 49.8 ± 17.1 days) wore actigraph monitors for seven days. Daytime (06:00—21:59) and nighttime (22:00—05:59) activity levels and circadian parameters of rest—activity patterns (i.e., mesor, amplitude, acrophase, and 24-hr cosinor fit) were calculated. Results: Mothers and infants were significantly more active during the day than at night. The goodness-of-fit index for the model (R2) indicates that circadian rhythm accounted for a mean of 29 ± 10% and 12 ± 8% of the variability in maternal and infant activity, respectively. Acrophase of activity occurred at 15:46 ± 1:07 for the mothers and 15:20 ± 1:21 for the infants. The mean within-dyad correlation of activity counts was r = .46 ± .11, and the within-dyad correlation was associated with the amplitude (r = .66, p < .01) and 24-hr cosinor fit of infant activity (r = .67, p < .01). Conclusions: Our findings suggest maternal rhythms as a possible exogenous influence on shaping an infant’s emerging rhythms and synchronizing them with the external light—dark cycle. Strong pattern synchrony between maternal and infant activity may support infant circadian entrainment and enhance a regular 24-hr sleep—wake schedule during the early postnatal weeks.

Pedestrian Activity Among California Adults

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna E. Mathews ◽  
Natalie Colabianchi ◽  
Brent Hutto ◽  
Delores M. Pluto ◽  
Steve P. Hooker
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Physical Activity Promotion ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Activity Promotion ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Random Digit Dial

Background:The objectives of this study were to assess (1) pedestrian activity levels among adults, (2) where and why adults engage in pedestrian activity, and (3) what adults consider when deciding where to engage in pedestrian activity.Methods:Pedestrian activity was assessed in 12,036 California adults, ≥18 years, using a random digit-dial telephone survey.Results:Significant differences were identified by race, sex, age, and physical activity level in the type, location, and purpose of pedestrian activities. Men engage in pedestrian activity at work, and women engage in pedestrian activity while escorting children to school and running errands. Whites primarily engage in leisure-time pedestrian activity, and non-whites are more likely to engage in pedestrian activity for transportation. Older adults were less active than their younger counterparts.Conclusions:These findings should be considered by public health agencies and their partners as they continue to increase and promote opportunities for pedestrian activity. Additional research is needed to assess older adults’ physical activity patterns and preferences, barriers, and facilitators to effectively tailor physical activity promotion efforts to this at-risk group.

A 7000 year record of paleohurricane activity from a coastal wetland in Belize

The Holocene ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terrence A McCloskey ◽  
Kam-biu Liu
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Coastal Wetland ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Storm Surges ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

Sedimentary paleotempestological studies have documented that tropical cyclone activity levels in the North Atlantic have been characterized by significant fluctuations since at least the mid Holocene, with activity regimes typically lasting from several centuries to > 2000 years. These activity-level estimates are based on site-specific hurricane strike histories derived from proxy records of overwash events attributed to landfalling major hurricanes. Here we present a 7000 year composite record from two adjacent wetland sites in coastal Belize, Central America that records both tropical cyclone-generated storm surges and large precipitation events. Although overall sensitivity appears to decrease over time, this record displays clear evidence of continuous oscillation between distinctly different activity regimes, with active and quiet periods each covering ~ 50% of the record. Active periods occur during ~200–600 BP, 1450–2600 BP, 3200–4200 BP, 4750–5450 BP, 5750–6050 BP, and 6700–6900 BP. This activity pattern does not match regional records from the northern Gulf of Mexico, the northern Caribbean or the Atlantic coast of the USA, thereby supporting the view that activity patterns are temporally variable throughout the North Atlantic, and that hyperactivity does not occur simultaneously across the entire basin.

Social status of male Iberian rock lizards (Lacerta monticola) influences their activity patterns during the mating season

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (7) ◽  
pp. 1105-1109 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Martín ◽  
Pilar López
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Mating Season ◽  
The Social ◽  
Body Mass Changes

Not all individual lizards in a population are simultaneously active even when thermal conditions are suitable for activity. We examined inter-individual variability in activity levels of male Iberian rock lizards (Lacerta monticola) in a seminatural enclosure during the mating season, and analyzed whether social status affects their activity levels, time budgets, and body-mass changes. Activity levels of lizards varied significantly with time of day. However, activity levels of individual males were significantly correlated with their rank in the social hierarchy. When the males were active, their status did not influence the time spent basking, resting, or moving, but males with a higher status spent more time in social activities. Higher activity levels were costly, causing males to lose more body mass, although this could have been mainly due to the costs of maintaining a higher social status. We conclude that because attaining a higher status may require a male to be more active and more involved in agonistic encounters, subordinate individuals decrease their activity in order to decrease the costs of social behavior.

scholarly journals Parents’ Attributions and Perception Questionnaire: Turkish validity and reliability study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-186
Author(s):  
E. Nihal Lindberg
Keyword(s):  
Parenting Styles ◽  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Causal Attributions ◽  
High School Graduates ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Discriminating Power ◽  
Future Success ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social And Physical Environment ◽  
The Mean

Causal attributions are defined as the way people describe and evaluate their or others’ behaviors. In the literature, it was found to directly and indirectly affect academic achievement as they influence parents’ expectations about their children’s future success, their parenting styles, and, therefore, the social and physical environment that they provide for their children. This study adapts the Parents’ Attributions and Perceptions Questionnaire (PAPQ) to Turkish and collects evidence about the questionnaire’s validity and reliability. The questionnaire comprises eight factors and 24 items designed to evaluate parents’ causal attributions based on ability, effort, luck, and strategy for success and failure. The participants were 340 parents (235 mothers and 105 fathers), aged between 25 and 35 years (128); and high school graduates (182) with a monthly income between 2,001 and 4,000 TL (98). The mean scores calculated for the questionnaire items ranged between 1.45 and 4.42. Adjusted item total correlations were calculated; it was found that the discriminating power of the items varied between 0.43 and 0.90. As a result of the CFA, the goodness of fit values of the questionnaire was calculated as χ²/sd = 1.92, RMSEA = .056, SRMR = .053, CFI = .97, and GFI = .89. The Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency coefficient was found to be .80. Based on these results, it was demonstrated that the PAPQ is a valid and reliable measuring instrument that can be used in Turkish.

scholarly journals Effect of sex, age, and reproductive status on daily activity levels and activity patterns in jaguars (Panthera onca)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Włodzimierz Jędrzejewski ◽  
Ilad Vivas ◽  
Maria Abarca ◽  
Margarita Lampo ◽  
Luis G. Morales ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Activity Pattern ◽  
Daily Activity ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Reproductive Status ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Movement Activity ◽  
Daily Movement ◽  
Reproductive Females

AbstractAll animals, including carnivores, adapt their daily activity duration and distribution to satisfy food demands, breed, or avoid mortality risk. We used the kernel density method to estimate daily movement activity levels and movement activity patterns of jaguars in Hato Piñero, in Venezuelan Western Llanos, based on 3,656 jaguar detection time records from two and a half years of camera trapping. Jaguars were active for 11.7 h per day on average and exhibited mostly nocturnal and crepuscular activity pattern, however, with marked differences between sex/age/reproductive groups. Reproductive females had the highest daily activity level (13.2 h/day), followed by adult males (10.9 h/day), non-reproductive females (10.5 h/day), and cubs (8.7 h/day). Activity patterns also differed, with males and reproductive females having activity peaks at the same hours after sunset and before sunrise, cubs in the night and after sunrise, while non-reproductive females were most active during night hours. This study was the first to document the effect of sex, age, and reproductive status on daily level and activity pattern in the jaguar.

“Early birds” take it easy: diurnal timing is correlated with overall level in activity of zebrafish larvae

Behaviour ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 153 (13-14) ◽  
pp. 1745-1762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bawan Amin ◽  
Hans Slabbekoorn ◽  
Marcel Schaaf ◽  
Christian Tudorache
Keyword(s):  
Animal Personality ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Behavioural Syndrome ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Dark Cycle ◽  
Behavioural Responses ◽  
Zebrafish Larvae ◽  
External Cues ◽  
Individual Consistency ◽  
Over Time

Individual animals show consistent differences in behavioural responses when coping with environmental challenges. Consistency over time and across context in a behavioural trait is an indication for animal personality. Chronotypes refer to consistent inter-individual differences in diurnal rhythmicity driven by underlying variation in circadian clock processes. Personality traits and chronotype may relate to a single behavioural syndrome, but few studies have investigated such a link explicitly. Here, we explored zebrafish larvae for the presence of consistency in activity levels and timing, and their correlation with and without external cues (Zeitgeber: light–dark cycle versus constant light). We found individual consistency in activity level and timing, and their correlation independent of the presence of Zeitgeber: early-active individuals were less active overall than late-active individuals. Our study suggests a link between personality and chronotype and provides new insights into the early development of individual variation in behavioural tendencies of zebrafish.

scholarly journals Physical Activity Level and Energy Expenditure of Clinical Physiotherapists and Physiotherapy Educators in Selected Tertiary Health and Educational Institutions in South-West Nigeria

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
AYODEJI A. Fabunmi
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Energy Expenditure ◽  
Physical Activity Level ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Pearson Product Moment Correlation ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Physical Activity Levels ◽  
The Mean

Background: Physiotherapists are trained in the use of physical activity for health promotion, and therefore are expected to be physically active themselves. Aim of the Study: This study determined the physical activity level and energy expenditure of clinical physiotherapists and physiotherapy educators. Materials and Methods: The research design is cross-sectional survey. Sixty participants were selected using the consecutive sampling technique. A pedometer (Omron) was used to measure the number of steps taken by the participants, the distance covered, and the overall energy expenditure. The number of steps was used to classify the participants’ physical activity levels. The data obtained were analysed using descriptive statistics and frequency, percentages and chi-square inferential statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, Spearman’s rank correlation, independent t-tests and Mann-Whitney U tests. The alpha level was set at 0.05. Results: The mean age and BMI of all participants were 36.81±7.86 years and 26.16±4.46kg/m2 respectively. The average number of steps taken per day was 8002±3411 and the mean energy expenditure was 248.26±182.92kcal. This study revealed that 21.3% of the participants were sedentary, 27.7% were ‘low active’, 27.7% were moderately active, 10.6% were active and 12.8% were highly active. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient showed a significant negative relationship between the number of steps and age (r = -0.292 p= 0.047) and a significant positive relationship between the number of steps and energy expenditure (r = 0.325; p = 0.026), respectively. There was a significant inverse relationship between the number of steps, the energy expenditure and the age of the participants. There was no significant difference in the number of steps per day, PAL and energy expenditure between clinical physiotherapists and physiotherapy educators. Conclusion: Physiotherapists should improve their physical activity levels, as most of them (76.7%) were classified in the low activity level category.

Complications of Pregnancy in Women with Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Blood ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 120 (21) ◽  
pp. 3322-3322
Author(s):  
Barbara Ferrari ◽  
Luca Andrea Lotta ◽  
Andrea Artoni ◽  
Silvia Pontiggia ◽  
Silvia Trisolini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura ◽  
Spontaneous Abortion ◽  
Median Duration ◽  
First Trimester ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Adamts13 Activity ◽  
Thrombocytopenic Purpura ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Duration Of Pregnancy

Abstract Abstract 3322 Background Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP) occurring in association with pregnancy or puerperium accounts for 12–25% of all TTP acute episodes. Pregnancy leads to acute TTP in women affected by congenital TTP in the absence of periodic prophylactic plasma infusions, while the risk of acute TTP during pregnancy for women with the acquired form is not well known. Moreover, it is not known whether the presence of anti-ADAMTS13 antibodies that characterize acquired TTP affect the outcome of subsequent pregnancies. The aim of this study was to evaluate maternal-foetal outcome of pregnancies started after the diagnosis of TTP. Methods We analyzed clinical and laboratory features of 25 pregnancies of 22 women with TTP (all acquired TTP) out of 320 TTP patients in our cohort, all referred to the Milan TTP Registry, Milan (Italy), from 1994 to 2012. We tested the available biological samples for ADAMTS13 activity using FRET method, anti-ADAMTS13 autoantibodies by Western Blotting and ultra-large von Willebrand Factor (ULVWF) multimers ratio. Results We found that 18 out of 25 pregnancies (72%) were complicated by either TTP recurrence (11/25, 44%) or spontaneous abortion in the first trimester (7/25, 28%). The incidence of TTP recurrence was 0.02 cases/week gestation (median duration of pregnancy at event: 32 weeks). The incidence of spontaneous abortion was 0.01 cases/week gestation (median duration of pregnancy at event: 6 weeks). Women's parity was associated with spontaneous abortion, with a relative rate of 2.8 (95% confidence interval: 0.5–14.2) for multigravidae versus primigravidae. Interestingly, almost all miscarriages (6/7, 86%) occurred in women who experienced a pregnancy-related TTP episode during a previous pregnancy. To understand if this high rate of spontaneous abortion could be related to TTP, we analyzed ADAMTS13 activity levels, anti-ADAMTS13 antibodies and ULVWF multimers pattern. In the pregnancies complicated by TTP relapse, ADAMTS13 activity was severely reduced in the acute phase, in association with the presence of antiADAMTS13 antibodies and reduction of ULVWF multimers (ULVWF ratio &lt; 0.85); in the cases of pregnancies complicated by spontaneous abortion, the mean ADAMTS13 activity level in the first trimester was 31%, with the presence of antiADAMTS13 antibodies and excess of ULVWF multimers (ULVWF ratio &gt; 1.21); in the group of uncomplicated pregnancies, the mean ADAMTS13 activity levels was 97% in the first trimester and remained &gt; 35% until delivery, with absence of antiADAMTS13 antibodies and normal ULVWF multimers. Conclusions Obstetric complications are frequent during pregnancies in women affected with acquired TTP. ADAMTS13 activity levels &gt; 35% in the absence of antiADAMTS13 antibodies seem to confer little or no risk, while lower ADAMTS13 activity levels and the presence of antiADAMTS13 antibodies during pregnancy are predictive of poor gravidic outcome, either with acute TTP or spontaneous abortion in the first trimester. Surprisingly, although confidence intervals were wide, miscarriage rates were highest in multigravidae. Pre-gravidic and gravidic monitoring of ADAMTS13 activity levels and anti-ADAMTS13 autoantibodies is crucial in the management of pregnancies in TTP patients. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

scholarly journals Activity measurement in pediatric chronic fatigue syndrome

2020 ◽  
pp. 174239532094961
Author(s):  
Bernardo Loiacono ◽  
Madison Sunnquist ◽  
Laura Nicholson ◽  
Leonard A Jason
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Activity Measurement ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Activity Data ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Delayed Initiation

Objectives Individuals with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) experience debilitating symptoms, including post-exertional malaise, an intensification of symptoms after physical or cognitive exertion. Previous studies found differences in the activity levels and patterns of activity among individuals with ME and CFS, compared to healthy controls; however, limited research exists on the activity levels of pediatric patients. The objective of this study was to examine differences in activity between healthy children and youth with ME and CFS. Methods The present study examines the objective (i.e., ActiGraphy) and self-reported levels of activity among children (ages 5 to 17) enrolled in a community-based study of pediatric CFS. Results Children with ME and CFS evidenced lower activity levels than healthy control children. Moreover, participants with ME and CFS evidenced increased nighttime activity and delayed initiation of daytime activity. Participants’ self-reported activity data significantly correlated with their ActiGraph data, suggesting that children with ME and CFS are able to accurately describe their activity level. Discussion This study highlights differences in activity level and diurnal/nocturnal activity patterns between healthy children and those with ME and CFS. These differences should be considered in identifying appropriate supports and accommodations for children with ME and CFS.

Dietary Treatment of Children with Problematic Activity Level

1981 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 487-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary S. Rogers ◽  
Howard H. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Treatment ◽  
Diet Group ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
The Other ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Presenting Problems ◽  
Sugar Intake ◽  
Activity Rate ◽  
The Mean

10 children presenting problems with activity levels were matched on their pretreatment activity rates, determined by an acrometer, and placed on either Feingold's (1975) K-P diet or a diet which reduced sugar intake but did not restrict the food substances in the K-P diet. After approximately 9 weeks, posttreatment activity rates for the two groups were compared. The mean activity rate for the group placed on the K-P diet was significantly lower than that of the other diet group. Implications for future research were discussed.

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