Correlation network analysis shows divergent effects of a long-term,high-fat diet and exercise on early stage osteoarthritis phenotypes in mice

Background:Obesity increases knee osteoarthritis(OA) risk through metabolic,inflammatory,and biomechanical factors,but how these systemic and local mediators interact to drive OA pathology is not well understood.We tested the effect of voluntary running exercise after chronic diet-induced obesity on knee OA-related cartilage and bone pathology in mice.We then used a correlation-based network analysis to identify systemic and local factors associated with early-stage knee OA phenotypes among the different diet and exercise groups.Methods:Male C57 BL/6 J mice were fed a defined control(10% kcal fat) or high fat(HF)(60% kcal fat) diet from 6 to 37 weeks of age.At 25 weeks,one-half of the mice from each diet group were housed in cages with running wheels for the remainder of the study.Histology,micro computed tomography,and magnetic resonance imaging were used to evaluate changes in joint tissue structure and OA pathology.These local variables were then compared to systemic metabolic(body mass,body fat,and glucose tolerance),inflammatory(serum adipokines and inflammatory mediators),and functional(mechanical tactile sensitivity and grip strength) outcomes using a correlation-based network analysis.Diet and exercise effects were evaluated by two-way analysis of variance.Results:An HF diet increased the infrapatellar fat pad size and posterior joint osteophytes,and wheel running primarily altered the subchondral cortical and trabecular bone.Neither HF diet nor exercise altered average knee cartilage OA scores compared to control groups.However,the coefficient of variation was≥25% for many outcomes,and some mice in both diet groups developed moderate OA(>33% maximum score).This supported using correlation-based network analyses to identify systemic and local factors associated with early-stage knee OA phenotypes.In wheel-running cohorts,an HF diet reduced the network size compared to the control diet group despite similar running distances,suggesting that diet-induced obesity dampens the effects of exercise on systemic and local OA-related factors.Each of the 4 diet and activity groups showed mostly unique networks of local and systemic factors correlated with early-stage knee OA.Conclusion:Despite minimal group-level effects of chronic diet-induced obesity and voluntary wheel running on knee OA pathology under the current test durations,diet and exercise substantially altered the relationships among systemic and local variables associated with early-stage knee OA.These results suggest that distinct pre-OA phenotypes may exist prior to the development of disease.     

Factor structure of the McCarthy Scales for Children experiencing problems in school

The McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) were factor analyzed for a group of 6- to 8 1/2-year-old children referred for school-related problems. The sample was composed of 300 rural eastern North Carolina public school children with a mean GCI of 88.1. Evidence was found for factors similar to three of the six MSCA Scales: General Cognitive, Verbal, and Motor. Coefficients of congruence were computed and compared with earlier analyses of the standardization data. The results were interpreted as generally supporting the MSCA's validity with children experiencing problems in school. Implications for interpretation of the MSCA Scales were presented.     

The effect of national culture on partner buyouts in cross-border biotechnology alliances

This study examines how national culture influences the likelihood and rate of buyouts among R&D equity alliances and joint ventures in the biotechnology industry. We hypothesize that the interaction of specific national culture attributes and cultural differences between alliance partners have an impact on: (1) the amount of endogenous uncertainty surrounding the potential integration of the target firm and (2) the marginal rate of learning in hierarchical versus collaborative governance. Applying a competing hazard model to a sample of 173 joint ventures and minority equity collaborations in the biotechnology industry, we found that investing firms from high power distance and high uncertainty avoidance countries are more likely to buy out their alliance partners. Furthermore, greater cultural distance between alliance partners increases the likelihood of partner buyout when investing firms are from high power distance countries.     

Planning for Andrew: the use of COACH and VISTA in an inclusive preschool program

This case study chronicles the use of two educational planning tools, COACH (Choosing Outcomes and Accommodations for Children: A Guide to Educational Planning for Students with Disabilities) and VISTA (Vermont Interdependent Services Team Approach: A Guide to Coordinating Educational Support Services) for Andrew, a 4‐year‐old child with Down syndrome, who attends a general education preschool. The article documents the decisions his team made using COACH and VISTA and describes the findings of follow‐up interviews with his parents, preschool teacher, special educator, and speech/language pathologist. The findings offer insights into the benefits and limitations of these approaches at the preschool level. Implications for facilitating communication and decision‐making among team members are discussed.     

The effects of student aid on recent college graduates

Using college graduates from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (N=3,136), this study reviews the relationships between student financial aid received during college and the types of activities pursued by students after graduating. Four areas of graduates' lives were examined: attending graduate school, choosing a job, forming a family, and forming personal values. Three types of student aid were included: loans, grants, and work, with emphasis on loans. Despite the expectation of a negative impact of loans, the results showed no support for this, and in general, the findings suggested that college graduates who received aid as undergraduates were little different from other graduates. The major implication is that the self-help forms of aid (loans and work) are not detrimental to the future plans of recipients.This paper was presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Washington, D.C., April 1979.     

Writing your first successful grant application to conduct communication research

Advice is offered to help scholars write successful communication grant applications, including practical issues such as learning about opportunities, finding the time to write, planning personnel, budgeting, negotiating internal resources, institutional review boards, and deliverables. Additional tips are offered on theoretically rich research with socially meaningful applied outcomes, counterintuitive mechanisms and outcomes, simplicity, detail orientation, demonstrating expertise in the content area, and demonstrating expertise with the population under investigation. Finally, we mention some important traits for getting through the review process-persistence and low ego-involvement.     

Q‐methodology in communication science: An introduction

Q‐methodology, traditionally a tool for phenomenological analysis, single‐subject or small sample research, and typological analysis, has potential for research in human communication. Unfortunately, q‐techniques have often been neglected or misunderstood by main‐stream social scientists. This article presents basic information regarding the construction of q‐sorts, discusses methods for analyzing q‐sort data in a variety of research contexts, and identifies resources which may be consulted by those wishing to learn more about the method.