A significant body of research has investigated the effects of physical activity on sleep, yet this research has not been systematically aggregated in over a decade. As a result, the magnitude and moderators of these effects are unclear. This meta-analytical review examines the effects of acute and regular exercise on sleep, incorporating a range of outcome and moderator variables. PubMed and PsycINFO were used to identify 66 studies for inclusion in the analysis that were published through May 2013. Analyses reveal that acute exercise has small beneficial effects on total sleep time, sleep onset latency, sleep efficiency, stage 1 sleep, and slow wave sleep, a moderate beneficial effect on wake time after sleep onset, and a small effect on rapid eye movement sleep. Regular exercise has small beneficial effects on total sleep time and sleep efficiency, small-to-medium beneficial effects on sleep onset latency, and moderate beneficial effects on sleep quality. Effects were moderated by sex, age, baseline physical activity level of participants, as well as exercise type, time of day, duration, and adherence. Significant moderation was not found for exercise intensity, aerobic/anaerobic classification, or publication date. Results were discussed with regards to future avenues of research and clinical application to the treatment of insomnia.

In 1960, Cohen introduced the kappa coefficient to measure chance-corrected nominal scale agreement between two raters. Since then, numerous extensions and generalizations of this interrater agreement measure have been proposed in the literature. This paper reviews and critiques various approaches to the study of interrater agreement, for which the relevant data comprise either nominal or ordinal categorical ratings from multiple raters. It presents a comprehensive compilation of the main statistical approaches to this problem, descriptions and characterizations of the underlying models, and discussions of related statistical methodologies for estimation and confidence-interval construction. The emphasis is on various practical scenarios and designs that underlie the development of these measures, and the interrelationships between them. RESUME C'est en 1960 que Cohen a propost I'emploi du coefficient kappa comme outil de mesure de I'accord entre deux tvaluateurs exprimant leur jugement au moyen d'une Cchelle nominale. De nombreuses gentralisations de cette mesure d'accord ont Ct C proposies depuis lors. Les auteurs jettent ici un regard critique sur nombre de ces travaux traitant du cas ou I'Cchelle de rtponse est soit nominale, soit ordinale. Les principales approches statistiques sont passCes en revue, les modkles sous-jacents sont dicrits et caractCrisCs, et les problkmes liCs i I'estimation ponctuelle ou par intervalle sont abordCs. L'accent est m i s sur diffkrents scknarios concrets et sur des schtmas exp6rimentaux qui sous-tendent I'emploi de ces mesures et les relations existant entre elles.

The present study examined the relationship of anxiety sensitivity, dysfunctional beliefs about sleep and neuroticism on sleep disturbance. Previous research of these three related concepts-each describing a different kind of reactivity to interoceptive or environmental events-have served as predictors of insomnia and insomnia-related distress; however, it is not known how these concepts have distinctive prediction of sleep outcomes. We completed an Internet survey of 149 undergraduate student participants, a population with elevated risk for disturbed sleep. Participants completed a demographics questionnaire, the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI), the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale (DBAS-16), the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Results revealed a significant association between PSQI total score and the three variables of interest, ASI, DBAS, and neuroticism. However, in a stepwise regression, neuroticism was the statistically most important predictor of sleep disturbance. The DBAS was a statistically more important predictor than ASI total score; however, when the ASI was examined by subscale, DBAS was replaced in the model by the ASI Mental Incapacitation Concerns subscale. Our findings highlight the continued value of higher order concepts like neuroticism in the development of disorder-specific measures like the DBAS, as well as indicate that distress in response to cognitive symptoms (AS-mental incapacitation) may play a role in maintaining sleep dysfunction.

This paper summarizes techniques for modeling geometric properties of THUNDER actuators which arise in the fabrication process. These actuators are high performance composites comprised of layers of piezoceramics in combination with aluminum, stainless steel, brass or titanium bonded with hot-melt adhesive. During the construction process, the assembly is heated under pressure to high temperatures, cooled and repoled to restore the actuator capabilities. This process provides the actuators with the robustness necessary to withstand the high voltages required for large displacement and force outputs. The process also provides the actuators with their characteristic curved shape. In this paper, relations between the thermal and electrostatic properties of the material and the nal geometric con guration are quanti ed. This provides an initial model that can be employed in control applications which employ THUNDER actuators.