The Role of the Neighborhood Social Environment in Physical Activity among Hispanic Children: Moderation by Cultural Factors and Mediation by Neighborhood Norms.

Little is known about how the neighborhood social environment (e.g., safety, crime, traffic) impacts child physical activity.

Chemical characterization of marijuana blunt smoke by non-targeted chemical analysis.

Marijuana blunts, which are tobacco cigar wrappers filled with marijuana, are commonly smoked in the US as a means of cannabis use. The use of marijuana blunts presents toxicity concerns because the smoke contains both marijuana-related and tobacco-related chemicals. Thus, it is important to understand the chemical composition of mainstream smoke (MSS) from marijuana blunts.

Living in High-SES Neighborhoods Is Protective against Obesity among Higher-Income Children but Not Low-Income Children: Results from the Healthy Communities Study.

Numerous studies have focused on the role of neighborhood socioeconomic status in childhood obesity and physical activity, but few studies have examined the effect of neighborhood socioeconomic changes over time and the interaction between family and neighborhood SES on childhood obesity and physical activity. This study measured neighborhood socioeconomic histories between 2000 and 2010 and examined the associations between neighborhood socioeconomic histories and childhood obesity, as well as physical activity. The moderating role of family poverty status was also examined.

Neuroprosthetic-enabled control of graded arm muscle contraction in a paralyzed human.

Neuroprosthetics that combine a brain computer interface (BCI) with functional electrical stimulation (FES) can restore voluntary control of a patients' own paralyzed limbs. To date, human studies have demonstrated an "all-or-none" type of control for a fixed number of pre-determined states, like hand-open and hand-closed. To be practical for everyday use, a BCI-FES system should enable smooth control of limb movements through a continuum of states and generate situationally appropriate, graded muscle contractions.

Community Policies and Programs to Prevent Obesity and Child Adiposity.

Introduction: Evidence regarding impact of community policies and programs (CPPs) to prevent child obesity is limited, and which combinations of strategies and components are most important is not understood. The Healthy Communities Study was an observational study to assess relationships of characteristics and intensity of CPPs with adiposity, diet, and physical activity in children, taking advantage of variation across the U.S.