Psychological distress among survivors of esophageal cancer: the role of illness cognitions and coping

Leventhal's common sense model has provided a useful framework for explaining psychological distress in several chronic illnesses. The model indicates that a person's perception of their illness and their coping strategies are the key determinants of their experience of psychological distress. The present research examines whether illness perceptions and coping strategies are related to levels of psychological distress among survivors of esophageal cancer. Everyone registered with the Oesophageal Patients' Association in the UK was mailed a questionnaire booklet, which included the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised, the Cancer Coping Questionnaire, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Complete responses were received from 484 people. Regression models indicated that the variables measured could explain 51% of the variance in anxiety and 42% of the variance in depression. Perceptions of esophageal cancer explained the majority of this variance. Positive focus coping strategies were also found to be important in explaining psychological distress. The results of this study are consistent with previous research demonstrating that illness perceptions are stronger correlates of adaptive outcomes than coping strategies. The findings suggest that cognition-based interventions could potentially be most effective in minimizing emotional distress among survivors of esophageal cancer.

Shell scarring in Calliostoma zizyphinum (Prosobranch: Trochidae) from Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland.

Pink and white shells of Calliostoma zizyphinum show both undamaged and damaged scars. White shelled individuals predominate in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland where Calliostoma densities and scarring levels are high. No white shells were found intertidally, outside the entrance channel to the Lough. Significant differences occur in the size of Calliostoma shells between sampling sites but not between different colour morphs at each site. However in pooled samples, pink individuals are significantly larger than white individuals. When sites and morphs are considered separately, pink Calliostoma density is negatively correlated with water movement. At sites where pink Calliostoma occur, the percentage of pink shelled individuals is negatively correlated with total Calliostoma density. Damaged and undamaged scarring values per unit area of shell, show highly significant differences between sites and damaged scars are significantly higher in white individuals. Undamaged scars are not correlated with any of the environmental parameters recorded, but are positively correlated with damaged scars suggesting a common causative factor. The level of damaged scarring is positively correlated with crab/total Calliostoma ratio at all sites and where each colour morph was considered separately. Multiple regression analyses reveal that crab/Calliostoma ratios account for 42% of the between site variation in damaged scars. Significantly higher levels of damaged scars are found at sites with high crab densities and significantly larger individuals are found at sites where crab densities are intermediate in value. The largest and most highly scarred individuals occur at sites with most coarse substrata where Calliostoma are present in their lowest densities. The higher scarring levels and smaller size of white individuals reflect either higher mortality or reduced growth in white shelled Calliostoma.

UV VIS AND RESONANCE RAMAN SPECTROELECTROCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF TRANSITION-METAL CENTERS IMMOBILIZED WITHIN A POLY(AMINO ACID) MATRIX - ILLUSTRATED WITH AN IRON PORPHYRIN

An iron prophyrin complex has been immobilized on the surfaces of platinum, silver, and indium doped-tin oxide coated glass by using the poly(gamma-ethyl L-glutamate)-N-(3-aminopropyl)imidazole derivative 1 as a linking agent, thus allowing-the surface-enhanced resonance Raman and UV-VIS absorption spectra and electrochemical properties of the porphyrin to be studied in solvents in which it is not normally soluble.

Evocative Listening : Mediated Practices in Everyday Life

The history of sonic arts is charged with transgressive practices that seek to expose the social, aural and cultural thresholds across various listening experiences, posing new questions in terms of the dialogue between listener and place. Recent work in sonic art exposes the need for an experiential understanding of listening that foregrounds the use of new personal technologies, environmental philosophy and the subject–object relationship. This paper aims to create a vocabulary that better contextualises recent installations and performances produced within the context of everyday life, by researchers and artists at the Sonic Arts Research Centre at Queen's University Belfast.

Effect of glass substrate and deposition technique on the properties of sol gel TiO2 thin films

Na+ ions have a detrimental effect on the photocatalytic activity of thin sot gel films deposited on soda lime glass due to their diffusion into the film during the calcination process. Given that the content of sodium in glass substrate might be the crucial parameter in determining the activity of a photocatalyst, the aim of the present work was the comparison of the photoinduced properties of a thin TiO2 film prepared on three different glass substrates namely on quartz (Q) glass, borosilicate (BS) glass and soda lime (SL) glass which have different sodium content. The prepared layers were characterised by X-ray diffraction and UV-vis spectroscopy. The diffusion of Na+ from the substrate into the layers was determined by Glow Discharge Atomic Emission Spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activities of the films were assessed using two model pollutant test systems (resazurin/resorufin ink and stearic acid film), which appeared to correlate reasonably well. It was observed that TiO2 layer on SL glass has a brookite crystalline structure while the TiO2 layer on BS and Q glass has an anatase crystalline structure. On the other hand, the photodegradation of the model dye on TiO2 films deposited on Q and BS glass is about an order higher than on SL glass. The low sodium content of BS glass makes it the most suitable substrate for the deposition of photoactive sol gel TiO2 films. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

INTRAPOPULATION VARIATION IN THE DIET OF THE WOOD MOUSE APODEMUS-SYLVATICUS

Variation in the diet of wood mice, Apodemus sylvaticus, was investigated in two contrasting habitats, deciduous and coniferous woodland, over 26 months and in 10 additional sites trapped during winter. Stomach contents were categorized as seed, fruit, green plant, root and animal material. Diet was evaluated using the percentage occurrence of each food type. Age and sex differences in diet occurred infrequently. Seed predominated throughout but was especially prevalent in autumn and winter. There was a peak in the incidence of animal material in the spring and early summer. Animal food was generally more frequent in mice caught in conifer plantations than in deciduous woodland during the longer-term study. Further, mice from the additional coniferous habitats had greater percentage occurrence of animal food than those from the additional deciduous sites. There was a negative, non-linear association between relative population size and diet in these winter samples. This suggests that spatial variation in numbers of A. sylvaticus is dictated by food availability and density is locally food limited.

Genomic instability in human lymphocytes irradiated with individual charged particles: Involvement of tumor necrosis factor a in irradiated cells but not bystander cells

Exposure to ionizing radiation can increase the risk of cancer, which is often characterized by genomic instability. In environmental exposures to high-LET radiation (e.g. Ra-222), it is unlikely that many cells will be traversed or that any cell will be traversed by more than one alpha particle, resulting in an in vivo bystander situation, potentially involving inflammation. Here primary human lymphocytes were irradiated with precise numbers of He-3(2+) ions delivered to defined cell population fractions, to as low as a single cell being traversed, resembling in vivo conditions. Also, we assessed the contribution to genomic instability of the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFA). Genomic instability was significantly elevated in irradiated groups ( greater than or equal totwofold over controls) and was comparable whether cells were traversed by one or two He-3(2+) ions. Interestingly, substantial heterogeneity in genomic instability between experiments was observed when only one cell was traversed. Genomic instability was significantly reduced (60%) in cultures in which all cells were irradiated in the presence of TNFA antibody, but not when fractions were irradiated under the same conditions, suggesting that TNFA may have a role in the initiation of genomic instability in irradiated cells but not bystander cells. These results have implications for low-dose exposure risks and cancer. (C) 2005 by Radiation Research Society.