Coping, depressive feelings and gender differences in late life widowhood

The study investigated the relationship between depressive feelings and coping amongst older widowed men and women. Participants were interviewed about their affective experiences of widowhood and completed two depression questionnaire assessments, the Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression Scale ( SAD) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale ( HADS). Participants were assessed as either coping or not coping. The results showed that both measures were effective at differentiating those who coped (Copers) from those who did not (Non-Copers) in the sample as a whole. Amongst the widows the HADS significantly differentiated the two groups. Amongst men, neither measure significantly distinguished Copers from Non-Copers. However, an examination of the interviews suggested that widowers reported depressive feelings significantly more often than widows. The results suggest that depressive feelings are associated with non-coping in older widowed people. There is also evidence to suggest that widows and widowers respond differentially to assessment measures.

Psychological response to later life widowhood: coping and the effects of gender

The study examined the effects of psychological response and gender on coping with late life widowhood. Forty-six men and 46 women (55 years +) were interviewed about their experiences of widowhood. Participants were classified as to whether they were coping well or less well. Data were analyzed using grounded theory, content. analysis, and three-way loglinear analyses. Loglinear analyses revealed three-way interactions for Gender, Coping, and Response. Men who report feeling upset or selfish are more likely to be coping, as are women who report being comfortable alone. There were two-way interactions between Coping and Response and Gender and Response. Participants who talk to their dead spouse are more Rely to be coping than those who do not. Those who "keep themselves to themselves" are more likely not to be coping than those who do not. Gender differences, were found in psychological response. Differences were also found between those who coped and those who coped less well. The study has enabled the synthesis of quantitative and qualitative data to present a more complete view of late life widowhood than has previously been possible. In addition, the article draws attention to the importance of distinguishing between the effects of bereavement and those of widowhood.

Office noise and employee concentration: identifying causes of disruption and potential improvements

A field study assessed subjective reports of distraction from various office sounds among 88 employees at two sites. In addition, the study examined the amount of exposure the workers had to the noise in order to determine any evidence for habituation. Finally, respondents were asked how they would improve their environment ( with respect to noise), and to rate examples of improvements with regards to their job satisfaction and performance. Out of the sample, 99% reported that their concentration was impaired by various components of office noise, especially telephones left ringing at vacant desks and people talking in the background. No evidence for habituation to these sounds was found. These results are interpreted in the light of previous research regarding the effects of noise in offices and the 'irrelevant sound effect'.

Are differences in life history parameters of the pine beauty moth Panolis flammea modified by host plant quality or gender?

Pine beauty moth (Panolis flammea D&S, Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) were reared individually from egg hatch to pupation on one of three host plants, Pinus sylvestris (native host plant), Pinus contorta (Central Interior seed origin - good quality introduced host) and P. contorta (Alaskan seed origin - poor quality introduced host). After emerging from the pupae the adult moths were confined to a Skeena River seed origin of P. contorta. Female pupal weight and adult life span were significantly higher on P. sylvestris than on the two lodgepole pine seed origins. Development time was, however, not significantly different between treatments, but larval mean relative growth rate was found to be negatively correlated with birth weight and positively correlated with pupal weight. The time to emerge from the pupa was also not significantly different between treatments. However, there were marked differences between the genders. Male moths lost a significantly greater proportion of their weight over the pupal stage but lived significantly longer as adults than the females. Female moths emerged from the pupal stage significantly sooner than male moths. There was no apparent advantage of lai-ge birth size when looked at in terms of subsequent performance. These results are discussed in light of current life history theory.

Serum vitamin D concentration does not predict insulin action or secretion in European subjects with the metabolic syndrome

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relation between serum concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and insulin action and secretion. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In a cross-sectional study of 446 Pan-European subjects with the metabolic syndrome, insulin action and secretion were assessed by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) indexes and intravenous glucose tolerance test to calculate acute insulin response, insulin sensitivity, and disposition index. Serum 25(OH)D was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. RESULTS The 25(OH)D3 concentration was 57.1 ± 26.0 nmol/l (mean ± SD), and only 20% of the subjects had 25(OH)D3 levels ≥75 nmol/l. In multiple linear analyses, 25(OH)D3 concentrations were not associated with parameters of insulin action or secretion after adjustment for BMI and other covariates. CONCLUSIONS In a large sample of subjects with the metabolic syndrome, serum concentrations of 25(OH)D3 did not predict insulin action or secretion. Clear evidence that D vitamin status directly influences insulin secretion or action is still lacking.

Measurement and prediction of the effect of students activities on airborne particulate concentration in a classroom.

Epidemiological studies have shown links between human exposure to indoor airborne particles and adverse health affects. Several recent studies have also reported that the classroom environment has an impact on students’ health and performance. In this study particle concentration in a university classroom is assessed experimentally for different occupancy periods. The mass concentrations of different particle size ranges (0.3 – 20 µm), and the three particulate matter fractions (PM10, PM2.5, and PM1) were measured simultaneously in a classroom with different occupancy periods including occupied and unoccupied periods in the University of Reading, UK, during the winter period of 2010. The results showed that students’ presence is a significant factor affecting particles concentration for the fractions above PM1 in the measured range of 0.3 to 20 µm. The resuspension of the three PM fractions was also determined in the study.

Spectacle/gender/history: the case of Gone with the Wind

The essay asserts that, since pioneering work in the 1970s and 80s (in Screen in particular), the study of classical Hollywood cinema has failed adequately to acknowledge and understand the role of spectacle therein. This essay outlines theoretical but, even more, practical understandings of particular kinds of spectacle; they are susceptible to the practice of close analysis. Seeking to discuss spectacle in precise terms and in particular contexts, I define two kinds of spectacle associated with the historical film: ‘the decor of history’ and ‘the spectacular vista’. The example of Gone with the Wind illustrates the interrelationship between these two kinds of spectacle and their associations with particular ideas of femininity and masculinity. This gendering of spectacle is related to ‘the historical gaze’, a performative gesture that exemplifies the wider rhetoric of historical films, in their seeking to address the historical knowledge of the film spectator and to uphold a vision of history as being driven by powerful men, aware of their own destiny. Over the course of the three famous hilltop scenes in Gone with the Wind, one can plot Scarlett O'Hara's increased access to this kind of foresight and fortitude coded as ‘masculine’. This character arc can also be traced through Scarlett's shifting place within the film's use of spectacle: she begins the film wholly preoccupied with the domestic world of lavish parties and beautiful gowns; however, after her encounter with cataclysmic history visualized as a vast, terrible spectacle (the fall of Atlanta), Scarlett assumes the role occupied by her broken and emasculated father.

Tracer concentration profiles measured in central London as part of the REPARTEE campaign

There have been relatively few tracer experiments carried out that have looked at vertical plume spread in urban areas. In this paper we present results from two tracer (cyclic perfluorocarbon) experiments carried out in 2006 and 2007 in central London centred on the BT Tower as part of the REPARTEE (Regent’s Park and Tower Environmental Experiment) campaign. The height of the tower gives a unique opportunity to study vertical dispersion profiles and transport times in central London. Vertical gradients are contrasted with the relevant Pasquill stability classes. Estimation of lateral advection and vertical mixing times are made and compared with previous measurements. Data are then compared with a simple operational dispersion model and contrasted with data taken in central London as part of the DAPPLE campaign. This correlates dosage with non-dimensionalised distance from source. Such analyses illustrate the feasibility of the use of these empirical correlations over these prescribed distances in central London.

Influence of the APOC3 −2854T>G polymorphism on plasma lipid levels: effect of age and gender

The APOC3 −2854T>G polymorphism lies in the APOC3–A4 intergenic region. In a group of healthy adults, this polymorphism was associated with circulating triglycerides, with 55% lower fasting levels in the homozygous wild-type (TT) compared to the homozygous rare allele (GG) genotype. Age and gender had a significant impact on genotype–triglyceride interactions.