Optimizing prediction of binge eating episodes : a comparison approach to test alternative conceptualizations of the affect regulation model

Background : Although a wealth of studies have tested the link between negative mood states and likelihood of a subsequent binge eating episode, the assumption that this relationship follows a typical linear dose–response pattern (i.e., that risk of a binge episode increases in proportion to level of negative mood) has not been challenged. The present study demonstrates the applicability of an alternative, non-linear conceptualization of this relationship, in which the strength of association between negative mood and probability of a binge episode increases above a threshold value for the mood variable relative to the slope below this threshold value (threshold dose response model).

Methods : A sample of 93 women aged 18 to 40 completed an online survey at random intervals seven times per day for a period of one week. Participants self-reported their current mood state and whether they had recently engaged in an eating episode symptomatic of a binge.

Results : As hypothesized, the threshold approach was a better predictor than the linear dose–response modeling of likelihood of a binge episode. The superiority of the threshold approach was found even at low levels of negative mood (3 out of 10, with higher scores reflecting more  negative mood). Additionally, severity of negative mood beyond this threshold value appears to be useful for predicting time to onset of a binge episode.

Conclusions : Present findings suggest that simple dose–response formulations for the association between  negative mood and onset of binge episodes miss vital aspects of this relationship. Most  notably, the impact of mood on binge eating appears to depend on whether a threshold value  of negative mood has been breached, and elevation in mood beyond this point may be useful  for clinicians and researchers to identify time to onset.

Self-esteem mediates the associations among negative affect, body disturbances, and interpersonal problems in treatment-seeking obese individuals

Background: This study investigated the relationship among negative affect, body image disturbances (BID), and interpersonal problems, and the mediating effect of self-esteem in a group of treatment-seeking obese individuals. Methods: Four hundred twenty-two obese patients (85 males and 337 females) completed standardised measures that assessed negative affect, BID, self-esteem, and interpersonal problems. Results: Structural equation modelling showed that obese individuals with greater negative affect and BID reported higher interpersonal problems and that self-esteem mediated the relationships among negative affect, BID, and interpersonal problems. Conclusions: The mediating role of self-esteem in the relationship between interpersonal functioning and psychological distress needs to be considered when selecting psychologically based interventions that aim to improve the well-being of treatment-seeking obese patients. © 2014 The Australian Psychological Society.

Type 2 diabetes care in North Karelia Finland: do area-level socio-economic factors affect processes and outcomes?

This research assessed the impact of area-level socio-economic factors on the prevalence and outcomes of type 2 diabetes in North Karelia, Finland.

How website design options affect content prominence: a literature-derived framework applied to SME websites

The literature offers a fragmented view of design options with thepotential to affect the prominence of selected content (e.g., privacyinformation) on organizational websites. This article contributesto knowledge by consolidating the design options into a singleframework. It argues that future research should consider howthe design options in combination, not just individually, can affectcontent prominence. The article summarizes the types of qualitativeand quantitative studies needed to apply and extend the framework.It presents an example qualitative study showing how theframework can be applied to, and extended by, examining the prominence of ecologically sustainable practices (i.e., green content)on small and medium enterprise websites. The example studyemphasizes the value of the framework by illustrating how contentprominence may vary depending on interrelationships betweendesign options. The article finally offers suggestions on how practitioners and developers can use the framework when making website design decisions.

Does banks’ dual holding affect bank lending and firms’ investment decisions? Evidence from China

This study investigates the effect of banks’ dual holding on bank lending and firms’ investment decisions using a sample of listed firms in China. We find that dual holding leads to easier access to bank loans, a result that is more pronounced for non-state-owned enterprises (non-SOEs) than SOEs. We also find that dual holding distorts banks’ lending decisions and harms the investment efficiency for SOEs, while resulting in optimal lending decisions and enhanced investment efficiency for non-SOEs. For non-SOEs, further analysis suggests that optimal lending decisions and efficient investment can be achieved for firms with higher ownership concentration, and firms in which the family and foreign investors are the controlling shareholders. We argue that, in emerging markets, whether a bank plays a monitoring role by directly holding the debt and equity claims of companies relies heavily on whether the potential collusion between firm executives and bank managers can be averted, which in turn is determined by the firms’ governance framework and ownership structure.

Does ownership affect a firm’s performance and default risk in Jordan?

This paper seeks to examine the impact of ownership structure on firm performance and the default risk of a sample of publicly listed firms.

The height of approaching humans does not affect flight-initiation distance

Capsule Responses of animals to anthropogenic disturbances are often quantified using flight-initiation distance, the distance at which an animal flees a stimulus such as a person. We showed that the height of 20 researchers, selected to represent a diversity of heights, did not affect estimates of flight-initiation distance of Black Swans Cygnus atratus, suggesting that the height of humans used to test hypotheses of flight-initiation distances is not a confounding variable.

Greenhouse affect : the relationship between the sustainable design of schools and children’s environmental attitudes

This study aims to determine if primary school children’s environmental attitudes can be predicted by whether their school had been designed or adapted for sustainability. A New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale for children was adopted to measure attitudes, with supplementary questions added to align this scale to the Australian context of the study. In addition, the original adult NEP scale was used to determine relationships between children’s environmental attitudes, their School Design and their Parents’ and Teachers’ Environmental Attitudes. Data collected from grade 4, 5 and 6 primary school children, their parents and teachers were analysed via three multiple regressions. The results indicate that sustainable design in schools improves the environmental attitudes of children towards perceptibly green building features, such as solar panels, the use of recycled water, natural daylighting and outdoor classrooms including food-producing gardens.

Colorectal multidisciplinary meetings: how do they affect the timeliness of treatment?

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to determine whether multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings alter the length of time to treatment (LOTT) for patients with colorectal cancer. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective audit of all patients with colorectal cancer from the Geelong Hospital (TGH) mandatory colorectal database from 1 January 2006 to 3 February 2011. To be included, patients had to have had elective surgical intervention for primary colorectal adenocarcinoma. A comparison of historical controls was conducted between patients discussed in MDT meetings and those managed prior to the introduction of MDT meetings (3 October 2006) to determine the LOTT in days from definitive diagnosis (colonoscopy) to definitive management (surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy). RESULTS: In total, the median LOTT for the historical control and MDT era patient populations were 19.5 and 20 days, respectively. Within the MDT era, we noticed significantly longer times to treatment for patients with rectal cancer who were seen in an MDT meeting prior to definitive management than patients who did not have an intervening MDT meeting (P < 0.001). With a difference of 7.5 days, the clinical significance of these findings remains contentious. However, it is worthwhile recognizing this trend in patients who are exhibiting symptoms due to near obstruction or significant bleeding. The LOTT for colon cancer patients remained unchanged. CONCLUSION: The introduction of MDT meetings to TGH has prolonged the LOTT for patients with rectal cancer. These findings pave the way for further revision of the efficiency of MDT meeting at TGH.

Imagination, performance and affect: a critical pedagogy of the Holocaust?

Based on video testimony interviews held in the Shoah FoundationInstitute’s Visual History archive and the Melbourne JewishHolocaust Centre’s archive, this paper examines Holocaust survivortestimony as it relates to their return to the sites of atrocity,particularly Auschwitz-Birkenau. It analyses how survivor’s (re)encounters with material and imaginative landscapes revealsconceptions of, inter alia, agency, community, absence andbelonging in the performance of self. It uses these tensionsbetween landscapes of the past and present to develop thetheoretical relationship between performativity and ideas ofaffect. In doing so, it explores how these ideas can be used toengage students in a critical pedagogy of the Holocaust throughanalysis of survivor video-testimony and in visiting landscapes ofthe Holocaust.

Do individual auditors affect audit quality? Evidence from archival data

We examine whether and how individual auditors affect audit outcomes using a large set of archival Chinese data. We analyze approximately 800 individual auditors and find that they exhibit significant variation in audit quality. The effects that individual auditors have on audit quality are both economically and statistically significant, and are pronounced in both large and small audit firms. We also find that the individual auditor effects on audit quality can be partially explained by auditor characteristics, such as educational background, Big N audit firm experience, rank in the audit firm, and political affiliation. Our findings highlight the importance of scrutinizing and understanding audit quality at the individual auditor level.