Tissue protein turnover and its modulation by biochemical, nutritional and physiological factors

DUE TO COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION AT ASTON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES WITH PRIOR ARRANGEMENT

The relationship between personality and social factors and success as a sales representative, both of a petrol company and an animal food company

DUE TO COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION AT ASTON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES WITH PRIOR ARRANGEMENT

Conjunctival UV autofluorescence - prevalence and risk factors

Purpose: Autofluorescence of ultraviolet (UV) light has been shown to occur in localised areas of the bulbar conjunctiva, which map to active cellular changes due to UV and environmental exposure. This study examined the presence of conjunctival UV autofluorescence in eye care practitioners (ECPs) across Europe and the Middle East and its associated risk factors. Method: Images were captured of 307 ECPs right eyes in the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Kuwait, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom using a Nikon D100 camera and dual flash units through UV filters. UV autofluorescence was outlined using ImageJ software and the nasal and temporal area quantified. Subjects were required to complete a questionnaire on their demographics and lifestyle including general exposure to UV and refractive correction. Results: Average age of the subjects was 38.5±12.2 years (range 19-68) and 39.7% were male. Sixty-two percent of eyes had some conjunctival damage as indicated by UV autofluorescence. The average area of damage was higher (p=0.005) nasally (2.95±4.52mm2) than temporally (2.19±4.17mm2). The area of UV damage was not related to age (r=0.03, p=0.674), gender (p=0.194), self-reported sun exposure lifestyle (p>0.05), geographical location (p=0174), sunglasses use (p>0.05) or UV-blocking contact lens use (p>0.05), although it was higher in those wearing contact lenses with minimal UV-blocking and no spectacles (p=0.015). The area of UV damage was also less nasally in those who wore contact lenses and spectacles compared to those with no refractive correction use (p=0.011 nasal; p=0.958 temporal). Conclusion: UV conjunctival damage is common even in Europe, Kuwait and UAE, and among ECPs. The area of damage appears to be linked with the use of refractive correction, with greater damage nasally than temporally which may be explained by the peripheral light focusing effect.

Clogging in subsurface-flow treatment wetlands:occurrence and contributing factors

Clogging is a major operational and maintenance issue associated with the use of subsurface flow wetlands for wastewater treatment, and can ultimately limit the lifetime of the system. This review considers over two decades of accumulated knowledge regarding clogging in both vertical and horizontal subsurface flow treatment wetlands. The various physical, chemical and biological factors responsible for clogging are identified and discussed. The occurrence of clogging is placed into the context of various design and operational parameters such as wastewater characteristics, upstream treatment processes, intermittent or continuous operation, influent distribution, and media type. This information is then used to describe how clogging develops within, and subsequently impacts, common variants of subsurface flow treatment wetland typically used in the U.S., U.K., France and Germany. Comparison of these systems emphasized that both hydraulic loading rate and solids loading rate need to be considered when designing systems to operate robustly, i.e. hydraulic overloading makes horizontal-flow tertiary treatment systems in the U.K. more susceptible to clogging problems than vertical-flow primary treatment systems in France. Future research should focus on elucidating the underlying mechanisms of clogging as they relate to the design, operation, and maintenance of subsurface flow treatment wetlands. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.

Anticholinergic burden in older adults with intellectual disability; relationships with multimorbidity and adverse effects

Background: Anticholinergic medications may be associated with adverse clinical outcomes, including acute impairments in cognition and anticholinergic side effects, the risk of adverse outcomes increasing with increasing anticholinergic exposure. Older people with intellectual disability may be at increased risk of exposure to anticholinergic medicines due to their higher prevalence of comorbidities. We sought to determine anticholinergic burden in ageing people with intellectual disability. Methods: Medication data (self-report/proxy-report) was drawn from Wave 1 of the Intellectual Disability Supplement to the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (IDS-TILDA), a study on the ageing of 753nationally representative people with an IDC40 years randomly selected from the National Intellectual Disability Database. Each individual’s cumulative exposure to anticholinergic medications was calculated using the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden Scale (ACB) amended by a multi-disciplinary group with independent advice to account for the range of medicines in use in this population. Results: Overall, 70.1 % (527) reported taking medications with possible or definite anticholinergic properties (ACBC1), with a mean (±SD) ACB score of 4.5 (±3.0) (maximum 16). Of those reporting anticholinergic exposure (n=527), 41.3 % (217) reported an ACB score o fC5. Antipsychotics accounted for 36.4 % of the total cumulative ACB score followed by anticholinergics (16 %) and antidepressants (10.8 %). The most frequently reported medicine with anticholinergic activity was carbamazepine 16.8 % (127). The most frequently reported medicine with high anticholinergic activity (ACB 3) was olanzapine13.4 % (101). There was a significant association between higher anti-cholinergic exposure and multimorbidity, particularly mental health morbidity, and some anticholinergic adverse effects such as constipation and day-time drowsiness but not self-rated health. Conclusion: Using simple cumulative measures proved an effective means to capture total burden and helped establish that anticholinergic exposure in the study population was high. The finding highlights the need for comprehensive reviews of medications.

HIV, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic arsenic exposure co-exist in a positive synergy

Recent epidemiological evidences indicate that arsenic exposure increases risk of atherosclerosis, cardio vascular diseases (CVD) such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease (CAD) and microangiopathies in addition to the serious global health concern related to its carcinogenic effects. In experiments on animals, acute and chronic exposure to arsenic directly correlates with cardiac tachyarrhythmia, and atherogenesis in a concentration and duration dependent manner. Moreover, the other effects of long-term arsenic exposure include induction of non-insulin dependent diabetes by mechanisms yet to be understood. On the other hand, there are controversial issues, gaps in knowledge, and future research priorities in accelerated incidences of CVD and mortalities in patients with HIV who are under long-termanti-retroviral therapy (ART). Although, both HIV infection itself and various components of ART initiate significant pathological alterations in the myocardium and the vasculature, simultaneous environmental exposure to arsenic which is more convincingly being recognized as a facilitator of HIV viral cycling in the infected immune cells, may contribute an additional layer of adversity in these patients. A high degree of suspicion and early screening may allow appropriate interventional guidelines to improve the quality of lives of those affected. In this mini-review which have been fortified with our own preliminary data, we will discuss some of the key current understating of chronic arsenic exposure, and its possible impact on the accelerated HIV/ART induced CVD. The review will conclude with notes on recent developments in mathematical modeling in this field that probabilistically forecast incidence prevalence as functions of aging and life style parameters, most of which vary with time themselves; this interdisciplinary approach provides a complementary kernel to conventional biology.

A rejtett gazdaság és az ellene való fellépés tényezői = The hidden economy and the factors involved in combating it

A szerzők közgazdasági modellek áttekintése segítségével elemzik a rejtett gazdaságban való részvétel tényezőit. Bemutatják, hogy a haszonmaximáló cselekvők a rejtett gazdaság egyes megjelenési formáival kapcsolatos döntésük meghozatala során (például adócsalás esetében) számot vetnek a rejtett gazdaságban való részvétel, illetve az attól való tartózkodás költségeivel és hasznaival. A tanulmány az adócsalás társadalmilag optimális szintjének meghatározásával foglalkozik a rejtett gazdasággal szembeni kormányzati lépések egyes típusaival, ezek hatásaival és a rejtett gazdasággal szembeni optimális kormányzati politika lehetőségeivel. _______ The authors analyse the factors behind participation in the hidden economy, through a review of the models of economic theory. They show that those seeking to maximize profits weigh various forms of the hidden economy (tax evasion, for instance), in the search for the optimum solution, calculate the costs and benefits of participating in the hidden economy or refraining from doing so. Taking the ‘socially optimum level’ of tax evasion, the study covers the various types of government measures that can be taken against the hidden economy, the effects of them, and the scope for an optimum government policy to combat the hidden economy.

Selected psychosocial and demographic factors affecting levels of pre-retirement planning

In September 2002, the State of Florida implemented a new retirement structure for those employed in the Florida Public School System. Teachers were given the option to maintain their existing defined benefit plan or choose the newly offered defined contribution plan. The variables that affect planning for retirement are innumerable. Identifying the most significant variables is essential to understanding how one plans for retirement. ^ This study examined the relationship between hypothesized psychosocial and demographic factors and an individual's level of pre-retirement planning. The criterion variable, the level of pre-retirement planning, comprised two concepts. First, the time spent thinking about retirement was determined by the score an individual received on a pre-retirement planning scale. This scale included the concepts of information gathering, goals, anticipated resources, and long-range planning. Second, implementation of retirement plan procedures was determined by the percentage an individual annually deferred to retirement. ^ The survey used for data collection contained 50 close-ended items. It was distributed to all full-time teachers in nine randomly selected elementary, middle, and senior high schools throughout Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Multiple regression and crosstabulation indicated that math anxiety, general risk, years of service, and total family income were significant predictors of the level of pre-retirement planning, as measured by the pre-retirement planning scale. In addition, the statistical analysis indicated that math anxiety, internal locus of control, years of service, and total family income were significant predictors of the level pre-retirement planning, as measured by the amount deferred to retirement. An individual's level of math anxiety and family income were the two factors that were the most significant predictors for both concepts on the level of pre-retirement planning. ^ Based on the findings of the study, recommendations focused on assessing an individual's level of math anxiety and educating teachers, particularly pre-service candidates, about the factors that affect pre-retirement planning. Further research should investigate the benefit of such educational programs. ^

The conflict resolution behaviors of occupational therapy students as a function of the personality types, demographic characteristics and contextual factors

Interpersonal conflicts have the potential for detrimental consequences if not managed successfully. Understanding the factors that contribute to conflict resolution has implications for interpersonal relationships and the workplace. Researchers have suggested that personality plays an important and predictable role in conflict resolution behaviors (Chanin & Schneer, 1984; Kilmann & Thomas, 1975; Mills, Robey & Smith, 1985). However, other investigators have contended that contextual factors are important contributors in triggering the behavioral responses (Shoda & Mischel, 2000; Mischel & Shoda, 1995). The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among personality types, demographic characteristics and contextual factors on the conflict resolution behaviors reported by graduate occupational therapy students (n = 125). ^ The study design was correlational. The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Thomas-Kilmann (MODE) Instrument were used to establish the personality types and the context independent conflict resolution behaviors respectively. The effects of contextual factors of task vs. relationship and power were measured with the Conflict Case Scenarios Questionnaire (CCSQ). One-way ANOVA and linear regression procedures were used to test the relationships between personality types and demographic characteristics with the context independent conflict behaviors. Chi-Square procedures of the personality types by contextual conditions ascertained the effects of contexts in modifying the resolution modes. Descriptive statistics established a profile of the sample. ^ The results of the hypotheses tests revealed significant relationships between the personality types of feeling-thinking and sensing-intuition with the conflict resolution behaviors. The contextual attributes of task vs. relationship orientation and of peer vs. supervisor relationships were shown to modify the conflict behaviors. Furthermore, demographic characteristics of age, gender, GPA and educational background were shown to have an effect on the conflict resolution behaviors. The knowledge gained has implications for students' training, specifically understanding their styles and use of effective conflict resolution strategies. It also contributes to the knowledge on management approaches and interpersonal competencies and how this might facilitate the students' transition to the clinical role. ^

Assessing administrative and political factors in implementing a living wage ordinance

Since 2000, the number of living wage ordinances has steadily increased throughout the country. While most of the current research has focused on the beneficial outcomes of living wages, little has been published on their administrative practices. To address this shortcoming, this study focused on the identification of key administrative and political factors involved impacting the implementation of living wage ordinances in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. The study utilized a triangulation of interviews, surveys, and direct observation. The author conducted interviews of administrators and members of the living wage oversight boards in both counties and observed the monthly meetings held by each county's oversight board from January 2006 to June 2007. These findings were buttressed with a national survey of senior staff in other living wage communities. The study utilized descriptive statistics, Chi Square, Cronbach's Alpha, and Spearman's Rank Correlation Coefficient (Spearman's rho). Interviews indicated that administrators in Dade and Broward are seriously under-staffed and budgeted. Ambiguities in the enabling ordinances have lead to loopholes that undermine implementation and accountability for participating contractors. Survey results showed that policy ambiguity, organizational politics, and a lack of organizational capacity were significant negative factors in the implementation process while an organizational culture emphasizing consistent enforcement was a positive factor. Without the proper inputs, an organization hinders itself from meeting its outputs and outcomes. This study finds that Broward and Miami-Dade Counties do not provide the necessary administrative support to implement a living wage effectively – in stark contrast to the high hopes and strong political support behind their passage. For a living wage to succeed, it first needs an organizational culture committed to providing the necessary resources for implementation as well as transparent, consistent accountability mechanisms.

Interactions between endothelin receptor B and transcription factors Sox10 and Pax3 in the melanocyte lineage

Genetic interactions that underlie developmental processes such as cell differentiation and pattern formation are complex and difficult to elucidate. Neural Crest (NC) cells and their derivatives offer an optimal system in which to probe for these complex interactions as they acquire different cell fates and constitute a variety of structures. The transcription factors Sox10 and Pax3 as well as the transmembrane receptor Endothelin receptor b (Ednrb) are temporally and spatially co-expressed early in NC cells and mutations in these genes lead to similar hypopigmentation phenotypes due to a reduced number of NC-derived melanocyte precursors, the melanoblasts. The goal of this study was to establish whether Sox10 and Ednrb or Pax3 and Ednrb interact to promote normal murine melanocyte development. Crosses of Sox10 or Pax3 with Ednrb heterozygous mutants showed that the double heterozygous hypopigmentation phenotype was significantly more pronounced than phenotypes of single heterozygotes, implying that a synergistic interaction exists between Sox10 and Ednrb and Pax3 and Ednrb. This interaction was further explored by the attempt to rescue the Sox10 and Pax3 hypopigmentation phenotypes by the transgenic addition of Ednrb to melanoblasts. Pigmentation was completely restored in the Sox10 and partially restored in the Pax3 mutant mice. The comparison of the number of melanoblasts in transgenic and non-transgenic Sox10 mutant embryos showed that the transgenic rescue occurred as early as E11.5, a critical time for melanoblast population expansion. Cell survival assays indicated that the rescue was not due to an effect of the transgene on melanoblast survival. A novel phenotype arose when studying the interaction between Ednrb and Pax3. Newborns appeared normal but by 3.5 weeks of age, the affected pups were smaller than normal littermates and developed a dome-shaped head; some also developed thoracic kyphosis. Affected pups were dead by 4 weeks of age: 80% were Pax3Sp/+ and 75% were female. When compared to normal littermates, affected mice had brains with enlarged 4th ventricles and more glia while skeletal staining showed kyphosis, wider rib cages and pelvic differences. An epistatic interaction resulting from the mixing of genetic backgrounds that is exacerbated in the presence of Pax3 heterozygosity is suspected.

Examination of the impact of personality, social, and cognitive factors on the co-occurrence of health risk behaviors among multi-problem youth: The utility of an integrative framework

Research has identified a number of putative risk factors that places adolescents at incrementally higher risk for involvement in alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and sexual risk behaviors (SRBs). Such factors include personality characteristics such as sensation-seeking, cognitive factors such as positive expectancies and inhibition conflict as well as peer norm processes. The current study was guided by a conceptual perspective that support the notion that an integrative framework that includes multi-level factors has significant explanatory value for understanding processes associated with the co-occurrence of AOD use and sexual risk behavior outcomes. This study evaluated simultaneously the mediating role of AOD-sex related expectancies and inhibition conflict on antecedents of AOD use and SRBs including sexual sensation-seeking and peer norms for condom use.^ The sample was drawn from the Enhancing My Personal Options While Evaluating Risk (EMPOWER: Jonathan Tubman, PI), data set (N = 396; aged 12-18 years). Measures used in the study included Sexual Sensation-Seeking Scale, Inhibition Conflict for Condom Use, Risky Sex Scale. All relevant measures had well-documented psychometric properties. A global assessment of alcohol, drug use and sexual risk behaviors was used.^ Results demonstrated that AOD-sex related expectancies mediated the influence of sexual sensation-seeking on the co-occurrence of alcohol and other drug use and sexual risk behaviors. The evaluation of the integrative model also revealed that sexual sensation-seeking was positively associated with peer norms for condom use. Also, peer norms predicted inhibition conflict among this sample of multi-problem youth. ^ This dissertation research identified mechanisms of risk and protection associated with the co-occurrence of AOD use and SRBs among a multi-problem sample of adolescents receiving treatment for alcohol or drug use and related problems. This study is informative for adolescent-serving programs that address those individual and contextual characteristics that enhance treatment efficacy and effectiveness among adolescents receiving substance use and related problems services.^

Framing infectious diseases and U.S. public opinion

The United States has been increasingly concerned with the transnational threat posed by infectious diseases. Effective policy implementation to contain the spread of these diseases requires active engagement and support of the American public. To influence American public opinion and enlist support for related domestic and foreign policies, both domestic agencies and international organizations have framed infectious diseases as security threats, human rights disasters, economic risks, and as medical dangers. This study investigates whether American attitudes and opinions about infectious diseases are influenced by how the issue is framed. It also asks which issue frame has been most influential in shaping public opinion about global infectious diseases when people are exposed to multiple frames. The impact of media frames on public perception of infectious diseases is examined through content analysis of newspaper reports. Stories on SARS, avian flu, and HIV/AIDS were sampled from coverage in The New York Times and The Washington Post between 1999 and 2007. Surveys of public opinion on infectious diseases in the same time period were also drawn from databases like Health Poll Search and iPoll. Statistical analysis tests the relationship between media framing of diseases and changes in public opinion. Results indicate that no one frame was persuasive across all diseases. The economic frame had a significant effect on public opinion about SARS, as did the biomedical frame in the case of avian flu. Both the security and human rights frames affected opinion and increased public support for policies intended to prevent or treat HIV/AIDS. The findings also address the debate on the role and importance of domestic public opinion as a factor in domestic and foreign policy decisions of governments in an increasingly interconnected world. The public is able to make reasonable evaluations of the frames and the domestic and foreign policy issues emphasized in the frames.

Personal and institutional factors: Relationship to self-efficacy of persistence to the senior year in college among self-identified Black undergraduate students in a Hispanic serving institution

While undergraduate enrollment of all racial groups in United States higher education institutions has increased, 6-year graduation rates of Blacks (39%) remain low compared to other races; Asians (69%), Whites (62%), and Hispanics (50%; NCES, 2010). Women's graduation rate is higher than men's; 58% compared to men's at 53% in public institutions (IPEDS, 2011). Retention literature does not address the perceptions of Black ethnic groups' experiences in college, particularly in Hispanic serving institutions. Informed by Tinto's (1975, 1987, 1993) student academic and social integration model, Guiffrida's (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006) model of relationships while at college, and ex-post facto research design, the study investigated personal and institutional factors that relate to Black students' self-efficacy and persistence to the senior year in college. Data about Black ethnic undergraduate seniors' (N = 236) academic and social experiences in college were collected using the Student Institutional Integration Survey (SIIS), an online questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to collect background information about the sample, correlation was calculated to indicate the degree of relationship between the variables, and multiple linear regressions were used to identify variables that are predictors of self-efficacy of persistence. Independent samples t-test and analyses of variance were computed to determine whether differences in perceptions of personal and institutional factors that relate to self-efficacy of persistence to the senior year in college could be identified between gender and ethnicity. Frequency was summarized to identify themes of participants' primary motivation for finishing undergraduate degree programs. These themes were: (a) self-pride/personal goal, (b) professional aspiration/career (c) motivation to support family, (d) desire to have financial independence/better job, (e) to serve community, (f) opportunity to go to college, (g) being first-generation college student, and (h) prove to family the value of higher education. The research findings support the tenets of academic and social integration theories which suggest that students' interaction with peer and faculty, relationships with family and friends, and involvement in institutional activities and organizations influence their persistence in college. Implications based on the findings affect institutional policy, curriculum, and program improvements that relate to Black undergraduate students' academic and social support.

Personal and Institutional Factors: Relationship to Self-Efficacy of Persistence to the Senior Year in College among Self-Identified Black Undergraduate Students in a Hispanic Serving Institution

While undergraduate enrollment of all racial groups in United States higher education institutions has increased, 6-year graduation rates of Blacks (39%) remain low compared to other races; Asians (69%), Whites (62%), and Hispanics (50%; NCES, 2010). Women’s graduation rate is higher than men’s; 58% compared to men’s at 53% in public institutions (IPEDS, 2011). Retention literature does not address the perceptions of Black ethnic groups’ experiences in college, particularly in Hispanic serving institutions. Informed by Tinto’s (1975, 1987, 1993) student academic and social integration model, Guiffrida’s (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006) model of relationships while at college, and ex-post facto research design, the study investigated personal and institutional factors that relate to Black students’ self-efficacy and persistence to the senior year in college. Data about Black ethnic undergraduate seniors’ (N = 236) academic and social experiences in college were collected using the Student Institutional Integration Survey (SIIS), an online questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to collect background information about the sample, correlation was calculated to indicate the degree of relationship between the variables, and multiple linear regressions were used to identify variables that are predictors of self-efficacy of persistence. Independent samples t-test and analyses of variance were computed to determine whether differences in perceptions of personal and institutional factors that relate to self-efficacy of persistence to the senior year in college could be identified between gender and ethnicity. Frequency was summarized to identify themes of participants’ primary motivation for finishing undergraduate degree programs. These themes were: (a) self-pride/personal goal, (b) professional aspiration/career (c) motivation to support family, (d) desire to have financial independence/better job, (e) to serve community, (f) opportunity to go to college, (g) being first-generation college student, and (h) prove to family the value of higher education. The research findings support the tenets of academic and social integration theories which suggest that students’ interaction with peer and faculty, relationships with family and friends, and involvement in institutional activities and organizations influence their persistence in college. Implications based on the findings affect institutional policy, curriculum, and program improvements that relate to Black undergraduate students’ academic and social support.