bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The value of tail risk hedging in defined contribution plans: what does history tell us
Authors: BASU ANUP K. , DREW MICHAEL E.
Published: July 2014

Hedging against tail events in equity markets has been forcefully advocated in the aftermath of recent global financial crisis. Whether this is beneficial to long horizon investors like employees enrolled in defined contribution (DC) plans, however, has been subject to criticism. We conduct historical simulation since 1928 to examine the effectiveness of active and passive tail risk hedging using out of money put options for hypothetical equity portfolios of DC plan participants with 20 years to retirement. Our findings show that the cost of tail hedging exceeds the benefits for a majority of the plan participants during the sample period. However, for a significant number of simulations, hedging result in superior outcomes relative to an unhedged position. Active tail hedging is more effective when employees confront several panic-driven periods characterized by short and sharp market swings in the equity markets over the investment horizon. Passive hedging, on the other hand, proves beneficial when they encounter an extremely rare event like the Great Depression as equity markets go into deep and prolonged decline.
2. Le caratteristiche strutturali delle SR
Authors: Picardi Angelo , de Girolamo Giovanni , Santone Giovanni , Zanalda Enrico , Falloon Ian , Fioritti Angelo , Micciolo Rocco , Morosini Pierluigi , Svettini Alessandro
Published: July 2014

La prima parte di questa monografia prende in esame le variabili di tipo strutturale delle SR, ovvero le caratteristiche quanti- e qualitative sia delle SR che dello staff curante. L'importanza delle caratteristiche strutturali delle SR è duplice: da un lato si trattava di comprendere in che misura il cambiamento strutturale innescato e promosso dalla Legge 180 si fosse tradotto in una effettiva e coerente trasformazione del contesto assistenziale, e dall'altro quale fosse il gradiente di variabilità delle strutture sul territorio nazionale (peraltro già messo in luce, in termini generali, nella fase 1 del progetto); è inoltre noto che la presenza di condizioni strutturali di qualità accresce le probabilità di un processo appropriato e quindi di un esito favorevole degli interventi.

Oltre la metà delle 265 SR partecipanti (N=138, 52,1%) è localizzata nel Nord Italia, mentre le altre si distribuiscono in proporzione simile nel Centro (N=64, 24,2%) e nel Sud (N=63, 23,7%) del paese. Le SR del Sud presentano un numero medio di ospiti per struttura significativamente più elevato (14,1±7,2) rispetto a quelle del Nord (N=ll,2±8,6) e del Centro (N=9,4±5,8) (p<0,01; Nord vs Sud p<0,05; Centro vs Sud p<0,001). Il numero medio di residenti nelle SR selezionate è risultato pari a 10 (media 11,4±7,9), con un range piuttosto ampio, che va da un minimo di 4 ad un massimo di 60. La percentuale di SR con un numero di posti-letto superiore a 20 è tuttavia ridotta (N=16; 5,7%). Le SR con maggiore capienza (>20 posti-letto) presentano alcune differenze statisticamente significative rispetto alle SR di minore capacità ricettiva (<20 posti-letto): una percentuale inferiore di dimissioni concordate (12,7% vs 32,3%; p<0,05), ed una percentuale maggiore di fughe di residenti (17,1% vs 5,5%; p<0,01) e di drop-out (14,5% vs 4,2%; p<0,1).
3. Il processo assistenziale nelle SR
Authors: Santone Giovanni , de Girolamo Giovanni , Falloon Ian , Fioritti Angelo , Micciolo Rocco , Picardi Angelo , Zanalda Enrico , Svettini Alessandro
Published: July 2014

Se le SR devono rappresentare, almeno per una parte dei pazienti che esse ospitano, un setting destinato al trattamento intensivo a lungo termine, l'analisi del processo assistenziale (ossia di ciò che concretamente si fa nelle SR, delle regole che caratterizzano lo svolgersi della vita comunitaria, delle attività condotte dagli operatori) appare una dimensione di fondamentale importanza da comprendere. Nell'ambito del progetto PROGRES, tale dimensione è stata oggetto di una valutazione approfondita, che viene descritta in questa sezione della monografia.

La Scheda Struttura conteneva molti item che esploravano varie caratteristiche e dimensioni del processo assistenziale. L'analisi dei dati ha preso in esame la descrizione dei parametri rilevanti per la comprensione di specifici aspetti del processo assistenziale in atto all'interno delle SR. Si sono anche esplorate eventuali associazioni fra caratteristiche delle SR e dei pazienti ospitati.

È stata inoltre condotta una analisi dei cluster al fine di individuare, sulla base dei dati disponibili, dei raggruppamenti omogenei di SR che consentano di cominciare a delineare una tassonomia di queste strutture e delle loro funzioni. In generale, l'analisi dei cluster classifica i casi in categorie o gruppi relativamente omogenei, basandosi sulla loro somiglianza o dissimiglianza rispetto alle variabili selezionate. Al fine di effettuare l'analisi dei cluster cercando di utilizzare il massimo numero di informazioni disponibili, sono stati messi a punto 4 punteggi sintetici: ciascuno di essi ha il compito di riassumere la presenza o assenza di varie caratteristiche o dimensioni inerenti al processo assistenziale.
4. I pazienti ospitati
Authors: de Girolamo Giovanni , Picardi Angelo , Santone Giovanni , Falloon Ian , Morosini Pierluigi , Fioritti Angelo , Micciolo Rocco , Svettini Alessandro , Cappiello Vincenzo
Published: July 2014

Come si è già notato prima, le caratteristiche dei pazienti trattati nelle SR sono state molto poco studiate. In particolare, la maggior parte degli studi condotti sino ad oggi ha preso in esame campioni di limitata ampiezza (Andrews et al., 1990; Mowbray et al., 1992; Rimmerman et al., 1993), quindi poco rappresentativi delle popolazioni di pazienti da cui essi sono stati tratti. I soli studi effettuati su campioni più ampi sono stati condotti negli Stati Uniti (Randolph et al., 1991) ed in Gran Bretagna (Lelliott et al., 1996; Faulkner et al., 1993), ma queste ricerche non prevedevano una dettagliata valutazione individuale dei pazienti stessi.

In questo capitolo verranno quindi riportati i risultati della valutazione dettagliata di 2.962 pazienti ospitati nelle 265 SR campionate nella fase 2 del Progetto Nazionale PROGRES. L'ampiezza del campione preso in esame permette di trarre interessanti indicazioni relative all'assistenza fornita attualmente in Italia a pazienti affetti da malattie mentali gravi a pochi anni dalla chiusura degli O.P., e può fornire dati utili anche per altri paesi impegnati in un analogo processo di cambiamento dell'assistenza psichiatrica.
Introduzione
Authors: Erlicher Arcadio , Lora Antonio
Published: July 2014

I provvedimenti legislativi (L. 502/92 e L. 517/93) che hanno prodotto la cosiddetta aziendalizzazione della Sanità hanno anche modificato il suo sistema di finanziamento: da un finanziamento dei fattori produttivi, a pie' di lista, a un finanziamento a prestazione con un sistema tariffario.

La Regione Lombardia, che ha particolarmente enfatizzato nel sistema sanitario riformato la separazione tra soggetto erogatore dei servizi (l'Azienda Ospedaliera) e il soggetto acquirente (l'ASL), per poter finanziare il servizio psichiatrico, erogato dall'Azienda Ospedaliera, ha esteso il sistema delle tariffe anche alla psichiatria, prevedendo attraverso atti regionali una puntuale valorizzazione di tutte le attività psichiatriche sia territoriali sia residenziali e semiresidenziali.

È risultato subito evidente che questo sistema presenta delle criticità, in parte contingenti: in particolare i DRG non descrivono in maniera adeguata la complessità del caso, mentre le tariffe delle prestazioni ambulatoriali non coprono adeguatamente i costi.

A fronte di queste criticità alia psichiatria si aprono due strade possibili: sottoporre a revisione DRG e tariffe oppure, in alternativa, remunerare i servizi sulla base dei bisogni di cura dei pazienti e della complessità dei trattamenti richiesti.
Capitolo 1: Il Progetto di ricerca: motivazioni e generalità metodologiche
Authors: Bezzi Roberto , Farinazzo Carla , Miragoli Paolo
Published: July 2014

La ricerca “Pattern di trattamento e costi nei Dipartimenti di Salute Mentale della Regione Lombardia”, che per brevità chiameremo HoNOS 2, rientra nei “Programmi Speciali” ex Art. 12 DL 502/92.

La ricerca intende contribuire al dibattito su possibili modalità di finanziamento della psichiatria alternative al sistema tariffario per prestazione. Essa approfondisce, in un settore specifico, un problema che riguarda l'intero sistema sanitario e che sembra non avere ancora trovato una risposta definitiva soddisfacente.

Nello scorso decennio il Servizio Sanitario Nazionale è passato, attraverso due fasi di generale riordino, governate a livello nazionale dai Decreti Legislativi 502/92 e 229/99, e ha conosciuto varie leggi regionali di riordino. Siamo solo all'inizio del nuovo decennio e già si preannunciano ulteriori modifiche sulla spinta dell'evoluzione federalista dello Stato.
Capitolo 2: Strumenti della ricerca
Authors: Lora Antonio , Baj Gabriella , Monzani Emiliano , Panetta Barbara , Morghen Daniele Von
Published: July 2014

La valutazione della gravità e dell'esito nei servizi clinici richiede strumenti specifici, che, oltre a possedere le classiche proprietà psicometriche (riproducibilità, validità, sensibilità al cambiamento, ecc.), siano anche applicabili, cioè brevi, semplici da usare e accettabili. La scala HoNOS rappresenta uno dei primi strumenti di valutazione, sviluppati in modo specifico per essere utilizzati routinariamente nei servizi di salute mentale.

Nel 1993 la Research Unit del Royal College of Psychiatrists (CRU) venne incaricata dal Ministero della Sanità inglese di sviluppare uno strumento in grado di monitorare il raggiungimento degli obiettivi, individuati nel campo della salute mentale dal libro bianco governativo “The Health of The Nation“ (uno di questi era, ad esempio, il miglioramento del funzionamento sociale nei pazienti psichiatrici). Lo strumento avrebbe dovuto essere utilizzato sia a fini gestionali che clinici. A livello gestionale avrebbe dovuto, ad esempio, quantificare l' “effectiveness” del servizio, mettendola in relazione con i costi, e monitorare gli accordi stretti tra erogatori ed acquirenti di servizi. Nell'ambito clinico avrebbe dovuto misurare la gravità del quadro psicopatologico e della situazione psicosociale degli utenti, valutare l'esito degli interventi e definire il carico degli operatori.
Risultati
Authors: Ruggeri Mirella , Santolini Nazario , Stegagno Marco , Imperadore Giuseppe , Dall'Agnola Rosa Bruna
Published: July 2014

Nel trimestre 1 Ottobre-31 Dicembre 1994, 355 pazienti sono stati valutati dagli operatori-chiave mediante la GAF, la BPRS e la DAS. Tutti questi pazienti sono stati invitati a recarsi, dopo il colloquio clinico, presso il Servizio di Psicologia Medica dell'Università di Verona per compilare l'LQL e la VSSS. Di essi, 230 si sono presentati spontaneamente presso il Servizio di Psicologia Medica. I 125 soggetti che erano stati valutati dagli operatori e non si erano presentati spontaneamente sono poi stati attivamente ricontattati da un team di ricercatori nelle settimane successive: di questi, 63 hanno accettato di essere intervistati. In totale, 1'83% dei pazienti valutati dall'operatore-chiave ha accettato di essere intervistato; di questi, 285 pazienti hanno portato a termine la compilazione del LQL. Su questi ultimi pazienti si basano le analisi presentate in questo studio.
Premessa
Authors: Martelli Pompeo
Published: July 2014

Sono grato al dr. Benedetto Saraceno per aver accolto la richiesta del Centro Studi e Ricerche della ASL Roma E di pubblicare in Italia il rapporto realizzato dal dr. Alex Cohen per l'Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanità nell'ambito del programma Nations for Mental Health.

L'autore offre in modo conciso ma puntuale una panoramica sulla condizione della salute mentale delle popolazioni indigene nel mondo.

Come l'autore, chi scrive non è mosso dalla mera curiosità per gli inquieta limina delle alterità esotiche bensì dalla consapevolezza che anche nel nostro Paese sia necessario promuovere programmi interculturali di ricerca e di formazione, nonché realizzare servizi di salute pubblica e di salute mentale culturalmente sensibili.

Sono ancora pochi i colleghi italiani che hanno intrapreso questo faticoso percorso (tra loro desidero ricordare il dr. Roberto Beneduce con il Centro Frantz Fanon a Torino) ed è pertanto necessario intensificare i momenti di incontro e di verifica delle nostre attività.

L'approccio con persone provenienti da altre culture che chiedono assistenza ai servizi di salute mentale è sempre una circostanza problematica per l'avvio di un buon ascolto, di una eventuale presa in carico e di una adeguata relazione terapeutica.

Sui fruitori dei servizi, sul loro mental health seeking behavior e sulle ragioni delle loro scelte sappiamo ancora poco; ancor meno conosciamo sull'interazione fra operatori e utenti immigrati ed in particolare sulle difficoltà che gli operatori sperimentano nel corso di questa interazione e che sono alla base di una forte richiesta di formazione.
Indicatori per la valutazione dei Dipartimenti di Salute Mentale
Authors:   Nucleo di Valutazione Progetto QUALI DSM, Regione Lazio
Published: July 2014

È un indicatore (descrittore) di struttura e in parte di processo. Esprime con un punteggio l'aderenza del Dipartimento alla normativa vigente:

L.833 del 27/12/78: Istituzione del Servizio Sanitario Nazionale, art. 33, 34, 35;

DPR 7/4/94: Approvazione del Progetto Obiettivo “Tutela della salute mentale”;

DGR n. 159/97: Approvazione della Linee guida attuative “Progetto Obiettivo tutela della salute mentale”;

DPR 14/1/97: Approvazione dell'atto di indirizzo e coordinamento alle regioni e alle provincie autonome di Trento e di Bolzano in materia di requisiti strutturali, tecnologici ed organizzativi minimi per l'esercizio delle attività sanitarie da parte delle strutture pubbliche e private.

DGR n.143 3/2/98: Regolamento concernente “Istituzione, funzioni e modalità operative del Dipartimento di Salute Mentale”.

Al fine della costruzione di un sistema di indicatori, sono state considerate le strutture residenziali o semiresidenziali, così come definite al punto 3.1.

Ogni requisito soddisfatto vale 1 punto. Il punteggio strutturale ed organizzativo dei DSM è dato dal totale dei requisiti soddisfatti con un punteggio massimo di 24.
Population needs for mental health services. Introduction to the theme
Authors: Lehtinen Ville
Published: July 2014

All over the world large sums of both public and private money are expended on the operation of psychiatric health care services. In most of the European countries mental health care expenditures, as well as the total health care budget, increased quite rapidly during the 80s. But in the 90s the economic recession has forced to cut down costs which has meant a decrease in mental health resources and, evidently, an increase of the unmet need for these services in the population.

The problem is that the development of mental health services has been, for the most part, merely accidental and random, usually not clearly planned and based neither on real knowledge of the population needs nor on setting priorities when all needs can not be satisfied. During the period of increasing resources there was no real need for priority setting; somewhat exaggerating one can say that every emerging demand for services could be met by allocating new resources. During the recession, on the other hand, the cutting of costs have been the main goal, leading again to an unplanned development: the cuts of resources have been rather forced and panicky, not based on consideration of true population needs or the consequences of the development.
Do we still need mental hospitals?
Authors: Burti Lorenzo
Published: July 2014

“The debate is over” claimed a heading in a newspaper on the 1991 Amsterdam WHO conference ‘Changing mental health care in the cities of Europe’: “After half a century of debate of the issue of deinstitutionalisation the question is not any more if we should close the large mental hospitals, but what follows the closure and how to develop adequate community mental health care which replaces the functions of the mental hospital” (Gersons & Burns, 1992).

These ‘functions’ have actually secured the long-lasting success of the mental hospital which has been in the past and, to a certain extent, still is in a number of countries, the cornerstone of psychiatric care. It incorporates all the functions of a psychiatric system in a single, usually isolated facility, including crisis intervention, evaluation, treatment, aftercare, long-term custodial care, rehabilitation, etc. In order to phase down the mental hospital these functions have to be supplemented by newly established, discrete services disseminated in the community. The process is clearly a complex one, since it implies a transition from a system of care provided only in mental hospitals under medical direction, to one that is comprehensive in scope, community-orientated, and staffed by multidisciplinary teams.
How many psychiatric beds: towards a needs based portfolio of residential care
Authors: Harrison Glynn
Published: July 2014

In theory, the utilization of health resources would vary with need. In an ideal world, health care providers would configure their resources and target their treatment programmes according to validated predictors of need. Such models would be based upon socio-demographic variables in the population known to correlate closely with psychiatric morbidity, which had been derived from large data sets having wide applicability and generalizability. They would include technology allowing locality adjustments for small areas with high densities of homelessness, residential accommodation for the severely ill, or areas with problems of substance abuse. Our ideal model would be continually monitored against reliable data derived from real time service use, fed back to providers and ‘fine tuned’ to reflect secular trends in socio-demographic risk factors and changing patterns of need.
Population needs assessment for mental health services. Prospects for the future
Authors: de Almeida José Miguel Caldas
Published: July 2014

The concept of need and the development of methods for measuring population needs represent, in a way, a new paradigm in evaluative research and planning of mental health services.

As with all new paradigms, this one has arisen as a way of overcoming a conceptual crisis: the crisis that has resulted from the application of the curative and medical model to the organisation and evaluation of mental health care, and from the traditional way of planning mental health services according to factors more centred on services and staff problems than on the actual problems of the populations.

As is the case with all new paradigms, the concept of needs also represents a radical change at the epistemological level. In fact, this concept integrates a new perspective on: 1. The nature and range of the problems experienced by the mentally ill (seen not only in terms of symptoms and behavioural problems but also in terms of social disability problems); 2. The interventions required to reduce or contain those problems(integrating the dimension of treatment in a more comprehensive dimension of care); 3. The principles of mental health services organisation (seen from a more community-centred perspective).
Describing mental health services: the development of a mental health census in the North-West of England
Authors: Huxley Peter
Published: July 2014

In the United Kingdom, national policy and local service provision both direct provision towards people with a severe mental illness (NHS and Community Care Act, 1990; Department of Health, 1993, 1994). An independent report by the Mental Health Foundation (1994), a leading mental health charity, recommended that the Department of Health “promulgates a practical definition of severe mental illness (SMI) in order to concentrate attention and services on those in greatest need”.

In order to assess the extent to which a provider or a purchaser has focused attention upon the SMI, definitions are being developed in most services in the UK; this will facilitate the quantification of the number and proportion of SMI in contact with services. The definitional approach uses a (variable) number of criteria to determine status as a severely mentally ill person. It is essentially categorical because the individual is placed in one of two categories, SMI or not-SMI.
Mental health services description. Prospects for the future
Authors: Kovess Vivianne
Published: July 2014

An abundant literature has been published about mental services evaluation and was used for purpose of comparisons between services.

Comparisons have mainly concerned care in the traditional psychiatric hospital based mode versus community mental health (Tansella et al., 1982; Kraudy et al., 1987; Kovess et al., 1995) or care in different areas or countries (Sytema et al., 1989).

Those comparisons have to rely on crude description of services (Tansella et al., 1986) like psychiatric hospitalisation, day hospitalisation or out patient intervention. Intensive international collaboration underpinned the importance of a more precise description about services which could have extremely different components under the same label.

In fact services in mental health are complex to describe to allow meaningful comparisons because they cover many different actions given by a variety of providers and grouped into various structures as:

•

hospitals: specialised or general, large or small;

•

day hospitals and centre;

•

out patients clinics, crisis centres.

Care could also be provided by independent workers from the diverse medical and non medical professions involved in the mental health fields in private practice settings.
Service utilisation: a pivotal measure in assessing service needs and service outcome
Authors: Ruggeri Mirella
Published: July 2014

In past years the study of service utilization has given a great contribution to the evaluation of mental health services. Nowadays, the challenge that must be faced is to obtain from service utilization research useful knowledge for clinical practice and service planning.

Psychiatric care organization should be based on coherent and comprehensive assessments of the population's morbidity and needs for care, and take into account costs and benefits of different forms of treatments in relieving mental disorders and meeting mental health needs. While the former issue has been widely studied, the last two are mostly unexplored. Specifically, there is limited amount of information available on the significance that certain patterns of service utilization, or changes in service utilization, may have for the patient, his/her relatives and the community, and on the correlation between certain characteristics of service utilization and the overall quality of care.

In this perspective, service utilization must not be considered an isolated step in the patient's career; the causal link betweenneeds, use, andoutcomeof services should be identified. A full understanding of the role of service utilization in psychiatry thus necessitates taking into consideration events occurring at various steps of a person's history:

step 1: a person develops a mental disorder;

step 2: in certain cases this will determine a mental health service need;

step 3: in certain cases the service need will determine mental health service utilization;

step 4: use of mental health services will have a certain outcome.
Social networks and service utilisation in patients with severe mental illness
Authors: Becker Thomas , Albert Maya , Angermeyer Matthias C. , Thornicroft Graham
Published: July 2014

In a seminal study, Elizabeth Bott (1957) investigated relationships between family roles and social networks in a small group of families in London. The author was an anthropologist, and the field of social network research, in psychiatry, has received major input from methods of social anthropology. Tolsdorf (1976) investigated social networks of patients with schizophrenia. Since then, many studies have focused different aspects of social networks and social support in patients with psychotic disorders.
Importance of local differences in comparing hospital and community psychiatric services
Authors: Evans Kathryn , Tyrer Peter , Gandhi Naresh , Lamont Alwyn , Harrison-Read Phil
Published: July 2014

Most of the studies that are frequently cited as examples of effective comprehensive community care, (i.e. they reduce the demand for hospital beds without any loss in treatment efficacy (Stein & Test, 1980; Hoult & Reynolds, 1984; Muijen et al., 1992) were carried out before the introduction of the Care Programme Approach (CPA) in 1991 (Department of Health, 1990) which at present only applies to England. As the CPA derives from these earlier studies the discrepancies between hospital and community based aftercare might be expected to become less, as now all services in England are expected to include a significant community element. However, there can still be important differences between those services focusing on community care as the main priority and those in which the hospital system is paramount.

The psychiatric services in the area covered by North West London Mental Health Trust (NWL Trust) represented a natural test of these two approaches as they had parallel hospital and community based teams covering the same catchment areas respectively, North Paddington, in Westminster and Brent, in outer London.

At this point it is useful to provide more detailed description of the two geographical areas at the time of the study and the community and hospital based teams that were involved.
The cost of mental health services. Prospects for future research
Authors: Cabasés Juan M.
Published: July 2014

The setting of priorities in mental health care evaluation requires considering future trends in mental health services. Three areas of change are mentioned in this paper: the development of services, the increase of the burden of illness, and reform processes in health care systems. Economic evaluation of mental health services has to consider the different roles of the agents acting in mental health care, policy-makers, companies, researchers and care professionals, and patients and their relatives.

Despite the increasing work done, most mental health care interventions have either not been evaluated or have been ill evaluated. There is a sense of paucity of measurement that has to be enriched with more and better evaluative research. Some unresolved methodological issues are commented on in this paper. In particular, direct costs outside the health care sector, indirect costs and quality of life measurement are briefly analysed.
Quality development in mental health care in Europe. Recent contributions by WHO
Authors: Faria José G. Sampaio
Published: July 2014

In 1984 all Member States of the European Region agreed on a Pan European Health Policy, popularly known as Targets for Health for All (Health for all targets, 1991).

Among the 38 targets agreed, Target 31 states (table I).

More recently the first meeting of national directors/officials of mental health services in the European Member States stated that “there should be greater concern about the quality of mental health care in each Member State, and mechanisms must be established to guarantee a quality service. These include:

a.

encouraging mental health care professionals to develop systems to monitor the quality of care;

b.

independent inspection of services;

c.

the participation of consumers and relatives;

d.

improving the basic and continuing training of mental health professionals as well as their working conditions;

Special attention should be paid to the quality of care provided to those with severe long-term mental disorder, the elderly, children and adolescents. Barriers to care should be avoided, particularly for people with long-term mental disabilities.”

The need for quality development and evaluation differ quite significantly across the European Region as a result of the existing differences in the pattern of mental health services and priority policies to be implemented.
Community psychiatry in Europe: assessment and evaluation
Authors: Goldberg David
Published: July 2014

It is tempting to suppose that changes in the mental illness service in one's own part of Europe are taking place elsewhere as well. The asylum era is drawing to a close, and politicians everywhere are closing mental illness beds in order to re-distribute health costs in order to pay for new treatments needing expensive technology, as well as to allow for the needs of a population that is now living longer.

In an attempt to become independent of official figures, key figures with a reputation for epidemiological psychiatry were approached in each European country, and asked to complete a brief questionnaire describing the mental health services in their country. Whether this method produces figures that are more or less accurate than official government figures is a question that cannot be addressed at present.
The Problem-Solving Inventory: Appraisal of Problem Solving in the Arab Context, Factor Structure, and Validation
Authors: Soliman Abdrabo Moghazy
Published: July 2014

The Problem-Solving Inventory (PSI) is a self-report measure of applied problem solving that is commonly used in various ethnic groups and cultures. The present study developed a 27-item inventory and labeled the Arabic version the “PSI-Ar.” The PSI-Ar was validated by examining its psychometric properties, the replicability of its factor structure, and its measurement equivalence across genders as well as possible latent mean differences between genders based on 4 studies with 2,072 Egyptian college students (Study 1, N = 607; Study 2, N = 321; Study 3, N = 550; and Study 4, N = 915). Respondents from Study 2 were included into the Study 4 sample. The first study identified 3 PSI factors in the Egyptian sample, similar to those originally identified by Heppner and Petersen (1982) . The second study cross-validated the PSI-Ar in a different sample, demonstrating the replicability of the factor structure and the stability of the findings across different samples. Study 3 provided evidence for the construct validity and test–retest reliability of the PSI-Ar. Finally, Study 4 provided evidence for the measurement invariance of the PSI-Ar across gender and revealed that no latent mean differences exist between genders for the total PSI and the three factors. The findings of the present study supplement the emerging evidence for the validity of the PSI in various cultures and have implications for assessment and practice related to problem-solving appraisals in the Arab cultural context.
Mesoscale assembly of chemically modified graphene into complex cellular networks
Authors: Barg Suelen , Perez Felipe Macul , Ni Na , do Vale Pereira Paula , Maher Robert C. , Garcia-Tuñon Esther , Eslava Salvador , Agnoli Stefano , Mattevi Cecilia , Saiz Eduardo
Published: July 2014

The widespread technological introduction of graphene beyond electronics rests on our ability to assemble this two-dimensional building block into three-dimensional structures for practical devices. To achieve this goal we need fabrication approaches that are able to provide an accurate control of chemistry and architecture from nano to macroscopic levels. Here, we describe a versatile technique to build ultralight (density ≥1 mg cm−3) cellular networks based on the use of soft templates and the controlled segregation of chemically modified graphene to liquid interfaces. These novel structures can be tuned for excellent conductivity; versatile mechanical response (elastic-brittle to elastomeric, reversible deformation, high energy absorption) and organic absorption capabilities (above 600 g per gram of material). The approach can be used to uncover the basic principles that will guide the design of practical devices that by combining unique mechanical and functional performance will generate new technological opportunities.
Poisson’s ratio of individual metal nanowires
Authors: McCarthy Eoin K. , Bellew Allen T. , Sader John E. , Boland John J.
Published: July 2014

The measurement of Poisson’s ratio of nanomaterials is extremely challenging. Here we report a lateral atomic force microscope experimental method to electromechanically measure the Poisson’s ratio and gauge factor of individual nanowires. Under elastic loading conditions we monitor the four-point resistance of individual metallic nanowires as a function of strain and different levels of electrical stress. We determine the gauge factor of individual wires and directly measure the Poisson’s ratio using a model that is independently validated for macroscopic wires. For macroscopic wires and nickel nanowires we find Poisson’s ratios that closely correspond to bulk values, whereas for silver nanowires significant deviations from the bulk silver value are observed. Moreover, repeated measurements on individual silver nanowires at different levels of mechanical and electrical stress yield a small spread in Poisson ratio, with a range of mean values for different wires, all of which are distinct from the bulk value.
Tofogliflozin, a sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor, attenuates body weight gain and fat accumulation in diabetic and obese animal models
Authors: Suzuki M , Takeda M , Kito A , Fukazawa M , Yata T , Yamamoto M , Nagata T , Fukuzawa T , Yamane M , Honda K , Suzuki Y , Kawabe Y
Published: July 2014

Objective:

Tofogliflozin, a highly selective inhibitor of sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), induces urinary glucose excretion (UGE), improves hyperglycemia and reduces body weight in patients with Type 2 diabetes (T2D). The mechanisms of tofogliflozin on body weight reduction were investigated in detail with obese and diabetic animal models.

Methods:

Diet-induced obese (DIO) rats and KKAy mice (a mouse model of diabetes with obesity) were fed diets containing tofogliflozin. Body weight, body composition, biochemical parameters and metabolic parameters were evaluated.

Results:

In DIO rats tofogliflozin was administered for 9 weeks, UGE was induced and body weight gain was attenuated. Body fat mass decreased without significant change in bone mass or lean body mass. Food consumption (FC) increased without change in energy expenditure, and deduced total calorie balance (deduced total calorie balance=FC−UGE−energy expenditure) decreased. Respiratory quotient (RQ) and plasma triglyceride (TG) level decreased, and plasma total ketone body (TKB) level increased. Moreover, plasma leptin level, adipocyte cell size and proportion of CD68-positive cells in mesenteric adipose tissue decreased. In KKAy mice, tofogliflozin was administered for 3 or 5 weeks, plasma glucose level and body weight gain decreased together with a reduction in liver weight and TG content without a reduction in body water content. Combination therapy with tofogliflozin and pioglitazone suppressed pioglitazone-induced body weight gain and reduced glycated hemoglobin level more effectively than monotherapy with either pioglitazone or tofogliflozin alone.

Conclusion:

Body weight reduction with tofogliflozin is mainly due to calorie loss with increased UGE. In addition, tofogliflozin also induces a metabolic shift from carbohydrate oxidation to fatty acid oxidation, which may lead to prevention of fat accumulation and inflammation in adipose tissue and liver. Tofogliflozin may have the potential to prevent obesity, hepatic steatosis and improve insulin resistance as well as hyperglycemia.
OGA heterozygosity suppresses intestinal tumorigenesis in Apcmin/+ mice
Authors: Yang Y R , Jang H-J , Yoon S , Lee Y H , Nam D , Kim I S , Lee H , Kim H , Choi J H , Kang B H , Ryu S H , Suh P-G
Published: July 2014

Emerging evidence suggests that aberrant O-GlcNAcylation is associated with tumorigenesis. Many oncogenic factors are O-GlcNAcylated, which modulates their functions. However, it remains unclear how O-GlcNAcylation and O-GlcNAc cycling enzymes, O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and O-GlcNAcase (OGA), affect the development of cancer in animal models. In this study, we show that reduced level of OGA attenuates colorectal tumorigenesis induced by Adenomatous polyposis coli (Apc) mutation. The levels of O-GlcNAcylation and O-GlcNAc cycling enzymes were simultaneously upregulated in intestinal adenomas from mice, and in human patients. In two independent microarray data sets, the expression of OGA and OGT was significantly associated with poor cancer-specific survival of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. In addition, OGA heterozygosity, which results in increased levels of O-GlcNAcylation, attenuated intestinal tumor formation in the Apcmin/+ background. Apcmin/+OGA+/− mice exhibited a significantly increased survival rate compared with Apcmin/+ mice. Consistent with this, Apcmin/+OGA+/− mice expressed lower levels of Wnt target genes than Apcmin/+. However, the knockout of OGA did not affect Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Overall, these findings suggest that OGA is crucial for tumor growth in CRC independently of Wnt/β-catenin signaling.
Genome-wide functional genomic and transcriptomic analyses for genes regulating sensitivity to vorinostat
Authors: Falkenberg Katrina J , Gould Cathryn M , Johnstone Ricky W , Simpson Kaylene J
Published: July 2014

Identification of mechanisms of resistance to histone deacetylase inhibitors, such as vorinostat, is important in order to utilise these anticancer compounds more efficiently in the clinic. Here, we present a dataset containing multiple tiers of stringent siRNA screening for genes that when knocked down conferred sensitivity to vorinostat-induced cell death. We also present data from a miRNA overexpression screen for miRNAs contributing to vorinostat sensitivity. Furthermore, we provide transcriptomic analysis using massively parallel sequencing upon knockdown of 14 validated vorinostat-resistance genes. These datasets are suitable for analysis of genes and miRNAs involved in cell death in the presence and absence of vorinostat as well as computational biology approaches to identify gene regulatory networks.
Root defense analysis against Fusarium oxysporum reveals new regulators to confer resistance
Authors: Chen Yi Chung , Wong Chin Lin , Muzzi Frederico , Vlaardingerbroek Ido , Kidd Brendan N. , Schenk Peer M.
Published: July 2014

Fusarium oxysporum is a root-infecting fungal pathogen that causes wilt disease on a broad range of plant species, including Arabidopsis thaliana. Investigation of the defense response against this pathogen had primarily been conducted using leaf tissue and little was known about the root defense response. In this study, we profiled the expression of root genes after infection with F. oxysporum by microarray analysis. In contrast to the leaf response, root tissue did not show a strong induction of defense-associated gene expression and instead showed a greater proportion of repressed genes. Screening insertion mutants from differentially expressed genes in the microarray uncovered a role for the transcription factor ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR72 (ERF72) in susceptibility to F. oxysporum. Due to the role of ERF72 in suppressing programmed cell death and detoxifying reactive oxygen species (ROS), we examined the pub22/pub23/pub24 U-box type E3 ubiquitin ligase triple mutant which is known to possess enhanced ROS production in response to pathogen challenge. We found that the pub22/23/24 mutant is more resistant to F. oxysporum infection, suggesting that a heightened innate immune response provides protection against F. oxysporum. We conclude that root-mediated defenses against soil-borne pathogens can be provided at multiple levels.
Highly selective directed arylation reactions via back-to-back dehydrogenative C–H borylation/arylation reactions
Authors: Keske Eric C. , Moore Brandon D. , Zenkina Olena V. , Wang Ruiyao , Schatte Gabriele , Crudden Cathleen M.
Published: July 2014

Dimeric rhodium N-heterocyclic carbene complexes are demonstrated to be effective catalyst precursors for directed C–H borylation reactions at room temperature.
Programmed stereoselective assembly of DNA-binding helical metallopeptides
Authors: Gamba Ilaria , Rama Gustavo , Ortega-Carrasco Elizabeth , Maréchal Jean-Didier , Martínez-Costas José , Eugenio Vázquez M. , López Miguel Vázquez
Published: July 2014

We have applied solid phase peptide synthesis methods for the construction of peptide ligands that coordinate Fe(ii) ions and fold into chiral peptide helicates that show great affinity and chiral selectivity for three-way DNA junctions and promising cell-internalization properties.
An STM study of molecular exchange processes in organic thin film growth
Authors: Gallego José M. , Ecija David , Martín Nazario , Otero Roberto , Miranda Rodolfo
Published: July 2014

PCBM molecules deposited on an exTTF layer grown on Au(111) exchange places with the exTTF molecules, expelling them to the outer surface, even at 150 K, when the surface diffusion of the exTTF molecules is completely frozen.
Ultrafast colorimetric detection of nucleic acids based on the inhibition of the oxidase activity of cerium oxide nanoparticles
Authors: Kim Moon Il , Park Ki Soo , Park Hyun Gyu
Published: July 2014

A colorimetric method to detect nucleic acids involving target DNA induced shielding of the oxidase activity of CeO2NPs is developed.
The unprecedented catalytic activity of alkanolamine CO2 scrubbers in the cycloaddition of CO2 and oxiranes: a DFT endorsed study
Authors: Roshan Kuruppathparambil Roshith , Kim Bo Mi , Kathalikkattil Amal Cherian , Tharun Jose , Won Yong Son , Park Dae Won
Published: July 2014

A novel use of alkanolamines as catalysts for CO2 conversion to cyclic carbonates under metal- and halide-free conditions.
Investigation of the crystallization of zeolite A from hydrogels aged under high pressure
Authors: Tong Fei , Ji Weiwei , Li Ming , Zeng Changfeng , Zhang Lixiong
Published: July 2014

Aging of hydrogels under high pressure can result in the formation of zeolites with small particle sizes and narrow particle size distribution.
Auxiliary ligand-aided tuning of aggregation of transition metal benzoates: isolation of four different types of coordination polymers
Authors: Banerjee Subarna , Rajakannu Palanisamy , Butcher Raymond J. , Murugavel Ramaswamy
Published: July 2014

The position of benzoic acid substituents and the ability of the auxiliary ligand to act as a chelating or a bridging ligand drive metal benzoates to assemble either as discrete or as polymeric complexes.
Lead-iodide nanowire perovskite with methylviologen showing interfacial charge-transfer absorption: a DFT analysis
Authors: Fujisawa Jun-ichi , Giorgi Giacomo
Published: July 2014

The band structure and ambipolar photocarrier-transport in organic–inorganic lead-iodide nanowire perovskite showing interfacial charge-transfer absorption were theoretically studied.
Synthesis and luminescent properties of La1−xNdxP5O14 nanocrystals
Authors: Marciniak L. , Strek W. , Guyot Y. , Hreniak D.
Published: July 2014

The impact of dopant concentration on spectroscopic properties of La1−xNdxP5O12 nanocrystals: the luminescence decay profiles – (a); emission spectra – (b); and luminescence branching ratios – (c).
High throughput first-principles calculations of bixbyite oxides for TCO applications
Authors: Sarmadian Nasrin , Saniz Rolando , Partoens Bart , Lamoen Dirk , Volety Kalpana , Huyberechts Guido , Paul Johan
Published: July 2014

We present a high-throughput computing scheme based on density functional theory (DFT) to generate a class of oxides and screen them with the aim of identifying those that might be electronically appropriate for transparent conducting oxide (TCO) applications.
Synthesis, crystal structure and magnetic properties of two alternating double μ1,1 and μ1,3 azido bridged Cu(ii) and Ni(ii) chains
Authors: Bhowmik Pallab , Biswas Saptarshi , Chattopadhyay Shouvik , Diaz Carmen , Gómez-García Carlos J. , Ghosh Ashutosh
Published: July 2014

Two new alternating double μ1,1 and μ1,3 azido bridged 1D Cu(ii) and Ni(ii) complexes have been synthesized and their magnetic data were fitted to an alternating ferro/antiferromagnetic chain model.
A plant chamber system with downstream reaction chamber to study the effects of pollution on biogenic emissions
Authors: Timkovsky J. , Gankema P. , Pierik R. , Holzinger R.
Published: July 2014

A system of two plant chambers and a downstream reaction chamber has been set up to investigate the emission of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) and possible effects of pollutants such as ozone.
Astrochemistry of dust, ice and gas: introduction and overview
Authors: van Dishoeck Ewine F.
Published: July 2014

A brief introduction and overview of the astrochemistry of dust, ice and gas and their interplay is presented. The importance of basic chemical physics studies of critical reactions is illustrated through a number of recent examples. Such studies have also triggered new insight into chemistry, illustrating how astronomy and chemistry can enhance each other. Much of the chemistry in star- and planet-forming regions is now thought to be driven by gas–grain chemistry rather than pure gas-phase chemistry, and a critical discussion of the state of such models is given. Recent developments in studies of diffuse clouds and PDRs, cold dense clouds, hot cores, protoplanetary disks and exoplanetary atmospheres are summarized, both for simple and more complex molecules, with links to papers presented in this volume. In spite of many lingering uncertainties, the future of astrochemistry is bright: new observational facilities promise major advances in our understanding of the journey of gas, ice and dust from clouds to planets.
Superior prebiotic and physicochemical properties of novel dextran from Weissella cibaria JAG8 for potential food applications
Authors: Tingirikari Jagan Mohan Rao , Kothari Damini , Goyal Arun
Published: July 2014

The dextran fromWeissella cibariaJAG8 showed good water holding capacity, emulsion, and flocculation activity. Dextran displayed greater thermal stability, resistance to hydrolysis by simulated gastric juice and α-amylase and promoted the growth of probiotic bacteria.
New insights into the effects of formulation type and compositional mixtures on the antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of dietary supplements based-on hepatoprotective plants
Authors: Pereira Carla , Barreira João C. M. , Calhelha Ricardo C. , Queiroz Maria João R. P. , Barros Lillian , Ferreira Isabel C. F. R.
Published: July 2014

Mixtures showed synergistic effects and syrups tended to be the formulation with highest antioxidant activity.
Fast catalytic reduction of an azo dye by recoverable and reusable Fe3O4@PANI@Au magnetic composites
Authors: Chen Ming , Liu Peipei , Wang Chengjiao , Ren Wenjie , Diao GuoWang
Published: July 2014

Fe3O4@PANI@Au magnetic composites were fabricated and applied to catalyze azo dye reduction. This catalyst exhibited high catalytic activity, excellent recyclability and stability.
Quantitative study of protein–protein interactions by quartz nanopipettes
Authors: Tiwari Purushottam Babu , Astudillo Luisana , Miksovska Jaroslava , Wang Xuewen , Li Wenzhi , Darici Yesim , He Jin
Published: July 2014

Quartz nanopipettes with attoliter sensing volumes can be potentially used as a label-free method to quantitatively characterize protein–protein interactions, based on a charge sensing mechanism.
In2O3 cubes: synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic properties
Authors: Guo Sheng-qi , Zhang Xiao , Hao Zhen-wei , Gao Guan-dao , Li Guang , Liu Lu
Published: July 2014

Two-step prepare of In2O3 cubes, which have excellent photocatalytic performance for degeneration of organic dyes.