bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Challenges to disability management from an expanding fly-in fly-out workforce
Authors: Biggs Herbert
Published: November 2014

Australia's mineral, resource and infrastructure sectors continues to expand as operations in rural and remote locations increasingly rely on fly-in, fly-out or drive-in, drive-out workforces in order to become economically competitive. The issues associated with employing these workforces are becoming more apparent and include a range of physical, mental, psychosocial, safety, and community challenges. Research evaluating the impacts of fly-in, fly-out operations in Australia has been limited, and in February 2013 the Australian House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Australia made 21 recommendations aimed at improving these operations. To date, none of the recommendations have been implemented. The Construction and Mining sectors, in which most FIFO workers are employed, represent 12% of the total Australian workforce. Recent evidence from Safe Work Australia (2013) notes that serious injuries incident rates in both these sectors are well above the national injury rate. In addition the median payment and compensation cost for serious injury in these sectors are considerably higher than the Australian average due to higher employees salary, severity of incidents, lengths of absence from work, and medical expenses. These at risk remote site FIFO employees are further challenged post injury by lack of access to well-regarded disability management processes that have traditionally closely involved the workplace in the rehabilitation process. This paper examines the disparate challenges faced by both employers and employees in workplace wellbeing in remote sites, and raises questions as to how best disability management professionals can design, implement, and evaluate effective rehabilitation processes for injured FIFO workers who are a fast growing segment of the workforce but who work in conditions hitherto atypical of mainstream industry.
Do DM professionals need to update their competencies to respond to older workers?
Authors: Zimmerman Wolfgang
Published: November 2014

Background: The proportion of people with disabilities in the 50 to 64 year age is double that of those aged 35 and 44 years. Economic inactivity rates are almost 40% higher. Disability Management (DM) professionals are in the front line in responding to these challenges.

Objectives: A key issue is the nature and extent that new knowledge and additional skills are required to respond effectively to the needs of older workers. Methods In 2013, the National Institute of Disability Management and Research (NIDMAR), in collaboration with Pacific Coast University for Workplace Health Sciences, brought stakeholders, professionals and researchers together to explore a more integrated approach to older workers. A follow up questionnaire was distributed to participants in order to validate the conclusions.

Findings: The consensus was that DM professionals already had the skills required but that there were a number of areas where it was essential that knowledge be enhanced and attitudes changed. DM professionals required better knowledge of age-related health conditions, the complexities of co-morbidity and human rights issues and to acknowledge longer recovery times, the health benefits of work, the ability to learn new skills and older workers’ added value to teams.

Discussion: In addition to the essential competences, 22 desirable domains of knowledge, skill and attitude were identified. The taxonomy produced has the potential to form the basis of a training needs analysis (TNA) that could be used by organizations to evaluate the competences of DM professionals and to produce age-sensitive continuing professional development modules.

Conclusion: DM professionals are equipped with the necessary skills to respond effectively to older workers. The appropriate application of these skills requires a change in attitudes and a deeper knowledge of age-related health conditions and the human rights implications of the intersectionality of age and disability at work.
Multiple states for flow through a collapsible tube with discontinuities
Authors: Siviglia A. , Toffolon M.
Published: November 2014

We study the occurrence of the multiple steady states that flows in a collapsible tube can develop under the effect of: (i) geometrical alterations (e.g. stenosis), (ii) variations of the mechanical properties of the tube wall, or (iii) variations of the external pressure acting on the conduit. Specifically, if the approaching flow is supercritical, two steady flow states are possible in a restricted region of the parameter space: one of these flow states is wholly supercritical while the other produces an elastic jump that is located upstream of the variation. In the latter case the flow undergoes a transition through critical conditions in the modified segment of the conduit. Both states being possible, the actual state is determined by the past history of the system, and the parameter values show a hysteretic behaviour when shifting from one state to the other. First we set up the problem in a theoretical framework assuming stationary conditions, and then we analyse the dynamics numerically in a one-dimensional framework. Theoretical considerations suggest that the existence of multiple states is associated with non-uniqueness of the steady-state solution, which is confirmed by numerical simulations of the fully unsteady problem.
Subordinates’ feedback-seeking behavior in supervisory relationships: A moderated mediation model of supervisor, subordinate, and dyadic characteristics
Authors: Chun Jae Uk , Choi Byoung Kwon , Moon Hyoung Koo
Published: November 2014

This study examines the mediating role of subordinates’ perceived cost of feedback-seeking, which operates contingently upon their self-monitoring and the credibility of leader as a feedback source in the relationship between leader-member exchange (LMX) quality and subordinates’ feedback-seeking behavior. The authors tested this moderated mediation model using reports from 217 subordinates employed in five large banking institutions in Korea. Results showed that the relationship between LMX quality and subordinates’ feedback-seeking behavior was mediated via the perceived cost of feedback-seeking only for subordinates with low self-monitoring and when leader credibility was low. This conditional indirect effect provides an integrated understanding of how supervisor, subordinate, and dyadic characteristics influence subordinates’ decision of whether to seek performance feedback.
The role of voice efficacy in the formation of voice behaviour: A cross-level examination
Authors: Duan Jinyun , Kwan Ho Kwong , Ling Bin
Published: November 2014

We present a voice efficacy model to account for the effects of general self-efficacy, perceived team servant leadership, and perceived organisational support on voice behaviour. In particular, we predict that general self-efficacy, perceived team servant leadership, and perceived organisational support enhance voice behaviour via voice efficacy. We also examined the extent to which perceived organisational support moderates the effect of voice efficacy on voice such that the effect is stronger when perceived organisational support is high. Using data collected from 401 employees in 91 groups and 53 organisations in China and controlling for psychological safety, we obtained full support for our hypotheses.
The relationship between workgroup identification and organizational identification: The moderating role of perceived similarities between targets
Authors: Marique Géraldine , Stinglhamber Florence , Desmette Donatienne , Goldoni Edwine
Published: November 2014

The present research aims to examine the role played by perceived similarities between the workgroup and the organization in the relationships between workgroup identification, organizational identification, and affective organizational commitment. Using two different samples, we found that when perceived similarities were high, workgroup identification was more strongly related to organizational identification and that this relationship carried over to affective organizational commitment. These results were obtained with both a global measure of perceived similarities (Study 1) and a more narrow measure operationalizing perceived similarities in terms of value congruence (Study 2), confirming the generalizability of our results.
Delving into promises: Conceptually exploring the beliefs constituting the contemporary psychological contract
Authors: Bankins Sarah
Published: November 2014

The psychological contract is used to examine the dynamics of the employee–employer exchange relationship. The dominant contract conceptualisation is that it is constituted by beliefs about ‘explicit’ and ‘implicit’ promises; however, there is a dearth of conceptual investigation regarding how other research fields understand promising and reconciling this with how the notion has come to be used in psychological contract theory. In particular, the notion of implicit promising remains conceptually and empirically underdeveloped, despite forming a key plank of the contemporary account of the contract. This paper explores these issues by presenting a cross-disciplinary review of promising and applying this to how the notion is used in the contract literature. A conceptual model is also developed to provide avenues to investigate how promise beliefs form in a contract context and their outcomes. Finally, research directions are outlined regarding the roles that beliefs other than promises can play in contract theory.
Personality and contextual antecedents of organizational citizenship behavior: A study of two occupational groups
Authors: Imer Pinar H. , Kabasakal Hayat , Dastmalchian Ali
Published: November 2014

This paper examines the impact of personality trait of dispositional affect and contextual variables of multiple commitments on organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) in two occupational groups. Three dimensions of OCBs were considered: helping, civic virtue and sportsmanship behaviors. We used positive and negative affectivity scale to measure dispositional affect. For commitments, we examined affective and normative organizational and occupational commitments. The data were collected from 180 engineers and 180 teachers. The findings show that affect, multiple commitments and occupation all have significant impacts on different dimensions of OCBs. Dispositional affect had the most influence on all three dimensions of OCBs. In addition, helping behavior is affected by normative organizational commitment while civic virtue behavior is influenced by affective commitments (both organizational and occupational) and occupation. Sportsmanship behavior is explained by occupation and affective organizational commitment. Occupation has been shown to make a unique contribution to understanding OCBs. The present study showed that the teachers, for example, exhibited more civic virtue and sportsmanship behaviors than the engineers. Implications of the findings for future research and practice are discussed.
Contextualizing research: Putting context back into organizational behavior research
Authors: Härtel Charmine E. J. , O’Connor Jennifer M.
Published: November 2014

Contextualizing organizational behavior research means considering the influence of context and illuminating how context influences organizational behavior. In this article, we examine the field of organizational behavior against the criteria of contextualized research, finding it comes up short. We discuss the influences of context and contextual influences and identify ways to contextualize organizational behavior research. We provide examples of contextualized research and outline future directions for contextualized organizational behavior research. Lastly, we issue a call and urge scholars to take up the challenge of putting context back into their organizational behavior research and opening new research pathways and innovative theory for examining organization behavior.
Skipping breakfast leads to weight loss but also elevated cholesterol compared with consuming daily breakfasts of oat porridge or frosted cornflakes in overweight individuals: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Geliebter Allan , Astbury Nerys M. , Aviram-Friedman Roni , Yahav Eric , Hashim Sami
Published: November 2014

Eating breakfast may reduce appetite, body weight and CVD risk factors, but the breakfast type that produces the greatest health benefits remains unclear. We compared the effects of consuming a high-fibre breakfast, a non-fibre breakfast, or no-breakfast control on body weight, CVD risk factors and appetite. A total of thirty-six overweight participants (eighteen men and eighteen women) (mean age 33·9 (sd7·5) years, mean BMI 32·8 (sd4·7) kg/m2) were randomly assigned to consume oat porridge (n = 12), frosted cornflakes (n = 12) or a water control (n = 12) breakfast daily for 4 weeks. Appetite ratings were collected on the first day and weekly thereafter. Before and after the intervention, body weight, composition, blood pressure and resting energy expenditure (REE) were measured and a fasting blood sample was collected. Across the 4 weeks, fullness was higher and hunger was lower in the oat porridge group compared with the control group (P < 0·05). Mean weight change over the intervention was significantly different in the control group (−1·18 (sd1·16) kg) compared with both the cornflakes (−0·12 (sd1·34) kg) and oat porridge (+0·26 (sd0·91) kg) groups (P < 0·05). However, the control group also showed elevated total cholesterol concentrations relative to the cornflakes and oat porridge groups (P < 0·05). There were no differences between groups in changes in body composition, blood pressure, REE or other CVD risk factors. In conclusion, although skipping breakfast led to weight loss, it also resulted in increased total cholesterol concentrations compared with eating either oat porridge or frosted cornflakes for breakfast.
The Dawes Review 3: The Atmospheres of Extrasolar Planets and Brown Dwarfs
Authors: Bailey Jeremy
Published: November 2014

The last few years has seen a dramatic increase in the number of exoplanets known and in the range of methods for characterising their atmospheric properties. At the same time, new discoveries of increasingly cooler brown dwarfs have pushed down their temperature range which now extends down to Y-dwarfs of < 300 K. Modelling of these atmospheres has required the development of new techniques to deal with the molecular chemistry and clouds in these objects. The atmospheres of brown dwarfs are relatively well understood, but some problems remain, in particular the behavior of clouds at the L/T transition. Observational data for exoplanet atmosphere characterisation is largely limited to giant exoplanets that are hot because they are near to their star (hot Jupiters) or because they are young and still cooling. For these planets there is good evidence for the presence of CO and H2O absorptions in the IR. Sodium absorption is observed in a number of objects. Reflected light measurements show that some giant exoplanets are very dark, indicating a cloud free atmosphere. However, there is also good evidence for clouds and haze in some other planets. It is also well established that some highly irradiated planets have inflated radii, though the mechanism for this inflation is not yet clear. Some other issues in the composition and structure of giant exoplanet atmospheres such as the occurrence of inverted temperature structures, the presence or absence of CO2and CH4, and the occurrence of high C/O ratios are still the subject of investigation and debate.
Abolition, Law, and the Osu Marriage Novel
Authors: Osinubi Taiwo Adetunji
Published: November 2014

This paper examines the representation of Osu slavery in Chinua Achebe’sNo Longer at Ease. Whereas critics read the references to Osu as a minor subplot in the novel, this author suggests the dissipation of the Osu marriage plot illustrates the crisis of abolition within the context of anticolonial struggles. By situating Achebe’s novel alongside midcentury discourses on abolition, freedom, and marriage rights, the author argues that the novel’s form responds to the impasses between the abolitionist agendas of international law, the administrative mandate of colonial law, and indigenous Igbo agitations for and against the eradication of the Osu system. Key to this reading is the novel’s cursory reference to the 1956 bride price laws of eastern Nigeria. By narrativizing the failure of the 1956 legislation, Achebe reflects upon African implication in slavery as well as on the divergences between midcentury anticolonial internationalism and on-ground interpretations and improvisations of freedom.
Revolution, Personalist Dictatorships, and International Conflict
Authors: Colgan Jeff D. , Weeks Jessica L.P.
Published: November 2014

A consensus exists that countries that have recently undergone domestic political revolutions are particularly likely to become involved in military conflicts with other states. However, scholars seek to understand when and why revolutions increase the likelihood of international violence. In contrast to existing work focusing on international systemic factors, we argue that revolution fosters conflict in part by affecting states’ domestic political structures. Previous research has shown that revolution tends to bring particularly aggressive leaders to power. We demonstrate that revolutions also frequently result in personalist dictatorships, or regimes that lack powerful institutions to constrain and punish leaders. By empowering and ensconcing leaders with revisionist preferences and high risk tolerance, revolutions that result in personalist dictatorships are significantly more likely to lead to international conflict than revolutions that culminate in other forms of government. Our arguments and evidence help explain not only why revolution so commonly leads to conflict, but also why some revolutions lead to conflict whereas others do not.
Maize yield response to a phosphorus-solubilizing microbial inoculant in field trials
Authors: LEGGETT M. , NEWLANDS N. K. , GREENSHIELDS D. , WEST L. , INMAN S. , KOIVUNEN M. E.
Published: November 2014

Findings from multi-year, multi-site field trial experiments measuring maize yield response to inoculation with the phosphorus-solubilizing fungus,Penicillium bilaiaeChalabuda are presented. The main objective was to evaluate representative data on crop response to the inoculant across a broad set of different soil, agronomic management and climate conditions. A statistical analysis of crop yield response and its variability was conducted to guide further implementation of a stratified trial and sampling plan. Field trials, analysed in the present study, were conducted across the major maize producing agricultural cropland of the United States (2005–11) comprising 92 small (with sampling replication) and 369 large (without replication) trials. The multi-plot design enabled both a determination of how sampling area affects the estimation of maize yield and yield variance and an estimation of the ability of inoculation withP. bilaiaeto increase maize yield. Inoculation increased maize yield in 66 of the 92 small and 295 of the 369 large field trials (within the small plots, yield increased significantly at the 95% confidence level, by 0·17 ± 0·044 t/ha or 1·8%, while in the larger plots, yield increases were higher and less variable (i.e., 0·33 ± 0·026 t/ha or 3·5%). There was considerable inter-annual variability in maize yield response attributed to inoculation compared to the un-inoculated control, with yield increases varying from 0·7 ± 0·75 up to 3·7 ± 0·73%. No significant correlation between yield response and soil acidity (i.e., pH) was detected, and it appears that pH reduction (through organic acid or proton efflux) was unlikely to be the primary pathway for better phosphorus availability measured as increased yield. Seed treatment and granular or dribble band formulations of the inoculant were found to be equally effective. Inoculation was most effective at increasing maize yield in fields that had low or very low soil phosphorus status for both small and large plots. At higher levels of soil phosphorus, yield in the large plots increased more with inoculation than in the small plots, which could be explained by phosphorus fertilization histories for the different field locations, as well as transient (e.g., rainfall) and topographic effects.
Investigation of effects ofGiardia duodenalison transcellular and paracellular transport in enterocytes usingin vitroUssing chamber experiments
Authors: TYSNES KRISTOFFER R. , ROBERTSON LUCY J.
Published: November 2014

The mechanisms by which different genotypes ofGiardia duodenalisresult in different symptoms remain unresolved. In particular, we lack detailed knowledge on which transport mechanisms (transcellular or paracellular) are affected by differentGiardiaisolates. Using horse radish peroxidase (HRP) and creatinine as transcellular and paracellular probes, respectively, we developed a robust assay that can be used with an Ussing chamber to investigate epithelial transport, as well as short-circuit current as an indicator of net ion transport. We investigated 2Giardiaisolates, both Assemblage A, one a lab-adapted strain and the other a field isolate. Results indicate that products from sonicatedGiardiatrophozoites increase both transcellular and paracellular transport. A non-significant increase in transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and short-circuit current were also noted. The paracellular transport was increased significantly more in the field isolate than in the lab-adapted strain. Our results indicate that while both transcellular and paracellular transport mechanisms may be increased following exposure of cells toGiardiatrophozoite sonicate, perhaps by inducing non-specific increases in cellular traffic, it is important thatin vitrostudies ofGiardiapathophysiology are conducted with differentGiardiaisolates, not just lab-attenuated strains.
Meta-analysis of emotion recognition deficits in major depressive disorder
Authors: Dalili M. N. , Penton-Voak I. S. , Harmer C. J. , Munafò M. R.
Published: November 2014

Background.

Many studies have explored associations between depression and facial emotion recognition (ER). However, these studies have used various paradigms and multiple stimulus sets, rendering comparisons difficult. Few studies have attempted to determine the magnitude of any effect and whether studies are properly powered to detect it. We conducted a meta-analysis to synthesize the findings across studies on ER in depressed individuals compared to controls.

Method.

Studies of ER that included depressed and control samples and published before June 2013 were identified in PubMed and Web of Science. Studies using schematic faces, neuroimaging studies and drug treatment studies were excluded.

Results.

Meta-analysis of k = 22 independent samples indicated impaired recognition of emotion [k = 22, g = −0.16, 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.25 to −0.07, p < 0.001]. Critically, this was observed for anger, disgust, fear, happiness and surprise (k's = 7–22, g's = −0.42 to −0.17, p's < 0.08), but not sadness (k = 21, g = −0.09, 95% CI −0.23 to +0.06, p = 0.23). Study-level characteristics did not appear to be associated with the observed effect. Power analysis indicated that a sample of approximately 615 cases and 615 controls would be required to detect this association with 80% power at an alpha level of 0.05.

Conclusions.

These findings suggest that the ER impairment reported in the depression literature exists across all basic emotions except sadness. The effect size, however, is small, and previous studies have been underpowered.
Mood, anxiety and psychotic phenomena measure a common psychopathological factor
Authors: Stochl J. , Khandaker G. M. , Lewis G. , Perez J. , Goodyer I. M. , Zammit S. , Sullivan S. , Croudace T. J. , Jones P. B.
Published: November 2014

Background

Psychotic phenomena are common in the general population but are excluded from diagnostic criteria for mild to moderate depression and anxiety despite their co-occurrence and shared risk factors. We used item response theory modelling to examine whether the co-occurrence of depressive, anxiety and psychotic phenomena is best explained by: (1) a single underlying factor; (2) two separate, uncorrelated factors; (3) two separate yet linked factors; or (4) two separate domains along with an underlying ‘common mental distress’ (CMD) factor. We defined where, along any latent continuum, the psychopathological items contributed most information.

Method

We performed a secondary analysis of cross-sectional, item-level information from measures of depression, anxiety and psychotic experiences in 6617 participants aged 13 years from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) birth cohort and 977 participants aged 18 years from the ROOTS schools-based sample. We replicated results from one sample in the other and validated the latent factors against an earlier parental measure of mental state.

Results

In both cohorts depression, anxiety and psychotic items were best represented as a bi-factor model with a single, unitary CMD factor on which psychotic items conveyed information about the more severe end (model 4); residual variation remained for psychotic items. The CMD factor was significantly associated with the prior parental measure.

Conclusions

Psychotic phenomena co-occur with depression and anxiety in teenagers and may be a marker of severity in a single, unitary dimension of CMD. Psychotic phenomena should be routinely included in epidemiological assessments of psychiatric morbidity, otherwise the most severe symptomatology remains unmeasured.
Neurocognitive and familial moderators of psychiatric risk in velocardiofacial (22q11.2 deletion) syndrome: a longitudinal study
Authors: Kates W. R. , Russo N. , Wood W. M. , Antshel K. M. , Faraone S. V. , Fremont W. P.
Published: November 2014

Background

Although risk for psychosis in velocardiofacial (22q11.2 deletion) syndrome (VCFS) is well established, the cognitive and familial factors that moderate that risk are poorly understood.

Method

A total of 75 youth with VCFS were assessed at three time points, at 3-year intervals. Time 1 (T1) psychiatric risk was assessed with the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC). Data reduction of BASC scores yielded avoidance–anxiety and dysregulation factors. Time 2 (T2) neuropsychological and family function and time 3 (T3) prodromal/overt psychosis were assessed. Poisson regression models tested associations between T3 positive prodromal symptoms/overt psychosis and T1 psychiatric risk, T2 cognitive and familial factors, and their interactions.

Results

T1 avoidance–anxiety ratings predicted T3 prodromal/overt psychosis. T2 verbal learning scores moderated this association, such that individuals with low avoidance–anxiety scores and stronger verbal learning skills were the least likely to demonstrate prodromal/overt psychosis at T3. Low scores on a T2 visual vigilance task also predicted T3 prodromal/overt psychosis, independently of the effect of T1 avoidance–anxiety scores. T1 dysregulation scores did not predict T3 prodromal/overt psychosis in a linear manner. Instead, the association between dysregulation and prodromal/overt psychosis was amplified by T2 levels of family organization, such that individuals with low dysregulation scores and low family organization scores were the most likely to exhibit T3 prodromal/overt psychosis.

Conclusions

Significant moderators of psychiatric risk in VCFS include verbal learning skills as well as levels of family organization, carrying implications for early identification and preventative treatment of youth with VCFS at highest risk for psychosis.
Divine freedom and contingency: an intelligibility problem for (some) theistic compatibilists
Authors: DAELEY JUSTIN J.
Published: November 2014

This article argues that the Theistic Compatibilist's typical understanding of what amounts to an intelligible, non-arbitrary free choice undermines God's freedom and the contingency of creation. I further suggest and reject four possible ways for Theistic Compatibilists to respond to this problem in light of their metaphysical commitments to freedom and explanation. I close with discussion of a possible way for Theistic Compatibilists to avoid this problem.
The Multiple Purposes of Policy Piloting and Their Consequences: Three Examples from National Health and Social Care Policy in England
Authors: ETTELT STEFANIE , MAYS NICHOLAS , ALLEN PAULINE
Published: November 2014

In England, policy piloting has become firmly established in almost all areas of public policy and is seen as good practice in establishing ‘what works’. However, equating piloting with evaluation can risk oversimplifying the relationship between piloting and policy-making.

Using three case studies from health and social care – the Partnerships for Older People Projects (POPP) pilots, the Individual Budgets pilots and the Whole System Demonstrators (WSD) – the paper identifies multiple purposes of piloting, of which piloting for generating evidence of effectiveness was only one. Importantly, piloting was also aimed at promoting policy change and driving implementation, both in pilot sites and nationally. Indeed, policy makers appeared to be using pilots mainly to promote government policy, using evaluation as a strategy to strengthen the legitimacy of their decisions and to convince critical audiences. These findings highlight the ambiguous nature of piloting and thus question the extent to which piloting contributes to the agenda of evidence-based policy-making.
Neuroplasticity as a model for bilingualism: Commentary on Baum and Titone
Authors: Phillips Natalie A.
Published: November 2014

Un grand merci à Shari Baum and Debra Titone for their review paper, “Moving Toward a Neuroplasticity View of Bilingualism, Executive Control and Aging.” (Please note the code switch in that previous sentence is part of my effort to build my cognitive reserve.) The authors are to be congratulated for providing a timely and constructive review of the current state of our understanding of the potential impact of bilingualism on executive control processes and cognitive aging. In this short commentary, I will comment on one of their key contributions to the discussion, namely, that researchers should embrace and address the individual variability among bilinguals.
USABILITY OF ONLINE PSYCHOEDUCATION FOR SIBLINGS OF PEOPLE WITH PSYCHOSIS
Authors: Sin Jacqueline , Henderson Claire , Norman Ian
Published: November 2014

Objectives: The E Sibling Project aims to address the needs of siblings of individuals affected by psychosis through provision of a comprehensive online intervention. The online intervention comprises four core elements, including: information on psychosis; various coping and promoting well-being strategies; siblings' blogs and discussion forum with peers; and an “Ask the Experts” function. After the intervention-prototype was developed, we tested its feasibility, usability and acceptability by siblings.

Methods: We evaluated the usability of the intervention-prototype using a non-randomised usability study with siblings of individuals diagnosed with psychosis. The usability study adapted Poulson et al's framework to collect subjective feedback from participants on ease of use, perceived usefulness and acceptability, together with objective usage data on the intervention.

Results: Twenty siblings were recruited to the usability test; 19 tried out the resource-prototype over a 4-week period and 17 completed the online evaluation after using the intervention. In total, 906 page-views were made by the participants and each spent about two hours using the resource. Participants evaluated the intervention as helpful, relevant and useful in terms of content, design and usability. Developments are needed to improve the navigation and intuitiveness of the resource.

Conclusions: Using an internet-based information-giving and peer support intervention to promote wellbeing and coping is feasible and acceptable to siblings of people with psychosis.
What is African in Africa(n) Studies? Confronting the (Mystifying) Power of Ideology and Identity
Authors: Melber Henning
Published: November 2014

The power of definition executed by scholars relates to the terms of ownership within the sphere of knowledge production. In Africa(n) Studies this is exacerbated by the fact that Western scholars continue to dominate the field. But identity and concepts (and ideology, shaped by values and norms not least internalised through personal and academic socialisation) as integral parts of scholarly knowledge production are important ingredients. As contributing factors they provide options and not pre-determinations. Hence the definition of Africa and Africa(n) Studies is a relational matter and open to contestation. This article presents perspectives and reflections, which to some extent abstract from material realities and engage in scholarly debates on the discipline and its orientation(s). It thereby further explores ‘disciplinary control and theoretical fractures’ – in the words of Deborah Bryceson - within Africa(n) Studies, through investigations into the meanings of Africa and Africa(n) Studies based on a variety of arguments. It invites examining our concepts and (self-)understanding as well as definitions as scholars in Africa(n) Studies.
Impact of Providing Care on the Risk of Leaving Employment in Canada
Authors: Proulx Christine , Le Bourdais Céline
Published: November 2014

Le vieillissement de la population entraînera sans doute une augmentation du nombre de personnes ayant besoin d’aide. Il est bien connu qu’une grande part de l’aide reçue provient, et continuera de provenir, du réseau informel de proches et d’amis. Cependant, les effets qu’exerce la prestation de soins sur les trajectoires d’emploi des individus lorsque ces soins sont cumulés à des régimes d’emploi d’intensités variées ou à des responsabilités parentales ont été peu analysés. La présente étude utilise les données de l’Enquête sociale générale, cycles 20 et 21, pour évaluer l’impact de fournir des soins à un conjoint, un parent ou beau-parent, une autre personne apparentée ou une personne non-apparentée sur le risque de quitter son emploi à l’aide des modèles à risques proportionnels. Les analyses montrent que le fait de prodiguer des soins à un parent ou beau-parent augmente la probabilité de quitter son emploi, mais seulement chez les femmes qui travaillent à plein temps, ainsi que chez les hommes et les femmes qui n’ont pas d’enfants ou qui ont seulement des enfants d’âge adulte.
Investigating fruit and vegetable claims on Australian food packages
Authors: Wellard Lyndal , Hughes Clare , Tsang Yee Wun , Watson Wendy , Chapman Kathy
Published: November 2014

Objectives

Fruit and vegetable claims on food packages are not regulated under Australian food standards. The present study aimed to: (i) investigate the number and healthiness of products carrying fruit and vegetable claims in Australia; and (ii) compare the nutrition composition of these products with fresh fruit and/or vegetables.

Design

Content analysis of fruit and vegetable claims on food packages. The Australian food standards nutrient profiling model was used to determine the proportion of products not meeting nutrient profiling criteria. The nutrient composition of products carrying claims referencing the servings of fruit and vegetables in the product were compared with that of the dominant fruit and/or vegetables in each product.

Setting

The five largest supermarket chains in Australia.

Subjects

All available products in the fruit snacks, soups and fruit and vegetable juices/fruit drinks categories (n 762) were surveyed. Nutrition composition, ingredients and claims were recorded for each product.

Results

Of the products surveyed, 48 % (n 366) carried at least one claim, of which 34 % (n 124) did not meet nutrient profiling. Products carrying claims referencing the number of servings of fruit and vegetables had more energy, sodium, saturated fat and sugar, and less fibre, than fresh fruit and/or vegetables (all P<0·001).

Conclusions

Many products carried fruit and vegetable claims and were significantly higher in energy, saturated fat, sugars and sodium than fresh fruit and vegetables. Marketing these products as a way of meeting fruit and vegetable intake is inaccurate and potentially misleading. Fruit and vegetable claims should be regulated using nutrient profiling.
The assessment and treatment of back and neck pain: an initial investigation in a primary care practice-based research network
Authors: Fischbein Rebecca , McCormick Kenelm , Selius Brian A. , Labuda Schrop Susan , Hewit Michael , Baughman Kristin , Meeker James
Published: November 2014

Aim

The purpose of this study was to conduct an exploratory examination of the current state of non-malignant acute and chronic back and neck pain assessment and management among primary care providers in a multi-site, practice-based research network.

Background

Acute and chronic pain are distinct conditions that often require different assessment and management approaches, however, little research has examined assessment and management of acute and chronic pain as separate conditions. The large majority of patients with acute and chronic back and neck pain are managed in primary care settings. Given the differences between acute and chronic pain, it is necessary to identify differences in patient characteristics, practitioner evaluation, treatment and management in primary care settings.

Methods

Over a two-week period, 24 practitioners in a multi-site practice-based research network completed 196 data cards about 39 patients experiencing acute back and neck pain and 157 patients suffering from chronic back and neck pain.

Findings

There were significant differences between the patients experiencing acute and chronic pain in regards to practitioner evaluation, current medication management and current treatment for depression. In addition, diagnostics differed between patients experiencing acute versus chronic back and neck pain. Further, primary care providers’ review of online drug monitoring program reports during the current visit was associated with current medication management using short term opioids, long-term opioids or tramadol. Most research examining acute and chronic pain focuses on the low back. Additional research needs to be conducted to explore and compare acute and chronic pain across the whole spine.
Phenotypic plasticity in heterotrophic marine microbial communities in continuous cultures
Authors: Beier Sara , Rivers Adam R , Moran Mary Ann , Obernosterer Ingrid
Published: November 2014

Phenotypic plasticity (PP) is the development of alternate phenotypes of a given taxon as an adaptation to environmental conditions. Methodological limitations have restricted the quantification of PP to the measurement of a few traits in single organisms. We used metatranscriptomic libraries to overcome these challenges and estimate PP using the expressed genes of multiple heterotrophic organisms as a proxy for traits in a microbial community. The metatranscriptomes captured the expression response of natural marine bacterial communities grown on differing carbon resource regimes in continuous cultures. We found that taxa with different magnitudes of PP coexisted in the same cultures, and that members of the order Rhodobacterales had the highest levels of PP. In agreement with previous studies, our results suggest that continuous culturing may have specifically selected for taxa featuring a rather high range of PP. On average, PP and abundance changes within a taxon contributed equally to the organism’s change in functional gene abundance, implying that both PP and abundance mediated observed differences in community function. However, not all functional changes due to PP were directly reflected in the bulk community functional response: gene expression changes in individual taxa due to PP were partly masked by counterbalanced expression of the same gene in other taxa. This observation demonstrates that PP had a stabilizing effect on a community’s functional response to environmental change.
Genomic landscape of metastatic colorectal cancer
Authors: Haan Josien C. , Labots Mariette , Rausch Christian , Koopman Miriam , Tol Jolien , Mekenkamp Leonie J. M. , van de Wiel Mark A. , Israeli Danielle , van Essen Hendrik F. , van Grieken Nicole C. T. , Voorham Quirinus J. M. , Bosch Linda J. W. , Qu Xueping , Kabbarah Omar , Verheul Henk M. W. , Nagtegaal Iris D. , Punt Cornelis J. A. , Ylstra Bauke , Meijer Gerrit A.
Published: November 2014

Response to drug therapy in individual colorectal cancer (CRC) patients is associated with tumour biology. Here we describe the genomic landscape of tumour samples of a homogeneous well-annotated series of patients with metastatic CRC (mCRC) of two phase III clinical trials, CAIRO and CAIRO2. DNA copy number aberrations of 349 patients are determined. Within three treatment arms, 194 chromosomal subregions are associated with progression-free survival (PFS; uncorrected single-testP-values <0.005). These subregions are filtered for effect on messenger RNA expression, using an independent data set from The Cancer Genome Atlas which returned 171 genes. Three chromosomal regions are associated with a significant difference in PFS between treatment arms with or without irinotecan. One of these regions, 6q16.1–q21, correlatesin vitrowith sensitivity to SN-38, the active metabolite of irinotecan. This genomic landscape of mCRC reveals a number of DNA copy number aberrations associated with response to drug therapy.
Real-time estimation and biofeedback of single-neuron firing rates using local field potentials
Authors: Hall Thomas M. , Nazarpour Kianoush , Jackson Andrew
Published: November 2014

The long-term stability and low-frequency composition of local field potentials (LFPs) offer important advantages for robust and efficient neuroprostheses. However, cortical LFPs recorded by multi-electrode arrays are often assumed to contain only redundant information arising from the activity of large neuronal populations. Here we show that multichannel LFPs in monkey motor cortex each contain a slightly different mixture of distinctive slow potentials that accompany neuronal firing. As a result, the firing rates of individual neurons can be estimated with surprising accuracy. We implemented this method in a real-time biofeedback brain–machine interface, and found that monkeys could learn to modulate the activity of arbitrary neurons using feedback derived solely from LFPs. These findings provide a principled method for monitoring individual neurons without long-term recording of action potentials.
Trimeric HIV Env provides epitope occlusion mediated by hypervariable loops
Authors: Moscoso Carlos G. , Xing Li , Hui Jinwen , Hu Jeffrey , Kalkhoran Mohammad Baikoghli , Yenigun Onur M. , Sun Yide , Paavolainen Lassi , Martin Loïc , Vahlne Anders , Zambonelli Carlo , Barnett Susan W. , Srivastava Indresh K. , Cheng R. Holland
Published: November 2014

Hypervariable loops of HIV-1 Env protein gp120 are speculated to play roles in the conformational transition of Env to the receptor binding-induced metastable state. Structural analysis of full-length Env-based immunogens, containing the entire V2 loop, displayed tighter association between gp120 subunits, resulting in a smaller trimeric diameter than constructs lacking V2. A prominent basal quaternary location of V2 and V3′ that challenges previous reports would facilitate gp41-independent gp120-gp120 interactions and suggests a quaternary mechanism of epitope occlusion facilitated by hypervariable loops. Deletion of V2 resulted in dramatic exposure of basal, membrane-proximal gp41 epitopes, consistent with its predicted basal location. The structural features of HIV-1 Env characterized here provide grounds for a paradigm shift in loop exposure and epitope occlusion, while providing substantive rationale for epitope display required for elicitation of broadly neutralizing antibodies, as well as substantiating previous pertinent literature disregarded in recent reports.
Penguins significantly increased phosphine formation and phosphorus contribution in maritime Antarctic soils
Authors: Zhu Renbin , Wang Qing , Ding Wei , Wang Can , Hou Lijun , Ma Dawei
Published: November 2014

Most studies on phosphorus cycle in the natural environment focused on phosphates, with limited data available for the reduced phosphine (PH3). In this paper, matrix-bound phosphine (MBP), gaseous phosphine fluxes and phosphorus fractions in the soils were investigated from a penguin colony, a seal colony and the adjacent animal-lacking tundra and background sites. The MBP levels (mean 200.3 ng kg−1) in penguin colony soils were much higher than those in seal colony soils, animal-lacking tundra soils and the background soils. Field PH3 flux observation and laboratory incubation experiments confirmed that penguin colony soils produced much higher PH3 emissions than seal colony soils and animal-lacking tundra soils. Overall high MBP levels and PH3 emissions were modulated by soil biogeochemical processes associated with penguin activities: sufficient supply of the nutrients phosphorus, nitrogen and organic carbon from penguin guano, high soil bacterial abundance and phosphatase activity. It was proposed that organic or inorganic phosphorus compounds from penguin guano or seal excreta could be reduced to PH3 in the Antarctic soils through the bacterial activity. Our results indicated that penguin activity significantly increased soil phosphine formation and phosphorus contribution, thus played an important role in phosphorus cycle in terrestrial ecosystems of maritime Antarctica.
Comparative Effectiveness of Di'ao Xin Xue Kang Capsule and Compound Danshen Tablet in Patients With Symptomatic Chronic Stable Angina
Authors: Yu Yanan , Hu Siyuan , Li Guoxin , Xue Jie , Li Zhuoming , Liu Xiangling , Yang Xiyan , Dong Bo , Wang Donghai , Wang Xiaofeng , Liu Shurong , Liu Jun , Chen Bingwei , Wang Liying , Liu Songshan , Chen Qiguang , Shen Chunti , Wang Zhong , Wang Yongyan
Published: November 2014

A high proportion of patients with stable angina remains symptomatic despite multiple treatment options. Di'ao Xinxuekang (XXK) capsule and Compound Danshen (CDS) tablet have been approved for treating angina pectoris for more than 20 years in China. We compare the anti-anginal effectiveness of XXK capsule and CDS tablet in patients with symptomatic chronic stable angina. A randomized, multicenter, double-blind, parallel-group, superiority trial was conducted in 4 study sites. 733 patients with symptomatic chronic stable angina were included in the full analysis set. The primary outcomes were the proportion of patients who were angina-free and the proportion of patients with normal electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings during 20 weeks treatment. Compared with CDS, XXK significantly increased the proportion of angina-free patients, but no significant difference was noted in the proportion of patients with normal ECG recordings. Weekly angina frequency and nitroglycerin use were significantly reduced with XXK versus CDS at week 20. Moreover, XXK also improved the quality of life of angina patients as measured by the SAQ score and Xueyu Zheng (a type of TCM syndrome) score. We demonstrate that XXK capsule is more effective for attenuating anginal symptoms and improving quality of life in patients with symptomatic chronic stable angina, compared with CDS tablet.