How does social support shape the relationship between career calling and PERMA?

Background: Career calling has received significant attention in the last decade, showing an association between calling and varied aspects of wellbeing. However, there is scarce work that has contextualized these concepts within the individual’s immediate environment. This paper explored the role of social support in the association between career calling and wellbeing. Methods: This cross-sectional study is a correlational study based on a survey data from a sample of 96 Turkish immigrant women currently living in the United Kingdom. Quantitative analyses were used, including hierarchical regression and mediation analysis to examine the associations between career calling, social support and wellbeing. Results: Results showed that both presence and search dimensions of career calling, and social support from a special person, family and friends had significant associations with PERMA (Positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishment). The path analysis showed some indirect effects in this relationship, such that support from family and friends predicted higher levels of wellbeing via the mediational role of search for a calling for this group of immigrant women. Discussions: These findings add notable insight to literature that explores the indirect ways of the relations between career calling, support and wellbeing. The present study showed that social support can shape the relation between career calling and wellbeing in such a way that the importance of social support for immigrant women become more apparent. Conclusions: The implications of the results underlined the importance of considering career calling and wellbeing within the wider social context of the individuals. Especially in a time when uncertainties and anxieties are on the rise, career calling can help people live a better life, and a contextual positive psychology perspective to career calling can further contribute to how different groups of people individually as well as collectively experience it

Worrying about leadership: Is it a liability or an advantage for leadership of women and men?

Worries about leadership (WAL) is a new construct tapping worries an individual may feel about possible negative consequences of accepting a leadership role. Three studies investigate how WAL is associated with men’s and women’s willingness for leadership and their perceived leadership potential rated by others. The first is a laboratory study on 328 participants, which shows that WAL is negatively associated with women’s willingness for leadership, while it is not related to that of men. The second study, which is a field study with multilevel-nested data from 429 employees and 101 supervisors, reveals that male subordinates are more likely to receive a favorable judgment of leadership potential by their supervisors when their WAL increases, while female subordinates’ WAL is irrelevant to this judgment. The final study, which is an experimental study on 122 supervisors, shows that supervisors view hypothetical male leadership candidates with high WAL as having higher warmth and lower competence (than those with low WAL), which both mediate the effect of WAL on judgments of their leadership potential made by the supervisors. Even though supervisors also view female candidates with high WAL as warmer, this does not evoke higher perceptions of leadership potential. Implications for increasing gender parity in leadership are discussed

Blood Rheology in Marine Mammals

The field of blood oxygen transport and delivery to tissues has been studied by comparative physiologists for many decades. Within this general area, the particular differences in oxygen delivery between marine and terrestrial mammals has focused mainly on oxygen supply differences and delivery to the tissues under low blood flow diving conditions. Yet, the study of the inherent flow properties of the blood itself (hemorheology) is rarely discussed when addressing diving. However, hemorheology is important to the study of marine mammals because of the critical nature of the oxygen stores that are carried in the blood during diving periods. This review focuses on the essential elements of hemorheology, how they are defined and on fundamental rheological applications to marine mammals. While the comparative rationale used throughout the review is much broader than the particular problems associated with diving, the basic concepts focus on how changes in the flow properties of whole blood would be critical to oxygen delivery during diving. This review introduces the reader to most of the major rheological concepts that are relevant to the unique and unusual aspects of the diving physiology of marine mammals

Multiscale color gradient for image segmentation

This paper presents a new gradient model for video color images. These multispectral images have the characteristic, either for the transmission or for storage, to present a reduced bandwidth of color components compared to that of luminosity. The use of traditional methods of determination of the multispectral gradient amplifies the noise from the color components. We adapt the vector gradient from Lee and Cok [22], and introduce the computation of the partial derivatives at different scales according to the resolution of each component. We show that a weight is necessary between the derivatives of color and luminosity components to obtain the multiscale color gradient (MCG). The application of the MCG on microscopic color images illustrates the advantages of our method. The contribution of the MCG is shown with results of edge detection from the gradient image. Finally, segmentation by active contours of crystals in microscopic images of cement clinker (industrial application) is realized using the MCG image.Cet article présente une nouvelle méthode de calcul du gradient d'une image couleur de type vidéo. Ces images multispectrales ont la particularité, soit pour la transmission soit pour le stockage, de présenter une bande passante réduite des composantes couleur par rapport à celle de la luminosité. L'utilisation des méthodes classiques de calcul du gradient multispectral amplifie le bruit présent dans les composantes couleur. Nous reprenons le gradient vectoriel de Lee et Cok [22] en introduisant le calcul des dérivées partielles à une échelle différente suivant la composante traitée. Nous montrons qu'une pondération est nécessaire entre les dérivées des composantes couleur et celle de la composante luminosité pour obtenir le gradient couleur multiéchelle (GCM). La mise en oeuvre du GCM sur des images microscopiques couleur illustre les avantages de notre méthode. L'apport du GCM est montré avec des résultats de détection de contour effectuée sur l'image gradient. Enfin, une segmentation par contours actifs des cristaux de clinker de ciment (application industrielle) est également mise en oeuvre à partir de l'image gradient issu du GCM

Adaptive image compression algorithm for angiograms stored on optical memory card

The main objective of the Cardio-Média project is to produce a coronarian multimedia data record stored on an optical car d in order to offer a better follow-up for the patients treated by angioplasty . In this paper, we present the compression algorithm implemented to store the angiographìc images of the data record . This algorithm is based on a wavelet decomposition followe d by an adapted lattice quantization of the wavelet coefficients . An original bit allocation algorithm is used during a learning step i n orderto provide a fast coding algorithm which is adapted to the angiographic images . A subjective evaluation of the diagnosti c quality of the images, based on the consensus approach leads to a compression ratio of 12 :1 which insures both a sufficien t medical quality and a sufficient data compression in regards to the storage capacity of the optical card .Le projet Cardio-Média a pour objectif la création d'un prototype de dossier coronarien sur carte optique afin de faciliter le suivi clinique des patients traités par angioplastie. Dans cet article, nous présentons l'algorithme de compression mis en oeuvre et les résultats obtenus. Notre algorithme utilise une transformation en ondelettes et une quantification vectorielle adaptée des coefficients d'ondelettes. Son originalité repose sur la phase d'apprentissage qui permet de disposer d'un algorithme de compression/décompression rapide adapté à la modalité médicale « angiographie ». Une évaluation subjective par consensus de la qualité diagnostique des images comprimées a permis de retenir un taux de compression de 12 qui répond aux contraintes matérielles et médicales du projet

Relationship between carotid intima-media thickness and coronary angiographic findings: a prospective study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Since cardiovascular diseases are associated with high mortality and generally undiagnosed before the onset of clinical findings, there is a need for a reliable tool for early diagnosis. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is a non-invasive marker of coronary artery disease (CAD) and is widely used in practice as an inexpensive, reliable, and reproducible method. In the current study, we aimed to investigate prospectively the relationship of CIMT with the presence and extent of significant coronary artery narrowing in patients evaluated by coronary angiography for stable angina pectoris.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>One hundred consecutive patients with stable angina pectoris and documented ischemia on a stress test were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups according to the result of the coronary angiography: group 1 (39 patients) without a noncritical coronary lesion, and group 2 (61 patients) having at least one lesion more than 50% within the main branches of the coronary arteries. All of the patients underwent carotid Doppler ultrasound examination for measurement of the CIMT by a radiologist blinded to the angiographic data.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean CIMT was 0.78 ± 0.21 mm in Group 1, while it was 1.48 ± 0.28 mm in Group 2 (p = 0.001). The mean CIMT in patients with single vessel disease, multi-vessel disease, and left main coronary artery disease were significantly higher compared to Group 1 (1.2 ± 0.34 mm, p = 0.02; 1.6 ± 0.32 mm, p = 0.001; and 1.8 ± 0.31 mm, p = 0.0001, respectively). Logistic regression analysis identified CIMT (OR 4.3, p < 0.001) and hypertension (OR 2.4, p = 0.04) as the most important factors for predicting CAD.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The findings of this study show that increase in CIMT is associated with the presence and extent of CAD. In conclusion, we demonstrated the usefulness of carotid intima-media thickness in predicting coronary artery disease but large-scale studies are required to define its role in clinical practice.</p

Immune and hemorheological changes in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

BACKGROUND: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a multifactorial disorder that affects various physiological systems including immune and neurological systems. The immune system has been substantially examined in CFS with equivocal results, however, little is known about the role of neutrophils and natural killer (NK) phenotypes in the pathomechanism of this disorder. Additionally the role of erythrocyte rheological characteristics in CFS has not been fully expounded. The objective of this present study was to determine deficiencies in lymphocyte function and erythrocyte rheology in CFS patients. METHODS: Flow cytometric measurements were performed for neutrophil function, lymphocyte numbers, NK phenotypes (CD56(dim)CD16(+ )and CD56(bright)CD16(-)) and NK cytotoxic activity. Erythrocyte aggregation, deformability and fibrinogen levels were also assessed. RESULTS: CFS patients (n = 10) had significant decreases in neutrophil respiratory burst, NK cytotoxic activity and CD56(bright)CD16(- )NK phenotypes in comparison to healthy controls (n = 10). However, hemorheological characteristic, aggregation, deformability, fibrinogen, lymphocyte numbers and CD56(dim)CD16(+ )NK cells were similar between the two groups. CONCLUSION: These results indicate immune dysfunction as potential contributors to the mechanism of CFS, as indicated by decreases in neutrophil respiratory burst, NK cell activity and NK phenotypes. Thus, immune cell function and phenotypes may be important diagnostic markers for CFS. The absence of rheological changes may indicate no abnormalities in erythrocytes of CFS patients