323 research outputs found
Do I feel ill because I crave for work or do I crave for work because I feel ill? A longitudinal analysis of work craving, self-regulation, and health
Background The theory of work craving defines workaholism as a pathological work addiction which comprises: (a) obsessive–compulsive desire to work, (b) anticipation of self-worth compensatory incentives from working, (c) anticipation of reduction of negative emotions or withdrawal symptoms from working, and (d) neurotic perfectionism. Research has shown that workaholism is associated with adverse health outcomes. However, the antecedents of workaholism and the causal direction of the relationship with health have been largely neglected. Aims In the present longitudinal study, we expect that work craving is predicted by deficits in emotional self-regulation (i.e., low action orientation) and mediates the relationship between self-regulation deficits and symptoms of psychological distress. We expected work craving to have an effect on later psychological distress symptoms, but not psychological distress symptoms to have an effect on later work craving. Methods In a sample of 170 German employees, a half-longitudinal design using two times of measurement was implemented to specify the paths of two different structural equation models of mediation: (a) action orientation to later work craving and work craving to later psychological distress, and alternatively, (b) the temporal order of action orientation to later distress and distress to later work craving. Results Our data indicated that work craving partially mediated the relationship between self-regulation deficits and psychological distress, but psychological distress symptoms were not found to increase later work craving. Conclusions The presented longitudinal study indicates important mechanisms of work craving, especially by highlighting the influence of self-regulation deficits on work craving and, in turn, psychological distress
Ein methodenintegratives Interventionsprojekt zur Selbstregulation von Schülerinnen und Schülern
"Schülerinnen und Schüler der 11. gymnasialen
Klassenstufe sollten durch ein Interventionsprojekt
in ihrer Fähigkeit zur
Selbstmotivierung gefördert werden. Die
Wirksamkeit der Intervention wurde durch
ein methodenintegratives Vorgehen evaluiert.
Quantitative Effekte wurden durch
Fragebogen und nicht-reaktive Reaktionszeitmaße
im Computer-Experiment erfasst.
Qualitative Daten wurden per Interview
erhoben. Gegenstand der qualitativen Untersuchung
waren Erfahrungen der Schüler
und Schülerinnen mit deren schulbezogenen
Selbstmotivierungsfähigkeiten. Die Ergebnisse
zeigten übereinstimmend, dass gerade
Schülerinnen und Schüler mit anfänglichem
Selbstmotivierungsdefizit von der
Intervention in den Reaktionszeitmaßen
profitierten. Dabei zeigten sich allerdings
Dissoziationen zwischen Wissen und Tun:
Die Schülerinnen und Schüler mit anfänglichem
Selbstmotivierungsdefizit konnten
schwierige Absichten im Computer-Experiment
nach der Intervention signifikant
leichter in die Tat umsetzen als vor der Intervention
(Tun). Im Fragebogen berichteten
sie jedoch keine signifikanten Veränderungen
ihrer Selbstmotivierungsfähigkeiten
(Wissen). Auch in den qualitativen Analysen
zeigten sich Dissoziationen zwischen
Wissen und Tun. Die Ergebnisse aus der Integration
beider Verfahren sind ein Beleg
für die Annahme, dass Selbstmotivierung
intuitiv erfolgen kann." (Autorenreferat)"High school students (grade 11) were to be
supported by an educational intervention
to strengthen their ability for self motivation.
The effects of the intervention were
evaluated via an approach that integrates
quantitative and qualitative methods.
Quantitative effects were measured by paper
and pencil surveys and by using nonreactive
measures of reaction time in a
computer based experiment. Qualitative
data were collected by interview. Descriptions
of experiences with the intervention
as well as the students’ school relevant
abilities for self motivation were in the
center of the qualitative part. Results show
in both data sets that who benefitted from
the intervention in the reaction time
measures were those high school students
that initially showed a deficit in self motivation.
However, dissociations showed between
knowing and doing: After the intervention
it was those students with initial
deficit in self motivation who were more
able to put into practice challenging intentions
in the computer experiment (action).
In the survey, however, they did not express
significant changes in their abilities
for self motivation (knowledge). Similarly,
the qualitative analyses showed dissociations
between action and knowledge. Results
of both methods are compatible to the
assumption that self motivation can be intuitive." (author's abstract
How to update a living systematic review and keep it alive during a pandemic: a practical guide.
BACKGROUND
The covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the role of living systematic reviews. The speed of evidence generated during the covid-19 pandemic accentuated the challenges of managing high volumes of research literature.
METHODS
In this article, we summarise the characteristics of ongoing living systematic reviews on covid-19, and we follow a life cycle approach to describe key steps in a living systematic review.
RESULTS
We identified 97 living systematic reviews on covid-19, published up to 7th November 2022, which focused mostly on the effects of pharmacological interventions (n = 46, 47%) or the prevalence of associated conditions or risk factors (n = 30, 31%). The scopes of several reviews overlapped considerably. Most living systematic reviews included both observational and randomised study designs (n = 45, 46%). Only one-third of the reviews has been updated at least once (n = 34, 35%). We address practical aspects of living systematic reviews including how to judge whether to start a living systematic review, methods for study identification and selection, data extraction and evaluation, and give recommendations at each step, drawing from our own experience. We also discuss when it is time to stop and how to publish updates.
CONCLUSIONS
Methods to improve the efficiency of searching, study selection, and data extraction using machine learning technologies are being developed, their performance and applicability, particularly for reviews based on observational study designs should improve, and ways of publishing living systematic reviews and their updates will continue to evolve. Finally, knowing when to end a living systematic review is as important as knowing when to start
Favorable Mixing Thermodynamics in Ternary Polymer Blends for Realizing High Efficiency Plastic Solar Cells
Ternary blends with broad spectral absorption have the potential to increase charge generation in organic solar cells but feature additional complexity due to limited intermixing and electronic mismatch. Here, a model system comprising the polymers poly[5,5-bis(2-butyloctyl)-(2,2-bithiophene)-4,4-dicarboxylate-alt-5,5-2,2-bithiophene] (PDCBT) and PTB7-Th and PC70BM as an electron accepting unit is presented. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the ternary system clearly surpasses the performance of either of the binary systems. The photophysics is governed by a fast energy transfer process from PDCBT to PTB7-Th, followed by electron transfer at the PTB7-Th:fullerene interface. The morphological motif in the ternary blend is characterized by polymer fibers. Based on a combination of photophysical analysis, GIWAXS measurements and calculation of the intermolecular parameter, the latter indicating a very favorable molecular affinity between PDCBT and PTB7-Th, it is proposed that an efficient charge generation mechanism is possible because PTB7-Th predominantly orients around PDCBT filaments, allowing energy to be effectively relayed from PDCBT to PTB7-Th. Fullerene can be replaced by a nonfullerene acceptor without sacrifices in charge generation, achieving a PCE above 11%. These results support the idea that thermodynamic mixing and energetics of the polymer-polymer interface are critical design parameter for realizing highly efficient ternary solar cells with variable electron acceptors
CMBPol Mission Concept Study: Probing Inflation with CMB Polarization
We summarize the utility of precise cosmic microwave background (CMB)
polarization measurements as probes of the physics of inflation. We focus on
the prospects for using CMB measurements to differentiate various inflationary
mechanisms. In particular, a detection of primordial B-mode polarization would
demonstrate that inflation occurred at a very high energy scale, and that the
inflaton traversed a super-Planckian distance in field space. We explain how
such a detection or constraint would illuminate aspects of physics at the
Planck scale. Moreover, CMB measurements can constrain the scale-dependence and
non-Gaussianity of the primordial fluctuations and limit the possibility of a
significant isocurvature contribution. Each such limit provides crucial
information on the underlying inflationary dynamics. Finally, we quantify these
considerations by presenting forecasts for the sensitivities of a future
satellite experiment to the inflationary parameters.Comment: 107 pages, 14 figures, 17 tables; Inflation Working Group
contribution to the CMBPol Mission Concept Study; v2: typos fixed and
references adde
The genetics of inherited cholestatic disorders in neonates and infants : evolving challenges
Many inherited conditions cause cholestasis in the neonate or infant. Next-generation
sequencing methods can facilitate a prompt diagnosis in some of these cases; application of these
methods in patients with liver diseases of unknown cause has also uncovered novel gene-disease
associations and improved our understanding of physiological bile secretion and flow. By helping to
define the molecular basis of certain cholestatic disorders, these methods have also identified new
targets for therapy as well patient subgroups more likely to benefit from specific therapies. At the
same time, sequencing methods have presented new diagnostic challenges, such as the interpretation
of single heterozygous genetic variants. This article discusses those challenges in the context of
neonatal and infantile cholestasis, focusing on difficulties in predicting variant pathogenicity, the
possibility of other causal variants not identified by the genetic screen used, and phenotypic variability
among patients with variants in the same genes. A prospective, observational study performed
between 2010–2013, which sequenced six important genes (ATP8B1, ABCB11, ABCB4, NPC1, NPC2
and SLC25A13) in an international cohort of 222 patients with infantile liver disease, is given as an
example of potential benefits and challenges that clinicians could face having received a complex
genetic result. Further studies including large cohorts of patients with paediatric liver disease are
needed to clarify the spectrum of phenotypes associated with, as well as appropriate clinical response
to, single heterozygous variants in cholestasis-associated genes.Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd.; the MRC Biomedical Catalyst Award; the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) via the Hereditary Intrahepatic Cholestasis Translational Network; NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship.https://www.mdpi.com/journal/genesam2022Paediatrics and Child Healt
White matter microstructure of the extended limbic system in male and female youth with conduct disorder
BackgroundPrevious studies of conduct disorder (CD) have reported structural and functional alterations in the limbic system. However, the white matter tracts that connect limbic regions have not been comprehensively studied. The uncinate fasciculus (UF), a tract connecting limbic to prefrontal regions, has been implicated in CD. However, CD-related alterations in other limbic tracts, such as the cingulum and the fornix, have not been investigated. Furthermore, few studies have examined the influence of sex and none have been adequately powered to test whether the relationship between CD and structural connectivity differs by sex. We examined whether adolescent males and females with CD exhibit differences in structural connectivity compared with typically developing controls.MethodsWe acquired diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data from 101 adolescents with CD (52 females) and 99 controls (50 females). Data were processed for deterministic spherical deconvolution tractography. Virtual dissections of the UF, the three subdivisions of the cingulum [retrosplenial cingulum (RSC), parahippocampal and subgenual cingulum], and the fornix were performed and measures of fractional anisotropy (FA) and hindrance-modulated orientational anisotropy (HMOA) were analysed.ResultsThe CD group had lower FA and HMOA in the right RSC tract relative to controls. Importantly, these effects were moderated by sex – males with CD significantly lower FA compared to male controls, whereas CD and control females did not differ.ConclusionsOur results highlight the importance of considering sex when studying the neurobiological basis of CD. Sex differences in RSC connectivity may contribute to sex differences in the clinical presentation of CD
The Origin of the Universe as Revealed Through the Polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background
Modern cosmology has sharpened questions posed for millennia about the origin
of our cosmic habitat. The age-old questions have been transformed into two
pressing issues primed for attack in the coming decade: How did the Universe
begin? and What physical laws govern the Universe at the highest energies? The
clearest window onto these questions is the pattern of polarization in the
Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), which is uniquely sensitive to primordial
gravity waves. A detection of the special pattern produced by gravity waves
would be not only an unprecedented discovery, but also a direct probe of
physics at the earliest observable instants of our Universe. Experiments which
map CMB polarization over the coming decade will lead us on our first steps
towards answering these age-old questions.Comment: Science White Paper submitted to the US Astro2010 Decadal Survey.
Full list of 212 author available at http://cmbpol.uchicago.ed
Human telomeres that contain (CTAGGG)n repeats show replication dependent instability in somatic cells and the male germline
A number of different processes that impact on telomere length dynamics have been identified but factors that affect the turnover of repeats located proximally within the telomeric DNA are poorly defined. We have identified a particular repeat type (CTAGGG) that is associated with an extraordinarily high mutation rate (20% per gamete) in the male germline. The mutation rate is affected by the length and sequence homogeneity of the (CTAGGG)n array. This level of instability was not seen with other sequence-variant repeats, including the TCAGGG repeat type that has the same composition. Telomeres carrying a (CTAGGG)n array are also highly unstable in somatic cells with the mutation process resulting in small gains or losses of repeats that also occasionally result in the deletion of the whole (CTAGGG)n array. These sequences are prone to quadruplex formation in vitro but adopt a different topology from (TTAGGG)n (see accompanying article). Interestingly, short (CTAGGG)2 oligonucleotides induce a DNA damage response (γH2AX foci) as efficiently as (TTAGGG)2 oligos in normal fibroblast cells, suggesting they recruit POT1 from the telomere. Moreover, in vitro assays show that (CTAGGG)n repeats bind POT1 more efficiently than (TTAGGG)n or (TCAGGG)n. We estimate that 7% of human telomeres contain (CTAGGG)n repeats and when present, they create additional problems that probably arise during telomere replication
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