1,270 research outputs found
Economics of Marital Instability
This paper focuses on the causes of divorce. Section I developsa theoretical analysis of marital dissolution incorporating uncertaintyabout the outcomes of marital decisions into a framework of utilitymaximization and the marriage market. Section II explores the implica-tions of the theoretical analysis with cross-sectional data,primarilythe 1967 Survey of Economic Opportunity and the Terman sample. Therelevance of both the theoretical and empirical analyses in explainingthe recent acceleration in the U.S. divorce rate is discussed.
Telerehabilitation for aphasia – protocol of a pragmatic, exploratory, pilot randomized controlled trial
Background
The Cochrane review on the effectiveness of speech and language therapy for aphasia following stroke suggests intensity of therapy is a key predictor for outcome. Current aphasia services cannot provide intervention at the intensity observed within trial contexts because of resource limitations. Telerehabilitation could widen access to speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in geographically remote contexts and reduce the time spent on travel by the therapist and patient. The current academic literature within this field is in its infancy, with few trials of speech and language therapy (SLT) delivered by videoconference. Our pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) will explore feasibility aspects and effectiveness of telerehabilitation for aphasia in addition to standard SLT.
Method/design
Our study is a pragmatic, exploratory, pilot randomized controlled trial, where participants will be randomized to a telerehabilitation group or a control group. Both groups receive standard SLT (usual care) but the telerehabilitation group receives an additional 5 h of telerehabilitation per week over 4 weeks through videoconference. This additional telerehabilitation focuses on spoken language with an emphasis on word naming. We aim to include 40 patients in each group, with inclusion criteria being aphasia any time post stroke. Participants will be assessed blindly at pre-randomization (baseline), and 4 weeks and 4 months after randomization. The primary endpoint is naming ability 3 months after the completed intervention, measured by the Norwegian Basic Aphasia Assessment (NGA) naming subtest. Secondary endpoints include other subtests of the NGA, the VAST (Verb and Sentence Test) subtest sentence production, Communicative Effectiveness Index (CETI) and the Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life scale (SAQOL-39). Experiences of patients and SLPs with telerehabilitation are assessed using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Statistical between group comparisons will be in line with an intention-to-treat analysis.
Discussion
This pilot RCT of intensive language training by videoconference will contribute new scientific evidence to the field of aphasia telerehabilitation. Here, we describe our trial which will explore the feasibility of telerehabilitation for aphasia as an intervention, our choice of primary and secondary outcome measures and proposed analyses. Our trial will provide information for the development and delivery of future definitive RCTs.
Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov, ID:
NCT02768922
. Registered on 11 May 2016. Last updated on 17 November 2017
Mediators and Cytokines in Persistent Allergic Rhinitis and Nonallergic Rhinitis with Eosinophilia Syndrome
Background: Patients with nonallergic rhinitis with eosinophilia syndrome (NARES) show typical symptoms of persistent allergic rhinitis (PAR). The aim of the present study was to compare nasal cytokine patterns between NARES and PAR. Methods: Nasal secretions of 31 patients suffering from NARES, 20 patients with PAR to house dust mite and 21 healthy controls were collected using the cotton wool method and analyzed for interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IL-17, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and macrophage inflammatory protein-1 beta (MIP-1 beta) by Bio-Plex Cytokine Assay as well as eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and tryptase by UniCAP-FEIA. Results: NARES and PAR presented elevated levels of tryptase, while ECP was markedly increased solely in NARES compared to both the controls and PAR. Elevated levels of IL-1 beta, IL-17, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha and MCP-1 were found in NARES compared to the controls as well as PAR. MIP-1 beta was elevated in NARES and PAR, while IL-4, IL-6 and G-CSF showed increased levels in NARES, and IL-5 was elevated in PAR only. Conclusions: In patients with NARES and PAR, eosinophils and mast cells appear to be the pivotal cells of inflammation, reflected by high levels of tryptase and ECP as well as IL-5 and GM-CSF as factors for eosinophil migration and survival. The elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines in NARES may indicate the chronic, self-perpetuating process of inflammation in NARES which seems to be more pronounced than in PAR. IL-17 might be a factor for neutrophilic infiltration or be responsible for remodeling processes in NARES. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base
How did the beginnings of the global COVID-19 pandemic affect mental well-being?
The present study aims to investigate longitudinal changes in mental well-being as well as
the role of individual differences in personality traits (Big Five) and the level of Personality
Organisation during the first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Overall, 272
adults (Mage= 36.94, SDage= 16.46; 68.62% female, 23.45% male, 0.69% non-binary) took
part in our study with four weekly surveys during the lockdown as well as a follow-up one
month after restrictions were lifted. To analyse the development of mental well-being during
and shortly after the first lockdown in Germany latent growth curve models (LGCM) were
calculated. The considered facets of well-being differ by their trajectory. Additionally, results
suggest that the lockdown did not affect all facets to the same extent. While Life Satisfaction
decreases in the short term as a reaction to the lockdown, Stress and Psychological Strain
were reduced after the second week of contact restrictions. When adding personality characteristics, our results showed that Neuroticism and Conscientiousness were the two
dimensions associated most strongly with SWB during the first month of the pandemic.
Thus, our research suggests that personality traits should be considered when analysing
mental well-being
EXPRESSION OF A FUNCTIONAL CHIMERIC lg-MHC CLASS II PROTEIN
composed of the a- and Ăź-chains of the MHC class I1
I-E molecule fused to antibody V regions derived
from anti-human CD4 mAb MT310. Expression vectors
were constructed containing the functional,
rearranged gene segments coding for the V region
domains of the antibody H and L chains in place of
the first domains of the complete structural genes
of the I-E a- and Ăź-chains, respectively. Celltsr ansfected
with both hybrid genes expressed a stable
protein product on the cell surface. The chimeric
molecule exhibited the idiotype of the antibody
MT310 as shown by binding to the anti-idiotypic
mAb 20-46. A protein of the anticipated molecular
mass was immunoprecipitated witha nti-mouse IgG
antiserum. Furthermore, human soluble CD4 did
bind to thetr ansfected cell line, demonstrating that
the chimeric protein possessed the binding capacity
of the original mAb. Thus, the hybrid molecule retained:
1) the properties of a MHC class I1 protein
with regardt o correct chain assembly and transport
to the cell surface: as well as 2) the Ag binding
capacity of the antibody genes used. Thgee neration
of hybrid MHC class I1 molecules with highly specific,
non-MHC-restricted bindingc apacities will be
useful for studying MHC class 11-mediated effector
functions such as selection of the T cell repertoire
in thymus of transgenic mice
Individualisierte Versicherungslösungen in einer digitalen Welt : eine Studie des Zentrums für Risk & Insurance
The Sol-gel process for nano-technologies : new nanocomposites with interesting optical and mechanical properties
Various nanocomposite systems have been synthesized by sol-gel routes. For this reason, prefabricated nanoparticles (SiO2 sols or boehmite powder) have been dispersed after surface modification in sol-gel-derived organically modified or polymeric ligand matrices. In all cases, a significant effect on dispersibility by surface modification could be observed. After curing, the mechanical or optical properties depend strongly on the dispersion and surface modification. Using these results, composites to be used in chip coupling and as hard coatings on polycarbonate and CR 39 have been developed
ForDigitStress: presentation and evaluation of a new laboratory stressor using a digital job interview-scenario
IntroductionSince the COVID-19 pandemic, working environments and private lives have changed dramatically. Digital technologies and media have become more and more important and have found their way into nearly all private and work environments. Communication situations have been largely relocated to virtual spaces. One of these scenarios is digital job interviews. Job interviews are usually—also in the non-digital world—perceived as stressful and associated with biological stress responses. We here present and evaluate a newly developed laboratory stressor that is based on a digital job interview-scenario.MethodsN = 45 healthy people participated in the study (64.4% female; mean age: 23.2 ± 3.6 years; mean body mass index = 22.8 ± 4.0 kg/m2). Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) and cortisol were assessed as measures for biological stress responses. Furthermore, perceived stress was rated at the time points of the saliva samplings. The job interviews lasted between 20 and 25 min. All materials, including instructions for the experimenter (i.e., the job interviewer) and the data set used for statistical analysis, as well as a multimodal data set, which includes further measures, are publicly available.ResultsTypical subjective and biological stress-response patterns were found, with peak sAA and perceived stress levels observed immediately after the job interviews and peak cortisol concentrations 5 min afterwards. Female participants experienced the scenario as more stressful than male participants. Cortisol peaks were higher for participants who experienced the situation as a threat in comparison to participants who experienced it as a challenge. Associations between the strength of the stress response with further person characteristics and psychological variables such as BMI, age, coping styles, and personality were not found.DiscussionOverall, our method is well-suited to induce biological and perceived stress, mostly independent of person characteristics and psychological variables. The setting is naturalistic and easily implementable in standardized laboratory settings
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