Automatic mental processes, automatic actions and behaviours in game transfer phenomena: an empirical self-report study using online forum data

Previous studies have demonstrated that the playing of videogames can have both intended and unintended effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of videogames on players’ mental processes and behaviours in day-to-day settings. A total of 1,023 self-reports from 762 gamers collected from online videogame forums were classified, quantified, described and explained. The data include automatic thoughts, sensations and impulses, automatic mental replays of the game in real life, and voluntary/involuntary behaviours with videogame content. Many gamers reported that they had responded – at least sometimes – to real life stimuli as if they were still playing videogames. This included overreactions, avoidances, and involuntary movements of limbs. These experiences lasted relatively short periods of time but in a minority of players were recurrent. The gamers' experiences appeared to be enhanced by virtual embodiment, repetitive manipulation of game controls, and their gaming habits. However, similar phenomena may also occur when doing other non-gaming activities. The implications of these game transfer experiences are discussed

Emergence of double- and triple-gene reassortant G1P[8] rotaviruses possessing a DS-1-like backbone after rotavirus vaccine introduction in Malawi

To combat the high burden of rotavirus gastroenteritis, multiple African countries have introduced rotavirus vaccines into their childhood immunization programs. Malawi incorporated a G1P[8] rotavirus vaccine (Rotarix) into its immunization schedule in 2012. Utilizing a surveillance platform of hospitalized rotavirus gastroenteritis cases, we examined the phylodynamics of G1P[8] rotavirus strains that circulated in Malawi before (1998 to 2012) and after (2013 to 2014) vaccine introduction. Analysis of whole genomes obtained through next-generation sequencing revealed that all randomly selected prevaccine G1P[8] strains sequenced (n = 32) possessed a Wa-like genetic constellation, whereas postvaccine G1P[8] strains (n = 18) had a DS-1-like constellation. Phylodynamic analyses indicated that postvaccine G1P[8] strains emerged through reassortment events between human Wa- and DS-1-like rotaviruses that circulated in Malawi from the 1990s and hence were classified as atypical DS-1-like reassortants. The time to the most recent common ancestor for G1P[8] strains was from 1981 to 1994; their evolutionary rates ranged from 9.7 × 10−4 to 4.1 × 10−3 nucleotide substitutions/site/year. Three distinct G1P[8] lineages chronologically replaced each other between 1998 and 2014. Genetic drift was the likely driver for lineage turnover in 2005, whereas replacement in 2013 was due to reassortment. Amino acid substitution within the outer glycoprotein VP7 of G1P[8] strains had no impact on the structural conformation of the antigenic regions, suggesting that it is unlikely that they would affect recognition by vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies. While the emergence of DS-1-like G1P[8] rotavirus reassortants in Malawi was therefore likely due to natural genotype variation, vaccine effectiveness against such strains needs careful evaluation. IMPORTANCE: The error-prone RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and the segmented RNA genome predispose rotaviruses to genetic mutation and genome reassortment, respectively. These evolutionary mechanisms generate novel strains and have the potential to lead to the emergence of vaccine escape mutants. While multiple African countries have introduced a rotavirus vaccine, there are few data describing the evolution of rotaviruses that circulated before and after vaccine introduction. We report the emergence of atypical DS-1-like G1P[8] strains during the postvaccine era in Malawi. Three distinct G1P[8] lineages circulated chronologically from 1998 to 2014; mutation and reassortment drove lineage turnover in 2005 and 2013, respectively. Amino acid substitutions within the outer capsid VP7 glycoprotein did not affect the structural conformation of mapped antigenic sites, suggesting a limited effect on the recognition of G1-specific vaccine-derived antibodies. The genes that constitute the remaining genetic backbone may play important roles in immune evasion, and vaccine effectiveness against such atypical strains needs careful evaluation

Multi-centre parallel arm randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a group-based cognitive behavioural approach to managing fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis

Abstract (provisional) Background Fatigue is one of the most commonly reported and debilitating symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS); approximately two-thirds of people with MS consider it to be one of their three most troubling symptoms. It may limit or prevent participation in everyday activities, work, leisure, and social pursuits, reduce psychological well-being and is one of the key precipitants of early retirement. Energy effectiveness approaches have been shown to be effective in reducing MS-fatigue, increasing self-efficacy and improving quality of life. Cognitive behavioural approaches have been found to be effective for managing fatigue in other conditions, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, and more recently, in MS. The aim of this pragmatic trial is to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a recently developed group-based fatigue management intervention (that blends cognitive behavioural and energy effectiveness approaches) compared with current local practice. Methods This is a multi-centre parallel arm block-randomised controlled trial (RCT) of a six session group-based fatigue management intervention, delivered by health professionals, compared with current local practice. 180 consenting adults with a confirmed diagnosis of MS and significant fatigue levels, recruited via secondary/primary care or newsletters/websites, will be randomised to receive the fatigue management intervention or current local practice. An economic evaluation will be undertaken alongside the trial. Primary outcomes are fatigue severity, self-efficacy and disease-specific quality of life. Secondary outcomes include fatigue impact, general quality of life, mood, activity patterns, and cost-effectiveness. Outcomes in those receiving the fatigue management intervention will be measured 1 week prior to, and 1, 4, and 12 months after the intervention (and at equivalent times in those receiving current local practice). A qualitative component will examine what aspects of the fatigue management intervention participants found helpful/unhelpful and barriers to change. Discussion This trial is the fourth stage of a research programme that has followed the Medical Research Council guidance for developing and evaluating complex interventions. What makes the intervention unique is that it blends cognitive behavioural and energy effectiveness approaches. A potential strength of the intervention is that it could be integrated into existing service delivery models as it has been designed to be delivered by staff already working with people with MS. Service users will be involved throughout this research. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN7651747

A grammar-based distance metric enables fast and accurate clustering of large sets of 16S sequences

Background: We propose a sequence clustering algorithm and compare the partition quality and execution time of the proposed algorithm with those of a popular existing algorithm. The proposed clustering algorithm uses a grammar-based distance metric to determine partitioning for a set of biological sequences. The algorithm performs clustering in which new sequences are compared with cluster-representative sequences to determine membership. If comparison fails to identify a suitable cluster, a new cluster is created. Results: The performance of the proposed algorithm is validated via comparison to the popular DNA/RNA sequence clustering approach, CD-HIT-EST, and to the recently developed algorithm, UCLUST, using two different sets of 16S rDNA sequences from 2,255 genera. The proposed algorithm maintains a comparable CPU execution time with that of CD-HIT-EST which is much slower than UCLUST, and has successfully generated clusters with higher statistical accuracy than both CD-HIT-EST and UCLUST. The validation results are especially striking for large datasets. Conclusions: We introduce a fast and accurate clustering algorithm that relies on a grammar-based sequence distance. Its statistical clustering quality is validated by clustering large datasets containing 16S rDNA sequences

The longitudinal relationship between emotion awareness and internalising symptoms during late childhood

Emotion awareness, the ability to reflect upon the own emotions, is assumed to contribute to better mental health. However, empirical support for this relationship has only been cross-sectional. In this study we examined the extent to which individual differences in changes in emotion awareness over time can explain individual differences in changes in symptoms of internalising problems (depression, fear, worrying and ruminative thoughts). Children and young teenagers (368 boys and 295 girls) were asked four times to fill out self-report questionnaires, with a 6-month time interval between each time. The mean age was 10 years during the first data collection. Longitudinal multilevel analyses showed that the variance in emotion awareness trends was highly predictive for the variance in trends for internalizing problems over time. The ability to differentiate discrete emotions was a strong predictor and negatively contributed to all internalising symptoms. In addition, a diminished tendency to address and value emotions contributed to more depressive symptoms; whereas hiding the own emotions contributed to more worrying and ruminative thoughts. The outcomes show that individual differences in emotion awareness over time make a strong, and, above all, negative contribution to the prediction of the individual differences in various internalizing symptoms. The fact that several aspects of emotional (dys)functioning are uniquely related to different kinds of internalizing problems gives valuable and useful information not only theoretically but also clinically about the distinctive nature of these problems

Stable Genetic Influence on Anxiety-Related Behaviours Across Middle Childhood

We examined the aetiology of anxiety symptoms in an unselected population at ages 7 and 9, a period during which anxiety disorders first begin to develop (mean age at onset is 11 years). Specifically, the aim of the study was to investigate genetic and environmental continuity and change in components of anxiety in middle childhood. Parents of over 3,500 twin pairs completed the Anxiety-Related Behaviours Questionnaire (ARBQ) when twins were 7 and 9 years old. Multivariate-longitudinal analyses were conducted to examine genetic and environmental influences on stability and change in four anxiety scales: Negative Cognition, Negative Affect, Fear and Social Anxiety. We found moderate temporal stability in all four scales from 7 to 9 years (correlations ranging from 0.45 to 0.54) and moderate heritability (average 54%). Both shared and non-shared environmental influences were modest (average 18%–28% respectively). Genetic factors (68%) explained most of the homotypic continuity in anxiety. We show that homotypic continuity of Anxiety-Related Behaviours (i.e. the continuation of one specific type of anxiety over time) was largely driven by genetic factors. In contrast, though more varied, heterotypic continuity between some traits (i.e. the change from one type of anxiety-related behaviour into another over time) was mainly due to shared-environmental factors

A Psychometric Analysis of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scales—Parent Version in a School Sample

The Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale—Parent Version (RCADS-P) is a parent-report questionnaire of youth anxiety and depression with scales corresponding to the DSM diagnoses of separation anxiety disorder, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and major depressive disorder. The RCADS-P was recently developed and has previously demonstrated strong psychometric properties in a clinic-referred sample (Ebesutani et al., Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 38, 249–260, 2010b). The present study examined the psychometric properties of the RCADS-P in a school-based population. As completed by parents of 967 children and adolescents, the RCADS-P demonstrated high internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and good convergent/divergent validity, supporting the RCADS-P as a measure of internalizing problems specific to depression and five anxiety disorders in school samples. Normative data are also reported to allow for the derivation of T-scores to enhance clinicians’ ability to make classification decisions using RCADS-P subscale scores

Pipeline for Large-Scale Microdroplet Bisulfite PCR-Based Sequencing Allows the Tracking of Hepitype Evolution in Tumors

Cytosine methylation provides an epigenetic level of cellular plasticity that is important for development, differentiation and cancerogenesis. We adopted microdroplet PCR to bisulfite treated target DNA in combination with second generation sequencing to simultaneously assess DNA sequence and methylation. We show measurement of methylation status in a wide range of target sequences (total 34 kb) with an average coverage of 95% (median 100%) and good correlation to the opposite strand (rho = 0.96) and to pyrosequencing (rho = 0.87). Data from lymphoma and colorectal cancer samples for SNRPN (imprinted gene), FGF6 (demethylated in the cancer samples) and HS3ST2 (methylated in the cancer samples) serve as a proof of principle showing the integration of SNP data and phased DNA-methylation information into “hepitypes” and thus the analysis of DNA methylation phylogeny in the somatic evolution of cancer

Evidence-Based Priority Setting for Health Care and Research: Tools to Support Policy in Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health in Africa

As part of a series on maternal, neonatal, and child health in sub-Saharan Africa, Igor Rudan and colleagues discuss various priority-setting tools for health care and research that can help develop evidence-based policy

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Newborn Care During Facility and Home Deliveries: A Cross Sectional Analysis of Data from Demographic Surveillance Sites in Rural Bangladesh, India and Nepal

Background: In Bangladesh, India and Nepal, neonatal outcomes of poor infants are considerably worse than those of better-off infants. Understanding how these inequalities vary by country and place of delivery (home or facility) will allow targeting of interventions to those who need them most. We describe socio-economic inequalities in newborn care in rural areas of Bangladesh, Nepal and India for all deliveries and by place of delivery. Methods: We used data from surveillance sites in Bangladesh, India and from Makwanpur and Dhanusha districts in Nepal, covering periods from 2001 to 2011. We used literacy (ability to read a short text) as indicator of socioeconomic status. We developed a composite score of nine newborn care practices (score range 0–9 indicating infants received no newborn care to all nine newborn care practices). We modeled the effect of literacy and place of delivery on the newborn care score and on individual practices. Results: In all study sites (60,078 deliveries in total), use of facility delivery was higher among literate mothers. In all sites, inequalities in newborn care were observed: the difference in new born care between literate and illiterate ranged 0.35–0.80. The effect of literacy on the newborn care score reduced after adjusting for place of delivery (range score difference literate-illiterate: 0.21–0.43). Conclusion: Socioeconomic inequalities in facility care greatly contribute to inequalities in newborn care. Improving newborn care during home deliveries and improving access to facility care are a priority for addressing inequalities in newborn care and newborn mortality