"The Levy Institute Measure of Economic Well-Being: Estimates for Canada, 1999 and 2005"

This report presents estimates of the Levy Institute Measure of Economic Well-Being (LIMEW) for a representative sample of Canadian households in 1999 and 2005. The results indicate that there was only modest growth in the average Canadian household’s total command over economic resources in the six years between 1999 and 2005. Although inequality in economic well-being increased slightly over the 1999–2005 period, the LIMEW was more equally distributed across Canadian households than more common income measures (such as after-tax income) in both 1999 and 2005. The median household’s economic well-being was lower in Canada than in the United States in both years.Well-being, Inequality, Income, Wealth, Government Expenditure, Household Production, LIMEW, (Canada)

The Levy Institute Measure of Economic Well-Being: Estimates for Canada, 1999 and 2005

This report presents estimates of the Levy Institute Measure of Economic Well-Being (LIMEW) for a representative sample of Canadian households in 1999 and 2005. The results indicate that there was only modest growth in the average Canadian household’s total command over economic resources in the six years between 1999 and 2005. Although inequality in economic well-being increased slightly over the 1999-2005 period, the LIMEW was more equally distributed across Canadian households than more common income measures (such as after-tax income) in both 1999 and 2005. The median household’s economic well-being was lower in Canada than in the United States in both years.LIMEW, well-being, income, earnings, wealth, public consumption, government expenditure, household production, inequality

Assessing Maternal Sensitivity from Videotaped Recordings: Validity and Practical Applications

This study examined the use of short, videotaped, mother-infant laboratory interactions instead of longer home visits to assess maternal sensitivity. Scores generated when toddlers were 24-months were found to be correlated with assessments of maternal sensitivity and attachment security from previous home visits The results suggest that coding from appropriate samples of recorded interactions may provide valid assessments of maternal sensitivity and attachment security but a number of important caveats must still be resolved

The Relation of FR Behaviour to AAI Scales

Attachment theory describes the bonds between caregivers and children that serve a protective function for children. The FR theory developed by Main and Hesse (1990) proposes that unmonitored parental behaviour, or frightened, frightening and dissociative (FR) behaviour, stemming from a history of Unresolved/disoriented (U/d) trauma, disorganizes the attachment relationship. The parent is a source of fear and is thus unavailable as a source of safety and protection

Both Maternal Sensitivity and Atypical Maternal Behavior Independently Predict Attachment Security and Disorganization in Adolescent Mother–infant Dyads

On the basis of these findings, at odds with current models of the origins of secure vs disorganized attachment, the current study examined the association between distinct qualities of maternal interaction and attachment in a single study. The participants in the current study were adolescent mothers and their infants, a population that has been shown to be at substantial developmental risk and to exhibit a range of markedly atypical interactions with their infants (Jaffee, Caspi, Moffitt, Belsky, and Silva, 2001)

Letting Go: Mindfulness and Negative Automatic Thinking

Cognitive theorists describe mindfulness as a form of attention-awareness in which thoughts can be observed in non-judging, de-centered, and non-attached ways. However, empirical research has not examined associations between mindfulness and responses to negative automatic thoughts, such as the ability to let go of negative cognition. In the first study reported in this article, measures of dispositional mindfulness were negatively correlated with negative thought frequency and perceptions of the ability to let go of negative thoughts in an unselected student sample. In the second study reported, these associations were replicated in a treatment-seeking student sample, where participation in a mindfulness meditation-based clinical intervention was shown to be associated with decreases in both frequency and perceptions of difficulty in letting-go of negative automatic thoughts. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed

Supervised Exercise Intervention and Overall Activity in CKD.

Introduction: Patients are often instructed to engage in multiple weekly sessions of exercise to increase physical activity. We aimed to determine whether assignment to a supervised exercise regimen increases overall weekly activity in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of a pilot randomized 2 × 2 factorial design trial examining the effects of diet and exercise (10%-15% reduction in caloric intake, 3 supervised exercise sessions/wk, combined diet restriction/exercise, and control). Activity was measured as counts detected by accelerometer. Counts data were collected on all days for which an accelerometer was worn at baseline, month 2, and month 4 follow-up. The primary outcome was a relative change from baseline in log-transformed counts/min. Generalized estimating equations were used to compare the primary outcome in individuals in the exercise group and the nonexercise group. Results: We examined 111 individuals randomized to aerobic exercise or usual activity (n = 48 in the exercise group and n = 44 controls). The mean age was 57 years, 42% were female, and 28% were black. Median overall adherence over all time was 73%. Median (25th, 75th percentile) counts/min over nonsupervised exercise days at months 2 and 4 were 237.5 (6.5, 444.4) for controls and 250.9 (7.7, 529.8) for the exercise group ( Conclusion: Engaging in a supervised exercise program does not increase overall weekly physical activity in individuals with stage 3 to 4 CKD

Know your dose: RADDOSE

The program RADDOSE computes the dose absorbed by a macromolecular crystal and here a guide is provided to help to ensure the proper use of the program. In the new version (v.3) described here, modifications to include the energy deposited owing to Compton scattering have been made

Piperidinols that show anti-tubercular activity as inhibitors of arylamine N-acetyltransferase: an essential enzyme for mycobacterial survival inside macrophages

Latent M. tuberculosis infection presents one of the major obstacles in the global eradication of tuberculosis (TB). Cholesterol plays a critical role in the persistence of M. tuberculosis within the macrophage during latent infection. Catabolism of cholesterol contributes to the pool of propionyl-CoA, a precursor that is incorporated into cell-wall lipids. Arylamine N-acetyltransferase (NAT) is encoded within a gene cluster that is involved in the cholesterol sterol-ring degradation and is essential for intracellular survival. The ability of the NAT from M. tuberculosis (TBNAT) to utilise propionyl-CoA links it to the cholesterol-catabolism pathway. Deleting the nat gene or inhibiting the NAT enzyme prevents intracellular survival and results in depletion of cell-wall lipids. TBNAT has been investigated as a potential target for TB therapies. From a previous high-throughput screen, 3-benzoyl-4-phenyl-1-methylpiperidinol was identified as a selective inhibitor of prokaryotic NAT that exhibited antimycobacterial activity. The compound resulted in time-dependent irreversible inhibition of the NAT activity when tested against NAT from M. marinum (MMNAT). To further evaluate the antimycobacterial activity and the NAT inhibition of this compound, four piperidinol analogues were tested. All five compounds exert potent antimycobacterial activity against M. tuberculosis with MIC values of 2.3-16.9 µM. Treatment of the MMNAT enzyme with this set of inhibitors resulted in an irreversible time-dependent inhibition of NAT activity. Here we investigate the mechanism of NAT inhibition by studying protein-ligand interactions using mass spectrometry in combination with enzyme analysis and structure determination. We propose a covalent mechanism of NAT inhibition that involves the formation of a reactive intermediate and selective cysteine residue modification. These piperidinols present a unique class of antimycobacterial compounds that have a novel mode of action different from known anti-tubercular drugs