Homophobic incidents and LGBT safety in the city of Edinburgh

The present study occurred some nine years after Morrison and Mackay’s (1998) report, and focused once again on the experiences of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community (LGBT) living in the City of Edinburgh. The central aims of the study were to determine the rates of anti-LGBT incidents occurring in the city across a one-year and five-year period, the number of reports made to the Police, and the locations where LGBTs feel least safe in the city

Liquid rocket engine axial-flow turbopumps

The axial pump is considered in terms of the total turbopump assembly. Stage hydrodynamic design, pump rotor assembly, pump materials for liquid hydrogen applications, and safety factors as utilized in state of the art pumps are among the topics discussed. Axial pump applications are included

Trajectory and stability of Lagrangian point L2L_2 in the Sun-Earth system

This paper describes design of the trajectory and analysis of the stability of collinear point $L_2$ in the Sun-Earth system. The modified restricted three body problem with additional gravitational potential from the belt is used as the model for the Sun-Earth system. The effect of radiation pressure of the Sun and oblate shape of the Earth are considered. The point $L_2$ is asymptotically stable upto a specific value of time $t$ correspond to each set of values of parameters and initial conditions. The results obtained from this study would be applicable to locate a satellite, a telescope or a space station around the point $L_2$.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc

Supporting early career health investigators in Kenya: A qualitative study of HIV/AIDS research capacity building

Introduction: strategies to transfer international health research training programs to sub-Saharan African institutions focus on developing cadresof local investigators who will lead such programs. Using a critical  leadership theory framework, we conducted a qualitative study of one program to understand how collaborative training and research can support early career investigators in Kenya toward the program transfer goal.Methods: We used purposive sampling methods and a semi-structured protocol to conduct in-depth interviews with US (N=5) and Kenyan (N=5)independent investigators. Transcripts were coded using a two-step  process, and then compared with each other to identify major themes.Results: A limited local research environment, funding needs and research career mentorship were identified as major influences on early career researchers. Institutional demands on Kenyan faculty to teach rather than complete research restricted investigators' ability to develop research careers. This was coupled with lack of local funding to support research. Sustainable collaborations between Kenyan, US and other international investigators were perceived to mitigate these challenges and support early career investigators who would help build a robust local research environment for training. Conclusion: mutually beneficial collaborations between Kenyan and US investigators developed during training mitigate these challenges and build a supportive research environment for training. In these collaborations, early career investigators learn how to navigate the complex international research environment to build local HIV research capacity.Shared and mutually beneficial resources within international research collaborations are required to support early career investigators and plans to transfer health research training to African institutions

The feasibility of a single-blinded fast-track pragmatic randomised controlled trial of a complex intervention for breathlessness in advanced disease.

BACKGROUND: The Breathlessness Intervention Service is a novel service for patients with intractable breathlessness regardless of aetiology. It is being evaluated using the Medical Research Council's framework for the evaluation of complex interventions. This paper describes the feasibility results of Phase II: a single-blinded fast-track pragmatic randomised controlled trial. METHODS: A single-blinded fast-track pragmatic randomised controlled trial was conducted for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease referred to the service. Patients were randomised to either receive the intervention immediately for an eight-week period, or receive the intervention after an eight-week period on a waiting list during which time they received standard care. Outcomes examined included: response rates to the trial; response rates to the individual questionnaires and items; comments relating to the trial functioning made during interviews with patients, carers, referrers and service providers; and, researcher fieldwork notes. RESULTS: 16 of the 20 eligible patients agreed to participate in a recruitment visit (16/20); 14 respondents went on to complete a recruitment visit/baseline interview. The majority of those who completed a recruitment visit/baseline interview completed the RCT protocol (13/14); 12 of their carers were recruited and completed the protocol. An unblinding rate of 6/25 respondents (patients and carers) was identified. Missing data were minimal and only one patient was lost to follow up. The fast-track trial methodology proved feasible and acceptable. Two of the baseline/outcome measures proved unsuitable: the WHO performance scale and the Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life-Direct Weighting (SEIQoL-DW). CONCLUSION: This study adds to the evidence that fast-track randomised controlled trials are feasible and acceptable in evaluations of palliative care interventions for patients with non-malignant conditions. Reasonable response rates and low attrition rates were achieved. Further, with adequate preparation of the research and randomisation teams, clinicians, and responders, and effective liaison with the clinicians, single-blinding proved possible. Methods were identified to reduce unblinding through careful attention to the type of data collected at unblinded measurement points; the content of interviews should be carefully considered when designing blinded-trial protocols. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials.gov NCT00711438.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Opportunity and the Adaptive Management of Regret Across the Lifespan

The experience of life regrets can motivate individuals to change their life circumstances or contribute to declines in psychological and physical health. Theory and research suggest that either outcome may depend on the regulatory approach used to manage the experience of regret and the availability of opportunity to undo the negative consequences of the regret. When opportunity is favourable, engaging in undoing the regret is adaptive whereas disengagement maintains unsatisfactory life circumstances. In contrast, when opportunity is low, disengagement is protective whereas engagement leads to impaired health. The current research includes three studies designed to examine the role of opportunity in the regulation of life regrets. Study 1 examined the associations between regret management, everyday activities, and retirement satisfaction in a sample of recent retirees. Cross-sectional results showed that retirees who perceived favourable opportunities for addressing their life regrets and also reported high levels of engagement to undo their regrets experienced high baseline levels of activity (e.g., volunteering, traveling) and retirement satisfaction. Three-year longitudinal analyses revealed that this pattern was also associated with increases in activity engagement. In contrast, disengagement protected retirees with unfavourable opportunity from three-year declines in retirement satisfaction. These findings suggest that the outcome of regulatory approach depends upon the availability of opportunity. Study 2 examined younger and older adults assigned to one of three writing activities designed to alter how they addressed their most severe life regrets (engagement, disengagement, or control). Comparisons of three-month change in well-being determined that younger adults, a group that possesses relatively high levels of objective opportunity, experienced larger decreases in wistful emotions and larger increases in closure when assigned to engagement or control in comparison to disengagement, as well as larger decreases in regret intensity when assigned to engagement in comparison to disengagement. In contrast, older adults, a group who possesses relatively lower levels of objective opportunity, experienced larger improvement in sleep quality when assigned to disengagement than the other two conditions. These findings provide evidence that the outcome of adjusting one’s regulatory approach depends on the availability of opportunity. Study 3 examined the baseline levels of regret engagement of younger and older adults who completed writing activities designed to alter their regulatory approach (engagement or disengagement). Among younger adults, being assigned to engage in, rather than disengage from, undoing their regrets produced larger decreases in regret intensity, hot emotions, and despair emotions and larger increases in closure, but only for younger adults who had low baseline levels of engagement. In contrast, among older adults, being assigned to disengage from, rather than engage in, undoing their regrets produced larger decreases in regret intensity, hot emotions, and despair emotions and larger increases in regret closure and sleep quality, but only for older adults initially disengaged from their regrets. These findings suggest that the adaptiveness of a regulatory approach not only depends on the availability of opportunity, but also the individual’s initial levels of engagement. Overall, these findings contribute to the understanding of successful regret regulation as well as the management of developmental goals across the lifespan. The results are discussed in relation to contributions to theory, clinical implications, and areas for future research

Polarization restricts hepatitis C virus entry into HepG2 hepatoma cells

The primary reservoir for hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication is believed to be hepatocytes, which are highly polarized with tight junctions (TJ) separating their basolateral and apical domains. HepG2 cells develop polarity over time, resulting in the formation and remodeling of bile canalicular (BC) structures. HepG2 cells expressing CD81 provide a model system to study the effects of hepatic polarity on HCV infection. We found an inverse association between HepG2-CD81 polarization and HCV pseudoparticle entry. As HepG2 cells polarize, discrete pools of claudin-1 (CLDN1) at the TJ and basal/lateral membranes develop, consistent with the pattern of receptor staining observed in liver tissue. The TJ and nonjunctional pools of CLDN1 show an altered association with CD81 and localization in response to the PKA antagonist Rp-8-Br-cyclic AMPs (cAMPs). Rp-8-Br-cAMPs reduced CLDN1 expression at the basal membrane and inhibited HCV infection, supporting a model where the nonjunctional pools of CLDN1 have a role in HCV entry. Treatment of HepG2 cells with proinflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor alpha and gamma interferon, perturbed TJ integrity but had minimal effect(s) on cellular polarity and HCV infection, suggesting that TJ integrity does not limit HCV entry into polarized HepG2 cells. In contrast, activation of PKC with phorbol ester reduced TJ integrity, ablated HepG2 polarity, and stimulated HCV entry. Overall, these data show that complex hepatocyte-like polarity alters CLDN1 localization and limits HCV entry, suggesting that agents which disrupt hepatocyte polarity may promote HCV infection and transmission within the liver

From the work-place to the golf-course? The adaptive value of life regret on activity and emotional well-being in recent retirees

This study was designed to investigate the impact of life regret on activity engagement and emotional well-being in the early stages of retirement. We asked a total of 463 recent retirees to report their most severe life regret and their perception of opportunity and motivation to undo the negative consequences of the regret. We also asked the participants to report their current level of activity engagement and emotional well-being at both post-retirement (Mean years since retirement = 1.39, SD = .86) and one-year follow-up. In addition, the participants also retrospectively reported their pre-retirement level of activity engagement. We expected that regret may play an adaptive role in the activities and emotional well-being of recent retirees. In particular, we reasoned that regret could be adaptive if the individual is motivated to undo the regret and opportunities are favorable. We found that engagement in optional activities (e.g., volunteering, socializing, traveling) was higher at post-retirement and follow-up than at pre-retirement, whereas there were no differences found when examining engagement in obligatory maintenance activities (e.g., household chores, finances). In support of our hypothesis, we found that regret was predictive of both high levels of optional activities and high levels of positive affect post-retirement when retirees are engaged to undo the negative consequences of the regret and opportunities are favorable. Furthermore, the study's results suggest that engagement in optional activities partially mediated the relationship between regret and positive affect. These findings imply that regret can play an adaptive role in later life such as influencing engagement in activities of personal interest and investment. The implications for pathways to active and happier lives in old age are discussed

An improved system to measure leaf gas exchange on adaxial and abaxial surfaces

Measurement of leaf carbon gain and water loss (gas exchange) in planta is a standard procedure in plant science research for attempting to understand physiological traits related to water use and photosynthesis. Leaves carry out gas exchange through the upper (adaxial) and lower (abaxial) surfaces at different magnitudes, depending on the stomatal density, stomatal aperture, cuticular permeability, etc., of each surface, which we account for in gas exchange parameters such as stomatal conductance. Most commercial devices measure leaf gas exchange by combining the adaxial and abaxial fluxes and calculating bulk gas exchange parameters, missing details of the plant's physiological response on each side. Additionally, the widely used equations to estimate gas exchange parameters neglect the contribution of small fluxes such as cuticular conductance, adding extra uncertainties to measurements performed in water-stress or low-light conditions. Accounting for the gas exchange fluxes from each side of the leaf allows us to better describe plants' physiological traits under different environmental conditions and account for genetic variability. Here, apparatus and materials are presented for adapting two LI-6800 Portable Photosynthesis Systems to work as one gas exchange system to measure adaxial and abaxial gas exchange simultaneously. The modification includes a template script with the equations to account for small fluxes. Instructions are provided for incorporating the add-on script into the device's computational sequence, display, variables, and spreadsheet results. We explain the method to obtain an equation to estimate boundary layer conductance to water for the new setup and how to embed this equation in the devices' calculations using the provided add-on script. The apparatus, methods, and protocols presented here provide a simple adaptation combining two LI-6800s to obtain an improved system to measure leaf gas exchange on adaxial and abaxial surfaces