Patient enablement requires physician empathy: a cross-sectional study of general practice consultations in areas of high and low socioeconomic deprivation in Scotland

<b>Background</b> Patient 'enablement' is a term closely aligned with 'empowerment' and its measurement in a general practice consultation has been operationalised in the widely used patient enablement instrument (PEI), a patient-rated measure of consultation outcome. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the factors that influence enablement, particularly the effect of socio-economic deprivation. The aim of the study is to assess the factors influencing patient enablement in GP consultations in areas of high and low deprivation.<p></p> <b>Methods</b> A questionnaire study was carried out on 3,044 patients attending 26 GPs (16 in areas of high socio-economic deprivation and 10 in low deprivation areas, in the west of Scotland). Patient expectation (confidence that the doctor would be able to help) was recorded prior to the consultation. PEI, GP empathy (measured by the CARE Measure), and a range of other measures and variables were recorded after the consultation. Data analysis employed multi-level modelling and multivariate analyses with the PEI as the dependant variable.<p></p> <b>Results</b> Although numerous variables showed a univariate association with patient enablement, only four factors were independently predictive after multilevel multivariate analysis; patients with multimorbidity of 3 or more long-term conditions (reflecting poor chronic general health), and those consulting about a long-standing problem had reduced enablement scores in both affluent and deprived areas. In deprived areas, emotional distress (GHQ-caseness) had an additional negative effect on enablement. Perceived GP empathy had a positive effect on enablement in both affluent and deprived areas. Maximal patient enablement was never found with low empathy.<p></p> <b>Conclusions</b> Although other factors influence patient enablement, the patients' perceptions of the doctors' empathy is of key importance in patient enablement in general practice consultations in both high and low deprivation settings

Infinite partition monoids

Let $\mathcal P_X$ and $\mathcal S_X$ be the partition monoid and symmetric group on an infinite set $X$. We show that $\mathcal P_X$ may be generated by $\mathcal S_X$ together with two (but no fewer) additional partitions, and we classify the pairs $\alpha,\beta\in\mathcal P_X$ for which $\mathcal P_X$ is generated by $\mathcal S_X\cup\{\alpha,\beta\}$. We also show that $\mathcal P_X$ may be generated by the set $\mathcal E_X$ of all idempotent partitions together with two (but no fewer) additional partitions. In fact, $\mathcal P_X$ is generated by $\mathcal E_X\cup\{\alpha,\beta\}$ if and only if it is generated by $\mathcal E_X\cup\mathcal S_X\cup\{\alpha,\beta\}$. We also classify the pairs $\alpha,\beta\in\mathcal P_X$ for which $\mathcal P_X$ is generated by $\mathcal E_X\cup\{\alpha,\beta\}$. Among other results, we show that any countable subset of $\mathcal P_X$ is contained in a $4$-generated subsemigroup of $\mathcal P_X$, and that the length function on $\mathcal P_X$ is bounded with respect to any generating set

Theoretical investigation on the possibility of preparing left-handed materials in metallic magnetic granular composites

We investigate the possibility of preparing left-handed materials in metallic magnetic granular composites. Based on the effective medium approximation, we show that by incorporating metallic magnetic nanoparticles into an appropriate insulating matrix and controlling the directions of magnetization of metallic magnetic components and their volume fraction, it may be possible to prepare a composite medium of low eddy current loss which is left-handed for electromagnetic waves propagating in some special direction and polarization in a frequency region near the ferromagnetic resonance frequency. This composite may be easier to make on an industrial scale. In addition, its physical properties may be easily tuned by rotating the magnetization locally.Comment: 5 figure

Multi-color Optical and NIR Light Curves of 64 Stripped-Envelope Core-Collapse Supernovae

We present a densely-sampled, homogeneous set of light curves of 64 low redshift (z < 0.05) stripped-envelope supernovae (SN of type IIb, Ib, Ic and Ic-bl). These data were obtained between 2001 and 2009 at the Fred L. Whipple Observatory (FLWO) on Mt. Hopkins in Arizona, with the optical FLWO 1.2-m and the near-infrared PAIRITEL 1.3-m telescopes. Our dataset consists of 4543 optical photometric measurements on 61 SN, including a combination of UBVRI, UBVr'i', and u'BVr'i', and 2142 JHKs near-infrared measurements on 25 SN. This sample constitutes the most extensive multi-color data set of stripped-envelope SN to date. Our photometry is based on template-subtracted images to eliminate any potential host galaxy light contamination. This work presents these photometric data, compares them with data in the literature, and estimates basic statistical quantities: date of maximum, color, and photometric properties. We identify promising color trends that may permit the identification of stripped-envelope SN subtypes from their photometry alone. Many of these SN were observed spectroscopically by the CfA SN group, and the spectra are presented in a companion paper (Modjaz et al. 2014). A thorough exploration that combines the CfA photometry and spectroscopy of stripped-envelope core-collapse SN will be presented in a follow-up paper.Comment: 26 pages, 17 figures, 8 tables. Revised version resubmitted to ApJ Supplements after referee report. Additional online material is available through http://cosmo.nyu.edu/SNYU

Applications of p-deficiency and p-largeness

We use Schlage-Puchta's concept of p-deficiency and Lackenby's property of p-largeness to show that a group having a finite presentation with p-deficiency greater than 1 is large, which implies that Schlage-Puchta's infinite finitely generated p-groups are not finitely presented. We also show that for all primes p at least 7, any group having a presentation of p-deficiency greater than 1 is Golod-Shafarevich, and has a finite index subgroup which is Golod-Shafarevich for the remaining primes. We also generalise a result of Grigorchuk on Coxeter groups to odd primes.Comment: 23 page

CD248+ stromal cells are associated with progressive chronic kidney disease

Stromal fibroblasts are the primary cells of the kidney that produce fibrotic matrix. CD248 is a stromal marker expressed on fibroblasts and pericytes within the human kidney. Here, we tested whether CD248 expression in the kidney colocalizes with fibrosis and if it is associated with known determinants of chronic kidney disease (CKD). CD248 expression was located and quantified in situ by immunohistochemistry in kidney biopsies from 93 patients with IgA nephropathy and compared with 22 archived biopsies encompassing normal kidney tissue as control. In normal kidney tissue, CD248 was expressed by resident pericytes, stromal fibroblasts, and was upregulated in human CKD. The expression was linked to known determinants of renal progression. This relationship was maintained in a multivariate analysis with CD248 expression linked to renal survival. CD248 was expressed by a population of α-smooth muscle actin (SMA)+ myofibroblasts and α-SMA− stromal cells but not expressed on CD45+ leukocytes. Thus, CD248 defines a subset of stromal cells, including but not limited to some myofibroblasts, linked to albuminuria and tubulointerstitial damage during tissue remodeling in CKD

Economical adjunction of square roots to groups

How large must an overgroup of a given group be in order to contain a square root of any element of the initial group? We give an almost exact answer to this question (the obtained estimate is at most twice worse than the best possible) and state several related open questions.Comment: 5 pages. A Russian version of this paper is at http://mech.math.msu.su/department/algebra/staff/klyachko/papers.htm V2: minor correction

Rapid genotype imputation from sequence without reference panels

Inexpensive genotyping methods are essential for genetic studies requiring large sample sizes. In human studies, array-based microarrays and high-density haplotype reference panels allow efficient genotype imputation for this purpose. However, these resources are typically unavailable in non-human settings. Here we describe a method (STITCH) for imputation based only on sequencing read data, without requiring additional reference panels or array data. We demonstrate its applicability even in settings of extremely low sequencing coverage, by accurately imputing 5.7 million SNPs at a mean r(2) value of 0.98 in 2,073 outbred laboratory mice (0.15× sequencing coverage). In a sample of 11,670 Han Chinese (1.7× coverage), we achieve accuracy similar to that of alternative approaches that require a reference panel, demonstrating that our approach can work for genetically diverse populations. Our method enables straightforward progression from low-coverage sequence to imputed genotypes, overcoming barriers that at present restrict the application of genome-wide association study technology outside humans

Effective electronic response of a system of metallic cylinders

The electronic response of a composite consisting of aligned metallic cylinders in vacuum is investigated, on the basis of photonic band structure calculations. The effective long-wavelength dielectric response function is computed, as a function of the filling fraction. A spectral representation of the effective response is considered, and the surface mode strengths and positions are analyzed. The range of validity of a Maxwell-Garnett-like approach is discussed, and the impact of our results on absorption spectra and electron energy-loss phenomena is addressed.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Associations of ATR and CHEK1 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms with Breast Cancer

DNA damage and replication checkpoints mediated by the ATR-CHEK1 pathway are key to the maintenance of genome stability, and both ATR and CHEK1 have been proposed as potential breast cancer susceptibility genes. Many novel variants recently identified by the large resequencing projects have not yet been thoroughly tested in genome-wide association studies for breast cancer susceptibility. We therefore used a tagging SNP (tagSNP) approach based on recent SNP data available from the 1000 genomes projects, to investigate the roles of ATR and CHEK1 in breast cancer risk and survival. ATR and CHEK1 tagSNPs were genotyped in the Sheffield Breast Cancer Study (SBCS; 1011 cases and 1024 controls) using Illumina GoldenGate assays. Untyped SNPs were imputed using IMPUTE2, and associations between genotype and breast cancer risk and survival were evaluated using logistic and Cox proportional hazard regression models respectively on a per allele basis. Significant associations were further examined in a meta-analysis of published data or confirmed in the Utah Breast Cancer Study (UBCS). The most significant associations for breast cancer risk in SBCS came from rs6805118 in ATR (p=7.6x10-5) and rs2155388 in CHEK1 (p=3.1x10-6), but neither remained significant after meta-analysis with other studies. However, meta-analysis of published data revealed a weak association between the ATR SNP rs1802904 (minor allele frequency is 12%) and breast cancer risk, with a summary odds ratio (confidence interval) of 0.90 (0.83-0.98) [p=0.0185] for the minor allele. Further replication of this SNP in larger studies is warranted since it is located in the target region of 2 microRNAs. No evidence of any survival effects of ATR or CHEK1 SNPs were identified. We conclude that common alleles of ATR and CHEK1 are not implicated in breast cancer risk or survival, but we cannot exclude effects of rare alleles and of common alleles with very small effect sizes