Measuring affective well-being at work using short-form scales : implications for affective structures and participant instructions

Measuring affective well-being in organizational studies has become increasingly widespread, given its association with key work-performance and other markers of organizational functioning. As such, researchers and policy-makers need to be confident that well-being measures are valid, reliable and robust. To reduce the burden on participants in applied settings, short-form measures of affective well-being are proving popular. However, these scales are seldom validated as standalone, comprehensive measures in their own right. In this article, we used a short-form measure of affective well-being with 10 items: the Daniels five-factor measure of affective well-being (D-FAW). In Study 1, across six applied sample groups (N = 2624), we found that the factor structure of the short-form D-FAW is robust when issued as a standalone measure, and that it should be scored differently depending on the participant instruction used. When participant instructions focus on now or today, then affect is best represented by five discrete emotion factors. When participant instructions focus on the past week, then affect is best represented by two or three mood-based factors. In Study 2 (N = 39), we found good construct convergent validity of short-form D-FAW with another widely used scale (PANAS). Implications for the measurement and structure of affect are discussed

Graphical models for inferring single molecule dynamics

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The recent explosion of experimental techniques in single molecule biophysics has generated a variety of novel time series data requiring equally novel computational tools for analysis and inference. This article describes in general terms how graphical modeling may be used to learn from biophysical time series data using the variational Bayesian expectation maximization algorithm (VBEM). The discussion is illustrated by the example of single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET)<it> versus</it> time data, where the smFRET time series is modeled as a hidden Markov model (HMM) with Gaussian observables. A detailed description of smFRET is provided as well.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The VBEM algorithm returns the model’s evidence and an approximating posterior parameter distribution given the data. The former provides a metric for model selection via maximum evidence (ME), and the latter a description of the model’s parameters learned from the data. ME/VBEM provide several advantages over the more commonly used approach of maximum likelihood (ML) optimized by the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm, the most important being a natural form of model selection and a well-posed (non-divergent) optimization problem.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results demonstrate the utility of graphical modeling for inference of dynamic processes in single molecule biophysics.</p

Population Pharmacokinetic Modelling of FE 999049, a Recombinant Human Follicle-Stimulating Hormone, in Healthy Women After Single Ascending Doses

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this analysis was to develop a population pharmacokinetic model for a novel recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) (FE 999049) expressed from a human cell line of foetal retinal origin (PER.C6(®)) developed for controlled ovarian stimulation prior to assisted reproductive technologies.METHODS: Serum FSH levels were measured following a single subcutaneous FE 999049 injection of 37.5, 75, 150, 225 or 450 IU in 27 pituitary-suppressed healthy female subjects participating in this first-in-human single ascending dose trial. Data was analysed by nonlinear mixed effects population pharmacokinetic modelling in NONMEM 7.2.0.RESULTS: A one-compartment model with first-order absorption and elimination rates was found to best describe the data. A transit model was introduced to describe a delay in the absorption process. The apparent clearance (CL/F) and apparent volume of distribution (V/F) estimates were found to increase with body weight. Body weight was included as an allometrically scaled covariate with a power exponent of 0.75 for CL/F and 1 for V/F.CONCLUSIONS: The single-dose pharmacokinetics of FE 999049 were adequately described by a population pharmacokinetic model. The average drug concentration at steady state is expected to be reduced with increasing body weight

Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Modeling of the D2 and 5-HT2A Receptor Occupancy of Risperidone and Paliperidone in Rats

A pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) model was developed to describe the time course of brain concentration and dopamine D-2 and serotonin 5-HT2A receptor occupancy (RO) of the atypical antipsychotic drugs risperidone and paliperidone in rats. A population approach was utilized to describe the PK-PD of risperidone and paliperidone using plasma and brain concentrations and D-2 and 5-HT2A RO data. A previously published physiology- and mechanism-based (PBPKPD) model describing brain concentrations and D-2 receptor binding in the striatum was expanded to include metabolite kinetics, active efflux from brain, and binding to 5-HT2A receptors in the frontal cortex. A two-compartment model best fit to the plasma PK profile of risperidone and paliperidone. The expanded PBPKPD model described brain concentrations and D-2 and 5-HT2A RO well. Inclusion of binding to 5-HT2A receptors was necessary to describe observed brain-to-plasma ratios accurately. Simulations showed that receptor affinity strongly influences brain-to-plasma ratio pattern. Binding to both D-2 and 5-HT2A receptors influences brain distribution of risperidone and paliperidone. This may stem from their high affinity for D-2 and 5-HT2A receptors. Receptor affinities and brain-to-plasma ratios may need to be considered before choosing the best PK-PD model for centrally active drugs

Carnitine reduces the lipoperoxidative damage of the membrane and apoptosis after induction of cell stress in experimental glaucoma

The pathological damage caused by glaucoma is associated to a high intraocular pressure. The ocular hypertone is most likely due to a defective efflux of aqueous humor from the anterior chamber of the eye. Ocular hypertension causes apoptotic death of retinal ganglion cells and overexpression of molecular markers typical of cell stress response and apoptosis. In this work, we report on the neuroprotective, antiapoptotic and antioxidant action of a natural substance, -carnitine. This compound is known for its ability to improve the mitochondrial performance. We analyze a number of cellular and molecular markers, typical of ocular hypertension and, in general, of the cell stress response. In particular, -carnitine reduces the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein, inducible nitric oxide synthase, ubiquitin and caspase 3 typical markers of cell stress. In addition, the morphological analysis of the optic nerve evidenced a reduction of the pathological excavation of the optic disk. This experimental hypertone protocol induces a severe lipoperoxidation, which is significantly reduced by -carnitine. The overall interpretation is that mortality of the retinal cells is due to membrane damage

Usual Primary Care Provider Characteristics of a Patient-Centered Medical Home and Mental Health Service Use

BACKGROUND: The benefits of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) over and above that of a usual source of medical care have yet to be determined, particularly for adults with mental health disorders. OBJECTIVE: To examine qualities of a usual provider that align with PCMH goals of access, comprehensiveness, and patient-centered care, and to determine whether PCMH qualities in a usual provider are associated with the use of mental health services (MHS). DESIGN: Using national data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, we conducted a lagged cross-sectional study of MHS use subsequent to participant reports of psychological distress and usual provider and practice characteristics. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 2,358 adults, aged 18–64 years, met the criteria for serious psychological distress and reported on their usual provider and practice characteristics. MAIN MEASURES: We defined “usual provider” as a primary care provider/practice, and “PCMH provider” as a usual provider that delivered accessible, comprehensive, patient-centered care as determined by patient self-reporting. The dependent variable, MHS, included self-reported mental health visits to a primary care provider or mental health specialist, counseling, and psychiatric medication treatment over a period of 1 year. RESULTS: Participants with a usual provider were significantly more likely than those with no usual provider to have experienced a primary care mental health visit (marginal effect [ME] = 8.5, 95 % CI = 3.2–13.8) and to have received psychiatric medication (ME = 15.5, 95 % CI = 9.4–21.5). Participants with a PCMH were additionally more likely than those with no usual provider to visit a mental health specialist (ME = 7.6, 95 % CI = 0.7–14.4) and receive mental health counseling (ME = 8.5, 95 % CI = 1.5–15.6). Among those who reported having had any type of mental health visit, participants with a PCMH were more likely to have received mental health counseling than those with only a usual provider (ME = 10.0, 95 % CI = 1.0–19.0). CONCLUSIONS: Access to a usual provider is associated with increased receipt of needed MHS. Patients who have a usual provider with PCMH qualities are more likely to receive mental health counseling

Imaging Cooper Pairing of Heavy Fermions in CeCoIn5

The Cooper pairing mechanism of heavy-fermion superconductors, while long hypothesized as due to spin fluctuations, has not been determined. It is the momentum space (k-space) structure of the superconducting energy gap delta(k) that encodes specifics of this pairing mechanism. However, because the energy scales are so low, it has not been possible to directly measure delta(k) for any heavy-fermion superconductor. Bogoliubov quasiparticle interference (QPI) imaging, a proven technique for measuring the energy gaps of high-Tc superconductors, has recently been proposed as a new method to measure delta(k) in heavy-fermion superconductors, specifically CeCoIn5. By implementing this method, we immediately detect a superconducting energy gap whose nodes are oriented along k||(+-1, +-1)pi/a0 directions. Moreover, we determine the complete k-space structure of the delta(k) of a heavy-fermion superconductor. For CeCoIn5, this novel information includes: the complex band structure and Fermi surface of the hybridized heavy bands, the fact that highest magnitude delta(k) opens on a high-k band so that gap nodes occur at quite unanticipated k-space locations, and that the Bogoliubov quasiparticle interference patterns are most consistent with dx2-y2 gap symmetry. The availability of such quantitative heavy band- and gap-structure data will be critical in identifying the microscopic mechanism of heavy fermion superconductivity in this material, and perhaps in general.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, supplementary informatio