The effect of calorie restriction on mouse skeletal muscle is sex, strain and time-dependent

Loss of skeletal muscle mass and function occurs with increasing age. Calorie restriction (CR) increases the lifespan of C57Bl/6 mice, but not in the shorter-lived DBA/2 strain. There is some evidence that calorie restriction reduces or delays many of the age-related defects that occur in rodent skeletal muscle. We therefore investigated the effect of short (2.5 month) and longer term (8.5 and 18.5 months) CR on skeletal muscle in male and female C57Bl/6 and DBA/2 mice. We found that short-term CR increased the satellite cell number and collagen VI content of muscle, but resulted in a delayed regenerative response to injury.Consistent with this, the in vitro proliferation of satellite cells derived from these muscles was reduced by CR. The percentage of stromal cells, macrophages, hematopoietic stem cells and fibroadipogenic cells in the mononucleated cell population derived from skeletal muscle was reduced by CR at various stages. But overall, these changes are neither consistent over time, nor between strain and sex. The fact that changes induced by CR do not persist with time and the dissimilarities between the two mouse strains, combined with sex differences, urge caution in applying CR to improve skeletal muscle function across the lifespan in humans

Ethical issues in the use of in-depth interviews: literature review and discussion

This paper reports a literature review on the topic of ethical issues in in-depth interviews. The review returned three types of article: general discussion, issues in particular studies, and studies of interview-based research ethics. Whilst many of the issues discussed in these articles are generic to research ethics, such as confidentiality, they often had particular manifestations in this type of research. For example, privacy was a significant problem as interviews sometimes probe unexpected areas. For similar reasons, it is difficult to give full information of the nature of a particular interview at the outset, hence informed consent is problematic. Where a pair is interviewed (such as carer and cared-for) there are major difficulties in maintaining confidentiality and protecting privacy. The potential for interviews to harm participants emotionally is noted in some papers, although this is often set against potential therapeutic benefit. As well as these generic issues, there are some ethical issues fairly specific to in-depth interviews. The problem of dual role is noted in many papers. It can take many forms: an interviewer might be nurse and researcher, scientist and counsellor, or reporter and evangelist. There are other specific issues such as taking sides in an interview, and protecting vulnerable groups. Little specific study of the ethics of in-depth interviews has taken place. However, that which has shows some important findings. For example, one study shows participants are not averse to discussing painful issues provided they feel the study is worthwhile. Some papers make recommendations for researchers. One such is that they should consider using a model of continuous (or process) consent rather than viewing consent as occurring once, at signature, prior to the interview. However, there is a need for further study of this area, both philosophical and empirical

An empirical investigation of the influence of collaboration in Finance on article impact

We investigate the impact of collaborative research in academic Finance literature to find out whether and to what extent collaboration leads to higher impact articles (6,667 articles across 2001-2007 extracted from the Web of Science). Using the top 5 % as ranked by the 4-year citation counts following publication, we also follow related secondary research questions such as the relationships between article impact and author impact; collaboration and average author impact of an article; and, the nature of geographic collaboration. Key findings indicate: collaboration does lead to articles of higher impact but there is no significant marginal value for collaboration beyond three authors; high impact articles are not monopolized by high impact authors; collaboration and the average author impact of high-impact articles are positively associated, where collaborative articles have a higher mean author impact in comparison to single-author articles; and collaboration among the authors of high impact articles is mostly cross-institutional

Developing Pulmonary Vasculopathy in Systemic Sclerosis, Detected with Non-Invasive Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing

BACKGROUND: Patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) may develop exercise intolerance due to musculoskeletal involvement, restrictive lung disease, left ventricular dysfunction, or pulmonary vasculopathy (PV). The latter is particularly important since it may lead to lethal pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We hypothesized that abnormalities during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in patients with SSc can identify PV leading to overt PAH. METHODS: Thirty SSc patients from the Harbor-UCLA Rheumatology clinic, not clinically suspected of having significant pulmonary vascular disease, were referred for this prospective study. Resting pulmonary function and exercise gas exchange were assessed, including peakVO2, anaerobic threshold (AT), heart rate-VO2 relationship (O2-pulse), exercise breathing reserve and parameters of ventilation-perfusion mismatching, as evidenced by elevated ventilatory equivalent for CO2 (VE/VCO2) and reduced end-tidal pCO2 (PETCO2) at the AT. RESULTS: Gas exchange patterns were abnormal in 16 pts with specific cardiopulmonary disease physiology: Eleven patients had findings consistent with PV, while five had findings consistent with left-ventricular dysfunction (LVD). Although both groups had low peak VO2 and AT, a higher VE/VCO2 at AT and decreasing PETCO2 during early exercise distinguished PV from LVD. CONCLUSIONS: Previously undiagnosed exercise impairments due to LVD or PV were common in our SSc patients. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing may help to differentiate and detect these disorders early in patients with SSc

Aerobic capacity, activity levels and daily energy expenditure in male and female adolescents of the kenyan nandi sub-group

The relative importance of genetic and socio-cultural influences contributing to the success of east Africans in endurance athletics remains unknown in part because the pre-training phenotype of this population remains incompletely assessed. Here cardiopulmonary fitness, physical activity levels, distance travelled to school and daily energy expenditure in 15 habitually active male (13.9±1.6 years) and 15 habitually active female (13.9±1.2) adolescents from a rural Nandi primary school are assessed. Aerobic capacity ([Formula: see text]) was evaluated during two maximal discontinuous incremental exercise tests; physical activity using accelerometry combined with a global positioning system; and energy expenditure using the doubly labelled water method. The [Formula: see text] of the male and female adolescents were 73.9±5.7 ml(.) kg(-1.) min(-1) and 61.5±6.3 ml(.) kg(-1.) min(-1), respectively. Total time spent in sedentary, light, moderate and vigorous physical activities per day was 406±63 min (50% of total monitored time), 244±56 min (30%), 75±18 min (9%) and 82±30 min (10%). Average total daily distance travelled to and from school was 7.5±3.0 km (0.8-13.4 km). Mean daily energy expenditure, activity-induced energy expenditure and physical activity level was 12.2±3.4 MJ(.) day(-1), 5.4±3.0 MJ(.) day(-1) and 2.2±0.6. 70.6% of the variation in [Formula: see text] was explained by sex (partial R(2) = 54.7%) and body mass index (partial R(2) = 15.9%). Energy expenditure and physical activity variables did not predict variation in [Formula: see text] once sex had been accounted for. The highly active and energy-demanding lifestyle of rural Kenyan adolescents may account for their exceptional aerobic fitness and collectively prime them for later training and athletic success

Evaluating the Impact of a ‘Virtual Clinic’ on Patient Experience, Personal and Provider Costs of Care in Urinary Incontinence: A Randomised Controlled Trial.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of using a ‘virtual clinic’ on patient experience and cost in the care of women with urinary incontinence. Materials and Methods: Women, aged > 18 years referred to a urogynaecology unit were randomised to either (1) A Standard Clinic or (2) A Virtual Clinic. Both groups completed a validated, web-based interactive, patient-reported outome measure (ePAQ-Pelvic Floor), in advance of their appointment followed by either a telephone consultation (Virtual Clinic) or face-to-face consultation (Standard Care). The primary outcome was the mean ‘short-term outcome scale’ score on the Patient Experience Questionnaire (PEQ). Secondary Outcome Measures included the other domains of the PEQ (Communications, Emotions and Barriers), Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ), Short-Form 12 (SF-12), personal, societal and NHS costs. Results: 195 women were randomised: 98 received the intervention and 97 received standard care. The primary outcome showed a non-significant difference between the two study arms. No significant differences were also observed on the CSQ and SF-12. However, the intervention group showed significantly higher PEQ domain scores for Communications, Emotions and Barriers (including following adjustment for age and parity). Whilst standard care was overall more cost-effective, this was minimal (£38.04). The virtual clinic also significantly reduced consultation time (10.94 minutes, compared with a mean duration of 25.9 minutes respectively) and consultation costs compared to usual care (£31.75 versus £72.17 respectively), thus presenting potential cost-savings in out-patient management. Conclusions: The virtual clinical had no impact on the short-term dimension of the PEQ and overall was not as cost-effective as standard care, due to greater clinic re-attendances in this group. In the virtual clinic group, consultation times were briefer, communication experience was enhanced and personal costs lower. For medical conditions of a sensitive or intimate nature, a virtual clinic has potential to support patients to communicate with health professionals about their condition

Monitoring credit risk in the social economy sector by means of a binary goal programming model

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11628-012-0173-7Monitoring the credit risk of firms in the social economy sector presents a considerable challenge, since it is difficult to calculate ratings with traditional methods such as logit or discriminant analysis, due to the relatively small number of firms in the sector and the low default rate among cooperatives. This paper intro- duces a goal programming model to overcome such constraints and to successfully manage credit risk using economic and financial information, as well as expert advice. After introducing the model, its application to a set of Spanish cooperative societies is described.García García, F.; Guijarro Martínez, F.; Moya Clemente, I. (2013). Monitoring credit risk in the social economy sector by means of a binary goal programming model. Service Business. 7(3):483-495. doi:10.1007/s11628-012-0173-7S48349573Alfares H, Duffuaa S (2009) Assigning cardinal weights in multi-criteria decision making based on ordinal rankings. J Multicriteria Decis Anal 15:125–133Altman EI (1968) Financial ratios, discriminant analysis and the prediction of corporate bankruptcy. J Financ 23:589–609Altman EI, Hadelman RG, Narayanan P (1977) Zeta analysis: a new model to identify bankruptcy risk of corporations. J Bank Financ 1:29–54Andenmatten A (1995) Evaluation du risque de défaillance des emetteurs d’obligations: Une approche par l’aide multicritère á la décision. Presses Polytechniques et Univertitaires Romandes, LausanneBeaver WH (1966) Financial ratios as predictors of failure. J Account Res 4:71–111Boritz JE, Kennedey DB (1995) Effectiveness of neural network types for prediction of business failure. Expert Syst Appl 9:503–512Bottomley P, Doyle J, Green R (2000) Testing the reliability of weight elicitation methods: direct rating versus point allocation. J Mark Res 37:508–513Casey M, McGee V, Stinkey C (1986) Discriminating between reorganized and liquidated firms in bankruptcy. Account Rev 61:249–262Cruz S, Gonzalez T, Perez C (2010) Marketing capabilities, stakeholders’ satisfaction, and performance. Serv Bus 4:209–223Díaz M, Marcuello C (2010) Impacto económico de las cooperativas. La generación de empleo en las sociedades cooperativas y su relación con el PIB. CIRIEC 67:23–44Dimitras AI, Zopounidis C, Hurson C (1995) A multicriteria decision aid method for the assessment of business failure risk. Found Comput Decis Sci 20:99–112Dimitras AI, Slowinski R, Susmaga R, Zopounidis C (1999) Business failure prediction using rough sets. Eur J Oper Res 114:263–280Elmer PJ, Borowski DM (1988) An expert system approach to financial analysis: the case of S&L bankruptcy. Financ Manage 17:66–76Frydman H, Altman EI, Kao DL (1985) Introducing recursive partitioning for financial classification: the case of financial distress. J Financ 40:269–291García F, Guijarro F, Moya I (2008) La valoración de empresas agroalimentarias: una extensión de los modelos factoriales. Rev Estud Agro-Soc 217:155–181Gupta MC, Huefner RJ (1972) A cluster analysis study of financial ratios and industry characteristics. J Account Res 10:77–95Jensen RE (1971) A cluster analysis study of financial performance of selected firms. Account Rev 16:35–56Juliá J (2011) Social economy: a responsible people-oriented economy. Serv Bus 5:173–175Keasey K, Mcguinnes P, Short H (1990) Multilogit approach to predicting corporate failure: further analysis and the issue of signal consistency. Omega-Int J Manage S 18:85–94Li H, Adeli H, Sun J, Han JG (2011) Hybridizing principles of TOPSIS with case-based reasoning for business failure prediction. Comput Oper Res 38:409–419Luoma M, Laitinen EK (1991) Survival analysis as a tool for firm failure prediction. Omega-Int J Manage S 19:673–678March I, Yagüe RM (2009) Desempeño en empresas de economía social. Un modelo para su medición. CIRIEC 64:105–131Martin D (1977) Early warning of bank failure: a logit regression approach. J Bank Financ 1:249–276Mateos A, Marín M, Marí S, Seguí E (2011) Los modelos de predicción del fracaso empresarial y su aplicabilidad en cooperativas agrarias. CIRIEC 70:179–208McKee T (2000) Developing a bankruptcy prediction model via rough sets theory. Int J Intell Syst Account Finan Manage 9:159–173Messier WF, Hansen JV (1988) Inducing rules for expert system development: an example using default and bankruptcy data. Manage Sci 34:1403–1415Ohlson JA (1980) Financial ratios and the probabilistic prediction of bankruptcy. J Account Res 18:109–131Peel MJ (1987) Timeliness of private firm reports predicting corporate failure. Invest Anal J 83:23–27Saaty TL (1980) The analytic hierarchy process. McGraw-Hill, New YorkScapens RW, Ryan RJ, Flecher L (1981) Explaining corporate failure: a catastrophe theory approach. J Bus Finan Account 8:1–26Skogsvik R (1990) Current cost accounting ratios as predictors of business failures: the Swedish case. J Bus Finan Account 17:137–160Slowinski R, Zopounidis C (1995) Application of the rough set approach to evaluation of bankruptcy risk. Int J Intell Syst Account Finan Manage 4:24–41Vranas AS (1992) The significance of financial characteristics in predicting business failure: an analysis in the Greek context. Found Comput Decis Sci 17:257–275Westgaard S, Wijst N (2001) Default probabilities in a corporate bank portfolio: a logistic model approach. Eur J Oper Res 135:338–349Wilson RL, Sharda R (1994) Bankruptcy prediction using neuronal networks. Decis Support Syst 11:545–557Zavgren CV (1985) Assessing the vulnerability to failure of American industrial firms. A logistic analysis. J Bus Financ Account 12:19–45Zmijewski M (1984) Methodological issues related to the estimation of financial distress prediction models. Studies on Current Econometric Issues in Accounting Research. J Account Res 22:59–86Zopounidis C, Doumpos M (2002) Multicriteria classification and sorting methods: a literature review. Eur J Oper Res 138:229–24

Reproducibility of onset and recovery oxygen uptake kinetics in moderately impaired patients with chronic heart failure

Oxygen (O2) kinetics reflect the ability to adapt to or recover from exercise that is indicative of daily life. In patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), parameters of O2 kinetics have shown to be useful for clinical purposes like grading of functional impairment and assessment of prognosis. This study compared the goodness of fit and reproducibility of previously described methods to assess O2 kinetics in these patients. Nineteen CHF patients, New York Heart Association class II–III, performed two constant-load tests on a cycle ergometer at 50% of the maximum workload. Time constants of O2 onset- and recovery kinetics (τ) were calculated by mono-exponential modeling with four different sampling intervals (5 and 10 s, 5 and 8 breaths). The goodness of fit was expressed as the coefficient of determination (R2). Onset kinetics were also evaluated by the mean response time (MRT). Considering O2 onset kinetics, τ showed a significant inverse correlation with peak- \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document} \ifmmode\expandafter\dot\else\expandafter\.\fi{V}{\text{O}}_{2} \end{document} (R = −0.88, using 10 s sampling intervals). The limits of agreement of both τ and MRT, however, were not clinically acceptable. O2 recovery kinetics yielded better reproducibility and goodness of fit. Using the most optimal sampling interval (5 breaths), a change of at least 13 s in τ is needed to exceed normal test-to-test variations. In conclusion, O2 recovery kinetics are more reproducible for clinical purposes than O2 onset kinetics in moderately impaired patients with CHF. It should be recognized that this observation cannot be assumed to be generalizable to more severely impaired CHF patients

Context Modulation of Facial Emotion Perception Differed by Individual Difference

Background: Certain facial configurations are believed to be associated with distinct affective meanings (i.e. basic facial expressions), and such associations are common across cultures (i.e. universality of facial expressions). However, recently, many studies suggest that various types of contextual information, rather than facial configuration itself, are important factor for facial emotion perception. Methodology/Principal Findings: To examine systematically how contextual information influences individuals ’ facial emotion perception, the present study estimated direct observers ’ perceptual thresholds for detecting negative facial expressions via a forced-choice psychophysical procedure using faces embedded in various emotional contexts. We additionally measured the individual differences in affective information-processing tendency (BIS/BAS) as a possible factor that may determine the extent to which contextual information on facial emotion perception is used. It was found that contextual information influenced observers ’ perceptual thresholds for facial emotion. Importantly, individuals ’ affectiveinformation tendencies modulated the extent to which they incorporated context information into their facial emotion perceptions. Conclusions/Significance: The findings of this study suggest that facial emotion perception not only depends on facial configuration, but the context in which the face appears as well. This contextual influence appeared differently wit

Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training versus Continuous Training on Physical Fitness, Cardiovascular Function and Quality of Life in Heart Failure Patients

Introduction Physical fitness is an important prognostic factor in heart failure (HF). To improve fitness, different types of exercise have been explored, with recent focus on high-intensity interval training (HIT). We comprehensively compared effects of HIT versus continuous training (CT) in HF patients NYHA II-III on physical fitness, cardiovascular function and structure, and quality of life, and hypothesize that HIT leads to superior improvements compared to CT. Methods Twenty HF patients (male:female 19:1, 64±8 yrs, ejection fraction 38±6%) were allocated to 12-weeks of HIT (10*1-minute at 90% maximal workload—alternated by 2.5 minutes at 30% maximal workload) or CT (30 minutes at 60–75% of maximal workload). Before and after intervention, we examined physical fitness (incremental cycling test), cardiac function and structure (echocardiography), vascular function and structure (ultrasound) and quality of life (SF-36, Minnesota living with HF questionnaire (MLHFQ)). Results Training improved maximal workload, peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) related to the predicted VO2peak, oxygen uptake at the anaerobic threshold, and maximal oxygen pulse (all P<0.05), whilst no differences were present between HIT and CT (N.S.). We found no major changes in resting cardiovascular function and structure. SF-36 physical function score improved after training (P<0.05), whilst SF-36 total score and MLHFQ did not change after training (N.S.). Conclusion Training induced significant improvements in parameters of physical fitness, although no evidence for superiority of HIT over CT was demonstrated. No major effect of training was found on cardiovascular structure and function or quality of life in HF patients NYHA II-III