Understanding the effects of time perspective: A meta-analysis testing a self-regulatory framework

Despite extensive evidence that time perspective is associated with a range of important outcomes across a variety of life domains (e.g., health, education, wealth), the question of why time perspective has such wide-reaching effects remains unknown. The present review proposes that self-regulatory processes can offer insight into why time perspective is linked to outcomes. To test this idea we classified measures of time perspective according to the dimension of time perspective that they reflected (e.g., past, present-hedonistic, future) and measures of self-regulation according to the self-regulatory process (i.e., goal setting, goal monitoring, and goal operating), ability, or outcome that they reflected. A systematic search identified 378 studies, reporting 2,000 tests of the associations between measures of time perspective and self-regulation. Random-effects meta-analyses with robust variance estimation found that a future time perspective had small-to-medium-sized positive associations with goal setting (r+ = 0.25), goal monitoring (r+ = 0.19), goal operating (r+ = 0.24), self-regulatory ability (r+ = 0.35), and outcomes (r+ = 0.18). Present time perspective, including being present-hedonistic and present-fatalistic, was negatively associated with self-regulatory processes, ability, and outcomes (r+ ranged from −0.00 to −0.27). Meta-analytic mediation models found that the relationship between future time perspective and outcomes was mediated by goal monitoring, goal operating, and self-regulatory ability, but not goal setting. As the first test of why time perspective is associated with key outcomes, the findings highlight the central role of self-regulation processes and abilities for understanding why people with certain time perspectives experience better outcomes

Determining the global minimum of Higgs potentials via Groebner bases - applied to the NMSSM

Determining the global minimum of Higgs potentials with several Higgs fields like the next-to-minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (NMSSM) is a non-trivial task already at the tree level. The global minimum of a Higgs potential can be found from the set of all its stationary points defined by a multivariate polynomial system of equations. We introduce here the algebraic Groebner basis approach to solve this system of equations. We apply the method to the NMSSM with CP conserving as well as CP violating parameters. The results reveal an interesting stationary-point structure of the potential. Requiring the global minimum to give the electroweak symmetry breaking observed in Nature excludes large parts of the parameter space.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure

Comparison of ibuprofen release from minitablets and capsules containing ibuprofen: β-Cyclodextrin complex

NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Eur J Pharm Biopharm. 2011 May;78(1):58-66. Epub 2010 Dec 30.Mixtures containing ibuprofen (IB) complexed with b-cyclodextrin (bCD) obtained by two complexation methods [suspension/solution (with water removed by air stream, spray- and freeze-drying) and kneading technique] were processed into pharmaceutical dosage forms (minitablets and capsules). Powders (IB, bCD and IBbCD) were characterized for moisture content, densities (true and bulk), angle of repose and Carr’s index, X-ray and NMR. From physical mixtures and IBbCD complexes without other excipients were prepared 2.5-mm-diameter minitablets and capsules. Minitablets were characterized for the energy of compaction, tensile strength, friability, density and IB release (at pH 1.0 and 7.2), whereby capsules were characterized for IB release. The results from the release of IB were analyzed using different parameters, namely, the similarity factor (f2), the dissolution efficiency (DE) and the amounts released at a certain time (30, 60 and 180 min) and compared statistically (a = 0.05). The release of IB from the minitablets showed no dependency on the amount of water used in the formation of the complexes. Differences were due to the compaction force used or the presence of a shell for the capsules. The differences observed were mostly due to the characteristics of the particles (dependent on the method considered on the formation of the complexes) and neither to the dosage form nor to the complex of the IB

Decoherence from a Chaotic Environment: An Upside Down "Oscillator" as a Model

Chaotic evolutions exhibit exponential sensitivity to initial conditions. This suggests that even very small perturbations resulting from weak coupling of a quantum chaotic environment to the position of a system whose state is a non-local superposition will lead to rapid decoherence. However, it is also known that quantum counterparts of classically chaotic systems lose exponential sensitivity to initial conditions, so this expectation of enhanced decoherence is by no means obvious. We analyze decoherence due to a "toy" quantum environment that is analytically solvable, yet displays the crucial phenomenon of exponential sensitivity to perturbations. We show that such an environment, with a single degree of freedom, can be far more effective at destroying quantum coherence than a heat bath with infinitely many degrees of freedom. This also means that the standard "quantum Brownian motion" model for a decohering environment may not be as universally applicable as it once was conjectured to be.Comment: RevTeX, 29 pages, 5 EPS figures. Substantially rewritten analysis, improved figures, additional references, and errors fixed. Final version (to appear in PRA

The influence of the preparation methods on the inclusion of model drugs in a β-cyclodextrin cavity

NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Eur J Pharm Biopharm. 2009 Feb;71(2):377-386. Epub 2008 Oct 17.The work aims to prove the complexation of two model drugs (ibuprofen, IB and indomethacin, IN) by bcyclodextrin (bCD), and the effect of water in such a process, and makes a comparison of their complexation yields. Two methods were considered: kneading of a binary mixture of the drug, bCD, and inclusion of either IB or IN in aqueous solutions of bCD. In the latter method water was removed by air stream, spray-drying and freeze-drying. To prove the formation of complexes in final products, optical microscopy, UV spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, DSC, X-ray and NMR were considered. Each powder was added to an acidic solution (pH = 2) to quantify the concentration of the drug inside bCD cavity. Other media (pH = 5 and 7) were used to prove the existence of drug not complexed in each powder, as the drugs solubility increases with the pH. It was observed that complexation occurred in all powders, and that the fraction of drug inside the bCD did not depend neither on the method of complexation nor on the processes of drying considered

Structure and play: rethinking regulation in the higher education sector

This paper explores possible tactics for academics working within a context of increasing regulation and constraint. One suggested tactic is to move outside of a creativity-conformity binary. Rather than understanding creativity and conformity as separable, where one is seen as excluding the other, the authors consider the potential of examining the relationships between them. The theme of 'structure and play' illustrates the argument. In the first part of the paper, using various examples from art and design - fields generally associated with creativity - the authors explore the interrelatedness of creativity and conformity. For example, how might design styles, which are generally understood as creative outcomes, constrain creativity and lead to conformity within the design field? Is fashion producing creativity or conformity? Conversely, the ways in which conformity provides the conditions for creativity are also examined. For example, the conformity imposed by the state on artists in the former communist bloc contributed to a thriving underground arts movement which challenged conformity and state regulation. Continuing the theme of 'structure and play', the authors recount a story from an Australian university which foregrounds the ongoing renegotiation of power relations in the academy. This account illustrates how programmatic government in a university, with its aim of regulating conduct, can contribute to unanticipated outcomes. The authors propose that a Foucauldian view of distributed power is useful for academics operating in a context of increasing regulation, as it brings into view sites where power might begin to be renegotiated

Governing culture: legislators, interpreters and accountants

Cultural policy has become dominated by questions of how to account for the intangible value of government investments. This is as a result of longstanding developments within government’s approaches to policy making, most notably those influenced by practices of audit and accounting. This paper will outline these developments with reference to Peter Miller’s concept of calculative practices, and will argue two central points: first, that there are practical solutions to the problem of measuring the value of culture that connect central government discourses with the discourses of the cultural sector; and second, the paper will demonstrate how academic work has been central to this area of policy making. As a result of the centrality of accounting academics in cultural policy, for example in providing advice on the appropriate measurement tools and techniques, questions are raised about the role academia might take vis-à-vis public policy. Accounting professionals and academics not only provide technical expertise that informs state calculative practices, but also play a surveillance role through the audit and evaluation of government programmes, and act as interpreters in defining terms of performance measurement, success and failure. The paper therefore concludes by reflecting on recent work by Phillip Schlesinger to preserve academic integrity whilst allowing accounting scholars and academics influence and partnership in policy

Women, men and coronary heart disease: a review of the qualitative literature

Aim. This paper presents a review of the qualitative literature which examines the experiences of patients with coronary heart disease. The paper also assesses whether the experiences of both female and male patients are reflected in the literature and summarizes key themes. Background. Understanding patients' experiences of their illness is important for coronary heart disease prevention and education. Qualitative methods are particularly suited to eliciting patients' detailed understandings and perceptions of illness. As much previous research has been 'gender neutral', this review pays particular attention to gender. Methods. Published papers from 60 qualitative studies were identified for the review through searches in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PREMEDLINE, PsychINFO, Social Sciences Citation Index and Web of Science using keywords related to coronary heart disease. Findings. Early qualitative studies of patients with coronary heart disease were conducted almost exclusively with men, and tended to generalize from 'male' experience to 'human' experience. By the late 1990s this pattern had changed, with the majority of studies including women and many being conducted with solely female samples. However, many studies that include both male and female coronary heart disease patients still do not have a specific gender focus. Key themes in the literature include interpreting symptoms and seeking help, belief about coronary 'candidates' and relationships with health professionals. The influence of social roles is important: many female patients have difficulties reconciling family responsibilities and medical advice, while male patients worry about being absent from work. Conclusions. There is a need for studies that compare the experiences of men and women. There is also an urgent need for work that takes masculinity and gender roles into account when exploring the experiences of men with coronary heart disease

Modeling relaxation and jamming in granular media

We introduce a stochastic microscopic model to investigate the jamming and reorganization of grains induced by an object moving through a granular medium. The model reproduces the experimentally observed periodic sawtooth fluctuations in the jamming force and predicts the period and the power spectrum in terms of the controllable physical parameters. It also predicts that the avalanche sizes, defined as the number of displaced grains during a single advance of the object, follow a power-law, $P(s)\sim s^{-\tau}$, where the exponent is independent of the physical parameters

dd→3Hendd\to {^3}He n reaction at intermediate energies

The $dd\to ^3He n$ reaction is considered at the energies between 200 MeV and 520 MeV. The Alt-Grassberger-Sandhas equations are iterated up to the lowest order terms over the nucleon-nucleon t-matrix. The parameterized ${^3He}$ wave function including five components is used. The angular dependence of the differential cross section and energy dependence of tensor analyzing power $T_{20}$ at the zero scattering angle are presented in comparison with the experimental data