The Male Gender Empathy Gap: Time for psychology to take action.

Gender is not just an equality issue, but a diversity issue. Although differences are celebrated in every other field, in the social sciences, gender differences are denied or played down. We aren’t supposed to generalize about gender, because – in general – men and women are the same, supposedly. However as human beings, most people intuitively recognise that although men and women share many similarities, we are different in important ways

Adults are expected to take responsibility for their problems, especially when those problems are congruent with traditional gender role expectations

Some research suggests that we attribute responsibility differently for men and women. For example, Reynolds et al. (2019) found women are more easily typecast as victims and men as perpetrators. The present study was a cross-sectional online survey of 408 male and female adults aged 18 to 65, stratified by UK region. Participants saw 14 vignettes depicting a wide variety of scenarios featuring either a male or female character (a man or woman, or a boy or girl), about which participants were asked to make attributions. The gender of the vignette character was randomly assigned for each vignette. There was no overall difference in total internal attribution of responsibility to boys compared to girls (Cohen’s d = –0.01, p < .862). For the vignettes about adults, there was a non-significant overall trend towards total internal attribution being higher for male characters (d = 0.061, p < .065). However, in terms of each vignette separately, participants agreed more strongly that: boys were more responsible for how depressed they feel (p < .013), and men were more responsibility for avoiding workplace accidents (p < .002) and finding work (p < .003). Girls were attributed as more responsible for being physically fit (p < .034), and women attributed as more responsible for making sure their children don’t have a playground accident (p < .034). Findings of this exploratory study are discussed about attributions of responsibility being based on traditional gender role expectations. Implications for social issues, for example, encouraging help-seeking for mental health problems by boys, are discussed

Correlation of the International Prostate Symptom Score bother question with the Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Impact Index in a clinical practice setting

To evaluate the association between the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) bother question (BQ) and a validated disease-specific quality-of-life questionnaire, the Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) Impact Index (BPH-II), using the BPH Registry and Patient Survey database. PATIENTS AND METHODS The BPH Registry and Patient Survey is a multicentre, longitudinal, observational database of management practices and patient outcomes in a population of patients with BPH in the USA, managed with watchful waiting or pharmacotherapy. Men enrolled in the BPH Registry who completed the IPSS BQ and the four-item BPH-II at enrolment were identified. The association between the IPSS BQ score and the BPH Impact Index was assessed using Spearman rank correlation. RESULTS At baseline (enrolment visit), 6439 men (mean age 66 years) completed the IPSS BQ and the BPH-II. The mean (sd) score of the IPSS BQ was 2.5 (1.4) and of the BPH-II was 2.8 (2.8). Based on responses to the BPH-II, at least half the men reported that their urinary symptoms were associated with physical discomfort, worry about their health, and bothersomeness. The IPSS BQ score was significantly correlated ( P  < 0.001) with the BPH-II ( r  = 0.68) and each of its four questions (physical discomfort, r  = 0.52; worry about health, r  = 0.53; bothersomeness of trouble with urination, r  = 0.67; and time kept from usual activities, r  = 0.44). CONCLUSIONS The IPSS BQ score has a strong and positive correlation with the BPH-II among men enrolled in the BPH Registry. The IPSS BQ is a convenient tool for assessing disease-specific quality of life when determining treatment strategies and evaluating treatment outcomes in men with BPH.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72931/1/j.1464-410X.2008.07574.x.pd

Evaluation of early and late presentation of patients with ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid to two major tertiary referral hospitals in the United Kingdom

PURPOSE: Ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid (OcMMP) is a sight-threatening autoimmune disease in which referral to specialists units for further management is a common practise. This study aims to describe referral patterns, disease phenotype and management strategies in patients who present with either early or established disease to two large tertiary care hospitals in the United Kingdom.\ud \ud PATIENTS AND METHODS: In all, 54 consecutive patients with a documented history of OcMMP were followed for 24 months. Two groups were defined: (i) early-onset disease (EOD:<3 years, n=26, 51 eyes) and (ii) established disease (EstD:>5 years, n=24, 48 eyes). Data were captured at first clinic visit, and at 12 and 24 months follow-up. Information regarding duration, activity and stage of disease, visual acuity (VA), therapeutic strategies and clinical outcome were analysed.\ud \ud RESULTS: Patients with EOD were younger and had more severe conjunctival inflammation (76% of inflamed eyes) than the EstD group, who had poorer VA (26.7%=VA<3/60, P<0.01) and more advanced disease. Although 40% of patients were on existing immunosuppression, 48% required initiation or switch to more potent immunotherapy. In all, 28% (14) were referred back to the originating hospitals for continued care. Although inflammation had resolved in 78% (60/77) at 12 months, persistence of inflammation and progression did not differ between the two phenotypes. Importantly, 42% demonstrated disease progression in the absence of clinically detectable inflammation.\ud \ud CONCLUSIONS: These data highlight that irrespective of OcMMP phenotype, initiation or escalation of potent immunosuppression is required at tertiary hospitals. Moreover, the conjunctival scarring progresses even when the eye remains clinically quiescent. Early referral to tertiary centres is recommended to optimise immunosuppression and limit long-term ocular damage.\ud \u

100 Gb/s Multicarrier THz Wireless Transmission System With High Frequency Stability Based on A Gain-Switched Laser Comb Source

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a photonic multichannel terahertz (THz) wireless system with up to four optical subcarriers and total capacity as high as 100 Gb/s by employing an externally injected gain-switched laser comb source. Highly coherent multiple optical carriers with different spacing are produced using the gain switching technique. Single- and multichannel Terahertz (THz) wireless signals are generated using heterodyne mixing of modulated single or multiple carriers with one unmodulated optical tone spaced by about 200 GHz. The frequency stability and the phase noise of the gain switched comb laser are evaluated against free-running lasers. Wireless transmission is demonstrated for single and three optical subcarriers modulated with 8 or 10 GBd quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK) (48 or 60 Gb/s, respectively) or for four optical subcarriers modulated with 12.5 GBd QPSK (100 Gb/s). The system performance was evaluated for single- and multicarrier wireless THz transmissions at around 200 GHz, with and without 40 km fiber transmission. The system is also modeled to study the effect of the cross talk between neighboring subcarriers for correlated and decorrelated data. This system reduces digital signal processing requirements due to the high-frequency stability of the gain-switched comb source, increases the overall transmission rate, and relaxes the optoelectronic bandwidth requirements

The antimicrobial polymer PHMB enters cells and selectively condenses bacterial chromosomes

To combat infection and antimicrobial resistance, it is helpful to elucidate drug mechanism(s) of action. Here we examined how the widely used antimicrobial polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) kills bacteria selectively over host cells. Contrary to the accepted model of microbial membrane disruption by PHMB, we observed cell entry into a range of bacterial species, and treated bacteria displayed cell division arrest and chromosome condensation, suggesting DNA binding as an alternative antimicrobial mechanism. A DNA-level mechanism was confirmed by observations that PHMB formed nanoparticles when mixed with isolated bacterial chromosomal DNA and its effects on growth were suppressed by pairwise combination with the DNA binding ligand Hoechst 33258. PHMB also entered mammalian cells, but was trapped within endosomes and excluded from nuclei. Therefore, PHMB displays differential access to bacterial and mammalian cellular DNA and selectively binds and condenses bacterial chromosomes. Because acquired resistance to PHMB has not been reported, selective chromosome condensation provides an unanticipated paradigm for antimicrobial action that may not succumb to resistance

Imaging the human hippocampus with optically-pumped magnetoencephalography

Optically-pumped (OP) magnetometers allow magnetoencephalography (MEG) to be performed while a participant’s head is unconstrained. To fully leverage this new technology, and in particular its capacity for mobility, the activity of deep brain structures which facilitate explorative behaviours such as navigation, must be detectable using OP-MEG. One such crucial brain region is the hippocampus. Here we had three healthy adult participants perform a hippocampal-dependent task – the imagination of novel scene imagery – while being scanned using OPMEG. A conjunction analysis across these three participants revealed a significant change in theta power in the medial temporal lobe. The peak of this activated cluster was located in the anterior hippocampus. We repeated the experiment with the same participants in a conventional SQUID-MEG scanner and found similar engagement of the medial temporal lobe, also with a peak in the anterior hippocampus. These OP-MEG findings indicate exciting new opportunities for investigating the neural correlates of a range of crucial cognitive functions in naturalistic contexts including spatial navigation, episodic memory and social interactions

Evaluation of Phage Display Discovered Peptides as Ligands for Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA)

The aim of this study was to identify potential ligands of PSMA suitable for further development as novel PSMA-targeted peptides using phage display technology. The human PSMA protein was immobilized as a target followed by incubation with a 15-mer phage display random peptide library. After one round of prescreening and two rounds of screening, high-stringency screening at the third round of panning was performed to identify the highest affinity binders. Phages which had a specific binding activity to PSMA in human prostate cancer cells were isolated and the DNA corresponding to the 15-mers were sequenced to provide three consensus sequences: GDHSPFT, SHFSVGS and EVPRLSLLAVFL as well as other sequences that did not display consensus. Two of the peptide sequences deduced from DNA sequencing of binding phages, SHSFSVGSGDHSPFT and GRFLTGGTGRLLRIS were labeled with 5-carboxyfluorescein and shown to bind and co-internalize with PSMA on human prostate cancer cells by fluorescence microscopy. The high stringency requirements yielded peptides with affinities KD∼1 μM or greater which are suitable starting points for affinity maturation. While these values were less than anticipated, the high stringency did yield peptide sequences that apparently bound to different surfaces on PSMA. These peptide sequences could be the basis for further development of peptides for prostate cancer tumor imaging and therapy. © 2013 Shen et al

A person-time analysis of hospital activity among cancer survivors in England

BACKGROUND: There are around 2 million cancer survivors in the UK. This study describes the inpatient and day case hospital activity among the population of cancer survivors in England. This is one measure of the burden of cancer on the individual and the health service. METHODS: The national cancer registry data set for England (1990-2006) is linked to the NHS Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) database. Cohorts of survivors were defined as those people recorded in the cancer registry data with a diagnosis of breast, colorectal, lung or prostate cancer before 2007. The person-time of prevalence in 2006 for each cohort of survivors was calculated according to the cancer type, sex, age and time since diagnosis. The corresponding HES episodes of care in 2006 were used to calculate the person-time of admitted hospital care for each cohort of survivors. The average proportion of time spent in hospital by survivors in each cohort was calculated as the summed person-time of hospital activity divided by the summed person-time of prevalence. The analysis was conducted separately for cancer-related episodes and non-cancer-related episodes. RESULTS: Lung cancer survivors had the highest intensity of cancer-related hospital activity. For all cancers, cancer-related hospital activity was highest in the first year following diagnosis. Breast and prostate cancer survivors had peaks of cancer-related hospital activity in the relatively young and relatively old age groups. The proportion of time spent in hospital for non-cancer-related care was much lower than that for cancer-related care and increased gradually with age but was generally constant regardless of time since diagnosis. CONCLUSION: The person-time approach used in this study is more revealing than a simple enumeration of cancer survivors and hospital admissions. Hospital activity among cancer survivors is highest soon after diagnosis. The effect of age on the amount of hospital activity is different for each type of cancer

On the uncertain future of the volumetric 3D display paradigm.

Volumetric displays permit electronically processed images to be depicted within a transparent physical volume and enable a range of cues to depth to be inherently associated with image content. Further, images can be viewed directly by multiple simultaneous observers who are able to change vantage positions in a natural way. On the basis of research to date, we assume that the technologies needed to implement useful volumetric displays able to support translucent image formation are available and so primarily focus on other issues that have impeded the broad commercialization and application of this display paradigm. This is of particular relevance given the recent resurgence of interest in developing commercially viable, general purpose, volumetric systems. We particularly consider image and display characteristics, usability issues and identify several advantageous attributes that need to be exploited in order to effectively capitalize on this display modality.N/