The Lala kalimba: the correlation between instrument and style.

Once I got the opportunity to go to Zambia to conduct field research and stay with the Lala people for several months, I discovered much to my delight that the kalimba — the lamellophone found there — took an important place in the musical culture of the Lala. THe richness and variety of the music and the open-heartedness of the musicians turned out to be a revelation to me. Moreover, it became clear that through the kalimba other aspects of the Lala society could be exposed

Dealing with missed opportunities: action vs. state orientation moderates inaction inertia

Inaction inertia refers to the effect that missing a more attractive opportunity decreases the likelihood to act on an attractive current opportunity in the same domain. We studied the influence of how people cope with negative decision outcomes (i.e., action vs. state orientation) on this inaction inertia effect. Experiment 1 used an experimental induction of action vs. state orientation and confirmed our prediction that state oriented people showed more inaction inertia than action oriented people. Experiment 2 replicated these results with a measure of chronic action orientation and showed a mediating effect of valuation of the current opportunity. Experiment 3 showed that temporal segregation of the current from the missed opportunity decreased inaction inertia effects for state oriented, but not for action oriented people. We discuss the implications of these results for the inaction inertia and action vs. state orientation literatures

Immediate release fentanyl in general practices: Mostly off-label prescribing

BACKGROUND: The immediacy of the onset of opioids may be associated with the risk of dependency and accidental overdose. Nasal and oromucosal fentanyl dosage forms are so called immediate release fentanyl (IRF). These IRFs have been approved to treat breakthrough pain in patients with cancer who are on chronic opioid treatment only. There are signals of increased off-label prescribing of IRFs in general practices. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to provide insight into the frequency of IRF prescription in Dutch general practices and the extent to which IRF is prescribed off-label. METHODS: Routinely collected electronic health records of general practices (GPs) participating in Nivel Primary Care Database were used. Adult patients with IRF prescriptions in 2019 were selected from whom dispensing data on 2018 and 2019 was available. Diagnoses were recorded by GPs using International Classification of Primary Care. Descriptive analyses were performed. RESULTS: This study included 342 GPs with a patient population of 1,297,942 patients, 1,368 patients received at least one IRF prescription in 2019, which is equal to 1.1 patients per 1,000 registered patients. Most patients (74.9%) with an IRF prescription received an off-label prescription. A slight majority had a cancer diagnosis but nearly 65.2% did not have a maintenance therapy and 14% were opioid-naive before receiving their first IRF prescription. CONCLUSION: IRFs are not prescribed frequently in Dutch general practices. However, when prescribed, a relatively large portion of patients received an off-label prescription

Densely integrated photonic devices based on microring resonators for use in access networks

A reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer as well as a 1x4x4 reconfigurable λ router, designed for use in the second telecom window, are demonstrated. The devices that each have a footprint less than 2 mm$_{2}$ are based on thermally tunable vertically coupled microring resonators fabricated in $Si_{3}N_{4}$/$SiO_{2}$

Дослідження загальних тенденцій ринку ресторанного господарства України

Досліджено індустрію ресторанного бізнесу, темпи змін кількості підприємств ресторанного господарства за період 2005-2011 pp. Виявлено тенденції розвитку підприємств ресторанного господарства, динаміку стану галузі ресторанних послуг по регіонах України. Ключові слова: ресторанне господарство, динаміка, регіони України, розвиток, ресторанні мережі, кон’юнктура, ресторанний бізнес, функції ресторанного бізнесу.Исследована индустрия ресторанного бизнеса, темпы изменений количества предприятий ресторанного хозяйства за период с 2005 по 2011 г. Определены тенденции развития предприятий ресторанного хозяйства, состояния отрасли ресторанных услуг по регионам Украины. Ключевые слова: ресторанное хозяйство, динамика, регионы Украины, развитие, ресторанные сети, коньюнктура, ресторанный бизнес, функции ресторанного бизнеса.The industry of restaurant business and the rate of change in quantity of restaurants in 2005-2011 are investigated. The tendencies of development of enterprises of catering trade, and the state of restaurant services industryregardingthe regions of Ukraine are determined. Keywords: restaurant management, dynamics, regions of Ukraine, development, restaurant chains, conjuncture, restaurant business, functions of restaurant business, tendencies of development of restaurant business, dynamics of retail turnover

What comes to mind when considering looking into and/or adjusting one’s pension?:An empirical study among UK and US residents

Planning for retirement requires people to regularly examine their pension savings to see whether their plans are feasible (or still so) and whether adjustments need to be made. Little is known about how people perceive these decisions. We present the findings of a sample of US and UK participants, whom we probed for their underlying associations or motivations regarding these decisions. The findings reveal a wide range of associations that confirmed previous insights (e.g., concern for one’s future, anxiety) but also identified variables that are rarely considered in pension planning research (e.g., positive emotions and feelings). A ranking in terms of prominence indicated that the relevance of associations was very similar for both types of decisions (inspecting current pension savings and adjusting the pension plan). An exploratory regression analysis suggests, however, that the actual decisions of looking into one’s pension and adjusting it are differentially related to the underlying categories. The decision to look into one’s pension was most strongly, and positively, related to evaluation of one’s current situation. The decision to adjust one’s pension was negatively related to the category of ensuring safety and security. The main results are discussed, as well as the potential implications for pension researchers and practitioners

How does the general public balance convenience and cognitive pharmaceutical services in community pharmacy practice

Background: Community pharmacy is shifting its focus from traditional, product-focused roles to the provision of cognitive pharmaceutical services (CPS). Previous research has indicated that community pharmacists predominantly want to devote their capacity to CPS. Ideally, services provided also address users' needs. The general public's preferences regarding the services provided by community pharmacists are currently less understood. Aim: This study investigates the general public's preferences and perceived importance of CPS versus convenience in community pharmacy practice. Method: An online survey of 1.500 members of the Dutch Health Care Consumer Panel containing questions regarding preferences for CPS and convenience was distributed. Descriptive statistics and linear regression analysis were performed to investigate the relationship between preferences and participant characteristics. Results: 516 panel members completed all questions regarding preferences and importance of the availability of services. The majority preferred convenience (68.2%) and a smaller proportion preferred CPS (27.7%). However, participants considered it important from a societal viewpoint that CPS is provided (45.0%). Participants who preferred CPS over convenience were generally older (p < 0.001) and used more medicines (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Convenience of community pharmacy services is most preferred by the general public. However, CPS is perceived as important, especially for elderly who use more medicines. Elderly patients who use more medicines more often rate CPS as more important than convenience. These findings suggest that community pharmacists should ensure that pharmacy logistics are organized efficiently before focusing on the provision of CPS

Antidepressants in primary care:patients' experiences, perceptions, self-efficacy beliefs, and nonadherence

PURPOSE: Patient adherence to antidepressants is poor. However, this is rather unsurprising, given the equivocal efficacy, side effects, and practical problems of antidepressants. The aim of this study was to examine a wide array of patient experiences and perceptions regarding the efficacy, side effects, and practical problems of antidepressants, as well as their associations with nonadherence, and whether patients' perceived self-efficacy moderated these associations.PATIENTS AND METHODS: Experiences and perceptions of 225 patients, recruited through community pharmacies, were efficiently assessed with the Tailored Medicine Inventory. Nonadherence was assessed through self-report and pharmacy refill data.RESULTS: Many patients were not convinced of the efficacy, thought the efficacy to be limited or did not believe antidepressants to prevent relapse, were worried about or had experienced one or more side effects, and/or had experienced one or more practical problems regarding information, intake, and packaging. Being convinced of efficacy was associated with lower intentional nonadherence (odds ratio [OR] 0.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.8-0.96). A higher number of practical problems experienced was associated with increased unintentional nonadherence (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.7). Higher perceived self-efficacy regarding taking antidepressants was associated with lower unintentional nonadherence (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.5-0.9). Perceived self-efficacy did not moderate associations of patient experiences and perceptions with nonadherence.CONCLUSION: Assessing a wide array of patients' experiences and perceptions regarding the efficacy, side effects, and practical problems of antidepressants contributes to better understanding of nonadherence to antidepressants. Guiding physician-patient conversations by patients' experiences and perceptions may reduce both unintentional and intentional nonadherence. Also, it may give rise to considerations of prudent discontinuation, eg, when patients are not convinced of the efficacy.</p

Transfer of maternal antibodies against avian influenza virus in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos)

Maternal antibodies protect chicks from infection with pathogens early in life and may impact pathogen dynamics due to the alteration of the proportion of susceptible individuals in a population. We investigated the transfer of maternal antibodies against avian influenza virus (AIV) in a key AIV host species, the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). Combining observations in both the field and in mallards kept in captivity, we connected maternal AIV antibody concentrations in eggs to (i) female body condition, (ii) female AIV antibody concentration, (iii) egg laying order, (iv) egg size and (v) embryo sex. We applied maternity analysis to the eggs collected in the field to account for intraspecific nest parasitism, which is reportedly high in Anseriformes, detecting parasitic eggs in one out of eight clutches. AIV antibody prevalence in free-living and captive females was respectively 48% and 56%, with 43% and 24% of the eggs receiving these antibodies maternally. In both field and captive study, maternal AIV antibody concentrations in egg yolk correlated positively with circulating AIV antibody concentrations in females. In the captive study, yolk AIV antibody concentrations correlated positively with egg laying order. Female body mass and egg size from the field and captive study, and embryos sex from the field study were not associated with maternal AIV antibody concentrations in eggs. Our study indicates that maternal AIV antibody transfer may potentially play an important role in shaping AIV infection dynamics in mallards

Patient-provider communication about medication use at the community pharmacy counter

Objective: The objectives of this study were to, first, describe the information exchanged between pharmacy staff and patients about prescribed medication at the community pharmacy counter, and second, to investigate to what extent this met professional medication counselling guidelines. Methods: Pharmaceutical encounters were videotaped in four community pharmacies in the Netherlands. Patients were included if they collected a prescription for their own use. An observation protocol, including the MEDICODE checklist, was used to analyse the video recordings. A distinction was made between first and repeat prescriptions. Key findings: One hundred fifty-three encounters were videotaped. When dispensing first prescriptions, pharmacy staff provided most information on instructions how to use the medication (83.3%), form of the medication (71.4%) and treatment duration (42.9%). Topics for repeat prescriptions (such as the effects of the medication and the incidence of observed adverse effects) were rarely discussed. Pharmacy staff rarely encouraged patients to ask questions. Conclusions: Pharmacy staff members provided little medication-related information at the counter, especially for repeat prescriptions, did not encourage active patient participation, and thereby did not adhere to the guidelines of their professional organisation. Further research is needed to understand the reasons for this