Madjaristan: The Ottomans in Hungary 1520-1686

The relationship between the Ottoman Empire and Europe has traditionally been viewed in terms of conflict. History books are full of accounts of the Ottoman conquest of the Balkans and of Constantinople, as well as the conquest of Hungary and the ensuing conflict with the Habsburg Empire, which would stretch into the twentieth century. When the topic turns to questions outside the realm of warfare, however, things become murkier. While the many wars—as well as the occasional bout of peace—between the Ottomans and the West are focused on in detail, the role of the Ottomans in Europe outside of war is often seen in much broader terms. Often the focus is on Turkish attitudes towards their Christian subjects, with a special focus on the Turkish practice of enslaving Christian children for military service. In reality, the relationship between the Ottomans and the Christian peasantry they ruled was much more complex. The intricacies of this relationship, however, are often lost behind the politics and war, which dominated Turkish-European relations

Building the Infrastructure: The Effects of Role Identification Behaviors on Team Cognition Development and Performance

The primary purpose of this study was to extend theory and research regarding the emergence of mental models and transactive memory in teams. Utilizing Kozlowski et al.’s (1999) model of team compilation, we examine the effect of role identification behaviors and argue that such behaviors represent the initial building blocks of team cognition during the role compilation phase of team development. We then hypothesized that team mental models and transactive memory would convey the effects of these behaviors onto team performance in the team compilation phase of development. Results from 60 teams working on a command and control simulation supported our hypotheses

Slippage in the System: The Effects of Errors in Transactive Memory Behavior on Team Performance

[Excerpt] Although researchers have consistently shown that the implicit coordination provided by transactive memory positively affects team performance, the benefits of transactive memory systems depend heavily on team members’ ability to accurately identify the expertise of their teammates and communicate expertise-specific information with one another. This introduces the opportunity for errors to enter the system, as the expertise of individual team members may be misunderstood or misrepresented, leading to the reliance on information from the wrong source or the loss of information through incorrect assignment. As Hollingshead notes, “information may be transferred or explicitly delegated to the ‘wrong’ individual in the system, e.g., one who does not have responsibility for that type of information or is unlikely to remember it due to a lack of expertise”. While researchers recognize the likelihood of such behavioral errors, little research has examined their potential impact in teams. The current study, therefore, focuses on the effects of errors in transactive memory behavior on the emergence of team cognitive structures and resultant performance in the initial stage of team interaction. To develop our hypotheses, we first discuss the types of behaviors involved in the development and operation of transactive memory systems, identify where errors may arise, and discuss their effects on team performance. Then, we attempt to uncover the cognitive processes underlying those effects. More specifically, we introduce mental model accuracy and transactive memory cognitions and suggest that each mediates the negative relationship between errors in transactive memory behavior and team performance. While the possible risks of faulty transactive memory system development have been acknowledged in prior research, it has also been suggested that transactive memory errors can be easily corrected and their effects on performance subsequently minimized. The current study challenges this assumption and in doing so advances our understanding of not only the relationship between errors in transactive memory behavior and team performance but also the mechanisms that might help explain this relationship

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Trends Observed in Urinary Pathogens Obtained From New York State

International guidelines recommend using local susceptibility data to direct empiric therapy for acute uncomplicated cystitis. We evaluated outpatient urinary isolate susceptibility trends in New York State. Nitrofurantoin had the lowest resistance prevalence whereas trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and fluoroquinolones had higher prevalences. This study highlights the need for local outpatient antimicrobial stewardship programs

Mental health in UK Biobank: development, implementation and results from an online questionnaire completed by 157 366 participants

Background UK Biobank is a well-characterised cohort of over 500 000 participants that offers unique opportunities to investigate multiple diseases and risk factors. Aims An online mental health questionnaire completed by UK Biobank participants was expected to expand the potential for research into mental disorders. Method An expert working group designed the questionnaire, using established measures where possible, and consulting with a patient group regarding acceptability. Case definitions were defined using operational criteria for lifetime depression, mania, anxiety disorder, psychotic-like experiences and self-harm, as well as current post-traumatic stress and alcohol use disorders. Results 157 366 completed online questionnaires were available by August 2017. Comparison of self-reported diagnosed mental disorder with a contemporary study shows a similar prevalence, despite respondents being of higher average socioeconomic status than the general population across a range of indicators. Thirty-five per cent (55 750) of participants had at least one defined syndrome, of which lifetime depression was the most common at 24% (37 434). There was extensive comorbidity among the syndromes. Mental disorders were associated with high neuroticism score, adverse life events and long-term illness; addiction and bipolar affective disorder in particular were associated with measures of deprivation. Conclusions The questionnaire represents a very large mental health survey in itself, and the results presented here show high face validity, although caution is needed owing to selection bias. Built into UK Biobank, these data intersect with other health data to offer unparalleled potential for crosscutting biomedical research involving mental health

Indicators of Mental Disorders in UK Biobank – A comparison of approaches

Objectives: For many research cohorts, it is not practical to provide a “gold‐standard” mental health diagnosis. It is therefore important for mental health research that potential alternative measures for ascertaining mental disorder status are understood. Methods: Data from UK Biobank in those participants who had completed the online Mental Health Questionnaire (n = 157,363) were used to compare the classification of mental disorder by four methods: symptom‐based outcome (self‐complete based on diagnostic interviews), self‐reported diagnosis, hospital data linkage, and self‐report medication. Results: Participants self‐reporting any psychiatric diagnosis had elevated risk of any symptom‐based outcome. Cohen's κ between self‐reported diagnosis and symptom‐based outcome was 0.46 for depression, 0.28 for bipolar affective disorder, and 0.24 for anxiety. There were small numbers of participants uniquely identified by hospital data linkage and medication. Conclusion: Our results confirm that ascertainment of mental disorder diagnosis in large cohorts such as UK Biobank is complex. There may not be one method of classification that is right for all circumstances, but an informed and transparent use of outcome measure(s) to suit each research question will maximise the potential of UK Biobank and other resources for mental health research

A Model of Transactive Memory Development in Teams

Transactive memory, the cooperative division of labor for learning, remembering, and communicating relevant team knowledge (e.g., Hollingshead, 2001), allows team members to smoothly coordinate their discrete areas of expertise. As it consists of both a memory structure and knowledge transactions, researchers have taken two different approaches towards studying transactive memory, viewing it either through its cognitive manifestations (e.g., Lewis, 2003) or its transactional behaviors (e.g., Ellis, 2006).The purpose of this study was to propose and test a model of transactive memory development that integrates both approaches. To do so, I introduce a two-stage model in which the cognitive dimensions of transactive memory emerge through specific transactive memory behaviors. In the first stage, the structure of team knowledge is formed as members share information about their areas of expertise. The emergence of the team memory schema allows for the sharing and retrieval of information in the second stage, when members learn to trust and coordinate with the expertise of their teammates, leading to the smooth flow of information in and out of the team's transactive memory. To test this model, I arrayed 360 students into 90 four-person teams which engaged in a computerized, dynamic, command and control simulation.While results failed to support the model as a whole, most hypothesized relationships were supported. Specifically, need for cognition and reward structure influenced behaviors and cognitions, while specialization and coordination were related to the hypothesized outcomes of each stage. Finally, the relationship between specialization and coordination was partially mediated by information allocation

A 3D Interconnected Microchannel Network Formed in Gelatin by Sacrificial Shellac Microfibers

3D microfluidic networks are fabricated in a gelatin hydrogel using sacrificial melt-spun microfibers made from a material with pH-dependent solubility. The fibers, after being embedded within the gel, can be removed by changing the gel pH to induce dissolution. This process is performed in an entirely aqueous environment, avoiding extreme temperatures, low pressures, and toxic organic solvents. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim