Inter-cultural differences in response to a computer-based anti-bullying intervention

Background and purpose: Many holistic anti-bullying interventions have been attempted, with mixed success, while little work has been done to promote a 'self-help' approach to victimisation. The rise of the ICT curriculum and computer support in schools now allows for approaches that benefit from technology to be implemented. This study evaluates the cross-cultural effects of a computer-based anti-bullying intervention on primary school-aged children's knowledge about bullying and relevant coping strategies. Programme description: FearNot! is an interactive computer-based virtual learning environment designed for use as an anti-bullying intervention. It includes interactive virtual agents who assume the most common participant roles found in episodes of bullying. FearNot! was used by children over three consecutive weeks to allow its effectiveness to be evaluated in a longitudinal in situ programme. Sample: Two comparable samples were drawn from the UK and Germany. In the UK, 651 participants (aged 8-11) were recruited from primary schools in Hertfordshire, Coventry and Warwickshire, whereas the 535 German participants (aged 7-10) were sourced from Grundschulen in the Bayern and Hessen regions. Because of lack of parental consent, late joiners and absences/missing responses, data from 908 participants (UK 493; Germany 415) were analysed. Design and methods: A quasi-experimental, pre/post-tests control group design employed pre-published and bespoke questionnaires to collect data. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted. Results: UK students possessed higher coping strategy knowledge scores than German participants, but German children's scores improved over time and as a result of the FearNot! intervention. Conclusions: Overall, while not effective at increasing children's coping strategy knowledge in this study, the FearNot! intervention could prove a useful classroom tool to approach the issue of bullying as part of a wider initiative. Cultural differences at baseline and reactions to the intervention are discussed

Group cognitive analytic music therapy: a quasi-experimental feasibility study conducted in a high secure hospital

This study conducted a feasibility patient preference quasi-experimental study of group cognitive analytic music therapy (G-CAMT) for mentally disordered offenders. Participants either chose or were randomised to 16 sessions of manualised G-CAMT (N = 10) plus treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU alone (N = 10). Self-rated and staff-rated outcomes were assessed at baseline, post-intervention and 8-weeks post-intervention. Residency was assessed at 2-year follow-up. Results indicate that G-CAMT was easily implemented; 9/10 participants completed G-CAMT and attendees had high satisfaction with the approach. Session attendance was high; 4/10 participants attended all sessions. At the 8-week follow-up, 3/9 G-CAMT participants had reliable reductions (i.e. statistically reliable pre to 8-week follow-up change results) in intrusive/possessive behaviours and fear of separation/abandonment. On the staff-rated outcome measure G-CAMT participants as a group were statistically significantly friendlier compared to TAU at 8-week follow-up (U = 0.50, p = 0.009, d = 1.92, CI 0.44 to 3.11). There were no differences between the arms in terms of residency outcomes at 2-year follow-up. The study is discussed in terms of G-CAMT’s theoretical grounding and high acceptability. The study is limited by its small sample size, but indicates the possibility of progressing onto a full trial

Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroup D4a Is a Marker for Extreme Longevity in Japan

We report results from the analysis of complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from 112 Japanese semi-supercentenarians (aged above 105 years) combined with previously published data from 96 patients in each of three non-disease phenotypes: centenarians (99–105 years of age), healthy non-obese males, obese young males and four disease phenotypes, diabetics with and without angiopathy, and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease patients. We analyze the correlation between mitochondrial polymorphisms and the longevity phenotype using two different methods. We first use an exhaustive algorithm to identify all maximal patterns of polymorphisms shared by at least five individuals and define a significance score for enrichment of the patterns in each phenotype relative to healthy normals. Our study confirms the correlations observed in a previous study showing enrichment of a hierarchy of haplogroups in the D clade for longevity. For the extreme longevity phenotype we see a single statistically significant signal: a progressive enrichment of certain “beneficial” patterns in centenarians and semi-supercentenarians in the D4a haplogroup. We then use Principal Component Spectral Analysis of the SNP-SNP Covariance Matrix to compare the measured eigenvalues to a Null distribution of eigenvalues on Gaussian datasets to determine whether the correlations in the data (due to longevity) arises from some property of the mutations themselves or whether they are due to population structure. The conclusion is that the correlations are entirely due to population structure (phylogenetic tree). We find no signal for a functional mtDNA SNP correlated with longevity. The fact that the correlations are from the population structure suggests that hitch-hiking on autosomal events is a possible explanation for the observed correlations

Distinguishing four components underlying physical activity: a new approach to using physical activity questionnaire data in old age

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>It is evident that physical activity has many benefits, but it often remains unclear which types of activity are optimal for health and functioning in old age. The aim of this methodological study was to propose a method for distinguishing four components underlying self reported physical activity of older adults: intensity, muscle strength, turning actions and mechanical strain.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Physical activity was assessed by the validated LAPAQ questionnaire among 1699 older adults of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. Based on expert consultation and literature review, the four component scores for several individual daily and sports activities were developed. Factor analysis was performed to confirm whether the developed components indeed measured different constructs of physical activity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Based on the factor analyses, three components were distinguished: 1. intensity and muscle strength loaded on the same factor, 2. mechanical strain and 3. turning actions. Analyses in gender, age and activity level subgroups consistently distinguished three factors.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Future research using these components may contribute to our understanding of how specific daily and sports activities may have a different influence on health and physical functioning in old age.</p

Assessing the importance of car meanings and attitudes in consumer evaluations of electric vehicles

This paper reports findings from a research study which assesses the importance of attitudinal constructs related to general car attitudes and the meanings attached to car ownership over evaluations of electric vehicles (EVs). The data are assessed using principal component analysis to evaluate the structure of the underlying attitudinal constructs. The identified constructs are then entered into a hierarchical regression analysis which uses either positive or negative evaluations of the instrumental capabilities of EVs as the dependent variable. Results show that attitudinal constructs offer additional predictive power over socioeconomic characteristics and that the symbolic and emotive meanings of car ownership are as, if not more, effective in explaining the assessment of EV instrumental capability as compared to issues of cost and environmental concern. Additionally, the more important an individual considers their car to be in their everyday life, the more negative their evaluations are of EVs whilst individuals who claim to be knowledgeable about cars in general and EVs in particular have a lower propensity for negative EV attitudes. However, positive and negative EV attitudes are related to different attitudinal constructs suggesting that it is possible for someone to hold both negative and positive assessments at the same time

Proteomic Biomarkers for Acute Interstitial Lung Disease in Gefitinib-Treated Japanese Lung Cancer Patients

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) events have been reported in Japanese non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. We investigated proteomic biomarkers for mechanistic insights and improved prediction of ILD. Blood plasma was collected from 43 gefitinib-treated NSCLC patients developing acute ILD (confirmed by blinded diagnostic review) and 123 randomly selected controls in a nested case-control study within a pharmacoepidemiological cohort study in Japan. We generated ∼7 million tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) measurements with extensive quality control and validation, producing one of the largest proteomic lung cancer datasets to date, incorporating rigorous study design, phenotype definition, and evaluation of sample processing. After alignment, scaling, and measurement batch adjustment, we identified 41 peptide peaks representing 29 proteins best predicting ILD. Multivariate peptide, protein, and pathway modeling achieved ILD prediction comparable to previously identified clinical variables; combining the two provided some improvement. The acute phase response pathway was strongly represented (17 of 29 proteins, p = 1.0×10−25), suggesting a key role with potential utility as a marker for increased risk of acute ILD events. Validation by Western blotting showed correlation for identified proteins, confirming that robust results can be generated from an MS/MS platform implementing strict quality control

Do fish go with the flow? The effects of periodic and episodic flow pulses on 0+ fish biomass in a constrained lowland river

The hydrological regime is a significant driver of fish population dynamics in rivers, but there is a dearth of information regarding the mechanisms behind its effects on temperate species, especially non-salmonids. This study investigated the effects of periodic and episodic flow pulses on 0+ fish biomass in a constrained lowland river. De-seasonalized cross-correlation analysis was used to examine time-lagged correlations in episodic signals, in isolation of seasonal periodicity, to identify the responses and response timings of 0+ fish production to abiotic variables, and whether apparent “pulse-depletions” in biomass occur instantaneously (e.g., due to fish displacement during high pulses) or after a time lag. As anticipated, 0+ fish biomass was highest during periods of low discharge and high temperatures in summer, but cross-correlation analysis revealed a negative impact of high pulses on 0+ fish biomass with a lag of 7 months. There was no evidence for an instantaneous pulse-depletion effect of discharge on 0+ fish biomass, suggesting that the indirect effects of high pulses, such as habitat or food-web modifications, are more influential

Development of a photosynthesis model with an emphasis on ecological applications

A theoretical description of the simultaneous processes of photosynthesis and photorespiration in a single leaf is developed, based on the hypothesis that carbon dioxide and oxygen compete for the active site of ribulose diphosphate carboxylase. Michaelis-Menten kinetics and competitive inhibition at the end of a diffusion path provide the basic structure of the model. Data of Ludwig (1972) from sunflower are analyzed according to the formulation. This description is part of a more general physiological-ecological model of photosynthesis presented previously (Tenhunen et al., 1976a, b) and continues to elaborate sub-processes in terms of physiologically meaningful parameters. The description is considered a working hypothesis. Data on photorespiration from the literature are reviewed as they relate to this working hypothesis. Several lines of investigation are thereby suggested that will help clarify the role of photorespiration in whole leaf photosynthesis and determine the over-all utility of this modeling approach.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47718/1/442_2005_Article_BF01833627.pd