Validity and Reliability of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) in Competitive Sport

Objective: This study replicates and extends the work of Gucciardi and colleagues (2011) in relation to the validity of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC; Connor & Davidson, 2003) in sport. Three primary aims were explored: 1) Examine the factor structure and fit of three versions of the CD-RISC: the original 25-item CD-RISC, both as a 25-item five factor scale and as a 25-item unidimensional scale, and the 10-item CD-RISC-10; 2) examine gender invariance of the best fitting version of the CD-RISC; and 3) examine the validity of the best fitting CD-RISC by relating it to affect and performance anxiety in a sample of competitive American distance runners (N= 409). Design: Cross-sectional. Methods: Multiple self-report questionnaires were delivered through an online medium. Results: Using confirmatory factor and item level analyses, the CD-RISC-10-item scale was psychometrically superior to the unidimensional 25-item and the five factor 25-item CD-RISC versions. The CD-RISC-10-item exhibited measurement invariance for gender, with significant configural, strong, and weak analyses. Using structure equation modeling, the CD-RISC-10-item scale moderately and positively correlated with positive affect and was inversely related to negative affect and performance anxiety, establishing convergent and divergent validity. Conclusion: The findings support Gucciardi and colleagues’ 2011 findings that the CD-RISC-10 is a valid and reliable instrument to assess resilient qualities in sport

Routes of iron entry into, and exit from, the catalytic ferroxidase sites of the prokaryotic ferritin SynFtn

Ferritins are multimers comprised of 4 α-helical bundle monomers that co-assemble to form protein shells surrounding an approximately spherical internal cavity. The assembled multimers acquire Fe2+ from their surroundings by utilising channels that penetrate the protein for the transportation of iron to diiron catalytic centres buried within the monomeric units. Here oxidation of the substrate to Fe3+ is coupled to the reduction of O2 and/or peroxide to yield the precursor to a ferric oxy hydroxide mineral that is stored within the internal cavity. The rhombic dodecahedral quaternary structure results in channels of 4-fold and 3-fold symmetry, located at the vertices, which are common to all 24mer-ferritins. Ferritins isolated from higher eukaryotes have been demonstrated to take up Fe2+ via the 3-fold channels. One of the defining features of ferritins isolated from prokaryotes is the presence of a further 24 channels, the B-channels, and these are thought to play an important role in Fe2+ uptake in this sub-family. SynFtn is an unusual ferritin isolated from the marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus CC9311. The reported structure of SynFtn derived from Fe2+ soaked crystals revealed the presence of a fully hydrated Fe2+ associated with three aspartate residues (Asp137 from each of the three symmetry related subunits) within each three-fold channel, suggesting that it might be the route for Fe2+ entry. Here, we present structural and spectro-kinetic data on two variants of SynFtn, D137A and E62A, designed to assess this possibility. Glu62 is equivalent to residues demonstrated to be important in the transfer of iron from the inner exit of the 3-fold channel to the catalytic centre in animal ferritins. As expected replacing Asp137 with a non-coordinating residue eliminated rapid iron oxidation by SynFtn. In contrast the rate of mineral core formation was severely impaired whilst the rate of iron transit into the catalytic centre was largely unaffected upon introducing a non-coordinating residue in place of Glu62 suggesting a role for this residue in release of the oxidised product. The identification of these two residues in SynFtn maps out major routes for Fe2+ entry to, and exit from, the catalytic ferroxidase centres

Links between water temperatures, ecological responses and flow rates: a framework for establishing water temperature guidelines for the ecological reserve

Global ecosystems face unprecedented crises in habitat fragmentation, destruction and ultimately extinction (Groves, 2003), and of all the vary-ing ecological systems rivers are the most neglected and endangered (Groves, 2003; Driver, et al., 2005; Roux et al., 2005). The greatest threat to these systems is the loss or degradation of natural habitat and processes (Driver et al., 2005), and water temperatures, after flow vol-umes, are a primary abiotic driver of species patterns within river sys-tems. Stuckenberg (1969) highlighted the links between temperature, topography and faunal assemblages, while Rivers-Moore et al.(2004) highlights the major impacts of water temperatures on organisms, and illustrate how water temperatures are one of the primary environmental drivers structuring fish communities in the Sabie River, arguably the most icthyologically species-rich river in South Africa

Prediction of water temperature metrics using spatial modelling in the Eastern and Western Cape, South Africa

Key aspects of a river’s temperature regime are described by magnitudes, timing and durations of thermal events, and frequencies of extreme exceedance events. To understand alterations to thermal regimes, it is necessary to describe thermal time series based on these statistics. Classification of sites based on their thermal met-rics, and understanding of spatial patterns of these thermal statistics, provides a powerful approach for comparing study sites against reference sites. Water tem-perature regime dynamics should be viewed regionally, where regional divisions have an inherent underpinning by an understanding of natural thermal variability. The aim of this research was to link key water temperature metrics to readi-lymapped environmental surrogates, and to produce spatial images of temperature metrics: 37 temperature metrics were derived for 12 months of sub-daily water temperatures at 90 sites in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces, South Africa

Understanding the relationship between cognition and death: a within cohort examination of cognitive measures and mortality.

Despite several studies demonstrating an independent and inverse association between cognition and mortality, the nature of this association still remains unclear. To examine the association of cognition and mortality after accounting for sociodemographic, health and lifestyle factors and to explore both test and population characteristics influencing this relationship. In a population based cohort of 8585 men and women aged 48-92 years, who had cognitive assessments in 2006-2011 and were followed up till 2016 for mortality, we examined the relationship between individual cognitive tests as well as a global cognition score to compare their ability in predicting mortality and whether these differed by population characteristics. Risk of death was estimated using Cox proportional hazard regression models including sociodemographic, lifestyle and health variables, and self-reported comorbidities, as covariates in the models. Poor cognitive performance (bottom quartile of combined cognition score) was associated with higher risk of mortality, Hazard Ratio = 1.32 (95% Confidence Interval 1.09, 1.60); individual cognitive tests varied in their mortality associations and also performed differently in middle-age and older age groups. Poor cognitive performance is independently associated with higher mortality. This association is observed for global cognition and for specific cognitive abilities. Associations vary depending on the cognitive test (and domain) as well as population characteristics, namely age and education.This work was supported by the Medical Research Council, UK http://www.mrc.ac.uk/ (Ref: G0401527) and Cancer Research UK http://www.cancerresearchuk. org/ (CRUK, Ref: C864/A8257). The clinic for EPIC- Norfolk 3 was funded by Research into Ageing, now known as Age UK http://www.ageuk.org.uk/ (Grant Ref: 262). The pilot phase was supported by MRC (Ref: G9502233) and CRUK (Ref: C864/ A2883). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Towards assessing impacts of alien plant infestations on river systems in the Southern Cape using cost-benefit analyses

Ecosystem resilience is key to the provision of dependable ecosystem goods and services, and it is generally accepted that ecosystem diversity helps to maintain sys-tem resilience. It is therefore reasonable to postulate that changes to the variables that drive species patterns will result in changes to ecosystem community structure and consequently negatively impact on system resilience. Alien vegetation in the riparian zone can impact on water temperatures, flow patterns, degree of shading, channel modification, and changes to natural sediment loads. Climate change is likely to exacerbate the problem both directly through its amplification of thermal extremes in aquatic systems, and indirectly through its impacts on dispersal patterns of alien invasive vegetation

Prediction of Wetland Hydrogeomorphic Type Using Morphometrics and Landscape Characteristics

Accurate spatial maps of wetlands are critical for regional conservation and rehabilitation assessments, yet this often remains an elusive target. Such maps ideally provide information on wetland occurrence and extent, hydrogeomorphic (HGM) type, and ecological condition/level of degradation. All three elements are needed to provide ancillary layers to support mapping from remote imagery and ground-truthing. Knowledge of HGM types is particularly important, because different types show different levels of sensitivity to degradation, and modeling accuracy for occurrence. Here, we develop and test a simple approach for predicting the most likely HGM type for mapped yet unattributed wetland polygons. We used a dataset of some 11,500 wetland polygons attributed by HGM types (floodplain, depression, seep, channeled, and un-channeled valley-bottom) from the Western Cape Province in South Africa. Polygons were attributed and described in terms of nine landscape metrics, at a sub-catchment scale. Using a combination of box-and-whisker plots and PCA, we identified four variables (groundwater depth, relief ratio, slope, and elevation) as being the most important variables in differentiating HGM types. We divided the data into equal parts for training and testing of a simple Bayesian network model. Model validation included field assessments. HGM types were most sensitive to elevation. Model predication was good, with error rates of only 32%. We conclude that this is a useful technique that can be widely applied using readily available data, for rapid classification of HGM types at a regional scale. © Copyright © 2020 Rivers-Moore, Kotze, Job and Mohanlal

Cognitive function in a general population of men and women: a cross sectional study in the European Investigation of Cancer-Norfolk cohort (EPIC-Norfolk).

BACKGROUND: Although ageing is strongly associated with cognitive decline, a wide range of cognitive ability is observed in older populations with varying rates of change across different cognitive domains. METHODS: Cognitive function was measured as part of the third health examination of the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer in Norfolk (EPIC-Norfolk 3) between 2006 and 2011 (including measures from the pilot phase from 2004 to 2006). This was done using a battery consisting of seven previously validated cognitive function tests assessing both global function and specific domains. The battery included a shortened version of the Extended Mental State Exam (SF-EMSE); letter cancellation task; Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT); Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery Paired Associates Learning Test (CANTAB-PAL); Visual Sensitivity Test (VST); Shortened version of the National Adult Reading Test (Short-NART) and a task to test for prospective memory. We report the distribution of cognitive function in different cognitive domains by age and sex and compare the utility of a number of assessment tests in a general population of older men and women. RESULTS: Cognitive test data were available for 8585 men and women taking part in EPIC-Norfolk 3. Increasing age was generally associated with declining mean cognitive function, but there was a wide range observed within each age group as well as variability across different cognitive domains. Some sex differences were also observed. CONCLUSION: Descriptive data are presented for this general population sample of older men and women. There is a wide range of cognitive performance seen in this population. Though average performance declines with age, there is large individual variability across different cognitive domains. These variations may provide insights into the determinants of cognitive function in later life.The infrastructure for this study was supported by the Medical Research Council, UK (G0401527) and Cancer Research UK (CRUK, C864/A8257). The clinic for EPIC-Norfolk 3 was funded by Research into Ageing (262). The pilot phase was supported by MRC (G9502233) and CRUK (C864/A2883).This is the final published version. It first appeared at http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2318/14/142

Alternative approaches to managing respiratory tract infections: a survey of public perceptions

Background Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are a common reason for people to consult in primary care, and contribute to antibiotic overuse and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Alternative approaches to supporting patients with RTIs may help, but it is important to understand public perceptions about these approaches before they are widely implemented. Aim To describe public perceptions regarding finger-prick testing, back-up antibiotic prescriptions (BUPs), and alternatives to traditional consultations for RTIs, and identify factors associated with favouring these approaches. Design & setting Online national survey (HealthWise Wales) with linked primary care health record data. Method Survey item response distributions were described. Associations between responses about consultation alternatives, BUP, and finger-prick point-of-care testing (POCT), and potential explanatory variables, were explored using logistic regression. Results A total of 8752 participants completed the survey between 2016 and 2018. The survey found 76.7% (n = 3807/4,966) and 71.2% (n = 3529/4,953) of responders with valid responses were in favour of being able to consult with a pharmacist or nurse in their GP surgery, or with a community pharmacist, respectively. It also showed 92.8% (n = 8034/8659) of responders indicated they would be happy to have a finger-prick test to guide antibiotic prescribing, and 31.8% (n = 2746/8646) indicated they would like to be given a BUP if their clinician thought immediate antibiotics were not required. In addition, 47.4% (n = 2342/4944) and 42.3% (n = 2095/4949) were in favour of having video and email consultations, respectively. Characteristics associated with different response options were identified. Conclusion Consulting with pharmacists, using electronic communication tools, and finger-prick testing are widely acceptable approaches. BUP was described as acceptable less often, and is likely to require greater information and support when used