Dispositional Optimism Effects on Stress and Police Task Performance

The study of stress on police task performance is important as this relationship can positively or negatively impact encounters with the public. This study focused on protective factors of positive psychology within the measured construct of dispositional optimism as a possible mediator of stress effects on physical task performance. The cognitive processing models used were the performance efficiency theory and attentional control theory as they apply in perceptual motor skill. Using a mediation model, the research question asked whether dispositional optimism mediated the relationship between stress and a pistol performance accuracy task. This study used a limited data set collected by a law enforcement training center (N = 80). The survey instruments used to measure stress and dispositional optimism were the Perceived Stress Scale and the Life Orientation Test - Revised, respectively. Correlation and multiple regression were used to analyze the significance of the mediation model. Ultimately, the results were unable to detect significance between dispositional optimism (p \u3e .05) and stress (p \u3e .05) on pistol accuracy outcomes. However, a significant relationship was found between dispositional optimism and stress (p \u3c .05). Future research recommendations include an intervention protocol with several levels of pistol shooting difficulty and biological stress measurements. Implications for social change include further understanding of how to better manage stress for increased accuracy in pistol performance tasks along with increased mental processing and increased positive outcomes. Overall, better education and training for the officer will contribute to more positive encounters with the public

An innovative approach to manufacture thin-walled glass fibre reinforced concrete for tomorrow's architectural buildings envelopes with complex geometries

Glass fibre reinforced concrete (GFRC) elements have become a sought after cladding material since their introduction as rain screen cladding for buildings. To advance GFRC for a range of complex geometry building envelopes this also requires advances in existing moulding techniques for thin-walled GFRC elements. To do so it is necessary to define the current state of thin-walled GFRC elements and the constraints and limits placed on them by existing production techniques. This paper identifies the current architectural and aesthetic requirements of thin-walled GFRC elements and maps their range of complexity, from 1-D to 3-D, to the limits of the most appropriate production method. This will inform guidelines for the future design development of thin-walled GFRC and enable an innovative approach to further advance the moulding techniques for thin walled GFRC elements for a variety of complex geometry building envelopes. The paper concludes on which further steps need to be taken to advance thin-walled glass fibre reinforced concrete for tomorrow's architectural buildings envelopes with complex geometries

Severe morbidity and mortality in untreated HIV-infected children in a paediatric care programme in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, 2004-2009

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Clinical evolution of HIV-infected children who have not yet initiated antiretroviral treatment (ART) is poorly understood in Africa. We describe severe morbidity and mortality of untreated HIV-infected children.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>All HIV-infected children enrolled from 2004-2009 in a prospective HIV programme in two health facilities in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, were eligible from their time of inclusion. Risks of severe morbidity (the first clinical event leading to death or hospitalisation) and mortality were documented retrospectively and estimated using cumulative incidence functions. Associations with baseline characteristics were assessed by competing risk regression models between outcomes and antiretroviral initiation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>405 children were included at a median age of 4.5 years; at baseline, 66.9% were receiving cotrimoxazole prophylaxis, and 27.7% met the 2006 WHO criteria for immunodeficiency by age. The risk of developing a severe morbid event was 14% (95%CI: 10.7 - 17.8) at 18 months; this risk was lower in children previously exposed to any prevention of mother-to-child-transmission (PMTCT) intervention (adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio [sHR]: 0.16, 95% CI: 0.04 - 0.71) versus those without known exposure. Cumulative mortality reached 5.5% (95%CI: 3.5 - 8.1) at 18 months. Mortality was associated with immunodeficiency (sHR: 6.02, 95% CI: 1.28-28.42).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Having benefited from early access to care minimizes the severe morbidity risk for children who acquire HIV. Despite the receipt of cotrimoxazole prophylaxis, the risk of severe morbidity and mortality remains high in untreated HIV-infected children. Such evidence adds arguments to promote earlier access to ART in HIV-infected children in Africa and improve care interventions in a context where treatment is still not available to all.</p

Patterns, trends and sex differences in HIV/AIDS reported mortality in Latin American countries: 1996-2007

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>International cohort studies have shown that antiretroviral treatment (ART) has improved survival of HIV-infected individuals. National population based studies of HIV mortality exist in industrialized settings but few have been presented from developing countries. Our objective was to investigate on a population basis, the regional situation regarding HIV mortality and trends in Latin America (LA) in the context of adoption of public ART policies and gender differences.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cause of death data from vital statistics registries from 1996 to 2007 with "good" or "average" quality of mortality data were examined. Standardized mortality rates and Poisson regression models by country were developed and differences among countries assessed to identify patterns of HIV mortality over time occurring in Latin America.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Standardized HIV mortality following the adoption of public ART policies was highest in Panama and El Salvador and lowest in Chile. During the study period, three overall patterns were identified in HIV mortality trends- following the adoption of the free ART public policies; a remarkable decrement, a remarkable increment and a slight increment. HIV mortality was consistently higher in males compared to females. Mean age of death attributable to HIV increased in the majority of countries over the study period.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Vital statistics registries provide valuable information on HIV mortality in LA. While the introduction of national policies for free ART provision has coincided with declines in population-level HIV mortality and increasing age of death in some countries, in others HIV mortality has increased. Barriers to effective ART implementation and uptake in the context of free ART public provision policies should be further investigated.</p

TECHNICAL PROBLEMS OF FROZEN MEATS AND FROZEN FOODS: RETAIL CASE MANAGEMENT

Discusses results of a series of tests using a "simulator.

ENERGY COST CONTROLS

Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Mechanism-based clustering of genome-wide RNA levels: Roles of transcription and transcript-degradation rates

© 2009 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. DNA array techniques invented over a decade ago enable biologists to measure tens of thousands of mRNA levels in cells simultaneously as functions of environmental perturbations. In a few cases the same technique has been employed to measure not only genome-wide transcript levels (TL) but also the associated transcription rates (TR) simultaneously. Since TL is determined by the balance between two opposing processes, i.e., transcription and transcript degradation, simple theoretical considerations indicate that it would be impossible to determine TR based on TL data alone. This conclusion is supported by the finding that TL and TR do not always vary in parallel. In fact, the genome-wide measurements of TL and TR in budding yeast undergoing glucose-galactose shift indicate that TL can decrease even though TR increases and TL can increase despite the fact that TR decreases. These counter-intuitive findings cannot be accounted for unless transcript-degradation rates (TD) are also taken into account. One of the main objectives of this contribution is to derive a mathematical equation relating TL to TR and TD. Based on this equation, it was predicted that there would be 9 different mechanisms by which TL can be altered in cells. The TL and TR data measured in budding yeast demonstrate that all of the 9 predicted mechanisms are found to be activated in budding yeast during glucose-galactose shift, except Mechanisms 5 (i.e., decreasing TL with no change in TR) and 9 (i.e., no change in TL nor in TR). It was also shown that the opposite changes in the mRNA levels of glycolytic and respiratory genes observed between 5 and 360 minutes following the glucose-galactose shift could be quantitatively accounted for in terms of what is referred to as the transcript-degradation/transcription (D/T) ratios calculated here for the first time. Our results suggest that the predicted 9 mechanisms of controlling TL may be employed to cluster the genome-wide measurements of mRNA levels as a means to characterize the functional states of both normal and diseased cells

Mechanism-based clustering of genome-wide RNA levels: Roles of transcription and transcript-degradation rates

DNA array techniques invented over a decade ago enable biologists to measure tens of thousands of mRNA levels in cells simultaneously as functions of environmental perturbations. In a few cases the same technique has been employed to measure not only genome-wide transcript levels (TL) but also the associated transcription rates (TR) simultaneously. Since TL is determined by the balance between two opposing processes, i.e., transcription and transcript degradation, simple theoretical considerations indicate that it would be impossible to determine TR based on TL data alone. This conclusion is supported by the finding that TL and TR do not always vary in parallel. In fact, the genome-wide measurements of TL and TR in budding yeast undergoing glucose-galactose shift indicate that TL can decrease even though TR increases and TL can increase despite the fact that TR decreases. These counter-intuitive findings cannot be accounted for unless transcript-degradation rates (TD) are also taken into account. One of the main objectives of this contribution is to derive a mathematical equation relating TL to TR and TD. Based on this equation, it was predicted that there would be 9 different mechanisms by which TL can be altered in cells. The TL and TR data measured in budding yeast demonstrate that all of the 9 predicted mechanisms are found to be activated in budding yeast during glucose-galactose shift, except Mechanisms 5 (i.e., decreasing TL with no change in TR) and 9 (i.e., no change in TL nor in TR). It was also shown that the opposite changes in the mRNA levels of glycolytic and respiratory genes observed between 5 and 360 minutes following the glucose-galactose shift could be quantitatively accounted for in terms of what is referred to as the transcript-degradation/transcription (D/T) ratios calculated here for the first time. Our results suggest that the predicted 9 mechanisms of controlling TL may be employed to cluster the genome-wide measurements of mRNA levels as a means to characterize the functional states of both normal and diseased cells