23 research outputs found
Social Capital in Boston: Findings From the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey
Highlights survey findings on the ways in which Bostonians connect and how these social networks benefit the entire community. Ranks community involvement in Boston, including politics, activism in the arts, and tolerance, among forty sites nationwide
The association between emotions and eating behaviour in an obese population with binge eating disorder
There is utility in understanding the antecedents of binge eating (BE), with a view to
explaining poorer weight loss treatment responses in this subgroup. A systematic
review was completed according to PRISMA guidelines with the aim of exploring Q3
associations between emotions and eating behaviour in a population affected by
obesity and binge eating disorder (BED). A comprehensive literature search of four
electronic databases (2004–2014) yielded 15 studies for inclusion. Included studies
performed poorly on data quality analysis with respect to controlling for confounding
variables, and sample size. Included papers largely focused on negative emotions
as antecedents of BE; depression was consistently associated with a BEDobese
classification and BE. Negative mood, sadness, tension and instability of
emotions were found to be antecedents of BE in an adult BED-obese sample. However,
findings were mixed regarding the role of stress, anger and positive emotions
within the BED-obese population. Recommendations are presented for the identification
of BED, and ecologically valid experimental designs that further understanding
of the complex and varied emotions that associate with BE. The implications of
these and other limitations for both researchers and practitioners are discussed. The
paper concludes with recommendations for future research alongside suggestions
for practitioners.University of Wolverhampto
Stratospheric aerosol - Observations, processes, and impact on climate
Interest in stratospheric aerosol and its role in climate have increased over the last decade due to the observed increase in stratospheric aerosol since 2000 and the potential for changes in the sulfur cycle induced by climate change. This review provides an overview about the advances in stratospheric aerosol research since the last comprehensive assessment of stratospheric aerosol was published in 2006. A crucial development since 2006 is the substantial improvement in the agreement between in situ and space-based inferences of stratospheric aerosol properties during volcanically quiescent periods. Furthermore, new measurement systems and techniques, both in situ and space based, have been developed for measuring physical aerosol properties with greater accuracy and for characterizing aerosol composition. However, these changes induce challenges to constructing a long-term stratospheric aerosol climatology. Currently, changes in stratospheric aerosol levels less than 20% cannot be confidently quantified. The volcanic signals tend to mask any nonvolcanically driven change, making them difficult to understand. While the role of carbonyl sulfide as a substantial and relatively constant source of stratospheric sulfur has been confirmed by new observations and model simulations, large uncertainties remain with respect to the contribution from anthropogenic sulfur dioxide emissions. New evidence has been provided that stratospheric aerosol can also contain small amounts of nonsulfate matter such as black carbon and organics. Chemistry-climate models have substantially increased in quantity and sophistication. In many models the implementation of stratospheric aerosol processes is coupled to radiation and/or stratospheric chemistry modules to account for relevant feedback processes
Multiple novel prostate cancer susceptibility signals identified by fine-mapping of known risk loci among Europeans
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous common prostate cancer (PrCa) susceptibility loci. We have
fine-mapped 64 GWAS regions known at the conclusion of the iCOGS study using large-scale genotyping and imputation in
25 723 PrCa cases and 26 274 controls of European ancestry. We detected evidence for multiple independent signals at 16
regions, 12 of which contained additional newly identified significant associations. A single signal comprising a spectrum of
correlated variation was observed at 39 regions; 35 of which are now described by a novel more significantly associated lead SNP,
while the originally reported variant remained as the lead SNP only in 4 regions. We also confirmed two association signals in
Europeans that had been previously reported only in East-Asian GWAS. Based on statistical evidence and linkage disequilibrium
(LD) structure, we have curated and narrowed down the list of the most likely candidate causal variants for each region.
Functional annotation using data from ENCODE filtered for PrCa cell lines and eQTL analysis demonstrated significant
enrichment for overlap with bio-features within this set. By incorporating the novel risk variants identified here alongside the
refined data for existing association signals, we estimate that these loci now explain ∼38.9% of the familial relative risk of PrCa,
an 8.9% improvement over the previously reported GWAS tag SNPs. This suggests that a significant fraction of the heritability of
PrCa may have been hidden during the discovery phase of GWAS, in particular due to the presence of multiple independent
signals within the same regio
Thigh-length compression stockings and DVT after stroke
Controversy exists as to whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy improves survival in patients with invasive bladder cancer, despite randomised controlled trials of more than 3000 patients. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of such treatment on survival in patients with this disease
A Spoonful of Sugar: Privatization and Popular Support for Reform in the Czech Republic
We analyze the role of privatization in creating a constituency for economic reform, markets, and democratic institutions, focusing on the Czech Republic. Drawing on a 1996 survey, we examine the 1459 respondents\u27 opinions on reforms, economic policies and systems, the legitimacy of transition, and democratic values. Using ordered probit estimation, we find that receiving property through restitution is strongly associated with support for reform and markets. Concerning voucher privatization, we find positive effects for participants retaining shares, but little impact of participation alone. Our simulations suggest that policy designs have substantial consequences for citizens\u27 support of reforms, markets, and democracy