Technical Challenges of a Mobile Application Supporting Intersession Processes in Psychotherapy

The usage of mobile applications in healthcare is gaining popularity in recent years. The ubiquity of a sophisticated mobile appliance that is applicable to sample ecological patient data in real life by acquiring both mental state and environmental data has enabled new possibilities for researchers and healthcare providers. Collecting data using the mentioned approach is often called Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) and is characterized by an unidirectional data flow towards the platform provider. A more challenging approach, in turn, is called Ecological Momentary Intervention (EMI). The latter requires a bidirectional data flow in order to enable the possibility of sending feedback to the patients and controlling their experiences through interventions. Although both approaches are established parts of IT-supported treatments in the field of psychology and psychotherapy until now, the so-called intersession process has not been technically supported appropriately yet. Therefore, the Intersession-Online platform was developed in order to (a) assess intersession processes systematically, (b) monitor a patient, and (c) intervene by suppressing negative thoughts concerning the therapy. In this paper, the technical requirements, architecture, and features of the mobile application of the Intersession-Online platform are presented. In this context, the development of a patient data sampling mechanism, which consists of a sophisticated, inter-questionnaire dependent sampling schedule and synchronization strategy is particularly illustrated and discussed. Altogether, the technical challenges will show that a mobile application supporting intersession processes in psychotherapy is an endeavor which requires many considerations. However, on the other, such a mobile application may be the basis for new technical as well as psychological insights

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

withdrawn 2017 hrs ehra ecas aphrs solaece expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation

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Genetic associations at 53 loci highlight cell types and biological pathways relevant for kidney function.

Reduced glomerular filtration rate defines chronic kidney disease and is associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. We conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), combining data across 133,413 individuals with replication in up to 42,166 individuals. We identify 24 new and confirm 29 previously identified loci. Of these 53 loci, 19 associate with eGFR among individuals with diabetes. Using bioinformatics, we show that identified genes at eGFR loci are enriched for expression in kidney tissues and in pathways relevant for kidney development and transmembrane transporter activity, kidney structure, and regulation of glucose metabolism. Chromatin state mapping and DNase I hypersensitivity analyses across adult tissues demonstrate preferential mapping of associated variants to regulatory regions in kidney but not extra-renal tissues. These findings suggest that genetic determinants of eGFR are mediated largely through direct effects within the kidney and highlight important cell types and biological pathways

Talent management and career development: what it takes to get promoted

Based on the talent management literature, this paper investigates managerial skills that are essential for managers’ job promotion. Using arguments from the human and social capital literature and following tournament logic, we claim that a manager’s own experience, expertise, and network size positively affect promotion odds, while strong colleagues decrease promotion odds. Studying 7,003 promotions to middle management and 3,147 promotions to senior management, we find broad support for our hypotheses, but find also that network size no longer predicts promotion to senior management. Our findings have implications for individual career development and talent management programs