Psychopathology and Creativity Among Creative and Non-Creative Professions

The mad genius debate has been a topic that has been discussed in both popular culture and academic discourse. The current study sought to replicate previous findings that linked psychopathology to creativity. A total of 165 biographies of eminent professionals (artists, scientists, athletes) were rated on 19 mental disorders using a three point scale of not present (0), probable (1), and present (2) for potential symptoms. Athletes served as an eminent but not creative comparison group in order to discern whether fame, independent of creativity, was associated with psychopathology. Comparison of proportion analyses were conducted to identify differences of proportion between these three groups for each psychopathology. Tests for one proportion were calculated to compare each group’s rates of psychopathology to the rates found in the U.S. population. These analyses were run twice, where subjects were dichotomized into present and not present categories; first, “present” included “probable” (inclusive) and second where it included only “present” (exclusive). Artists showed greater frequency rates of psychopathology than scientists and athletes in the more inclusive criteria for inclusion, whereas both artists and athletes showed greater frequency rates than scientists in the stricter criteria. Apart from anxiety disorder, athletes did not differ from the U.S. population in rates of psychopathology whereas artists differed from the population in terms of alcoholism, anxiety disorder, drug abuse, and depression. These data generally corroborate previous research on the link between creativity and psychopathology

Which resource acquisition acts drive growth of informal firms? Evidence from Zambia

Purpose: The study seeks to differentiate informal firms with high-growth prospects by their resource acquisition acts and to improve identification of growth-oriented informal firms for effective design and targeting of support measures. Design/methodology/approach: An original set of firm-level data was collected using face-to-face survey in Lusaka, Zambia. Six clearly defined criteria were used to sample informal firms, apart from general informal business. Regression analyses were conducted to test the association of different resource acquisition acts with two growth dimensions: number of employees and business earnings of the 325 informal firms sampled. Findings: Accessing clientele beyond local market, linking up with formal businesses and acquiring information and knowledge via online sources were found influential to growth in business earnings. Surprising, acquisition of finance and skills showed no effect. Employment expansion, though widely used, may not be a stable indicator of informal firm growth. Research limitations/implications: The study highlights the relevance of the emerging entrepreneurship perspective to understanding the topic. It cautions against pre-setting a size threshold for sampling informal firms and against relying on employment expansion as the sole proxy of growth. Practical implications: The findings prompt a rethink of the effectiveness of conventional support programmes to drive growth of informal firms such as funding and training. Directing support measures to target growth-oriented informal firms will lead to creation of decent and sustainable jobs and formalisation. Originality/value: With an original firm-level dataset, the study challenges a long-held assumption that growth of informal firm is negligible and shows that segments of informal firms are sustainable and could attain significant growth and derives new insights into researching and supporting informal firm growth

Anthracimycin activity against contemporary methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Anthracimycin is a recently discovered novel marine-derived compound with activity against Bacillus anthracis. We tested anthracimycin against an expanded panel of Staphylococcus aureus strains in vitro and in vivo. All strains of S. aureus tested, including methicillin-susceptible, methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant strains of S. aureus, were susceptible to anthracimycin at MIC values of ⩽0.25 mg l(-1). Although its postantibiotic effects were minimal, anthracimycin exhibited potent and rapid bactericidal activity, with a >4-log kill of USA300 MRSA within 3 h at five times its MIC. At concentrations significantly below the MIC, anthracimycin slowed MRSA growth and potentiated the bactericidal activity of the human cathelicidin, LL-37. The bactericidal activity of anthracimycin was somewhat mitigated in the presence of 20% human serum, and the compound was minimally toxic to human cells, with an IC50 (inhibitory concentration 50)=70 mg l(-1) against human carcinoma cells. At concentrations near the MIC, anthracimycin inhibited S. aureus nucleic acid synthesis as determined by optimized macromolecular synthesis methodology, with inhibition of DNA and RNA synthesis occurring in the absence of DNA intercalation. Anthracimycin at a single dose of 1 or 10 mg kg(-1) was able to protect mice from MRSA-induced mortality in a murine peritonitis model of infection. Anthracimycin provides an interesting new scaffold for future development of a novel MRSA antibiotic

Corporate bond prices and idiosyncratic risk: evidence from Australia

In this paper we investigate the bond price effect upon the information arrival of firm-specific idiosyncratic risk. We consider idiosyncratic dispersion and idiosyncratic volatility that capture, respectively, the direction of information and the magnitude of idiosyncratic risk. We find that idiosyncratic volatility does not affect bond prices, while the direction of idiosyncratic risk which reflects the favorable or unfavorable information exhibits impacts on bond prices. Idiosyncratic dispersion in the stock return of a firm in the preceding week, in general, is positively associated with bond price changes in the current week. This effect is most pronounced for firms exhibiting characteristics associated with lower default risk

Peripheral Blood Hematopoietic Stem Cells for Transplantation of Hematological Diseases from Related, Haploidentical Donors after Reduced-Intensity Conditioning

AbstractIn a multicenter collaboration, we carried out T cell–replete, peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantations from related, HLA-haploidentical donors with reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) and post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (Cy) as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis in 55 patients with high-risk hematologic disorders. Patients received 2 doses of Cy 50 mg/kg i.v. on days 3 and 4 after infusion of PBSC (mean, 6.4 × 106/kg CD34+ cells; mean, 2.0 × 108/kg CD3+ cells). The median times to neutrophil (500/μL) and platelet (>20,000/μL) recovery were 17 and 21 days respectively. All but 2 of the patients achieved full engraftment. The 1-year cumulative incidences of grade II and grade III acute GVHD were 53% and 8%, respectively. There were no cases of grade IV GVHD. The 2-year cumulative incidence of chronic GHVD was 18%. With a median follow-up of 509 days, overall survival and event-free survival at 2 years were 48% and 51%, respectively. The 2-year cumulative incidences of nonrelapse mortality and relapse were 23% and 28%, respectively. Our results suggest that PBSC can be substituted safely and effectively for bone marrow as the graft source for haploidentical transplantation after RIC

The accuracy of coronary CT angiography in patients with coronary calcium score above 1000 Agatston Units:Comparison with quantitative coronary angiography: Coronary CT Angiography in High Coronary Calcium

BACKGROUND: High amounts of coronary artery calcium (CAC) pose challenges in interpretation of coronary CT angiography (CCTA). The accuracy of stenosis assessment by CCTA in patients with very extensive CAC is uncertain. METHODS: Retrospective study was performed including patients who underwent clinically directed CCTA with CAC score >1000 and invasive coronary angiography within 90 days. Segmental stenosis on CCTA was graded by visual inspection with two-observer consensus using categories of 0%, 1–24%, 25–49%, 50–69%, 70–99%, 100% stenosis, or uninterpretable. Blinded quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) was performed on all segments with stenosis ≥25% by CCTA. The primary outcome was vessel-based agreement between CCTA and QCA, using significant stenosis defined by diameter stenosis ≥ 70%. Secondary analyses on a per-patient basis and inclusive of uninterpretable segments were performed. RESULTS: 726 segments with stenosis ≥25% in 346 vessels within 119 patients were analyzed. Median coronary calcium score was 1616 (1221–2118). CCTA identification of QCA-based stenosis resulted in a per-vessel sensitivity of 79%, specificity of 75%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 45%, negative predictive value (NPV) of 93%, and accuracy 76% (68 false positive and 15 false negative). Per-patient analysis had sensitivity 94%, specificity 55%, PPV 63%, NPV 92%, and accuracy 72% (30 false-positive and 3 false-negative). Inclusion of uninterpretable segments had variable effect on sensitivity and specificity, depending on whether they are considered as significant or non-significant stenosis. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with very extensive CAC (>1000 Agatston units), CCTA retained a negative predictive value > 90% to identify lack of significant stenosis on a per-vessel and per-patient level, but frequently overestimated stenosis

Elección de modalidades de trabajo, presencial u home office, en trabajadores residentes en Paraguay durante la pandemia del covid-19, 2022

The general objective is to determine the choice of work modalities, face-to-face or home office, in workers residing in Paraguay during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2022. It was based on a cross-sectional and descriptive quantitative approach. The population consisted of a total of 7,353,038 inhabitants in Paraguay, whose sample of 268 was calculated with a confidence level of 94.2%, a margin of error of 5.8%, and a degree of heterogeneity of 50%. The survey was used as a data collection technique and the instrument consisted of a questionnaire composed of 3 open and 32 closed questions based on five criteria and 35 indicators. It was surveyed via WhatsApp, for convenience, in May 2022. Only people residing in Paraguay, with a job and voluntary participation were taken into account. The results taking into account the higher frequency of responses in the face-to-face modality are: in terms of advantage, greater ease for the integration of new members (: 4.24) and disadvantages, greater increase in costs in office supplies (: 4.62). Regarding the home office modality, the advantage was greater use of technology (:4.61) and the disadvantage was greater lack of limits in working hours (:4.09). It is concluded that people prefer to work under the home office modality but they do not rule out the possibility of doing it in a mixed way either. Companies should seek the best work methodology for their employees, especially those that employ the millennial generation, who no longer wish to return to full-time work.El objetivo general es determinar la elección de modalidades de trabajo, presencial u home office, en trabajadores residentes en Paraguay durante la pandemia del COVID-19, 2022.  Se basó en un enfoque cuantitativo de corte transversal y descriptivo. La población consistió en un total de 7.353.038 habitantes en Paraguay, cuya muestra de 268 fue calculada con un nivel de confianza del 94,2%, margen de error 5,8% y grado de heterogeneidad 50%. Se utilizó la encuesta como técnica de recolección de datos y el instrumento consistió en un cuestionario compuesto por 3 preguntas abiertas y 32 cerradas basado en cinco criterios y 35 indicadores. Se encuesto vía WhatsApp, por conveniencia, en mayo de 2022. Se tomaron en cuenta sólo personas residentes en Paraguay, con un trabajo laboral y, participación voluntaria. Los resultados teniendo en cuenta las mayores frecuencia de respuestas en la modalidad presencial son: en cuanto a ventaja mayor facilidad para la integración de nuevos miembros (:4,24) y desventajas mayor aumento de costos en los suministros de las oficinas (:4,62). En cuanto a la modalidad home office, la ventaja mayor aprovechamiento de la Tecnología (:4,61) y desventaja mayor falta de límites en el horario de trabajo (:4,09). Se concluye que las personas prefieren trabajar bajo la modalidad home office pero tampoco descartan la posibilidad de hacerlo de forma mixta. Las empresas deberían de buscar la mejor metodología de trabajo para sus colaboradores, especialmente aquellas que ocupan a la generación millennials, quienes ya no desean volver a realizar trabajos full time