A Quantile Regression Decomposition of Urban-Rural Inequality in Vietnam

We use the Vietnam Living Standards Surveys from 1992-93 and 1997-98 to examine inequality between urban and rural areas in Vietnam. Real per capita household consumption expenditure (RPCE) is our measure of well being. We apply a quantile regression decomposition technique to analyze the difference between the urban and rural distributions of log RPCE. Most of the difference between the upper tails of the distributions is due to differences in the marginal effects of covariates such as age or education rather than differences in the covariates themselves, but the opposite is true in the lower tails. Interesting regional and time effects are also identified.

Amino Acid Changes at Arginine 204 of Troponin I Result in Increased Calcium Sensitivity of Force Development.

Mutations in human cardiac troponin I (cTnI) have been associated with restrictive, dilated, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathies. The most commonly occurring residue on cTnI associated with familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC) is arginine (R), which is also the most common residue at which multiple mutations occur. Two FHC mutations are known to occur at cTnI arginine 204, R204C and R204H, and both are associated with poor clinical prognosis. The R204H mutation has also been associated with restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM). To characterize the effects of different mutations at the same residue (R204) on the physiological function of cTnI, six mutations at R204 (C, G, H, P, Q, W) were investigated in skinned fiber studies. Skinned fiber studies showed that all tested mutations at R204 caused significant increases in Ca2+ sensitivity of force development (ΔpCa50 = 0.22-0.35) when compared to wild-type (WT) cTnI. Investigation of the interactions between the cTnI mutants and WT cardiac troponin C (cTnC) or WT cardiac troponin T (cTnT) showed that all the mutations investigated, except R204G, affected either or both cTnI:cTnT and cTnI:cTnC interactions. The R204H mutation affected both cTnI:cTnT and cTnI:cTnC interactions while the R204C mutation affected only the cTnI:cTnC interaction. These results suggest that different mutations at the same site on cTnI could have varying effects on thin filament interactions. A mutation in fast skeletal TnI (R174Q, homologous to cTnI R204Q) also significantly increased Ca2+ sensitivity of force development (ΔpCa50 = 0.16). Our studies indicate that known cTnI mutations associated with poor prognosis (R204C and R204H) exhibit large increases in Ca2+ sensitivity of force development. Therefore, other R204 mutations that cause similar increases in Ca2+ sensitivity are also likely to have poor prognoses

Kynurenine Pathway Metabolism is Involved in the Maintenance of the Intracellular NAD+ Concentration in Human Primary Astrocytes

Efficient synthesis of NAD+ is critical to maintaining cell viability in all organs of the body. However, little is known of the pathway(s) by which cells of the central nervous system produce NAD+. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship, between tryptophan degradation via the kynurenine pathway (KP) and de novo NAD+ synthesis in human astrocytes, a major cell type within the brain. In this study we observed that inhibition of single enzymes of the KP resulted in significant decreases in NAD+ levels in astroglial cells after a 24 hr period. We also observed that astrocytes cultured in media deficient in tryptophan, nicotinic acid and nicotinamide resulted in a 50% decrease in NAD+ levels after 24 hrs. This decrease in NAD+ was partially restored by supplementation of the culture media with either tryptophan or kynurenine, or nicotinic acid or with supply of the salvage pathway precursor nicotinamide

Assessing the Impact of Online Occupational Therapy Content on Professional Development for Occupational Therapists

Social media has provided a virtual space for occupational therapists around the world to connect and to share practical information and this type of media has great potential as a source of social support and mentorship. This project’s purpose is to assess the qualitative impact of online occupational therapy-based content among occupational therapists. Data was collected and compiled from the currently available blogs and podcasts with OT-based content. Surveys were conducted among 40 occupational therapy students and occupational therapy practitioners and five occupational therapy content creators were interviewed on their experiences producing OT-based content online. The themes that resulted from the survey showed that occupational therapists valued content popularity, evidence-based content, clinical expertise, and the overall sense of community.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonessummer2020/1007/thumbnail.jp

Want to feel better, share what you know

In view of the mental health issues associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, this study draws on the theories of proactive coping and altruism to examine how knowledge sharing can be used to address employee performance and mental wellbeing. Emotional intelligence is modelled as a moderator in these relationships. Two studies were conducted in Australia and Vietnam to validate the proposed relationships. The results show that only knowledge donating has a positive effect on employee performance, whereas both types of knowledge sharing are significantly related to positive mental wellbeing. Emotional intelligence exerted significant moderation effects between knowledge donating and positive mental health in the case of Australia, and between collecting and performance in the Vietnam study. This study enriches knowledge sharing literature by integrating into position psychology. The findings have implications for practitioners to adopt a cost-effective means to address mental health and increase job performance

Securing jobs with individual trait and organisational support?

Purpose: In view of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on organisations and employees, this study aims to investigate a reverse relationship between role conflict, burnout and job insecurity, and proposed emotional intelligence (EI) and organisational support as individual and organisational factors, respectively, that may moderate this chain relationship. Drawing on conservation of resources (COR) theory, this paper proposes that organisational support as an organisational factor and EI as an individual ability may aid in minimising the perception of the depletion of resources and play a moderating role in conflict–burnout–job insecurity relationships. Design/methodology/approach: This study was undertaken in Australia with a focus on those who were employed and worked during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was conducted online using the Qualtrics platform as it offers user-friendly features for respondents. In total, 723 usable responses were generated for data analysis. Structural equation modelling was performed to test the hypotheses of this study. Findings: The results show that role conflict was significantly related to burnout, which in turn led to job insecurity. EI and organisational support reduced the impact of burnout on job insecurity. Originality/value: Theoretically, this research deepens an understanding of COR and role theory and contributes to mental health research and organisational studies. COR depicts individuals’ reservation of resources for desired or expected outcomes. This study approached from a depletion of resources perspective and revealed the consequences for both individuals and organisations. This study also expands role theory and includes job and family-derived roles to deepen the role conflict during the pandemic. Whilst most research taps into the job performance and behaviour domain to understand the impact of role conflict, this study proposed a novel concept of a mediation relationship between role conflict, burnout and job insecurity in line with the status quo of the pandemic. Consequently, this study contributes to job attitude research by approaching the antecedents from a combination of organisational, individual and situational factors because role conflict is reflected as a clash of job demands, family obligations and responsibilities, and the pandemic situation

Online News in Australia: Patterns of Use and Gratification

Key findings from the first national survey of the current state of play of online news consumption in Australia indicate that (1) the Internet as a news medium has reached a mainstream status in terms of audience sizes, although its penetration is still within a higher socio-economic segment of the society; (2) many distinctive features of online news have been substantially used and appreciated; and (3) from the perspective of innovation diffusion theory, online news has a notable potential to foster further adoption in the years ahead

Older Adults’ Perspective: Exploring the Experience of Owning a Guide Dog

Guide dogs have been shown to be an effective assistive device that can help older adults with low vision navigate their community and improve overall well-being. Despite vast research conducted on pet therapy and dog companionship, limited research exists on the facilitators and barriers of owning a dog guide among older adults with low vision. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to explore the facilitators and barriers of owning a guide dog as experienced by older adults with low vision participating in Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) organization. Data were gathered among seven participants using semi-structured phone interviews and themes were extracted. Five themes emerged using constant comparison methods: changes in habits and routines, being a dog guide owner, increase in community integration, human-dog guide bonding, and guide dog enhances autonomy. Participants’ increased confidence from using their guide dog contributed to further engagement in unfamiliar environments, thus improving self-esteem, freedom, and autonomy. Themes revealed that using a guide dog for the first time required adjustments in daily habits and routines to fit the guide dog’s lifestyle. Moreover, participants felt calmer and safer with the guide dogs resulting in a reciprocal bond with their guide dogs. Study results provide health practitioners, such as occupational therapists (OTs), insight to how guide dogs may affect the daily living patterns and quality of life of older adults with low vision. Additionally, study results provide insight for GDB and OTs into improving support and training processes

Older Adults’ Experience in Owning a Guide Dog

Low vision is an age-related condition that affects many older adults, and may create challenges in everyday activities in older adults. Guide dogs have been shown to be an effective assistive device that can help older adults within their community. Despite vast research on dog companionship, there is limited research on the facilitators and barriers of owning a guide dog among older adults with low vision. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to explore the facilitators and barriers of owning a guide dog as experienced by older adults with low vision participating in Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) organization. Seven first time guide dog owners, ages 55 and older, were interviewed using semi-structured questions. Through constant comparison methods, five major themes emerged: changes in habits and routines, being a dog guide owner, increase in community integration, human-dog guide bonding, and dog guide enhances autonomy. Study results provide implications for occupational therapists (OT) of how guide dogs affect the daily living patterns of older adults. Additionally, study results provide insight for GDB and OTs into improving support and training processes.https://scholar.dominican.edu/ug-student-posters/1063/thumbnail.jp