BCL-2 family protein, BAD is down-regulated in breast cancer and inhibits cell invasion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cekanova, Maria, E-mail: mcekanov@utk.edu [Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Fernando, Romaine I. [Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Medicine, Medical Center, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Siriwardhana, Nalin [Department of Animal Science, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Sukhthankar, Mugdha [Department of Biomedical and Diagnostics Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Parra, Columba de la [Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, PR (United States); Woraratphoka, Jirayus [Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Medicine, Medical Center, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Malone, Christine [Laboratory of Molecular Carcinogenesis, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States); Ström, Anders [Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX (United States); Baek, Seung J. [Department of Biomedical and Diagnostics Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Wade, Paul A. [Laboratory of Molecular Carcinogenesis, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States); Saxton, Arnold M. [Department of Animal Science, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Donnell, Robert M. [Department of Biomedical and Diagnostics Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Pestell, Richard G. [Department of Cancer Biology, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA (United States); and others

2015-02-01

We have previously demonstrated that the anti-apoptotic protein BAD is expressed in normal human breast tissue and shown that BAD inhibits expression of cyclin D1 to delay cell-cycle progression in breast cancer cells. Herein, expression of proteins in breast tissues was studied by immunohistochemistry and results were analyzed statistically to obtain semi-quantitative data. Biochemical and functional changes in BAD-overexpressing MCF7 breast cancer cells were evaluated using PCR, reporter assays, western blotting, ELISA and extracellular matrix invasion assays. Compared to normal tissues, Grade II breast cancers expressed low total/phosphorylated forms of BAD in both cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments. BAD overexpression decreased the expression of β-catenin, Sp1, and phosphorylation of STATs. BAD inhibited Ras/MEK/ERK and JNK signaling pathways, without affecting the p38 signaling pathway. Expression of the metastasis-related proteins, MMP10, VEGF, SNAIL, CXCR4, E-cadherin and TlMP2 was regulated by BAD with concomitant inhibition of extracellular matrix invasion. Inhibition of BAD by siRNA increased invasion and Akt/p-Akt levels. Clinical data and the results herein suggest that in addition to the effect on apoptosis, BAD conveys anti-metastatic effects and is a valuable prognostic marker in breast cancer. - Highlights: • BAD and p-BAD expressions are decreased in breast cancer compared with normal breast tissue. • BAD impedes breast cancer invasion and migration. • BAD inhibits the EMT and transcription factors that promote cancer cell migration. • Invasion and migration functions of BAD are distinct from the BAD's role in apoptosis.

BCL-2 family protein, BAD is down-regulated in breast cancer and inhibits cell invasion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cekanova, Maria; Fernando, Romaine I.; Siriwardhana, Nalin; Sukhthankar, Mugdha; Parra, Columba de la; Woraratphoka, Jirayus; Malone, Christine; Ström, Anders; Baek, Seung J.; Wade, Paul A.; Saxton, Arnold M.; Donnell, Robert M.; Pestell, Richard G.

2015-01-01

We have previously demonstrated that the anti-apoptotic protein BAD is expressed in normal human breast tissue and shown that BAD inhibits expression of cyclin D1 to delay cell-cycle progression in breast cancer cells. Herein, expression of proteins in breast tissues was studied by immunohistochemistry and results were analyzed statistically to obtain semi-quantitative data. Biochemical and functional changes in BAD-overexpressing MCF7 breast cancer cells were evaluated using PCR, reporter assays, western blotting, ELISA and extracellular matrix invasion assays. Compared to normal tissues, Grade II breast cancers expressed low total/phosphorylated forms of BAD in both cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments. BAD overexpression decreased the expression of β-catenin, Sp1, and phosphorylation of STATs. BAD inhibited Ras/MEK/ERK and JNK signaling pathways, without affecting the p38 signaling pathway. Expression of the metastasis-related proteins, MMP10, VEGF, SNAIL, CXCR4, E-cadherin and TlMP2 was regulated by BAD with concomitant inhibition of extracellular matrix invasion. Inhibition of BAD by siRNA increased invasion and Akt/p-Akt levels. Clinical data and the results herein suggest that in addition to the effect on apoptosis, BAD conveys anti-metastatic effects and is a valuable prognostic marker in breast cancer. - Highlights: • BAD and p-BAD expressions are decreased in breast cancer compared with normal breast tissue. • BAD impedes breast cancer invasion and migration. • BAD inhibits the EMT and transcription factors that promote cancer cell migration. • Invasion and migration functions of BAD are distinct from the BAD's role in apoptosis

Pupils' reasons for learning and behaving and for not learning and behaving in English and maths lessons in a secondary school.

Science.gov (United States)

Norwich, B

1999-12-01

There is renewed interest in motivation and school learning, though there has been relatively little theory-linked research in English schools. In the first stage, to explore pupils' reasons for learning and behaving and for not learning and behaving in English, maths and other subjects. In the second stage, to examine differences in reasons across subjects, for learning and behaving and for not learning and behaving for boys and girls in two year groups in one secondary school. Stage 1, 16 pupils in years 7, 8 and 9 in two London secondary schools; Stage 2, 267 pupils in years 7 and 9 in one of these schools. Stage 1--semi-structured interviews were conducted to elicit different kinds of reasons conceptualised in terms of the Deci & Ryan's (1985) framework of self-determination. From these elicited reasons, an inventory 'Why I Learn' was designed. Stage 2--the inventory was administered to identify reasons for learning and behaving and for not learning and behaving in English and maths. Parent introjected reasons were the highest for learning and behaving while teacher introjected and intrinsic reasons were the lowest. Intrinsic reasons were highest for not learning and behaving. Year group differences in reason levels were more significant than gender or subject differences. Reasons for learning and behaving were more differentiated from each other than reasons for not learning and behaving. The results are discussed in terms of their significance for self-determination theory, research into the conditions promoting greater self-determination in school learning and further development of the inventory for programme evaluation.

What Causes Bad Breath?

Science.gov (United States)

... Videos for Educators Search English Español What Causes Bad Breath? KidsHealth / For Teens / What Causes Bad Breath? Print en español ¿Qué es lo que provoca el mal aliento? Bad breath, or halitosis , can be a major problem, ...

Influenza virus induces apoptosis via BAD-mediated mitochondrial dysregulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Tran, Anh T; Cortens, John P; Du, Qiujiang; Wilkins, John A; Coombs, Kevin M

2013-01-01

Influenza virus infection results in host cell death and major tissue damage. Specific components of the apoptotic pathway, a signaling cascade that ultimately leads to cell death, are implicated in promoting influenza virus replication. BAD is a cell death regulator that constitutes a critical control point in the intrinsic apoptosis pathway, which occurs through the dysregulation of mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization and the subsequent activation of downstream apoptogenic factors. Here we report a novel proviral role for the proapoptotic protein BAD in influenza virus replication. We show that influenza virus-induced cytopathology and cell death are considerably inhibited in BAD knockdown cells and that both virus replication and viral protein production are dramatically reduced, which suggests that virus-induced apoptosis is BAD dependent. Our data showed that influenza viruses induced phosphorylation of BAD at residues S112 and S136 in a temporal manner. Viral infection also induced BAD cleavage, late in the viral life cycle, to a truncated form that is reportedly a more potent inducer of apoptosis. We further demonstrate that knockdown of BAD resulted in reduced cytochrome c release and suppression of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway during influenza virus replication, as seen by an inhibition of caspases-3, caspase-7, and procyclic acidic repetitive protein (PARP) cleavage. Our data indicate that influenza viruses carefully modulate the activation of the apoptotic pathway that is dependent on the regulatory function of BAD and that failure of apoptosis activation resulted in unproductive viral replication.

BAD and KATP channels regulate neuron excitability and epileptiform activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-François, Juan Ramón; Fernández-Agüera, María Carmen; Nathwani, Nidhi; Lahmann, Carolina; Burnham, Veronica L; Danial, Nika N; Yellen, Gary

2018-01-25

Brain metabolism can profoundly influence neuronal excitability. Mice with genetic deletion or alteration of Bad ( B CL-2 a gonist of cell d eath) exhibit altered brain-cell fuel metabolism, accompanied by resistance to acutely induced epileptic seizures; this seizure protection is mediated by ATP-sensitive potassium (K ATP ) channels. Here we investigated the effect of BAD manipulation on K ATP channel activity and excitability in acute brain slices. We found that BAD's influence on neuronal K ATP channels was cell-autonomous and directly affected dentate granule neuron (DGN) excitability. To investigate the role of neuronal K ATP channels in the anticonvulsant effects of BAD, we imaged calcium during picrotoxin-induced epileptiform activity in entorhinal-hippocampal slices. BAD knockout reduced epileptiform activity, and this effect was lost upon knockout or pharmacological inhibition of K ATP channels. Targeted BAD knockout in DGNs alone was sufficient for the antiseizure effect in slices, consistent with a 'dentate gate' function that is reinforced by increased K ATP channel activity. © 2018, Martínez-François et al.

Diophantine approximation and badly approximable sets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, S.; Thorn, R.; Velani, S.

2006-01-01

. The classical set Bad of `badly approximable' numbers in the theory of Diophantine approximation falls within our framework as do the sets Bad(i,j) of simultaneously badly approximable numbers. Under various natural conditions we prove that the badly approximable subsets of Omega have full Hausdorff dimension...

BAD-Dependent Regulation of Fuel Metabolism and KATP Channel Activity Confers Resistance to Epileptic Seizures

OpenAIRE

Giménez-Cassina, Alfredo; Martínez-François, Juan Ramón; Fisher, Jill K.; Szlyk, Benjamin; Polak, Klaudia; Wiwczar, Jessica; Tanner, Geoffrey R.; Lutas, Andrew; Yellen, Gary; Danial, Nika N.

2012-01-01

Neuronal excitation can be substantially modulated by alterations in metabolism, as evident from the anticonvulsant effect of diets that reduce glucose utilization and promote ketone body metabolism. We provide genetic evidence that BAD, a protein with dual functions in apoptosis and glucose metabolism, imparts reciprocal effects on metabolism of glucose and ketone bodies in brain cells. These effects involve phospho-regulation of BAD and are independent of its apoptotic function. BAD modific...

Asymmetric News Effects on Volatility: Good vs. Bad News in Good vs. Bad Times

OpenAIRE

Laakkonen, Helinä; Lanne, Markku

2008-01-01

We study the impact of positive and negative macroeconomic US and European news announcements in different phases of the business cycle on the highfrequency volatility of the EUR/USD exchange rate. The results suggest that in general bad news increases volatility more than good news. The news effects also depend on the state of the economy: bad news increases volatility more in good times than in bad times, while there is no difference between the volatility effects of good news in bad and go...

Concept of 'bad death'

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marija Vučković

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Following previous research on the linguistic concept of а 'bad death' which lexical expression is the word family of the verb ginuti, I focus my attention in this paper on the relationship between language conceptualization of а 'bad death' and the representation of а 'bad death' in traditional and contemporary culture. Diachronically based language corpus makes possible to trace the changes of referential frame and use of verb ginuti and its derivatives. In the traditional culture а 'bad death' is marked in action code by irregular way of burial and beliefs in demons stemming from the 'impure dead'. In the paper I explore the degree of synonymy of the symbols of all three codes: verbal code, action code and code of beliefs. In the contemporary culture the lack of individual control and choice is considered to be the key element of the concept of a 'bad death'. This change of conceptual content manifests itself in the use of its lexical expressions.

LDL: The "Bad" Cholesterol

Science.gov (United States)

... There are two main types of cholesterol: LDL (bad) cholesterol and HDL (good) cholesterol: LDL stands for low-density lipoproteins. It is called the "bad" cholesterol because a high LDL level leads to ...

Bad Drawing

OpenAIRE

Burgoyne, Greig

2016-01-01

"Only when we move do we see the chains" - Rosa Luxemburg Bad drawing / paper cell is a site-specific drawing performance commissioned for The Prison Drawing Project, Scarborough jail, Yorkshire, presented as a film grafted onto the space that is the cell. It takes the notion of drawing as an act of covering and form of measurement, in an immersive act of attempted liberation. Measuring using rolls of paper, the film chronicles what could be seen as a bad day wallpapering a space, no ass...

Good and Bad Sleep in Childhood: A Questionnaire Survey amongst School Children in Southern Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Ficca, Gianluca; Conte, Francesca; De Padova, Vittoria; Zilli, Iole

2011-01-01

Despite its clinical importance, the issue of subjective sleep quality in children remains unexplored. Here we investigate, in school-aged children, the prevalence of bad sleep perception and its relationships with sleep habits and daytime functioning, to provide hints on its possible determinants. Subjective sleep perception, sleep habits, and daytime functioning were studied through a questionnaire survey in a sample of 482 children (6-12 yrs.). Being "bad sleeper" was reported by 6.9% of the sample. Compared to the "good sleepers", these subjects displayed shorter sleep duration on schooldays, longer sleep latencies, and a more pronounced evening preference, beyond more frequent insufficient sleep. Though no differences emerged in sleepiness, bad sleepers showed higher impairments in daytime functioning, indicated by more frequent depressed mood and impulsivity. These distinctive features might be very important to precociously detect those children who are possibly more vulnerable to sleep disturbances and whose sleep-wake rhythms evolution should be paid particular attention thereafter. "The good people sleep much better at night than the bad people.Of course, the bad people enjoy the waking hours much more"Woody Allen.

BehavePlus fire modeling system, version 5.0: Variables

Science.gov (United States)

Patricia L. Andrews

2009-01-01

This publication has been revised to reflect updates to version 4.0 of the BehavePlus software. It was originally published as the BehavePlus fire modeling system, version 4.0: Variables in July, 2008.The BehavePlus fire modeling system is a computer program based on mathematical models that describe wildland fire behavior and effects and the...

Bad news transmission as a function of the definitiveness of consequences and the relationship between communicator and recipient.

Science.gov (United States)

Weenig, M W; Groenenboom, A C; Wilke, H A

2001-03-01

There is ample evidence suggesting (e.g., A. Tesser & S. Rosen, 1975) that people are reluctant to transmit bad news. Research on rumors, on the other hand, suggests that people sometimes are less reluctant to transmit bad news. It is argued that differences between the 2 lines of research include the definitiveness of the consequences of the news and the relationship between communicator and recipient. The influence of these 2 factors on news transmission was investigated in 3 experiments. Results showed that bad news with indefinite consequences was transmitted more often than bad news with definite consequences and that both kinds of bad news were transmitted more often if the recipient was a friend rather than a stranger. Differences in feelings of moral responsibility to transmit the news largely accounted for both effects. The 2 factors did not affect the likelihood of good news transmission.

Displaying fairness while delivering bad news: Testing the effectiveness of organizational bad news training in the layoff context.

Science.gov (United States)

Richter, Manuela; König, Cornelius J; Koppermann, Christopher; Schilling, Michael

2016-06-01

Although giving bad news at work is a stressful experience, managers are often underprepared for this challenging task. As a solution, we introduce organizational bad news training that integrates (a) principles of delivering bad news from the context of health care (i.e., bad news delivery component), and (b) principles of organizational justice theory (i.e., fairness component). We argue that both the formal and fair delivery of bad news at work can be enhanced with the help of training to mitigate distress both for the messenger and the recipient. We tested the effectiveness of training for the delivery of a layoff as a typical bad news event at work. In 2 studies, we compared the performance of a training group (receiving both components of training) with that of a control group (Study 1, Study 2) and a basics group (receiving the bad news delivery component only; Study 2) during a simulated dismissal notification meeting. In general, the results supported our hypotheses: Training improved the formal delivery of bad news and predicted indicators of procedural fairness during the conversation in both studies. In Study 2, we also considered layoff victims' negativity after the layoff and found that training significantly reduced negative responses. This relationship was fully mediated by layoff victims' fairness perceptions. Despite preparation, however, giving bad news remained a challenging task in both studies. In summary, we recommend that organizations provide managers with organizational bad news training in order to promote professional and fair bad news conversations at work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

The Badness of Discrimination

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lippert-Rasmussen, Kasper

2006-01-01

. In this paper I address these issues. First, I offer a taxonomy of discrimination. I then argue that discrimination is bad, when it is, because it harms people. Finally, I criticize a rival, disrespect-based account according to which discrimination is bad regardless of whether it causes harm....

Internet Bad Neighborhoods Aggregation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moreira Moura, Giovane; Sadre, R.; Sperotto, Anna; Pras, Aiko; Paschoal Gaspary, L.; De Turk, Filip

Internet Bad Neighborhoods have proven to be an innovative approach for fighting spam. They have also helped to understand how spammers are distributed on the Internet. In our previous works, the size of each bad neighborhood was fixed to a /24 subnetwork. In this paper, however, we investigate if

26 CFR 1.166-1 - Bad debts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Bad debts. 1.166-1 Section 1.166-1 Internal... TAXES (CONTINUED) Itemized Deductions for Individuals and Corporations § 1.166-1 Bad debts. (a... shall be allowed in respect of bad debts owed to the taxpayer. For this purpose, bad debts shall...

Breaking bad news in cancer patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Konstantis, Apostolos; Exiara, Triada

2015-01-01

In a regional hospital, many patients are newly diagnosed with cancer. Breaking the bad news in these patients and their relatives is a tough task. Many doctors are not experienced in talking to patients about death or death-related diseases. In recent years, there have been great efforts to change the current situation. The aim of this study was to investigate the experience and education of medical personnel in breaking bad news in a secondary hospital. 59 doctors from General Hospital of Komotini, Greece were included in the study. All the doctors were in clinical specialties that treated cancer patients. A brief questionnaire was developed based on current guidelines such as Baile/SPIKES framework and the ABCDE mnemonic. Residents are involved in delivering bad news less frequently than specialists. Only 21 doctors (35.59%) had specific training on breaking bad news. 20 doctors (33.90%) were aware of the available techniques and protocols on breaking bad news. 47 doctors (79.66%) had a consistent plan for breaking bad news. 57 (96.61%) delivered bad news in a quiet place, 53 (89.83%) ensured no interruptions and enough time, 53 (89.83%) used simple words and 54 (91.53%) checked for understanding and did not rush through the news. 46 doctors (77.97%) allowed relatives to determine patient's knowledge about the disease. There were low rates of specific training in breaking bad news. However, the selected location, the physician's speech and their plan were according to current guidelines.

Changes in Sensory Responsiveness in Behaving Primates.

Science.gov (United States)

1986-07-14

controlled behavioral training and monitoring, and electrophysiological recording in awake , behaving monkeys. All I, research equipment listed in the original...recording from the sensorimotor cortices was conducted on May 21. Under general anesthesia, a craniotomy was performed over the pre- and postcentral cortices...Department of Neurosurgery at U.T. Dr. Klein is somewhat unusual in that he has had previous experience recording from awake , behaving monkeys. The experience

behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO)

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Administrator

2011-06-13

Jun 13, 2011 ... experiment results of L-glutamic acid fermentation process showed that our ... Key words: Soft-sensing model, quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization ... information about such biochemical variables is, in most practical ...

Behavioural assessment of the dysexecutive syndrome (BADS in healthy elders and Alzheimer´s disease patients: preliminary study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabiola Canali

Full Text Available Abstract Although the main initial deficit is considered to be in the memory domain, an early impairment of executive functions is also found in AD where these deficits are correlated to functional impairment. Ecological tests are more indicated to evaluate executive impairment, and are better able to assist in treating AD patients than more commonly used tests. Objectives: The aim of this preliminary study is to verify the performance in executive functions using the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS in elder controls and mild AD patients, and to analyze its applicability in our environment. Methods: The BADS was performed by 17 healthy elders and 17 early AD patients matched for age, schooling and gender. Results: There were significant differences among controls and AD patients on MMSE scores, and in measures of executive functions, memory, and motor speed. Some sub items of BADS (rule shift cards, modified six elements, total score, standard, standard by age and overall classification by age were also different between groups. Differences were also significant on the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX of BADS self-ratings and other-ratings. Conclusion: BADS was efficacious in detecting executive deficits in this sample, as confirmed by other executive functions tests applied.

42 CFR 413.178 - Bad debts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Bad debts. 413.178 Section 413.178 Public Health...) Services and Organ Procurement Costs § 413.178 Bad debts. Link to an amendment published at 75 FR 49199, Aug. 12, 2010. (a) CMS will reimburse each facility its allowable Medicare bad debts, as defined in...

Breaking bad news in cancer patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Apostolos Konstantis

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: In a regional hospital, many patients are newly diagnosed with cancer. Breaking the bad news in these patients and their relatives is a tough task. Many doctors are not experienced in talking to patients about death or death-related diseases. In recent years, there have been great efforts to change the current situation. The aim of this study was to investigate the experience and education of medical personnel in breaking bad news in a secondary hospital. Materials and Methods: 59 doctors from General Hospital of Komotini, Greece were included in the study. All the doctors were in clinical specialties that treated cancer patients. A brief questionnaire was developed based on current guidelines such as Baile/SPIKES framework and the ABCDE mnemonic. Results: Residents are involved in delivering bad news less frequently than specialists. Only 21 doctors (35.59% had specific training on breaking bad news. 20 doctors (33.90% were aware of the available techniques and protocols on breaking bad news. 47 doctors (79.66% had a consistent plan for breaking bad news. 57 (96.61% delivered bad news in a quiet place, 53 (89.83% ensured no interruptions and enough time, 53 (89.83% used simple words and 54 (91.53% checked for understanding and did not rush through the news. 46 doctors (77.97% allowed relatives to determine patient′s knowledge about the disease. Conclusions: There were low rates of specific training in breaking bad news. However, the selected location, the physician′s speech and their plan were according to current guidelines.

An Adaptive Cultural Algorithm with Improved Quantum-behaved Particle Swarm Optimization for Sonar Image Detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xingmei; Hao, Wenqian; Li, Qiming

2017-12-18

This paper proposes an adaptive cultural algorithm with improved quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (ACA-IQPSO) to detect the underwater sonar image. In the population space, to improve searching ability of particles, iterative times and the fitness value of particles are regarded as factors to adaptively adjust the contraction-expansion coefficient of the quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization algorithm (QPSO). The improved quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization algorithm (IQPSO) can make particles adjust their behaviours according to their quality. In the belief space, a new update strategy is adopted to update cultural individuals according to the idea of the update strategy in shuffled frog leaping algorithm (SFLA). Moreover, to enhance the utilization of information in the population space and belief space, accept function and influence function are redesigned in the new communication protocol. The experimental results show that ACA-IQPSO can obtain good clustering centres according to the grey distribution information of underwater sonar images, and accurately complete underwater objects detection. Compared with other algorithms, the proposed ACA-IQPSO has good effectiveness, excellent adaptability, a powerful searching ability and high convergence efficiency. Meanwhile, the experimental results of the benchmark functions can further demonstrate that the proposed ACA-IQPSO has better searching ability, convergence efficiency and stability.

BCL-2 family protein, BAD is down-regulated in breast cancer and inhibits cell invasion.

Science.gov (United States)

Cekanova, Maria; Fernando, Romaine I; Siriwardhana, Nalin; Sukhthankar, Mugdha; De la Parra, Columba; Woraratphoka, Jirayus; Malone, Christine; Ström, Anders; Baek, Seung J; Wade, Paul A; Saxton, Arnold M; Donnell, Robert M; Pestell, Richard G; Dharmawardhane, Suranganie; Wimalasena, Jay

2015-02-01

We have previously demonstrated that the anti-apoptotic protein BAD is expressed in normal human breast tissue and shown that BAD inhibits expression of cyclin D1 to delay cell-cycle progression in breast cancer cells. Herein, expression of proteins in breast tissues was studied by immunohistochemistry and results were analyzed statistically to obtain semi-quantitative data. Biochemical and functional changes in BAD-overexpressing MCF7 breast cancer cells were evaluated using PCR, reporter assays, western blotting, ELISA and extracellular matrix invasion assays. Compared to normal tissues, Grade II breast cancers expressed low total/phosphorylated forms of BAD in both cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments. BAD overexpression decreased the expression of β-catenin, Sp1, and phosphorylation of STATs. BAD inhibited Ras/MEK/ERK and JNK signaling pathways, without affecting the p38 signaling pathway. Expression of the metastasis-related proteins, MMP10, VEGF, SNAIL, CXCR4, E-cadherin and TlMP2 was regulated by BAD with concomitant inhibition of extracellular matrix invasion. Inhibition of BAD by siRNA increased invasion and Akt/p-Akt levels. Clinical data and the results herein suggest that in addition to the effect on apoptosis, BAD conveys anti-metastatic effects and is a valuable prognostic marker in breast cancer. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interdependence of Bad and Puma during ionizing-radiation-induced apoptosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Toruno, Cristhian; Carbonneau, Seth; Stewart, Rodney A; Jette, Cicely

2014-01-01

Ionizing radiation (IR)-induced DNA double-strand breaks trigger an extensive cellular signaling response that involves the coordination of hundreds of proteins to regulate DNA repair, cell cycle arrest and apoptotic pathways. The cellular outcome often depends on the level of DNA damage as well as the particular cell type. Proliferating zebrafish embryonic neurons are highly sensitive to IR-induced apoptosis, and both p53 and its transcriptional target puma are essential mediators of the response. The BH3-only protein Puma has previously been reported to activate mitochondrial apoptosis through direct interaction with the pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins Bax and Bak, thus constituting the role of an "activator" BH3-only protein. This distinguishes it from BH3-only proteins like Bad that are thought to indirectly promote apoptosis through binding to anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members, thereby preventing the sequestration of activator BH3-only proteins and allowing them to directly interact with and activate Bax and Bak. We have shown previously that overexpression of the BH3-only protein Bad in zebrafish embryos supports normal embryonic development but greatly sensitizes developing neurons to IR-induced apoptosis. While Bad has previously been shown to play only a minor role in promoting IR-induced apoptosis of T cells in mice, we demonstrate that Bad is essential for robust IR-induced apoptosis in zebrafish embryonic neural tissue. Moreover, we found that both p53 and Puma are required for Bad-mediated radiosensitization in vivo. Our findings show the existence of a hierarchical interdependence between Bad and Puma whereby Bad functions as an essential sensitizer and Puma as an essential activator of IR-induced mitochondrial apoptosis specifically in embryonic neural tissue.

Immunohistochemical expression study of proapoptotic BH3-only protein bad in canine nonneoplastic tissues and canine lymphomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Dettwiler, M; Croci, M; Vaughan, L; Guscetti, F

2013-09-01

The BH3-only protein Bad is a proapoptotic Bcl-2 family member that acts as a sensitizer in intrinsic apoptosis by inactivating antiapoptotic members through heterodimer formation. Bad has been shown to contribute to tumorigenesis, including lymphoma formation in humans and mice, through alteration in expression or functional status. Here, its immunohistochemical expression was analyzed in canine nonneoplastic and lymphoma tissues using tissue microarrays. Bad was expressed in the cytoplasm of a wide range of nonneoplastic tissues, especially epithelial cells. Nonneoplastic lymph nodes displayed weak immunostaining in the follicular germinal centers only. Immunoblotting supported these observations but also revealed presence of nonspecific labeling in some organs. Of 81 lymphomas, 29 (35.8%) displayed moderate to strong immunohistochemical Bad labeling, and a significant expression increase was found in lymphomas (especially B cell and double negative) compared to nonneoplastic lymph nodes. These findings warrant further investigations of the functional status, the involvement of partner proteins, and a possible impact of Bad on prognosis in canine lymphoma.

BAD-dependent regulation of fuel metabolism and K(ATP) channel activity confers resistance to epileptic seizures.

Science.gov (United States)

Giménez-Cassina, Alfredo; Martínez-François, Juan Ramón; Fisher, Jill K; Szlyk, Benjamin; Polak, Klaudia; Wiwczar, Jessica; Tanner, Geoffrey R; Lutas, Andrew; Yellen, Gary; Danial, Nika N

2012-05-24

Neuronal excitation can be substantially modulated by alterations in metabolism, as evident from the anticonvulsant effect of diets that reduce glucose utilization and promote ketone body metabolism. We provide genetic evidence that BAD, a protein with dual functions in apoptosis and glucose metabolism, imparts reciprocal effects on metabolism of glucose and ketone bodies in brain cells. These effects involve phosphoregulation of BAD and are independent of its apoptotic function. BAD modifications that reduce glucose metabolism produce a marked increase in the activity of metabolically sensitive K(ATP) channels in neurons, as well as resistance to behavioral and electrographic seizures in vivo. Seizure resistance is reversed by genetic ablation of the K(ATP) channel, implicating the BAD-K(ATP) axis in metabolic control of neuronal excitation and seizure responses. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

48 CFR 31.205-3 - Bad debts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Bad debts. 31.205-3... REQUIREMENTS CONTRACT COST PRINCIPLES AND PROCEDURES Contracts With Commercial Organizations 31.205-3 Bad debts. Bad debts, including actual or estimated losses arising from uncollectible accounts receivable due...

Giving bad news: a qualitative research exploration.

Science.gov (United States)

Aein, Fereshteh; Delaram, Masoumeh

2014-06-01

The manner in which healthcare professionals deliver bad news affects the way it is received, interpreted, understood, and dealt with. Despite the fact that clinicians are responsible for breaking bad news, it has been shown that they lack skills necessary to perform this task. The purpose of this study was to explore Iranian mothers' experiences to receive bad news about their children cancer and to summarize suggestions for improving delivering bad news by healthcare providers. A qualitative approach using content analysis was adopted. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 mothers from two pediatric hospitals in Iran. Five major categories emerged from the data analysis, including dumping information, shock and upset, emotional work, burden of delivering bad news to the family members, and a room for multidisciplinary approach. Effective communication of healthcare team with mothers is required during breaking bad news. Using multidisciplinary approaches to prevent harmful reactions and providing appropriate support are recommended.

Breaking bad news: issues relating to nursing practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Warnock, Clare

2014-07-15

The breaking of bad news was traditionally regarded to be the time when a doctor and nurse sat down with a patient and family members to provide information about, for example, a life-limiting diagnosis or a poor prognosis. However, breaking bad news is now generally accepted as a process, not a one-off event, and is considered to refer to any bad, sad or difficult information that alters patients' perceptions of their present and future. Nurses have an important role in the process of providing information and helping patients prepare for, receive, understand and cope with the bad news they have been given. This article aims to help nurses understand the process of breaking bad news and discuss the challenges and difficulties that nurses can face when they are involved with patients who have been given bad news. It also provides guidance with regard to preparing for breaking bad news, giving difficult information, responding to possible reactions, and supporting patients and their relatives after they have received bad news.

BAD-LAMP defines a subset of early endocytic organelles in subpopulations of cortical projection neurons.

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David, Alexandre; Tiveron, Marie-Catherine; Defays, Axel; Beclin, Christophe; Camosseto, Voahirana; Gatti, Evelina; Cremer, Harold; Pierre, Philippe

2007-01-15

The brain-associated LAMP-like molecule (BAD-LAMP) is a new member of the family of lysosome associated membrane proteins (LAMPs). In contrast to other LAMPs, which show a widespread expression, BAD-LAMP expression in mice is confined to the postnatal brain and therein to neuronal subpopulations in layers II/III and V of the neocortex. Onset of expression strictly parallels cortical synaptogenesis. In cortical neurons, the protein is found in defined clustered vesicles, which accumulate along neurites where it localizes with phosphorylated epitopes of neurofilament H. In primary neurons, BAD-LAMP is endocytosed, but is not found in classical lysosomal/endosomal compartments. Modification of BAD-LAMP by addition of GFP revealed a cryptic lysosomal retention motif, suggesting that the cytoplasmic tail of BAD-LAMP is actively interacting with, or modified by, molecules that promote its sorting away from lysosomes. Analysis of BAD-LAMP endocytosis in transfected HeLa cells provided evidence that the protein recycles to the plasma membrane through a dynamin/AP2-dependent mechanism. Thus, BAD-LAMP is an unconventional LAMP-like molecule and defines a new endocytic compartment in specific subtypes of cortical projection neurons. The striking correlation between the appearance of BAD-LAMP and cortical synatogenesis points towards a physiological role of this vesicular determinant for neuronal function.

RICHMOND CROWN - FOR RESTORATION OF BADLY MUTILATED POSTERIOR TEETH : A CASE REPORT

OpenAIRE

Yadav; Swetha

2015-01-01

Restoration of badly broken endodontically treated teeth is a common problem in restorative dentistry. Such teeth often require additional support from the root canal by means of a post and core restoration. In cases where tooth structure is significantly lost full coverage restorations for posterior teeth are necessary to achieve proper tooth form and function. Badly broken teeth with minimal or no crown structure require added retention and support. The Richmond crown can be a good treatmen...

Bad Breath

Science.gov (United States)

... garlic, onions, cheese, orange juice, and soda poor dental hygiene (say: HI-jeen), meaning not brushing and flossing regularly smoking and other tobacco use Poor oral hygiene leads to bad breath because when food particles ...

'BREAKS' Protocol for Breaking Bad News.

Science.gov (United States)

Narayanan, Vijayakumar; Bista, Bibek; Koshy, Cheriyan

2010-05-01

Information that drastically alters the life world of the patient is termed as bad news. Conveying bad news is a skilled communication, and not at all easy. The amount of truth to be disclosed is subjective. A properly structured and well-orchestrated communication has a positive therapeutic effect. This is a process of negotiation between patient and physician, but physicians often find it difficult due to many reasons. They feel incompetent and are afraid of unleashing a negative reaction from the patient or their relatives. The physician is reminded of his or her own vulnerability to terminal illness, and find themselves powerless over emotional distress. Lack of sufficient training in breaking bad news is a handicap to most physicians and health care workers. Adherence to the principles of client-centered counseling is helpful in attaining this skill. Fundamental insight of the patient is exploited and the bad news is delivered in a structured manner, because the patient is the one who knows what is hurting him most and he is the one who knows how to move forward. Six-step SPIKES protocol is widely used for breaking bad news. In this paper, we put forward another six-step protocol, the BREAKS protocol as a systematic and easy communication strategy for breaking bad news. Development of competence in dealing with difficult situations has positive therapeutic outcome and is a professionally satisfying one.

Good and Bad Sleep in Childhood: A Questionnaire Survey amongst School Children in Southern Italy

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Gianluca Ficca

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Despite its clinical importance, the issue of subjective sleep quality in children remains unexplored. Here we investigate, in school-aged children, the prevalence of bad sleep perception and its relationships with sleep habits and daytime functioning, to provide hints on its possible determinants. Subjective sleep perception, sleep habits, and daytime functioning were studied through a questionnaire survey in a sample of 482 children (6–12 yrs.. Being “bad sleeper” was reported by 6.9% of the sample. Compared to the “good sleepers”, these subjects displayed shorter sleep duration on schooldays, longer sleep latencies, and a more pronounced evening preference, beyond more frequent insufficient sleep. Though no differences emerged in sleepiness, bad sleepers showed higher impairments in daytime functioning, indicated by more frequent depressed mood and impulsivity. These distinctive features might be very important to precociously detect those children who are possibly more vulnerable to sleep disturbances and whose sleep-wake rhythms evolution should be paid particular attention thereafter.

Breaking Bad Habits | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

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... of this page please turn Javascript on. Feature: Bad Habits Breaking Bad Habits: Why It's So Hard to Change Past Issues / ... News in Health ( http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/ ) Break Bad Habits Avoid temptations. If you always stop for a ...

Good days and bad days in dementia: a qualitative chart review of variable symptom expression.

Science.gov (United States)

Rockwood, Kenneth; Fay, Sherri; Hamilton, Laura; Ross, Elyse; Moorhouse, Paige

2014-08-01

Despite its importance in the lived experience of dementia, symptom fluctuation has been little studied outside Lewy body dementia. We aimed to characterize symptom fluctuation in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mixed dementia. A qualitative analysis of health records that included notations on good days and bad days yielded 52 community-dwelling patients (women, n = 30; aged 39-91 years; mild dementia, n = 26, chiefly AD, n = 36). Good days/bad days were most often described as changes in the same core set of symptoms (e.g. less/more verbal repetition). In other cases, only good or only bad days were described (e.g., no bad days, better sense of humor on good days). Good days were typically associated with improved global cognition, function, interest, and initiation. Bad days were associated with frequent verbal repetition, poor memory, increased agitation and other disruptive behaviors. Clinically important variability in symptoms appears common in AD and mixed dementia. Even so, what makes a day "good" is not simply more (or less) of what makes a day "bad". Further investigation of the factors that facilitate or encourage good days and mitigate bad days may help improve quality of life for patients and caregivers.

Bad habits and bad genes: early 20th-century eugenic attempts to eliminate syphilis and associated "defects" from the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Philip K

2003-01-01

American eugenists in the early 20th century distinguished "degenerates," including syphilitics, prostitutes, alcoholics and criminals, from the "normal" population by their particular bad habits. From eugenists' viewpoint, these bad habits were derived from bad character, a flaw that stemmed from an individual's bad genes. This essay explores how eugenists during this period characterized syphilitics and those with associated character "defects" in terms of heredity. Additionally, it examines the methods eugenists most frequently advocated to rectify these bad habits. These methods included marriage restriction, immigration control and reproductive sterilization. Overall, eugenists directed their efforts not so much at the "degenerate" as at his or her germ line.

Antisocial features and "faking bad": A critical note.

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Niesten, Isabella J M; Nentjes, Lieke; Merckelbach, Harald; Bernstein, David P

2015-01-01

We critically review the literature on antisocial personality features and symptom fabrication (i.e., faking bad; e.g., malingering). A widespread assumption is that these constructs are intimately related. Some studies have, indeed, found that antisocial individuals score higher on instruments detecting faking bad, but others have been unable to replicate this pattern. In addition, studies exploring whether antisocial individuals are especially talented in faking bad have generally come up with null results. The notion of an intrinsic link between antisocial features and faking bad is difficult to test and research in this domain is sensitive to selection bias. We argue that research on faking bad would profit from further theoretical articulation. One topic that deserves scrutiny is how antisocial features affect the cognitive dissonance typically induced by faking bad. We illustrate our points with preliminary data and discuss their implications. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Improved Quantum-Behaved Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm with Elitist Breeding for Unconstrained Optimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Zhen-Lun; Wu, Angus; Min, Hua-Qing

2015-01-01

An improved quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization with elitist breeding (EB-QPSO) for unconstrained optimization is presented and empirically studied in this paper. In EB-QPSO, the novel elitist breeding strategy acts on the elitists of the swarm to escape from the likely local optima and guide the swarm to perform more efficient search. During the iterative optimization process of EB-QPSO, when criteria met, the personal best of each particle and the global best of the swarm are used to generate new diverse individuals through the transposon operators. The new generated individuals with better fitness are selected to be the new personal best particles and global best particle to guide the swarm for further solution exploration. A comprehensive simulation study is conducted on a set of twelve benchmark functions. Compared with five state-of-the-art quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization algorithms, the proposed EB-QPSO performs more competitively in all of the benchmark functions in terms of better global search capability and faster convergence rate.

Quantum Behaved Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm Based on Artificial Fish Swarm

OpenAIRE

Yumin, Dong; Li, Zhao

2014-01-01

Quantum behaved particle swarm algorithm is a new intelligent optimization algorithm; the algorithm has less parameters and is easily implemented. In view of the existing quantum behaved particle swarm optimization algorithm for the premature convergence problem, put forward a quantum particle swarm optimization algorithm based on artificial fish swarm. The new algorithm based on quantum behaved particle swarm algorithm, introducing the swarm and following activities, meanwhile using the a...

Involvement of the Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Learning Others' Bad Reputations and Indelible Distrust.

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Atsunobu; Ito, Yuichi; Kiyama, Sachiko; Kunimi, Mitsunobu; Ohira, Hideki; Kawaguchi, Jun; Tanabe, Hiroki C; Nakai, Toshiharu

2016-01-01

A bad reputation can persistently affect judgments of an individual even when it turns out to be invalid and ought to be disregarded. Such indelible distrust may reflect that the negative evaluation elicited by a bad reputation transfers to a person. Consequently, the person him/herself may come to activate this negative evaluation irrespective of the accuracy of the reputation. If this theoretical model is correct, an evaluation-related brain region will be activated when witnessing a person whose bad reputation one has learned about, regardless of whether the reputation is deemed valid or not. Here, we tested this neural hypothesis with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants memorized faces paired with either a good or a bad reputation. Next, they viewed the faces alone and inferred whether each person was likely to cooperate, first while retrieving the reputations, and then while trying to disregard them as false. A region of the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC), which may be involved in negative evaluation, was activated by faces previously paired with bad reputations, irrespective of whether participants attempted to retrieve or disregard these reputations. Furthermore, participants showing greater activity of the left ventrolateral prefrontal region in response to the faces with bad reputations were more likely to infer that these individuals would not cooperate. Thus, once associated with a bad reputation, a person may elicit evaluation-related brain responses on their own, thereby evoking distrust independently of their reputation.

RICHMOND CROWN - FOR RESTORATION OF BADLY MUTILATED POSTERIOR TEETH : A CASE REPORT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yadav

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Restoration of badly broken endodontically treated teeth is a common problem in restorative dentistry. Such teeth often require additional support from the root canal by means of a post and core restoration. In cases where tooth structure is significantly lost full coverage restorations for posterior teeth are necessary to achieve proper tooth form and function. Badly broken teeth with minimal or no crown structure require added retention and support. The Richmond crown can be a good treatment alternative for restoration of such teeth. The Richmond crown was introduced in 1878 and incorporated a threaded tube in the canal with a screw retained crown. It was later modified to eliminate the threaded tube and was redesigned as a one piece dowel and crown. This case report shows restoration of badly mutilated posterior teeth with Richmond crown.

Fasting mediated increase in p-BAD(ser155) and p-AKT(ser473) in the prefrontal cortex of mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Pitchaimani, Vigneshwaran; Arumugam, Somasundaram; Thandavarayan, Rajarajan Amirthalingam; Karuppagounder, Vengadeshprabhu; Sreedhar, Remya; Afrin, Rejina; Harima, Meilei; Suzuki, Hiroshi; Miyashita, Shizuka; Nomoto, Mayumi; Sone, Hirohito; Suzuki, Kenji; Watanabe, Kenichi

2014-09-05

BAD-deficient mice and fasting have several common functional roles in seizures, beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) uptake in brain and alteration in counterregulatory hormonal regulation during hypoglycemia. Neuronal specific insulin receptor knockout (NIRKO) mice display impaired counterregulatory hormonal responses during hypoglycemia. In this study we investigated the fasting mediated expression of p-BAD(ser155) and p-AKT(ser473) in different regions of brain (prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, midbrain and hypothalamus). Fasting specifically increases p-BAD(ser155) and p-AKT(ser473) in prefrontal cortex and decreases in other regions of brain. Our results suggest that fasting may increase the uptake BHB by decreasing p-BAD(ser155) in the brain during hypoglycemia except prefrontal cortex and it uncovers specific functional area of p-BAD(ser155) and p-AKT(ser473) that may regulates counter regulatory hormonal response. Overall in support with previous findings, fasting mediated hypoglycemia activates prefrontal cortex insulin signaling which influences the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus mediated activation of sympathoadrenal hormonal responses. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bad-breath: Perceptions and misconceptions of Nigerian adults.

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Nwhator, S O; Isiekwe, G I; Soroye, M O; Agbaje, M O

2015-01-01

To provide baseline data about bad-breath perception and misconceptions among Nigerian adults. Multi-center cross-sectional study of individuals aged 18-64 years using examiner-administered questionnaires. Age comparisons were based on the model of emerging adults versus full adults. Data were recoded for statistical analyses and univariate and secondary log-linear statistics applied. Participants had lopsided perceptions about bad-breath. While 730 (90.8%) identified the dentist as the expert on halitosis and 719 (89.4%) knew that bad-breath is not contagious, only 4.4% and 2.5% associated bad-breath with tooth decay and gum disease respectively. There were no significant sex differences but the older adults showed better knowledge in a few instances. Most respondents (747, 92.9%) would tell a spouse about their bad-breath and 683 (85%) would tell a friend. Participants had lop-sided knowledge and perceptions about bad-breath. Most Nigerian adults are their "brothers' keepers" who would tell a spouse or friend about their halitosis so they could seek treatment.

[Significance of bad habits in orthodontics].

Science.gov (United States)

Tarján, Ildikó

2002-08-01

The author is concerned with the etiological role of bad habits in the development. Disturbances caused by pacifier habits, finger sucking, various forms of swallowing habits and their therapeutical possibilities are discussed. The role of mouth breathing, nail biting, bruxism and self-mutilation in development of anomalies and their therapy are also mentioned. The attention is called to the fact that dentists have responsibility and task to diagnose as early as can be the oral bad habits and that the adequate therapy in time in co-operation with other specialists helping the child get out of bad habits, preventing the development of severe anomaly.

Delivering bad news in emergency care medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Maynard, Douglas W

2017-01-01

Forecasting is a strategy for delivering bad news and is compared to two other strategies, stalling and being blunt. Forecasting provides some warning that bad news is forthcoming without keeping the recipient in a state of indefinite suspense (stalling) or conveying the news abruptly (being blunt). Forecasting appears to be more effective than stalling or being blunt in helping a recipient to "realize" the bad news because it involves the deliverer and recipient in a particular social relation. The deliverer of bad news initiates the telling by giving an advance indication of the bad news to come; this allows the recipient to calculate the news in advance of its final presentation, when the deliverer confirms what the recipient has been led to anticipate. Thus, realization of bad news emerges from intimate collaboration, whereas stalling and being blunt require recipients to apprehend the news in a social vacuum. Exacerbating disruption to recipients' everyday world, stalling and being blunt increase the probability of misapprehension (denying, blaming, taking the situation as a joke, etc.) and thereby inhibit rather than facilitate realization. Particular attention is paid to the "perspective display sequence", a particular forecasting strategy that enables both confirming the recipient's perspective and using that perspective to affirm the clinical news. An example from acute or emergency medicine is examined at the close of the paper.

arXiv The Infrared Physics of Bad Theories

CERN Document Server

Assel, Benjamin

2017-09-28

We study the complete moduli space of vacua of 3d $\\mathcal{N}=4$ $U(N)$ SQCDtheories with $N_f$ fundamentals, building on the algebraic description of theCoulomb branch, and deduce the low energy physics in any vacuum from the localgeometry of the moduli space. We confirm previous claims for good and ugly SQCDtheories, and show that bad theories flow to the same interacting fixed pointsas good theories with additional free twisted hypermultiplets. A Seiberg-likeduality proposed for bad theories with $N \\le N_f \\le 2N-2$ is ruled out: thespaces of vacua of the putative dual theories are different. However such badtheories have a distinguished vacuum, which preserves all the globalsymmetries, whose infrared physics is that of the proposed dual. We finallyexplain previous results on sphere partition functions and elucidate therelation between the UV and IR $R$-symmetry in this symmetric vacuum.

Evolving Models of Pavlovian Conditioning: Cerebellar Cortical Dynamics in Awake Behaving Mice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michiel M. ten Brinke

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Three decades of electrophysiological research on cerebellar cortical activity underlying Pavlovian conditioning have expanded our understanding of motor learning in the brain. Purkinje cell simple spike suppression is considered to be crucial in the expression of conditional blink responses (CRs. However, trial-by-trial quantification of this link in awake behaving animals is lacking, and current hypotheses regarding the underlying plasticity mechanisms have diverged from the classical parallel fiber one to the Purkinje cell synapse LTD hypothesis. Here, we establish that acquired simple spike suppression, acquired conditioned stimulus (CS-related complex spike responses, and molecular layer interneuron (MLI activity predict the expression of CRs on a trial-by-trial basis using awake behaving mice. Additionally, we show that two independent transgenic mouse mutants with impaired MLI function exhibit motor learning deficits. Our findings suggest multiple cerebellar cortical plasticity mechanisms underlying simple spike suppression, and they implicate the broader involvement of the olivocerebellar module within the interstimulus interval.

Chaos Quantum-Behaved Cat Swarm Optimization Algorithm and Its Application in the PV MPPT

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Xiaohua Nie

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Cat Swarm Optimization (CSO algorithm was put forward in 2006. Despite a faster convergence speed compared with Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO algorithm, the application of CSO is greatly limited by the drawback of “premature convergence,” that is, the possibility of trapping in local optimum when dealing with nonlinear optimization problem with a large number of local extreme values. In order to surmount the shortcomings of CSO, Chaos Quantum-behaved Cat Swarm Optimization (CQCSO algorithm is proposed in this paper. Firstly, Quantum-behaved Cat Swarm Optimization (QCSO algorithm improves the accuracy of the CSO algorithm, because it is easy to fall into the local optimum in the later stage. Chaos Quantum-behaved Cat Swarm Optimization (CQCSO algorithm is proposed by introducing tent map for jumping out of local optimum in this paper. Secondly, CQCSO has been applied in the simulation of five different test functions, showing higher accuracy and less time consumption than CSO and QCSO. Finally, photovoltaic MPPT model and experimental platform are established and global maximum power point tracking control strategy is achieved by CQCSO algorithm, the effectiveness and efficiency of which have been verified by both simulation and experiment.

Chaos Quantum-Behaved Cat Swarm Optimization Algorithm and Its Application in the PV MPPT.

Science.gov (United States)

Nie, Xiaohua; Wang, Wei; Nie, Haoyao

2017-01-01

Cat Swarm Optimization (CSO) algorithm was put forward in 2006. Despite a faster convergence speed compared with Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm, the application of CSO is greatly limited by the drawback of "premature convergence," that is, the possibility of trapping in local optimum when dealing with nonlinear optimization problem with a large number of local extreme values. In order to surmount the shortcomings of CSO, Chaos Quantum-behaved Cat Swarm Optimization (CQCSO) algorithm is proposed in this paper. Firstly, Quantum-behaved Cat Swarm Optimization (QCSO) algorithm improves the accuracy of the CSO algorithm, because it is easy to fall into the local optimum in the later stage. Chaos Quantum-behaved Cat Swarm Optimization (CQCSO) algorithm is proposed by introducing tent map for jumping out of local optimum in this paper. Secondly, CQCSO has been applied in the simulation of five different test functions, showing higher accuracy and less time consumption than CSO and QCSO. Finally, photovoltaic MPPT model and experimental platform are established and global maximum power point tracking control strategy is achieved by CQCSO algorithm, the effectiveness and efficiency of which have been verified by both simulation and experiment.

BAD overexpression inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis via mitochondrial-dependent pathway in non-small cell lung cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Li; Luo, Man; Liu, Dan; Chen, Bojiang; Zhang, Wen; Mai, Lin; Zeng, Jing; Huang, Na; Huang, Yi; Mo, Xianming; Li, Weimin

2013-06-01

The pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein BAD initiated apoptosis in human cells and has been identified as a prognostic marker in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this study, we aimed to explore the functions of BAD in NSCLC. Overexpression of BAD was performed by transfecting different NSCLC cell lines with wild-type BAD. Cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, and invasion were characterized in vitro. Tumorigenicity was analyzed in vivo. Western blot was performed to determine the effects of BAD overexpression on the Bcl-2 family proteins and apoptosis-related proteins. Overexpression of BAD significantly inhibited cell proliferation in H1299, H292, and SPC-A1 but not in SK-MES-1 and H460 cell lines in vitro. BAD overexpression also reduced the tumorigenicity of H1299/SPC-A1 cell in vivo. However, no appreciable effects on cell cycle distribution and invasion were observed in all these cell lines. BAD overexpression also induced apoptosis in all cell types, in which process expression of mitochondrial cytochrom c (cyto-c) and caspase 3 were increased, whereas Bcl-xl, Bcl-2, Bax and caspase 8 expressions did not changed. These findings indicated that a mitochondrial pathway, in which process cyto-c was released from mitochondrial to activate caspase 3, was involved in BAD overexpression-mediated apoptosis. Our data suggested that increased expression of BAD enhance apoptosis and has negative influence on cell proliferation and tumor growth in NSCLC. Bad is a new potential target for tumor interventions.

Seeing the whole picture: A comprehensive imaging approach to functional mapping of circuits in behaving zebrafish.

Science.gov (United States)

Feierstein, C E; Portugues, R; Orger, M B

2015-06-18

In recent years, the zebrafish has emerged as an appealing model system to tackle questions relating to the neural circuit basis of behavior. This can be attributed not just to the growing use of genetically tractable model organisms, but also in large part to the rapid advances in optical techniques for neuroscience, which are ideally suited for application to the small, transparent brain of the larval fish. Many characteristic features of vertebrate brains, from gross anatomy down to particular circuit motifs and cell-types, as well as conserved behaviors, can be found in zebrafish even just a few days post fertilization, and, at this early stage, the physical size of the brain makes it possible to analyze neural activity in a comprehensive fashion. In a recent study, we used a systematic and unbiased imaging method to record the pattern of activity dynamics throughout the whole brain of larval zebrafish during a simple visual behavior, the optokinetic response (OKR). This approach revealed the broadly distributed network of neurons that were active during the behavior and provided insights into the fine-scale functional architecture in the brain, inter-individual variability, and the spatial distribution of behaviorally relevant signals. Combined with mapping anatomical and functional connectivity, targeted electrophysiological recordings, and genetic labeling of specific populations, this comprehensive approach in zebrafish provides an unparalleled opportunity to study complete circuits in a behaving vertebrate animal. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Breaking bad news among cancer physicians

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sami Ayed Alshammary

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Breaking bad news to patients with cancer diagnosis is not an easy task for physicians. The diagnosis must be explicitly stated and understood, and prognosis must be well-discussed in the most gentle and comfortable manner. It is important that the disclosure is performed in a way that patients will not lose all hope and get very depressed, leading them to undergo an abrupt change of their outlook in life. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the physicians' perceptions and perspectives of breaking bad news to cancer patients. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of all comprehensive cancer centre physicians currently working in a university teaching hospital in the Middle East was conducted from August to September 2016. Results: Sixty-eight percent responded to the survey. Eighty-four percent were comfortable with breaking bad news, and 70% had training in breaking bad news. Eighty-six percent of responders stated that patients should be told about their cancer. Almost 30% of the respondents stated that they would still disclose the diagnosis to patients even if it would be against the preference of the relatives. Nearly 61% said that they would only tell the details to the patients if asked while 67% of them disagreed that patients should be told about the diagnoses only if the relatives consent. About 51% of physicians wanted to discuss the bad news with the family members and patient together, whereas 24% stated that the patient alone should be involved in the discussion. Conclusion: Physicians face a dilemma when families do not wish the patient to know the cancer diagnosis and this highlights the necessity of taking into consideration the social circumstances in healthcare. When taking these into considerations, curriculum in the medical school must, therefore, be updated and must integrate the acquisition of skills in breaking bad news early in training.

′BREAKS′ protocol for breaking bad news

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vijayakumar Narayanan

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Information that drastically alters the life world of the patient is termed as bad news. Conveying bad news is a skilled communication, and not at all easy. The amount of truth to be disclosed is subjective. A properly structured and well-orchestrated communication has a positive therapeutic effect. This is a process of negotiation between patient and physician, but physicians often find it difficult due to many reasons. They feel incompetent and are afraid of unleashing a negative reaction from the patient or their relatives. The physician is reminded of his or her own vulnerability to terminal illness, and find themselves powerless over emotional distress. Lack of sufficient training in breaking bad news is a handicap to most physicians and health care workers. Adherence to the principles of client-centered counseling is helpful in attaining this skill. Fundamental insight of the patient is exploited and the bad news is delivered in a structured manner, because the patient is the one who knows what is hurting him most and he is the one who knows how to move forward. Six-step SPIKES protocol is widely used for breaking bad news. In this paper, we put forward another six-step protocol, the BREAKS protocol as a systematic and easy communication strategy for breaking bad news. Development of competence in dealing with difficult situations has positive therapeutic outcome and is a professionally satisfying one.

‘BREAKS’ Protocol for Breaking Bad News

Science.gov (United States)

Narayanan, Vijayakumar; Bista, Bibek; Koshy, Cheriyan

2010-01-01

Information that drastically alters the life world of the patient is termed as bad news. Conveying bad news is a skilled communication, and not at all easy. The amount of truth to be disclosed is subjective. A properly structured and well-orchestrated communication has a positive therapeutic effect. This is a process of negotiation between patient and physician, but physicians often find it difficult due to many reasons. They feel incompetent and are afraid of unleashing a negative reaction from the patient or their relatives. The physician is reminded of his or her own vulnerability to terminal illness, and find themselves powerless over emotional distress. Lack of sufficient training in breaking bad news is a handicap to most physicians and health care workers. Adherence to the principles of client-centered counseling is helpful in attaining this skill. Fundamental insight of the patient is exploited and the bad news is delivered in a structured manner, because the patient is the one who knows what is hurting him most and he is the one who knows how to move forward. Six-step SPIKES protocol is widely used for breaking bad news. In this paper, we put forward another six-step protocol, the BREAKS protocol as a systematic and easy communication strategy for breaking bad news. Development of competence in dealing with difficult situations has positive therapeutic outcome and is a professionally satisfying one. PMID:21811349

Bad Breath

Science.gov (United States)

... floss correctly. Flossing can remove tiny bits of food that can rot and smell bad. Replace your toothbrush every three to four months. Visit your dentist twice a year. He or she will help keep your teeth and your mouth healthy. Eat smart. Avoid foods and drinks that can leave behind strong smells, ...

25 CFR 11.421 - Bad checks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Bad checks. 11.421 Section 11.421 Indians BUREAU OF... Criminal Offenses § 11.421 Bad checks. (a) A person who issues or passes a check or similar sight order for..., and the issuer failed to make good within 10 days after receiving notice of that refusal. ...

27 CFR 70.101 - Bad checks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Bad checks. 70.101 Section....101 Bad checks. If any check or money order in payment of any amount receivable under Title 26 of the... appropriate TTB officer that such check was tendered in good faith and that such person had reasonable cause...

BAD-mediated apoptotic pathway is associated with human cancer development.

Science.gov (United States)

Stickles, Xiaomang B; Marchion, Douglas C; Bicaku, Elona; Al Sawah, Entidhar; Abbasi, Forough; Xiong, Yin; Bou Zgheib, Nadim; Boac, Bernadette M; Orr, Brian C; Judson, Patricia L; Berry, Amy; Hakam, Ardeshir; Wenham, Robert M; Apte, Sachin M; Berglund, Anders E; Lancaster, Johnathan M

2015-04-01

The malignant transformation of normal cells is caused in part by aberrant gene expression disrupting the regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, senescence and DNA repair. Evidence suggests that the Bcl-2 antagonist of cell death (BAD)-mediated apoptotic pathway influences cancer chemoresistance. In the present study, we explored the role of the BAD-mediated apoptotic pathway in the development and progression of cancer. Using principal component analysis to derive a numeric score representing pathway expression, we evaluated clinico-genomic datasets (n=427) from corresponding normal, pre-invasive and invasive cancers of different types, such as ovarian, endometrial, breast and colon cancers in order to determine the associations between the BAD-mediated apoptotic pathway and cancer development. Immunofluorescence was used to compare the expression levels of phosphorylated BAD [pBAD (serine-112, -136 and -155)] in immortalized normal and invasive ovarian, colon and breast cancer cells. The expression of the BAD-mediated apoptotic pathway phosphatase, PP2C, was evaluated by RT-qPCR in the normal and ovarian cancer tissue samples. The growth-promoting effects of pBAD protein levels in the immortalized normal and cancer cells were assessed using siRNA depletion experiments with MTS assays. The expression of the BAD-mediated apoptotic pathway was associated with the development and/or progression of ovarian (n=106, pBAD-mediated apoptotic pathway is thus associated with the development of human cancers likely influenced by the protein levels of pBAD.

[Breaking bad news in oncology: the Belgian experience].

Science.gov (United States)

Delevallez, F; Lienard, A; Gibon, A-S; Razavi, D

2014-10-01

Breaking bad news is a complex and frequent clinical task for physicians working in oncology. It can have a negative impact on patients and their relatives who are often present during breaking bad news consultations. Many factors influence how the delivery of bad news will be experienced especially the communication skills used by physicians. A three-phase process (post-delivery phase, delivery phase, pre-delivery phase) has been developed to help physician to handle this task more effectively. Communication skills and specific breaking bad news training programs are both necessary and effective. A recent study conducted in Belgium has shown their impact on the time allocated to each of the three phases of this process, on the communication skills used, on the inclusion of the relative in the consultation and on physicians' physiological arousal. These results underscore the importance of promoting intensive communication skills and breaking bad news training programs for health care professionals.

Bartonella henselae trimeric autotransporter adhesin BadA expression interferes with effector translocation by the VirB/D4 type IV secretion system.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Yun-Yueh; Franz, Bettina; Truttmann, Matthias C; Riess, Tanja; Gay-Fraret, Jérémie; Faustmann, Marco; Kempf, Volkhard A J; Dehio, Christoph

2013-05-01

The Gram-negative, zoonotic pathogen Bartonella henselae is the aetiological agent of cat scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis and peliosis hepatis in humans. Two pathogenicity factors of B. henselae - each displaying multiple functions in host cell interaction - have been characterized in greater detail: the trimeric autotransporter Bartonella adhesin A (BadA) and the type IV secretion system VirB/D4 (VirB/D4 T4SS). BadA mediates, e.g. binding to fibronectin (Fn), adherence to endothelial cells (ECs) and secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). VirB/D4 translocates several Bartonella effector proteins (Beps) into the cytoplasm of infected ECs, resulting, e.g. in uptake of bacterial aggregates via the invasome structure, inhibition of apoptosis and activation of a proangiogenic phenotype. Despite this knowledge of the individual activities of BadA or VirB/D4 it is unknown whether these major virulence factors affect each other in their specific activities. In this study, expression and function of BadA and VirB/D4 were analysed in a variety of clinical B. henselae isolates. Data revealed that most isolates have lost expression of either BadA or VirB/D4 during in vitro passages. However, the phenotypic effects of coexpression of both virulence factors was studied in one clinical isolate that was found to stably coexpress BadA and VirB/D4, as well as by ectopic expression of BadA in a strain expressing VirB/D4 but not BadA. BadA, which forms a dense layer on the bacterial surface, negatively affected VirB/D4-dependent Bep translocation and invasome formation by likely preventing close contact between the bacterial cell envelope and the host cell membrane. In contrast, BadA-dependent Fn binding, adhesion to ECs and VEGF secretion were not affected by a functional VirB/D4 T4SS. The obtained data imply that the essential virulence factors BadA and VirB/D4 are likely differentially expressed during different stages of the infection cycle of

Bad Luck or Bad Decisions: College Students' Perceptions of the Reasons for and Consequences of Their Alcohol Overdose

Science.gov (United States)

Reis, Janet

2007-01-01

Reasons for and immediate consequences of an alcohol overdose were explored for 217 undergraduate students requiring a medical emergency transport because of excessive alcohol consumption. The sample was categorized into 26 students attributing their overdose solely to bad luck and 191 students citing bad decision making as an explanation. A…

48 CFR 2131.205-3 - Bad debts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 true Bad debts. 2131.205-3 Section 2131.205-3 Federal Acquisition Regulations System OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, FEDERAL... PRINCIPLES AND PROCEDURES Contracts With Commercial Organizations 2131.205-3 Bad debts. Erroneous benefit...

26 CFR 1.166-4 - Reserve for bad debts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... the bad debts reserves of certain mutual savings banks, domestic building and loan associations, and... 26 Internal Revenue 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Reserve for bad debts. 1.166-4 Section 1.166-4...) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Itemized Deductions for Individuals and Corporations § 1.166-4 Reserve for bad...

[Pediatrician's experience in announcing bad news].

Science.gov (United States)

Crosnier-Schoedel, C; Trocmé, N; Carbajal, R; Leverger, G

2018-02-01

Few studies are available on pediatricians' experience with announcing bad news. Announcing bad news is an important component of medical practice and is even more complex in pediatrics because parents must be associated. We had 20 hospital pediatricians complete a questionnaire containing 30 questions about their own experience announcing bad news to a child or a teenager. In spite of their experience and the time they have spent practicing medicine, there are many limitations stemming from different factors concerning children, teenagers, their families, and themselves. The difficulties encountered by pediatricians are mainly related to the timing of the announcement, the location, the choice of the words used, and the poor understanding of children and families, due to intellectual, cultural, or psychological limitations. Pediatricians question their own capacity to make such an announcement, wondering if the information has actually been well understood. They indicate that they are themselves affected. Most of them develop and implement strategies to refute the emotional instability caused by the announcement of bad news. Yet many of them feel weak, even talking about a deep sense of loneliness and guilt. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Learning from the 'Worst Behaved'

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sigurjonsson, Throstur Olaf; Mixa, Mar Wolfgang

2011-01-01

This article explores how the financial crisis in 2008 could have been partially avoided by Iceland through observing the warning signs. Iceland experienced the harshest consequences from the financial crisis in the Western world, such as the total collapse of its banking sector. This article...... compares the prelude of Iceland's financial crisis to the Scandinavian one, less than 20 years ago, providing an understanding of the sources of the crisis and its impact. Results show that signs of overexpansion in Iceland were clear and numerous. Iceland's structural weaknesses resemble many other badly...

Reactionary responses to the Bad Lot Objection.

Science.gov (United States)

Dellsén, Finnur

2017-02-01

As it is standardly conceived, Inference to the Best Explanation (IBE) is a form of ampliative inference in which one infers a hypothesis because it provides a better potential explanation of one's evidence than any other available, competing explanatory hypothesis. Bas van Fraassen famously objected to IBE thus formulated that we may have no reason to think that any of the available, competing explanatory hypotheses are true. While revisionary responses to the Bad Lot Objection concede that IBE needs to be reformulated in light of this problem, reactionary responses argue that the Bad Lot Objection is fallacious, incoherent, or misguided. This paper shows that the most influential reactionary responses to the Bad Lot Objection do nothing to undermine the original objection. This strongly suggests that proponents of IBE should focus their efforts on revisionary responses, i.e. on finding a more sophisticated characterization of IBE for which the Bad Lot Objection loses its bite. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Managing Bad Loans of Domestic Banks under Modern Economic Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bolhar Tetyana M.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The article considers main methods of management of bad bank loans under modern economic conditions, conducts analysis of internal and external banking methods used by Ukrainian banks, and specifies and identifies their advantages and shortcomings. In the result of the study the article analyses in detail the use of the methods of rehabilitation and liquidation of bad loans. It considers organisation of internal and external banking methods of liquidation of bad loans, considers mechanism of their conduct and identifies advantages and shortcomings of their application both for a bank and a borrower. Prospect of further studies in this direction is improvement of methods of assessment of bad loans, in particular, development of methodological approaches to identification of assessment of profitability of bad loans as an important element of the system of management of bad loans of a bank.

Pim kinases phosphorylate multiple sites on Bad and promote 14-3-3 binding and dissociation from Bcl-XL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hastie C James

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Pim-1, 2 and 3 are a group of enzymes related to the calcium calmodulin family of protein kinases. Over-expression of Pim-1 and Pim-2 in mice promotes the development of lymphomas, and up-regulation of Pim expression has been observed in several human cancers. Results Here we show that the pim kinases are constitutively active when expressed in HEK-293 cells and are able to phosphorylate the Bcl-2 family member Bad on three residues, Ser112, Ser136 and Ser155 in vitro and in cells. In vitro mapping showed that Pim-2 predominantly phosphorylated Ser112, while Pim-1 phosphorylated Ser112, but also Ser136 and Ser155 at a reduced rate compared to Ser112. Pim-3 was found to be the least specific for Ser112, and the most effective at phosphorylating Ser136 and Ser155. Pim-3 was also able to phosphorylate other sites in Bad in vitro, including Ser170, another potential in vivo site. Mutation of Ser136 to alanine prevented the phosphorylation of Ser112 and Ser155 by Pim kinases in HEK-293 cells, suggesting that this site must be phosphorylated first in order to make the other sites accessible. Pim phosphorylation of Bad was also found to promote the 14-3-3 binding of Bad and block its association with Bcl-XL. Conclusion All three Pim kinase family members predominantly phosphorylate Bad on Ser112 and in addition are capable of phosphorylating Bad on multiple sites associated with the inhibition of the pro-apoptotic function of Bad in HEK-293 cells. This would be consistent with the proposed function of Pim kinases in promoting cell proliferation and preventing cell death.

The good news about giving bad news to patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Farber, Neil J; Urban, Susan Y; Collier, Virginia U; Weiner, Joan; Polite, Ronald G; Davis, Elizabeth B; Boyer, E Gil

2002-12-01

There are few data available on how physicians inform patients about bad news. We surveyed internists about how they convey this information. We surveyed internists about their activities in giving bad news to patients. One set of questions was about activities for the emotional support of the patient (11 items), and the other was about activities for creating a supportive environment for delivering bad news (9 items). The impact of demographic factors on the performance of emotionally supportive items, environmentally supportive items, and on the number of minutes reportedly spent delivering news was analyzed by analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis. More than half of the internists reported that they always or frequently performed 10 of the 11 emotionally supportive items and 6 of the 9 environmentally supportive items while giving bad news to patients. The average time reportedly spent in giving bad news was 27 minutes. Although training in giving bad news had a significant impact on the number of emotionally supportive items reported (P woman, unmarried, and having a history of major illness were also associated with reporting a greater number of emotionally supportive activities. Internists report that they inform patients of bad news appropriately. Some deficiencies exist, specifically in discussing prognosis and referral of patients to support groups. Physician educational efforts should include discussion of prognosis with patients as well as the availability of support groups.

The “Bad Labor” Footprint: Quantifying the Social Impacts of Globalization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moana S. Simas

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The extent to what bad labor conditions across the globe are associated with international trade is unknown. Here, we quantify the bad labor conditions associated with consumption in seven world regions, the “bad labor” footprint. In particular, we analyze how much occupational health damage, vulnerable employment, gender inequality, share of unskilled workers, child labor, and forced labor is associated with the production of internationally traded goods. Our results show that (i as expected, there is a net flow of bad labor conditions from developing to developed regions; (ii the production of exported goods in lower income regions contributes to more than half of the bad labor footprints caused by the wealthy lifestyles of affluent regions; (iii exports from Asia constitute the largest global trade flow measured in the amount bad labor, while exports from Africa carry the largest burden of bad labor conditions per unit value traded and per unit of total labor required; and (IV the trade of food products stands out in both volume and intensity of bad labor conditions.

The Views Of Cancer Patients On Receiving Bad News

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hatice Bostanoglu Fesci

2011-06-01

Full Text Available AIM: This study was performed in a descriptive matter to determine the views of inpatients at an oncology state hospital on receiving bad news. METHOD: The study sample consisted of 237 inpatients (155 females, 82 males at an oncology state hospital between October and November 2008 who were determined using the random sampling method and accepted participating in the study. The data collection tool used was a survey form that consisted of 24 questions related to the sociodemographic features and views on receiving bad news. RESULTS: The mean age of the study subjects was 53.1±13.9 (min.=18, max.=83. The patients were undergoing the treatment process in 84% and the diagnostic process in 16%. The bad news had been given by the physician in 87.8% and while in the physician's room in 74.8%. The patients had been told while receiving the bad news that 'there is a mass/problem/lesion/tumor and you will undergo surgery' in 47.7% while 24.9% had been told that they had cancer directly. The patients stated that they froze, fainted, were shocked, felt their life was shattered and experienced emotions such as sadness, fear, hopelessness, sorrow, disappointment, desperation, etc. at a rate of 93.7%. We found that 58.2% of the patients had not been given an opportunity to express their emotions when they received the bad news, 67.4% preferred to have a relative with them at the time, 40.9% felt that the bad news should be given in a special environment, 30% wanted the bad news to be given as soon as the diagnosis was known while 36.7% preferred being told everything about the disease when receiving the bad news CONCLUSION: Taking into account the information content, family participation, and the individual preferences of the patients regarding time and place when giving bad news and encouraging them to ask questions and express themselves may make it easier for the patients to cope with bad news. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2011; 10(3.000: 319-326

Study on the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS performance in healthy individuals, Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's disease: A preliminary study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristiane Garcia da Costa Armentano

Full Text Available Abstract Executive deficits as well as deficits in episodic memory characterize the initial phases of Alzheimer Disease (AD and are clinically correlated to neuropsychiatric symptoms and functional loss. Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment present more problems as to inhibitory response control, switching and cognitive flexibility. Objective: To compare performance on the BADS with performance on other executive functional tests among patients with mild Alzheimer's disease, Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI to performance of control individuals and to examine discriminative capacity of BADS among these groups. Methods: The BADS was performed by 35 healthy controls, 13 patients with aMCI, and 16 mild probable AD patients. Besides performing the BADS, subjects underwent neuropsychological evaluation which comprised: the Dementia Rating Scale (DRS, verbal fluency by phonemic categories (F.A.S and Concentrated Attention Test (CA. Results: There were no differences among groups by educational level, but performance differed for age (p<0.01. No difference between healthy controls and aMCI patients was found on total scores or subitems of the BADS. A significant difference was observed between aMCI and AD patients (p<0.05 and between controls and AD patients (p<0.05 on total and standard scores. Conclusions: Performance on the BADS differed between healthy individuals and mild AD patients. The BADS proved to be a sensitive method for discriminating AD from aMCI.

26 CFR 301.6657-1 - Bad checks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 18 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Bad checks. 301.6657-1 Section 301.6657-1... Additions to the Tax and Additional Amounts § 301.6657-1 Bad checks. (a) In general. Except as provided in... district director that it was tendered in good faith with reasonable cause to believe that it would be duly...

[Bad habits and dysgnathia: epidemiological study].

Science.gov (United States)

Cordasco, G; Lo Giudice, G; Dolci, E; Romeo, U; Lafronte, G

1989-01-01

The authors refer about an epidemiological survey in 651 children in the school-age. The aim of study is to investigate about the frequency of the bad habits and the pathogenetic relations between these and the development of the dento-maxillo-facial deformities. They point out an incidence of these bad habits in the 35,48% with a predominance of mouth breathers (45,45%). After they discuss the necessity of an early detection of anomalous neuromuscular attitudes.

[Breaking bad news in clinical practice].

Science.gov (United States)

Herrera, Andrea; Ríos, Matías; Manríquez, José Manuel; Rojas, Gonzalo

2014-10-01

Breaking bad news is a complex task that requires multiple communication skills from health professionals. Clinical practice demands to communicate all type of bad news, from a diagnosis of cancer to adverse effects of a treatment. On the other hand, since the beginning of the health reform in 2003, the need to improve the quality of services was proposed, among which the concern about the rights and duties of patients stands out. Therefore, the health care provider-patient relationship becomes again the subject of discussion and study, and a topic of great importance for clinical work. We revise the consequences of breaking bad news for the patient and for the health care provider, as well as the current protocols available for this purpose. The importance of developing communication skills both for future health professionals as for those who currently work in the area is emphasized.

Pareto-Ranking Based Quantum-Behaved Particle Swarm Optimization for Multiobjective Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Na Tian

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A study on pareto-ranking based quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO for multiobjective optimization problems is presented in this paper. During the iteration, an external repository is maintained to remember the nondominated solutions, from which the global best position is chosen. The comparison between different elitist selection strategies (preference order, sigma value, and random selection is performed on four benchmark functions and two metrics. The results demonstrate that QPSO with preference order has comparative performance with sigma value according to different number of objectives. Finally, QPSO with sigma value is applied to solve multiobjective flexible job-shop scheduling problems.

Thematic and content analysis of idiopathic nightmares and bad dreams.

Science.gov (United States)

Robert, Geneviève; Zadra, Antonio

2014-02-01

To conduct a comprehensive and comparative study of prospectively collected bad dream and nightmare reports using a broad range of dream content variables. Correlational and descriptive. Participants' homes. Three hundred thirty-one adult volunteers (55 men, 275 women, 1 not specified; mean age = 32.4 ± 14.8 y). N/A. Five hundred seventy-two participants kept a written record of all of their remembered dreams in a log for 2 to 5 consecutive weeks. A total of 9,796 dream reports were collected and the content of 253 nightmares and 431 bad dreams reported by 331 participants was investigated. Physical aggression was the most frequently reported theme in nightmares, whereas interpersonal conflicts predominated in bad dreams. Nightmares were rated by participants as being substantially more emotionally intense than were bad dreams. Thirty-five percent of nightmares and 55% of bad dreams contained primary emotions other than fear. When compared to bad dreams, nightmares were more bizarre and contained substantially more aggressions, failures, and unfortunate endings. The results have important implications on how nightmares are conceptualized and defined and support the view that when compared to bad dreams, nightmares represent a somewhat rarer-and more severe-expression of the same basic phenomenon.

42 CFR 413.89 - Bad debts, charity, and courtesy allowances.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Bad debts, charity, and courtesy allowances. 413.89... Categories of Costs § 413.89 Bad debts, charity, and courtesy allowances. Link to an amendment published at 75 FR 49198, Aug. 12, 2010. (a) Principle. Bad debts, charity, and courtesy allowances are deductions...

Concurrent reflectance imaging and microdialysis in the freely behaving cat

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poe, G R; Nitz, D A; Rector, D M

1996-01-01

We present a method to perform simultaneous microdialysis with light reflectance imaging of neural activity in a discrete brain region of the freely behaving animal. We applied this method to the dorsal hippocampus of freely behaving cats to (1) measure extracellular glutamate and reflectance...... imaged neural activity. Sequential images showed that cocaine perfusion elicited a propagating reflectance change as cocaine reached the tissue. Microperfusion of hypo-osmotic solution ( - 100 mOsm), which increases cell volume, decreased reflectance. Microperfusion of hyperosmotic sucrose solutions...

Loss of Bad expression confers poor prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yi; Liu, Dan; Chen, Bojiang; Zeng, Jing; Wang, Lei; Zhang, Shangfu; Mo, Xianming; Li, Weimin

2012-09-01

Proapoptotic BH-3-only protein Bad (Bcl-Xl/Bcl-2-associated death promoter homolog, Bad) initiates apoptosis in human cells, and contributes to tumorigenesis and chemotherapy resistant in malignancies. This study explored association between the Bad expression level and prognosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In our study, a cohort of 88 resected primary NSCLC cases were collected and analyzed. Bad expression level was determined via immunohistochemical staining assay. The prognostic significances of Bad expression were evaluated with univariate and multivariate survival analysis. The results showed that compared with normal lung tissues, Bad expression level significantly decreased in NSCLC (P Bad expression was associated with adjuvant therapy status. Loss of Bad independently predicted poor prognosis in whole NSCLC cohort and early stage subjects (T1 + T2 and N0 + N1) (all P Bad negative phenotype in NSCLC patients with smoking history, especially lung squamous cell carcinoma (all P Bad is an independent and powerful predictor of adverse prognosis in NSCLC. Bad protein could be a new biomarker for selecting individual therapy strategies and predicting therapeutic response in subjects with NSCLC.

Responsiveness in Behaving Monkeys and Human Subjects

Science.gov (United States)

1993-07-31

Status of Current Research - Statement of Work Each study involving awake , behaving monkey neurophysiological recording used a behavioral paradigm that...anesthesia. A craniotomy was performed at approximately A+ 14.5mm. The recording chamber then was fixed to the skull at a lateral angle of 8’ from

48 CFR 1631.205-71 - FEHBP bad debts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 true FEHBP bad debts. 1631.205-71 Section 1631.205-71 Federal Acquisition Regulations System OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT FEDERAL... AND PROCEDURES Contracts With Commercial Organizations 1631.205-71 FEHBP bad debts. Erroneous benefit...

HOW TO MANAGE DATA BADLY (PART 1 & 2)

Science.gov (United States)

In a landmark article in The American Statistician, Howard Wainer (1994) presented ideas for (a) "How to Display Data Badly," wherein good data are ruined by bad graphics. Wainer presumed too much. In this essay, I extend his concept by presenting ideas and examples of how scient...

Positive Organizational Behavior: A Buffer for Bad News

Science.gov (United States)

French, Sandra L.; Holden, Tracey Quigley

2012-01-01

Most communication research on bad news messages focuses on crisis communication, where attention is often limited to image repair strategies. The authors argue that a key indicator of an organization's effectiveness in communicating "bad news" messages is its organizational culture. Developing an organizational culture that values positive…

How to Break Bad News: Physicians’ and Nurses’ Attitudes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali-Akbar Nejatisafa

2010-11-01

Full Text Available "nObjective: Bad news disclosure is one of the most complex tasks of physicians. Recent evidences indicate that patients' and physicians' attitude toward breaking bad news has been changed since few years ago. The evidence of breaking bad news is different across cultures. The aim of this study is to evaluate the attitude of medical staff toward breaking bad news to provide a clinical guideline in Iran."nMethods: A descriptive study was conducted during 2008-2009 on a sample of 100 medical staff (50 physicians and 50 nurses at Cancer Institute of Imam Khomeini hospital. The subjects' demographic characteristics and their attitudes toward the manner of revealing the diagnosis were registered in a questionnaire."nResults: The majority of the physicians (86%, n=43 and nurses (74%, n=37 , mostly the older and more experienced, tended to reveal the diagnosis to patients . Only a few physicians (8%, n=4 had been trained how to disclose bad news, which discloused diagnosis more than non trained ones."nPhysicians and nurses preferred to inform the patients about the diagnosis when either the patients were alone or in the presence of their spouse respectively .Only a few physicians (14% and nurses (24% agreed to explain life expectancy to patients."nConclusion: Compared to past, physicians and nurses are more willing to share cancer diagnosis with patients. However, lack of adequate communication skills in caregivers, and their concerns about managing patients' emotional reactions reduce their tendency to disclose bad news to the patients. Therefore, training physicians and nurses to expose bad news to the patients seems to be necessary.

The 'good is light' and 'bad is dark' metaphor in feature films

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Forceville, C.J.; Renckens, T.

2013-01-01

Light and darkness can be used metaphorically to help structure GOOD and BAD in all media, but film is particularly suitable for exploiting such metaphors. On the basis of examples from three feature films, we discuss in what way the metaphor functions in general and suggest how it allows for a

The prevalence of bad headaches including migraine in a multiethnic community.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomson, A N; White, G E; West, R

1993-11-10

Overall and ethnic specific prevalences of bad headache including migraine, for the New Zealand population, are unknown. A study was carried out in South Auckland to estimate prevalence and to explore ethnic differences in doctor attendance for the diagnosis and management of bad headaches. Telephone interviews were administered to respondents selected by random digit dialing of households. 40.6% of the respondents suffered from bad headaches. 54.5% of these had the characteristics of bad headache with features symptomatic of migraine. Trends in the prevalence of bad headache with features symptomatic of common migraine, peaked between the ages of 30-49 years in both men and women. A difference was seen in the prevalence of bad headache with aura, with or without common migraine features, when ethnic groups and gender were examined. The difference in prevalence of aura was particularly noticeable between Pacific Island men and women. Although there was no difference between ethnic groups in doctor attendance, headaches were more likely to be labelled as migraine in Europeans than in the Polynesian groups. Ways in which people perceive and report their bad headaches have a bearing on management by general practitioners. Although no overall ethnic predominance was seen, there was a gender difference amongst Pacific Island people in reporting bad headaches with aura. The labelling process, and thus the management by general practitioners does demonstrate likely ethnic differences.

Age differences in how consumers behave following exposure to DTC advertising.

Science.gov (United States)

DeLorme, Denise E; Huh, Jisu; Reid, Leonard N

2006-01-01

This study was conducted to provide additional evidence on how consumers behave following direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising exposure and to determine if there are differences in ad-prompted acts (drug inquiry and drug requests) between different age groups (i.e., older, mature, and younger adults). The results suggest that younger, mature, and older consumers are all moved to act by DTC drug ads, but that each age group behaves in different ways. Somewhat surprisingly, age was not predictive of ad-prompted behavior. DTC advertising was no more effective at moving older consumers to behave than their younger counterparts. These results suggest that age does not matter that much when it comes to the "moving power" of prescription drug advertising, even though research indicates that older consumers are more vulnerable to the persuasive effects of communication.

Flood of July 2016 in northern Wisconsin and the Bad River Reservation

Science.gov (United States)

Fitzpatrick, Faith A.; Dantoin, Eric D.; Tillison, Naomi; Watson, Kara M.; Waschbusch, Robert J.; Blount, James D.

2017-06-06

Heavy rain fell across northern Wisconsin and the Bad River Reservation on July 11, 2016, as a result of several rounds of thunderstorms. The storms caused major flooding in the Bad River Basin and nearby tributaries along the south shore of Lake Superior. Rainfall totals were 8–10 inches or more and most of the rain fell in an 8-hour period. A streamgage on the Bad River near Odanah, Wisconsin, rose from 300 cubic feet per second to a record peak streamflow of 40,000 cubic feet per second in only 15 hours. Following the storms and through September 2016, personnel from the U.S. Geological Survey and Bad River Tribe Natural Resources Department recovered and documented 108 high-water marks near the Bad River Reservation. Many of these high-water marks were used to create three flood-inundation maps for the Bad River, Beartrap Creek, and Denomie Creek for the Bad River Reservation in the vicinity of the community of Odanah.

Mentoring Graduate Students: The Good, Bad, and Gray

Science.gov (United States)

Ballantine, Jeanne H.; Jolly-Ballantine, John-Andrew

2015-01-01

Good mentoring of graduate students influences their perseverance and success to completion, whereas bad mentoring can result in negative outcomes, including delayed degree completion or non-completion. What the authors refer to as the gray zone is that which falls between good and bad mentoring. Examples are partial mentoring or changes in…

Experimental geothermal well at Bad Schinznach. First results; Geothermiebohrung Bad Schinznach. Erste Resultate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haering, M O [Haering Geo-Project, Steinmaur (Switzerland)

1997-12-01

The spa of Bad Schinznach (Canton Argovia, Switzerland) endeavours to cover its heating requirements with geothermal energy. A recently drilled well to a depth of 890 meters encountered the regional acquifer of thermal water (Oberer Muschelkalk, Triassic) in three levels. Preliminary results indicate a productive aquifer in the uppermost level with a wellhead temperature of 42 C. An additional exploitation of the bottomhole formation temperature of 63 C is envisaged. (orig.) [Deutsch] Das Bad Schinznach (Kanton Aargau, Schweiz) moechte im Rahmen der wirtschaftlichen Moeglichkeiten seinen Waermebedarf mit der Nutzung des Thermalwassers aus dem Oberen Muschelkalk (Trias) decken. Eine neulich abgeteufte Bohrung bis auf 890 Meter Tiefe hat die Formation auf drei Niveaus angetroffen. Erste Resultate deuten auf ein nutzbares Vorkommen im obersten Horizont mit einer Austrittstemperatur von 42 C. Eine zusaetzliche Nutzung der hohen Formationstemperatur von 63 C auf Endtiefe wird erwogen. (orig.)

Delivering Bad News: Attitudes, Feelings, and Practice Characteristics Among Speech-Language Pathologists.

Science.gov (United States)

Gold, Rinat; Gold, Azgad

2018-02-06

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes, feelings, and practice characteristics of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in Israel regarding the subject of delivering bad news. One hundred and seventy-three Israeli SLPs answered an online survey. Respondents represented SLPs in Israel in all stages of vocational experience, with varying academic degrees, from a variety of employment settings. The survey addressed emotions involved in the process of delivering bad news, training on this subject, and background information of the respondents. Frequency distributions of the responses of the participants were determined, and Pearson correlations were computed to determine the relation between years of occupational experience and the following variables: frequency of delivering bad news, opinions regarding training, and emotions experienced during the process of bad news delivery. Our survey showed that bad news delivery is a task that most participants are confronted with from the very beginning of their careers. Participants regarded training in the subject of delivering bad news as important but, at the same time, reported receiving relatively little training on this subject. In addition, our survey showed that negative emotions are involved in the process of delivering bad news. Training SLPs on specific techniques is required for successfully delivering bad news. The emotional burden associated with breaking bad news in the field of speech-language pathology should be noticed and addressed.

Patients' Attitude toward Breaking Bad News; a Brief Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Aminiahidashti, Hamed; Mousavi, Seyed Jaber; Darzi, Mohammad Mehdi

2016-01-01

Delivering bad news is a stressful moment for both physicians and patients. The purpose of this investigation was to explore the patients' preferences and attitudes toward being informed about the bad news. This cross-sectional study was done on patients admitted to Imam Khomeini Hospital, Sari, Iran, from September 2014 to February 2015. Patient attitude regarding breaking bad news was evaluated using a reliable and valid questionnaire. 130 patients were evaluated (61.5% male, mean age = 46.21 ± 12.1 years). 118 (90.76%) participants believed that the patient himself/herself should be informed about the disease's condition. 120 (92.30%) preferred to hear the news from a skillful physician and 105 (80.76%) believed that emergency department is not a proper place for breaking bad news. Based on the results of the present study, most participants believed that the most experienced and skillful physician should inform them completely regarding their medical condition. At the same time they declared that, it is best to hear bad news in a calm and suitable place and time rather than emergency department or hospital corridors during teaching rounds.

Biochemical and biophysical investigations of the interaction between human glucokinase and pro-apoptotic BAD.

Science.gov (United States)

Rexford, Alix; Zorio, Diego A R; Miller, Brian G

2017-01-01

The glycolytic enzyme glucokinase (GCK) and the pro-apoptotic protein BAD reportedly reside within a five-membered complex that localizes to the mitochondria of mammalian hepatocytes and pancreatic β-cells. Photochemical crosslinking studies using a synthetic analog of BAD's BH3 domain and in vitro transcription/translation experiments support a direct interaction between BAD and GCK. To investigate the biochemical and biophysical consequences of the BAD:GCK interaction, we developed a method for the production of recombinant human BAD. Consistent with published reports, recombinant BAD displays high affinity for Bcl-xL (KD = 7 nM), and phosphorylation of BAD at S118, within the BH3 domain, abolishes this interaction. Unexpectedly, we do not detect association of recombinant, full-length BAD with recombinant human pancreatic GCK over a range of protein concentrations using various biochemical methods including size-exclusion chromatography, chemical cross-linking, analytical ultracentrifugation, and isothermal titration calorimetry. Furthermore, fluorescence polarization assays and isothermal titration calorimetry detect no direct interaction between GCK and BAD BH3 peptides. Kinetic characterization of GCK in the presence of high concentrations of recombinant BAD show modest (BAD BH3 peptides. These results raise questions as to the mechanism of action of stapled peptide analogs modeled after the BAD BH3 domain, which reportedly enhance the Vmax value of GCK and stimulate insulin release in BAD-deficient islets. Based on our results, we postulate that the BAD:GCK interaction, and any resultant regulatory effect(s) upon GCK activity, requires the participation of additional members of the mitochondrial complex.

Educating the delivery of bad news in medicine: Preceptorship versus simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacques, Andrew P; Adkins, Eric J; Knepel, Sheri; Boulger, Creagh; Miller, Jessica; Bahner, David P

2011-07-01

Simulation experiences have begun to replace traditional education models of teaching the skill of bad news delivery in medical education. The tiered apprenticeship model of medical education emphasizes experiential learning. Studies have described a lack of support in bad news delivery and inadequacy of training in this important clinical skill as well as poor familial comprehension and dissatisfaction on the part of physicians in training regarding the resident delivery of bad news. Many residency training programs lacked a formalized training curriculum in the delivery of bad news. Simulation teaching experiences may address these noted clinical deficits in the delivery of bad news to patients and their families. Unique experiences can be role-played with this educational technique to simulate perceived learner deficits. A variety of scenarios can be constructed within the framework of the simulation training method to address specific cultural and religious responses to bad news in the medical setting. Even potentially explosive and violent scenarios can be role-played in order to prepare physicians for these rare and difficult situations. While simulation experiences cannot supplant the model of positive, real-life clinical teaching in the delivery of bad news, simulation of clinical scenarios with scripting, self-reflection, and peer-to-peer feedback can be powerful educational tools. Simulation training can help to develop the skills needed to effectively and empathetically deliver bad news to patients and families in medical practice.

A Novel Distributed Quantum-Behaved Particle Swarm Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yangyang Li

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO is an improved version of particle swarm optimization (PSO and has shown superior performance on many optimization problems. But for now, it may not always satisfy the situations. Nowadays, problems become larger and more complex, and most serial optimization algorithms cannot deal with the problem or need plenty of computing cost. Fortunately, as an effective model in dealing with problems with big data which need huge computation, MapReduce has been widely used in many areas. In this paper, we implement QPSO on MapReduce model and propose MapReduce quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (MRQPSO which achieves parallel and distributed QPSO. Comparisons are made between MRQPSO and QPSO on some test problems and nonlinear equation systems. The results show that MRQPSO could complete computing task with less time. Meanwhile, from the view of optimization performance, MRQPSO outperforms QPSO in many cases.

The badness of death and priorities in health.

Science.gov (United States)

Solberg, Carl Tollef; Gamlund, Espen

2016-04-14

The state of the world is one with scarce medical resources where longevity is not equally distributed. Given such facts, setting priorities in health entails making difficult yet unavoidable decisions about which lives to save. The business of saving lives works on the assumption that longevity is valuable and that an early death is worse than a late death. There is a vast literature on health priorities and badness of death, separately. Surprisingly, there has been little cross-fertilisation between the academic fields of priority setting and badness of death. Our aim is to connect philosophical discussions on the badness of death to contemporary debates in health priorities. Two questions regarding death are especially relevant to health priorities. The first question is why death is bad. Death is clearly bad for others, such as family, friends and society. Many philosophers also argue that death can be bad for those who die. This distinction is important for health priorities, because it concerns our fundamental reasons for saving lives. The second question is, 'When is the worst time to die?' A premature death is commonly considered worse than a late death. Thus, the number of good life years lost seems to matter to the badness of death. Concerning young individuals, some think the death of infants is worse than the death of adolescents, while others have contrary intuitions. Our claim is that to prioritise between age groups, we must consider the question of when it is worst to die. Deprivationism provides a more plausible approach to health priorities than Epicureanism. If Deprivationism is accepted, we will have a firmer basis for claiming that individuals, in addition to having a health loss caused by morbidity, will have a loss of good life years due to mortality. Additionally, Deprivationism highlights the importance of age and values for health priorities. Regarding age, both variants of Deprivationism imply that stillbirths are included in the Global

Managing Bad Loans of Domestic Banks under Modern Economic Conditions

OpenAIRE

Bolhar Tetyana M.

2014-01-01

The article considers main methods of management of bad bank loans under modern economic conditions, conducts analysis of internal and external banking methods used by Ukrainian banks, and specifies and identifies their advantages and shortcomings. In the result of the study the article analyses in detail the use of the methods of rehabilitation and liquidation of bad loans. It considers organisation of internal and external banking methods of liquidation of bad loans, considers mechanism of ...

Factors associated with patient preferences for communication of bad news.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujimori, Maiko; Akechi, Tatsuo; Uchitomi, Yosuke

2017-06-01

Communication based on patient preferences can alleviate their psychological distress and is an important part of patient-centered care for physicians who have the task of conveying bad news to cancer patients. The present study aimed to explore the demographic, medical, and psychological factors associated with patient preferences with regard to communication of bad news. Outpatients with a variety of cancers were consecutively invited to participate in our study after their follow-up medical visit. A questionnaire assessed their preferences regarding the communication of bad news, covering four factors-(1) how bad news is delivered, (2) reassurance and emotional support, (3) additional information, and (4) setting-as well as on demographic, medical, and psychosocial factors. A total of 529 outpatients with a variety of cancers completed the questionnaire. Multiple regression analyses indicated that patients who were younger, female, had greater faith in their physician, and were more highly educated placed more importance on "how bad news is delivered" than patients who were older, male, had less faith in their physician, and a lower level of education. Female patients and patients without an occupation placed more importance on "reassurance and emotional support." Younger, female, and more highly educated patients placed more importance on "additional information." Younger, female, and more highly educated patients, along with patients who weren't undergoing active treatment placed more importance on "setting." Patient preferences with regard to communication of bad news are associated with factors related to patient background. Physicians should consider these characteristics when delivering bad news and use an appropriate communication style tailored to each patient.

Instorting ijshal Bad Reichenhall

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Herwijnen, van F.

2008-01-01

De dakconstructie van ijshal Bad Reichenhall (D) was met zijn 2,87 m hoge hoofdliggers, uitgevoerd als houten kokerliggers, een bijzondere houtconstructie. Op deze schaal niet eerder uitgevoerd. Een serie fouten, defecten en beschadigingen werd de constructie echter fataal. Op 2 januari 2006 bezweek

A novel fiber-free technique for brain activity imaging in multiple freely behaving mice

Science.gov (United States)

Inagaki, Shigenori; Agetsuma, Masakazu; Nagai, Takeharu

2018-02-01

Brain functions and related psychiatric disorders have been investigated by recording electrophysiological field potential. When recording it, a conventional method requires fiber-based apparatus connected to the brain, which however hampers the simultaneous measurement in multiple animals (e.g. by a tangle of fibers). Here, we propose a fiber-free recording technique in conjunction with a ratiometric bioluminescent voltage indicator. Our method allows investigation of electrophysiological filed potential dynamics in multiple freely behaving animals simultaneously over a long time period. Therefore, this fiber-free technique opens up the way to investigate a new mechanism of brain function that governs social behaviors and animal-to-animal interaction.

Good and bad practices in pv plants

OpenAIRE

Martinez Moreno, Francisco; Helleputte, F.; Tyutyundzhiev, N.; Rabal Echeverria, Daniel; Conlon, Michael; Fartaria, Tomás; Oteiza, David

2013-01-01

The PVCROPS project (PhotoVolta ic Cost r€duction, Reliability, Operational performance, Prediction and Simulation), cofinanced by European Commission in the frame of Seventh Framework Programme, has compiled in the “Good and bad practices: Manual to improve the quality and reduce the cost of PV systems” a collection of good and bad practices in actual PV plants . All the situations it collects represent the state-of-the-art of existing PV installations all around Europe. They show how ...

26 CFR 1.593-5 - Addition to reserves for bad debts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 7 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Addition to reserves for bad debts. 1.593-5... bad debts. (a) Amount of addition. As an alternative to a deduction from gross income under section... a deduction under section 166(c) for a reasonable addition to a reserve for bad debts. In the case...

Voluntary running enhances glymphatic influx in awake behaving, young mice.

Science.gov (United States)

von Holstein-Rathlou, Stephanie; Petersen, Nicolas Caesar; Nedergaard, Maiken

2018-01-01

Vascular pathology and protein accumulation contribute to cognitive decline, whereas exercise can slow vascular degeneration and improve cognitive function. Recent investigations suggest that glymphatic clearance measured in aged mice while anesthetized is enhanced following exercise. We predicted that exercise would also stimulate glymphatic activity in awake, young mice with higher baseline glymphatic function. Therefore, we assessed glymphatic function in young female C57BL/6J mice following five weeks voluntary wheel running and in sedentary mice. The active mice ran a mean distance of 6km daily. We injected fluorescent tracers in cisterna magna of awake behaving mice and in ketamine/xylazine anesthetized mice, and later assessed tracer distribution in coronal brain sections. Voluntary exercise consistently increased CSF influx during wakefulness, primarily in the hypothalamus and ventral parts of the cortex, but also in the middle cerebral artery territory. While glymphatic activity was higher under ketamine/xylazine anesthesia, we saw a decrease in glymphatic function during running in awake mice after five weeks of wheel running. In summary, daily running increases CSF flux in widespread areas of the mouse brain, which may contribute to the pro-cognitive effects of exercise. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Breaking bad news: doctors' skills in communicating with patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira da Silveira, Francisco José; Botelho, Camila Carvalho; Valadão, Carolina Cirino

2017-01-01

Breaking bad news is one of doctors' duties and it requires them to have some skills, given that this situation is difficult and distressful for patients and their families. Moreover, it is also an uncomfortable condition for doctors. The aim of this study was to evaluate doctors' capacity to break bad news, ascertain which specialties are best prepared for doing this and assess the importance of including this topic within undergraduate courses. Observational cross-sectional quantitative study conducted at a university hospital in Belo Horizonte (MG), Brazil. This study used a questionnaire based on the SPIKES protocol, which was answered by 121 doctors at this university hospital. This questionnaire investigated their attitudes, posture, behavior and fears relating to breaking bad news. The majority of the doctors did not have problems regarding the concept of bad news. Nevertheless, their abilities diverged depending on the stage of the protocol and on their specialty and length of time since graduation. Generally, doctors who had graduated more than ten years before this survey felt more comfortable and confident, and thus transmitted the bad news in a better conducted manner. Much needs to be improved regarding this technique. Therefore, inclusion of this topic in undergraduate courses is necessary and proposals should be put forward and verified.

26 CFR 1.593-7 - Establishment and treatment of reserves for bad debts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

....593-10. (2) Bad debt losses. Any bad debt in respect of a nonqualifying loan shall be charged against the reserve for losses on nonqualifying loans, and any bad debt in respect of a qualifying real... option of the taxpayer, however, any bad debt in respect of either class of loans may be charged in whole...

Anticipating and Resisting the Temptation to Behave Unethically.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheldon, Oliver J; Fishbach, Ayelet

2015-07-01

Ethical dilemmas pose a self-control conflict between pursuing immediate benefits through behaving dishonestly and pursuing long-term benefits through acts of honesty. Therefore, factors that facilitate self-control for other types of goals (e.g., health and financial) should also promote ethical behavior. Across four studies, we find support for this possibility. Specifically, we find that only under conditions that facilitate conflict identification--including the consideration of several decisions simultaneously (i.e., a broad decision frame) and perceived high connectedness to the future self--does anticipating a temptation to behave dishonestly in advance promote honesty. We demonstrate these interaction patterns between conflict identification and temptation anticipation in negotiation situations (Study 1), lab tasks (Study 2), and ethical dilemmas in the workplace (Studies 3-4). We conclude that identifying a self-control conflict and anticipating a temptation are two necessary preconditions for ethical decision making. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Cinema and the communication of bad news

OpenAIRE

Ana Isabel GÓMEZ CORDOBA; Haroldo ESTRADA

2016-01-01

Breaking Bad News requires medical professionals possess a range of skills to ensure that the patient has the information required for decision?making, this process occurs without further damage and even has a therapeutic effect, and another, that the doctor is not exposed to legal risk or stress associated with the inability to cope with the feelings of the patient, their families or themselves. This article discusses the aspects of communication of bad news in the field of doctor?patient re...

Walking Wounded or Living Dead? Making Banks Foreclose Bad Loans

OpenAIRE

Max Bruche; Gerard Llobet

2011-01-01

Due to limited liability, banks that are essentially insolvent may have incentives to roll over bad loans as a gamble for resurrection, even though it is socially inefficient to do so. This paper considers the problem of making such banks remove and/or foreclose bad loans, when the proportion of loans on a bank’s balance sheet that has gone bad is private information. The private information implies that many plausible schemes are likely to generate windfall gains for bank equity holders, whi...

Female entrepreneurs in trouble: do their bad loans last longer?

OpenAIRE

Juri Marcucci; Paolo Emilio Mistrulli

2013-01-01

We investigate the duration of bad loans for a unique data set of sole proprietorships in Italy, finding that bad loans for female firms last longer. However, this result is mainly due to the fact that loans granted to female firms are less frequently written off than those to male ones, suggesting that for banks female firms might be more creditworthy than male firms. These findings are robust to censoring, alternative specifications of the distribution of bad loan duration and other bank-sp...

A short guide to giving bad news.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Jeffrey T

2008-01-01

Approaching an individual or a family with bad news, but without an appropriate plan to present the information in a structured manner, is almost a guarantee of greater emotional pain and disruption for the recipients of the news. Crisis interveners must develop a strategic plan for the announcement of bad news. That plan should entail a lead-up phase, a transmission phase, and a followup phase. The lead-up phase encompasses the gathering of accurate, verifiable information and the clear identification of the targets of the information. The transmission phase includes immediate preparation for the presentation of the information, the actual announcement, and the presentation of additional details as questions arise. The follow-up phase includes a range of supportive interventions to assist people in the immediate crisis reaction. It also includes a system of referrals for people who might benefit from additional professional care. This article provides practical guidelines for providing bad news to the loved ones of injured, ill, or deceased people.

Evaluating Third-Party Bad Neighborhood Blacklists for Spam Detection

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moreira Moura, Giovane; Sperotto, Anna; Sadre, R.; Pras, Aiko; Seon Hong, C.; Diao, Y.; De Turk, F.

The distribution of malicious hosts over the IP address space is far from being uniform. In fact, malicious hosts tend to be concentrate in certain portions of the IP address space, forming the so-called Bad Neighborhoods. This phenomenon has been previously exploited to filter Spam by means of Bad

Water data: bad TPC pads, 3.6 µs and 100 ns problems

CERN Document Server

Dydak, F; Nefedov, Y; Wotschack, J; Zhemchugov, A

2004-01-01

Out of the 3972 pads of the HARP TPC, about 9% are 'bad' and not useful for the correct reconstruction of clusters. Bad pads comprise dead pads, noisy pads, and pads with low or undefined amplification. Pads may be bad at one time, but not at another. This memo discusses the sources of information which were used to declare a pad 'bad', and gives the list of bad pads for the water data (runs 19146 to 19301). Also, the 3.6 µs and 100 ns problems of the TPC readout are discussed, including the corrective measures which have been taken.

Breaking bad news: doctors’ skills in communicating with patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco José Ferreira da Silveira

2017-05-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Breaking bad news is one of doctors’ duties and it requires them to have some skills, given that this situation is difficult and distressful for patients and their families. Moreover, it is also an uncomfortable condition for doctors. The aim of this study was to evaluate doctors’ capacity to break bad news, ascertain which specialties are best prepared for doing this and assess the importance of including this topic within undergraduate courses. DESIGN AND SETTING: Observational cross-sectional quantitative study conducted at a university hospital in Belo Horizonte (MG, Brazil. METHODS: This study used a questionnaire based on the SPIKES protocol, which was answered by 121 doctors at this university hospital. This questionnaire investigated their attitudes, posture, behavior and fears relating to breaking bad news. RESULTS: The majority of the doctors did not have problems regarding the concept of bad news. Nevertheless, their abilities diverged depending on the stage of the protocol and on their specialty and length of time since graduation. Generally, doctors who had graduated more than ten years before this survey felt more comfortable and confident, and thus transmitted the bad news in a better conducted manner. CONCLUSION: Much needs to be improved regarding this technique. Therefore, inclusion of this topic in undergraduate courses is necessary and proposals should be put forward and verified.

Superconductivity in bad metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emery, V.J.; Kivelson, S.A.

1995-01-01

It is argued that many synthetic metals, including high temperature superconductors are ''bad metals'' with such a poor conductivity that the usual mean-field theory of superconductivity breaks down because of anomalously large classical and quantum fluctuations of the phase of the superconducting order parameter. Some consequences for high temperature superconductors are described

Breaking Bad News: An Evidence-Based Review of Communication Models for Oncology Nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Bumb, Meridith; Keefe, Joanna; Miller, Lindsay; Overcash, Janine

2017-10-01

A diagnosis of cancer is a stressful, difficult, and life-altering event. Breaking bad news is distressing to patients and families and is often uncomfortable for the nurse delivering it. Evidence-based communication models have been developed and adapted for use in clinical practice to assist nurses with breaking bad news.

. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview on breaking bad news and to review the utility of the SPIKES and PEWTER evidence-based communication models for oncology nurses.
. Perceptions of breaking bad news from the nurse and patient perspectives, as well as barriers and consequences to effective communication, will be presented. Clinical examples of possible situations of breaking bad news will demonstrate how to use the SPIKES and PEWTER models of communication when disclosing bad news to patients and their families.
. By using the evidence-based communication strategies depicted in this article, oncology nurses can support the delivery of bad news and maintain communication with their patients and their patients' families in an effective and productive manner.

Bad Data Detection and Identification for State Estimation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khazraj, Hesam; Silva, Filipe Miguel Faria da; Bak, Claus Leth

2017-01-01

state estimations. To achieve this object largest normalized residual test (rNmax) is applied to detect and analysis bad data in phasor measurements, power flow and power injections of buses used for the novel PMU-based state estimation. The main advantage of new PMU-based static state estimation......Bad data analysis is an important part of both dynamic and static state estimations. This paper present novel algorithm of phase measurement unit (PMU)-based static state estimation to detect and identify multiple bad data in critical measurements, which is not possible with traditional static...... is that phasor measurements can be added separately into the proposed state estimation. This paper proposes an ideal method to combine the phasor measurements into the conventional state estimator in a systematic way, so that no significant modification is necessary to the existing algorithm. The main advantage...

Collaborative Practice Model: Improving the Delivery of Bad News.

Science.gov (United States)

Bowman, Pamela N; Slusser, Kim; Allen, Deborah

2018-02-01

Ideal bad news delivery requires skilled communication and team support. The literature has primarily focused on patient preferences, impact on care decisions, healthcare roles, and communication styles, without addressing systematic implementation. This article describes how an interdisciplinary team, led by advanced practice nurses, developed and implemented a collaborative practice model to deliver bad news on a unit that had struggled with inconsistencies. Using evidence-based practices, the authors explored current processes, role perceptions and expectations, and perceived barriers to developing the model, which is now the standard of care and an example of interprofessional team collaboration across the healthcare system. This model for delivering bad news can be easily adapted to meet the needs of other clinical units.
.

A scoping research literature review to assess the state of existing evidence on the "bad" death.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Donna M; Hewitt, Jessica A

2018-02-01

A scoping research literature review on "bad death" was undertaken to assess the overall state of the science on this topic and to determine what evidence exists on how often bad deaths occur, what contributes to or causes a bad death, and what the outcomes and consequences of bad deaths are. A search for English-language research articles was conducted in late 2016, with 25 articles identified and all retained for examination, as is expected with scoping reviews. Only 3 of the 25 articles provided incidence information, specifying that 7.8 to 23% of deaths were bad and that bad deaths were more likely to occur in hospitals than in community-care settings. Many different factors were associated with bad deaths, with unrelieved pain being the most commonly identified. Half of the studies provided information on the possible consequences or outcomes of bad deaths, such as palliative care not being initiated, interpersonal and team conflict, and long-lasting negative community effects. This review identified a relatively small number of research articles that focused in whole or in part on bad deaths. Although the reasons why people consider a death to be bad may be highly individualized and yet also socioculturally based, unrelieved pain is a commonly held reason for bad deaths. Although bad and good deaths may have some opposing causative factors, this literature review revealed some salient bad death attributes, ones that could be avoided to prevent bad deaths from occurring. A routine assessment to allow planning so as to avoid bad deaths and enhance the probability of good deaths is suggested.

Have we lost the ability to listen to bad news?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Oorschot, Kim.E.; van Wassenhove, Luk; Sengupta, Kishore; Akkermans, Henk

2016-01-01

Research shows that project managers continuously prioritised good vibes (positive, but subjective signals) over bad news (negative, but objective signals), which resulted in decisions of poor quality. Without understanding the root causes that generate the bad news and the good vibes, managers

Role of mTOR, Bad, and Survivin in RasGAP Fragment N-Mediated Cell Protection

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jiang-Yan; Widmann, Christian

2013-01-01

Partial cleavage of p120 RasGAP by caspase-3 in stressed cells generates an N-terminal fragment, called fragment N, which activates an anti-apoptotic Akt-dependent survival response. Akt regulates several effectors but which of these mediate fragment N-dependent cell protection has not been defined yet. Here we have investigated the role of mTORC1, Bad, and survivin in the capacity of fragment N to protect cells from apoptosis. Neither rapamycin, an inhibitor of mTORC1, nor silencing of raptor, a subunit of the mTORC1 complex, altered the ability of fragment N from inhibiting cisplatin- and Fas ligand-induced death. Cells lacking Bad, despite displaying a stronger resistance to apoptosis, were still protected by fragment N against cisplatin-induced death. Fragment N was also able to protect cells from Fas ligand-induced death in conditions where Bad plays no role in apoptosis regulation. Fragment N expression in cells did neither modulate survivin mRNA nor its protein expression. Moreover, the expression of cytoplasmic survivin, known to exert anti-apoptotic actions in cells, still occurred in UV-B-irradiated epidermis of mouse expressing a caspase-3-resistant RasGAP mutant that cannot produce fragment N. Additionally, survivin function in cell cycle progression was not affected by fragment N. These results indicate that, taken individually, mTOR, Bad, or Survivin are not required for fragment N to protect cells from cell death. We conclude that downstream targets of Akt other than mTORC1, Bad, or survivin mediate fragment N-induced protection or that several Akt effectors can compensate for each other to induce the pro-survival fragment N-dependent response. PMID:23826368

[Construction of BAD Lentivirus Vector and Its Effect on Proliferation in A549 Cell Lines].

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Na; He, Yan-qi; Zhu, Jing; Li, Wei-min

2015-05-01

To construct the recombinant lentivirus expressing vector BAD (Bcl-2-associated death protein) gene and to study its effect on A549 cell proliferation. The BAD gene was amplified from plasmid pAV-MCMV-BAD-GFP by PCR. The purified BAD gene fragment was inserted into a lentivirus vector (pLVX-IRES-ZsGreen 1), and the insertion was identified by PCR, restriction endonuclease analysis and DNA sequencing. A549 cells were then transfected with the packaged recombinant lentivirus, and resistant cell clones were selected with flow cytometry. The expression of BAD in A549 cell lines stably transduction with a lentivirus was examined using Western blot. The effect of BAD overexpression on proliferation of A549 cells was evaluated by using CCK-8 kit. Restriction enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing showed that the full-length BAD gene (507 bp) had been successfully subcloned into the lentiviral vector to result in the recombinant vector pLVX-IRES-ZsGreen 1. Monoclonal cell lines BAD-A549 was produced after transfection with the recombinant lentivirus and selected with flow cytometry. Stable expression of BAD protein was verified by Western blot. In vitro, the OD value in BAD group was significantly lower than that of control groups from 120-144 h (PBAD gene had been successfully generated. In vitro, BAD overexpression significantly inhibited A549 cells proliferation.

Targeting proapoptotic protein BAD inhibits survival and self-renewal of cancer stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Sastry, K S R; Al-Muftah, M A; Li, Pu; Al-Kowari, M K; Wang, E; Ismail Chouchane, A; Kizhakayil, D; Kulik, G; Marincola, F M; Haoudi, A; Chouchane, L

2014-12-01

Emerging evidence suggests that the resistance of cancer stem cells (CSC) to many conventional therapies is one of the major limiting factors of cancer therapy efficacy. Identification of mechanisms responsible for survival and self-renewal of CSC will help design new therapeutic strategies that target and eliminate both differentiated cancer cells and CSC. Here we demonstrated the potential role of proapoptotic protein BAD in the biology of CSC in melanoma, prostate and breast cancers. We enriched CD44(+)/CD24(-) cells (CSC) by tumorosphere formation and purified this population by FACS. Both spheres and CSC exhibited increased potential for proliferation, migration, invasion, sphere formation, anchorage-independent growth, as well as upregulation of several stem cell-associated markers. We showed that the phosphorylation of BAD is essential for the survival of CSC. Conversely, ectopic expression of a phosphorylation-deficient mutant BAD induced apoptosis in CSC. This effect was enhanced by treatment with a BH3-mimetic, ABT-737. Both pharmacological agents that inhibit survival kinases and growth factors that are involved in drug resistance delivered their respective cytotoxic and protective effects by modulating the BAD phosphorylation in CSC. Furthermore, the frequency and self-renewal capacity of CSC was significantly reduced by knocking down the BAD expression. Consistent with our in vitro results, significant phosphorylation of BAD was found in CD44(+) CSC of 83% breast tumor specimens. In addition, we also identified a positive correlation between BAD expression and disease stage in prostate cancer, suggesting a role of BAD in tumor advancement. Our studies unveil the role of BAD in the survival and self-renewal of CSC and propose BAD not only as an attractive target for cancer therapy but also as a marker of tumor progression.

Scientists Still Behaving Badly? A Survey Within Industry and Universities.

Science.gov (United States)

Godecharle, Simon; Fieuws, Steffen; Nemery, Ben; Dierickx, Kris

2017-10-02

Little is known about research misconduct within industry and how it compares to universities, even though a lot of biomedical research is performed by-or in collaboration with-commercial entities. Therefore, we sent an e-mail invitation to participate in an anonymous computer-based survey to all university researchers having received a biomedical research grant or scholarship from one of the two national academic research funders of Belgium between 2010 and 2014, and to researchers working in large biomedical companies or spin-offs in Belgium. The validated survey included questions about various types of research misconduct committed by respondents themselves and observed among their colleagues in the last three years. Prevalences of misconduct were compared between university and industry respondents using binary logistic regression models, with adjustments for relevant personal characteristics, and with significance being accepted for p industry. Response rates were 43 (767/1766) and 48% (123/255), and usable information was available for 617 and 100 respondents, respectively. In general, research misconduct was less likely to be reported by industry respondents compared to university respondents. Significant differences were apparent for one admitted action (gift authorship) and three observed actions (plagiarism, gift authorship, and circumventing animal-subjects research requirements), always with lower prevalences for industry compared to universities, except for plagiarism. This survey, based on anonymous self-report, shows that research misconduct occurs to a substantial degree among biomedical researchers from both industry and universities.

Aliens Behaving Badly: Children's Acquisition of Novel Purity-Based Morals

Science.gov (United States)

Rottman, Joshua; Kelemen, Deborah

2012-01-01

The traditional cognitive developmental perspective on moral acquisition posits that children actively construct moral beliefs by assessing the negative impacts of antisocial behaviors. This account is not easily applied to actions that are considered immoral despite lacking consequences for others' welfare. We studied the moralization of…

Looking good, but behaving badly: leader accountability and ethics failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruhn, John G

2005-01-01

Making the bottom line is a fact of life in the business and corporate world. However, when organizations and their leaders become fixated on the bottom line and ignore values, an environment conducive to ethics failure is nurtured. Ethics failure has focused almost exclusively on the behavior of organizational leaders. However, it is the interaction of the culture of organizations and the character of their leaders that create the environment and social situations conducive to ethics failure. Although ethics failure is not totally preventable, there are usually warning signs early in the recruitment process of prospective CEOs that predict ethics failure. The author suggests that specific up-front questions be asked to ascertain the ethical fitness of prospective CEOs.

Collective bads: The case of low-level radioactive waste compacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGinnis, M.V.

1994-01-01

In low-level radioactive waste (LLW) compact development, policy gridlock and intergovernmental conflict between states has been the norm. In addition to the not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) phenomenon, LLW compacts must content with myriad political and ethical dilemmas endemic to a particular collective bad. This paper characterizes the epistemology of collective bads, and reviews how LLW compacts deal with such bads. In addition, using data from survey questionnaires and interviews, this paper assesses the cooperative nature of LLW compacts in terms of their levels of regional autonomy, regional efficacy, allocation of costs and benefits, and their technocentric orientation

The News Delivery Sequence: Bad News and Good News in Conversational Interaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Maynard, Douglas W.

1997-01-01

Explores the conditional nature of good and bad news while focusing on three topics: (1) the status of information as news according the participants in a conversation; (2) the valence of this information with regard to its perception as good or bad; and (3) the effect of news on individuals. Notes that good news is privileged over bad news in…

76 FR 58784 - Bad Boy Enterprises, LLC, Provisional Acceptance of a Settlement Agreement and Order

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-22

... CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION [CPSC Docket No. 11-C0011] Bad Boy Enterprises, LLC... 1118.20(e). Published below is a provisionally-accepted Settlement Agreement with Bad Boy Enterprises..., Bad Boy Enterprises, LLC (``Bad Boy'') and staff (``Staff'') of the United States Consumer Product...

Cancer: Bad Luck or Punishment?

Science.gov (United States)

Lichtenstein, A V

2017-01-01

Contrasting opinions on the role of extrinsic and intrinsic factors in cancer etiology (Tomasetti, C., and Vogelstein, B. (2015) Science, 347, 78-81; Wu, S., et al. (2016) Nature, 529, 43-47) variously define priorities in the war on cancer. The correlation between the lifetime risk of several types of cancer and the total number of divisions of normal self-renewing cells revealed by the authors has given them grounds to put forward the "bad luck" hypothesis. It assumes that ~70% of cancer variability is attributed to random errors arising during DNA replication in normal, noncancerous stem cells, i.e. to internal factors, which is impossible either to expect or to prevent. This assumption caused many critical responses that emphasize, on the contrary, the defining role of extrinsic factors in cancer etiology. The analysis of epidemiological and genetic data presented in this work testifies in favor of the "bad luck" hypothesis.

The impact of bad fit product line extensions on brand personality

OpenAIRE

Lima, Pedro

2017-01-01

This work project intended to study the impact of a bad fit product line extension on brand personality. To do that, the focus of the study was narrowed down to one dimension of the brand personality, ruggedness, and another one as a comparative dimension, sophistication. The test consisted in the introduction of a bad fit extension by two brands: Harley-Davidson and Jaguar. The findings show us that a bad fit extension has more impact in the sophistication dimension (increased the dimension ...

[Breaking bad news in the emergency room: Suggestions and future challenges].

Science.gov (United States)

Landa-Ramírez, Edgar; López-Gómez, Antonio; Jiménez-Escobar, Irma; Sánchez-Sosa, Juan José

2017-01-01

The aim of this paper is to describe educational programs that reportedly teach how to break bad news in the emergency department. We also suggest some recommendations on how to communicate bad news based on the research of evidence available in the field. The examined evidence points toward six major components with which physicians should familiarize when communicating bad news: 1) doctor-patient empathic communication, 2) establishing a proper space to give the news, 3) identifying characteristics of the person who receives the news, 4) essential aspects for communicating the news; 5) emotional support, and 6) medical and administrative aspects of the encounter. Finally, we point out several limitations in the studies in the field and future challenges identified in the communication of bad news in emergency room facilities.

Bad Public Leadership in South Africa: The Jackie Selebi Case ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This article scrutinises the literature on bad public leadership and then presents an analysis of a South African case of bad public leadership. Leadership is analysed in terms of contextual as well as conceptual perspectives. The article emphasises that both context as well as conceptual and theoretical factors should be ...

Bad Neighborhoods on the Internet

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moreira Moura, G.C.; Sadre, R.; Pras, A.

2014-01-01

Analogous to the real world, sources of malicious activities on the Internet tend to be concentrated in certain networks instead of being evenly distributed. In this article, we formally define and frame such areas as Internet Bad Neighborhoods. By extending the reputation of malicious IP addresses

Internet Bad Neighborhoods temporal behavior

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moreira Moura, Giovane; Sadre, R.; Pras, Aiko

2014-01-01

Malicious hosts tend to be concentrated in certain areas of the IP addressing space, forming the so-called Bad Neighborhoods. Knowledge about this concentration is valuable in predicting attacks from unseen IP addresses. This observation has been employed in previous works to filter out spam. In

Internet Bad Neighborhoods Temporal Behavior

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moreira Moura, G.C.; Sadre, R.; Pras, A.

2014-01-01

Malicious hosts tend to be concentrated in certain areas of the IP addressing space, forming the so-called Bad Neighborhoods. Knowledge about this concentration is valuable in predicting attacks from unseen IP addresses. This observation has been employed in previous works to filter out spam. In

Magnetism of Ba4Ru3O10 revealed by density functional calculations: Structural trimers behaving as coupled magnetic dimers

Science.gov (United States)

Saul, Andres; Radtke, Guillaume; Klein, Yannick; Rousse, Gwenaelle

2013-03-01

From a simple ionic picture, the only magnetically active ions in this compound are the three Ru4+ atoms which form trimers of faced shared RuO6 octahedral. The Ru atom in the middle of the trimer (named Ru(1)) is cristallographically inequivalent to the ones at the corners (named Ru(2)). A naïve analysis of the magnetic properties of this compound compatible with the expected low spin magnetic configuration of the Ru ions would predict a complicate magnetic order at low temperature involving the Ru(1) and Ru(2) ions and a high temperature susceptibility corresponding to three S=1 ions per unit cell. In spite of that, we demonstrate in this work, from density functional calculations, that under the influence of Ru-Ru covalent bonding, the structural trimers behave in an extended range of temperature from 0 to 600K, as strong (S = 1) antiferromagnetic dimers. Our calculations of the effective exchange interactions show a strong intra-dimer interaction and a weaker inter-dimer one which explains the antiferromagnetic order observed below TN = 105 K and the magnetic susceptibility in the intermediate and high temperature range (from TN=105K up to 612 K).

26 CFR 1.585-5 - Denial of bad debt reserves for large banks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 7 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Denial of bad debt reserves for large banks. 1...) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Banking Institutions § 1.585-5 Denial of bad debt... other section for an addition to a reserve for bad debts. However, for these years, except as provided...

Effects of "Good News" and "Bad News" on Newscast Image and Community Image.

Science.gov (United States)

Galician, Mary-Lou; Vestre, Norris D.

1987-01-01

Investigates whether the relative amount of bad, neutral, and good news on television has corresponding effects on viewers' image of the community depicted and of the carrying newscast. Concludes that bad news creates a bad image for the community but that good news does not produce a more favorable image than neutral news. (MM)

Autophagy postpones apoptotic cell death in PRRSV infection through Bad-Beclin1 interaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Ao; Li, Shuaifeng; Khan, Faheem Ahmed; Zhang, Shujun

2016-01-01

Autophagy and apoptosis play significant roles in PRRSV infection and replication. However, the interaction between these 2 processes in PRRSV replication is still far from been completely understood. In our studies, the exposure of MARC-145 cells to PRRSV confirmed the activation of autophagy and subsequent induction of apoptosis. The inhibition of autophagy by 3-methyladenine (3-MA) caused a significant increase in PRRSV-induced apoptosis, showing a potential connection between both mechanisms. Moreover, we observed an increase in Bad expression (a pro-apoptotic protein) and Beclin1 (an autophagy regulator) in virus-infected cells up to 36h. Co-immunoprecipitation assays showed the formation of Bad and Beclin1 complex in PRRSV infected cells. Accordingly, Bad co-localized with Beclin1 in MARC-145 infected cells. Knockdown of Beclin1 significantly decreased PRRSV replication and PRRSV-induced autophagy, while Bad silencing resulted in increased autophagy and enhanced viral replication. Furthermore, PRRSV infection phosphorylated Bad (Ser112) to promote cellular survival. These results demonstrate that autophagy can favor PRRSV replication by postponing apoptosis through the formation of a Bad-Beclin1 complex.

Expression and prognostic relevance of MET and phospho-BAD in non-small cell lung cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Wenze; Ai, Ting; Gao, Ying; Zhang, Yingbing; Cui, Jie; Song, Liping

2013-01-01

MET is involved in the progression of several types of human cancers, while phospho-BAD(Ser-136) is a key molecule in apoptosis and might be regulated by MET. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between altered expression of MET and phospho-BAD in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and their association with clinicopathologic parameters and overall survival. MET and phospho-BAD(Ser-136) proteins were evaluated by immunohistochemical analysis in 183 paraffin-embedded specimens and were also assessed by Western blotting analysis in 12 frozen tumor tissue samples, which were representative examples of immunohistochemical staining. Positive expression of MET and phospho-BAD(Ser-136) occurred in 67.2% and 49.2% of the 183 cases of NSCLC, respectively. However, neither MET expression nor phospho-BAD(Ser-136) expression was associated with any clinicopathologic parameter. A significant correlation was found between MET and phospho-BAD(Ser-136) expression levels evaluated by immunohistochemistry (r = 0.268, P BAD(Ser-136)+ phenotype had a poorer prognosis than others (P BAD(Ser-136) expression, and may be an adverse predictor for NSCLC. Activation of the MET/phospho-BAD(Ser-136) signaling pathway might play a role in the development and progression of NSCLC.

Gender inequality: Bad for men's health

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2013-03-02

Mar 2, 2013 ... have attributed this risk to men's poorer health-seeking behaviour, which may prevent them from accessing ART, being ... Gender inequality: Bad for men's health ..... New York: United Nations Development Programme, 2005.

On badly approximable complex numbers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Esdahl-Schou, Rune; Kristensen, S.

We show that the set of complex numbers which are badly approximable by ratios of elements of , where has maximal Hausdorff dimension. In addition, the intersection of these sets is shown to have maximal dimension. The results remain true when the sets in question are intersected with a suitably...

An Image Enhancement Method Using the Quantum-Behaved Particle Swarm Optimization with an Adaptive Strategy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoping Su

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Image enhancement techniques are very important to image processing, which are used to improve image quality or extract the fine details in degraded images. In this paper, two novel objective functions based on the normalized incomplete Beta transform function are proposed to evaluate the effectiveness of grayscale image enhancement and color image enhancement, respectively. Using these objective functions, the parameters of transform functions are estimated by the quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO. We also propose an improved QPSO with an adaptive parameter control strategy. The QPSO and the AQPSO algorithms, along with genetic algorithm (GA and particle swarm optimization (PSO, are tested on several benchmark grayscale and color images. The results show that the QPSO and AQPSO perform better than GA and PSO for the enhancement of these images, and the AQPSO has some advantages over QPSO due to its adaptive parameter control strategy.

Breaking bad news: A communication competency for ophthalmology training programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Hilkert, Sarah M; Cebulla, Colleen M; Jain, Shelly Gupta; Pfeil, Sheryl A; Benes, Susan C; Robbins, Shira L

As the ophthalmology accreditation system undergoes major changes, training programs must evaluate residents in the 6 core competencies, including appropriately communicating bad news. Although the literature is replete with recommendations for breaking bad news across various non-ophthalmology specialties, no formal training programs exist for ophthalmology. There are many valuable lessons to be learned from our colleagues regarding this important skill. We examine the historic basis for breaking bad news, explore current recommendations among other specialties, and then evaluate a pilot study in breaking bad news for ophthalmology residents. The results of this study are limited by a small number of residents at a single academic center. Future studies from multiple training programs should be conducted to further evaluate the need and efficacy of formal communication skills training in this area, as well as the generalizability of our pilot training program. If validated, this work could serve as a template for future ophthalmology resident training and evaluation in this core competency. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Learn good from bad: Effects of good and bad neighbors in spatial prisoners' dilemma games

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Peng

2015-10-01

Cooperation is vital for the human society and this study focuses on how to promote cooperation. In our stratification model, there exist three classes: two minorities are elites who are prone to cooperate and scoundrels who are born to defect; one majority is the class of common people. Agents of these three classes interact with each other on a square lattice. Commons' cooperation and its factors are investigated. Contradicting our common sense, it indicates that elites play a negative role while scoundrels play a positive one in promoting commons' cooperation. Besides, effects of good and bad neighbors vary with temptation. When the temptation is smaller the positive effect is able to overcome the negative effect, but the later prevails when the temptation is larger. It concludes that common people are more prone to cooperate in harsh environment with bad neighbors, and a better environment with good neighbors merely leads to laziness and free riding of commons.

A charged anisotropic well-behaved Adler-Finch-Skea solution satisfying Karmarkar condition

Science.gov (United States)

Bhar, Piyali; Singh, Ksh. Newton; Rahaman, Farook; Pant, Neeraj; Banerjee, Sumita

In the present paper, we discover a new well-behaved charged anisotropic solution of Einstein-Maxwell’s field equations. We ansatz the metric potential g00 of the form given by Maurya et al. (Eur. Phys. J. C 76(12) (2016) 693) with n = 2. In their paper, it is mentioned that for n = 2, the solution is not well-behaved for neutral configuration as the speed of sound is nondecreasing radially outward. However, the solution can represent a physically possible configuration with the inclusion of some net electric charge, i.e. the solution can become a well-behaved solution with decreasing sound speed radially outward for a charged configuration. Due to the inclusion of electric charge, the solution leads to a very stiff equation-of-state (EoS) with the velocity of sound at the center vr02 = 0.819, vt02 = 0.923 and the compactness parameter u = 0.823 is close to the Buchdahl limit 0.889. This stiff EoS support a compact star configuration of mass 5.418M⊙ and radius of 10.1km.

Seizure-like activity leads to the release of BAD from 14-3-3 protein and cell death in hippocampal neurons in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Meller, R; Schindler, C K; Chu, X P; Xiong, Z G; Cameron, J A; Simon, R P; Henshall, D C

2003-05-01

Seizure-induced neuronal death may involve engagement of the BCL-2 family of apoptosis-regulating proteins. In the present study we examined the activation of proapoptotic BAD in cultured hippocampal neurons following seizures induced by removal of chronic glutamatergic transmission blockade. Kynurenic acid withdrawal elicited an increase in seizure-like electrical activity, which was inhibited by blockers of AMPA (CNQX) and NMDA (MK801 and AP5) receptor function. However, only NMDA receptor antagonists inhibited calcium entry as assessed by fura-2, and cell death of hippocampal neurons. Seizures increased proteolysis of caspase-3 and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) of cells. Seizure-like activity induced dephosphorylation of BAD and the disruption of its constitutive interaction with 14-3-3 proteins. In turn, BAD dimerized with antiapoptotic BCL-Xl after seizures. However, the absence of neuroprotective effects of pathway intervention suggests that BAD may perform a reinforcement rather than instigator role in cell death following seizures in vitro.

Bad splits in bilateral sagittal split osteotomy: systematic review of fracture patterns.

Science.gov (United States)

Steenen, S A; Becking, A G

2016-07-01

An unfavourable and unanticipated pattern of the mandibular sagittal split osteotomy is generally referred to as a 'bad split'. Few restorative techniques to manage the situation have been described. In this article, a classification of reported bad split pattern types is proposed and appropriate salvage procedures to manage the different types of undesired fracture are presented. A systematic review was undertaken, yielding a total of 33 studies published between 1971 and 2015. These reported a total of 458 cases of bad splits among 19,527 sagittal ramus osteotomies in 10,271 patients. The total reported incidence of bad split was 2.3% of sagittal splits. The most frequently encountered were buccal plate fractures of the proximal segment (types 1A-F) and lingual fractures of the distal segment (types 2A and 2B). Coronoid fractures (type 3) and condylar neck fractures (type 4) have seldom been reported. The various types of bad split may require different salvage approaches. Copyright © 2016 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

BEHAVE: fire behavior prediction and fuel modeling system--FUEL subsystem

Science.gov (United States)

Robert E. Burgan; Richard C. Rothermel

1984-01-01

This manual documents the fuel modeling procedures of BEHAVE--a state-of-the-art wildland fire behavior prediction system. Described are procedures for collecting fuel data, using the data with the program, and testing and adjusting the fuel model.

How are we behaving?

CERN Multimedia

2012-01-01

It’s almost two years since CERN introduced a Code of Conduct. The results may not be immediately measurable, but I’d like to think it’s made the lab a better place to be. The Code of Conduct is based on values that most of us immediately identify with, and so implementing it comes as second nature. Nevertheless, in an organisation of over 10,000 people, it’s useful to have a set of guidelines and there have been occasions on which it’s been necessary to remind people of them.   I use the figure of 10,000 advisedly since the Code of Conduct applies to us all, those on the CERN payroll as well as users of the lab’s facilities and people working for CERN contractors, as long as they are acting on CERN’s behalf. The Code also applies to us whether we are on the CERN site or anywhere else. CERN is a major presence in the region. The way we behave can have a significant influence on how our neighbours perceive us, and how the la...

Legal Drugs Are Good Drugs And Illegal Drugs Are Bad Drugs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dina Indrati

2011-07-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT : Labelling drugs are important issue nowadays in a modern society. Although it is generally believed that legal drugs are good drugs and illegal drugs are bad drugs, it is evident that some people do not aware about the side effects of drugs used. Therefore, a key contention of this philosophical essay is that explores harms minimisation policy, discuss whether legal drugs are good drugs and illegal drugs are bad drugs and explores relation of drugs misuse in a psychiatric nursing setting and dual diagnosis.Key words: Legal, good drugs, illegal, bad drugs.

PROGRAMMED CORRECTIVE EXERCISES IN PCYSICAL EDUCATION CLASSES AND LORDOTIC BAD BODY POSITION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zoran Bogdanović

2008-08-01

Full Text Available The subject matter of the research was the influence of specially program medphysical education instruction with specific complexes of exercises of corrective gymnastics at the 5th grade pupils at those with lordotic bad body position established by measuring. The aims were to define the number of children with lordotic bad body position and to eliminate or alleviate the existing disturbance until the end of the experimental programme. The experimental programme was carried out among the 5th grade pupils. Total number of pupils included in this experiment was 434. The methods that were used for the estimation of lordotic bad body position are somatoscopy and somatometry. The plumb, ruler and dermograph were necessary instruments. For the estimation of the states of bad body position, the average value of mild criterion is applied. It can be concluded that during experimental programme even 85.93% of the subjects successfully corrected their bad body position; more exactly completely corrected lordotic bad body position. That percentage is certificate of justification and necessity of application of experimental programme of corrective gymnastics with all his organizational characteristics (the setting, the scope of work, load intensity, directing and controlling the experiment. Muscular-bone system of boys shows the high level of adaptation on the applied experimental factor of corrective gymnastics.

[The relationship study on the relationship between procrastination behaviors and bad personality disposition].

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Yuan

2006-01-01

To explore the relationship between procrastinate behavior of college students and bad personality disposition. 566 college students were selected and followed through adopting the measurement on the procrastination scale of college students and Personality Disorders Questionnaire (PDQ-4). Results showed that male and female college students did not have remarkable difference in terms of procrastination. High level procrastinators had a higher level of scores on bad personality disposition. In addition, College students' procrastination had close relationship with bad personality disposition (r = 0.341, P College students' procrastination had close relationship with bad personality disposition which did not match the findings from McCown's results on american college students.

Breaking bad news-what patients want and what they get: evaluating the SPIKES protocol in Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Seifart, C; Hofmann, M; Bär, T; Riera Knorrenschild, J; Seifart, U; Rief, W

2014-03-01

Evaluation of the SPIKES protocol, a recommended guideline for breaking bad news, is sparse, and information about patients' preferences for bad-news delivery in Germany is lacking. Being the first actual-theoretical comparison of a 'breaking bad news' guideline, the present study evaluates the recommended steps of the SPIKES protocol. Moreover, emotional consequences and quality of bad-news delivery are investigated. A total of 350 cancer patients answered the MABBAN (Marburg Breaking Bad News Scale), a questionnaire representing the six SPIKES subscales, asking for the procedure, perception and satisfaction of the first cancer disclosure and patient's assign to these items. Only 46.2% of the asked cancer patients are completely satisfied with how bad news had been broken to them. The overall quality is significantly related to the emotional state after receiving bad news (r = -0.261, P bad news were delivered, and the resulting rang list of patients' preferences indicates that the SPIKES protocol do not fully meet the priorities of cancer patients in Germany. It could be postulated that the low satisfaction of patients observed in this study reflects the highly significant difference between patients' preferences and bad-news delivery. Therefore, some adjunctions to the SPIKES protocol should be considered, including a frequent reassurance of listeners' understanding, the perpetual possibility to ask question, respect for prearrangement needs and the conception of bad-news delivery in a two-step procedure.

Public good provision and public bad prevention: The effect of framing.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sonnemans, J.; Schram, A.; Offermans, T.

1998-01-01

An experimental analysis of voluntary, binary contributions for step-level public goods/bads is presented. Alternatively, the situation is presented as the provision of a public good or the prevention of a public bad. From a strategic point of view, these presentations are equivalent. In early

19 CFR 125.34 - Countersigning of documents and notation of bad order or discrepancy.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Countersigning of documents and notation of bad... and Receipt § 125.34 Countersigning of documents and notation of bad order or discrepancy. When a... and shall note thereon any bad order or discrepancy. When available, the importing carrier's tally...

Does emotional intelligence predict breaking bad news skills in pediatric interns? A pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, Suzanne; Kassis, Karyn; Nagel, Rollin; Verbeck, Nicole; Mahan, John D; Shell, Richard

2015-01-01

While both patients and physicians identify communication of bad news as an area of great challenge, the factors underlying this often complex task remain largely unknown. Emotional intelligence (EI) has been positively correlated with good general communication skills and successful leadership, but there is no literature relating EI to the delivery of bad news. Our objectives were to determine: 1) performance of first-year pediatric residents in the delivery of bad news in a standardized patient (SP) setting; and 2) the role of EI in these assessments. Our hypothesis was that pediatric trainees with higher EI would demonstrate more advanced skills in this communication task. Forty first-year residents participated. Skill in bad news delivery was assessed via SP encounters using a previously published assessment tool (GRIEV_ING Death Notification Protocol). Residents completed the Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI) as a measure of EI. Residents scored poorly on bad news delivery skills but scored well on EI. Intraclass correlation coefficients indicated moderate to substantial inter-rater reliability among raters using the delivering bad news assessment tool. However, no correlation was found between bad news delivery performance and EI. We concluded that first-year pediatric residents have inadequate skills in the delivery of bad news. In addition, our data suggest that higher EI alone is not sufficient to effectively deliver death news and more robust skill training is necessary for residents to gain competence and acquire mastery in this important communication domain.

Breaking bad news issues: A survey among radiation oncologists

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milind Kumar

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Discussion of bad news and resuscitation in terminal cancer is an important but difficult and often neglected issue in day-to-day oncology practice. Materials and Methods: We interviewed 35 radiation oncologists using an indigenous 15-item questionnaire on their beliefs about breaking bad news and resuscitation to terminal cancer patients. Results: Most responders had an oncology experience of three to seven years (20/35.Thirty-two were comfortable discussing cancer diagnosis, prognosis and life expectancy-related issues. A similar number believed all cancer-related information should be disclosed, while only four believed in imparting all information in one visit. All agreed that disclosing sensitive information did not affect survival. When requested by relatives to withhold truth from patients, 11 said they would not comply, 22 agreed to tell the truth only if asked and two agreed to avoid difficult questions. Twenty responders denied having been adequately trained in breaking bad news and were keen on dedicated classes or sessions in this area of practice. Most (33/35 believed that Indian patients were keen on knowing their diagnosis and prognosis. Although all agreed to the importance of discussing resuscitation, only 17 believed patients should be involved. Majority (20/35 agreed that the issue needs to be discussed while the patient was conscious. Patients with unsalvageable disease were deemed unsuitable for aggressive resuscitation by 30 responders while the rest believed it should be offered to all. Most (21/35 admitted to feeling depressed after breaking bad news though only seven felt disclosure was more stressful than untruthful statements. Only four knew of a law regarding resuscitation in cancer. Conclusion: Observing the widely varied beliefs and practices for disclosing bad news, it is recommended that such training be a regular part of medicine curriculum, especially in the Oncology setting.

The impact of delivery style on doctors' experience of stress during simulated bad news consultations.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Joanne; Brown, Rhonda; Dunn, Stewart

2015-10-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between doctors' bad news delivery style and their experience of physiological stress during simulated bad news consultations. 31 doctors participated in two simulated breaking bad news (BBN) consultations. Delivery style was categorized as either blunt, forecasting or stalling (i.e. avoidant), based on the time to deliver the bad news and qualitative analysis of the interaction content and doctor's language style. Doctors' heart rate (HR) and skin conductance (SC) were recorded in consecutive 30s epochs. Doctors experienced a significant decrease in HR (F(1,36)=44.9, p.05) or SC (F(2,48)=.66, p>.05). Doctors experience heightened stress in the pre-news delivery phase of breaking bad news interactions. Delaying the delivery of bad news exposes doctors to a longer period of increased stress.This suggests that medical students and doctors should be taught to deliver bad news without delay, to help mitigate their response to this stressful encounter. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Delivering and Receiving Bad News: What School Psychologists Need to Know

Science.gov (United States)

Frost, Megan; Rogers, Margaret R.; O'Bryon, Elisabeth C.; Perry, Kimberly Hill

2010-01-01

Delivering bad news to students, teachers, and parents is not an uncommon occurrence for school psychologists. Skillfully communicating bad news requires sensitivity, thoughtful wording, and an awareness of the potential effect on the recipients. Despite the importance of this skill, school psychology has devoted little attention to what is…

Bad and Bid - potential background players in preneoplastic to neoplastic shift in human endometrium.

Science.gov (United States)

Driak, D; Dvorska, M; Bolehovska, P; Svandova, I; Novotny, J; Halaska, M

2014-01-01

The most common malignancies of the female genital tract are endometrial carcinomas, whose are generally proceeded by hyperplasia. The maintenance of tissue homeostasis is to great extent governed by apoptosis, whose defects can lead to the preneoplastic and/or cancerous changes. Endometrial apoptosis involves among others three groups of proteins of the Bcl-2 family. First group contains anti-apoptotic proteins (e. g. Bcl-2, Bcl-xL). The other two groups belong to the pro-apoptotic proteins with three (e. g. Bax, Bak) or one (e. g. Bad, Bid) so-called BH domains. Bad and Bid trigger the oligomerization of Bak and Bax protein, which permeabilize the outer mitochondrial wall. Unlike Bid, Bad cannot directly trigger apoptosis. Instead, Bad lowers the threshold at which apoptosis is induced, by binding anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins. However, their mutual counterbalance or synergism in the human endometrium has not been reported yet.In this study, the levels of Bid and Bad were measured using SDS-PAGE and Western blotting with specific antibodies, with the aim to analyse expression of Bid and Bad proteins in normal (NE), hyperplastic (HE) and cancerous (CE) endometrium. We demonstrated that Bid expression in CE reached only 47% and 50% of this observed in NE and HE. Conversely, Bad expression in HE reached only 40% and 36% of this observed in NE and CE, respectively. We detected no significant changes of Bid expression between HE and NE, and levels of Bad protein were not different between CE and NE.Trend of Bid and Bad protein expression is clearly opposite in HE and CE. We hypothesise that disrupted apoptotic program in CE seems to be reduced further by lowering levels of direct apoptotic trigger protein Bid. We suggest that the adenocarcinoma tissue of human endometrium thus tries to strengthen its apoptotic effort by lowering the apoptotic threshold via higher Bad levels.

Breaking bad news in prenatal medicine: a literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Luz, Rita; George, Astrid; Spitz, Elisabeth; Vieux, Rachel

2017-02-01

The diagnosis of a fetal anomaly in perinatal medicine forces expectant parents and healthcare providers to face the difficult process of breaking bad news. This exploratory literature review was aimed at providing a medical and psychological view of the psychological experience in expectant parents and physicians in the context of prenatal diagnosis of a fetal anomaly. An exploratory search of PubMed and PsycINFO/PsycARTICLES databases performed by an interdisciplinary team composed of a physician and psychologists. Search terms were: prenatal diagnosis AND bad news; prenatal diagnosis AND psychological consequences; prenatal diagnosis AND psychological sequelae; prenatal diagnosis AND fetal abnormality. The processing of selected articles followed a standardised five-step procedure. A total of 860 articles were screened of which 32 were retained for analysis. Four main themes emerged from the explanatory content analysis: (1) parents' subjective experience; (2) physicians' subjective experience; (3) encounters between expectant parents and professionals; and (4) ethical challenges in breaking bad news in prenatal medicine. Expectant parents go through a complex and multidimensional experience when the diagnosis of a fetal anomaly is disclosed. Simultaneously, physicians consider breaking bad news as a very stressful event and are poorly prepared in this regard. A better knowledge of factors underlying psychological adjustment of the parental dyad and on the subjective experience of physicians delivering these diagnoses could enable better adaptation for both patients and professionals.

The Effects of Bad News and Good News on a Newspaper's Image.

Science.gov (United States)

Haskins, Jack B.; Miller, M. Mark

1984-01-01

Concludes that whether a newspaper carries mostly good news or mostly bad news affects the image of the paper, with bad news having negative effects and good news having positive effects on readers' perceptions of the newspaper. (FL)

Does emotional intelligence predict breaking bad news skills in pediatric interns? A pilot study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suzanne Reed

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Background: While both patients and physicians identify communication of bad news as an area of great challenge, the factors underlying this often complex task remain largely unknown. Emotional intelligence (EI has been positively correlated with good general communication skills and successful leadership, but there is no literature relating EI to the delivery of bad news. Purpose: Our objectives were to determine: 1 performance of first-year pediatric residents in the delivery of bad news in a standardized patient (SP setting; and 2 the role of EI in these assessments. Our hypothesis was that pediatric trainees with higher EI would demonstrate more advanced skills in this communication task. Methods: Forty first- year residents participated. Skill in bad news delivery was assessed via SP encounters using a previously published assessment tool (GRIEV_ING Death Notification Protocol. Residents completed the Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI as a measure of EI. Results: Residents scored poorly on bad news delivery skills but scored well on EI. Intraclass correlation coefficients indicated moderate to substantial inter-rater reliability among raters using the delivering bad news assessment tool. However, no correlation was found between bad news delivery performance and EI. Conclusions: We concluded that first-year pediatric residents have inadequate skills in the delivery of bad news. In addition, our data suggest that higher EI alone is not sufficient to effectively deliver death news and more robust skill training is necessary for residents to gain competence and acquire mastery in this important communication domain.

How to Tell Bad News

Science.gov (United States)

Long, Nicholas J.

2012-01-01

Therapists, physicians, police officers, and emergency staff often are the messengers of bad news. They have to tell a patient, a parent, or a loved one about a death, an accident, a school shooting, a life-threatening diagnosis, a terrorist attack, or a suicide. Usually the messenger bears a heavy responsibility but has little training and seeks…

Knockdown of human serine/threonine kinase 33 suppresses human small cell lung carcinoma by blocking RPS6/BAD signaling transduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, E L; Liu, C X; Ma, Z X; Mou, X Y; Mu, X A; Ni, Y H; Li, X L; Zhang, D; Ju, Y R

2017-01-01

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is characterized by rapid growth rate and a tendency to metastasize to distinct sites of patients' bodies. The human serine/threonine kinase 33 (STK33) gene has shown its potency as a therapeutic target for prevention of lung carcinomas including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but its function in the oncogenesis and development of SCLC remains unrevealed. In the current study, it was hypothesized that STK33 played a key role in the proliferation, survival, and invasion of SCLC cells. The expression of STK33 in human SCLC cell lines NCI-H466 and DMS153 was inhibited by specific shRNA. The cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, and cell invasion of the cells were assessed with a series of in vitro assays. To explore the mechanism through which STK33 gene exerted its function in the carcinogenesis of SCLC cells, the effect of STK33 knockdown on the activity of S6K1/RPS6/BAD signaling was detected. Then the results were further confirmed with STK33 inhibitor ML281 and in vivo assays. The results demonstrated that inhibition of STK33 in SCLC cells suppressed the cell proliferation and invasion while induced cell apoptosis. Associated with the change in the phenotypic features, knockdown of STK33 also decreased the phosphorylation of RPS6 and BAD while increased the expression of cleaved caspase 9, indicating that apoptosis induced by STK33 suppression was mediated via mitochondrial pathway. Similar to the results of STK33 knockdown, incubating NCI-H466 cells with STK33 inhibitor also reduced the cell viability by suppressing RPS6/BAD pathways. Additionally, STK33 knockdown also inhibited tumor growth and RPS6/BAD activity in mice models. Findings outlined in our study were different from that in NSCLC to some extent: knockdown of STK33 in SCLC cells induced the apoptosis through mitochondrial pathway but independent of S6K1 function, inferring that the function of STK33 might be cancer type specific.

Reducing patients' anxiety and uncertainty, and improving recall in bad news consultations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Osch, M. van; Sep, M.; Vliet, L.M. van; Dulmen, S. van; Bensing, J.M.

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: Patients' recall of provided information during bad news consultations is poor. According to the attentional narrowing hypothesis, the emotional arousal caused by the bad news might be responsible for this hampered information processing. Because affective communication has proven to be

Wave fronts, pulses and wave trains in photoexcited superlattices behaving as excitable or oscillatory media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arana, J I; Bonilla, L L; Grahn, H T

2011-01-01

Undoped and strongly photoexcited semiconductor superlattices with field-dependent recombination behave as excitable or oscillatory media with spatially discrete nonlinear convection and diffusion. Infinitely long, dc-current-biased superlattices behaving as excitable media exhibit wave fronts with increasing or decreasing profiles, whose velocities can be calculated by means of asymptotic methods. These superlattices can also support pulses of the electric field. Pulses moving downstream with the flux of electrons can be constructed from their component wave fronts, whereas pulses advancing upstream do so slowly and experience saltatory motion: they change slowly in long intervals of time separated by fast transitions during which the pulses jump to the previous superlattice period. Photoexcited superlattices can also behave as oscillatory media and exhibit wave trains. (paper)

A New Efficient Algorithm for the All Sorting Reversals Problem with No Bad Components.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Biing-Feng

2016-01-01

The problem of finding all reversals that take a permutation one step closer to a target permutation is called the all sorting reversals problem (the ASR problem). For this problem, Siepel had an O(n (3))-time algorithm. Most complications of his algorithm stem from some peculiar structures called bad components. Since bad components are very rare in both real and simulated data, it is practical to study the ASR problem with no bad components. For the ASR problem with no bad components, Swenson et al. gave an O (n(2))-time algorithm. Very recently, Swenson found that their algorithm does not always work. In this paper, a new algorithm is presented for the ASR problem with no bad components. The time complexity is O(n(2)) in the worst case and is linear in the size of input and output in practice.

Breaking bad news: Effects of forecasting diagnosis and framing prognosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Porensky, Emily K; Carpenter, Brian D

2016-01-01

Research to support guidelines for breaking bad news is lacking. This study used an experimental paradigm to test two communication strategies, forecasting bad news and framing prognosis, in the context of cancer. In a 2×2 design, 128 participants received bad news in a hypothetical consultation. A videotaped physician presented diagnostic and prognostic information, varying warning (warning shot vs. no warning), and framing (positive vs. negative). Effects on psychological distress, recall accuracy, and subjective interpretations of the news were assessed. Warning was not associated with lower psychological distress or improved recall. Individuals who heard a positively-framed prognosis had significantly less psychological distress, rated their prognosis better, and were more hopeful than those who heard a negatively-framed prognosis. However, they also showed a trend toward reduced accuracy in recalling prognostic statistics. Results contribute to a growing body of literature exploring optimal approaches for communicating bad news in health care. Although research in clinical settings is needed to bolster results, findings suggest that when providers use positive framing to reduce distress about prognosis, they should also consider ways to overcome potential reductions in recall accuracy, such as repeating statistical information or supplementing with written information. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Combating bad weather part I rain removal from video

CERN Document Server

Mukhopadhyay, Sudipta

2015-01-01

Current vision systems are designed to perform in normal weather condition. However, no one can escape from severe weather conditions. Bad weather reduces scene contrast and visibility, which results in degradation in the performance of various computer vision algorithms such as object tracking, segmentation and recognition. Thus, current vision systems must include some mechanisms that enable them to perform up to the mark in bad weather conditions such as rain and fog. Rain causes the spatial and temporal intensity variations in images or video frames. These intensity changes are due to the

Nurses' perspectives on breaking bad news to patients and their families: a qualitative content analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Abbaszadeh, Abbas; Ehsani, Seyyedeh Roghayeh; Begjani, Jamal; Kaji, Mohammad Akbari; Dopolani, Fatemeh Nemati; Nejati, Amir; Mohammadnejad, Esmaeil

2014-01-01

Breaking bad news is quite often not done in an effective manner in clinical settings due to the medical staff lacking the skills necessary for speaking to patients and their families. Bad news is faced with similar reactions on the part of the news receiver in all cultures and nations. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of Iranian nurses on breaking bad news to patients and their families. In this research, a qualitative approach was adopted. In-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 nurses who had at least one year work experience in the ward, and content analysis was performed to analyze the data. Five major categories emerged from data analysis, including effective communication with patients and their families, preparing the ground for delivering bad news, minimizing the negativity associated with the disease, passing the duty to physicians, and helping patients and their families make logical treatment decisions. The results of this study show that according to the participants, it is the physicians' duty to give bad news, but nurses play an important role in delivering bad news to patients and their companions and should therefore be trained in clinical and communicative skills to be able to give bad news in an appropriate and effective manner.

Cue-responding in a simulated bad news situation: exploring a stress hypothesis.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Valck, C. de; Bruynooghe, R.; Bensing, J.; Kerssens, J.J.; Hulsman, R.L.

2001-01-01

The stress-coping paradigm of Folkman and Lazarus (1984) was applied to investigate if the communicative reactions of the physician in a bad news transaction are related to the stressfulness of the situation. A standardized video bad news consultation was presented to 88 medical students. To examine

Cue-responding in a Simulated Bad News Situation: Exploring a Stress Hypothesis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Valck, C.; Bruynooghe, R.; Bensing, J. M.; Kerssens, J. J.; Hulsman, R. L.

2001-01-01

The stress-coping paradigm of Folkman and Lazarus (1984) was applied to investigate if the communicative reactions of the physician in a bad news transaction are related to the stressfulness of the situation. A standardized video bad news consultation was presented to 88 medical students. To examine

Association of Pro-apoptotic Bad Gene Expression Changes with Benign Thyroid Nodules.

Science.gov (United States)

Gül, Nurdan; Temel, Berna; Ustek, Duran; Sirma-Ekmekçi, Sema; Kapran, Yersu; Tunca, Fatih; Giles-Şenyürek, Yasemin; Özbek, Uğur; Alagöl, Faruk

2018-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the role of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in benign thyroid nodules. Paired samples of nodular and normal tissues were collected from 26 patients with nodular goiters undergoing thyroidectomy. Variable expression of Bcl-2, Bax and Bad genes were evaluated by quantitative PCR. Expression level of Bad gene in nodules was found to be significantly decreased compared to normal tissues (p=0.049). A positive correlation was observed between nodule size and Bad expression levels (correlation coefficient=0.563, p=0.004); and this correlation was stronger in hot nodules (n=18, correlation coefficient=0.689, p=0.003). No significant difference was observed between nodular and normal tissue expressions of Bax and Bcl-2. These results suggest that Bad expression correlates with the size of benign thyroid nodules and also its relatively lower expression in nodules, warrant further investigation. Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

Women Behaving Badly: Dahl's Witches Meet the Women of the Eighties.

Science.gov (United States)

Bird, Anne-Marie

1998-01-01

Investigates the issue of misogyny in Roald Dahl's 1983 book and Nicolas Roeg's 1989 film, "The Witches." Looks at the general differences in the two texts--the most explicit difference is in the film's ending. Explores the significance of the witch in the book and to what extent Roeg's film uses the implied connection between evil and gender. (PA)

Evaluation of Mandibular Anatomy Associated With Bad Splits in Sagittal Split Ramus Osteotomy of Mandible.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Tongyue; Han, Jeong Joon; Oh, Hee-Kyun; Park, Hong-Ju; Jung, Seunggon; Park, Yeong-Joon; Kook, Min-Suk

2016-07-01

This study aimed to identify risk factors associated with bad splits during sagittal split ramus osteotomy by using three-dimensional computed tomography. This study included 8 bad splits and 47 normal patients without bad splits. Mandibular anatomic parameters related to osteotomy line were measured. These included anteroposterior width of the ramus at level of lingula, distance between external oblique ridge and lingula, distance between sigmoid notch and inferior border of mandible, mandibular angle, distance between inferior outer surface of mandibular canal and inferior border of mandible under distal root of second molar (MCEM), buccolingual thickness of the ramus at level of lingula, and buccolingual thickness of the area just distal to first molar (BTM1) and second molar (BTM2). The incidence of bad splits in 625 sagittal split osteotomies was 1.28%. Compared with normal group, bad split group exhibited significantly thinner BTM2 and shorter sigmoid notch and inferior border of mandible (P bad splits. These anatomic data may help surgeons to choose the safest surgical techniques and best osteotomy sites.

Bad Apples, Bad Barrel: Exploring Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse by Catholic Clergy in Australia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jodi Death

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This paper considers constructions of institutional culture and power in the cover-up of child sexual abuse (CSA by clergy in the Roman Catholic Church of Australia. The issue of cover-up has previously been considered in international inquiries as an institutional failing that has caused significant harm to victims of CSA by Catholic Clergy. Evidence given by select representatives of the Catholic Church in two government inquiries into institutional abuse carried out in Australia is considered here. This evidence suggests that, where cover-up has occurred, it has been reliant on the abuse of institutional power and resulted in direct emotional, psychological and spiritual harm to victims of abuse. Despite international recognition of cover-up as institutional abuse, evidence presented by Roman Catholic Representatives to the Victorian Inquiry denied there was an institutionalised cover-up. Responding to this evidence, this paper queries whether the primary foundation of cover-up conforms to the ‘bad apple theory’ in that it relates only to a few individuals, or the ‘bad barrel theory’ of institutional structure and culture.

Parameters estimation online for Lorenz system by a novel quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Fei; Tong Hengqing; Li Zhuoqiu

2008-01-01

This paper proposes a novel quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (NQPSO) for the estimation of chaos' unknown parameters by transforming them into nonlinear functions' optimization. By means of the techniques in the following three aspects: contracting the searching space self-adaptively; boundaries restriction strategy; substituting the particles' convex combination for their centre of mass, this paper achieves a quite effective search mechanism with fine equilibrium between exploitation and exploration. Details of applying the proposed method and other methods into Lorenz systems are given, and experiments done show that NQPSO has better adaptability, dependability and robustness. It is a successful approach in unknown parameter estimation online especially in the cases with white noises

[Construction and expression of recombinant lentiviral vectors of AKT2,PDK1 and BAD].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Jing; Chen, Bo-Jiang; Huang, Na; Li, Wei-Min

2014-03-01

To construct human protein kinase B (ATK2), phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1) and bcl-2-associated death protein (BAD) lentiviral expression vector, and to determine their expressions in 293T cells. Total RNA was extracted from lung cancer tissues. The full-length coding regions of human ATK2, BAD and PDK1 cDNA were amplified via RT-PCR using specific primers, subcloned into PGEM-Teasy and then sequenced for confirmation. The full-length coding sequence was cut out with a specific restriction enzyme digest and subclone into pCDF1-MCS2-EF1-copGFP. The plasmids were transfected into 293T cells using the calcium phosphate method. The over expression of AKT2, BAD and PDK1 were detected by Western blot. AKT2, PDK1 and BAD were subcloned into pCDF1-MCS2-EF1-copGFP, with an efficiency of transfection of 100%, 95%, and 90% respectively. The virus titers were 6.7 x 10(6) PFU/mL in the supernatant. After infection, the proteins of AKT2, PDK1 and BAD were detected by Western blot. The lentivial vector pCDF1-MCS2-EF1-copGFP containing AKT2, BAD and PDK1 were successfully constructed and expressed in 293T cells.

Role, perspective and knowledge of Iranian critical care nurses about breaking bad news.

Science.gov (United States)

Imanipour, Masoomeh; Karim, Zahra; Bahrani, Naser

2016-05-01

Given the issue of caring critically ill patients, nurses are involved in the process of breaking bad news in critical care units, while little research has been conducted on this challenging issue. The purpose of this study was to determine the role, perspective and knowledge of Iranian critical care nurses regarding breaking bad news. This descriptive study was conducted on a sample of 160 nurses working in critical care units of hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Stratified and quota sampling methods were used. The data collection tool was a four-part questionnaire with validity and reliability confirmed via content validity and test-retest, respectively. The study showed that most critical care nurses were involved in breaking bad news, with different roles. The majority of participants (91.2%) had a positive attitude towards involvement of nurses in breaking bad news. In this study, 78.8% of nurses had moderate knowledge about how to break bad news, and only a few had good level of knowledge (16.2%). According to the findings, while critical care nurses took different roles in the process of breaking bad news and they had positive attitude towards participation in this process, yet their knowledge about this process was inadequate. Thus, designing educational programmes to enhance critical care nurses' knowledge and skills in this area seems necessary. Copyright © 2015 Australian College of Critical Care Nurses Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hollywood Science: Good for Hollywood, Bad for Science?

Science.gov (United States)

Perkowitz, Sidney

2009-03-01

Like it or not, most science depicted in feature films is in the form of science fiction. This isn't likely to change any time soon, if only because science fiction films are huge moneymakers for Hollywood. But beyond that, these films are a powerful cultural force. They reach millions as they depict scientific ideas from DNA and cloning to space science, whether correctly or incorrectly; reflect contemporary issues of science and society like climate change, nuclear power and biowarfare; inspire young people to become scientists; and provide defining images -- or stereotypes -- of scientists for the majority of people who've never met a real one. Certainly, most scientists feel that screen depictions of science and scientists are badly distorted. Many are, but not always. In this talk, based on my book Hollywood Science [1], I'll show examples of good and bad screen treatments of science, scientists, and their impact on society. I'll also discuss efforts to improve how science is treated in film and ways to use even bad movie science to convey real science. [4pt] [1] Sidney Perkowitz, Hollywood Science: Movies, Science, and the End of the World (Columbia University Press, New York, 2007). ISBN: 978-0231142809

Automatic bad channel detection in intracranial electroencephalographic recordings using ensemble machine learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Tuyisenge, Viateur; Trebaul, Lena; Bhattacharjee, Manik; Chanteloup-Forêt, Blandine; Saubat-Guigui, Carole; Mîndruţă, Ioana; Rheims, Sylvain; Maillard, Louis; Kahane, Philippe; Taussig, Delphine; David, Olivier

2018-03-01

Intracranial electroencephalographic (iEEG) recordings contain "bad channels", which show non-neuronal signals. Here, we developed a new method that automatically detects iEEG bad channels using machine learning of seven signal features. The features quantified signals' variance, spatial-temporal correlation and nonlinear properties. Because the number of bad channels is usually much lower than the number of good channels, we implemented an ensemble bagging classifier known to be optimal in terms of stability and predictive accuracy for datasets with imbalanced class distributions. This method was applied on stereo-electroencephalographic (SEEG) signals recording during low frequency stimulations performed in 206 patients from 5 clinical centers. We found that the classification accuracy was extremely good: It increased with the number of subjects used to train the classifier and reached a plateau at 99.77% for 110 subjects. The classification performance was thus not impacted by the multicentric nature of data. The proposed method to automatically detect bad channels demonstrated convincing results and can be envisaged to be used on larger datasets for automatic quality control of iEEG data. This is the first method proposed to classify bad channels in iEEG and should allow to improve the data selection when reviewing iEEG signals. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Domingo Badía (Alí Bey), en Marruecos.

OpenAIRE

Michael Mac Gaha

1996-01-01

Es sorprendente el hecho de que no se hayan aclarado hasta ahora las actividades de Domingo Badía y Leblich (1767-1818) como agente español en Marruecos entre los años 1803 y 1805, sobre todo porque esas actividades están muy bien documentadas. El diplomático español Eduard Toda y Güell (1855-1941) comenzó a interesarse por Badía durante sus años de estudiante de derecho en Madrid cuando trabó amistad con Víctor Balaguer, quien había escrito dos versiones novelescas de la vi...

Eggs: good or bad?

Science.gov (United States)

Griffin, Bruce A

2016-08-01

Eggs have one of the lowest energy to nutrient density ratios of any food, and contain a quality of protein that is superior to beef steak and similar to dairy. From a nutritional perspective, this must qualify eggs as 'good'. The greater burden of proof has been to establish that eggs are not 'bad', by increasing awareness of the difference between dietary and blood cholesterol, and accumulating sufficient evidence to exonerate eggs from their associations with CVD and diabetes. After 60 years of research, a general consensus has now been reached that dietary cholesterol, chiefly from eggs, exerts a relatively small effect on serum LDL-cholesterol and CVD risk, in comparison with other diet and lifestyle factors. While dietary guidelines have been revised worldwide to reflect this view, associations between egg intake and the incidence of diabetes, and increased CVD risk in diabetes, prevail. These associations may be explained, in part, by residual confounding produced by other dietary components. The strength of evidence that links egg intake to increased CVD risk in diabetes is also complicated by variation in the response of serum LDL-cholesterol to eggs and dietary cholesterol in types 1 and 2 diabetes. On balance, the answer to the question as to whether eggs are 'bad', is probably 'no', but we do need to gain a better understanding of the effects of dietary cholesterol and its association with CVD risk in diabetes.

Reducing the harm of stress: medications to rescue the prefrontal cortex and overcome bad habits: the science of stress: focus on the brain, breaking bad habits, and chronic disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Lu E

2011-12-01

Our brain is sensitive to stress. Both acute and chronic stress cause cognitive deficits and induce chronic disorders such as drug addiction. In a June 2011 conference at Yale entitled "The Science of Stress: Focus on the Brain, Breaking Bad Habits, and Chronic Disease," Drs. Amy Arnsten and Sherry Mckee discussed the roles of prefrontal cortex in the treatment of stress impairments and addiction. Medications to strengthen the prefrontal function, such as prazosin and guanfacine, may reduce the harm of stress and help overcome smoking and alcohol abuse.

MACROECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF BAD LOANS IN BALTIC COUNTRIES AND ROMANIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liliana DONATH

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The 2008–09 global crisis raised debates concerning the determinants of financial vulnerability. Among these, bad loans have been identified as significantly influencing financial imbalances. After a decade in which borrowing has constantly grown mainly because of the deregulation of financial markets, the crisis highlighted the importance of an effective credit risk management. The purpose of the paper is to study the evolution of bad loans ratio in relation with selected macroeconomic indicators in the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and Romania.

Breaking Bad Habits: Teaching Effective PowerPoint Use to Working Graduate Students

Science.gov (United States)

Vik, Gretchen N.

2004-01-01

One interesting aspect of teaching students to use PowerPoint and similar graphics packages effectively is that graduate students who are already in the workforce often have bad presentation habits that they need to break. In this article, the author discusses ways of breaking these bad habits. Using storyboards is one way to keep students from…

How bad is bile acid diarrhoea: an online survey of patient-reported symptoms and outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Bannaga, Ayman; Kelman, Lawrence; O'Connor, Michelle; Pitchford, Claire; Walters, Julian R F; Arasaradnam, Ramesh P

2017-01-01

Bile acid diarrhoea (BAD) is an underdiagnosed condition producing diarrhoea, urgency and fear of faecal incontinence. How patients experience these symptoms has not previously been studied. Bile Acid Malabsorption (BAM) Support UK was established in 2015 as a national charity with objectives including to provide details regarding how BAD affects patients, to improve earlier recognition and clinical management. A questionnaire was collected anonymously by BAM Support UK and the Bile Salt Malabsorption Facebook group over 4 weeks at the end of 2015. It comprised 56 questions and aimed to inform patients and clinicians about how BAD affects the respondents. The first 100 responses were analysed. 91% of the respondents reported a diagnosis of BAD. 58% of total respondents diagnosed following a Selenium-homocholic acid taurine scan, 69% were diagnosed by a gastroenterologist, with type 2 and 3 BAD comprising 38% and 37%, respectively, of total respondents. Symptoms had been experienced for more than 5 years before diagnosis in 44% of respondents. Following treatment, usually with bile acid sequestrants, 60% of participants reported improvement of diarrhoea and most reported their mental health has been positively impacted. Just over half of the cohort felt as though their symptoms had been dismissed during clinical consultations and 28% felt their GPs were unaware of BAD. BAD requires more recognition by clinicians to address the current delays in diagnosis. Treatment improves physical and mental symptoms in the majority of participants.

In the heat of the moment: The effect of impulsive and reflective states on sexual risk decisions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

den Daas, C.

2013-01-01

Why do people behave in ways that are bad for them in the long term? People are bad at resisting temptations at the expense of their long-term goals, they for instance have unprotected sex despite their long term goal to stay healthy. Impulsivity is often coined as reason for these kinds of

Pigeons can discriminate "good" and "bad" paintings by children.

Science.gov (United States)

Watanabe, Shigeru

2010-01-01

Humans have the unique ability to create art, but non-human animals may be able to discriminate "good" art from "bad" art. In this study, I investigated whether pigeons could be trained to discriminate between paintings that had been judged by humans as either "bad" or "good". To do this, adult human observers first classified several children's paintings as either "good" (beautiful) or "bad" (ugly). Using operant conditioning procedures, pigeons were then reinforced for pecking at "good" paintings. After the pigeons learned the discrimination task, they were presented with novel pictures of both "good" and "bad" children's paintings to test whether they had successfully learned to discriminate between these two stimulus categories. The results showed that pigeons could discriminate novel "good" and "bad" paintings. Then, to determine which cues the subjects used for the discrimination, I conducted tests of the stimuli when the paintings were of reduced size or grayscale. In addition, I tested their ability to discriminate when the painting stimuli were mosaic and partial occluded. The pigeons maintained discrimination performance when the paintings were reduced in size. However, discrimination performance decreased when stimuli were presented as grayscale images or when a mosaic effect was applied to the original stimuli in order to disrupt spatial frequency. Thus, the pigeons used both color and pattern cues for their discrimination. The partial occlusion did not disrupt the discriminative behavior suggesting that the pigeons did not attend to particular parts, namely upper, lower, left or right half, of the paintings. These results suggest that the pigeons are capable of learning the concept of a stimulus class that humans name "good" pictures. The second experiment showed that pigeons learned to discriminate watercolor paintings from pastel paintings. The subjects showed generalization to novel paintings. Then, as the first experiment, size reduction test

Robustizing Circuit Optimization using Huber Functions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bandler, John W.; Biernacki, Radek M.; Chen, Steve H.

1993-01-01

The authors introduce a novel approach to 'robustizing' microwave circuit optimization using Huber functions, both two-sided and one-sided. They compare Huber optimization with l/sub 1/, l/sub 2/, and minimax methods in the presence of faults, large and small measurement errors, bad starting poin......, a preliminary optimization by selecting a small number of dominant variables. It is demonstrated, through multiplexer optimization, that the one-sided Huber function can be more effective and efficient than minimax in overcoming a bad starting point.......The authors introduce a novel approach to 'robustizing' microwave circuit optimization using Huber functions, both two-sided and one-sided. They compare Huber optimization with l/sub 1/, l/sub 2/, and minimax methods in the presence of faults, large and small measurement errors, bad starting points......, and statistical uncertainties. They demonstrate FET statistical modeling, multiplexer optimization, analog fault location, and data fitting. They extend the Huber concept by introducing a 'one-sided' Huber function for large-scale optimization. For large-scale problems, the designer often attempts, by intuition...

Are 3-D Movies Bad for Your Eyes?

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... Eye Health A-Z Symptoms Glasses & Contacts Tips & Prevention News Ask an Ophthalmologist Patient Stories Español Eye Health / Tips & Prevention Sections Are 3-D Movies Bad for Your ...

A synthesis of the literature on breaking bad news or truth telling: potential for research in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Martis, Lawrence; Westhues, Anne

2013-01-01

The high incidence of fatal diseases, inequitable access to health care, and socioeconomic disparities in India generate plentiful clinical bad news including diagnosis of a life-limiting disease, poor prognosis, treatment failure, and impending death. These contexts compel health care professionals to become the messengers of bad news to patients and their families. In global literature on breaking bad news, there is very little about such complex clinical interactions occurring in India or guiding health care providers to do it well. The purpose of this article is to identify the issues for future research that would contribute to the volume, comprehensiveness, and quality of empirical literature on breaking bad news in clinical settings across India. Towards this end, we have synthesized the studies done across the globe on breaking bad news, under four themes: (a) deciding the amount of bad news to deliver; (b) attending to cultural and ethical issues; (c) managing psychological distress; and (d) producing competent messengers of bad news. We believe that robust research is inevitable to build an indigenous knowledge base, enhance communicative competence among health care professionals, and thereby to improve the quality of clinical interactions in India.

A synthesis of the literature on breaking bad news or truth telling: Potential for research in India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lawrence Martis

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The high incidence of fatal diseases, inequitable access to health care, and socioeconomic disparities in India generate plentiful clinical bad news including diagnosis of a life-limiting disease, poor prognosis, treatment failure, and impending death. These contexts compel health care professionals to become the messengers of bad news to patients and their families. In global literature on breaking bad news, there is very little about such complex clinical interactions occurring in India or guiding health care providers to do it well. The purpose of this article is to identify the issues for future research that would contribute to the volume, comprehensiveness, and quality of empirical literature on breaking bad news in clinical settings across India. Towards this end, we have synthesized the studies done across the globe on breaking bad news, under four themes: (a deciding the amount of bad news to deliver; (b attending to cultural and ethical issues; (c managing psychological distress; and (d producing competent messengers of bad news. We believe that robust research is inevitable to build an indigenous knowledge base, enhance communicative competence among health care professionals, and thereby to improve the quality of clinical interactions in India.

Integration of silicon-based neural probes and micro-drive arrays for chronic recording of large populations of neurons in behaving animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Michon, Frédéric; Aarts, Arno; Holzhammer, Tobias; Ruther, Patrick; Borghs, Gustaaf; McNaughton, Bruce; Kloosterman, Fabian

2016-08-01

Understanding how neuronal assemblies underlie cognitive function is a fundamental question in system neuroscience. It poses the technical challenge to monitor the activity of populations of neurons, potentially widely separated, in relation to behaviour. In this paper, we present a new system which aims at simultaneously recording from a large population of neurons from multiple separated brain regions in freely behaving animals. The concept of the new device is to combine the benefits of two existing electrophysiological techniques, i.e. the flexibility and modularity of micro-drive arrays and the high sampling ability of electrode-dense silicon probes. Newly engineered long bendable silicon probes were integrated into a micro-drive array. The resulting device can carry up to 16 independently movable silicon probes, each carrying 16 recording sites. Populations of neurons were recorded simultaneously in multiple cortical and/or hippocampal sites in two freely behaving implanted rats. Current approaches to monitor neuronal activity either allow to flexibly record from multiple widely separated brain regions (micro-drive arrays) but with a limited sampling density or to provide denser sampling at the expense of a flexible placement in multiple brain regions (neural probes). By combining these two approaches and their benefits, we present an alternative solution for flexible and simultaneous recordings from widely distributed populations of neurons in freely behaving rats.

How many bad apples does it take to spoil the whole barrel? Social exclusion and toleration for bad apples

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kerr, N.L.; Rumble, A.C.; Ouwerkerk, J.W.; Parks, C.D.; Gallucci, M.; van Lange, P.A.M.

2009-01-01

In social dilemmas, where personal welfare is in conflict with collective welfare, there are inherent incentives to act non-cooperatively. Moreover, there is evidence that the example of a few uncooperative group members ("bad apples") is more influential than the example of comparable numbers of

Combinatorial Clustering Algorithm of Quantum-Behaved Particle Swarm Optimization and Cloud Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mi-Yuan Shan

2013-01-01

Full Text Available We propose a combinatorial clustering algorithm of cloud model and quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (COCQPSO to solve the stochastic problem. The algorithm employs a novel probability model as well as a permutation-based local search method. We are setting the parameters of COCQPSO based on the design of experiment. In the comprehensive computational study, we scrutinize the performance of COCQPSO on a set of widely used benchmark instances. By benchmarking combinatorial clustering algorithm with state-of-the-art algorithms, we can show that its performance compares very favorably. The fuzzy combinatorial optimization algorithm of cloud model and quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (FCOCQPSO in vague sets (IVSs is more expressive than the other fuzzy sets. Finally, numerical examples show the clustering effectiveness of COCQPSO and FCOCQPSO clustering algorithms which are extremely remarkable.

Hippocampal activity during transient respiratory events in the freely behaving cat

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poe, G R; Kristensen, Morten Pilgaard; Rector, D M

1996-01-01

We measured dorsal hippocampal activity accompanying sighs and apnea using reflectance imaging and electrophysiologic measures in freely behaving cats. Reflected 660-nm light from a 1-mm2 area of CA1 was captured during sighs and apnea at 25 Hz through a coherent image conduit coupled to a charge...

Good and Bad Objects : Cardinality-Based Rules

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dimitrov, D.A.; Borm, P.E.M.; Hendrickx, R.L.P.

2003-01-01

We consider the problem of ranking sets of objects, the members of which are mutually compatible.Assuming that each object is either good or bad, we axiomatically characterize three cardinality-based rules which arise naturally in this dichotomous setting.They are what we call the symmetric

Recommendations for how to communicate bad news

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beatriz Villa López

2007-11-01

Full Text Available The communication, along with the control of the symptoms and the emotional support are the basic instruments that are used in the daily development of our profession. To be little capable at the time of notifying bad news can generate an added suffering unnecessary in the person who receives the new and a deterioration in the relation professional-patient.In many occasions, at the time of approaching these situations, the professional of the health usually feels anguish, fear and restlessness, this is because during is scared and restlessness this happens because during his stage of studies in the faculty the student has received a formation based on the binomial health-disease from a totally biological perspective forgetting the abilities communication.Supported in different bibliographical sources, this article tries to analyze the factors that influence when communicating the bad news and, to suggest some preventatives ideas on how giving them trying to prevent the burnout syndrome.

BAD-LAMP controls TLR9 trafficking and signalling in human plasmacytoid dendritic cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Combes, Alexis; Camosseto, Voahirana; N'Guessan, Prudence; Argüello, Rafael J; Mussard, Julie; Caux, Christophe; Bendriss-Vermare, Nathalie; Pierre, Philippe; Gatti, Evelina

2017-10-13

Toll-like receptors (TLR) are essential components of the innate immune system. Several accessory proteins, such as UNC93B1, are required for transport and activation of nucleic acid sensing Toll-like receptors in endosomes. Here, we show that BAD-LAMP (LAMP5) controls TLR9 trafficking to LAMP1 + late endosomes in human plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC), leading to NF-κB activation and TNF production upon DNA detection. An inducible VAMP3 +/ LAMP2 +/ LAMP1 - endolysosome compartment exists in pDCs from which TLR9 activation triggers type I interferon expression. BAD-LAMP-silencing enhances TLR9 retention in this compartment and consequent downstream signalling events. Conversely, sustained BAD-LAMP expression in pDCs contributes to their lack of type I interferon production after exposure to a TGF-β-positive microenvironment or isolation from human breast tumours. Hence, BAD-LAMP limits interferon expression in pDCs indirectly, by promoting TLR9 sorting to late endosome compartments at steady state and in response to immunomodulatory cues.TLR9 is highly expressed by plasmacytoid dendritic cells and detects nucleic acids, but to discriminate between host and microbial nucleic acids TLR9 is sorted into different endosomal compartments. Here the authors show that BAD-LAMP limits type 1 interferon responses by sorting TLR9 to late endosomal compartments.

Groundwater/surface-water interactions in the Bad River Watershed, Wisconsin

Science.gov (United States)

Leaf, Andrew T.; Fienen, Michael N.; Hunt, Randall J.; Buchwald, Cheryl A.

2015-11-23

A groundwater-flow model was developed for the Bad River Watershed and surrounding area by using the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) finite-difference code MODFLOW-NWT. The model simulates steady-state groundwater-flow and base flow in streams by using the streamflow routing (SFR) package. The objectives of this study were to: (1) develop an improved understanding of the groundwater-flow system in the Bad River Watershed at the regional scale, including the sources of water to the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation (Reservation) and groundwater/surface-water interactions; (2) provide a quantitative platform for evaluating future impacts to the watershed, which can be used as a starting point for more detailed investigations at the local scale; and (3) identify areas where more data are needed. This report describes the construction and calibration of the groundwater-flow model that was subsequently used for analyzing potential locations for the collection of additional field data, including new observations of water-table elevation for refining the conceptualization and corresponding numerical model of the hydrogeologic system.

Bad split during bilateral sagittal split osteotomy of the mandible with separators: a retrospective study of 427 patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Mensink, Gertjan; Verweij, Jop P; Frank, Michael D; Eelco Bergsma, J; Richard van Merkesteyn, J P

2013-09-01

An unfavourable fracture, known as a bad split, is a common operative complication in bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO). The reported incidence ranges from 0.5 to 5.5%/site. Since 1994 we have used sagittal splitters and separators instead of chisels for BSSO in our clinic in an attempt to prevent postoperative hypoaesthesia. Theoretically an increased percentage of bad splits could be expected with this technique. In this retrospective study we aimed to find out the incidence of bad splits associated with BSSO done with splitters and separators. We also assessed the risk factors for bad splits. The study group comprised 427 consecutive patients among whom the incidence of bad splits was 2.0%/site, which is well within the reported range. The only predictive factor for a bad split was the removal of third molars at the same time as BSSO. There was no significant association between bad splits and age, sex, class of occlusion, or the experience of the surgeon. We think that doing a BSSO with splitters and separators instead of chisels does not increase the risk of a bad split, and is therefore safe with predictable results. Copyright © 2012 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Breaking Bad News to Cancer Patients: Content, Communication Preferences and Psychological Distress].

Science.gov (United States)

Gebhardt, Claudia; Gorba, Claudia; Oechsle, Karin; Vehling, Sigrun; Koch, Uwe; Mehnert, Anja

2017-07-01

Objectives Breaking bad news can be a very distressing situation for both patients and physicians. Physician communication behavior should therefore match patients' communication preferences. The aim of this study was to characterize the content of bad news from the patients' perspective. Patients' preferences for communication of bad news as well as the fit to communication behavior displayed by physicians were also investigated. Finally, consequences of a mismatch between patients' preferences and physician communication were investigated in relation to psychological distress in patients. Methods The sample consisted of N=270 cancer patients (mean age=56.8 years, 48% female) with various cancer entities and different stages of disease (n=115 patients with early stage of cancer, n=155 patients with advanced cancer). The content of bad news was assessed with a specifically developed list of questions. The Measure of Patients' Preferences Scale (MPP) was used to assess patients' preferences for communication of bad news. Patients further completed the NCCN Distress Thermometer (cancer specific distress), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS- anxiety and depression) and the Demoralization Scale (DS-Scale) to gain information about psychological distress. Results Patients with early stage breast cancer received bad news M=1.6 times (SD=1.1, range: 1-5), patients with advanced cancers M=2.1 times (SD=1.6, range: 1-12). For 77% of early stage cancer patients and 70% of advanced cancer patients, the subjectively worst consultation was receiving the diagnosis and discussing treatment options. Patients' most important communication preferences were physicians' clinical competence and patient-centered communication, clear and direct communication and asking about patients information preferences. Patients in advanced stages report significantly more (29%) unmet communication needs than patients' in early stages (20%; pbad news without considering patients

Management and ethical responsibility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gašović Milan

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Most authors believe that ethics is set of moral principles and values which leads a person or a group toward what is good or bad. Ethics sets the standards about what is good, and what is bad in behaving and decision making. Principles are the rules or the laws that create ethical codex.

A Swarm Optimization Genetic Algorithm Based on Quantum-Behaved Particle Swarm Optimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Tao; Xu, Ming-Hai

2017-01-01

Quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO) algorithm is a variant of the traditional particle swarm optimization (PSO). The QPSO that was originally developed for continuous search spaces outperforms the traditional PSO in search ability. This paper analyzes the main factors that impact the search ability of QPSO and converts the particle movement formula to the mutation condition by introducing the rejection region, thus proposing a new binary algorithm, named swarm optimization genetic algorithm (SOGA), because it is more like genetic algorithm (GA) than PSO in form. SOGA has crossover and mutation operator as GA but does not need to set the crossover and mutation probability, so it has fewer parameters to control. The proposed algorithm was tested with several nonlinear high-dimension functions in the binary search space, and the results were compared with those from BPSO, BQPSO, and GA. The experimental results show that SOGA is distinctly superior to the other three algorithms in terms of solution accuracy and convergence.

Assessing ectasia susceptibility prior to LASIK: the role of age and residual stromal bed (RSB in conjunction to Belin-Ambrósio deviation index (BAD-D

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renato Ambrósio Jr

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Purpose: To compare the ability to detect preoperative ectasia risk among LASIK candidates using classic ERSS (Ectasia Risk Score System and Pentacam Belin-Ambrósio deviation index (BAD-D, and to test the benefit of a combined approach including BAD-D and clinical data. Methods: A retrospective nonrandomized study involved preoperative LASIK data from 23 post-LASIK ectasia cases and 266 stable-LASIK (follow up > 12 months. Preoperative clinical and Pentacam (Oculus; Wetzlar, Germany data were obtained from all cases. Mann-Whitney's test was performed to assess differences between groups. Stepwise logistic regression was used for combining parameters.The areas under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC curves (AUC were calculated for all parameters and combinations, with pairwise comparisons of AUC (DeLong's method. Results: Statistically significant differences were found for age, residual stromal bed (RSB, central corneal thickness and BAD-D (p0.05. ERSS was 3 or more on 12/23 eyes from the ectasia group (sensitivity = 52.17% and 48/266 eyes from the stable LASIK group (18% false positive. BAD-D had AUC of 0.931 (95% CI: 0.895 to 0.957, with cut-off of 1.29 (sensitivity = 87%; specificity = 92.1%. Formula combining BAD-D, age and RSB provided 100% sensitivity and 94% specificity, with better AUC (0.989; 95% CI: 0.969 to 0.998 than all individual parameters (p>0.001. Conclusion: BAD-D is more accurate than ERSS. Combining clinical data and BAD-D improved ectasia susceptibility screening. Further validation is necessary. Novel combined functions using other topometric and tomographic parameters should be tested to further enhance accuracy.

Legal Drugs Are Good Drugs and Illegal Drugs Are Bad Drugs

OpenAIRE

Indrati, Dina; Prasetyo, Herry

2011-01-01

ABSTRACT : Labelling drugs are important issue nowadays in a modern society. Although it is generally believed that legal drugs are good drugs and illegal drugs are bad drugs, it is evident that some people do not aware about the side effects of drugs used. Therefore, a key contention of this philosophical essay is that explores harms minimisation policy, discuss whether legal drugs are good drugs and illegal drugs are bad drugs and explores relation of drugs misuse in a psychiatric nursing s...

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS AND GARCH EFFECTS IN STOCK RETURN DATA

OpenAIRE

Craig A. Depken II

2001-01-01

It is shown that the volume of trade can be decomposed into proportional proxies for stochastic flows of good news and bad news into the market. Positive (good) information flows are assumed to increase the price of a financial vehicle while negative (bad) information flows decrease the price. For the majority of a sample of ten split-stocks it is shown that the proposed decomposition explains more GARCH than volume itself. Using the proposed decomposition, the variance of returns for younger...

A mapping of people's positions regarding the breaking of bad news to patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Igier, Valérie; Muñoz Sastre, María Teresa; Sorum, Paul Clay; Mullet, Etienne

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was to map people's positions regarding the breaking of bad news to patients. One hundred forty adults who had in the past received bad medical news or whose elderly relatives had in the past received bad news, 25 nurses, and 28 nurse's aides indicated the acceptability of physicians' conduct in 72 vignettes of giving bad news to elderly patients. Vignettes were all combinations of five factors: (a) the severity of the disease (severe but not lethal, extremely severe and possibly lethal, or incurable), (b) the patient's wishes (insists on knowing the full truth vs. does not insist), (c) the level of social support during hospitalization, (d) the patient's psychological robustness, and (e) the physician's decision about communicating bad news (tell the patient that the illness is not severe and minimize the severity of the illness when talking to the patient's relatives, tell the full truth to her relatives, or tell the full truth to both the elderly patient and her relatives). Four qualitatively different positions were found. Twenty-eight percent of participants preferred the full truth to be told; 36% preferred the truth to be told but understood that the physician would inform the family first; 13% did not think that telling the full truth is best for patients; and 23% understood that the full truth would be told in some cases and not in others, depending on the physician's perception of the situation. The present mapping could be used to detect the position held by each patient and act accordingly. This would be made easier if breaking bad news was conceived as a communication process involving a range of health care professionals, rather than as a single occurrence in time.

Use of interactive theater and role play to develop medical students' skills in breaking bad news.

Science.gov (United States)

Skye, Eric P; Wagenschutz, Heather; Steiger, Jeffrey A; Kumagai, Arno K

2014-12-01

Creative arts have been increasingly implemented in medical education. This study investigated the use of interactive theater and role play with professional actors in teaching breaking bad news to medical students. The objectives were to explore the contexts, approaches, experiences, and reactions in giving and receiving bad news. Second-year medical students participated in a required educational session that utilized interactive theater which helps students learn about the issues of breaking bad news to a patient with cancer. Following the interactive theater piece, professional actors provided students role play experiences in small groups with breaking bad news. Anonymous evaluation surveys were given out to all second-year medical students at the conclusion of the breaking bad news session. Surveys contained quantitative and qualitative responses. Three years of evaluations were analyzed. A total of 451 (88 %) students completed the evaluations. Comments were thematically analyzed. Ninety-four percent agreed that the theater piece prompted reflection on patient-provider communications, and 89 % agreed that it stimulated discussion on complex issues with breaking bad news. The two most common themes in student comments concerned the importance of realism in the theater piece, and the value of experiencing multiple perspectives. Use of professional actors during the role play exercises enhances the realism and pushed the students out of their own "comfort zones" in ways that may more closely approximate real life clinical situations. Interactive theater can be a potentially powerful tool to teach breaking bad news during medical school.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the rhetorical construction of "bad" scientific work.

Science.gov (United States)

Attenborough, Frederick Thomas

2012-02-01

How are secondary accounts of "bad" scientific practice constructed? How do they engage with the primary data produced by "bad" scientists? And what happens to those primary data as generations of secondary accounts purporting to describe them accumulate? This paper addresses such questions via a case study of Dr. Hong, a microbiologist accused of "bad" scientific practice by numerous secondary accounts of the 2003 SARS outbreak. Bringing Hong's own account of his own actions into dialogue with one of the most influential secondary accounts of his actions, the paper highlights the gross disparity between the two. Having argued that the rhetorical structuring of the secondary account is, ultimately, responsible for Hong's characterisation as a "bad" scientist, it then moves to explore how subsequent accounts developed their own characterisations. What becomes clear is that as secondary accounts began feeding off one another, references to Hong's account disappeared. Aided by the concepts of the "vanishing" and the "phantasm", the paper concludes with a consideration of how this process left Hong's work with a very peculiar form of existence.

Breaking bad news revisited: the push for negotiated disclosure and changing practice implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Arber, Anne; Gallagher, Ann

2003-04-01

This article revisits the ethical, legal, professional and emotional issues involved with disclosing bad news. The authors examine the push for disclosure that has come from a number of quarters in the UK, including ethical and legal challenges, in particular the Bristol Royal Inquiry Report, professional codes of conduct, health policy and the expectations of the public. The contribution of nurses to breaking bad news is not widely discussed in the literature. With the development of new nursing roles and evidence-based practice it is timely to consider the role of nurses in this process. The article highlights some limitations with current guidelines for breaking bad news, in particular, that these guidelines tend to be constructed from a professional standpoint and lack patient-centred evidence. The issue of emotional labour and how it relates to giving bad news is discussed with respect to professional staff and patients. The article concludes by raising some practice implications, including: the importance of context and continuity; the significance of information and support; the desirable qualities of the professional; and issues to consider in determining patient preferences.

BEHAVE: fire behavior prediction and fuel modeling system-BURN Subsystem, part 1

Science.gov (United States)

Patricia L. Andrews

1986-01-01

Describes BURN Subsystem, Part 1, the operational fire behavior prediction subsystem of the BEHAVE fire behavior prediction and fuel modeling system. The manual covers operation of the computer program, assumptions of the mathematical models used in the calculations, and application of the predictions.

How bad were British prison hulks in the Napoleonic wars? : Evidence from captured Danish and Norwegian seamen

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leunig, Tim; Lottum, van Jelle; Poulsen, Bo

2016-01-01

This article uses a novel data source to test whether British Napoleonic prison hulks were as bad as many claim, and whether they were perceived to be bad by seamen who risked ending up in them. We find that they were not so bad: death rates of imprisoned Danish and Norwegian seamen were low. We

Breaking bad news - an interdisciplinary curricular teaching-concept.

Science.gov (United States)

Simmenroth-Nayda, Anne; Alt-Epping, Bernd; Gágyor, Ildikó

2011-01-01

The concerns of patients suffering from life-threatening disease and end-of-life care aspects have gained increasing attention in public perception. The increasing focus on palliative medicine questions can be considered to be paradigmatic for this development. Palliative medicine became a compulsory subject of the undergraduate curriculum in Germany to be implemented until 2013. The preexisting conditions and qualifications at the medical faculties vary, though. We describe the conceptual process, didactic background, and first experiences with the new interdisciplinary course "Delivering bad news" as a compulsory part of the palliative medicine curriculum. Since autumn 2009, this course has been taught at the University Medical Center Göttingen, consisting of two double lessons in the final year of medical education. Considering the curriculum-based learning goals in Göttingen, the focus of this course is to impart knowledge, attitudes and communication skills relating to "bad news". Although the seminar requires adequate staff and is time-consuming, students have accepted it and gave high marks in evaluations. In particular, the teachers' performance and commitment was evaluated positively. We describe the first experiences with a new course. Didactic structure, theoretical contents, role-plays and usage of media (film, novel) are well- suited to communicate topics such as "bad news". Additional experiences and evaluations are necessary. According to the progressive nature of learning, it might be worthwhile to repeat communication- centered questions several times during medical studies.

Does iris(in) bring bad news or good news?

Science.gov (United States)

Buscemi, Silvio; Corleo, Davide; Buscemi, Carola; Giordano, Carla

2017-09-20

Irisin, a novel myokine produced in response to physical activity, promotes white-to-brown fat transdifferentiation. The name irisin referred to the ancient Greek goddess Iris, the messenger who delivered (bad) news from the gods. In mice, it has been demonstrated that irisin plays a key role in metabolic regulation, energy expenditure and glucose homeostasis. New findings from various studies carried out in both animals and humans suggest that irisin might also have other favorable effects, such as increasing bone cortical mass, preventing hepatic lipid accumulation, and improving cognitive functions, thus mediating many exercise-induced health benefits. However, data on the role and function of irisin in humans have prompted controversy, due mostly to the only recent confirmation of the presence of irisin in humans. Another strong limitation to the understanding of irisin mechanisms of action is the lack of knowledge about its receptor, which until now remains unidentified in humans and in animals. This review presents an overall analysis of the history of irisin, its expression, and its involvement in health, especially in humans. Level of Evidence Level V, review.

BAD knockout provides metabolic seizure resistance in a genetic model of epilepsy with sudden unexplained death in epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Foley, Jeannine; Burnham, Veronica; Tedoldi, Meghan; Danial, Nika N; Yellen, Gary

2018-01-01

Metabolic alteration, either through the ketogenic diet (KD) or by genetic alteration of the BAD protein, can produce seizure protection in acute chemoconvulsant models of epilepsy. To assess the seizure-protective role of knocking out (KO) the Bad gene in a chronic epilepsy model, we used the Kcna1 -/- model of epilepsy, which displays progressively increased seizure severity and recapitulates the early death seen in sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Beginning on postnatal day 24 (P24), we continuously video monitored Kcna1 -/- and Kcna1 -/- Bad -/- double knockout mice to assess survival and seizure severity. We found that Kcna1 -/- Bad -/- mice outlived Kcna1 -/- mice by approximately 2 weeks. Kcna1 -/- Bad -/- mice also spent significantly less time in seizure than Kcna1 -/- mice on P24 and the day of death, showing that BadKO provides seizure resistance in a genetic model of chronic epilepsy. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 International League Against Epilepsy.

Are 3-D Movies Bad for Your Eyes?

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Full Text Available ... Sections Are 3-D Movies Bad for Your Eyes? Leer en Español: ¿Son Malas para los Ojos ... if any, effect the technology has on your eyes. Is 3-D technology healthy for your or ...

Epstein-Barr virus miR-BART20-5p regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis by targeting BAD.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hyoji; Choi, Hoyun; Lee, Suk Kyeong

2015-01-28

Although Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) BamHI A rightward transcript (BART) microRNAs (miRNAs) are ubiquitously expressed in EBV-associated tumors, the role of most BART miRNAs is unclear. In this study, we showed that Bcl-2-associated death promoter (BAD) expression was significantly lower in EBV-infected AGS-EBV cells than in EBV-negative AGS cells and investigated whether BART miRNAs target BAD. Using bioinformatics analysis, five BART miRNAs showing seed match with the 3' untranslated region (3'-UTR) of BAD were selected. Of these, only miR-BART20-5p reduced BAD expression when individually transfected into AGS cells. A luciferase assay revealed that miR-BART20-5p directly targets BAD. The expression of BAD mRNA and protein was decreased by miR-BART20-5p and increased by an inhibitor of miR-BART20-5p. PE-Annexin V staining and cell proliferation assays showed that miR-BART20-5p reduced apoptosis and enhanced cell growth. Furthermore, miR-BART20-5p increased chemoresistance to 5-fluorouracil and docetaxel. Our data suggest that miR-BART20-5p contributes to tumorigenesis of EBV-associated gastric carcinoma by directly targeting the 3'-UTR of BAD. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The difficulties experienced by nurses and healthcare staff involved in the process of breaking bad news.

Science.gov (United States)

Warnock, Clare; Buchanan, Jean; Tod, Angela Mary

2017-07-01

The aim of this study was to explore the difficulties experienced by nurses and healthcare professionals when engaging in the process of breaking bad news. The challenges faced by staff when breaking bad news have previously been researched in relation to particular settings or participants. This study involved staff from diverse settings and roles to develop broader insights into the range of difficulties experienced in clinical practice. The study used a descriptive survey design involving self-reported written accounts and framework analysis. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire containing a free text section that asked participants to describe a difficult experience they had encountered when involved in the process of breaking bad news. Data were collected from healthcare staff from hospital, community, hospice and care home settings attending training days on breaking bad news between April 2011 and April 2014. Multiple inter-related factors presented challenges to staff engaging in activities associated with breaking bad news. Traditional subjects such as diagnostic and treatment information were described but additional topics were identified such as the impact of illness and care at the end of life. A descriptive framework was developed that summarizes the factors that contribute to creating difficult experiences for staff when breaking bad news. The framework provides insights into the scope of the challenges faced by staff when they engage in the process of breaking bad news. This provides the foundation for developing interventions to support staff that more closely matches their experiences in clinical practice. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Washing away your (good or bad) luck: physical cleansing affects risk-taking behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Alison Jing; Zwick, Rami; Schwarz, Norbert

2012-02-01

Many superstitious practices entail the belief that good or bad luck can be "washed away." Consistent with this belief, participants who recalled (Experiment 1) or experienced (Experiment 2) an episode of bad luck were more willing to take risk after having as opposed to not having washed their hands, whereas participants who recalled or experienced an episode of good luck were less willing to take risk after having as opposed to not having washed their hands. Thus, the psychological effects of physical cleansings extend beyond the domain of moral judgment and are independent of people's motivation: incidental washing not only removes undesirable traces of the past (such as bad luck) but also desirable ones (such as good luck), which people would rather preserve.

Preferences and attitudes of the Saudi population toward receiving medical bad news: A primary study from Riyadh city.

Science.gov (United States)

Alrukban, Mohammed O; Albadr, Badr O; Almansour, Mohammed; Sami, Waqas; Alshuil, Mussab; Aldebaib, Abulrahman; Algannam, Tamim; Alhafaf, Faisal; Almohanna, Abdulaziz; Alfifi, Tariq; Alshehri, Abdullah; Alshahrani, Muhannad

2014-05-01

Breaking bad news is one of the most stressful and difficult things a physician has to do. Good communication skills are required in order to ensure that bad news is delivered in a humane but effective way. This study was designed to explore the preferences and attitude of the Saudi population toward receiving bad news. Second, it was to identify the associations between preferences, attitudes, and sociodemographic characteristics. This was a cross-sectional study conducted during the month of April 2009 in Riyadh. Data were collected from 1013 adult Saudis. Stratified random sampling technique was used through a self-administered questionnaire. In this study, 474 (46.8%) were males and 539 (53.2%) were females. Almost two-third of the participants preferred to be the first to receive the bad news. A majority of the participants 695 (68.6%) preferred to be told the bad news at a private place, whereas, 441 (43.5%) preferred to be told by the head of the medical team. Moreover, almost half of the participants would like the one who breaks the bad news to remain with them to give them some more information about the disease. Significant associations were observed between participants' perception and attitude with age, marital status, gender, and education (P bad news is received. Understanding what is important in the process of breaking bad news may help in determining how best to perform this challenging task.

Preferences and attitudes of the Saudi population toward receiving medical bad news: A primary study from Riyadh city

Science.gov (United States)

Alrukban, Mohammed O.; Albadr, Badr O.; Almansour, Mohammed; Sami, Waqas; Alshuil, Mussab; Aldebaib, Abulrahman; Algannam, Tamim; Alhafaf, Faisal; Almohanna, Abdulaziz; Alfifi, Tariq; Alshehri, Abdullah; Alshahrani, Muhannad

2014-01-01

Background: Breaking bad news is one of the most stressful and difficult things a physician has to do. Good communication skills are required in order to ensure that bad news is delivered in a humane but effective way. Objectives: This study was designed to explore the preferences and attitude of the Saudi population toward receiving bad news. Second, it was to identify the associations between preferences, attitudes, and sociodemographic characteristics. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted during the month of April 2009 in Riyadh. Data were collected from 1013 adult Saudis. Stratified random sampling technique was used through a self-administered questionnaire. Results: In this study, 474 (46.8%) were males and 539 (53.2%) were females. Almost two-third of the participants preferred to be the first to receive the bad news. A majority of the participants 695 (68.6%) preferred to be told the bad news at a private place, whereas, 441 (43.5%) preferred to be told by the head of the medical team. Moreover, almost half of the participants would like the one who breaks the bad news to remain with them to give them some more information about the disease. Significant associations were observed between participants' perception and attitude with age, marital status, gender, and education (P bad news is received. Understanding what is important in the process of breaking bad news may help in determining how best to perform this challenging task. PMID:24987276

Are 3-D Movies Bad for Your Eyes?

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Full Text Available ... Tips & Prevention News Ask an Ophthalmologist Patient Stories Español Eye Health / Tips & Prevention Sections Are 3-D Movies Bad for Your Eyes? Leer en Español: ¿Son Malas para los Ojos las Películas en ...

Are 3-D Movies Bad for Your Eyes?

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Full Text Available ... Español Eye Health / Tips & Prevention Sections Are 3-D Movies Bad for Your Eyes? Leer en Español: ¿ ... computer use and your eyes . Children and 3-D Technology Following the lead of Nintendo, several 3- ...

Cinema and the communication of bad news

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Isabel GÓMEZ CORDOBA

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Breaking Bad News requires medical professionals possess a range of skills to ensure that the patient has the information required for decision?making, this process occurs without further damage and even has a therapeutic effect, and another, that the doctor is not exposed to legal risk or stress associated with the inability to cope with the feelings of the patient, their families or themselves. This article discusses the aspects of communication of bad news in the field of doctor?patient relationship will be presented. The SPIKES model and discussion of movie segments related to the subject was employed as a thread, such as Doctor, 50/50, The Barbarian Invasions, Wings of Life, Stepmom, Letters to God, Wit, The butterfly blue, The power of friendship, Life without me, Make me laugh, Knockin ‘on Heaven’s Door, My Life, A crazy Loose in Brooklyn, As suicide and not die in the attempt, A lesson of life, and The sacrifice of a mother, as a pedagogical strategy in medical training.

Epstein-Barr Virus MicroRNA miR-BART20-5p Suppresses Lytic Induction by Inhibiting BAD-Mediated caspase-3-Dependent Apoptosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hyoji; Choi, Hoyun; Lee, Suk Kyeong

2016-02-01

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a human gammaherpesvirus associated with a variety of tumor types. EBV can establish latency or undergo lytic replication in host cells. In general, EBV remains latent in tumors and expresses a limited repertoire of latent proteins to avoid host immune surveillance. When the lytic cycle is triggered by some as-yet-unknown form of stimulation, lytic gene expression and progeny virus production commence. Thus far, the exact mechanism of EBV latency maintenance and the in vivo triggering signal for lytic induction have yet to be elucidated. Previously, we have shown that the EBV microRNA miR-BART20-5p directly targets the immediate early genes BRLF1 and BZLF1 as well as Bcl-2-associated death promoter (BAD) in EBV-associated gastric carcinoma. In this study, we found that both mRNA and protein levels of BRLF1 and BZLF1 were suppressed in cells following BAD knockdown and increased after BAD overexpression. Progeny virus production was also downregulated by specific knockdown of BAD. Our results demonstrated that caspase-3-dependent apoptosis is a prerequisite for BAD-mediated EBV lytic cycle induction. Therefore, our data suggest that miR-BART20-5p plays an important role in latency maintenance and tumor persistence of EBV-associated gastric carcinoma by inhibiting BAD-mediated caspase-3-dependent apoptosis, which would trigger immediate early gene expression. EBV has an ability to remain latent in host cells, including EBV-associated tumor cells hiding from immune surveillance. However, the exact molecular mechanisms of EBV latency maintenance remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrated that miR-BART20-5p inhibited the expression of EBV immediate early genes indirectly, by suppressing BAD-induced caspase-3-dependent apoptosis, in addition to directly, as we previously reported. Our study suggests that EBV-associated tumor cells might endure apoptotic stress to some extent and remain latent with the aid of miR-BART20-5p. Blocking the

Self-reported nonrestorative sleep in fibromyalgia – relationship to impairments of body functions, personal function factors, and quality of life

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liedberg GM

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Gunilla M Liedberg,1 Mathilda Björk,2 Björn Börsbo31Department of Social and Welfare Studies, Linköping University, Norrköping, 2Rehabilitation Centre and Department of Medical and Health Sciences, 3Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Medicine and Health Sciences (IMH, Linköping University, Linköping, SwedenPurpose: The purpose of this study was: 1 to determine variables that might characterize good or bad sleep; and 2 to describe the relationship between sleep, impairment of body functions, personal function factors, and quality of life based on quality of sleep in women with fibromyalgia (FM. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study included 224 consecutive patients diagnosed at a specialist center. These patients were mailed a questionnaire concerning sleep, body functions, personal factors, and health-related quality of life. In total, 145 completed questionnaires were collected. Results: Using sleep variables (sleep quality, waking up unrefreshed, and tiredness when getting up, we identified two subgroups – the good sleep subgroup and the bad sleep subgroup – of women with FM. These subgroups exhibited significantly different characteristics concerning pain intensity, psychological variables (depressed mood, anxiety, catastrophizing, and self-efficacy, impairments of body functions, and generic and health-related quality of life. The good sleep subgroup reported a significantly better situation, including higher employment/study rate. The bad sleep subgroup reported a greater use of sleep medication. Five variables determined inclusion into either a good sleep or a bad sleep subgroup: pain in the evening, self-efficacy, anxiety, and according to the Short Form health survey role emotional and physical functioning. Conclusion: This study found that it was possible to identify two subgroups of women with FM based on quality of sleep variables. The two subgroups differed significantly with respect to pain, psychological

HK2 Recruitment to Phospho-BAD Prevents Its Degradation, Promoting Warburg Glycolysis by Theileria-Transformed Leukocytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Haidar, Malak; Lombès, Anne; Bouillaud, Frédéric; Kennedy, Eileen J; Langsley, Gordon

2017-03-10

Theileria annulata infects bovine leukocytes, transforming them into invasive, cancer-like cells that cause the widespread disease called tropical theileriosis. We report that in Theileria-transformed leukocytes hexokinase-2 (HK2) binds to B cell lymphoma-2-associated death promoter (BAD) only when serine (S) 155 in BAD is phosphorylated. We show that HK2 recruitment to BAD is abolished by a cell-penetrating peptide that acts as a nonphosphorylatable BAD substrate that inhibits endogenous S155 phosphorylation, leading to complex dissociation and ubiquitination and degradation of HK2 by the proteasome. As HK2 is a critical enzyme involved in Warburg glycolysis, its loss forces Theileria-transformed macrophages to switch back to HK1-dependent oxidative glycolysis that down-regulates macrophage proliferation only when they are growing on glucose. When growing on galactose, degradation of HK2 has no effect on Theileria-infected leukocyte proliferation, because metabolism of this sugar is independent of hexokinases. Thus, targeted disruption of the phosphorylation-dependent HK2/BAD complex may represent a novel approach to control Theileria-transformed leukocyte proliferation.

An Abstract Coalgebraic Approach to Process Equivalence for Well- Behaved Operational Semantics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klin, Bartek

This thesis is part of the programme aimed at finding a mathematical theory of well-behaved structural operational semantics. General and basic results shown in 1997 in a seminal paper by Turi and Plotkin are extended in two directions, aiming at greater expressivity of the framework. The so-call...

Effect of the environmental pollutant bisphenol A dimethacylate (BAD) on Ca2+ movement and viability in OC2 human oral cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Chien, Jau-Min; Chou, Chiang-Ting; Lu, Yi-Chau; Lu, Ti; Chi, Chao-Chuan; Tseng, Li-Ling; Liu, Shiuh-Inn; Cheng, Jin-Shiung; Kuo, Chun-Chi; Liang, Wei-Zhe; Jan, Chung-Ren

2013-03-01

The environmental pollutant bisphenol A dimethacylate (BAD) has been used as a dental composite. The effect of BAD on cytosolic Ca(2+) concentrations ([Ca(2+)]i) and viability in OC2 human oral cancer cells was explored. The Ca(2+)-sensitive fluorescent dye fura-2 was applied to measure [Ca(2+)]i. BAD induced [Ca(2+)]i rises in a concentration-dependent manner. The response was reduced by removing extracellular Ca(2+). BAD-evoked Ca(2+) entry was suppressed by nifedipine, econazole, and SK&F96365. In Ca(2+)-free medium, incubation with the endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) pump inhibitor thapsigargin abolished BAD-induced [Ca(2+)]i rise. Inhibition of phospholipase C with U73122 did not alter BAD-induced [Ca(2+)]i rise. At 10-30μM, BAD inhibited cell viability, which was not reversed by chelating cytosolic Ca(2+). BAD (20-30μM) also induced apoptosis. Collectively, in OC2 cells, BAD induced a [Ca(2+)]i rise by evoking phospholipase C-independent Ca(2+) release from the endoplasmic reticulum and Ca(2+) entry via store-operated Ca(2+) channels. BAD also caused apoptosis. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bad faith trade mark applications in China : a threat to foreign investment?

OpenAIRE

Elftorp, Kristian

2012-01-01

In a report provided by the European Chamber of Commerce in China, the problem with bad faith trade mark applications was highlighted. The report concluded that the current application of the law, combined with the procedural background constitutes an incentive rather than a deterrent for bad faith trade mark applications in China. The issue originates in Chinese defrauders conducting research among foreign companies with the intent of un- lawfully registering their trade marks in China. Sinc...

The bad apple effect and social value orientation in public-goods dilemmas: replication and extension of research findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Song; Sun, Jiaqing; Cai, Wei; Jin, Shenghua

2014-06-01

Two studies were conducted to replicate and extend previous findings on the effect of uncooperative behavior on group cooperation (the "bad apple" effect). Study 1 (56 women, 40 men; M age = 23.5 yr.) manipulated information about contributions from the bad apple, controlling for overall contributions to a group account. Study 2 (50 women, 34 men; M age = 20.4 yr.) compared the effects of a bad apple and a good apple on cooperation. The social value orientation of participants was measured to explore individual differences in the bad apple effect. The results revealed a bad apple (a) decreased cooperation among individuals with proself and prosocial orientations in Study 1, and (b) had a greater effect than a good apple on those who were proself compared to prosocial in Study 2.

Beyond Bad Behaving Brothers: Productive Performances of Masculinities among College Fraternity Men

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Frank, III; Harper, Shaun R.

2014-01-01

Research on fraternity men focuses almost exclusively on problematic behaviors such as homophobia and sexism, alcohol abuse, violence against women, sexual promiscuity, and the overrepresentation of members among campus judicial offenders. Consequently, little is known about those who perform masculinities in healthy and productive ways. Presented…

Leaders Behaving Badly: Using Power to Generate Undiscussables in Action Learning Sets

Science.gov (United States)

Donovan, Paul Jeffrey

2014-01-01

"Undiscussables" are topics associated with threat or embarrassment that are avoided by groups, where that avoidance is also not discussed. Their deleterious effect on executive groups has been a point of discussion for several decades. More recently critical action learning (AL) has brought a welcome focus to power relations within AL…

When fellow customers behave badly: Witness reactions to employee mistreatment by customers.

Science.gov (United States)

Hershcovis, M Sandy; Bhatnagar, Namita

2017-11-01

In 3 experiments, we examined how customers react after witnessing a fellow customer mistreat an employee. Drawing on the deontic model of justice, we argue that customer mistreatment of employees leads witnesses (i.e., other customers) to leave larger tips, engage in supportive employee-directed behaviors, and evaluate employees more positively (Studies 1 and 2). We also theorize that witnesses develop less positive treatment intentions and more negative retaliatory intentions toward perpetrators, with anger and empathy acting as parallel mediators of our perpetrator- and target-directed outcomes, respectively. In Study 1, we conducted a field experiment that examined real customers' target-directed reactions to witnessed mistreatment in the context of a fast-food restaurant. In Study 2, we replicated Study 1 findings in an online vignette experiment, and extended it by examining more severe mistreatment and perpetrator-directed responses. In Study 3, we demonstrated that employees who respond to mistreatment uncivilly are significantly less likely to receive the positive outcomes found in Studies 1 and 2 than those who respond neutrally. We discuss the implications of our findings for theory and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Parents behaving badly: Gender biases in the perception of parental alienating behaviors.

Science.gov (United States)

Harman, Jennifer J; Biringen, Zeynep; Ratajack, Ellen M; Outland, Pearl L; Kraus, Allyson

2016-10-01

According to gender role theory, individuals who confirm expectations associated with their gender roles are rewarded and judged against these expectations when they deviate. Parental roles are strongly tied to gender, and there are very different expectations for behaviors of mothers and fathers. This study examined how mothers' and fathers' behaviors that support or discourage a positive relationship with the other parent are perceived in terms of their acceptability. Two-hundred twenty-eight parents completed an online survey assessing perceptions of acceptability of negative (parental alienating) and positive coparenting behaviors. Results provided support for our hypothesis: Although parental alienating behaviors were rated unacceptable, they were more acceptable for mothers than fathers. Expectancy violation theory can explain why parental alienating behaviors are not viewed as negatively when mothers exhibit them than fathers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Bad splits in bilateral sagittal split osteotomy: systematic review and meta-analysis of reported risk factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Steenen, S A; van Wijk, A J; Becking, A G

2016-08-01

An unfavourable and unanticipated pattern of the bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) is generally referred to as a 'bad split'. Patient factors predictive of a bad split reported in the literature are controversial. Suggested risk factors are reviewed in this article. A systematic review was undertaken, yielding a total of 30 studies published between 1971 and 2015 reporting the incidence of bad split and patient age, and/or surgical technique employed, and/or the presence of third molars. These included 22 retrospective cohort studies, six prospective cohort studies, one matched-pair analysis, and one case series. Spearman's rank correlation showed a statistically significant but weak correlation between increasing average age and increasing occurrence of bad splits in 18 studies (ρ=0.229; Pbad split among the different splitting techniques. A meta-analysis pooling the effect sizes of seven cohort studies showed no significant difference in the incidence of bad split between cohorts of patients with third molars present and concomitantly removed during surgery, and patients in whom third molars were removed at least 6 months preoperatively (odds ratio 1.16, 95% confidence interval 0.73-1.85, Z=0.64, P=0.52). In summary, there is no robust evidence to date to show that any risk factor influences the incidence of bad split. Copyright © 2016 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

26 CFR 301.6511(d)-1 - Overpayment of income tax on account of bad debts, worthless securities, etc.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 18 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Overpayment of income tax on account of bad... bad debts, worthless securities, etc. (a)(1) If the claim for credit or refund relates to an... the deductibility of a bad debt under section 166 or section 832(c), or of a loss from the...

Badly approximable systems of linear forms in absolute value

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hussain, M.; Kristensen, Simon

In this paper we show that the set of mixed type badly approximable simultaneously small linear forms is of maximal dimension. As a consequence of this theorem we settle the conjecture stated in [9]....

Transactivation of bad by vorinostat-induced acetylated p53 enhances doxorubicin-induced cytotoxicity in cervical cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sook-Jeong; Hwang, Sung-Ook; Noh, Eun Joo; Kim, Dong-Uk; Nam, Miyoung; Kim, Jong Hyeok; Nam, Joo Hyun; Hoe, Kwang-Lae

2014-02-14

Vorinostat (VOR) has been reported to enhance the cytotoxic effects of doxorubicin (DOX) with fewer side effects because of the lower DOX dosage in breast cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the novel mechanism underlying the synergistic cytotoxic effects of VOR and DOX co-treatment in cervical cancer cells HeLa, CaSki and SiHa cells. Co-treatment with VOR and DOX at marginal doses led to the induction of apoptosis through caspase-3 activation, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage and DNA micronuclei. Notably, the synergistic growth inhibition induced by the co-treatment was attributed to the upregulation of the pro-apoptotic protein Bad, as the silencing of Bad expression using small interfering RNA (siRNA) abolished the phenomenon. As siRNA against p53 did not result in an increase in acetylated p53 and the consequent upregulation of Bad, the observed Bad upregulation was mediated by acetylated p53. Moreover, a chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis showed that the co-treatment of HeLa cells with VOR and DOX increased the recruitment of acetylated p53 to the bad promoter, with consequent bad transactivation. Conversely, C33A cervical cancer cells containing mutant p53 co-treated with VOR and DOX did not exhibit Bad upregulation, acetylated p53 induction or consequent synergistic growth inhibition. Together, the synergistic growth inhibition of cervical cancer cell lines induced by co-treatment with VOR and DOX can be attributed to the upregulation of Bad, which is induced by acetylated p53. These results show for the first time that the acetylation of p53, rather than histones, is a mechanism for the synergistic growth inhibition induced by VOR and DOX co-treatments.

Reconsiderations: We Got the Wrong Gal--Rethinking the "Bad" Academic Writing of Judith Butler

Science.gov (United States)

Birkenstein, Cathy

2010-01-01

It is hard to think of a writer whose work has been more prominently upheld as an example of bad academic writing than the philosopher and literary theorist Judith Butler. In 1998, Butler was awarded first prize in the annual Bad Writing Contest established by the journal "Philosophy and Literature," and early in 1999, was lampooned in an…

Addressing Single and Multiple Bad Data in the Modern PMU-based Power System State Estimation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khazraj, Hesam; Silva, Filipe Miguel Faria da; Bak, Claus Leth

2017-01-01

utilization in state estimation can detect and identify single and multiple bad data in redundant and critical measurements. To validate simulations, IEEE 30 bus system are implemented in PowerFactory and Matlab is used to solve proposed state estimation using postprocessing of PMUs and mixed methods. Bad...

LESSONS FROM THE IMPACT OF INTERNAL AND MACROECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF BAD LOANS IN CEE BANKS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bogdan Florin FILIP

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The paper aims identifying and analysing the determinants of bad loans in the banks from Central and Eastern Europe, while their accumulation may lead to malfunctions on macroeconomic level. Analysing 38 of the most representative banks in the region during 2004-2013, we found significant positive linkages of bad loans ratio with cost to income ratio, unemployment and crisis, but also significant negative linkages with bank size, activity mix, bank risk taking behaviour, real GDP growth and inflation. Moreover, using Panel Least Squares Fixed Effects Method, we found that the main determinants of bad loans ratio increase are bank size, crisis, unemployment and cost to income ratio. Contrary, activity mix, bank risk taking behaviour, real GDP growth and inflation proved to act against bad loans accumulation. The results offer important lessons which may be useful in the future both for the banks and also for the governments from this region.

Statistical Image Properties in Large Subsets of Traditional Art, Bad Art, and Abstract Art.

Science.gov (United States)

Redies, Christoph; Brachmann, Anselm

2017-01-01

Several statistical image properties have been associated with large subsets of traditional visual artworks. Here, we investigate some of these properties in three categories of art that differ in artistic claim and prestige: (1) Traditional art of different cultural origin from established museums and art collections (oil paintings and graphic art of Western provenance, Islamic book illustration and Chinese paintings), (2) Bad Art from two museums that collect contemporary artworks of lesser importance (© Museum Of Bad Art [MOBA], Somerville, and Official Bad Art Museum of Art [OBAMA], Seattle), and (3) twentieth century abstract art of Western provenance from two prestigious museums (Tate Gallery and Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen). We measured the following four statistical image properties: the fractal dimension (a measure relating to subjective complexity); self-similarity (a measure of how much the sections of an image resemble the image as a whole), 1st-order entropy of edge orientations (a measure of how uniformly different orientations are represented in an image); and 2nd-order entropy of edge orientations (a measure of how independent edge orientations are across an image). As shown previously, traditional artworks of different styles share similar values for these measures. The values for Bad Art and twentieth century abstract art show a considerable overlap with those of traditional art, but we also identified numerous examples of Bad Art and abstract art that deviate from traditional art. By measuring statistical image properties, we quantify such differences in image composition for the first time.

Breaking bad news: patients' preferences and health locus of control.

Science.gov (United States)

Martins, Raquel Gomes; Carvalho, Irene Palmares

2013-07-01

To identify patients' preferences for models of communicating bad news and to explore how such preferences, and the reasons for the preferences, relate with personality characteristics, specifically patients' health locus of control (HLC): internal/external and 'powerful others' (PO). Seventy-two patients from an oncology clinic watched videotaped scenarios of a breaking bad news moment, selected the model they preferred, filled an HLC scale and were interviewed about their choices. Data were analyzed with Chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. Interviews were content-analyzed. 77.8% preferred an "empathic professional", 12.5% a "distanced expert" and 9.7% an "emotionally burdened expert". Preferences varied significantly with HLC scores (patients with higher internal locus of control (ILC) and lower PO preferred the empathic model), presence of cancer, age and education. Patients explained their preferences through aspects of Caring, Professionalism, Wording, Time and Hope. ILC registered significant differences in regards to Wording and Time, whereas PO was associated with Hope and Time. HLC is an important dimension that can help doctors to better know their patients. Knowing whether patients attribute their health to their own behaviors or to chance/others can help tailor the disclosure of bad news to their specific preferences. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relationship between mandibular anatomy and the occurrence of a bad split upon sagittal split osteotomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Aarabi, Mohammadali; Tabrizi, Reza; Hekmat, Mina; Shahidi, Shoaleh; Puzesh, Ayatollah

2014-12-01

A bad split is a troublesome complication of the sagittal split osteotomy (SSO). The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation between the occurrence of a bad split and mandibular anatomy in SSO using cone-beam computed tomography. The authors designed a cohort retrospective study. Forty-eight patients (96 SSO sites) were studied. The buccolingual thickness of the retromandibular area (BLR), the buccolingual thickness of the ramus at the level of the lingula (BLTR), the height of the mandible from the alveolar crest to the inferior border of the mandible, (ACIB), the distance between the sigmoid notch and the inferior border of the mandible (SIBM), and the anteroposterior width of the ramus (APWR) were measured. The independent t test was applied to compare anatomic measurements between the group with and the group without bad splits. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) test was used to find a cutoff point in anatomic size for various parts of the mandible related to the occurrence of bad splits. The mean SIBM was 47.05±6.33 mm in group 1 (with bad splits) versus 40.66±2.44 mm in group 2 (without bad splits; P=.01). The mean BLTR was 5.74±1.11 mm in group 1 versus 3.19±0.55 mm in group 2 (P=.04). The mean BLR was 14.98±2.78 mm in group 1 versus 11.21±1.29 mm in group 2 (P=.001). No statistically significant difference was found for APWR and ACIB between the 2 groups. The ROC test showed cutoff points of 10.17 mm for BLR, 36.69 mm for SIBM, and 4.06 mm for BLTR. This study showed that certain mandibular anatomic differences can increase the risk of a bad split during SSO surgery. Copyright © 2014 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Breaking bad news of cancer diagnosis - Perception of the cancer patients in a rural community in Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Bain, Mathew Gabriel; Lian, Cheah Whye; Thon, Chang Ching

2014-04-01

Breaking of bad news is an important component in the management of cancer patients. This study aimed to assess the perceptions of breaking bad news of cancer diagnosis. It was a cross-sectional study using Breaking Bad News Assessment Schedule (BAS) questionnaire on cancer patients in Serian district. Using snowballing sampling method, a total of 134 patients were interviewed face-to-face after the consent was obtained from each of the respondents. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 19.0. Majority were comfortable with the current method of breaking bad news. The main aspects found to be the areas of concern were the importance of the usage of body language, management of time and identifying patients' key area of concerns. There were significant difference between sex and "information giving" (P = 0.028) and "general consideration" (P = 0.016) and also between "the age and setting the scene" (P = 0.042). Significant difference was also found between the types of cancer and "the setting of scene" (P = 0.018), "breaking bad news technique" (P = 0.010), "eliciting concerns" (P = 0.003) and "information giving" (P = 0.004). Good and effective communication skill of breaking bad news is vital in the management of cancer patients. As the incidence of new cases of cancer increase every year, breaking of bad news has become a pertinent to the medical professionals' role. Specific aspects of communication skills based on local characteristics should be more emphasized in the formulation of training for doctors.

Manifestations of Bad Governance on the Threshold of African ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2012-10-02

Oct 2, 2012 ... This orbits around the problems of bad governance ... has become less and less loathed, but rather more and more a business with governance actors like the leaders and representatives not visualizing ethical responsibility ...

Beta : The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Driessen, Joost; van Zundert, J.

2017-01-01

This paper decomposes aggregate and individual stock returns into cash flow news, interest rate news, and risk premium news. We then extend the “good beta, bad beta” approach of Campbell and Vuolteenaho (2004) by allowing for a third beta: exposure to interest rate news. Using various stock

Is Sitting Too Much Bad for Your Health?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huysmans, M.A.; van der Ploeg, H.P.; Proper, K.I.; Spekle, E.M.; van der Beek, A.J.

2015-01-01

Office workers spend a large part of their workday sitting down. Too much sitting seems bad for people's health and puts them at risk for premature death. Workstation alternatives that allow desk work to be done while standing, walking, biking, or stepping reduce the total time spent sitting without

Medical students' attitudes towards breaking bad news: an empirical test of the World Health Organization model.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Valck, C. de; Bensing, J.; Bruynooghe, R.

2001-01-01

The literature regarding breaking bad news distinguishes three disclosure models: non-disclosure, full-disclosure and individualized disclosure. In this study, we investigated the relations between attitudes regarding disclosure of bad news and global professional attitudes regarding medical care in

From smoke to bad fish: DTU students invent new uses for sensor technology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lassen, Lisbeth

2018-01-01

A sensor that can register smoke from a fire can also be used to register even the faintest odeur of bad fish. This is what a team of students behind the recently started business, Fishent, discovered.......A sensor that can register smoke from a fire can also be used to register even the faintest odeur of bad fish. This is what a team of students behind the recently started business, Fishent, discovered....

78 FR 35091 - Requested Administrative Waiver of the Coastwise Trade Laws: Vessel BAD INFLUENCE; Invitation for...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-11

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Maritime Administration [Docket No. MARAD-2013 0072] Requested Administrative Waiver of the Coastwise Trade Laws: Vessel BAD INFLUENCE; Invitation for Public Comments AGENCY....gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As described by the applicant the intended service of the vessel BAD...

Comparison Between Conventional and Post-Processing PMU-Based State Estimation to Deal with Bad Data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khazraj, Hesam; Silva, Filipe Miguel Faria da; Bak, Claus Leth

2017-01-01

simulations, IEEE 30 bus is implemented in PowerFactory and Matlab is used to solve proposed state estimation using post-processing of PMUs. Bad data is generated manually and added in PMU and conventional measurements profile. Finally, the location and analysis of bad data are available by result of largest...

Dopamine Modulates Delta-Gamma Phase-Amplitude Coupling in the Prefrontal Cortex of Behaving Rats

Science.gov (United States)

Andino-Pavlovsky, Victoria; Souza, Annie C.; Scheffer-Teixeira, Robson; Tort, Adriano B. L.; Etchenique, Roberto; Ribeiro, Sidarta

2017-01-01

Dopamine release and phase-amplitude cross-frequency coupling (CFC) have independently been implicated in prefrontal cortex (PFC) functioning. To causally investigate whether dopamine release affects phase-amplitude comodulation between different frequencies in local field potentials (LFP) recorded from the medial PFC (mPFC) of behaving rats, we used RuBiDopa, a light-sensitive caged compound that releases the neurotransmitter dopamine when irradiated with visible light. LFP power did not change in any frequency band after the application of light-uncaged dopamine, but significantly strengthened phase-amplitude comodulation between delta and gamma oscillations. Saline did not exert significant changes, while injections of dopamine and RuBiDopa produced a slow increase in comodulation for several minutes after the injection. The results show that dopamine release in the medial PFC shifts phase-amplitude comodulation from theta-gamma to delta-gamma. Although being preliminary results due to the limitation of the low number of animals present in this study, our findings suggest that dopamine-mediated modification of the frequencies involved in comodulation could be a mechanism by which this neurotransmitter regulates functioning in mPFC. PMID:28536507

Common meanings of good and bad sleep in a healthy population sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Dickerson, Suzanne S; Klingman, Karen J; Jungquist, Carla R

2016-09-01

The study's purpose was to understand the common meanings and shared practices related to good and bad sleep from narratives of a sample of healthy participants. Interpretive phenomenology was the approach to analyze narratives of the participants' everyday experiences with sleep. Participants were interviewed and asked to describe typical good and bad nights' sleep, what contributes to their sleep experience, and the importance of sleep in their lives. Team interpretations of narratives identified common themes by consensus. Medium sized city in New York State (upper west region). A sample of 30 healthy participants were from a parent study (n=300) on testing the sleep questions from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Interpretations of good and bad sleep. Participants described similar experiences of good and bad sleep often directly related to their ability to schedule time to sleep, fall asleep, and maintain sleep. Worrying about life stresses and interruptions prevented participants from falling asleep and staying asleep. Yet, based on current life priorities (socializers, family work focused, and optimum health seekers), they had differing values related to seeking sleep opportunities and strategizing to overcome challenges. The participants' priorities reflected the context of their main concerns and stresses in life that influenced the importance given to promoting sleep opportunities. Public health messages tailored to life priorities could be developed to promote healthy sleep practices. Copyright © 2016 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Regional imbalanced activation of the calcineurin/BAD apoptotic pathway and the PI3K/Akt survival pathway after myocardial infarction.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Tieluo; Kilic, Ahmet; Wei, Xufeng; Wu, Changfu; Schwartzbauer, Gary; Yankey, G Kwame; DeFilippi, Christopher; Bond, Meredith; Wu, Zhongjun J; Griffith, Bartley P

2013-06-05

The underlying molecular mechanisms of the remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI) remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of a survival pathway (PI3K/Akt) and an apoptosis pathway (calcineurin/BAD) in the remodeling after MI in a large animal model. Ten Dorset hybrid sheep underwent 25% MI in the left ventricle (LV, n=10). Five sheep were used as sham control. The regional strain was calculated from sonomicrometry. Apoptosis and the activation of the PI3K/Akt and calcineurin/BAD pathways were evaluated in the non-ischemic adjacent zone and the remote zone relative to infarct by immunoblotting, immunoprecipitation, and immunofluorescence staining. Dilation and dysfunction of LV were present at 12 weeks after MI. The regional strain in the adjacent zone was significantly higher than in the remote zone at 12 weeks (36.6 ± 4.0% vs 9.5 ± 3.6%, pBAD pathways were activated in the adjacent zone. Dephosphorylation and translocation of BAD were evident in the adjacent zone. Regional correlation between the strain and the expression of calcineurin/BAD indicated that the activation was strain-related (R(2)=0.46, 0.48, 0.39 for calcineurin, BAD, mitochondrial BAD, respectively, pBAD apoptotic pathways were concomitantly activated in the non-ischemic adjacent zone after MI. The calcineurin/BAD pathway is strain related and its imbalanced activation may be one of the causes of progressive remodeling after MI. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Main communication barriers in the process of delivering bad news to oncological patients - medical perspective.

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Zielińska, Paulina; Jarosz, Magdalena; Kwiecińska, Agnieszka; Bętkowska-Korpała, Barbara

2017-01-01

Delivering bad news is a major aspect of a doctor's work. The literature most often refers to patient's expectations or needs, and methods of delivering bad news, while medical perspective is often skipped. The purpose of this paper is to examine competencies (knowledge, skills and experience) in delivering bad news by medical specialists in the areas related to the causal and symptomatic treatment of oncological patients; identification of major communication problems and obstacles in this specific situation and evaluation of teaching needs for delivering bad news. The study was performed on a group of 61 medical specialists in the areas related to the causal and symptomatic treatment of oncological patients, using a self-generated questionnaire based on other studies in the literature. Topics that are considered most demanding are: delivering news on the termination of causal treatment and preparing the patient/ close ones for death. The most difficult aspect of such discussions for the respondents was associated with the emotions manifested by the patient. On the other hand, doctors were mostly distressed by the feeling of taking the patient's hope away. The study points to the need for education of doctors in the eld of techniques for delivering bad news, particularly in the area of dealing with the emotions manifested by the patient and giving them real hope. The results encourage to conduct studies on a larger group of doctors.

The association between smoking and ectopic pregnancy: why nicotine is BAD for your fallopian tube.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew W Horne

Full Text Available Epidemiological studies have shown that cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for tubal ectopic pregnancy but the reason for this remains unclear. Here, we set out to determine the effect of smoking on Fallopian tube gene expression. An oviductal epithelial cell line (OE-E6/E7 and explants of human Fallopian tubes from non-pregnant women (n = 6 were exposed to physiologically relevant concentrations of cotinine, the principle metabolite of nicotine, and changes in gene expression analyzed using the Illumina Human HT-12 array. Cotinine sensitive genes identified through this process were then localized and quantified in Fallopian tube biopsies from non-pregnant smokers (n = 10 and non-smokers (n = 11 using immunohistochemistry and TaqMan RT-PCR. The principle cotinine induced change in gene expression detected by the array analysis in both explants and the cell line was significant down regulation (P<0.05 of the pro-apoptotic gene BAD. We therefore assessed the effect of smoking on cell turnover in retrospectively collected human samples. Consistent with the array data, smoking was associated with decreased levels of BAD transcript (P<0.01 and increased levels of BCL2 transcript (P<0.05 in Fallopian tube biopsies. BAD and BCL2 specific immunolabelling was localized to Fallopian tube epithelium. Although no other significant differences in levels of apoptosis or cell cycle associated proteins were observed, smoking was associated with significant changes in the morphology of the Fallopian tube epithelium (P<0.05. These results suggest that smoking may alter tubal epithelial cell turnover and is associated with structural, as well as functional, changes that may contribute to the development of ectopic pregnancy.

Breaking bad news in the emergency department: a comparative analysis among residents, patients and family members' perceptions.

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Toutin-Dias, Gabriela; Daglius-Dias, Roger; Scalabrini-Neto, Augusto

2018-02-01

Our main objective was to assess patient and family members' perception of bad news communication in the emergency department (ED) and compare these with physicians' perceptions. This is a cross-sectional study carried out at the ED of a tertiary teaching hospital. To compare physicians' and receivers' (patient and/or family member) perceptions, we created a survey based on the six attributes derived from the SPIKES protocol. The surveys were applied immediately after communication of bad news occurred in the ED. We analyzed agreement among participants using κ-statistics and the χ-test to compare proportions. A total of 73 bad news communication encounters were analyzed. The survey respondents were 73 physicians, 69 family members, and four patients. In general, there is a low level of agreement between physicians' and receivers' perceptions of how breaking bad news transpired. The satisfaction level of receivers, in terms of breaking bad news by doctors, presented a mean of 3.7±0.6 points. In contrast, the physicians' perception of the communication was worse (2.9±0.6 points), with P value less than 0.001. Doctors and receivers disagree in relation to what transpired throughout bad news communications. Discrepancies were more evident in issues involving emotion, invitation, and privacy. An important agreement between perceptions was found in technical and knowledge-related aspects of the communication.

Effects of Vinegar Bad and Flyash on the Growth of Sorghum and the Improvement of Saline Soils

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FAN Na

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Based on the sorghum growth and salinity soil improvement, the effects of vinegar bad and flyash on the growth of sorghum and the improvement of saline soils were studied. The experiment was carried out with random block design, in 4 treatment, which were pure vinegar bad(treatment 1, vinegar bad and fly ash 1:1 ratio(treatment 2, vinegar bad and fly ash 2:1 ratio(treatment 3 and control respectively. The results showed that the contents of available nutrient in the four periods of sorghum growth increased firstly and then decreased, and the effect of vinegar bad and flyash treatment was better than that of control. Among them, the ratio 1:1 of vinegar and fly ash had the best effect. The results showed that compared with the control, the soil bulk density of treatment 1~3 was decreased by 19.6%, 28.6% and 11.32%, respectively. The spike length of treatment 1~3 was 6.25%, 9.06%, 3.93% higher than that of the control, respectively. The yield per plant of treatment 1~3 was increased by 10.53%, 13.26% and 8.89%, respectively. In summary, vinegar bad, flyash could improve the physical and chemical properties of saline soil, improve the environment of deep soil for plant growth, thereby increase the yield of sorghum.

Uncertainty plus prior equals rational bias: an intuitive Bayesian probability weighting function.

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Fennell, John; Baddeley, Roland

2012-10-01

Empirical research has shown that when making choices based on probabilistic options, people behave as if they overestimate small probabilities, underestimate large probabilities, and treat positive and negative outcomes differently. These distortions have been modeled using a nonlinear probability weighting function, which is found in several nonexpected utility theories, including rank-dependent models and prospect theory; here, we propose a Bayesian approach to the probability weighting function and, with it, a psychological rationale. In the real world, uncertainty is ubiquitous and, accordingly, the optimal strategy is to combine probability statements with prior information using Bayes' rule. First, we show that any reasonable prior on probabilities leads to 2 of the observed effects; overweighting of low probabilities and underweighting of high probabilities. We then investigate 2 plausible kinds of priors: informative priors based on previous experience and uninformative priors of ignorance. Individually, these priors potentially lead to large problems of bias and inefficiency, respectively; however, when combined using Bayesian model comparison methods, both forms of prior can be applied adaptively, gaining the efficiency of empirical priors and the robustness of ignorance priors. We illustrate this for the simple case of generic good and bad options, using Internet blogs to estimate the relevant priors of inference. Given this combined ignorant/informative prior, the Bayesian probability weighting function is not only robust and efficient but also matches all of the major characteristics of the distortions found in empirical research. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

Bad Loans and Loan Write-Offs

OpenAIRE

福田, 慎一; 鯉渕, 賢

2006-01-01

In this paper, we investigate who bears the burden when writing off bad loans in Japan. Traditionally, Japanese main banks bore large burdens in saving their customers. We still find that some main banks bear a large burden in saving their customers. However, in most cases, main banks became very reluctant to bear large burdens when bailing out their customers. In the transition from the bank-based system to a market-based system, traditional implicit rules are collapsing dramatically. We sug...

Inventory and Credit Decisions under Day-Terms Credit Linked Demand and Allowance for Bad Debts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. K. Aggarwal

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In order to stimulate demand of their product, firms generally give credit period to their customers. However, selling on credit exposes the firms to the additional dimension of bad debts expense (i.e., customer’s default. Moreover, credit period through its influence on demand becomes a determinant of inventory decisions and inventory sold on credit gets converted to accounts receivable indicating the interaction between the two. Since inventory and credit decisions are interrelated, inventory decisions must be determined jointly with credit decisions. Consequently, in this paper, a mathematical model is developed to determine inventory and credit decisions jointly. The demand rate is assumed to be a logistic function of credit period. The accounts receivable carrying cost along with an explicit consideration of bad debt expense which have been often ignored in previous models are incorporated in the present model. The discounted cash flow approach (DCF is used to develop the model and the objective is to maximize the present value of the firm’s net profit per unit time. Finally, numerical example and sensitivity analysis have been done to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed model.

32 CFR 887.7 - Persons separated under other than honorable conditions (undesirable or bad conduct) or...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Persons separated under other than honorable conditions (undesirable or bad conduct) or dishonorable discharge. 887.7 Section 887.7 National Defense... honorable conditions (undesirable or bad conduct) or dishonorable discharge. Those persons whose character...

Self-Deception in the Classroom: Educational Manifestations of Sartre's Concept of Bad Faith

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Blenkinsop, Sean; Waddington, Tim

2014-01-01

This article explores an important section of Jean-Paul Sartre's famous early work, "Being and Nothingness." In that section Sartre proposes that part of the human condition is to actively engage in a particular kind of self-deception he calls bad faith. Bad faith is recognized by the obvious inconsistency between the purported…

Variants in KCNJ11 and BAD do not predict response to ketogenic dietary therapies for epilepsy.

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Schoeler, Natasha E; Leu, Costin; White, Jon; Plagnol, Vincent; Ellard, Sian; Matarin, Mar; Yellen, Gary; Thiele, Elizabeth A; Mackay, Mark; McMahon, Jacinta M; Scheffer, Ingrid E; Sander, Josemir W; Cross, J Helen; Sisodiya, Sanjay M

2015-12-01

In the absence of specific metabolic disorders, predictors of response to ketogenic dietary therapies (KDT) are unknown. We aimed to determine whether variants in established candidate genes KCNJ11 and BAD influence response to KDT. We sequenced KCNJ11 and BAD in individuals without previously-known glucose transporter type 1 deficiency syndrome or other metabolic disorders, who received KDT for epilepsy. Hospital records were used to obtain demographic and clinical data. Two response phenotypes were used: ≥ 50% seizure reduction and seizure-freedom at 3-month follow-up. Case/control association tests were conducted with KCNJ11 and BAD variants with minor allele frequency (MAF)>0.01, using PLINK. Response to KDT in individuals with variants with MAFBAD sequencing data and diet response data. Six SNPs in KCNJ11 and two in BAD had MAF>0.01. Eight variants in KCNJ11 and seven in BAD (of which three were previously-unreported) had MAFBAD do not predict response to KDT for epilepsy. We can exclude, with 80% power, association from variants with a MAF of >0.05 and effect size >3. A larger sample size is needed to detect associations from rare variants or those with smaller effect sizes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bad dream frequency in older adults with generalized anxiety disorder: prevalence, correlates, and effect of cognitive behavioral treatment for anxiety.

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Nadorff, Michael R; Porter, Ben; Rhoades, Howard M; Greisinger, Anthony J; Kunik, Mark E; Stanley, Melinda A

2014-01-01

This study investigated the relation between generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and frequency of bad dreams in older adults. A secondary analysis from a randomized clinical trial comparing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety to enhanced usual care (EUC) assessed bad dream frequency at baseline, post treatment (3 months), and at 6, 9, 12, and 15 months. Of 227 participants (mean age = 67.4), 134 met GAD diagnostic criteria (CBT = 70, EUC = 64), with the remaining 93 serving as a comparison group. Patients with GAD had significantly more bad dreams than those without, and bad dream frequency was significantly associated with depression, anxiety, worry, and poor quality of life. CBT for anxiety significantly reduced bad dream frequency at post treatment and throughout follow up compared to EUC.

Universal quantum gates for photon-atom hybrid systems assisted by bad cavities

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Wang, Guan-Yu; Liu, Qian; Wei, Hai-Rui; Li, Tao; Ai, Qing; Deng, Fu-Guo

2016-01-01

We present two deterministic schemes for constructing a CNOT gate and a Toffoli gate on photon-atom and photon-atom-atom hybrid quantum systems assisted by bad cavities, respectively. They are achieved by cavity-assisted photon scattering and work in the intermediate coupling region with bad cavities, which relaxes the difficulty of their implementation in experiment. Also, bad cavities are feasible for fast quantum operations and reading out information. Compared with previous works, our schemes do not need any auxiliary qubits and measurements. Moreover, the schematic setups for these gates are simple, especially that for our Toffoli gate as only a quarter wave packet is used to interact the photon with each of the atoms every time. These atom-cavity systems can be used as the quantum nodes in long-distance quantum communication as their relatively long coherence time is suitable for multi-time operations between the photon and the system. Our calculations show that the average fidelities and efficiencies of our two universal hybrid quantum gates are high with current experimental technology. PMID:27067992

Creation and Assessment of a Bad News Delivery Simulation Curriculum for Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellows.

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Chumpitazi, Corrie E; Rees, Chris A; Chumpitazi, Bruno P; Hsu, Deborah C; Doughty, Cara B; Lorin, Martin I

2016-05-01

Background  Bad news in the context of health care has been broadly defined as significant information that negatively alters people's perceptions of the present or future. Effectively delivering bad news (DBN) in the setting of the emergency department requires excellent communication skills. Evidence shows that bad news is frequently given inadequately. Studies show that trainees need to devote more time to developing this skill through formalized training. This program's objectives were to utilize trained standardized patients in a simulation setting to assist pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellows in the development of effective, sensitive, and compassionate communication with patients and family members when conveying bad news, and to recognize and respond to the patient/parent's reaction to such news. Methods PEM fellows participated in a novel curriculum utilizing simulated patients (SPs) acting as the patient's parent and immersive techniques in a realistic and supportive environment. A baseline survey was conducted to ascertain participant demographics and previous experience with simulation and DBN. Experienced, multi-disciplinary faculty participated in a training workshop with the SPs one week prior to course delivery. Three scenarios were developed for bad news delivery. Instructors watched via remote video feed while the fellows individually interacted with the SPs and then participated in a confidential debriefing. Fellows later joined for group debriefing. Fellow characteristics, experience, and self-perceived comfort pre/post-course were collected.   Results Baseline data demonstrated that 78% of fellows reported DBN two or more times per month. Ninety-three percent of fellows in this study were present during the delivery of news about the death of a child to a parent or family member in the six-month period preceding this course. Fellows' self-reported comfort level in DBN to a patient/family and dealing with patient and parent emotions

Tumor Talk and Child Well-Being: Perceptions of "Good" and "Bad" News Among Parents of Children With Advanced Cancer.

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Feraco, Angela M; Dussel, Veronica; Orellana, Liliana; Kang, Tammy I; Geyer, J Russell; Rosenberg, Abby R; Feudtner, Chris; Wolfe, Joanne

2017-05-01

Little is known about how parents of children with advanced cancer classify news they receive about their child's medical condition. To develop concepts of "good news" and "bad news" in discussions of advanced childhood cancer from parent perspectives. Parents of children with advanced cancer cared for at three children's hospitals were asked to share details of conversations in the preceding three months that contained "good news" or "bad news" related to their child's medical condition. We used mixed methods to evaluate parent responses to both open-ended and fixed-response items. Of 104 enrolled parents, 86 (83%) completed the survey. Six (7%) parents reported discussing neither good nor bad news, 18 (21%) reported only bad news, 15 (17%) reported only good news, and 46 (54%) reported both good and bad news (one missing response). Seventy-six parents (88%) answered free-response items. Descriptions of both good and bad news discussions consisted predominantly of "tumor talk" or cancer control. Additional treatment options featured prominently, particularly in discussions of bad news (42%). Child well-being, an important good news theme, encompassed treatment tolerance, symptom reduction, and quality of life. A majority of parents of children with advanced cancer report discussing both good and bad news in the preceding three months. Although news related primarily to cancer control, parents also describe good news discussions related to their child's well-being. Understanding how parents of children with advanced cancer classify and describe the news they receive may enhance efforts to promote family-centered communication. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Social worker assessment of bad news delivery by emergency medicine residents: a novel direct-observation milestone assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Min, Alice Ann; Spear-Ellinwood, Karen; Berman, Melissa; Nisson, Peyton; Rhodes, Suzanne Michelle

2016-09-01

The skill of delivering bad news is difficult to teach and evaluate. Residents may practice in simulated settings; however, this may not translate to confidence or competence during real experiences. We investigated the acceptability and feasibility of social workers as evaluators of residents' delivery of bad news during patient encounters, and assessed the attitudes of both groups regarding this process. From August 2013 to June 2014, emergency medicine residents completed self-assessments after delivering bad news. Social workers completed evaluations after observing these conversations. The Assessment tools were designed by modifying the global Breaking Bad News Assessment Scale. Residents and social workers completed post-study surveys. 37 evaluations were received, 20 completed by social workers and 17 resident self-evaluations. Social workers reported discussing plans with residents prior to conversations 90 % of the time (18/20, 95 % CI 64.5, 97.8). Social workers who had previously observed the resident delivering bad news reported that the resident was more skilled on subsequent encounters 90 % of the time (95 % CI 42.2, 99). Both social workers and residents felt that prior training or experience was important. First-year residents valued advice from social workers less than advice from attending physicians, whereas more experienced residents perceived advice from social workers to be equivalent with that of attending physicians (40 versus 2.9 %, p = 0.002). Social worker assessment of residents' abilities to deliver bad news is feasible and acceptable to both groups. This formalized self-assessment and evaluation process highlights the importance of social workers' involvement in delivery of bad news, and the teaching of this skill. This method may also be used as direct-observation for resident milestone assessment.

26 CFR 1.593-2 - Additions to reserve for bad debts where surplus, reserves, and undivided profits equal or exceed...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 7 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Additions to reserve for bad debts where surplus... bad debts where surplus, reserves, and undivided profits equal or exceed 12 percent of deposits or... profits, and reserves at the beginning of the taxable year, a reasonable addition to the reserve for bad...

Are Empathy and Compassion Bad for the Professional Social Worker?

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Peter Nilsson

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Recent studies have shown that social workers and other professional helpers who work with traumatized individuals run a risk of developing compassion fatigue or secondary traumatic stress. Some researchers have hypothesized that helpers do this as a result of feeling too much empathy or too much compassion for their clients, thereby implying that empathy and compassion may be bad for the professional social worker. This paper investigates these hypotheses. Based on a review of current research about empathy and compassion it is argued that these states are not the causes of compassion fatigue. Hence, it is argued that empathy and compassion are not bad for the professional social worker in the sense that too much of one or the other will lead to compassion fatigue.

Visual improvement for bad handwriting based on Monte-Carlo method

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Cao; Xiao, Jianguo; Xu, Canhui; Jia, Wenhua

2014-03-01

A visual improvement algorithm based on Monte Carlo simulation is proposed in this paper, in order to enhance visual effects for bad handwriting. The whole improvement process is to use well designed typeface so as to optimize bad handwriting image. In this process, a series of linear operators for image transformation are defined for transforming typeface image to approach handwriting image. And specific parameters of linear operators are estimated by Monte Carlo method. Visual improvement experiments illustrate that the proposed algorithm can effectively enhance visual effect for handwriting image as well as maintain the original handwriting features, such as tilt, stroke order and drawing direction etc. The proposed visual improvement algorithm, in this paper, has a huge potential to be applied in tablet computer and Mobile Internet, in order to improve user experience on handwriting.

Bad Dream Frequency in Older Adults with Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Prevalence, Correlates, and Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Treatment for Anxiety

Science.gov (United States)

Nadorff, Michael R.; Porter, Ben; Rhoades, Howard M.; Greisinger, Anthony J.; Kunik, Mark E.; Stanley, Melinda A.

2012-01-01

This study investigated the relation between generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and frequency of bad dreams in older adults. A secondary analysis from a randomized clinical trial comparing cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety (CBT) to enhanced usual care (EUC), it assessed bad dream frequency at baseline, post-treatment (3 months), and 6, 9, 12 and 15 months. Of 227 participants (mean age = 67.4), 134 met GAD diagnostic criteria (CBT = 70, EUC = 64), with the remaining 93 serving as a comparison group. Patients with GAD had significantly more bad dreams than those without, and bad dream frequency was significantly associated with depression, anxiety, worry, and poor quality of life. CBT for anxiety significantly reduced bad dream frequency at post-treatment and throughout follow-up compared to EUC. PMID:23470116

[Effect of ginsenoside Rg3 on Pim-3 and Bad proteins in human pancreatic cancer cell line PANC-1].

Science.gov (United States)

Jian, Jie; Hu, Zhi-Fang; Huang, Yuan

2009-05-01

Ginsenoside Rg3 is a traditional Chinese medicine monomer which possesses anticancer effects. This study was to investigate the effects of ginsenoside Rg3 on Pim-3 and phosphorylated Bad (pBad) proteins, pBad (Ser112) and pBad (Ser136) in human pancreatic cancer cell line PANC-1. PANC-1 cells were exposed to 10, 20, 40 and 80 micromol/L ginsenoside Rg3 for 24 h. A short hairpin RNA (shRNA) of Pim-3 was cloned and inserted into a eukaryotic expression vector pSilencer 3.1-H1 Neo to construct pSilencer 3.1-H1 Neo-Pim-3. pSilencer 3.1-H1 Neo-Pim-3 was then transfected into PANC-1 cells. Cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay; cell apoptosis was observed under an invert microscope and measured by flow cytometry with Annexin V/PI staining; protein expressions of Pim-3, Bad, pBad (Ser112) and pBad (Ser136) were measured by Western blot. The inhibitory rates of 10, 20, 40 and 80 micromol/L ginsenoside Rg3 on PANC-1 cells were 20.2%, 33.4%, 52.8% and 65.3%, respectively. Typical morphological changes in apoptosis were induced by ginsenoside Rg3. The apoptotic rate of PANC-1 cells was significantly higher in the ginsenoside Rg3 treatment group (80 micromol/L) than in the control group (12.2% vs. 3.3%, PPANC-1 cells. Compared with the control group, the percentages of early and total apoptotic cells were significantly increased in PANC-1 cells transfected with pim-3-shRNA [(11.5+/-3.7)% vs. (5.8+/-2.2)%,P<0.01;(20.8+/-2.6)% vs.(13.0+/-4.1)%,P<0.05], while the expressions of pim-3 and pBad (Ser112) were both decreased. The anti-tumor effect of ginsenoside Rg3 may be associated with the decrease of Pim-3 and pBad (Ser112).

Driven polymer translocation in good and bad solvent: Effects of hydrodynamics and tension propagation.

Science.gov (United States)

Moisio, J E; Piili, J; Linna, R P

2016-08-01

We investigate the driven polymer translocation through a nanometer-scale pore in the presence and absence of hydrodynamics both in good and bad solvent. We present our results on tension propagating along the polymer segment on the cis side that is measured for the first time using our method that works also in the presence of hydrodynamics. For simulations we use stochastic rotation dynamics, also called multiparticle collision dynamics. We find that in the good solvent the tension propagates very similarly whether hydrodynamics is included or not. Only the tensed segment is by a constant factor shorter in the presence of hydrodynamics. The shorter tensed segment and the hydrodynamic interactions contribute to a smaller friction for the translocating polymer when hydrodynamics is included, which shows as smaller waiting times and a smaller exponent in the scaling of the translocation time with the polymer length. In the bad solvent hydrodynamics has a minimal effect on polymer translocation, in contrast to the good solvent, where it speeds up translocation. We find that under bad-solvent conditions tension does not spread appreciably along the polymer. Consequently, translocation time does not scale with the polymer length. By measuring the effective friction in a setup where a polymer in free solvent is pulled by a constant force at the end, we find that hydrodynamics does speed up collective polymer motion in the bad solvent even more effectively than in the good solvent. However, hydrodynamics has a negligible effect on the motion of individual monomers within the highly correlated globular conformation on the cis side and hence on the entire driven translocation under bad-solvent conditions.

AKT delays the early-activated apoptotic pathway in UVB-irradiated keratinocytes via BAD translocation.

Science.gov (United States)

Claerhout, Sofie; Decraene, David; Van Laethem, An; Van Kelst, Sofie; Agostinis, Patrizia; Garmyn, Marjan

2007-02-01

Upon irradiation with a high dose of UVB, keratinocytes undergo apoptosis as a protective mechanism. In previous work, we demonstrated the existence of an early-activated UVB-induced apoptotic pathway in growth factor-depleted human keratinocytes, which can be substantially delayed by the exclusive supplementation of IGF-1. We now show that in human keratinocytes, IGF-1 inhibits the onset of UVB-triggered apoptosis through a transcriptional independent, AKT-mediated mechanism, involving BAD serine 136 phosphorylation. Our results show that the early UVB-induced apoptosis in growth factor-depleted human keratinocytes is exclusively triggered through the mitochondrial pathway. It is accompanied by BAX translocation, cytochrome c release, and procaspase-9 cleavage, but not by procaspase-8 or BID cleavage. In human keratinocytes, IGF-1 supplementation inhibits these events in a transcription-independent manner. Both IGF-1 supplementation and the transduction of a membrane-targeted form of AKT result in a shift of the BH3-only protein BAD from the mitochondria to the cytoplasm, paralleled by an increase of AKT-specific Ser136 phospho-BAD bound to 14-3-3zeta protein. These data indicate that AKT-induced BAD phosphorylation and its subsequent cytoplasmic sequestration by 14-3-3zeta is a major mechanism responsible for the postponement of UVB-induced apoptosis in human keratinocytes.

Feeling bad about progress does not lead people want to change their health behaviour.

Science.gov (United States)

Reynolds, James P; Webb, Thomas L; Benn, Yael; Chang, Betty P I; Sheeran, Paschal

2018-02-01

When do people decide to do something about problematic health behaviours? Theoretical models and pragmatic considerations suggest that people should take action when they feel bad about their progress - in other words, when they experience negative progress-related affect. However, the impact of progress-related affect on goal striving has rarely been investigated. Study 1 (N = 744) adopted a cross-sectional design and examined the extent to which measures of progress-related affect were correlated with intentions to take action. Study 2 (N = 409) investigated the impact of manipulating progress-related affect on intentions and behaviour in an experimental design. Study 1 found that, while engaging in health behaviours had the expected affective consequences (e.g. people felt bad when they were not eating healthily, exercising regularly or limiting their alcohol consumption), it was feeling good rather than bad about progress that was associated with stronger intentions. Study 2 replicated these findings. Participants induced to feel good about their eating behaviour had marginally stronger intentions to eat healthily than participants led to feel bad about their eating behaviour. The findings have implications for interventions designed to promote changes in health behaviour, as well as theoretical frameworks for understanding self-regulation.

Relationship between Postural Deformities and Frontal Function in Parkinson’s Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Satoko Ninomiya

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Postural deformities and executive dysfunction (ED are common symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD; however, the relationship between postural deformities and ED in patients with PD remains unclear. This study assessed the relationship between postural deformities and ED in patients with PD. Sixty-five patients with sporadic PD were assessed for the severity of postural deformities and executive function. The severity of postural deformities was scored using the United Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale item 28 score: no postural deformity (0, mild postural deformities (1, or severe postural deformities (2–4. Executive function was assessed using the Behavioral Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS and an age-controlled standardized BADS score <70 was defined as ED. Age-controlled standardized BADS scores were compared across the three groups using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Relationship between ED and the severity of postural deformities was assessed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Age-controlled standardized BADS score significantly differed among the three groups P=0.005. ED was significantly related to the severity of postural deformities P=0.0005. The severity of postural deformities was associated with a lower age-controlled standardized BADS score and ED, and these findings suggest that postural deformities were associated with frontal dysfunction in patients with PD.

The Effect of Leadership in a Public Bad Experiment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moxnes, E.; van der Heijden, E.C.M.

2000-01-01

With regard to global or regional environmental problems, do countries that take unilateral actions inspire other countries to curtail emissions?In this paper this possibility is investigated by the use of a novel design of a laboratory public bad experiment with a leader.Twelve groups of five

A novel vibrotactile system for stimulating the glabrous skin of awake freely behaving rats during operant conditioning.

Science.gov (United States)

Devecioğlu, İsmail; Güçlü, Burak

2015-03-15

Rat skin is innervated by mechanoreceptive fibers similar to those in other mammals. Tactile experiments with behaving rats mostly focus on the vibrissal system which does not exist in humans. The aim of this study was to design and implement a novel vibrotactile system to stimulate the glabrous skin of behaving rats during operant conditioning. A computer-controlled vibrotactile system was developed for various tasks in which the volar surface of unrestrained rats' fore- and hindpaws was stimulated in an operant chamber. The operant chamber was built from off-the-shelf components. A highly accurate electrodynamic shaker with a novel multi-probe design was used for generating mechanical displacements. Twenty-five rats were trained for four sequential tasks: (A) middle-lever (trial start signal) press, (B) side-lever press with an associated visual cue, (C) similar to (B) with the addition of an auditory/tactile stimulus, (D) auditory/tactile detection (yes/no) task. Out of 9 rats which could complete the tactile version of this training schedule, 5 had over 70% accuracy in the tactile version of the detection task. Unlike actuators for stimulating whiskers, this system does not require a particular head/body alignment and can be used with freely behaving animals. The vibrotactile system was found to be effective for conditioning freely behaving rats based on stimuli applied on the glabrous skin. However, detection accuracies were lower compared to those in tasks involving whisker stimulation reported previously, probably due to differences in cortical processing. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Bad Bugs Book Club: Science, Literacy, and Engagement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joanna Verran

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The Bad Bugs Bookclub was launched in 2009. It comprises scientists and non-scientists. The aim of the Bookclub is to read and discuss novels where infectious disease forms part of the plot, in order to enhance learning about microbiology. The focus of the discussion is on appreciation of the novel, its scientific (microbiologic accuracy and relevance to contemporary microbiology. There are several potential audiences for the Bad Bugs Bookclub, for example students in a classroom setting, or in a more social environment, and/or the general public.  Meeting reports and reading guides have been posted on a dedicated website. For education purposes, additional project work for assessment is suggested for students reading each novel. Bookclub meetings may be held on particular dates in the microbiologic calendar, coupled with additional public engagement activities and student participation. The approach has significant flexibility in terms of intended audience, assessment and extension work, and provides a refreshing and stimulating alternative means for talking about microbiology.

Breaking bad news of cancer diagnosis – Perception of the cancer patients in a rural community in Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Bain, Mathew Gabriel; Lian, Cheah Whye; Thon, Chang Ching

2014-01-01

Context: Breaking of bad news is an important component in the management of cancer patients. Aims: This study aimed to assess the perceptions of breaking bad news of cancer diagnosis. Settings and Design: It was a cross-sectional study using Breaking Bad News Assessment Schedule (BAS) questionnaire on cancer patients in Serian district. Materials and Methods: Using snowballing sampling method, a total of 134 patients were interviewed face-to-face after the consent was obtained from each of the respondents. Statistical Analysis Used: Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 19.0. Results: Majority were comfortable with the current method of breaking bad news. The main aspects found to be the areas of concern were the importance of the usage of body language, management of time and identifying patients’ key area of concerns. There were significant difference between sex and “information giving” (P = 0.028) and “general consideration” (P = 0.016) and also between “the age and setting the scene” (P = 0.042). Significant difference was also found between the types of cancer and “the setting of scene” (P = 0.018), “breaking bad news technique” (P = 0.010), “eliciting concerns” (P = 0.003) and “information giving” (P = 0.004). Conclusion: Good and effective communication skill of breaking bad news is vital in the management of cancer patients. As the incidence of new cases of cancer increase every year, breaking of bad news has become a pertinent to the medical professionals’ role. Specific aspects of communication skills based on local characteristics should be more emphasized in the formulation of training for doctors. PMID:24818107

A lightweight telemetry system for recording neuronal activity in freely behaving small animals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schregardus, D.S.; Pieneman, A.W.; ter Maat, A.; Brouwer, T.J.F.; Gahr, M.L.

2006-01-01

A miniature lightweight radio telemetric device is described which is shown to be suitable for recording neuronal activity in freely behaving animals. Its size (12 × 5 × 8 mm) and weight (1.0-1.1 g with batteries, 0.4-0.5 g without) make the device particularly suitable for recording neuronal units

Bad leadership and institutional failure: foundation of corruption in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study basically assesses the phenomenal rise of corruption in Nigeria. While the study recognizes the varying perspectives of the causes of corruption among developing nations, the study asserts that the dramatic rise of corruption to the present level of impurity is caused by bad leadership and institutional failure.

26 CFR 1.381(c)(12)-1 - Recovery of bad debts, prior taxes, or delinquency amounts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... delinquency amounts. 1.381(c)(12)-1 Section 1.381(c)(12)-1 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE...(c)(12)-1 Recovery of bad debts, prior taxes, or delinquency amounts. (a) Carryover requirement. (1... corporation is entitled to the recovery of a bad debt, prior tax, or delinquency amount on account of which a...

Acanthamoeba keratitis in 194 patients: risk factors for bad outcomes and severe inflammatory complications.

Science.gov (United States)

Carnt, Nicole; Robaei, Dana; Minassian, Darwin C; Dart, John K G

2018-01-03

To determine demographic and clinical features of patients with Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) that are independent risk factors both for bad outcomes and for severe inflammatory complications (SIC). A retrospective audit of medical records of AK cases at Moorfields Eye Hospital from July 2000 to April 2012, including 12 earlier surgical cases. Cases with a bad outcome were defined as those having one or more of the following: corneal perforation, keratoplasty, other surgery (except biopsy), duration of antiamoebic therapy (AAT) ≥10.5 months (the 75th percentile of the whole cohort) and final visual acuity ≤20/80. SICs were defined as having scleritis and/or a stromal ring infiltrate. Multivariable analysis was used to identify independent risk factors for both bad outcomes and SICs. Records of 194 eyes (194 patients) were included, having bad outcomes in 93 (48%). Bad outcomes were associated with the presence of SIC, aged >34 years, corticosteroids used before giving AAT and symptom duration >37 days before AAT. The development of SIC was independently associated with aged >34 years, corticosteroids used before giving AAT and herpes simplex virus (HSV) keratitis treatment before AAT. The prompt diagnosis of AK, avoidance of a misdiagnosis of HSV keratitis and corticosteroid use before the exclusion of AK as a potential cause of keratitis are essential to the provision of a good outcome for patients and for the avoidance of SIC. Older age is an unmodifiable risk factor that may reflect differences in the immune response to AK in this patient subset. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Egyptian mothers’ preferences regarding how physicians break bad news about their child’s disability: A structured verbal questionnaire

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdelmoktader Ahmed

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Breaking bad news to mothers whose children has disability is an important role of physicians. There has been considerable speculation about the inevitability of parental dissatisfaction with how they are informed of their child’s disability. Egyptian mothers’ preferences for how to be told the bad news about their child’s disability has not been investigated adequately. The objective of this study was to elicit Egyptian mothers’ preferences for how to be told the bad news about their child’s disability. Methods Mothers of 100 infants recently diagnosed with Down syndrome were interviewed regarding their preferences for how to be told bad news. Mothers were recruited through outpatient clinics of the Pediatric Genetics Department at Fayoum University Hospital (located 90 km southwest of Cairo, Egypt from January to June 2011. Results and discussion Questionnaire analyses revealed nine themes of parental preferences for how to be told information difficult to hear. Mothers affirmed previously reported recommendations for conveying bad medical news to parents, including being told early, being told of others with a similar condition, and being informed of the prognosis. Conclusions Mothers affirmed communication themes previously discussed in the literature, such as being told early, and being informed of the prognosis. Although more research is needed in this important area, we hope that our findings will stimulate future search and help health care providers in different societies establish guidelines for effectively communicating bad news.

Siim Nestor soovitab : HUH : energiaöö. Bad Apples / Siim Nestor

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Nestor, Siim, 1974-

2006-01-01

Festivali "Hea Uus Heli" hooaja lõpetamisest 15. dets. Von Krahlis Tallinnas. Ansambli Bad Apples heliplaadi "When Colours Become Day and Night" esitlusest 19. dets. Tallinnas teatri NO99 majas Jazziklubis

Microfield «bad smell» in English

OpenAIRE

Martyniuk, Aliona; Мартинюк, Альона

2015-01-01

The article deals with the lexical units that belong to the microfield of «bad smell»; the results of lexicographical analysis was given and the semantic markers which we can find in the literature. The material of our investigation we took the dictionary entries of five explanatory dictionaries (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English, MacMillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collin’s English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster’s...

Automatic control: the vertebral column of dogfish sharks behaves as a continuously variable transmission with smoothly shifting functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Porter, Marianne E; Ewoldt, Randy H; Long, John H

2016-09-15

During swimming in dogfish sharks, Squalus acanthias, both the intervertebral joints and the vertebral centra undergo significant strain. To investigate this system, unique among vertebrates, we cyclically bent isolated segments of 10 vertebrae and nine joints. For the first time in the biomechanics of fish vertebral columns, we simultaneously characterized non-linear elasticity and viscosity throughout the bending oscillation, extending recently proposed techniques for large-amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) characterization to large-amplitude oscillatory bending (LAOB). The vertebral column segments behave as non-linear viscoelastic springs. Elastic properties dominate for all frequencies and curvatures tested, increasing as either variable increases. Non-linearities within a bending cycle are most in evidence at the highest frequency, 2.0 Hz, and curvature, 5 m -1 Viscous bending properties are greatest at low frequencies and high curvatures, with non-linear effects occurring at all frequencies and curvatures. The range of mechanical behaviors includes that of springs and brakes, with smooth transitions between them that allow for continuously variable power transmission by the vertebral column to assist in the mechanics of undulatory propulsion. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

A double standard when group members behave badly: transgression credit to ingroup leaders.

Science.gov (United States)

Abrams, Dominic; Randsley de Moura, Georgina; Travaglino, Giovanni A

2013-11-01

This research tested the hypothesis that people forgive serious transgressions by ingroup leaders but not by other group members or outgroup leaders. They apply a double standard in judgments of ingroup leaders. A series of studies (N = 623), using an array of different ingroups and outgroups, tested how group members judged ingroup or outgroup leaders and nonleaders who unexpectedly transgressed or did not transgress in important intergroup scenarios. Experiments 1, 2, and 4 focused on captains and players in either soccer or netball sports competitions. Across studies, transgressive captains of ingroup teams were evaluated more favorably than captains from outgroup teams and (Experiments 1, 2, and 4) more favorably than transgressive ingroup players. Experiment 3 demonstrated the double standard in a minimal group paradigm. Experiment 5 showed that the double standard is only applied if the leader is perceived as serving the group's interest. Across studies, the double standard is evident in evaluations toward, inclusion and punishment of, and rewards to the transgressive targets. Implications for sport, politics, and business and intergroup conflict are discussed. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Everybody behaves badly: the true story behind Hemingway's masterpiece The Sun Also Rises

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Elisa Correa dos Santos Townsend

2017-01-01

Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-8026.2017v70n1p297 Lesley Blume’s book depicts the ‘making of’ of Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises by studying the personalities who inspired it and the immeasurable changes it brought to the literary world. Blume is a well accomplished North American cultural historian and journalist who - amongst other achievements - has covered the United States presidential elections of 2000 and the September 11th catastrophe of 2001. This book, released on June 7, 2016 has already become a source of polemic in face of her revelations about Hemingway’s debut novel that gave voice to the so-called “Lost Generation”. During the summer of 1925, Ernest Hemingway and a group of disorderly friends went to Pamplona, in Spain, for the well-known annual San Fermín bull fighting festival. Subsequently, throughout the next weeks to come he conducted the expedition like an orchestra of turbulent wild waters – quite a plate full of creative motivation for a writer - including drunkenness, wrestles, sexual competitiveness, nighttime infidelities, and next day hangovers, which he spilled out and translated into his trailblazing novel The Sun Also Rises.

["Truth at the bedside"--continuing medical education and breaking bad news].

Science.gov (United States)

Schildmann, Jan; Herrmann, Eva; Klambeck, Amelie; Ortwein, Heiderose; Schwarz, Carsten; Vollmann, Jochen

2005-01-01

Discussions with seriously-ill patients are part of the physicians' tasks. These discussions demand good communication skills. In this paper we present the concept of a postgraduate course for physicians on ethics and breaking bad news, as well as the results of the course evaluation. Questionnaire distributed before and immediately after the course using closed-ended questions and Likert scales. 37 physicians (response rate: 84.1%) from seven specialties completed the questionnaires. Twenty-eight respondents (75.6%) had been involved in breaking bad news more than 5 times per month. Approximately half of the respondents (N = 18; 48.6%) rated the discussions on the limits of curative treatment as particularly difficult communication situations. With one exception, all physicians denied the existence of guidelines on breaking bad news in their institutions. Compared with the beginning of the course, the respondents rated their communication skills to be improved at the end of the course. Positive evaluations were obtained for practice relevance, teaching methods, and organisation of the course. The interest in this optional postgraduate course and the feedback of the participants indicate the necessity of professional training on difficult communication situations. The self-rating of improved communication skills may be interpreted as a positive effect of the course. Observational studies are required to confirm the effects of the training.

Curiosity Is Not Good--But It's Not Bad, Either

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, David

2012-01-01

Curiosity is vital quality of the creative work. However, in the classroom, educators seem to view curiosity as alternately amoral, virtuous, or dangerous. Education's stance towards curiosity is, in a word, curious. Conversely, the author says, curiosity is inherently amoral--neither good nor bad--and the subject is ripe for an exploration of the…

Here comes the bad news: Doctor robot taking over

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoorn, J.F.; Winter, S.D.

2017-01-01

To test in how far the Media Equation and Computers Are Social Actors (CASA) validly explain user responses to social robots, we manipulated how a bad health message was framed and the language that was used. In the wake of Experiment 2 of Burgers et al. (Patient Educ Couns 89(2):267–273, 2012.

Novice supervisee's experiences of what is good and bad psychotherapy supervision

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, Claus Haugaard; Pedersen, Lene Tanggaard

2007-01-01

This paper presents a qualitative study of novice supervisee’s experiences of good and bad supervisory experiences and on how this change as the supervisees gain more experience. Novice psychotherapists rate supervision as the most important element in their acquisition of professional skills...... was conducted as a series of semi structured qualitative research interviews with 7 student therapist 2 month after their first clinical experience in a university clinic setting. The subjects were re-interviewed when they had almost a year of clinical experience and supervision. The interviews were...... thematically focusing on the experience of specific good and bad supervisory experiences. Also included were the importance of peers in the supervision group and the organisational setting of the supervision. After analysing each individuals experience all individual experiences were examined until patterns...

Delivering Bad News: An Approach According to Jewish Scriptures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sody A. Naimer

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Despite a preoccupation in the medical literature with developing an effective approach for breaking bad news, the sources are based on personal opinion alone and only in some instances on qualitative research. Recognizing the gravity of this topic coupled with respect for the wisdom of the written and oral Jewish scriptures, this work is an attempt to delve into the diverse ancient writings to draw conclusions regarding a recommended methodology to guide and inform this task. It is interesting to learn that most elements related to this topic have previously been raised in various forms in the scriptures. The issues range from where, when, and how the bearer of bad news should undertake this duty, to details such as the environment, the format, the speed, and depth of the details to be disclosed. The essence of this paper is to enrich the reader using both positive and negative examples found in the Jewish heritage. Adopting these principles will hopefully provide an effective method for performing this unpleasant obligation, with the goal of limiting harmful consequences as much as possible.

An Overview of Teaching Communication of Bad News in Medical School: Should a Lecture be Adequate to Address the Topic?

Science.gov (United States)

Coutinho, Filipe; Ramessur, Anisha

2016-12-30

Delivering bad news is very common in medical daily practice. Several studies have shown a lack of effective communication skills amongst medical students, particularly concerning how to deliver bad news. The SPIKES protocol allows communicating bad news in a 6-step method. The aim of this study is to investigate the perspective of students related to this subject. A 45 minute lecture "Breaking Bad News" was given to 160 students in the fifth and sixth years of the Medicine course, using the SPIKES' protocol training. After the lecture, an online survey was given to all students, and a cross-sectional and descriptive analysis of data extracted from survey was undertaken. Fifty-four students (21% of overall) answered the online survey. Eighty three percent said that theme should have an important role in their further daily medical practice, and most of students rated the physicians' role as challenging. Sixty percent of students expressed that communicating bad news was an integral part of the medical course curriculum. Regarding the SPIKES´ protocol, 48% felt that the first step would be the easiest to put in practice, and 40% felt that the fifth step related to "Emotions" would be the most difficult. In general, the students would like to gain competencies in breaking bad news using a practical approach Conclusions: Students highly valued theoretical and practical approaches in teaching of communication of bad news. Therefore, we encourage a combination approach in pre-graduate medical education.

The games economists play: Why economics students behave more selfishly than other students.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philipp Gerlach

Full Text Available Do economics students behave more selfishly than other students? Experiments involving monetary allocations suggest so. This article investigates the underlying motives for the economic students' more selfish behavior by separating three potential explanatory mechanisms: economics students are less concerned with fairness when making allocation decisions; have a different notion of what is fair in allocations; or are more skeptical about other people's allocations, which in turn makes them less willing to comply with a shared fairness norm. The three mechanisms were tested by inviting students from various disciplines to participate in a relatively novel experimental game and asking all participants to give reasons for their choices. Compared with students of other disciplines, economics students were about equally likely to mention fairness in their comments; had a similar notion of what was fair in the situation; however, they expected lower offers, made lower offers, and were less willing to enforce compliance with a fair allocation at a cost to themselves. The economics students' lower expectations mediated their allocation decisions, suggesting that economics students behaved more selfishly because they expected others not to comply with the shared fairness norm.

Habits: How to Break the Bad and Cultivate the Good

Science.gov (United States)

Bellman, Geoffrey

1976-01-01

Every trainer and training director should take a close look at his or her habits--good and bad ones. The author provides a series of questions that, when answered by trainers will help them change or get rid of a habit or develop a new one. (BP)

Solving the economic dispatch problem with a modified quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jun Sun; Wei Fang; Daojun Wang; Wenbo Xu [School of Information Technology, Jiangnan Univ., Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122 (China)

2009-12-15

In this paper, a modified quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO) method is proposed to solve the economic dispatch (ED) problem in power systems, whose objective is to simultaneously minimize the generation cost rate while satisfying various equality and inequality constraints. The proposed method, denoted as QPSO-DM, combines the QPSO algorithm with differential mutation operation to enhance the global search ability of the algorithm. Many nonlinear characteristics of the generator, such as ramp rate limits, prohibited operating zones, and nonsmooth cost functions are considered when the proposed method is used in practical generator operation. The feasibility of the QPSO-DM method is demonstrated by three different power systems. It is compared with the QPSO, the differential evolution (DE), the particle swarm optimization (PSO), and the genetic algorithm (GA) in terms of the solution quality, robustness and convergence property. The simulation results show that the proposed QPSO-DM method is able to obtain higher quality solutions stably and efficiently in the ED problem than any other tested optimization algorithm. (author)

Solving the economic dispatch problem with a modified quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Jun; Fang Wei; Wang Daojun; Xu Wenbo

2009-01-01

In this paper, a modified quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO) method is proposed to solve the economic dispatch (ED) problem in power systems, whose objective is to simultaneously minimize the generation cost rate while satisfying various equality and inequality constraints. The proposed method, denoted as QPSO-DM, combines the QPSO algorithm with differential mutation operation to enhance the global search ability of the algorithm. Many nonlinear characteristics of the generator, such as ramp rate limits, prohibited operating zones, and nonsmooth cost functions are considered when the proposed method is used in practical generator operation. The feasibility of the QPSO-DM method is demonstrated by three different power systems. It is compared with the QPSO, the differential evolution (DE), the particle swarm optimization (PSO), and the genetic algorithm (GA) in terms of the solution quality, robustness and convergence property. The simulation results show that the proposed QPSO-DM method is able to obtain higher quality solutions stably and efficiently in the ED problem than any other tested optimization algorithm.

Human development of the ability to learn from bad news

Science.gov (United States)

Moutsiana, Christina; Garrett, Neil; Clarke, Richard C.; Lotto, R. Beau; Blakemore, Sarah-Jayne; Sharot, Tali

2013-01-01

Humans show a natural tendency to discount bad news while incorporating good news into beliefs (the “good news–bad news effect”), an effect that may help explain seemingly irrational risk taking. Understanding how this bias develops with age is important because adolescents are prone to engage in risky behavior; thus, educating them about danger is crucial. We reveal a striking valence-dependent asymmetry in how belief updating develops with age. In the ages tested (9–26 y), younger age was associated with inaccurate updating of beliefs in response to undesirable information regarding vulnerability. In contrast, the ability to update beliefs accurately in response to desirable information remained relatively stable with age. This asymmetry was mediated by adequate computational use of positive but not negative estimation errors to alter beliefs. The results are important for understanding how belief formation develops and might help explain why adolescents do not respond adequately to warnings. PMID:24019466

Reversing one's fortune by pushing away bad luck.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yan; Risen, Jane L; Hosey, Christine

2014-06-01

Across cultures, people try to "undo" bad luck with superstitious rituals such as knocking on wood, spitting, or throwing salt. We suggest that these rituals reduce the perceived likelihood of anticipated negative outcomes because they involve avoidant actions that exert force away from one's representation of self, which simulates the experience of pushing away bad luck. Five experiments test this hypothesis by having participants tempt fate and then engage in avoidant actions that are either superstitious (Experiment 1, knocking on wood) or nonsuperstitious (Experiments 2-5, throwing a ball). We find that participants who knock down (away from themselves) or throw a ball think that a jinxed negative outcome is less likely than participants who knock up (toward themselves) or hold a ball. Experiments 3 and 4 provide evidence that after tempting fate, engaging in an avoidant action leads to less clear mental representations for the jinxed event, which, in turn, leads to lower perceived likelihoods. Finally, we demonstrate that engaging in an avoidant action-rather than creating physical distance-is critical for reversing the perceived effect of the jinx. Although superstitions are often culturally defined, the underlying psychological processes that give rise to them may be shared across cultures. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

"I Have Good News and Bad News:" The Effects of Power Imbalances and Physical Distance on News-givers' Use of Blended News Delivery

OpenAIRE

Legg, Angela M.

2013-01-01

People dislike giving bad news, and one strategy they use to ease the process is to pair bad news with some good news, a phenomenon called blended news delivery. Often, blended news arrives from people in power positions such as physicians, managers, or teachers. But followers also find themselves needing to give bad news to those in higher power positions. Similarly, people can choose how they deliver bad news, such as in person or over email. The current study brings much needed empirical a...

Comparative genomics evidence that only protein toxins are tagging bad bugs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kalliopi eGeorgiades

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The term toxin was introduced by Roux and Yersin and describes macromolecular substances that, when produced during infection or when introduced parenterally or orally, cause an impairment of physiological functions that lead to disease or to the death of the infected organism. Long after the discovery of toxins, early genetic studies on bacterial virulence demonstrated that removing a certain number of genes from pathogenic bacteria decreases their capacity to infect hosts. Each of the removed factors was therefore referred to as a virulence factor, and it was speculated that non-pathogenic bacteria lack such supplementary factors. However, many recent comparative studies demonstrate that the specialization of bacteria to eukaryotic hosts is associated with massive gene loss. We recently demonstrated that the only features that seem to characterize 12 epidemic bacteria are toxin-antitoxin (TA modules, which are addiction molecules in host bacteria. In this study, we investigated if protein toxins are indeed the only molecules specific to pathogenic bacteria by comparing 14 epidemic bacterial killers (bad bugs with their 14 closest non-epidemic relatives (controls. We found protein toxins in significantly more elevated numbers in all of the bad bugs. For the first time, statistical principal components analysis, including genome size, GC%, TA modules, restriction enzymes and toxins, revealed that toxins are the only proteins other than TA modules that are correlated with the pathogenic character of bacteria. Moreover, intracellular toxins appear to be more correlated with the pathogenic character of bacteria than secreted toxins. In conclusion, we hypothesize that the only truly identifiable phenomena, witnessing the convergent evolution of the most pathogenic bacteria for humans are the loss of metabolic activities, i.e., the outcome of the loss of regulatory and transcription factors and the presence of protein toxins, alone or coupled as TA

Least bad solutions to the 'drugs problem'.

Science.gov (United States)

Mugford, S

1991-01-01

This paper examines the current difficulties being faced in Australia by policy-makers attempting to regulate the non-medical use of illegal drugs, and it is suggested that the difficulties centre upon two aspects. First, existing prohibitions are unsuccessful, with use levels rising and, in some arenas (e.g. cocaine use in the USA), quite out of control. On the other hand, a move towards decriminalization or legalization is difficult because past propaganda has been so vehement that a change now apparently risks sending the wrong messages to young people. This dilemma means that there is no solution, including inertia, which is risk-free, nor is there one free of difficulties. It is thus relevant to think in terms of 'least bad' rather than 'best' when formulating a system to face these problems. The exploration of what this least bad solution might be begins with the examination of the prominent myths (such as 'the drug-free society', 'the evil pusher', 'the user as victim' and 'the young person as cultural dope') that hinder our reasoning. Secondly, by suggesting that, in a climate of increasing crime related to drugs, inability of prohibitions to control that use and escalating health risks attendant on use (including the AIDS problem), the central policy thrust must be harm reduction and damage minimization rather than illusory goals such as widespread abstinence. The paper concludes with a discussion of some relevant evidence on alternative options.

Video games: good, bad, or other?

Science.gov (United States)

Prot, Sara; McDonald, Katelyn A; Anderson, Craig A; Gentile, Douglas A

2012-06-01

Video games are a pervasive pastime among children and adolescents. The growing popularity of video games has instigated a debate among parents, researchers, video game producers, and policymakers concerning potential harmful and helpful effects of video games on children. This article provides an overview of research findings on the positive and negative effects of video games, thus providing an empirical answer to the question, are video games good or bad? The article also provides some guidelines to help pediatricians, parents, and other caregivers protect children from negative effects and to maximize positive effects of video games. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Are we there yet? The state of the evidence base for guidelines on breaking bad news to cancer patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, C L; Clinton-McHarg, T; Sanson-Fisher, R W; Douglas, H; Webb, G

2009-11-01

The way clinicians break bad news to cancer patients has been retrospectively associated with poor psychosocial outcomes for patients. Education and practice in breaking bad news may be ineffective for improving patients' well-being unless it is informed by a sound evidence base. In the health field, research efforts are expected to advance evidence over time to inform evidence-based practice. Key characteristics of an advancing evidence base are a predominance of new data, and rigorous intervention studies which prospectively demonstrate improved outcomes. This review aimed to examine the progress of the evidence base in breaking bad news to cancer patients. Manual and computer-based searches (Medline and PsycINFO) were performed to identify publications on the topic of breaking bad news to cancer patients published between January 1995 and March 2009. Relevant publications were coded in terms of whether they provided new data, examined psychosocial outcomes for patients or tested intervention strategies and whether intervention studies met criteria for design rigour. Of the 245 relevant publications, 55.5% provided new data and 16.7% were intervention studies. Much of the intervention effort was directed towards improving provider skills rather than patient outcomes (9.8% of studies). Less than 2% of publications were rigorous intervention studies which addressed psychosocial outcomes for patients. Rigorous intervention studies which evaluate strategies for improving psychosocial outcomes in relation to breaking bad news to cancer patients are needed. Current practice and training regarding breaking bad news cannot be regarded as evidence-based until further research is completed.

In the heat of the moment: The effect of impulsive and reflective states on sexual risk decisions

OpenAIRE

den Daas, C.

2013-01-01

Why do people behave in ways that are bad for them in the long term? People are bad at resisting temptations at the expense of their long-term goals, they for instance have unprotected sex despite their long term goal to stay healthy. Impulsivity is often coined as reason for these kinds of behavior. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate why impulsiveness leads to riskier decisions. We first investigated the intuitively appealing, but unlikely, notion that people in impulsive states ...

Breaking bad news in spinal cord injury; a qualitative study assessing the perspective of spinal cord injury survivors in Turkey.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozyemisci-Taskiran, Ozden; Coskun, Ozlem; Budakoglu, Isil Irem; Demirsoy, Nesrin

2018-05-01

Prior abstract publication: 2 nd Medical Rehabilitation Congress; Nov 4-7, 2010; Ankara, Turkey Objective: This study aims to investigate the process of breaking bad news from the perspective of spinal cord injury survivors. A cross sectional, qualitative study. Community. Fourteen spinal cord injury survivors. Subjects participated in a semi-structured interview about 'when', 'where' 'by whom' and 'how' they received and 'would' prefer to receive bad news. Answers to 'how' questions were coded according to SPIKES protocol (Setting, Perception, Invitation, Knowledge, Empathizing, Summary). Eight participants (57%) reported that they received bad news from a physician, mostly during rehabilitation. All would prefer to be informed by a physician and majority preferred to be gradually informed during rehabilitation. Half were not satisfied with the content of information. Only half felt that his/her physiatrist understood his/her emotional distress. Majority of participants who received bad news from physicians reported that the setting was private and their family members accompanied them. Most spinal cord injury survivors were unsatisfied with knowledge and emotional support provided by rehabilitation physicians. Participants would prefer to receive bad news by a senior physiatrist in a planned meeting during rehabilitation.

Business Communication Students Learn to Hear a Bad Speech Habit

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Reginald L.; Liang-Bell, Lei Paula; Deselle, Bettye

2006-01-01

Students were trained to perceive filled pauses (FP) as a bad speech habit. In a series of classroom sensitivity training activities, followed by students being rewarded to observe twenty minutes of live television from the public media, no differences between male and female Business Communication students was revealed. The practice of teaching…

"I'm afraid I have bad news for you…" Estimating the impact of different health impairments on subjective well-being.

Science.gov (United States)

Binder, Martin; Coad, Alex

2013-06-01

Bad health decreases individuals' happiness, but few studies measure the impact of specific illnesses. We apply matching estimators to examine how changes in different (objective) conditions of bad health affect subjective well-being for a sample of 100,265 observations from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) database (1996-2006). The strongest effect is for alcohol and drug abuse, followed by anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses, stroke and cancer. Adaptation to health impairments varies across health impairments. There is also a puzzling asymmetry: strong adverse reactions to deteriorations in health appear alongside weak increases in well-being after health improvements. In conclusion, our analysis offers a more detailed account of how bad health influences happiness than accounts focusing on how bad self-assessed health affects individual well-being. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Draft Tube Baffle (DTB) crystallizers: A study of stationary and dynamically behaving Crystal Size Distributions (CSD)

Science.gov (United States)

Deleer, B. G. M.

1981-11-01

Based on population balance, CSD behavior as a function of geometrical and operating variables was studied, using a crystallizer. A potash alum-water system, involving a separation technique which uses surface active agents and an apolar, organic liquid to separate potash alum crystals from mother liquid under the influence of gravity was used to check experimental findings against literature data. Results show action of annular settling spaces is strongly influenced by fluid velocities perpendicular to those directed upwards. The well-mixed volume decreases with increasing crystallizer size until a minimum effective volume is reached. As supersaturation is constant throughout the crystallizer volume under stationary operating conditions, the annular settling space behaves like a growth chamber for crystals in its volume. Swirl in the lower part of the annular volume introduces significant back mixing. Crystals within this space either grow and return to the well-mixed part, or withdraw from the annular volume permanently.

Do Students Behave Rationally in Multiple Choice Tests? Evidence from a Field Experiment

OpenAIRE

María Paz Espinosa; Javier Gardeazabal

2013-01-01

A disadvantage of multiple choice tests is that students have incentives to guess. To discourage guessing, it is common to use scoring rules that either penalize wrong answers or reward omissions. In psychometrics, penalty and reward scoring rules are considered equivalent. However, experimental evidence indicates that students behave differently under penalty or reward scoring rules. These differences have been attributed to the different framing (penalty versus reward). In this paper, we mo...

Solar retrofitting of a historical brewery plant in Bad Toelz/Upper Bavaria; Solare Erneuerung einer historischen Brauereianlage in Bad Toelz/Obb.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lichtblau, Wendelin; Lichtblau, Florian [Lichtblau Architekten, Muenchen (Germany); Bruenner, Michael [Ingenieurbuero EST, Miesbach (Germany)

2010-07-01

The contribution under consideration reports on a solar renovation of a historic brewery plant in Bad Toelz (Federal Republic of Germany). All energy requirements of this brewery plant were minimized and supplied with renewable energy sources. A visible sign of this is the fully glazed roof with an integrated solar technology for light, air, heat and electricity. The energy concept includes a fully renewable energy supply to the historic building complex under the limiting conditions of the stock.

Polish adaptation of Bad Sobernheim Stress Questionnaire-Brace and Bad Sobernheim Stress Questionnaire-Deformity.

Science.gov (United States)

Misterska, Ewa; Głowacki, Maciej; Harasymczuk, Jerzy

2009-12-01

Bad Sobernheim Stress Questionnaire-Brace and Bad Sobernheim Stress Questionnaire-Deformity are relatively new tools aimed at facilitating the evaluation of long-term results of therapy in persons with idiopathic scoliosis undergoing conservative treatment. To use these tools properly in Poland, they must be translated into Polish and adapted to the Polish cultural settings. The process of cultural adaptation of the questionnaires was compliant with the guidelines of International Quality of Life Assessment (IQOLA) Project. In the first stage, two independent translators converted the originals into Polish. Stage two, consisted of a comparison of the originals and two translated versions. During that stage, the team of two translators and authors of the project identified differences in those translations and created a combination of the two. In the third stage, two independent translators, who were native speakers of German, translated the adjusted version of the Polish translation into the language of the original document. At the last stage, a commission composed of: specialists in orthopedics, translators, a statistician and a psychologist reviewed all translations and drafted a pre-final version of the questionnaires. Thirty-five adolescent girls with idiopathic scoliosis who were treated with Cheneau brace were subjected to the questionnaire assessment. All patients were treated in an out-patient setting by a specialist in orthopedics at the Chair and Clinic of Orthopedics and Traumatology. Median age of patients was 14.8 SD 1.5, median value of the Cobb's angle was 27.8 degrees SD 7.4. 48.6% of patients had thoracic scoliosis, 31.4% had thoracolumbar scoliosis, and 20% patients had lumbar scoliosis. Median results obtained by means of the Polish version of BSSQ-Brace and BSSQ-Deformity questionnaires were 17.9 SD 5.0 and 11.3 SD 4.7, respectively. Internal consistency of BSSQ-Brace and BSSQ-Deformity was at the level of 0.80 and 0.87, whereas the value of

Hepatobiliary system functional analysis by blood flow and clearance delay model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aboltins, A.; Reinholds, E.

2002-01-01

A mathematical model for describing liver uptake-excretion is developed and approved. Model is based on different timing delays in hepatobiliary and blood flow system elements. Series of scintigraphic images with 99m Tc-mebrofenins or 99m Tc-HIDA taken with standard nuclear medicine gamma camera are used as the real data for calculations. The time-activity curves are obtained from many regions of human body - heart, liver, gallbladder, spleen, aorta, vein, etc. Both first pass and dynamic acquisition data are used. Results are calculated using real system parameters and compared to real scintigraphy data. Mathematical simulations are made to show difference of hepatobiliary system function at three main points: normal function, good blood flow with bad hepatic function and bad blood flow with good hepatic function. (authors)

An Improved Quantum-Behaved Particle Swarm Optimization Method for Economic Dispatch Problems with Multiple Fuel Options and Valve-Points Effects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hong-Yun Zhang

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO is an efficient and powerful population-based optimization technique, which is inspired by the conventional particle swarm optimization (PSO and quantum mechanics theories. In this paper, an improved QPSO named SQPSO is proposed, which combines QPSO with a selective probability operator to solve the economic dispatch (ED problems with valve-point effects and multiple fuel options. To show the performance of the proposed SQPSO, it is tested on five standard benchmark functions and two ED benchmark problems, including a 40-unit ED problem with valve-point effects and a 10-unit ED problem with multiple fuel options. The results are compared with differential evolution (DE, particle swarm optimization (PSO and basic QPSO, as well as a number of other methods reported in the literature in terms of solution quality, convergence speed and robustness. The simulation results confirm that the proposed SQPSO is effective and reliable for both function optimization and ED problems.

Competition in Healthcare: Good, Bad or Ugly?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Goddard

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The role of competition in healthcare is much debated. Despite a wealth of international experience in relation to competition, evidence is mixed and contested and the debate about the potential role for competition is often polarised. This paper considers briefly some of the reasons for this, focusing on what is meant by “competition in healthcare” and why it is more valuable to think about the circumstances in which competition is more and less likely to be a good tool to achieve benefits, rather than whether or not it is “good” or “bad,” per se.

Public good provision and public bad prevention: the effect of framing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sonnemans, J.H.; Schram, A.J.H.C.; Offerman, T.J.S.

1998-01-01

An experimental analysis of voluntary, binary contributions for step-level public goods (bads) is presented. In the public good presentation of the dilemma the subjects choose between contributing or not. The public good is provided for all group-members if and only if the number of contributors

Breaking Bad: Intertextuality, Intermediality and Crossmediality, and the Taste of Unpredictability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicola M. Dusi

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Breaking Bad è una serie per molti aspetti indecidibile nel genere, che presenta un’intertestualità aperta e cangiante, tra serialità televisiva e cinema d’autore (ad esempio tra western e poliziesco, e si apre all’innovazione intermediale, data non solo dall’ibridazione dei generi e della fiction seriale con il cinema, ma dai modi metadiscorsivi (o 'metacinematografici' e da soluzioni che lavorano sui bordi dei media e sulla loro porosità grazie alle nuove tecnologie digitali. Passando attraverso esempi di modi traduttivi e reinterpretativi, intertestuali e intermediali, transmediali e crossmediali, cercherò di analizzare alcuni meccanismi di funzionamento degli attuali ecosistemi mediali seriali in Breaking Bad. Ad esempio nelle citazioni dirette e indirette, nelle aperture intertestuali e intermediali, ma anche nei teaser e nei recaps, nei webisode e nelle proliferazioni crossmediali delle pratiche dei remixer, distinguendo tra ripetizione e innovazione, tra modi centripeti e centrifughi dello storytelling e, per i remix, tra modi della selezione e modi della collezione.

2,5-hexanedione induces bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell apoptosis via inhibition of Akt/Bad signal pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Jingsong; Shi, Xiaoxia; Li, Shuangyue; Piao, Fengyuan

2018-04-01

2,5-Hexanedione (HD) is an important bioactive metabolite of n-hexane and mediates the neurotoxicity of parent compound. Studies show that HD induces apoptotic death of neural progenitor cells. However, its underlying mechanism remains unknown. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotential stem cells with the ability to differentiate into various cell types and have been used as cell model for studying the toxic effects of chemicals on stem cells. In this study, we exposed rat bone marrow MSCs to 0, 10, 20, and 40 mM HD in vitro. Apoptosis and disruption of mitochondrial transmembrane potential were estimated by immunochemistry staining. The expression of Akt, Bad, phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt), and Bad (p-Bad) as well as cytochrome c in mitochondria and cytosol were examined by Western blot. Moreover, caspase 3 activity, viability, and death of cells were measured by spectrophotometry. Our results showed that HD induced cell apoptosis and increased caspase 3 activity. HD down-regulated the expression levels of p-Akt, p-Bad and induced MMP depolarization, followed by cytochrome c release. Moreover, HD led to a concentration-dependent increase in the MSCs death, which was relative to MSCs apoptosis. However, these toxic effects of HD on the MSCs were significantly mitigated in the presence of IGF, which could activate PI3 K/Akt pathway. These results indicated that HD induced mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in the MSCs via inhibiting Akt/Bad signaling pathway and apoptotic death of MSCs via the signaling pathway. These results might provide some clues for studying further the mechanisms of HD-induced stem cell apoptosis and adverse effect on neurogenesis. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hadron structure functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, F.

1981-03-01

The x dependence of hadron structure functions is investigated. If quarks can exist in very low mass states (10 MeV for d and u quarks) the pion structure function is predicted to behave like (1-x) and not (1-x) 2 in a x-region around 1. Relativistic and non-relativistic quark bound state pictures of hadrons are considered together with their relation with the Q 2 evolution of structure functions. Good agreement with data is in general obtained

Relationship between MRI findings and outcome in supratentorial branch atheromatous disease (BAD)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moriya, Saori; Adachi, Tomohide; Goto, Jun; Arakawa, Chiaki; Takagi, Makoto; Mizoi, Yoshikazu

2006-01-01

Branch atheromatous disease has been recognized as one of the types of stroke which is often associated with clinical deterioration. We investigated the correlation between diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) findings and clinical courses of 33 patients with branch atheromatous diseases (BADs) in the territory of the lenticulostriate arteries. The DWI findings associated with the poor outcomes (modified Rankin Scale mRS>or=3) are (1) the larger lesion size in a direction perpendicular to axial section and (2) the lesions located in the inferior portion of basal ganglia. The findings correlated with progressive motor deficits are (1) the lesions closer to the posterior limb of internal capsule (medial type) and (2) the lesions located in the inferior portion of basal ganglia. These characteristics of DWI may play an important role to distinguish the progressing ischemic strokes as BAD from non-progressing ones. (author)

The Effect of Bad Human Activities on Marine Life as Portrayed in Sammy's Adventure: the Secret Passage

OpenAIRE

LATHIFAH, ISNA NUR

2015-01-01

Keywords: ecocriticism, bad humans activities, marine life, Sammy's Adventure: the Secret Passage movie. The balance of marine life is often damaged by irresponsible humans who do not care about their environment. This problem has inspired some works to criticize humans' reckless behavior toward environment, especially ocean. Sammy's Adventure: the Secret Passage is one of the examples that have been created to criticize the bad human activities in the ocean. This research applies ecocritici...

Breaking Bad News Training Program Based on Video Reviews and SPIKES Strategy: What do Perinatology Residents Think about It?

Science.gov (United States)

Setubal, Maria Silvia Vellutini; Gonçalves, Andrea Vasconcelos; Rocha, Sheyla Ribeiro; Amaral, Eliana Martorano

2017-10-01

Objective  Resident doctors usually face the task to communicate bad news in perinatology without any formal training. The impact on parents can be disastrous. The objective of this paper is to analyze the perception of residents regarding a training program in communicating bad news in perinatology based on video reviews and setting, perception, invitation, knowledge, emotion, and summary (SPIKES) strategy. Methods  We performed the analysis of complementary data collected from participants in a randomized controlled intervention study to evaluate the efficacy of a training program on improving residents' skills to communicate bad news. Data were collected using a Likert scale. Through a thematic content analysis we tried to to apprehend the meanings, feelings and experiences expressed by resident doctors in their comments as a response to an open-ended question. Half of the group received training, consisting of discussions of video reviews of participants' simulated encounters communicating a perinatal loss to a "mother" based on the SPIKES strategy. We also offered training sessions to the control group after they completed participation. Twenty-eight residents who were randomized to intervention and 16 from the control group received training. Twenty written comments were analyzed. Results  The majority of the residents evaluated training highly as an education activity to help increase knowledge, ability and understanding about breaking bad news in perinatology. Three big categories emerged from residents' comments: SPIKES training effects; bad news communication in medical training; and doctors' feelings and relationship with patients. Conclusions  Residents took SPIKES training as a guide to systematize the communication of bad news and to amplify perceptions of the emotional needs of the patients. They suggested the insertion of a similar training in their residency programs curricula. Thieme Revinter Publicações Ltda Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Bad news: an experimental study on the informational effects of rewards

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bremzen, A.; Khokhlova, E.; Suvorov, A.; van de Ven, J.

2015-01-01

Psychologists and economists have argued that rewards often have hidden costs. One possible reason is that the principal may have incentives to offer higher rewards when she knows the task is difficult. Our experiment tests if high rewards embody such bad news and if this is correctly perceived by

Do People Prefer to Pass Along Good or Bad News? Valence and Relevance of News as Predictors of Transmission Propensity

Science.gov (United States)

Heath

1996-11-01

Anecdotal evidence seems to indicate that exaggeratedly bad news may propagate in the marketplace of ideas. Three studies investigate whether people prefer to pass along pieces of bad news or good news that are equated for "surprisingness." People typically prefer to pass along central rather than extreme information (i.e., news that is less surprising rather than more surprising). However, when confronted with extreme information, the results support a preference for congruence, that is, people prefer to pass along news that is congruent with the emotional valence of the domain in question. This means that in emotionally negative domains, contrary to some theoretical predictions, people are willing to pass along bad news even when it is exaggeratedly bad. At the same time, however, people transmit exaggeratedly good news in emotionally positive domains. The general discussion indicates how these results may inform research on word of mouth for consumer products and social relations in organizations.

Lazy functional programs in a concurrent environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Feijs, L.M.G.; Reniers, M.A.

1997-01-01

The mechanism of Landin-style stream input/output (I/O) makes it possible to write functional programs, which behave as reactive systems when executed with lazy evaluation. Functional programming languages like Gofer are attractive for programming the data transformations of a reactive system. But

Oxidative stress in obstructive sleep apnea and intermittent hypoxia--revisited--the bad ugly and good: implications to the heart and brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Lavie, Lena

2015-04-01

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), characterized by intermittent hypoxia (IH), is linked with increased reactive oxygen species/reactive nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) and oxidative stress, which adversely affect the associated cardio-/cerebro-vascular disease in OSA. Yet, animal and a small number of human studies support activation of cardio-/cerebro-protective mechanisms as well. ROS/RNS are intricate and multifaceted molecules with multiple functions. At low-moderate concentrations ROS/RNS are considered "good", by regulating vital cellular functions. At higher levels, they are considered "bad" by promoting oxidative stress and damaging vital macromolecules through ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury. Subsequently, ROS/RNS can get "ugly" by eliciting sterile inflammation and a multitude of deadly pathologies. What makes ROS/RNS good, bad, or ugly? A dynamic interplay between a large number of factors determines the outcomes. These include the types of ROS/RNS produced, their quantity, duration, frequency, intracellular localization, micro-environmental antioxidants, as well as the genetic make-up and life style related variables. This review presents the currently available data on redox biology in physiological/pathophysiological conditions and in OSA/IH, in order to better understand the apparently contradictory findings on damage vs. repair. These findings are discussed within the context of the prevailing views on I/R associated ROS/RNS, and their potential implications to OSA. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bad apples and black sheep: Threat of ostracism as determinant of reactions to deviant behavior of ingroup and outgroup members

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ouwerkerk, J.W.

2005-01-01

Within a public good dilemma people have a tendency to follow the behavior of a single uncooperative individual (i.e., a bad apple) rather than the behavior of a single cooperative individual. The present research shows that this bad apple effect is stronger when a deviant individual is categorized

BAD BANK AND OTHER POSSIBLE BANKS’ RESCUING MODELS – THE CASE OF SLOVENIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

TANJA MARKOVIC-HRIBERNIK

2015-03-01

Full Text Available During the economic crisis, Slovenia has transformed from one of the most successful new EU Member States into one of the most problematic ones. The reason for this is largely extensive banking problems, that continue to cause uncertainty on financial markets and adversely affect the rating of the country and consequently also the price of borrowing for both the state and private entities. Slovenia has opted to rehabilitate its banking sector by means of a bad bank (DUTB that, however, only became operational at the end of 2013. The paper seeks to examine whether a bad bank has indeed proven the most appropriate choice out of possible methods of resolving the banking crisis, based on the most recent findings regarding the suitability of various methods of bailing out banking systems in crisis, taking into consideration key elements required for the successful rehabilitation thereof. The paper finds that, taking into consideration all relevant circumstances, the bad bank has proven to be appropriate solution in the Slovenian case but the delay in rehabilitating the banking system has had significant negative macroeconomic impacts as demonstrated by a comparison to other selected countries that had opted to bail out the banking sector before Slovenia. State ownership of systemic banks and political instability have both greatly contributed to slow action taken.

Effect of cAMP signaling on expression of glucocorticoid receptor, Bim and Bad in glucocorticoid-sensitive and resistant leukemic and multiple myeloma cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Hongli; Carlton, Michael E; Lerner, Adam; Epstein, Paul M

2015-01-01

Stimulation of cAMP signaling induces apoptosis in glucocorticoid-sensitive and resistant CEM leukemic and MM.1 multiple myeloma cell lines, and this effect is enhanced by dexamethasone in both glucocorticoid-sensitive cell types and in glucocorticoid-resistant CEM cells. Expression of the mRNA for the glucocorticoid receptor alpha (GR) promoters 1A3, 1B and 1C, expression of mRNA and protein for GR, and the BH3-only proapoptotic proteins, Bim and Bad, and the phosphorylation state of Bad were examined following stimulation of the cAMP and glucocorticoid signaling pathways. Expression levels of GR promoters were increased by cAMP and glucocorticoid signaling, but GR protein expression was little changed in CEM and decreased in MM.1 cells. Stimulation of these two signaling pathways induced Bim in CEM cells, induced Bad in MM.1 cells, and activated Bad, as indicated by its dephosphorylation on ser112, in both cell types. This study shows that leukemic and multiple myeloma cells, including those resistant to glucocorticoids, can be induced to undergo apoptosis by stimulating the cAMP signaling pathway, with enhancement by glucocorticoids, and the mechanism by which this occurs may be related to changes in Bim and Bad expression, and in all cases, to activation of Bad.

The olfactory tubercle encodes odor valence in behaving mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Gadziola, Marie A; Tylicki, Kate A; Christian, Diana L; Wesson, Daniel W

2015-03-18

Sensory information acquires meaning to adaptively guide behaviors. Despite odors mediating a number of vital behaviors, the components of the olfactory system responsible for assigning meaning to odors remain unclear. The olfactory tubercle (OT), a ventral striatum structure that receives monosynaptic input from the olfactory bulb, is uniquely positioned to transform odor information into behaviorally relevant neural codes. No information is available, however, on the coding of odors among OT neurons in behaving animals. In recordings from mice engaged in an odor discrimination task, we report that the firing rate of OT neurons robustly and flexibly encodes the valence of conditioned odors over identity, with rewarded odors evoking greater firing rates. This coding of rewarded odors occurs before behavioral decisions and represents subsequent behavioral responses. We predict that the OT is an essential region whereby odor valence is encoded in the mammalian brain to guide goal-directed behaviors. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/354515-13$15.00/0.

Kulturlandschaftswandel seit 1900: Ausmass, Wahrnehmung in der Öffentlichkeit und ethische Dimension : Beispiel: Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Bad Säckingen

OpenAIRE

Neudecker, Angelika

2012-01-01

The dissertation shows the extent of the landscape change in the administration alliance Bad Säckingen (municipalities Bad Säckingen, Murg, Rickenbach and Herrischried). The analysis of municipality statistics, the comparison of documents (maps, aerial photographs, postcards) and the attribution to a scale of change (from 0 = no change to 4 = extreme change) demonstrate, that the change of landscape over the past 100 years was moderate (level 2). The main changes in the research area are: ...

Going from bad to worse: Adaptation to poor health, health spending, longevity, and the value of life

OpenAIRE

Schünemann, Johannes; Strulik, Holger; Trimborn, Timo

2015-01-01

Unhealthy persons adapt to their bad state of health and persons in bad health are usually happier than estimated by healthy persons. In this paper we investigate how adaptation to a deteriorating state of health affects health spending, life expectancy, and the value of life. We set up a life cycle model in which individuals are subject to physiological aging, calibrate it with data from gerontology, and compare behavior and outcomes of adapting and non-adapting individuals. While adaptation...

Oral hygiene practices, periodontal conditions, dentition status and self-reported bad mouth breath among young mothers, Tanzania.

Science.gov (United States)

Mumghamba, E G S; Manji, K P; Michael, J

2006-11-01

To determine the oral hygiene practices, periodontal conditions, dentition status and self-reported bad mouth breath (S-BMB) among young mothers. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted at Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. A total of 302 postpartum mothers, aged 14-44 years, were interviewed on oral hygiene practices and S-BMB using structured questionnaire. Oral hygiene, dentition and periodontal status were assessed using the Community Periodontal Index probe and gingival recessions (GR) using Williams Periodontal probe. Tooth brushing practice was 99%; tongue brushing (95%), plastic toothbrush users (96%), chewing stick (1%), wooden toothpicks (76%), dental floss (oral health promotion and periodontal therapy are recommended. This study provides baseline information on oral health status and the complaint on bad mouth breath which necessitates in the future need for objective assessment, diagnosis and management of bad mouth breath for enhanced social and professional interaction without embarrassment.

Die Aufklärung schwer kranker Patienten im interprofessionellen Kontext [Breaking bad news

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schildmann, Jan

2006-11-01

Full Text Available [english] Background: Breaking bad news is a frequent and difficult communication situation in clinical practice. Informing patients about bad news is part of physicians’ tasks. Nurses may support patients during the process of realising bad news on a cognitive as well as emotional level. Empirical studies show that experiential courses are effective measures to train communication skills. This paper presents the course concept of an interprofessional teaching session for medical and nursing students on the communication with seriously ill patients. Description of the project: Since 2002, 54 participants took part in seven courses. Teaching aims are the development of competences to provide feedback as well as communication skills with respect to discussions with seriously ill patients. In addition students get to know the specific tasks both professions encounter in the context of discussions with patients who had been diagnosed with a serious illness. Role plays with simulated patients, small group discussions as well as a session with clinically experienced physicians and nurses are the main teaching methods. Conclusion: The optional course has been well accepted by both student groups. In addition to the analysis of individual communication skills participants use the collaborative teaching sessions to discuss the options of an interprofessional approach of breaking bad news. There is a lack of scientific literature regarding the criteria of interprofessional concepts of breaking bad news. Such research is necessary to define specific teaching aims of collaborative courses on disclosing bad news and will serve as a fundament for future evaluation studies. [german] Hintergrund: Das Überbringen schlechter Nachrichten ist eine häufige und schwierige Gesprächssituation im klinischen Alltag. Während das Aufklärungsgespräch ärztliche Aufgabe ist, unterstützen Mitarbeiter der Krankenpflege die Patienten im Verlauf des Aufkl

Hypothesis: solid tumours behave as systemic metabolic dictators.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yang-Ming; Chang, Wei-Chun; Ma, Wen-Lung

2016-06-01

Current knowledge regarding mechanisms of carcinogenesis in human beings centres around the accumulation of genetic instability, amplified cellular signalling, disturbed cellular energy metabolism and microenvironmental regulation governed by complicated cell-cell interactions. In this article, we provide an alternative view of cancer biology. We propose that cancer behaves as a systemic dictator that interacts with tissues throughout the body to control their metabolism and eventually homeostasis. The mechanism of development of this endocrine organ-like tumour (EOLT) tissue might be the driving force for cancer progression. Here, we review the literature that led to the development of this hypothesis. The EOLT phenotype can be defined as a tumour that alters systemic homeostasis. The literature indicates that the EOLT phenotype is present throughout cancer progression. The feedback mechanism that governs the interaction between tumours and various organs is unknown. We believe that investigating the mechanism of EOLT development may advance the current knowledge of regulation within the tumour macroenvironment and consequently lead to new diagnostic methods and therapy. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine.

Performance Spread of Re-entrant System Structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Erland Hejn

2001-01-01

-to-day operations. It might well be the case that those badly behaving systems merely constitute a set with a measure of almost zero. The key parameters that determine whether a re-entrant system is one of the badly behaving ones are essentially flow-structure, processing times and rules of priority between...... satisfactory. They are all vulnerable to certain job flow patterns and process time settings to a significant degree. The LBFS priority policy therefore presents itself not only as a stable, but also the safe and robust choice par excellence in relation to the control of re-entrant systems....... different job-classes on specific machines. Let us therefore face a re-entrant flow-shop production set-up in an order-driven production system, by which I mean that the flow structure relative to each production-batch shows great variability and where the size of the individual batches is quite large. One...

The role of the intrinsic cholinergic system of the striatum: What have we learned from TAN recordings in behaving animals?

Science.gov (United States)

Apicella, Paul

2017-09-30

Cholinergic interneurons provide rich local innervation of the striatum and play an important role in controlling behavior, as evidenced by the variety of movement and psychiatric disorders linked to disrupted striatal cholinergic transmission. Much progress has been made in recent years regarding our understanding of how these interneurons contribute to the processing of information in the striatum. In particular, investigation of the activity of presumed striatal cholinergic interneurons, identified as tonically active neurons or TANs in behaving animals, has pointed to their role in the signaling and learning of the motivational relevance of environmental stimuli. Although the bulk of this work has been conducted in monkeys, several studies have also been carried out in behaving rats, but information remains rather disparate across studies and it is still questionable whether rodent TANs correspond to TANs described in monkeys. Consequently, our current understanding of the function of cholinergic transmission in the striatum is challenged by the rapidly growing, but often confusing literature on the relationship between TAN activity and specific behaviors. As regards the precise nature of the information conveyed by the cholinergic TANs, a recent influential view emphasized that these local circuit neurons may play a special role in the processing of contextual information that is important for reinforcement learning and selection of appropriate actions. This review provides a summary of recent progress in TAN physiology from which it is proposed that striatal cholinergic interneurons are crucial elements for flexible switching of behaviors under changing environmental conditions. Copyright © 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Breaking bad news to cancer patients in palliative care: A comparison of national cross-sectional surveys from 2006 and 2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Ichikura, Kanako; Matsuda, Ayako; Kobayashi, Mika; Noguchi, Wataru; Matsushita, Toshiko; Matsushima, Eisuke

2015-12-01

Most cancer patients experience the time when a doctor must "break the bad news" to them, a time when it is necessary for patients to call upon their self-determination to aid in the battle with cancer. The purpose of our study was to clarify the percentage of times doctors deliver bad news to patients at the end of life in each of four different situations, and to define the most common recipients of this bad news. We compare these results for two timepoints: 2006 and 2012. The study had a national cross-sectional design consisting of self-completed questionnaires sent to all hospitals that provide cancer care. We mailed them to hospital directors in January and February of 2012, requesting a reply. The results of the same survey in 2006 were employed as a point for comparison. A total of 1224 questionnaires were returned during 2012. 1499 responses collected in 2006 were employed as reference data. Some hospital characteristics had changed over that interval; however, the new data obtained were representative for patients being treated in Japanese cancer care hospitals. In hospitals with 300-499, there were significant differences between 2006 and 2012 in the providing information about ("disclosure of cancer diagnosis," "therapeutic options for treatment," and "a life-prolonging treatment"). In addition, the likelihood of doctors delivering bad news to patients and family members (as opposed to family members only) at the end of life increased from 2006 to 2012. Our results suggest that the overall incidence of bad news being disclosed has increased, especially in hub medical institutions for cancer care. Advanced treatment options or domestic legislation may have influenced the frequency or type of bad news.

The Number of Hardwood Sawmills Continues to Decrease - Is that Bad?

Science.gov (United States)

William G. Luppold; William G. Luppold

2005-01-01

The following Guest Editorial, "The Number of Hardwood Sawmills Continues to Decrease - Is that Bad?" is presented by William G. Luppold, Ph.D., of the USDA Forest Service Northeastern Research Station - Forestry Sciences Laboratory. In this article, Dr. Luppold examines many of the key issues surrounding the size and loss of sawmills, which has influenced...

Optimasi Penempatan Menara BTS Menggunakan Quantum-Behaved Particle Swarm Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamad Fatkhur Rohman

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Universal Mobile Telecomunication System (UMTS saat ini dipandang sebagai sebuah sistem impian yang menggantikan Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM dan merupakan salah satu evolusi generasi ketiga (3G dari jaringan mobile. Salah satu komponen pendukung jaringan UMTS adalah Node B, Node B dapat dianalogikan sebagai BTS. Seiring perkembangan kebutuhan pelanggan yang semakin meningkat, kebutuhan akan BTS(Node B semakin bertambah, hal ini menyebabkan banyaknya jumlah menara BTS da menyebabkan pemandangan yang kurang bagus bagi visualisasi kota.oleh karena itu perlu dilakukan optimisasi penempatan menara BTS. Salah satu metode untuk mengoptimasi adalah Quantum-behaved Particle Swarm Optimization. Maka dalam penelitian ini akan dirancang simulasi optimasi penempatan BTS menggunakan QPSO dengan parameter yang akan dioptimasi adalah Coverage Area dan Trafik. Dari hasil penelitian yang dilakukan, Algoritma QPSO mampu mengurangi jumlah BTS dari 55 BTS menjadi 43 BTS.

Executive functioning in chronic alcoholism and Korsakoff syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Maharasingam, Malini; Macniven, Jamie A B; Mason, Oliver J

2013-01-01

Korsakoff syndrome (KS) is characterized by dense anterograde and retrograde amnesia. There is often a temporal gradient to the retrograde amnesia, with earlier memories more readily recalled than recent memories. Executive functioning has also been found to be impaired in KS. However, research comparing executive functioning between chronic alcoholics (AL) and patients with KS has been relatively sparse to date. In a group comparison design, executive functioning in 15 KS patients and 16 chronic alcoholic patients was assessed using the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome test (BADS) and other secondary measures. The KS group was found to be significantly more impaired than the AL group on overall performance on the BADS (p Korsakoff patients are significantly more impaired in executive functioning than non-Korsakoff chronic alcoholics. We thank the participants of the study and also acknowledge the support of the University of Nottingham, particularly Nadina Lincoln, and the North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We are also very grateful to the anonymous reviewers of earlier drafts of this manuscript for their invaluable comments.

Chronic sleep restriction induces changes in the mandibular condylar cartilage of rats: roles of Akt, Bad and Caspase-3.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Yong; Wu, Gaoyi; Zhu, Guoxiong; Ma, Chuan; Zhao, Huaqiang

2014-01-01

The aim of the present study was to observe changes in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) of rats that had been subjected to chronic sleep restriction and to investigate whether Akt, Bad and Caspase3 play a role in the mechanism underlying the changes. One hundred and eighty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 60 in each): cage control group, large-platform control group, and sleep restriction group. Each group was divided into three subgroups (n = 20 in each) of three different time points (7, 14 and 21 days), respectively. The modified multiple platform method was used to induce chronic sleep restriction. The TMJ tissue histology was studied by staining with haematoxylin and eosin. The expression of Akt, p-Aktser473, Bad, p-Badser136 and Caspase3 proteins was detected by immunohistochemistry and western blotting. The expression of Akt, Bad and Caspase3 mRNAs was measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Compared with the large-platform and cage control groups, condylar cartilage pathological alterations were found in the sleep restriction group. There were significantly decreased expression levels of Akt, p-Aktser473 and p-Badser136 and significantly increased expression levels of Bad and Caspase3 after sleep restriction. These data suggest that sleep restriction may induce pathological alterations in the condylar cartilage of rats. Alterations in Akt, Bad and Caspase3 may be associated with the potential mechanism by which chronic sleep restriction influences the condylar cartilage.

Pre-Service Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Reflections on Good and Bad Mathematics Teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Dayal, Hem Chand

2013-01-01

Researchers suggest that teachers' beliefs about teaching are strongly influenced by their personal experiences with mathematics. This study aimed to explore Pacific Island pre-service secondary mathematics teachers' perceptions about good and bad mathematics teachers. Thirty pre-service teachers, enrolled in a mathematics teaching methods course…

Breaking Bad News in Healthcare Organizations: Application of the Spikes Protocol

Science.gov (United States)

VonBergen, C. W.; Stevens, Robert E.; Loudon, David

2011-01-01

Organizational downsizing has increased exponentially worldwide and is also affecting the healthcare industry. It is one thing to speak abstractly of the need to reduce costs and quite another to actually tell a worker the bad news that he or she has been laid off. This paper offers practical advice to healthcare managers on conducting unpleasant…

Social categorization and threat of ostracism as determinants of reactions to deviant behaviour: A story about bad apples and black sheep

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ouwerkerk, J.W.

2004-01-01

Within a public good dilemma people have a tendency to follow the behaviour of a single non-cooperative individual (i.e., a “bad apple”) rather than the behaviour of a single cooperative individual. The present research shows that this “bad apple”-effect is stronger when the deviant individual is

HOLIDAY FROM HELL : Bad travel experiences of Finnish people

OpenAIRE

Miettinen, Milja

2015-01-01

The topic of this thesis was the bad travel experiences of Finnish people. This thesis is divided into two parts. The theoretical framework consists of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, tourism consumer behaviour, experience and experience economy. In the empirical part, a survey was used and answers were collected by a questionnaire on the Internet. The link to the questionnaire was published in Facebook and also on Suomi24 forum’s travel section. It was possible to answer to the questionnai...

Solving Bilevel Multiobjective Programming Problem by Elite Quantum Behaved Particle Swarm Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tao Zhang

2012-01-01

Full Text Available An elite quantum behaved particle swarm optimization (EQPSO algorithm is proposed, in which an elite strategy is exerted for the global best particle to prevent premature convergence of the swarm. The EQPSO algorithm is employed for solving bilevel multiobjective programming problem (BLMPP in this study, which has never been reported in other literatures. Finally, we use eight different test problems to measure and evaluate the proposed algorithm, including low dimension and high dimension BLMPPs, as well as attempt to solve the BLMPPs whose theoretical Pareto optimal front is not known. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is a feasible and efficient method for solving BLMPPs.

The PEWTER Study: Breaking Bad News Communication Skills Training for Counseling Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Keefe-Cooperman, Kathleen; Savitsky, Devyn; Koshel, Walter; Bhat, Varsha; Cooperman, Jessica

2018-01-01

The efficacy of teaching communication skills for breaking bad news in graduate-level counseling programs was examined. A structured model, PEWTER (Prepare, Evaluate, Warning, Telling, Emotional Response, Regrouping; Keefe-Cooperman and Nardi 2004), provides a method for this difficult task. Prior to training in using the model, students reported…

When it cannot get better or worse: the asymmetric impact of good and bad news on bond returns in expansions versus recessions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beber, A.; Brandt, M.W.

2008-01-01

We examine empirically the response of bond returns and their volatility to good and bad macroeconomic news in economic expansions and recessions. We find that the information content of macroeconomic announcements is most important when it contains bad news for bond returns in expansions and, to a

When it cannot get better or worse: The asymmetric impact of good and bad news on bond returns in expansions and recessions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beber, A.; Brandt, M.W.

2010-01-01

We examine empirically the response of bond returns and their volatility to good and bad macroeconomic news during expansions and recessions. We find that macroeconomic announcements are most important when they contain bad news for bond returns in expansions and, to a lesser extent, good news in

The St. Niklausen drinking-water powered, small hydro scheme in Bad Ragaz; Gemeinde Bad Ragaz - Trinkwasserkraftwerk St. Niklausen - Vorstudie Bericht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rueesch, T.

2009-04-15

This report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) takes a look at the results a preliminary study on the installation of a drinking-water powered small hydro scheme in Bad Ragaz, Switzerland. The installation of new pressure pipes and a new balancing reservoir are proposed. Three variants are proposed and discussed, two of which are considered as being economically viable. The various new installations and components proposed are described and discussed. Investment considerations, energy production and costs are looked at as well as support from the Swiss scheme for the cost-covering remuneration for electricity from renewable energy sources. The report is augmented with photos and plans.

Teaching midwife students how to break bad news using the cinema: an Italian qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Fieschi, Laura; Burlon, Barbara; De Marinis, Maria Grazia

2015-03-01

Delivering bad news is a difficult task that involves all healthcare professionals, including midwives. The hypothesis is that, in order to learn how to disclose and to discuss bad news, students need a phase of personal reflection, of awareness of their own emotional processes. The use of films in healthcare education can foster this process evoking different emotions concerning suffering and disease, in a "safety zone". This study examines the effects that a course, which uses reflection as a method of learning and the cinema as a teaching tool, produces on a little group of Italian third-year Midwifery students. From the content analysis (supported by Atlas-Ti(®) software) of the texts produced by the students after the vision of two entire films, it appears that they correctly identified many elements related to good and poor communication of bad news and that they were able to describe the emotions felt while watching the film, but still revealed a certain difficulty to interpret them. The course helped students to recognize the value of reflection on their emotions to better understand others, to empathize with people who suffer, but also to recognize their difficulties and compete with their own limits. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

THE INFLUENCE OF PROGRAMMED CORRECTIVE EXERCISES ON KIFOTIC BAD BODY POSITION AT PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

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Zoran Bogdanović

2008-08-01

Full Text Available The subject matter of the research was the influence of specially programmed physical education instruction with specific complexes of exercises of corrective gymnastics at the 5th grade pupils, on the territory of the city Kragujevac, at those with kifotic bad body position established by measuring. After forming of experimental and control subjects groups, the experiment began. The subjects had the task to do the complete set of corrective exercises, determined before hand, three times a week during one class time. That programme was carried out continuously during the entire school year and the first semester of the following year, except during summer and winter vacation break. It can be concluded that the contents of experimental section of corrective gymnastics had the positive influence on the correction of kifotic bad body position at all the subjects, but with the more effective results at male population where the high percentage of corrected postural disturbance was attained. It can be said that the time period of eighteen months was enough for correction of kifotic bad body position at great number of the subjects. It can be also assumed that the more qualitative and complete improvement will be attained in the case of further continual exercises.

Physicians' perceptions of breaking bad news to cancer patients and family

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Sami Ayed Alshammary

2017-01-01

Conclusion: Physicians face a dilemma when families do not wish the patient to know about the cancer diagnosis, and this highlights the necessity of taking into consideration the social circumstances in healthcare. When taking these into consideration, curriculum in the medical school must, therefore, be updated and must integrate the acquisition of skills in breaking bad news early in training.

Transfer function of analog fiber-optic systems driven by Fabry-Perot lasers: comment

Science.gov (United States)

Gyula, Veszely

2006-10-01

A bad notation makes difficult the understanding of the paper of Capmany et al. [J. Opt. Soc. Am. B22, 2099 (2005)]. The reason is that the real time function and the complex time function run into one another.

Radiation-induced bystander effects: Are they good bad or both?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Guen, B.; Lallemand, J.; Averbeck, D.; Chetioui, A.; Gardes-Albert, M.; Mothersill, C.; Gourmelon, P.; Benderitter, M.; Chevillard, S.; Martin, M.; Verrelle, P.

2004-01-01

The different contributions are as follow: the current events on the cellular responses to irradiation ( part one and two); From physico-chemistry to radiobiology: new knowledge (part one and two); Radiation-induced bystander effects: are they good bad or both; recognition of the multi visceral failure in the acute irradiation syndrome; integrated approach of the tissue carcinogenesis: differential effect sane tissue-tumoral tissue; differential diagnosis of thyroid cancers by the transcriptoma analysis. (N.C.)

Rodent scope: a user-configurable digital wireless telemetry system for freely behaving animals.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Ball

Full Text Available This paper describes the design and implementation of a wireless neural telemetry system that enables new experimental paradigms, such as neural recordings during rodent navigation in large outdoor environments. RoSco, short for Rodent Scope, is a small lightweight user-configurable module suitable for digital wireless recording from freely behaving small animals. Due to the digital transmission technology, RoSco has advantages over most other wireless modules of noise immunity and online user-configurable settings. RoSco digitally transmits entire neural waveforms for 14 of 16 channels at 20 kHz with 8-bit encoding which are streamed to the PC as standard USB audio packets. Up to 31 RoSco wireless modules can coexist in the same environment on non-overlapping independent channels. The design has spatial diversity reception via two antennas, which makes wireless communication resilient to fading and obstacles. In comparison with most existing wireless systems, this system has online user-selectable independent gain control of each channel in 8 factors from 500 to 32,000 times, two selectable ground references from a subset of channels, selectable channel grounding to disable noisy electrodes, and selectable bandwidth suitable for action potentials (300 Hz-3 kHz and low frequency field potentials (4 Hz-3 kHz. Indoor and outdoor recordings taken from freely behaving rodents are shown to be comparable to a commercial wired system in sorting for neural populations. The module has low input referred noise, battery life of 1.5 hours and transmission losses of 0.1% up to a range of 10 m.

Dihydromyricetin induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in HepG2 cells through down-regulation of the Akt/Bad pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhuangwei; Zhang, Huiqin; Chen, Shiyong; Xu, Yan; Yao, Anjun; Liao, Qi; Han, Liyuan; Zou, Zuquan; Zhang, Xiaohong

2017-02-01

The plant flavonol dihydromyricetin (DHM) was reported to induce apoptosis in human hepatocarcinoma HepG2 cells. This study was undertaken to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism of action of DHM. In the study, DHM down-regulated Akt expression and its phosphorylation at Ser473, up-regulated the levels of mitochondrial proapoptotic proteins Bax and Bad, and inhibited the phosphorylation of Bad at Ser136 and Ser112. It also inhibited the expression of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 and enhanced the cleavage and activation of caspase-3 as well as the degradation of its downstream target poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. Our results for the first time suggest that DHM-induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells may come about by the inhibition of the Akt/Bad signaling pathway and stimulation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Dihydromyricetin may be a promising therapeutic medication for hepatocellular carcinoma. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Sad, the Mad and the Bad: Co-Existing Discourses of Girlhood

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Marion

2011-01-01

Three significant, prevailing and overlapping narratives of teenage girls have dominated North American popular consciousness since the early 1990s: the sad girl, victimized by male privilege and misogyny of adolescence and beyond; the mad grrrls who rejected this vulnerability through music and media; and the bad girls of much current popular…

Education based thinking and behaving? Towards an identity perspective for studying education differentials in public opinion and political participation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spruyt, Bram; Kuppens, Toon

2015-01-01

Education based thinking and behaving? Towards and identity perspective for studying education differentials in public opinion and political participation Abstract Ever since scholars started studying public opinion and political behaviour, they have reported substantial educational differences.

[A place in the macrocosmos: Paracelsus in Bad Pfäfers].

Science.gov (United States)

Pörksen, G

1994-03-29

The script about Bad Pfäfers is an exception within the entire work of Paracelsus: It is short, completely worked over and has been printed already during his lifetime. It contains an unique list of comments on latin termini in his native language, hints about the context of their origin and may be read like a concentrate of his philosophy. Biography and personality of Paracelsus are briefly outlined; thereafter, the dark preface of the script on Bad Pfäfers is commented on. The latter turned out to be a stenograph of his central ideas on natural philosophy and cosmology as expressed in other scripts of the thirties, in the 'Astronomia magna' in particular (1536). The concept of the human body, of his macrocosmic derivation and of the 'source' as natural testimony of the healing nature of Christ becomes clear. Finally, from circumstantial evidence in text and context of the script, it is concluded, that it must have derived from the dialogue with the personnel of the spa uneducated in a humanistic sense, and may be understood as an abbreviated draft ("aide-mémoire") of Paracelsic instructions.

The power of a bad example : A field experiment in household garbage disposal

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dur, R.; Vollaard, B.A.

2015-01-01

Field-experimental studies have shown that people litter more in more littered environments. Inspired by these findings, many cities around the world have adopted policies to quickly remove litter. While such policies may prevent people from following the bad example of litterers, they may also

The Power of a Bad Example - A Field Experiment in Household Garbage Disposal

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A.J. Dur (Robert); B. Vollaard (Ben)

2012-01-01

textabstractField-experimental studies have shown that people litter more in more littered environments. Inspired by these findings, many cities around the world have adopted policies to quickly remove litter. While such policies may avoid that people follow the bad example of litterers, they may

Flexible Coupling of Respiration and Vocalizations with Locomotion and Head Movements in the Freely Behaving Rat

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Joseph Andrews Alves

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Quadrupedal mammals typically synchronize their respiration with body movements during rhythmic locomotion. In the rat, fast respiration is coupled to head movements during sniffing behavior, but whether respiration is entrained by stride dynamics is not known. We recorded intranasal pressure, head acceleration, instantaneous speed, and ultrasonic vocalizations from male and female adult rats while freely behaving in a social environment. We used high-speed video recordings of stride to understand how head acceleration signals relate to locomotion and developed techniques to identify episodes of sniffing, walking, trotting, and galloping from the recorded variables. Quantitative analysis of synchrony between respiration and head acceleration rhythms revealed that respiration and locomotion movements were coordinated but with a weaker coupling than expected from previous work in other mammals. We have recently shown that rats behaving in social settings produce high rates of ultrasonic vocalizations during locomotion bouts. Accordingly, rats emitted vocalizations in over half of the respiratory cycles during fast displacements. We present evidence suggesting that emission of these calls disrupts the entrainment of respiration by stride. The coupling between these two variables is thus flexible, such that it can be overridden by other behavioral demands.

A portable telemetry system for brain stimulation and neuronal activity recording in freely behaving small animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Xuesong; Wang, Peng; Liu, Jun; Zhang, Shaomin; Jiang, Jun; Wang, Qingbo; Chen, Weidong; Zheng, Xiaoxiang

2008-09-30

A portable multi-channel telemetry system which can be used for brain stimulation and neuronal activity recording in freely behaving small animals is described here. This system consists of three major components of headstage, backpack and portable Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). The headstage contains high precision instrument amplifiers with high input impedance. The backpack is comprised of two parts: (1) a main board (size: 36 mm x 22 mm x 3.5 mm and weight: 40 g with batteries, 20 g without), with current/voltage stimulator and special circuit suitable for neuronal activity recording and (2) and a bluetooth transceiver, with a high data transmission rate up to 70 kb/s, suitable for downloading stimulation commands and uploading acquired data. We recorded neuronal activities of the primary motor area of a freely behaving rat with 12-bit resolution at 12 k samples/s. The recorded data and analysis results showed that the system was successful by comparing with the commercial equipment Cerebus 128-Channel Data Acquisition System (Cyberkinetics Inc.). Using the PDA, we can control stimulation and recording. It provides a flexible method to do some research work in the circumstances where other approaches would be difficult or impossible.

A Man Caught Between Bad Anthropology and Good Theology?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Else Marie Wiberg

2010-01-01

that obscures his purportedly universal principles. This article uncovers some of the ambiguities in luther's approaches to women, theoretically teaching men's authority over women yet simultaneously teaching the mutuality and equality of women and men, and practising such mutuality and equality in his everyday......Martin Luther's view of women is as complex as his authorship is vast, encompassing a diversity of gneres and purposes. Luther seems ambivalent toward women like the tradition before and after him. In his reformation enterprise he appears as torn between his good theology and a bad anthropology...

Food, gender and media - the trinity of bad taste

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjær, Katrine Meldgaard; Leer, Jonatan

2015-01-01

Food, Gender and Media – the Trinity of Bad Taste: Since she began working in the field in the mid-1980s, associate professor in media studies at Aarhus University Karen Klitgaard Povlsen has been one of most important scholars in the field of cultural food studies in Denmark. She is particularly...... studies do not enjoy the same prominence today as they did in the 1970s and 1980s, food studies has gained terrain and offers new ways of doing innovative, intersectional analyses of identity and everyday life in contemporary mediatized societies....

Discussion of David Thissen's Bad Questions: An Essay Involving Item Response Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Wainer, Howard

2016-01-01

The usual role of a discussant is to clarify and correct the paper being discussed, but in this case, the author, Howard Wainer, generally agrees with everything David Thissen says in his essay, "Bad Questions: An Essay Involving Item Response Theory." This essay expands on David Thissen's statement that there are typically two principal…

Communicating bad news: an integrative review of the nursing literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Fontes, Cassiana Mendes Bertoncello; Menezes, Daniele Vieira de; Borgato, Maria Helena; Luiz, Marcos Roberto

2017-01-01

describe how the process of breaking bad news is established and identify how nurses approach the task of giving bad news. integrative review of the literature for articles in Portuguese and English published between 1993-2014, in the databases: Bireme, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL and Embase. Nine articles were included using the selection flow chart. A digital form was completed for each article according to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist and the level of scientific evidence was determined. Of the 99 articles in identified, nine were included after applying the selection flowchart. breaking bad news is frequent in the area of oncology and palliative care, with a strong cultural influence on the autonomy of nurses in this process. the approach and skills of the nurse during this task influences the patient's reaction to the message. The theme is scarce in the literature and merits further investigation. Descrever como se estabelece o processo de comunicação de más notícias e identificar como o enfermeiro pratica a comunicação de más notícias. Revisão integrativa da literatura com artigos em português e inglês referente ao período 1993-2014 nas bases de dados Bireme, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL e Embase. Elegeram-se nove artigos pelo fluxograma de seleção. Para cada artigo foi preenchida uma ficha eletrônica, elaborado um checklist do Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research e verificado o nível de evidência científica. Foram identificados 99 artigos e incluídos nove pelo fluxograma de seleção. Transmitir más notícias é frequente nas áreas de oncologia e cuidados paliativos, com forte influência cultural na autonomia do enfermeiro nesse processo. O modo e a habilidade do enfermeiro durante a ação influenciarão a reação do paciente acerca da mensagem. O tema é escasso na literatura, necessitando ser explorado.

Borrelia host adaptation Regulator (BadR) regulates rpoS to modulate host adaptation and virulence factors in Borrelia burgdorferi

OpenAIRE

Miller, Christine L.; Rajasekhar Karna, S. L.; Seshu, J.

2013-01-01

The RpoS transcription factor of Borrelia burgdorferi is a “gatekeeper” because it activates genes required for spirochetes to transition from tick to vertebrate hosts. However, it remains unknown how RpoS becomes repressed to allow the spirochetes to transition back from the vertebrate host to the tick vector. Here we show that a putative carbohydrate-responsive regulatory protein, designated BadR (Borrelia host adaptation Regulator), is a transcriptional repressor of rpoS. BadR levels are e...

BAD FAITH OF EMPLOYEES IN ACTUAL LABOUR LAW - THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ştefania-Alina Dumitrache

2012-11-01

Full Text Available In designing the study we started with the analysis of good faith in employment law, from Article 54 of the Romanian Constitution and reaching to Article 8 of the Labour Code. Regarding the bad faith of the employee, it exceeds the scope of abuse of law and must be addressed in relation to the three main stages of any individual labour contract. Thus, when negotiations for a labour contract, bad faith of an employee can occur by breaching of private information disclosed by the employer and by violating the correlative obligation to employer's right to correct information. In disciplinary matters, the form of guilt of the employee who commits a disciplinary offense and his failure to appear at prior disciplinary investigation to which he was called are important for the analyzed issues. Not even termination of an individual labour contract is protected from the event of adopting a malicious behaviour by the employees. The study concludes with launching the opinion that a way to prevent and control this type of behaviour could be the employee's personnel file.

EXERCISE WITH BAD FAITH OF SUBJECTIVE CIVIL RIGHTS

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NICOLAE GRADINARU

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The abuse of rights is qualified as civil offence and it may not be different from that of aquilian responsibility, the purpose of its sanction is to protect the victim and not to punish the author. In the Romanian legal doctrine, the abuse of rights was defined as “the exercise of a civil subjective right by breaching the principles of its exercise.” The Constitutional Court held that the person exercising in bad faith and abusively his/her subjective or procedural rights is punishable by appropriate penalties, such as: dismissal of his/her legal action, obligation to bear the costs, application of certain court fines, etc.

Making good citizens from bad life in post-genocide Rwanda

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Turner, Simon

2014-01-01

out of ‘bare life’, the Rwandan state is attempting to exorcise a concrete historical moment of violence, and the Hutu who enter the ingando are produced as what I term ‘bad life’. In this sense, the idea of a new beginning in Rwanda differs from universal claims to justice in the legalistic sense...... and is in stead specific, political and at times violent. It is a political project of casting a new Rwanda in a specific image....

Screening Mammography: Science, Policy and Politics–The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Science.gov (United States)

Diana Petitti, MD, MPH, FACPM, an epidemiologic expert on women's health and evidence based medicine, with posts as vice chair and spokesperson for the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force, presented "Screening Mammography: Science, Policy and Politics–The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." 

The Swiss Black Swan Bad Scenario: Is Switzerland Another Casualty of the Eurozone Crisis?

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Sebastien Lleo

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Financial disasters to hedge funds, bank trading departments and individual speculative traders and investors seem to always occur because of non-diversification in all possible scenarios, being overbet and being hit by a bad scenario. Black swans are the worst type of bad scenario: unexpected and extreme. The Swiss National Bank decision on 15 January 2015 to abandon the 1.20 peg against the Euro was a tremendous blow for many Swiss exporters, but also Swiss and international investors, hedge funds, global macro funds, banks, as well as the Swiss central bank. In this paper, we discuss the causes for this action, the money losers and the few winners, what it means for Switzerland, Europe and the rest of the world, what kinds of trades were lost and how they have been prevented.

Functional principles of registry-based service discovery

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sundramoorthy, V.; Tan, C.; Hartel, P.H.; Hartog, den J.I.; Scholten, J.

2005-01-01

As Service Discovery Protocols (SDP) are becoming increasingly important for ubiquitous computing, they must behave according to predefined principles. We present the functional Principles of Service Discovery for robust, registry-based service discovery. A methodology to guarantee adherence to

Synthetic tactile perception induced by transcranial alternating-current stimulation can substitute for natural sensory stimulus in behaving rabbits.

Science.gov (United States)

Márquez-Ruiz, Javier; Ammann, Claudia; Leal-Campanario, Rocío; Ruffini, Giulio; Gruart, Agnès; Delgado-García, José M

2016-01-21

The use of brain-derived signals for controlling external devices has long attracted the attention from neuroscientists and engineers during last decades. Although much effort has been dedicated to establishing effective brain-to-computer communication, computer-to-brain communication feedback for "closing the loop" is now becoming a major research theme. While intracortical microstimulation of the sensory cortex has already been successfully used for this purpose, its future application in humans partly relies on the use of non-invasive brain stimulation technologies. In the present study, we explore the potential use of transcranial alternating-current stimulation (tACS) for synthetic tactile perception in alert behaving animals. More specifically, we determined the effects of tACS on sensory local field potentials (LFPs) and motor output and tested its capability for inducing tactile perception using classical eyeblink conditioning in the behaving animal. We demonstrated that tACS of the primary somatosensory cortex vibrissa area could indeed substitute natural stimuli during training in the associative learning paradigm.

The impact of senior medical students' personal difficulties on their communication patterns in breaking bad news.

Science.gov (United States)

Meitar, Dafna; Karnieli-Miller, Orit; Eidelman, Shmuel

2009-11-01

To evaluate the possible influence of personal difficulties and barriers that are within the news bearer and his or her self-awareness (SA) of them, on the patterns of communication during encounters involving breaking bad news (BBN). Following an intensive BBN course in 2004, 103 senior medical students at the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, were evaluated for BBN competencies by the analysis of their written descriptions of how they visualized their manner of delivering bad news to a patient described in a challenging vignette. The students were further asked to reflect on their own difficulties and barriers that surfaced in response to reading the narrative presented in the vignette and in delivering the bad news. Using an immersion crystallization narrative analysis method, the authors analyzed the relationship between the students' BBN strategies and their self-perceived barriers and difficulties. Four types of communicators were identified and related to 45 different personal and professional barriers that the students, through self-reflection, found in themselves. These perceived barriers as well as the ability to self-reflect on them influenced their patterns of communication in their envisioned and written-down encounters, including the level of emotional connectedness, information provided, and the chosen focus-of-care paradigm (physician-centered, patient-centered, or relationship-centered). These findings empirically demonstrate that intrapersonal difficulties within the communicator and his or her level of SA about them influenced the manner and content of the communication during the encounter. This finding suggests that enhancing SA and addressing personal and professional difficulties could help physicians' capability to cope with challenging communication tasks. The authors propose a working tool (the Preparatory SPIKES) to facilitate the integration of self-reflection (by identifying personal difficulties) into day-by-day planning

Love, Hate, and Crystal Meth: Abjection and Teacher Narcissism in Breaking Bad

Science.gov (United States)

Lewkowich, David

2012-01-01

In this article the author looks at a particular episode of the television show, Breaking Bad, as a means to explore the pedagogical implications of the Kristevan notion of abjection, and its relation to the emotions of love and hate, and the emergence of teacher narcissism as an inevitable offshoot of the antagonisms in learning. This particular…

As Bad as They Say? Three Decades of Teaching in the Bronx

Science.gov (United States)

Mayer, Janet Grossbach

2011-01-01

Rundown, vermin-infested buildings. Rigid, slow-to-react bureaucratic systems. Children from broken homes and declining communities. How can a teacher succeed? How does a student not only survive but also come to thrive? It can happen, and "As Bad as They Say?" tells the heroic stories of Janet Mayer's students during her 33-year tenure…

Girls Behaving Badly? Race, Gender, and Subjective Evaluation in the Discipline of African American Girls

Science.gov (United States)

Morris, Edward W.; Perry, Brea L.

2017-01-01

School disciplinary processes are an important mechanism of inequality in education. Most prior research in this area focuses on the significantly higher rates of punishment among African American boys, but in this article, we turn our attention to the discipline of African American girls. Using advanced multilevel models and a longitudinal data…

Deutsche Bahn. Small hydropower station Bad Abbach directly feeds electrical power into the overhead wire system; Deutsche Bahn. Kleinwasserkraftwerk Bad Abbach speist elektrische Energie unmittelbar in die Oberleitung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamerak, Kurt

2009-07-01

Even if the installed electrical power of the hydraulic power plant Bad Abbach (Federal Republic of Germany) of Deutsche Bahn AG with only 4,500 kVA is quite modest, a significant planning effort was necessary due to numerous boundary conditions. The construction of this unusual hydraulic power plant signified a very demanding and interesting technical challenge for all concerned. The already existing damming of the river Danube required very little interventions in the environment. Thus the hydraulic power plant satisfied all the requirements also in environmental regard. Due to the cooperation of a Kaplan turbine shaft with a single-phase AC generator for supplying power to the Deutsche Bahn AG and due to the direct supply of electrical energy into the overhead wire system of the railroad, the new hydropower plant Bad Abbach is unique. With Deutsche Bahn AG as a consumer of energy from hydropower plants inter alia on the river Danube a partnership between the Rhein Main Donau AG (Munich, Federal Republic of Germany) and E.ON Wasserkraft GmbH (Landshut, Federal Republic of Germany) was continued in the field of renewable energies.

Breaking Bad News in Counseling: Applying the PEWTER Model in the School Setting

Science.gov (United States)

Keefe-Cooperman, Kathleen; Brady-Amoon, Peggy

2013-01-01

Breaking bad news is a stressful experience for counselors and clients. In this article, the PEWTER (Prepare, Evaluate, Warning, Telling, Emotional Response, Regrouping) model (Nardi & Keefe-Cooperman, 2006) is used as a guide to facilitate the process of a difficult conversation and promote client growth in a school setting. In this…

Bad and Bid - potential background players in preneoplastic to neoplastic shift in human endometrium

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Driak, D.; Dvorská, M.; Bolehovská, P.; Švandová, Iva; Novotný, J.; Halaška, M.

2014-01-01

Roč. 61, č. 4 (2014), s. 411-415 ISSN 0028-2685 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP207/12/0919 Institutional support: RVO:67985823 Keywords : Bad * Bid * cancerogenesis * human endometrium Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry Impact factor: 1.865, year: 2014

Synergistic extraction of Am(III) using HTTA and bi-functional (DHDECMP) and mono-functional (TBP) donors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pai, S.A.; Lohithakshan, K.V.; Mithapara, P.D.; Aggarwal, S.K.

1999-01-01

The equilibrium constant (log Ks) for the organic phase synergistic reaction for Am(III)-HTTA system with bi-functional neutral donor di-hexyl di-ethyl carbamoylmethyl phosphonate (DHDECMP) was found to be about two orders of magnitude higher than that of the mono-functional neutral donor (TBP) with comparable basicity values. This log Ks value along with a large positive entropy change with DHDECMP compared to that with TBP confirms that the neutral donors like DHDECMP behave as bi-functional, in sharp contrast to its mono-functional behaviour in Pu(VI). (author)

Breaking bad habits by improving executive function in individuals with obesity.

Science.gov (United States)

Allom, Vanessa; Mullan, Barbara; Smith, Evelyn; Hay, Phillipa; Raman, Jayanthi

2018-04-16

Two primary factors that contribute to obesity are unhealthy eating and sedentary behavior. These behaviors are particularly difficult to change in the long-term because they are often enacted habitually. Cognitive Remediation Therapy has been modified and applied to the treatment of obesity (CRT-O) with preliminary results of a randomized controlled trial demonstrating significant weight loss and improvements in executive function. The objective of this study was to conduct a secondary data analysis of the CRT-O trial to evaluate whether CRT-O reduces unhealthy habits that contribute to obesity via improvements in executive function. Eighty participants with obesity were randomized to CRT-O or control. Measures of executive function (Wisconsin Card Sort Task and Trail Making Task) and unhealthy eating and sedentary behavior habits were administered at baseline, post-intervention and at 3 month follow-up. Participants receiving CRT-O demonstrated improvements in both measures of executive function and reductions in both unhealthy habit outcomes compared to control. Mediation analyses revealed that change in one element of executive function performance (Wisconsin Card Sort Task perseverance errors) mediated the effect of CRT-O on changes in both habit outcomes. These results suggest that the effectiveness of CRT-O may result from the disruption of unhealthy habits made possible by improvements in executive function. In particular, it appears that cognitive flexibility, as measured by the Wisconsin Card Sort task, is a key mechanism in this process. Improving cognitive flexibility may enable individuals to capitalise on interruptions in unhealthy habits by adjusting their behavior in line with their weight loss goals rather than persisting with an unhealthy choice. The RCT was registered with the Australian New Zealand Registry of Clinical Trials (trial id: ACTRN12613000537752 ).

Measured Approach or Magical Elixir? How to Tell Good Science from Bad

Science.gov (United States)

Willingham, Daniel T.

2012-01-01

Distinguishing between good and bad science is not easy. Evaluating whether or not a claim really is supported by good research is like buying a car. There is an optimal solution to the problem, which is to read and digest all of the relevant research, but most people do not have time to execute the optimal solution. What they need is a good…

Bad thoughts: Brazilian women's responses to mothering while experiencing postnatal depression.

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, Hudson Pires Oliveira; Sandelowski, Margarete; Gualda, Dulce Maria Rosa

2014-06-01

this study explores Brazilian women's experiences of mothering of their infants while experiencing postnatal depression. a cross-language qualitative descriptive design. the sample was composed of 15 women diagnosed with postnatal depression in a psychiatric institute in São Paulo, Brazil. Open-ended interviews were conducted and the data underwent thematic analysis. 13 women worried that harm would come to their infants. Seven of these women self-identified as potential sources of harm, with two women physically hurting their infants. The remaining six women worried about unknown agents, such as disease, hurting their infants. In response to these bad thoughts, women mothered their infants in one of four ways: (1) transferred care, completely delegating this task to family members; (2) shared care, asking family members to share the responsibility; (3) sole care, having to look after their infants by themselves because they had no available family support; (4) and smother care, being hyper-vigilant, constantly watching their infants and not trusting infant care to anyone else. the bad thoughts influenced the women's adaptation to mothering their infants. Health professionals should assess these thoughts early in the postnatal period and the women's mothering responses for the protection of mother and child. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Ionic liquids behave as dilute electrolyte solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Gebbie, Matthew A.; Valtiner, Markus; Banquy, Xavier; Fox, Eric T.; Henderson, Wesley A.; Israelachvili, Jacob N.

2013-01-01

We combine direct surface force measurements with thermodynamic arguments to demonstrate that pure ionic liquids are expected to behave as dilute weak electrolyte solutions, with typical effective dissociated ion concentrations of less than 0.1% at room temperature. We performed equilibrium force–distance measurements across the common ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([C4mim][NTf2]) using a surface forces apparatus with in situ electrochemical control and quantitatively modeled these measurements using the van der Waals and electrostatic double-layer forces of the Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek theory with an additive repulsive steric (entropic) ion–surface binding force. Our results indicate that ionic liquids screen charged surfaces through the formation of both bound (Stern) and diffuse electric double layers, where the diffuse double layer is comprised of effectively dissociated ionic liquid ions. Additionally, we used the energetics of thermally dissociating ions in a dielectric medium to quantitatively predict the equilibrium for the effective dissociation reaction of [C4mim][NTf2] ions, in excellent agreement with the measured Debye length. Our results clearly demonstrate that, outside of the bound double layer, most of the ions in [C4mim][NTf2] are not effectively dissociated and thus do not contribute to electrostatic screening. We also provide a general, molecular-scale framework for designing ionic liquids with significantly increased dissociated charge densities via judiciously balancing ion pair interactions with bulk dielectric properties. Our results clear up several inconsistencies that have hampered scientific progress in this important area and guide the rational design of unique, high–free-ion density ionic liquids and ionic liquid blends. PMID:23716690

Detecting Topological Errors with Pre-Estimation Filtering of Bad Data in Wide-Area Measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Møller, Jakob Glarbo; Sørensen, Mads; Jóhannsson, Hjörtur

2017-01-01

It is expected that bad data and missing topology information will become an issue of growing concern when power system state estimators are to exploit the high measurement reporting rates from phasor measurement units. This paper suggests to design state estimators with enhanced resilience again...

Occurrence of a 'bad' split and success of initial mandibular healing: a review of 524 sagittal ramus osteotomies in 262 patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Posnick, J C; Choi, E; Liu, S

2016-10-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of a 'bad' split after sagittal ramus osteotomies (SRO) and report the results of initial mandibular healing. A retrospective cohort study derived from patients treated by a single surgeon at one institution between 2004 and 2013 was performed. An index group consisting of a series of subjects with a spectrum of bimaxillary dentofacial deformities also involving the chin and symptomatic chronic obstructive nasal breathing was identified. The SRO design, bicortical screw fixation technique, and perioperative management were consistent. Outcome variables included the occurrence of a 'bad' split and the success of initial SRO healing. Two hundred sixty-two subjects undergoing 524 SROs met the inclusion criteria. Their average age was 25 years (range 13-63 years) and 134 were female (51%). Simultaneous removal of a third molar was performed during 209 of the SROs (40%). There were no 'bad' splits. All subjects achieved successful bone union, the planned occlusion, and return to a chewing diet and physical activities by 5 weeks after surgery. The presence of a third molar removed during SRO was not associated with an increased frequency of a 'bad' split or delayed mandibular healing. Copyright © 2016 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Arterial function of carotid and brachial arteries in postmenopausal vegetarians

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Su T

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Ta-Chen Su1, Pao-Ling Torng2, Jiann-Shing Jeng3, Ming-Fong Chen1, Chiau-Suong Liau1,41Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 3Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, 4Cardiovascular Center, Taipei Buddist Tzu-Chi Hospital, Hsin-Dian, Taipei, TaiwanBackground: Vegetarianism is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. However, studies of arterial function in vegetarians are limited.Methods: This study investigated arterial function in vegetarianism by comparing 49 healthy postmenopausal vegetarians with 41 age-matched omnivores. The arterial function of the common carotid artery was assessed by carotid duplex, while the pulse dynamics method was used to measure brachial artery distensibility (BAD, compliance (BAC, and resistance (BAR. Fasting blood levels of glucose, lipids, lipoprotein (a, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, homocysteine, and vitamin B12 were also measured.Results: Vegetarians had significantly lower serum cholesterol, high-density and low-density lipoprotein, and glucose compared with omnivores. They also had lower vitamin B12 but higher homocysteine levels. Serum levels of lipoprotein (a and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were no different between the two groups. There were no significant differences in carotid beta stiffness index, BAC, and BAD between the two groups even after adjustment for associated covariates. However, BAR was significantly lower in vegetarians than in omnivores. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that age and pulse pressure were two important determinants of carotid beta stiffness index and BAD. Vegetarianism is not associated with better arterial elasticity.Conclusion: Apparently healthy postmenopausal vegetarians are not significantly better in terms of carotid beta stiffness index, BAC, and BAD, but have significantly decreased BAR than

Work of the social effects of automation committee from bad boll to enschede

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Withers, R.M.J.; Rijnsdorp, J.E.

1978-01-01

The paper summarises the activities of the IFAC Committee on Social Effects of Automation during the period 1974–1977. A workshop was held about ‘Productivity and Man’ at Bad Boll (F.R.G.) in January 1974. A number of Newsletters were published. Factory visits were made to a Steel Rolling Mill, an

What Is a Bad Kid? Answers of Adolescents and Their Mothers in Three Cultures.

Science.gov (United States)

Crystal, David S.; Stevenson, Harold W.

1995-01-01

Examined behaviors and personality traits attributed to a "bad kid" by adolescents and mothers of American, Chinese, and Japanese cultures. Five domains of behavior likely to yield cross-cultural differences were society, family, school, interpersonal harmony, and self-control. Adolescents and mothers differed significantly in the…

Medical negligence based on bad faith, breach of contract, or mental anguish.

Science.gov (United States)

Ficarra, B J

1980-01-01

Financial recovery owing to breach of contract is restricted to the pecuniary amount lost because of failure to perform on the stipulated contract. With the acquisition of newer knowledge, attorneys are now utilizing the weapon of contractual failure as applied to medical negligence. The impetus to this new weapon for the plaintiff has accrued because of the favorable verdicts rendered from positive decisions based upon bad faith.

The good, the bad and the ugly .... of Horava gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Padilla, Antonio

2010-01-01

I review the good, the bad and the ugly of the non-projectable versions of Horava gravity. I explain how this non-relativistic theory was constructed and why it was touted with such excitement as a quantum theory of gravity. I then review some of the issues facing the theory, explaining how strong coupling occurs and why this is such a problem for both phenomenology and the question of renormalisability. Finally I comment on possible violations of Equivalence Principle, and explain why these could be an issue for Blas et al's h ealthy extension .

The Good and the Bad – Bicyclists’ Experiences In Copenhagen

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Snizek, Bernhard; Skov-Petersen, Hans; Nielsen, Thomas Alexander Sick

The Good and the Bad – Bicyclists’ Experiences In Copenhagen In order to design livable cities, a strategy of substituting motorized travel modes with non-motorized ones can be a solution to the problems of crowding/queuing and CO2 emissions. Prior to investing into bike infrastructure, knowledge...... as well as sketch the route itself within an interactive, online questionnaire built on Google Maps. Grouped into sub-classes the bikers’ responses were related to urban indicators such as scenic beauty, terrain, relation to other bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians etc. By relating characteristics...

Breaking bad news is a teachable skill in pediatric residents: A feasibility study of an educational intervention.

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, Suzanne; Kassis, Karyn; Nagel, Rollin; Verbeck, Nicole; Mahan, John D; Shell, Richard

2015-06-01

Patients and physicians identify communication of bad news as a skill in need of improvement. Our objectives were to measure change in performance of first-year pediatric residents in the delivery of bad news after an educational intervention and to measure if changes in performance were sustained over time. Communication skills of 29 residents were assessed via videotaped standardized patient (SP) encounters at 3 time points: baseline, immediately post-intervention, and 3 months post-intervention. Educational intervention used was the previously published "GRIEV_ING Death Notification Protocol." The intraclass correlation coefficient demonstrated substantial inter-rater agreement with the assessment tool. Performance scores significantly improved from baseline to immediate post-intervention. Performance at 3 months post-intervention showed no change in two subscales and small improvement in one subscale. We concluded that breaking bad news is a complex and teachable skill that can be developed in pediatric residents. Improvement was sustained over time, indicating the utility of this educational intervention. This study brings attention to the need for improved communication training, and the feasibility of an education intervention in a large training program. Further work in development of comprehensive communication curricula is necessary in pediatric graduate medical education programs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Good and bad in business : an ethical perspective on stakeholder relations

OpenAIRE

Nylén, Ulrica

1996-01-01

Ethical issues and problems in business are receiving increasing attention, both in terms of criticism of examples of "bad" behaviour of business actors and in terms of the development of ethical codes of conduct in certain companies, ethical visions for businesses etc. In general, ethical problems seem to be increasingly prevalent in business, but ethics tend to be disre­garded by traditional organisational and managerial theory. This calls for the development of an ethical perspective on bu...

The Effect of Educational Approaches on Knowledge and Attitude of Midwifery Students in Breaking bad News to Patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nasrin Baghdari

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Background and objective: Breaking bad news is a very stressful task for both health professionals and patients. Teaching how to break bad news appropriately is one of the important concerns in medical education. So, this study aimed to compare role play and multimedia methods based on SPIKES strategy on midwifery students’ knowledge and attitude in breaking bad news to patients. Materials and Methods: A clinical trial study was done in three groups on 90 midwifery students in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences who were selected randomly. Students were trained by role play and multimedia methods. Control group had not received any intervention. Knowledge and attitude questionnaires were filled out before and two weeks after intervention. Results: Knowledge and attitude mean scores after intervention in the 3 groups had significant difference (P< 0.05. Moreover, attitude score in multimedia group was higher than role play group and there was a significant difference between them (P=0.045. Conclusion: Multimedia as an independent and non-attendance program can increase students’ knowledge as same as the role play while, it can change students’ attitude more than the role play method.

Bad eating habits as the main cause of obesity among children.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuźbicka, Karolina; Rachoń, Dominik

2013-01-01

Obesity is undoubtedly one of the biggest medical problems of the 21st century. Regrettably, the problem affects more and more children and adolescents. 10% of world's school-aged children have an excess body weight and a quarter of these children are obese. In Europe every fifth school-aged child suffers from an excess body weight. The prevalence of overweight and obesity among Polish adolescents is about 14%. An excess body weight can be the consequence of genetic factors, endocrine disorders or certain drugs. However, "simple obesity" is the most common, consequence of providing too much energy from food products in comparison to energy expenditure (caloric excess). Today's lifestyle promotes the development of obesity. The lack of physical activity, sedentary lifestyle and energy-rich diet are the main causes of an excess body fat accumulation. Because of improper eating behaviours children consume an excess amount of energy; and their diet is deficient in elements necessary for proper development. The examples of such bad eating habits are: snacking highly processed and calorie-rich foods between meals eating in front of the TV screen, skipping breakfasts, drinking sugar-sweetened beverages, "eating out" frequently and "emotional eating". Bad eating behaviours are crucial factors for the development of obesity. Eating habits are usually formed in early childhood and parents play a very important role in their development.

The asymetric recognition of good and bad news in France, Germany and the UK.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Giner, B.; Rees, W.P.

2001-01-01

We investigate whether accounting systems recognise bad news more promptly in earnings than good news, where news is proxied by changes in share price. The analysis is based on a sample of firm/years drawn from France, Germany, and the UK during 1990 to 1998. These three countries are the

Risky Disclosures on "Facebook": The Effect of Having a Bad Experience on Online Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Christofides, Emily; Muise, Amy; Desmarais, Serge

2012-01-01

Social network websites are widely used by adolescents, but disclosing in this environment has inherent risks, as does connecting with others online. In a sample of 256 adolescent "Facebook" users, the authors explore the relationship between having a negative experience, privacy knowledge, and behavior. Their reports of bad experiences on…

Good, Bad, or Ugly: the Biological Roles of Bone Marrow Fat.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Lakshman; Tyagi, Sonia; Myers, Damian; Duque, Gustavo

2018-04-01

Bone marrow fat expresses mixed characteristics, which could correspond to white, brown, and beige types of fat. Marrow fat could act as either energy storing and adipokine secreting white fat or as a source of energy for hematopoiesis and bone metabolism, thus acting as brown fat. However, there is also a negative interaction between marrow fat and other elements of the bone marrow milieu, which is known as lipotoxicity. In this review, we will describe the good and bad roles of marrow fat in the bone, while focusing on the specific components of the negative effect of marrow fat on bone metabolism. Lipotoxicity in the bone is exerted by bone marrow fat through the secretion of adipokines and free fatty acids (FFA) (predominantly palmitate). High levels of FFA found in the bone marrow of aged and osteoporotic bone are associated with decreased osteoblastogenesis and bone formation, decreased hematopoiesis, and increased osteoclastogenesis. In addition, FFA such as palmitate and stearate induce apoptosis and dysfunctional autophagy in the osteoblasts, thus affecting their differentiation and function. Regulation of marrow fat could become a therapeutic target for osteoporosis. Inhibition of the synthesis of FFA by marrow fat could facilitate osteoblastogenesis and bone formation while affecting osteoclastogenesis. However, further studies testing this hypothesis are still required.

A simple miniature device for wireless stimulation of neural circuits in small behaving animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yisi; Langford, Bruce; Kozhevnikov, Alexay

2011-10-30

The use of wireless neural stimulation devices offers significant advantages for neural stimulation experiments in behaving animals. We demonstrate a simple, low-cost and extremely lightweight wireless neural stimulation device which is made from off-the-shelf components. The device has low power consumption and does not require a high-power RF preamplifier. Neural stimulation can be carried out in either a voltage source mode or a current source mode. Using the device, we carry out wireless stimulation in the premotor brain area HVC of a songbird and demonstrate that such stimulation causes rapid perturbations of the acoustic structure of the song. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Bad Astronomy Goes Hollywood

Science.gov (United States)

Plait, P.

2003-05-01

It can be argued that astronomy is the oldest of all the sciences, so you'd think that after all this time people would have a pretty good understanding of it. In reality, however, misconceptions about astronomy abound, and even basic concepts are misunderstood. There are many sources of these cosmic misconceptions, including incorrect textbooks, parents and/or teachers who don't understand astronomy and therefore spread misinformation, urban legends, and so on. Perhaps the most pervasive source of bad astronomy is Hollywood. Science fiction movies are enormously popular, but are commonly written and directed by people who don't have even a passing familiarity with astronomy. The smash hit "Armageddon" (the number one box office movie of 1998), for example, used vast quantities of incorrect astronomy in the plot. It reinforced such popular misconceptions as huge asteroids impacting the Earth with little warning, small meteorites being hot when they impact, air existing in space, and that a simple bomb can blow up an asteroid the size of a small moon (even when the bomb is buried only 800 feet deep!). However, movie scenes can be used as a hook that engages the student, helping them learn and remember the correct science. In this talk, I will light-heartedly discuss specific examples of common misinformation, using movie clips, diagrams, and a splash of common sense to show just where Hollywood gets it wrong, and what you can do to help students and the public get it right.

Chronic monitoring of cortical hemodynamics in behaving, freely-moving rats using a miniaturized head-mounted optical microscope

Science.gov (United States)

Sigal, Iliya; Gad, Raanan; Koletar, Margaret; Ringuette, Dene; Stefanovic, Bojana; Levi, Ofer

2016-03-01

Growing interest within the neurophysiology community in assessing healthy and pathological brain activity in animals that are awake and freely-behaving has triggered the need for optical systems that are suitable for such longitudinal studies. In this work we report label-free multi-modal imaging of cortical hemodynamics in the somatosensory cortex of awake, freely-behaving rats, using a novel head-mounted miniature optical microscope. The microscope employs vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) at three distinct wavelengths (680 nm, 795 nm, and 850 nm) to provide measurements of four hemodynamic markers: blood flow speeds, HbO, HbR, and total Hb concentration, across a > 2 mm field of view. Blood flow speeds are extracted using Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging (LSCI), while oxygenation measurements are performed using Intrinsic Optical Signal Imaging (IOSI). Longitudinal measurements on the same animal are made possible over the course of > 6 weeks using a chronic window that is surgically implanted into the skull. We use the device to examine changes in blood flow and blood oxygenation in superficial cortical blood vessels and tissue in response to drug-induced absence-like seizures, correlating motor behavior with changes in blood flow and blood oxygenation in the brain.

Resolving Bad Loans in Central and Eastern Europe: The Cases of Hungary, Poland and Czech Republic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeong-Chul Han

1998-06-01

Full Text Available In the process of transformation in old socialist country in Eastern Europe in 1989, a large scale insolvent debenture emerges. Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic which drove Eastern Europe's economy, use insolvent loan to solve this insolvent debenture and these three countries also make the government bonds as money supply funding patterns. But Hungary and Poland use decentralized solution and leading banks to deal with the bad creditor. On the contrary, Czech has no special way of dealing with that, but let some certain bank mainly focusing on the bad creditor which is called centralized solution. Now, Korean government is using the similar method like Czech. In this point of view, in order avoid insolvent debenture becoming the burden of economy, Korea has to work out the same plan to deal with insolvent debenture with Poland.

Time perception: the bad news and the good

Science.gov (United States)

Matthews, William J; Meck, Warren H

2014-01-01

Time perception is fundamental and heavily researched, but the field faces a number of obstacles to theoretical progress. In this advanced review, we focus on three pieces of ‘bad news’ for time perception research: temporal perception is highly labile across changes in experimental context and task; there are pronounced individual differences not just in overall performance but in the use of different timing strategies and the effect of key variables; and laboratory studies typically bear little relation to timing in the ‘real world’. We describe recent examples of these issues and in each case offer some ‘good news’ by showing how new research is addressing these challenges to provide rich insights into the neural and information-processing bases of timing and time perception. PMID:25210578

Bad Clade Deletion Supertrees: A Fast and Accurate Supertree Algorithm.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleischauer, Markus; Böcker, Sebastian

2017-09-01

Supertree methods merge a set of overlapping phylogenetic trees into a supertree containing all taxa of the input trees. The challenge in supertree reconstruction is the way of dealing with conflicting information in the input trees. Many different algorithms for different objective functions have been suggested to resolve these conflicts. In particular, there exist methods based on encoding the source trees in a matrix, where the supertree is constructed applying a local search heuristic to optimize the respective objective function. We present a novel heuristic supertree algorithm called Bad Clade Deletion (BCD) supertrees. It uses minimum cuts to delete a locally minimal number of columns from such a matrix representation so that it is compatible. This is the complement problem to Matrix Representation with Compatibility (Maximum Split Fit). Our algorithm has guaranteed polynomial worst-case running time and performs swiftly in practice. Different from local search heuristics, it guarantees to return the directed perfect phylogeny for the input matrix, corresponding to the parent tree of the input trees, if one exists. Comparing supertrees to model trees for simulated data, BCD shows a better accuracy (F1 score) than the state-of-the-art algorithms SuperFine (up to 3%) and Matrix Representation with Parsimony (up to 7%); at the same time, BCD is up to 7 times faster than SuperFine, and up to 600 times faster than Matrix Representation with Parsimony. Finally, using the BCD supertree as a starting tree for a combined Maximum Likelihood analysis using RAxML, we reach significantly improved accuracy (1% higher F1 score) and running time (1.7-fold speedup). © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Functional neuroimaging of sleep disorders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiu Chun; Zhao Jun; Guan Yihui

2013-01-01

Sleep disorders may affect the health and normal life of human badly. However, the pathophysiology underlying adult sleep disorders is still unclear. Functional neuroimaging can be used to investigate whether sleep disorders are associated with specific changes in brain structure or regional activity. This paper reviews functional brain imaging findings in major intrinsic sleep disorders (i.e., idiopathic insomnia, narcolepsy, and obstructive sleep apnea) and in abnormal motor behavior during sleep (i.e., periodic limb movement disorder and REM sleep behavior disorder). Metabolic/functional investigations (positron emission tomography, single photon emission computed tomography, functional magnetic resonance imaging) are mainly reviewed, as well as neuroanatomical assessments (voxel-based morphometry, magnetic resonance spectroscopy). Meanwhile, here are some brief introduction of different kinds of sleep disorders. (authors)

 Cancer palliation in primary care - what is good and bad?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Neergaard, Mette Asbjørn

 CANCER PALLIATION IN PRIMARY CARE -WHAT IS GOOD AND BAD?MA Neergaard, MD, specialist in general medicine, PhD student*F Olesen, general practitioner, Dr.Med.Sci., professor* J Soendergaard, general practitioner, senior researcher, PhD*AB Jensen, MD, consultant in oncology, PhD** *The Research Unit...... sectors. Methods. A series of focus group interviews is presently being conducted with participation of relatives of recently deceased cancer patients, GPs, community nurses and hospital physicians working with palliative patients. The interviews are transcribed and analysed  according...

Good and bad gifts: the communicative function of employee recognition

OpenAIRE

Smith, Charlotte

2015-01-01

Purpose Through an interpretation of individuals’ accounts of their recognition experiences, this paper contributes to knowledge about employee recognition by offering insights into how individuals experience and understand recognition in the workplace and its possible social functions and implications. Design/methodology/approach In-depth interviews were conducted with individuals drawn from two research organisations, an insurance company and a local council, in order to underst...

How do patients define "good" and "bad" doctors? - Qualitative approach to the representations of hospital patients

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Luthy, C; Cedraschi, C; Perrin, E; Allaz, AF

2005-01-01

Questions under study: Knowledge of hospital patients' perceptions of doctors' qualities is limited. The purpose of this study was to explore hospital patients' definitions of "good" and "bad" doctors. Methods: Semi-structured interviews conducted with 68 consecutive hospital patients. The questions

Assessments of executive function in patients with subcortical cerebral infarction using the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsumoto, Tetsuo; Kato, Haruhisa; Hasegawa, Akira; Utsumi, Hiroya

2008-01-01

To assess executive functions in patients with subcortical cerebral infarctions, we performed neuropsychological tests including the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS). BADS is an executive function test constructing of 6 subtests. We recruited 24 patients who had subcortical ischemia on magnetic resonance image (MRI). The BADS Japanese version, Trail Making Test (TMT) and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) were employed. TMT and WCST are recognized executive function tests. We classified the participants into two categories in relation to the degree of deep white matter hyperintensity (DWMH) according to the classification of Fazekas. The low grade DWMH group consisted of 11 patients with punctate foci on MRI. The 13 patients showing the beginning of confluence of foci on MRI were categorized as the high grade DWMH group. All patients were right handed, and had no right hand disability impeding the test. We excluded patients with severe stenotic or occlusive lesions in cerebral arteries on brain magnetic resonance angiography. The Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) was employed to exclude demented participants. To assess the mood of participant, we introduced the Japan Stroke Scale of Depression Scale (JSS-D). Statistical analysis was performed by Student's t-test. There was no significant difference in length of education, TMT, MMSE and JSS-D scores. The high grade DWMH group was significantly older. The WCST score were significantly impaired in the high grade DWMH group. Scores of BADS subtests showed no significant difference, but the age-matched standardized score was significantly low in the high grade DWMH group. Pathological findings showed that the greater the spread of DWMH, the more ischemia on cerebral whitematter progressed. In this study, we found that patients with severe subcortical ischemia may have impaired executive functions. These results might be conducted by the pathological features of DWMH. (author)

Detecting unstable periodic orbits of nonlinear mappings by a novel quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization non-Lyapunov way

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Fei; Gao Hongrui; Li Zhuoqiu; Tong Hengqing; Lee, Ju-Jang

2009-01-01

It is well known that set of unstable periodic orbits (UPOs) can be thought of as the skeleton for the dynamics. However, detecting UPOs of nonlinear map is one of the most challenging problems of nonlinear science in both numerical computations and experimental measures. In this paper, a new method is proposed to detect the UPOs in a non-Lyapunov way. Firstly three special techniques are added to quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO), a novel mbest particle, contracting the searching space self-adaptively and boundaries restriction (NCB), then the new method NCB-QPSO is proposed. It can maintain an effective search mechanism with fine equilibrium between exploitation and exploration. Secondly, the problems of detecting the UPOs are converted into a non-negative functions' minimization through a proper translation in a non-Lyapunov way. Thirdly the simulations to 6 benchmark optimization problems and different high order UPOs of 5 classic nonlinear maps are done by the proposed method. And the results show that NCB-QPSO is a successful method in detecting the UPOs, and it has the advantages of fast convergence, high precision and robustness.

EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA); Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of a health claim related to zinc and “the prevention of bad breath by neutralising of volatile sulphur compounds in the mouth and oral cavity” pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tetens, Inge

claim related to zinc and “the prevention of bad breath by neutralising of volatile sulphur compounds in the mouth and oral cavity”. The scope of the application was proposed to fall under a health claim based on newly developed scientific evidence. The claimed effect is “prevents bad breath......Following an application from EJP Pharmaceutical ApS, submitted pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 via the Competent Authority of Denmark, the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies was asked to deliver an opinion on the scientific substantiation of a health...... by neutralising of volatile sulphur compounds in the mouth and oral cavity”. The target population, as proposed by the applicant, is adults over the age of 18 who wish to improve their bad breath. The Panel considers that the proposed claim is related to breath odour rather than to a function of the body...

The impact of assessing simulated bad news consultations on medical students' stress response and communication performance.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dulmen, S. van; Tromp, F.; Grosfeld, F.; Cate, O. ten; Bensing, J.M.

2007-01-01

Seventy second-year medical students volunteered to participate in a study with the aim of evaluating the impact of the assessment of simulated bad news consultations on their physiological and psychological stress and communication performance. Measurements were taken of salivary cortisol, systolic

Managing away bad habits.

Science.gov (United States)

Waldroop, J; Butler, T

2000-01-01

We've all worked with highly competent people who are held back by a seemingly fatal personality flaw. One person takes on too much work; another sees the downside in every proposed change; a third pushes people out of the way. At best, people with these "bad habits" create their own glass ceilings, which limit their success and their contributions to the company. At worst, they destroy their own careers. Although the psychological flaws of such individuals run deep, their managers are not helpless. In this article, James Waldroop and Timothy Butler--both psychologists--examine the root causes of these flaws and suggest concrete tactics they have used to help people recognize and correct the following six behavior patterns: The hero, who always pushes himself--and subordinates--too hard to do too much for too long. The meritocrat, who believes that the best ideas can and will be determined objectively and ignores the politics inherent in most situations. The bulldozer, who runs roughshod over others in a quest for power. The pessimist, who always worries about what could go wrong. The rebel, who automatically fights against authority and convention. And the home run hitter, who tries to do too much too soon--he swings for the fences before he's learned to hit singles. Helping people break through their self-created glass ceilings is the ultimate win-win scenario: both the individual and the organization are rewarded. Using the tactics introduced in this article, managers can help their brilliantly flawed performers become spectacular achievers.

Hospital hydrotherapy pools treated with ultra violet light: bad bacteriological quality and presence of thermophilic Naegleria.

Science.gov (United States)

De Jonckheere, J. F.

1982-01-01

The microbiological quality of eight halogenated and two u.v.-treated hydrotherapy pools in hospitals was investigated. The microbiological quality of halogenated hydrotherapy pools was comparable to halogenated public swimming pools, although in some Pseudomonas aeruginosa and faecal pollution indicators were more frequent due to bad management. On the other hand u.v.-treated hydrotherapy pools had very bad microbiological quality. Apart from faecal pollution indicators, P. aeruginosa was present in very high numbers. Halogenated hydrotherapy pools were not highly contaminated with amoebae, and Naegleria spp. were never detected. On the other hand u.v.-treated pools contained very high numbers of thermophilic Naegleria. The Naegleria isolated were identified as N. lovaniensis, a species commonly found in association with N. fowleri. Isoenzyme analysis showed a different type of N. lovaniensis was present in each of two u.v.-treated pools. Images Plate 1 PMID:7061835

Balancing patient care and student education: learning to deliver bad news in an optometry teaching clinic.

Science.gov (United States)

Spafford, Marlee M; Schryer, Catherine F; Creutz, Stefan

2009-05-01

Learning to counsel patients in a teaching clinic or hospital occurs in the presence of the competing agendas of patient care and student education. We wondered about the challenges that these tensions create for clinical novices learning to deliver bad news to patients. In this preliminary study, we audio-taped and transcribed the interviews of seven senior optometry students and six optometrist instructors at a Canadian optometry teaching clinic. The participants described their experiences in learning to deliver bad news. Using a grounded theory approach, our analysis was informed by situated learning and activity theory. Optometry students received formal classroom training regarding how to deliver bad news, including exposure to the medically-based six-step SPIKES protocol (Baile et al. The Oncologist, 5, 302-311, 2000). Yet, application of this protocol to the teaching clinic was limited by the lack of exposure most instructors had received to this strategy. Determinants of the students' complex learning process during their clinical apprenticeship, included: (i) knowing one's place, (ii) knowing one's audience, (iii) knowing through feedback, and (iv) knowing who speaks. The experiences of these participants pointed toward the need for: (1) more instructional "scaffolding" (Bruner and Sherwood Play: Its role in development and evolution, p. 280, 1976) in the clinical setting when the learning task is complex, and (2) explicit discussions about the impacts that unfold when the activities of patient care and student education overlap. We reflect on the possible consequences to student education and patient care in the absence of these changes.

Simulated parents: developing paediatric trainees' skills in giving bad news.

Science.gov (United States)

Gough, Jenny K; Frydenberg, Alexis R; Donath, Susan K; Marks, Michael M

2009-03-01

In curriculum documents for medicine in undergraduate, post-graduate and continuing professional development, there is now a focus on communication skills. The challenges are to place communication skills in the crowded curriculum and then to construct and sustain a programme that uses an evidence-based approach to the teaching and learning of communication skills. For 6 years, we have conducted a programme that involves simulated parents supporting junior medical staff to refine their skills in communication, particularly in giving parents bad news. The aim of our study was to obtain a better understanding of the trainees' experiences of the programme. Nine junior residents individually worked through two scenarios and received feedback from the simulated parent. They gave bad news to a simulated parent/actor who then gave feedback. A recording of the simulation was provided for discussion with a designated colleague at an arranged time. The tapes were then separately appraised by two independent raters - another actor and a paediatrician. Brief written reports and conducted semi-structured interviews provided more insights into the trainees' experience of the simulation. Other participating medical/medical education staff were interviewed about the simulation programme. Five themes emerged from the qualitative data: timeliness, emotional safety, the complexity of communication, practical usefulness and the challenge of effecting change. In addition, the ratings of the videos helped to clarify those 'parent-centred' communication skills that trainees may neglect in difficult conversations: 'ask about support', 'encourage the parent to ask questions' and 'repeat key messages'. The evaluation highlighted the value of an early-career experiential programme to highlight the importance of communication skills in post-graduate paediatrics practice.

Doctors' stress responses and poor communication performance in simulated bad-news consultations.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Rhonda; Dunn, Stewart; Byrnes, Karen; Morris, Richard; Heinrich, Paul; Shaw, Joanne

2009-11-01

No studies have previously evaluated factors associated with high stress levels and poor communication performance in breaking bad news (BBN) consultations. This study determined factors that were most strongly related to doctors' stress responses and poor communication performance during a simulated BBN task. In 2007, the authors recruited 24 doctors comprising 12 novices (i.e., interns/residents with 1-3 years' experience) and 12 experts (i.e., registrars, medical/radiation oncologists, or cancer surgeons, with more than 4 years' experience). Doctors participated in simulated BBN consultations and a number of control tasks. Five-minute-epoch heart rate (HR), HR variability, and communication performance were assessed in all participants. Subjects also completed a short questionnaire asking about their prior experience BBN, perceived stress, psychological distress (i.e., anxiety, depression), fatigue, and burnout. High stress responses were related to inexperience with BBN, fatigue, and giving bad versus good news. Poor communication performance in the consultation was related to high burnout and fatigue scores. These results suggest that BBN was a stressful experience for doctors even in a simulated encounter, especially for those who were inexperienced and/or fatigued. Poor communication performance was related to burnout and fatigue, but not inexperience with BBN. These results likely indicate that burnout and fatigue contributed to stress and poor work performance in some doctors during the simulated BBN task.

Pion-nucleon vertex function with one nucleon off shell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mizutani, T.; Rochus, P.

1979-01-01

The pion-nucleon vertex function with an off-mass-shell nucleon is obtained through sideways dispersion relations with the P 11 and S 11 pion-nucleon phase shifts as only input. Contrary to the recent calculation of Nutt and Shakin, we find that the proper and improper vertex functions behave quite differently, indicating the importance of the nucleon propagator dressing. In particular the proper vertex function is found to have two poles in the unphysical region

Four Bad Habits of Modern Psychologists.

Science.gov (United States)

Grice, James; Barrett, Paul; Cota, Lisa; Felix, Crystal; Taylor, Zachery; Garner, Samantha; Medellin, Eliwid; Vest, Adam

2017-08-14

Four data sets from studies included in the Reproducibility Project were re-analyzed to demonstrate a number of flawed research practices (i.e., "bad habits") of modern psychology. Three of the four studies were successfully replicated, but re-analysis showed that in one study most of the participants responded in a manner inconsistent with the researchers' theoretical model. In the second study, the replicated effect was shown to be an experimental confound, and in the third study the replicated statistical effect was shown to be entirely trivial. The fourth study was an unsuccessful replication, yet re-analysis of the data showed that questioning the common assumptions of modern psychological measurement can lead to novel techniques of data analysis and potentially interesting findings missed by traditional methods of analysis. Considered together, these new analyses show that while it is true replication is a key feature of science, causal inference, modeling, and measurement are equally important and perhaps more fundamental to obtaining truly scientific knowledge of the natural world. It would therefore be prudent for psychologists to confront the limitations and flaws in their current analytical methods and research practices.

Crystal structure of barium hydride, determined by neutron diffraction experiments on BaD2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bronger, W.; Scha Chi-Chien; Mueller, P.

1987-01-01

A reinvestigation of the structure of BaH 2 and BaD 2 was performed on powdered samples by X-ray- and neutron diffraction experiments. It is shown, that the hydrogen positions correspond with those found in calcium deuteride and not with those proposed in the literature. The classification of barium hydride in the PbCl 2 structure type is discussed. (author)

Future Directions in the Study of Close Relationships: Conflict Is Bad (Except when It's Not)

Science.gov (United States)

Laursen, Brett; Hafen, Christopher A.

2010-01-01

Beneficial and detrimental correlates of interpersonal disagreement have been postulated and documented. The conclusion: conflict is both bad and good. The evidence for these paradoxical effects is summarized. In this article, we argue that the consequences of conflict for individuals depend on its frequency, the way in which it is managed, and…

Awareness of the Food and Drug Administration's Bad Ad Program and Education Regarding Pharmaceutical Advertising: A National Survey of Prescribers in Ambulatory Care Settings.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Donoghue, Amie C; Boudewyns, Vanessa; Aikin, Kathryn J; Geisen, Emily; Betts, Kevin R; Southwell, Brian G

2015-01-01

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Bad Ad program educates health care professionals about false or misleading advertising and marketing and provides a pathway to report suspect materials. To assess familiarity with this program and the extent of training about pharmaceutical marketing, a sample of 2,008 health care professionals, weighted to be nationally representative, responded to an online survey. Approximately equal numbers of primary care physicians, specialists, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners answered questions concerning Bad Ad program awareness and its usefulness, as well as their likelihood of reporting false or misleading advertising, confidence in identifying such advertising, and training about pharmaceutical marketing. Results showed that fewer than a quarter reported any awareness of the Bad Ad program. Nonetheless, a substantial percentage (43%) thought it seemed useful and 50% reported being at least somewhat likely to report false or misleading advertising in the future. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants expressed more openness to the program and reported receiving more training about pharmaceutical marketing. Bad Ad program awareness is low, but opportunity exists to solicit assistance from health care professionals and to help health care professionals recognize false and misleading advertising. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants are perhaps the most likely contributors to the program.

Naïve Bayesian Classifier for Selecting Good/Bad Projects during the Early Stage of International Construction Bidding Decisions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Woosik Jang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Since the 1970s, revenues generated by Korean contractors in international construction have increased rapidly, exceeding USD 70 billion per year in recent years. However, Korean contractors face significant risks from market uncertainty and sensitivity to economic volatility and technical difficulties. As the volatility of these risks threatens project profitability, approximately 15% of bad projects were found to account for 74% of losses from the same international construction sector. Anticipating bad projects via preemptive risk management can better prevent losses so that contractors can enhance the efficiency of bidding decisions during the early stages of a project cycle. In line with these objectives, this paper examines the effect of such factors on the degree of project profitability. The Naïve Bayesian classifier is applied to identify a good project screening tool, which increases practical applicability using binomial variables with limited information that is obtainable in the early stages. The proposed model produced superior classification results that adequately reflect contractor views of risk. It is anticipated that when users apply the proposed model based on their own knowledge and expertise, overall firm profit rates will increase as a result of early abandonment of bad projects as well as the prioritization of good projects before final bidding decisions are made.

On the locus and spread of pseudo-density functions in the time-frequency plane

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Janssen, A.J.E.M.

1982-01-01

Various time-frequency pseudo-density functions used in signal analysis are compared with respect to spread. Among the members of Cohen's class of pseudo-density functions satisfying the finite support property as well as Moyal's formula, the Wigner distribution is the most well-behaved one in the

Report on the Audit of the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund, Bad Aibling Station, West Germany

Science.gov (United States)

1990-06-29

This is our final report on the Audit of the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund (the Fund), Bad Aibling Station (the Station), West Germany. The...objectives of the audit were to determine whether the financial statements presented fairly the financial condition and results of operations of the

Physiological adaptation of endothelial function to pregnancy: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopes van Balen, V A; van Gansewinkel, T A G; de Haas, S; van Kuijk, S M J; van Drongelen, J; Ghossein-Doha, C; Spaanderman, M E A

2017-12-01

To establish reference values for flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and brachial artery diameter (BAD) in pregnancy and to provide insight into the physiological and pathological course of endothelial adaptation throughout human singleton pregnancy. A meta-analysis was performed following a systematic review of current literature on FMD, as a derivative for endothelial function, and BAD, throughout uncomplicated and complicated pregnancy. PubMed (NCBI) and EMBASE (Ovid) electronic databases were used for the literature search, which was performed from inception to 9 June 2016. To allow judgment of changes in comparison with the non-pregnant state, studies were required to report both non-pregnant mean reference of FMD (matched control group, prepregnancy or postpartum measurement) and mean FMD at a predetermined and reported gestational age. Pooled mean differences between the reference and pregnant FMD values were calculated for predefined intervals of gestational age. Fourteen studies that enrolled 1231 participants met the inclusion criteria. Publication dates ranged from 1999 to 2014. In uncomplicated pregnancy, FMD was increased in the second and third trimesters. Between 15 and 21 weeks of gestation, absolute FMD increased the most, by a mean (95% CI) of 1.89% (0.25-3.53%). This was a relative increase of 22.5% (3.0-42.0%) compared with the non-pregnant reference. BAD increased progressively, in a steady manner, by the second trimester but not significantly in the first half of the second trimester. We could not discern differences in FMD and BAD between complicated and uncomplicated pregnancies at 29-35 weeks' gestation, reported in the three studies that met our inclusion criteria. Despite the increase in FMD and BAD throughout gestation, both reference curves were characterized by wide 95% CIs. During healthy pregnancy, endothelium-dependent vasodilatation and BAD increase. Women with a complicated pregnancy had FMD values within the lower range when

Elevation of cAMP Levels Inhibits Doxorubicin-Induced Apoptosis in Pre- B ALL NALM- 6 Cells Through Induction of BAD Phosphorylation and Inhibition of P53 Accumulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Fatemi, Ahmad; Kazemi, Ahmad; Kashiri, Meysam; Safa, Majid

2015-01-01

Recognition of the molecular mechanisms of cAMP action against DNA damage-induced apoptosis can be useful to improve the efficacy of DNA damaging therapeutic agents. Considering the critical role of bcl-2-associated death promoter (BAD) and p53 proteins in DNA damage -induced apoptosis, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of cAMP-elevating agents on these proteins in doxorubicin-treated pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (pre-B ALL) NALM-6 cells.The pre-B ALL cell line NALM-6 was cultured and treated with doxorubicin in combination with or without cAMP-elevating agents forskolin and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX). Cell viability was measured by trypan blue staining and MTT assay. For evaluation of apoptosis, annexin-V staining by flow cytometry and caspase-3 activity assay were used. Protein expression of p53, BAD and phoshorylated BAD was detected by western blotting analysis.cAMP-increasing agents diminished the doxorubicin-mediated cytotoxicity in NALM-6 cells as indicated by the viability assays. Annexin-V apoptosis assay showed that the cAMP-elevating agents decreased doxorubicin-induced apoptosis. Moreover, doxorubicin-induced caspase-3 activity was attenuated in the presence of cAMP-increasing agents. Western blot results revealed the reduced expression of p53 protein in cells treated with combination of cAMP-elevating agents and doxorubicin in contrast to cells treated with doxorubicin alone. Expression of total BAD protein was not affected by doxorubicin and cAMP-elevating agents. However, phosphorylation of BAD protein was induced in the presence of cAMP-elevating agents. Our study suggests that elevated cAMP levels inhibit doxorubicin-induced apoptosis in pre-B ALL cells through induction of BAD phosphorylation and abrogation of p53 accumulation.

Electrocorticographic activity over sensorimotor cortex and motor function in awake behaving rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Boulay, Chadwick B; Chen, Xiang Yang; Wolpaw, Jonathan R

2015-04-01

Sensorimotor cortex exerts both short-term and long-term control over the spinal reflex pathways that serve motor behaviors. Better understanding of this control could offer new possibilities for restoring function after central nervous system trauma or disease. We examined the impact of ongoing sensorimotor cortex (SMC) activity on the largely monosynaptic pathway of the H-reflex, the electrical analog of the spinal stretch reflex. In 41 awake adult rats, we measured soleus electromyographic (EMG) activity, the soleus H-reflex, and electrocorticographic activity over the contralateral SMC while rats were producing steady-state soleus EMG activity. Principal component analysis of electrocorticographic frequency spectra before H-reflex elicitation consistently revealed three frequency bands: μβ (5-30 Hz), low γ (γ1; 40-85 Hz), and high γ (γ2; 100-200 Hz). Ongoing (i.e., background) soleus EMG amplitude correlated negatively with μβ power and positively with γ1 power. In contrast, H-reflex size correlated positively with μβ power and negatively with γ1 power, but only when background soleus EMG amplitude was included in the linear model. These results support the hypothesis that increased SMC activation (indicated by decrease in μβ power and/or increase in γ1 power) simultaneously potentiates the H-reflex by exciting spinal motoneurons and suppresses it by decreasing the efficacy of the afferent input. They may help guide the development of new rehabilitation methods and of brain-computer interfaces that use SMC activity as a substitute for lost or impaired motor outputs. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

FORMATION OF INTOLERANCE AMONG TO BAD HABITS THE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE

OpenAIRE

Tatyana Kulish

2016-01-01

The article explains the importance of intolerance in relation to addictive behavior. Intolerance against bad habits is considered as the ability of man to be free and responsible for their actions. The results of studies that show the effectiveness of preventive work on formation of skills of a healthy lifestyle, use of the potential of the training program «the Step to conscious sobriety,» the lessons of prevention «Stay on the line of life!» and other preventive practices for the formation...

Of “Bad Behaviour” and “Dangerous Sex”

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kolling, Marie; Schächter Rasmussen, Trine; Oxlund, Bjarke

2017-01-01

with these by assuming a moral high ground and becoming role models in their community. The article argues that the research participants draw on a binary moral discourse of good and bad behaviour in which sex is dangerous and should be avoided. From their accounts, it is clear that the message they have adopted...... of sexual abstinence demands a continuous effort on their part to avoid a whole range of temptations and pressures in their daily lives. Moreover, the findings presented in the article reveal that the threat of HIV/ AIDS is just one among many concerns. In the local context, burning issues pertaining to sex......, including issues of sexual assault, transactional sexual relations, early pregnancies and unwanted pregnancies, loomed large and were the primary concern of young people. The article reaches the conclusion that the HIV prevention project did not address these crucial issues, and that the abstinence message...

BEING EMOTIONAL DURING DECISION MAKING—GOOD OR BAD? AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION

Science.gov (United States)

SEO, MYEONG-GU; BARRETT, LISA FELDMAN

2008-01-01

This paper examines the link between affective experience and decision-making performance. In a stock investment simulation, 101 stock investors rated their feelings on an Internet Web site while making investment decisions each day for 20 consecutive business days. Contrary to the popular belief that feelings are generally bad for decision making, we found that individuals who experienced more intense feelings achieved higher decision-making performance. Moreover, individuals who were better able to identify and distinguish among their current feelings achieved higher decision-making performance via their enhanced ability to control the possible biases induced by those feelings. PMID:18449361

Seminal Plasma Characteristics and Expression of ATP-binding Cassette Transporter A1 (ABCA1) in Canine Spermatozoa from Ejaculates with Good and Bad Freezability.

Science.gov (United States)

Schäfer-Somi, S; Palme, N

2016-04-01

The composition of seminal plasma and the localization of the ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) in spermatozoa from good and bad freezers were compared to frozen-thawed spermatozoa from the same dog. Ejaculates were obtained from 31 stud dogs, and the sperm-rich fraction (SRF) was kept for analysis. One aliquot was used for the analysis of concentration, progressive motility (P; CASA), viability (V; CASA) and leucocyte count, and the analysis was performed by flow cytometry (FITC-PNA/PI), SCSA and HOST. In seminal plasma, concentration of albumin, cholesterol, calcium, inorganic phosphate, sodium, potassium, zinc and copper was measured. Semen smears were prepared and evaluated for the expression of ABCA1. The remainder of each ejaculate was frozen. After thawing, the quality assessment was repeated and further smears were prepared. According to post-thaw semen quality, dogs were assigned to good freezers (n = 20) or bad freezers (n = 11), the latter were defined as 40% morphologically abnormal sperm and/or < 50% viability. Bad freezers were older than good freezers (5.3 vs 3.4 years, p < 0.05). In bad freezers, the percentage of sperm with ABCA1 signal in the acrosome was lower (26.3% vs 35.7%, p < 0.01) and the percentage of sperm with complete loss of ABCA1 signal higher (46.7% vs 30%, p < 0.01); the percentage of dead spermatozoa was higher (36.1% vs 25.5%, p < 0.05), and the concentration of cholesterol and sodium in seminal plasma was lower than in good freezers (p < 0.05). We conclude that in thawed bad freezer sperm, an increase in acrosome damages coincided with an increased loss of cholesterol transporters and cell death, and a lower cholesterol concentration in seminal plasma. Follow-up studies revealed whether a relation exists between these findings. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Is Materialism All That Bad? Effects on Satisfaction with Material Life, Life Satisfaction, and Economic Motivation

Science.gov (United States)

Sirgy, M. Joseph; Gurel-Atay, Eda; Webb, Dave; Cicic, Muris; Husic-Mehmedovic, Melika; Ekici, Ahmet; Herrmann, Andreas; Hegazy, Ibrahim; Lee, Dong-Jin; Johar, J. S.

2013-01-01

The literature in economic psychology and quality-of-life studies alludes to a negative relationship between materialism and life satisfaction. In contrast, the macroeconomic literature implies a positive relationship between material consumption and economic growth. That is, materialism may be both good and bad. We develop a model that reconciles…

Breaking bad news to a prospective cross-sectional sample of patients’ relatives in a Nigerian neurosurgical service

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amos Olufemi Adeleye

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Objectives: Breaking of medical bad news is anecdotally deemed culturally unacceptable, even intolerable, to native Africans. We explored this hypothesis among a cohort of relatives of patients who had difficult neurosurgical diagnoses in an indigenous practice. Materials and Methods: A semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire was used in a cross-sectional survey among a consecutive cohort of surrogates / relatives of concerned patients. Their opinion and preferences regarding the full disclosure of the grave neurosurgical diagnoses, and prognoses, of their wards were analysed. Results: A total of 114 patients’ relatives, 83 (72.8% females, were sampled. They were mainly young adults, mean age 40.2(SD 14.2 years; 57% had only basic literacy education; but the majority, 97%, declared themselves to have serious religious commitments. Ninety nine percent of the study participants deemed it desirable that either they or the patients concerned be told the bad news; 80.7% felt that this is best done with both patients and relations in attendance; 3.5% felt only the patients need be told. These preferences are similar to those expressed by the patients themselves in an earlier study. But a nearly significant greater proportion of patients’ relatives (15 vs 5%, p=0.06 would rather be the only ones to be told the patients’ bad news. Conclusions: This data-driven study showed that contrary to anecdotal belief about them, a cohort of native Nigerian-African surrogates of neurosurgical patients was well disposed to receiving, and appeared able to handle well, the full disclosure of difficult medical diagnostic / prognostic information.

Tetherless near-infrared control of brain activity in behaving animals using fully implantable upconversion microdevices.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ying; Lin, Xudong; Chen, Xi; Chen, Xian; Xu, Zhen; Zhang, Wenchong; Liao, Qinghai; Duan, Xin; Wang, Xin; Liu, Ming; Wang, Feng; He, Jufang; Shi, Peng

2017-10-01

Many nanomaterials can be used as sensors or transducers in biomedical research and they form the essential components of transformative novel biotechnologies. In this study, we present an all-optical method for tetherless remote control of neural activity using fully implantable micro-devices based on upconversion technology. Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) were used as transducers to convert near-infrared (NIR) energy to visible light in order to stimulate neurons expressing different opsin proteins. In our setup, UCNPs were packaged in a glass micro-optrode to form an implantable device with superb long-term biocompatibility. We showed that remotely applied NIR illumination is able to reliably trigger spiking activity in rat brains. In combination with a robotic laser projection system, the upconversion-based tetherless neural stimulation technique was implemented to modulate brain activity in various regions, including the striatum, ventral tegmental area, and visual cortex. Using this system, we were able to achieve behavioral conditioning in freely moving animals. Notably, our microscale device was at least one order of magnitude smaller in size (∼100 μm in diameter) and two orders of magnitude lighter in weight (less than 1 mg) than existing wireless optogenetic devices based on light-emitting diodes. This feature allows simultaneous implantation of multiple UCNP-optrodes to achieve modulation of brain function to control complex animal behavior. We believe that this technology not only represents a novel practical application of upconversion nanomaterials, but also opens up new possibilities for remote control of neural activity in the brains of behaving animals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Does functional vision behave differently in low-vision patients with diabetic retinopathy?--A case-matched study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmadian, Lohrasb; Massof, Robert

2008-09-01

A retrospective case-matched study designed to compare patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) and other ocular diseases, managed in a low-vision clinic, in four different types of functional vision. Reading, mobility, visual motor, and visual information processing were measured in the patients (n = 114) and compared with those in patients with other ocular diseases (n = 114) matched in sex, visual acuity (VA), general health status, and age, using the Activity Inventory as a Rasch-scaled measurement tool. Binocular distance visual acuity was categorized as normal (20/12.5-20/25), near normal (20/32-20/63), moderate (20/80-20/160), severe (20/200-20/400), profound (20/500-20/1000), and total blindness (20/1250 to no light perception). Both Wilcoxon matched pairs signed rank test and the sign test of matched pairs were used to compare estimated functional vision measures between DR cases and controls. Cases ranged in age from 19 to 90 years (mean age, 67.5), and 59% were women. The mean visual acuity (logMar scale) was 0.7. Based on the Wilcoxon signed rank test analyses and after adjusting the probability for multiple comparisons, there was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05) between patients with DR and control subjects in any of four functional visions. Furthermore, diabetic retinopathy patients did not differ (P > 0.05) from their matched counterparts in goal-level vision-related functional ability and total visual ability. Visual impairment in patients with DR appears to be a generic and non-disease-specific outcome that can be explained mainly by the end impact of the disease in the patients' daily lives and not by the unique disease process that results in the visual impairment.

Biodegradable plastics in composting. Results of a practical experiment in the Bad Duerkheim district; Einsatz von biologisch abbaubaren Kunststoffen in der Kompostwirtschaft. Erkenntnisse und Erfahrungen aus dem Praxisversuch im Landkreis Bad Duerkheim

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pabst, Klaus [Abfallwirtschaftsbetrieb Landkreis Bad Duerkheim, Bad Duerkheim (Germany)

2012-11-01

For collecting biomass waste, about 65,000 households in the Bad Duerkheim district were given ten bags each of the compostable BASF plastic material Ecovio {sup registered} FS. The biomass waste collected in the Ecovio {sup registered} bags were composted in a composting plant. After the compost process, no residues of the Ecovio {sup registered} bags were found in the rotting, i.e. they are completely degradable. Neither the compost quality nor the working processes in the composting plant were affected, and there was no bigger volume of sorting residues. 90% of the users stated that they were satisfied with the new biomass waste bags. (orig.) [German] Fuer die Entsorgung des Bioabfalls erhielten rund 65.000 Haushalte aus dem Landkreis Bad Duerkheim je zehn Biomuelltuten aus dem kompostierbaren BASF-Kunststoff Ecovio {sup registered} FS. Die in diesen Ecovio {sup registered} -Tueten gesammelten Bioabfaelle wurden im Biokompostwerk zu Kompost verarbeitet. Nach dem Kompostierungsprozess konnten keine Reste der Ecovio {sup registered} -Folien mehr in der Rotte gefunden werden, und sie wurden vollstaendig biologisch abgebaut. Durch den Einsatz dieser Tueten wurden weder die Kompostqualitaet noch die Arbeitsablaeufe im Biokompostwerk beeintraechtigt. Eine Erhoehung der Sortierreste war nicht festzustellen. Im Rahmen einer Kundenbefragung aeusserten sich rund 90% zufrieden mit dem Einsatz dieser Biomuelltueten. (orig.)

β3 integrin promotes chemoresistance to epirubicin in MDA-MB-231 through repression of the pro-apoptotic protein, BAD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nair, Madhumathy G.; Desai, Krisha; Prabhu, Jyothi S.; Hari, P.S.; Remacle, Jose; Sridhar, T.S., E-mail: tssridhar@sjri.res.in

2016-08-01

Resistance to anthracycline based chemotherapy is a major limitation in the treatment of breast cancer, particularly of the triple negative sub-type that lacks targeted therapies. Resistance that arises from tumor-stromal interaction facilitated by integrins provides the possibility of targeted disruption. In the present study, we demonstrate that integrin β3 signaling inhibits apoptosis induced by a DNA-damaging chemotherapeutic agent, epirubicin, in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Drug efflux based mechanisms do not contribute to this effect. We show that integrin β3 employs the PI3K-Akt and the MAPK pathway for enabling cell survival and proliferation. Further, our results indicate that integrin β3 helps inhibit epirubicin induced cytotoxicity by repression of the pro-apoptotic protein BAD, thus promoting an anti-apoptotic response. Myristoylated RGT peptide and a monoclonal antibody against integrin β3 brought about a reversal of this effect and chemosensitized the cells. These results identify β3 integrin signaling via repression of BAD as an important survival pathway used by breast cancer cells to evade chemotherapy induced stress. - Highlights: • Integrin β3 signaling promotes chemoresistance to epirubicin in breast cancer cells. • Integrin β3 promotes cell survival and proliferation in drug treated cells through the PI3K and MAPK pathways. • Integrin signaling helps evade drug induced cytotoxicity by repression of pro-apoptotic molecule; BAD.

Misreporting and econometric modelling of zeros in survey data on social bads: An application to cannabis consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Greene, William; Harris, Mark N; Srivastava, Preety; Zhao, Xueyan

2018-02-01

When modelling "social bads," such as illegal drug consumption, researchers are often faced with a dependent variable characterised by a large number of zero observations. Building on the recent literature on hurdle and double-hurdle models, we propose a double-inflated modelling framework, where the zero observations are allowed to come from the following: nonparticipants; participant misreporters (who have larger loss functions associated with a truthful response); and infrequent consumers. Due to our empirical application, the model is derived for the case of an ordered discrete-dependent variable. However, it is similarly possible to augment other such zero-inflated models (e.g., zero-inflated count models, and double-hurdle models for continuous variables). The model is then applied to a consumer choice problem of cannabis consumption. We estimate that 17% of the reported zeros in the cannabis survey are from individuals who misreport their participation, 11% from infrequent users, and only 72% from true nonparticipants. © 2017 The Authors Health Economics Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Integral equations with contrasting kernels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Theodore Burton

2008-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper we study integral equations of the form $x(t=a(t-\\int^t_0 C(t,sx(sds$ with sharply contrasting kernels typified by $C^*(t,s=\\ln (e+(t-s$ and $D^*(t,s=[1+(t-s]^{-1}$. The kernel assigns a weight to $x(s$ and these kernels have exactly opposite effects of weighting. Each type is well represented in the literature. Our first project is to show that for $a\\in L^2[0,\\infty$, then solutions are largely indistinguishable regardless of which kernel is used. This is a surprise and it leads us to study the essential differences. In fact, those differences become large as the magnitude of $a(t$ increases. The form of the kernel alone projects necessary conditions concerning the magnitude of $a(t$ which could result in bounded solutions. Thus, the next project is to determine how close we can come to proving that the necessary conditions are also sufficient. The third project is to show that solutions will be bounded for given conditions on $C$ regardless of whether $a$ is chosen large or small; this is important in real-world problems since we would like to have $a(t$ as the sum of a bounded, but badly behaved function, and a large well behaved function.

Cycle of Bad Governance and Corruption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed Nuruddeen Suleiman

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This article argues that bad governance and corruption particularly in the Northern part of Nigeria have been responsible for the persistent rise in the activities of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JASLWJ, Arabic for “people committed to the propagation of the tradition and jihad.” It is also known as “Boko Haram,” commonly translated as “Western education is sin.” Based on qualitative data obtained through interviews with Nigerians, this article explicates how poor governance in the country has created a vicious cycle of corruption, poverty, and unemployment, leading to violence. Although JASLWJ avows a religious purpose in its activities, it takes full advantage of the social and economic deprivation to recruit new members. For any viable short- or long-term solution, this article concludes that the country must go all-out with its anti-corruption crusade. This will enable the revival of other critical sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing, likely ensuring more employment. Should the country fail to stamp out corruption, it will continue to witness an upsurge in the activities of JASLWJ, and perhaps even the emergence of other violent groups. The spillover effects may be felt not only across Nigeria but also within the entire West African region.

31-P NMR spectroscopy in radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiricuta, I.C.; Schmitt, W.G.H.; Beyer, H.K.

1987-01-01

Results suggest 31-P NMR spectroscopy to allow a discrimination between good and bad blood supply to the tumour owing to different metabolic behaviour and to furnish important information on tumour response to radiotherapy just a few hours after the application of a relatively low dose. Spectroscopy showed the radiation-sensitive tumour cells to behave relatively uniformly after radiotherapy suggesting this behaviour to be interpreted as therapeutical effectiveness. (orig./SHA) [de

Can't control yourself? Monitor those bad habits.

Science.gov (United States)

Quinn, Jeffrey M; Pascoe, Anthony; Wood, Wendy; Neal, David T

2010-04-01

What strategies can people use to control unwanted habits? Past work has focused on controlling other kinds of automatic impulses, especially temptations. The nature of habit cuing calls for certain self-control strategies. Because the slow-to-change memory trace of habits is not amenable to change or reinterpretation, successful habit control involves inhibiting the unwanted response when activated in memory. In support, two episode-sampling diary studies demonstrated that bad habits, unlike responses to temptations, were controlled most effectively through spontaneous use of vigilant monitoring (thinking "don't do it," watching carefully for slipups). No other strategy was useful in controlling strong habits, despite that stimulus control was effective at inhibiting responses to temptations. A subsequent experiment showed that vigilant monitoring aids habit control, not by changing the strength of the habit memory trace but by heightening inhibitory, cognitive control processes. The implications of these findings for behavior change interventions are discussed.

Real-time supervisor system based on trinary logic to control experiments with behaving animals and humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Kutz, D F; Marzocchi, N; Fattori, P; Cavalcanti, S; Galletti, C

2005-06-01

A new method is presented based on trinary logic able to check the state of different control variables and synchronously record the physiological and behavioral data of behaving animals and humans. The basic information structure of the method is a time interval of defined maximum duration, called time slice, during which the supervisor system periodically checks the status of a specific subset of input channels. An experimental condition is a sequence of time slices subsequently executed according to the final status of the previous time slice. The proposed method implements in its data structure the possibility to branch like an if-else cascade and the possibility to repeat parts of it recursively like the while-loop. Therefore its data structure contains the most basic control structures of programming languages. The method was implemented using a real-time version of LabVIEW programming environment to program and control our experimental setup. Using this supervision system, we synchronously record four analog data channels at 500 Hz (including eye movements) and the time stamps of up to six neurons at 100 kHz. The system reacts with a resolution within 1 ms to changes of state of digital input channels. The system is set to react to changes in eye position with a resolution within 4 ms. The time slices, experimental conditions, and data are handled by relational databases. This facilitates the construction of new experimental conditions and data analysis. The proposed implementation allows continuous recording without an inter-trial gap for data storage or task management. The implementation can be used to drive electrophysiological experiments of behaving animals and psychophysical studies with human subjects.

Balancing Patient Care and Student Education: Learning to Deliver Bad News in an Optometry Teaching Clinic

Science.gov (United States)

Spafford, Marlee M.; Schryer, Catherine F.; Creutz, Stefan

2009-01-01

Learning to counsel patients in a teaching clinic or hospital occurs in the presence of the competing agendas of patient care and student education. We wondered about the challenges that these tensions create for clinical novices learning to deliver bad news to patients. In this preliminary study, we audio-taped and transcribed the interviews of…

Modified planar functions and their components

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Anbar Meidl, Nurdagül; Meidl, Wilfried Meidl

2017-01-01

functions in odd characteristic as a vectorial bent function. We finally point out that though these components behave somewhat different than the multivariate bent4 functions, they are bent or semibent functions shifted by a certain quadratic term, a property which they share with their multivariate......Zhou ([20]) introduced modified planar functions in order to describe (2n; 2n; 2n; 1) relative difference sets R as a graph of a function on the finite field F2n, and pointed out that projections of R are difference sets that can be described by negabent or bent4 functions, which are Boolean...... functions given in multivariate form. One of the objectives of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of these component functions of modified planar functions. Moreover, we obtain a description of modified planar functions by their components which is similar to that of the classical planar...

The Effect of Bad News and CEO Apology of Corporate on User Responses in Social Media.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hoh Kim

Full Text Available While social media has become an important platform for social reputation, the emotional responses of users toward bad news have not been investigated thoroughly. We analyzed a total of 20,773 Twitter messages by 15,513 users to assess the influence of bad news and public apology in social media. Based on both computerized, quantitative sentiment analysis and in-depth qualitative analysis, we found that rapid public apology effectively and immediately reduced the level of negative sentiment, where the degree of change in sentiments differed by the type of interactions users engaged in. The majority of users who directly conversed with corporate representatives on the new media were not typical consumers, but experts and practitioners. We extend the existing cognitive model and suggest the audiences' psychological reaction model to describe the information processing process during and after an organizational crisis and response. We also discuss various measures through which companies can respond to a crisis properly in social media in a fashion that is different from conventional mass media.

The Effect of Bad News and CEO Apology of Corporate on User Responses in Social Media.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hoh; Park, Jaram; Cha, Meeyoung; Jeong, Jaeseung

2015-01-01

While social media has become an important platform for social reputation, the emotional responses of users toward bad news have not been investigated thoroughly. We analyzed a total of 20,773 Twitter messages by 15,513 users to assess the influence of bad news and public apology in social media. Based on both computerized, quantitative sentiment analysis and in-depth qualitative analysis, we found that rapid public apology effectively and immediately reduced the level of negative sentiment, where the degree of change in sentiments differed by the type of interactions users engaged in. The majority of users who directly conversed with corporate representatives on the new media were not typical consumers, but experts and practitioners. We extend the existing cognitive model and suggest the audiences' psychological reaction model to describe the information processing process during and after an organizational crisis and response. We also discuss various measures through which companies can respond to a crisis properly in social media in a fashion that is different from conventional mass media.

The Effect of Bad News and CEO Apology of Corporate on User Responses in Social Media

Science.gov (United States)

Cha, Meeyoung; Jeong, Jaeseung

2015-01-01

While social media has become an important platform for social reputation, the emotional responses of users toward bad news have not been investigated thoroughly. We analyzed a total of 20,773 Twitter messages by 15,513 users to assess the influence of bad news and public apology in social media. Based on both computerized, quantitative sentiment analysis and in-depth qualitative analysis, we found that rapid public apology effectively and immediately reduced the level of negative sentiment, where the degree of change in sentiments differed by the type of interactions users engaged in. The majority of users who directly conversed with corporate representatives on the new media were not typical consumers, but experts and practitioners. We extend the existing cognitive model and suggest the audiences’ psychological reaction model to describe the information processing process during and after an organizational crisis and response. We also discuss various measures through which companies can respond to a crisis properly in social media in a fashion that is different from conventional mass media. PMID:25951231

Dysregulation of cellular calcium homeostasis in Alzheimer's disease: bad genes and bad habits.

Science.gov (United States)

Mattson, M P; Chan, S L

2001-10-01

Calcium is one of the most important intracellular messengers in the brain, being essential for neuronal development, synaptic transmission and plasticity, and the regulation of various metabolic pathways. The findings reviewed in the present article suggest that calcium also plays a prominent role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Associations between the pathological hallmarks ofAD (neurofibrillary tangles [NFT] and amyloid plaques) and perturbed cellular calcium homeostasis have been established in studies of patients, and in animal and cell culture models of AD. Studies of the effects of mutations in the beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) and presenilins on neuronal plasticity and survival have provided insight into the molecular cascades that result in synaptic dysfunction and neuronal degeneration in AD. Central to the neurodegenerative process is the inability of neurons to properly regulate intracellular calcium levels. Increased levels of amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta) induce oxidative stress, which impairs cellular ion homeostasis and energy metabolism and renders neurons vulnerable to apoptosis and excitotoxicity. Subtoxic levels of Abeta may induce synaptic dysfunction by impairing multiple signal transduction pathways. Presenilin mutations perturb calcium homeostasis in the endoplasmic reticulum in a way that sensitizes neurons to apoptosis and excitotoxicity; links between aberrant calcium regulation and altered APP processing are emerging. Environmental risk factors for AD are being identified and may include high calorie diets, folic acid insufficiency, and a low level of intellectual activity (bad habits); in each case, the environmental factor impacts on neuronal calcium homeostasis. Low calorie diets and intellectual activity may guard against AD by stimulating production of neurotrophic factors and chaperone proteins. The emerging picture of the cell and molecular biology of AD is revealing novel preventative and therapeutic

Accounting for a Functional Category: German "Drohen" "to Threaten"

Science.gov (United States)

Heine, Bernd; Miyashita, Hiroyuki

2008-01-01

In many languages there are words that behave like lexical verbs and on the one hand and like functional categories expressing distinctions of tense, aspect, modality, etc. on the other. The grammatical status of such words is frequently controversial; while some authors treat them as belonging to one and the same grammatical category, others…

On the infrared behaviour of Yang-Mills Greens functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olesen, P.

1976-01-01

Making certain assumptions (valid to any finite order of perturbation theory), it is shown that non-perturbatively pure Yang-Mills Greens functions are power behaved in the momenta in a limit related to the infrared limit. It is also shown that the fundamental vertices have a more singular behaviour than indicated by perturbation theory. (Auth.)

IMPROVEMENT OF SOLUBILITY OF BADLY WATER SOLUBLE DRUG (IBUPROFEN) BY USING SURFACTANTS AND CARRIERS

OpenAIRE

Md. Zakaria Faruki*, Rishikesh, Elizabeth Razzaque, Mohiuddin Ahmed Bhuiyan

2013-01-01

ABSTRACT: Although there was a great interest in solid dispersion systems during the past four decades to increase dissolution rate and bioavailability of badly water-soluble drugs, their profitable use has been very limited, primarily because of manufacturing difficulties and stability problems. In this study solid solutions of drugs were generally produced by fusion method. The drug along with the excipients (surfactants and carriers) was heated first and then hardened by cooling to room te...

Why consumers behave as they do with respect to food safety and risk information

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Verbeke, Wim; Frewer, Lynn J.; Scholderer, Joachim

2007-01-01

rankings. The aim of this contribution is to provide a better understanding to food risk analysts of why consumers behave as they do with respect to food safety and risk information. This paper presents some cases of seemingly irrational and inconsistent consumer behaviour with respect to food safety...... and risk information and provides explanations for these behaviours based on the nature of the risk and individual psychological processes. Potential solutions for rebuilding consumer confidence in food safety and bridging between lay and expert opinions towards food risks are reviewed. These include......In recent years, it seems that consumers are generally uncertain about the safety and quality of their food and their risk perception differs substantially from that of experts. Hormone and veterinary drug residues in meat persist to occupy a high position in European consumers' food concern...

The use of perturbation theory in density-functional theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goerling, A.

1996-01-01

Perturbation theory with respect to the electron-electron interaction leads to expressions for the exchange and correlation energies and potentials in terms of Kohn-Sham orbitals and Kohn-Sham eigenvalues. An exact open-quote exchange-only close-quote procedure for solids is introduced. Results for several semiconductors are presented. Perturbation theory expansions for the hardness of molecules and the bad gap of solids are given. Density-functional exchange and correlation energies for excited states are defined and a perturbation theory based Kohn-Sham formalism to treat excited states within density-functional theory is introduced

Transforming a School Learning Exercise into a Public Engagement Event: "The Good, the Bad and the Algae"

Science.gov (United States)

Redfern, James; Burdass, Dariel; Verran, Joanna

2013-01-01

School science laboratory classes and hands-on public engagement activities share many common aims and objectives in terms of science learning and literacy. This article describes the development and evaluation of a microbiology public engagement activity, "The Good, the Bad and the Algae", from a school laboratory activity. The school…

But for the Bad, There Would Not Be Good: Grounding Valence in Brightness through Shared Relational Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Lakens, Daniel; Semin, Gun R.; Foroni, Francesco

2012-01-01

Light and dark are used pervasively to represent positive and negative concepts. Recent studies suggest that black and white stimuli are automatically associated with negativity and positivity. However, structural factors in experimental designs, such as the shared opposition in the valence (good vs. bad) and brightness (light vs. dark) dimensions…