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Cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes of deprotonated N-methylbipyridinium ligands: effects of quaternised N centre position on luminescence
No full textHope and optimism in the face of change: Contributions to task adaptivity.
No full textPurpose – This research explored the role of hope and optimism in facilitating task adaptivity, individuals’ positive behavior response to change affecting their core task. Design/methodology/approach – Study 1 explored the relationship of hope and optimism with task adaptivity in a short longitudinal study of insurance company employees in the UK (N = 43). Study 2 was conducted in a UK police force and utilized supervisor ratings of task adaptivity (N = 111). In Study 3 (N = 299) we investigated whether hope and optimism predicted objective performance of insurance agents in China via their effect on task adaptivity. Findings – In Study 1, hope, but not optimism, was positively related to later task adaptivity. In Study 2 employees’ levels of hope but not optimism were positively related to supervisor-ratings of employee task adaptivity. In Study 3, hope had a significant indirect effect on insurance agents’ commission via task adaptivity, while the indirect effect of optimism was not significant. Implications – Our findings highlight the importance of hope, an individual factor that is open to development, and provide preliminary support for the idea that organizations might encourage constructive responses to change in their workforce by increasing levels of hope through training or mentoring. They further provide support for the importance of task adaptivity for objective performance. Originality/value – This is one of the first papers to investigate the relationship of hope and optimism with task adaptivity. Three studies in different organizational settings highlighted the unique role of hope in supporting individuals’ continuous adaption to change
Approaches to Information Sharing and Assessment: Evidence From a Demonstration Program.
No full textThis article categorizes and delineates approaches to information sharing and assessment in a demonstration program established by central government in England. Its purpose was to develop and test a set of principles relating to a general assessment framework for adults in demonstrator sites, maximizing the use of information technology where feasible. The method employed comprised the systematic analysis of documents associated with the funding application and a telephone interview with personnel in each site. Data were collected from 17 initiatives, 13 of which provided detailed information on information sharing within the assessment process. A taxonomy of approaches was produced and information sharing in the assessment process reported in terms of setting and personnel; approaches to data collection, storage, and transfer; and changes to the process. A classification of the initiatives within a demonstration program was a useful means of describing them. Measures of intermediate outcomes captured changes in information sharing between agencies. Local initiatives were successful in promoting electronic information sharing between health and social care agencies
The role of REM theta activity in emotional memory
No full textWhile NREM sleep has been strongly implicated in the reactivation and consolidation of memory traces, the role of REM sleep remains unclear. A growing body of research on humans and animals provide behavioral evidence for a role of REM sleep in the strengthening and modulation of emotional memories. Theta activity – which describes low frequency oscillations in the local field potential within the hippocampus, amygdala and neocortex – is a prominent feature of both wake and REM sleep in humans and rodents. Theta coherence between the hippocampus and amygdala drives large-scale PGO waves, the density of which predicts increases in plasticity-related gene expression. This could potentially facilitate the processing of emotional memory traces within the hippocampus during REM sleep. Further, the timing of hippocampal activity in relation to theta phase is vital in determining subsequent potentiation of neuronal activity. This could allow the emotionally modulated strengthening of novel and the gradual weakening of consolidated hippocampal memory traces observed in both wake and REM sleep. Hippocampal theta activity is also correlated with REM sleep acetylcholine levels – which are thought to reduce hippocampal afferent inputs in the neocortex. The additional low levels of noradrenaline during REM sleep, which facilitate recurrent activation within the neocortex, could allow the integration of novel memory traces previously consolidated during NREM sleep. We therefore propose that REM sleep mediates the prioritized processing of emotional memories within the hippocampus, the integration of previously consolidated memory traces within the neocortex, as well as the disengagement of consolidated neocortical memory traces from the hippocampus
The abscopal effect of local radiotherapy: using immunotherapy to make a rare event clinically relevant.
No full textBACKGROUND: Recently, immunologic responses to localized irradiation are proposed as mediator of systemic effects after localized radiotherapy (called the abscopal effect). Here, we give an overview of both preclinical and clinical data about the abscopal effect in particular and link them with the immunogenic properties of radiotherapy. METHODS: We searched Medline and Embase with the search term "abscopal", "(non-targeted irradiation) OR (non-targeted radiotherapy)" and "distant bystander" from 1960 until July, 2014. Only papers that cover radiotherapy in an oncological setting were selected and only if no concurrent cytotoxic treatment was given. Targeted immune therapy was allowed. RESULTS: Twenty-three case reports, one retrospective study and 13 preclinical papers were selected. Eleven preclinical papers used a combination of immune modification and radiotherapy to achieve abscopal effects. Patient age range (28-83years) and radiation dose (median total dose 32Gy) varied. Fractionation size ranged from 1.2Gy to 26Gy. Time to documented abscopal response ranged between less than one and 24months, with a median reported time of 5months. Once an abscopal response was achieved, a median time of 13months went by before disease progression occurred or the reported follow-up ended (range 3-39months). CONCLUSION: Preclinical data points heavily toward a strong synergy between radiotherapy and immune treatments. Recent case reports already illustrate that such a systemic effect of radiotherapy is possible when enhanced by targeted immune treatments. However, several issues concerning dosage, timing, patient selection and toxicity need to be resolved before the abscopal effect can become clinically relevant
Planck intermediate results. XVIII. The millimetre and sub-millimetre emission from planetary nebulae
No full textLate stages of stellar evolution are characterized by copious mass-loss events whose signature is the formation of circumstellar envelopes (CSE). Planck multi-frequency measurements have provided relevant information on a sample of Galactic planetary nebulae (PNe) in the important and relatively unexplored observational band between 30 and 857 GHz. Planck enables the assembly of comprehensive PNe spectral energy distributions (SEDs) from radio to far-IR frequencies. Modelling the derived SEDs provides us with information on physical properties of CSEs and the mass content of both main components: ionized gas, traced by the free-free emission at cm-mm waves; and thermal dust, traced by the millimetre and far-IR emission. In particular, the amount of ionized gas and dust has been derived here. Such quantities have also been estimated for the very young PN CRL 618, where the strong variability observed in its radio and millimetre emission has previously prevented constructing its SED. A morphological study of the Helix Nebula was also performed. Planck maps reveal, for the first time, the spatial distribution of the dust inside the envelope, allowing us to identify different components, the most interesting of which is a very extended component (up to 1 pc) that may be related to a region where the slow expanding envelope is interacting with the surrounding interstellar medium
