Showing papers by "Nottingham Trent University published in 2009"
TL;DR: The study suggests that certain personality traits may be important in the acquisition, development, and maintenance of online gaming addiction, although further research is needed to replicate the findings of the present study.
Abstract: Research into online gaming has steadily increased over the last decade, although relatively little research has examined the relationship between online gaming addiction and personality factors. This study examined the relationship between a number of personality traits (sensation seeking, self-control, aggression, neuroticism, state anxiety, and trait anxiety) and online gaming addiction. Data were collected over a 1-month period using an opportunity sample of 123 university students at an East Midlands university in the United Kingdom. Gamers completed all the online questionnaires. Results of a multiple linear regression indicated that five traits (neuroticism, sensation seeking, trait anxiety, state anxiety, and aggression) displayed significant associations with online gaming addiction. The study suggests that certain personality traits may be important in the acquisition, development, and maintenance of online gaming addiction, although further research is needed to replicate the findings of the present study.
527 citations
TL;DR: This study demonstrates that ANN analysis reliably identifies biologically relevant miRNAs associated with specific breast cancer phenotypes and indicates that dysregulated miRNA expression could be a marker for poorer prognosis breast cancer, but that it could also present an attractive target for therapeutic intervention.
Abstract: Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease encompassing a number of phenotypically diverse tumours. Expression levels of the oestrogen, progesterone and HER2/neu receptors which characterize clinically distinct breast tumours have been shown to change during disease progression and in response to systemic therapies. Mi(cro)RNAs play critical roles in diverse biological processes and are aberrantly expressed in several human neoplasms including breast cancer, where they function as regulators of tumour behaviour and progression. The aims of this study were to identify miRNA signatures that accurately predict the oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and HER2/neu receptor status of breast cancer patients to provide insight into the regulation of breast cancer phenotypes and progression. Expression profiling of 453 miRNAs was performed in 29 early-stage breast cancer specimens. miRNA signatures associated with ER, PR and HER2/neu status were generated using artificial neural networks (ANN), and expression of specific miRNAs was validated using RQ-PCR. Stepwise ANN analysis identified predictive miRNA signatures corresponding with oestrogen (miR-342, miR-299, miR-217, miR-190, miR-135b, miR-218), progesterone (miR-520g, miR-377, miR-527-518a, miR-520f-520c) and HER2/neu (miR-520d, miR-181c, miR-302c, miR-376b, miR-30e) receptor status. MiR-342 and miR-520g expression was further analysed in 95 breast tumours. MiR-342 expression was highest in ER and HER2/neu-positive luminal B tumours and lowest in triple-negative tumours. MiR-520g expression was elevated in ER and PR-negative tumours. This study demonstrates that ANN analysis reliably identifies biologically relevant miRNAs associated with specific breast cancer phenotypes. The association of specific miRNAs with ER, PR and HER2/neu status indicates a role for these miRNAs in disease classification of breast cancer. Decreased expression of miR-342 in the therapeutically challenging triple-negative breast tumours, increased miR-342 expression in the luminal B tumours, and downregulated miR-520g in ER and PR-positive tumours indicates that not only is dysregulated miRNA expression a marker for poorer prognosis breast cancer, but that it could also present an attractive target for therapeutic intervention.
445 citations
TL;DR: Factors such as reliability, range restriction and differences in design that distort standardized effect size unless suitable corrections are employed are explored.
Abstract: It is regarded as best practice for psychologists to report effect size when disseminating quantitative research findings. Reporting of effect size in the psychological literature is patchy – though this may be changing – and when reported it is far from clear that appropriate effect size statistics are employed. This paper considers the practice of reporting point estimates of standardized effect size and explores factors such as reliability, range restriction and differences in design that distort standardized effect size unless suitable corrections are employed. For most purposes simple (unstandardized) effect size is more robust and versatile than standardized effect size. Guidelines for deciding what effect size metric to use and how to report it are outlined. Foremost among these are: i) a preference for simple effect size over standardized effect size, and ii) the use of confidence intervals to indicate a plausible range of values the effect might take. Deciding on the appropriate effect size statistic to report always requires careful thought and should be influenced by the goals of the researcher, the context of the research and the potential needs of readers.
433 citations
TL;DR: It is concluded that B‐cell diversity can decrease dramatically with age and may have important implications for the immune health of older people.
Abstract: Older people suffer from a decline in immune system,
which affects their ability to respond to infections and to
raise efficient responses to vaccines. Effective and specific
antibodies in responses from older individuals are
decreased in favour of non-specific antibody production.
We investigated the B-cell repertoire in DNA samples
from peripheral blood of individuals aged 86–94 years,
and a control group aged 19–54 years, using spectratype
analysis of the IGHV complementarity determining region
(CDR)3. We found that a proportion of older individuals
had a dramatic collapse in their B-cell repertoire diversity.
Sequencing of polymerase chain reaction products from
a selection of samples indicated that this loss of diversity
was characterized by clonal expansions of B cells
in vivo.
Statistical analysis of the spectratypes enabled objective
comparisons and showed that loss of diversity correlated
very strongly with the general health status of the
individuals; a distorted spectratype can be used to predict
frailty. Correlations with survival and vitamin B12 status
were also seen. We conclude that B-cell diversity can
decrease dramatically with age and may have important
implications for the immune health of older people. B-cell
immune frailty is also a marker of general frailty.
382 citations
TL;DR: The study of practices has a long theoretical history and draws on a wide range of methods as discussed by the authors, which is the background for the five articles presented in this special issue by explaining its background and providing one narrative of the theoretical background on which both its editors and the authors of its articles, in one way or another, draw and to which the latter make explicit or implicit reference.
Abstract: The study of practices has a long theoretical history and draws on a wide range of methods. This introductory essay sets the stage for the five articles presented in this Special Issue by explaining its background and providing one narrative of the theoretical background on which both its editors and the authors of its articles, in one way or another, draw and to which the latter make explicit or implicit reference.
349 citations
TL;DR: Findings suggest that the positivist paradigm, empirical and quantitative research, the survey method and Technology Acceptance Model theory were predominantly used in the body of work examined, revealing clear opportunities for researchers to make original contributions by making greater use of the theoretical and methodological variety available to them and reducing the risk of research in the area moving toward overall homogeneity.
Abstract: The high level of investigative activity to date into information systems and information technology acceptance and diffusion has witnessed the use of a wide range of exploratory techniques, examining many different systems and technologies in countless different contexts and geographical locations. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive and systematic review of the literature pertaining to such adoption and diffusion issues in order to observe trends, ascertain the current ‘state of play’, and to highlight promising lines of inquiry including those lacking investigative activity or simply being in need of renewed interest. Previous research activity was analysed along a number dimensions including units of analysis, research paradigms, methodologies, and methods, theories and theoretical constructs, and technologies/contexts examined. Information on these and other variables was extracted during an examination of 345 papers on innovation adoption, acceptance and diffusion appearing in 19 peer-reviewed journals between 1985 and 2007. Findings suggest that the positivist paradigm, empirical and quantitative research, the survey method and Technology Acceptance Model theory (and its associated constructs) were predominantly used in the body of work examined, revealing clear opportunities for researchers to make original contributions by making greater use of the theoretical and methodological variety available to them, and consequently reducing the risk of research in the area moving toward overall homogeneity.
347 citations
TL;DR: This review focuses on the evidence, available from experimental investigations of how people recognise faces, for different types of representation existing for each type of face and the factors that may be important for the development of familiar face representations.
Abstract: Since the 1970s there has been a continuing interest in how people recognise familiar faces (Bruce, 1979; Ellis, 1975) This work has complemented investigations of how unfamiliar faces are processed and the findings from these two strands of research have given rise to accounts that propose qualitatively different forms of representation for familiar and unfamiliar faces Evidence to suggest that we process familiar and unfamiliar faces in different ways is available from cognitive neuropsychology, brain scanning, and psychophysics However, in this review we focus on the evidence, available from experimental investigations of how people recognise faces, for different types of representation existing for each type of face Factors affecting recognition are evaluated in terms of how they apply to familiar and unfamiliar faces and categorised according to the nature of their impact In the final section this evidence, along with recent advances in the field, is used to explore the way in which unfamiliar faces may become familiar and the factors that may be important for the development of familiar face representations
315 citations
TL;DR: This study provides the first analysis ever made of a representative national sample of Internet gamblers and suggests that the medium of the Internet may be more likely to contribute to problem gambling than gambling in offline environments.
Abstract: This study provides the first analysis ever made of a representative national sample of Internet gamblers. Using participant data from the 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey (n = 9,003 adults aged 16 years and over), all participants who had gambled online, bet online, and/or used a betting exchange in the last 12 months (n = 476) were compared with all other gamblers who had not gambled via the Internet. Overall, results showed a number of significant sociodemographic differences between Internet gamblers and non-Internet gamblers. When compared to non-Internet gamblers, Internet gamblers were more likely to be male, relatively young adults, single, well educated, and in professional/managerial employment. Further analysis of DSM-IV scores showed that the problem gambling prevalence rate was significantly higher among Internet gamblers than among non-Internet gamblers. Results suggest that the medium of the Internet may be more likely to contribute to problem gambling than gambling in offline environments.
244 citations
TL;DR: Findings specifically showed how gamers used MM MMOs to alleviate negative feelings and provided detailed descriptions of personal problems that had arisen due to playing MMORPGs.
Abstract: The playing of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) is now a highly popular leisure activity. The present study set out to explore the attitudes, experiences, and feelings of online gamers. The study entailed 71 interviews with online gamers (52 males, 19 females) from 11 different countries. Six main themes emerged from the analyses of the interview transcripts: (a) online gaming and integration into day-to-day lives; (b) online gaming, excessive play, and problems; (c) addiction; (d) psychosocial impact of online gaming; (e) online gaming, dissociation, and time loss; and (f) online gaming and the alleviation of negative feelings and mood states. These findings specifically showed how gamers used MMORPGs to alleviate negative feelings and provided detailed descriptions of personal problems that had arisen due to playing MMORPGs. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to previous qualitative and quantitative research in the area.
211 citations
TL;DR: This work presents a method for creating a uniform superhydrophobic nanoribbon layer on the inside of round copper tubes of millimetric internal radius that allows greater flow at low pressure differences but that the effect disappears as the pressure at the inlet of the tube is increased.
Abstract: The transport of a Newtonian liquid through a smooth pipe or tube is dominated by the frictional drag on the liquid against the walls. The resistance to flow against a solid can, however, be reduced by introducing a layer of gas at or near the boundary between the solid and liquid. This can occur by the vaporization of liquid at a surface at a temperature above the Leidenfrost point, by a cushion of air (e.g. below a hovercraft), or by producing bubbles at the interface. These methods require a continuous energy input, but a more recent discovery is the possibility of using a superhydrophobic surface. Most reported research uses small sections of lithographically patterned surfaces and rarely considers pressure differences or varying flow rates. In this work we present a method for creating a uniform superhydrophobic nanoribbon layer on the inside of round copper tubes of millimetric internal radius. Two types of experiments are described, with the first involving a simultaneous comparison of four tubes with different surface finishes (as received, as received with hydrophobic coating, nanoribbon, and nanoribbon with a hydrophobic coating) under constant flow rate conditions using water and water-glycerol mixtures. The results show that the superhydrophobic nanoribbon with a hydrophobic coating surface finish allows greater flow at low pressure differences but that the effect disappears as the pressure at the inlet of the tube is increased. The second experiment is a simple visual demonstration of the low-pressure behavior using two nominally identical tubes in terms of length and cross-section, but with one tube possessing a superhydrophobic internal surface finish. In this experiment a reservoir is allowed to feed the two tubes with open ends via a T-piece and it is observed that, once flow commences, it preferentially occurs down the superhydrophobic tube.
206 citations
TL;DR: A survey of the available empirical literature appears to indicate that adverse effects are likely to affect only a relatively small subgroup of players and that frequent players are the most at-risk for developing problems.
Abstract: For many, the concept of videogame addiction seems far-fetched, particularly if their concepts and definitions of addiction involve the taking of drugs. This paper overviews the small, but growing area of videogame addiction and then examines the treatment options available for those affected by excessive videogame playing. An overview of the available empirical literature appears to indicate that adverse effects are likely to affect only a relatively small subgroup of players and that frequent players are the most at-risk for developing problems. Worldwide, there are relatively few practitioners that specialise in the treatment of videogame addiction and this may be because there are so few players who are genuinely addicted to playing videogames. However, the Internet may be facilitating excessive online game playing as evidenced by the increasing number of specialist addiction treatment clinics for online videogame addiction. This paper overviews the various approaches that have been used as an intervention in treating videogame addicts, including online support groups, 12-step programmes, behavioural and cognitive-behavioural therapies, and motivational interviewing.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the findings of a study on the experiences of an exclusive male sacred shrine in Greece, Mount Athos, also known as the Holy Mountain, which involved a phenomenological approach undertaken through initiating conversations with visitors, participant observation and reviewing narratives on visitor books kept in monasteries.
TL;DR: It is suggested that a GPS system (Spi Elite™) offers a valid tool for measuring speed and distance during match-play, and can quickly provide the scientist, coach, and player with objective information about certain movement patterns during competitive games.
Abstract: Nine games players (mean age 23.3 years, s = 2.8; height 1.73 m, s = 0.08; body mass 70.0 kg, s = 12.7) completed 14 laps of a measured circuit that incorporated intermittent running and directional changes, representative of the movements made by field hockey players during match-play. The distances and speeds recorded by a global positioning satellite (GPS) system (Spi Elite™) were compared statistically with speed measurements made using timing gates and distances measured using a calibrated trundle wheel, to establish the criterion validity of the GPS system. A validation of the speed of movement of each participant separately was also made, using data from each timing gate, over a range of speeds. The mean distance recorded by the GPS system was 6821 m (s = 7) and the mean speed was 7.0 km · h−1 (s = 1.9), compared with the actual distance of 6818 m and recorded mean speed of 7.0 km · h−1 (s = 1.9). Pearson correlations (r) among timing gate speed and GPS speed were ≥0.99 (P < 0.001) and the...
TL;DR: Rivers are essential for loess deposit formation as mentioned in this paper, and they are mandatory (necessary, imperative, obligatory, essential, indispensable, requisite) for a complete and satisfactory study of a Loess deposit, we need to know how the material is produced; how it is transported and distributed across the landscape; how intermediate deposits are formed; how transportation provides the defining properties (i.e., open structure, collapsibility, draping across landscape); and what may happen post-deposition (eg, chernozemisation, fragipan formation, increased collapsibility
TL;DR: The combination of MIC and tumor-node-metastasis stage was found to be the strongest predictor of survival, splitting patients into eight groups and suggesting prognostic value in clinical assessment.
Abstract: Purpose: NKG2D (natural killer group 2, member D) binds to cellular ligands of the MIC and ULBP/RAET family. These ligands have restricted expression in normal tissue, but are frequently expressed on primary tumors. The role of NKG2D ligands is thought to be important in carcinogenesis but its prognostic effect has not been investigated in such a large cohort. Experimental Design: In our study, 462 primary colorectal tumors were screened for the expression of all MIC/ULBP/RAET proteins and NK cell infiltration. Tumor microarray technology was used for the purpose of this investigation. Results: NKG2D ligands were expressed by the majority of colorectal tumors; however, the level of expression varied considerably. High expression of MIC (68 versus 56 months) or RAET1G (74 versus 62 months) showed improved patient survival. Tumors expressing high levels of MIC and RAET1G showed improved survival of 77 months over tumors that expressed high levels of one ligand or low levels of both. High-level expression of all ligands was frequent in tumor-node-metastasis stage I tumors, but became progressively less frequent in stages II, III, and IV tumors. Expression of MIC was correlated with NK cellular infiltration. Conclusion: The observations presented are consistent with an immunoediting mechanism that selects tumor cells that have lost or reduced their expression of NKG2D ligands. The combination of MIC and tumor-node-metastasis stage was found to be the strongest predictor of survival, splitting patients into eight groups and suggesting prognostic value in clinical assessment. Of particular interest were stage I patients with low expression of MIC who had a similar survival to stage III patients, and may be candidates for adjuvant therapy. (Clin Cancer Res 2009;15(22):6993–7002)
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the psychological and social effects of online games using an online questionnaire with particular reference to excessive and dependent online gaming and found that excessive online gaming was significantly correlated with psychological and behavioural dependence.
Abstract: Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are one of the most interesting innovations in the area of online computer gaming. This pilot study set out to examine the psychological and social effects of online gaming using an online questionnaire with particular reference to excessive and ‘dependent’ online gaming. A self-selecting sample of 119 online gamers ranging from 18 to 69 years (mean = 28.5 years) completed the questionnaire. The results showed that 41% of gamers played online to escape and 7% of gamers were classified as ‘dependent’ individuals who were at risk of developing a psychological and behavioural dependence for online gaming using an adapted ‘addiction’ scale. Further analysis showed that excessive online gaming was significantly correlated with psychological and behavioural ‘dependence’. It was also found that ‘dependent’ gamers appear to possess some core components of addiction to MMORPGs (e.g., mood modification, tolerance and relapse).
TL;DR: This study examined players' attitudes and behavior toward using the social responsibility tool PlayScan designed by the Swedish gaming company Svenska Spel, and found many features were seen as useful by online gamblers, including limit setting, viewing their gambling profile, and self-exclusion facilities.
Abstract: To date, little empirical research has focused on social responsibility in gambling. This study examined players' attitudes and behavior toward using the social responsibility tool PlayScan designed by the Swedish gaming company Svenska Spel. Via PlayScan, players have the option to utilize various social responsibility control tools (e.g., personal gaming budgets, self-diagnostic tests of gambling habits, self-exclusion options). A total of 2,348 participants took part in an online questionnaire study. Participants were clientele of the Svenska Spel online gambling Web site. Results showed that just over a quarter of players (26%) had used PlayScan. The vast majority of those who had activated PlayScan (almost 9 in 10 users) said that PlayScan was easy to use. Over half of PlayScan users (52%) said it was useful; 19% said it was not. Many features were seen as useful by online gamblers, including limit setting (70%), viewing their gambling profile (49%), self-exclusion facilities (42%), self-dia...
TL;DR: A multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme has been developed for the fast and reliable identification and discrimination of C. sakazakii and C. malonaticus strains, which are closely related, and are defined according their biotype.
Abstract: Background
The Cronobacter genus (Enterobacter sakazakii) has come to prominence due to its association with infant infections, and the ingestion of contaminated reconstituted infant formula. C. sakazakii and C. malonaticus are closely related, and are defined according their biotype. Due to the ubiquitous nature of the organism, and the high severity of infection for the immunocompromised, a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme has been developed for the fast and reliable identification and discrimination of C. sakazakii and C. malonaticus strains. It was applied to 60 strains of C. sakazakii and 16 strains of C. malonaticus, including the index strains used to define the biotypes. The strains were from clinical and non-clinical sources between 1951 and 2008 in USA, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the Far East.
TL;DR: A coordinated survey for Cronobacter and related organisms in powdered infant formula, follow up formula and infant foods was undertaken by 8 laboratories in 7 countries in recognition of and in response to the data needs identified in an FAO/WHO call for data in order to develop global risk management guidance.
TL;DR: This study shows that neonatal enteral feeding tubes, irrespective of feeding regime, act as loci for the bacterial attachment and multiplication of numerous opportunistic pathogens within the Enterobacteriaceae family.
Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine whether neonatal nasogastric enteral feeding tubes are colonised by the opportunistic pathogen Cronobacter spp. (Enterobacter sakazakii) and other Enterobacteriaceae, and whether their presence was influenced by the feeding regime. One hundred and twenty-nine tubes were collected from two neonatal intensive care units (NICU). A questionnaire on feeding regime was completed with each sample. Enterobacteriaceae present in the tubes were identified using conventional and molecular methods, and their antibiograms determined. The neonates were fed breast milk (16%), fortified breast milk (28%), ready to feed formula (20%), reconstituted powdered infant formula (PIF, 6%), or a mixture of these (21%). Eight percent of tubes were received from neonates who were 'nil by mouth'. Organisms were isolated from 76% of enteral feeding tubes as a biofilm (up to 107 cfu/tube from neonates fed fortified breast milk and reconstituted PIF) and in the residual lumen liquid (up to 107
Enterobacteriaceae cfu/ml, average volume 250 μl). The most common isolates were Enterobacter cancerogenus (41%), Serratia marcescens (36%), E. hormaechei (33%), Escherichia coli (29%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (25%), Raoultella terrigena (10%), and S. liquefaciens (12%). Other organisms isolated included C. sakazakii (2%),Yersinia enterocolitica (1%),Citrobacter freundii (1%), E. vulneris (1%), Pseudomonas fluorescens (1%), and P. luteola (1%). The enteral feeding tubes were in place between 48 h (13%). All the S. marcescens isolates from the enteral feeding tubes were resistant to amoxicillin and co-amoxiclav. Of additional importance was that a quarter of E. hormaechei isolates were resistant to the 3rd generation cephalosporins ceftazidime and cefotaxime. During the period of the study, K. pneumoniae and S. marcescens caused infections in the two NICUs. This study shows that neonatal enteral feeding tubes, irrespective of feeding regime, act as loci for the bacterial attachment and multiplication of numerous opportunistic pathogens within the Enterobacteriaceae family. Subsequently, these organisms will enter the stomach as a bolus with each feed. Therefore, enteral feeding tubes are an important risk factor to consider with respect to neonatal infections.
TL;DR: It is expected that an improved understanding of the nature of Cronobacter persistence may aid in further improved control measures and eliminate the bacterium from the critical food production environments.
TL;DR: In this article, a conceptual model is presented for the provenance and dispersal patterns of small dust that falls on Europe, and three simple deposition zones can be recognized: a D1a zone where sufficient dust is deposited to form a discrete soil layer (not well classified as a Rendoll), in the extreme south of Europe; a D 1b zone where the airborne dust simply provided a silty admixture to soil systems across Middle Europe; and a northern zone D1c where the dust is a fugitive cloud, but very occasionally forms noticeable deposits.
TL;DR: Theoretical underpinning of a successful heuristic for estimation of urban travel times from lane occupancy measurements is looked at and it is shown that by interpreting time series as statistical processes with a known distribution it is possible to estimate travel time as a limit value of an appropriately defined statistical process.
TL;DR: The principle that oscillation modes of completely nonwetting droplets can be studied using a simple powder coating approach without the need for an active mechanism for levitation is demonstrated.
Abstract: A spherical conducting droplet in an alternating electric field is known to undergo shape oscillations. When the droplet is supported by a substrate, the shape is no longer a complete sphere, but shape resonances are still observed. To obtain a completely spherical droplet, some kind of levitation is needed, unless the droplet is in microgravity, and this has previously been provided by gas films or magnetic or other external forces. In this work, we report observations of shape oscillations of a hydrophobic-powder-coated droplet of water. A droplet of water rolled on a hydrophobic powder self-coats such that the water becomes encapsulated as a liquid marble. When the powder is a spherical hydrophobic grain with a contact angle greater than 90 degrees , it adheres to the solid-water interface with more than half of its diameter projecting from the liquid, thus ensuring the encapsulated water does not come into contact with any substrate. These liquid marbles are highly mobile and can be regarded as completely nonwetting droplets possessing contact angles of 180 degrees . In this work, we show that they also provide a new mechanism equivalent to levitating droplets and provide droplets with small contact areas and completely mobile contact lines for studies of shape oscillations. Liquid marbles were created using hydrophobic lycopodium and droplets of water containing potassium chloride and were excited into motion using an electrowetting-on-dielectric configuration with applied frequency swept from 1 to 250 Hz. Both an up-and-down motion and an oscillation involving multiple nodes were observed and recorded using a high-speed camera. The resonant oscillation modes of small liquid marbles were fitted to the theory for vibrations of a free spherical volume of fluid. This work demonstrates the principle that oscillation modes of completely nonwetting droplets can be studied using a simple powder coating approach without the need for an active mechanism for levitation.
TL;DR: Different families of chiral tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) derivatives are reviewed together with the corresponding synthetic strategies in this article, which allows the preparation of multifunctional materials in which the chirality may modulate the structural disorder or express its influence through the electrical magneto-chiral anisotropy effect.
Abstract: Introduction of chirality into conducting systems is a topic of much current interest as it allows the preparation of multifunctional materials in which the chirality may modulate the structural disorder or expresses its influence through the electrical magneto-chiral anisotropy effect. The access to various chiral electroactive precursors for molecular conductors is therefore of paramount importance. Different families of chiral tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) derivatives are reviewed together with the corresponding synthetic strategies. Systems based on stereogenic carbon or sulfur atoms, axial and supramolecular chirality have been developed. In other systems the use of achiral TTFs with chiral anions has provided molecular conductors, although in most of them to date the anion is present in racemic form. Starting from some of these precursors several chiral conductors have been prepared and in two cases, involving either chiral TTF-oxazoline salts or BEDT-TTF salts with metal-oxalate anions and chiral solvent molecules, differences between the conductivity of the racemic and enantiopure forms have been found, as a consequence of the structural disorder in the solid state. Further developments in this field are expected to be directed especially towards helical architectures, possibly based on supramolecular chirality, and systems combining conductivity, magnetism and chirality in both organic and inorganic lattices.
TL;DR: It is proposed that the membrane trafficking of TG2, and hence its extracellular activity, is linked to TG2 binding to cell-surface HSPG.
TL;DR: This study determined the extent to which 29 strains of Cronobacter sakazakii, Salmonella serovars, other Enterobacteriaceae and Acinetobacteria spp.
TL;DR: It is suggested that transglutaminase inhibition ameliorates the progression of experimental diabetic nephropathy and can be considered for clinical application.
TL;DR: Foucault's analysis of the relation of power and the economy in the lectures given at the College de France between 1975 and 1979 opens up modern societies for a radically different interrogation of the relations of force inscribed in historically heterogeneous forms of wealth creation and distribution, but more specifically within the period of liberal capitalism as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Foucault’s analysis of the relation of power and the economy in the lectures given at the College de France between 1975 and 1979 opens up modern societies for a radically different interrogation of the relations of force inscribed in historically heterogeneous forms of wealth creation and distribution, but more specifically within the period of liberal capitalism. Its vast scope clears the ground for genealogies of power, political economy and race that demonstrate their intertwinement, yet he underplays several elements which have been central for the institution of the political economy of liberal capitalism, particularly regarding colonial expansion and subjugation, the prior existence of trade and other networks operating on a world scale, and politico-economic and technical developments, such as banking and finance, that acted as conditions of possibility. By redressing the balance, this article outlines a different genealogy of the emergence of biopolitics and the mechanisms supporting global capit...
TL;DR: A 14-item scale of general attitudes towards gambling (the Attitudes Towards Gambling Scale: ATGS) was developed for use in the 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: A new 14-item scale of general attitudes towards gambling (the Attitudes Towards Gambling Scale: ATGS) was developed for use in the 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey. The development of the scale is described. Based on the responses of a representative sample of 8880 people of 16 years of age or more, evidence is presented of good internal reliability and statistically significant associations with a range of socio-demographic, own and family gambling and lifestyle variables. Overall, and in all sub-groups except the heaviest gamblers, attitudes were found to be negative: more people believed that gambling is foolish and dangerous, and of greater harm than benefit to families, communities and society as a whole, than the reverse. The majority, however, were against prohibition of gambling. Public opinion appears to be out of line with the view of gambling in Britain that lay behind the 2005 Gambling Act. It will be of interest to see whether attitudes change in the forthcoming years. The ATGS is a s...