Showing papers by "University of Calgary published in 2004"

Mindfulness : A proposed operational definition

Abstract: There has been substantial interest in mindfulness as an approach to reduce cognitive vulnerability to stress and emotional distress in recent years. However, thus far mindfulness has not been defined operationally. This paper describes the results of recent meetings held to establish a consensus on mindfulness and to develop conjointly a testable operational definition. We propose a two-component model of mindfulness and specify each component in terms of specific behaviors, experiential manifestations, and implicated psychological processes. We then address issues regarding temporal stability and situational specificity and speculate on the conceptual and operational distinctiveness of mindfulness. We conclude this paper by discussing implications for instrument development and briefly describing our own approach to measurement.

Blended Learning: Uncovering Its Transformative Potential in Higher Education

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to provide a discussion of the transformative potential of blended learning in the context of the challenges facing higher education. Based upon a description of blended learning, its potential to support deep and meaningful learning is discussed. From here, a shift to the need to rethink and restructure the learning experience occurs and its transformative potential is analyzed. Finally, administrative and leadership issues are addressed and the outline of an action plan to implement blended learning approaches is presented. The conclusion is that blended learning is consistent with the values of traditional higher education institutions and has the proven potential to enhance both the effectiveness and efficiency of meaningful learning experiences.

Effectiveness and efficiency of guideline dissemination and implementation strategies

Abstract: OBJECTIVES: To undertake a systematic review of the effectiveness and costs of different guideline development, dissemination and implementation strategies. To estimate the resource implications of these strategies. To develop a framework for deciding when it is efficient to develop and introduce clinical guidelines. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Healthstar, Cochrane Controlled Trial Register, EMBASE, SIGLE and the specialised register of the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) group. REVIEW METHODS: Single estimates of dichotomous process variables were derived for each study comparison based upon the primary end-point or the median measure across several reported end-points. Separate analyses were undertaken for comparisons of different types of intervention. The study also explored whether the effects of multifaceted interventions increased with the number of intervention components. Studies reporting economic data were also critically appraised. A survey to estimate the feasibility and likely resource requirements of guideline dissemination and implementation strategies in UK settings was carried out with key informants from primary and secondary care. RESULTS: In total, 235 studies reporting 309 comparisons met the inclusion criteria; of these 73% of comparisons evaluated multifaceted interventions, although the maximum number of replications of a specific multifaceted intervention was 11 comparisons. Overall, the majority of comparisons reporting dichotomous process data observed improvements in care; however, there was considerable variation in the observed effects both within and across interventions. Commonly evaluated single interventions were reminders, dissemination of educational materials, and audit and feedback. There were 23 comparisons of multifaceted interventions involving educational outreach. The majority of interventions observed modest to moderate improvements in care. No relationship was found between the number of component interventions and the effects of multifaceted interventions. Only 29.4% of comparisons reported any economic data. The majority of studies only reported costs of treatment; only 25 studies reported data on the costs of guideline development or guideline dissemination and implementation. The majority of studies used process measures for their primary end-point, despite the fact that only three guidelines were explicitly evidence based (and may not have been efficient). Respondents to the key informant survey rarely identified existing budgets to support guideline dissemination and implementation strategies. In general, the respondents thought that only dissemination of educational materials and short (lunchtime) educational meetings were generally feasible within current resources. CONCLUSIONS: There is an imperfect evidence base to support decisions about which guideline dissemination and implementation strategies are likely to be efficient under different circumstances. Decision makers need to use considerable judgement about how best to use the limited resources they have for clinical governance and related activities to maximise population benefits. They need to consider the potential clinical areas for clinical effectiveness activities, the likely benefits and costs required to introduce guidelines and the likely benefits and costs as a result of any changes in provider behaviour. Further research is required to: develop and validate a coherent theoretical framework of health professional and organisational behaviour and behaviour change to inform better the choice of interventions in research and service settings, and to estimate the efficiency of dissemination and implementation strategies in the presence of different barriers and effect modifiers.

Internet Users' Information Privacy Concerns (IUIPC): The Construct, the Scale, and a Causal Model

Abstract: The lack of consumer confidence in information privacy has been identified as a major problem hampering the growth of e-commerce. Despite the importance of understanding the nature of online consumers' concerns for information privacy, this topic has received little attention in the information systems community. To fill the gap in the literature, this article focuses on three distinct, yet closely related, issues. First, drawing on social contract theory, we offer a theoretical framework on the dimensionality of Internet users' information privacy concerns (IUIPC). Second, we attempt to operationalize the multidimensional notion of IUIPC using a second-order construct, and we develop a scale for it. Third, we propose and test a causal model on the relationship between IUIPC and behavioral intention toward releasing personal information at the request of a marketer. We conducted two separate field surveys and collected data from 742 household respondents in one-on-one, face-to-face interviews. The results of this study indicate that the second-order IUIPC factor, which consists of three first-order dimensions--namely, collection, control, and awareness--exhibited desirable psychometric properties in the context of online privacy. In addition, we found that the causal model centering on IUIPC fits the data satisfactorily and explains a large amount of variance in behavioral intention, suggesting that the proposed model will serve as a useful tool for analyzing online consumers' reactions to various privacy threats on the Internet.

Psychometric Properties of the HEXACO Personality Inventory

Abstract: We introduce a personality inventory designed to measure six major dimensions of personality derived from lexical studies of personality structure. The HEXACO Personality Inventory (HEXACO-PI) consists of 24 facet-level personality trait scales that define the six personality factors named Honesty-Humility (H), Emotionality (E), Extraversion (X), Agreeableness (A), Conscientiousness (C), and Openness to Experience (O). In this validation study involving a sample of over 400 respondents, all HEXACO-PI scales showed high internal consistency reliabilities, conformed to the hypothesized six-factor structure, and showed adequate convergent validities with external variables. The HEXACO factor space, and the rotations of factors within that space, are discussed with reference to J. S. Wiggins' work on the circumplex.

A perspective on regional and global strategies of multinational enterprises

Abstract: Multinational enterprises (MNEs) are the key drivers of globalization, as they foster increased economic interdependence among national markets. The ultimate test to assess whether these MNEs are global themselves is their actual penetration level of markets across the globe, especially in the broad ‘triad’ markets of NAFTA, the European Union and Asia. Yet, data on the activities of the 500 largest MNEs reveal that very few are successful globally. For 320 of the 380 firms for which geographic sales data are available, an average of 80.3% of total sales are in their home region of the triad. This means that many of the world’s largest firms are not global but regionally based, in terms of breadth and depth of market coverage. Globalization, in terms of a balanced geographic distribution of sales across the triad, thus reflects a special, and rather unusual, outcome of doing international business (IB). The regional concentration of sales has important implications for various strands of mainstream IB research, as well as for the broader managerial debate on the design of optimal strategies and governance structures for MNEs. Journal of International Business Studies (2004) 35, 3–18. doi:10.1057/palgrave. jibs.8400073

Comparing the Agency Costs of Family and Non‐Family Firms: Conceptual Issues and Exploratory Evidence

Abstract: Family involvement in a business has the potential to both increase and decrease financial performance due to agency costs In this article we discuss the different nature of agency costs in family

Ultrasound-enhanced systemic thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke.

Abstract: BACKGROUND Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography that is aimed at residual obstructive intracranial blood flow may help expose thrombi to tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). Our objective was to determine whether ultrasonography can safely enhance the thrombolytic activity of t-PA. METHODS We treated all patients who had acute ischemic stroke due to occlusion of the middle cerebral artery with intravenous t-PA within three hours after the onset of symptoms. The patients were randomly assigned to receive continuous 2-MHz transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (the target group) or placebo (the control group). The primary combined end point was complete recanalization as assessed by transcranial Doppler ultrasonography or dramatic clinical recovery. Secondary end points included recovery at 24 hours, a favorable outcome at three months, and death at three months. RESULTS A total of 126 patients were randomly assigned to receive continuous ultrasonography (63 patients) or placebo (63 patients). Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage occurred in three patients in the target group and in three in the control group. Complete recanalization or dramatic clinical recovery within two hours after the administration of a t-PA bolus occurred in 31 patients in the target group (49 percent), as compared with 19 patients in the control group (30 percent; P=0.03). Twenty-four hours after treatment of the patients eligible for follow-up, 24 in the target group (44 percent) and 21 in the control group (40 percent) had dramatic clinical recovery (P=0.7). At three months, 22 of 53 patients in the target group who were eligible for follow-up analysis (42 percent) and 14 of 49 in the control group (29 percent) had favorable outcomes (as indicated by a score of 0 to 1 on the modified Rankin scale) (P=0.20). CONCLUSIONS In patients with acute ischemic stroke, continuous transcranial Doppler augments t-PA-induced arterial recanalization, with a nonsignificant trend toward an increased rate of recovery from stroke, as compared with placebo.

Complex interventions: how "out of control" can a randomised controlled trial be?

Abstract: Complex interventions are more than the sum of their parts, and interventions need to be better theorised to reflect this Many people think that standardisation and randomised controlled trials go hand in hand. Having an intervention look the same as possible in different places is thought to be paramount. But this may be why some community interventions have had weak effects. We propose a radical departure from the way large scale interventions are typically conceptualised. This could liberate interventions to be responsive to local context and potentially more effective while still allowing meaningful evaluation in controlled designs. The key lies in looking past the simple elements of a system to embrace complex system functions and processes. The suitability of cluster randomised trials for evaluating interventions directed at whole communities or organisations remains vexed.1 It need not be.2 Some health promotion advocates (including the WHO European working group on health promotion evaluation) believe randomised controlled trials are inappropriate because of the perceived requirement for interventions in different sites to be standardised or look the same.1 3 4 They have abandoned randomised trials because they think context level adaptation, which is essential for interventions to work, is precluded by trial designs. An example of context level adaptation might be adjusting educational materials to suit various local learning styles and literacy levels. Lead thinkers in complex interventions, such as the UK's Medical Research Council, also think that trials of complex interventions must “consistently provide as close to the same intervention as possible” by “standardising the content and delivery of the intervention.”5 By contrast, however, they do not see this as a reason to reject randomised controlled trials. These divergent views have led to problems on two fronts. Firstly, the field of health promotion is being turned away from randomised …

High levels of untreated distress and fatigue in cancer patients

Abstract: The purpose of the study was to assess a large representative sample of cancer patients on distress levels, common psychosocial problems, and awareness and use of psychosocial support services. A total of 3095 patients were assessed over a 4-week period with the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18), a common problems checklist, and on awareness and use of psychosocial resources. Full data was available on 2776 patients. On average, patients were 60 years old, Caucasian (78.3%), and middle class. Approximately, half were attending for follow-up care. Types of cancer varied, with the largest groups being breast (23.5%), prostate (16.9%), colorectal (7.5%), and lung (5.8%) cancer patients. Overall, 37.8% of all patients met criteria for general distress in the clinical range. A higher proportion of men met case criteria for somatisation, and more women for depression. There were no gender differences in anxiety or overall distress severity. Minority patients were more likely to be distressed, as were those with lower income, cancers other than prostate, and those currently on active treatment. Lung, pancreatic, head and neck, Hodgkin's disease, and brain cancer patients were the most distressed. Almost half of all patients who met distress criteria had not sought professional psychosocial support nor did they intend to in the future. In conclusion, distress is very common in cancer patients across diagnoses and across the disease trajectory. Many patients who report high levels of distress are not taking advantage of available supportive resources. Barriers to such use, and factors predicting distress and use of psychosocial care, require further exploration.

A six-factor structure of personality-descriptive adjectives: solutions from psycholexical studies in seven languages.

Abstract: Standard psycholexical studies of personality structure have produced a similar 6-factor solution in 7 languages (Dutch, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Polish). The authors report the content of these personality dimensions and interpret them as follows: (a) a variant of Extraversion, defined by sociability and liveliness (though not by bravery and toughness); (b) a variant of Agreeableness, defined by gentleness, patience, and agreeableness (but also including anger and ill temper at its negative pole); (c) Conscientiousness (emphasizing organization and discipline rather than moral conscience); (d) Emotionality (containing anxiety, vulnerability, sentimentality, lack of bravery, and lack of toughness, but not anger or ill temper); (e) Honesty-Humility; (f) Intellect/Imagination/Unconventionality. A potential reorganization of the Big Five factor structure is discussed.

QCADesigner: a rapid design and Simulation tool for quantum-dot cellular automata

Abstract: This paper describes a project to create a novel design and simulation tool for quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA), namely QCADesigner. QCA logic and circuit designers require a rapid and accurate simulation and design layout tool to determine the functionality of QCA circuits. QCADesigner gives the designer the ability to quickly layout a QCA design by providing an extensive set of CAD tools. As well, several simulation engines facilitate rapid and accurate simulation. This tool has already been used to design full-adders, barrel shifters, random-access memories, etc. These verified layouts provide motivation to continue efforts toward a final implementation of QCA circuits.

Comparison of MRI and CT for Detection of Acute Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Abstract: ContextNoncontrast computed tomography (CT) is the standard brain imaging study for the initial evaluation of patients with acute stroke symptoms. Multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been proposed as an alternative to CT in the emergency stroke setting. However, the accuracy of MRI relative to CT for the detection of hyperacute intracerebral hemorrhage has not been demonstrated.ObjectiveTo compare the accuracy of MRI and CT for detection of acute intracerebral hemorrhage in patients presenting with acute focal stroke symptoms.Design, Setting, and PatientsA prospective, multicenter study was performed at 2 stroke centers (UCLA Medical Center and Suburban Hospital, Bethesda, Md), between October 2000 and February 2003. Patients presenting with focal stroke symptoms within 6 hours of onset underwent brain MRI followed by noncontrast CT.Main Outcome MeasuresAcute intracerebral hemorrhage and any intracerebral hemorrhage diagnosed on gradient recalled echo (GRE) MRI and CT scans by a consensus of 4 blinded readers.ResultsThe study was stopped early, after 200 patients were enrolled, when it became apparent at the time of an unplanned interim analysis that MRI was detecting cases of hemorrhagic transformation not detected by CT. For the diagnosis of any hemorrhage, MRI was positive in 71 patients with CT positive in 29 (P<.001). For the diagnosis of acute hemorrhage, MRI and CT were equivalent (96% concordance). Acute hemorrhage was diagnosed in 25 patients on both MRI and CT. In 4 other patients, acute hemorrhage was present on MRI but not on the corresponding CT—each of these 4 cases was interpreted as hemorrhagic transformation of an ischemic infarct. In 3 patients, regions interpreted as acute hemorrhage on CT were interpreted as chronic hemorrhage on MRI. In 1 patient, subarachnoid hemorrhage was diagnosed on CT but not on MRI. In 49 patients, chronic hemorrhage, most often microbleeds, was visualized on MRI but not on CT.ConclusionMRI may be as accurate as CT for the detection of acute hemorrhage in patients presenting with acute focal stroke symptoms and is more accurate than CT for the detection of chronic intracerebral hemorrhage.

Territoriality in collaborative tabletop workspaces

Abstract: Researchers seeking alternatives to traditional desktop computers have begun exploring the potential collaborative benefits of digital tabletop displays. However, there are still many open issues related to the design of collaborative tabletop interfaces, such as whether these systems should automatically orient workspace items or enforce ownership of workspace content. Understanding the natural interaction practices that people use during tabletop collaboration with traditional media (e.g., pen and paper) can help to address these issues. Interfaces that are modeled on these practices will have the additional advantage of supporting the interaction skills people have developed over years of collaborating at traditional tables. To gain a deeper understanding of these interaction practices we conducted two observational studies of traditional tabletop collaboration in both casual and formal settings. Our results reveal that collaborators use three types of tabletop territories to help coordinate their interactions within the shared tabletop workspace: personal, group, and storage territories. Findings from a spatial analysis of collaborators' tabletop interactions reveal important properties of these tabletop territories. In order to provide a comprehensive picture of the role of tabletop territoriality in collaboration, we conclude with a synthesis of our findings and previous research findings and with several relevant design implications.

The genome sequence of the anaerobic, sulfate-reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough

Abstract: Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough is a model organism for studying the energy metabolism of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and for understanding the economic impacts of SRB, including biocorrosion of metal infrastructure and bioremediation of toxic metal ions. The 3,570,858 base pair (bp) genome sequence reveals a network of novel c-type cytochromes, connecting multiple periplasmic hydrogenases and formate dehydrogenases, as a key feature of its energy metabolism. The relative arrangement of genes encoding enzymes for energy transduction, together with inferred cellular location of the enzymes, provides a basis for proposing an expansion to the 'hydrogen-cycling' model for increasing energy efficiency in this bacterium. Plasmid-encoded functions include modification of cell surface components, nitrogen fixation and a type-III protein secretion system. This genome sequence represents a substantial step toward the elucidation of pathways for reduction (and bioremediation) of pollutants such as uranium and chromium and offers a new starting point for defining this organism's complex anaerobic respiration.

2010 International consensus algorithm for the diagnosis, therapy and management of hereditary angioedema

Abstract: C1 inhibitor deficiency (hereditary angioedema [HAE]) is a rare disorder for which there is a lack of consensus concerning diagnosis, therapy, and management, particularly in Canada. European initiatives have driven the approach to managing HAE with 3 C1-INH Deficiency Workshops held every 2 years in Hungary starting in 1999, with the third Workshop having recently been held in May 2003. The European Contact Board has established a European HAE Registry that will hopefully advance our knowledge of this disorder. The Canadian Hereditary Angioedema Society/Societe d'Angioedeme Hereditaire du Canada organized a Canadian International Consensus Conference held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on October 24 to 26, 2003, to foster consensus between major European and North American HAE treatment centers. Papers were presented by investigators from Europe and North America, and this consensus algorithm approach was discussed. There is a paucity of double-blind placebo-controlled trials in the treatment of HAE, making levels of evidence to support the algorithm less than optimal. Enclosed is the consensus algorithm approach recommended for the diagnosis, therapy, and management of HAE and agreed to by the authors of this article. This document is only a consensus algorithm approach and requires validation. As such, participants agreed to make this a living 2003 algorithm (ie, a work in progress) and agreed to review its content at future international HAE meetings. The consensus, however, has strength in that it was arrived at by the meeting of patient-care providers along with patient group representatives and individual patients reviewing information available to date and reaching agreement on how to approach the diagnosis, therapy, and management of HAE circa 2003. Hopefully evidence to support approaches to the management of HAE will approach the level of meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials in the near future.

Access to Diagnosis and Treatment of Patients with Suspected Sleep Apnea

Abstract: Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Respiratory Medicine, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom; Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Pneumology Department, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Universite Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium; and Department of Respiratory Medicine, Westmead Hospital, Wentworthville, New South Wales, Australia

Comparison of the Elixhauser and Charlson/Deyo methods of comorbidity measurement in administrative data.

Abstract: Background: Comorbidity risk adjustment methods have been used widely with administrative data, and the Charlson/Deyo method is perhaps the most commonly used in the literature. However, a new method defined by Elixhauser et al. has been introduced recently and could be superior, although it has not been validated widely. Objectives: We compared the Charlson/Deyo and Elixhauser methods using Canadian administrative data on patients with myocardial infarction (MI). Research Design: We conducted a historical cohort study. Subjects: We used administrative hospital discharge data from a large Canadian city for all cases with acute MI coded as most responsible diagnosis between January 1, 1995, and March 31, 2001. Measures: We used each of the 2 methods to define comorbidity variables based on the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification codes present in each case record. We then compared 2 models predicting in-hospital mortality based on presence or absence of the variables defined by each of the methods. Frequency tables were produced and c-statistics and changes in −2 log likelihood (−2LogL) were calculated. We also visually assessed model performance by plotting observed and expected percentages of death for increasing risk categories defined by the 2 models. Results: The Elixhauser model outperformed the Charlson/Deyo model in predicting mortality, with higher c-statistic values (0.793 vs. 0.704). Superior performance of the Elixhauser method is confirmed when plotting the expected and observed risks of death across groupings of increasing risk, in which the Elixhauser method yields a wider range of predicted and observed probabilities of death across groupings (2.5%–33%) than does the Charlson/Deyo method (5%–25%). Conclusions: The Elixhauser comorbidity measurement method performs better than the widely used Charlson/Deyo method in the Canadian acute MI cases studied.

Bright Bose-Einstein gap solitons of atoms with repulsive interaction

Abstract: We report on the first experimental observation of bright matter wave solitons for $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ atoms with repulsive atom-atom interaction. This counterintuitive situation arises inside a weak periodic potential, where anomalous dispersion can be realized at the Brillouin zone boundary. If the coherent atomic wave packet is prepared at the corresponding band edge, a bright soliton is formed inside the gap. The strength of our system is the precise control of preparation and real time manipulation, allowing the systematic investigation of gap solitons.

Aging results in reduced epidermal growth factor receptor signaling, diminished olfactory neurogenesis, and deficits in fine olfactory discrimination

Abstract: Previous studies demonstrating olfactory interneuron involvement in olfactory discrimination and decreased proliferation in the forebrain subventricular zone with age led us to ask whether olfactory neurogenesis and, consequently, olfactory discrimination were impaired in aged mice. Pulse labeling showed that aged mice (24 months of age) had fewer new interneurons in the olfactory bulb than did young adult (2 months of age) mice. However, the aged mice had more olfactory interneurons in total than their younger counterparts. Aged mice exhibited no differences from young adult mice in their ability to discriminate between two discrete odors but were significantly poorer at performing discriminations between similar odors (fine olfactory discrimination). Leukemia inhibitory factor receptor heterozygote mice, which have less neurogenesis and fewer olfactory interneurons than their wild-type counterparts, performed more poorly at fine olfactory discrimination than the wild types, suggesting that olfactory neurogenesis, rather than the total number of interneurons, was responsible for fine olfactory discrimination. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot analyses revealed a selective reduction in expression levels of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGFR) signaling elements in the aged forebrain subventricular zone. Waved-1 mutant mice, which express reduced quantities of transforming growth factor-α, the predominant EGFR ligand in adulthood, phenocopy aged mice in olfactory neurogenesis and performance on fine olfactory discrimination tasks. These results suggest that the impairment in fine olfactory discrimination with age may result from a reduction in EGF-dependent olfactory neurogenesis.

Workplace deviance, organizational citizenship behavior, and business unit performance: the bad apples do spoil the whole barrel

Abstract: The influences of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and workplace deviant behavior (WDB) on business unit performance were investigated using data from branches of a fast food organization. Data included measures of WDB and OCB obtained from staff, ratings of performance provided by supervisors, and objective measures of performance. It was found that WDB was negatively and significantly associated with business unit performance measured both subjectively and objectively. OCB, however, failed to contribute to the prediction of business unit performance beyond the level that was achieved by WDB. It appeared, therefore, that the presence of deviant employees among business units impinges upon the performance of the business unit as a whole, whereas OCBs had comparatively little effect. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.