Showing papers by "University of Warwick published in 2007"

The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS): development and UK validation

Abstract: Background: There is increasing international interest in the concept of mental well-being and its contribution to all aspects of human life. Demand for instruments to monitor mental well-being at a population level and evaluate mental health promotion initiatives is growing. This article describes the development and validation of a new scale, comprised only of positively worded items relating to different aspects of positive mental health: the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS). Methods: WEMWBS was developed by an expert panel drawing on current academic literature, qualitative research with focus groups, and psychometric testing of an existing scale. It was validated on a student and representative population sample. Content validity was assessed by reviewing the frequency of complete responses and the distribution of responses to each item. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the hypothesis that the scale measured a single construct. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Criterion validity was explored in terms of correlations between WEMWBS and other scales and by testing whether the scale discriminated between population groups in line with pre-specified hypotheses. Testretest reliability was assessed at one week using intra-class correlation coefficients. Susceptibility to bias was measured using the Balanced Inventory of Desired Responding. Results: WEMWBS showed good content validity. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the single factor hypothesis. A Cronbach's alpha score of 0.89 (student sample) and 0.91 (population sample) suggests some item redundancy in the scale. WEMWBS showed high correlations with other mental health and well-being scales and lower correlations with scales measuring overall health. Its distribution was near normal and the scale did not show ceiling effects in a population sample. It discriminated between population groups in a way that is largely consistent with the results of other population surveys. Testretest reliability at one week was high (0.83). Social desirability bias was lower or similar to that of other comparable scales. Conclusion: WEMWBS is a measure of mental well-being focusing entirely on positive aspects of mental health. As a short and psychometrically robust scale, with no ceiling effects in a population sample, it offers promise as a tool for monitoring mental well-being at a population level. Whilst WEMWBS should appeal to those evaluating mental health promotion initiatives, it is important that the scale's sensitivity to change is established before it is recommended in this context.

Zinc in plants

Abstract: Zinc (Zn) is an essential component of thousands of proteins in plants, although it is toxic in excess. In this review, the dominant fluxes of Zn in the soil-root-shoot continuum are described, including Zn inputs to soils, the plant availability of soluble Zn(2+) at the root surface, and plant uptake and accumulation of Zn. Knowledge of these fluxes can inform agronomic and genetic strategies to address the widespread problem of Zn-limited crop growth. Substantial within-species genetic variation in Zn composition is being used to alleviate human dietary Zn deficiencies through biofortification. Intriguingly, a meta-analysis of data from an extensive literature survey indicates that a small proportion of the genetic variation in shoot Zn concentration can be attributed to evolutionary processes whose effects manifest above the family level. Remarkable insights into the evolutionary potential of plants to respond to elevated soil Zn have recently been made through detailed anatomical, physiological, chemical, genetic and molecular characterizations of the brassicaceous Zn hyperaccumulators Thlaspi caerulescens and Arabidopsis halleri.

Non-Representational Theory: Space, Politics, Affect

Abstract: 1. Life, but not as we Know it Part 1: 2. Re-Inventing Invention: New Tendencies in Capitalist Commodification 3. Still Life in Nearly Present Time: The Object of Nature 4. Driving and the City 5. Movement-Space: The Changing Domain of Thinking Resulting from the Development of New Kinds of Spatial Awareness Part 2: 6. Afterwords Part Three: 7. From Born to Made: Technology, Biology, and Space 8. Spatialities of Feeling 9. But Malice Aforethought 10. Turbulent Passions: Towards an Understanding of the Affective Spaces of Political Performance

Research Methods in Education (6th Edition)

Abstract: As scientists, we are used to applying the “scientific method” in our research activities. If we then undertake research grounded in a different discipline — such as education — we need support, si...

Designing and evaluating complex interventions to improve health care

Abstract: Determining the effectiveness of complex interventions can be difficult and time consuming. Neil C Campbell and colleagues explain the importance of ground work in getting usable results

Lipopolysaccharide activates an innate immune system response in human adipose tissue in obesity and type 2 diabetes

Abstract: Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation. Adipose tissue (AT) may represent an important site of inflammation. 3T3-L1 studies have demonstrated that lipopolysacchari...

Making our Way through the World: Human Reflexivity and Social Mobility

Abstract: How do we reflect upon ourselves and our concerns in relation to society, and vice versa? Human reflexivity works through 'internal conversations' using language, but also emotions, sensations and images Most people acknowledge this 'inner-dialogue' and can report upon it However, little research has been conducted on 'internal conversations' and how they mediate between our ultimate concerns and the social contexts we confront In this book, Margaret Archer argues that reflexivity is progressively replacing routine action in late modernity, shaping how ordinary people make their way through the world Using interviewees' life and work histories, she shows how 'internal conversations' guide the occupations people seek, keep or quit; their stances towards structural constraints and enablements; and their resulting patterns of social mobility

The role of ecological theory in microbial ecology

Abstract: Microbial ecology is currently undergoing a revolution, with repercussions spreading throughout microbiology, ecology and ecosystem science. The rapid accumulation of molecular data is uncovering vast diversity, abundant uncultivated microbial groups and novel microbial functions. This accumulation of data requires the application of theory to provide organization, structure, mechanistic insight and, ultimately, predictive power that is of practical value, but the application of theory in microbial ecology is currently very limited. Here we argue that the full potential of the ongoing revolution will not be realized if research is not directed and driven by theory, and that the generality of established ecological theory must be tested using microbial systems.

Out of Order Understanding Repair and Maintenance

Abstract: This article seeks to demonstrate the centrality of maintenance and repair to an understanding of modern societies and, particularly, cities. Arguing that repair and maintenance activities present ...

A Temporal Ratio Model of Memory

Abstract: A model of memory retrieval is described. The model embodies 4 main claims: (a) temporal memory-traces of items are represented in memory partly in terms of their temporal distance from the present; (b) scale-similarity-similar mechanisms govern retrieval from memory over many different timescales; (c) local distinctiveness-performance, on a range of memory tasks is determined by interference from near psychological neighbors; and (d) interference-based forgetting-all memory loss is due to interference and not trace decay. The model is applied to data on free recall and serial recall. The account emphasizes qualitative similarity in the retrieval principles involved in memory performance at all timescales, contrary to models that emphasize distinctions between short-term and long-term memory.

ERP implementation: a compilation and analysis of critical success factors

Abstract: Purpose – To explore the current literature base of critical success factors (CSFs) of ERP implementations, prepare a compilation, and identify any gaps that might exist.Design/methodology/approach – Hundreds of journals were searched using key terms identified in a preliminary literature review. Successive rounds of article abstract reviews resulted in 45 articles being selected for the compilation. CSF constructs were then identified using content analysis methodology and an inductive coding technique. A subsequent critical analysis identified gaps in the literature base.Findings – The most significant finding is the lack of research that has focused on the identification of CSFs from the perspectives of key stakeholders. Additionally, there appears to be much variance with respect to what exactly is encompassed by change management, one of the most widely cited CSFs, and little detail of specific implementation tactics.Research limitations/implications – There is a need to focus future research efforts...

Educational psychology and the effectiveness of inclusive education/mainstreaming.

Abstract: Background. Inclusive education/mainstreaming is a key policy objective for the education of children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities. Aims. This paper reviews the literature on the effectiveness of inclusive education/mainstreaming. The focus is on evidence for effects in terms of child outcomes with examination also of evidence on processes that support effectiveness. Samples. The review covers a range of SEN and children from pre-school to the end of compulsory education. Method. Following an historical review of evidence on inclusive education/mainstreaming, the core of the paper is a detailed examination of all the papers published in eight journals from the field of special education published 2001-2005 (N = 1373): journal of Special Education, Exceptional Children, Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, journal of Learning Disabilities, Remedial and Special Education, British journal of Special Education, European journal of Special Needs Education, and the International journal of Inclusive Education. The derived categories were: comparative studies of outcomes: other outcome studies; non-comparative qualitative studies including non-experimental case studies; teacher practice and development; teacher attitudes; and the use of teaching assistants. Results. Only 14 papers (1.0%) were identified as comparative outcome studies of children with some form of SEN. Measures used varied but included social as well as educational outcomes. Other papers included qualitative studies of inclusive practice, some of which used a non-comparative case study design while others were based on respondent's judgements, or explored process factors including teacher attitudes and the use of teaching assistants. Conclusions. Inclusive education/mainstreaming has been promoted on two bases: the rights of children to be included in mainstream education and the proposition that inclusive education is more effective. This review focuses on the latter issue. The evidence from this review does not provide a clear endorsement for the positive effects of inclusion. There is a lack of evidence from appropriate studies and, where evidence does exist, the balance was only marginally positive. It is argued that the policy has been driven by a concern for children's rights. The important task now is to research more thoroughly the mediators and moderators that support the optimal education for children with SEN and disabilities and, as a consequence, develop an evidence-based approach to these children's education.

The grateful dead: damage-associated molecular pattern molecules and reduction/oxidation regulate immunity.

Abstract: The response to pathogens and damage in plants and animals involves a series of carefully orchestrated, highly evolved, molecular mechanisms resulting in pathogen resistance and wound healing. In metazoans, damage- or pathogen-associated molecular pattern molecules (DAMPs, PAMPs) execute precise intracellular tasks and are also able to exert disparate functions when released into the extracellular space. The emergent consequence for both inflammation and wound healing of the abnormal extracellular persistence of these factors may underlie many clinical disorders. DAMPs/PAMPs are recognized by hereditable receptors including the Toll-like receptors, the NOD1-like receptors and retinoic-acid-inducible gene I-like receptors, as well as the receptor for advanced glycation end products. These host molecules 'sense' not only pathogens but also misfolded/glycated proteins or exposed hydrophobic portions of molecules, activating intracellular cascades that lead to an inflammatory response. Equally important are means to not only respond to these molecules but also to eradicate them. We have speculated that their destruction through oxidative mechanisms normally exerted by myeloid cells, such as neutrophils and eosinophils, or their persistence in the setting of pathologic extracellular reducing environments, maintained by exuberant necrotic cell death and/or oxidoreductases, represent important molecular means enabling chronic inflammatory states.

Para além do pensamento abissal: das linhas globais a uma ecologia de saberes

Abstract: In the first part of the essay, the author states that the "abyssal" cartographical lines that used to demarcate the Old and the New World during colonial times are still alive in the structure of modern occidental thought and remain constitutive of the political and cultural relations held by the contemporary world system. Global social iniquity would thus be strictly related to global cognitive iniquity, in such a way that the struggle for a global social justice requires the construction of a "post-abyssal" thought.

The Effect of Business Regulations on Nascent and Young Business Entrepreneurship

Abstract: We examine the relationship, across 39 countries, between regulation and entrepreneurship using a new two-equation model. We find the minimum capital requirement required to start a business lowers entrepreneurship rates across countries, as do labour market regulations. However the administrative considerations of starting a business - such as the time, the cost, or the number of procedures required - are unrelated to the formation rate of either nascent or young businesses. Given the explicit link made by Djankov et al. [Djankov et al. 2002, 'The Regulation of Entry', Quarterly Journal of Economics 117(1), 1-37] between the speed and ease with which businesses may be established in a country and its economic performance - and the enthusiasm with which this link has been grasped by European Union policy makers - our findings imply this link needs reconsidering.

Vertical integration and firm boundaries : the evidence

Abstract: Since Ronald H. Coase's (1937) seminal paper, a rich set of theories has been developed that deal with firm boundaries in vertical or input–output structures. In the last twenty-five years, empirical evidence that can shed light on those theories also has been accumulating. We review the findings of empirical studies that have addressed two main interrelated questions: First, what types of transactions are best brought within the firm and, second, what are the consequences of vertical integration decisions for economic outcomes such as prices, quantities, investment, and profits. Throughout, we highlight areas of potential cross-fertilization and promising areas for future work.

Management accounting as practice

Abstract: In this paper we outline a distinctive practice theory approach to considering the role of management accounting in the constitution of organizations. Building on [Schatzki, T.R. (2002). The site of the social: a philosophical account of the constitution of social life and change. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press] notion of arrays of activity we emphasise the ways in which organisational members actively reconstitute their management control systems by drawing on them as a shared resource. By tracing the skilful practices through which social actors in a restaurant chain understand and mobilise accounting to contribute in specific ways to what they regard as the objectives of their organisational units, we develop a notion of situated functionality. Situating the interrelationships between technical and interpretive accounting processes in the wider field of organisational practices we elaborate the ways in which management control systems as structures of intentionality both shape and are shaped by shared norms and understandings.

Gender-Specific Associations of Short Sleep Duration With Prevalent and Incident Hypertension: The Whitehall II Study

Abstract: Sleep deprivation (≤5 hour per night) was associated with a higher risk of hypertension in middle-aged American adults but not among older individuals. However, the outcome was based on self-report...

A Prospective Study of Change in Sleep Duration: Associations with Mortality in the Whitehall II Cohort

Abstract: Study Objectives: Although sleep curtailment has become widespread in industrialised societies, little work has examined the effects on mortality of change in sleep duration. We investigated associations of sleep duration and change in sleep duration with all-cause, cardiovascular, and non-cardiovascular mortality.

A marker-assisted backcross approach for developing submergence-tolerant rice cultivars.

Abstract: Submergence stress regularly affects 15 million hectares or more of rainfed lowland rice areas in South and Southeast Asia. A major QTL on chromosome 9, Sub1, has provided the opportunity to apply marker assisted backcrossing (MAB) to develop submergence tolerant versions of rice cultivars that are widely grown in the region. In the present study, molecular markers that were tightly linked with Sub1, flanking Sub1, and unlinked to Sub1 were used to apply foreground, recombinant, and background selection, respectively, in backcrosses between a submergence-tolerant donor and the widely grown recurrent parent Swarna. By the BC(2)F(2) generation a submergence tolerant plant was identified that possessed Swarna type simple sequence repeat (SSR) alleles on all fragments analyzed except the tip segment of rice chromosome 9 that possessed the Sub1 locus. A BC(3)F(2) double recombinant plant was identified that was homozygous for all Swarna type alleles except for an approximately 2.3-3.4 Mb region surrounding the Sub1 locus. The results showed that the mega variety Swarna could be efficiently converted to a submergence tolerant variety in three backcross generations, involving a time of two to three years. Polymorphic markers for foreground and recombinant selection were identified for four other mega varieties to develop a wider range of submergence tolerant varieties to meet the needs of farmers in the flood-prone regions. This approach demonstrates the effective use of marker assisted selection for a major QTL in a molecular breeding program.

Motor and Executive Function at 6 Years of Age After Extremely Preterm Birth

Abstract: BACKGROUND. Studies of very preterm infants have demonstrated impairments in multiple neurocognitive domains. We hypothesized that neuromotor and executive-function deficits may independently contribute to school failure. METHODS. We studied children who were born at ≤25 completed weeks9 gestation in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 1995 at early school age. Children underwent standardized cognitive and neuromotor assessments, including the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children and NEPSY, and a teacher-based assessment of academic achievement. RESULTS. Of 308 surviving children, 241 (78%) were assessed at a median age of 6 years 4 months. Compared with 160 term classmates, 180 extremely preterm children without cerebral palsy and attending mainstream school performed less well on 3 simple motor tasks: posting coins, heel walking, and 1-leg standing. They more frequently had non–right-hand preferences (28% vs 10%) and more associated/overflow movements during motor tasks. Standardized scores for visuospatial and sensorimotor function performance differed from classmates by 1.6 and 1.1 SDs of the classmates9 scores, respectively. These differences attenuated but remained significant after controlling for overall cognitive scores. Cognitive, visuospatial scores, and motor scores explained 54% of the variance in teachers9 ratings of performance in the whole set; in the extremely preterm group, additional variance was explained by attention-executive tasks and gender. CONCLUSIONS. Impairment of motor, visuospatial, and sensorimotor function, including planning, self-regulation, inhibition, and motor persistence, contributes excess morbidity over cognitive impairment in extremely preterm children and contributes independently to poor classroom performance at 6 years of age.

Global phylogeography of marine Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus reveals a distinct partitioning of lineages among oceanic biomes.

Abstract: Marine cyanobacteria of the genera Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus are important contributors to global primary production occupying a key position at the base of marine food webs. The genetically diverse nature of each genus is likely an important reason for their successful colonization of vast tracts of the world's oceans, a feature that has led to detailed analysis of the distribution of these genetic lineages at the local and ocean basin scale. Here, we extend these analyses to the global dimension, using new data from cruises in the Pacific, Indian and Arctic Oceans in combination with data from previous studies in the Atlantic Ocean, Arabian Sea, Red Sea and a circumnavigation of the southern hemisphere to form a data set which comprises most of the world's major ocean systems. We show that the distribution patterns of Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus lineages are remarkably similar in different ocean systems with comparable environmental conditions, but producing a strikingly different 'signature' in the four major ocean domains or biomes (the Polar Domain, Coastal Boundary Domain, Trade Winds Domain and Westerly Winds Domain). This clearly reiterates the idea of spatial partitioning of individual cyanobacterial lineages, but at the global scale.

Sucrose transport in the phloem: integrating root responses to phosphorus starvation

Abstract: Sugars in plants, derived from photosynthesis, act as substrates for energy metabolism and the biosynthesis of complex carbohydrates, providing sink tissues with the necessary resources to grow and to develop. In addition, sugars can act as secondary messengers, with the ability to regulate plant growth and development in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Sugar-signalling networks have the ability to regulate directly the expression of genes and to interact with other signalling pathways. Photosynthate is primarily transported to sink tissues as sucrose via the phloem. Under phosphorus (P) starvation, plants accumulate sugars and starch in their leaves. Increased loading of sucrose to the phloem under P starvation not only functions to relocate carbon resources to the roots, which increases their size relative to the shoot, but also has the potential to initiate sugar-signalling cascades that alter the expression of genes involved in optimizing root biochemistry to acquire soil phosphorus through increased expression and activity of inorganic phosphate transporters, the secretion of acid phosphatases and organic acids to release P from the soil, and the optimization of internal P use. This review looks at the evidence for the involvement of phloem sucrose in co-ordinating plant responses to P starvation at both the transcriptional and physiological levels.

On the effect of prior assumptions in Bayesian model averaging with applications to growth regression

Abstract: This paper examines the problem of variable selection in linear regression models. Bayesian model averaging has become an important tool in empirical settings with large numbers of potential regressors and relatively limited numbers of observations. The paper analyzes the effect of a variety of prior assumptions on the inference concerning model size, posterior inclusion probabilities of regressors, and predictive performance. The analysis illustrates these issues in the context of cross-country growth regressions using three datasets with 41 to 67 potential drivers of growth and 72 to 93 observations. The results favor particular prior structures for use in this and related contexts.

The obstinate passion of foreign exchange professionals: Technical analysis

Abstract: Technical analysis involves the prediction of future exchange rate (or other asset-price) movements from an inductive analysis of past movements. A reading of the large literature on this topic allows us to establish a set of stylised facts, including the facts that technical analysis is an important and widely used method of analysis in the foreign exchange market and that applying certain technical trading rules over a sustained period may lead to significant positive excess returns. We then analyze four arguments that have been put forward to explain the continuing widespread use of technical analysis and its apparent profitability: that the foreign exchange market may be characterised by not-fully-rational behaviour; that technical analysis may exploit the influence of central bank interventions; that technical analysis may be an efficient form of information processing; and finally that it may provide information on non-fundamental influences on foreign exchange movements. Although all of these positions may be relevant to some degree, neither non-rationality nor official interventions seem to be widespread and persistent enough to explain the obstinate passion of foreign exchange professionals for technical analysis.

The Distinctive Challenge of Educating Social Entrepreneurs: A Postscript and Rejoinder to the Special Issue on Entrepreneurship Education

Abstract: published aspecial issue on the role of management educationin the training and development of entrepreneurs.It sought to “inform AMLE’s readers about the the-ories, methods and best practices in entrepreneur-ship education” (Greene, Katz, & Johannisson, 2004:238). In so doing, it incorporated perspectives fromleading scholars in the field, experienced educa-tors, and successful entrepreneurs.The special issue represents a timely contribu-tion: Through the constituent papers, many of thespecific challenges that the subject poses are ar-ticulated, and some of the most established ideasin the field are critiqued and questioned. For ex-ample, Honig (2004) argues that while the develop-ment of a business plan forms a central componentin most entrepreneurship curricula, there is little ev-idence that it leads to the creation of successful newventures, and it may even inhibit new venture cre-ation in some circumstances. Shepherd (2004) alsodevelops a provocative line of argument, suggestingthat learning from business failure requires that ed-ucators move beyond the cognitive dimension of en-trepreneurship (i.e., how or what entrepreneurs“think”), and explore the emotional relationship thatexists between entrepreneurs and their businesses.In another insightful paper, DeTienne and Chandler(2004) show empirically that it is possible to teachstudentstoidentifybusinessopportunities,andmoregenerally, to exhibit higher levels of innovation, sug-gesting both that entrepreneurship education canhave tangible outcomes and that “entrepreneurshipis not about who the entrepreneur is, but what theentrepreneur does” (p. 254).Taken together, the articles published in the spe-cial issue show that there is no single “best” ap-proach to entrepreneurship education—the keypoint is that content should be based on solid con-ceptual building blocks, allowing students to un-

The Capitalization of Almost Everything: The Future of Finance and Capitalism

Abstract: This article examines an apparent dichotomy that lies at the heart of the contemporary financial system. On the one hand, the financial system would appear to be becoming ever more complex and intricate, as financial innovation continues to develop ever more exotic and complicated financial instruments and trading strategies: such developments serve to constantly churn and disturb the financial system, as profit and opportunity is sought in novelty and first-mover advantage. Yet, on the other hand, the reproduction of the financial system still requires the existence of mundane but predictable sources of income. These mundane sources of income act as anchors to which the rest of the financial system is attached, and which enable it to become increasingly esoteric and imaginative, by operationalizing the well-known dictum 'borrow on safe assets, invest in riskier ones'. This connection between the financially mundane and the financially esoteric is significant because it is leading to a constant search for ever more stable streams of income that can be used as collateral to fund borrowings, obtained in particular through securitization. These borrowings can, in turn, be used to support various forms of speculative financial activity. The article expands on this financial 'value chain', which connects the global financial system to an increasing number of everyday income streams, and illustrates the process at work via three examples drawn from recent developments in the UK. It also draws out more general practical and theoretical lessons which can be applied in the sphere of alternative finance.