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PubMed2000

Coping in cyberspace: the impact of Internet use on the ability of HIV-positive individuals to deal with their illness.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) poses one of the greatest health threats of modern times. The Internet provides unparalleled access to resources that can assist individuals coping with HIV infection. Despite the promise of online resources to help individuals manage and cope with their illness, few studies have investigated the impact of their use. Those that have looked primarily at Internet use from a group perspective. These studies were usually "bounded" as well, focusing on electronic support groups or highly structured computer-based support systems that offer select users prescribed resource options. Little is known about how individuals who are "on their own"--without access to these services--use the vast, unstructured array of resources available through the Internet. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of Internet use on the coping ability of HIV-positive individuals. This research study employed a descriptive qualitative design that used indepth, semi structured, face-to-face interviews for data collection. The sample of 10 purposefully selected HIV-positive individuals reflected diversity in gender, age, race, education, employment, number of years living with HIV, and Internet use. Data analysis guided by the constant comparative method revealed that the impact of Internet use on coping ability involved three themes: The Internet promotes empowerment, augments social support, and facilitates helping others.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2026

Integrating structure and experimental data annotations with computational modeling framework for predicting micro-nanoplastics toxicities.

The wide use of plastic materials leads to increased emissions of micro-nanoplastics (MNPs) into the environment, raising significant concerns about their impact on human health. Traditional experimental approaches for assessing MNPs toxicity are costly, time-consuming, and there are no experimental protocols that are universally acceptable. Computational modeling using machine learning (ML) approaches provides an efficient alternative to MNP toxicity assessment. However, most modeling studies of MNPs are limited due to the lack of high-quality data and there are few previous modeling studies considering complex structures of MNPs for model training. To address this challenge, we constructed three MNP datasets with popular toxicity endpoints from various resources and used nanostructure annotation techniques to create virtual MNPs (vMNPs) for all MNP structures. The MNP structures were digitalized from annotated vMNPs, and geometrical descriptors were calculated using the Delaunay Tessellation approach. Moreover, important experimental information, such as concentrations and cell lines, were transformed into extra training variables. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) models were built using both experimental and geometrical descriptors and validated through a leave-one-out cross validation procedure. The resulting models showed reasonable performance in predicting toxicity potentials of MNPs for the three endpoints in the present datasets. Moreover, an additional library of vMNPs with their predicted properties and bioactivities was constructed, directing further research of new MNPs. This study provides three novel ML models for MNPs by integrating geometrical and experimental descriptors, which have the potential to assess new MNPs for their toxicity. The modeling strategy developed in this study can be easily expanded to model other MNP toxicity endpoints and create promising new models for MNP toxicity assessments.

Data annotation↗
PubMed2005

Linking organizational resources and work engagement to employee performance and customer loyalty: the mediation of service climate.

This study examined the mediating role of service climate in the prediction of employee performance and customer loyalty. Contact employees (N=342) from 114 service units (58 hotel front desks and 56 restaurants) provided information about organizational resources, engagement, and service climate. Furthermore, customers (N=1,140) from these units provided information on employee performance and customer loyalty. Structural equation modeling analyses were consistent with a full mediation model in which organizational resources and work engagement predict service climate, which in turn predicts employee performance and then customer loyalty. Further analyses revealed a potential reciprocal effect between service climate and customer loyalty. Implications of the study are discussed, together with limitations and suggestions for future research.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

A classification of disulfide patterns and its relationship to protein structure and function.

We report a detailed classification of disulfide patterns to further understand the role of disulfides in protein structure and function. The classification is applied to a unique searchable database of disulfide patterns derived from the SwissProt and Pfam databases. The disulfide database contains seven times the number of publicly available disulfide annotations. Each disulfide pattern in the database captures the topology and cysteine spacing of a protein domain. We have clustered the domains by their disulfide patterns and visualized the results using a novel representation termed the "classification wheel." The classification is applied to 40,620 protein domains with 2-10 disulfides. The effectiveness of the classification is evaluated by determining the extent to which proteins of similar structure and function are grouped together through comparison with the SCOP and Pfam databases, respectively. In general, proteins with similar disulfide patterns have similar structure and function, even in cases of low sequence similarity, and we illustrate this with specific examples. Using a measure of disulfide topology complexity, we find that there is a predominance of less complex topologies. We also explored the importance of loss or addition of disulfides to protein structure and function by linking classification wheels through disulfide subpattern comparisons. This classification, when coupled with our disulfide database, will serve as a useful resource for searching and comparing disulfide patterns, and understanding their role in protein structure, folding, and stability. Proteins in the disulfide clusters that do not contain structural information are prime candidates for structural genomics initiatives, because they may correspond to novel structures.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Graded capacity-sharing in dual-task interference?

Research suggests that dual-task interference is caused by a central bottleneck (together with response grouping and impaired preparation). The emphasis placed on the 1st response in these experiments, however, may have discouraged the sharing of processing resources between tasks. In the present experiment, instructions placed equal emphasis on 2 choice reaction-time tasks in which stimuli were presented simultaneously on 20% of the trials. In contrast to a graded trade-off of resources, a bottleneck predicts bimodality in the distribution of interresponse intervals for the 2 tasks, reflecting the 2 possible orders in which their respective central stages might be performed. Most subjects showed such a bimodality, along with other signs of a bottleneck; the remainder showed evidence of response grouping. The data suggest that the bottleneck is structural rather than strategic and make the graded sharing of resources less plausible.

Attention↗
PubMed1996

OR management.

Market forces throughout the US, especially in specific geographic areas, have brought about profound changes in health care delivery. One of the most significant is the move to managed and capitated care with the resulting impact on hospital reimbursement. As these forces gain momentum, continually moving further from fee for-service, the hospital portion of the healthcare dollar continues to contract. In response, healthcare delivery organizations are developing innovative strategies to ensure the continual provision of cost effective care. Emphasis is placed upon keeping resources close to the point-of-care delivery. Necessary savings, reductions, and efficiencies must come from structural change, reengineering, best practice development, and more cost effective care delivery with highly standardized use of resources. Healthcare is in a transitionary stage. The transition has been from providing acute inpatient care to managing the continuum of care, from treating illness in individuals to providing education and maintaining wellness in the defined population. Revenue centers are no longer recognized; rather, in this increasingly capitated market, all, including operating rooms, are cost centers. The focus is no longer on filling beds, ORs, radiology suites, etc. The challenge is to find effective methods to minimize the needed resources to deliver high quality, cost effective care while maintaining and increasing patient and physician satisfaction. This article focuses on surgery in a large integrated system, Sharp Health care (San Diego, CA), a network of organizations providing, or arranging to provide, a coordinated continuum of services to a defined population.

California↗
PubMed2002

Data standardisation in GlycoSuiteDB.

GlycoSuiteDB, a database of glycan structures, has been constructed with an emphasis on quality, consistency and data integrity. Importance has been placed on making the database a reliable and useful resource for all researchers. This database can help researchers to identify what glycan structures are known to be attached to certain glycoproteins, as well as more generally identifying what types of glycan structures are associated with different states, for example, different species, tissues and diseases. To achieve this, a major effort has gone into data standardisation. Many rules and standards have been adopted, especially for representing glycan structure and biological source information. This paper describes some of the challenges faced during the continuous development of GlycoSuiteDB.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Root foraging for patchy resources in eight herbaceous plant species.

The root foraging strategy of a plant species can be characterized by measuring foraging scale, precision, and rate. Trade-offs among these traits have been predicted to contribute to coexistence of competitors. We tested for trade-offs among root foraging scale (total root mass and length of structural roots), precision (ln-ratio of root lengths in resource-rich and resource-poor patches), and rate (days required for roots to reach a resource-rich patch, or growth rate of roots within a resource-rich patch) in eight co-occurring species. We found that root foraging scale and precision were positively correlated, as were foraging scale and the rate of reaching patches. High relative growth rate of a species did not contribute to greater scale, precision, or rate of root foraging. Introduced species had greater foraging scale, precision, and rate than native species. The positive correlations between foraging scale and foraging precision and rate may give larger species a disproportionate advantage in competition for patchy soil resources, leading to size asymmetric competition below ground.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2003

Institutionalizing pain management: the Post-Operative Pain Management Quality Improvement Project.

Clinical practice and quality improvement (QI) guidelines for acute postoperative pain management have been developed to address the well-documented problem of undertreatment of postoperative pain. The Post-Operative Pain Management Quality Improvement Project (the POP Project) was initiated to determine whether an intervention designed to support hospitals in the development of QI efforts would lead to improvements in structures, processes, and outcomes consistent with recommended guidelines. A nationwide sample of 233 hospitals joined the project. The intervention consisted of written resource materials accompanied by support services that included an e-mail list server, a resource Web page, and assistance from POP Project staff via telephone. Data regarding critical structures, processes (practice patterns), and patient outcomes were collected at baseline before the intervention began and at follow-up 12 to 18 months later. Results showed a statistically significant increase from baseline (45%) to follow-up (72%) in the presence of structural elements that are critical to improving pain management. There were statistically significant improvements in practices including documented use of pain rating scales, decreased use of intramuscular opioids, and increased use of nonpharmacologic strategies. Patient survey data showed no change in pain outcomes. Evaluation data showed that 70% of hospitals were very or extremely satisfied with their participation in the POP Project and 90% of them planned to continue efforts to improve pain management after the POP Project ended. Further research is needed to determine how to translate the excellent results obtained for structure and process into meaningful outcomes for patients.

Data Collection↗
PubMed2006

Intimate partner violence resource materials: assessment of information distribution.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the educational impact of placing partner violence resource information in a medical setting. METHOD: A cross-sectional study with a structured interview. SETTING: Emergency department (ED) in an urban academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: adult patients and visitors. INTERVENTIONS: Educational materials and community resource information. RESULTS: 51 patients and 71 visitors (N = 122) met the inclusion criteria and consented to enrollment during a 2-week study period. Of the participants, 71% were female and 29% were male. Sixty-five (53%) of the participants noticed the literature or cards. Ten (8%) read the materials. Seven (6%) retained a copy of the literature. Nineteen (16%) of the participants acknowledged knowing someone who could benefit from the information. Nine (7%) revealed that some of the information was new to them. CONCLUSIONS: Placing intimate partner violence resource pamphlets and cards in a medical setting is one means of educating the community and promoting violence prevention.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Impact of protozoan grazing on bacterial community structure in soil microcosms.

The influence of grazing by a mixed assemblage of soil protozoa (seven flagellates and one amoeba) on bacterial community structure was studied in soil microcosms amended with a particulate resource (sterile wheat roots) or a soluble resource (a solution of various organic compounds). Sterilized soil was reinoculated with mixed soil bacteria (obtained by filtering and dilution) or with bacteria and protozoa. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of PCR amplifications of 16S rRNA gene fragments, as well as community level physiological profiling (Biolog plates), suggested that the mixed protozoan community had significant effects on the bacterial community structure. Excising and sequencing of bands from the DGGE gels indicated that high-G+C gram-positive bacteria closely related to Arthrobacter spp. were favored by grazing, whereas the excised bands that decreased in intensity were related to gram-negative bacteria. The percentages of intensity found in bands related to high G+C gram positives increased from 4.5 and 12.6% in the ungrazed microcosms amended with roots and nutrient solution, respectively, to 19.3 and 32.9% in the grazed microcosms. Protozoa reduced the average bacterial cell size in microcosms amended with nutrient solution but not in the treatment amended with roots. Hence, size-selective feeding may explain some but not all of the changes in bacterial community structure. Five different protozoan isolates (Acanthamoeba sp., two species of Cercomonas, Thaumatomonas sp., and Spumella sp.) had different effects on the bacterial communities. This suggests that the composition of protozoan communities is important for the effect of protozoan grazing on bacterial communities.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Defining excess resource utilization and identifying associated factors for trauma victims.

BACKGROUND: Trauma system evaluation addresses aspects of the process, structure, and outcomes of trauma care. This approach may not identify all opportunities for trauma system improvement. Hospital length of stay (LOS) represents a meaningful measure of resource utilization and may help focus efforts to improve care. The purpose of this study is to estimate expected hospital LOS after trauma and determine the consequences of excessive LOS. METHODS: Patients admitted during a 2-year period (January 1, 1993 to December 31, 1994) were retrospectively reviewed, and expected LOS was estimated. Excess LOS was defined as an observed LOS > or =100% of expected. Injuries, complications, and American College of Surgeons' Committee on Trauma audit filters were compared between the groups. RESULTS: Observed LOS exceeded expected by 100% or more for 568 of 5,226 patients (10.9%), and most survived (98.3%). Complications predicted excess LOS, whereas audit filters did not. Median costs for these 568 patients were $30,315 and totaled 30% of the expenditures for the entire cohort of 5,226 patients. CONCLUSION: Prolonged LOS represents an adverse outcome. Estimation of LOS and evaluation of outliers represents an important method for the evaluation of care within established trauma systems and centers.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Temporal factors in resource dilemmas.

The conflict between present and future consumption lies at the heart of resource dilemmas (RDs), yet the role of time has received little attention in this research area. Emphasis was on factors related to the social rather than the temporal conflict inherent in an RD. We propose a model that deals explicitly with the temporal distribution of outcomes. The model combines three basic elements: a simple algebraic model, representing the RD's payoff structure; a growth function, reflecting the autonomous growth of the resource pool; and a discount function, describing how the temporal distance of outcomes affects their perceived value. The model provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the role of temporal factors in RD situations. It enables us to identify four relevant temporal RD characteristics (people's discount rates, their time horizon, the inter-trial delay, and the pool's growth rate) and to describe how these would be expected to affect people's tendency to cooperate. Theoretical, methodological and practical implications of the work are briefly discussed.

Choice Behavior↗
PubMed2006

Preferences of the public regarding cutbacks in expenditure for patient care: are there indications of discrimination against those with mental disorders?

BACKGROUND: Increasing costs for patient care may necessitate financial cuts in the health-care budget. Our aim is to examine whether the public prefers cuts for psychiatric rather than medical conditions and how resource allocation preferences are related to illness beliefs and attitudes. METHOD: A telephone survey involving German adult population was conducted in 2004 (n = 1012). Participants were presented with a list of nine medical and mental diseases including alcoholism, depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, diabetes, rheumatism and AIDS, and were asked to name three conditions where they would prefer to see health-care resources cut. For all conditions we asked about personal attitudes and illness beliefs. RESULTS: People were more willing to have financial resources cut for psychiatric than for medical conditions, with resources for alcoholism having the least public backing. Alzheimer's disease was rated more favourably compared to other mental disorders. Generally, the perception of the severity of a disease was associated with resource allocation decisions, favouring those conditions that were considered to be severe. Mental diseases evoked a far greater desire for social distance than most medical diseases which had considerable influence on resource allocation preferences. The perception of personal responsibility had, in contrast, only limited effect on resource allocation decisions. It varied considerably in the case of psychiatric conditions but was not fundamentally different among medical and mental diseases. Personal susceptibility, treatment effectiveness and the perceived life-threat posed by a disease also had limited effects. CONCLUSION: According to public resource allocation preferences psychiatric patients are at risk of being structurally discriminated within the health-care system.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Analysis of conservation and substitutions of secondary structure elements within protein superfamilies.

MOTIVATION: Structural alignments of superfamily members often exhibit insertions and deletions of secondary structure elements (SSEs), yet conserved subsets of SSEs appear to be important for maintaining the fold and facilitating common functionalities. RESULTS: A database of aligned SSEs was constructed from the structure-based alignments of protein superfamily members in the CAMPASS database. SSEs were classified into several types on the basis of their length and solvent accessibility and counts were made for the replacements of SSEs in different types at structurally aligned positions. The results, summarized as log-odds substitution matrices, can be used for two types of comparisons: (1) structure against structure, both with secondary structure assignments; and (2) structure against sequence with predicted secondary structures. The conservation of SSEs at each alignment position was defined as the deviation of observed SSE frequencies from the uniform distribution. This offers a useful resource to define and examine the core of superfamily folds. Even when the structure of only a single member of a superfamily is known, the extended method can be used to predict the conservation of SSEs. Such information will be useful when modelling the structure of other members of a superfamily or identifying structurally and functionally important positions in the fold.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2001

Spatial Ultimatum Games, collaborations and the evolution of fairness.

It is often the case that individuals in a social group can perform certain tasks (such as hunting, for example) more efficiently if they collaborate with other individuals than if they act alone. In such situations one is necessarily faced with the problem of how the resource obtained as the result of such a collaboration should be divided among the collaborating individuals. If one of the individuals in the collaboration is in a position (through its dominance rank, for example) to impose a particular division of the resource on the other members of the collaboration then we show that an evolutionary dilemma arises which prevents such collaborations being evolutionarily stable. This dilemma, which is closely related to the well-known Ultimatum Game, results from the fact that in such situations natural selection favours individuals who, if dominant, offer smaller and smaller shares of the resource to the others and, if subdominant, will accept lower and lower offers. We also show, however, that this dilemma is naturally resolved in a spatially structured population with selection favouring the evolution of a fair division of the resource and consequently ensuring the evolutionary stability of collaborations of this type.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

[The role of economic analysis in health care].

Since the needs in health care are much larger than the resources available to satisfy these needs, economic analysis can play a useful role in health care. Economic analysis can contribute to a better allocation of the available resources, through a comparison of the relative costs of different forms of health care delivery. A combination of correct, detailed information about the costs and effects of health care interventions is a necessary condition for an improved allocation of resources in health care, which is illustrated with a comparison of the effects and costs of open versus laparoscopic cholecystectomies. A better view on the cost structure of different techniques can result in a (more) efficient allocation of scarce resources. A multidisciplinary approach is a necessary condition for successful economic evaluations in health care.

Cholecystectomy↗