In this study, we examined the associations of personality traits of the Big Five model with work engagement, and tested a theoretical model in which these associations are mediated by the positive ...state of psychological meaningfulness (perceptions that work is valuable and meaningful). In a sample of 238 UK working adults, we found that the personality facets assertiveness and industriousness were the strongest predictors of work engagement, and that both exhibited direct and indirect effects, mediated by psychological meaningfulness. Neuroticism demonstrated a marginal indirect association with engagement, again mediated by psychological meaningfulness. Our findings offered good support for our model, explaining a pathway from personality traits to engagement. Practical implications for management are discussed.
Total internal reflection (TIR) spectroscopy is a widely used technique to study soft matter at interfaces. This tutorial review aims to provide researchers with an overview of the principles, ...experimental design and applications of TIR spectroscopy to enable them to understand how this class of techniques might be used in their research. It also highlights limitations and pitfalls of TIR techniques, which will assist readers in critically analysing the literature. Techniques covered include attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR), TIR fluorescence, TIR Raman scattering and cavity-enhanced techniques. Other related techniques are briefly described.
In this chapter we have provided instructions for transforming yeast by a number of variations of the LiAc/SS-DNA/PEG method for a number of different applications. The rapid transformation protocol ...is used when small numbers of transformants are required. The high efficiency transformation protocol is used to generate large numbers of transformants or to deliver DNA constructs or oligonucleotides into the yeast cell. The large-scale transformation protocol is primarily applicable to the analysis of complex plasmid DNA libraries, such as those required for the yeast two-hybrid system. The microtiter plate versions of the rapid and high efficiency transformation protocols can be applied to high-throughput screening technologies.
Combinations of runoff characteristics are commonly used to represent distinct conceptual models of stormflow generation. In this study, three runoff characteristics: hydrograph response, time source ...of runoff water, and flow path are used to classify catchments. Published data from the scientific literature are used to provide evidence from small, forested catchments. Each catchment was assigned to one of the eight conceptual models, depending on the combination of quick/slow response, old/new water, and overland/subsurface flow. A standard procedure was developed to objectively diagnose the predominant conceptual model of stormflow generation for each catchment and assess its temporal and spatial support. The literature survey yielded 42 catchments, of which 30 catchments provide a complete set of qualitative runoff characteristics resulting in one of the eight conceptual models. The majority of these catchments classify as subsurface flow path dominated. No catchments were found for conceptual models representing combinations of quick response‐new water‐subsurface flow (SSF), slow‐new‐SSF, slow‐old‐overland flow (OF) nor new‐slow‐OF. Of the 30 qualitatively classified catchments, 24 provide a complete set of quantitative measures. In summary, the field support is strong for 19 subsurface‐dominated catchments and is weak for 5 surface flow path dominated catchments (six catchments had insufficient quantitative data). Two alternative explanations exist for the imbalance of field support between the two flow path classes: (1) the selection of research catchments in past field studies was mainly to explain quick hydrograph response in subsurface dominated catchments; (2) catchments with prevailing subsurface flow paths are more common in nature. We conclude that the selection of research catchments needs to cover a wider variety of environmental conditions which should lead to a broader, and more widely applicable, spectrum of resulting conceptual models and process mechanisms. This is a prerequisite in studies where catchment organization and similarity approaches are used to develop catchment classification systems in order to regionalize stormflow.
Key Points:
Larger field support at subsurface than at surface flow path dominated sites
The variety of methods to document runoff characteristics complicates comparing of sites
Field studies at sites covering a broader range of characteristics are necessary
We formulate and solve an analytical model of seasonal snowpack dynamics, by assuming a simple temperature index model for the snowpack, driven by purely seasonal climate forcing. Three dimensionless ...variables control the modeled system: one to indicate the temperature regime, one for the seasonality of both temperature and precipitation, and one for the mean precipitation rate relative to a characteristic melt rate. The purpose of the model is to provide insight into the relative roles of the mean and seasonality of temperature, the mean and seasonality of precipitation, and the melt factor, in controlling snow climatology.
The model can be used to make broad-scale predictions of the climatology of seasonal snow water storage, and its sensitivity to climate. Particular variables of interest include the maximum seasonal snow storage, the start and end of the snow accumulation period, and the time of year at which the snowpack is completely melted. The model makes useful uncalibrated predictions at six widely separated sites in the western USA which have a continuous seasonal snowpack.
The connections between the model and a widely-used snow classification of Sturm et al. are briefly explored. Limitations of the model are discussed, extensions to the model are foreshadowed, and an example is given of a global application. If further testing demonstrates that the model gives adequate estimates of seasonal snowpack response for a wider range of locations, we might envisage applications of this approach to (i) definition of hydrological similarity indices in snow-dominated regions (ii) interpretation of output from complex simulation models covering a wide range of environments (iii) screening-level analyses of sensitivity to climate variations (iv) low-dimensional modeling where there are limited data or computation resources or technical expertise.
Coxsackieviruses primarily infect the gastrointestinal tract of humans, but they can disseminate systemically and cause severe disease. Using antibiotic treatment regimens to deplete intestinal ...microbes in mice, several groups have shown that bacteria promote oral infection with a variety of enteric viruses. However, it is unknown whether antibiotics have microbiota-independent antiviral effects for enteric viruses or whether antibiotics influence extra-intestinal, systemic infection. Here, we examined the effects of antibiotics on systemic enteric virus infection by performing intraperitoneal injections of either coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) or poliovirus followed by quantification of viral titers. We found that antibiotic treatment reduced systemic infection for both viruses. Interestingly, antibiotics reduced CVB3 titers in germ-free mice, suggesting that antibiotic treatment alters CVB3 infection through a microbiota-independent mechanism. Overall, these data provide further evidence that antibiotics can have noncanonical effects on viral infection.
The problems of identifying the most appropriate model structure for a given problem and quantifying the uncertainty in model structure remain outstanding research challenges for the discipline of ...hydrology. Progress on these problems requires understanding of the nature of differences between models. This paper presents a methodology to diagnose differences in hydrological model structures: the Framework for Understanding Structural Errors (FUSE). FUSE was used to construct 79 unique model structures by combining components of 4 existing hydrological models. These new models were used to simulate streamflow in two of the basins used in the Model Parameter Estimation Experiment (MOPEX): the Guadalupe River (Texas) and the French Broad River (North Carolina). Results show that the new models produced simulations of streamflow that were at least as good as the simulations produced by the models that participated in the MOPEX experiment. Our initial application of the FUSE method for the Guadalupe River exposed relationships between model structure and model performance, suggesting that the choice of model structure is just as important as the choice of model parameters. However, further work is needed to evaluate model simulations using multiple criteria to diagnose the relative importance of model structural differences in various climate regimes and to assess the amount of independent information in each of the models. This work will be crucial to both identifying the most appropriate model structure for a given problem and quantifying the uncertainty in model structure. To facilitate research on these problems, the FORTRAN‐90 source code for FUSE is available upon request from the lead author.
This paper documents the epidemiology of adults (aged more than 18 years) with a calcaneal fracture who have been admitted to hospital in England since 2000. Secondary aims were to document whether ...publication of the United Kingdom Heel Fracture Trial (UK HeFT) influenced the proportion of patients admitted to hospital with a calcaneal fracture who underwent surgical treatment, and to determine whether there has been any recent change in the surgical technique used for these injuries.
In England, the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data are recorded annually. Between 2000/01 and 2016/17, the number of adults admitted to an English NHS hospital with a calcaneal fracture and whether they underwent surgical treatment was determined.
During this 17-year period, 62 858 patients were admitted to hospital with a calcaneal fracture. The male-to-female ratio was 2.66:1. The mean annual incidence was 10.5/100 000 for men and 3.8/100 000 for women. The results of the UK HeFT were published in July 2014. The percentage of patients admitted with a calcaneal fracture undergoing internal fixation was 7.31% (3792/51 859) before and 7.38% (534/7229) after its publication. This difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.94). Since 2015, there has been a significant increase in the percentage of calcaneal fractures treated by closed reduction and internal fixation, as opposed to open reduction and internal fixation, from 7.7% (292/3792) to 13.29% (71/534) (p < 0.001).
This study documents the epidemiology and trends in surgical treatment of calcaneal fractures in England. We established that surgeons did not change their practice in terms of offering surgery to these patients in response to the results of the UK HeFT. There has been a significant (p < 0.001) increase in the number of calcaneal fractures being treated surgically using less invasive procedures.
A general strategy for controlling particle movement across streams would enable new capabilities in single‐cell analysis, solid‐phase reaction control, and biophysics research. Transferring cells ...across streams is difficult to achieve in a well‐controlled manner, since it requires precise control of fluid flow along with external force fields or precisely manufactured mechanical structures. Herein a strategy is introduced for particle transfer based on passive inertial lift forces and shifts in the distribution of these forces for channels with shifting aspect ratios. Uniquely, use of the dominant wall‐effect lift parallel to the particle rotation direction is explored and utilized to achieve controllable cross‐stream motion. In this way, particles are positioned to migrate across laminar streams and enter a new solution without significant disturbance of the interface at rates exceeding 1000 particles per second and sub‐millisecond transfer times. The capabilities of rapid inertial solution exchange (RInSE) for preparation of hematological samples and other cellular assays are demonstrated. Lastly, improvements to inline flow cytometry after RInSE of excess fluorescent dye and focusing for downstream analysis are characterized. The described approach is simply applied to manipulating cells and particles and quickly exposing them to or removing them from a reacting solution, with broader applications in control and analysis of low affinity interactions on cells or particles.
Inertial lift forces present in finite Reynolds number confined flows are capable of manipulating particles traveling at high speeds. These geometry‐dependent forces are employed to transfer cells and particles from one solution to another at high rates, enabling automated operations on cells and expanding the utility of flow cytometric assays.
Accumulating evidence suggests that intestinal bacteria promote enteric virus infection in mice. For example, previous work demonstrated that antibiotic treatment of mice prior to oral infection with ...poliovirus reduced viral replication and pathogenesis. Here, we examined the effect of antibiotic treatment on infection with coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), a picornavirus closely related to poliovirus. We treated mice with a mixture of five antibiotics to deplete host microbiota and examined CVB3 replication and pathogenesis following oral inoculation. We found that, as seen with poliovirus, CVB3 shedding and pathogenesis were reduced in antibiotic-treated mice. While treatment with just two antibiotics, vancomycin and ampicillin, was sufficient to reduce CVB3 replication and pathogenesis, this treatment had no effect on poliovirus. The quantity and composition of bacterial communities were altered by treatment with the five-antibiotic cocktail and by treatment with vancomycin and ampicillin. To determine whether more-subtle changes in bacterial populations impact viral replication, we examined viral infection in mice treated with milder antibiotic regimens. Mice treated with one-tenth the standard concentration of the normal antibiotic cocktail supported replication of poliovirus but not CVB3. Importantly, a single dose of one antibiotic, streptomycin, was sufficient to reduce CVB3 shedding and pathogenesis while having no effect on poliovirus shedding and pathogenesis. Overall, replication and pathogenesis of CVB3 are more sensitive to antibiotic treatment than poliovirus, indicating that closely related viruses may differ with respect to their reliance on microbiota.
Recent data indicate that intestinal bacteria promote intestinal infection of several enteric viruses. Here, we show that coxsackievirus, an enteric virus in the picornavirus family, also relies on microbiota for intestinal replication and pathogenesis. Relatively minor depletion of the microbiota was sufficient to decrease coxsackievirus infection, while poliovirus infection was unaffected. Surprisingly, a single dose of one antibiotic was sufficient to reduce coxsackievirus infection. Therefore, these data indicate that closely related viruses may differ with respect to their reliance on microbiota.
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