Large-scale Quantitative Study Research Articles

Aging perceptions matter for the well-being of elderly Turkish migrants, especially among the chronically ill

BackgroundResearch on cultural ideology with respect to aging perceptions leading to poorer health and well-being is necessary to improve the quality and effectiveness of (preventive) healthcare delivery in reaching immigrant elderly people and delivering care tailored to their needs. Despite the potential benefits of positive aging perceptions on well-being, there is a lack of empirical quantitative research on aging perceptions among elderly Turkish migrants. Therefore, the current study aimed to identify the importance of aging perceptions for the well-being of Turkish elderly in Rotterdam.MethodsThe current research is a large-scale quantitative study aimed at investigating the contribution of aging perceptions to well-being among elderly Turkish migrants in Rotterdam. All Turkish people aged > 65 years were identified using the Rotterdam municipal register and invited to participate in the study. In total, 680 Turkish respondents returned completed questionnaires (32% response rate).ResultsThe average respondent age was 72.90 (SD, 5.02) (range, 66–95) years and approximately half of the respondents (47.6%) were women. The majority of the respondents was of a low education (80.3%) and reported a low income level (83.4%). The mean number of chronic diseases among study participants was 2.68 (SD, 1.87) (range, 0–10). Being female (p ≤ 0.01), being single (p ≤ 0.01), having a low education level (p ≤ 0.01) and number of chronic diseases (p ≤ 0.001) were negatively associated with well-being. In addition, negative perceptions on aging were negatively associated with well-being while positive perceptions on aging were positively associated with well-being. Stepwise regression analyses showed a mediating effect of perceptions of aging on the relationship between the number of chronic diseases and the well-being of study participants.ConclusionsAging perceptions, especially perceived consequences of aging (both positive and negative), feelings of control (both positive and negative), and emotional representations are important to the well-being of Turkish elderly residing in the Netherlands. These results indicate the importance of the development of interventions in the perceptions on aging in the elderly Turkish population in Western Europe.

A simple developmental model recapitulates complex insect wing venation patterns.

Insect wings are typically supported by thickened struts called veins. These veins form diverse geometric patterns across insects. For many insect species, even the left and right wings from the same individual have veins with unique topological arrangements, and little is known about how these patterns form. We present a large-scale quantitative study of the fingerprint-like "secondary veins." We compile a dataset of wings from 232 species and 17 families from the order Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), a group with particularly elaborate vein patterns. We characterize the geometric arrangements of veins and develop a simple model of secondary vein patterning. We show that our model is capable of recapitulating the vein geometries of species from other, distantly related winged insect clades.

StatTarget: A streamlined tool for signal drift correction and interpretations of quantitative mass spectrometry-based omics data

Large-scale quantitative mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and proteomics study requires the long-term analysis of multiple batches of biological samples, which often accompanied with significant signal drift and various inter- and intra-batch variations. The unwanted variations can lead to poor inter- and intra-day reproducibility, which is a hindrance to discover real significance. The use of quality control samples and data treatment strategies in the quality assurance procedure provides a mechanism to evaluate the quality and remove the analytical variance of the data. The statTarget we developed is a streamlined tool with an easy-to-use graphical user interface and an integrated suite of algorithms specifically developed for the evaluation of data quality and removal of unwanted variations for quantitative mass spectrometry-based omics data. A novel quality control-based random forest signal correction algorithm, which can remove inter- and intra-batch unwanted variations at feature-level was implanted in the statTarget. Our evaluation based on real samples showed the developed algorithm could improve the data precision and statistical accuracy for mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and proteomics data. Additionally, the statTarget offers the streamlined procedures for data imputation, data normalization, univariate analysis, multivariate analysis, and feature selection. To conclude, the statTarget allows user-friendly the improvement of the data precision for uncovering the biologically differences, which largely facilitates quantitative mass spectrometry-based omics data processing and statistical analysis.

Variable control and conceptual change: A large-scale quantitative study in elementary school

We examined the predictive value and interplay of elementary school students' understanding of the control-of-variables strategy, a domain-general experimentation skill, and their prior content knowledge for subsequent conceptual knowledge acquisition and conceptual change. Trained teachers provided N = 1809 first to sixth graders with 15 lessons of guided inquiry-based instruction on floating and sinking. We assessed understanding of the control-of-variables strategy before instruction, and conceptual content knowledge from before to after instruction. A mixture model analysis, specifically, a latent transition analysis, indicates that understanding of the control-of-variables strategy predicts content knowledge structure before instruction, and content knowledge development from before to after instruction. These findings corroborate lab-based research on the interplay of experimentation skills and content knowledge in inquiry settings and extend it to teacher-guided classroom instruction. We describe how learning pathways vary depending on students' understanding of the control-of-variables strategy and prior content knowledge, and discuss implications for learning and instruction.

Down-regulation of RIP3 potentiates cisplatin chemoresistance by triggering HSP90-ERK pathway mediated DNA repair in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Receptor interacting protein kinase 3 (RIP3) is a critical regulator of programmed necrotic cell death. Here, we observed that RIP3 was significantly down-regulated in esophageal cancer. And its remaining expression was associated with better response to chemotherapy and prolonged survival. Notably, re-expression of kinase-dead RIP3 also restored cisplatin sensitivity, suggesting that some roles of RIP3 beyond necroptosis may be involved in cisplatin-based chemosensitivity. To investigate the mechanisms, a large-scale quantitative proteomics study was performed after cisplatin treatment in RIP3-knockdown cells. In total, approximately 7000 protein groups were confidently identified, with a false discovery rate of 0.21% at the protein level. Of these proteins, 685 displayed RIP3-dependent changes in abundance. Bioinformatics analyses indicated that DNA repair pathway was stimulated after RIP3 depletion. Functional studies showed that deficient RIP3 upregulated FOSL1 and POLD1 through activation of the HSP90/CDC37 complex and ERK phosphorylation in multiple cell lines. Furthermore, via inhibition of the HSP90/CDC37 complex, ERK and FOSL1 reversed the cisplatin resistance phenotype. These results suggest that RIP3 regulates cisplatin sensitivity through both pronecrotic and non-necrotic functions. RIP3 may be a potential marker for predicting chemosensitivity.

The ‘illegal’ and the skilled: effects of media portrayals on perceptions of immigrants in Britain

ABSTRACTPublic perceptions often diverge widely from reality on the size and make-up of immigrant populations, with likely consequences for public opinion about immigration. Prior research has not established whether the media has any causal role in the construction of these perceptions. This paper examines whether and how actually occurring media portrayals of immigrants in Britain affect perceptions of immigrants among members of the British public. We begin by conducting a large-scale quantitative study of the British national press. We then report on an original survey experiment that tests for causal impact of news frames derived from the media study. Specifically, we focus on three depictions of immigrants: as ‘illegal’, Eastern European, or highly skilled. Results show that even subtle media interventions can shift public perceptions of immigration, in this case towards more realistic understandings of the overall size and make-up of the immigrant population in Britain. We suggest empirical, theoretical, and methodological implications for the study of media effects on public opinion towards immigration.

Proteomic Analysis of Phytophthora infestans Reveals the Importance of Cell Wall Proteins in Pathogenicity

The oomycete Phytophthora infestans is the most harmful pathogen of potato. It causes the disease late blight, which generates increased yearly costs of up to one billion euro in the EU alone and is difficult to control. We have performed a large-scale quantitative proteomics study of six P. infestans life stages with the aim to identify proteins that change in abundance during development, with a focus on preinfectious life stages. Over 10 000 peptides from 2061 proteins were analyzed. We identified several abundance profiles of proteins that were up- or downregulated in different combinations of life stages. One of these profiles contained 59 proteins that were more abundant in germinated cysts and appressoria. A large majority of these proteins were not previously recognized as being appressorial proteins or involved in the infection process. Among those are proteins with putative roles in transport, amino acid metabolism, pathogenicity (including one RXLR effector) and cell wall structure modification. We analyzed the expression of the genes encoding nine of these proteins using RT-qPCR and found an increase in transcript levels during disease progression, in agreement with the hypothesis that these proteins are important in early infection. Among the nine proteins was a group involved in cell wall structure modification and adhesion, including three closely related, uncharacterized proteins encoded by PITG_01131, PITG_01132, and PITG_16135, here denoted Piacwp1-3 Transient silencing of these genes resulted in reduced severity of infection, indicating that these proteins are important for pathogenicity. Our results contribute to further insight into P. infestans biology, and indicate processes that might be relevant for the pathogen while preparing for host cell penetration and during infection. The mass spectrometry data have been deposited to ProteomeXchange via the PRIDE partner repository with the data set identifier PXD002446.

Does “mentoring” offer effective support to autistic adults? A mixed-methods pilot study

PurposeThe Research Autism Cygnet Mentoring project was a two-year pilot study, completed in 2016, which aimed to develop, trial and evaluate a mentoring scheme designed with input from autistic people, their families and supporters. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approachThe mentoring scheme involved 12 matched pairs (mentor/mentee) meeting once per week for one hour, over a six-month period. All mentors attended a training day, led by the principles of personal construct theory and an emancipatory research ethos. The project and training involved significant involvement of autistic people in both its design and delivery.FindingsParticipants on the autism spectrum found their mentoring experience very helpful in enabling them to progress towards self-identified goals, and mentees felt empowered by the person-centred ethos and the methods employed on the project. However, a number of aspects of the mentoring project have been identified that require further investigation, including: caution over offering mentoring without formal structures, boundary setting, supervision, flexibility and the matching of mentees with mentors.Originality/valueThe project has highlighted the potential benefits of time-limited goal-orientated mentoring and the negligible evidence base underpinning current mentoring practice with adults on the autism spectrum. In order for the project to realise its emancipatory aim, there is a need for a large-scale quantitative study and a health-economics analysis to provide the necessary evidence base for mentoring to be recommended as a cost-effective intervention with clear benefits for individual wellbeing.

Mental Health of Transgender People in Hong Kong: A Community-Driven, Large-Scale Quantitative Study Documenting Demographics and Correlates of Quality of Life and Suicidality

ABSTRACTA community-driven survey of 106 transgender people (the first such survey in Hong Kong) showed that: (1) more than half the sample (50.9%) had a university degree or higher qualification; (2) despite this, 43.4% had a monthly income below HK$6,000 (about USD$775); (3) 66% reported “fair” or “poor” quality of life; (4) 67% of the sample (87.1% of respondents aged 15–24 years) had contemplated suicide; and (5) 20.8% of the sample (35.5% of respondents aged 15–24 years) had attempted suicide. It was found that (1) those who were single, had a lower monthly income, and identified as transgender women reported lower quality of life; and (2) those who were younger and on a lower income expressed higher suicidality. The findings suggest that service providers and policy makers urgently need to address the mental health needs of transgender people, particular younger transgender people.

Proteomic Analysis of Regulatory T Cells Reveals the Importance of Themis1 in the Control of Their Suppressive Function

Regulatory T cells (Treg) represent a minor subpopulation of T lymphocytes that is crucial for the maintenance of immune homeostasis. Here, we present a large-scale quantitative mass spectrometry study that defines a specific proteomic "signature" of Treg. Treg and conventional T lymphocyte (Tconv) subpopulations were sorted by flow cytometry and subjected to global proteomic analysis by single-run nanoLC-MS/MS on a fast-sequencing Q-Exactive mass spectrometer. Besides "historical" proteins that characterize Treg, our study identified numerous new proteins that are up- or downregulated in Treg versus Tconv. We focused on Themis1, a protein particularly under-represented in Treg, and recently described as being involved in the pathogenesis of immune diseases. Using a transgenic mouse model overexpressing Themis1, we provided in vivo and in vitro evidence of its importance for Treg suppressive functions, in an animal model of inflammatory bowel disease and in coculture assays. We showed that this enhanced suppressive activity in vitro is associated with an accumulation of Tregs. Thus, our study highlights the usefulness of label free quantitative methods to better characterize the Treg cell lineage and demonstrates the potential role of Themis1 in the suppressive functions of these cells.

Cross-Cultural Privacy Prediction

AbstractThe influence of cultural background on people’s privacy decisions is widely recognized. However, a cross-cultural approach to predicting privacy decisions is still lacking. Our paper presents a first integrated cross-cultural privacy prediction model that merges cultural, demographic, attitudinal and contextual prediction. The model applies supervised machine learning to users’ decisions on the collection of their personal data, collected from a large-scale quantitative study in eight different countries. We find that adding culture-related predictors (i.e. country of residence, language, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions) to demographic, attitudinal and contextual predictors in the model can improve the prediction accuracy. Hofstede’s variables - particularly individualism and indulgence - outperform country and language. We further apply generalized linear mixed-effect regression to explore possible interactions between culture and other predictors. We find indeed that the impact of contextual and attitudinal predictors varies between different cultures. The implications of such models in developing privacy-enabling technologies are discussed.

‘Should I stay or should I go?’ – the additive double qualification pathway in Germany

A striking number of young people in Germany with the Abitur – the qualification required for entry to higher education – do not, in fact, go on to university immediately after leaving school but opt first to do an apprenticeship. This phenomenon, where general and vocational curricula are taught independently and separately, is known as the ‘additive double qualification pathway’ and represents an extreme type of hybrid qualification. This paper considers a range of individual influences in an attempt to obtain a holistic view of the possible motives of those who opt for this pathway. The study focuses on apprentices with the Abitur who were surveyed as they were about to complete their vocational training and were on the point of moving on to a university or university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule). The research investigates four very different training occupations with relatively high proportions of Abitur holders: industrial clerk; bank clerk; optician; and motor vehicle mechatronics technician. It is a large-scale quantitative research study (n = 1234). The range of possible motives is hypothesised, systematically operationalised and finally tested empirically.

Customization of B2B Services: Measurement and Impact on Firm Performance

Customization of services comprises the activities and results of a customer-specific adaptation of a provider’s value-creation processes according to customers’ requirements. As customized service offerings are supposed to better meet specific customers’ needs, they should generate a higher willingness to pay and/or higher customer loyalty. However, customization also typically leads to increased costs, incurred from the customer-induced changes or adjustments in the specification, production and delivery of a service. With respect to this tradeoff, this paper examines how the degree of customization of business-to-business (B2B) services can be measured and how the degree of customization affects the generation of competitive advantages and firm performance. Using data from a large-scale quantitative study, the paper identifies three dimensions of customization of B2B services and shows the consequences of different degrees of customization on customer perceived value, cost-efficiency and thus firm performance.

Factors promoting and hindering data-based decision making in schools

ABSTRACTAlthough data-based decision making can lead to improved student achievement, data are often not used effectively in schools. This paper therefore focuses on conditions for effective data use. We studied the extent to which school organizational characteristics, data characteristics, user characteristics, and collaboration influenced data use for (1) accountability, (2) school development, and (3) instruction. The results of our hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analysis from this large-scale quantitative study (N = 1073) show that, on average, teachers appear to score relatively high on data use for accountability and school development. Regarding instruction, however, several data sources are used only on a yearly basis. Among the factors investigated, school organizational characteristics and collaboration have the greatest influence on teachers’ data use in schools.

Peer influence as a predictor of producing and distributing hurtful images of peers and teachers among Flemish adolescents

This study examines whether self-perceived popularity, need for popularity, and peer pressure explain teenagers’ use of the mobile phone to make and distribute hurtful pictures and videos of peers and teachers. A large-scale quantitative survey study among 1787 Flemish high school pupils in 2010 revealed that, in the six months prior to the study, 25% of adolescents had made a picture/video of a peer who was being ridiculed, 8% of a peer who was being physically bullied, and 11% had distributed such a picture/video online. Thirteen percent had made a picture/video of a teacher being ridiculed, and 6% had distributed such content online. Self-perceived popularity, need for popularity, and perceived peer pressure positively predicted adolescents’ involvement in several of the above practices. The results suggest that greater investments need to be made to counter the social rewards that adolescents receive when engaging in these bullying practices.

A large-scale quantitative EM study on activation of olfactory glands shows no effect of cholinergic agents.

Little is known about olfactory glands' regulation despite their presumed importance for normal functioning of the cilia of olfactory neurons. The aim of this study was to establish an assay for olfactory gland activation by using large-scale quantitative electron microscopy (EM). In addition we wanted to test the hypothesis that cholinergic drugs activate the olfactory glands, by using our newly established EM assay. In total, over 70000 secretory gland vesicles were quantified in over 3000 cells. Olfactory gland cell size (40.8 µm2 ± 2.0 SD), vesicle diameter (812 nm ± 57 SD) and vesicles per cell (21.6 ± 4.2 SD) were also quantified. The vesicle percentage of the cell area varied between 24% and 30%. In a blinded study we found no significant effects of cholinergic agents on parameters of vesicle number or vesicle diameter. Unexpectedly, pilocarpine treatment increased olfactory gland size, probably by inducing cell swelling. In conclusion, we have established a quantitative EM assay for olfactory gland activation and provided new data on basic olfactory gland cell characteristics. By using the EM assay, olfactory glands are shown not to be activated by cholinergic agents, which indicates an alternative regulation pathway or constitutive secretion from olfactory glands.

Quantitative proteomics suggests metabolic reprogramming during ETHE1 deficiency.

Deficiency of mitochondrial sulfur dioxygenase (ETHE1) causes the severe metabolic disorder ethylmalonic encephalopathy, which is characterized by early-onset encephalopathy and defective cytochrome C oxidase because of hydrogen sulfide accumulation. Although the severe systemic consequences of the disorder are becoming clear, the molecular effects are not well defined. Therefore, for further elucidating the effects of ETHE1-deficiency, we performed a large scale quantitative proteomics study on liver tissue from ETHE1-deficient mice. Our results demonstrated a clear link between ETHE1-deficiency and redox active proteins, as reflected by downregulation of several proteins related to oxidation-reduction, such as different dehydrogenases and cytochrome P450 (CYP450) members. Furthermore, the protein data indicated impact of the ETHE1-deficiency on metabolic reprogramming through upregulation of glycolytic enzymes and by altering several heterogeneous ribonucleoproteins, indicating novel link between ETHE1 and gene expression regulation. We also found increase in total protein acetylation level, pointing out the link between ETHE1 and acetylation, which is likely controlled by both redox state and cellular metabolites. These findings are relevant for understanding the complexity of the disease and may shed light on important functions influenced by ETHE1 deficiency and by the concomitant increase in the gaseous mediator hydrogen sulfide. All MS data have been deposited in the ProteomeXchange with the dataset identifiers PXD002741 (http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org/dataset/PXD002741) and PXD002742 (http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org/dataset/PXD002741).

Measuring Teacher Educators’ Researcherly Disposition: Item Development and Scale Construction

This study reports on the development of a self-reported measurement instrument – The Teacher Educators’ Researcherly Disposition Scale (TERDS) – to improve understanding of teacher educators’ researcherly disposition. Teacher educators’ researcherly disposition refers to the habit of mind to engage with research – both as consumers and producers – to improve their practice and contribute to the knowledge base on teacher education. Taking into account the shortcomings of the emerging field of teacher educator professional development research (which is largely confined to small-scale, qualitative studies), a large-scale quantitative survey study (n = 944) was conducted. The first part of the article reports the results of factor analysis (EFA and CFA), which suggest a four-factor structure of teacher educators’ researcherly disposition: (1) ‘valuing research’ (α = .86), (2) ‘being a smart consumer of research’ (α = .89), (3) ‘being able to conduct research’ (α = .82), and (4) ‘conducting research’ (α = .87). Goodness of fit estimates were calculated, indicating good fit. The second part of the article explores differences in teacher educators’ researcherly disposition across several subgroups of teacher educators using the developed instrument. Results indicate that having research experience leads to significantly higher scores on each of the subscales. Furthermore, significantly higher scores were found for those with more than 3 years’ experience as a teacher educator, as well as for those without (prior) teaching experience in compulsory education. To conclude, the implications for further research and practices related to teacher educators’ professional development are discussed.

The phosphoproteome of human Jurkat T cell clones upon costimulation with anti-CD3/anti-CD28 antibodies

Phosphorylation is a reversible post-translational modification, playing a vital role in protein function. In T cells, protein phosphorylation is the key mechanism regulating T cell receptor-driven signaling pathways. In order to gain insights into the phosphoproteome evolution of T cell activation, we performed a large-scale quantitative phosphoproteomics study of Jurkat E6.1 (wild type) and Jurkat gamma1 (Phospholipase gamma1 null) cell clones upon costimulation with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 antibodies at times ranging from 15min to as long as 120min. In total, we identified 5585 phosphopeptides belonging to 2008 phosphoproteins from both cell clones. We detected 130 and 114 novel phosphopeptides in Jurkat E6.1 and Jurkat gamma1 clones, respectively. A significantly lower number of proteins containing regulated phosphorylation sites were identified in Jurkat gamma1 in comparison to Jurkat E6.1, reflecting the vital role of Phospholipase gamma1 in T cell signaling. Several new phosphorylation sites from lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase (Lck) were identified. Of these, serine-121 showed significant changes in JE6.1 while only small changes in the Jgamma1 clone. Our data may contribute to the current human T cell phosphoproteome and provide a better understanding on T cell receptor signaling. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD002871.

Does social deprivation influence inter-group contact outcomes for pupils in Northern Ireland?

The education system in Northern Ireland is characterized by division, with around 95% of the pupil population attending predominantly co-religionist schools. In a society that is transitioning from a thirty year conflict that has been framed by hostilities between the main Catholic and Protestant communities, reconciliation interventions in education have sought to promote the value of intergroup contact between pupils attending separate schools. Some qualitative research suggests that such initiatives are more likely to have positive outcomes for pupils from more middle class backgrounds than those from more disadvantaged communities and areas that experienced high levels of conflict related incidents and deaths during the pre-ceasefire years. Drawing on contact theory and empirical evidence from a large scale quantitative study, we seek to examine this theory. Using free school meals as a proxy for social class, our findings are consistent in finding that there is a differential impact of contact for those from less affluent backgrounds, and we conclude by arguing that this should be reflected in policy responses.