Health information seeking behaviour: the librarian's role in supporting digital and health literacy

This paper is based on Rachel Butler's dissertation carried out at the University of Sheffield as part of the MA Library and Information Services Management. The study examines people's online health information seeking skills, with the specific aim to identify how libraries and health services can work together in supporting digital and health literacy. A survey approach is used to explore online searching habits as well as librarian and health professionals’ views on health literacy. The key findings indicate that whilst the majority of respondents consider themselves to be health literate, there was an overall agreement that effective education and support could be achieved through the collaboration between libraries and health services, and specifically to signpost information and to provide targeted education. The limitations of the research for dissertation are recognised leading to recommendations that further study focuses on the impact of signposting and education on health literacy.F.J.     

The effects of exercise in hypoxic and normoxic conditions on endothelin-1 and arterial compliance

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of short-term normoxic and hypoxic exercise on plasma endothelin-1 and nitric oxide levels, and the relationship of arterial compliance and pulmonary artery pressure to endothelin-1. Seven endurance-trained males completed two incremental and two steady-state exercise tests performed at ventilatory threshold in normoxia and hypoxia (fraction of inspired oxygen = 0.14). Plasma endothelin-1was measured throughout steady-state tests. Arterial compliance using applanation tonometry, plasma nitric oxide and pulmonary artery pressure using Doppler echocardiography were measured before and after exercise. Small arterial compliance and pulmonary artery pressure significantly increased following exercise. There were no main effects of condition or time for plasma endothelin-1and nitric oxide levels. There were no significant relationships between plasma endothelin-1 and arterial compliance or pulmonary artery pressure. In conclusion, mechanisms other than the endothelial system may play a role in the exercise-induced changes in small artery compliance in this study population. Moderate hypoxia and a 30-minute steady-state exercise have limited effects on plasma endothelin-1 in endurance-trained males.     

Public Library Evaluation: A Retrospective on the Evolution of Measurement Systems

This article aims to provide a historical and contemporary perspective on how public libraries establish indicators for measuring success, using the Free Library of Philadelphia as a focus of analysis. From the 1970s though the late 1980s, libraries focused on measuring internal statistics, such as bibliographic resources, to communicate the strength of their collection. Within the past twenty years, libraries have shifted their measurement structures toward outward performance in the communities they serve. The challenge today for libraries such as the Free Library is to establish structured formats for guiding community plans for their particular library and establishing agreed-on measures. Simultaneously, these structures need to incorporate ongoing evaluation methods.     

Bromo-oxidation reaction in enzyme-entrapped alginate hollow microfibers

In this article, the authors present the fabrication of an enzyme-entrapped alginate hollow fiber using a microfluidic device. Further use of enzyme-entrapped alginate hollow fibers as a biocatalytic microchemical reactor for chemical synthesis is also deliberated in this article. To ensure that there is no enzyme leaching from the fiber, fiber surfaces were coated with chitosan. To confine the mobility of reactants and products within the porous hollow fibers the entire fibers were embedded into a transparent polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix which also works as a support matrix. A vanadium-containing bromoperoxidase enzyme isolated from Corallina confusa was used as a model enzyme to demonstrate the use of these alginate hollow-fiber reactors in bromo-oxidation of phenol red to bromophenol blue at different dye flow rates. Stability of the entrapped enzyme at different temperatures and the effect of the chitosan coating on the reaction conversion were also studied. It was observed that molecules as big as 27 kDa can be retained in the matrix after coating with chitosan while molecules with molecular-weight of around 378 Da can still diffuse in and out of the matrix. The kinetic conversion rate in this microfluidic bioreactor was more than 41-fold faster when compared with the standard test-tube procedure.     

Masculinity, moral atmosphere, and moral functioning of high school football players

In order to identify factors associated with on-field moral functioning among student athletes within the unique context of football, we examined masculine gender role conflict, moral atmosphere, and athletic identity. Using structural equation modeling to assess survey data from 204 high school football players, results demonstrated that moral atmosphere (i.e., the influence of coaches and teammates) was significantly associated with participants' process of on-field moral functioning across the levels of judgment, intention, and behavior. Neither masculine gender role conflict nor athletic identity significantly predicted moral functioning, but the results indicated that participants' identification with the athlete role significantly predicted conflict with socialized gender roles. Results suggest that in the aggressive and violent sport of football, coaches can have a direct influence on players' moral functioning process. Coaches can also have an indirect effect by influencing all the players so that a culture of ethical play can be cultivated among teammates and spread from the top down.     

Unpacking the effects of adverse regulatory events: Evidence from pharmaceutical relabeling

We provide causal evidence that regulation induced product shocks significantly impact aggregate demand and firm performance in pharmaceutical markets. Event study results suggest an average loss between $569 million and $882 million. Affected products lose, on average, $186 million over their remaining effective patent life. This leaves a loss of between $383 million and $696 million attributable to declines in future innovation. Our findings complement research that shows drugs receiving expedited review are more likely to suffer from regulation induced product shocks. Thus, it appears we may be trading off quicker access to drugs today for less innovation tomorrow. Results remain robust to variation across types of relabeling, market sizes, and levels of competition.     

Explaining attendance through the brand community triad: Integrating network theory and team identification

In this study, the authors empirically test a model of sport behaviour that integrates both team identification and a network theory approach to understand attendance at intercollegiate ice hockey games. Grounded within the brand community triad, ego network data were collected among attendees to measure the fan-to-fan connections that constitute the horizontal relationships of brand community participants. Additionally, a multidimensional team identification measure was used to illustrate the vertical relationship between individual and team. Both measures were included in a structural equation model to test how both fan-to-fan and fan-team relationships explain attendance. The results from the model support the salience of both dimensions of the brand community triad, suggesting that understanding sport fan behaviour necessitates including both psychological and structural elements of behaviour. Future suggestions for extending the study of sport fans through structural networks are discussed.     

Why users keep answering questions in online question answering communities: A theoretical and empirical investigation

This study theorized and validated a model of knowledge sharing continuance in a special type of online community, the online question answering (Q&A) community, in which knowledge exchange is reflected mainly by asking and answering specific questions. We created a model that integrated knowledge sharing factors and knowledge self-efficacy into the expectation confirmation theory. The hypotheses derived from this model were empirically validated using an online survey conducted among users of a famous online Q&A community in China, “Yahoo! Answers China”. The results suggested that users’ intention to continue sharing knowledge (i.e., answering questions) was directly influenced by users’ ex-post feelings as consisting of two dimensions: satisfaction, and knowledge self-efficacy. Based on the obtained results, we also found that knowledge self-efficacy and confirmation mediated the relationship between benefits and satisfaction.