Daily spiritual experiences in a biracial, community-based population of older adults.

PubMed

Skarupski, Kimberly A; Fitchett, George; Evans, Denis A; Mendes de Leon, Carlos F

2010-09-01

The objectives of this study were to describe the levels of daily spiritual experiences (DSEs) in community-dwelling older adults, to compare the levels of spiritual experiences with the levels of prayer and religious service attendance, and to examine the demographic and psychosocial correlates of spiritual experiences. The data came from 6534 participants in the Chicago Health and Aging Project, an ongoing population-based, biracial (65% African American) study of the risk factors for incident Alzheimer's disease among older adults. A 5-item version of the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale (DSES) was used in the study. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the relationship between sociodemographic and psychosocial factors and DSES scores. The majority of the participants reported having spiritual experiences at least daily. In the bivariate analyses, African Americans and women had higher DSES scores than Whites and men, respectively (p's < 0.001). Prayer and worship were moderately associated with DSES scores. In the multivariable analyses, African American race, older age, female gender, better self-rated health, and greater social networks were associated with higher DSES scores, while higher levels of education and depressive symptoms were associated with lower DSES scores. We observed high levels of spiritual experiences and found that the DSES is related to, but distinct from the traditional measures of religiosity. We found associations between DSES, demographic, and psychosocial factors that are consistent with the findings for other religiosity and spirituality (R/S) measures. Future research should test whether DSES contributes to our understanding of the relationship between R/S and health in older adults.

Is it all in the game? Flow experience and scientific practices during an INPLACE mobile game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bressler, Denise M.

Mobile science learning games show promise for promoting scientific practices and high engagement. Researchers have quantified this engagement according to flow theory. Using an embedded mixed methods design, this study investigated whether an INPLACE mobile game promotes flow experience, scientific practices, and effective team collaboration. Students playing the game (n=59) were compared with students in a business-as-usual control activity (n=120). Using an open-ended instrument designed to measure scientific practices and a self-report flow survey, this study empirically assessed flow and learner's scientific practices. The game players had significantly higher levels of flow and scientific practices. Using a multiple case study approach, collaboration among game teams (n=3 teams) were qualitatively compared with control teams (n=3 teams). Game teams revealed not only higher levels of scientific practices but also higher levels of engaged responses and communal language. Control teams revealed lower levels of scientific practice along with higher levels of rejecting responses and command language. Implications for these findings are discussed.

Business Simulations in Financial Management Courses: Implications for Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolmarans, H. P.

2006-01-01

Business simulations provide a teaching method that typically yields (1) more hands-on experience, (2) a higher level of excitement, (3) a higher noise level (and yet a lower incidence of problems), and (4) more commitment than traditional methods of teaching (McLure 1997, 3). Business simulations are experiential learning opportunities that have…

Associations between the Five-Factor Model personality traits and psychotic experiences in patients with psychotic disorders, their siblings and controls.

PubMed

Boyette, Lindy-Lou; Korver-Nieberg, Nikie; Verweij, Kim; Meijer, Carin; Dingemans, Peter; Cahn, Wiepke; de Haan, Lieuwe

2013-12-15

Earlier studies indicated that personality characteristics contribute to symptomatic outcome in patients with psychotic disorders. The aim of the present study was to further explore this connection by examining the relationship between the Five-Factor Model (FFM) personality traits and a dimensional liability for psychosis. FFM traits according to the NEO-FFI and levels of subclinical psychotic symptoms according to the CAPE were assessed in 217 patients with psychotic disorders, 281 of their siblings and 176 healthy controls. Psychotic symptoms according to the PANSS were assessed in the patient group. Patients differed from siblings and controls on four of the five FFM traits, all but Openness. Siblings reported higher levels of Neuroticism than controls, but lower levels than patients. Particularly lower Agreeableness, and to a lesser degree, higher Neuroticism and lower Extraversion were associated with more severe symptoms in patients. Furthermore, higher Neuroticism and higher Openness were associated with higher levels of subclinical psychotic experiences in all three groups. Associations were strongest in patients. Our findings suggest that levels of Neuroticism increase with the level of familial risk for psychosis. Levels of Openness may reflect levels of impairment that distinguish clinical from subclinical symptomatology. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Faculty Experiences in Higher Education Institutions Teaching Hybrid Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calderon, Blanca I. Rodriguez

2013-01-01

This qualitative phenomenological study investigated how professors perceive the effectiveness of hybrid courses at the university level. The study gathered data related to professor's experiences that could give insight about the factors encouraging the development of hybrid instruction in higher education. The targeted population consisted of…

Perceived levels of frustration during clinical situations in athletic training students.

PubMed

Heinerichs, Scott; Curtis, Neil; Gardiner-Shires, Alison

2014-01-01

Athletic training students (ATSs) are involved in various situations during the clinical experience that may cause them to express levels of frustration. Understanding levels of frustration in ATSs is important because frustration can affect student learning, and the clinical experience is critical to their development as professionals. To explore perceived levels of frustration in ATSs during clinical situations and to determine if those perceptions differ based on sex. Cross-sectional study with a survey instrument. A total of 14 of 19 professional, undergraduate athletic training programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education in Pennsylvania. Of a possible 438 athletic training students, 318 (72.6%) completed the survey. The Athletic Training Student Frustration Inventory was developed and administered. The survey gathered demographic information and included 24 Likert-scale items centering on situations associated with the clinical experience. Descriptive statistics were computed on all items. The Mann-Whitney U was used to evaluate differences between male and female students. A higher level of frustration was perceived during the following clinical situations: lack of respect by student-athletes and coaching staffs, the demands of the clinical experience, inability of ATSs to perform or remember skills, and ATSs not having the opportunity to apply their skills daily. Higher levels of frustration were perceived in female than male ATSs in several areas. Understanding student frustration during clinical situations is important to better appreciate the clinical education experience. Low levels of this emotion are expected; however, when higher levels exist, learning can be affected. Whereas we cannot eliminate student frustrations, athletic training programs and preceptors need to be aware of this emotion in order to create an environment that is more conducive to learning.

Do Differential Response Rates to Patient Surveys Between Organizations Lead to Unfair Performance Comparisons?: Evidence From the English Cancer Patient Experience Survey.

PubMed

Saunders, Catherine L; Elliott, Marc N; Lyratzopoulos, Georgios; Abel, Gary A

2016-01-01

Patient surveys typically have variable response rates between organizations, leading to concerns that such differences may affect the validity of performance comparisons. To explore the size and likely sources of associations between hospital-level survey response rates and patient experience. Cross-sectional mail survey including 60 patient experience items sent to 101,771 cancer survivors recently treated by 158 English NHS hospitals. Age, sex, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, clinical diagnosis, hospital type, and region were available for respondents and nonrespondents. The overall response rate was 67% (range, 39% to 77% between hospitals). Hospitals with higher response rates had higher scores for all items (Spearman correlation range, 0.03-0.44), particularly questions regarding hospital-level administrative processes, for example, procedure cancellations or medical note availability.From multivariable analysis, associations between individual patient experience and hospital-level response rates were statistically significant (P<0.05) for 53/59 analyzed questions, decreasing to 37/59 after adjusting for case-mix, and 25/59 after further adjusting for hospital-level characteristics.Predicting responses of nonrespondents, and re-estimating hypothetical hospital scores assuming a 100% response rate, we found that currently low performing hospitals would have attained even lower scores. Overall nationwide attainment would have decreased slightly to that currently observed. Higher response rate hospitals have more positive experience scores, and this is only partly explained by patient case-mix. High response rates may be a marker of efficient hospital administration, and higher quality that should not, therefore, be adjusted away in public reporting. Although nonresponse may result in slightly overestimating overall national levels of performance, it does not appear to meaningfully bias comparisons of case-mix-adjusted hospital results.

Coping with loss of ability vs. emotional control and self-esteem in women after mastectomy.

PubMed

Cieślak, Katarzyna; Golusiński, Wojciech

2018-01-01

Does coping with the loss of ability depend on self-esteem and emotional control? Persons who experience losses in two dimensions, i.e. health and ability can deal with the loss by physical therapy, and also by mental and socio-professional rehabilitation. But far and foremost, it is the personality of the person who experiences the loss that matters most. The study included 37 patients after mastectomy. They were divided into two groups according to the time elapsed from cancer diagnosis. The study was conducted using the Questionnaire on Coping With Ability Loss (P. Wolski), Self-Esteem Loss (M. Rosenberg,) and the Courtauld Emotional Control Scale - CECS. In Group I, the higher level of acceptance in the QCAL test, the higher self-esteem. The more depression experienced by individuals, the lower is their level of self-esteem or the less depression experienced, the higher the self-esteem. In Group II, the higher the level of depression, the lower the level of anger. The greater the struggle, the lower level of anger. The lower the level of depression and struggle, the higher the level of emotion control. Women diagnosed no longer than five years back do not differ from those diagnosed further back in terms of copying with the loss of ability, self-esteem and emotional control.

Influence of Out-of-School Experiences and Learning Styles on Interest in Biology, Chemistry and Physics among Higher Secondary Boys and Girls in Kerala

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gafoor, K. Abdul

2017-01-01

Adopting an experiential learning explanation for varying student interest in the three sciences, out-of-school experience questionnaire, scale of interest in science and Kolb's learning style inventory were administered on 775 higher secondary students in Kerala. Despite their similar achievement levels, boys had higher interest in physics, and…

Individual- and Organization-Level Work-to-Family Spillover Are Uniquely Associated with Hotel Managers' Work Exhaustion and Satisfaction

PubMed Central

Lee, Soomi; Davis, Kelly D.; Neuendorf, Claudia; Grandey, Alicia; Lam, Chun Bun; Almeida, David M.

2016-01-01

Purpose: Building on the Conservation of Resources theory, this paper examined the unique and interactive associations of negative and positive work-to-family spillover (NWFS and PWFS, respectively) at the individual and organizational level with hotel managers' work exhaustion and satisfaction, beyond job demands and supervisors' leadership style. Design/Methodology/Approach: Guided by the levels of analysis framework, we first tested the unique associations of NWFS and PWFS with emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction at the individual level (571 hotel managers), beyond job demands supervisors' leadership style. Second, using multilevel modeling, we tested the climate effects of NWFS and PWFS on emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction aggregated at the organizational level (41 hotels). Third, we examined the role of the organizational climate of PWFS in the associations of individual-level NWFS with emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. Findings: Beyond the effects of psychological job demands and supervisor's transformational leadership, at the individual level, hotel managers who experienced higher NWFS than other managers reported more exhaustion and lower job satisfaction, whereas those with higher PWFS reported less exhaustion and higher satisfaction. At the organizational level, working in hotels where the average level of NWFS was higher than other hotels was associated with feeling more exhaustion of the individual members; working in hotels with higher PWFS was associated with feeling less exhaustion. The negative link between individual-level NWFS and job satisfaction was buffered when organization-level PWFS was higher, compared to when it was lower. Originality/Value: This study moves beyond a focus on traditional job characteristics, toward considering individual and organizational experiences in the work-family interface as unique predictors of work exhaustion and satisfaction. Strengths of the study include illuminating organizational work-family climate effects such that coworkers' shared experiences of NWFS and PWFS explain individual members' work exhaustion, beyond their own experiences of spillover. The results also highlight that a high level of organizational PWFS can buffer the negative effects of individual NWFS. PMID:27582712

Response style, interpersonal difficulties and social functioning in major depressive disorder.

PubMed

Lam, Dominic; Schuck, Nikki; Smith, Neil; Farmer, Anne; Checkley, Stuart

2003-08-01

It is postulated that depressed patients who engaged in self-focused rumination on their depressive symptoms may experience more hopelessness, more interpersonal distress and poorer social functioning while patients who distract themselves may experience less severe hopelessness and better social functioning. One-hundred and nine outpatients suffering from DSM-IV (APA, 1994) major depressive disorders filled in questionnaires that mapped into their response style to depression, hopelessness and interpersonal style. They were also interviewed for their levels of social functioning. Rumination was associated with higher levels of depression and distraction was associated with lower levels of depression. Furthermore when levels of depression and gender were controlled for, rumination contributed to higher levels of hopelessness and distraction contributed to lower levels of hopelessness. Both rumination and levels of depression contributed significantly to higher levels of interpersonal distress when gender was controlled for. Ruminators were rated to have significantly more severe problems in intimate relationships while distractors were rated to have significantly higher social functioning. Our study suggests the importance of teaching patients techniques to distract themselves. This could prevent patients from getting into a vicious cycle of self-absorption and increased levels of hopelessness, finding it hard to interact with people in their social network and neglecting their intimate relationships.

Broad Autism Phenotypic Traits and the Relationship to Sexual Orientation and Sexual Behavior.

PubMed

Qualls, Lydia R; Hartmann, Kathrin; Paulson, James F

2018-04-03

Individuals with higher levels of the broad autism phenotype (BAP) have some symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Like individuals with ASD, people with higher-BAP may have fewer sexual experiences and may experience more same-sex attraction. This study measured BAP traits, sexual experiences, and sexual orientation in typically developing (TD) individuals to see if patterns of sexual behavior and sexual orientation in higher-BAP resemble those in ASD. Although BAP characteristics did not predict sexual experiences, one BAP measure significantly predicted sexual orientation, β = 0.22, t = 2.72, p = .007, controlling for demographic variables (R 2 change = .04, F = 7.41, p = .007), showing individuals with higher-BAP also reported increased same-sex attraction. This finding supports the hypothesis that individuals with higher-BAP resemble ASD individuals in being more likely than TD individuals to experience same-sex attraction.

Factors associated with experienced discrimination among people using mental health services in England.

PubMed

Hamilton, S; Corker, E; Weeks, C; Williams, P; Henderson, C; Pinfold, V; Rose, D; Thornicroft, G

2016-08-01

Research has found considerable variation in how far individuals with a diagnosis of mental illness experience discrimination. This study tested four hypotheses: (i) a diagnosis of schizophrenia will be associated with more discrimination than depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder; (ii) people with a history of involuntary treatment will report more discrimination than people without; (iii) higher levels of avoidance behaviour due to anticipated discrimination will be associated with higher levels of discrimination and (iv) longer time in contact with services will be associated with higher levels of discrimination. Three thousand five hundred and seventy-nine people using mental health services in England took part in structured telephone interviews about discrimination experiences. A multiple regression model found that study year, age, employment status, length of time in mental health services, disagreeing with the diagnosis, anticipating discrimination in personal relationships and feeling the need to conceal a diagnosis from others were significantly associated with higher levels of experienced discrimination. Findings suggest that discrimination is not related to specific diagnoses but rather is associated with mental health problems generally. An association between unemployment and discrimination may indicate that employment protects against experiences of discrimination, supporting efforts to improve access to employment among people with a diagnosis of mental illness.

Day-to-day dynamics of experience–cortisol associations in a population-based sample of older adults

PubMed Central

Adam, Emma K.; Hawkley, Louise C.; Kudielka, Brigitte M.; Cacioppo, John T.

2006-01-01

In 156 older adults, day-to-day variations in cortisol diurnal rhythms were predicted from both prior-day and same-day experiences, to examine the temporal ordering of experience–cortisol associations in naturalistic environments. Diary reports of daily psychosocial, emotional, and physical states were completed at bedtime on each of three consecutive days. Salivary cortisol levels were measured at wakeup, 30 min after awakening, and at bedtime each day. Multilevel growth curve modeling was used to estimate diurnal cortisol profiles for each person each day. The parameters defining those profiles (wakeup level, diurnal slope, and cortisol awakening response) were predicted simultaneously from day-before and same-day experiences. Prior-day feelings of loneliness, sadness, threat, and lack of control were associated with a higher cortisol awakening response the next day, but morning awakening responses did not predict experiences of these states later the same day. Same-day, but not prior-day, feelings of tension and anger were associated with flatter diurnal cortisol rhythms, primarily because of their association with higher same-day evening cortisol levels. Although wakeup cortisol levels were not predicted by prior-day levels of fatigue and physical symptoms, low wakeup cortisol predicted higher levels of fatigue and physical symptoms later that day. Results are consistent with a dynamic and transactional function of cortisol as both a transducer of psychosocial and emotional experience into physiological activation and an influence on feelings of energy and physical well-being. PMID:17075058

Optimal Design in Three-Level Block Randomized Designs with Two Levels of Nesting: An ANOVA Framework with Random Effects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Konstantopoulos, Spyros

2013-01-01

Large-scale experiments that involve nested structures may assign treatment conditions either to subgroups such as classrooms or to individuals such as students within subgroups. Key aspects of the design of such experiments include knowledge of the variance structure in higher levels and the sample sizes necessary to reach sufficient power to…

Positive childhood experiences predict less psychopathology and stress in pregnant women with childhood adversity: A pilot study of the benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) scale.

PubMed

Narayan, Angela J; Rivera, Luisa M; Bernstein, Rosemary E; Harris, William W; Lieberman, Alicia F

2018-04-01

This pilot study examined the psychometric properties of the Benevolent Childhood Experiences (BCEs) scale, a new instrument designed to assess positive early life experiences in adults with histories of childhood maltreatment and other adversities. A counterpart to the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) questionnaire, the BCEs was developed to be multiculturally-sensitive and applicable regardless of socioeconomic position, urban-rural background, or immigration status. Higher levels of BCEs were hypothesized to predict lower levels of psychopathology and stress beyond the effects of ACES in a sample of ethnically diverse, low-income pregnant women. BCEs were also expected to show adequate internal validity across racial/ethnic groups and test-retest stability from the prenatal to the postnatal period. Participants were 101 pregnant women (M=29.10years, SD=6.56, range=18-44; 37% Latina, 22% African-American, 20% White, 21% biracial/multiracial/other; 37% foreign-born, 26% Spanish-speaking) who completed the BCEs and ACEs scales; assessments of prenatal depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, perceived stress, and exposure to stressful life events (SLEs) during pregnancy; and demographic information. Higher levels of BCEs predicted less PTSD symptoms and SLEs, above and beyond ACEs. The BCEs showed excellent test-retest reliability, and mean levels were comparable across racial/ethnic and Spanish-English groups of women. Person-oriented analyses also showed that higher levels of BCEs offset the effects of ACEs on prenatal stress and psychopathology. The BCEs scale indexes promising promotive factors associated with lower trauma-related symptomatology and stress exposure during pregnancy and illuminates how favorable childhood experiences may counteract long-term effects of childhood adversity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Impact of streptozotocininduced hyperglycemia on anxiety level and physical fatigue of Wistar rats].

PubMed

Sidorova, Yu S; Shipelin, V A; Zorin, S N; Mazo, V K; Petrov, N A; Kochetkova, A A

2015-01-01

The aim of the study was to evaluate type 2 diabetes medicamental biomodel in 70-days experiment. Control group animals were provided with water ad libitum throughout the experiment, experimental group animals for the first two weeks were provided with 20% solution of fructose ad libitum instead of water. On the 15th day, experimental group animals (average body weight 257±8 g) were injected abdominally with streptozotocin (STZ) in dosage 40 mg/kg of body weight. For the next three weeks on the 22nd, 28th and 36th days, glucose level in blood taken from the tail vein was measured using portable electrochemical glucometer. On the 37th day animals with blood glucose level 11.0 mmol/L or higher were included in experimental group for further research. On the 44th and 60th day control measurements of glucose level were conducted. On the 70th day animals were taken out of experiment by decapitation under ether anesthesia. The concentration of glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, triglycerides, cholesterine, HLD and LDL were measured in blood serum. Additionally anxiety level of animals was evaluated before and after STZ injection using Elevated plusmaze. The comparison of physical fatigue of control and experimental groups was performed using treadmill. On the 37th day blood glucose concentration of control group animals was 6.6±0.4 mmol/L. 33% of animals (13 of 40) with glucose level 11.0 mmol/L or higher formed the experimental group (average glucose level 16.2±1.3 mmol/L), other 27 rats had normal glucose level. The anxiety level of diabetic rats was higher than in control group. Diabetic rats showed significantly lower physical fatigue than control rats. On the 44th and 60th day of experiment glucose level in experimental rats from group 2 (15.5±1.4 и 14.8±1.2 mmol/L) was significantly higher than of control animals (7.0±0.5 и 6.8±0.3 mmol/L). Glycated hemoglobin level in blood serum of diabetic group (7.2±0.7%) was significantly higher than of control group (3.3±0.2%). This proves the progression of stable long-term hyperglycemia. According to results represented model can be used for initial experimental evaluation of tested antidiabetic biologically active substances.

Development of Nurse Self-Concept in Nursing Students: The Effects of a Peer-Mentoring Experience.

PubMed

Ford, Yvonne

2015-09-01

Positive nurse self-concept has been shown to increase job productivity, retention, and job satisfaction. Student participation in peer-mentoring experiences has been shown to increase self-confidence and understanding of the role of the nurse leader. The Nurse Self-Concept Questionnaire (NSCQ) was used to measure the nurse self-concept of senior baccalaureate nursing students before and after completion of a peer-mentoring experience. Female students scored significantly higher on two subscales of the NSCQ than male students prior to the peer-mentoring experience. This difference was not seen after the experience. Mean changes in scores on all six dimensions of self-concept measured by the NSCQ were significantly higher after the mentoring experience. Further investigation of male students' experiences in clinical settings may be warranted. The experience of mentoring lower-level students offers practice for upper-level nursing students in providing direction, exercising leadership and management skills, and working as a member of the health care team. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

Teachers' Affective Well-being and Teaching Experience: The Protective Role of Perceived Emotional Intelligence.

PubMed

Fernández-Berrocal, Pablo; Gutiérrez-Cobo, María J; Rodriguez-Corrales, Juan; Cabello, Rosario

2017-01-01

Teaching is a highly emotional and demanding profession. Developing emotional well-being among teachers will benefit not only the teachers themselves, but also their students. Previous studies have shown the protective role of emotional intelligence (EI) as well as inconsistencies in the years of teaching experience variable on positive and negative work-specific variables. The aim of the present study was to analyze how EI and years of teaching experience are related to affective well-being in teachers. Further, we analyze the moderator role of perceived EI on the link between level of teaching experience and affective well-being. For these purpose, 524 teachers from different Spanish public schools took part in the study. They first completed the Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24 (TMMS-24) for measuring perceived EI, which evaluates three scales: Attention to one's Feelings (Attention), Emotional Clarity (Clarity), and Mood Repair (Repair). Secondly, they completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) for affective well-being, which measures Positive Affect (PA) and Negative Affect (NA). Finally, teachers indicated their years of teaching experience. The results revealed that teaching experience and attention variables are counterproductive in determining lower PA and higher NA, respectively. Clarity and Repair appeared to be a significant determinant of PA and NA, with higher Clarity and Repair determining higher PA and lower NA. Moderator analyses showed how teaching experience significantly decreased PA in teachers who had average or low levels of Repair, but not for those with higher levels of this variable, emphasizing the important role of Repair as a protector of affective well-being in teachers. Limitations and future areas for research are discussed.

Teachers’ Affective Well-being and Teaching Experience: The Protective Role of Perceived Emotional Intelligence

PubMed Central

Fernández-Berrocal, Pablo; Gutiérrez-Cobo, María J.; Rodriguez-Corrales, Juan; Cabello, Rosario

2017-01-01

Teaching is a highly emotional and demanding profession. Developing emotional well-being among teachers will benefit not only the teachers themselves, but also their students. Previous studies have shown the protective role of emotional intelligence (EI) as well as inconsistencies in the years of teaching experience variable on positive and negative work-specific variables. The aim of the present study was to analyze how EI and years of teaching experience are related to affective well-being in teachers. Further, we analyze the moderator role of perceived EI on the link between level of teaching experience and affective well-being. For these purpose, 524 teachers from different Spanish public schools took part in the study. They first completed the Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24 (TMMS-24) for measuring perceived EI, which evaluates three scales: Attention to one’s Feelings (Attention), Emotional Clarity (Clarity), and Mood Repair (Repair). Secondly, they completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) for affective well-being, which measures Positive Affect (PA) and Negative Affect (NA). Finally, teachers indicated their years of teaching experience. The results revealed that teaching experience and attention variables are counterproductive in determining lower PA and higher NA, respectively. Clarity and Repair appeared to be a significant determinant of PA and NA, with higher Clarity and Repair determining higher PA and lower NA. Moderator analyses showed how teaching experience significantly decreased PA in teachers who had average or low levels of Repair, but not for those with higher levels of this variable, emphasizing the important role of Repair as a protector of affective well-being in teachers. Limitations and future areas for research are discussed. PMID:29312074

Growth and Productivity Response of Hybrid Rice to Application of Animal Manures, Plant Residues and Phosphorus

PubMed Central

Amanullah; Khan, Shams-ul-Tamraiz; Iqbal, Asif; Fahad, Shah

2016-01-01

The objective of this research was to evaluate the impact of organic sources (animal manures vs. plant residues at the rate of 10 t ha−1 each) on the productivity of hybrid rice (Oryza sativa L.) production under different levels of phosphorus (0, 30, 60, and 90 kg P ha−1) fertilization. Two separate field experiments were conducted. In experiment (1), impact of three animal manures sources (cattle, sheep, and poultry manures) and P levels were studied along with one control plot (no animal manure and P applied) was investigated. In experiment (2), three plant residues sources (peach leaves, garlic residues, and wheat straw) and P levels were studied along with one control plot (no plant residues and P applied). Both the experiments were carried out on small land farmer field at District Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (Northwest Pakistan) during summer 2015. The results revealed that in both experiments the control plot had significantly (p ≤ 0.05) less productivity than the average of all treated plots with organic sources and P level. The increase in P levels in both experiments (animal manure vs. plant residues) resulted in higher rice productivity (90 > 60 > 30 > 0 kg P ha−1). In the experiment under animal manures, application of poultry manure increased rice productivity as compared with sheep and cattle manures (poultry > sheep > cattle manures). In the experiment under plant residues, application of peach leaves or garlic residues had higher rice productivity than wheat straw (peach leaves = garlic residues > wheat straw). On average, rice grown under animal manures produced about 20% higher grain yield than rice grown under crop residues. We conclude from this study that application of 90 kg P ha−1 along with combined application of animal manures, especially poultry manure increases rice productivity. Also, the use of either garlic residues or peach leaves, never applied before as organic manures, can increase crop productivity and will help in degraded soil for sustainable soil management. PMID:27803701

Childhood trauma, psychosis liability and social stress reactivity: a virtual reality study.

PubMed

Veling, W; Counotte, J; Pot-Kolder, R; van Os, J; van der Gaag, M

2016-12-01

Childhood trauma is associated with higher risk for mental disorders, including psychosis. Heightened sensitivity to social stress may be a mechanism. This virtual reality study tested the effect of childhood trauma on level of paranoid ideations and distress in response to social stress, in interaction with psychosis liability and level of social stress exposure. Seventy-five individuals with higher psychosis liability (55 with recent onset psychotic disorder and 20 at ultra-high risk for psychosis) and 95 individuals with lower psychosis liability (42 siblings and 53 controls) were exposed to a virtual café in five experiments with 0-3 social stressors (crowded, other ethnicity and hostility). Paranoid ideation was measured after each experiment. Subjective distress was self-rated before and after experiments. Multilevel random regression analyses were used to test main effects of childhood trauma and interaction effects. Childhood trauma was more prevalent in individuals with higher psychosis liability, and was associated with higher level of (subclinical) psychotic and affective symptoms. Individuals with a history of childhood trauma responded with more subjective distress to virtual social stress exposures. The effects of childhood trauma on paranoia and subjective distress were significantly stronger when the number of virtual environmental stressors increased. Higher psychosis liability increased the effect of childhood trauma on peak subjective distress and stress reactivity during experiments. Childhood trauma is associated with heightened social stress sensitivity and may contribute to psychotic and affective dysregulation later in life, through a sensitized paranoid and stress response to social stressors.

Exposing Whiteness in Higher Education: White Male College Students Minimizing Racism, Claiming Victimization, and Recreating White Supremacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cabrera, Nolan León

2014-01-01

This research critically examines racial views and experiences of 12 white men in a single higher education institution via semi-structured interviews. Participants tended to utilize individualized definitions of racism and experience high levels of racial segregation in both their pre-college and college environments. This corresponded to…

Trends in caries experience and associated contextual factors among indigenous children.

PubMed

Ha, Diep Hong; Lalloo, Ratilal; Jamieson, Lisa M; Giang Do, Loc

2016-06-01

To assess dental caries trends in indigenous children in South Australia, 2001-2010; and contribution by area-level socioeconomic status (SES), remoteness and water fluoridation status. This study is a part of the Child Dental Health Survey (CDHS) is an ongoing national surveillance survey in Australia including children enrolled in the School Dental Services (SDS). Postcode-level adjusted mean deciduous and permanent caries experience was estimated at each year. Time trend of dental caries experience was estimated using mixed effect models. Area-level socioeconomic status, remoteness, water fluoridation status were independent variables in the models. There was a significant upward trend of dental caries experience over the 10 years. Dental caries experience of indigenous children living in low SES areas had nearly one more deciduous tooth and a half permanent tooth with caries than indigenous children living in higher SES areas. The remote postcodes showed higher levels of decay in deciduous dentition (+1.25 teeth) compared with others regions. The dental caries trend increased in South Australian indigenous children over the study period, and was associated with area-level SES and remoteness. The increasing trend in dental caries in indigenous children is important evidence to inform policies to improve oral health. © 2015 American Association of Public Health Dentistry.

Experiences With Parents and Youth Physical Health Symptoms and Cortisol: A Daily Diary Investigation

PubMed Central

Lippold, Melissa A.; McHale, Susan M.; Davis, Kelly D.; Almeida, David M.; King, Rosalind B.

2014-01-01

Using daily diary data, this study examined the associations between positive and negative parent-youth experiences and youth cortisol and physical health symptoms among a sample of adolescents (N=132, Mean Age = 13.39). On days when girls reported more negative experiences than usual, they exhibited more physical health symptoms and flatter evening cortisol slopes than usual. Negative experiences with mothers were associated with higher dinner and bedtime youth cortisol levels (between-person). Daily positive experiences with fathers were linked with lower dinner cortisol levels. Youth with high levels of negative experiences, on average, were less sensitive to daily variation in negative experiences than youth who experienced lower parental negativity. We discuss the benefits of a daily diary approach. PMID:27231418

Leading in Middle Management in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pepper, Coral; Giles, Wendy

2015-01-01

In this article we discuss the experiences of academics who occupy middle-level leadership roles in higher education. We use the term middle management to describe personnel occupying positions below the level of dean and often referred to as associate deans or heads of school. Practitioners rarely turn their attention to their own organizations,…

Internationalizing Higher Education in Singapore: Government Policies and the NUS Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daquila, Teofilo C.

2013-01-01

The internationalization of higher education has become an important policy and research agenda. At the national level, different countries have responded differently with some countries becoming more open than others. At the local level, universities have also reacted differently with some becoming more liberal and innovative than others. Thus,…

Perceived Levels of Frustration During Clinical Situations in Athletic Training Students

PubMed Central

Heinerichs, Scott; Curtis, Neil; Gardiner-Shires, Alison

2014-01-01

Context: Athletic training students (ATSs) are involved in various situations during the clinical experience that may cause them to express levels of frustration. Understanding levels of frustration in ATSs is important because frustration can affect student learning, and the clinical experience is critical to their development as professionals. Objective:  To explore perceived levels of frustration in ATSs during clinical situations and to determine if those perceptions differ based on sex. Design:  Cross-sectional study with a survey instrument. Setting:  A total of 14 of 19 professional, undergraduate athletic training programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education in Pennsylvania. Patients or Other Participants:  Of a possible 438 athletic training students, 318 (72.6%) completed the survey. Main Outcomes Measure(s):  The Athletic Training Student Frustration Inventory was developed and administered. The survey gathered demographic information and included 24 Likert-scale items centering on situations associated with the clinical experience. Descriptive statistics were computed on all items. The Mann-Whitney U was used to evaluate differences between male and female students. Results:  A higher level of frustration was perceived during the following clinical situations: lack of respect by student-athletes and coaching staffs, the demands of the clinical experience, inability of ATSs to perform or remember skills, and ATSs not having the opportunity to apply their skills daily. Higher levels of frustration were perceived in female than male ATSs in several areas. Conclusions:  Understanding student frustration during clinical situations is important to better appreciate the clinical education experience. Low levels of this emotion are expected; however, when higher levels exist, learning can be affected. Whereas we cannot eliminate student frustrations, athletic training programs and preceptors need to be aware of this emotion in order to create an environment that is more conducive to learning. PMID:24143904

Games at work: the recreational use of computer games during working hours.

PubMed

Reinecke, Leonard

2009-08-01

The present study investigated the recreational use of video and computer games in the workplace. In an online survey, 833 employed users of online casual games reported on their use of computer games during working hours. The data indicate that playing computer games in the workplace elicits substantial levels of recovery experience. Recovery experience associated with gameplay was the strongest predictor for the use of games in the workplace. Furthermore, individuals with higher levels of work-related fatigue reported stronger recovery experience during gameplay and showed a higher tendency to play games during working hours than did persons with lower levels of work strain. Additionally, the social situation at work was found to have a significant influence on the use of games. Persons receiving less social support from colleagues and supervisors played games at work more frequently than did individuals with higher levels of social support. Furthermore, job control was positively related to the use of games at work. In sum, the results of the present study illustrate that computer games have a significant recovery potential. Implications of these findings for research on personal computer use during work and for games research in general are discussed.

Daily Events are Important for Age Differences in Mean and Duration for Negative Affect but not Positive Affect

PubMed Central

Charles, Susan T.; Mogle, Jacqueline; Urban, Emily J.; Almeida, David M.

2016-01-01

Across midlife and into old age, older adults often report lower levels of negative affect and similar if not higher levels of positive affect than relatively younger adults. Researchers have offered a simple explanation for this result: age is related to reductions in stressors and increases in pleasurable activities that result in higher levels of well-being. The current study examines subjective reports of emotional experience assessed across eight days in a large sample of adults (N=2022) ranging from 35 to 84 years-old. By modeling age differences before and after adjusting for daily positive uplifts and negative stressors, this paper assesses the extent to which daily events account for age differences in positive and negative affect reports. Consistent with previous research, we found that older age is related to lower means levels and shorter duration of a negative emotional experience in a model only adjusting for gender, education and ethnicity. After adjusting for daily events, however, the linear age-related effects were no longer significant. For positive affect, adjusting for daily events did not alter age-related patterns of experiencing higher mean levels and longer positive experience duration, suggesting that other factors underlie age-related increases in positive affect. PMID:27684103

Daily events are important for age differences in mean and duration for negative affect but not positive affect.

PubMed

Charles, Susan T; Mogle, Jacqueline; Urban, Emily J; Almeida, David M

2016-11-01

Across midlife and into old age, older adults often report lower levels of negative affect and similar if not higher levels of positive affect than relatively younger adults. Researchers have offered a simple explanation for this result: Age is related to reductions in stressors and increases in pleasurable activities that result in higher levels of well-being. The current study examines subjective reports of emotional experience assessed across 8 days in a large sample of adults (N = 2,022) ranging from 35 to 84 years old. By modeling age differences before and after adjusting for daily positive uplifts and negative stressors, this article assesses the extent to which daily events account for age differences in positive and negative affect reports. Consistent with previous research, the authors found that older age is related to lower mean levels and shorter duration of a negative emotional experience in a model only adjusting for gender, education, and ethnicity. After adjusting for daily events, however, the linear age-related effects were no longer significant. For positive affect, adjusting for daily events did not alter age-related patterns of experiencing higher mean levels and longer positive experience duration, suggesting that other factors underlie age-related increases in positive affect. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Internationalization of Higher Education in China and Its Development Direction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Dong

2011-01-01

The internationalization of higher education plays an important role in education, but from the perspective of the whole society, there is a higher level of significance. Combining with foreign experience, this paper holds that internationalization of higher education in China should be established to promote international education by…

The effect of lifetime fluoridation exposure on dental caries experience of younger rural adults.

PubMed

Crocombe, L A; Brennan, D S; Slade, G D; Stewart, J F; Spencer, A J

2015-03-01

The aim of this study was to confirm whether the level of lifetime fluoridation exposure is associated with lower dental caries experience in younger adults (15-46 years). Data of the cohort born between 1960 and 1990 residing outside Australia's capital cities from the 2004-2006 Australian National Survey of Adult Oral Health were analysed. Residential history questionnaires were used to determine the percentage of each person's lifetime exposure to fluoridated water (<50%/50+%). Examiners recorded decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth (DMFT). Socio-demographic variables, periodontal risk factors, and access to dental care were included in multivariable least-squares regression models. In bivariate analysis, the higher level of fluoridation category had significantly lower DMFT (mean 6.01 [SE=0.62]) than the lower level of fluoridation group (9.14 [SE=0.73] p<0.01) and lower numbers of filled teeth (4.08 [SE=0.43], 7.06 [SE=0.62], p<0.01). In multivariate analysis, the higher number of full-time equivalent dentists per 100,000 people was associated with a lower mean number of missing teeth (regression coefficient estimate=-1.75, p=0.03), and the higher level of water fluoridation with a lower mean DMFT (-2.45, p<0.01) and mean number of filled teeth (-2.52, p<0.01). The higher level of lifetime fluoridation exposure was associated with substantially lower caries experience in younger rural adults, largely due to a lower number of filled teeth. © 2015 Australian Dental Association.

Patients' Perspectives of Oral Healthcare Providers' Communication: Considering the Impact of Message Source and Content.

PubMed

Fico, Ashley E; Lagoe, Carolyn

2018-08-01

This study explores patients' perceptions of positive and negative communication experiences with dentists and dental hygienists using a sample of 267 individuals who reported having a general dental provider. Patients' oral health literacy, dental mistrust, use of dental health services, anxiety, and provider satisfaction are examined on the basis of reported communication experiences in the dental context. When comparing participants who had or had not experienced positive communication with a dentist, individuals with positive experiences demonstrated significantly higher levels of oral health literacy and provider satisfaction, as well as lower levels of dental mistrust. Participants who had experienced negative communication with a dentist reported significantly higher levels of anxiety and dental mistrust, as well as greater likelihood of ever leaving a dental practice, as compared to those without negative communication experiences. By contrast, positive and negative communication experiences with hygienists had limited impact on patient outcomes. Information derived from this investigation can be used by dental providers to guide communicative actions with patients, as well as by scholars to enhance existing theoretical explanations of the function of communication in dentistry.

The Transitional Experience: An Alternative View of Culture Shock

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adler, Peter S.

1975-01-01

This article contended that the problems and frustrations encountered in the culture shock process are important to an understanding of change and movement experiences, and that such transitional experiences can be the source of higher levels of personality development. (Author/RK)

The association between spiritual well-being and burnout in intensive care unit nurses: A descriptive study.

PubMed

Kim, Hyun Sook; Yeom, Hye-Ah

2018-06-01

To describe the spiritual well-being and burnout of intensive care unit nurses and examine the relationship between these factors. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. The participants were 318 intensive care unit recruited from three university hospitals in South Korea. The survey questionnaire included demographic information, work-related characteristics and end-of-life care experience, along with the Spiritual Well-Being Scale and Burnout Questionnaire. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA with Scheffé test and a multiple regression analysis. The burnout level among intensive care unit nurses was 3.15 out of 5. A higher level of burnout was significantly associated with younger age, lower education level, single marital status, having no religion, less work experience and previous end-of-life care experience. Higher levels of spiritual well-being were associated with lower levels of burnout, even after controlling for the general characteristics in the regression model. Intensive care unit nurses experience a high level of burnout in general. Increased spiritual well-being might reduce burnout among intensive care unit nurses. Younger and less experienced nurses should receive more attention as a vulnerable group with lower spirituality and greater burnout in intensive care unit settings. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Situational and dispositional influences on nurses' workplace well-being: the role of empowering unit leadership.

PubMed

Spence Laschinger, Heather K; Finegan, Joan; Wilk, Piotr

2011-01-01

Unit-level leadership and structural empowerment play key roles in creating healthy work environments, yet few researchers have examined these contextual effects on nurses' well-being. The aim of this study was to test a multilevel model of structural empowerment examining the effect of nursing unit leadership quality and structural empowerment on nurses' experiences of burnout and job satisfaction and to examine the effect of a personal dispositional variable, core self-evaluation, on these nurse experiences. Nurses (n = 3,156) from 217 hospital units returned surveys that included measures of leader-member exchange, structural empowerment, burnout, core self-evaluation, and job satisfaction. Multilevel structural equation modeling was used to test the model. Nurses' shared perceptions of leader-member exchange quality on their units positively influenced their shared perceptions of unit structural empowerment (Level 2), which resulted in significantly higher levels of individual nurse job satisfaction (Level 1). Unit-level leader-member exchange quality also directly influenced individual nurse job satisfaction. Unit leader-member exchange quality and structural empowerment influenced emotional exhaustion and cynicism differentially. Higher unit-level leader-member exchange quality was associated with lower cynicism; higher unit-level structural empowerment was associated with lower emotional exhaustion. At Level 1, higher core self-evaluation was associated with lower levels of both emotional exhaustion and cynicism, both of which were associated with lower job satisfaction. This study provides a theoretical understanding of how unit leadership affects both unit- and individual-level outcomes.

Public knowledge and perceptions of black-tailed prairie dogs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lamb, B.L.; Cline, K.

2003-01-01

Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) historically occupied an 11-state region of the United States. We surveyed 1,900 residents (response rate 56%) of this region to understand citizen knowledge and perceptions about prairie dogs and their management. Those who have direct experience - e.g., those who live very close to prairie dog colonies or know the location of the nearest colony - have higher levels of knowledge. A significantly higher level of knowledge was documented among those who were politically active when compared with the general public. Those who found environmental issues difficult to understand were associated with lower knowledge. People with direct experience were likely to hold negative views, whereas those holding environmentalist values were likely to express positive attitudes toward the species. Although those with higher education reported more knowledge, there was no link between a person's level of knowledge and perceptions of prairie dog management.

Object Categorization in Finer Levels Relies More on Higher Spatial Frequencies and Takes Longer.

PubMed

Ashtiani, Matin N; Kheradpisheh, Saeed R; Masquelier, Timothée; Ganjtabesh, Mohammad

2017-01-01

The human visual system contains a hierarchical sequence of modules that take part in visual perception at different levels of abstraction, i.e., superordinate, basic, and subordinate levels. One important question is to identify the "entry" level at which the visual representation is commenced in the process of object recognition. For a long time, it was believed that the basic level had a temporal advantage over two others. This claim has been challenged recently. Here we used a series of psychophysics experiments, based on a rapid presentation paradigm, as well as two computational models, with bandpass filtered images of five object classes to study the processing order of the categorization levels. In these experiments, we investigated the type of visual information required for categorizing objects in each level by varying the spatial frequency bands of the input image. The results of our psychophysics experiments and computational models are consistent. They indicate that the different spatial frequency information had different effects on object categorization in each level. In the absence of high frequency information, subordinate and basic level categorization are performed less accurately, while the superordinate level is performed well. This means that low frequency information is sufficient for superordinate level, but not for the basic and subordinate levels. These finer levels rely more on high frequency information, which appears to take longer to be processed, leading to longer reaction times. Finally, to avoid the ceiling effect, we evaluated the robustness of the results by adding different amounts of noise to the input images and repeating the experiments. As expected, the categorization accuracy decreased and the reaction time increased significantly, but the trends were the same. This shows that our results are not due to a ceiling effect. The compatibility between our psychophysical and computational results suggests that the temporal advantage of the superordinate (resp. basic) level to basic (resp. subordinate) level is mainly due to the computational constraints (the visual system processes higher spatial frequencies more slowly, and categorization in finer levels depends more on these higher spatial frequencies).

Object Categorization in Finer Levels Relies More on Higher Spatial Frequencies and Takes Longer

PubMed Central

Ashtiani, Matin N.; Kheradpisheh, Saeed R.; Masquelier, Timothée; Ganjtabesh, Mohammad

2017-01-01

The human visual system contains a hierarchical sequence of modules that take part in visual perception at different levels of abstraction, i.e., superordinate, basic, and subordinate levels. One important question is to identify the “entry” level at which the visual representation is commenced in the process of object recognition. For a long time, it was believed that the basic level had a temporal advantage over two others. This claim has been challenged recently. Here we used a series of psychophysics experiments, based on a rapid presentation paradigm, as well as two computational models, with bandpass filtered images of five object classes to study the processing order of the categorization levels. In these experiments, we investigated the type of visual information required for categorizing objects in each level by varying the spatial frequency bands of the input image. The results of our psychophysics experiments and computational models are consistent. They indicate that the different spatial frequency information had different effects on object categorization in each level. In the absence of high frequency information, subordinate and basic level categorization are performed less accurately, while the superordinate level is performed well. This means that low frequency information is sufficient for superordinate level, but not for the basic and subordinate levels. These finer levels rely more on high frequency information, which appears to take longer to be processed, leading to longer reaction times. Finally, to avoid the ceiling effect, we evaluated the robustness of the results by adding different amounts of noise to the input images and repeating the experiments. As expected, the categorization accuracy decreased and the reaction time increased significantly, but the trends were the same. This shows that our results are not due to a ceiling effect. The compatibility between our psychophysical and computational results suggests that the temporal advantage of the superordinate (resp. basic) level to basic (resp. subordinate) level is mainly due to the computational constraints (the visual system processes higher spatial frequencies more slowly, and categorization in finer levels depends more on these higher spatial frequencies). PMID:28790954

College Drinking

MedlinePlus

... college community. Strategies Targeting Individual Students Individual-level interventions target students, including those in higher-risk groups ... experience fewer harmful consequences. Categories of individual-level interventions include: » Education and awareness programs Alcohol poisoning and ...

Enhanced Perceptual Processing of Speech in Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jarvinen-Pasley, Anna; Wallace, Gregory L.; Ramus, Franck; Happe, Francesca; Heaton, Pamela

2008-01-01

Theories of autism have proposed that a bias towards low-level perceptual information, or a featural/surface-biased information-processing style, may compromise higher-level language processing in such individuals. Two experiments, utilizing linguistic stimuli with competing low-level/perceptual and high-level/semantic information, tested…

Prior experiences of racial discrimination and racial differences in health care system distrust.

PubMed

Armstrong, Katrina; Putt, Mary; Halbert, Chanita H; Grande, David; Schwartz, Jerome Sanford; Liao, Kaijun; Marcus, Noora; Demeter, Mirar B; Shea, Judy A

2013-02-01

Factors contributing to racial differences in health care system distrust (HCSD) are currently unknown. Proposed potential contributing factors are prior experiences of racial discrimination and racial residential segregation. Random digit dialing survey of 762 African American and 1267 white adults living in 40 US metropolitan statistical areas. Measures included the Revised Health Care System Distrust scale, the Experiences of Discrimination scale, metrics of access to care, sociodemographic characteristics, and the level of racial residential segregation in the city (using the isolation index). In unadjusted analyses, African Americans had higher levels of HCSD, particularly values distrust, and greater experiences of discrimination. Experience of discrimination was also strongly associated with HCSD. Adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, health care access, and residential segregation had little effect on the association between African American race and overall HCSD or values distrust. In contrast, adjusting for experiences of racial discrimination reversed the association so that distrust was lower among African Americans than whites (odds ratio 0.53; 95% confidence interval, 0.33-0.85 for the overall measure). The Sobel test for mediation was strongly significant (P<0.001). Higher HCSD among African Americans is explained by a greater burden of experiences of racial discrimination than whites. Reasons for higher distrust among whites after adjusting for experiences of racial discrimination are not known. Efforts to eliminate racial discrimination and restore trust given prior discrimination are needed.

The Faculty Self-Reported Assessment Survey (FRAS): Differentiating Faculty Knowledge and Experience in Assessment

PubMed Central

Hanauer, David I.; Bauerle, Cynthia

2015-01-01

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education reform efforts have called for widespread adoption of evidence-based teaching in which faculty members attend to student outcomes through assessment practice. Awareness about the importance of assessment has illuminated the need to understand what faculty members know and how they engage with assessment knowledge and practice. The Faculty Self-Reported Assessment Survey (FRAS) is a new instrument for evaluating science faculty assessment knowledge and experience. Instrument validation was composed of two distinct studies: an empirical evaluation of the psychometric properties of the FRAS and a comparative known-groups validation to explore the ability of the FRAS to differentiate levels of faculty assessment experience. The FRAS was found to be highly reliable (α = 0.96). The dimensionality of the instrument enabled distinction of assessment knowledge into categories of program design, instrumentation, and validation. In the known-groups validation, the FRAS distinguished between faculty groups with differing levels of assessment experience. Faculty members with formal assessment experience self-reported higher levels of familiarity with assessment terms, higher frequencies of assessment activity, increased confidence in conducting assessment, and more positive attitudes toward assessment than faculty members who were novices in assessment. These results suggest that the FRAS can reliably and validly differentiate levels of expertise in faculty knowledge of assessment. PMID:25976653

First, Get Your Feet Wet: The Effects of Learning from Direct and Indirect Experience on Team Creativity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gino, Francesca; Argote, Linda; Miron-Spektor, Ella; Todorova, Gergana

2010-01-01

How does prior experience influence team creativity? We address this question by examining the effects of task experience acquired directly and task experience acquired vicariously from others on team creativity in a product-development task. Across three laboratory studies, we find that direct task experience leads to higher levels of team…

Adolescent experiences of discrimination, harassment, connectedness to community and comfort with sexual orientation reported by adult men who have sex with men as a predictor of adult HIV status.

PubMed

Raymond, H Fisher; Chen, Yea-Hung; Stall, Ron D; McFarland, Willi

2011-04-01

Using data from a probability based sample of adult men who have sex with men (MSM) we examined the association of negative life factors during adolescence and adult HIV status. 521 MSM reported on experiences of connectedness to community, comfort with sexuality, harassment and discrimination due to their sexual orientation at ages 12-18 years. HIV status was determined by serological testing. Overall, men reported moderate levels of being harassed, being discriminated against and high levels of feeling disconnected from gay communities while reporting high levels of being uncomfortable with their sexuality at those ages. However, in analyses of scores on these factors, higher experiences of harassment, higher levels of discrimination and more discomfort with sexuality at these ages are associated with HIV-negative status as adults. This study suggests that the relationship between negative adolescent experiences among MSM and adult HIV infection may not be straightforward, but may also dependent upon aspects of the intensity of the negative experiences, the relationship of the victim and the perpertrator(s), the sexual identity of the victim at the time and/or the number of these experiences or the length of time over which they occurred. Studies investigating specific multiple stressors in adolescent gay development and their effect on adult health outcomes are needed.

Psychometric Characteristics of a Patient Reported Outcome Measure on Ego-Integrity and Despair among Cancer Patients

PubMed Central

Kleijn, Gitta; Post, Lenneke; Witte, Birgit I.; Bohlmeijer, Ernst T.; Westerhof, Gerben J.; Cuijpers, Pim; Verdonck-de Leeuw, Irma M.

2016-01-01

Purpose To evaluate psychometric characteristics of a questionnaire (the Northwestern Ego-integrity Scale (NEIS)) on ego-integrity (the experience of wholeness and meaning in life, even in spite of negative experiences) and despair (the experience of regret about the life one has led, and feelings of sadness, failure and hopelessness) among cancer patients. Methods Cancer patients (n = 164) completed patient reported outcome measures on ego-integrity and despair (NEIS), psychological distress, anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)), and quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30 (cancer survivors, n = 57) or EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL (advanced cancer patients, n = 107)). Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used to assess construct validity. Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess internal consistency. Convergent validity was tested based on a priori defined hypotheses: a higher level of ego-integrity was expected to be related to a higher level of quality of life, and lower levels of distress, depression and anxiety; a higher level of despair was expected to be related to a lower level of quality of life, and higher levels of distress, depression and anxiety. Results The majority of all items (94.5%) of the NEIS were completed by patients and single item missing rate was below 2%. The two subscales, labeled as Ego-integrity (5 items) and Despair (4 items) had acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha .72 and .61, respectively). The Ego-integrity subscale was not significantly associated with quality of life, distress, anxiety, or depression. The Despair subscale correlated significantly (p <.001) with quality of life (r = -.29), distress (r = .44), anxiety (r = .47) and depression (r = .32). Conclusion The NEIS has good psychometric characteristics to assess ego-integrity and despair among cancer patients. PMID:27195750

Interactive effects of early and recent exposure to stressful contexts on cortisol reactivity in middle childhood.

PubMed

Jaffee, Sara R; McFarquhar, Tara; Stevens, Suzanne; Ouellet-Morin, Isabelle; Melhuish, Edward; Belsky, Jay

2015-02-01

Given mixed findings as to whether stressful experiences and relationships are associated with increases or decreases in children's cortisol reactivity, we tested whether a child's developmental history of risk exposure explained variation in cortisol reactivity to an experimentally induced task. We also tested whether the relationship between cortisol reactivity and children's internalizing and externalizing problems varied as a function of their developmental history of stressful experiences and relationships. Participants included 400 children (M = 9.99 years, SD = 0.74 years) from the Children's Experiences and Development Study. Early risk exposure was measured by children's experiences of harsh, nonresponsive parenting at 3 years. Recent risk exposure was measured by children's exposure to traumatic events in the past year. Children's cortisol reactivity was measured in response to a social provocation task and parents and teachers described children's internalizing and externalizing problems. The effect of recent exposure to traumatic events was partially dependent upon a child's early experiences of harsh, nonresponsive parenting: the more traumatic events children had recently experienced, the greater their cortisol reactivity if they had experienced lower (but not higher) levels of harsh, nonresponsive parenting at age 3. The lowest levels of cortisol reactivity were observed among children who had experienced the most traumatic events in the past year and higher (vs. lower) levels of harsh, nonresponsive parenting in early childhood. Among youth who experienced harsh, nonresponsive parent-child relationships in early childhood and later traumatic events, lower levels of cortisol reactivity were associated with higher levels of internalizing and externalizing problems. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity to psychological stressors and the relationship between HPA axis reactivity and children's internalizing and externalizing problems vary as a function of a child's developmental history of exposure to stressful relationships and experiences. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Individual Differences in the Expression of Conditioned Fear Are Associated with Endogenous Fibroblast Growth Factor 2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, Bronwyn M.; Richardson, Rick

2016-01-01

These experiments examined the relationship between the neurotrophic factor fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) and individual differences in the expression of conditioned fear. Experiments 1 and 2 demonstrated that rats naturally expressing low levels of contextual or cued fear have higher levels of hippocampal FGF2 relative to rats that express…

Exploring the Supervision Experiences of Student Affairs Mid-Level Leaders in Catholic Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wenzel, Dorothy Ann

2013-01-01

This qualitative study examined the supervision experiences of 17 student affairs department directors at six Catholic colleges and universities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The study focused on the supervision and management skills needed by mid-level managers, and probed if and how they acquired those skills.…

Emotional Experience in Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia—No Evidence for a Generalized Hedonic Deficit

PubMed Central

Oorschot, Margreet; Lataster, Tineke; Thewissen, Viviane; Lardinois, Mariëlle; Wichers, Marieke; van Os, Jim; Delespaul, Philippe; Myin-Germeys, Inez

2013-01-01

Background: Deficits in emotion processing are thought to underlie the key negative symptoms flat affect and anhedonia observed in psychotic disorders. This study investigated emotional experience and social behavior in the realm of daily life in a sample of patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, stratified by level of negative symptoms. Methods: Emotional experience and behavior of 149 patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder and 143 controls were explored using the Experience Sampling Method. Results: Patients reported lower levels of positive and higher levels of negative affect compared with controls. High negative symptom patients reported similar emotional stability and capacity to generate positive affect as controls, whereas low negative symptom patients reported increased instability. All participants displayed roughly comparable emotional responses to the company of other people. However, in comparison with controls, patients showed more social withdrawal and preference to be alone while in company, particularly the high negative symptom group. Conclusions: This study revealed no evidence for a generalized hedonic deficit in patients with psychotic spectrum disorders. Lower rather than higher levels of negative symptoms were associated with a pattern of emotional processing which was different from healthy controls. PMID:22021660

Healthcare professionals' attitudes, knowledge and self-efficacy levels regarding the use of self-hypnosis in childbirth: A prospective questionnaire survey.

PubMed

McAllister, Sophie; Coxon, Kirstie; Murrells, T; Sandall, J

2017-04-01

to examine healthcare professionals' attitudes, knowledge and levels of self-efficacy regarding the use of self-hypnosis in childbirth. a prospective survey. two large maternity units in London, England. healthcare professionals (n=129) involved in the care of childbearing women (anaesthetists, midwives and obstetricians). online questionnaire assessing healthcare professionals' experience, knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy relating to self-hypnosis in childbirth. attitude, self-efficacy and knowledge. over half of the participants surveyed (56%) reported they had minimal or no knowledge of hypnosis. Higher levels of knowledge were associated with higher levels of self-efficacy (p<0.001) and also with more positive attitudes (p<.001). Midwives reported significantly higher levels of knowledge, more positive attitudes (7.25, 95% CI: 4.60-9.89) and higher levels of self-efficacy (3.48, 95% CI: 1.46-5.51) than doctors. Midwives also reported more exposure to/experience of hypnosis than doctors, and more exposure was significantly associated with higher levels of self-efficacy (midwives p<.001; doctors p=.001). Professionals who would plan to use self-hypnosis in their own or partners' births had significantly higher self-efficacy scores (p<.001). if healthcare professionals are to effectively support women using self-hypnosis in childbirth, they need to be confident in their ability to facilitate this method. Previous research has established that self-efficacy is a strong indicator of performance. Professionals with more knowledge of self-hypnosis are also more confident in supporting women using this technique in childbirth. Multi-disciplinary staff training which aims to increase knowledge, and which includes exposure to hypnosis in labour, may be beneficial in assisting staff to support women choosing to use self-hypnosis in labour. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dissociative experiences in patients with epilepsy.

PubMed

Özdemir, Osman; Cilingir, Vedat; Özdemir, Pınar Güzel; Milanlioglu, Aysel; Hamamci, Mehmet; Yilmaz, Ekrem

2016-03-01

A few studies have explored dissociative experiences in epilepsy patients. We investigated dissociative experiences in patients with epilepsy using the dissociative experiences scale (DES). Ninety-eight patients with epilepsy and sixty healthy controls were enrolled in this study. A sociodemographic questionnaire and the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were administered to the participants. The DES scores were significantly higher for the patients with epilepsy than the healthy individuals. The number of individuals with pathological dissociation (DES ≥ 30) was higher in the epilepsy group (n = 28) than in the control group (n = 8). Also, higher levels of dissociation were significantly associated with frequency of seizures, but were not associated with duration of epilepsy and age at onset of the disorder. These findings demonstrate that patients with epilepsy are more prone to dissociation than controls. The high rate of dissociative experiences among patients with epilepsy suggest that some epilepsy-related factors are present.

Trauma-Related Dissociation Is Linked With Maladaptive Personality Functioning

PubMed Central

Granieri, Antonella; Guglielmucci, Fanny; Costanzo, Antonino; Caretti, Vincenzo; Schimmenti, Adriano

2018-01-01

Background: Extensive research has demonstrated the positive associations among the exposure to traumatic experiences, the levels of dissociation, and the severity of psychiatric symptoms in adults. However, it has been hypothesized in clinical literature that an excessive activation of the dissociative processes following multiple traumatic experiences may jeopardize the psychological and behavioral functioning of the individuals, fostering higher levels of maladaptive personality functioning. Methods: The study involved 322 adult volunteers from Italy. Participants completed measures on traumatic experiences, dissociation, and maladaptive personality traits. Results: The number of traumatic experiences reported by participants were positively associated with dissociation scores and maladaptive personality scores. Mediation analyses showed that dissociation acted as a partial mediator in the relationship between traumatic experiences and overall maladaptive personality functioning. Regression curve analyses showed that the positive association between maladaptive personality functioning and dissociation was stronger among participants with higher exposure to traumatic experiences. Conclusion: Exposure to multiple traumatic experiences may increase the risk for an excessive activation of the dissociative processes, which in turn may generate severe impairments in multiple domains of personality functioning. PMID:29887807

Student-Customer Orientation at a Higher Education Institution: The Perspective of Undergraduate Business Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koris, Riina; Örtenblad, Anders; Kerem, Katri; Ojala, Triinu

2015-01-01

Existing literature is polarized and primarily conceptual on the topic of student-customer orientation. Research into this phenomenon has failed to realize that higher education as such consists of several different educational experiences and has therefore addressed and studied the issue at too general a level, i.e. at the level of the higher…

Evaluating the Use of Synoptic Assessment to Engage and Develop Lower Level Higher Education Students within a Further Education Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southall, Jane; Wason, Hilary

2016-01-01

Engaging less academically qualified Higher Education students being taught within a Further Education setting, who have weaker study skills and little experience of independent learning, is challenging. Confidence and motivation levels are often low and they feel overwhelmed. Effective assessment design is crucial and needs to capitalise on…

Impact of Plumbing Age on Copper Levels in Drinking Water

EPA Science Inventory

Theory and limited practical experiences suggest that higher copper levels in drinking water tap samples are typically associated with newer plumbing systems, and levels decrease with increasing plumbing age. Past researchers have developed a conceptual model to explain the “agin...

Family Functioning and Children's Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms in a Referred Sample Exposed to Interparental Violence.

PubMed

Telman, Machteld D; Overbeek, Mathilde M; de Schipper, J Clasien; Lamers-Winkelman, Francien; Finkenauer, Catrin; Schuengel, Carlo

This study examined the association between interparental violence (IPV), child abuse and neglect, other traumatic experiences, and children's post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms and explored the moderating role of family functioning in the aftermath of IPV. One hundred and twenty IPV-exposed children (53.3 % male, M age = 9.85) and parents who were referred to community mental health centers participated in the study. Combined, IPV, child abuse and neglect, and other traumatic experiences were associated with PTS symptoms. For family functioning, higher levels of parenting stress were associated with higher levels of PTS symptoms. No moderating effects were found. To understand the variability in PTS symptoms among children exposed to IPV, other traumatic and stressful experiences need to be taken into account.

Expanding the test of counterfeit deviance: are sexual knowledge, experience and needs a factor in the sexualised challenging behaviour of adults with intellectual disability?

PubMed

Lockhart, K; Guerin, S; Shanahan, S; Coyle, K

2010-01-01

It is posited within the literature that the sexualised challenging behaviour of adults with intellectual disability may be influenced by low levels of sexual knowledge, lack of sexual experience and unmet sexual needs. In this study, individuals with sexualised challenging behaviour were identified and matched for gender, age and ability level with individuals recruited to the non-sexualised and no challenging behaviour groups. All (n=24) were interviewed using the Socio-Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Tool - Revised (SSKAAT-R) and the Sexual Knowledge, Experience and Needs Scale for Intellectual Disability (Sex-Ken-ID) to assess their sexual knowledge, experience and needs. Adaptive behaviour was measured as a covariate. In the current study, contrary to expectations in the wider literature, the sexualised challenging behaviour group showed significantly higher levels of sexual knowledge in several areas when adaptive behaviour was controlled. Their needs in relation to Dating and Intimacy were also significantly higher but no differences were found between groups in relation to sexual experience. The implications of these findings for service provision are outlined along with the considerations of directions for future research.

Pre-Assault Personality Predicts the Nature of Adverse Outcomes Among Sexual Assault Victims.

PubMed

Combs, Jessica L; Riley, Elizabeth N; Peterson, Sarah J; Jordan, Carol E; Smith, Gregory T

2018-03-01

Exposure to sexual assault results in ongoing harms for women. After an assault, some women engage in higher levels of externalizing behaviors, such as problem drinking, and others experience higher levels of internalizing dysfunction, such as symptoms of anxiety and depression. We sought to understand the role of premorbid factors on the different post-assault experiences of women. We studied 1,929 women prospectively during a period of high risk for sexual assault (the first year of college): women were assessed in July before arriving at college and in April near the end of the school year. A premorbid personality disposition to act impulsively when distressed (negative urgency) interacted positively with sexual assault experience to predict subsequent increases in drinking behavior; a premorbid personality disposition toward internalizing dysfunction positively interacted with sexual assault experience to predict increased symptoms of anxiety and depression. Women with different personalities tend to experience different forms of post-assault consequences.

Dental caries and associated factors in twins with Down syndrome: a case report.

PubMed

Moreira, Maurício José Santos; Schwertner, Carolina; Dall'Onder, Ana Paula; Klaus, Natália Mincato; Parolo, Clarissa Cavalcanti Fatturi; Hashizume, Lina Naomi

2017-03-01

Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic disorder in humans, but its incidence in monozygotic twins is extremely rare. The aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with dental caries in a pair of monozygotic twin girls with DS, where one had caries experience and the other did not. Clinical examination, salivary Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) levels and their genotypic diversity, the biochemical composition of the dental biofilm, the frequency of sucrose consumption, and toothbrushing habits were assessed from the twin girls. Twin with caries experience showed higher levels of S. mutans in the saliva and lower concentrations of calcium, phosphate, and fluoride and higher concentrations of extracellular polysaccharides in the biofilm compared to her sister. Genotypic diversity of S. mutans was also higher in the twin with caries experience. Dental biofilm composition showed different patterns of cariogenicity between the two sisters, which may also by itself explain the difference in the dental caries between them. © 2016 Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The relationship between child- and parent-reported shared decision making and child-, parent-, and clinician-reported treatment outcome in routinely collected child mental health services data.

PubMed

Edbrooke-Childs, Julian; Jacob, Jenna; Argent, Rachel; Patalay, Praveetha; Deighton, Jessica; Wolpert, Miranda

2016-04-01

Shared decision making (SDM) between service users and providers is increasingly being suggested as a key component of good healthcare. The aim of this research was to explore whether child- and parent-reported experience of SDM was associated with child- and parent-reported improvement in psychosocial difficulties and clinician-reported functioning at the end of treatment in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). The sample comprised N = 177 children (62% female; 31% aged 6-12 and 69% aged 13-18) with a variety of mental health problems from 17 services where routinely collected data consisted of presenting problems at outset, child- and parent-reported change in symptoms between Time 1 and Time 2 (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; SDQ), clinician-reported change in functioning between Time 1 and Time 2 (Children's Global Assessment Scale; CGAS), and experience of SDM at Time 2 (as measured by responses to the Experience of Service Questionnaire; ESQ). Analysis revealed that both child- and parent-reported experience of SDM were associated with higher levels of child- and parent-reported improvement in psychosocial difficulties. However, child-reported experience of SDM was only associated with higher levels of child-reported improvement when their parents also reported higher levels of SDM. In CAMHS, involving both children and parents in decision making may contribute to enhanced treatment outcomes. © The Author(s) 2015.

On learning science and pseudoscience from prime-time television programming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whittle, Christopher Henry

The purpose of the present dissertation is to determine whether the viewing of two particular prime-time television programs, ER and The X-Files, increases viewer knowledge of science and to identify factors that may influence learning from entertainment television programming. Viewer knowledge of scientific dialogue from two science-based prime-time television programs, ER, a serial drama in a hospital emergency room and The X-Files, a drama about two Federal Bureau of Investigation agents who pursue alleged extraterrestrial life and paranormal activity, is studied. Level of viewing, education level, science education level, experiential factors, level of parasocial interaction, and demographic characteristics are assessed as independent variables affecting learning from entertainment television viewing. The present research involved a nine-month long content analysis of target television program dialogue and data collection from an Internet-based survey questionnaire posted to target program-specific on-line "chat" groups. The present study demonstrated that entertainment television program viewers incidentally learn science from entertainment television program dialogue. The more they watch, the more they learn. Viewing a pseudoscientific fictional television program does necessarily influence viewer beliefs in pseudoscience. Higher levels of formal science study are reflected in more science learning and less learning of pseudoscience from entertainment television program viewing. Pseudoscience learning from entertainment television programming is significantly related to experience with paranormal phenomena, higher levels of viewer parasocial interaction, and specifically, higher levels of cognitive parasocial interaction. In summary, the greater a viewer's understanding of science the more they learn when they watch their favorite science-based prime-time television programs. Viewers of pseudoscience-based prime-time television programming with higher levels of paranormal experiences and parasocial interaction demonstrate cognitive interest in and learning of their favorite television program characters ideas and beliefs. What television viewers learn from television is related to what they bring to the viewing experience. Television viewers are always learning, even when their intentions are to simply relax and watch the tube.

Ciliate and mesozooplankton community response to increasing CO2 levels in the Baltic Sea: insights from a large-scale mesocosm experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lischka, Silke; Bach, Lennart T.; Schulz, Kai-Georg; Riebesell, Ulf

2017-01-01

Community approaches to investigating ocean acidification (OA) effects suggest a high tolerance of micro- and mesozooplankton to carbonate chemistry changes expected to occur within this century. Plankton communities in the coastal areas of the Baltic Sea frequently experience pH variations partly exceeding projections for the near future both on a diurnal and seasonal basis. We conducted a large-scale mesocosm CO2 enrichment experiment ( ˜ 55 m3) enclosing the natural plankton community in Tvärminne-Storfjärden for 8 weeks during June-August 2012 and studied community and species-taxon response of ciliates and mesozooplankton to CO2 elevations expected for this century. In addition to the response to fCO2, we also considered temperature and chlorophyll a variations in our analyses. Shannon diversity of ciliates significantly decreased with fCO2 and temperature with a greater dominance of smaller species. The mixotrophic Myrionecta rubra seemed to indirectly and directly benefit from higher CO2 concentrations in the post-bloom phase through increased occurrence of picoeukaryotes (most likely Cryptophytes) and Dinophyta at higher CO2 levels. With respect to mesozooplankton, we did not detect significant effects for either total abundance or for Shannon diversity. The cladocera Bosmina sp. occurred at distinctly higher abundance for a short time period during the second half of the experiment in three of the CO2-enriched mesocosms except for the highest CO2 level. The ratio of Bosmina sp. with empty to embryo- or resting-egg-bearing brood chambers, however, was significantly affected by CO2, temperature, and chlorophyll a. An indirect CO2 effect via increased food availability (Cyanobacteria) stimulating Bosmina sp. reproduction cannot be ruled out. Although increased regenerated primary production diminishes trophic transfer in general, the presence of organisms able to graze on bacteria such as cladocerans may positively impact organic matter transfer to higher trophic levels. Thus, under increasing OA in cladoceran-dominated mesozooplankton communities, the importance of the microbial loop in the pelagic zone may be temporarily enhanced and carbon transfer to higher trophic levels may be stimulated.

Teach up for Excellence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomlinson, Carol Ann; Javius, Edwin Lou

2012-01-01

Sorting students into different tracks within a school correlates strongly with student race and economic status and predicts and contributes to student outcomes. Students in higher-level classes typically experience better teachers, curriculum, and achievement levels than peers in lower-level classes. Creating classrooms that support equity of…

In the Middle: Work-Life Integration Experiences of Mid-Level Women Leaders in a Rural Community College System in the Northeastern United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGill-O'Rourke, Andrea

2012-01-01

Research indicates that work-life integration is linked with career satisfaction for women administrators in higher education. This study focuses on mid-level women leaders who are an essential component of higher education organizations. Employing a qualitative design that drew upon phenomenological methods, I explored the work-life integration…

Increased Mortality Exposure within the Family Rather than Individual Mortality Experiences Triggers Faster Life-History Strategies in Historic Human Populations

PubMed Central

Störmer, Charlotte; Lummaa, Virpi

2014-01-01

Life History Theory predicts that extrinsic mortality risk is one of the most important factors shaping (human) life histories. Evidence from contemporary populations suggests that individuals confronted with high mortality environments show characteristic traits of fast life-history strategies: they marry and reproduce earlier, have shorter birth intervals and invest less in their offspring. However, little is known of the impact of mortality experiences on the speed of life histories in historical human populations with generally higher mortality risk, and on male life histories in particular. Furthermore, it remains unknown whether individual-level mortality experiences within the family have a greater effect on life-history decisions or family membership explains life-history variation. In a comparative approach using event history analyses, we study the impact of family versus individual-level effects of mortality exposure on two central life-history parameters, ages at first marriage and first birth, in three historical human populations (Germany, Finland, Canada). Mortality experience is measured as the confrontation with sibling deaths within the natal family up to an individual's age of 15. Results show that the speed of life histories is not adjusted according to individual-level mortality experiences but is due to family-level effects. The general finding of lower ages at marriage/reproduction after exposure to higher mortality in the family holds for both females and males. This study provides evidence for the importance of the family environment for reproductive timing while individual-level mortality experiences seem to play only a minor role in reproductive life history decisions in humans. PMID:24421897

Increased mortality exposure within the family rather than individual mortality experiences triggers faster life-history strategies in historic human populations.

PubMed

Störmer, Charlotte; Lummaa, Virpi

2014-01-01

Life History Theory predicts that extrinsic mortality risk is one of the most important factors shaping (human) life histories. Evidence from contemporary populations suggests that individuals confronted with high mortality environments show characteristic traits of fast life-history strategies: they marry and reproduce earlier, have shorter birth intervals and invest less in their offspring. However, little is known of the impact of mortality experiences on the speed of life histories in historical human populations with generally higher mortality risk, and on male life histories in particular. Furthermore, it remains unknown whether individual-level mortality experiences within the family have a greater effect on life-history decisions or family membership explains life-history variation. In a comparative approach using event history analyses, we study the impact of family versus individual-level effects of mortality exposure on two central life-history parameters, ages at first marriage and first birth, in three historical human populations (Germany, Finland, Canada). Mortality experience is measured as the confrontation with sibling deaths within the natal family up to an individual's age of 15. Results show that the speed of life histories is not adjusted according to individual-level mortality experiences but is due to family-level effects. The general finding of lower ages at marriage/reproduction after exposure to higher mortality in the family holds for both females and males. This study provides evidence for the importance of the family environment for reproductive timing while individual-level mortality experiences seem to play only a minor role in reproductive life history decisions in humans.

Adolescents' financial literacy: the role of financial socialization agents, financial experiences, and money attitudes in shaping financial literacy among South Korean youth.

PubMed

Sohn, Sang-Hee; Joo, So-Hyun; Grable, John E; Lee, Seonglim; Kim, Minjeung

2012-08-01

The purpose of this study was to test the relationships between financial socialization agents, financial experiences, money attitudes, demographic characteristics, and the financial literacy of Korean adolescents. Using the 2006 Korean National Financial Literacy Test Survey for Adolescents (N = 1185), a series of regression analyses were performed to determine the factors related to financial literacy. It was found that those who chose media as their primary financial socialization agent, and those who had a bank account, exhibited higher levels of financial literacy. Among the sample, those who saw money as good or as a reward for efforts tended to report higher levels of financial literacy, while those perceiving money in terms of avoidance or achievement had lower levels of financial literacy. Students with mid-range monthly allowances showed higher levels of financial literacy compared to the highest allowance group. Implications for financial educators, policy makers, and researchers are provided. Copyright © 2012 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Experiment on Wind Energy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lombardo, Vincenzo; Fiordilino, Emilio; Gallitto, Aurelio Agliolo; Aglieco, Pasquale

2012-01-01

We discuss an experiment on wind energy performed with home-made apparatus. The experiment reproduces a laboratory windmill, which can pump water from a lower level to a higher one. By measuring the gain of the gravitational potential energy of the pumped water, one can determine the power extracted from the wind. The activity was carried out with…

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Higher-Level Functional Limitations Among Older Japanese People: Results From the JAGES Study.

PubMed

Amemiya, Airi; Fujiwara, Takeo; Murayama, Hiroshi; Tani, Yukako; Kondo, Katsunori

2018-01-16

A life-course perspective is essential in understanding the determinants of higher-level functional limitations. We examine the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on higher-level functional limitations in older people. Data were from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study 2013, a population-based cohort of independent people aged 65 years or older across Japan (n = 19,220). ACEs before the age of 18 were assessed in terms of seven adversities: parental death, parental divorce, parental mental illness, family violence, physical abuse, psychological neglect, and psychological abuse. Associations between the cumulative number of ACEs and higher-level functional limitations were investigated by multivariate Poisson regression with robust error variances, adjusted for age, gender, childhood disadvantage, adult sociodemographics, adult health behaviors, and health status. Of the older people, 36.3% reported at least one ACE. Older people who had experienced two or more ACEs showed significantly greater higher-level functional limitations than those with no ACE in a crude model (prevalence ratio, PR = 1.61, 95% confidence interval, CI = 1.51-1.71). After adjusting the covariates, this association remained (PR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.12-1.27). ACEs showed robust independent effects on higher-level functional limitations among older Japanese without disabilities, even after adjusting for potential covariates in childhood and adulthood. The current findings may help in understanding the impact of the latent effects of ACEs on functional limitations in older people. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Graduating as a "Native Speaker": International Students and English Language Proficiency in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benzie, Helen Joy

2010-01-01

The current concern about low levels of English proficiency among international students who graduate from degree courses--that students' English language skills are not being developed during their higher education experience--reflects negatively on the quality of Australian higher education and its graduates. More careful selection of students…

Gratitude and Its Drivers within Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cownie, Fiona

2017-01-01

This paper proposes that gratitude has a place in enabling us to understand students' experiences of higher education, and this has an implication for higher education (HE) marketing. This research examines the evidence for and focus of gratitude within the context of an undergraduate course with high levels of student satisfaction. It finds that…

Socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent depression in South Korea: a multilevel analysis.

PubMed

Park, Hye Yin; Heo, Jongho; Subramanian, S V; Kawachi, Ichiro; Oh, Juhwan

2012-01-01

In recent years, South Korea has witnessed a sustained rise in the prevalence of adolescent depression. In the present study, we sought to investigate family and school environmental influences on adolescent depression. Middle and high school students (N = 75,066) were randomly selected respondents to a web-based survey and answered questions on their academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, parental support, parental education level, physical activities, lifestyle habits and their experience of depression in the past one year. Two-level multilevel analysis was used to investigate the relationship between depression and individual (level 1) and school (level 2) factors. Girls reported having experienced depression in greater numbers than boys (43.96% vs. 32.03%). A significant association was found between adolescent depression experience and gender, grade, self-rated academic achievement, family affluence scale, parental support, parental education level, lifestyle habits, physical activity and sleep dissatisfaction. The students living with rich parents were more likely to be depressive, and maternal higher education was significantly associated with higher probability of boys' depression experience. Low academic achievement was highly associated with the experience of depression. In school level contexts, girls were found to be less likely to be depressive in girls-only schools. The adolescent depression experience is not only an individual phenomenon but is highly associated with other factors such as parents, peers, academic achievement, and even gender mix in the school. Thus, prevention measures on youth depression need to focus on emphasizing less pressure from parents on academic performance, and establishing healthy inter-gender relationships within co-education schools.

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Adolescent Depression in South Korea: A Multilevel Analysis

PubMed Central

Park, Hye Yin; Heo, Jongho; Subramanian, S. V.; Kawachi, Ichiro; Oh, Juhwan

2012-01-01

Background In recent years, South Korea has witnessed a sustained rise in the prevalence of adolescent depression. In the present study, we sought to investigate family and school environmental influences on adolescent depression. Methods and Findings Middle and high school students (N = 75,066) were randomly selected respondents to a web-based survey and answered questions on their academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, parental support, parental education level, physical activities, lifestyle habits and their experience of depression in the past one year. Two-level multilevel analysis was used to investigate the relationship between depression and individual (level 1) and school (level 2) factors. Girls reported having experienced depression in greater numbers than boys (43.96% vs. 32.03%). A significant association was found between adolescent depression experience and gender, grade, self-rated academic achievement, family affluence scale, parental support, parental education level, lifestyle habits, physical activity and sleep dissatisfaction. The students living with rich parents were more likely to be depressive, and maternal higher education was significantly associated with higher probability of boys’ depression experience. Low academic achievement was highly associated with the experience of depression. In school level contexts, girls were found to be less likely to be depressive in girls-only schools. Conclusion The adolescent depression experience is not only an individual phenomenon but is highly associated with other factors such as parents, peers, academic achievement, and even gender mix in the school. Thus, prevention measures on youth depression need to focus on emphasizing less pressure from parents on academic performance, and establishing healthy inter-gender relationships within co-education schools. PMID:23077540

Neurocognitive correlates of helplessness, hopelessness, and well-being in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Lysaker, P H; Clements, C A; Wright, D E; Evans, J; Marks, K A

2001-07-01

Persons with schizophrenia are widely recognized to experience potent feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and a fragile sense of well-being. Although these subjective experiences have been linked to positive symptoms, little is known about their relationship to neurocognition. Accordingly, this study examined the relationship of self-reports of hope, self-efficacy, and well-being to measures of neurocognition, symptoms, and coping among 49 persons with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Results suggest that poorer executive function, verbal memory, and a greater reliance on escape avoidance as a coping mechanism predicted significantly higher levels of hope and well being with multiple regressions accounting for 34% and 20% of the variance (p < .0001), respectively. Self-efficacy predicted lower levels of positive symptoms and greater preference for escape avoidance as a coping mechanism with a multiple repression accounting for 9% of the variance (p < .05). Results may suggest that higher levels of neurocognitive impairment and an avoidant coping style may shield some with schizophrenia from painful subjective experiences. Theoretical and practical implications for rehabilitation are discussed.

Finding a Life Worth Living: Meaning in Life and Graduation from College.

PubMed

Wilt, Joshua; Bleidorn, Wiebke; Revelle, William

2016-01-01

Graduation from college is an important milestone for young adults, marked by mixed emotions and poignancy, and therefore is an especially salient context for studying meaning in life. The present research used experience-sampling methodology to examine the antecedents and consequences of students' experience of meaning in life over the course of graduation. Participants were 74 graduating students who provided a total of 538 reports over the span of three days, including commencement day. Increased levels of state meaning in life during the days around commencement were linked to spending time with people in general and with family in particular, as well as thinking about one's years in college. Thinking about one's years in college mediated the effects of present company on state meaning in life. Graduates who experienced higher levels of state meaning in life during the days around their commencement ceremony had higher trait levels of meaning in life one week following commencement. We discuss how making meaning of a poignant experience has implications for healthy psychological development.

Language Anxiety: A Case Study of the Perceptions and Experiences of Students of English as a Foreign Language in a Higher Education Institution in the United Arab Emirates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lababidi, Rola Ahmed

2016-01-01

This case study explores and investigates the perceptions and experiences of foreign language anxiety (FLA) among students of English as a Foreign Language in a Higher Education Institution in the United Arab Emirates. The first phase explored the scope and severity of language anxiety among all Foundation level male students at a college in the…

Field hearing measurements of the Atlantic sharpnose shark Rhizoprionodon terraenovae.

PubMed

Casper, B M; Mann, D A

2009-12-01

Field measurements of hearing thresholds were obtained from the Atlantic sharpnose shark Rhizoprionodon terraenovae using the auditory evoked potential method (AEP). The fish had most sensitive hearing at 20 Hz, the lowest frequency tested, with decreasing sensitivity at higher frequencies. Hearing thresholds were lower than AEP thresholds previously measured for the nurse shark Ginglymostoma cirratum and yellow stingray Urobatis jamaicensis at frequencies <200 Hz, and similar at 200 Hz and above. Rhizoprionodon terraenovae represents the closest comparison in terms of pelagic lifestyle to the sharks which have been observed in acoustic field attraction experiments. The sound pressure levels that would be equivalent to the particle acceleration thresholds of R. terraenovae were much higher than the sound levels which attracted closely related sharks suggesting a discrepancy between the hearing threshold experiments and the field attraction experiments.

2011 National Survey of Senior Capstone Experiences: Institutional-Level Data on the Culminating Experience. Research Reports on College Transitions No. 3

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Padgett, Ryan D.; Kilgo, Cindy A.

2012-01-01

In 2011, the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition revisited its 1999 National Survey of Senior Seminars and Capstone Courses to explore the current state of culminating experiences in American higher education. Drawn from a sample of public and private colleges and universities across the country, the…

One wouldn't expect an expert bowler to hit only two pins: Hierarchical predictive processing of agent-caused events.

PubMed

Heil, Lieke; Kwisthout, Johan; van Pelt, Stan; van Rooij, Iris; Bekkering, Harold

2018-01-01

Evidence is accumulating that our brains process incoming information using top-down predictions. If lower level representations are correctly predicted by higher level representations, this enhances processing. However, if they are incorrectly predicted, additional processing is required at higher levels to "explain away" prediction errors. Here, we explored the potential nature of the models generating such predictions. More specifically, we investigated whether a predictive processing model with a hierarchical structure and causal relations between its levels is able to account for the processing of agent-caused events. In Experiment 1, participants watched animated movies of "experienced" and "novice" bowlers. The results are in line with the idea that prediction errors at a lower level of the hierarchy (i.e., the outcome of how many pins fell down) slow down reporting of information at a higher level (i.e., which agent was throwing the ball). Experiments 2 and 3 suggest that this effect is specific to situations in which the predictor is causally related to the outcome. Overall, the study supports the idea that a hierarchical predictive processing model can account for the processing of observed action outcomes and that the predictions involved are specific to cases where action outcomes can be predicted based on causal knowledge.

[Stress in Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Relevance of Attachment Style and Structural Integration].

PubMed

Bugaj, Till Johannes; Müksch, Christine; Ehrenthal, Johannes C; Köhl-Hackert, Nadja; Schauenburg, Henning; Huber, Julia; Schmid, Carolin; Erschens, Rebecca; Junne, Florian; Herzog, Wolfgang; Nikendei, Christoph

2016-02-01

From year one of studying medicine an increase of psychological stress is found. The relationship between the occurrence of this stress and attachment patterns or structural personality functions remains unclear. The present study aimed at investigating whether a relationship between the enduring personality variables, attachment style and level of structural integration of the personality, and acute stress experience at the beginning of medical students' studies exists. In this study, all students in the first semester of medicine were invited to participate in a study to identify stress factors via questionnaire (MBI-SS, PSQ, PHQ-9, GAD-7) in the WS 2013/2014. Simultaneously, the predominant attachment style (RQ-2) and structural abilities (OPD-SFK) were evaluated. The study included 293 students (return: 91.3%). Securely attached students experienced significantly less stress than insecurely attached students (p=0.019). Students with a high level of structural integration showed significantly less stress burden (p<0.001) and lower exhaustion- (p<0.001) and cynicism values (p<0.001), while showing a higher experience of self-efficacy (p<0.001). The influence of attachment behavior on stress experience is mediated by the level of the structural integration of the personality. Significant correlations exist between attachment style and the level of structural integration of the personality, and burnout risk as well as stress burden. The level of structural integration of the personality mediates the relationship between the attachment-related "model of self" and stress experience, i. e. a positive "model of self" can have a stress-protective effect when good structural abilities are present. Practical implication: An insecure attachment style and a low level of structural integration may be associated with higher stress experience when transitioning to study. The results suggest that the enduring personality variable attachment style, mediated by the level of structural integration of the personality, leads to higher stress and burnout experience. Affected students could be supported by early preventive measures enabling the sustainable preparation for this transitional period. Longitudinal prospective studies are needed to explore if the assumption is applicable that pre-existing vulnerabilities in school are exacerbated at this transitional stage. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Nightmares in the general population: identifying potential causal factors.

PubMed

Rek, Stephanie; Sheaves, Bryony; Freeman, Daniel

2017-09-01

Nightmares are inherently distressing, prevent restorative sleep, and are associated with a number of psychiatric problems, but have rarely been the subject of empirical study. Negative affect, linked to stressful events, is generally considered the key trigger of nightmares; hence nightmares have most often been considered in the context of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, many individuals with heightened negative affect do not have nightmares. The objective of this study was to identify mechanistically plausible factors, beyond negative affect, that may explain why individuals experience nightmares. 846 participants from the UK general population completed an online survey about nightmare occurrence and severity (pre-occupation, distress, and impairment), negative affect, worry, depersonalisation, hallucinatory experiences, paranoia, alcohol use, sleep duration, physical activity levels, PTSD symptoms, and stressful life events. Associations of nightmares with the putative predictive factors were tested controlling for levels of negative affect. Analyses were also repeated controlling for levels of PTSD and the recent occurrence of stressful life events. Nightmare occurrence, adjusting for negative affect, was associated with higher levels of worry, depersonalisation, hallucinatory experiences, paranoia, and sleep duration (odds ratios 1.25-1.45). Nightmare severity, controlling for negative affect, was associated with higher levels of worry, depersonalisation, hallucinatory experiences, and paranoia (R 2 s: 0.33-0.39). Alcohol use and physical activity levels were not associated with nightmares. The study identifies a number of potential predictors of the occurrence and severity of nightmares. Causal roles require testing in future longitudinal, experimental, and treatment studies.

Zero-field magnetic response functions in Landau levels

PubMed Central

Gao, Yang; Niu, Qian

2017-01-01

We present a fresh perspective on the Landau level quantization rule; that is, by successively including zero-field magnetic response functions at zero temperature, such as zero-field magnetization and susceptibility, the Onsager’s rule can be corrected order by order. Such a perspective is further reinterpreted as a quantization of the semiclassical electron density in solids. Our theory not only reproduces Onsager’s rule at zeroth order and the Berry phase and magnetic moment correction at first order but also explains the nature of higher-order corrections in a universal way. In applications, those higher-order corrections are expected to curve the linear relation between the level index and the inverse of the magnetic field, as already observed in experiments. Our theory then provides a way to extract the correct value of Berry phase as well as the magnetic susceptibility at zero temperature from Landau level fan diagrams in experiments. Moreover, it can be used theoretically to calculate Landau levels up to second-order accuracy for realistic models. PMID:28655849

Explaining Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Use of High-Volume Hospitals

PubMed Central

Gray, Bradford H.; Schlesinger, Mark

2014-01-01

Racial/ethnic minorities are less likely to use higher-quality hospitals than whites. We propose that a higher level of information-related complexity in their local hospital environments compounds the effects of discrimination and more limited access to services, contributing to racial/ethnic disparities in hospital use. While minorities live closer than whites to high-volume hospitals, minorities also face greater choice complexity and live in neighborhoods with lower levels of medical experience. Our empirical results reveal that it is generally the overall context associated with proximity, choice complexity, and local experience, rather than differential sensitivity to these factors, that provides a partial explanation of the disparity gap in high-volume hospital use. PMID:25316717

Predictors of unwanted exposure to online pornography and online sexual solicitation of youth.

PubMed

Chang, Fong-Ching; Chiu, Chiung-Hui; Miao, Nae-Fang; Chen, Ping-Hung; Lee, Ching-Mei; Chiang, Jeng-Tung

2016-06-01

This study examined factors associated with the unwanted exposure to online pornography and unwanted online sexual solicitation victimization and perpetration of youth in Taiwan. A total of 2315 students from 26 high schools were assessed in the 10th grade, with follow-up performed in the 11th grade. Self-administered questionnaires were collected. Multivariate analysis results indicated that higher levels of online game use, pornography media exposure, Internet risk behaviors, depression, and cyberbullying experiences predicted online sexual solicitation victimization, while higher levels of Internet chat room use, pornography media exposure, Internet risk behaviors, cyberbullying experiences, and offline sexual harassment predicted online sexual solicitation perpetration. © The Author(s) 2014.

Exploring Both Positive and Negative Experiences Associated with Engaging in Teaching Awards in a Higher Education Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitzpatrick, Mary; Moore, Sarah

2015-01-01

A coordinated, evidence-based approach to teaching awards in higher education at institutional level has developed over the past decade in Ireland. Some research has suggested that teaching awards create substantial benefits in higher education by motivating and recognising excellent teachers. However, not all of the literature favours the…

Personaltiy correlates of the joy of life.

PubMed

Tolor, A

1978-07-01

Hypothesized that greater diversity of joy and more intense levels of joy would be associated with low hopelessness, high sensation seeking the perception of the world as just, and high sensitization as compared with high repression. It also was predicted that female Ss would score higher in sources of joy and in intensity as compared to males. One hundred and thirty-four college students were administered the Joy of Life Scale, Hopelessness Scale, Sensation Seeking Scale, Just World Scale, and Revised Repression-Sensitization Scale. The hypothesis was supported for sensation seeking in that High Sensation Seekers assigned significantly (p less than .05) higher mean intensity ratings to experiences that produced joy of life, than did Low Sensation Seekers. Contrary to expectation, there was a nonsignificant trend for sensitizers, when compared with repressors, to select fewer joy-related experiences and to evaluate these experiences as less joyful. The experiences that most often led to high levels of joy were those referrable to positive emotional events.

Impact of Humidity on In Vitro Human Skin Permeation Experiments for Predicting In Vivo Permeability.

PubMed

Ishida, Masahiro; Takeuchi, Hiroyuki; Endo, Hiromi; Yamaguchi, Jun-Ichi

2015-12-01

In vitro skin permeation studies have been commonly conducted to predict in vivo permeability for the development of transdermal therapeutic systems (TTSs). We clarified the impact of humidity on in vitro human skin permeation of two TTSs having different breathability and then elucidated the predictability of in vivo permeability based on in vitro experimental data. Nicotinell(®) TTS(®) 20 and Frandol(®) tape 40mg were used as model TTSs in this study. The in vitro human skin permeation experiments were conducted under humidity levels similar to those used in clinical trials (approximately 50%) as well as under higher humidity levels (approximately 95%). The skin permeability values of drugs at 95% humidity were higher than those at 50% humidity. The time profiles of the human plasma concentrations after TTS application fitted well with the clinical data when predicted based on the in vitro permeation parameters at 50% humidity. On the other hand, those profiles predicted based on the parameters at 95% humidity were overestimated. The impact of humidity was higher for the more breathable TTS; Frandol(®) tape 40mg. These results show that in vitro human skin permeation experiments should be investigated under realistic clinical humidity levels especially for breathable TTSs. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

Effect of heat stress on the expression profile of Hsp90 among Sahiwal (Bos indicus) and Frieswal (Bos indicus × Bos taurus) breed of cattle: a comparative study.

PubMed

Deb, Rajib; Sajjanar, Basavaraj; Singh, Umesh; Kumar, Sushil; Singh, Rani; Sengar, G; Sharma, Arjava

2014-02-25

We evaluated the effect of thermal challenge on the expression profile of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) among Sahiwal (Bos indicus) and Frieswal (Bos indicus × Bos taurus) breeds of cattle. The present investigation was focused on the comparative studies on Hsp90 expression among Frieswal and Sahiwal under in vitro and environmental heat stress. Measured immediately after the in vitro heat shock to the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), the relative expression of Hsp90 mRNA was significantly (P<0.05) higher in Sahiwal compared to those in Frieswal. In later intervals of time, the differences in the expression levels between the two breeds become negligible coming down towards the basal level. A similar pattern was observed in the protein concentration showing significantly (P<0.05) higher levels in Sahiwal compared to those in Frieswal. The second sets of experiments were undertaken during summer months (March to May) when temperature peaked from 37 to 45 °C. During these months, Frieswal cows consistently recorded higher rectal temperatures than the Sahiwal breed. Further during this peak summer stress, Sahiwal showed significantly higher levels of mRNA transcripts as well as protein concentration compared to the Frieswal breed. Our findings also interestingly showed that, the cell viability of PBMC are significantly higher among the Sahiwal than Frieswal. Taken together, the experiments of both induced in vitro and environmental stress conditions indicate that, Sahiwal may express higher levels of Hsp90 then Frieswal to regulate their body temperature and increase cell survivality under heat stressed conditions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Some effects of mirex on two warm-water fishes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Van Valin, Charles C.; Andrews, Austin K.; Eller, Lafayette L.

1968-01-01

The effects of mirex on two species of warm-water fishes were studied in three experiments in which the fish were exposed either by feeding a mirex-treated diet, or by treating the holding ponds with a mirex formulation. Bluegills were used in the feeding experiment, where three different levels of mirex were incorporated into the diet and fed to fish held in plastic pools, and in the first pond-exposure experiment, in which the fish were held in earthen ponds treated once with a mirex-corncob grit formulation. The third experiment used goldfish held in earthen ponds which also were treated once with the mirex-corncob grit formulation. In general, higher rates of exposure produced higher whole-body residues of mirex in the fish, and, except in bluegills from the lower-treatment ponds of the first contact experiment and in control fish, whole-body residues increased throughout the terms of these experiments. Soil, water, and vegetation samples from the two contact experiments, although subject to large differences between individual samples, contained relatively unchanging mirex concentrations, illustrating that this chemical is highly resistant to degradation or removal. No mortality or tissue pathology in the bluegills could be ascribed to mirex exposure, but the gills and kidneys of mirex-exposed goldfish showed reactions beginning with the samples taken 56 days after treatment, and the numbers of these fish surviving until termination of this experiment were inversely related to treatment level. Total serum protein and hematocrit percentages had no apparent relationship to treatment levels, nor was mirex exposure a demonstrable factor in growth rates in the contact experiments. However, growth of the bluegills in the highest treatment groups of the feeding experiment was adversely affected. Invertebrate populations seemed not to be affected by the mirex treatment in either of the earthen pond experiments.

Inflammation in adult women with a history of child maltreatment: The involvement of mitochondrial alterations and oxidative stress.

PubMed

Boeck, Christina; Koenig, Alexandra Maria; Schury, Katharina; Geiger, Martha Leonie; Karabatsiakis, Alexander; Wilker, Sarah; Waller, Christiane; Gündel, Harald; Fegert, Jörg Michael; Calzia, Enrico; Kolassa, Iris-Tatjana

2016-09-01

The experience of maltreatment during childhood is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation in adulthood. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this pro-inflammatory phenotype remain unclear. Mitochondria were recently found to principally coordinate inflammatory processes via both inflammasome activation and inflammasome-independent pathways. To this end, we hypothesized that alterations in immune cell mitochondrial functioning and oxidative stress might be at the interface between the association of maltreatment experiences during childhood and inflammation. We analyzed pro-inflammatory biomarkers (levels of C-reactive protein, cytokine secretion by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in vitro, PBMC composition, lysophosphatidylcholine levels), serum oxidative stress levels (arginine:citrulline ratio, l-carnitine and acetylcarnitine levels) and mitochondrial functioning (respiratory activity and density of mitochondria in PBMC) in peripheral blood samples collected from 30 women (aged 22-44years) with varying degrees of maltreatment experiences in form of abuse and neglect during childhood. Exposure to maltreatment during childhood was associated with an increased ROS production, higher levels of oxidative stress and an increased mitochondrial activity in a dose-response relationship. Moreover, the increase in mitochondrial activity and ROS production were positively associated with the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines by PBMC. Decreased serum levels of lysophosphatidylcholines suggested higher inflammasome activation with increasing severity of child maltreatment experiences. Together these findings offer preliminary evidence for the association of alterations in immune cell mitochondrial functioning, oxidative stress and the pro-inflammatory phenotype observed in individuals with a history of maltreatment during childhood. The results emphasize that the early prevention of child abuse and neglect warrants more attention, as the experience of maltreatment during childhood might have life-long consequences for physical health. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. and Mitochondria Research Society. All rights reserved.

Tracing the social gradient in the health of Canadians: primary and secondary determinants.

PubMed

Kosteniuk, Julie G; Dickinson, Harley D

2003-07-01

The social gradient in heath refers to the fact that inequalities in population health status are related to inequalities in social status. This study advances and tests a model of the relationships between what we term primary and secondary determinants of the social gradient in health. The primary determinants of health include socioeconomic and demographic indicators. Secondary determinants include stressors, control, self-esteem, social support, and social involvement. Health status is indicated by measures of physical health, self-reported health status, and mental distress. Data are taken from the Canadian National Population Health (NPH) Survey (1994-1995). The study sample consists of 7720 men and 9269 women 15 to over 80 years of age. Using path analysis, we found that higher household income, being retired and growing older are significantly associated with lower stressor levels. Higher stressor levels are associated with lower levels of control, self-esteem, and social support. Higher income Canadians experience greater levels of control and social support, while older Canadians experience lower rates of social support but higher rates of social involvement. Being employed and caring for one's family are positively associated with better physical and self-reported health status. Higher household income, being retired, and aging are associated with better physical health and lower mental distress when accounting for their role in lowering stressor levels and bolstering control, self-esteem, social support, and social involvement. Replicating this study with future samples of the NPH Survey should be of benefit in ascertaining whether the social gradient in Canadians' health status shows signs of declining.

White matter microstructure mediates the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and spatial working memory in older adults.

PubMed

Oberlin, Lauren E; Verstynen, Timothy D; Burzynska, Agnieszka Z; Voss, Michelle W; Prakash, Ruchika Shaurya; Chaddock-Heyman, Laura; Wong, Chelsea; Fanning, Jason; Awick, Elizabeth; Gothe, Neha; Phillips, Siobhan M; Mailey, Emily; Ehlers, Diane; Olson, Erin; Wojcicki, Thomas; McAuley, Edward; Kramer, Arthur F; Erickson, Kirk I

2016-05-01

White matter structure declines with advancing age and has been associated with a decline in memory and executive processes in older adulthood. Yet, recent research suggests that higher physical activity and fitness levels may be associated with less white matter degeneration in late life, although the tract-specificity of this relationship is not well understood. In addition, these prior studies infrequently associate measures of white matter microstructure to cognitive outcomes, so the behavioral importance of higher levels of white matter microstructural organization with greater fitness levels remains a matter of speculation. Here we tested whether cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) levels were associated with white matter microstructure and whether this relationship constituted an indirect pathway between cardiorespiratory fitness and spatial working memory in two large, cognitively and neurologically healthy older adult samples. Diffusion tensor imaging was used to determine white matter microstructure in two separate groups: Experiment 1, N=113 (mean age=66.61) and Experiment 2, N=154 (mean age=65.66). Using a voxel-based regression approach, we found that higher VO2max was associated with higher fractional anisotropy (FA), a measure of white matter microstructure, in a diverse network of white matter tracts, including the anterior corona radiata, anterior internal capsule, fornix, cingulum, and corpus callosum (PFDR-corrected<.05). This effect was consistent across both samples even after controlling for age, gender, and education. Further, a statistical mediation analysis revealed that white matter microstructure within these regions, among others, constituted a significant indirect path between VO2max and spatial working memory performance. These results suggest that greater aerobic fitness levels are associated with higher levels of white matter microstructural organization, which may, in turn, preserve spatial memory performance in older adulthood. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Perceived racial/ethnic discrimination, marketing, and substance use among young adults.

PubMed

Rose, Shyanika W; Mayo, Ashley; Ganz, Ollie; Perreras, Lexie; D'Silva, Joanne; Cohn, Amy

2018-02-09

Perceived experiences of discrimination have been linked to negative health behaviors including tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use across various racial/ethnic groups. Tobacco and alcohol marketing exposure have also been linked with substance use. This study examined the independent and interacting effects of perceived experiences of discrimination and exposure to alcohol and tobacco marketing, and receptivity to marijuana marketing on substance use in an online survey of a multiethnic sample of young adults in 6 metropolitan areas (n = 505). African Americans (mean (M) = 1.96, 9% 5CI [1.84, 2.09]) and Hispanics (M = 1.98, 95% CI [1.87, 2.09]) reported higher levels of perceived discrimination than Whites (M = 1.52, 95% CI [1.40, 1.64]), p <  .001. African Americans had higher levels of exposure to tobacco and alcohol marketing; Hispanics reported higher levels of exposure to alcohol marketing and receptivity to marijuana promotion. Discrimination and marketing exposure were independently associated with higher odds of all 3 outcomes, controlling for covariates (AOR from 2.1 to 3.4 for discrimination; AOR from 1.4 to 13.8 for marketing). Models showed a significant interaction of discrimination and tobacco marketing on past 30-day cigarette use (F = 5.5; p = .02). Individuals with high levels of tobacco marketing exposure were likely to report high past 30-day cigarette use regardless of level of discrimination, while those with low exposure were only at increased risk of reporting cigarette use at higher levels of discrimination. Both perceived discrimination and marketing exposure play a role in substance use. Interventions should consider discrimination as a significant risk factor underlying vulnerability to substance use among young adults.

Oxytocin and Cortisol Levels in Dog Owners and Their Dogs Are Associated with Behavioral Patterns: An Exploratory Study

PubMed Central

Petersson, Maria; Uvnäs-Moberg, Kerstin; Nilsson, Anne; Gustafson, Lise-Lotte; Hydbring-Sandberg, Eva; Handlin, Linda

2017-01-01

We have previously shown that dog–owner interaction results in increasing oxytocin levels in owners and dogs, decreasing cortisol levels in owners but increasing cortisol levels in dogs. The present study aimed to further investigate whether oxytocin and cortisol levels in the previously tested owners and dogs were associated with their behaviors during the interaction experiment. Ten female volunteer dog–owners and their male Labrador dogs participated in a 60 min interaction experiment with interaction taking place during 0–3 min and blood samples for analysis of oxytocin and cortisol were collected at 0, 1, 3, 5, 15, 30, and 60 min. The entire experiment was videotaped and the following variables were noted; the different types (stroking, scratching, patting and activating touch, i.e., scratching and patting combined) as well as the frequency of touch applied by the owner, the number of times the owner touched her dog, the dog’s positions and time spent in each position. Correlations were analyzed between the behavioral variables and basal oxytocin levels, maximum oxytocin levels, delta oxytocin levels, basal cortisol levels and cortisol levels at 15 min. Owners with low oxytocin levels before and during the interaction touched their dogs more frequently (0 min: Rs = -0.683, p = 0.042; oxytocin maximum: Rs = -0.783, p = 0.013). The lower the dogs’ oxytocin levels during the interaction, the more stroking they received (Rs = -0.717, p = 0.041). The more frequently activating touch was applied by the owner, the higher the dogs’ cortisol levels became (15 min: Rs = 0.661, p = 0.038). The higher the owners’ maximum oxytocin level the fewer position changes the dogs made (Rs = -0.817, p = 0.007) and the shorter time they spent sitting (Rs = -0.786, p = 0.036), whereas the higher the owners’ basal cortisol levels, the longer time the dogs spent standing (0 min: Rs = 0.683, p = 0.041). In conclusion, oxytocin and cortisol levels, both in dogs and in their owners, are associated with the way the owners interact with their dogs and also with behaviors caused by the interaction. PMID:29081760

Oxytocin and Cortisol Levels in Dog Owners and Their Dogs Are Associated with Behavioral Patterns: An Exploratory Study.

PubMed

Petersson, Maria; Uvnäs-Moberg, Kerstin; Nilsson, Anne; Gustafson, Lise-Lotte; Hydbring-Sandberg, Eva; Handlin, Linda

2017-01-01

We have previously shown that dog-owner interaction results in increasing oxytocin levels in owners and dogs, decreasing cortisol levels in owners but increasing cortisol levels in dogs. The present study aimed to further investigate whether oxytocin and cortisol levels in the previously tested owners and dogs were associated with their behaviors during the interaction experiment. Ten female volunteer dog-owners and their male Labrador dogs participated in a 60 min interaction experiment with interaction taking place during 0-3 min and blood samples for analysis of oxytocin and cortisol were collected at 0, 1, 3, 5, 15, 30, and 60 min. The entire experiment was videotaped and the following variables were noted; the different types (stroking, scratching, patting and activating touch, i.e., scratching and patting combined) as well as the frequency of touch applied by the owner, the number of times the owner touched her dog, the dog's positions and time spent in each position. Correlations were analyzed between the behavioral variables and basal oxytocin levels, maximum oxytocin levels, delta oxytocin levels, basal cortisol levels and cortisol levels at 15 min. Owners with low oxytocin levels before and during the interaction touched their dogs more frequently (0 min: R s = -0.683, p = 0.042; oxytocin maximum: R s = -0.783, p = 0.013). The lower the dogs' oxytocin levels during the interaction, the more stroking they received ( R s = -0.717, p = 0.041). The more frequently activating touch was applied by the owner, the higher the dogs' cortisol levels became (15 min: R s = 0.661, p = 0.038). The higher the owners' maximum oxytocin level the fewer position changes the dogs made ( R s = -0.817, p = 0.007) and the shorter time they spent sitting ( R s = -0.786, p = 0.036), whereas the higher the owners' basal cortisol levels, the longer time the dogs spent standing (0 min: R s = 0.683, p = 0.041). In conclusion, oxytocin and cortisol levels, both in dogs and in their owners, are associated with the way the owners interact with their dogs and also with behaviors caused by the interaction.

Risky behavior in women with history of casual travel sex.

PubMed

Arvidson, M; Kallings, I; Nilsson, S; Hellberg, D; Mårdh, P A

1997-08-01

To define epidemiologic and psychosocial characteristics in women with a history of casual travel sex abroad. The participants consisted of 996 women attending for contraceptive advice, of whom 276 admitted that they had experience of casual travel sex. The remaining women served as a comparison group. In structured interviews, questions were asked about educational level, partnerships, reproductive history, contraceptive and drug use, smoking, and psychosocial factors such as wariness, success, and attractiveness. The women with experience of casual travel sex were more often single, had more often experienced broken relationships, were more often smokers, and used alcohol or cannabis at a higher-frequency. Their educational level was higher and a history of induced abortions was more common. The results of this study indicate that women with experience of casual travel sex not only take sexual risks, but take other risks that might impose danger to their health.

Work-Family Balance: Perspectives from Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pillay, Soma; Abhayawansa, Subhash

2014-01-01

The article examines different types of work-family pressures amongst people working within the Australian university sector. We were specifically interested in work-family experiences between domestic and migrant Australians. Among the major findings, domestic Australians experience greater levels of work-family imbalance across most of the…

Research for Action: Challenging Homophobia in Slovene Secondary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magic, Jasna; Maljevac, Simon

2016-01-01

Research has highlighted that during school, European lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth experience significantly higher levels of discrimination and verbal, physical, and sexual violence in comparison with their heterosexual peers. Slovenian youth are not exempt from this experience. While the educational system is exclusively…

Study on the pollution status and control measures for the livestock and poultry breeding industry in northeastern China.

PubMed

Wang, Hanxi; Xu, Jianling; Liu, Xuejun; Sheng, Lianxi; Zhang, Di; Li, Longwei; Wang, Aixia

2018-02-01

Livestock and poultry breeding industry is one of the main economic pillars of northeastern China. However, the amount of pollutants produced is much higher than that in other parts of China. Through a questionnaire survey, indoor experiment, and outdoor experiment, it was found that the resource utilization rate of livestock and poultry manure in the northeastern region is low, with the pollution of livestock and poultry breeding mainly including air and water pollution. The alarm level of cultivated land and manure is II. While the livestock and poultry breeding is relatively concentrated area, its level is higher than grade II. Based on the pollution status of small farms, biogas can be produced through fermentation, along with the preparation of organic fertilizer, to completely utilize the manure and straw, while obtaining higher economic value, and effectively controlling the pollution from livestock and poultry breeding.

The Relation of Career-Related Work or Internship Experiences to the Career Development of College Seniors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooks, Linda; And Others

1995-01-01

A study of 165 college seniors included 45 in internships/career-related work, 36 with neither, 42 in internships only, and 42 with work experience only. Internships alone or with work experience related to higher levels of self-concept crystallization. Task variety, feedback, and dealing with people were significantly related to self-concept and…

The Relationship of Moral Reasoning to Sex Guilt and Sex Experience in College Couples.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cross, Herbert; D'Augelli, Judith F.

Seventy-six college couples were interviewed with Kohlberg's moral dilemmas interview, given the Mosher Sex Guilt scale and took a sex experience inventory. Men, women, and couples who were at the law and order stage of moral reasoning were higher on sex guilt than those at other levels of morality. Male sex experience was associated with morality…

Experiences of Dental Care and Dental Anxiety in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

PubMed Central

Dahllöf, Göran; Bejerot, Susanne

2014-01-01

Dental anxiety is associated with previous distressing dental experiences, such as lack of understanding of the dentist intentions, perceptions of uncontrollability and experiences of pain during dental treatment. People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are impaired in building flexible predictions and expectations, which is very much needed during a dental visit. The aims of the study were to investigate if people with ASD have more negative dental experiences and a higher level of dental anxiety compared to a matched control group. Forty-seven adults with ASD and of normal intellectual performance, and 69 age- and sex-matched typically developing controls completed questionnaires on previous dental experiences and dental anxiety, the Dental Anxiety Scale, and the Dental Beliefs Survey. The ASD group experienced pain during dental treatments more often than the controls and 22% had repeatedly experienced being forced to dental treatment they were not prepared for, compared to 3% of the controls. A higher level of dental anxiety was reported by the ASD group. Dental treatment and methods for supporting the communication with patients with ASD need to be developed, in order to reduce the negative dental experiences and dental anxiety in people with ASD. PMID:25530879

Adaptive false memory: Imagining future scenarios increases false memories in the DRM paradigm.

PubMed

Dewhurst, Stephen A; Anderson, Rachel J; Grace, Lydia; van Esch, Lotte

2016-10-01

Previous research has shown that rating words for their relevance to a future scenario enhances memory for those words. The current study investigated the effect of future thinking on false memory using the Deese/Roediger-McDermott (DRM) procedure. In Experiment 1, participants rated words from 6 DRM lists for relevance to a past or future event (with or without planning) or in terms of pleasantness. In a surprise recall test, levels of correct recall did not vary between the rating tasks, but the future rating conditions led to significantly higher levels of false recall than the past and pleasantness conditions did. Experiment 2 found that future rating led to higher levels of false recognition than did past and pleasantness ratings but did not affect correct recognition. The effect in false recognition was, however, eliminated when DRM items were presented in random order. Participants in Experiment 3 were presented with both DRM lists and lists of unrelated words. Future rating increased levels of false recognition for DRM lures but did not affect correct recognition for DRM or unrelated lists. The findings are discussed in terms of the view that false memories can be associated with adaptive memory functions.

Objective evaluation of minimally invasive surgical skills for transplantation. Surgeons using a virtual reality simulator.

PubMed

Dănilă, R; Gerdes, B; Ulrike, H; Domínguez Fernández, E; Hassan, I

2009-01-01

The learning curve in laparoscopic surgery may be associated with higher patient risk, which is unacceptable in the setting of kidney donation. Virtual reality simulators may increase the safety and efficiency of training in laparoscopic surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate if the results of a training session reflect the actual skill level of transplantation surgeons and whether the simulator could differentiate laparoscopic experienced transplantation surgeon from advanced trainees. 16 subjects were assigned to one of two groups: 5 experienced transplantation surgeon and 11 advanced residents, with only assistant role during transplantation. The level of performance was measured by a relative scoring system that combines single parameters assessed by the computer. The higher the level of transplantation experience of a participant, the higher the laparoscopic performance. Experienced transplantation surgeons showed statistically significant better scores than the advanced group for time and precision parameters. Our results show that performance of the various tasks on the simulator corresponds to the respective level of experience in transplantation surgery in our research groups. This study confirms construct validity for the LapSim. It thus measures relevant skills and can be integrated in an endoscopic training and assessment curriculum for transplantations surgeons.

Effects of a College Access Program for Youth Underrepresented in Higher Education: A Randomized Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergin, David A.; Cooks, Helen C.; Bergin, Christi C.

2007-01-01

This article describes EXCEL, a program that encourages youth underrepresented in higher education to enroll in higher education, specifically at the sponsoring university. Eighty-three eighth grade students with GPA of B and above and standardized test scores at grade level or above were randomly assigned to the program or to a control group. The…

Increase in plasma total antioxidant capacity of grazing Japanese Black heifers and cows in forestland in Japan.

PubMed

Haga, Satoshi; Ishizaki, Hiroshi; Nakano, Miwa; Nakao, Seiji; Hirano, Kiyoshi; Yamamoto, Yoshito; Kitagawa, Miya; Sasaki, Hiroyuki; Kariya, Yoshihiro

2014-02-01

Blood total antioxidant capacity (TAC) has become a key bio-marker for animal health. Forest-grazing cattle are known to forage various native plants that have high TAC. This study evaluated differences of plasma TAC between forest-grazing (FG) and pasture-grazing cattle (PG). Experiment 1 monitored the plasma TAC levels of 32 Japanese Black cattle. The level in PG did not change throughout the grazing period. However, that in FG, which increased from summer, was significantly higher than that in PG through fall (P < 0.05). In experiment 2, we used nine Japanese Black heifers and investigated their blood antioxidant parameters and the TAC in plants that the cattle consumed in late June and September. The plasma TAC levels in FG were significantly higher than those in PG in both periods (P < 0.05). Plasma levels of lipid peroxidation in FG tended to be lower than that in PG (P = 0.098). Furthermore, the TAC levels in various species of shrubs and trees consumed by FG were higher than those in pasture grasses. Results of this study show that plasma TAC of grazing Japanese Black cattle in forestland increase from summer through fall. © 2013 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Experiences of racism, racial/ethnic attitudes, motivated fairness and mental health outcomes among primary and secondary school students.

PubMed

Priest, Naomi; Perry, Ryan; Ferdinand, Angeline; Paradies, Yin; Kelaher, Margaret

2014-10-01

While studies investigating the health effects of racial discrimination for children and youth have examined a range of effect modifiers, to date, relationships between experiences of racial discrimination, student attitudes, and health outcomes remain unexplored. This study uniquely demonstrates the moderating effects of vicarious racism and motivated fairness on the association between direct experiences of racism and mental health outcomes, specifically depressive symptoms and loneliness, among primary and secondary school students. Across seven schools, 263 students (54.4% female), ranging from 8 to 17 years old (M = 11.2, SD = 2.2) reported attitudes about other racial/ethnic groups and experiences of racism. Students from minority ethnic groups (determined by country of birth) reported higher levels of loneliness and more racist experiences relative to the majority group students. Students from the majority racial/ethnic group reported higher levels of loneliness and depressive symptoms if they had more friends from different racial/ethnic groups, whereas the number of friends from different groups had no effect on minority students' loneliness or depressive symptoms. Direct experiences of racism were robustly related to higher loneliness and depressive symptoms in multivariate regression models. However, the association with depressive symptoms was reduced to marginal significance when students reported low motivated fairness. Elaborating on the negative health effects of racism in primary and secondary school students provides an impetus for future research and the development of appropriate interventions.

Genetic variations in the human cannabinoid receptor gene are associated with happiness.

PubMed

Matsunaga, Masahiro; Isowa, Tokiko; Yamakawa, Kaori; Fukuyama, Seisuke; Shinoda, Jun; Yamada, Jitsuhiro; Ohira, Hideki

2014-01-01

Happiness has been viewed as a temporary emotional state (e.g., pleasure) and a relatively stable state of being happy (subjective happiness level). As previous studies demonstrated that individuals with high subjective happiness level rated their current affective states more positively when they experience positive events, these two aspects of happiness are interrelated. According to a recent neuroimaging study, the cytosine to thymine single-nucleotide polymorphism of the human cannabinoid receptor 1 gene is associated with sensitivity to positive emotional stimuli. Thus, we hypothesized that our genetic traits, such as the human cannabinoid receptor 1 genotypes, are closely related to the two aspects of happiness. In Experiment 1, 198 healthy volunteers were used to compare the subjective happiness level between cytosine allele carriers and thymine-thymine carriers of the human cannabinoid receptor 1 gene. In Experiment 2, we used positron emission tomography with 20 healthy participants to compare the brain responses to positive emotional stimuli of cytosine allele carriers to that of thymine-thymine carriers. Compared to thymine-thymine carriers, cytosine allele carriers have a higher subjective happiness level. Regression analysis indicated that the cytosine allele is significantly associated with subjective happiness level. The positive mood after watching a positive film was significantly higher for the cytosine allele carriers compared to the thymine-thymine carriers. Positive emotion-related brain region such as the medial prefrontal cortex was significantly activated when the cytosine allele carriers watched the positive film compared to the thymine-thymine carriers. Thus, the human cannabinoid receptor 1 genotypes are closely related to two aspects of happiness. Compared to thymine-thymine carriers, the cytosine allele carriers of the human cannabinoid receptor 1 gene, who are sensitive to positive emotional stimuli, exhibited greater magnitude positive emotions when they experienced positive events and had a higher subjective happiness level.

[Socio-demographic characteristics, subjective well-being, and homophobia experienced by a sample of gay men from three cities in Chile].

PubMed

Barrientos-Delgado, Jaime; Cárdenas-Castro, Manuel; Gómez-Ojeda, Fabiola

2014-06-01

This article describes the socio-demographic characteristics of a sample of gay men in three cities in Chile, as well as experience with homophobia and subjective well-being. Snowball sampling was used to interview 325 gay men. The main findings included high levels of perceived discrimination and victimization, but interviewees reported higher levels of social well-being compared to studies elsewhere in the country. Age was related to differences in levels of social well-being, but not other variables. Individuals with university education reported higher levels of victimization and greater impact of discrimination on their lives. Gay men in Santiago reported a higher relative impact from incidents of aggression, but better levels of social well-being and happiness compared to those in other regions of Chile.

Reality Monitoring and Feedback Control of Speech Production Are Related Through Self-Agency.

PubMed

Subramaniam, Karuna; Kothare, Hardik; Mizuiri, Danielle; Nagarajan, Srikantan S; Houde, John F

2018-01-01

Self-agency is the experience of being the agent of one's own thoughts and motor actions. The intact experience of self-agency is necessary for successful interactions with the outside world (i.e., reality monitoring) and for responding to sensory feedback of our motor actions (e.g., speech feedback control). Reality monitoring is the ability to distinguish internally self-generated information from outside reality (externally-derived information). In the present study, we examined the relationship of self-agency between lower-level speech feedback monitoring (i.e., monitoring what we hear ourselves say) and a higher-level cognitive reality monitoring task. In particular, we examined whether speech feedback monitoring and reality monitoring were driven by the capacity to experience self-agency-the ability to make reliable predictions about the outcomes of self-generated actions. During the reality monitoring task, subjects made judgments as to whether information was previously self-generated (self-agency judgments) or externally derived (external-agency judgments). During speech feedback monitoring, we assessed self-agency by altering environmental auditory feedback so that subjects listened to a perturbed version of their own speech. When subjects heard minimal perturbations in their auditory feedback while speaking, they made corrective responses, indicating that they judged the perturbations as errors in their speech output. We found that self-agency judgments in the reality-monitoring task were higher in people who had smaller corrective responses ( p = 0.05) and smaller inter-trial variability ( p = 0.03) during minimal pitch perturbations of their auditory feedback. These results provide support for a unitary process for the experience of self-agency governing low-level speech control and higher level reality monitoring.

Perceptions of wellness and burnout among certified athletic trainers: sex differences.

PubMed

Naugle, Keith E; Behar-Horenstein, Linda S; Dodd, Virginia J; Tillman, Mark D; Borsa, Paul A

2013-01-01

Athletic trainers are exposed to various stressors, increasing the potential for burnout and decreasing perceived wellness. Burnout and decreased perceived wellness can result from many factors: years of experience, hours per week worked, or decreased levels of physical activity. Another factor that accounts for a portion of the variance is sex differences. To determine the differences in burnout, physical activity, and perceived wellness scores relating to sex in District 9 of the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA). Cross-sectional study. Web-based questionnaire. Athletic trainers who were included in the e-mail directory of NATA District 9 (men = 232, women = 158). A 19-item questionnaire for burnout, a 36-item questionnaire for perceived wellness, and a 16-item activity questionnaire for physical activity and demographics. The variables included demographics (hours per week worked, years of experience, sex), Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI; scores range from 0-100, and higher scores represent a higher level of burnout), Perceived Wellness Survey (PWS; scores range from 1-36, and scores close to 29 are considered healthy), and Baecke Physical Activity Questionnaire (BPAQ; scores range from 1-15, and higher scores represent more physical activity). Of the 1560 members contacted, 390 responded (response rate = 25%), and 59.5% (n = 232) were male. The mean scores were 38.73 ± 16.9 for men and 46.2 ± 17.1 for women for the CBI, 16.68 ± 2.76 for men and 16.41 ± 2.81 for women for the PWS, and 8.42 ± 1.32 for men and 8.77 ± 1.36 for women for the BPAQ. Men and women worked an average of 55.60 ± 26.03 and 47.86 ± 20.57 hours per week, respectively, and had a mean experience of 14.79 ± 9.86 and 8.92 ± 6.51 years, respectively. Women reported a higher level of burnout (t388 = -4.255, P = .001) and greater levels of physical activity (t388 = -2.52, P = .01) than men. Men reported working more hours (t388 = 3.131, P = .002) and having more years of experience (t388 = 6.568, P = .001) than women. Perceived wellness was not different between sexes (t388 = 0.958, P = .34). Our results suggest that women experienced moderate to high burnout and men experienced moderate burnout. Interestingly, men reported lower levels of burnout but worked more hours than women. Future researchers should focus on why women experience higher levels of burnout but work fewer hours. These findings may lead to educational interventions that might reduce burnout and increase professional longevity and quality of work.

Reflection in Learning Processes through Simulation/Gaming.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenorn, Torben; Kofoed, Lise Busk

1998-01-01

Discusses problems associated with organizational or technological change. Presents the results of learning experiments in experimentaria, rooms for experiments removed from the daily activities of an organization. Concludes that experimentaria seem to create a higher level of self-respect and respect for others' skills and knowledge as well as a…

Workplace Stress and the Student Learning Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevenson, Anne; Harper, Sarah

2006-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the possible effects of workplace stress in academics on the student learning experience. Design/methodology/approach: Questionnaires were designed and distributed to all academic staff at a Scottish Higher Education Institute. This measured perceived levels of stress amongst academic staff and the possible impact of this…

The ISIS Project: Real Experience with a Fault Tolerant Programming System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Birman, Kenneth; Cooper, Robert

1990-01-01

The ISIS project has developed a distributed programming toolkit and a collection of higher level applications based on these tools. ISIS is now in use at more than 300 locations world-wise. The lessons (and surprises) gained from this experience with the real world are discussed.

Association between demographics and resilience - a cross-sectional study among nurses in Singapore.

PubMed

Ang, S Y; Uthaman, T; Ayre, T C; Mordiffi, S Z; Ang, E; Lopez, V

2018-03-08

To give an overview of the level of resilience among nurses in Singapore and to examine associations between various demographics variables and resilience level. The World Health Organization reported a global needs-based shortage of over 9 million nurses and midwives in 2013. Building resilience among nurses has been postulated as one of the ways to support and retain nurses in the profession. A self-reported questionnaire consisting of questions on demographics and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale CD-RISC 10 was used. Univariate analysis identified marital status, age group, years of experience in nursing, highest education qualification and job grade to have significant associations with resilience. During multivariate analysis, only marital status, age group, highest educational qualification and job grade remained significant. A strong association was found between highest educational qualification and resilience level; nurses with bachelor's or postgraduate degree were about three times more likely than nurses with only a general nursing certificate to be of moderate/high resilience. The experience of life events (as exemplified by marital status, age and working experience) was associated with higher resilience levels. There is a need for healthcare organizations and nurse leaders to develop programmes focusing on building resilience among younger and less experienced nurses. Nurses should also be supported in their pursuits for higher education, which will in turn lead to higher resilience, and consequently, retention of nurses within the profession and institution. © 2018 International Council of Nurses.

Damping Mechanisms for Microgravity Vibration Isolation (MSFC Center Director's Discretionary Fund Final Report, Project No. 94-07)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whorton, M. S.; Eldridge, J. T.; Ferebee, R. C.; Lassiter, J. O.; Redmon, J. W., Jr.

1998-01-01

As a research facility for microgravity science, the International Space Station (ISS) will be used for numerous investigations such as protein crystal growth, combustion, and fluid mechanics experiments which require a quiescent acceleration environment across a broad spectrum of frequencies. These experiments are most sensitive to low-frequency accelerations and can tolerate much higher accelerations at higher frequency. However, the anticipated acceleration environment on ISS significantly exceeds the required acceleration level. The ubiquity and difficulty in characterization of the disturbance sources precludes source isolation, requiring vibration isolation to attenuate the anticipated disturbances to an acceptable level. This memorandum reports the results of research in active control methods for microgravity vibration isolation.

Finding a Life Worth Living: Meaning in Life and Graduation from College

PubMed Central

Wilt, Joshua; Bleidorn, Wiebke; Revelle, William

2016-01-01

Graduation from college is an important milestone for young adults, marked by mixed emotions and poignancy, and therefore is an especially salient context for studying meaning in life. The present research used experience-sampling methodology to examine the antecedents and consequences of students’ experience of meaning in life over the course of graduation. Participants were 74 graduating students who provided a total of 538 reports over the span of three days, including commencement day. Increased levels of state meaning in life during the days around commencement were linked to spending time with people in general and with family in particular, as well as thinking about one's years in college. Thinking about one's years in college mediated the effects of present company on state meaning in life. Graduates who experienced higher levels of state meaning in life during the days around their commencement ceremony had higher trait levels of meaning in life one week following commencement. We discuss how making meaning of a poignant experience has implications for healthy psychological development. PMID:27688595

Noise, stress, and annoyance in a pediatric intensive care unit.

PubMed

Morrison, Wynne E; Haas, Ellen C; Shaffner, Donald H; Garrett, Elizabeth S; Fackler, James C

2003-01-01

To measure and describe hospital noise and determine whether noise can be correlated with nursing stress measured by questionnaire, salivary amylase, and heart rate. Cohort observational study. Tertiary care center pediatric intensive care unit. Registered nurses working in the unit. None. Eleven nurse volunteers were recruited. An audiogram, questionnaire data, salivary amylase, and heart rate were collected in a quiet room. Each nurse was observed for a 3-hr period during patient care. Heart rate and sound level were recorded continuously; saliva samples and stress/annoyance ratings were collected every 30 mins. Variables assessed as potential confounders were years of nursing experience, caffeine intake, patients' Pediatric Risk of Mortality Score, shift assignment, and room assignment. Data were analyzed by random effects multiple linear regression using Stata 6.0. The average daytime sound level was 61 dB(A), nighttime 59 dB(A). Higher average sound levels significantly predicted higher heart rates (p =.014). Other significant predictors of tachycardia were higher caffeine intake, less nursing experience, and daytime shift. Ninety percent of the variability in heart rate was explained by the regression equation. Amylase measurements showed a large variability and were not significantly affected by noise levels. Higher average sound levels were also predictive of greater subjective stress (p =.021) and annoyance (p =.016). In this small study, noise was shown to correlate with several measures of stress including tachycardia and annoyance ratings. Further studies of interventions to reduce noise are essential.

Effect of sound level on virtual and free-field localization of brief sounds in the anterior median plane.

PubMed

Marmel, Frederic; Marrufo-Pérez, Miriam I; Heeren, Jan; Ewert, Stephan; Lopez-Poveda, Enrique A

2018-06-14

The detection of high-frequency spectral notches has been shown to be worse at 70-80 dB sound pressure level (SPL) than at higher levels up to 100 dB SPL. The performance improvement at levels higher than 70-80 dB SPL has been related to an 'ideal observer' comparison of population auditory nerve spike trains to stimuli with and without high-frequency spectral notches. Insofar as vertical localization partly relies on information provided by pinna-based high-frequency spectral notches, we hypothesized that localization would be worse at 70-80 dB SPL than at higher levels. Results from a first experiment using a virtual localization set-up and non-individualized head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) were consistent with this hypothesis, but a second experiment using a free-field set-up showed that vertical localization deteriorates monotonically with increasing level up to 100 dB SPL. These results suggest that listeners use different cues when localizing sound sources in virtual and free-field conditions. In addition, they confirm that the worsening in vertical localization with increasing level continues beyond 70-80 dB SPL, the highest levels tested by previous studies. Further, they suggest that vertical localization, unlike high-frequency spectral notch detection, does not rely on an 'ideal observer' analysis of auditory nerve spike trains. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Higher Education Quality: Perception Differences among Internal and External Stakeholders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abidin, Munirul

2015-01-01

Conceptually, education quality of higher education can be determined by evaluation of their stakeholders's satisfaction level. The purpose of this study is to describe how students as external stakeholder and lecturers as internal stakeholder, perceived their satisfaction of learning experience in the university. This study was conducted in…

Going Overseas for Higher Education: The Asian Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cummings, William K.

1984-01-01

Focuses on national differences in the numbers of students from selected Asian countries who undertake higher education abroad. Contrasts the development approach and the world-systems approach in national educational systems. Compares and presents a cross-sectional model of patterns, national levels, and determinants of sending students abroad.…

Career Experiences of Women Academicians in Kenyan Institutions of Higher Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nanyama, Evalyne

2012-01-01

Currently, women academicians in Kenya are underrepresented at all levels in Kenyan IHL, leading to less participation and integration into the administration and governance of higher institutions. As a result women academicians have little chance of making meaningful contributions to important policies and decisions that affect the institutions…

Higher Education for Refugees: Lessons from a 4-Year Pilot Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crea, Thomas M.; McFarland, Mary

2015-01-01

Refugees experience limited access to adequate education at all levels, but opportunities for higher education are especially lacking. Yet, evidence suggests that education plays an important protective role in helping refugee individuals and communities cope with their daily existence during protracted waiting periods, and the United Nations…

THE POSITIVITY OFFSET THEORY OF ANHEDONIA IN SCHIZOPHRENIA.

PubMed

Strauss, Gregory P; Frost, Katherine H; Lee, Bern G; Gold, James M

2017-03-01

Prior studies have concluded that schizophrenia patients are not anhedonic because they do not report reduced experience of positive emotion to pleasant stimuli. The current study challenged this view by applying quantitative methods validated in the Evaluative Space Model of emotional experience to test the hypothesis that schizophrenia patients evidence a reduction in the normative "positivity offset" (i.e., the tendency to experience higher levels of positive than negative emotional output when stimulus input is absent or weak). Participants included 76 schizophrenia patients and 60 healthy controls who completed an emotional experience task that required reporting the level of positive emotion, negative emotion, and arousal to photographs. Results indicated that although schizophrenia patients evidenced intact capacity to experience positive emotion at high levels of stimulus input, they displayed a diminished positivity offset. Reductions in the positivity offset may underlie volitional disturbance, limiting approach behaviors toward novel stimuli in neutral environments.

THE POSITIVITY OFFSET THEORY OF ANHEDONIA IN SCHIZOPHRENIA

PubMed Central

Strauss, Gregory P.; Frost, Katherine H.; Lee, Bern G.; Gold, James M.

2016-01-01

Prior studies have concluded that schizophrenia patients are not anhedonic because they do not report reduced experience of positive emotion to pleasant stimuli. The current study challenged this view by applying quantitative methods validated in the Evaluative Space Model of emotional experience to test the hypothesis that schizophrenia patients evidence a reduction in the normative “positivity offset” (i.e., the tendency to experience higher levels of positive than negative emotional output when stimulus input is absent or weak). Participants included 76 schizophrenia patients and 60 healthy controls who completed an emotional experience task that required reporting the level of positive emotion, negative emotion, and arousal to photographs. Results indicated that although schizophrenia patients evidenced intact capacity to experience positive emotion at high levels of stimulus input, they displayed a diminished positivity offset. Reductions in the positivity offset may underlie volitional disturbance, limiting approach behaviors toward novel stimuli in neutral environments. PMID:28497008

Simple Messages Help Set the Record Straight about Scientific Agreement on Human-Caused Climate Change: The Results of Two Experiments

PubMed Central

Myers, Teresa A.; Maibach, Edward; Peters, Ellen; Leiserowitz, Anthony

2015-01-01

Human-caused climate change is happening; nearly all climate scientists are convinced of this basic fact according to surveys of experts and reviews of the peer-reviewed literature. Yet, among the American public, there is widespread misunderstanding of this scientific consensus. In this paper, we report results from two experiments, conducted with national samples of American adults, that tested messages designed to convey the high level of agreement in the climate science community about human-caused climate change. The first experiment tested hypotheses about providing numeric versus non-numeric assertions concerning the level of scientific agreement. We found that numeric statements resulted in higher estimates of the scientific agreement. The second experiment tested the effect of eliciting respondents’ estimates of scientific agreement prior to presenting them with a statement about the level of scientific agreement. Participants who estimated the level of agreement prior to being shown the corrective statement gave higher estimates of the scientific consensus than respondents who were not asked to estimate in advance, indicating that incorporating an “estimation and reveal” technique into public communication about scientific consensus may be effective. The interaction of messages with political ideology was also tested, and demonstrated that messages were approximately equally effective among liberals and conservatives. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. PMID:25812121

Simple messages help set the record straight about scientific agreement on human-caused climate change: the results of two experiments.

PubMed

Myers, Teresa A; Maibach, Edward; Peters, Ellen; Leiserowitz, Anthony

2015-01-01

Human-caused climate change is happening; nearly all climate scientists are convinced of this basic fact according to surveys of experts and reviews of the peer-reviewed literature. Yet, among the American public, there is widespread misunderstanding of this scientific consensus. In this paper, we report results from two experiments, conducted with national samples of American adults, that tested messages designed to convey the high level of agreement in the climate science community about human-caused climate change. The first experiment tested hypotheses about providing numeric versus non-numeric assertions concerning the level of scientific agreement. We found that numeric statements resulted in higher estimates of the scientific agreement. The second experiment tested the effect of eliciting respondents' estimates of scientific agreement prior to presenting them with a statement about the level of scientific agreement. Participants who estimated the level of agreement prior to being shown the corrective statement gave higher estimates of the scientific consensus than respondents who were not asked to estimate in advance, indicating that incorporating an "estimation and reveal" technique into public communication about scientific consensus may be effective. The interaction of messages with political ideology was also tested, and demonstrated that messages were approximately equally effective among liberals and conservatives. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Gender differences in patterns of experienced sexual coercion and associated vulnerability factors among young people in the Netherlands.

PubMed

Kuyper, Lisette; de Wit, John; Smolenski, Derek; Adam, Philippe; Woertman, Liesbeth; van Berlo, Willy

2013-11-01

The development of effective policies and programs to prevent sexual coercion among young people requires thorough understanding of the diversity of coercive sexual experiences, patterns in such types of experiences, and similarities and differences between subgroups, especially by gender, in patterns of coercive sexual experiences and associations with potential vulnerability factors. The present online self-report study assessed a wide range of coercive sexual experiences and potential vulnerability factors among a sociodemographically diverse sample of 1,319 young people (16-25 years old) in The Netherlands. Findings confirm that sexual coercion comprises a diversity of experiences, with rates differing substantially across types of coercion. Latent class analysis revealed distinct patterns of coercive sexual experiences for young women and young men. Among young men, three patterns of experiences were found: no coercive sexual experiences, experience with verbal pressure, and experience with verbal pressure as well as coercion related to alcohol intoxication. Among young women, four patterns of coercive experiences were identified. In addition to the three patterns observed among young men, a fourth pattern encompassed experiences with verbal pressure as well as the use of force or violence. Higher numbers of sexual partners, lower levels of sexual refusal skills, and higher levels of token resistance were consistently associated with increased vulnerability. Findings illustrate the importance of communication skills and suggest that sexual communication training should be an integral part of sexuality education.

The effects of individual- and network-level factors on discussion of cancer experiences: Survivors of childhood cancer in Korea.

PubMed

Kim, Min Ah; Yi, Jaehee; Prince, Kort C; Nagelhout, Elizabeth; Wu, Yelena P

2018-01-01

This study aimed to identify young adult Korean cancer survivors' individual- (psychological distress, stigma, sociodemographic variables, and cancer-related variables) and network-level factors (relationship type, social support type) that influence discussion of their cancer experiences. Sixty-eight survivors of childhood cancer who were recruited using snowball sampling nominated 245 individuals from their networks, including family and intimate partners (40%) and friends and acquaintances (60%), as people with whom they most frequently interacted. Results of multilevel modeling analysis indicated that higher levels of internalized shame were a prominent individual-level factor associated with a lack of discussion of cancer experiences. Relationship type and support type at the network-level were also significant correlates of discussion of cancer experiences. Programs for reducing the survivors' shame, improving illness identity, and providing professional training for building social relationships that are intimate and in which they could exchange reciprocal support may help Korean childhood cancer survivors to openly share their cancer experiences with others in their social network and to be successful in the journey of cancer survivorship.

Physiological Reactivity and Recent Life-Stress Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pardine, Peter; Napoli, Anthony

1983-01-01

Assessed differences in cardiovascular reactivity between high and low life-stress students (N=26). Results indicated high life-stress individuals maintained their elevated stressor levels throughout recovery from a laboratory stressor, and showed significantly higher systolic recovery levels compared to the low stress group. (JAC)

Dietary fibre, fluids and physical activity in relation to constipation symptoms in pre-adolescent children.

PubMed

Jennings, Amy; Davies, G Jill; Costarelli, Vassiliki; Dettmar, Peter W

2009-06-01

Children with constipation are advised frequently to increase their activity levels, fluids and fibre intake. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of constipation symptoms in a group of schoolchildren while concurrently assessing their activity levels and fluid and fibre intakes. Eighty-four pre-adolescent children aged 7-10 years were recruited. All children completed a bowel function diary, an activity diary and a weighed food inventory for seven consecutive days. Of the children, 33 percent were found to experience constipation symptoms. Fluid and fibre intakes were higher in the children who did not experience constipation symptoms, but the results were not significant. Physical activity levels were found to be significantly higher in the children reporting constipation symptoms, with the most active children reporting low water intakes. This study has highlighted that constipation symptoms are a prevalent problem in children not seeking medical treatment.

The association of perceived abuse and discrimination after September 11, 2001, with psychological distress, level of happiness, and health status among Arab Americans.

PubMed

Padela, Aasim I; Heisler, Michele

2010-02-01

We assessed the prevalence of perceived abuse and discrimination among Arab American adults after September 11, 2001, and associations between abuse or discrimination and psychological distress, level of happiness, and health status. We gathered data from a face-to-face survey administered in 2003 to a representative, population-based sample of Arab American adults residing in the greater Detroit area. Overall, 25% of the respondents reported post-September 11 personal or familial abuse, and 15% reported that they personally had a bad experience related to their ethnicity, with higher rates among Muslims than Christians. After adjustment for socioeconomic and demographic factors, perceived post-September 11 abuse was associated with higher levels of psychological distress, lower levels of happiness, and worse health status. Personal bad experiences related to ethnicity were associated with increased psychological distress and reduced happiness. Perceptions of not being respected within US society and greater reported effects of September 11 with respect to personal security and safety were associated with higher levels of psychological distress. Perceived post-September 11 abuse and discrimination were associated with increased psychological distress, reduced levels of happiness, and worse health status in our sample. Community-based, culturally sensitive partnerships should be established to assess and meet the health needs of Arab Americans.

The Association of Perceived Abuse and Discrimination After September 11, 2001, With Psychological Distress, Level of Happiness, and Health Status Among Arab Americans

PubMed Central

Heisler, Michele

2010-01-01

Objectives. We assessed the prevalence of perceived abuse and discrimination among Arab American adults after September 11, 2001, and associations between abuse or discrimination and psychological distress, level of happiness, and health status. Methods. We gathered data from a face-to-face survey administered in 2003 to a representative, population-based sample of Arab American adults residing in the greater Detroit area. Results. Overall, 25% of the respondents reported post–September 11 personal or familial abuse, and 15% reported that they personally had a bad experience related to their ethnicity, with higher rates among Muslims than Christians. After adjustment for socioeconomic and demographic factors, perceived post–September 11 abuse was associated with higher levels of psychological distress, lower levels of happiness, and worse health status. Personal bad experiences related to ethnicity were associated with increased psychological distress and reduced happiness. Perceptions of not being respected within US society and greater reported effects of September 11 with respect to personal security and safety were associated with higher levels of psychological distress. Conclusions. Perceived post–September 11 abuse and discrimination were associated with increased psychological distress, reduced levels of happiness, and worse health status in our sample. Community-based, culturally sensitive partnerships should be established to assess and meet the health needs of Arab Americans. PMID:20019301

The Experience of Receiving and Delivering Consultation in a Residential Childcare Setting for Looked-After and Accommodated Children: A Sequential Exploratory Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Durka, Katie; Hacker, Thomas

2015-01-01

Looked-after and accommodated children are at higher risk of poor mental health and behavioural difficulties and experience high levels of emotional and psychological distress. Consultation plays a pivotal role in providing indirect support to vulnerable children and young people. The aim of this study was to explore the experience of consultation…

Constructive alignment of a research-informed teaching activity within an undergraduate diagnostic radiography curriculum: A reflection.

PubMed

Higgins, R; Hogg, P; Robinson, L

2017-09-01

To evaluate the learning experience of a level 5 (year 2) student cohort within a research-informed teaching (RiT) activity and to map findings against learning outcomes and level descriptors using constructive alignment. An online questionnaire was used to explore the level 5 student experience of a Research-informed Teaching (RiT) activity. Responses were retrospectively mapped against Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) level descriptors for level 5 using constructive alignment. Thirty one out of 46 level 5 students completed the questionnaire (67% response rate). Analysis of the questionnaire supported the integration of this RiT activity within the curriculum in terms of learning and research skill development by students. However, it was identified that this activity could be revised further to better align with level 5 descriptors and incorporate additional higher level cognitive processes. Learning outcomes for this RiT activity were constructively aligned with FHEQ level 5 descriptors. Recommendations are provided on how these could be further refined to ensure students undertake a more critical approach to the application of theory into practice. Discussion also considers how this process could be used to develop a similar RiT activity at level 6 (year 3). Copyright © 2016 The College of Radiographers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Training presence: the importance of virtual reality experience on the "sense of being there".

PubMed

Gamito, Pedro; Oliveira, Jorge; Morais, Diogo; Baptista, André; Santos, Nuno; Soares, Fábio; Saraiva, Tomaz; Rosa, Pedro

2010-01-01

Nature and origin of presence are still unclear. Although it can be characterized, under a neurophysiological perspective, as a process resulting from a synchrony between cognitive and perceptive systems, the multitude of associated processes reduces the chances of brain mapping presence. In this way, our study was designed in order to understand the possible role of VR experience on presence in a virtual environment. For our study, 16 participants (M=28.39 years; SD=13.44) of both genders without computer experience were selected. The study design consisted of two assessments (initial and final), where the participants were evaluated with BFI, PQ, ITQ, QC, MCSDS-SF, STAI, visual attention and behavioral measures after playing an first person shooter (FPS) game. In order to manipulate the level of VR experience the participants were trained on, a different FPS was used during the 12 weekly sessions of 30 minutes. Results revealed significant differences between the first and final assessment for presence (F(1,15)=11.583; MSE=775.538; p<01) and immersion scores (F(1,15)=6.234; MSE=204.962; p<05), indicating higher levels of presence and immersion in the final assessment. No statistical significant results were obtained for cybersickness or the behavioral measures. In summary, our results showed that training and the subsequent higher computer experience levels can increase immersion and presence.

Effectiveness of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in phytoremediation of lead- contaminated soil by vetiver grass.

PubMed

Bahraminia, Mahboobeh; Zarei, Mehdi; Ronaghi, Abdolmajid; Ghasemi-Fasaei, Reza

2016-01-01

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in phytoremediation of lead (Pb)-contaminated soil by vetiver grass. Experiment was a factorial arranged in a completely randomized design. Factors included four Pb levels (50, 200, 400, and 800 mg kg(-1)) as Pb (NO3)2, AM fungi at three levels (non mycorrhizal (NM) control, Rhizophagus intraradices, Glomus versiforme). Shoot and root dry weights (SDW and RDW) decreased as Pb levels increased. Mycorrhizal inoculation increased SDW and RDW compared to NM control. With mycorrhizal inoculation and increasing Pb levels, Pb uptake of shoot and root increased compared to those of NM control. Root colonization increased with mycorrhizal inoculation but decreased as Pb levels increased. Phosphorus concentration and uptake in shoot of plants inoculated with AM fungi was significantly higher than NM control at 200 and 800 mg Pb kg(-1). The Fe concentration, Fe and Mn uptake of shoot in plants inoculated with Rhizophagus intraradices in all levels of Pb were significantly higher than NM control. Mycorrhizal inoculation increased Pb extraction, uptake and translocation efficiencies. Lead translocation factor decreased as Pb levels increased; however inoculation with AM fungi increased Pb translocation.

Translating crustacean biological responses from CO2 bubbling experiments into population-level predictions

EPA Science Inventory

Many studies of animal responses to ocean acidification focus on uniformly conditioned age cohorts that lack complexities typically found in wild populations. These studies have become the primary data source for predicting higher level ecological effects, but the roles of intras...

Overcoming Content-Associated Challenges Using Attention-Focused Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lebec, Michael T.; Kesteloot, Lauren

2015-01-01

A common challenge in higher education is teaching required content for which students traditionally have lower levels of interest. Physical therapist education programs experience this challenge when training entry-level students to document in the medical record. The authors compared learning outcomes among physical therapy students taught…

Dysregulated responses to emotions among abstinent heroin users: correlation with childhood neglect and addiction severity.

PubMed

Gerra, G; Somaini, L; Manfredini, M; Raggi, M A; Saracino, M A; Amore, M; Leonardi, C; Cortese, E; Donnini, C

2014-01-03

The aim of this paper was to investigate the subjective responses of abstinent heroin users to both neutral and negative stimuli and the related hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal reactions to emotional experience in relationship to their perception of childhood adverse experiences. Thirty male abstinent heroin dependents were included in the study. Emotional responses and childhood neglect perception were measured utilizing the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Y-1 and the Child Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire. Neutral and unpleasant pictures selected from the International Affective Picture System and the Self-Assessment Manikin procedure have been used to determine ratings of pleasure and arousal. These ratings were compared with normative values obtained from healthy volunteers used as control. Blood samples were collected before and after the experimental sessions to determine both adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol plasma levels. Basal anxiety scores, cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone levels were higher in abstinent heroin users than in controls. Tests showed that anxiety scores did not change in controls after the vision of neutral slides, whilst they did in abstinent heroin addicts, increasing significantly; and increased less significantly after the unpleasant task, in comparison to controls. Abstinent heroin users showed significantly higher levels of parent antipathy and childhood emotional neglect perception than controls for both the father and the mother. Plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol levels did not significantly increase after unpleasant slide set viewing among addicted individuals, because of the significantly higher basal levels characterizing the addicted subjects in comparison with controls. Multiple regression correlation showed a significant relationship between childhood neglect perception, arousal reaction, impaired hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis response and addiction severity. Early adverse experiences seem to affect the entire interaction between hyper-arousal, reduced hormonal response to stress and addiction severity. Our findings, although obtained in a small number of subjects, indicate a significant link between the perception of parental style/care/support during childhood and the ability to cope with stressful emotional stimuli in adulthood and addiction severity. © 2013.

Gender Differences in Emotional Response: Inconsistency between Experience and Expressivity.

PubMed

Deng, Yaling; Chang, Lei; Yang, Meng; Huo, Meng; Zhou, Renlai

2016-01-01

The present study investigated gender differences in both emotional experience and expressivity. Heart rate (HR) was recorded as an indicator of emotional experience while the participants watched 16 video clips that induced eight types of emotion (sadness, anger, horror, disgust, neutrality, amusement, surprise, and pleasure). We also asked the participants to report valence, arousal, and motivation as indicators of emotional expressivity. Overall, the results revealed gender differences in emotional experience and emotional expressivity. When watching videos that induced anger, amusement, and pleasure, men showed larger decreases in HR, whereas women reported higher levels of arousal. There was no gender difference in HR when the participants watched videos that induced horror and disgust, but women reported lower valence, higher arousal, and stronger avoidance motivation than did men. Finally, no gender difference was observed in sadness or surprise, although there was one exception-women reported higher arousal when watching videos that induced sadness. The findings suggest that, when watching videos that induce an emotional response, men often have more intense emotional experiences, whereas women have higher emotional expressivity, particularly for negative emotions. In addition, gender differences depend on the specific emotion type but not the valence.

Gender Differences in Emotional Response: Inconsistency between Experience and Expressivity

PubMed Central

Deng, Yaling; Chang, Lei; Yang, Meng; Huo, Meng

2016-01-01

The present study investigated gender differences in both emotional experience and expressivity. Heart rate (HR) was recorded as an indicator of emotional experience while the participants watched 16 video clips that induced eight types of emotion (sadness, anger, horror, disgust, neutrality, amusement, surprise, and pleasure). We also asked the participants to report valence, arousal, and motivation as indicators of emotional expressivity. Overall, the results revealed gender differences in emotional experience and emotional expressivity. When watching videos that induced anger, amusement, and pleasure, men showed larger decreases in HR, whereas women reported higher levels of arousal. There was no gender difference in HR when the participants watched videos that induced horror and disgust, but women reported lower valence, higher arousal, and stronger avoidance motivation than did men. Finally, no gender difference was observed in sadness or surprise, although there was one exception—women reported higher arousal when watching videos that induced sadness. The findings suggest that, when watching videos that induce an emotional response, men often have more intense emotional experiences, whereas women have higher emotional expressivity, particularly for negative emotions. In addition, gender differences depend on the specific emotion type but not the valence. PMID:27362361

Adoption and Usage of mHealth Technology on Quality and Experience of Care Provided by Frontline Workers: Observations From Rural India.

PubMed

Kaphle, Sangya; Chaturvedi, Sharad; Chaudhuri, Indrajit; Krishnan, Ram; Lesh, Neal

2015-05-28

mHealth apps are deployed with the aim of improving access, quality, and experience of health care. It is possible that any mHealth intervention can yield differential impacts for different types of users. Mediating and determining factors, including personal and socioeconomic factors, affect technology adoption, the way health workers leverage and use the technology, and subsequently the quality and experience of care they provide. To develop a framework to assess whether mHealth platforms affect the quality and experience of care provided by frontline workers, and whether these effects on quality and experience are different depending on the level of technology adoption and individual characteristics of the health worker. Literacy, education, age, and previous mobile experience are identified as individual factors that affect technology adoption and use, as well as factors that affect the quality and experience of care directly and via the technology. Formative research was conducted with 15 community health workers (CHWs) using CommCare, an mHealth app for maternal and newborn care, in Bihar, India. CHWs were first classified on the level of CommCare adoption using data from CommCareHQ and were then shadowed on home visits to evaluate their levels of technology proficiency, and the quality and experience of care provided. Regression techniques were employed to test the relationships. Out of all the CHWs, 2 of them refused to participate in the home visits, however, we did have information on their levels of technology adoption and background characteristics, which were included in the analysis as relevant. Level of technology adoption was important for both quality and experience of care. The quality score for high users of CommCare was higher by 33.4% (P=.04), on average, compared to low users of CommCare. Those who scored higher on CommCare proficiency also provided significantly higher quality and experience of care, where an additional point in CommCare proficiency score increased the quality score by around half a point (0.541, P=.07), and experience score by around a third of a point (0.308, P=.03). Age affected CommCare user type negatively, with an increase in age increasing the likelihood of belonging to a lower category of CommCare adoption (-0.105, P=.08). Other individual characteristics did not affect adoption or the predicted values estimating the relationship between adoption and quality and experience of care, although illiteracy was able to affect the relationship negatively. mHealth technology adoption by frontline workers can positively impact the quality and experience of care they provide. Individual characteristics, especially literacy and age, can be important elements affecting technology adoption and the way users leverage the technology for their work. Our formative study provides informed hypotheses and methods for further research.

Adoption and Usage of mHealth Technology on Quality and Experience of Care Provided by Frontline Workers: Observations From Rural India

PubMed Central

Chaturvedi, Sharad; Chaudhuri, Indrajit; Krishnan, Ram; Lesh, Neal

2015-01-01

Background mHealth apps are deployed with the aim of improving access, quality, and experience of health care. It is possible that any mHealth intervention can yield differential impacts for different types of users. Mediating and determining factors, including personal and socioeconomic factors, affect technology adoption, the way health workers leverage and use the technology, and subsequently the quality and experience of care they provide. Objective To develop a framework to assess whether mHealth platforms affect the quality and experience of care provided by frontline workers, and whether these effects on quality and experience are different depending on the level of technology adoption and individual characteristics of the health worker. Literacy, education, age, and previous mobile experience are identified as individual factors that affect technology adoption and use, as well as factors that affect the quality and experience of care directly and via the technology. Methods Formative research was conducted with 15 community health workers (CHWs) using CommCare, an mHealth app for maternal and newborn care, in Bihar, India. CHWs were first classified on the level of CommCare adoption using data from CommCareHQ and were then shadowed on home visits to evaluate their levels of technology proficiency, and the quality and experience of care provided. Regression techniques were employed to test the relationships. Out of all the CHWs, 2 of them refused to participate in the home visits, however, we did have information on their levels of technology adoption and background characteristics, which were included in the analysis as relevant. Results Level of technology adoption was important for both quality and experience of care. The quality score for high users of CommCare was higher by 33.4% (P=.04), on average, compared to low users of CommCare. Those who scored higher on CommCare proficiency also provided significantly higher quality and experience of care, where an additional point in CommCare proficiency score increased the quality score by around half a point (0.541, P=.07), and experience score by around a third of a point (0.308, P=.03). Age affected CommCare user type negatively, with an increase in age increasing the likelihood of belonging to a lower category of CommCare adoption (-0.105, P=.08). Other individual characteristics did not affect adoption or the predicted values estimating the relationship between adoption and quality and experience of care, although illiteracy was able to affect the relationship negatively. Conclusions mHealth technology adoption by frontline workers can positively impact the quality and experience of care they provide. Individual characteristics, especially literacy and age, can be important elements affecting technology adoption and the way users leverage the technology for their work. Our formative study provides informed hypotheses and methods for further research. PMID:26023001

An interval logic for higher-level temporal reasoning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwartz, R. L.; Melliar-Smith, P. M.; Vogt, F. H.; Plaisted, D. A.

1983-01-01

Prior work explored temporal logics, based on classical modal logics, as a framework for specifying and reasoning about concurrent programs, distributed systems, and communications protocols, and reported on efforts using temporal reasoning primitives to express very high level abstract requirements that a program or system is to satisfy. Based on experience with those primitives, this report describes an Interval Logic that is more suitable for expressing such higher level temporal properties. The report provides a formal semantics for the Interval Logic, and several examples of its use. A description of decision procedures for the logic is also included.

Tobacco Mosaic Virus Infection Results in an Increase in Recombination Frequency and Resistance to Viral, Bacterial, and Fungal Pathogens in the Progeny of Infected Tobacco Plants1[C][W][OA

PubMed Central

Kathiria, Palak; Sidler, Corinne; Golubov, Andrey; Kalischuk, Melanie; Kawchuk, Lawrence M.; Kovalchuk, Igor

2010-01-01

Our previous experiments showed that infection of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants with Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) leads to an increase in homologous recombination frequency (HRF). The progeny of infected plants also had an increased rate of rearrangements in resistance gene-like loci. Here, we report that tobacco plants infected with TMV exhibited an increase in HRF in two consecutive generations. Analysis of global genome methylation showed the hypermethylated genome in both generations of plants, whereas analysis of methylation via 5-methyl cytosine antibodies demonstrated both hypomethylation and hypermethylation. Analysis of the response of the progeny of infected plants to TMV, Pseudomonas syringae, or Phytophthora nicotianae revealed a significant delay in symptom development. Infection of these plants with TMV or P. syringae showed higher levels of induction of PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENE1 gene expression and higher levels of callose deposition. Our experiments suggest that viral infection triggers specific changes in progeny that promote higher levels of HRF at the transgene and higher resistance to stress as compared with the progeny of unstressed plants. However, data reported in these studies do not establish evidence of a link between recombination frequency and stress resistance. PMID:20498336

Study, Examinations, and Stress: Blood Pressure Assessments in College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Brian M.

2005-01-01

The issue of stress associated with higher education and its impact on markers of student health is explored in three experiments looking at blood pressure levels in college students. All participants were full-time undergraduate students of psychology. In Experiment 1, academic fear of failure, assessed using psychometric testing, was found to be…

Problem-Based Learning in Secondary Education: Evaluation by an Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Witte, Kristof; Rogge, Nicky

2016-01-01

The effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) in terms of increasing students' educational attainments has been extensively studied for higher education students and in nonexperimental settings. This paper tests the effectiveness of PBL as an alternative instruction method in secondary education. In a controlled experiment at the class level,…

Facing CLIL Challenges at University Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Granados Beltrán, Carlo

2011-01-01

Experiments in Content Language Integrated Learning have been carried out most of the time at primary and secondary education. However, not much is known about what higher education institutions are doing in this respect. This article aims to present an experience that occurred in the Languages Department at Universidad Central (Bogotá, Colombia)…

Chasing vs. Stalking: Interrupting the Perception of Animacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gao, Tao; Scholl, Brian J.

2011-01-01

Visual experience involves not only physical features such as color and shape, but also higher-level properties such as animacy and goal-directedness. Perceiving animacy is an inherently dynamic experience, in part because agents' goal-directed behavior may be frequently in flux--unlike many of their physical properties. How does the visual system…

Trait mindfulness and protective strategies for alcohol use: Implications for college student drinking.

PubMed

Brett, Emma I; Leffingwell, Thad R; Leavens, Eleanor L

2017-10-01

The use of Protective Behavioral Strategies (PBS) has been strongly linked with decreased experience of alcohol-related consequences, making them a potential target for intervention. Additionally, mindfulness is associated with decreased experience of alcohol-related consequences. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate a model of PBS as a mediator of the effect of mindfulness on alcohol-related consequences. Additionally, mindfulness as a moderator of the relationship between PBS and alcohol use and consequences was examined. College students (N=239) at a large South Central university completed self-report measures of demographics, alcohol use and consequences, use of PBS, and trait mindfulness. Results indicated that both higher levels of mindfulness and using more PBS predicted decreased alcohol-related consequences and consumption, with PBS mediating both relationships (p<0.01). Those with higher levels of mindfulness were more likely to use PBS, with individuals using more PBS experiencing fewer alcohol-related consequences and consuming fewer drinks per week. Mindfulness moderated the relationship between PBS and consequences, with a significantly stronger negative relationship for those with lower levels of mindfulness. Individuals who are higher in trait mindfulness are more likely to use PBS, which leads to a decrease in the experience of alcohol-related consequences. Furthermore, for individuals lower in mindfulness, low PBS use may lead to increased experience of alcohol consequences. Interventions that incorporate PBS may be most beneficial for students who are low in mindfulness and unlikely to engage in drinking control strategies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring the Transformational Learning Experiences of Bahamian Students Studying in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunter-Johnson, Yvonne; Newton, Norissa

2016-01-01

Within recent years, there has been a trend of students (traditional and nontraditional) travelling abroad, more particularly to the United States, with the view of pursuing higher education at both the graduate and undergraduate level. Among the most popular influential factors to obtain higher education internationally are government and private…

Internal and External Influences on Program-Level Curriculum Development in Higher Education Fashion Merchandising Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Janice E.

2010-01-01

In an ever changing global economy, higher education experiences accountability issues in educating the workforce. Graduates require the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the global workplace. For graduates to have the opportunity to attain this understanding and expertise, it is critical to identify what influences curriculum…

Innovation in Learning and Teaching Project Report: Data Analysis. August 2016/17

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higher Education Funding Council for England, 2016

2016-01-01

This document presents the findings of a small-scale qualitative study into the motivations of higher education providers for pursuing strategic-level innovations in learning and teaching; the source of these innovations; their impact on the learning experience of students; and their financial implications for higher education providers. The…

The Gender Factor in Computer Anxiety and Interest among Some Australian High School Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okebukola, Peter Akinsola

1993-01-01

Western Australia eleventh graders (142 boys, 139 girls) were compared on such variables as computers at home, computer classes, experience with computers, and socioeconomic status. Girls had higher anxiety levels, boys higher computer interest. Possible causes included social beliefs about computer use, teacher sex bias, and software (games) more…

The Ranking Phenomenon and the Experience of Academics in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lo, William Yat Wai

2014-01-01

The primary aim of the paper is to examine how global university rankings have influenced the higher education sector in Taiwan from the perspective of academics. A qualitative case study method was used to examine how university ranking influenced the Taiwanese higher education at institutional and individual levels, respectively, thereby…

Association of normative beliefs and anger with aggression and antisocial behavior in Russian male juvenile offenders and high school students.

PubMed

Sukhodolsky, Denis G; Ruchkin, Vladislav V

2004-04-01

Examined the association of anger experience and two types of normative beliefs with physical aggression and nonaggressive antisocial behavior in 361 juvenile offenders and 206 high school students in Russia. All participants were male and ranged in age from 14 to 18 years. Higher frequency of aggressive acts was significantly associated with higher levels of anger and stronger beliefs that physical aggression is an appropriate course of action in conflicts. After statistically controlling for nonaggressive antisocial behavior, the relationship between physical aggression and antisocial beliefs was not significant. Similarly, with physical aggression controlled, nonaggressive antisocial behavior was uniquely associated with approval of deviancy, but not with anger or beliefs legitimizing aggression. Juvenile offenders reported higher levels of anger experience and higher frequency of aggression and antisocial behavior compared to high school students. There were no differences in normative beliefs between these two groups. This specificity of association of social-cognitive and emotion-regulation processes to aggressive and nonaggressive forms of antisocial behavior may be relevant to understanding the mechanisms of cognitive-behavioral therapy for conduct disorder and antisocial behavior.

The impact of contact with suicide-related behavior in prison on young offenders.

PubMed

Hales, Heidi; Edmondson, Amanda; Davison, Sophie; Maughan, Barbara; Taylor, Pamela J

2015-01-01

Prison suicide rates are high, and suicide-related behaviors (SRBs) higher, but effects of contact with such behaviors in prison have not previously been examined. To compare the mental state of young men witnessing a peer's suicide-related behavior in prison with that of men without such experience, and to test for factors associated with morbidity. Forty-six male prisoners (age 16-21 years) reporting contact with another's suicide-related behavior in prison were interviewed 6 months after the incident, with validated questionnaires, as were 44 without such contact at least 6 months into their imprisonment. Significantly higher levels of psychiatric morbidity and own suicide-related behaviors were found in the witness group, even after controlling for their higher levels of family mental illness and pre-exposure experience of in-prison bullying. Some personal factors were associated with higher morbidity; incident and institutional factors were not. Findings of heightened vulnerabilities among young men exposed to suicide-related behaviors in prison suggest a need for longitudinal study to clarify temporal relationships and inform strategies to prevent or limit development of morbidity and further harm.

Establishing an Interview Anxiety Baseline: Assessing Applicants' Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyer, Lori; Carden, Lila; Johnson, Lars; Boyd, Raphael

2017-01-01

This research includes survey data about the types of anxiety levels that college students experience while preparing for job interviews. Survey findings included female students reporting higher levels of anxiety than their male counterparts on four of the five scales. Results suggest that additional training for female applicants could reduce…

Communication Apprehension Levels of Student Governance Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Michael T.; Nadler, Daniel P.

2009-01-01

A major component of the college student experience is the engagement with out-of-class activities. This involvement has been linked to a variety of success indicators, including higher levels of academic achievement, high retention and matriculation, and overall collegiate satisfaction. One of the key areas for student engagement is college…

Perceived Foreign Accent: Extended Stays Abroad, Level of Instruction, and Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinsen, Rob A.; Alvord, Scott M.; Tanner, Joshua

2014-01-01

Studies have examined various factors that affect pronunciation including phonetic context, style variation, first language transfer, and experience abroad. A plethora of research has also linked motivation to higher levels of proficiency in the second language. The present study uses native speaker ratings and multiple regression analysis to…

Theoretical Study of the H2-ML(+) Binding Energies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maitre, Philippe; Bauschlicher, Charles W., Jr.

1993-01-01

The cooperative ligand effects are studied in MLH2(+) and the results are compared to the recent experiments of Kemper et al. The bonding in these compounds is principally electrostatic in origin; however, ligand to metal and metal to ligand donations are important, especially for H2. We show that differences arise among the vanadium, cobalt, and copper complexes which are due to 3d donation to H2. Electron correlation is required to describe the dative interaction, and we find that second order Moller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) yields a good description of these systems compared with higher levels of correlation (such as the modified coupled pair functional and coupled cluster approaches) and experiment. However, obtaining quantitative results requires higher levels of theory than MP2.

Experiences of stigma and discrimination of people with schizophrenia in India

PubMed Central

Koschorke, Mirja; Padmavati, R.; Kumar, Shuba; Cohen, Alex; Weiss, Helen A.; Chatterjee, Sudipto; Pereira, Jesina; Naik, Smita; John, Sujit; Dabholkar, Hamid; Balaji, Madhumitha; Chavan, Animish; Varghese, Mathew; Thara, R.; Thornicroft, Graham; Patel, Vikram

2014-01-01

Stigma contributes greatly to the burden of schizophrenia and is a major obstacle to recovery, yet, little is known about the subjective experiences of those directly affected in low and middle income countries. This paper aims to describe the experiences of stigma and discrimination of people living with schizophrenia (PLS) in three sites in India and to identify factors influencing negative discrimination. The study used mixed methods and was nested in a randomised controlled trial of community care for schizophrenia. Between November 2009 and October 2010, data on four aspects of stigma experienced by PLS and several clinical variables were collected from 282 PLS and 282 caregivers and analysed using multivariate regression. In addition, in-depth-interviews with PLS and caregivers (36 each) were carried out and analysed using thematic analysis. Quantitative findings indicate that experiences of negative discrimination were reported less commonly (42%) than more internalised forms of stigma experience such as a sense of alienation (79%) and significantly less often than in studies carried out elsewhere. Experiences of negative discrimination were independently predicted by higher levels of positive symptoms of schizophrenia, lower levels of negative symptoms of schizophrenia, higher caregiver knowledge about symptomatology, lower PLS age and not having a source of drinking water in the home. Qualitative findings illustrate the major impact of stigma on ‘what matters most’ in the lives of PLS and highlight three key domains influencing the themes of 'negative reactions' and ‘negative views and feelings about the self’, i.e., ‘others finding out’, ‘behaviours and manifestations of the illness’ and ‘reduced ability to meet role expectations’. Findings have implications for conceptualising and measuring stigma and add to the rationale for enhancing psycho-social interventions to support those facing discrimination. Findings also highlight the importance of addressing public stigma and achieving higher level social and political structural change. PMID:25462616

Noise pollution levels in the pediatric intensive care unit.

PubMed

Kramer, Bree; Joshi, Prashant; Heard, Christopher

2016-12-01

Patients and staff may experience adverse effects from exposure to noise. This study assessed noise levels in the pediatric intensive care unit and evaluated family and staff opinion of noise. Noise levels were recorded using a NoisePro DLX. The microphone was 1 m from the patient's head. The noise level was averaged each minute and levels above 70 and 80 dBA were recorded. The maximum, minimum, and average decibel levels were calculated and peak noise level great than 100 dBA was also recorded. A parent questionnaire concerning their evaluation of noisiness of the bedside was completed. The bedside nurse also completed a questionnaire. The average maximum dB for all patients was 82.2. The average minimum dB was 50.9. The average daily bedside noise level was 62.9 dBA. The average % time where the noise level was higher than 70 dBA was 2.2%. The average percent of time that the noise level was higher than 80 dBA was 0.1%. Patients experienced an average of 115 min/d where peak noise was greater than 100 dBA. The parents and staff identified the monitors as the major contribution to noise. Patients experienced levels of noise greater than 80 dBA. Patients experience peak noise levels in excess of 100 dB during their pediatric intensive care unit stay. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gaze Behavior of Gymnastics Judges: Where Do Experienced Judges and Gymnasts Look While Judging?

PubMed

Pizzera, Alexandra; Möller, Carsten; Plessner, Henning

2018-03-01

Gymnastics judges and former gymnasts have been shown to be quite accurate in detecting errors and accurately judging performance. The purpose of the current study was to examine if this superior judging performance is reflected in judges' gaze behavior. Thirty-five judges were asked to judge 21 gymnasts who performed a skill on the vault in a video-based test. Classifying 1 sample on 2 different criteria, judging performance and gaze behavior were compared between judges with a higher license level and judges with a lower license level and between judges who were able to perform the skill (specific motor experience [SME]) and those who were not. The results revealed better judging performance among judges with a higher license level compared with judges with a lower license level and more fixations on the gymnast during the whole skill and the landing phase, specifically on the head and arms of the gymnast. Specific motor experience did not result in any differences in judging performance; however, judges with SME showed similar gaze patterns to those of judges with a high license level, with 1 difference in their increased focus on the gymnasts' feet. Superior judging performance seems to be reflected in a specific gaze behavior. This gaze behavior appears to partly stem from judges' own sensorimotor experiences for this skill and reflects the gymnasts' perspective onto the skill.

An Alienation-Based Framework for Student Experience in Higher Education: New Interpretations of Past Observations in Student Learning Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnhardt, Bradford; Ginns, Paul

2014-01-01

This article orients a recently proposed alienation-based framework for student learning theory (SLT) to the empirical basis of the approaches to learning perspective. The proposed framework makes new macro-level interpretations of an established micro-level theory, across three levels of interpretation: (1) a context-free psychological state…

Qualifying the Sunpower M87N Cryocooler for Operation in the AMS-02 Magnetic Field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mustafi, Shuvo; Banks, Stuart; Shirey, Kim; Breon, Susan

2003-01-01

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-02 (AMs-02) experiment uses a superfluid helium dewar to cool a large superconducting magnet. The outer vapor-cooled shields of the dewar are to be held at 80 K by four Sunpower M87N cryocoolers. These cryocoolers have magnetic components that might interact with the external applied field generated by the superconducting magnet, thereby degrading the cryocoolers' performance. Engineering models of the Sunpower M87 have been qualified for operation in a magnetic environment similar to the AMs-02 magnetic environment. Although there was no noticeable performance degradation at field levels that were comparable to AMs-02 field levels, there appears to be a small performance degradation at higher field levels. It was theorized that there were three possible issues related to these performance losses at high magnetic fields: i) induced piston rubbing on the cylinder wall due to forces and torques on the linear motor due to the applied magnetic fields; ii) Magnetic hysteretic and/or eddy current damping of the balancer due to its motion in the applied magnetic fields; iii) Inductance losses in motor due to the applied magnetic field. The experiments conducted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) cyclotron facility in June 2002 were designed to test these. Tests were performed over a range of field levels that were lower, comparable, and higher than the field levels that the cryocoolers will experience in the AMs-02 operating environment. This paper describes the experiments and the inferences derived from them.

Patient Activation and Mental Health Care Experiences Among Women Veterans.

PubMed

Kimerling, Rachel; Pavao, Joanne; Wong, Ava

2016-07-01

We utilized a nationally representative survey of women veteran primary care users to examine associations between patient activation and mental health care experiences. A dose-response relationship was observed, with odds of high quality ratings significantly greater at each successive level of patient activation. Higher activation levels were also significantly associated with preference concordant care for gender-related preferences (use of female providers, women-only settings, and women-only groups as often as desired). Results add to the growing literature documenting better health care experiences among more activated patients, and suggest that patient activation may play an important role in promoting engagement with mental health care.

Identifying patient and practice characteristics associated with patient-reported experiences of safety problems and harm: a cross-sectional study using a multilevel modelling approach.

PubMed

Ricci-Cabello, Ignacio; Reeves, David; Bell, Brian G; Valderas, Jose M

2017-11-01

To identify patient and family practice characteristics associated with patient-reported experiences of safety problems and harm. Cross-sectional study combining data from the individual postal administration of the validated Patient Reported Experiences and Outcomes of Safety in Primary Care (PREOS-PC) questionnaire to a random sample of patients in family practices (response rate=18.4%) and practice-level data for those practices obtained from NHS Digital. We built linear multilevel multivariate regression models to model the association between patient-level (clinical and sociodemographic) and practice-level (size and case-mix, human resources, indicators of quality and safety of care, and practice safety activation) characteristics, and outcome measures. Practices distributed across five regions in the North, Centre and South of England. 1190 patients registered in 45 practices purposefully sampled (maximal variation in practice size and levels of deprivation). Self-reported safety problems, harm and overall perception of safety. Higher self-reported levels of safety problems were associated with younger age of patients (beta coefficient 0.15) and lower levels of practice safety activation (0.44). Higher self-reported levels of harm were associated with younger age (0.13) and worse self-reported health status (0.23). Lower self-reported healthcare safety was associated with lower levels of practice safety activation (0.40). The fully adjusted models explained 4.5% of the variance in experiences of safety problems, 8.6% of the variance in harm and 4.4% of the variance in perceptions of patient safety. Practices' safety activation levels and patients' age and health status are associated with patient-reported safety outcomes in English family practices. The development of interventions aimed at improving patient safety outcomes would benefit from focusing on the identified groups. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Workplace Incivility: Who Is Most Targeted and Who Is Most Harmed?

PubMed

Zurbrügg, Lauren; Miner, Kathi N

2016-01-01

Scholars have proposed that interpersonal workplace discrimination toward members of oppressed social groups has become covert and subtle rather than overt and explicit and that such experiences lead to negative outcomes for targets. The present study examined this proposition by examining experiences and consequences of workplace incivility-a seemingly harmless form of interpersonal maltreatment-based on gender, sexual orientation, and their intersection. A sample of 1,300 academic faculty (52% male, 86% White) participated in an online survey study assessing their experiences of workplace incivility, job stress, job satisfaction, job identity centrality, and demographics. Results showed that sexual minority women reported the highest levels of workplace incivility. Findings also revealed that women reported lower job satisfaction than men and that heterosexuals reported higher job stress and lower job identity centrality than sexual minorities with higher levels of incivility. Thus, sexual minority status buffered the negative effects of incivility for sexual minorities. These findings point to the resiliency of sexual minorities in the face of interpersonal stressors at work.

The autobiography of addiction: autobiographical reasoning and psychological adjustment in abstinent alcoholics.

PubMed

Dunlop, William L; Tracy, Jessica L

2013-01-01

The narration of drinking experiences plays a central role in many alcohol rehabilitation programmes, yet few researchers have considered whether alcoholics' stories about such experiences relate to their psychological adjustment. Here we examine the extent to which drinking stories of abstinent alcoholics reflect autobiographical reasoning processes denoting self-change and self-stability, and whether these processes are associated with adjustment. Participants who revealed a positive self-change in their narratives about drinking demonstrated higher levels of self-esteem, authentic pride, and mental health compared to those who did not. In contrast, those who implied a sense of self-stability in their narratives demonstrated higher levels of hubristic pride and aggression, and poorer mental health. These results suggest that narrating positive self-change in the wake of substance abuse may underlie psychological adjustment, whereas establishing self-stability in these experiences may impede adjustment. More broadly, these findings underscore the importance of recognising the multi-dimensional nature of autobiographical reasoning.

Social Support and Mental Health in LGBTQ Adolescents: A review of the literature.

PubMed

McDonald, Kari

2018-01-01

LGBTQ adolescents experience higher rates of mental health disorders than their heterosexual peers. The purpose of this systematic review of the literature was to examine studies evaluating social support and its effects on mental health in the LGBTQ adolescent population. Higher levels of social support were associated with positive self-esteem. Lack of social support (or low social support) was associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, alcohol or drug misuse, risky sexual behaviors, shame, and low self-esteem. Interdisciplinary research teams from multiple and diverse professions could provide valuable insight supporting the development of inclusive and comprehensive interventions programs for this population.

Psychosocial Correlates of Shape and Weight Concerns in Overweight Pre-Adolescents

PubMed Central

Sinton, Meghan M.; Goldschmidt, Andrea B.; Aspen, Vandana; Theim, Kelly R.; Stein, Richard I.; Saelens, Brian E.; Epstein, Leonard H.; Wilfley, Denise E.

2013-01-01

Shape and weight concerns among overweight pre-adolescents heighten risk for eating disorders and weight gain. Treatment and prevention efforts require consideration of psychosocial factors that co-occur with these concerns. This study involved 200 overweight pre-adolescents, aged 7–12 years (M age = 9.8; SD = 1.4), presenting for family-based weight control treatment. Hierarchical regression was used to examine the influence of pre-adolescents’ individual characteristics and social experiences, and their parents’ psychological symptoms, on shape and weight concerns as assessed by the Child Eating Disorder Examination. Findings revealed that higher levels of dietary restraint, greater feelings of loneliness, elevated experiences with weight-related teasing, and higher levels of parents’ eating disorder symptoms predicted higher shape and weight concerns among overweight pre-adolescents. Interventions addressing overweight pre-adolescents’ disordered eating behaviors and social functioning, as well as their parents’ disordered eating behaviors and attitudes, may be indicated for those endorsing shape and weight concerns. PMID:21695562

The effects of environmental resource and security on aggressive behavior.

PubMed

Ng, Henry Kin Shing; Chow, Tak Sang

2017-05-01

Exposure to different environments has been reported to change aggressive behavior, but previous research did not consider the underlying elements that caused such an effect. Based on previous work on environmental perception, we examined the role of environmental resource and security in altering aggression level. In three experiments, participants were exposed to environments that varied in resource (High vs. Low) and security (High vs. Low) levels, after which aggression was measured. The environments were presented through visual priming (Experiments 1-2) and a first-person gameplay (Experiment 3). We observed a consistent resource-security interaction effect on aggression, operationalized as the level of noise blast (Experiment 1) and number of unpleasant pictures (Experiments 2-3) delivered to strangers by the participants. High resource levels associated with higher aggression in insecure conditions, but lower aggression in secure conditions. The findings suggest that the adaptive value of aggression varies under different environmental constraints. Implications are discussed in terms of the effects of adverse environments on aggression, and the nature's effects on social behavior. Aggr. Behav. 43:304-314, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Applying a health behavior theory to explore the influence of information and experience on arsenic risk representations, policy beliefs, and protective behavior.

PubMed

Severtson, Dolores J; Baumann, Linda C; Brown, Roger L

2006-04-01

The common sense model (CSM) shows how people process information to construct representations, or mental models, that guide responses to health threats. We applied the CSM to understand how people responded to information about arsenic-contaminated well water. Constructs included external information (arsenic level and information use), experience (perceived water quality and arsenic-related health effects), representations, safety judgments, opinions about policies to mitigate environmental arsenic, and protective behavior. Of 649 surveys mailed to private well users with arsenic levels exceeding the maximum contaminant level, 545 (84%) were analyzed. Structural equation modeling quantified CSM relationships. Both external information and experience had substantial effects on behavior. Participants who identified a water problem were more likely to reduce exposure to arsenic. However, about 60% perceived good water quality and 60% safe water. Participants with higher arsenic levels selected higher personal safety thresholds and 20% reported a lower arsenic level than indicated by their well test. These beliefs would support judgments of safe water. A variety of psychological and contextual factors may explain judgments of safe water when information suggested otherwise. Information use had an indirect effect on policy beliefs through understanding environmental causes of arsenic. People need concrete information about environmental risk at both personal and environmental-systems levels to promote a comprehensive understanding and response. The CSM explained responses to arsenic information and may have application to other environmental risks.

Shaping the Future of Patient Experience Measurement in Canadian Healthcare.

PubMed

Sutherland, Jason M

2017-10-01

Patients' experiences with healthcare providers can be tumultuous and stressful. Focusing on what matters, the experience of care is important to improving patients' quality of life. In this issue's lead article, Kuluski and colleagues (2017) propose moving beyond setting-based patient experience measures. In doing so, the authors emphasize the importance of caregivers and the communities in which patients live in improving patients' and caregivers' care experiences. To achieve these aims, however, the authors demand a higher level of reflexivity from provinces' healthcare funders and providers. © 2017 Longwoods Publishing.

The Immersive Virtual Reality Experience: A Typology of Users Revealed Through Multiple Correspondence Analysis Combined with Cluster Analysis Technique.

PubMed

Rosa, Pedro J; Morais, Diogo; Gamito, Pedro; Oliveira, Jorge; Saraiva, Tomaz

2016-03-01

Immersive virtual reality is thought to be advantageous by leading to higher levels of presence. However, and despite users getting actively involved in immersive three-dimensional virtual environments that incorporate sound and motion, there are individual factors, such as age, video game knowledge, and the predisposition to immersion, that may be associated with the quality of virtual reality experience. Moreover, one particular concern for users engaged in immersive virtual reality environments (VREs) is the possibility of side effects, such as cybersickness. The literature suggests that at least 60% of virtual reality users report having felt symptoms of cybersickness, which reduces the quality of the virtual reality experience. The aim of this study was thus to profile the right user to be involved in a VRE through head-mounted display. To examine which user characteristics are associated with the most effective virtual reality experience (lower cybersickness), a multiple correspondence analysis combined with cluster analysis technique was performed. Results revealed three distinct profiles, showing that the PC gamer profile is more associated with higher levels of virtual reality effectiveness, that is, higher predisposition to be immersed and reduced cybersickness symptoms in the VRE than console gamer and nongamer. These findings can be a useful orientation in clinical practice and future research as they help identify which users are more predisposed to benefit from immersive VREs.

The measurement of boredom: differences between existing self-report scales.

PubMed

Mercer-Lynn, Kimberley B; Flora, David B; Fahlman, Shelley A; Eastwood, John D

2013-10-01

There are two commonly used measures of boredom: the Boredom Proneness Scale (BPS) and the Boredom Susceptibility Scale (ZBS). Although both were designed to measure the propensity to experience boredom (i.e., trait boredom), there are reasons to think they may not measure the same construct. The present research sought to evaluate this proposition in several stages. Specifically, relationships between the BPS, ZBS, and important causal (Study 1, N = 837), correlational (Study 2, N = 233), and outcome variables (Study 3, N = 137) were examined in university students. Taken together, results support the notion that the BPS and ZBS do not measure the same construct. Specifically, higher BPS scores were associated with higher levels of neuroticism, experiential avoidance, attentional and nonplanning impulsivity, anxiety, depression, dysphoria, and emotional eating. Conversely, higher ZBS scores were associated with higher levels of motor impulsivity, sensitivity to reward, gambling, and alcohol use and lower levels of neuroticism, experiential avoidance, and sensitivity to punishment.

Burnout Experience of Teachers Serving Students with Emotional Behavioral Disorders in Grades PreK-8 within Non-Public Special Education Day Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Kendra A.

2011-01-01

This exploratory study examined the relationships between five predictor variables identified by the literature (age, years of special education teaching experience, level of emotional behavioral disorders (EBD) preparation, principal support, and principal feedback) and two higher order terms (age and years of special education teaching…

The Sources and Manifestations of Stress amongst School-Aged Dyslexics, Compared with Sibling Controls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander-Passe, Neil

2008-01-01

All school children experience stress at some point in their school careers. This study investigates whether dyslexic children, by way of their educational and social difficulties, experience higher levels of stress at school. The School Situation Survey was used to investigate both the sources and manifestations of stress amongst dyslexic…

Perceptions of Australia as a Postgraduate Research Destination. Go8 Backgrounder 11

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Group of Eight (NJ1), 2010

2010-01-01

In 2009 the Group of Eight (Go8) commissioned market research to examine the attitudes, perceptions and experiences of Australia as a destination for study at the Higher Research Degree level. This backgrounder highlights some of the positive aspects of the Australian experience. The top five aggregated strengths of Australia as a research…

The Research Training Experiences of Doctoral Students Linked to Australian Cooperative Research Centres.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harman, Kay

2002-01-01

Examined the research training experiences of Australian doctoral students working in or funded by Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs). Found that CRC-related Ph.D. students fare well compared to their counterparts in regular university departments, and that on a number of indicators CRC-related students recorded higher levels of satisfaction with…

Comparative Analysis of Nursing Students' Perspectives toward Avatar Learning Modality: Gain Pre-Clinical Experience via Self-Paced Cognitive Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Commendador, Kathleen; Chi, Robert

2013-01-01

This study was undertaken to better understand the nature of nursing students' perspectives toward simulative learning modality for gaining pre-clinical experience via self-paced cognitive tool--Avatar. Findings indicates that participants engaged in synchronous Avatar learning environment had higher levels of appreciation toward Avatar learning…

THE EFFECT OF IRRADIATION ON REPRODUCTION BY THE HETEROGENETIC GENERATION OF STRONGYLOIDES PAPILLOSUS. I. IRRADIATION OF MALES AND FEMALES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Katz, F.F.

1960-06-01

Fourth and fifth stage male and third and fourth stage female S. papillosus were subjected to various doses of Co/sup 60/ gamma irradiation and cultured in vitro with controls of the opposite sex. Fewer offspring were produced in cultures containing irradiated males than in cultures of irradiated females. A single experiment involving several doses and one control gave a more linear picture of the effects of irradiation than individual experiments carried out at various times for different dose levels. In the former, larvae were obtained in cultures of nematodes exposed to 20 kr but not to 40, 60, 80 ormore » 100 kr; in the latter, larvae occurred in cultures of males irradiated at 42 kr and in cultures of females exposed to 50 kr but not at the higher levels employed. With increased doses of irradiation, there was a decrease in the percentage of eggs hatching. The dominant lethal effect was observed in cultures with males exposed to 20 kr and higher doses. In cultures with irradiated females, this phenomenon was observed at 40 kr and higher levels. (auth)« less

Stress and coping among gay men: age and ethnic differences.

PubMed

David, Steven; Knight, Bob G

2008-03-01

Previous studies suggest that perceived stigmatization of sexual minority status, ethnicity, and age are associated with negative mental health outcomes, and other studies suggest that coping styles may influence these outcomes. However, no studies have examined these relationships among gay men of varying ethnicities and age groups. Three hundred eighty-three Black and White, younger, middle-aged, and older adult gay men completed measures of perceived stigmatization, coping style, and mental health outcomes. Black older adult gay men reported significantly higher levels of perceived ageism than the older White group, significantly higher levels of perceived racism than the younger Black group, significantly higher levels of homonegativity than the younger Black and the White groups, and were more likely to use disengaged coping styles than White gay men. However, Black older adult gay men did not experience significantly higher levels of negative mental health outcomes. Results suggest that further research should examine how older Black gay men, who perceive higher levels of stigma while reporting greater use of less effective coping styles, do not appear to be experiencing more negative mental health outcomes as a result. (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved.

Success on the Tenure Track: Five Keys to Faculty Job Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trower, Cathy Ann

2012-01-01

Landing a tenure-track position is no easy task. Achieving tenure is even more difficult. Under what policies and practices do faculty find greater clarity about tenure and experience higher levels of job satisfaction? And what makes an institution a great place to work? In 2005-2006, the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education…

The Development of a Monitoring System of Higher Education Quality in Ukraine and Germany: Comparative Component

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chorna, Olga

2015-01-01

The article reveals specific features of functioning systems of higher education quality monitoring at the present stage, taking into account national traditions, historical experience and mentality of the population. The article introduces a comparative analysis of monitoring actors at national, regional and local levels in two countries. The…

The Work-Related Quality of Life Scale for Higher Education Employees

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Julian A.; Van Laar, Darren; Easton, Simon; Kinman, Gail

2009-01-01

Previous research suggests that higher education employees experience comparatively high levels of job stress. A range of instruments, both generic and job-specific, has been used to measure stressors and strains in this occupational context. The Work-related Quality of Life (WRQoL) scale is a measure designed to capture perceptions of the working…

Conceptions of Power among Senior Women Administrators at Liberal Arts Colleges in the Upper Midwestern United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enke, Kathryn

2014-01-01

Women are underrepresented in senior-level leadership positions in higher education institutions, and their experiences are underrepresented in research about leadership and power in higher education. This qualitative study engaged women senior administrators at liberal arts colleges in the Upper Midwestern United States to better understand how…

Prior experience, antioxidants, and mitochondrial cofactors improve cognitive function in aged beagles.

PubMed

Ikeda-Douglas, Candace J; Zicker, Steven C; Estrada, Jimena; Jewell, Dennis E; Milgram, Norton W

2004-01-01

Results of this study support the free-radical theory of aging and demonstrated that providing higher levels of vitamin E in food resulted in higher serum vitamin E concentrations and improved performance on landmark-discrimination tasks in aged dogs. Factors other than vitamin E also contributed to the response but remain undefined.

Regulatory Mechanism of Self-Determination Involvement in Higher Education: Assessing Chinese Students' Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Hongzhe; Liu, Jinlan; Chi, Xianglan

2014-01-01

Investment in higher education facilities in terms of both hardware and software has witnessed significant growth on a yearly basis since the reintroduction of the college entrance examination known as the NMT in 1977. However, a social assessment of graduates' qualities seems to indicate that the improvement in skill levels and graduates' general…

Multidisciplinary Case Study on Higher Education: An Innovative Experience in the Business Management Degree

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martínez-Cañas, Ricardo; del Pozo-Rubio, Raúl; Mondéjar-Jiménez, José; Ruiz-Palomino, Pablo

2012-01-01

Higher education is constantly changing and looking for innovative educational solutions in order to increase the level of the student's knowledge and skills. As an important part of this set of educational policies, a new process is emerging for the ideation, planning and implementation of multidisciplinary case studies for students with the aim…

A Narrative Study of the Experiences of Executive Administrators of Color Who Work at Religiously-Affiliated Higher Education Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moffitt, Michael J.

2017-01-01

Current research literature indicates there is a disparity of people of color at the executive level working within institutions of higher education, particularly those with religious affiliations. Similar studies have focused on students and faculty of color, but there has been limited research directed toward administrators (Jackson &…

The Role of Prior Mathematical Experience in Predicting Mathematics Performance in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faulkner, Fiona; Hannigan, Ailish; Fitzmaurice, Olivia

2014-01-01

Evidence of deficiencies in basic mathematical skills of beginning undergraduates has been documented worldwide. Many different theories have been set out as to why these declines in mathematical competency levels have occurred over time. One such theory is the widening access to higher education which has resulted in a less mathematically…

Relationships of salivary cortisol and melatonin rhythms to sleep quality, emotion, and fatigue levels in patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer.

PubMed

Chang, Wen-Pei; Lin, Chia-Chin

2017-08-01

After being diagnosed with lung cancer, patients often experience sleep disturbance, anxiety, depression, and fatigue. These symptoms may occur because of changes in neurotransmitter secretion caused by tumors. This study investigated the correlation of cortisol and melatonin rhythms with sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and fatigue levels in patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer. We conducted a case-control study and recruited 40 patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer and 40 healthy adults. The patient group had a lower salivary melatonin level and flatter slope (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001), higher salivary cortisol level and steeper slope (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001), higher sleep disturbance level (p = 0.004), and higher depression level (p < 0.001). The multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that the cortisol slope (p = 0.005) and fatigue score (p = 0.032) predicted the sleep quality score (p = 0.011). Overall, the patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer had poorer sleep quality, higher depression levels, lower salivary melatonin levels, higher cortisol levels, and flatter melatonin and cortisol slopes than did the controls. The fatigue level and cortisol slope significantly predicted sleep quality. Therefore, the assessment of cortisol and melatonin rhythms and levels could provide crucial information that may be beneficial for managing symptoms in patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Depression and experience of vision loss in group of adults in rehabilitation setting: mixed-methods pilot study.

PubMed

Senra, Hugo; Vieira, Cristina R; Nicholls, Elizabeth G; Leal, Isabel

2013-01-01

There is a paucity of literature regarding the relationship between the experience of vision loss and depression. Therefore, the current pilot study aimed to explore whether significant differences existed in levels of depression between adults with different vision loss experiences. A group of adults aged between 20 and 65 yr old with irreversible vision loss in a rehabilitation setting was interviewed. Semistructured interviews were conducted in order to explore patients' experience of vision loss. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was used to assess depressive levels; 39.5% (n = 15) of patients met CES-D criteria for depression. In addition, higher levels of depression (p < 0.05) were identified in patients whose interviews revealed greater self-awareness of impairment, inadequate social support, and longer rehabilitation stay. Current findings draw attention to variables such as self-awareness of impairment and perceived social support and suggest that depression following vision loss may be related to patients' emotional experiences of impairment and adjustment processes.

Adverse Childhood Experiences, the Medical Home, and Child Well-Being.

PubMed

Balistreri, Kelly Stamper

2015-11-01

To examine the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACE), access to a medical home and a global measure of well-being among children ages 6-17 using the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health. Multivariate linear regressions assessed the associations between each adverse experience and an index of child well-being with and without the impact of other events. The number of ACE was summed for each respondent and the analyses were repeated with the cumulative score as a continuous variable. The cumulative model was repeated with the addition of an interaction term between ACE score and medical home access. All analyses were conducted separately for children ages 6-11 and adolescents 12-17. Over half (53 %) of US children ages 6-17 have experienced some adverse experience during childhood. Over a quarter (28 %) has experienced at least two adverse experiences, while 15 % have experienced three or more hardships. Results suggest that the accumulation of ACE reduces well-being in children. The associations remained significant after controlling for gender, race/ethnicity, age, parental education, special health condition, and medical home access. Medical home access was consistently associated with higher levels of child well-being and was a significant moderator of the relationship between the total ACE and child well-being among children ages 6-11. Children with ACE exposure and access to a medical home have higher levels of well-being than comparable children without access to a medical home. Children exposed to adverse experiences have measurably lower levels of well-being, although younger children with access to a medical home are protected at increasing exposure.

Gender differences in successful NIH grant funding in otolaryngology.

PubMed

Eloy, Jean Anderson; Svider, Peter F; Kovalerchik, Olga; Baredes, Soly; Kalyoussef, Evelyne; Chandrasekhar, Sujana S

2013-07-01

To evaluate gender differences in NIH funding among faculty in otolaryngology departments and discuss potential reasons for these differences. Analysis of NIH funding data available on the online NIH RePORTER system. Fiscal year 2011 and 2012 NIH funding awards to principal investigators (PIs) in otolaryngology departments were obtained and used to examine faculty listings from otolaryngology departments for academic rank and gender. The Scopus database was used to determine publication range of these faculty members. Individual mean NIH awards to men ($362,946 ± $21,247 standard error of mean) were higher than those to women ($287,188 ± $38,029). Male PIs were found to have higher mean NIH funding totals (aggregating grants for PIs with multiple awards) than female PIs ($498,593 vs $359,276). Upon organization by academic rank and years active, men had significantly higher funding levels at both the level of assistant professor and at 10 to 20 years of experience. Of all NIH grants awarded, men had a higher percentage of the more prestigious R-series grants (76.2%) than did women (63.4%). Male faculty members have higher NIH funding levels than their female colleagues, a disparity that exists separate from career longevity, as it is true both at the rank of assistant professor and for those with 10 to 20 years of research experience. The larger proportion of R-series NIH grants awarded to male faculty may contribute to this finding. This discrepancy in percentage and dollars of funding exists despite the increasing percentages of women in higher ranks.

Controls on valley spacing in landscapes subject to rapid base-level fall

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGuire, Luke; Pelletier, John D.

2015-01-01

What controls the architecture of drainage networks is a fundamental question in geomorphology. Recent work has elucidated the mechanisms of drainage network development in steadily uplifting landscapes, but the controls on drainage-network morphology in transient landscapes are relatively unknown. In this paper we exploit natural experiments in drainage network development in incised Plio-Quaternary alluvial fan surfaces in order to understand and quantify drainage network development in highly transient landscapes, i.e. initially unincised low-relief surfaces that experience a pulse of rapid base-level drop followed by relative base-level stasis. Parallel drainage networks formed on incised alluvial-fan surfaces tend to have a drainage spacing that is approximately proportional to the magnitude of the base-level drop. Numerical experiments suggest that this observed relationship between the magnitude of base-level drop and mean drainage spacing is the result of feedbacks among the depth of valley incision, mass wasting and nonlinear increases in the rate of colluvial sediment transport with slope gradient on steep valley side slopes that lead to increasingly wide valleys in cases of larger base-level drop. We identify a threshold magnitude of base-level drop above which side slopes lengthen sufficiently to promote increases in contributing area and fluvial incision rates that lead to branching and encourage drainage networks to transition from systems of first-order valleys to systems of higher-order, branching valleys. The headward growth of these branching tributaries prevents the development of adjacent, ephemeral drainages and promotes a higher mean valley spacing relative to cases in which tributaries do not form. Model results offer additional insights into the response of initially unincised landscapes to rapid base-level drop and provide a preliminary basis for understanding how varying amounts of base-level change influence valley network morphology.

Conceptual Hierarchies in a Flat Attractor Network

PubMed Central

O’Connor, Christopher M.; Cree, George S.; McRae, Ken

2009-01-01

The structure of people’s conceptual knowledge of concrete nouns has traditionally been viewed as hierarchical (Collins & Quillian, 1969). For example, superordinate concepts (vegetable) are assumed to reside at a higher level than basic-level concepts (carrot). A feature-based attractor network with a single layer of semantic features developed representations of both basic-level and superordinate concepts. No hierarchical structure was built into the network. In Experiment and Simulation 1, the graded structure of categories (typicality ratings) is accounted for by the flat attractor-network. Experiment and Simulation 2 show that, as with basic-level concepts, such a network predicts feature verification latencies for superordinate concepts (vegetable ). In Experiment and Simulation 3, counterintuitive results regarding the temporal dynamics of similarity in semantic priming are explained by the model. By treating both types of concepts the same in terms of representation, learning, and computations, the model provides new insights into semantic memory. PMID:19543434

Psychological resilience after Hurricane Sandy: the influence of individual- and community-level factors on mental health after a large-scale natural disaster.

PubMed

Lowe, Sarah R; Sampson, Laura; Gruebner, Oliver; Galea, Sandro

2015-01-01

Several individual-level factors are known to promote psychological resilience in the aftermath of disasters. Far less is known about the role of community-level factors in shaping postdisaster mental health. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of both individual- and community-level factors on resilience after Hurricane Sandy. A representative sample of household residents (N = 418) from 293 New York City census tracts that were most heavily affected by the storm completed telephone interviews approximately 13-16 months postdisaster. Multilevel multivariable models explored the independent and interactive contributions of individual- and community-level factors to posttraumatic stress and depression symptoms. At the individual-level, having experienced or witnessed any lifetime traumatic event was significantly associated with higher depression and posttraumatic stress, whereas demographic characteristics (e.g., older age, non-Hispanic Black race) and more disaster-related stressors were significantly associated with higher posttraumatic stress only. At the community-level, living in an area with higher social capital was significantly associated with higher posttraumatic stress. Additionally, higher community economic development was associated with lower risk of depression only among participants who did not experience any disaster-related stressors. These results provide evidence that individual- and community-level resources and exposure operate in tandem to shape postdisaster resilience.

Micro- and mesozooplankton community response to increasing CO2 levels in the Baltic Sea: insights from a large-scale mesocosm experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lischka, S.; Bach, L. T.; Schulz, K.-G.; Riebesell, U.

2015-12-01

Community approaches investigating ocean acidification (OA) effects suggest a high tolerance of micro- and mesozooplankton to carbonate chemistry changes expected to occur within this century. Plankton communities in the coastal areas of the Baltic Sea frequently experience pH variations partly exceeding projections for the near future both on a diurnal and seasonal basis, thus some level of tolerance/adaptation may be expected. We conducted a large-scale mesocosm CO2 enrichment experiment (~ 55 m3) enclosing the natural plankton community in Tvärminne/Storfjärden for eight weeks during June-August 2012 and studied community and species/taxon response of microzooplankton (ciliates) and mesozooplankton to CO2 elevations expected for this century. Besides the response to fCO2 and associate changes in carbonate chemistry speciation, we also considered temperature and chlorophyll a variations in our analyses. Shannon diversity of microzooplankton significantly decreased with fCO2 and temperature with a greater dominance of smaller species. Small sized ciliates (Myrionecta rubra, Balanion comatum, Strombidium cf. epidemum, Strobilidium sp.) showed significant relations with one or more of the factors. The phototrophic Myrionecta rubra seemed to directly benefit from higher CO2 concentrations and showed increased abundance in the pre-bloom phase. With respect to meszooplankton, we neither detected significant effects for total abundance nor for Shannon diversity. The cladocera Bosmina occurred at distinctly higher abundance (more than twice as high compared to the control mesocosms) for a short time period during the second half of the experiment in three of the CO2-enriched mesocosms except for the highest CO2 level. The ratio of Bosmina with empty to embryo/resting egg bearing brood chambers, however, was significantly affected by all three factors. An indirect CO2 effect via increased food availability stimulating Bosmina reproduction is suggested, but too low sampling frequency of this highly flexible organism probably entailed proving a significant relation with fCO2. Filter-feeding cladocerans effectively transfer microbial loop carbon to higher trophic levels. Thus, under increasing OA in cladoceran dominated mesozooplankton communities the importance of the microbial loop in the pelagic zone may be enhanced and carbon transfer to higher trophic levels stimulated.

Adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism, and professional burnout among medical laboratory scientists.

PubMed

Robakowska, Marlena; Tyrańska-Fobke, Anna; Walkiewicz, Maciej; Tartas, Małgorzata

2018-05-22

The goal of this paper is to verify the correlations between adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism and the selected demographic and job characteristics vs. professional burnout among medical laboratory scientists in Poland. The study group consisted of 166 laboratory scientists. The Polish Adaptive and Maladaptive Perfectionism Questionnaire (Szczucka) was used for testing perfectionism. The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory was used for examining burnout syndrome. Adaptive perfectionism was positively and maladaptive perfectionism was negatively correlated with both aspects of professional burnout: the disengagement from work and exhaustion. What is more, maladaptive perfectionism was correlated negatively with age and work experience. People in relationships have a higher level of disengagement and a higher level of exhaustion than single ones. The results of hierarchical regression analyses have revealed, after having controlled selected demographic and job factors, that a significant predictor of disengagement is the high level of adaptive perfectionism and low level of maladaptive perfectionism. In addition, a significant predictor of high level of exhaustion is the low level of maladaptive perfectionism. Professional burnout among medical laboratory scientists is of a specific nature. The "healthier" perfectionism they reveal, the higher level of burnout they present. In this profession, lower risk of burnout is represented by those who are characterized by the lack of confidence in the quality of their actions and a negative reaction to their own imperfections associated with imposed social obligation to be perfect. The individuals pursuing their internal high standards experience burnout faster. Med Pr 2018;69(3):253-260. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

Religiousness, religious coping methods and distress level among psychiatric patients in Malaysia.

PubMed

Nurasikin, M S; Khatijah, L A; Aini, A; Ramli, M; Aida, S A; Zainal, N Z; Ng, C G

2013-06-01

Patients having psychiatric diagnoses often experience high level of distress. Religiousness is often used by them as part of their coping mechanism and problem-solving strategies. To determine the level of religious commitment and coping methods in psychiatric patients and its relationship with distress level. Religious commitment and coping patterns were measured with the Duke University Religious Index (DUREL) and Brief RCOPE, respectively. Psychopathology was assessed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and distress level was assessed with the Depressive, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS). Social support and experiences of recent threatening events were measured with the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and Life Threatening Events (LTE). A total of 228 patients were included in this study with a mean age of 40.2 years. The majority were male, Malay, Muslim, single and with psychotic disorder. The subjects had a high level of religious commitment and had used more positive coping methods. Negative religious coping, psychiatric symptoms and diagnosis of anxiety disorder or major depression were significantly associated with high distress level. Higher religious commitment was significantly associated with lower distress (p < .05). Psychiatric patients were religiously committed and used more positive religious coping methods. Practices of negative religious coping, severe psychiatric symptoms and anxiety/depression were associated with higher distress.

Online public health preparedness training programs: an evaluation of user experience with the technological environment.

PubMed

Nambisan, Priya

2010-01-01

Several public health education programs and government agencies across the country have started offering virtual or online training programs in emergency preparedness for people who are likely to be involved in managing or responding to different types of emergency situations such as natural disasters, epidemics, bioterrorism, etc. While such online training programs are more convenient and cost-effective than traditional classroom-based programs, their success depends to a great extent on the underlying technological environment. Specifically, in an online technological environment, different types of user experiences come in to play-users' utilitarian or pragmatic experience, their fun or hedonic experience, their social experience, and most importantly, their usability experience-and these different user experiences critically shape the program outcomes, including course completion rates. This study adopts a multi-disciplinary approach and draws on theories in human computer interaction, distance learning theories, usability research, and online consumer behavior to evaluate users' experience with the technological environment of an online emergency preparedness training program and discusses its implications for the design of effective online training programs. . Data was collected using a questionnaire from 377 subjects who had registered for and participated in online public health preparedness training courses offered by a large public university in the Northeast. Analysis of the data indicates that as predicted, participants had higher levels of pragmatic and usability experiences compared to their hedonic and sociability experiences. Results also indicate that people who experienced higher levels of pragmatic, hedonic, sociability and usability experiences were more likely to complete the course(s) they registered for compared to those who reported lower levels. The study findings hold important implications for the design of effective online emergency preparedness training targeted at diverse audiences including the general public, health care and public health professionals, and emergency responders. Strategies for improving participants' pragmatic, hedonic, sociability and usability experiences are outlined. There are ample opportunities to improve the pragmatic, hedonic, sociability and usability experiences of the target audience. This is critical to improve the participants' learning and retention as well as the completion rates for the courses offered. Online emergency preparedness programs are likely to play a crucial role in preparing emergency responders at all levels in the future and their success has critical implications for public health informatics.

Do Experiences with Medicare Managed Care Vary According to the Proportion of Same-Race/Ethnicity/Language Individuals Enrolled in One's Contract?

PubMed Central

Price, Rebecca Anhang; Haviland, Amelia M; Hambarsoomian, Katrin; Dembosky, Jacob W; Gaillot, Sarah; Weech-Maldonado, Robert; Williams, Malcolm V; Elliott, Marc N

2015-01-01

Objective To examine whether care experiences and immunization for racial/ethnic/language minority Medicare beneficiaries vary with the proportion of same-group beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage (MA) contracts. Data Sources/Study Setting Exactly 492,495 Medicare beneficiaries responding to the 2008–2009 MA Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Survey. Data Collection/Extraction Methods Mixed-effect regression models predicted eight CAHPS patient experience measures from self-reported race/ethnicity/language preference at individual and contract levels, beneficiary-level case-mix adjustors, along with contract and geographic random effects. Principal Findings As a contract's proportion of a given minority group increased, overall and non-Hispanic, white patient experiences were poorer on average; for the minority group in question, however, high-minority plans may score as well as low-minority plans. Spanish-preferring Hispanic beneficiaries also experience smaller disparities relative to non-Hispanic whites in plans with higher Spanish-preferring proportions. Conclusions The tendency for high-minority contracts to provide less positive patient experiences for others in the contract, but similar or even more positive patient experiences for concentrated minority group beneficiaries, may reflect cultural competency, particularly language services, that partially or fully counterbalance the poorer overall quality of these contracts. For some beneficiaries, experiences may be just as positive in some high-minority plans with low overall scores as in plans with higher overall scores. PMID:25752334

Laboratory based instruction in Pakistan: Comparative evaluation of three laboratory instruction methods in biological science at higher secondary school level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheema, Tabinda Shahid

This study of laboratory based instruction at higher secondary school level was an attempt to gain some insight into the effectiveness of three laboratory instruction methods: cooperative group instruction method, individualised instruction method and lecture demonstration method on biology achievement and retention. A Randomised subjects, Pre-test Post-test Comparative Methods Design was applied. Three groups of students from a year 11 class in Pakistan conducted experiments using the different laboratory instruction methods. Pre-tests, achievement tests after the experiments and retention tests one month later were administered. Results showed no significant difference between the groups on total achievement and retention, nor was there any significant difference on knowledge and comprehension test scores or skills performance. Future research investigating a similar problem is suggested.

The relationship between traumatic childhood experiences and proclivities towards substance abuse, self-esteem and coping strategies.

PubMed

Toker, Timur; Tiryaki, Ahmet; Özçürümez, Gamze; Iskender, Baykal

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare people with substance use disorder with healthy controls in terms of childhood abuse, proclivity towards substance abuse, coping skills and self-esteem as well as the correlation between experiences of abuse in childhood and these variables. The study group included 41 subjects diagnosed with substance use disorder, who had been sentenced under the respective laws as a result of crimes relating to substance use and possession, and the control group. A sociodemographic Data Form, SCID-I, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, COPE, Substance Abuse Proclivity Scale and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were applied to all participants. Childhood trauma history was observed to be more common in the study group than in the control group. When the childhood trauma questionnaire was evaluated, the scores for physical abuse were found to be significantly higher in the study group. COPE subscale scores for mental disengagement, focusing on problems and expressing emotions, active coping, coping through religion and emotional social support usage were significantly lower in the study group. The study group's results on the Substance Abuse Proclivity Scale were found to be higher than those of the control group. On the Rosenberg Self Respect Scale, the study group's scores were higher while the control group was more likely to have high self respect. People with substance use disorder are more likely to have a childhood history of physical abuse, higher proclivity towards substance abuse and lower self esteem. The level of abuse increases the level of emotion-based coping while decreasing levels of problem-based coping. There is support for the view that that traumatic childhood experiences are one of the psychosocial risk factors related to, although not specific to substance use.

Long-term breast-feeding in women with type 1 diabetes.

PubMed

Stage, Edna; Nørgård, Hanne; Damm, Peter; Mathiesen, Elisabeth

2006-04-01

Breast-feeding may be more difficult in women with diabetes because of neonatal morbidity and fluctuating maternal blood glucose values. The frequency of long-term breast-feeding and the possible predictors for successful breast-feeding were investigated. One hundred two consecutive women with type 1 diabetes were interviewed about breast-feeding using a semistructured questionnaire 5 days and 4 months after delivery. Clinical data were collected from the medical records. Five days after delivery, 86% of the women were breast-feeding. Four months after delivery, 55 (54%) women were exclusively, 14 (14%) were partly, and 33 (32%) were not breast-feeding compared with 50, 26, and 24% in the background population (NS). Mothers exclusively breast-feeding at 4 months were characterized by previous experience with breast-feeding, a higher educational level, and vaginal delivery and included a high proportion of nonsmokers, whereas there were no associations with diabetes-related parameters such as white classes, duration of diabetes, HbA(1c), and insulin dose at conception. Breast-fed offspring had a significantly higher birth weight and gestational age and were less often receiving glucose intravenously compared with the remaining offspring. Independent predictors of exclusive breast-feeding at 4 months were previous experience with breast-feeding (odds ratio 6.3 [95% CI 2.4-17]) and higher educational level (7.1 [2.4-21]). Cessation of breast-feeding was mainly due to common nursing problems, such as perceived milk supply, and not related to maternal diabetes status. The majority of the women with type 1 diabetes initiated breast-feeding, and the prevalence of breast-feeding at 4 months was comparable to that in the background population. Independent predictors of exclusive breast-feeding at 4 months were previous experience with breast-feeding and higher educational level.

Differential reporting of discriminatory experiences in Brazil and the United States.

PubMed

Burgard, Sarah; Castiglione, Debora de Pina; Lin, Katherine Y; Nobre, Aline A; Aquino, Estela M L; Pereira, Alexandre C; Bensenor, Isabela J Martins; Barreto, Sandhi M; Chor, Dora

2017-05-08

There has been little cross-national comparison of perceived discrimination, and few studies have considered how intersectional identities shape perception of discriminatory treatment in different societies. Using data from the ELSA-Brasil, a study of Brazilian civil servants, and the Americans' Changing Lives Study, a nationally-representative sample of U.S. adults, we compare reports of lifetime discrimination among race-by-gender groups in each society. We also consider whether educational attainment explains any group differences, or if differences across groups vary by level of education. Results reveal higher lifetime discrimination experiences among Black respondents in both countries, especially Black men, than among Whites, and lower reports among White women than White men. Brown men and women also reported higher levels than White men in Brazil. For all race-by-gender groups in both countries, except Brazilian White men, reports of discrimination were higher among the more educated, though adjusting for educational differences across groups did not explain group differences. In Brazil, we found the greatest racial disparities among the college educated, while U.S. Black men were more likely to report discrimination than White men at all levels of education. Results reveal broad similarities across countries, despite important differences in their histories, and an intersectional approach contributed to identification of these similarities and some differences in discrimination experiences. These findings have implications for social and public health surveillance and intervention to address the harmful consequences of discrimination.

The psychosocial experiences of breast cancer amongst Black, South Asian and White survivors: do differences exist between ethnic groups?

PubMed

Patel-Kerai, Geeta; Harcourt, Diana; Rumsey, Nichola; Naqvi, Habib; White, Paul

2017-04-01

Very little UK-based research has examined breast cancer-related experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic populations, and we do not know whether the psychosocial impact of diagnosis and treatment in this group is any different to that of White women. Therefore, this study examined similarities and differences amongst Black, South Asian and White breast cancer survivors. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted; 173 breast cancer survivors (80 White, 53 South Asian and 40 Black) completed a questionnaire, which assessed psychological functioning, social support, body image and beliefs about cancer. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were reported between White and South Asian participants: compared with White women, South Asian participants reported higher levels of anxiety and depression, poorer quality of life and held higher levels of internal and fatalistic beliefs pertaining to cancer. Black and South Asian women reported higher levels of body image concerns than White women, and held stronger beliefs that God was in control of their cancer. South Asian women turned to religion as a source of support more than Black and White women. This study enhances current understanding of the experience and impact of breast cancer amongst Black and South Asian women, and demonstrates similarities and differences between the ethnic groups. The findings highlight implications for healthcare professionals, particularly in relation to providing culturally sensitive care and support to their patients. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Faculty Self-Reported Assessment Survey (FRAS): differentiating faculty knowledge and experience in assessment.

PubMed

Hanauer, David I; Bauerle, Cynthia

2015-01-01

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education reform efforts have called for widespread adoption of evidence-based teaching in which faculty members attend to student outcomes through assessment practice. Awareness about the importance of assessment has illuminated the need to understand what faculty members know and how they engage with assessment knowledge and practice. The Faculty Self-Reported Assessment Survey (FRAS) is a new instrument for evaluating science faculty assessment knowledge and experience. Instrument validation was composed of two distinct studies: an empirical evaluation of the psychometric properties of the FRAS and a comparative known-groups validation to explore the ability of the FRAS to differentiate levels of faculty assessment experience. The FRAS was found to be highly reliable (α = 0.96). The dimensionality of the instrument enabled distinction of assessment knowledge into categories of program design, instrumentation, and validation. In the known-groups validation, the FRAS distinguished between faculty groups with differing levels of assessment experience. Faculty members with formal assessment experience self-reported higher levels of familiarity with assessment terms, higher frequencies of assessment activity, increased confidence in conducting assessment, and more positive attitudes toward assessment than faculty members who were novices in assessment. These results suggest that the FRAS can reliably and validly differentiate levels of expertise in faculty knowledge of assessment. © 2015 D. I. Hanauer and C. Bauerle. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2015 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Factors influencing infant/child mortality in Bangladesh: implication for family planning programs and policies.

PubMed

Miah, M M

1993-01-01

"This study examined a host of socio-economic and demographic factors (including their interactions) that determine infant/child mortality of married women at the different parity levels in Bangladesh [using data from] a multivariate analysis of the 1975-76 Bangladesh Fertility Survey.... The major hypothesis of this research is that the higher the level of fertility of a married woman, the higher will be her experience of infant/child mortality. However, a woman's family planning practice may interact with fertility and affect the total infant/child deaths...." excerpt

Genetic Variations in the Human Cannabinoid Receptor Gene Are Associated with Happiness

PubMed Central

Matsunaga, Masahiro; Isowa, Tokiko; Yamakawa, Kaori; Fukuyama, Seisuke; Shinoda, Jun; Yamada, Jitsuhiro; Ohira, Hideki

2014-01-01

Happiness has been viewed as a temporary emotional state (e.g., pleasure) and a relatively stable state of being happy (subjective happiness level). As previous studies demonstrated that individuals with high subjective happiness level rated their current affective states more positively when they experience positive events, these two aspects of happiness are interrelated. According to a recent neuroimaging study, the cytosine to thymine single-nucleotide polymorphism of the human cannabinoid receptor 1 gene is associated with sensitivity to positive emotional stimuli. Thus, we hypothesized that our genetic traits, such as the human cannabinoid receptor 1 genotypes, are closely related to the two aspects of happiness. In Experiment 1, 198 healthy volunteers were used to compare the subjective happiness level between cytosine allele carriers and thymine-thymine carriers of the human cannabinoid receptor 1 gene. In Experiment 2, we used positron emission tomography with 20 healthy participants to compare the brain responses to positive emotional stimuli of cytosine allele carriers to that of thymine-thymine carriers. Compared to thymine-thymine carriers, cytosine allele carriers have a higher subjective happiness level. Regression analysis indicated that the cytosine allele is significantly associated with subjective happiness level. The positive mood after watching a positive film was significantly higher for the cytosine allele carriers compared to the thymine-thymine carriers. Positive emotion-related brain region such as the medial prefrontal cortex was significantly activated when the cytosine allele carriers watched the positive film compared to the thymine-thymine carriers. Thus, the human cannabinoid receptor 1 genotypes are closely related to two aspects of happiness. Compared to thymine-thymine carriers, the cytosine allele carriers of the human cannabinoid receptor 1 gene, who are sensitive to positive emotional stimuli, exhibited greater magnitude positive emotions when they experienced positive events and had a higher subjective happiness level. PMID:24690898

White mulberry (Morus alba) foliage methanolic extract can alleviate Aeromonas hydrophila infection in African catfish (Clarias gariepinus).

PubMed

Sheikhlar, Atefeh; Alimon, Abd Razk; Daud, Hassan; Saad, Chee R; Webster, Carl D; Meng, Goh Yong; Ebrahimi, Mahdi

2014-01-01

Two experiments were simultaneously conducted with Morus alba (white mulberry) foliage extract (MFE) as a growth promoter and treatment of Aeromonas hydrophila infection in separate 60 and 30 days trail (Experiments 1 and 2, resp.) in African catfish (Clarias gariepinus). In Experiment 1, four diets, control and control supplemented with 2, 5, or 7 g MFE/kg dry matter (DM) of diet, were used. In Experiment 2, fish were intraperitoneally infected with Aeromonas hydrophila and fed the same diets as experiment 1 plus additional two diets with or without antibiotic. Results of experiment 1 showed that growth was unaffected by dietary levels of MFE. Treatments with the inclusion of MFE at the levels of 5 and 7 g/Kg DM had no mortality. Red blood cells (RBC), albumin, and total protein were all higher for the treatments fed MFE (5 and 7 g/Kg DM). Results of experiment 2 showed RBC, hemoglobin, hematocrit, globulin, albumin, and total protein improved with the increase in MFE in the infected fish. The dietary MFE at the level of 7 g/kg DM reduced mortality rate. In conclusion, MFE at the level of 7 g/kg DM could be a valuable dietary supplement to cure the infected fish.

White Mulberry (Morus alba) Foliage Methanolic Extract Can Alleviate Aeromonas hydrophila Infection in African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

PubMed Central

Sheikhlar, Atefeh; Alimon, Abd Razk; Daud, Hassan; Saad, Chee R.; Webster, Carl D.; Meng, Goh Yong

2014-01-01

Two experiments were simultaneously conducted with Morus alba (white mulberry) foliage extract (MFE) as a growth promoter and treatment of Aeromonas hydrophila infection in separate 60 and 30 days trail (Experiments 1 and 2, resp.) in African catfish (Clarias gariepinus). In Experiment 1, four diets, control and control supplemented with 2, 5, or 7 g MFE/kg dry matter (DM) of diet, were used. In Experiment 2, fish were intraperitoneally infected with Aeromonas hydrophila and fed the same diets as experiment 1 plus additional two diets with or without antibiotic. Results of experiment 1 showed that growth was unaffected by dietary levels of MFE. Treatments with the inclusion of MFE at the levels of 5 and 7 g/Kg DM had no mortality. Red blood cells (RBC), albumin, and total protein were all higher for the treatments fed MFE (5 and 7 g/Kg DM). Results of experiment 2 showed RBC, hemoglobin, hematocrit, globulin, albumin, and total protein improved with the increase in MFE in the infected fish. The dietary MFE at the level of 7 g/kg DM reduced mortality rate. In conclusion, MFE at the level of 7 g/kg DM could be a valuable dietary supplement to cure the infected fish. PMID:25574488

Construing Morality at High versus Low Levels Induces Better Self-control, Leading to Moral Acts

PubMed Central

Wu, Chia-Chun; Wu, Wen-Hsiung; Chiou, Wen-Bin

2017-01-01

Human morality entails a typical self-control dilemma in which one must conform to moral rules or socially desirable norms while exerting control over amoral, selfish impulses. Extant research regarding the connection between self-control and level of construal suggest that, compared with a low-level, concrete construal (highlighting means and resources, e.g., answering ‘how’ questions), a high-level, abstract construal (highlighting central goals, e.g., answering ‘why’ questions) promotes self-control. Hence, construing morality at higher levels rather than lower levels should engender greater self-control and, it follows, promote a tendency to perform moral acts. We conducted two experiments to show that answering “why” (high-level construal) vs. “how” (low-level construal) questions regarding morality was associated with a situational state of greater self-control, as indexed by less Stroop interference in the Stroop color-naming task (Experiments 1 and 2). Participants exposed to “why” questions regarding morality displayed a greater inclination for volunteerism (Experiment 1), showed a lower tendency toward selfishness in a dictator game (Experiment 2), and were more likely to return undeserved money (Experiment 2) compared with participants exposed to “how” questions regarding morality. In both experiments, self-control mediated the effect of a high-level construal of morality on dependent measures. The current research constitutes a new approach to promoting prosociality and moral education. Reminding people to think abstractly about human morality may help them to generate better control over the temptation to benefit from unethical acts and make it more likely that they will act morally. PMID:28680415

Construing Morality at High versus Low Levels Induces Better Self-control, Leading to Moral Acts.

PubMed

Wu, Chia-Chun; Wu, Wen-Hsiung; Chiou, Wen-Bin

2017-01-01

Human morality entails a typical self-control dilemma in which one must conform to moral rules or socially desirable norms while exerting control over amoral, selfish impulses. Extant research regarding the connection between self-control and level of construal suggest that, compared with a low-level, concrete construal (highlighting means and resources, e.g., answering 'how' questions), a high-level, abstract construal (highlighting central goals, e.g., answering 'why' questions) promotes self-control. Hence, construing morality at higher levels rather than lower levels should engender greater self-control and, it follows, promote a tendency to perform moral acts. We conducted two experiments to show that answering "why" (high-level construal) vs. "how" (low-level construal) questions regarding morality was associated with a situational state of greater self-control, as indexed by less Stroop interference in the Stroop color-naming task (Experiments 1 and 2). Participants exposed to "why" questions regarding morality displayed a greater inclination for volunteerism (Experiment 1), showed a lower tendency toward selfishness in a dictator game (Experiment 2), and were more likely to return undeserved money (Experiment 2) compared with participants exposed to "how" questions regarding morality. In both experiments, self-control mediated the effect of a high-level construal of morality on dependent measures. The current research constitutes a new approach to promoting prosociality and moral education. Reminding people to think abstractly about human morality may help them to generate better control over the temptation to benefit from unethical acts and make it more likely that they will act morally.

Exploring the source of the mid-level hump for intensity discrimination in quiet and the effects of noisea)

PubMed Central

Roverud, Elin; Strickland, Elizabeth A.

2015-01-01

Intensity discrimination Weber fractions (WFs) measured for short, high-frequency tones in quiet are larger at mid levels than at lower or higher levels. The source of this “mid-level hump” is a matter of debate. One theory is that the mid-level hump reflects basilar-membrane compression, and that WFs decrease at higher levels due to spread-of-excitation cues. To test this theory, Experiment 1 measured the mid-level hump and growth-of-masking functions to estimate the basilar membrane input/output (I/O) function in the same listeners. Results showed the initial rise in WFs could be accounted for by the change in I/O function slope, but there was additional unexplained variability in WFs. Previously, Plack [(1998). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 103(5), 2530–2538] showed that long-duration notched noise (NN) presented with the tone reduced the mid-level hump even with a temporal gap in the NN. Plack concluded the results were consistent with central profile analysis. However, simultaneous, forward, and backward NN were not examined separately, which may independently test peripheral and central mechanisms of the NN. Experiment 2 measured WFs at the mid-level hump in the presence of NN and narrowband noise of different durations and temporal positions relative to the tone. Results varied across subjects, but were consistent with more peripheral mechanisms. PMID:25786945

Personality compensates for impaired quality of life and social functioning in patients with psychotic disorders who experienced traumatic events.

PubMed

Boyette, Lindy-Lou; van Dam, Daniëlla; Meijer, Carin; Velthorst, Eva; Cahn, Wiepke; de Haan, Lieuwe; Kahn, René; de Haan, Lieuwe; van Os, Jim; Wiersma, Durk; Bruggeman, Richard; Cahn, Wiepke; Meijer, Carin; Myin-Germeys, Inez

2014-11-01

Patients with psychotic disorders who experienced childhood trauma show more social dysfunction than patients without traumatic experiences. However, this may not hold for all patients with traumatic experiences. Little is known about the potential compensating role of Five-Factor Model personality traits within this group, despite their strong predictive value for social functioning and well-being in the general population. Our sample consisted of 195 patients with psychotic disorders (74% diagnosed with schizophrenia) and 132 controls. Cluster analyses were conducted to identify and validate distinct personality profiles. General linear model analyses were conducted to examine whether patients with different profiles differed in social functioning and quality of life (QoL), while controlling for possible confounders. Mediation models were tested to assess potential causal links. In general, patients with higher levels of self-reported traumatic experiences (PT+) showed lower QoL and more social withdrawal compared with patients with lower traumatic experiences (PT-). Two clusters reflecting personality profiles were identified. PT+ with the first profile (lower neuroticism and higher extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) presented higher levels of QoL and better social functioning in several areas, including less withdrawal, compared with both PT+ and PT- with the second profile. PT+ and PT- with the first personality profile did not differ in QoL and social functioning. Mediation analyses suggested that personality traits mediate the relation between traumatic experiences and QoL and social withdrawal. Our findings indicate that personality may "buffer" the impact of childhood traumatic experiences on functional outcome in patients with psychotic disorders. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Experiences of violence and deficits in academic achievement among urban primary school children in Jamaica.

PubMed

Baker-Henningham, Helen; Meeks-Gardner, Julie; Chang, Susan; Walker, Susan

2009-05-01

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between children's experiences of three different types of violence and academic achievement among primary school children in Kingston, Jamaica. A cross-sectional study of 1300 children in grade 5 [mean (S.D.) age: 11 (0.5) years] from 29 government primary schools in urban areas of Kingston and St. Andrew, Jamaica, was conducted. Academic achievement (mathematics, reading, and spelling) was assessed using the Wide Range Achievement Test. Children's experiences of three types of violence - exposure to aggression among peers at school, physical punishment at school, and exposure to community violence - were assessed by self-report using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Fifty-eight percent of the children experienced moderate or high levels of all three types of violence. Boys had poorer academic achievement and experienced higher levels of aggression among peers and physical punishment at school than girls. Children's experiences of the three types of violence were independently associated with all three indices of academic achievement. There was a dose-response relationship between children's experiences of violence and academic achievement with children experiencing higher levels of violence having the poorest academic achievement and children experiencing moderate levels having poorer achievement than those experiencing little or none. Exposure to three different types of violence was independently associated with poor school achievement among children attending government, urban schools in Jamaica. Programs are needed in schools to reduce the levels of aggression among students and the use of physical punishment by teachers and to provide support for children exposed to community violence. Children in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean experience significant amounts of violence in their homes, communities, and schools. In this study, we demonstrate a dose-response relationship between primary school children's experiences of three different types of violence and their academic achievement. The study points to the need for validated violence prevention programs to be introduced in Jamaican primary schools. Such programs need to train teachers in appropriate classroom management and discipline strategies and to promote children's social and emotional competence and prevent aggression.

What I experienced yesterday is who I am today: relationship of work motivations and behaviors to within-individual variation in the five-factor model of personality.

PubMed

Judge, Timothy A; Simon, Lauren S; Hurst, Charlice; Kelley, Ken

2014-03-01

Historically, organizational and personality psychologists have ignored within-individual variation in personality across situations or have treated it as measurement error. However, we conducted a 10-day experience sampling study consistent with whole trait theory (Fleeson, 2012), which conceptualizes personality as a system of stable tendencies and patterns of intraindividual variation along the dimensions of the Big Five personality traits (Costa & McCrae, 1992). The study examined whether (a) internal events (i.e., motivation), performance episodes, and interpersonal experiences at work predict deviations from central tendencies in trait-relevant behavior, affect, and cognition (i.e., state personality), and (b) there are individual differences in responsiveness to work experiences. Results revealed that personality at work exhibited both stability and variation within individuals. Trait measures predicted average levels of trait manifestation in daily behavior at work, whereas daily work experiences (i.e., organizational citizenship, interpersonal conflict, and motivation) predicted deviations from baseline tendencies. Additionally, correlations of neuroticism with standard deviations in the daily personality variables suggest that, although work experiences influence state personality, people higher in neuroticism exhibit higher levels of intraindividual variation in personality than do those who are more emotionally stable.

Indirect Over-Time Relations Between Parenting and Adolescents' Sexual Behaviors and Emotions Through Global Self-Esteem.

PubMed

van de Bongardt, Daphne; Reitz, Ellen; Deković, Maja

2016-01-01

The present study examined indirect over-time relations between parenting and adolescent sexuality through global self-esteem. Three waves of online questionnaire data were collected among a community sample of 1,116 Dutch adolescents (M = 13.9 years at baseline). Participants rated the quality of their relationship with parents, their global self-esteem, and their experience with various sexual behaviors. Sexually experienced adolescents (n = 168) evaluated their sexual experiences using six emotions. Path model results showed that a higher-quality relationship with parents at T1 predicted higher levels of self-esteem at T2, which in turn predicted less experience with sexual behaviors and more positive sexual emotions at T3. The indirect over-time path from relationship quality through self-esteem to adolescents' sexual emotions was significant; the indirect path to adolescents' experience with sexual behaviors was not significant at the .05 level. No significant age or gender differences were found in the path models. The findings indicate that self-esteem plays an important role in adolescent sexuality and that parents can contribute to positive sexual experiences of adolescents indirectly--through the enhancement of self-esteem--by fostering a high-quality relationship with their children. Implications for theory, future research, and strategies to promote healthy and positive youth sexuality are discussed.

Study on effects of E-glass fiber hybrid composites enhanced with multi-walled carbon nanotubes under tensile load using full factorial design of experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musthak, Md.; Madhavi, M.; Ahsanullah, F. M.

2017-08-01

Carbon nanotubes (CNT's) are attracting scientific and industrial interest by virtue of their outstanding characteristics. The present research problem deals with the fabrication and characterization of E-glass fiber composites enhanced by carbon nanotubes. In the present study, three factors with two levels are considered. Hence, the design is called 23 full factorial design of experiment. The process parameters considered for the present problem are weight of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, process to disperse nano-particles in resin, and orientation of woven fabric. In addition, their levels considered for the experiment are higher level (+1) and lower level (-1). Fabrication of E-glass fiber composites was carried out according to design, and the specimens were prepared with respect to the ASTM standards D3039-76 and tensile testing was performed. The results show that the nano-particulated composite plate can be manufactured by considering lower level nano-particles stirred with probe sonicator and plied-up with hybrid orientation.

Stigma experienced by patients with severe mental disorders: A nationwide multicentric study from India.

PubMed

Grover, Sandeep; Avasthi, Ajit; Singh, Aakanksha; Dan, Amitava; Neogi, Rajarshi; Kaur, Darpan; Lakdawala, Bhavesh; Rozatkar, Abhijit R; Nebhinani, Naresh; Patra, Suravi; Sivashankar, Priya; Subramanyam, Alka A; Tripathi, Adarsh; Gania, Ab Majid; Singh, Gurvinder Pal; Behere, Prakash

2017-11-01

This study aimed to evaluate the stigma and its correlates among patients with severe mental disorders. Patients with diagnosis of schizophrenia (N = 707), bipolar disorder (N = 344) and recurrent depressive disorder (N = 352) currently in clinical remission from 14 participating centres were assessed on Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (ISMIS). Patients with diagnosis of schizophrenia experienced higher level of alienation, sterotype endorsement, discrimination experience and total stigma when compared to patients with bipolar disorder and recurrent depressive disorder. Patients with bipolar disorder experienced higher stigma than those with recurrent depressive disorder in the domain of stigma resistance only. Overall compared to affective disorder groups, higher proportion of patients with schizophrenia reported stigma in all the domains of ISMIS. In general in all the 3 diagnostic groups' stigma was associated with shorter duration of illness, shorter duration of treatment and younger age of onset. To conclude, this study suggests that compared to affective disorder, patients with schizophrenia experience higher self stigma. Higher level of stigma is experienced during the early phase of illness. Stigma intervention programs must focus on patients during the initial phase of illness in order to reduce the negative consequences of stigma. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

What Difference Does "Difference" Make? A Discussion with Ethnic Minority Students about Their Learning Experience in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Housee, Shirin

2011-01-01

This article explores the everyday experiences of minority ethnic students at a university in the West Midlands. Based on interviews with 23 second-level students taking Sociology modules, it seeks to highlight the key social, personal and pedagogic issues for this group of minority ethnic students and to deepen understandings of cultural identity…

Synthesis of Di- and Trisubstituted Azulenes Using a Danheiser Annulation as the Key Step: An Advanced Organic Laboratory Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Rebecca M.; Shea, Kevin M.

2013-01-01

This three-week advanced-level organic experiment provides students with an inquiry-based approach focused on learning traditional skills such as primary literature interpretation, reaction design, flash column chromatography, and NMR analysis. Additionally, students address higher-order concepts such as the origin of azulene's blue color,…

Habitus and Flow in Primary School Musical Practice: Relations between Family Musical Cultural Capital, Optimal Experience and Music Participation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valenzuela, Rafael; Codina, Nuria

2014-01-01

Based on Bourdieu's idea that cultural capital is strongly related to family context, we describe the relations between family musical cultural capital and optimal experience during compulsory primary school musical practice. We analyse whether children from families with higher levels of musical cultural capital, and specifically with regard to…

Polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce insulin and very low density lipoprotein levels in broiler chickens.

PubMed

Crespo, N; Esteve-Garcia, E

2003-07-01

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of different dietary fatty acid profiles on plasma levels of insulin, very low density lipoproteins (VLDL), cholesterol, and glucose. Diets with four types of fat (tallow, olive, sunflower, and linseed oils) at an inclusion level of 10% and a basal diet without additional fat were administered to female broiler chickens. Serum insulin, cholesterol, and plasma VLDL were affected by the different treatments; however, glucose concentrations were similar among treatments. In the fasted state, broilers fed diets with sunflower or linseed oil presented lower levels of insulin and cholesterol with respect to those fed tallow or olive oil (P < 0.05). VLDL in the fasted state was reduced in broilers fed sunflower and linseed oils (P < 0.05) with respect to those fed tallow, olive oil, or the basal diet. Plasma levels of VLDL were only significantly correlated with abdominal fat in birds fed the basal diet, in the fed and in the fasted state, and in those fed linseed oil in the fed state (P < 0.05). Results of this experiment suggest that higher insulin levels in broilers fed diets rich in saturated fatty acids could be related to higher fat deposition. Fat deposition in birds fed high fat diets was not correlated with circulating VLDL, which suggested direct dietary fat deposition, except for birds fed linseed oil diets. Although birds fed linseed oil diets presented lower levels of VLDL than those fed tallow, olive oil, or the basal diet, the higher correlation with abdominal fat suggests that in these birds, fat deposition is more dependent on hepatic VLDL secretion, despite the high dietary fat level.

Antibiotic and shared decision-making preferences among adolescents in Malaysia

PubMed Central

Ngadimon, Irma Wati; Islahudin, Farida; Hatah, Ernieda; Mohamed Shah, Noraida; Makmor-Bakry, Mohd

2015-01-01

Background The purpose of this study was to establish baseline information on the current level of knowledge about, attitude toward, and experience with antibiotic usage, and preferences for shared decision making among adolescents in Malaysia. Methods A cross-sectional survey, involving 1,105 respondents who were aged between 13 and 17 years and who lived in Malaysia, was conducted using a validated questionnaire. The survey assessed knowledge, attitude, and experience with regard to antibiotic usage, and adolescents’ preferences for the style of shared decision-making process. Results The majority (n=786 [71.13%]) of the respondents had a low level of knowledge, 296 (26.79%) had a moderate level of knowledge, and 23 (2.08%) had a high level of knowledge. Further, they demonstrated a slightly negative attitude mean score of 3.30±0.05 (range: 0–8 points) but a positive experience mean score of 2.90±0.029 (range: 0–4 points). There was a positive correlation between knowledge and attitude scores, with a higher knowledge level associated with a more positive attitude toward antibiotic usage (r=0.257, P<0.001). Higher knowledge scores were associated with a more negative experience with antibiotic usage (r=−0.83, P=0.006). When assessing preference in shared decision making, more adolescents preferred an active role (n=408 [37%]) compared with collaborative (n=360 [32.6%]) or passive (n=337 [30.5%]) (P=0.028) roles. Conclusion Current health care settings should involve adolescents in the decision-making process. Education packages can be introduced to improve adolescents’ knowledge of and practice of taking antibiotics, as well as to encourage their participation in decision making, in an attempt to reduce misuse of antibiotics. PMID:25999702

Coconut oil and beef tallow, but not tricaprylin, can replace menhaden oil in the diet of red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) without adversely affecting growth or fatty acid composition.

PubMed

Craig, S R; Gatlin, D M

1995-12-01

The ability of juvenile red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) to utilize medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) and other saturated dietary lipids was investigated in two 6-wk feeding experiments. Diets contained solvent-extracted menhaden fish meal to which menhaden fish oil (control), coconut oil, corn oil, beef tallow or various levels of MCT as tricaprylin (30, 46, 65 and 80% of total lipid) were added. Diets were fed to triplicate groups of juvenile red drum in aquaria containing brackish (6%) water. In the first feeding experiment, red drum fed the control diet had the greatest weight gains and feed efficiencies. Weight gain, but not feed was slightly, of fish fed corn oil and fish fed coconut oil was slightly (P < 0.05) lower. In the second feeding experiment, fish fed coconut oil and those fed beef tallow had significantly higher weight gains and feed efficiencies than did fish fed the control diet. Fish fed the diets containing tricaprylin at all inclusion levels in both feeding experiments had significantly lower weight gains and feed efficiencies and higher levels of beta-hydroxybutyric acid in plasma. Fish fed diets with high levels of MCT also had lower (n-3) and greater (n-6) fatty acid levels in the neutral lipid fraction of muscle tissue compared with fish fed the control diet. Coconut oil and beef tallow consistently resulted in greater liver lipid deposition but had variable effects on other tissue indices. Saturated dietary lipids had variable effects on fatty acid composition of muscle polar and neutral lipid fractions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Understanding how deployment experiences change over time: Comparison of female and male OEF/OIF and Gulf War veterans.

PubMed

Fox, Annie B; Walker, Brian E; Smith, Brian N; King, Daniel W; King, Lynda A; Vogt, Dawne

2016-03-01

Despite increased attention to the evolving nature of war, the unique challenges of contemporary deployment, and women's changing role in warfare, few studies have examined differences in deployment stressors across eras of service or evaluated how gender differences in deployment experiences have changed over time. Using data collected from two national survey studies, we examined war cohort and gender differences in veterans' reports of both mission-related and interpersonal stressors during deployment. Although Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans reported more combat experiences and greater preparedness for deployment compared to Gulf War veterans, Gulf War veterans reported higher levels of other mission-related stressors, including difficult living and working environment, perceived threat, and potential exposure to nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. Gender differences also emerged, with men reporting greater exposure to mission-related stressors and women reporting higher levels of interpersonal stressors. However, the size and nature of gender differences did not differ significantly when comparing veterans of the two eras. By understanding how risk factors for PTSD differ based on war era and gender, veterans' experiences can be better contextualized. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Minority Language Issues in Chinese Higher Education: Policy Reforms and Practice among the Korean and Mongol Ethnic Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xiong, Weiyan; Jacob, W. James; Ye, Huiyuan

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is to compare Korean and Mongol minorities in the People's Republic of China in terms of their native language preservation and educational experiences at the higher education level, and to investigate differences and similarities between Korean and Mongol minorities' language issues. Content area experts on Chinese…

The Chosen Tokens: Exploring the Work Experiences and Career Aspirations of Latina Midlevel Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pertuz, Sofia Bautista

2017-01-01

Student Affairs serves as a viable career option for professionals working in higher education, including Latinas, who have increasingly entered as undergraduate students and found careers in student affairs. Latinas seem to be bottlenecked at midlevel, with few advancing to senior level leadership positions. According to the literature, negative…

Making Meaning of Adversity: Experiences of Women Leaders in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diehl, Amy B.

2013-01-01

Despite the fact that women now earn more bachelor's, master's and doctorates than men, a gender gap for women leaders persists in the field of higher education. Women hold only 26 percent of all college and university presidencies with a large variance by type of institution. Women lead 33 percent of associate's level institutions but only 22…

Facing the Giant: Higher Education Access and Financial Assistance for Undocumented Students in Texas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ibarra, Hugo

2013-01-01

The purpose of this paper was to examine the experiences of a Hispanic undocumented high school graduate in Texas (USA) that did not attend a higher education institution in spite of her desire to do. Using qualitative research and narrative analysis, the researcher conducted three interview levels with the participant and developed an emplotted…

The Value and Effectiveness of Feedback in Improving Students' Learning and Professionalizing Teaching in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahea, Md. Mamoon-Al-Bashir; Ahea, Md. Rezaul Kabir; Rahman, Ismat

2016-01-01

There is a great importance of feedback in improving learning experience for the students. This has also significant effect in professionalizing teaching in the higher education level. However, feedback is considered as a difficult issue in this arena. Most of the lecturers are still continuing with the tradition form of feedback. This form of…

Effects of prey, pitcher age, and microbes on acid phosphatase activity in fluid from pitchers of Sarracenia purpurea (Sarraceniaceae).

PubMed

Luciano, Carl S; Newell, Sandra J

2017-01-01

Carnivory in pitcher plants generally involves digestion of prey, by the plant itself, by symbionts, or both. While symbionts appear to be important in the digestion of prey in Sarracenia purpurea, the importance of pitcher-derived enzymes is less well documented. Our goal was to reduce microbial numbers in pitcher fluid in order to measure the acid phosphatase activity attributable to the pitchers themselves. Preliminary experiments indicated that various antibiotics were minimally effective at reducing microbial populations and that antibiotic-resistant microbes were easily cultured from pitcher fluid. Consequently, we measured the abundance of culturable microbes in every sample taken for the measurement of acid phosphatase activity. Pitchers fed with one sterilized ant had higher levels of acid phosphatase activity than unfed pitchers. Older pitchers were more responsive to feeding than young pitchers. Pitchers with high levels of microbes (on Day 5) had higher acid phosphatase activity than pitchers with low levels of microbes. However, fed pitchers were not more likely to have higher microbe levels and microbe levels were not related to pitcher age. When fluid samples from inside the pitcher were compared to appropriate controls incubated outside the pitcher, acid phosphatase activity was higher inside the pitcher. Results from the feeding experiments are consistent with a primary role of microbes in the digestion of prey in pitchers of S. purpurea. However, the relationship between pitcher age and enzyme activity is not a function of microbes in the pitcher fluid and may depend on enzymes produced by the plant. Our methods would not detect microbes embedded on the inner surface of the pitcher; and if they survived the alcohol rinse and antibiotics, we cannot rule out microbes as the source of the relationship between pitcher age and acid phosphatase activity.

Chromatic Perceptual Learning but No Category Effects without Linguistic Input.

PubMed

Grandison, Alexandra; Sowden, Paul T; Drivonikou, Vicky G; Notman, Leslie A; Alexander, Iona; Davies, Ian R L

2016-01-01

Perceptual learning involves an improvement in perceptual judgment with practice, which is often specific to stimulus or task factors. Perceptual learning has been shown on a range of visual tasks but very little research has explored chromatic perceptual learning. Here, we use two low level perceptual threshold tasks and a supra-threshold target detection task to assess chromatic perceptual learning and category effects. Experiment 1 investigates whether chromatic thresholds reduce as a result of training and at what level of analysis learning effects occur. Experiment 2 explores the effect of category training on chromatic thresholds, whether training of this nature is category specific and whether it can induce categorical responding. Experiment 3 investigates the effect of category training on a higher level, lateralized target detection task, previously found to be sensitive to category effects. The findings indicate that performance on a perceptual threshold task improves following training but improvements do not transfer across retinal location or hue. Therefore, chromatic perceptual learning is category specific and can occur at relatively early stages of visual analysis. Additionally, category training does not induce category effects on a low level perceptual threshold task, as indicated by comparable discrimination thresholds at the newly learned hue boundary and adjacent test points. However, category training does induce emerging category effects on a supra-threshold target detection task. Whilst chromatic perceptual learning is possible, learnt category effects appear to be a product of left hemisphere processing, and may require the input of higher level linguistic coding processes in order to manifest.

Family violence, war, and natural disasters: A study of the effect of extreme stress on children's mental health in Sri Lanka

PubMed Central

Catani, Claudia; Jacob, Nadja; Schauer, Elisabeth; Kohila, Mahendran; Neuner, Frank

2008-01-01

Background The consequences of war violence and natural disasters on the mental health of children as well as on family dynamics remain poorly understood. Aim of the present investigation was to establish the prevalence and predictors of traumatic stress related to war, family violence and the recent Tsunami experience in children living in a region affected by a long-lasting violent conflict. In addition, the study looked at whether higher levels of war violence would be related to higher levels of violence within the family and whether this would result in higher rates of psychological problems in the affected children. Methods 296 Tamil school children in Sri Lanka's North-Eastern provinces were randomly selected for the survey. Diagnostic interviews were carried out by extensively trained local Master level counselors. PTSD symptoms were established by means of a validated Tamil version of the UCLA PTSD Index. Additionally, participants completed a detailed checklist of event types related to organized and family violence. Results 82.4% of the children had experienced at least one war-related event. 95.6% reported at least one aversive experience out of the family violence spectrum. The consequences are reflected in a 30.4% PTSD and a 19.6% Major Depression prevalence. Linear regression analyses showed that fathers' alcohol intake and previous exposure to war were significantly linked to the amount of maltreatment reported by the child. A clear dose-effect relationship between exposure to various stressful experiences and PTSD was found in the examined children. Conclusion Data argue for a relationship between war violence and violent behavior inflicted on children in their families. Both of these factors, together with the experience of the recent Tsunami, resulted as significant predictors of PTSD in children, thus highlighting the detrimental effect that the experience of cumulative stress can have on children's mental health. PMID:18454851

Hormonal modulation of connective tissue homeostasis and sex differences in risk for osteoarthritis of the knee

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Young female athletes experience a higher incidence of ligament injuries than their male counterparts, females experience a higher incidence of joint hypermobility syndrome (a risk factor for osteoarthritis development), and post-menopausal females experience a higher prevalence of osteoarthritis than age-matched males. These observations indicate that fluctuating sex hormone levels in young females and loss of ovarian sex hormone production due to menopause likely contribute to observed sex differences in knee joint function and risk for loss of function. In studies of osteoarthritis, however, there is a general lack of appreciation for the heterogeneity of hormonal control in both women and men. Progress in this field is limited by the relatively few preclinical osteoarthritis models, and that most of the work with established models uses only male animals. To elucidate sex differences in osteoarthritis, it is important to examine sex hormone mechanisms in cells from knee tissues and the sexual dimorphism in the role of inflammation at the cell, tissue, and organ levels. There is a need to determine if the risk for loss of knee function and integrity in females is restricted to only the knee or if sex-specific changes in other tissues play a role. This paper discusses these gaps in knowledge and suggests remedies. PMID:23374322

Physical and sexual intimate partner violence, women's health and children's behavioural functioning: entry analysis of a seven-year prospective study.

PubMed

Symes, Lene; Maddoux, John; McFarlane, Judith; Nava, Angeles; Gilroy, Heidi

2014-10-01

To increase knowledge of physical and sexual intimate partner violence against women, its impact on women's health and children's behavioural functioning. Physical assault and sexual assault frequently co-occur. Women who experience both physical and sexual violence are at risk of poorer health outcomes than women who experience only physical violence. The behavioural functioning of children of women who experience partner violence may be adversely affected. Cross-sectional, using baseline data from a seven-year prospective study. Data related to severity of abuse (both physical and sexual) and the outcome measures of maternal (n = 300) mental health measures, risk of lethality, chronic pain and child (n = 300) behavioural functioning were analysed. Higher physical abuse scores were significantly correlated with higher sexual abuse scores, and higher levels of physical abuse were associated with higher maternal anxiety and higher child externalisation scores. Higher levels of sexual abuse were associated with higher maternal somatisation and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and higher child internalisation scores and total problems. These initial findings suggest that children have behavioural functioning and coping that is closely related to their mothers' functioning, which is based on the type of abuse experienced by the mothers. As we gain a greater understanding of these issues, we will be better able to develop effective policies and therapeutic interventions to help abused women and their children. Findings for the mental health functioning of women participating in this study add to the overwhelming evidence for the importance of screening for partner violence when women present for health care and for the need for effective assistance services for women who have or are currently experiencing partner violence. They also support emerging research that indicates the great need to provide effective services for the children of abused women. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

SoTL and Students' Experiences of Their Degree-Level Programs: An Empirical Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Kelly E.; Divan, Aysha; John-Thomas, Nicole; Lopes, Valerie; Ludwig, Lynn O.; Martini, Tanya S.; Motley, Phillip; Tomljenovic-Berube, Ana M.

2013-01-01

In the global higher education sector, government accountability initiatives are increasingly focused on degree-level competencies that may be expected from university graduates. The purpose of this paper was to examine the extent to which SoTL reflects this increased interest in student learning across the degree program. Articles (N = 136)…

Problem Solving at the Middle School Level: A Comparison of Different Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baraké, Farah; El-Rouadi, Naim; Musharrafieh, Juhaina

2015-01-01

This article sheds light and reflects on how students in grades seven and eight read and understand implicit data when solving a story problem. Problem solving experiences help in adding up to the child's mathematical knowledge and promote a higher level of critical thinking abilities. Seventh and eighth grade students were selected from two…

Pushing Typists Back on the Learning Curve: Memory Chunking Improves Retrieval of Prior Typing Episodes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yamaguchi, Motonori; Randle, James M.; Wilson, Thomas L.; Logan, Gordon D.

2017-01-01

Hierarchical control of skilled performance depends on chunking of several lower-level units into a single higher-level unit. The present study examined the relationship between chunking and recognition of trained materials in the context of typewriting. In 3 experiments, participants were trained with typing nonwords and were later tested on…

A Model-Based Approach to Predicting Graduate-Level Performance Using Indicators of Undergraduate-Level Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zimmermann, Judith; Brodersen, Kay H.; Heinimann, Hans R.; Buhmann, Joachim M.

2015-01-01

The graduate admissions process is crucial for controlling the quality of higher education, yet, rules-of-thumb and domain-specific experiences often dominate evidence-based approaches. The goal of the present study is to dissect the predictive power of undergraduate performance indicators and their aggregates. We analyze 81 variables in 171…

The Effect of Marital Violence on Maternal Parenting Style and Maternal Stress.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niesman, Cindy S.

A study examined the effect of extreme marital discord, involving abuse of the mother, on maternal parenting style and level of maternal stress. It was hypothesized that battered women experience a higher level of maternal stress and choose an authoritarian parenting style as a consequence of marital discord. Subjects were 30 mothers of children…

Assessing Individual Social Capital Capacity: The Development and Validation of a Network Accessibility Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hatala, John-Paul

2009-01-01

Any organization that is able to promote the importance of increased levels of social capital and individuals who can leverage and use the resources that exist within the network may experience higher levels of performance. This study sought to add to our knowledge about individuals' accessing social resources for the purpose of accomplishing…

Impact of Support Services on Associate Level Nursing Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Busby-Parker, Michelle N.

2014-01-01

The goal of the research was to show the impact of the implementation of support services on admissions and graduation from nursing programs. The use of support services has been linked to higher levels of success in nursing students in the classroom and the work place. As nursing schools experience pressure to increase the student capacity to…

Honors Teachers and Academic Identity: What to Look for When Recruiting Honors Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dailey, Rocky

2016-01-01

To be a collegiate honors student implies a higher level of academic achievement than other students as well as the more challenging academic experience that comes with smaller class sizes. Collegiate honors teachers have a distinction of their own. Being an honors teacher implies a high level of teaching achievement, and it requires special…

Individual differences, cultural differences, and dialectic conflict description and resolution.

PubMed

Kim, Kyungil; Markman, Arthur B

2013-01-01

Previous research suggests that members of East Asian cultures show a greater preference for dialectical thinking than do Westerners. This paper attempts to account for these differences in cognition using individual difference variables that may explain variation in performance both within and across cultures. Especially, we propose that the abovementioned cultural differences are rooted in a greater fear of isolation (FOI) in East Asians than in Westerners. To support this hypothesis, in Experiment 1, we manipulated FOI in American participants before having them resolve two conflicts: an interpersonal conflict and a conflict between an individual and an institution. We found that the Americans among whom a high level of FOI had been induced were more likely to look for a dialectical resolution than those among whom a low level had been prompted. The relationship between conflict resolution and FOI was further investigated in Experiment 2, in which FOI was not manipulated. The results indicated that Koreans had higher chronic FOI on average than did the Americans. Compared to the Americans, the Koreans were more likely to resolve the interpersonal conflict dialectically, but did not show the same bias in resolving the person-institution conflict. The differences in the preference for dialectical resolution between FOI conditions in Experiment 1 and cultural groups in Experiment 2 were mediated by FOI. These findings bolster previous research on FOI in showing that chronic levels of FOI are positively related to both preference for dialectical sentences and sensitivity to context. They provide clearer insight into how differences in FOI affect attention and thereby higher-level reasoning such as dialectic description and conflict resolution.

Notched-noise precursors improve detection of low-frequency amplitude modulationa)

PubMed Central

Almishaal, Ali; Bidelman, Gavin M.; Jennings, Skyler G.

2017-01-01

Amplitude modulation (AM) detection was measured with a short (50 ms), high-frequency carrier as a function of carrier level (Experiment I) and modulation frequency (Experiment II) for conditions with or without a notched-noise precursor. A longer carrier (500 ms) was also included in Experiment I. When the carrier was preceded by silence (no precursor condition) AM detection thresholds worsened for moderate-level carriers compared to lower- or higher-level carriers, resulting in a “mid-level hump.” AM detection thresholds with a precursor were better than those without a precursor, primarily for moderate-to-high level carriers, thus eliminating the mid-level hump in AM detection. When the carrier was 500 ms, AM thresholds improved by a constant (across all levels) relative to AM thresholds with a precursor, consistent with the longer carrier providing more “looks” to detect the AM signal. Experiment II revealed that improved AM detection with compared to without a precursor is limited to low-modulation frequencies (<60 Hz). These results are consistent with (1) a reduction in cochlear gain over the course of the precursor perhaps via the medial olivocochlear reflex or (2) a form of perceptual enhancement which may be mediated by adaptation of inhibition. PMID:28147582

Effects of plant diversity on microbial nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics in soil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prommer, Judith; Braun, Judith; Daly, Amanda; Gorka, Stefan; Hu, Yuntao; Kaiser, Christina; Martin, Victoria; Meyerhofer, Werner; Walker, Tom W. N.; Wanek, Wolfgang; Wasner, Daniel; Wiesenbauer, Julia; Zezula, David; Zheng, Qing; Richter, Andreas

2017-04-01

There is a general consensus that plant diversity affects many ecosystem functions. One example of such an effect is the enhanced aboveground and belowground plant biomass production with increasing species richness, with implications for carbon and nutrient distribution in soil. The Jena Experiment (http://www.the-jena-experiment.de/), a grassland biodiversity experiment established in 2002 in Germany, comprises different levels of plant species richness and different numbers of plant functional groups. It provides the opportunity to examine how changes in biodiversity impact on microbially-mediated nutrient cycling processes. We here report on plant diversity and plant functional composition effects on growth and nitrogen and phosphorus transformation rates, including nitrogen use efficiency, of microbial communities. Microbial growth rates and microbial biomass were positively affected by increasing plant species richness. Amino acid and ammonium concentrations in soil were also positively affected by plant species richness, while phosphate concentrations in contrast were negatively affected. The cycling of organic N in soils (estimated as gross protein depolymerization rates) increased about threefold with plant diversity, while gross N and P mineralization were not significantly affected by either species or functional richness. Microbial nitrogen use efficiency did not respond to different levels of plant diversity but was very high (0.96 and 0.98) across all levels of plant species richness, demonstrating a low N availability for microbes. Taken together this indicates that soil microbial communities were able to meet the well-documented increase in plant N content with species richness, and also the higher N demand of the microbial community by increasing the recycling of organic N such as proteins. In fact, the microbial community even overcompensated the increased plant and microbial N demand, as evidenced by increased levels of free amino acids and ammonium in the soil solution at higher species richness. A possible explanation for increased organic nitrogen transformation rates is the increased microbial biomass, which has previously been related to higher quantity and variety of plant derived compounds that are available to the microbial communities at higher plant diversity. Given that this explanation is right, it is interesting to note that the additional (plant-derived) microbial biomass at higher species richness, did not translate in higher soil P mineralization rates or phosphate availability.

Characterization of homologous and heterologous adaptive immune responses in porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

The present study characterized the homologous and heterologous immune response in type-I porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) infection. Two experiments were conducted: in experiment 1, eight pigs were inoculated with PRRSV strain 3262 and 84 days post-inoculation (dpi) they were challenged with either strain 3262 or strain 3267 and followed for the next 14 days (98 dpi). In experiment 2, eight pigs were inoculated with strain 3267 and challenged at 84 dpi as above. Clinical course, viremia, humoral response (neutralizing and non-neutralizing antibodies, NA) and virus-specific IFN-γ responses (ELISPOT) were evaluated all throughout the study. Serum levels of IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α and TGF-β were determined (ELISA) after the second challenge. In experiment 1 primo-inoculation with strain 3262 induced viremia of ≤ 28 days, low titres of homologous NA but strong IFN-γ responses. In contrast, strain 3267 induced longer viremias (up to 56 days), higher NA titres (≤ 6 log2) and lower IFN-γ responses. Inoculation with 3267 produced higher serum IL-8 levels. After the re-challenge at 84 dpi, pigs in experiment 1 developed mostly a one week viremia regardless of the strain used. In experiment 2, neither the homologous nor the heterologous challenge resulted in detectable viremia although PRRSV was present in tonsils of some animals. Homologous re-inoculation with 3267 produced elevated TGF-β levels in serum for 7–14 days but this did not occur with the heterologous re-inoculation. In conclusion, inoculation with different PRRSV strains result in different virological and immunological outcomes and in different degrees of homologous and heterologous protection. PMID:22515169

Paediatric fever management: continuing education for clinical nurses.

PubMed

Walsh, Anne M; Edwards, Helen E; Courtney, Mary D; Wilson, Jenny E; Monaghan, Sarah J

2006-01-01

This study examined the influence of level of practice, additional paediatric education and length of paediatric and current experience on nurses' knowledge of and beliefs about fever and fever management. Fifty-one nurses from medical wards in an Australian metropolitan paediatric hospital completed a self-report descriptive survey. Knowledge of fever management was mediocre (Mean 12.4, SD 2.18 on 20 items). Nurses practicing at a higher level and those with between one and four years paediatric or current experience were more knowledgeable than novices or more experienced nurses. Negative beliefs that would impact nursing practice were identified. Interestingly, beliefs about fever, antipyretic use in fever management and febrile seizures were similar; they were not influenced by nurses' knowledge, experience, education or level of practice. Paediatric nurses are not expert fever managers. Knowledge deficits and negative attitudes influence their practice irrespective of additional paediatric education, paediatric or current experience or level of practice. Continuing education is therefore needed for all paediatric nurses to ensure the latest clear evidence available in the literature for best practice in fever management is applied.

Substitution of common concentrates with by-products modulated ruminal fermentation, nutrient degradation, and microbial community composition in vitro.

PubMed

Ertl, P; Knaus, W; Metzler-Zebeli, B U; Klevenhusen, F; Khiaosa-Ard, R; Zebeli, Q

2015-07-01

A rumen simulation technique was used to evaluate the effects of the complete substitution of a common concentrate mixture (CON) with a mixture consisting solely of by-products from the food industry (BP) at 2 different forage-to-concentrate ratios on ruminal fermentation profile, nutrient degradation, and abundance of rumen microbiota. The experiment was a 2×2 factorial arrangement with 2 concentrate types (CON and BP) and 2 concentrate levels (25 and 50% of diet dry matter). The experiment consisted of 2 experimental runs with 12 fermentation vessels each (n=6 per treatment). Each run lasted for 10d, with data collection on the last 5d. The BP diets had lower starch, but higher neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and fat contents compared with CON. Degradation of crude protein was decreased, but NDF and nonfiber carbohydrate degradation were higher for the BP diets. At the 50% concentrate level, organic matter degradation tended to be lower for BP and CH4 formation per unit of NDF degraded was also lower for BP. The BP mixture led to a higher concentration of propionate and a lower acetate-to-propionate ratio, whereas concentrations of butyrate and caproate decreased. Concentrate type did not affect microbial community composition, except that the abundance of bacteria of the genus Prevotella was higher for BP. Increasing the concentrate level resulted in higher degradation of organic matter and crude protein. At the higher concentrate level, total short-chain fatty acid formation increased and concentrations of isobutyrate and valerate decreased. In addition, at the 50% concentrate level, numbers of protozoa increased, whereas numbers of methanogens, anaerobic fungi, and fibrolytic bacteria decreased. No interaction was noted between the 2 dietary factors on most variables, except that at the higher concentrate level the effects of BP on CH4 and CO2 formation per unit of NDF degraded, crude protein degradation, and the abundance of Prevotella were more prominent. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that BP in the diet can adequately substitute CON with regard to ruminal fermentation profile and microbiota, showing even favorable fermentation patterns when fed at 50% inclusion rate. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exposure to fluoridated drinking water and dental caries experience in Australian army recruits, 1996.

PubMed

Hopcraft, Matthew Scott; Morgan, Michael Vivian

2003-02-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate a group of young Australian adults to determine their caries experience and measure associations between caries experience and age, gender, socioeconomic status, education level and lifetime exposure to fluoridated water. This was achieved through a cross-sectional study involving Australian Army recruits seen for their initial dental examination on enlistment into the Australian Army. A total of 499 recruits had a clinical examination with the aid of bitewing radiographs and an orthopantomograph (OPG). Sociodemographic and fluoride exposure data were obtained via a questionnaire. This study showed that subjects with a lifetime exposure to fluoridated water reported a 23% lower level of caries experience than subjects with no exposure to fluoridated water, with a greater effect on proximal surfaces compared to smooth and occlusal surfaces. Female subjects had a level of caries experience 25% higher than male subjects, while subjects from the lowest socioeconomic background had a level of caries experience 89% times greater than subjects from the highest socioeconomic group. Although it is not possible to directly establish a causal relationship from a cross-sectional study such as this, the results from this study show a dose-response relationship which suggests that there are benefits of lifetime exposure to fluoridated drinking water through young adulthood.

Mental Stress from Animal Experiments: a Survey with Korean Researchers.

PubMed

Kang, Minji; Han, AhRam; Kim, Da-Eun; Seidle, Troy; Lim, Kyung-Min; Bae, SeungJin

2018-01-01

Animal experiments have been widely conducted in the life sciences for more than a century, and have long been a subject of ethical and societal controversy due to the deliberate infliction of harm upon sentient animals. However, the harmful use of animals may also negatively impact the mental health of researchers themselves. We sought to evaluate the anxiety level of researchers engaged in animal use to analyse the mental stress from animal testing. The State Anxiety Scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was used to evaluate how researchers feel when they conduct animal, as opposed to non-animal, based experiments (95 non-animal and 98 animal testing researchers). The Trait Anxiety Scale of STAI was employed to measure proneness to anxiety, namely the base trait of the researchers. Additionally, the information on sex, age, education, income, and total working periods was collected. While the Trait Anxiety scores were comparable (41.5 ± 10.9 versus 42.9 ± 10.1, p = 0.3682, t- test), the State Anxiety scores were statistically significantly higher for animal users than non-animal users (45.1 ± 10.7 versus 41.3 ± 9.4, p = 0.011). This trend was consistent for both male and female. Notably, younger animal testers (≤ 30 years of age) with less work experience (≤ 2 years) and lower income level (≤ 27,000 USD) exhibited higher anxiety scores, whereas these factors did not affect the anxiety level of non-animal users. The present study demonstrated that participation in animal experiments can negatively impact the mental health of researchers.

Racial discrimination and relationship functioning among African American couples.

PubMed

Lavner, Justin A; Barton, Allen W; Bryant, Chalandra M; Beach, Steven R H

2018-05-21

Racial discrimination is a common stressor for African Americans, with negative consequences for mental and physical well-being. It is likely that these effects extend into the family, but little research has examined the association between racial discrimination and couple functioning. This study used dyadic data from 344 rural, predominantly low-income heterosexual African American couples with an early adolescent child to examine associations between self-reported racial discrimination, psychological and physical aggression, and relationship satisfaction and instability. Experiences of discrimination were common among men and women and were negatively associated with relationship functioning. Specifically, men reported higher levels of psychological aggression and relationship instability if they experienced higher levels of racial discrimination, and women reported higher levels of physical aggression if they experienced higher levels of racial discrimination. All results replicated when controlling for financial hardship, indicating unique effects for discrimination. Findings suggest that racial discrimination may be negatively associated with relationship functioning among African Americans and call for further research on the processes underlying these associations and their long-term consequences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Pavlovian autoshaping procedures increase plasma corticosterone levels in rats.

PubMed

Tomie, Arthur; Silberman, Yuval; Williams, Kayon; Pohorecky, Larissa A

2002-06-01

Pavlovian autoshaping conditioned responses (CRs) are complex sequences of conditioned stimulus (CS)-directed skeletal-motor responses that are elicited by CS objects predictive of food unconditioned stimulus (US). Autoshaping CRs are observed under conditions known to be conducive to elevations in plasma corticosterone levels, as, for example, in response to the eating of food as well as in response to signals predictive of food. Two experiments investigated the relationships between Pavlovian autoshaping procedures, the performance of Pavlovian autoshaping CRs, and plasma corticosterone levels in male Long-Evans rats. In Experiment 1, rats in the CS-US paired group (n=30) were given 20 daily sessions of Pavlovian autoshaping training wherein the insertion of a retractable lever CS was followed by the response-independent presentation of the food US. Tail blood samples obtained after the 20th autoshaping session revealed higher plasma corticosterone levels in the CS-US paired group than in the CS-US random control group (n=10). In Experiment 2, rats (n=35) were assessed for basal plasma corticosterone levels 2 weeks prior to autoshaping training. Plasma samples obtained immediately following the first autoshaping session, and prior to the acquisition of lever-press autoshaping CR performance, revealed higher plasma corticosterone levels in the CS-US paired group (n=24) relative to basal levels. This effect was not observed in the CS-US random control group (n=11). Data suggest that corticosterone release is a physiological endocrine Pavlovian CR induced by lever CS-food US pairings during Pavlovian autoshaping procedures, rather than a by-product of autoshaping CR performance. Implications of the link between autoshaping procedures and corticosterone release are discussed.

Social network modulation of reward-related signals

PubMed Central

Fareri, Dominic S.; Niznikiewicz, Michael A.; Lee, Victoria K.; Delgado, Mauricio R.

2012-01-01

Everyday goals and experiences are often shared with others who may hold different places within our social networks. We investigated whether the experience of sharing a reward differs with respect to social network. Twenty human participants played a card guessing game for shared monetary outcomes with three partners: a computer, a confederate (out-of-network), and a friend (in-network). Participants subjectively rated the experience of sharing a reward more positively with their friend than the other partners. Neuroimaging results support participants’ subjective reports, as ventral striatal BOLD responses were more robust when sharing monetary gains with a friend, as compared to with the confederate or computer, suggesting a higher value for sharing with an in-network partner. Interestingly, ratings of social closeness co-varied with this activity, resulting in a significant partner × closeness interaction: exploratory analysis showed that only participants reporting higher levels of closeness demonstrated partner-related differences in striatal BOLD response. These results suggest that reward valuation in social contexts is sensitive to distinctions of social network, such that sharing positive experiences with in-network others may carry higher value. PMID:22745503

Relationships between discretionary time activities, emotional experiences, delinquency and depressive symptoms among urban African American adolescents.

PubMed

Bohnert, Amy M; Richards, Maryse; Kohl, Krista; Randall, Edin

2009-04-01

Using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), this cross-sectional study examined mediated and moderated associations between different types of discretionary time activities and depressive symptoms and delinquency among a sample of 246 (107 boys, 139 girls) fifth through eighth grade urban African American adolescents. More time spent in passive unstructured activities was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms only for adolescents residing in less dangerous neighborhoods, whereas more time spent in active unstructured activities was associated with higher levels of delinquency only if adolescents resided in more dangerous neighborhoods. Alienation was positively associated with depressive symptoms and delinquency, but neither alienation nor positive affect mediated the relationship between activities and adjustment. These findings suggest the importance of considering neighborhood environment issues when determining what types of discretionary time activities are most beneficial for urban African American young adolescents.

Discriminative facility and its role in the perceived quality of interactional experiences.

PubMed

Cheng, C; Chiu, C Y; Hong, Y Y; Cheung, J S

2001-10-01

Discriminative facility refers to an individual's sensitivity to subtle cues about the psychological meaning of a situation. This research aimed at examining (a) the conceptual distinctiveness of discriminative facility, (b) the situation-appropriate aspect of this construct, and (c) the relationship between discriminative facility and interpersonal experiences. Discriminative facility was assessed by a new measure of situation-appropriate behaviors across a variety of novel stressful situations. Results from study 1 showed that discriminative facility had weak positive relationships with cognitive complexity and nonsignificant relationships with self-monitoring and social desirability, indicating that discriminative facility is a unique construct. Results from Study 2 revealed that higher levels of discriminative facility were associated with higher levels of perceived social support and a greater number of pleasant interpersonal events experienced, thus providing support for the theoretical proposition that discriminative facility is an aspect of social intelligence.

Women's empowerment and its differential impact on health in low income communities in Mumbai, India

PubMed Central

Davis, Lwendo Moonzwe; Schensul, Stephen L.; Schensul, Jean J.; Verma, Ravi; Nastasi, Bonnie K.; Singh, Rajendra

2015-01-01

This paper examines the relationship of empowerment to women's self-reported general health status and women's self-reported health during pregnancy in low-income communities in Mumbai. The data on which this paper is based were collected in three study communities located in a marginalized area of Mumbai. We draw on two data sources: in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with 66 married women and a survey sample of 260 married women. Our analysis shows that empowerment functions differently in relation to women's reproductive status. Non-pregnant women with higher levels of empowerment experience greater general health problems, while pregnant women with higher levels of empowerment are less likely to experience pregnancy related health problems. We explain this non-intuitive finding and suggest that a globally defined empowerment measure for women may be less useful that one that is contextually and situationally defined. PMID:24766149

Long-term experiment with orchard floor management systems: influence on apple yield and chemical composition.

PubMed

Slatnar, Ana; Licznar-Malanczuk, Maria; Mikulic-Petkovsek, Maja; Stampar, Franci; Veberic, Robert

2014-05-07

The study focuses on the response of apple primary and secondary metabolism and some important quality parameters to three living mulch treatments, classical herbicide fallow, and black polypropylene strip application in two apple cultivars. Primary and secondary metabolites were analyzed after 10 years of ground cover experiments. Soluble solids, firmness, and color measurements indicate differences among orchard floor management treatments. Significantly, lower levels of individual sugars have been measured in fruit of different living mulch treatments compared with fruit harvested from trees subjected to the herbicide strip treatment. Total sugar content was higher in fruit of the herbicide strip treatment in both cultivars analyzed. Significantly higher levels of total organic acids were only detected in 'Pinova' fruit of the Festuca ovina L. treatment. Long-term response of both cultivars to living mulch treatments indicated that apples increase the accumulation of almost all analyzed individual phenolic compounds.

Measurement of Lung Cancer Tumor Markers in a Glass Wool Company Workers Exposed to Respirable Synthetic Vitreous Fiber and Dust.

PubMed

Abtahi, Shabnam; Malekzadeh, Mahyar; Nikravan, Ghafour; Ghaderi, Abbas

2018-01-01

Occupational exposures to respirable synthetic vitreous fiber (SVF) and dust are associated with many lung diseases including lung cancer. Low-dose computed tomography is used for screening patients who are highly suspicious of having lung carcinoma. However, it seems not to be cost-effective. Serum biomarkers could be a useful tool for the surveillance of occupational exposure, by providing the possibility of diagnosing lung cancer in its early stages. To determine if serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cytokeratin fragment (CYFRA) 21-1 levels in workers exposed more than normal population to respirable SVF and dust may be used as indicators of progression towards lung cancer. An analytic cross-sectional study, including 145 personnel of a glass wool company, along with 25 age-matched healthy individuals, was conducted to investigate the relationship between occupational exposure to respirable SVFs and dust and serum levels of two lung/pleura serum tumor markers, CEA and CYFRA 21-1, measured by ELISA. Individuals exposed to higher than the recommended levels of respirable SVF had higher serum concentrations of CEA and CYFRA 21-1, compared to controls (p=0.008 and 0.040, respectively), as well as in comparison to those exposed to lower than recommended OSHA levels (p=0.046 and 0.033, respectively). Workers with >9 years work experience, had significantly (p=0.045) higher levels of serum CYFRA 21-1 than those with ≤9 years of experience. It seems that working for >9 years in sites with detectable levels of respirable SVF and dust would increase the levels of known lung cancer serum tumor markers. Transferring these workers to sites with respirable SVF concentrations lower than the limit of detection in the air is recommended.

Stress and the multiple-role woman: taking a closer look at the "superwoman".

PubMed

Sumra, Monika K; Schillaci, Michael A

2015-01-01

In the academic literature there is debate as to whether women who engage in multiple social roles experience more or less stress than women in fewer roles. For the present research we examined the relationship between levels of engagement in seven distinct roles and perceived stress and life satisfaction in a small non-random sample of women in North America (N = 308). We did not find a significant correlation between role engagement and perceived stress, though we did find a small but significant positive correlation between role engagement and life satisfaction. Similarly, in a subset of the participants (N = 31), there was not a significant relationship between the level of role engagement and physiological stress as measured by hair or urinary cortisol levels. We found a significant negative correlation between perceived stress and life satisfaction, and role satisfaction. The results from multiple regression models did not identify the level of role engagement as a significant predictor of either perceived stress or life satisfaction. Role satisfaction in addition to several life style variables such as the frequency of sex and exercise were identified as significant predictors of both outcome variables. We also examined the popularized notion of the "superwoman", which we defined as women who fell within the 4th quartile of role engagement, or those engaged in the wife/mother/worker/homemaker role combination. Based on popular discourses surrounding the superwoman we expected that superwomen would exhibit higher levels of perceived stress. Our results revealed that superwomen do not experience a significantly higher level of perceived stress than non-superwomen. The results of our study therefore suggest that multiple role engagement in women, even at a relatively high level as experienced by "superwomen", is not associated with significantly higher stress, or reduced life satisfaction.

[Sucrose reward promotes rats' motivation for cocaine].

PubMed

Li, Yan-Qing; LE, Qiu-Min; Yu, Xiang-Chen; Ma, Lan; Wang, Fei-Fei

2016-06-25

Caloric diet, such as fat and sugar intake, has rewarding effects, and has been indicated to affect the responses to addictive substances in animal experiments. However, the possible association between sucrose reward and the motivation for addictive drugs remains to be elucidated. Thus, we carried out behavioral tests after sucrose self-administration training to determine the effects of sucrose experience on rats' motivation for cocaine, locomotor sensitivity to cocaine, basal locomotor activity, anxiety level, and associative learning ability. The sucrose-experienced (sucrose) group exhibited higher lever press, cocaine infusion and break point, as well as upshift of cocaine dose-response curve in cocaine self-administration test, as compared with the control (chow) group. Additionally, despite similar locomotor activity in open field test and comparable score in cocaine-induced conditioned place preference, the sucrose group showed higher cocaine-induced locomotor sensitivity as compared with the chow group. The anxiety level and the performance in vocal-cue induced fear memory were similar between these two groups in elevated plus maze and fear conditioning tests, respectively. Taken together, our work indicates that sucrose experience promotes the rats' motivation for cocaine.

Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Workplace Incivility: Who Is Most Targeted and Who Is Most Harmed?

PubMed Central

Zurbrügg, Lauren; Miner, Kathi N.

2016-01-01

Scholars have proposed that interpersonal workplace discrimination toward members of oppressed social groups has become covert and subtle rather than overt and explicit and that such experiences lead to negative outcomes for targets. The present study examined this proposition by examining experiences and consequences of workplace incivility—a seemingly harmless form of interpersonal maltreatment—based on gender, sexual orientation, and their intersection. A sample of 1,300 academic faculty (52% male, 86% White) participated in an online survey study assessing their experiences of workplace incivility, job stress, job satisfaction, job identity centrality, and demographics. Results showed that sexual minority women reported the highest levels of workplace incivility. Findings also revealed that women reported lower job satisfaction than men and that heterosexuals reported higher job stress and lower job identity centrality than sexual minorities with higher levels of incivility. Thus, sexual minority status buffered the negative effects of incivility for sexual minorities. These findings point to the resiliency of sexual minorities in the face of interpersonal stressors at work. PMID:27199804

Theorizing the Racial and Gendered Educational Experiences of Chicanas and Native American Women at the Ph.D. Level in Higher Education: "Testimonios" of Resistance, Defiance, Survival, and Hope

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cueva, Bert Maria

2013-01-01

This national case study examines the educational experiences of twenty-one women that self-identified as low-income or working-class Chicanas or Native American women pursuing professoriate degrees in the Humanities, Social Sciences, Forestry, and Education. The case study includes forty-two qualitative "testimonio" interviews that…

Impact of childhood adversities on the short-term course of illness in psychotic spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Schalinski, Inga; Fischer, Yolanda; Rockstroh, Brigitte

2015-08-30

Accumulating evidence indicates an impact of childhood adversities on the severity and course of mental disorders, whereas this impact on psychotic disorders remains to be specified. Effects of childhood adversities on comorbidity, on symptom severity of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and global functioning across four months (upon admission, 1 and 4 months after initial assessment), as well as the course of illness (measured by the remission rate, number of re-hospitalizations and dropout rate) were evaluated in 62 inpatients with psychotic spectrum disorders. Adverse experiences (of at least 1 type) were reported by 73% of patients. Patients with higher overall level of childhood adversities (n=33) exhibited more co-morbid disorders, especially alcohol/substance abuse and dependency, and higher dropout rates than patients with a lower levels of adverse experiences (n=29), together with higher levels of positive symptoms and symptoms of excitement and disorganization. Emotional and physical neglect were particularly related to symptom severity. Results suggest that psychological stress in childhood affects the symptom severity and, additionally, a more unfavorable course of disorder in patients diagnosed with psychoses. This impact calls for its consideration in diagnostic assessment and psychiatric care. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Growth curves of clients' emotional experience and their association with emotion regulation and symptoms.

PubMed

Fisher, Hadar; Atzil-Slonim, Dana; Bar-Kalifa, Eran; Rafaeli, Eshkol; Peri, Tuvia

2017-12-06

Emotional experience during psychotherapy is considered a core mechanism of change. Yet the sheer experience itself may not necessarily be beneficial; instead, the trajectories of emotional experience need to be explored as possible predictors of treatment outcomes. This study investigated whether clients' pre-treatment levels of emotion regulation and symptoms predicted patterns of session-to-session change in emotional experience. We also explored which patterns better predict clients' improvement in emotion regulation and symptoms from pre- to post treatment. One-hundred and seven clients undergoing psychodynamic psychotherapy completed questionnaires on their symptoms and emotion regulation at pre- and post- treatment. They also reported their level of emotional experience at the end of each session. Pre-treatment symptoms and difficulties in emotion regulation predicted greater instability in emotional experience. Higher mean levels of emotional experience during treatment were associated with an improvement in emotion regulation, and greater stability during treatment was associated with improvement in emotion regulation and symptoms. These findings lend weight to the idea that experiencing emotion in the therapeutic environment has significant implications for clients' ability to manage their emotions outside the session. However, emotions experienced in an unstable manner within therapy are associated with poorer outcomes. Clinical and methodological significance of this article: Therapists can benefit from observing the patterns and not only the level of their clients' emotional experiences. The identification of clients' difficulties early in treatment may help therapists guide clients through the delicate process of carefully attending to their emotions.

Problems in the Multi-Service Acquisition of Less-Than-Major Ground Communications-Electronics Systems.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-06-01

eucation about nsiti-serviue program, especially at higher levels 1 1 2 4 Other 2 1 1 4 ,! provisioning. Two interviewees mentioned the need for a cost...generator project. Also, the Program Manager was only a Lieutenant Colonel. Colonel Haney felt that a higher [ I. rank would be required since the... higher than for the military in both services in all three categories. Table 3-4 illustrates average years of experience by system studied. Again

Social Consciousness and Career Awareness: Emerging Link in Higher Education. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 8, 1990.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swift, John S., Jr.

Contemporary college students' apparent lack of exposure to citizenship, lack of concern for others, and ignorance of how to be involved citizens has prompted a call for involving students in volunteer service at the national level or as part of the undergraduate experience. This monograph begins by discussing volunteer programs as they relate to…

The Role of Ethnic Culture in Work-Family Balance among Armenian Women in Leadership Positions in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baran, Hasmig

2012-01-01

In contemporary society women leaders in education have struggled to balance work and family. While some women have succeeded in finding that balance, many others are still struggling. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of three Armenian women in senior-level leadership positions in higher education in the United…

Problems and Strategies Regarding Reducing America's Migrant Student Dropout Rate. Congressional Testimony Delivered in Response to a Request from the National Commission on Migrant Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helge, Doris

Studies conducted by the National Rural Development Institute (NRDI) indicate that migrant students have a higher school dropout rate than non-migrant students. In addition, rural migrant students experience higher levels of family dysfunction and abuse, teen pregnancy, emotional difficulties such as depression or low self-esteem, poverty,…

Investing in the Future: The Importance of Faculty Mentoring in the Development of Students of Color in STEM

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffin, Kimberly A.; Perez, David, II; Holmes, Annie P. E.; Mayo, Claude E. P.

2010-01-01

Underrepresented racial minority students often seek a high level of contact with professors of color, viewing them as role models and proof that success in higher education is possible. These faculty members are often able to connect with students of color in deep and meaningful ways based on shared experiences in higher education. That is, many…

Comunidad: Promoting the Educational Persistence and Success of Chicana/o College Students. JSRI Occasional Paper No. 48. Latino Studies Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gloria, Alberta M.

At all levels, Chicanos and Chicanas drop out of school at higher rates than any other racial or ethnic group, eventually resulting in under-representation within institutions of higher education. Although all Latino subgroups experience barriers to their education, Chicanos have the lowest rate of college completion (5 percent). Central to the…

Apprenticeship in Higher Education in France: An Experimental Device to Help Apprentices to Link Academic Knowledge and Work Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hahn, Corinne

2012-01-01

The French apprenticeship system has been an object of research in France for more than 30 years now, by experts from different backgrounds. Over the past 15 years apprenticeship has grown significantly in higher education. At this level, if a greater importance is attached to theory, it becomes more difficult to connect this theory to more…

Effects of organizational citizenship behaviors on selection decisions in employment interviews.

PubMed

Podsakoff, Nathan P; Whiting, Steven W; Podsakoff, Philip M; Mishra, Paresh

2011-03-01

This article reports on an experiment examining the effects of job candidates' propensity to exhibit organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) on selection decisions made in the context of a job interview. We developed videos that manipulated candidate responses to interview questions tapping task performance and citizenship behavior content in 2 administrative positions. Results obtained from 480 undergraduates provided support for our hypotheses that job candidates who exhibited higher levels of helping, voice, and loyalty behaviors were generally rated as more competent, received higher overall evaluations, and received higher salary recommendations than job candidates who exhibited lower levels of these behaviors. These effects held even after taking into account candidate responses regarding task performance. We also found that candidate responses to OCB-related questions tended to have a greater effect on selection decisions for the higher level position (supervisor of administrative personnel) than for the lower level one (administrative assistant). Finally, content analyses of open-ended responses indicated that participants' selection decisions were particularly sensitive to candidates who exhibited low levels of voice and helping behaviors. Implications and future research are discussed. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

Posttraumatic Growth Among Family Members With Missing Persons From War in Kosovo: Association With Social Support and Community Involvement.

PubMed

Arenliu, Aliriza; Shala-Kastrati, Fatmire; Berisha Avdiu, Vjollca; Landsman, Moshe

2017-01-01

There is almost no data on the role of social support and in general on posttraumatic growth among people who have missing family member(s) as result of war and who experience ambiguous loss. This study explores relationship between reported posttraumatic growth and perceived social support and social activism in community-based organizations dealing directly with issues of missing persons. Family members who reported higher levels of social support from family, friends, and important others reported significant higher levels of posttraumatic growth. Family members that reported being active in community-based organizations reported significant higher averages in posttraumatic growth scores in total and its subscales. Regression analyses indicates that factors associated posttraumatic growth were as follows: being active in community organization dealing with missing person's issues and higher levels of social support from friends and family. Findings provide insight for clinicians working with this population and psycho social experts working in postconflict contexts.

Preference for brand-name buprenorphine is related to severity of addiction among outpatients in opioid maintenance treatment.

PubMed

Binder, Philippe; Messaadi, Nassir; Perault-Pochat, Marie-Christine; Gagey, Stéphanie; Brabant, Yann; Ingrand, Pierre

2016-01-01

As a form of opioid maintenance treatment, high-dose buprenorphine is increasingly being used in the United States. On the French market since 1996, it is the most commonly prescribed and frequently employed opioid maintenance treatment. For unknown reasons, the brand-name form is used far more often than the generic form (76-24%). The objective was to show that the patients' levels of addiction were differentiated according to the form of buprenorphine currently being used and to their previous experience of a different form. An observational study in 9 sites throughout France used self-assessment questionnaires filled out in retail pharmacies by all patients to whom their prescribed buprenorphine treatment was being delivered. The 151 canvassed pharmacies solicited 879 patients, of whom 724 completed the questionnaires. Participants were statistically similar to non-participants. The patients using the brand-name form subsequent to experience with the generic form exhibited a more elevated addiction severity index and a higher dosage than brand-name form users with no experience of a different form. Compared to generic users, their doses were higher, their was addiction more severe, and their alcohol consumption was more excessive; they were also more likely to make daily use of psychotropic substances. However, the level of misuse or illicit consumption was similar between these groups. Preferring the brand-name buprenorphine form to the generic form is associated with a higher level of severe addiction, a more frequent need for daily psychotropics, and excessive drinking; but the study was unable to show a causal link.

Previous Gardening Experience and Gardening Enjoyment Is Related to Vegetable Preferences and Consumption Among Low-Income Elementary School Children.

PubMed

Evans, Alexandra; Ranjit, Nalini; Fair, Cori N; Jennings, Rose; Warren, Judith L

2016-10-01

To examine if gardening experience and enjoyment are associated with vegetable exposure, preferences, and consumption of vegetables among low-income third-grade children. Cross-sectional study design, using baseline data from the Texas! Grow! Eat! Go! Twenty-eight Title I elementary schools located in different counties in Texas. Third-grade students (n = 1,326, 42% Hispanic) MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Gardening experience, gardening enjoyment, vegetable exposure, preference, and consumption. Random-effects regression models, adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, and body mass index percentile of child, estimated means and standard errors of vegetable consumption, exposure, and preference by levels of gardening experience and enjoyment. Wald χ 2 tests evaluated the significance of differences in means of outcomes across levels of gardening experience and enjoyment. Children with more gardening experience had greater vegetable exposure and higher vegetable preference and consumed more vegetables compared with children who reported less gardening experience. Those who reported that they enjoyed gardening had the highest levels of vegetable exposure, preference, and consumption. Garden-based interventions can have an important and positive effect on children's vegetable consumption by increasing exposure to fun gardening experiences. Copyright © 2016 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Speed-Accuracy Trade-Off in Skilled Typewriting: Decomposing the Contributions of Hierarchical Control Loops

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yamaguchi, Motonori; Crump, Matthew J. C.; Logan, Gordon D.

2013-01-01

Typing performance involves hierarchically structured control systems: At the higher level, an outer loop generates a word or a series of words to be typed; at the lower level, an inner loop activates the keystrokes comprising the word in parallel and executes them in the correct order. The present experiments examined contributions of the outer-…

Pushing Typists Back on the Learning Curve: Memory Chunking in the Hierarchical Control of Skilled Typewriting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yamaguchi, Motonori; Logan, Gordon D.

2016-01-01

Hierarchical control of skilled performance depends on the ability of higher level control to process several lower level units as a single chunk. The present study investigated the development of hierarchical control of skilled typewriting, focusing on the process of memory chunking. In the first 3 experiments, skilled typists typed words or…

Self-Reported Training Adequacy, Experience, and Comfort Level in Performing Schizophrenia-Related Clinical Skills among Psychiatry Residents and Fellows.

PubMed

Greene, Laurence; Moreo, Kathleen; Nasrallah, Henry; Tandon, Rajiv; Sapir, Tamar

2017-08-01

In the context of an educational program on schizophrenia for psychiatry trainees, this survey study analyzed associations between self-reported training adequacy, experience in providing patient care, and comfort level in performing schizophrenia-related clinical skills. The influence of the education on comfort level was also assessed for each skill. Survey respondents were psychiatry residents and fellows who participated in a schizophrenia education program at an in-person workshop or through online videos recorded at the workshop. In a pre-program survey, participants reported their experience in providing schizophrenia patient care and rated their training adequacy and comfort level for performing seven clinical skills involved in diagnosing and treating schizophrenia. The post-program survey included items for reassessing comfort level in performing the skills. Across the seven clinical skills, the proportion of respondents (n = 79) who agreed or strongly agreed that their training was adequate ranged from 29 to 88 %. The proportion of high ratings for comfort level in skill performance ranged from 45 to 83 %. Comfort level was significantly associated with training adequacy for all seven clinical skills and with experience in providing patient care for four skills. For all skills, comfort level ratings were significantly higher after versus before the educational workshop. Commonly indicated needs for further training included education on new therapies, exposure to a broader range of patients, and opportunities for longitudinal patient management. Psychiatry trainees' self-reported, disease-specific training adequacy, experiences, and comfort level have unique applications for developing and evaluating graduate medical curriculum.

Influence of intramuscular fat content on the quality of pig meat - 2. Consumer acceptability of m. longissimus lumborum.

PubMed

Fernandez, X; Monin, G; Talmant, A; Mourot, J; Lebret, B

1999-09-01

The present study is part of a project which aimed to examine the influence of intramuscular fat (IMF) content on sensory attributes and consumer acceptability of pork. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate consumer acceptability of pork chops with varying IMF level in muscle Longissimus lumborum (LL). Each experiment used 32 castrated male pigs selected after slaughter either from 125 Duroc × Landrace (Experiment 1) or 102 Tia Meslan × Landrace (Experiment 2) crossbred animals, and showing large variability in LL IMF content: from <1.5 to >3.5% in Experiment 1 and from 1.25 to 3.25% in Experiment 2. A group of 56 consumers evaluated various items on rib-eye (LL muscle trimmed of backfat) (Experiment 1) and on entire chops trimmed of backfat (Experiment 2). Data from Experiment 1 indicate that an increase in IMF level is associated with an increase in visual perception of fat and a corresponding decrease in the willingness to eat and purchase the meat, when expressed before tasting. The latter effect disappeared after the consumers had tasted the meat, probably due to a positive effect of increase IMF, up to 3.5%, on the perception of texture and taste. In Experiment 2, where entire chops were evaluated, the perception of visible fat was not affected by IMF level, probably due to the lack of variation in the level of intermuscular fat between the four IMF groups. The willingness to eat and purchase the meat were unaffected by IMF level, whereas the perception of texture and taste was enhanced with increased IMF levels up to 3.25%. The present data suggest that the acceptability of pork may be improved by increasing IMF level but: (1) this effect disappeared for IMF levels higher than 3.5%, which are associated with a high risk of meat rejection due to visible fat and (2) the positive effect of increased IMF probably holds true as long as it is not associated with an increase in the level of intermuscular fat.

Higher water temperature enhances dietary carbohydrate utilization and growth performance in Labeo rohita (Hamilton) fingerlings.

PubMed

Alexander, C; Sahu, N P; Pal, A K; Akhtar, M S; Saravanan, S; Xavier, B; Munilkumar, S

2011-10-01

A 60-day experiment was conducted to delineate the effect of three dietary levels of gelatinized carbohydrate (GC) on growth, nutrient-utilization and body composition of Labeo rohita fingerlings (avg. wt 6.5 ± 0.3 g) reared at two water temperatures (ambient-AT (26 ± 0.8 °C) and 32 °C). Two hundred and sixteen fingerlings were randomly distributed into six treatments in triplicates. Three semi-purified isonitrogenous diets were prepared with graded levels of GC viz. D(1) : 40%, D(2) : 50% and D(3) : 58%. Growth rate, feed efficiency and protein efficiency ratio were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in 50% GC and 32 °C reared groups than their AT counterparts. Hepato Somatic Index was higher in AT reared groups compared to 32 °C reared counterparts. Apparent digestibility co-efficient of carbohydrate was significantly (p < 0.05) higher at 32 °C reared groups but decreased with increasing carbohydrate (GC) levels. Fish reared at 32 °C showed significantly (p < 0.05) higher amylase, protease and hexokinase activities while glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and glucose-6-phosphatse were significantly (p < 0.05) higher at ambient temperatures. The results obtained in present study indicated that L. rohita could utilize higher level (50%) of dietary carbohydrate at 32 °C. © 2010 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Evidence for a confidence-accuracy relationship in memory for same- and cross-race faces.

PubMed

Nguyen, Thao B; Pezdek, Kathy; Wixted, John T

2017-12-01

Discrimination accuracy is usually higher for same- than for cross-race faces, a phenomenon known as the cross-race effect (CRE). According to prior research, the CRE occurs because memories for same- and cross-race faces rely on qualitatively different processes. However, according to a continuous dual-process model of recognition memory, memories that rely on qualitatively different processes do not differ in recognition accuracy when confidence is equated. Thus, although there are differences in overall same- and cross-race discrimination accuracy, confidence-specific accuracy (i.e., recognition accuracy at a particular level of confidence) may not differ. We analysed datasets from four recognition memory studies on same- and cross-race faces to test this hypothesis. Confidence ratings reliably predicted recognition accuracy when performance was above chance levels (Experiments 1, 2, and 3) but not when performance was at chance levels (Experiment 4). Furthermore, at each level of confidence, confidence-specific accuracy for same- and cross-race faces did not significantly differ when overall performance was above chance levels (Experiments 1, 2, and 3) but significantly differed when overall performance was at chance levels (Experiment 4). Thus, under certain conditions, high-confidence same-race and cross-race identifications may be equally reliable.

The relation between bullying and subclinical psychotic experiences and the influence of the bully climate of school classes.

PubMed

Horrevorts, Esther M B; Monshouwer, Karin; Wigman, Johanna T W; Vollebergh, Wilma A M

2014-09-01

This study aims to examine the association between the bully climate of school classes and the prevalence of subclinical psychotic experiences among students who are involved in bullying (either as bully or as victim). Data were derived from the Dutch health behavior in school-aged children survey of 2005, a nationally representative cross-sectional study with a total of 5,509 adolescents between the age of 12 and 16. The data were analyzed using a multilevel regression analysis. The study revealed that both bullying and being bullied in school classes was associated with an increased level of subclinical psychotic experiences. The bully climate of a school class moderates this effect, i.e., the higher risk for bully-victims on subclinical psychotic experiences was less strong in classes with a higher percentage of classmates involved in bullying. Thus, bully climate has to be taken into account when studying the psychological experiences associated with being bullied.

National Board Certification and Developmentally Appropriate Practices: Perceptions of Impact.

PubMed

McKenzie, Ellen Nancy

2013-04-01

The study investigated a relationship between National Board certification and perceived use of developmentally appropriate practices (DAP). A self-developed survey, the Early-childhood Teacher Inventory of Practices, was e-mailed to participants. Participants included 246 non-National Board-certified (non-NBCT) and 135 National Board-certified (NBCT) early childhood teachers. Descriptives were reported for age, years of teaching experience, grade level currently teaching, ethnicity, degree type, certification type, and degree level. Inferential statistics were used to understand the differences between perceived use of DAP. NBCTs scored significantly higher than non-NBCTs in three of the four target areas and on the total of the scale. Pearson product-moment corelations were used to determine a relationship between years of experience or level of education and NBCTs' perceived use of DAP. Years of experience were significantly related, but level of education was not. The findings indicate that NBCT teachers perceive they incorporate more developmentally appropriate practices into their teaching than do non-NBCT teachers.

National Board Certification and Developmentally Appropriate Practices: Perceptions of Impact

PubMed Central

McKenzie, Ellen Nancy

2013-01-01

The study investigated a relationship between National Board certification and perceived use of developmentally appropriate practices (DAP). A self-developed survey, the Early-childhood Teacher Inventory of Practices, was e-mailed to participants. Participants included 246 non-National Board-certified (non-NBCT) and 135 National Board-certified (NBCT) early childhood teachers. Descriptives were reported for age, years of teaching experience, grade level currently teaching, ethnicity, degree type, certification type, and degree level. Inferential statistics were used to understand the differences between perceived use of DAP. NBCTs scored significantly higher than non-NBCTs in three of the four target areas and on the total of the scale. Pearson product-moment corelations were used to determine a relationship between years of experience or level of education and NBCTs’ perceived use of DAP. Years of experience were significantly related, but level of education was not. The findings indicate that NBCT teachers perceive they incorporate more developmentally appropriate practices into their teaching than do non-NBCT teachers. PMID:23626399

Factors Associated With Reflection Among Students After an Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) in Sweden

PubMed Central

Lindblad, Åsa Kettis; Gustavsson, Maria; Ring, Lena

2009-01-01

Objective To identify individual and social factors associated with pharmacy students' level of reflection in an advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE). Methods A postal questionnaire, including a reflective assignment, was sent to all pharmacy interns (n=262) at Uppsala University, Sweden, for 4 semesters in 2005-2007. Results In a univariate analysis, 7 factors were found to be associated with students' level of reflection. After controlling for covariates, 3 social factors were found to be independently associated with reflection: having a formal preceptor (OR=5.3), being at a small pharmacy (OR=19.8), and students' perception of the importance of discussing critical thinking with the preceptor (OR=1.2). No correlation could be observed between level of reflection and critical thinking, nor learning style. Conclusion Social components seem to be of higher importance than individual components in students' reflective levels after pharmacy internship experience. Trained preceptors are important to foster reflection skills. PMID:19885076

Divided attention modulates semantic activation: evidence from a nonletter-level prime task.

PubMed

Otsuka, Sachio; Kawaguchi, Jun

2007-12-01

Research has recently shown that semantic activation is modulated in proportion to the amount of attention required for letter-level processing of the prime (the attention modulation hypothesis; Smith, Bentin, & Spalek, 2001). In this study, we examined this hypothesis with an auditory divided-attention task. Participants were asked to decide whether the pitch of a probe tone presented with the prime word was higher or lower than the basic tone presented with the fixation cross. Their target task was lexical decision to the target word. Experiment 1 showed that semantic priming was modulated by the amount of attentional resources. Moreover, in Experiment 2, this modulation was also found in a situation that eliminated the possibility of participants' response strategies. Yet, Experiment 3 showed repetition priming to be unaffected. These results support an amended attention modulation hypothesis in which modulation is not limited to letter-level processing.

Risk factors for high levels of prescription drug misuse and illicit drug use among substance-using young men who have sex with men (YMSM).

PubMed

Kecojevic, Aleksandar; Wong, Carolyn F; Corliss, Heather L; Lankenau, Stephen E

2015-05-01

Limited research has focused on prescription drug misuse among young men who have sex with men (YMSM), or investigated risk factors contributing to misuse. This study aims to investigate the relationship between multiple psychosocial risk factors (i.e., childhood abuse, discrimination, mental health distress) and prescription drug misuse among YMSM who are current substance users. YMSM (N=191) who reported prescription drug misuse in the past 6 months were recruited in Philadelphia between 2012 and 2013 to complete an anonymous survey assessing demographic information, substance use, and psychosocial factors. High levels of childhood physical abuse and perceived stress were associated with higher opioid misuse, while high levels of depression were associated with lower misuse of opioids. Those with higher levels of perceived stress were more likely to report higher tranquilizer misuse, while those with more experiences of social homophobia/racism and higher levels of depression and somatization reported higher stimulant misuse. Regarding demographic correlates, older participants were more likely than younger participants to report higher opioid misuse, while racial minorities were less likely than White participants to report higher misuse of tranquilizers, stimulants, and illicit drug use. Bisexual/heterosexual/other identified participants were more likely than gay identified participants to report higher misuse of all three classes of prescription drugs. Associations of risk factors with substance use among YMSM are complex and offer opportunities for additional research. Our findings show that prevention efforts must address substance use among YMSM in sync with psychosocial stressors. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Individuals with special needs and their families' oral health-related quality of life.

PubMed

Cancio, Viviane; Faker, Khawana; Bendo, Cristiane Baccin; Paiva, Saul Martins; Tostes, Mônica Almeida

2018-05-24

To evaluate the impact of dental caries among Brazilian individuals with special health care needs (SHCN) on their families' oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). A cross-sectional study was carried out with a population-based sample of 227 subjects who were enrolled from the ACOLHER-PNE project conducted at the Fluminense Federal University. Parents/caregivers answered the Brazilian version of the 14-item Family Impact Scale (B-FIS) to assess the impact on family's quality of life (QoL). The main independent variable was dental caries experience, diagnosed according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. The DMFT/dmft score was categorized into 0 = caries free; 1-2 = low; 3-4 = moderate; and ≥ 5 = high experience. Mother's schooling, age, sex, SHCN conditions, and socioeconomic factors were the other independent variables. QoL was measured through FIS domains and total score. Statistical analyses was performed using the Kruskal Wallis and Mann Whitney U tests and Poisson regression (p<0.05). The impact values observed in moderate and high caries experience were significantly higher than those found in subjects without caries and low level of parental emotions. Parents' years of schooling showed more impact on total score and on parental emotions. Older subjects showed significantly higher impact on total score and in all domains. The multivariate model demonstrated that families of older subjects (> 8 years old) experience a higher impact level compared to younger subjects (PR: 2.43; 95%CI: 1.80-3.29, p = 0.001). High caries experience and other socioeconomic factors were not associated with a greater negative impact on parents' QoL.

Rejection Sensitivity, Jealousy, and the Relationship to Interpersonal Aggression.

PubMed

Murphy, Anna M; Russell, Gemma

2018-07-01

The development and maintenance of interpersonal relationships lead individuals to risk rejection in the pursuit of acceptance. Some individuals are predisposed to experience a hypersensitivity to rejection that is hypothesized to be related to jealous and aggressive reactions within interpersonal relationships. The current study used convenience sampling to recruit 247 young adults to evaluate the relationship between rejection sensitivity, jealousy, and aggression. A mediation model was used to test three hypotheses: Higher scores of rejection sensitivity would be positively correlated to higher scores of aggression (Hypothesis 1); higher scores of rejection sensitivity would be positively correlated to higher scores of jealousy (Hypothesis 2); jealousy would mediate the relationship between rejection sensitivity and aggression (Hypothesis 3). Study results suggest a tendency for individuals with high rejection sensitivity to experience higher levels of jealousy, and subsequently have a greater propensity for aggression, than individuals with low rejection sensitivity. Future research that substantiates a link between hypersensitivity to rejection, jealousy, and aggression may provide an avenue for prevention, education, or intervention in reducing aggression within interpersonal relationships.

Integrative genomic analysis implicates limited peripheral adipose storage capacity in the pathogenesis of human insulin resistance.

PubMed

Lotta, Luca A; Gulati, Pawan; Day, Felix R; Payne, Felicity; Ongen, Halit; van de Bunt, Martijn; Gaulton, Kyle J; Eicher, John D; Sharp, Stephen J; Luan, Jian'an; De Lucia Rolfe, Emanuella; Stewart, Isobel D; Wheeler, Eleanor; Willems, Sara M; Adams, Claire; Yaghootkar, Hanieh; Forouhi, Nita G; Khaw, Kay-Tee; Johnson, Andrew D; Semple, Robert K; Frayling, Timothy; Perry, John R B; Dermitzakis, Emmanouil; McCarthy, Mark I; Barroso, Inês; Wareham, Nicholas J; Savage, David B; Langenberg, Claudia; O'Rahilly, Stephen; Scott, Robert A

2017-01-01

Insulin resistance is a key mediator of obesity-related cardiometabolic disease, yet the mechanisms underlying this link remain obscure. Using an integrative genomic approach, we identify 53 genomic regions associated with insulin resistance phenotypes (higher fasting insulin levels adjusted for BMI, lower HDL cholesterol levels and higher triglyceride levels) and provide evidence that their link with higher cardiometabolic risk is underpinned by an association with lower adipose mass in peripheral compartments. Using these 53 loci, we show a polygenic contribution to familial partial lipodystrophy type 1, a severe form of insulin resistance, and highlight shared molecular mechanisms in common/mild and rare/severe insulin resistance. Population-level genetic analyses combined with experiments in cellular models implicate CCDC92, DNAH10 and L3MBTL3 as previously unrecognized molecules influencing adipocyte differentiation. Our findings support the notion that limited storage capacity of peripheral adipose tissue is an important etiological component in insulin-resistant cardiometabolic disease and highlight genes and mechanisms underpinning this link.

Hunting for the beat in the body: on period and phase locking in music-induced movement.

PubMed

Burger, Birgitta; Thompson, Marc R; Luck, Geoff; Saarikallio, Suvi H; Toiviainen, Petri

2014-01-01

Music has the capacity to induce movement in humans. Such responses during music listening are usually spontaneous and range from tapping to full-body dancing. However, it is still unclear how humans embody musical structures to facilitate entrainment. This paper describes two experiments, one dealing with period locking to different metrical levels in full-body movement and its relationships to beat- and rhythm-related musical characteristics, and the other dealing with phase locking in the more constrained condition of sideways swaying motions. Expected in Experiment 1 was that music with clear and strong beat structures would facilitate more period-locked movement. Experiment 2 was assumed to yield a common phase relationship between participants' swaying movements and the musical beat. In both experiments optical motion capture was used to record participants' movements. In Experiment 1 a window-based period-locking probability index related to four metrical levels was established, based on acceleration data in three dimensions. Subsequent correlations between this index and musical characteristics of the stimuli revealed pulse clarity to be related to periodic movement at the tactus level, and low frequency flux to mediolateral and anteroposterior movement at both tactus and bar levels. At faster tempi higher metrical levels became more apparent in participants' movement. Experiment 2 showed that about half of the participants showed a stable phase relationship between movement and beat, with superior-inferior movement most often being synchronized to the tactus level, whereas mediolateral movement was rather synchronized to the bar level. However, the relationship between movement phase and beat locations was not consistent between participants, as the beat locations occurred at different phase angles of their movements. The results imply that entrainment to music is a complex phenomenon, involving the whole body and occurring at different metrical levels.

Online gaming and risks predict cyberbullying perpetration and victimization in adolescents.

PubMed

Chang, Fong-Ching; Chiu, Chiung-Hui; Miao, Nae-Fang; Chen, Ping-Hung; Lee, Ching-Mei; Huang, Tzu-Fu; Pan, Yun-Chieh

2015-02-01

The present study examined factors associated with the emergence and cessation of youth cyberbullying and victimization in Taiwan. A total of 2,315 students from 26 high schools were assessed in the 10th grade, with follow-up performed in the 11th grade. Self-administered questionnaires were collected in 2010 and 2011. Multiple logistic regression was conducted to examine the factors. Multivariate analysis results indicated that higher levels of risk factors (online game use, exposure to violence in media, internet risk behaviors, cyber/school bullying experiences) in the 10th grade coupled with an increase in risk factors from grades 10 to 11 could be used to predict the emergence of cyberbullying perpetration/victimization. In contrast, lower levels of risk factors in the 10th grade and higher levels of protective factors coupled with a decrease in risk factors predicted the cessation of cyberbullying perpetration/victimization. Online game use, exposure to violence in media, Internet risk behaviors, and cyber/school bullying experiences can be used to predict the emergence and cessation of youth cyberbullying perpetration and victimization.

The Impact of Local Environmental Health Capacity on Foodborne Illness Morbidity in Maryland

PubMed Central

Resnick, Beth A.; Fox, Mary A.; McGready, John; Yager, James P.; Burke, Thomas A.

2011-01-01

Objectives. We evaluated the relationship between local food protection capacity and service provision in Maryland's 24 local food protection programs (FPPs) and incidence of foodborne illness at the county level. Methods. We conducted regression analyses to determine the relationship between foodborne illness and local FPP characteristics. We used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's FoodNet and Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene outbreak data set, along with data on Maryland's local FPP capacity (workforce size and experience levels, budget) and service provision (food service facility inspections, public notification programs). Results. Counties with higher capacity, such as larger workforce, higher budget, and greater employee experience, had fewer foodborne illnesses. Counties with better performance and county-level regulations, such as high food service facility inspection rates and requiring certified food manager programs, respectively, had lower rates of illness. Conclusions. Counties with strong local food protection capacity and services can protect the public from foodborne illness. Research on public health services can enhance our understanding of the food protection infrastructure, and the effectiveness of food protection programs in preventing foodborne illness. PMID:21750282

Chromatic Perceptual Learning but No Category Effects without Linguistic Input

PubMed Central

Grandison, Alexandra; Sowden, Paul T.; Drivonikou, Vicky G.; Notman, Leslie A.; Alexander, Iona; Davies, Ian R. L.

2016-01-01

Perceptual learning involves an improvement in perceptual judgment with practice, which is often specific to stimulus or task factors. Perceptual learning has been shown on a range of visual tasks but very little research has explored chromatic perceptual learning. Here, we use two low level perceptual threshold tasks and a supra-threshold target detection task to assess chromatic perceptual learning and category effects. Experiment 1 investigates whether chromatic thresholds reduce as a result of training and at what level of analysis learning effects occur. Experiment 2 explores the effect of category training on chromatic thresholds, whether training of this nature is category specific and whether it can induce categorical responding. Experiment 3 investigates the effect of category training on a higher level, lateralized target detection task, previously found to be sensitive to category effects. The findings indicate that performance on a perceptual threshold task improves following training but improvements do not transfer across retinal location or hue. Therefore, chromatic perceptual learning is category specific and can occur at relatively early stages of visual analysis. Additionally, category training does not induce category effects on a low level perceptual threshold task, as indicated by comparable discrimination thresholds at the newly learned hue boundary and adjacent test points. However, category training does induce emerging category effects on a supra-threshold target detection task. Whilst chromatic perceptual learning is possible, learnt category effects appear to be a product of left hemisphere processing, and may require the input of higher level linguistic coding processes in order to manifest. PMID:27252669

Public self-consciousness moderates the link between displacement behaviour and experience of stress in women.

PubMed

Mohiyeddini, Changiz; Bauer, Stephanie; Semple, Stuart

2013-07-01

When stressed, people typically show elevated rates of displacement behaviour--activities such as scratching and face touching that seem irrelevant to the ongoing situation. Growing evidence indicates that displacement behaviour may play a role in regulating stress levels, and thus may represent an important component of the coping response. Recently, we found evidence that this stress-regulating effect of displacement behaviour is found in men but not in women. This sex difference may result from women's higher levels of public self-consciousness, which could inhibit expression of displacement behaviour due to the fear of projecting an inappropriate image. Here, we explored the link between public self-consciousness, displacement behaviour and stress among 62 healthy women (mean age = 26.59 years; SD = 3.61). We first assessed participants' public self-consciousness, and then quantified displacement behaviour, heart rate and cognitive performance during a Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and used self-report questionnaires to assess the experience of stress afterwards. Public self-consciousness was negatively correlated with rate of displacement behaviour, and positively correlated with both the subjective experience of stress post-TSST and the number of mistakes in the cognitive task. Moderation analyses revealed that for women high in public self-consciousness, high levels of displacement behaviour were associated with higher reported levels of stress and poorer cognitive performance. For women low in public self-consciousness, stress levels and cognitive performance were unrelated to displacement behaviour. Our findings indicate that public self-consciousness is associated with both the expression of displacement behaviour and how such behaviour mediates responses to social stress.

Experiences of primary care physicians and staff following lean workflow redesign.

PubMed

Hung, Dorothy Y; Harrison, Michael I; Truong, Quan; Du, Xue

2018-04-10

In response to growing pressures on primary care, leaders have introduced a wide range of workforce and practice innovations, including team redesigns that delegate some physician tasks to nonphysicians. One important question is how such innovations affect care team members, particularly in view of growing dissatisfaction and burnout among healthcare professionals. We examine the work experiences of primary care physicians and staff after implementing Lean-based workflow redesigns. This included co-locating physician and medical assistant dyads, delegating significant responsibilities to nonphysician staff, and mandating greater coordination and communication among all care team members. The redesigns were implemented and scaled in three phases across 46 primary care departments in a large ambulatory care delivery system. We fielded 1164 baseline and 1333 follow-up surveys to physicians and other nonphysician staff (average 73% response rate) to assess workforce engagement (e.g., job satisfaction, motivation), perceptions of the work environment, and job-related burnout. We conducted multivariate regressions to detect changes in experiences after the redesign, adjusting for respondent characteristics and clustering of within-clinic responses. We found that both physicians and nonphysician staff reported higher levels of engagement and teamwork after implementing redesigns. However, they also experienced higher levels of burnout and perceptions of the workplace as stressful. Trends were the same for both occupational groups, but the increased reports of stress were greater among physicians. Additionally, members of all clinics, except for the pilot site that developed the new workflows, reported higher burnout, while perceptions of workplace stress increased in all clinics after the redesign. Our findings partially align with expectations of work redesign as a route to improving physician and staff experiences in delivering care. Although teamwork and engagement increased, the redesigns in our study were not enough to moderate long-standing challenges facing primary care. Yet higher levels of empowerment and engagement, as observed in the pilot clinic, may be particularly effective in facilitating improvements while combating fatigue. To help practices cope with increasing burdens, interventions must directly benefit healthcare professionals without overtaxing an already overstretched workforce.

Sexual and Non-Sexual Trauma, Depression and Self-Esteem in a Sample of Polish Women. A Cross-Sectional Study.

PubMed

Kucharska, Justyna

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research was to explore the issue of the psychological aftermaths of traumatic events in women. According to the existing body of evidence, women suffer more often than men from mental health problems as a result of a traumatic event-one of the explanations for this is that women experience sexual trauma more frequently and this type of trauma causes more severe negative consequences. Therefore, the main aim of this research was to compare the aftermaths of sexual and non-sexual traumatic events in women. Only traumatic events in adulthood were taken into consideration and were divided into two categories: recent events (previous two years) and those of an earlier occurrence. Depression and low level of self-esteem were included in the research model as possible consequences of traumatic events. A total of 273 women from Poland took part in a questionnaire survey. As hypothesized, in the case of recent events, participants who experienced a sexual trauma showed a higher level of depression and lower level of self-esteem compared with those subjects, who experienced a non-sexual trauma or did not experience a traumatic event at all. However, this effect was not observed in the case of events of earlier occurrence. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Relations between traumatic experiences and the level of depression and self-esteem in women were demonstrated. Women who experienced sexual trauma showed higher levels of depression and lower levels of self-esteem than women who experienced other types of trauma. Time of the occurrence of the traumatic events matters: the relations between traumatic events, depression and self-esteem were demonstrated in the case of the events that occurred within the last two years. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Experiences, behaviors, and perceptions of registered nurses regarding research ethics and misconduct.

PubMed

Asman, Oren; Melnikov, Semyon; Barnoy, Sivia; Tabak, Nili

2017-01-01

Nurses engaging in research are held to research ethics standards. Research aim: Examine experiences, behaviors, and perceptions of nurses in Israel regarding research ethics and explore possible related factors. An original investigator-designed self-administered questionnaire measured five variables: (a) ethics in research, (b) encountered research misconduct during the course of one's studies, (c) the inclination to fabricate data, (d) the inclination to select or omit data, and (e) knowledge of research misconduct in the workplace. Additionally, demographic data were collected. Participants and research context: The questionnaire was completed by 151 Israeli registered nurses. 10.2% hold a PhD, 34 % hold an MA, 42.2% hold a BA, and 13.6% with no academic degree. Ethical considerations: The study was approved by the University's ethics committee; anonymity and consent of the respondents were respected. Registered nurses' level of studies achieved was significantly associated with a lower inclination to fabricate data, with one exception-PhD nurses were more inclined to fabricate data than nurses with a Master's degree. A trend was found in which a higher level of studies is associated with higher knowledge of research misconduct in the workplace. Results indicate that nurses' perceptions of research ethics change throughout their academic studies, indicating a positive influence of level of studies, research experience, and work experience on ethics perceptions. Nevertheless, PhD nurses showed a greater inclination to actually select, omit, or even fabricate data than MA nurses. This may be related to pressure to publish. PhD nursing programs should include ethics training. Academic faculty members should serve as role models regarding research integrity. Research ethics deserves further emphasis on all levels of nurse education in Israel, as well as in the nurses' code of ethics and related documents. This may positively impact ethical research practices.

Sexual risk among orphaned adolescents: is country-level HIV prevalence an important factor?

PubMed Central

Robertson, Laura; Gregson, Simon; Garnett, Geoff P.

2010-01-01

Previous studies from sub-Saharan Africa have found that orphans experience increased sexual risk compared to non-orphans. We developed a theoretical framework for the investigation of determinants of HIV risk and used it to generate specific hypotheses regarding the effect of country-level HIV prevalence on the sexual risk experience of orphans. We expected that countries with high HIV prevalence would experience a higher prevalence of orphanhood. We further hypothesised that orphans in countries with high HIV prevalence would experience increased sexual risk, compared to non-orphans, due to pressure on the extended family network, which is primarily responsible for the care of orphans in sub-Saharan Africa, resulting in poorer standards of care and guidance. We used hierarchical logistic regression models to investigate this hypothesis using cross-sectional, Demographic and Health Survey data from 10 sub-Saharan African countries. We found that countries with high HIV prevalence did indeed have higher prevalence of orphanhood. We also found that, amongst female adolescents, maternal and double orphans were significantly more likely to have started sex than non-orphans in countries with high HIV prevalence but were not at increased risk in low HIV prevalence countries. This effect of country-level HIV prevalence on the sexual risk of orphans was not explained by household level factors such as wealth, overcrowding or age of the household head. The same pattern of risk was not observed for male adolescents — male orphans were not more likely to have started sex than non-orphans. This suggests that orphaned adolescent women are an important target group for HIV prevention and that efforts should be made to integrate prevention messages into existing support programmes for orphans and vulnerable children. PMID:20552462

Exploring students' interactions, arguments, and reflections in general chemistry laboratories with different levels of inquiry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Haozhi

Students' learning in inquiry-based investigations has drawn considerable attention of the science education community. Inquiry activities can be viewed as knowledge construction processes in which students are expected to develop conceptual understanding and critical thinking abilities. Our study aimed to explore the effect of experiments with different levels of inquiry on students' interactions in the laboratory setting, as well as on students' written arguments and reflections. Our results are based on direct observations of group work in college general chemistry laboratories and analysis of associated written lab reports. The analysis of students' interactions in the laboratory was approached from three major analytic dimensions: Functional analysis, cognitive processing, and social processing. According to our results, higher levels of inquiry were associated with an increase in the relative frequency of episodes where students were engaged in proposing ideas versus asking and answering each others' questions. Higher levels of inquiry also favored episodes in which experimental work was approached in a more exploratory (versus procedural) manner. However, no major changes were observed in the extent to which students were engaged in either interpretive discussions of central scientific concepts and ideas. As part of our study we were also interested in characterizing the effects of experiments involving different levels of inquiry on the structure and adequacy of university general chemistry students' written arguments, as well as on the nature of their reflections about laboratory work. Our findings indicate that the level of inquiry of the observed experiments had no significant impact on the structure or adequacy of arguments generated by students. However, the level of inquiry of the experiments seemed to have a major impact on several areas of students' written reflections about laboratory work. In general, our results elicit trends and highlight issues that can help instructors and curriculum developers identify strategies to better support and scaffold productive engagement in the laboratory. Our results suggest that careful design and implementation of instructional interventions may be needed to maximize the learning effects of the more open-ended inquiry activities at the college level.

Effects of sunlight exposure on grapevine powdery mildew development.

PubMed

Austin, Craig N; Wilcox, Wayne F

2012-09-01

Natural and artificially induced shade increased grapevine powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator) severity in the vineyard, with foliar disease severity 49 to 75% higher relative to leaves in full sun, depending on the level of natural shading experienced and the individual experiment. Cluster disease severities increased by 20 to 40% relative to those on check vines when ultraviolet (UV) radiation was filtered from sunlight reaching vines in artificial shading experiments. Surface temperatures of leaves in full sunlight averaged 5 to 8°C higher than those in natural shade, and in one experiment, filtering 80% of all wavelengths of solar radiation, including longer wavelengths responsible for heating irradiated tissues, increased disease more than filtering UV alone. In controlled environment experiments, UV-B radiation reduced germination of E. necator conidia and inhibited both colony establishment (hyphal formation and elongation) and maturity (latent period). Inhibitory effects of UV-B radiation were significantly greater at 30°C than at 20 or 25°C. Thus, sunlight appears to inhibit powdery mildew development through at least two mechanisms, i.e., (i) UV radiation's damaging effects on exposed conidia and thalli of the pathogen; and (ii) elevating temperatures of irradiated tissues to a level supraoptimal or inhibitory for pathogen development. Furthermore, these effects are synergistic at temperatures near the upper threshold for disease development.

Self-efficacy and self-esteem in third-year pharmacy students.

PubMed

Yorra, Mark L

2014-09-15

To identify the experiential and demographic factors affecting the self-efficacy and self-esteem of third-year pharmacy (P3) students. A 25-item survey that included the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the General Self-Efficacy Scale, as well as types and length of pharmacy practice experiences and demographic information was administered to doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students from 5 schools of pharmacy in New England at the completion of their P3 year. The survey response rate was approximately 50% of the total target population (399/820). Students with a grade point average (GPA)≥3.0 demonstrated a higher significant effect from unpaid introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs) on their self-efficacy scores (p<0.05) compared to students with lower GPAs. Students who had completed more than the required amount of pharmacy experiences had higher levels of self-efficacy and self-esteem (p<0.05). Ethnicity also was related to students' levels of self-efficacy and self-esteem. Self-efficacy and self-esteem are two important factors in pharmacy practice. Colleges and schools of pharmacy should ensure that students complete enough practice experiences, beyond the minimum of 300 IPPE hours, as one way to improve their self-efficacy and self-esteem.

Self-Efficacy and Self-Esteem in Third-Year Pharmacy Students

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Objective. To identify the experiential and demographic factors affecting the self-efficacy and self-esteem of third-year pharmacy (P3) students. Methods. A 25-item survey that included the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the General Self-Efficacy Scale, as well as types and length of pharmacy practice experiences and demographic information was administered to doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students from 5 schools of pharmacy in New England at the completion of their P3 year. Results. The survey response rate was approximately 50% of the total target population (399/820). Students with a grade point average (GPA)≥3.0 demonstrated a higher significant effect from unpaid introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs) on their self-efficacy scores (p<0.05) compared to students with lower GPAs. Students who had completed more than the required amount of pharmacy experiences had higher levels of self-efficacy and self-esteem (p<0.05). Ethnicity also was related to students’ levels of self-efficacy and self-esteem. Conclusion. Self-efficacy and self-esteem are two important factors in pharmacy practice. Colleges and schools of pharmacy should ensure that students complete enough practice experiences, beyond the minimum of 300 IPPE hours, as one way to improve their self-efficacy and self-esteem. PMID:25258439

Cognitive Aging in Parents of Children with Disabilities.

PubMed

Song, Jieun; Mailick, Marsha R; Greenberg, Jan S; Ryff, Carol D; Lachman, Margie E

2016-09-01

This study examines the cognitive functioning of parents of children with disabilities, specifically, whether there is an evidence of accelerated cognitive aging among these parents. In addition, the study investigates the moderating influences of two variables: parents' gender and stress from negative parenting experience. The analyses utilize data from the National Survey of Midlife in the United States (2005). The analytic sample consisted of two groups of parents, who completed the cognitive battery, the interview, and the mail-back survey: 128 parents who had children with childhood-onset disabilities and 512 matched comparison parents who had only nondisabled children. Age differences in episodic memory were more pronounced among mothers of children with disabilities than among mothers with nondisabled children, especially among mothers with higher levels of negative parenting experience. In contrast, there were no interaction effects of parenting status, age, and negative parenting experience among fathers. The results show that parenting children with disabilities over a prolonged period of time jeopardizes cognitive function (especially memory) among older mothers, possibly via the mechanism of heightened parenting stress due to higher levels of negative parenting experience. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The anxiety of Taiwanese women with or without continuity treatment after previous in vitro fertilisation failure.

PubMed

Su, Tsann-Juu; Tzeng, Ya-Ling; Kuo, Pi-Chao

2011-08-01

To compare the anxiety levels of Taiwanese women who continued with in vitro fertilisation treatment and those who discontinued treatment post-in vitro fertilisation failure. In vitro fertilisation is perceived as the last resort of infertility treatment. The impact of unsuccessful in vitro fertilisation treatment on psychological function has been documented; however, research comparing the levels of anxiety of women who cease and those who continue in vitro fertilisation post-failure is scant. A cross-sectional comparative study design was used. Fifty-eight women in whom in vitro fertilisation had failed within the previous year were recruited to this study from a medical centre in northern Taiwan; 34 women continued treatment and 24 discontinued treatment. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to assess their levels of anxiety. Women in the group who continued treatment exhibited higher state and trait anxiety (TA) than women in the group who discontinued treatment (p < 0·005). The number and frequency of in vitro fertilisation cycles were significantly higher in the group who continued treatment than in those who did not. A strong positive correlation between state and TA (r = 0·8, p < 0·01) existed in both groups. Both groups exhibited considerable levels of anxiety; however, the women who continued in vitro fertilisation treatment had higher levels of anxiety than those who discontinued treatment. The level of anxiety of women who decide to continue in vitro fertilisation treatment should be assessed as early as possible and counselling services provided to women who experience in vitro fertilisation failure should concentrate more on relieving psychological distress. One year after discontinuing treatment, some women still experience considerable anxiety; therefore, the care and assistance provided to these women need to be continually evaluated. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Beyond the Skills Gap: How the Lack of Systemic Supports for Teaching and Learning Undermines Employer, Student, and Societal Interests. WCER Working Paper No. 2016-9

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hora, Matthew T.; Benbow, Ross J.; Oleson, Amanda K.

2016-01-01

The idea of a skills gap suggests that employers have jobs available but cannot find skilled applicants because higher education is poorly aligned with workforce needs. This idea is shaping higher education and workforce development policy at the national and state levels, yet limited research exists on the experiences of employers and educators…

Effects of Supplementing Brown Seaweed By-products in the Diet of Holstein Cows during Transition on Ruminal Fermentation, Growth Performance and Endocrine Responses

PubMed Central

Hong, Z. S.; Kim, E. J.; Jin, Y. C.; Lee, J. S.; Choi, Y. J.; Lee, H. G.

2015-01-01

This study was conducted to examine the effects of supplementing brown seaweed by-products (BSB) in the diet of ruminants on ruminal fermentation characteristics, growth performance, endocrine response, and milk production in Holstein cows. In Experiment 1, the effects of different levels (0%, 2%, and 4% of basal diet as Control, 2% BSB, 4% BSB, respectively) of BSB were evaluated at 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 h in vitro batch culture rumen fermentation. The pH tended to be higher for the higher level of BSB supplementation, with the pH at 12 h being significantly higher (p<0.05) than that of the control. The concentration of ammonia nitrogen was lower at 3, 9, 12, and 24 h incubation (p<0.05) compared with the control, and tended to be low at other incubation times. Volatile fatty acid concentration appeared to be minimally changed while lower values were observed with 4% BSB treatment at 24 h (p<0.05). In Experiment 2, effects of levels (0%, 2%, and 4%) of BSB on growth performance, endocrine responses and milk production were studied with Holstein dairy cows during transition. Dry matter intake, daily gain and feed efficiency were not affected by BSB supplementation. The concentration of plasma estrogen for the control, 2% BSB and 4% BSB after three months of pregnancy were 55.7, 94.1, and 72.3 pg/mL, respectively (p = 0.08). Although the differences of progesterone levels between BSB treatments and the control were minimal, the concentration in 4% BSB treatment increased to 157.7% compared with the initial level of the study. Triiodothyronine and thyroxine levels were also higher after both three months and eight months of pregnancy than the initial level at the beginning of the study. In addition, BSB treatments during one month after delivery did not affect daily milk yield and composition. In conclusion, the present results indicate that supplementation of BSB did not compromise ruminal fermentation, and animal performance at lower levels and hence may have potential to be used as a safe feed ingredient in dairy cows. PMID:26323519

Growing up in armed groups: trauma and aggression among child soldiers in DR Congo

PubMed Central

Hermenau, Katharin; Hecker, Tobias; Maedl, Anna; Schauer, Maggie; Elbert, Thomas

2013-01-01

Background Child soldiers are often both victims and perpetrators of horrendous acts of violence. Research with former child soldiers has consistently shown that exposure to violence is linked to trauma-related disorders and that living in a violent environment is correlated with enhanced levels of aggression. Objective To gain more insight into the experiences and the mental health status of former child soldiers, we conducted a survey with N=200 former child soldiers and adult combatants in the DR Congo. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews concerning military experiences, experienced and perpetrated violence, and mental health. Results Former child soldiers reported more experienced and perpetrated violence, a greater severity of trauma-related suffering, as well as higher appetitive aggression than adult ex-combatants. Appetitive aggression was related to more perpetrated violence, higher military ranks, voluntary recruitment and higher rates of reenlistments in former child soldiers. Conclusions Our results indicate that growing up in an armed group is related to higher levels of trauma-related disorders and aggressive behavior. This may explain the challenge of reintegrating former child soldiers. It is thus important to consider mental health problems, particularly trauma-related disorders and aggressive behavior, of former child soldiers for designing adequate reintegration programs. PMID:24224078

The effect of three surface conditions, speed and running experience on vertical acceleration of the tibia during running.

PubMed

Boey, Hannelore; Aeles, Jeroen; Schütte, Kurt; Vanwanseele, Benedicte

2017-06-01

Research has focused on parameters that are associated with injury risk, e.g. vertical acceleration. These parameters can be influenced by running on different surfaces or at different running speeds, but the relationship between them is not completely clear. Understanding the relationship may result in training guidelines to reduce the injury risk. In this study, thirty-five participants with three different levels of running experience were recruited. Participants ran on three different surfaces (concrete, synthetic running track, and woodchip trail) at two different running speeds: a self-selected comfortable speed and a fixed speed of 3.06 m/s. Vertical acceleration of the lower leg was measured with an accelerometer. The vertical acceleration was significantly lower during running on the woodchip trail in comparison with the synthetic running track and the concrete, and significantly lower during running at lower speed in comparison with during running at higher speed on all surfaces. No significant differences in vertical acceleration were found between the three groups of runners at fixed speed. Higher self-selected speed due to higher performance level also did not result in higher vertical acceleration. These results may show that running on a woodchip trail and slowing down could reduce the injury risk at the tibia.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Arrest Patterns in a Sample of Sexual Offenders.

PubMed

Levenson, Jill S; Socia, Kelly M

2016-06-01

Developmental psychopathology theories suggest that childhood adversity can contribute to antisocial conduct and delinquent activities. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) on arrest patterns in a sample of sexual offenders (N = 740). Higher ACE scores were associated with a variety of arrest outcomes, indicating that the accumulation of early trauma increased the likelihood of versatility and persistence of criminal behavior. Rapists of adults had higher ACE scores, lower levels of specialization, and higher levels of persistence than sex offenders with minor victims only. Child sexual abuse, emotional neglect, and domestic violence in the childhood home were significant predictors of a higher number of sex crime arrests. For measures of nonsexual arrests and criminal versatility, it was the household dysfunction factors-substance abuse, unmarried parents, and incarceration of a family member-that were predictive, suggesting that family dysfunction and a chaotic home environment contributed significantly to increased risk of general criminal behavior. Sex offenders inspire little sympathy in our society but may be among those most in need of trauma-informed models of treatment that recognize the influence of early adversity on maladaptive schema and self-regulation deficits related to criminal behavior. © The Author(s) 2015.

Curriculum Revolution: Reflective Minds and Empowering Relationships.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Middlemiss, Mary Ann; Van Neste-Kenny, Jocelyne

1994-01-01

In nursing education, the curricular focus is shifting from objectives, outcomes, and evaluation to reflection, intuition, and praxis. Active learning, requiring a higher level of maturity, emphasizes constructing new knowledge and meaning, empowering students to take charge of their experience. (SK)

The sporting body: body image and eating disorder symptomatology among female athletes from leanness focused and nonleanness focused sports.

PubMed

Kong, Peiling; Harris, Lynne M

2015-01-01

Female athletes experience pressure to conform to social and sporting norms concerning body weight. This study compared general and sporting body dissatisfaction and disordered eating symptomatology among 320 elite, recreational, and noncompetitive female athletes aged 17 to 30 years competing in leanness focused sports and nonleanness focused sports. Participants completed an online questionnaire including demographic questions, the Eating Attitudes Test, and the Figure Rating Scale. Athletes from leanness focused sports reported higher levels of body dissatisfaction and greater disordered eating symptomatology regardless of participation level. Elite athletes reported higher levels of body dissatisfaction and greater disordered eating symptomatology regardless of sport type, and differences between recreational and noncompetitive athletes were not found. More than 60% of elite athletes from leanness focused and nonleanness focused sports reported pressure from coaches concerning body shape. The findings have important implications for identifying risk factors for eating disorders among female athletes, where athletes who compete at elite level and those who compete in leanness focused sports at any level may be at higher risk for developing eating disorders.

Variations in area-level disadvantage of Australian registered fitness trainers usual training locations.

PubMed

Bennie, Jason A; Thornton, Lukar E; van Uffelen, Jannique G Z; Banting, Lauren K; Biddle, Stuart J H

2016-07-11

Leisure-time physical activity and strength training participation levels are low and socioeconomically distributed. Fitness trainers (e.g. gym/group instructors) may have a role in increasing these participation levels. However, it is not known whether the training location and characteristics of Australian fitness trainers vary between areas that differ in socioeconomic status. In 2014, a sample of 1,189 Australian trainers completed an online survey with questions about personal and fitness industry-related characteristics (e.g. qualifications, setting, and experience) and postcode of their usual training location. The Australian Bureau of Statistics 'Index of Relative Socioeconomic Disadvantage' (IRSD) was matched to training location and used to assess where fitness professionals trained and whether their experience, qualification level and delivery methods differed by area-level disadvantage. Linear regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between IRSD score and selected characteristics adjusting for covariates (e.g. sex, age). Overall, 47 % of respondents worked in areas within the three least-disadvantaged deciles. In contrast, only 14.8 % worked in the three most-disadvantaged deciles. In adjusted regression models, fitness industry qualification was positively associated with a higher IRSD score (i.e. working in the least-disadvantaged areas) (Cert III: ref; Cert IV β:13.44 [95 % CI 3.86-23.02]; Diploma β:15.77 [95 % CI: 2.17-29.37]; Undergraduate β:23.14 [95 % CI: 9.41-36.86]). Fewer Australian fitness trainers work in areas with high levels of socioeconomic disadvantaged areas than in areas with low levels of disadvantage. A higher level of fitness industry qualifications was associated with working in areas with lower levels of disadvantage. Future research should explore the effectiveness of providing incentives that encourage more fitness trainers and those with higher qualifications to work in more socioeconomically disadvantaged areas.

Relation between individual differences in sexual behavior and plasma testosterone levels in the guinea pig.

PubMed

Harding, C F; Feder, H H

1976-05-01

After 3 tests for male sex behavior, adult male guinea pigs were classified as either low-activity (LA, no ejaculations) or high-activity (HA, ejaculation during at least 2 behavior tests). In one experiment, resting levels of peripheral plasma testosterone (T), measured by radioimmunoassay, did not differ between the groups (LA=2.22 +/- 0.17 ng/ml, HA=2.09 +/- 0.11 ng/ml, X +/- SEM). However, plasma T levels were significantly higher in HA males 2 min after a sex test (2.27 +/- 0.24 ng/ml) than in LA males (1.40 +/- 0.20 ng/ml). A second experiment confirmed these results and also demonstrated that exposure of HA or LA males to an estrous female placed on the opposite side of a wire mesh barrier similarly led to higher T levels in HA than in LA males. These results indicate that a) behavioral differences between HA and LA guinea pigs are not attributable to differences in resting T levels, b) HA and LA males perceive the sex test situation differently, leading to slight increases in T in HA males and slight decreases in T in LA males, and c) these changes in T level are not dependent on copulation but can be induced by mere exposure to the sight smell and/or sound of an estrous female.

Multi-exposure and clustering of adverse childhood experiences, socioeconomic differences and psychotropic medication in young adults.

PubMed

Björkenstam, Emma; Hjern, Anders; Mittendorfer-Rutz, Ellenor; Vinnerljung, Bo; Hallqvist, Johan; Ljung, Rickard

2013-01-01

Stressful childhood experiences have negative long-term health consequences. The present study examines the association between adverse childhood experiences, socioeconomic position, and risk of psychotropic medication in young adulthood. This register-based cohort study comprises the birth cohorts between 1985 and 1988 in Sweden. We followed 362 663 individuals for use of psychotropic medication from January 2006 until December 2008. Adverse childhood experiences were severe criminality among parents, parental alcohol or drug abuse, social assistance recipiency, parental separation or single household, child welfare intervention before the age of 12, mentally ill or suicidal parents, familial death, and number of changes in place of residency. Estimates of risk of psychotropic medication were calculated as odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using logistic regression analysis. Adverse childhood experiences were associated with increased risks of psychotropic medication. The OR for more than three adverse childhood experiences and risk of psychotropic medication was for women 2.4 (95% CI 2.3-2.5) and for men 3.1 (95% CI 2.9-3.2). The risk of psychotropic medication increased with a higher rate of adverse childhood experiences, a relationship similar in all socioeconomic groups. Accumulation of adverse childhood experiences increases the risk of psychotropic medication in young adults. Parental educational level is of less importance when adjusting for adverse childhood experiences. The higher risk for future mental health problems among children from lower socioeconomic groups, compared to peers from more advantaged backgrounds, seems to be linked to a higher rate of exposure to adverse childhood experiences.

Multi-Exposure and Clustering of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Socioeconomic Differences and Psychotropic Medication in Young Adults

PubMed Central

Björkenstam, Emma; Hjern, Anders; Mittendorfer-Rutz, Ellenor; Vinnerljung, Bo; Hallqvist, Johan; Ljung, Rickard

2013-01-01

Purpose Stressful childhood experiences have negative long-term health consequences. The present study examines the association between adverse childhood experiences, socioeconomic position, and risk of psychotropic medication in young adulthood. Methods This register-based cohort study comprises the birth cohorts between 1985 and 1988 in Sweden. We followed 362 663 individuals for use of psychotropic medication from January 2006 until December 2008. Adverse childhood experiences were severe criminality among parents, parental alcohol or drug abuse, social assistance recipiency, parental separation or single household, child welfare intervention before the age of 12, mentally ill or suicidal parents, familial death, and number of changes in place of residency. Estimates of risk of psychotropic medication were calculated as odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using logistic regression analysis. Results Adverse childhood experiences were associated with increased risks of psychotropic medication. The OR for more than three adverse childhood experiences and risk of psychotropic medication was for women 2.4 (95% CI 2.3–2.5) and for men 3.1 (95% CI 2.9–3.2). The risk of psychotropic medication increased with a higher rate of adverse childhood experiences, a relationship similar in all socioeconomic groups. Conclusions Accumulation of adverse childhood experiences increases the risk of psychotropic medication in young adults. Parental educational level is of less importance when adjusting for adverse childhood experiences. The higher risk for future mental health problems among children from lower socioeconomic groups, compared to peers from more advantaged backgrounds, seems to be linked to a higher rate of exposure to adverse childhood experiences. PMID:23341951

Stress Sensitivity and Psychotic Experiences in 39 Low- and Middle-Income Countries

PubMed Central

DeVylder, Jordan E.; Koyanagi, Ai; Unick, Jay; Oh, Hans; Nam, Boyoung; Stickley, Andrew

2016-01-01

Stress has a central role in most theories of psychosis etiology, but the relation between stress and psychosis has rarely been examined in large population-level data sets, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. We used data from 39 countries in the World Health Survey (n = 176 934) to test the hypothesis that stress sensitivity would be associated with psychotic experiences, using logistic regression analyses. Respondents in low-income countries reported higher stress sensitivity (P < .001) and prevalence of psychotic experiences (P < .001), compared to individuals in middle-income countries. Greater stress sensitivity was associated with increased odds for psychotic experiences, even when adjusted for co-occurring anxiety and depressive symptoms: adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) = 1.17 (1.15–1.19) per unit increase in stress sensitivity (range 2–10). This association was consistent and significant across nearly every country studied, and translated into a difference in psychotic experience prevalence ranging from 6.4% among those with the lowest levels of stress sensitivity up to 22.2% among those with the highest levels. These findings highlight the generalizability of the association between psychosis and stress sensitivity in the largest and most globally representative community-level sample to date, and support the targeting of stress sensitivity as a potential component of individual- and population-level interventions for psychosis. PMID:27109925

Predicting Psychosocial Maladjustment in Emerging Adulthood From High School Experiences of Peer Victimization.

PubMed

Buchanan, Carie M; McDougall, Patricia

2018-01-01

The aim of the present study was to compare recollections of sexual, physical, verbal, social, and cyber peer victimization experienced in high school in terms of depressed affect, self-esteem, and loneliness experienced in university. In all, 247 university students (70 males and 177 females; M = 20.62, SD = 2.54) completed online measures assessing retrospective accounts of their experiences of different forms of peer victimization during high school (i.e., sexual, physical, verbal, social, and cyber) and their current psychosocial adjustment (i.e., self-esteem, depressed affect, and loneliness). Three separate hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to determine whether different indices of negative psychosocial adjustment are more strongly predicted by experiencing sexual or nonsexual forms of peer victimization. Although many university students recalled experiencing sexual peer victimization in high school at least once at an even higher percentage than verbal and social forms of peer victimization, the results of the present study suggest that social peer victimization in high school predicts higher levels of depressed affect and loneliness in university students than sexual peer victimization experienced in high school. Surprisingly, the young adults reporting higher levels of cyber peer victimization in high school were less lonely in university. Although the hypothesized relationships between each form of peer victimization and specific indices of psychosocial functioning were not consistently supported, these findings suggest that the form of peer victimization matters and may be differentially associated with well-being in emerging adulthood. It is important that future research explores how individual characteristics may further predict varied experiences of peer victimization and the long-term impact of those experiences.

Perpetrators and targets of bullying at work: role stress and individual differences.

PubMed

Matthiesen, Stig Berge; Einarsen, Ståle

2007-01-01

A workplace survey study (N = 2215, response rate 47%) revealed that about 16% of the sample may be categorized as either perpetrators (5.4%), provocative victims (2.1%), or as targets of bullying (8.3%). Targets of bullying, provocative victims, and bullies were compared with those 84% who do not report any involvement with respect to bullying at work, self-esteem, aggressive tendencies, prior experiences of bullying, or experiences of role stress. Perpetrators were found to have a higher level of aggression than did the comparison group and the targets. Provocative victims manifested a low level of self-esteem and social competency combined with a high level of aggressiveness. Targets of bullying revealed low levels of self-esteem and social competency. Targets, provocative victims, and perpetrators reported elevated levels of role stress in the form of unclear or conflicting demands and expectations around work tasks and daily work.

Emission and reflection from healthy and stressed natural targets with computer analysis of spectroradiometric and multispectral scanner data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kumar, R.; Silva, L. F.

1973-01-01

Special emphasis was on corn plants, and the healthy targets were differentiated from stressed ones by remote sensing. Infrared radiometry of plants is reviewed thoroughly with emphasis on agricultural crops. Theory and error analysis of the determination of emittance of a natural target by radiometer is discussed. Experiments were conducted on corn (Zea mays L.) plants with long wavelength spectroradiometer under field conditions. Analysis of multispectral scanner data of ten selected flightlines of Corn Blight Watch Experiment of 1972 indicated: (1) There was no regular pattern of the mean response of the higher level/levels blighted corn vs. lower level/levels blighted corn in any of the spectral channels. (2) The greater the difference between the blight levels, the more statistically separable they usually were in subsets of one, two, three and four spectral channels.

Two dimensions of trust in physicians in OECD-countries.

PubMed

Saarinen, Arttu Olavi; Räsänen, Pekka; Kouvo, Antti

2016-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to analyse citizens' trust in physicians in 22 OECD countries. The authors measure trust in physicians using items on generalised and particularised trust. Individual-level data are received from the ISSP Research Group (2011). The authors also utilise macro variables drawn from different data banks. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and xtlogit regression models. The main micro-level hypothesis is that low self-reported health is strongly associated with lower trust in physicians. The second micro-level hypothesis is that frequent meetings with physicians result in higher trust. The third micro-level hypothesis assumes that males, and older and better educated respondents, express higher trust compared to others. The first macro-level hypothesis is that lower income inequality leads to higher trust in physicians. The second macro-level hypothesis is that greater physician density leads to higher trust in physicians. The authors found that the influence of individual and macro-level characteristics varies between trust types. Results indicate that both trust types are clearly associated with individual-level determinants. However, only general trust in physicians has weak associations with macro-level indicators (mainly physician density) and therefore on institutional cross-country differences. It seems that particularised trust in a physician's skills is more restricted to the individuals' health and their own experiences meeting doctors, whereas general trust likely reflects attitudes towards the prevalent profession in the country. The findings hold significance for healthcare systems research and for research concerning social trust generally.

The Relationships between Parenting Stress, Child Characteristics, Parenting Self-Efficacy, and Social Support in Parents of Children with Autism in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Fanglin Jasmine

2013-01-01

Children with autism often place increased demands on their families due to the nature of their disorders. Research has repeatedly shown that parents of children with autism experience higher levels of stress and lower levels of overall well-being than parents of children with other disabilities, or parents of typical children. Compared to…

Anxiety and depression states of adolescents with polycystic ovary syndrome

PubMed

Emeksiz, Hamdi Cihan; Bideci, Aysun; Nalbantoğlu, Burçin; Nalbantoğlu, Ayşin; Çelik, Cem; Yulaf, Yasemin; Çamurdan, Mahmut Orhun; Cinaz, Peyami

2018-06-14

Background/aim: Various studies have shown that adult patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have higher levels of anxiety and depression compared to their normal counterparts. However, it is still unclear whether these mood disorders already exist in adolescents affected by PCOS. The aim of the present study is to assess differences in anxiety and depression levels between adolescents with PCOS and age- and body mass index (BMI)-matched controls and to determine the possible factor(s) impacting these psychological parameters in adolescents with PCOS. Materials and methods: The study included 80 adolescents with PCOS and 50 age- and BMI-matched controls. All participants completed standardized questionnaires assessing anxiety and depression. A multiple linear regression model was used to analyze the impact of potential variables on anxiety and depression scores of the adolescents with PCOS. Results: Significantly higher levels of anxiety, specifically generalized and social anxieties, as well as depression were found in adolescents with PCOS compared to controls. Higher BMI was found to be associated with higher levels of depression and generalized anxiety, and higher modified Ferriman-Gallwey score with higher level of panic disorder in adolescents affected by PCOS. Conclusion: Adolescents with PCOS experience significantly more emotional distress compared to adolescents without PCOS. This emotional distress may be related, at least in part, to certain clinical features of PCOS including obesity and hirsutism. PCOS in adolescents should be assessed not only for the gynecological and metabolic aspects but also for the emotional aspects of the disease.

Association of eHealth literacy with cancer information seeking and prior experience with cancer screening.

PubMed

Park, Hyejin; Moon, Mikyung; Baeg, Jung Hoon

2014-09-01

Cancer is a critical disease with a high mortality rate in the US. Although useful information exists on the Internet, many people experience difficulty finding information about cancer prevention because they have limited eHealth literacy. This study aimed to identify relationships between the level of eHealth literacy and cancer information seeking experience or prior experience with cancer screening tests. A total of 108 adults participated in this study through questionnaires. Data covering demographics, eHealth literacy, cancer information seeking experience, educational needs for cancer information searching, and previous cancer screening tests were obtained. Study findings show that the level of eHealth literacy influences cancer information seeking. Individuals with low eHealth literacy are likely to be less confident about finding cancer information. In addition, people who have a low level of eHealth literacy need more education about seeking information than do those with a higher level of eHealth literacy. However, there is no significant relationship between eHealth literacy and cancer screening tests. More people today are using the Internet for access to information to maintain good health. It is therefore critical to educate those with low eHealth literacy so they can better self-manage their health.

Acquiring skill at medical image inspection: learning localized in early visual processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sowden, Paul T.; Davies, Ian R. L.; Roling, Penny; Watt, Simon J.

1997-04-01

Acquisition of the skill of medical image inspection could be due to changes in visual search processes, 'low-level' sensory learning, and higher level 'conceptual learning.' Here, we report two studies that investigate the extent to which learning in medical image inspection involves low- level learning. Early in the visual processing pathway cells are selective for direction of luminance contrast. We exploit this in the present studies by using transfer across direction of contrast as a 'marker' to indicate the level of processing at which learning occurs. In both studies twelve observers trained for four days at detecting features in x- ray images (experiment one equals discs in the Nijmegen phantom, experiment two equals micro-calcification clusters in digitized mammograms). Half the observers examined negative luminance contrast versions of the images and the remainder examined positive contrast versions. On the fifth day, observers swapped to inspect their respective opposite contrast images. In both experiments leaning occurred across sessions. In experiment one, learning did not transfer across direction of luminance contrast, while in experiment two there was only partial transfer. These findings are consistent with the contention that some of the leaning was localized early in the visual processing pathway. The implications of these results for current medical image inspection training schedules are discussed.

Reported parental characteristics in relation to trait depression and anxiety levels in a non-clinical group.

PubMed

Parker, G

1979-09-01

Care and overprotection appear to reflect the principal dimensions underlying parental behaviours and attitudes. In previous studies of neurotically depressed patients and of a non-clinical group, subjects who scored their parents as lacking in care and/or overprotective had the greater depressive experience. The present study of another non-clinical group (289 psychology students) replicated those findings in regard to trait depression levels. In addition, associations between those parental dimensions and trait anxiety scores were demonstrated. Multiple regression analyses established that 9-10% of the variance in mood scores was accounted for by scores on those parental dimensions. Low maternal care scores predicted higher levels of both anxiety and depression, while high maternal overprotection scores predicted higher levels of anxiety but not levels of depression. Maternal influences were clearly of greater relevance than paternal influences.

Segregation by race and income in the United States 1970–2010

PubMed Central

Intrator, Jake; Tannen, Jonathan; Massey, Douglas S.

2016-01-01

A systematic analysis of residential segregation and spatial interaction by income reveals that as income rises, minority access to integrated neighborhoods, higher levels of interaction with whites, and more affluent neighbors also increase. However, the income payoffs are much lower for African Americans than other groups, especially Asians. Although Hispanics and Asians have always displayed declining levels of minority-white dissimilarity and rising levels of minority-white interaction with rising income, income differentials on these outcomes for blacks did not appear until 1990 and since then have improved at a very slow pace. Given their higher overall levels of segregation and income’s limited effect on residential attainment, African Americans experience less integration, more neighborhood poverty at all levels of income compared to other minority groups. The degree of black spatial disadvantage is especially acute in the nation’s 21 hypersegregated metropolitan areas. PMID:27712688

Exposure to Organic Solvents Used in Dry Cleaning Reduces Low and High Level Visual Function

PubMed Central

Jiménez Barbosa, Ingrid Astrid

2015-01-01

Purpose To investigate whether exposure to occupational levels of organic solvents in the dry cleaning industry is associated with neurotoxic symptoms and visual deficits in the perception of basic visual features such as luminance contrast and colour, higher level processing of global motion and form (Experiment 1), and cognitive function as measured in a visual search task (Experiment 2). Methods The Q16 neurotoxic questionnaire, a commonly used measure of neurotoxicity (by the World Health Organization), was administered to assess the neurotoxic status of a group of 33 dry cleaners exposed to occupational levels of organic solvents (OS) and 35 age-matched non dry-cleaners who had never worked in the dry cleaning industry. In Experiment 1, to assess visual function, contrast sensitivity, colour/hue discrimination (Munsell Hue 100 test), global motion and form thresholds were assessed using computerised psychophysical tests. Sensitivity to global motion or form structure was quantified by varying the pattern coherence of global dot motion (GDM) and Glass pattern (oriented dot pairs) respectively (i.e., the percentage of dots/dot pairs that contribute to the perception of global structure). In Experiment 2, a letter visual-search task was used to measure reaction times (as a function of the number of elements: 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 and 100) in both parallel and serial search conditions. Results Dry cleaners exposed to organic solvents had significantly higher scores on the Q16 compared to non dry-cleaners indicating that dry cleaners experienced more neurotoxic symptoms on average. The contrast sensitivity function for dry cleaners was significantly lower at all spatial frequencies relative to non dry-cleaners, which is consistent with previous studies. Poorer colour discrimination performance was also noted in dry cleaners than non dry-cleaners, particularly along the blue/yellow axis. In a new finding, we report that global form and motion thresholds for dry cleaners were also significantly higher and almost double than that obtained from non dry-cleaners. However, reaction time performance on both parallel and serial visual search was not different between dry cleaners and non dry-cleaners. Conclusions Exposure to occupational levels of organic solvents is associated with neurotoxicity which is in turn associated with both low level deficits (such as the perception of contrast and discrimination of colour) and high level visual deficits such as the perception of global form and motion, but not visual search performance. The latter finding indicates that the deficits in visual function are unlikely to be due to changes in general cognitive performance. PMID:25933026

Climbing Bloom's taxonomy pyramid: Lessons from a graduate histology course.

PubMed

Zaidi, Nikki B; Hwang, Charles; Scott, Sara; Stallard, Stefanie; Purkiss, Joel; Hortsch, Michael

2017-09-01

Bloom's taxonomy was adopted to create a subject-specific scoring tool for histology multiple-choice questions (MCQs). This Bloom's Taxonomy Histology Tool (BTHT) was used to analyze teacher- and student-generated quiz and examination questions from a graduate level histology course. Multiple-choice questions using histological images were generally assigned a higher BTHT level than simple text questions. The type of microscopy technique (light or electron microscopy) used for these image-based questions did not result in any significant differences in their Bloom's taxonomy scores. The BTHT levels for teacher-generated MCQs correlated positively with higher discrimination indices and inversely with the percent of students answering these questions correctly (difficulty index), suggesting that higher-level Bloom's taxonomy questions differentiate well between higher- and lower-performing students. When examining BTHT scores for MCQs that were written by students in a Multiple-Choice Item Development Assignment (MCIDA) there was no significant correlation between these scores and the students' ability to answer teacher-generated MCQs. This suggests that the ability to answer histology MCQs relies on a different skill set than the aptitude to construct higher-level Bloom's taxonomy questions. However, students significantly improved their average BTHT scores from the midterm to the final MCIDA task, which indicates that practice, experience and feedback increased their MCQ writing proficiency. Anat Sci Educ 10: 456-464. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.

Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Low-Income Latino Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Children.

PubMed

Loria, Hilda; Caughy, Margaret

2018-01-01

To estimate the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences in low-income Latino children and examine differences in the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences by immigrant generational status. This is a secondary data analysis of the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health, a telephone survey of parents/caregivers of a nationally representative sample of US children. The study sample was limited to Latino children in households with an annual income ≤200% of the federal poverty level (FPL) whose parents responded to a 9-item inventory of adverse childhood experiences. Descriptive statistics estimated the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences and examined differences in prevalence by immigrant generational status. Of 22 297 children, 29% (n = 6483) were Latino (9% first generation, 57% second generation, 30% third or higher generation); 25% (n = 1692) of all Latino children were exposed to 2 or more adverse childhood experiences. Latino immigrant children had a lower prevalence (13%; n = 801) compared with nonimmigrant Latino children (40%; n = 772). The most common adverse childhood experiences were financial hardship and parent divorce/separation. The total number and mean number of adverse childhood experiences differed by child generational status, and the differences persisted after stratification by age and FPL. The prevalence of exposure to adverse childhood experiences was highest among third- or higher-generation nonimmigrant children and lowest among second-generation immigrant children. The prevalence of adverse childhood experiences in low-income Latino children is similar to the prevalence for all US children; however, the prevalence is significantly higher in nonimmigrant children. Targeted screening to address adverse childhood experiences, policy changes, and guidance regarding care practices to address adverse childhood experiences in Latino children are needed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Haptic perception accuracy depending on self-produced movement.

PubMed

Park, Chulwook; Kim, Seonjin

2014-01-01

This study measured whether self-produced movement influences haptic perception ability (experiment 1) as well as the factors associated with levels of influence (experiment 2) in racket sports. For experiment 1, the haptic perception accuracy levels of five male table tennis experts and five male novices were examined under two different conditions (no movement vs. movement). For experiment 2, the haptic afferent subsystems of five male table tennis experts and five male novices were investigated in only the self-produced movement-coupled condition. Inferential statistics (ANOVA, t-test) and custom-made devices (shock & vibration sensor, Qualisys Track Manager) of the data were used to determine the haptic perception accuracy (experiment 1, experiment 2) and its association with expertise. The results of this research show that expert-level players acquire higher accuracy with less variability (racket vibration and angle) than novice-level players, especially in their self-produced movement coupled performances. The important finding from this result is that, in terms of accuracy, the skill-associated differences were enlarged during self-produced movement. To explain the origin of this difference between experts and novices, the functional variability of haptic afferent subsystems can serve as a reference. These two factors (self-produced accuracy and the variability of haptic features) as investigated in this study would be useful criteria for educators in racket sports and suggest a broader hypothesis for further research into the effects of the haptic accuracy related to variability.

A non-linear relationship between the cumulative exposure to occupational stressors and nurses' burnout and the potentially emotion regulation factors.

PubMed

Sun, Ji-Wei; Lin, Ping-Zhen; Zhang, Hui-Hui; Li, Jia-Huan; Cao, Feng-Lin

2017-10-08

Stressful situations can increase the likelihood of nurses experiencing negative emotions, especially burnout. To explore the association of cumulative exposure to occupational stressors and emotion regulation strategies with nurses' burnout. Participants were 602 nurses from three general hospitals in Jinan, China. Social demographic characteristics, occupational stress, burnout, and emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, and rumination), were assessed. Nearly 70% of nurses reported that they were burnt out. Those with a moderate level and high level of stressors were 3.203 times and 26.444 times more likely to have burnout, respectively (x 2 trend = 62.732). Logistic regression revealed that nurses had higher cognitive reappraisal score (odds ratios (OR) = 0.941), scored lower for burnout. Those who had higher expressive suppression score (OR = 1.054), higher rumination score (OR = 1.037), and a higher level of stressors (OR = 2.779-18.259) scored higher for burnout. The results of sensitivity analysis were similar. A non-linear relationship exists between the cumulative exposure to occupational stressors and nurses' burnout. Those who less frequently use cognitive reappraisal, more frequently use rumination and expressive suppression, and have a high level of stressors may be more likely to experience burnout.

Healing the wounds of organizational injustice: examining the benefits of expressive writing.

PubMed

Barclay, Laurie J; Skarlicki, Daniel P

2009-03-01

Clinical and health psychology research has shown that expressive writing interventions-expressing one's experience through writing-can have physical and psychological benefits for individuals dealing with traumatic experiences. In the present study, the authors examined whether these benefits generalize to experiences of workplace injustice. Participants (N = 100) were randomly assigned to write on 4 consecutive days about (a) their emotions, (b) their thoughts, (c) both their emotions and their thoughts surrounding an injustice, or (d) a trivial topic (control). Post-intervention, participants in the emotions and thoughts condition reported higher psychological well-being, fewer intentions to retaliate, and higher levels of personal resolution than did participants in the other conditions. Participants in the emotions and thoughts condition also reported less anger than did participants who wrote only about their emotions. (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

False Memories for Suggestions: The Impact of Conceptual Elaboration

PubMed Central

Zaragoza, Maria S.; Mitchell, Karen J.; Payment, Kristie; Drivdahl, Sarah

2010-01-01

Relatively little attention has been paid to the potential role that reflecting on the meaning and implications of suggested events (i.e., conceptual elaboration) might play in promoting the creation of false memories. Two experiments assessed whether encouraging repeated conceptual elaboration, would, like perceptual elaboration, increase false memory for suggested events. Results showed that conceptual elaboration of suggested events more often resulted in high confidence false memories (Experiment 1) and false memories that were accompanied by the phenomenal experience of remembering them (Experiment 2) than did surface-level processing. Moreover, conceptual elaboration consistently led to higher rates of false memory than did perceptual elaboration. The false memory effects that resulted from conceptual elaboration were highly dependent on the organization of the postevent interview questions, such that conceptual elaboration only increased false memory beyond surface level processing when participants evaluated both true and suggested information in relation to the same theme or dimension. PMID:21103451

Adrenocortical responses in Japanese quail classified by their permanence in proximity to either low or high density of conspecifics.

PubMed

Guzmán, D A; Lèche, A; Contarde, C B; Nazar, F N; Marin, R H

2018-06-19

The density-related permanence test (DRP) is used to classify young birds (while in groups) according to their individual permanence in proximity to either a high or low density of conspecifics (HD or LD, respectively). The birds' performance in DRP was associated with underlying differences in the social responses of their individuals. Quails in homogeneous groups of LD residents responded with less compact groups and higher levels of agonistic interactions to the presence of an intruder, and showed higher levels of agonistic interactions among cagemates than the homogeneous groups of HD birds. This study deepen the characterization of DRP evaluating whether contrasting behavior during test is associated with birds' stress responses to challenging situations during rearing. Plasma corticosterone responses were individually assessed after submitting DRP categorized birds to a brief (10 min) partial restraint (mechanical stressor; experiment 1), or after introducing them during 5 min as intruders in homogeneous groups of 6 unknown same category (HD or LD) conspecifics (social stressor; experiment 2). Experiment 1 showed that basal corticosterone levels were similar in all groups and the partial mechanical restraint induced an increase in plasma corticosterone concentration also in all groups. However, the increase induced by the stressor was higher in the LD birds than in their HD counterparts. In experiment 2, compared to controls, social stressor showed no plasma corticosterone changes in the intruders that were introduced in an unfamiliar group of HD conspecifics. However, intruders (both HD and LD) that were visiting the LD residents showed an increased corticosterone response compared to their control counterparts. Results suggest that categorization of birds in the DRP test could have relevance for selection programs oriented to obtain birds better suited to intensive rearing conditions that includes high density of animals and exposure to unavoidable stressors.

Effects of inclusion level on nutrient digestibility and energy content of wheat middlings and soya bean meal for growing pigs.

PubMed

Huang, Qiang; Piao, Xiangshu; Liu, Ling; Li, Defa

2013-01-01

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of inclusion level of wheat middlings and soya bean meal on apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of energy and chemical components of these ingredients in growing pigs. Furthermore, the effects of the inclusion level on their contents of digestible energy (DE) and metabolisable energy (ME) were also determined by the difference method. In Experiment 1, six diets were fed to 36 growing pigs according to a completely randomised design. The basal diet was a corn-soya bean meal diet while the other five diets contained 9.6%, 19.2%, 28.8%, 38.4% or 48.0% of wheat middlings added at the expense of corn and soya bean meal. The measured digestibility of energy and most nutrients of wheat middlings increased (p < 0.05) with increasing levels of that ingredient. Equations were obtained to predict digestibility by inclusion level. At an inclusion level of 9.6% wheat middlings, their DE contents were significantly lower (8.9 MJ/kg DM) than for the higher levels (10.7 to 11.9 MJ/kg DM, p < 0.01). In Experiment 2, three diets were fed to 18 growing pigs according to a completely randomised block design. The basal diet was a corn-based diet while the other two diets were based on corn and two levels of soya bean meal (22.2% and 33.6%). The content of DE in soya bean meal did not differ at 22.2% and 33.6% inclusion levels (16.2 and 16.3 MJ/kg DM, respectively), but the digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter and carbohydrates was increased at a higher inclusion level (p < 0.05). This study revealed that the estimated digestibility of nutrients from soya bean meal and wheat middlings was affected by their dietary inclusion levels. For soya bean meal, the estimated energy contents was independent of its inclusion level, but not for wheat middlings. Therefore, the inclusion level of wheat middlings has to be considered for estimating their energy value.

Parental representations and dimensions of personality: empirical relations and assessment implications.

PubMed

Pincus, A L; Ruiz, M A

1997-04-01

Research on the relations between parental representations, personality traits, and psychopathology was discussed with reference to their integration for clinical personality assessment. Empirical results linking parental representations assessed by the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior and the Five-Factor Model of personality traits in a young adult population supported the position that parental representations significantly relate to adult personality. Individuals whose parental representations were generally affiliative described themselves as less prone to emotional distress (lower neuroticism); more interpersonally oriented and experiencing of positive emotions (higher extraversion); more peaceable and trustworthy (higher agreeableness); and more dutiful, resourceful, and dependable (higher conscientiousness). Parental representations colored by autonomy granting and autonomy taking were related to higher levels of openness to experience but lower levels of conscientiousness and extraversion in self-descriptions. Assessment implications and an integrative assessment strategy were presented along with a clinical case example.

The relationship between negative expressivity, anger, and PTSD symptom clusters.

PubMed

Claycomb, Meredith; Roley, Michelle E; Contractor, Ateka A; Armour, Cherie; Dranger, Paula; Wang, Li; Elhai, Jon D

2016-09-30

More investigation is needed to understand how specific posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters relate to the internal experience of anger and overt negative behaviors in response to anger (negative expressivity). We investigated whether anger mediated relations between PTSD symptom clusters and negative expressivity. Multiple regression revealed lower PTSD intrusion symptoms associated with higher levels of negative expressivity. Anger mediated this relationship. Higher avoidance symptoms related to higher negative expressivity. Clinical implications, limitations, and strengths are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adults with autism spectrum conditions experience increased levels of anomalous perception.

PubMed

Milne, Elizabeth; Dickinson, Abigail; Smith, Richard

2017-01-01

Autism spectrum condition (ASC) is characterised by differences in social interaction and behavioural inflexibility. In addition to these core symptoms, atypical sensory responses are prevalent in the ASC phenotype. Here we investigated anomalous perception, i.e. hallucinatory and/or out of body experiences in adults with ASC. Thirty participants with an ASC diagnosis and thirty neurotypical controls completed the Cardiff Anomalous Perception Scale (CAPS) and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2). The CAPS is a 32-item questionnaire that asks participants to indicate whether or not they experience a range of anomalous and out of body experiences, and to rate how intrusive and distressing these experiences are. The SRS-2 asks participants to rate the extent to which they identify with a series of 65 statements that describe behaviours associated with the autism phenotype. We found that total CAPS score was significantly higher in the participants with ASC (mean = 14.8, S.D. = 7.9) than the participants without ASC (mean = 3.6, S.D. = 4.1). In addition, the frequency of anomalous perception, the level of distraction and the level of distress associated with the experience were significantly increased in participants with ASC. Importantly, both the frequency of anomalous perceptual experiences and the level of distress caused by anomalous perception in this sample of adults with ASC were very similar to that reported previously in a sample of non-autistic participants who were being treated in hospital for a current psychotic episode. These data indicate that anomalous perceptual experiences are common in adults with ASC and are associated with a high level of distress. The origins of anomalous perception in ASC and the implication of this phenomenon are considered.

A Cross-Sectional Survey Study About the Most Common Solitary and Social Flow Activities to Extend the Concept of Optimal Experience

PubMed Central

Magyaródi, Tímea; Oláh, Attila

2015-01-01

Previous assumptions note that the most powerful experiences of engagement are shared with others. Therefore, in the framework of positive psychology, to expand the dynamic interactionism-related flow theory, we have attempted to conduct an exploratory study about flow to reveal the most common activities that can trigger this experience during solitary or social situations. The study involved 1,709 adult participants from Hungary (Age: M = 26.95, SD = 11.23). They read descriptions about optimal experience in solitary and social situations and were asked to identify the activity from their life that is most typically followed by the described experiences. The social context was supplemented by other flow-related questions for a deeper understanding and to contribute to the research. According to the results the most typical solitary flow activities are found to be work, sports, creative activities and reading. The most common flow-inducing social activities are work and sports. The choice of the most frequent flow-inducing activities in both solitary and interpersonal situations is dependent on the gender of the respondent, and various demographical factors can influence the frequency of flow experiences in different contexts. Analysis reveal that optimal experience during a social interaction is determined by the perceived level of challenges, the perceived level of cooperation, the immediateness and clarity of the feedback, and the level of the skill. Our study may contribute to the broadening purpose of positive psychology as it focuses on the interpersonal level in relation to flow experience, which, in turn, may also support a higher level of well-being. PMID:27247682

Dental caries prevalence and its association with fluoride level in drinking water in Sana'a, Yemen

PubMed Central

Al-Akwa, Ameen Abdullah; Al-Maweri, Sadeq Ali

2018-01-01

Objectives: Dental caries is the most prevalent chronic condition affecting schoolchildren worldwide. This study is aimed to assess the prevalence of dental caries among schoolchildren in urban and rural districts of Sana'a governorate, Yemen, and to investigate the correlation between caries experience and level of fluoride in drinking water, age, gender, and residence. Materials and Methods: This school-based survey involved 17,599 schoolchildren (aged 6–12 years), of whom 9623 were boys and 7976 were girls. We used decay-missing-filled teeth/decay-filled teeth (DMFT/dft) indices to evaluate dental caries experience. In addition, fluoride concentration in drinking water was investigated. Results: Around 67.6% of children had dental caries. Children residing in urban districts had significantly higher mean scores of DMFT/dft than those in rural areas (P < 0.05). A significant negative correlation between caries experience and fluoride level was found (P < 0.05), with the lowest dft/DMFT scores at the optimum fluoride level of 0.61–2 ppm and the highest at two extremes, 0.0–0.4 ppm and >2 ppm. Conclusion: This survey found a very high prevalence of caries among schoolchildren in Yemen. There was also an inverse relation between dental caries experience and fluoride levels. PMID:29657520

Intrinsic and induced isoproturon catabolic activity in dissimilar soils and soils under dissimilar land use.

PubMed

Reid, Brian J; Papanikolaou, Niki D; Wilcox, Ronah K

2005-02-01

The catabolic activity with respect to the systemic herbicide isoproturon was determined in soil samples by (14)C-radiorespirometry. The first experiment assessed levels of intrinsic catabolic activity in soil samples that represented three dissimilar soil series under arable cultivation. Results showed average extents of isoproturon mineralisation (after 240 h assay time) in the three soil series to be low. A second experiment assessed the impact of addition of isoproturon (0.05 microg kg(-1)) into these soils on the levels of catabolic activity following 28 days of incubation. Increased catabolic activity was observed in all three soils. A third experiment assessed levels of intrinsic catabolic activity in soil samples representing a single soil series managed under either conventional agricultural practice (including the use of isoproturon) or organic farming practice (with no use of isoproturon). Results showed higher (and more consistent) levels of isoproturon mineralisation in the soil samples collected from conventional land use. The final experiment assessed the impact of isoproturon addition on the levels of inducible catabolic activity in these soils. The results showed no significant difference in the case of the conventional farm soil samples while the induction of catabolic activity in the organic farm soil samples was significant.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Disorders of Extreme Stress (DESNOS) symptoms following prostitution and childhood abuse.

PubMed

Choi, Hyunjung; Klein, Carolin; Shin, Min-Sup; Lee, Hoon-Jin

2009-08-01

With the participation of 46 prostituted women in Korea, this study investigates the relationship between prostitution experiences, a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and disorders of extreme stress not otherwise specified (DESNOS). Prostituted women showed higher levels of PTSD and DESNOS symptoms compared to a control group. Women who had experienced both CSA by a significant other and prostitution showed the highest levels of traumatic stress. However, posttraumatic reexperiencing and avoidance and identity, relational, and affect regulation problems were significant for prostitution experiences even when the effects of CSA were controlled.

Factors related to stress and coping among Chinese nurses in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Callaghan, P; Tak-Ying, S A; Wyatt, P A

2000-06-01

Few empirical studies have investigated the issues linked to Hong Kong nurses work-related health. The present study investigated factors related to stress and coping among Chinese nurses in Hong Kong. The researchers employed a cross-sectional survey and made within-group comparisons of nurses' stress and coping. Using stratified random sampling the researchers selected nurses from the mailing list of a local professional organization. One hundred and sixty-eight (33.6%) nurses responded. Nurses reported lower stress levels than other workers assessed with the same measure. Paediatric nurses reported the highest stress levels. Nurses at the lower grades reported higher stress levels than nurses at the higher grades. Single nurses had marginally higher stress scores than married nurses and females had slightly higher stress scores than males. However, none of these results were statistically significant. The respondents' major sources of stress were related to nursing issues like too much work, interpersonal relationships, and dealing with hospital administration. The respondents coped with their stresses by seeking support from friends and colleagues, using different cognitive strategies and through leisure activities. There was a statistically significant link between the respondents' stress and sickness levels. The results raise issues about the nature of nurses' working experiences.

Level of Automation and Failure Frequency Effects on Simulated Lunar Lander Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marquez, Jessica J.; Ramirez, Margarita

2014-01-01

A human-in-the-loop experiment was conducted at the NASA Ames Research Center Vertical Motion Simulator, where instrument-rated pilots completed a simulated terminal descent phase of a lunar landing. Ten pilots participated in a 2 x 2 mixed design experiment, with level of automation as the within-subjects factor and failure frequency as the between subjects factor. The two evaluated levels of automation were high (fully automated landing) and low (manual controlled landing). During test trials, participants were exposed to either a high number of failures (75% failure frequency) or low number of failures (25% failure frequency). In order to investigate the pilots' sensitivity to changes in levels of automation and failure frequency, the dependent measure selected for this experiment was accuracy of failure diagnosis, from which D Prime and Decision Criterion were derived. For each of the dependent measures, no significant difference was found for level of automation and no significant interaction was detected between level of automation and failure frequency. A significant effect was identified for failure frequency suggesting failure frequency has a significant effect on pilots' sensitivity to failure detection and diagnosis. Participants were more likely to correctly identify and diagnose failures if they experienced the higher levels of failures, regardless of level of automation

Social learning across psychological distance.

PubMed

Kalkstein, David A; Kleiman, Tali; Wakslak, Cheryl J; Liberman, Nira; Trope, Yaacov

2016-01-01

While those we learn from are often close to us, more and more our learning environments are shifting to include more distant and dissimilar others. The question we examine in 5 studies is how whom we learn from influences what we learn and how what we learn influences from whom we choose to learn it. In Study 1, we show that social learning, in and of itself, promotes higher level (more abstract) learning than does learning based on one's own direct experience. In Studies 2 and 3, we show that when people learn from and emulate others, they tend to do so at a higher level when learning from a distant model than from a near model. Studies 4 and 5 show that thinking about learning at a higher (compared to a lower) level leads individuals to expand the range of others that they will consider learning from. Study 6 shows that when given an actual choice, people prefer to learn low-level information from near sources and high-level information from distant sources. These results demonstrate a basic link between level of learning and psychological distance in social learning processes. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Respiratory Therapist Job Perceptions: The Impact of Protocol Use.

PubMed

Metcalf, Ashley Y; Stoller, James K; Habermann, Marco; Fry, Timothy D

2015-11-01

Demand for respiratory care services and staffing levels of respiratory therapists (RTs) is expected to increase over the next several years. Hence, RT job satisfaction will be a critical factor in determining recruitment and retention of RTs. Determinants of RT job satisfaction measures have received little attention in the literature. This study examines the use of respiratory care protocols and associated levels of RT job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and job stress. Four-hundred eighty-one RTs at 44 hospitals responded to an online survey regarding job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and job stress. Random coefficient modeling was used for analysis and to account for the nested structure of the data. Higher levels of RT protocol use were associated with higher levels of job satisfaction, lower rates of turnover intentions, and lower levels of job stress. In addition, RTs with greater experience had higher levels of job satisfaction, and RTs working at teaching hospitals had lower rates of turnover intentions. The study extends prior research by examining how the use of respiratory care protocols favorably affects RTs' perceptions of job satisfaction, turnover intention, and job stress. In a time of increasing demand for respiratory care services, protocols may enhance retention of RTs. Copyright © 2015 by Daedalus Enterprises.

Visual representation of spatiotemporal structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schill, Kerstin; Zetzsche, Christoph; Brauer, Wilfried; Eisenkolb, A.; Musto, A.

1998-07-01

The processing and representation of motion information is addressed from an integrated perspective comprising low- level signal processing properties as well as higher-level cognitive aspects. For the low-level processing of motion information we argue that a fundamental requirement is the existence of a spatio-temporal memory. Its key feature, the provision of an orthogonal relation between external time and its internal representation, is achieved by a mapping of temporal structure into a locally distributed activity distribution accessible in parallel by higher-level processing stages. This leads to a reinterpretation of the classical concept of `iconic memory' and resolves inconsistencies on ultra-short-time processing and visual masking. The spatial-temporal memory is further investigated by experiments on the perception of spatio-temporal patterns. Results on the direction discrimination of motion paths provide evidence that information about direction and location are not processed and represented independent of each other. This suggests a unified representation on an early level, in the sense that motion information is internally available in form of a spatio-temporal compound. For the higher-level representation we have developed a formal framework for the qualitative description of courses of motion that may occur with moving objects.

Is the integration of nutritional care in the different assistance levels possible? The Catalan experience. Clinical perspective

PubMed

Burgos Peláez, Rosa; Joaquin Ortiz, Clara; Vaqué Crusellas, Cristina

2017-05-08

Disease-related malnutrition is highly prevalent in pathologies commonly integrating care complexity. Healthcare models for complexity must include malnutrition detection and approaches, since it is a key factor which has great impact on the patient’s evolution and the consumption of healthcare resources. Malnourished patients present higher hospitalization, complication and mortality rates, higher demand of post-discharge social resources and higher hospital readmission frequency. Detecting malnutrition is necessary to implement a nutritional care program which might be used in any assistance level. The integration of health and social care and the development of information tools which are shared by the different assistance agents has allowed the development of a program for the management of disease-related malnutrition in patients with clinical complexity in Catalonia.

Effect of In-Vehicle Audio Warning System on Driver’s Speed Control Performance in Transition Zones from Rural Areas to Urban Areas

PubMed Central

Yan, Xuedong; Wang, Jiali; Wu, Jiawei

2016-01-01

Speeding is a major contributing factor to traffic crashes and frequently happens in areas where there is a mutation in speed limits, such as the transition zones that connect urban areas from rural areas. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of an in-vehicle audio warning system and lit speed limit sign on preventing drivers’ speeding behavior in transition zones. A high-fidelity driving simulator was used to establish a roadway network with the transition zone. A total of 41 participants were recruited for this experiment, and the driving speed performance data were collected from the simulator. The experimental results display that the implementation of the audio warning system could significantly reduce drivers’ operating speed before they entered the urban area, while the lit speed limit sign had a minimal effect on improving the drivers’ speed control performance. Without consideration of different types of speed limit signs, it is found that male drivers generally had a higher operating speed both upstream and in the transition zones and have a larger maximum deceleration for speed reduction than female drivers. Moreover, the drivers who had medium-level driving experience had the higher operating speed and were more likely to have speeding behaviors in the transition zones than those who had low-level and high-level driving experience in the transition zones. PMID:27347990

Building capacity in Australian interprofessional health education: perspectives from key health and higher education stakeholders.

PubMed

Matthews, Lynda R; Pockett, Rosalie B; Nisbet, Gillian; Thistlethwaite, Jill E; Dunston, Roger; Lee, Alison; White, Jill F

2011-05-01

A substantial literature engaging with the directions and experiences of stakeholders involved in interprofessional health education exists at the international level, yet almost nothing has been published that documents and analyses the Australian experience. Accordingly, this study aimed to scope the experiences of key stakeholders in health and higher education in relation to the development of interprofessional practice capabilities in health graduates in Australia. Twenty-seven semi-structured interviews and two focus groups of key stakeholders involved in the development and delivery of interprofessional health education in Australian higher education were undertaken. Interview data were coded to identify categories that were organised into key themes, according to principles of thematic analysis. Three themes were identified: the need for common ground between health and higher education, constraints and enablers in current practice, and the need for research to establish an evidence base. Five directions for national development were also identified. The study identified a range of interconnected changes that will be required to successfully mainstream interprofessional education within Australia, in particular, the importance of addressing issues of culture change and the need for a nationally coordinated and research informed approach. These findings reiterate those found in the international literature.

Dispersed oil disrupts microbial pathways in pelagic food webs.

PubMed

Ortmann, Alice C; Anders, Jennifer; Shelton, Naomi; Gong, Limin; Moss, Anthony G; Condon, Robert H

2012-01-01

Most of the studies of microbial processes in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill focused on the deep water plume, and not on the surface communities. The effects of the crude oil and the application of dispersants on the coastal microbial food web in the northern Gulf of Mexico have not been well characterized even though these regions support much of the fisheries production in the Gulf. A mesocosm experiment was carried out to determine how the microbial community off the coast of Alabama may have responded to the influx of surface oil and dispersants. While the addition of glucose or oil alone resulted in an increase in the biomass of ciliates, suggesting transfer of carbon to higher trophic levels was likely; a different effect was seen in the presence of dispersant. The addition of dispersant or dispersed oil resulted in an increase in the biomass of heterotrophic prokaryotes, but a significant inhibition of ciliates, suggesting a reduction in grazing and decrease in transfer of carbon to higher trophic levels. Similar patterns were observed in two separate experiments with different starting nutrient regimes and microbial communities suggesting that the addition of dispersant and dispersed oil to the northern Gulf of Mexico waters in 2010 may have reduced the flow of carbon to higher trophic levels, leading to a decrease in the production of zooplankton and fish on the Alabama shelf.

Does Childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Predict Levels of Depressive Symptoms during Emerging Adulthood?

PubMed Central

Meinzer, Michael C.; Pettit, Jeremy W.; Waxmonsky, James G.; Gnagy, Elizabeth; Molina, Brooke S.G.; Pelham, William E.

2015-01-01

Little is known about the development and course of depressive symptoms through emerging adulthood among individuals with a childhood history of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The aim of this study was to examine if a history of ADHD in childhood significantly predicted depressive symptoms during emerging adulthood (i.e., ages 18–25 years), including the initial level of depressive symptoms, continued levels of depressive symptoms at each age year, and the rate of change in depressive symptoms over time. 394 participants (205 with ADHD and 189 without ADHD; 348 males and 46 females) drawn from the Pittsburgh ADHD Longitudinal Study (PALS) completed annual self-ratings of depressive symptoms between the ages of 18 and 25 years. Childhood history of ADHD significantly predicted a higher initial level of depressive symptoms at age 18, and higher levels of depressive symptoms at every age year during emerging adulthood. ADHD did not significantly predict the rate of change in depressive symptoms from age 18 to age 25. Childhood history of ADHD remained a significant predictor of initial level of depressive symptoms at age 18 after controlling for comorbid psychiatric diagnoses, but not after controlling for concurrent ADHD symptoms and psychosocial impairment. Participants with childhood histories of ADHD experienced significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms than non-ADHD comparison participants by age 18 and continued to experience higher, although not increasing, levels of depressive symptoms through emerging adulthood. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed. PMID:26272531

Ab Initio Study of the Electric Dipole Transition Moment for the Electronic X to C Transition in Acetylene: Theoretical Predictions of the Absorption and Magnetic Circular Dichroism Intensities

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-12-01

Symmetric C-C Stretch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 6. MCQ Intensities and Oscillator Strengths...chemical approach, but only at the SCF level , to predict an absorption oscillator strength of 0.072 for the (vertical) CE-X transition. An early...fact that the lower v’ levels agree better with experiment than the higher v’ levels suggests increasing inaccuracies in the Franck-Condon overlap with

Effects of prey, pitcher age, and microbes on acid phosphatase activity in fluid from pitchers of Sarracenia purpurea (Sarraceniaceae)

PubMed Central

Newell, Sandra J.

2017-01-01

Carnivory in pitcher plants generally involves digestion of prey, by the plant itself, by symbionts, or both. While symbionts appear to be important in the digestion of prey in Sarracenia purpurea, the importance of pitcher-derived enzymes is less well documented. Our goal was to reduce microbial numbers in pitcher fluid in order to measure the acid phosphatase activity attributable to the pitchers themselves. Preliminary experiments indicated that various antibiotics were minimally effective at reducing microbial populations and that antibiotic-resistant microbes were easily cultured from pitcher fluid. Consequently, we measured the abundance of culturable microbes in every sample taken for the measurement of acid phosphatase activity. Pitchers fed with one sterilized ant had higher levels of acid phosphatase activity than unfed pitchers. Older pitchers were more responsive to feeding than young pitchers. Pitchers with high levels of microbes (on Day 5) had higher acid phosphatase activity than pitchers with low levels of microbes. However, fed pitchers were not more likely to have higher microbe levels and microbe levels were not related to pitcher age. When fluid samples from inside the pitcher were compared to appropriate controls incubated outside the pitcher, acid phosphatase activity was higher inside the pitcher. Results from the feeding experiments are consistent with a primary role of microbes in the digestion of prey in pitchers of S. purpurea. However, the relationship between pitcher age and enzyme activity is not a function of microbes in the pitcher fluid and may depend on enzymes produced by the plant. Our methods would not detect microbes embedded on the inner surface of the pitcher; and if they survived the alcohol rinse and antibiotics, we cannot rule out microbes as the source of the relationship between pitcher age and acid phosphatase activity. PMID:28719666

Effect of feeding higher concentrations of limiting amino acids on performance, slaughter variables and nitrogen retention in broiler chicken fed graded levels of toasted guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) meal.

PubMed

Rao, S V Rama; Raju, M V L N; Prakash, B; Rajkumar, U; Srilatha, T; Reddy, E P K

2018-06-01

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of supplementing higher concentrations (100 vs. 110%) of critical amino acids (CAA) on performance (body weight gain - BWG, feed efficiency - FE), slaughter variables and nitrogen retention in broiler chicken (1-6 weeks of age) fed graded levels of toasted guar meal (TGM) as a protein source in diets. The TGM was included at five graded concentrations (0, 50, 100, 150and200 g/kg) in iso-caloric and iso-protein diets with either the recommended concentration (100%) of CAA (lysine, total sulphur amino acids, threonine, tryptophan and valine) or at 10% higher (110%) concentration. A metabolism trial of three-day duration was conducted during sixth week of age to study nitrogen retention. The TGM levels and CAA concentration at 21 or 42 d of age did not influence BWG, FI and FE. BWG was not affected with inclusion of TGM up to 100 g/kg in starter and overall production (1 - 42 d of age) phases. The FE improved with TGM supplementation during starter phase, while at the end of experiment (42 d), FE was depressed by inclusion of TGM in dose dependant manner. All performance variables improved with increase in concentration of CAA from 100 to 110%. Breast meat weight improved and abdominal fat weight reduced with higher levels of CAA in diet. Retention of nitrogen reduced with increase in level of TGM in broiler diet. Increasing concentrations of CAA in diet improved nitrogen retention. It was concluded that TGM could be incorporated up to 100 g/kg with 100% CAA and up to 150 g/kg with 110% CAA without affecting performance. Increasing CAA concentration (110%) in diets significantly improved BWG and FE (21 and 42 d), breast meat weight and nitrogen retention in broiler chicken.

Faces of Shame: Implications for Self-Esteem, Emotion Regulation, Aggression, and Well-Being.

PubMed

Velotti, Patrizia; Garofalo, Carlo; Bottazzi, Federica; Caretti, Vincenzo

2017-02-17

There is an increasing interest in psychological research on shame experiences and their associations with other aspects of psychological functioning and well-being, as well as with possible maladaptive outcomes. In an attempt to confirm and extend previous knowledge on this topic, we investigated the nomological network of shame experiences in a large community sample (N = 380; 66.1% females), adopting a multidimensional conceptualization of shame. Females reported higher levels of shame (in particular, bodily and behavioral shame), guilt, psychological distress, emotional reappraisal, and hostility. Males had higher levels of self-esteem, emotional suppression, and physical aggression. Shame feelings were associated with low self-esteem, hostility, and psychological distress in a consistent way across gender. Associations between characterological shame and emotional suppression, as well as between bodily shame and anger occurred only among females. Moreover, characterological and bodily shame added to the prediction of low self-esteem, hostility, and psychological distress above and beyond the influence of trait shame. Finally, among females, emotional suppression mediated the influence of characterological shame on hostility and psychological distress. These findings extend current knowledge on the nomological net surrounding shame experiences in everyday life, supporting the added value of a multidimensional conceptualization of shame feelings.

Race Differences in the Association of Spiritual Experiences and Life Satisfaction in Older Age

PubMed Central

Skarupski, Kimberly A.; Fitchett, George; Evans, Denis A.; de Leon, Carlos F. Mendes

2013-01-01

Objectives The primary objective of this study was to examine an African American ‘faith advantage’ in life satisfaction. Specifically, we sought to test the hypothesis that the positive relationship between spiritual experiences and life satisfaction is stronger among older African Americans than among older Whites. Method The data came from 6,864 community-dwelling persons aged 65+ (66% African American) who participated in the Chicago Health and Aging Project. Life satisfaction was measured using a five-item composite and we used a five-item version of the Daily Spiritual Experiences scale. Results In a regression model adjusting for age, sex, marital status, education, income, and worship attendance, we found that African American race was associated with lower life satisfaction. We also found a positive association between spiritual experiences and life satisfaction. In an additional model, a significant race × spiritual experiences interaction term indicates that spiritual experiences are more positively associated with life satisfaction among African Americans. Conclusion The data suggest that at higher levels of spiritual experiences, racial differences in life satisfaction are virtually non-existent. However, at lower levels of spiritual experiences, older African Americans show modestly lower levels of life satisfaction than do older Whites. This pattern suggests that spiritual experiences are a positive resource - distinct from worship attendance- that enable older African Americans to overcome decrements in life satisfaction and in fact, that lower spiritual experiences may be especially harmful for older African American’s life satisfaction. PMID:23627686

Sex-dependent effects of restraint on nociception and pituitary-adrenal hormones in the rat.

PubMed

Aloisi, A M; Steenbergen, H L; van de Poll, N E; Farabollini, F

1994-05-01

The sex-dependent effects of acute restraint (RT) on nociceptive and pituitary-adrenal responses were investigated in the rat. In a first experiment, the effect of 30 min RT on pain sensitivity was evaluated through repeated use of the tail withdrawal test during and after treatment. RT induced an increase in the nociceptive threshold, i.e., analgesia, in males and females, but the duration and time-course of this effect varied between sexes. The latencies returned to approximately control values in females in the second half of RT, but in males they remained higher for the whole period of RT and immediately afterwards. Twenty-four hours later, males displayed longer latencies than controls in response to simple reexposure to the environment. In a second experiment, ACTH and corticosterone plasma levels were measured immediately after 15 or 30 min of RT. ACTH and corticosterone were higher in restrained animals than in controls after both periods of treatment, and in both sexes; however, females showed higher basal and stress corticosterone levels than males. The role played by corticosteroids in the nociceptive responses of the two sexes is discussed.

Influencing attitudes toward science through field experiences in biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carpenter, Deborah Mcintyre

The purpose of this study was to determine how student attitudes toward science are influenced by field experiences in undergraduate biology courses. The study was conducted using two institutions of higher education including a 2-year lower-level and a 2-year upper-level institution. Data were collected through interviews with student participants, focus group discussions, students' journal entries, and field notes recorded by the researcher during the field activities. Photographs and video recordings were also used as documentation sources. Data were collected over a period of 34 weeks. Themes that emerged from the qualitative data included students' beliefs that field experiences (a) positively influence student motivation to learn, (b) increase student ability to learn the concepts being taught, and (c) provide opportunities for building relationships and for personal growth. The findings of the study reinforce the importance of offering field-study programs at the undergraduate level to allow undergraduate students the opportunity to experience science activities in a field setting. The research study was framed by the behavioral and developmental theories of attitude and experience including the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991) and the Theory of Experiential Learning (Kolb, 1984).

Nursing students' experiences of and satisfaction with the clinical learning environment: the role of educational models in the simulation laboratory and in clinical practice.

PubMed

Cremonini, Valeria; Ferri, Paola; Artioli, Giovanna; Sarli, Leopoldo; Piccioni, Enrico; Rubbi, Ivan

2015-01-01

Student satisfaction is an important element of the effectiveness of clinical placement, but there is little consensus in the literature as to the preferred model of clinical experience for undergraduate nursing students. The aim of this study was assess, for each academic year, students' perception of the roles of nurse teachers (NT) and clinical nurse supervisors (CNS) who perform tutoring in both apprenticeship and laboratories and to identify and evaluate students' satisfaction with the environment of clinical learning. This analytic cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 173 nursing students in the Northern Italy. The research instrument used is the Clinical learning environment, supervision and nurse teacher (CLES+T) evaluation scale. Data were statistically analysed. 94% of our sample answered questionnaires. Students expressed a higher level of satisfaction with their training experiences. The highest mean value was in the sub-dimension "Pedagogical atmosphere on the ward". Third year students expressed higher satisfaction levels in their relationship with the CNS and lower satisfaction levels in their relationship with the NT. This result may be due to the educational model that is adopted in the course, in which the simulation laboratory didactic activities of the third year are conducted by CNS, who also supervises experiences of clinical learning in the clinical practice. The main finding in this study was that the students' satisfaction with the supervisory relationship and the role of NT depend on how supervision in the clinical practice and in the simulation laboratory is organized.

Effect of water restriction on feeding and metabolism in dairy cows.

PubMed

Steiger Burgos, M; Senn, M; Sutter, F; Kreuzer, M; Langhans, W

2001-02-01

We investigated how lactating cows are able to cope with a sustained water restriction. In experiment 1, body weight and meal patterns were recorded with ad libitum access to water (baseline) and during 8 days of 25 and 50% restriction of drinking water relative to ad libitum intake. In experiment 2, indirect calorimetry was combined with nitrogen and energy balance and plasma hormone and metabolite measurements to assess the effects of 50% water restriction on digestion and metabolism. In experiment 1, food intake and body weight declined during the first 3 days of water restriction depending on the restriction level and stabilized thereafter at a lower level. The daily food intake reduction with 50% water restriction was entirely due to a reduction of meal size. The size of the first meal on every day was markedly (>50%) reduced with 25 and 50% water restriction. In experiment 2, urea concentrations in milk and blood as well as plasma sodium and hematocrit were increased by 50% water restriction. Energy balance was not affected by 50% water restriction, but nitrogen balance became negative, because, relative to intake, nitrogen excretion via urine and milk was higher. The lower energy intake during 50% water restriction was compensated by a lower milk production, a higher digestibility of organic matter and energy, and, apparently, a more efficient energy use. Through these changes and a preserved water balance, the cows reached a new equilibrium at a lower water turnover level, which enabled them to cope with a sustained drinking water restriction of 50%.

Pulling Rank: Military Rank Affects Hormone Levels and Fairness in an Allocation Experiment.

PubMed

Siart, Benjamin; Pflüger, Lena S; Wallner, Bernard

2016-01-01

Status within social hierarchies has great effects on the lives of socially organized mammals. Its effects on human behavior and related physiology, however, is relatively little studied. The present study investigated the impact of military rank on fairness and behavior in relation to salivary cortisol (C) and testosterone (T) levels in male soldiers. For this purpose 180 members of the Austrian Armed Forces belonging to two distinct rank groups participated in two variations of a computer-based guard duty allocation experiment. The rank groups were (1) warrant officers (high rank, HR) and (2) enlisted men (low rank, LR). One soldier from each rank group participated in every experiment. At the beginning of the experiment, one participant was assigned to start standing guard and the other participant at rest. The participant who started at rest could choose if and when to relieve his fellow soldier and therefore had control over the experiment. In order to trigger perception of unfair behavior, an additional experiment was conducted which was manipulated by the experimenter. In the manipulated version both soldiers started in the standing guard position and were never relieved, believing that their opponent was at rest , not relieving them. Our aim was to test whether unfair behavior causes a physiological reaction. Saliva samples for hormone analysis were collected at regular intervals throughout the experiment. We found that in the un-manipulated setup high-ranking soldiers spent less time standing guard than lower ranking individuals. Rank was a significant predictor for C but not for T levels during the experiment. C levels in the HR group were higher than in the LR group. C levels were also elevated in the manipulated experiment compared to the un-manipulated experiment, especially in LR. We assume that the elevated C levels in HR were caused by HR feeling their status challenged by the situation of having to negotiate with an individual of lower military rank. This would be in line with the observation that unequally shared duty favored HR in most cases. We conclude that social status, in the form of military rank affects fairness behavior in social interaction and endocrine levels.

Pulling Rank: Military Rank Affects Hormone Levels and Fairness in an Allocation Experiment

PubMed Central

Siart, Benjamin; Pflüger, Lena S.; Wallner, Bernard

2016-01-01

Status within social hierarchies has great effects on the lives of socially organized mammals. Its effects on human behavior and related physiology, however, is relatively little studied. The present study investigated the impact of military rank on fairness and behavior in relation to salivary cortisol (C) and testosterone (T) levels in male soldiers. For this purpose 180 members of the Austrian Armed Forces belonging to two distinct rank groups participated in two variations of a computer-based guard duty allocation experiment. The rank groups were (1) warrant officers (high rank, HR) and (2) enlisted men (low rank, LR). One soldier from each rank group participated in every experiment. At the beginning of the experiment, one participant was assigned to start standing guard and the other participant at rest. The participant who started at rest could choose if and when to relieve his fellow soldier and therefore had control over the experiment. In order to trigger perception of unfair behavior, an additional experiment was conducted which was manipulated by the experimenter. In the manipulated version both soldiers started in the standing guard position and were never relieved, believing that their opponent was at rest, not relieving them. Our aim was to test whether unfair behavior causes a physiological reaction. Saliva samples for hormone analysis were collected at regular intervals throughout the experiment. We found that in the un-manipulated setup high-ranking soldiers spent less time standing guard than lower ranking individuals. Rank was a significant predictor for C but not for T levels during the experiment. C levels in the HR group were higher than in the LR group. C levels were also elevated in the manipulated experiment compared to the un-manipulated experiment, especially in LR. We assume that the elevated C levels in HR were caused by HR feeling their status challenged by the situation of having to negotiate with an individual of lower military rank. This would be in line with the observation that unequally shared duty favored HR in most cases. We conclude that social status, in the form of military rank affects fairness behavior in social interaction and endocrine levels. PMID:27891109

[Emotional experience and regulation across the adult lifespan: comparative analysis in three age groups].

PubMed

Márquez-González, María; Izal Fernández de Trocóniz, María; Montorio Cerrato, Ignacio; Losada Baltar, Andrés

2008-11-01

The studies focused on age-related differences in emotional experience are still scarce, and most of them have been conducted with North-American samples. This study explores the presence of age-related differences in some facets of emotional experience (subjective well-being and emotional intensity), as well as in variables related to emotion regulation (subjective emotional control and three emotion-regulation mechanisms: situation selection, emotion suppression, rumination) in the Spanish population. One hundred and sixty people from three age groups (younger, middle-aged and older adults) participated in the study. Older participants reported lower levels of life satisfaction and positive emotional intensity than younger ones, as well as higher levels of perceived emotional control, emotional maturity and leveling of positive affect, and more use of emotion suppression. The results partially support the emotional maturity hypothesis of emotional functioning in old age, but also suggest that older adults' emotional regulation may present important peculiarities which have not yet been addressed in the extant literature, such as the moderation or limitation of emotional experience, especially positive emotions.

Examining the Role of Patient Experience Surveys in Measuring Health Care Quality

PubMed Central

Elliott, Marc N.; Zaslavsky, Alan M.; Hays, Ron D.; Lehrman, William G.; Rybowski, Lise; Edgman-Levitan, Susan; Cleary, Paul D.

2015-01-01

Patient care experience surveys evaluate the degree to which care is patient-centered. This article reviews the literature on the association between patient experiences and other measures of health care quality. Research indicates that better patient care experiences are associated with higher levels of adherence to recommended prevention and treatment processes, better clinical outcomes, better patient safety within hospitals, and less health care utilization. Patient experience measures that are collected using psychometrically sound instruments, employing recommended sample sizes and adjustment procedures, and implemented according to standard protocols are intrinsically meaningful and are appropriate complements for clinical process and outcome measures in public reporting and pay-for-performance programs. PMID:25027409

The influence of family-work role experience and mastery on psychological health of Chinese employed mothers.

PubMed

Tang, Catherine So-Kum

2009-11-01

Four-hundred-and-thirty-five Chinese married nurses with children were surveyed on their family-work role experience, sense of mastery, and psychological distress. Hierarchical regression analyses showed spillover effects of role experience on psychological health as well as asymmetrical permeability of family and work boundaries. The hypothesis that mastery acted as a moderator between role experience and psychological health was supported. In general, a higher level of mastery augmented positive but mitigated negative influence of role experience on psychological functioning. Findings provide useful information to practitioners and policy makers on issues related to family-work stress and women's health in contemporary Chinese society.

Early childhood trauma in high-risk families: associations with caregiver emotional availability and insightfulness, and children's social information processing and social behavior.

PubMed

Ziv, Yair; Umphlet, Kristen L Capps; Olarte, Stephanie; Venza, Jimmy

2018-06-01

The links between exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), caregiver insightfulness and emotional availability, and the child's social information processing (SIP) and social behavior were examined in a sample of 15 preschool children enrolled in a Therapeutic Nursery Program (TNP). Children are typically referred to the TNP due to significant delays in their social emotional development that often result in difficulty functioning in typical childcare, home, and community settings. Caregiver insightfulness was measured via an interview with the caregiver. Emotional availability was coded based on observations of caregiver-child interactions. The child's SIP patterns were measured in an interview, and the child's behavior in preschool was assessed by teacher reports. Higher levels of exposure to ACE were hypothesized to be related to lower levels of caregiver emotional availability and insightfulness and to higher levels of the children's perceptual (i.e. SIP) and behavioral maladjustment. It was also hypothesized that caregiver emotional availability and insightfulness would be associated with one another and significantly associated with children's perceptions and behaviors. Caregivers reporting higher levels of exposure exhibited lower levels of insightfulness and emotional availability. No such associations were found between the child's exposure to ACE and the caregivers' perceptions and behaviors. In addition, more insightful caregivers showed higher levels of emotional availability. Finally, children with more emotionally available caregivers showed more competent SIP and social behavior.

The role of romantic attachment security and dating identity exploration in understanding adolescents' sexual attitudes and cumulative sexual risk-taking.

PubMed

McElwain, Alyssa D; Kerpelman, Jennifer L; Pittman, Joe F

2015-02-01

This study addressed how two normative developmental factors, attachment and identity, are associated with adolescents' sexual attitudes and sexual risk-taking behavior. The sample consisted of 2029 adolescents (mean age = 16.2 years) living in the Southeast United States. Path analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Higher levels of attachment anxiety predicted more dating identity exploration and less healthy sexual attitudes. Higher levels of attachment avoidance predicted less dating identity exploration and indirectly predicted less healthy sexual attitudes through dating identity exploration. Females with dating or sexual experience showed the weakest associations between the attachment dimensions and dating identity exploration. More dating identity exploration predicted healthier sexual attitudes; this association was strongest for non-virgins. Finally, higher levels of attachment avoidance were associated with higher cumulative sexual risk scores, but only among non-virgin males. Results are interpreted in light of theory and research on attachment, identity exploration, and adolescent sexual relationships. Copyright © 2015 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Previous Homelessness as a Risk Factor for Recovery from Serious Mental Illnesses.

PubMed

Castellow, Jennifer; Kloos, Bret; Townley, Greg

2015-08-01

This paper argues that the experience of homelessness is inherently traumatic and thus has the potential to affect the manifestation of mental illness. The experiences related to being homeless might act as specific and unique sources of vulnerability. This study included 424 people diagnosed with serious mental illnesses living in supported housing programs in South Carolina. Three hierarchical regression analyses measuring the impact of homelessness on three types of outcomes revealed the following: (1) ever experiencing homelessness as well as the amount of time spent homeless were related to higher levels of psychiatric distress, (2) ever experiencing homelessness was related to higher levels of reported alcohol use, and (3) total amount of time spent homeless was related to lower perceived recovery from mental illness. These findings suggest that experiencing homelessness might contribute to psychosocial vulnerability to negative mental health outcomes. Future investigations examining this concept of risk and vulnerability as a result of homelessness are in order.

Students' Perceptions of the Long-Term Impact of Attending a "CSI Science Camp"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanowitz, Karen L.

2016-12-01

A science summer camp is a popular type of informal science experience for youth. While there is no one model of a science camp, these experiences typically allow for more focused and in-depth exploration of different science domains and are usually hands-on and participatory. The goal of this research was to examine the impact of a short science camp program approximately 1 year after students attended the camp. Overall, the results revealed that attending a 2-day forensic science camp had a positive and continuing influence on the participants. Students' science self-efficacy increased immediately after attending the camp and remained higher than pre-camp levels approximately 1 year later. Students were able to articulate why they believed the camp had a long-term impact on their lives. Furthermore, participants attributed a higher level of engaging in additional informal STEM-related activities during the academic year as a result of attending the camp.

Understanding the relationships between self-esteem, experiential avoidance, and paranoia: structural equation modelling and experience sampling studies.

PubMed

Udachina, Alisa; Thewissen, Viviane; Myin-Germeys, Inez; Fitzpatrick, Sam; O'kane, Aisling; Bentall, Richard P

2009-09-01

Hypothesized relationships between experiential avoidance (EA), self-esteem, and paranoia were tested using structural equation modeling in a sample of student participants (N = 427). EA in everyday life was also investigated using the Experience Sampling Method in a subsample of students scoring high (N = 17) and low (N = 15) on paranoia. Results showed that paranoid students had lower self-esteem and reported higher levels of EA than nonparanoid participants. The interactive influence of EA and stress predicted negative self-esteem: EA was particularly damaging at high levels of stress. Greater EA and higher social stress independently predicted lower positive self-esteem. Low positive self-esteem predicted engagement in EA. A direct association between EA and paranoia was also found. These results suggest that similar mechanisms may underlie EA and thought suppression. Although people may employ EA to regulate self-esteem, this strategy is maladaptive as it damages self-esteem, incurs cognitive costs, and fosters paranoid thinking.

Butch/Femme Differences in Substance Use and Abuse Among Young Lesbian and Bisexual Women: Examination and Potential Explanations

PubMed Central

Rosario, Margaret; Schrimshaw, Eric W.; Hunter, Joyce

2011-01-01

The current study examined the role of gender atypical self-presentation on the alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use, as well as symptoms of substance abuse, of an ethnically diverse sample of 76 young (ages 14 – 21 years) lesbian and bisexual women who were interviewed between 1993-95 in New York City. Even after controlling for age, sexual identity, and social desirability, young butch women reported drinking alcohol more frequently and in greater quantity, smoking more cigarettes, and using marijuana more frequently than young femme women. Experiences of gay-related stressful events, internalized homophobia, and emotional distress were found to largely account for the butch/femme differences in tobacco and marijuana use, but not in higher levels of alcohol use. Despite the small convenience sample, these findings suggest that intervention efforts to address the higher levels of substance use among young lesbian and bisexual women may increase effectiveness by also addressing experiences of gay-related stress and emotional distress of young butch women. PMID:18649226

Inspired by Mary Jane? Mechanisms underlying enhanced creativity in cannabis users.

PubMed

LaFrance, Emily M; Cuttler, Carrie

2017-11-01

Previous research suggests cannabis may enhance some aspects of creativity, although the results remain somewhat equivocal. Moreover, it is unclear whether differences in cannabis users' personalities may account for any potentially beneficial effects of cannabis on creativity. This study was designed to examine whether sober cannabis users demonstrate superior self-reported and objective creativity test performance relative to non-users, and to determine whether any of the Big 5 personality domains underlie these effects. A sample of sober cannabis users (n=412) and non-users (n=309) completed measures of cannabis consumption, personality, self-reported and objective creativity. Relative to non-users, sober cannabis users self-reported higher creativity, and performed significantly better on a measure of convergent thinking. Controlling for cannabis users' higher levels of openness to experience abolished these effects. Therefore, while cannabis users appear to demonstrate enhanced creativity, these effects are an artifact of their heightened levels of openness to experience. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Future directions for beam-foil spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bashkin, S.

1976-01-01

The beam-foil source has proved to be so useful for the study of atomic energy levels that it is almost trivial to propose a variety of new experiments involving new elements, higher energies, a broader wavelength range, shorter time intervals, pulsed beams, different targets, and new configurations in geometry or external fields. However, what is perhaps not so trivial is to propose experiments for which there is a specific purpose, experiments from which a novel kind of information might be expected. It is from this latter point of view that the author shall talk about experiments which seem to offer unusual opportunities to learn new things about atoms.

Factors influencing research engagement: research interest, confidence and experience in an Australian speech-language pathology workforce.

PubMed

Finch, Emma; Cornwell, Petrea; Ward, Elizabeth C; McPhail, Steven M

2013-04-19

Recent initiatives within an Australia public healthcare service have seen a focus on increasing the research capacity of their workforce. One of the key initiatives involves encouraging clinicians to be research generators rather than solely research consumers. As a result, baseline data of current research capacity are essential to determine whether initiatives encouraging clinicians to undertake research have been effective. Speech pathologists have previously been shown to be interested in conducting research within their clinical role; therefore they are well positioned to benefit from such initiatives. The present study examined the current research interest, confidence and experience of speech language pathologists (SLPs) in a public healthcare workforce, as well as factors that predicted clinician research engagement. Data were collected via an online survey emailed to an estimated 330 SLPs working within Queensland, Australia. The survey consisted of 30 questions relating to current levels of interest, confidence and experience performing specific research tasks, as well as how frequently SLPs had performed these tasks in the last 5 years. Although 158 SLPs responded to the survey, complete data were available for only 137. Respondents were more confident and experienced with basic research tasks (e.g., finding literature) and less confident and experienced with complex research tasks (e.g., analysing and interpreting results, publishing results). For most tasks, SLPs displayed higher levels of interest in the task than confidence and experience. Research engagement was predicted by highest qualification obtained, current job classification level and overall interest in research. Respondents generally reported levels of interest in research higher than their confidence and experience, with many respondents reporting limited experience in most research tasks. Therefore SLPs have potential to benefit from research capacity building activities to increase their research skills in order to meet organisational research engagement objectives. However, these findings must be interpreted with the caveats that a relatively low response rate occurred and participants were recruited from a single state-wide health service, and therefore may not be representative of the wider SLP workforce.

Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults: Childhood Gender Nonconformity, Childhood Trauma, and Sexual Victimization.

PubMed

Bos, Henny; de Haas, Stans; Kuyper, Lisette

2016-04-01

The present study examined whether the relationship between childhood gender nonconformity and sexual victimization in adulthood among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) same-sex attracted men and women is mediated by experiences with childhood trauma experiences by an adult family member. Data are based on a survey among same-sex attracted individuals (N= 2,352; 1,396 men and 956 women;M age = 44.97) recruited from an online research panel. Participants completed an online questionnaire consisting of existing scales. Sixteen percent of the participants reported that they had experienced sexual victimization as an adult. There were gender differences: Men reported less childhood gender nonconformity and women more often reported experiences with childhood trauma by an adult family member and sexual victimization as an adult. Bootstrapped mediation analysis and follow-up moderated mediation analyses showed that childhood trauma significantly mediated the relation between childhood gender nonconformity and experiences of sexual victimization for men but not for women. In other words, for men higher levels of childhood gender nonconformity predicted experiences with childhood trauma by an adult family member, which in turn predicted the higher prevalence of sexual victimization. Implementations of these findings are that interventions aimed at increasing the social acceptance of gender nonconformity might also lower the levels of childhood trauma and sexual victimization among gay and bisexual men. Professionals working with children (and especially with boys) should be aware of the impact of gender nonconformity on childhood trauma and experiences of sexual victimization later in life. © The Author(s) 2016.

Previous experiences with illness and traumatic experiences: a specific risk factor for hypochondriasis?

PubMed

Weck, Florian; Neng, Julia M B; Göller, Kathrin; Müller-Marbach, Alexis M

2014-01-01

Previous experiences with illness and traumatic experiences are considered as important risk factors for the development of health anxiety and hypochondriasis. However, empirical research is insufficient and lacks adequate comparison groups. Therefore, we sought to determine whether experiences with illness and traumatic experiences are really specific risk factors for hypochondriasis. In the current study, patients with the diagnosis of hypochondriasis (n = 80), patients with a primary anxiety disorder (n = 80), and healthy controls (n = 83) were investigated regarding their previous experiences with illness (self and other) and traumatic childhood experiences. We found that patients with hypochondriasis reported a higher level of experience with illness and with traumatic childhood experiences than healthy controls. However, no differences were found between patients with hypochondriasis and those with an anxiety disorder, regarding their level of experience with illness and traumatic experiences. Previous experiences with illness and traumatic childhood experiences did not prove to be specific risk factors for the development of hypochondriasis. The importance of both experiences with illness and traumatic experiences as risk factors, as considered in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual and in established cognitive-behavioral models, does not seem to be supported empirically. Further research should therefore also consider other potential risk factors discussed in the literature. © 2013 Published by Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine on behalf of Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine.

Marital satisfaction, recovery from work, and diurnal cortisol among men and women.

PubMed

Saxbe, Darby E; Repetti, Rena L; Nishina, Adrienne

2008-01-01

Multilevel modeling was used to model relationships between salivary cortisol, daily diary ratings of work experiences, and Marital Adjustment Test scores (Locke & Wallace, 1959), in a sample of 60 adults who sampled saliva 4 times per day over 3 days. Among women but not men, marital satisfaction was significantly associated with a stronger basal cortisol cycle, with higher morning values and a steeper decline across the day. For women but not men, marital satisfaction moderated the within-subjects association between afternoon and evening cortisol level, such that marital quality appeared to bolster women's physiological recovery from work. For both men and women, evening cortisol was lower than usual on higher-workload days, and marital satisfaction augmented this association among women. Men showed higher evening cortisol after more distressing social experiences at work, an association that was strongest among men with higher marital satisfaction. This work has implications for the study of physiological recovery from work, and also suggests a pathway by which marital satisfaction influences allostatic load and physical health.

Audiovisual associations alter the perception of low-level visual motion

PubMed Central

Kafaligonul, Hulusi; Oluk, Can

2015-01-01

Motion perception is a pervasive nature of vision and is affected by both immediate pattern of sensory inputs and prior experiences acquired through associations. Recently, several studies reported that an association can be established quickly between directions of visual motion and static sounds of distinct frequencies. After the association is formed, sounds are able to change the perceived direction of visual motion. To determine whether such rapidly acquired audiovisual associations and their subsequent influences on visual motion perception are dependent on the involvement of higher-order attentive tracking mechanisms, we designed psychophysical experiments using regular and reverse-phi random dot motions isolating low-level pre-attentive motion processing. Our results show that an association between the directions of low-level visual motion and static sounds can be formed and this audiovisual association alters the subsequent perception of low-level visual motion. These findings support the view that audiovisual associations are not restricted to high-level attention based motion system and early-level visual motion processing has some potential role. PMID:25873869

Autonomy and Firefighting: Perceived Competence and Stress.

PubMed

Chiang, Evelyn S; Baley, John; Ponder, Joy; Padilla, Miguel A

2016-12-01

In workplace settings, autonomy is implicated in employee motivation as well as supervisor autonomy support. As a profession of risk, firefighters may experience greater levels of stress. A self-determination paradigm was applied to the firefighter workplace. Of particular interest were perceived competence (to perform job duties) and the experience of stress. Firefighters' levels of autonomous and controlled regulation were surveyed, along with their perceptions of the autonomy support of their immediate supervisor. Autonomous regulation was positively related to perceived competence, whereas controlled regulation was negatively related. Higher levels of controlled regulation were also connected with greater stress. In contrast, greater perceived autonomy support was associated with decreased stress. Both perceived competence and stress are related to firefighter motivation and autonomy support. Recommendations are offered to increase autonomy support by chief officers.

Radiographers' professional knowledge regarding parameters and safety issues in plain radiography: a questionnaire survey.

PubMed

Farajollahi, A R; Fouladi, D F; Ghojazadeh, M; Movafaghi, A

2014-08-01

To review the knowledge of radiographers and examine the possible sociodemographic and situational contributors to this knowledge. A questionnaire survey was devised and distributed to a cohort of 120 radiographers. Each questionnaire contained two sections. In the first section, background data, including sex, age, highest academic level, grade point average (GPA), length of time from graduation, work experience as a radiographer and the status of previous refresher course(s), were collected. The second section contained 17 multiple-choice questions concerning radiographic imaging parameters and safety issues. The response rate was 63.8%. In univariate analytic model, higher academic degree (p < 0.001), higher GPA (r(2) = 0.11; p = 0.001), academic workplace (p = 0.04) and taking previous refresher course(s) (p = 0.01) were significantly associated with higher knowledge score. In multivariate analytic model, however, higher academic degree (B = 1.62; p = 0.01), higher GPA (B = 0.50; p = 0.01) and taking previous refresher course(s) (B = -1.26; p = 0.03) were independently associated with higher level of knowledge. Age, sex, length of time from graduation and work experience were not associated with the respondents' knowledge score. Academic background is a robust indicator of a radiographer's professional knowledge. Refresher courses and regular knowledge assessments are highly recommended. This is the first study in the literature that examines professional knowledge of radiographers in terms of technical and safety issues in plain radiography. Academic degree, GPA and refresher courses are independent predictors of this knowledge. Regular radiographer professional knowledge checks may be recommended.

Modeling of PCG fluid dynamics: Salient results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramachandran, N.

1993-01-01

Materials processing in space-based laboratories has already yielded higher quality crystals during previous space flights, and opportunities for several fluids experiments are anticipated during the extended duration missions planned for the future. Crystal growth in space benefits not only from its reduced gravity environment but also from the absence of the hydrostatic pressure which assists certain crystal growth and refinement methods. Gravity-driven phenomena are thus reduced in strength, and a purely diffusive fluid's behavior can be attained. In addition, past materials science experiments have shown that microgravity can also help produce larger crystals. While gravity-related effects are definitely curtailed in space, they are nevertheless present to some degree due to the acceleration environment onboard the spacecraft. This residual acceleration level is comprised of quasi-steady, oscillatory, and transient components, and is caused by a variety of mechanisms. For example, gravity gradient forces produce low frequency disturbances, and the operation of machinery, control thrusters, solar panels, human activity, etc. contribute to higher frequency accelerations. These disturbances are collectively referred to as g-jitter, and they can be deleterious to certain experiments where the minimization of the acceleration level is important. Advanced vibration isolation techniques can be utilized to actively filter out some of the detrimental frequencies and help in obtaining optimum results. However, the successful application of this technology requires the detailed analysis of candidate fluids experiments to gauge their response to g-jitter and to determine their acceleration sensitivities. Several crystal growth experiments in the Protein Crystal Growth (PCG) area, besides others, are expected to be carried out on future shuttle flights and on Space Station Freedom. The need for vibration isolation systems or components for microgravity science experiments can be expected to grow as experiments and available hardware becomes more complex. This technology will also find increased application as the science community develops an awareness of their specific needs relative to the environment available in manned space missions. Vibration isolation research strives to develop a microgravity environment requirement that defines tolerance limits on the allowable g-level, and provides the required technology to achieve it. This effort will assist in establishing the tolerable acceleration levels for specific fluids experiments. The primary effort is directed towards modeling PCG and the approach undertaken for this investigation is outlined. The objectives of this research are: (1) to computationally determine vibration sensitivity of protein crystal growth experiments; (2) determine if these experiments can benefit from vibration isolation techniques; and (3) provide realistic requirements for vibration isolation technology.

Symptom Experience Associated With Immunosuppressive Medications in Chinese Kidney Transplant Recipients.

PubMed

Teng, Sha; Zhang, Shuping; Zhang, Wenxin; Lin, Xiaohong; Shang, Yabin; Peng, Xiao; Liu, Hongxia

2015-09-01

Kidney transplant recipients require lifelong treatment with immunosuppressive medications to avoid graft rejection and graft loss. Symptoms experienced may influence recipients' perceived quality of life and medication adherence. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the symptom experience associated with immunosuppressive medications in adult kidney transplant recipients and to explore the association between the symptom experience and adherence to immunosuppressive medications. A cross-sectional design was used. The study was conducted in a general hospital in China from October 2013 to September 2014. A total of 231 recipients with a follow-up of at least 1 year after kidney transplantation were included. Symptom experience associated with immunosuppressive medications was measured by the 13-item Symptom Experience of Immunosuppressive-related Side Effects Scale. Self-reported adherence to immunosuppressive medications was assessed using the Adherence with Immunosuppressive Medication Scale. Ridit analysis was used to rank symptom distress items. A proportion of 60.6% of recipients were male; the time after kidney transplantation was arbitrarily divided into a short-term cohort (1-4 years) and a long-term cohort (4-16 years) according to the median duration of follow-up (4 years). High blood pressure, hair loss, and tiredness were the three most distressing symptoms over all items of the whole sample. High blood pressure was the most distressing symptom for the 1- to 4-year cohort and the 4- to 16-year cohort. For men high blood pressure was the most distressing symptom, whereas for women hair loss was the most distressing symptom. Recipients in the 4- to 16-year cohort perceived a higher level of symptom distress compared with those in the 1- to 4-year cohort, especially in excess hair growth and difficulty sleeping. A negative relationship was found between symptom distress and adherence to immunosuppressive medications (r = -.541, p = .000). Recipients in the 4- to 16-year cohort perceived a higher level of symptom distress compared with those in the 1- to 4-year cohort, especially in excess hair growth and difficulty sleeping. No significant difference was found between gender groups. Recipients who reported a higher level of symptom distress were more likely to be nonadherent. Understanding symptom experience of immunosuppressive medications is of importance for healthcare providers to offer sophisticated education and develop strategies to improve quality of life and medication adherence during follow-up post-transplantation. © 2015 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Mentoring relationships and the levels of role conflict and role ambiguity experienced by novice nursing faculty.

PubMed

Specht, Jennifer A

2013-01-01

This study explored the effect of mentoring on the levels of role conflict and role ambiguity experienced by novice nursing faculty related to their transitions into academe using a descriptive, comparative design. It also measured the relationship between the quality of mentoring experiences of novice nursing faculty and their levels of role conflict and role ambiguity using a correlational design. P. Benner's (1984) novice to expert model was utilized as a framework for successful role transition. J. R. Rizzo, R. J. House, and S. I. Lirtzman's (1970) role conflict and role ambiguity scale was used to measure the levels of role conflict and role ambiguity experienced by novice nursing faculty. Results indicate that participants (n = 224) who were mentored have significantly lower levels of role conflict (M = 3.57) and role ambiguity (M = 3.02) than those who were not mentored (M = 4.62 and M = 3.90, respectively). Also significant, the higher the participants' reported levels of quality of mentoring experiences were, the lower their levels of role conflict and role ambiguity were. The results of this study indicate that mentoring eases the transition of novice nursing faculty from practice into academe by decreasing the degree of role ambiguity and role conflict that they experience. © 2013.

Hospital-level care coordination strategies associated with better patient experience.

PubMed

Figueroa, Jose F; Feyman, Yevgeniy; Zhou, Xiner; Joynt Maddox, Karen

2018-04-04

Patient experience is a key measure of hospital quality and is increasingly contained in value-based payment programmes. Understanding whether strategies aimed at improving care transitions are associated with better patient experience could help clinical leaders and policymakers seeking to improve care across multiple dimensions. To determine the association of specific hospital care coordination and transition strategies with patient experience. We surveyed leadership at 1600 acute care hospitals and categorised respondents into three groups based on the strategies used: low-strategy (bottom quartile of number of strategies), mid-strategy (quartiles 2 and 3) and high-strategy (highest quartile). We used linear regression models to examine the association between use of these strategies and performance on measures of patient experience from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey. We achieved a 62% response rate. High-strategy hospitals reported using 7.7 strategies on average usually or always on their patient populations, while mid-strategy and low-strategy hospitals reported using 5.0 and 2.3 strategies, respectively. Compared with low-strategy hospitals, high-strategy hospitals had a higher overall rating (+2.23 percentage points (pp), P<0.001), higher recommendation score (+2.5 pp, P<0.001), and higher satisfaction with discharge process (+1.35 pp, P=0.01) and medication communication (+1.44 pp, P=0.002). Mid-strategy hospitals had higher scores than low-strategy hospitals except for discharge satisfaction. Patient-facing strategies, like sharing discharge summaries with patients prior to discharge, using discharge coordinators and calling patients 48 hours after discharge, were each individually associated with a higher overall hospital rating, and higher satisfaction with discharge process and medication communication. Hospitals with greater reported use of care coordination and transition strategies have better patient experience than hospitals with fewer reported strategies. Strategies that most directly involve patients have the strongest association with better experience. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

PH2O and simulated hypobaric hypoxia.

PubMed

Conkin, Johnny

2011-12-01

Some manufacturers of reduced oxygen (O2) breathing devices claim a comparable hypobaric hypoxia (HH) training experience by providing F1O2 < 0.209 at or near sea level pressure to match the ambient oxygen partial pressure (iso-PO2) of the target altitude. I conclude after a review of literature from investigators and manufacturers that these devices may not properly account for the 47 mmHg of water vapor partial pressure that reduces the inspired partial pressure of oxygen (P1O2), which is substantial at higher altitude relative to sea level. Consequently, some devices claiming an equivalent HH experience under normobaric conditions would significantly overestimate the HH condition, especially when simulating altitudes above 10,000 ft (3048 m). At best, the claim should be that the devices provide an approximate HH experience since they only duplicate the ambient PO2 at sea level as at altitude. An approach to reduce the overestimation and standardize the operation is to at least provide machines that create the same P1O2 conditions at sea level as at the target altitude, a simple software upgrade.

Effects of an Educational Experience Incorporating an Inventory of Factors Potentially Influencing Student Acceptance of Biological Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiles, Jason R.; Alters, Brian

2011-12-01

This investigation provides an extensive review of scientific, religious, and otherwise non-scientific factors that may influence student acceptance of biological evolution. We also measure the extent to which students' levels of acceptance changed following an educational experience designed to address an inclusive inventory of factors identified as potentially affecting student acceptance of evolution (n = 81, pre-test/post-test) n = 37, one-year longitudinal). Acceptance of evolution was measured using the Measure of Acceptance of the Theory of Evolution (MATE) instrument among participants enrolled in a secondary-level academic programme during the summer prior to their final year of high school and as they transitioned to the post-secondary level. Student acceptance of evolution was measured to be significantly higher than initial levels both immediately following and over one year after the educational experience. Results reported herein carry implications for future quantitative and qualitative research as well as for cross-disciplinary instruction plans related to evolutionary science and non-scientific factors which may influence student understanding of evolution.

Multiple-rotor-cycle 2D PASS experiments with applications to (207)Pb NMR spectroscopy.

PubMed

Vogt, F G; Gibson, J M; Aurentz, D J; Mueller, K T; Benesi, A J

2000-03-01

Thetwo-dimensional phase-adjusted spinning sidebands (2D PASS) experiment is a useful technique for simplifying magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectra that contain overlapping or complicated spinning sideband manifolds. The pulse sequence separates spinning sidebands by their order in a two-dimensional experiment. The result is an isotropic/anisotropic correlation experiment, in which a sheared projection of the 2D spectrum effectively yields an isotropic spectrum with no sidebands. The original 2D PASS experiment works best at lower MAS speeds (1-5 kHz). At higher spinning speeds (8-12 kHz) the experiment requires higher RF power levels so that the pulses do not overlap. In the case of nuclei such as (207)Pb, a large chemical shift anisotropy often yields too many spinning sidebands to be handled by a reasonable 2D PASS experiment unless higher spinning speeds are used. Performing the experiment at these speeds requires fewer 2D rows and a correspondingly shorter experimental time. Therefore, we have implemented PASS pulse sequences that occupy multiple MAS rotor cycles, thereby avoiding pulse overlap. These multiple-rotor-cycle 2D PASS sequences are intended for use in high-speed MAS situations such as those required by (207)Pb. A version of the multiple-rotor-cycle 2D PASS sequence that uses composite pulses to suppress spectral artifacts is also presented. These sequences are demonstrated on (207)Pb test samples, including lead zirconate, a perovskite-phase compound that is representative of a large class of interesting materials. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

Surgeon Reliability for the Assessment of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis on MRI: The Impact of Surgeon Experience.

PubMed

Marawar, Satyajit V; Madom, Ian A; Palumbo, Mark; Tallarico, Richard A; Ordway, Nathaniel R; Metkar, Umesh; Wang, Dongliang; Green, Adam; Lavelle, William F

2017-01-01

Treating surgeon's visual assessment of axial MRI images to ascertain the degree of stenosis has a critical impact on surgical decision-making. The purpose of this study was to prospectively analyze the impact of surgeon experience on inter-observer and intra-observer reliability of assessing severity of spinal stenosis on MRIs by spine surgeons directly involved in surgical decision-making. Seven fellowship trained spine surgeons reviewed MRI studies of 30 symptomatic patients with lumbar stenosis and graded the stenosis in the central canal, the lateral recess and the foramen at T12-L1 to L5-S1 as none, mild, moderate or severe. No specific instructions were provided to what constituted mild, moderate, or severe stenosis. Two surgeons were "senior" (>fifteen years of practice experience); two were "intermediate" (>four years of practice experience), and three "junior" (< one year of practice experience). The concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) was calculated to assess inter-observer reliability. Seven MRI studies were duplicated and randomly re-read to evaluate inter-observer reliability. Surgeon experience was found to be a strong predictor of inter-observer reliability. Senior inter-observer reliability was significantly higher assessing central(p<0.001), foraminal p=0.005 and lateral p=0.001 than "junior" group.Senior group also showed significantly higher inter-observer reliability that intermediate group assessing foraminal stenosis (p=0.036). In intra-observer reliability the results were contrary to that found in inter-observer reliability. Inter-observer reliability of assessing stenosis on MRIs increases with surgeon experience. Lower intra-observer reliability values among the senior group, although not clearly explained, may be due to the small number of MRIs evaluated and quality of MRI images.Level of evidence: Level 3.

Nutrient Content of Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Eggs and Comparisons Between Experimental Uses

PubMed Central

Skillman, Victoria P

2017-01-01

Abstract Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), has become a major pest. Seven experiments examined the nutrient content of their eggs in the context of female reproductive investment and use for experiments. Among 542 clusters examined, an average egg contained 23.50 ± 0.561 µg lipid, 3.17 ± 0.089 µg glycogen, and 3.08 ± 0.056 µg sugar. Mature eggs within a female’s ovary can make up 61% of her total lipid, 35% of glycogen, and 20% of sugar levels. Eggs obtained from a colony reared on a steady diet are expected to have consistent nutrient content. The age of a parental female only slightly affected the lipid level of oviposited eggs but did not affect glycogen or sugar levels. However, egg nutrient content can differ substantially by the source of the parental females; wild eggs had higher lipid but lower sugar content than colony-produced eggs. Further, the length of time that eggs are frozen influenced egg nutrient content. Freshly laid eggs had higher lipid and lower sugar levels than eggs frozen for 1 or 2 yr. Whether an egg turned grey following removal from cold storage did not affect nutrient content, nor did being frozen within 1 or 3 d of oviposition. The temperature at which eggs were left exposed did not impact egg nutrient content, but glycogen decreased and sugar increased with deployment time. This information combined with how factors affect host selection by natural enemies will help refine future experiments that use BMSB egg clusters.

Young women's experiences of intrusive behavior in 12 countries.

PubMed

Sheridan, Lorraine; Scott, Adrian J; Roberts, Karl

2016-01-01

The present study provides international comparisons of young women's (N = 1,734) self-reported experiences of intrusive activities enacted by men. Undergraduate psychology students from 12 countries (Armenia, Australia, England, Egypt, Finland, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Scotland, and Trinidad) indicated which of 47 intrusive activities they had personally experienced. Intrusive behavior was not uncommon overall, although large differences were apparent between countries when women's personal experiences of specific intrusive activities were compared. Correlations were carried out between self-reported intrusive experiences, the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM), and Hofstede's dimensions of national cultures. The primary associations were between women's experiences of intrusive behavior and the level of power they are afforded within the 12 countries. Women from countries with higher GEM scores reported experiencing more intrusive activities relating to courtship and requests for sex, while the experiences of women from countries with lower GEM scores related more to monitoring and ownership. Intrusive activities, many of them constituent of harassment and stalking, would appear to be widespread and universal, and their incidence and particular form reflect national level gender inequalities. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Suicide Risk Associated with Experience of Violence and Impulsivity in Alcohol Dependent Patients.

PubMed

Khemiri, Lotfi; Jokinen, Jussi; Runeson, Bo; Jayaram-Lindström, Nitya

2016-01-19

Alcohol dependence (AD) and aggression-impulsivity are both associated with increased suicide risk. There is a need to evaluate clinical tools in order to improve suicide risk assessment of AD patients. The present study consisted of 95 individuals with a diagnosis of AD, consecutively admitted for addiction treatment, compared with 95 healthy controls. Suicidal risk was assessed together with exposure of violence and impulsivity. AD patients reported significantly higher rates of exposure to violence in childhood, as measured by the Karolinska Interpersonal Violence Scale (KIVS), compared to HC. Within the AD group, individuals with history of suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior reported higher levels of violence experience compared to AD individuals without such history. AD patients with previous suicidal ideation scored higher on self-reported impulsivity as assessed by the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS). Our main finding was that experience of trauma and expression of violent behavior, coupled with increased impulsivity are associated with an elevated suicide risk in AD patients. Future longitudinal studies assessing these traits are needed to evaluate their potential role in identifying AD patients at risk of future suicide.

Suicide Risk Associated with Experience of Violence and Impulsivity in Alcohol Dependent Patients

PubMed Central

Khemiri, Lotfi; Jokinen, Jussi; Runeson, Bo; Jayaram-Lindström, Nitya

2016-01-01

Alcohol dependence (AD) and aggression-impulsivity are both associated with increased suicide risk. There is a need to evaluate clinical tools in order to improve suicide risk assessment of AD patients. The present study consisted of 95 individuals with a diagnosis of AD, consecutively admitted for addiction treatment, compared with 95 healthy controls. Suicidal risk was assessed together with exposure of violence and impulsivity. AD patients reported significantly higher rates of exposure to violence in childhood, as measured by the Karolinska Interpersonal Violence Scale (KIVS), compared to HC. Within the AD group, individuals with history of suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior reported higher levels of violence experience compared to AD individuals without such history. AD patients with previous suicidal ideation scored higher on self-reported impulsivity as assessed by the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS). Our main finding was that experience of trauma and expression of violent behavior, coupled with increased impulsivity are associated with an elevated suicide risk in AD patients. Future longitudinal studies assessing these traits are needed to evaluate their potential role in identifying AD patients at risk of future suicide. PMID:26784730

Stress and the Multiple-Role Woman: Taking a Closer Look at the “Superwoman”

PubMed Central

Sumra, Monika K.; Schillaci, Michael A.

2015-01-01

In the academic literature there is debate as to whether women who engage in multiple social roles experience more or less stress than women in fewer roles. For the present research we examined the relationship between levels of engagement in seven distinct roles and perceived stress and life satisfaction in a small non-random sample of women in North America (N = 308). We did not find a significant correlation between role engagement and perceived stress, though we did find a small but significant positive correlation between role engagement and life satisfaction. Similarly, in a subset of the participants (N = 31), there was not a significant relationship between the level of role engagement and physiological stress as measured by hair or urinary cortisol levels. We found a significant negative correlation between perceived stress and life satisfaction, and role satisfaction. The results from multiple regression models did not identify the level of role engagement as a significant predictor of either perceived stress or life satisfaction. Role satisfaction in addition to several life style variables such as the frequency of sex and exercise were identified as significant predictors of both outcome variables. We also examined the popularized notion of the “superwoman”, which we defined as women who fell within the 4th quartile of role engagement, or those engaged in the wife/mother/worker/homemaker role combination. Based on popular discourses surrounding the superwoman we expected that superwomen would exhibit higher levels of perceived stress. Our results revealed that superwomen do not experience a significantly higher level of perceived stress than non-superwomen. The results of our study therefore suggest that multiple role engagement in women, even at a relatively high level as experienced by “superwomen”, is not associated with significantly higher stress, or reduced life satisfaction. PMID:25816317

Exploring the relationships between patient characteristics and their dialysis care experience.

PubMed

van der Veer, Sabine N; Arah, Onyebuchi A; Visserman, Ella; Bart, Hans A J; de Keizer, Nicolette F; Abu-Hanna, Ameen; Heuveling, Lara M; Stronks, Karien; Jager, Kitty J

2012-11-01

Previous studies have shown that it is possible for patient experience to be influenced by factors that are not attributable to health-care. Therefore, if patient experience is to be used as an accurate indicator of clinical performance, then it is important to understand its determinants. We used data from 840 dialysis patients who completed a validated patient experience survey. We created a potential theoretical framework based on available clinical knowledge to hypothesize the relationships between 13 demographic, socio-economic and health status factors and three outcome measures: global rating of the dialysis centre and the patient experience with the nephrologist's and nurses' care. The theoretical framework guided the selection of confounding variables for each determinant, which were then entered as terms in multivariable linear regression models. Patients who were of older age, of non-European decent, and who had a lower educational level, lower albumin level, with better self-rated health and who were without co-morbidities reported higher global ratings with the dialysis centre than their counterparts. Past myocardial infarction and better self-rated health were found to be determinants of a more positive experience while in the nephrologist's care. A more positive experience with nurses' care was associated with factors including older age, Dutch origin background, lower educational level, lower albumin levels and better self-rated health. Several characteristics of dialysis patients influence the way they rate and experience their care. When using the patient experience and ratings as indicators of clinical performance, they should be adjusted for such factors as identified in our study. This will facilitate a meaningful comparison of dialysis centres, and enable informed decision making by patients, insurers and policy makers.

Attention, Awareness, and the Perception of Auditory Scenes

PubMed Central

Snyder, Joel S.; Gregg, Melissa K.; Weintraub, David M.; Alain, Claude

2011-01-01

Auditory perception and cognition entails both low-level and high-level processes, which are likely to interact with each other to create our rich conscious experience of soundscapes. Recent research that we review has revealed numerous influences of high-level factors, such as attention, intention, and prior experience, on conscious auditory perception. And recently, studies have shown that auditory scene analysis tasks can exhibit multistability in a manner very similar to ambiguous visual stimuli, presenting a unique opportunity to study neural correlates of auditory awareness and the extent to which mechanisms of perception are shared across sensory modalities. Research has also led to a growing number of techniques through which auditory perception can be manipulated and even completely suppressed. Such findings have important consequences for our understanding of the mechanisms of perception and also should allow scientists to precisely distinguish the influences of different higher-level influences. PMID:22347201

Stressors and anxiety in dementia caregiving: multiple mediation analysis of rumination, experiential avoidance, and leisure.

PubMed

Romero-Moreno, R; Losada, A; Márquez-González, M; Mausbach, B T

2016-11-01

Despite the robust associations between stressors and anxiety in dementia caregiving, there is a lack of research examining which factors contribute to explain this relationship. This study was designed to test a multiple mediation model of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) and anxiety that proposes higher levels of rumination and experiential avoidance and lower levels of leisure satisfaction as potential mediating variables. The sample consisted of 256 family caregivers. In order to test a simultaneously parallel multiple mediation model of the BPSD to anxiety pathway, a PROCESS method was used and bias-corrected and accelerated bootstrapping method was used to test confidence intervals. Higher levels of stressors significantly predicted anxiety. Greater stressors significantly predicted higher levels of rumination and experiential avoidance, and lower levels of leisure satisfaction. These three coping variables significantly predicted anxiety. Finally, rumination, experiential avoidance, and leisure satisfaction significantly mediated the link between stressors and anxiety. The explained variance for the final model was 47.09%. Significant contrasts were found between rumination and leisure satisfaction, with rumination being a significantly higher mediator. The results suggest that caregivers' experiential avoidance, rumination, and leisure satisfaction may function as mechanisms through which BPSD influence on caregivers' anxiety. Training caregivers in reducing their levels of experiential avoidance and rumination by techniques that foster their ability of acceptance of their negative internal experiences, and increase their level of leisure satisfaction, may be helpful to reduce their anxiety symptoms developed by stressors.

The use of visual and verbal means of communication across psychological distance.

PubMed

Amit, Elinor; Wakslak, Cheryl; Trope, Yaacov

2013-01-01

The current study investigated the effect of distance on medium preferences in interpersonal communication. Five experiments showed that people's preference for using pictures (vs. words) is increasingly higher when communicating with temporally, socially, or geographically proximal (vs. distal) others. In contrast, preference for words is increasingly higher when communicating with those who were distal. A sixth experiment showed that communication's medium influences distance preferences, such that people's preference for communicating a message to a distant (vs. proximal) target is greater for verbal compared with pictorial communications. A seventh experiment showed that recipients are more likely to heed a sender's suggestions when the medium and distance are congruent. These findings reflect the suitability of pictures for communication with proximal others and words with distal others. Implications of these findings for construal-level theory, perspective taking, embodied cognition, the development of language, and social skills with children are discussed.

The burden of empathy: Partners' responses to divergence of interests in daily life.

PubMed

Righetti, Francesca; Gere, Judith; Hofmann, Wilhelm; Visserman, Mariko L; Van Lange, Paul A M

2016-08-01

Empathy has often been discussed as a beneficial process from which favorable individual and interpersonal experiences may be derived. The present work investigates whether empathy may sometimes be a burden rather than a benefit, under certain interpersonal circumstances. Specifically, we hypothesized that encountering situations of divergence of interests with a partner may cause discomfort, and that empathizing with one's partner would exacerbate this discomfort, resulting in higher levels of negative mood and stress that can affect relationship satisfaction. We tested these hypotheses using innovative experience sampling methodology in which both partners reported on their experiences in their natural environments. In support, we found that when people encountered divergence of interests with one's partner, as compared with when they did not, they experienced higher negative mood and stress and, consequently, lower relationship satisfaction. These effects were intensified, rather than reduced, by empathy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Social discomfort in preadolescence: predictors of discrepancies between preadolescents and their parents and teachers.

PubMed

Tu, Kelly M; Erath, Stephen A

2013-04-01

The present study investigated whether salient preadolescent behaviors and experiences predicted parents' and teachers' underestimation of preadolescents' shyness. Participants included a community sample of 129 fifth and sixth graders, along with one parent and teacher per preadolescent. Preadolescents, parents, and teachers provided reports about preadolescents' shyness, and parents and teachers rated preadolescents' prosocial and aggressive behaviors, peer victimization experiences, and academic performance. Results indicated that parent- and teacher-reported prosocial behavior, teacher-reported aggressive behavior, and parent-reported peer victimization were associated with lower parent and teacher reports of preadolescent shyness, relative to preadolescent reports, controlling for demographic variables and parent stress. Additionally, higher parent-reported academic performance was associated with lower teacher reports of preadolescent shyness, compared to preadolescent reports. These findings suggest that preadolescents with higher levels of relatively conspicuous behaviors and experiences feel more shyness than their parents and teachers report.

Comparison of Psychopathological Symptoms in Adolescents Who Experienced Sexual Violence as a Victim and/or as a Perpetrator.

PubMed

Ohlert, Jeannine; Seidler, Corinna; Rau, Thea; Fegert, Jörg; Allroggen, Marc

2017-01-01

Research on sexual violence victims and perpetrators indicates that victims in general are found to report higher levels of psychopathological symptoms, especially internalizing behavior, whereas perpetrators often show externalizing behavior. Little is known, however, about the psychopathology of perpetrators of sexual violence who have also experienced sexual victimization (victim-perpetrators). Thus, the aim of the current study was to examine this group within a sample of adolescents living in residential care or federal boarding schools. Participants reported their lifetime experience with sexual violence (both as victim and perpetrator) and completed the Youth Self Report. Results indicate that all three groups of adolescents with sexual violence experience report higher total problem scores than adolescents without this experience. Victim-perpetrators show results more similar to those of perpetrators only than those of victims only. The discussion deals with the implications of our findings for the treatment of victims of sexual violence.

Stress Sensitivity and Psychotic Experiences in 39 Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

PubMed

DeVylder, Jordan E; Koyanagi, Ai; Unick, Jay; Oh, Hans; Nam, Boyoung; Stickley, Andrew

2016-11-01

Stress has a central role in most theories of psychosis etiology, but the relation between stress and psychosis has rarely been examined in large population-level data sets, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. We used data from 39 countries in the World Health Survey (n = 176 934) to test the hypothesis that stress sensitivity would be associated with psychotic experiences, using logistic regression analyses. Respondents in low-income countries reported higher stress sensitivity (P < .001) and prevalence of psychotic experiences (P < .001), compared to individuals in middle-income countries. Greater stress sensitivity was associated with increased odds for psychotic experiences, even when adjusted for co-occurring anxiety and depressive symptoms: adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) = 1.17 (1.15-1.19) per unit increase in stress sensitivity (range 2-10). This association was consistent and significant across nearly every country studied, and translated into a difference in psychotic experience prevalence ranging from 6.4% among those with the lowest levels of stress sensitivity up to 22.2% among those with the highest levels. These findings highlight the generalizability of the association between psychosis and stress sensitivity in the largest and most globally representative community-level sample to date, and support the targeting of stress sensitivity as a potential component of individual- and population-level interventions for psychosis. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Stress at work: Differential experiences of high versus low SES workers.

PubMed

Damaske, Sarah; Zawadzki, Matthew J; Smyth, Joshua M

2016-05-01

This paper asks whether workers with higher socioeconomic status (SES) experience different levels of stress at work than workers with lower SES and, if so, what might explain these differences. We collected innovative assessments of immediate objective and subjective measures of stress at multiple time points across consecutive days from 122 employed men and women. We find that in comparison to higher SES individuals, those with lower SES reported greater happiness at work, less self-reported stress, and less perceived stress; cortisol, a biological marker of stress, was unrelated to SES. Worker's momentary perceptions of the workplace were predicted by SES, with higher SES individuals more commonly reporting feeling unable to meet work demands, fewer work resources, and less positive work appraisals. In turn, perceptions of the workplace had a generally consistent and robust effect on positive mood, subjective stress, and cortisol. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inter-rater reliability of PATH observations for assessment of ergonomic risk factors in hospital work.

PubMed

Park, Jung-Keun; Boyer, Jon; Tessler, Jamie; Casey, Jeffrey; Schemm, Linda; Gore, Rebecca; Punnett, Laura

2009-07-01

This study examined the inter-rater reliability of expert observations of ergonomic risk factors by four analysts. Ten jobs were observed at a hospital using a newly expanded version of the PATH method (Buchholz et al. 1996), to which selected upper extremity exposures had been added. Two of the four raters simultaneously observed each worker onsite for a total of 443 observation pairs containing 18 categorical exposure items each. For most exposure items, kappa coefficients were 0.4 or higher. For some items, agreement was higher both for the jobs with less rapid hand activity and for the analysts with a higher level of ergonomic job analysis experience. These upper extremity exposures could be characterised reliably with real-time observation, given adequate experience and training of the observers. The revised version of PATH is applicable to the analysis of jobs where upper extremity musculoskeletal strain is of concern.

The effect of embodied emotive states on cognitive categorization.

PubMed

Price, Tom F; Harmon-Jones, Eddie

2010-12-01

Research has uncovered that positive affect broadens cognitive categorization. The motivational dimensional model, however, posits that positive affect is not a unitary construct with only one cognitive consequence. Instead, this model puts forth that there are different positive affects varying in approach motivational intensity. According to this model, only positive affects lower in motivational intensity should broaden cognitive processes, whereas positive affects higher in motivational intensity should narrow cognitive processes. Consistent with these predictions, high approach positive affect has been shown to narrow attention, whereas low approach positive affect has been shown to broaden it (Gable & Harmon-Jones, 2008). High approach positive affect, therefore, might narrow categorization. Two experiments investigated this possibility by having participants respond to cognitive categorization tasks in 3 body postures designed to elicit different levels of approach motivation: reclining backward, which should evoke low approach motivation; sitting upright, which should evoke moderate approach motivation; and leaning forward, which should evoke high approach motivation. Participants smiled while in each posture in order to experience positive affect. Experiment 1 provided initial support for the idea that high approach positive affect narrows categorization and low approach positive affect broadens categorization. Experiment 2 replicated these findings with improved smiling instructions. These results extend previous work by showing that the motivational model's predictions hold for basic attentional processes as well as higher level cognitive processes such as categorization.

Individual differences in empathy are associated with apathy-motivation.

PubMed

Lockwood, Patricia L; Ang, Yuen-Siang; Husain, Masud; Crockett, Molly J

2017-12-11

Empathy - the capacity to understand and resonate with the experiences of other people - is considered an essential aspect of social cognition. However, although empathy is often thought to be automatic, recent theories have argued that there is a key role for motivation in modulating empathic experiences. Here we administered self-report measures of empathy and apathy-motivation to a large sample of healthy people (n = 378) to test whether people who are more empathic are also more motivated. We then sought to replicate our findings in an independent sample (n = 198) that also completed a behavioural task to measure state affective empathy and emotion recognition. Cognitive empathy was associated with higher levels of motivation generally across behavioural, social and emotional domains. In contrast, affective empathy was associated with lower levels of behavioural motivation, but higher levels of emotional motivation. Factor analyses showed that empathy and apathy are distinct constructs, but that affective empathy and emotional motivation are underpinned by the same latent factor. These results have potentially important clinical applications for disorders associated with reduced empathy and motivation as well as the understanding of these processes in healthy people.

Perceived discrimination, race and health in South Africa.

PubMed

Williams, David R; Gonzalez, Hector M; Williams, Stacey; Mohammed, Selina A; Moomal, Hashim; Stein, Dan J

2008-08-01

To assess the levels of perceived acute and chronic racial and non-racial discrimination in South Africa, their association with health, and the extent to which they contribute to racial differences in physical and mental health, data were used from a national probability sample of adults, the South African Stress and Health Study (SASH). All Black groups in South Africa (African, Coloured and Indian) were two to four times more likely than Whites to report acute and chronic experiences of racial discrimination. Africans and Coloureds report higher levels of ill health than Whites, but acute and chronic racial discrimination were unrelated to ill health and unimportant in accounting for racial differences in self-rated health. In contrast, all Black groups had higher levels of psychological distress than Whites, and perceived chronic discrimination was positively associated with distress. Moreover, these experiences accounted for some of the residual racial differences in distress after adjustment for socioeconomic status. Our main findings indicate that, in a historically racialized society, perceived chronic racial and especially non-racial discrimination acts independently of demographic factors, other stressors, psychological factors (social desirability, self-esteem and personal mastery), and multiple SES indicators to adversely affect mental health.

Public stigma towards mental illness in the Greek culture.

PubMed

Tzouvara, V; Papadopoulos, C

2014-12-01

Mental illness stigma negatively affects the lives of individuals with mental health disorders. Studies have indicated that the type and degree of stigma significantly varies across cultures. This study aimed to add to this body of knowledge by examining the prevalence and the type of mental illness stigma among individuals who identified themselves as Greek. It also examined the influence of a range of potential within-culture stigma moderating factors, including levels of previous experience with mental illness and mental illness knowledge. A cross-sectional quantitative design was employed, and 111 participants living in England and Greece were sampled through the snowball sampling technique. Stigma prevalence was measured using the 'Community Attitudes to Mental Illness' questionnaire. The findings revealed that participants showed a high degree of sympathy for people with mental illness but also considered them to be inferior and of a lower social class, and needing strict societal control. Higher stigma was significantly associated with being educated in England (instead of Greece), higher religiosity, lower knowledge levels and lower levels personal experience of mental illness. Targeted antistigma campaigns specifically tailored for the Greek culture are required in order to help reduce stigmatizing attitudes. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Perceived Discrimination, Race and Health in South Africa

PubMed Central

Williams, David R.; Gonzalez, Hector M; Williams, Stacey; Mohammed, Selina A; Moomal, Hashim; Stein, Dan J

2009-01-01

To assess the levels of perceived acute and chronic racial and non-racial discrimination in South Africa, their association with health, and the extent to which they contribute to racial differences in physical and mental health, data were used from a national probability sample of adults, the South African Stress and Health Study (SASH). All Black groups in South Africa (African, Coloured and Indian) were two to four times more likely than Whites to report acute and chronic experiences of racial discrimination. Africans and Coloureds report higher levels of ill health than Whites, but acute and chronic racial discrimination were unrelated to ill health and unimportant in accounting for racial differences in self rated health. In contrast, all Black groups had higher levels of psychological distress than Whites, and perceived chronic discrimination, was positively associated with distress. Moreover, these experiences accounted for some of the residual racial differences in distress after adjustment for socioeconomic status. Our main findings indicate that, in a historically racialized society, perceived chronic racial and especially non-racial discrimination acts independently of demographic factors, other stressors, psychological factors (social desirability, self-esteem and personal mastery), and multiple SES indicators to adversely affect mental health. PMID:18486292

Effects of Congruent and Incongruent Stimulus Colour on Flavour Discriminations.

PubMed

Wieneke, Leonie; Schmuck, Pauline; Zacher, Julia; Greenlee, Mark W; Plank, Tina

2018-01-01

In addition to gustatory, olfactory and somatosensory input, visual information plays a role in our experience of food and drink. We asked whether colour in this context has an effect at the perceptual level via multisensory integration or if higher level cognitive factors are involved. Using an articulatory suppression task, comparable to Stevenson and Oaten, cognitive processes should be interrupted during a flavour discriminatory task, so that any residual colour effects would be traceable to low-level integration. Subjects judged in a three-alternative forced-choice paradigm the presence of a different flavour (triangle test). On each trial, they tasted three liquids from identical glasses, with one of them containing a different flavour. The substances were congruent in colour and flavour, incongruent or uncoloured. Subjects who performed the articulatory suppression task responded faster and made fewer errors. The findings suggest a role for higher level cognitive processing in the effect of colour on flavour judgements.

Effects of Congruent and Incongruent Stimulus Colour on Flavour Discriminations

PubMed Central

Wieneke, Leonie; Schmuck, Pauline; Zacher, Julia; Plank, Tina

2018-01-01

In addition to gustatory, olfactory and somatosensory input, visual information plays a role in our experience of food and drink. We asked whether colour in this context has an effect at the perceptual level via multisensory integration or if higher level cognitive factors are involved. Using an articulatory suppression task, comparable to Stevenson and Oaten, cognitive processes should be interrupted during a flavour discriminatory task, so that any residual colour effects would be traceable to low-level integration. Subjects judged in a three-alternative forced-choice paradigm the presence of a different flavour (triangle test). On each trial, they tasted three liquids from identical glasses, with one of them containing a different flavour. The substances were congruent in colour and flavour, incongruent or uncoloured. Subjects who performed the articulatory suppression task responded faster and made fewer errors. The findings suggest a role for higher level cognitive processing in the effect of colour on flavour judgements. PMID:29755721

Parental Stress in Families of Children with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsiao, Yun-Ju

2018-01-01

Parents of children with disabilities often experience a higher level of stress than parents of children without disabilities, regardless of categories of disabilities. Understanding parental stressors can lead to appropriate interventions and supports for these parents and their children with disabilities. This article discusses issues of…

Interactive Multimedia-Based E-Learning: A Study of Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Dongsong

2005-01-01

The author conducted two experiments to assess effectiveness of interactive e-learning. Students in a fully interactive multimedia-based e-learning environment achieved better performance and higher levels of satisfaction than those in a traditional classroom and those in a less interactive e-learning environment.

Evidence-Based Teaching in Higher Education: Application to Counselor Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malott, Krista M.; Hall, K. Hridaya; Sheely-Moore, Angela; Krell, Megan M.; Cardaciotto, LeeAnn

2014-01-01

The authors examined best practices in university-level teaching, as premised on the evidence-based teaching (EBT) literature found in fields external to counselor education. Findings were reported in relation to 3 areas: developing an effective learning environment, structuring intentional learning experiences, and assessing teaching…

Reaction Time Asymmetries between Expansion and Contraction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lopez-Moliner, Joan

2005-01-01

Different asymmetries between expansion and contraction (radial motions) have been reported in the literature. Often these patterns have been regarded as implying different channels for each type of radial direction (outward versus inwards) operating at a higher level of visual motion processing. In two experiments (detection and discrimination…

Improving Teaching in Higher Education in Malaysia: Issues and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mohd. Deni, Ann Rosnida; Zainal, Zainor Izat; Malakolunthu, Suseela

2014-01-01

Various initiatives at national and faculty levels are carried out to improve teaching quality at Malaysian universities. Measures such as auditing and accrediting university programs and obtaining certification for quality management help improve program management and standardize students' learning experiences. However, these do not guarantee…

New Mexico Math Remediation Taskforce Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New Mexico Higher Education Department, 2016

2016-01-01

The Math Remediation Task Force is comprised of faculty from two-year, four-year comprehensive, and four-year flagship higher education institutions throughout the state of New Mexico. Its members have varying levels of experience with designing/implementing multiple math remediation programs including traditional, co-requisite and acceleration…

Poetry as a Healing Experience for Teams.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bronson, Jim; Schaub, Nancy

Experiential practitioners have the opportunity to help groups move to a higher level of functioning, getting beyond unresolved emotional issues and becoming more truthful, immediate, involved, and collaborative. This critical process takes place along a continuum from "staying safe and shallow" at one end to "going deep and…

Where Are They Now: Emily Burnett Aims Even Higher Thanks to Internship Experience | Poster

Cancer.gov

Emily Burnett, a five-time intern with NCI at Frederick’s Occupational Health Services (OHS), says the Werner H. Kirsten Student Intern Program program helped shape her current career trajectory. When she began her first OHS internship in 2015, her heart was set on becoming a nurse. However, after working with mentor Sarah Hooper and secondary mentor Patricia Claude, she decided to pursue a “higher level of medicine”—physician’s assistant.

School experiences may be important determinants of mental health problems in middle childhood - a Swedish longitudinal population-based study.

PubMed

Waenerlund, Anna-Karin; Stenmark, Helena; Bergström, Erik; Hägglöf, Bruno; Öhman, Ann; Petersen, Solveig

2016-04-01

Little is known about the association between school experiences and mental health in young schoolchildren. This study explored the cross-sectional and prospective associations between children's school experiences and mental health in middle childhood. We gathered comprehensive population-based data on the school experiences and mental health of 592 schoolchildren attending grades three and six in Sweden (ages approximately nine and 12 years). The KIDSCREEN questionnaire was used to measure school experiences in both age groups while the Child Behavior Checklist and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire measured mental health in grades three and six, respectively. Children with problematic school experiences in grade three had an approximately two times higher odds for concurrent total, internalised, externalised, attention-hyperactivity and social problems. They also had a 1.5-2.5 higher odds for these mental health problems three years later. Likewise, there was an association between problematic school experiences in grade three and lower levels of prosocial behaviour three years later. These associations were shown in both boys and girls, but were particularly pronounced in girls. This study indicated that school experiences in young schoolchildren may be important determinants of concurrent and later mental health problems. ©2016 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Dispositional Differences of Collegiate Athletes' Flow State: A Cross-Cultural Comparison.

PubMed

Liu, Weina; Ji, Liu; Watson, Jack C

2015-03-17

Csikszentmihalyi (1990) suggested that certain types of people might be better psychologically equipped to experience flow. The purpose of this study was to determine if differences exist in one's ability to experience flow based upon factors such as cultural background, gender, years of specialized training, skill level, and sport event type. The English and Chinese versions of the Dispositional Flow Scale-2 were used to assess trait flow in American (N = 160) and Chinese collegiate athletes (N = 341). Using a one-way ANOVA analysis, the flow scores of American participants were found to be higher than those of Chinese participants, η2 = 0.175, 95% CI: 3.536-3.622, p < .005. The flow scores of male athletes were higher than those of female athletes within the Chinese sample, η2 = 0.032, 95% CI: 3.390-3.486, p < .005. The flow scores of university athletes were higher than those of national team level athletes within the Chinese sample, η2 = 0.044, 95% CI: 3.279-3.501, p < .005. Flow scores for athletes in skill-showing events were higher than those of athletes participating in physical ability-showing events for the American participants, η2 = 0.074, 95% CI: 3.812-3.948, p < .005. This study suggests that individual differences exist in the psychological characteristics of athletes' trait flow.

Trajectories of dating violence: Differences by sexual minority status and gender.

PubMed

Martin-Storey, Alexa; Fromme, Kim

2016-06-01

The purpose of this study was to examine how sexual minority status (as assessed using both identity and behavior) was associated with trajectories of dating violence. University students from a large Southwestern university completed questions on their sexual minority identity, the gender of their sexual partners, and about experiences of dating violence for six consecutive semesters (N = 1942). Latent growth curve modeling indicated that generally, trajectories of dating violence were stable across study participation. Sexual minority identity was associated with higher initial levels of dating violence at baseline, but also with greater decreases in dating violence across time. These differences were mediated by number of sexual partners. Having same and other-sex sexual partners was associated with higher levels of dating violence at baseline, and persisted in being associated with higher levels over time. No significant gender difference was observed regarding trajectories of dating violence. Copyright © 2016 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measurements of background radiation levels around Indian station Bharati, during 33rd Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica.

PubMed

Bakshi, A K; Prajith, Rama; Chinnaesakki, S; Pal, Rupali; Sathian, Deepa; Dhar, Ajay; Selvam, T Palani; Sapra, B K; Datta, D

2017-02-01

A comprehensive measurement of radioactivity concentrations of the primordial radionuclides 238 U, 232 Th and 40 K and their decay products in the soil samples collected from the sites of Indian research stations, Bharati and Maitri, at Antarctica was carried out using gamma spectrometric method. The activity concentrations in the soil samples of Bharati site were observed to be few times higher than of Maitri site. The major contributor to radioactivity content in the soil at Bharati site is 232 Th radionuclide in higher concentration. The gamma radiation levels based on the measured radioactivity of soil samples were calculated using the equation given in UNSCEAR 2000. The calculated radiation levels were compared with the measured values and found to correlate reasonably well. The study could be useful for the scientists working at Antarctica especially those at Indian station to take decision to avoid areas with higher radioactivity before erecting any facility for long term experiment or use. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of physiological, growth and yield responses of a tropical oil crop (Brassica campestris L. var. Kranti) under ambient ozone pollution at varying NPK levels.

PubMed

Singh, Poonam; Agrawal, Madhoolika; Agrawal, Shashi Bhushan

2009-03-01

A field study was conducted to evaluate the impact of ambient ozone on mustard (Brassica campestris L. var. Kranti) plants grown under recommended and 1.5 times recommended NPK doses at a rural site of India using filtered (FCs) and non-filtered open top chambers (NFCs). Ambient mean O(3) concentration varied from 41.65 to 54.2ppb during the experiment. Plants growing in FCs showed higher photosynthetic rate at both NPK levels, but higher stomatal conductance only at recommended NPK. There were improvements in growth parameters and biomass of plants in FCs as compared to NFCs at both NPK levels with higher increments at 1.5 times recommended. Seed yield and harvest index decreased significantly only at recommended NPK in NFCs. Seed quality in terms of nutrients, protein and oil contents reduced in NFCs at recommended NPK. The application of 1.5 times recommended NPK provided protection against yield loss due to ambient O(3).

Quantification of burnout in emergency nurses: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Li, Hong; Cheng, Bin; Zhu, Xiao Ping

2018-01-17

Previous studies showed increased levels of absenteeism, drug abuse, depression, and symptoms allied with burnout in emergency nurses. This meta-analysis aimed to quantify the three dimensions of burnout in emergency nurses and estimate the proportion of nurses who experience higher than tolerable levels of burnout. A systematic search was conducted on PubMed, Scielo, Xueshu Baidu and Informa databases with a cut-off time between 1997 and 2017 to retrieve published papers in any language that had estimated the burnout levels in emergency nurses by using MBI scale. We identified a total of 11 eligible studies. The total mean estimate was moderate for emotional exhaustion (25.552), but clearly trending towards higher level, whereas depersonalization (10.383) and lack of personal accomplishment (30.652) showed higher burnouts levels. The proportion of emergency nurses suffering from high emotional exhaustion, high depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment was 40.5%, 44.3%, and 42.7%, respectively. Burnout is detrimental to achieving high-quality healthcare services and causes a loss of productivity. It is high time for nursing leader and management personnel to identify appropriate measures to counteract burnout. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Proximal composition, lipid and cholesterol content of meat from pigs fed peach-palm meal (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) and synthetic lysine].

PubMed

Jerez-Timaure, Nancy; Rivero, Janeth Colina; Araque, Humberto; Jiménez, Paola; Velazco, Mariela; Colmenares, Ciolys

2011-03-01

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the proximal composition, lipids and cholesterol content of meat from pigs fed diets with peach-palm meal (PPM), with or without addition of synthetic lysine (LYS). In experiment 1, 24 pigs were randomly allotted into six treatments with three levels of PPM (0.16 and 32%) and two levels of LYS (0 and 0.27%). In experiment II, 16 finishing pigs were fed with two levels of PPM (0 and 17.50%) and two levels of LYS (0 and 0.27%). At the end of each experiment (42 and 35 d, respectively), pigs were slaughtered and loin samples were obtained to determine crude protein, dry matter, moisture, ash, total lipids, and cholesterol content. In experiment I, pork loin from 16% PPM had more dry matter (26.45 g/100 g) and less moisture (73.49 g/100g) than pork loin from 32% PPM (25.11 y 75.03 g/100g, respectively). Meat samples from pigs without LYS had higher (p < 0.05) content of lipids (2.11 g/100 g) than meat from pigs that consumed LYS (1.72 g/100 g). In experiment II, the proximal, lipids and cholesterol content were similar among treatments. The PPM addition to pig diets did not affect the proximal composition of pork, while LYS addition indicated a reduction of total lipids, which could result as an alternative to obtain leaner meat.

The relationships between stressful life events during childhood and differentiation of self and intergenerational triangulation in adulthood.

PubMed

Peleg, Ora

2014-12-01

This study examined the relationships between stressful life events in childhood and differentiation of self and intergenerational triangulation in adulthood. The sample included 217 students (173 females and 44 males) from a college in northern Israel. Participants completed the Hebrew versions of Life Events Checklist (LEC), Differentiation of Self Inventory-Revised (DSI-R) and intergenerational triangulation (INTRI). The main findings were that levels of stressful life events during childhood and adolescence among both genders were positively correlated with the levels of fusion with others and intergenerational triangulation. The levels of positive life events were negatively related to levels of emotional reactivity, emotional cut-off and intergenerational triangulation. Levels of stressful life events in females were positively correlated with emotional reactivity. Intergenerational triangulation was correlated with emotional reactivity, emotional cut-off, fusion with others and I-position. Findings suggest that families that experience higher levels of stressful life events may be at risk for higher levels of intergenerational triangulation and lower levels of differentiation of self. © 2014 International Union of Psychological Science.

Parenting stress, salivary biomarkers, and ambulatory blood pressure: a comparison between mothers and fathers of children with autism spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Foody, Ciara; James, Jack E; Leader, Geraldine

2015-04-01

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may experience higher levels of stress and health problems than parents of children with typical development. However, most research has focused on mothers, with emphasis on parent-reported stress and wellbeing. This study compared parenting responsibility, distress, anxiety, depression, cortisol, alpha-amylase, and cardiovascular activity between 19 mother-father dyads of children with ASD. Mothers reported higher parenting responsibility, distress, anxiety, and depression than fathers, while fathers had higher blood pressure and heart rate variability. Mothers and fathers had lower than average morning cortisol levels, suggesting stress effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis. Parents of children with ASD may benefit from routine health screening (particularly adrenal and cardiovascular function) and referral for stress reduction interventions or supports.

Posttraumatic growth in bereaved parents: A multidimensional model of associated factors.

PubMed

Albuquerque, Sara; Narciso, Isabel; Pereira, Marco

2018-03-01

Although the death of a child is a devastating event, recent evidence shows that personal growth is a relevant outcome of parents' grief. This study aimed to examine the factors associated with posttraumatic growth (PTG) and to propose a multidimensional model consisting of sociodemographic, situational, and intrapersonal and interpersonal factors. A sample (N = 197; 89.8% female; mean age = 39.44 years) of bereaved parents completed the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory-Short Form, the 14-Item Resilience Scale, the Continuing Bonds Scale, and the Dyadic Coping Inventory. The final model consisted of sociodemographic, situational, intrapersonal, and interpersonal factors of PTG, which accounted for 36.7% of the variance. Higher levels of PTG were generally associated with female sex, younger age of the child, higher levels of resilience, higher levels of internalized continuing bonds (i.e., internal representation of the child, maintaining psychological proximity), and higher levels of stress communication by the partner (communicating the stress experience and requesting emotional or practical support). In clinical practice, health professionals assisting bereaved parents should pay attention to men and parents of older children, who might be at higher risk of difficulties in developing PTG. Additionally, promoting a more internalized bond with the child, resilience and dyadic coping, especially stress communication, can constitute important therapeutic goals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Line integral on engineering mathematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiryanto, L. H.

2018-01-01

Definite integral is a basic material in studying mathematics. At the level of calculus, calculating of definite integral is based on fundamental theorem of calculus, related to anti-derivative, as the inverse operation of derivative. At the higher level such as engineering mathematics, the definite integral is used as one of the calculating tools of line integral. the purpose of this is to identify if there is a question related to line integral, we can use definite integral as one of the calculating experience. The conclusion of this research says that the teaching experience in introducing the relation between both integrals through the engineer way of thinking can motivate and improve students in understanding the material.

[The effect of exogenous iron on levels of adenosinetriphosphate and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in erythrocytes of men during extreme physical exertion].

PubMed

Pedzikiewicz, J; Sobiech, K A

1995-01-01

Nine men were examined during a three-week training requiring much physical effort. They were given nutrient, "LIVEX", enriched with iron. Hematological parameters as well as concentration of erythrocyte ATP and 2,3-DPG were determined before and after the experiment. Hematological parameters were determined using standard methods while Boehringer's test (Germany) was used for determining ATP and 2,3-DPG. The level of reticular cells was statistically higher after the experiment, and the increase in ATP and 2,3-DPG concentration was insignificant. A positive adaptation of energy metabolism after exogenous iron administration during physical effort was discussed.

[General practitioners, community physicians and hospital physicians--how different are they?].

PubMed

Førde, R; Aasland, O G; Akre, V

1996-09-30

In 1993, 9,226 practising physicians in Norway received extensive questionnaires about their health, working and living conditions. In this article we compare municipality employed community physicians (n = 972), general practitioners in private practice (n = 869), and hospital physicians (n = 3,160) with regard to demographic variables and their experience of stress, professional autonomy and job satisfaction. General practitioners report higher job satisfaction and more autonomy than community and hospital physicians, whereas community physicians seem to have a somewhat higher stress level than the two other categories. The experience of general well being, however, is the same in the three groups. General practitioners also spend more time with patients, and are much more satisfied with their income.

The levels of the GluN2A NMDA receptor subunit are modified in both the neonatal and adult rat brain by an early experience involving denial of maternal contact.

PubMed

Manatos, V; Stylianopoulou, F; Stamatakis, A

2016-01-26

The composition of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor receptor in GluN2A/GluN2B subunits is important in determining its characteristics and its role in plasticity, a property of the brain which is known to be critically affected by early experiences. In the present work we employed an early experience model involving either receipt (RER) or denial (DER) of the expected reward of maternal contact within the context of learning by the pups of a T-maze on postnatal days (PND) 10-13. We investigated the effects of the RER and DER early experiences on GluN1, GluN2A and GluN2B levels in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), hippocampus and amygdala of the rat. We show that on PND13 the DER animals had lower GluN2A levels in the PFC. In adulthood DER males had higher GluN2A levels in the hippocampus, both under basal conditions and after exposure to a novel environment. The early experiences did not affect the response to the novelty. After exposure to a novel environment animals of all three groups (DER, RER, Control) responded with an increase in GluN2A levels in the brain areas examined. We did not detect any effects on GluN1 or GluN2B levels. The alterations in GluN2A levels observed in the DER animals could in part be responsible for their behavioral phenotype, described previously, which includes an increased susceptibility for the expression of depressive-like behavior. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Gender differences in successful National Institutes of Health funding in ophthalmology.

PubMed

Svider, Peter F; D'Aguillo, Christine M; White, Priscilla E; Pashkova, Anna A; Bhagat, Neelakshi; Langer, Paul D; Eloy, Jean Anderson

2014-01-01

To determine whether gender differences in individual National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards and in funding totals exist in ophthalmology, and to further characterize whether factors such as experience, academic rank, and terminal degree play a role. A retrospective review of awards granted to primary investigators (PIs) in ophthalmology departments from 2011 through the present was conducted. PIs were classified by gender, degree, experience, and academic position. The NIH funding database was used to gather award data. Academic medical center. Men had higher mean NIH awards ($418,605) than their female colleagues ($353,170; p = 0.005) and had higher total funding per PI (p = 0.004). Men had statistically higher awards at the level of assistant professor than their female counterparts (p < 0.05). A gender difference was statistically significant and most marked among researchers holding an MD (or equivalent) degree. When controlled for publication experience, men had higher NIH awards throughout their careers, although this difference only reached statistical significance on comparison of faculty with 10 or fewer years of experience. Male PIs receiving grants since 2011 had higher awards than their female colleagues did, most markedly among PIs in the earlier portions of their career. Differences in gender representation among senior faculty and in positions of leadership in academic ophthalmology may be partially a result of disparities in research output, as scholarly productivity is an important component of the academic advancement process in ophthalmology. Copyright © 2014 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Emotional intelligence among nursing students: Findings from a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Štiglic, Gregor; Cilar, Leona; Novak, Žiga; Vrbnjak, Dominika; Stenhouse, Rosie; Snowden, Austyn; Pajnkihar, Majda

2018-07-01

Emotional intelligence in nursing is of global interest. International studies identify that emotional intelligence influences nurses' work and relationships with patients. It is associated with compassion and care. Nursing students scored higher on measures of emotional intelligence compared to students of other study programmes. The level of emotional intelligence increases with age and tends to be higher in women. This study aims to measure the differences in emotional intelligence between nursing students with previous caring experience and those without; to examine the effects of gender on emotional intelligence scores; and to test whether nursing students score higher than engineering colleagues on emotional intelligence measures. A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used. The study included 113 nursing and 104 engineering students at the beginning of their first year of study at a university in Slovenia. Emotional intelligence was measured using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue) and Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT). Shapiro-Wilk's test of normality was used to test the sample distribution, while the differences in mean values were tested using Student t-test of independent samples. Emotional intelligence was higher in nursing students (n = 113) than engineering students (n = 104) in both measures [TEIQue t = 3.972; p < 0.001; SSEIT t = 8.288; p < 0.001]. Although nursing female students achieved higher emotional intelligence scores than male students on both measures, the difference was not statistically significant [TEIQue t = -0.839; p = 0.403; SSEIT t = -1.159; p = 0.249]. EI scores in nursing students with previous caring experience were not higher compared to students without such experience for any measure [TEIQue t = -1.633; p = 0.105; SSEIT t = -0.595; p = 0.553]. Emotional intelligence was higher in nursing than engineering students, and slightly higher in women than men. It was not associated with previous caring experience. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

THE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN FOR BeO IRAADIATION EXPERIMENTS ORNL 41-8 AND ORNL 41-9

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gardiner, D.A.

1962-07-18

The experimental plan for irradiating BeO pellets in Experiments ORNL 41- 8 and ORNL 41-9 was chosen in accordance with the principles of experimental design. The design is known by statisticians as a 2/sup 5/ factorial experiment confound'' in six replications. Five variables---size, density, grain size, temperature and time--are controlled at two levels to form the basic 2i factorial experiment. The sixth variable, neutron flux, is introduced by confounding on higher-order interactions. An explanation is presented in nontechnical language the means by which the aims of the experimenters and the physical conditions affecting the experiment were utilized in constructing themore » experimental design. (auth)« less

Evaluation of reaction time performance and subjective drowsiness during whole-body vibration exposure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azizan, A.; Zali, Z.; Padil, H.

2018-05-01

Despite the automotive industry’s interest in how vibration affects the level of human comfort, there is little focus on the effect of vibration on drowsiness level. Thus, this study involves eighteen healthy male participants to study the effect of exposure to vibration on the drowsiness level. Prior to the experiment, the total transmitted vibration measured at interfaces between the seat pan and seat back to the human body for each participant was modified to become 0.2 ms-2 r.m.s and 0.4 ms-2 r.m.s. During the experiment, the participants were seated and exposed to 20-minutes of Gaussian random vibration with frequency band 1-15 Hz at two level of amplitude (low vibration amplitude and medium vibration amplitude) on separate days. The level of drowsiness was measured using a PVT test prior and after exposure to the vibration while participants rated their subjective drowsiness by using the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS). The significant increase in the number of lapse and reaction time because of the exposure to vibration in both conditions provide strong evidence of drowsiness. In this regard, the medium vibration amplitude shows a more prominent effect. All participants have shown a steady increase of drowsiness level in KSS. Meanwhile, there are no significant differences found between low vibration amplitude and medium vibration amplitude in the KSS. These findings suggest that human alertness level is greatly affected by the exposure to vibration and these effects are more pronounced at higher vibration amplitude. Both findings indicate that the presence of vibration promotes drowsiness, especially at higher vibration amplitude.

An Exploration of Burnout among Online University Professors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCann, Jack Thomas; Holt, Roger

2009-01-01

Stress and burnout have emerged as a serious concern for today's higher education instructors. As the growth in distance education continues, the demands on online academics will increase, potentially leading to the burnout. This study examined the correlation between years of online work experience, gender, educational level, academic training,…

Attentional Sensitization of Unconscious Cognition: Task Sets Modulate Subsequent Masked Semantic Priming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiefer, Markus; Martens, Ulla

2010-01-01

According to classical theories, automatic processes are autonomous and independent of higher level cognitive influence. In contrast, the authors propose that automatic processing depends on attentional sensitization of task-congruent processing pathways. In 3 experiments, the authors tested this hypothesis with a modified masked semantic priming…

The PISA Project: A Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buhler-Miko, Marina

With the support of a 3-year grant from the Fund for The Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), the Higher Education Strategic Planning Institute has built a shared experience strategic planning database for college and university top-level management. The Performance Improvement through Strategy Analysis (PISA) program began in 1982 with…

Common-Sense Chemistry: The Use of Assumptions and Heuristics in Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maeyer, Jenine Rachel

2013-01-01

Students experience difficulty learning and understanding chemistry at higher levels, often because of cognitive biases stemming from common sense reasoning constraints. These constraints can be divided into two categories: assumptions (beliefs held about the world around us) and heuristics (the reasoning strategies or rules used to build…

Advisory Boards: Academic Partnerships That Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silver, Gerald

An academic advisory board of volunteers drawn from college alumni and the general community can serve institutions of higher education at the college, school and even departmental level. Board members link the academic community to the external community by sharing expertise gained through practical experience. Such a board exists solely to give…

Bilingual Storybook Apps: An Interactive Reading Experience for Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herzig, Melissa; Malzkuhn, Melissa

2015-01-01

In recent years, researchers have turned their attention to the cognitive impact of bilingualism, and the benefits of using two languages have become increasingly apparent. Children raised in bilingual families exhibit stronger awareness of the style and tone of language, stronger cognitive development, and higher levels of reading skill than…

Mental Skills Training Experience of NCAA Division II Softball Catchers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norman, Shannon

2012-01-01

Athletes competing at all levels of sport are constantly working on ways to enhance their physical performance. Sport psychology research insists there are higher performance results among athletes who incorporate mental skills training into their practice and competition settings. In order to use the mental skills strategies effectively, athletes…

Integrating Sustainable Development into Operations Management Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fredriksson, Peter; Persson, Magnus

2011-01-01

Purpose: It is widely acknowledged that aspects of sustainable development (SD) should be integrated into higher level operations management (OM) education. The aim of the paper is to outline the experiences gained at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden from integrating aspects of SD into OM courses. Design/methodology/approach: The paper…

The Effects of Humor on Test Anxiety and Test Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tali, Glenda

2017-01-01

Testing in an academic setting provokes anxiety in all students in higher education, particularly nursing students. When students experience high levels of anxiety, the resulting decline in test performance often does not represent an accurate assessment of students' academic achievement. This quantitative, experimental study examined the effects…

Measuring Adjunct Instructor Job Satisfaction by Using Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickens, Durrell

2011-01-01

This study was designed to use Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory to investigate the different levels of job satisfaction among adjunct college instructors at eight institutions of higher education located in southeast Texas. Differences in job satisfaction were measured by instructor gender, ethnicity, age, teaching experience, type of course…

Creatine and the Male Adolescent Athlete

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schumaker, Shauna; Eyers, Christina; Cappaert, Thomas

2012-01-01

As the level of competition in youth sports increases, so does athletes' vulnerability to experimenting with performance-enhancing aids (PEAs) at alarmingly young ages. One of the more commonly used PEAs is a supplement called creatine, which has the ability to generate muscular energy, allowing athletes to train at higher intensities for longer…

Effective Student Motivation Commences with Resolving "Dissatisfiers"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prescott, Ann; Simpson, Edward

2004-01-01

The evolution in students' expectations based on Maslow's theory of human motivation shows a transition from expectations having an effect upon motivation towards those providing a satisfactory experience. Maslow's argument was that once the lower level needs, such as physiological and safety needs, are met other higher needs emerge. In the…

Modern Trends in Teaching English at Comenius University, Bratislava

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ibragimova, Elena N.; Martynova, Irina

2016-01-01

Recent changes in the Russian system of higher linguistic education, introduction of the two level education for future teachers of foreign languages according to the Bologna agreement, alterations to the existing university syllabi necessitate a close study of the international experience in this sphere. Therefore careful evaluation of the best…

Weathering the Recession in College Health

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christmas, William A.

2010-01-01

The current global recession has increased personal stress levels throughout our society. With dwindling resources, institutions of higher learning are especially prone to budgetary cutbacks during such periods. Based on 22 years of experience as a health service director, the author offers some personal insights in the hope that they will help…

Abstract Graphemic Representations Support Preparation of Handwritten Responses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shen, Xingjia Rachel; Damian, Marcus F.; Stadthagen-Gonzalez, Hans

2013-01-01

Some evidence suggests that the written production of single words involves not only the ordered retrieval of individual letters, but that abstract, higher-level linguistic properties of the words also influence responses. We report five experiments using the "implicit priming" task adopted from the spoken domain to investigate response…

Enhancing Adaptivity and Resilience through Team Member Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Kevin S.; Noble, David

2017-01-01

The interest in aligning college graduates' skills, competencies, and experiences with what employers desire continues across academia. Employers seek higher levels of resilience than they see in most new employees. This article provides a review of the employee resilience literature and describes a team member change scenario focused on enhancing…

Creating Better Schools through Democratic School Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

San Antonio, Diosdado M.

2008-01-01

This paper examines the impact of implementing democratic school leadership via advisory school councils in Philippine public secondary schools. Through an experiment with empirical surveys and interviews, this study reveals that the experimental group had higher levels of commitment, empowerment and trust compared with the control group after one…

Incentives and Disincentives for Effective Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyatt, James A.; Santiago, Aurora A.

Experiences of five states that have created incentives for the effective management of higher education or that have eliminated disincentives are examined. After considering the effect of state budgetary controls and regulations on college operations, methods used to determine levels of state support and to allocate state funds are addressed. In…

Introductory American Government in Comparison: An Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engstrom, Richard N.

2008-01-01

Introduction to American Government classes can benefit from the addition of examples from comparative politics. Presenting students with examples of other democratic systems encourages them to confront the costs and benefits of choices made in the American context. Dealing with these "cognitive conflict" tasks facilitates higher level learning on…

Aspects of the Student Engagement of African American Men in Community College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romney, Paulette B.

2012-01-01

High attrition rates of African American college students' is a continuing concern of higher education administrators. This is particularly true of African American men attending community college. African American men consistently experience low levels of scholastic achievement as a result of entering college underprepared, with academic deficits…

The Integrative Learning Value of Field Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Durrant, Kate L.; Hartman, Thomas P. V.

2015-01-01

The integrative learning ethos pervades modern higher education. Broadly speaking, this aims to produce well-rounded, adaptable graduates suited to a range of working environments. In a more narrow sense it should produce students that are able to make connections across learning experiences and achieve learning at the highest cognitive level. Our…

An Investigation of School Counselor Self-Efficacy with English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Leonissa V.; Ziomek-Daigle, Jolie; Haskins, Natoya Hill; Paisley, Pamela O.

2017-01-01

This exploratory quantitative study described school counselors' self-efficacy with English language learners. Findings suggest that school counselors with exposure to and experiences with English language learners have higher levels of self-efficacy. Statistically significant and practical differences in self-efficacy were apparent by race, U.S.…

Elucidating the apparent maize tolerance to weed competition in long-term organically managed systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In a long-term cropping systems trial comparing organically and conventionally managed systems, organic maize production sustained crop yields equal to conventional methods despite higher weed levels. In 2005 and 2006, an experiment nested within the trial was conducted to analyze the mechanisms und...

Alabama's Education Report Card, 2011-2012

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alabama State Department of Education, 2013

2013-01-01

Educational progress has been moving in the right direction for several years in Alabama. Now, with the implementation of Alabama's own Plan 2020, an even higher level of accountability for students, teachers, administrators, support systems, and schools/school systems, Alabama is poised to experience unprecedented growth. Add to that, the Alabama…

The Effects of Levels of Elaboration on Learners' Strategic Processing of Text

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dornisch, Michele; Sperling, Rayne A.; Zeruth, Jill A.

2011-01-01

In the current work, we examined learners' comprehension when engaged with elaborative processing strategies. In Experiment 1, we randomly assigned students to one of five elaborative processing conditions and addressed differences in learners' lower- and higher-order learning outcomes and ability to employ elaborative strategies. Findings…

Activity Participation and Well-Being among Older People with Arthritis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zimmer, Zachary; And Others

1995-01-01

Tested hypotheses that severity of arthritis is inversely associated with frequency of activity participation, and arthritis sufferers who maintain higher levels of participation, particularly in social activities, are less likely to experience a decline in well-being. Found well-being is influenced by social activity, whereas solitary and…

Childhood educational experiences of women with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Freeborn, Donna; Mandleco, Barbara

2010-08-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the childhood experiences of women with cerebral palsy (CP), from the perspectives of these women. Using the feminist biographical method, eight women with CP participated in two in-depth interviews. Participants ranged in age from 22 to 55 years and had moderate to severe athetoid or spastic CP. Four themes emerged: (a) academic experiences, (b) experiences with teachers, (c) experiences with peers, and (d) coping methods, with both positive and negative subthemes for each theme. Participants with positive academic experiences and positive interactions with teachers and peers were able to develop better ways of dealing with the negative experiences they encountered in education and attained higher levels of education. Participants who primarily had poorer educational experiences developed negative coping mechanisms that continued to affect their lives. Findings support ways in which school nurses can support the educational experiences of students with CP.

Changing beliefs and behavior through experience-taking.

PubMed

Kaufman, Geoff F; Libby, Lisa K

2012-07-01

The present research introduces the concept of experience-taking-the imaginative process of spontaneously assuming the identity of a character in a narrative and simulating that character's thoughts, emotions, behaviors, goals, and traits as if they were one's own. Six studies investigated the degree to which particular psychological states and features of narratives cause individuals, without instruction, to engage in experience-taking and investigated how the merger between self and other that occurs during experience-taking produces changes in self-judgments, attitudes, and behavior that align with the character's. Results from Studies 1-3 showed that being in a reduced state of self-concept accessibility while reading a brief fictional work increased-and being in a heightened state of self-concept accessibility decreased-participants' levels of experience-taking and subsequent incorporation of a character's personality trait into their self-concepts. Study 4 revealed that a first-person narrative depicting an ingroup character elicited the highest levels of experience-taking and produced the greatest change in participants' behavior, compared with versions of the narrative written in 3rd-person voice and/or depicting an outgroup protagonist. The final 2 studies demonstrated that whereas revealing a character's outgroup membership as a homosexual or African American early in a narrative inhibited experience-taking, delaying the revelation of the character's outgroup identity until later in the story produced higher levels of experience-taking, lower levels of stereotype application in participants' evaluation of the character, and more favorable attitudes toward the character's group. The implications of these findings in relation to perspective-taking, self-other overlap, and prime-to-behavior effects are discussed. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved

Emotional processing during psychotherapy among women newly diagnosed with a gynecological cancer.

PubMed

Manne, Sharon L; Myers-Virtue, Shannon; Darabos, Katie; Ozga, Melissa; Heckman, Carolyn; Kissane, David; Rotter, David

2017-08-01

Our aim was to compare changes in emotional processing by women newly diagnosed with gynecological cancer enrolled in either a coping and communication skills intervention (CCI) or a supportive counseling (SC) intervention. We examined the association between in-session emotional processing and patient-rated therapeutic progress. Three therapy sessions with 201 patients were rated for the depth of emotional processing (peak and mode) during emotion episodes (EEs) using the Experiencing Rating Scale (EXP). Participants completed measures of dispositional emotional expressivity, depressive symptoms, and cancer-related distress before treatment began, as well as ratings of perceived progress in therapy after each session. Peak EXP ratings averaged between 2.7 and 3.1, indicating that women discussed events, their emotional reactions, and their private experiences in sessions. A small proportion of patients had high levels of processing, indicating deeper exploration of the meaning of their feelings and experiences. Women in SC were able to achieve a higher level of emotional processing during the middle and later sessions, and during cancer-related EEs in the later session. However, emotional processing was not significantly associated with a patient's perceived therapeutic progress with SC. In the CCI group, higher levels of emotional processing were associated with greater session progress, suggesting that it may play an important role in patient-rated treatment outcomes. Newly diagnosed gynecological cancer patients are able to attend to their emotions and personal experiences, particularly when discussing cancer-related issues during both short-term SC and prescriptive coping skills interventions.

Reopening Openness to Experience: A Network Analysis of Four Openness to Experience Inventories.

PubMed

Christensen, Alexander P; Cotter, Katherine N; Silvia, Paul J

2018-05-10

Openness to Experience is a complex trait, the taxonomic structure of which has been widely debated. Previous research has provided greater clarity of its lower order structure by synthesizing facets across several scales related to Openness to Experience. In this study, we take a finer grained approach by investigating the item-level relations of four Openness to Experience inventories (Big Five Aspects Scale, HEXACO-100, NEO PI-3, and Woo et al.'s Openness to Experience Inventory), using a network science approach, which allowed items to form an emergent taxonomy of facets and aspects. Our results (N = 802) identified 10 distinct facets (variety-seeking, aesthetic appreciation, intellectual curiosity, diversity, openness to emotions, fantasy, imaginative, self-assessed intelligence, intellectual interests, and nontraditionalism) that largely replicate previous findings as well as three higher order aspects: two that are commonly found in the literature (intellect and experiencing; i.e., openness), and one novel aspect (open-mindedness). In addition, we demonstrate that each Openness to Experience inventory offers a unique conceptualization of the trait, and that some inventories provide broader coverage of the network space than others. Our findings establish a broader consensus of Openness to Experience at the aspect and facet level, which has important implications for researchers and the Openness to Experience inventories they use.

Comparing Dental Stress in New Child Patients and Returning Patients Using Salivary Cortisol, Immunoglobulin-A and Alpha- Amylase.

PubMed

Alaki, Sumer M; Safi, Ayman; Ouda, Soliman; Nadhreen, Alaa

this study was aimed at comparing dental stress in children having their first dental visit to those returning for dental treatment using salivary biomarkers of stress including salivary cortisol (s-cortisol), Immunoglobulin-A (s-IgA) and alpha-amylase (s-α-amylase). Additionally, the study was aimed at monitoring the change in stress in new patients as they progressed from the waiting to the clinical areas. salivary samples were collected from 40 children who had not been to a dentist before and similar samples were collected from 40 children who were returning for completion of dental treatment. Salivary cortisol, s-IgA and s-α-amylase concentrations were obtained by Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). salivary cortisol levels were higher for new patients at the waiting area compared to that at the dental chair (p=0.05). Salivary alpha-amylase significantly increased in new patients while being seated in the dental chair. Returning patients had higher s-α-amylase (p=0.001) and s-IgA (p=0.016) compared to new patients. Returning patients had the lowest level of s-cortisol when providers were faculty pediatric dentists than with students and interns (p=0.035). children coming in for their first dental visit may experience dental stress at the waiting area before being seated for dental examination. Returning children may experience higher levels of stress compared to new child patients possibly due to previous dental exposure.

Resilience and biomarkers of health risk in Black smokers and nonsmokers.

PubMed

Berg, Carla J; Haardörfer, Regine; McBride, Colleen M; Kilaru, Varun; Ressler, Kerry J; Wingo, Aliza P; Saba, Nabil F; Payne, Jackelyn B; Smith, Alicia

2017-11-01

Blacks are disproportionately affected by tobacco-related illnesses as well as traumatic events associated with psychiatric conditions and smoking. We examined the potential protective nature of resilience within this context, hypothesizing resilience differentially moderates the associations of traumatic experiences to depressive symptoms and to biomarkers of health risk among Black ever versus never smokers. Measures of resilience, traumatic experiences, depressive symptoms, and biomarkers (interleukin-6 [IL-6], C-reactive protein [CRP], allostatic load) were obtained among 852 Blacks recruited from Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. Ever smokers experienced more trauma (p < .001) and depressive symptoms (p = .01). Structural equation modeling indicated that, in ever smokers, childhood trauma was positively associated with depressive symptoms (p < .001); resilience was negatively associated with depressive symptoms (p = .01). Depressive symptoms were positively associated with IL-6 (p = .03), which was positively associated with allostatic load (p = .01). Adulthood trauma was associated with higher CRP levels (p = .03). In never smokers, childhood (p < .001) and adulthood trauma (p = .01) were associated with more depressive symptoms. Adulthood trauma was also associated with higher CRP levels (p < .001), which was positively associated with allostatic load (p < .001). Never smokers with higher resilience had a negative association between childhood trauma and depressive symptoms whereas those with lower resilience had a positive association between childhood trauma and depressive symptoms. Resilience was negatively associated with CRP levels (p < .001). Interventions targeting resilience may prevent smoking and adverse health outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).