Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High Analytical Sensitivity and Low Rates of Inhibition May Contribute to Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis in Significantly More Women by the APTIMA Combo 2 Assay

ABSTRACT The clinical sensitivity of nucleic acid amplification tests may be determined by analytical sensitivity and inhibitors in patient samples. We established endpoints for detection of propagated Chlamydia trachomatis L2 434, diluted according to swab and urine protocols for APTIMA Combo 2 (AC2), ProbeTec ET (PT), and Amplicor (AMP) assays. AC2 was 1,000-fold more sensitive than PT and 10-fold more sensitive than AMP on mock swab specimens. For urine, AC2 analytical sensitivity was 100-fold greater than those of the other assays. Spiking an aliquot of each clinical-trial sample from 298 women demonstrated inhibition rates in first-void urine (FVU), cervical swabs (CS), and vaginal swabs (VS) of 12.1%, 12.8%, and 10.4% for AMP; 27.2%, 2%, and 2%, for PT; and 0.3%, 1.7%, and 1.3% for AC2. Inhibition of our C. trachomatis spike and the PT or AMP amplification controls from the manufacturers showed less than 50% correlation. Using an infected-patient reference standard (a specimen positive in at least two tests or a single test positive in two of three samples) in AC2, the VS identified 68/69 (98.6%) infected women compared to CS (89.9%) or FVU (81.2%). Significantly fewer women were identified by PT (65.2%, 63.8%, and 66.7%) or AMP (65.2%, 59.4%, and 56.5%) with the three specimens. By individual specimen type, AC2 confirmed virtually all PT- and AMP-positive specimens, but rates of AC2 confirmation by AMP or PT ranged from 62.9 to 80.3%. The AC2 test identified significantly more women infected with C. trachomatis (P = 0.001). Vaginal swabs appear to be the specimen of choice for screening.
Commentary on “Redefining Interactions Across Cultures and Organizations”

The authors make two basic points in their commentary, both stemming from the field of cross-cultural psychology. First, in their view, intelligence is a concept that is highly variable across cultures; its meaning, development, display, and assessment are all embedded in cultural contexts. Thus, they consider that a single concept such as cultural intelligence (CQ) is unlikely to be culturally appropriate in all sociocultural settings. Second, when groups and individuals of different cultural backgrounds come into contact, the process of acculturation is set in motion. In this situation, two differing meanings of intelligence are likely to engage each other, bringing some challenges to the intercultural interaction, often resulting in stress, and sometimes in conflict. Eventually, some forms of adaptation are achieved, with the emergence of some effective ways of acting in the intercultural situation. The authors believe that these two points need attention during the further development of the concept of CQ.
The Preparation of School Psychologists for Crisis Intervention.

School psychologists (N = 276, 81% return rate) were surveyed regarding the following aspects of crisis intervention: (a) university preparation, (b) continuing professional development, and (c) current involvement with school crisis plans and crisis teams. Of those receiving university training, 58% believed they were minimally prepared or not at all prepared to deal with school crises. Only 2% reported being well prepared or very well prepared. Data analyses indicated increased university training in recent years, particularly with practicum/internship experiences related to crisis intervention. Approximately 81% of school psychologists participated in local training for crisis intervention as part of continuing professional development. Although 91% of school psychologists worked in districts with crisis plans in place, only 53% participated on crisis teams. Suicide, violence, and school district crisis plans were recommended as high priority topics for future academic training. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Kurt Lewin and the Harwood Studies

This article examines the importance to the study of organizational change and development of the first phase of the Harwood studies, which were conducted between 1939 and 1947. It examines the studies and their place within Lewin's broader research agenda and personal philosophy. The article shows that the Harwood studies marked a significant break with the past by moving research on group behavior from the laboratory to the real world, changing the focus of research from understanding group behavior per se to understanding and changing group behavior, and pioneering the use of participative management. The article concludes that the first phase of the Harwood studies can be seen as having laid the foundations of organization development (OD) and as having a continuing relevance to the challenges facing organizations today.
Online Sexual Problems: Assessment and Predictive Variables

In this study of online sexual activity (OSA), a small subgroup (6.48%) of males self-identified as having online sexual problems (OSP) as a result of their online sexual behavior. There were only minor demographic differences between the OSP and the non-OSP groups. However there were a number of items that did differentiate these two groups (hours online, reasons for engaging in OSA, etc.) and these were elucidated. The research finds that most people who engage in OSA do not show evidence of problems as a result of their usage, yet at the same time there are a significant minority who do indeed report averse consequences. It is hoped that having a better understanding of the differences between these two groups will help clinicians and researchers interested in identifying variables for assessment, treatment, and prevention of OSP.
Is Easier the Better in a Feasibility Study of Questionnaires?

The diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is primarily dependent upon symptoms reported by patients. Therefore, several types of questionnaires have been suggested for the diagnosis of GERD and assessment of treatment satisfaction. However, few of standardized questionnaires can be used in the clinical study restrictively due to the lack of validity, reliability and feasibility. The frequency scale for symptoms of GERD (FSSG) was developed by Kusano et al1 in 2004, based on Japanese studies of GERD. The FSSG is composed of twelve questions with cut off score of 8, and this method showed sensitivity of 62% and specificity of 59%. The FSSG is suitable for evaluating frequency of typical reflux symptoms. Quality of life and utility evaluation survey technology (QUEST) was suggested as a method of self-administered questionnaire for the diagnosis of GERD.2 The QUEST is comprised of 7 items and reports sensitivity of 70% and specificity of 46% at the cut-off score of 4. The QUEST includes more specified questions on the precipitating, exacerbating and relieving factors of GERD. In the previous comparative study of FSSG with QUEST, there was no difference in sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for GERD.3 Nonaka et al4 reported an interesting comparative study regarding the feasibility between 2 questionnaires, QUEST and FSSG. They measured the time taken to complete the questionnaire and counted the number of patients who asked any questions when they filled in the questionnaire. Completion for the QUEST took much longer than for the FSSG, and questions of QUEST were more complicated than those of FSSG. Based on these results, comparative study concluded the FSSG was a more convenient method for clinical use than the QUEST. Results of this study could demonstrate that simplicity is an important feature of a questionnaire and it should be considered critically in future studies. Nevertheless, I would like to make comments on this study. First, since time and number of patients asking questions are indirect parameters of feasibility, there are so many confounding factors such as educational status of subjects, the language of original questionnaire (translation into Japanese might be responsible for large number of characters and difficulty in understanding), introverted personality (do not want to ask questions) and so on. Therefore, it would be better to ask more direct questions, such as "which one do you like better" and "which questionnaire was easier to understand. "5 Second, 2 questionnaires have quite different questions. QUEST focuses on influencing factors in GERD and FSSG emphasizes on symptom frequency. Therefore, although feasibility is important, considerations on types of questions are needed when we choose a questionnaire.
Physicians' Perceptions of Background Noise in a Pediatric Emergency Department

Objective: The objectives of this study were to measure noise levels in a tertiary care pediatric emergency department (ED) and to identify attending staff physicians' and first-year residents' perceptions of background noise levels and its impact on communication and teaching. Methods: A mixed methodology was used in this study. A sound level meter measuring 30 to 140 dB was placed in the ED for a week. All consenting staff physicians and first-year residents were surveyed using a semistructured questionnaire during the study period to assess their perceptions of background noise and its impact. Descriptive statistics were used for quantitative analysis. Narrative answers were coded and analyzed using the method of meaning condensation to assess the impact of background noise on both communication and teaching. Results: The average noise level in the ED is 68.73 dB for a 24-hour period. The number sound peaks higher than 80 dB, with an average of 309 dB/d (minimum, 193 dB; maximum, 461 dB). Only 35% of staff physicians' surveys and 22% of residents' surveys identified the noise levels to be uncomfortable. However, background noise in the ED was perceived as stressful, affecting interaction, communication, and teaching between residents and staff physicians. Staff physicians and residents stated that they feel helpless when it is too noisy and did not have good strategies to reduce background noise in the ED. Conclusions: The high background noise levels in a pediatric ED are perceived as stressful and interfering with communication and teaching. Noise levels in EDs should be measured, and noise reduction strategies should be implemented because physicians are not consistent in identifying excessive noise levels.
Risk Perception and Worry Related to Adolescents' Judgement of Three Types of Risk

The core aim of this study was to examine determinants of anticipated worry related to three types of risk among adolescents. The participants were Norwegian high‐school students aged 15–19 years (n = 335). They were students at 6 high schools and a total of 15 randomly selected school classes participated in the study. All the students were asked to fill in a self‐completion questionnaire. The response rate was 100 per cent. The participants were shown three video sequences of three‐minute conversations between a person and a listener discussing three risk sources, which each had developed into a problem (drug use, depression, and sexual abuse). The video sequences were shown to the students when they were in their classes. The results showed that there were gender differences in probability assessments as well as in anticipated worry related to the three types of risk. There were also differences in worry depending on the respondent's past experience with an identical or similar problem or risk. In addition to cognitive evaluations, own experience and gender, general worry, social support seeking, anxiety and depression significantly predicted worry. These variables explained 52 per cent of the variance. Worry may be a significant predictor of risk behaviour as well as decisions concerning risks and risk reduction. The results are related to the risk‐as‐feelings hypothesis (Loewenstein, Weber, Hsee and Welch) and other risk decision models are also discussed.
Cold Thermal Temperature Threatens Belonging

Recent research suggests that thermal (cold vs. warm) experience influences people’s perception and construal of the social world. Extending this line of research, the present investigation examined whether cold thermal temperature would influence people’s psychological feelings of belonging. We found that drinking cold water threatened feelings of belonging (Study 1). An additional study replicated this effect and further showed that it was moderated by perceived family support, such that the effect of cold water on the belonging was only found among participants with low family support (Study 2). These findings not only strengthen the interconnection between social and physical experiences, but they also demonstrate the interactive effect of these two types of experiences on psychological feelings. Implications are discussed.
Bmc Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use of Biological Based Therapy in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases in a University-hospital in New York City

Background: The use of complementary and alternative products including Biological Based Therapy (BBT) has increased among patients with various medical illnesses and conditions. The studies assessing the prevalence of BBT use among patients with cardiovascular diseases are limited. Therefore, an evaluation of BBT in this patient population would be beneficial. This was a survey designed to determine the effects of demographics on the use of Biological Based Therapy (BBT) in patients with cardiovascular diseases. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of the education level on the use of BBT in cardiovascular patients. This survey also assessed the perceptions of users regarding the safety/efficacy of BBT, types of BBT used and potential BBT-drug interactions.
CHARACTERIZATION AND MITIGATION OF RANGE ESTIMATION ERRORS FOR AN RTT-BASED IEEE 802.11 INDOOR LOCATION SYSTEM

Inaccurate range estimates often restrict indoor position- ing systems, resulting in a more remarkable drawback when using an already-deployed IEEE 802.11 network. This is the case of the time de- lay based location system that this paper deals with. The main causes of these inaccuracies are multipath and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) ef- fects. These efiects can be solved to a large degree by characterizing arrival times and range estimation errors. For this reason, this pa- per analyzes multipath and NLOS efiects involved in the round-trip time (RTT) discrete measuring process, which is conducted before each range estimate. RTT observations obtained in this process for difier- ent real indoor environments provide useful statistical information that allows to make the work extendable to other similar scenarios. More- over, from this statistical information, the nodes in the network can estimate several parameters of the range estimates distribution while performing the location process. These are used to reduce the error caused by multipath components and to predict and correct the NLOS biases produced. In this way, the NLOS error is dynamically estimated and corrected, achieving better results than classical approaches based on static parameters.
Aggression, Social Status, and Affiliation in Kindergarten Children: A Preliminary Study

While much work has shown that aggressive and disruptive behavior in schools may be reinforced by friends and, for some individuals, enhanced social status in the classroom, few studies have examined these phenomena at school entry. This study sought to examine aggressive behavior patterns in kindergarten children in relation to other individual characteristics, peer affiliations, and classroom social positions. Subgroups of aggressive-unpopular and unaggressive-popular children were found, while a group of aggressive-popular students was not evident. Both aggressive and popular children tended to belong to groups composed of similar associates, indicating selective affiliation on these characteristics. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for intervention with and prevention of aggressive behavior through elementary school.
Comparing Small-Group and Individual Behavior in Lottery-Choice Experiments

Lottery-choice experiments are conducted to compare risk preferences revealed by three-person groups versus isolated individuals. A lottery-choice experiment consists of a menu of paired lottery choices structured so that the crossover point from a low-risk to a high-risk lottery can be used to infer the degree of risk aversion. A between-subjects experiment of group versus individual lottery-choice decisions reveal that there is not a significant difference in the average crossover point, but lottery choices are affected by a significant interaction between subject composition (individual or group) and lottery winning percentage. Also, a three-phased individual-group-individual sequenced experiment reveals that the count of safe lotteries chosen by groups is, on average, significantly greater than the mean of the individual members. Finally, making a phase-two group decision has a significant impact on subsequent phase-three individual decisions relative to the initial phase-one (individual) decisions.
Unusual nuclear structures in meiotic prophase of fission yeast: a cytological analysis

Earlier results from sectioned nuclei indicating that Schizosaccharomyces pombe does not develop a classical tripartite synaptonemal complex (SC) during meiotic prophase are confirmed by spreading of whole nuclei. The linear elements appearing during prophase I resemble the axial cores (SC precursors) of other organisms. The number of linear elements in haploid, diploid, and tetraploid strains is always higher than the chromosome number, implying that they are not formed continuously along the chromosomes. Time course experiments reveal that the elements appear after DNA replication and form networks and bundles. Later they separate and approximately 24 individual elements with a total length of 34 microns are observed before degradation and meiotic divisions. Parallel staining of DNA reveals changes in nuclear shape during meiotic prophase. Strains with a mei4 mutation are blocked at a late prophase stage. In serial sections we additionally observed a constant arrangement of the spindle pole body, the nucleolus, and the presumptive centromere cluster. Thus, S. pombe manages to recombine and segregate its chromosomes without SC. This might correlate with the absence of crossover interference. We propose a mechanism for chromosome pairing with initial recognition of the homologs at the centromeres and suggest functions of the linear elements in preparation of the chromosomes for meiosis I disjunction. With the spreading technique combined genetic, molecular, and cytological approaches become feasible in S. pombe. This provides an opportunity to study essential meiotic functions in the absence of SCs which may help to clarify the significance of the SC and its components for meiotic chromosome structure and function.
Replacement Migration and Changing Preferences: Immigrant Workers in Cleaning and Domestic Service in Portugal

This paper analyses processes of replacement faced by immigrant workers in the labour market by looking at the two most relevant economic activities for the integration of immigrant women: cleaning and domestic service. For most of its immigration history, Portugal relied on immigrants from Lusophone African (PALOP) countries—mostly from Cape Verde—to supply the workforce necessary to complement native workers in these activities. However, as the immigration scenario changed at the end of the 1990s with the arrival of Eastern European and Brazilian women, so did the hiring options available to employers. At the same time, immigration from PALOP countries underwent a consolidation process, with implications for the immigrants’ own working preferences and integration processes. The objective of this paper is to address the changes that occurred in the integration of immigrant workers in these two low-skilled activities between 1998 and 2006 and in the light of both employers’ and workers’ preferences and their respective labour market strategies. The underlying hypothesis is that the prevailing working conditions in each of these activities condition both employers’ and workers’ preferences and their implementation, thereby producing different outcomes in terms of processes of replacement migration and the substitution of workers.
‘Tough love and tears’: learning doctoral writing in the sciences

Contemporary changes to the doctorate mean student researchers are likely to be expected to write differently, write more and more often, and yet, despite a growing interest in doctoral education, we still know relatively little about the teaching and learning practices of students and supervisors vis-a-vis doctoral writing. This paper draws from a research study into the writing experiences of higher degree students and their supervisors in one science, health and technology-based university Faculty. The study used surveys, interviews and focus groups to collect information from students and supervisors about their experiences of doctoral writing and their perceptions about its development. By attending to the writing-related pedagogical practices of supervisors, this article explores how doctoral writing can be the stage for the playing out of tensions over changing roles and identities aggravated by contemporary pressures on doctoral education.
Identity exploration and commitment in late adolescence: Correlates of perfectionism and mediating mechanisms on the pathway to well-being.

Associations between perfectionism and dimensions of identity formation were examined in three samples of late adolescents. The role of identity as a mediator in the relationship between perfectionism and well-being was ascertained on the third sample. Two types of perfectionism (maladaptive perfectionism and personal standards perfectionism) and five dimensions of identity formation (commitment making, identification with commitment, exploration in breadth, exploration in depth, and ruminative exploration) were distinguished. Path analysis across the three samples (total N = 895) showed that personal standards perfectionism was consistently positively related to the commitment dimensions, exploration in breadth, and exploration in depth. Maladaptive perfectionism was consistently negatively related to the commitment dimensions and positively to a ruminative type of exploration. Identification with commitment and ruminative exploration proved to be partial mediators in associations between the two perfectionism dimensions and adolescent well-being (depressive symptoms and academic adjustment at university). Practical implications and suggestions for future research are provided.
Athletic Aggression: An Issue of Contextual Morality

The designation of an act as aggressive involves an implicit or explicit moral judgment. Consequently, research on aggression must address the value issues involved. The present article suggests that Haan’s theory of interactional morality can be used to provide a framework for social scientific research into moral issues. Haan’s model, however, must be adapted to the unique context of sport. This study applies the concept of frame analysis as a procedure for clarifying the moral reasoning associated with athletic aggression. In contrast to similar acts in everyday life, moral ambiguity characterizes some sport acts intended to deliver minor noxious stimuli. The label of aggression must be used with caution when designating such acts.