Control Items Research Articles

Aggressive and Violent Behavior and Emotional Self-Efficacy: Is There a Relationship for Adolescents?

In this cross-sectional study we explored relationships between aggressive and violent behaviors and emotional self-efficacy (ESE) in a statewide sample of public high school adolescents in South Carolina (N = 3836). The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Survey items on aggressive and violent behavior items and an adolescent ESE scale were used. Logistic regression analyses and multivariate models constructed separately, revealed significant race by sex findings. Results suggest that carrying a weapon to school (past 30 days) and being threatened or injured with a gun, knife, or club at school (past 12 months) were significantly associated (p < .05) with reduced ESE for specific race/sex groups. Results have implications for school- and community-based mental health services and social and emotional learning and aggression/violence prevention programs for adolescents. Measures of ESE as a component of comprehensive assessments of adolescent mental health, social and emotional learning and aggressive/violent behaviors in fieldwork, research, and program-evaluation efforts should be considered.

‘People like me don’t have much of a chance in life’: comparing the locus of control of young people in foster care with that of adoptees, children from disadvantaged backgrounds and children in the general population

There is a paucity of research on the locus of control of children and young people growing up in foster care in England. Based on secondary analyses of data from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE), this article explores the locus of control of fostered young people during adolescence compared to those in adoptive care, those growing up in disadvantaged circumstances and young people in the general population. As the questions asked of the young people in the LSYPE did not form part of a standardised locus of control scale, the dimensionality of the items was first verified through a principal components analysis (PCA). The fostered young people scored significantly higher on external locus of control items compared to those in adopted and general population groups, and were similar to young people in the disadvantaged group. Reasons for the high external scores in the fostered group and implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Innovation capabilities in services: a study in supermarkets in Santa Catarina

It is common to find organizational research seeking to understand the predictors elements to organizational performance. The objective of this research is to analyze the relationships between innovative capabilities, service differentiation and organizational performance. It has been researched theoretical evidence to support organizations that develop innovative element, therefore its innovative capacity, which is mediated differentiation of services improve performance organizacional.A methodology used was the bibliographical study of the variables of organizational innovative capacity, the element the differentiation of services and organizational development control items. From the theoretical studies it has been possible to develop 10 propositions of these relationships. And proposals: i) innovative capabilities have positive relationship with performance; ii) innovative capabilities have positive relationship with Service Differentiation in the Process dimension; iii) innovative capabilities have positive relationship with Service Differentiation in the People dimension; iv) innovative capabilities have positive relationship with Service Differentiation in environments dimension; v) Service Differentiation in the Process dimension has positive relationship with performance. vi) Service Differentiation in the People dimension has positive relationship with performance; vii) Service Differentiation in environments dimension has positive relationship with performance; viii) innovative capabilities have positive relationship with performance-mediated differentiation of services in its people dimension; ix) innovative capabilities have positive relationship with performance-mediated differentiation of services in their processes dimension; and x) innovative capabilities have positive relationship with performance-mediated differentiation of services in its environmental dimension.

From single-use to multi-use: Study of consumers' behavior toward consumption of reusable containers

This study advances the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to identify the mechanism that underlies the consumption of reusable containers. A questionnaire including context, motivation, subjective norms, attitudes, perceived behavioral control, intentions and behavior items was developed and pre-tested on 180 students in a Canadian and a Chinese university respectively. Subsequently, the questionnaire was implemented in the form of an online survey and 1221 effective responses were collected from Western (n = 549) and Asian (n = 672) consumers. The findings revealed that the context and motivation variables are important antecedents to several TPB constructs. Context strongly impacts perceived behavioral control and motivations as well as attitudes. Motivation is clearly distinct from intentions and has a significant influence on both attitudes and intentions. In addition to the standard variables of perceived behavioral control, subjective norms and attitudes, motivation does have a significant impact on intentions. Furthermore, there are cultural differences in the way context impacts intentions and behavior in that Asians (Westerners) are influenced by context to increase reusable containers consumption through motivation (attitudes). Attitude is a significantly stronger predictor of intentions for Westerners than Asians.

Use of a 3-Item Short-Form Version of the Barthel Index for Use in Stroke: Systematic Review and External Validation.

There may be a potential to reduce the number of items assessed in the Barthel Index (BI), and shortened versions of the BI have been described. We sought to collate all existing short-form BI (SF-BI) and perform a comparative validation using clinical trial data. We performed a systematic review across multidisciplinary electronic databases to find all published SF-BI. Our validation used the VISTA (Virtual International Stroke Trials Archive) resource. We describe concurrent validity (agreement of each SF-BI with BI), convergent and divergent validity (agreement of each SF-BI with other outcome measures available in the data set), predictive validity (association of prognostic factors with SF-BI outcomes), and content validity (item correlation and exploratory factor analyses). From 3546 titles, we found 8 articles describing 6 differing SF-BI. Using acute trial data (n=8852), internal reliability suggested redundancy in BI (Cronbach α, 0.96). Each SF-BI demonstrated a strong correlation with BI, modified Rankin Scale, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (all ρ≥0.83; P<0.001). Using rehabilitation trial data (n=332), SF-BI demonstrated modest correlation with quality of life measures Stroke Impact Scale and 5 domain EuroQOL (ρ≥0.50, P<0.001). Prespecified prognostic factors were associated with SF-BI outcomes (all P<0.001). Our factor analysis described a 3 factor structure, and item reduction suggested an optimal 3-item SF-BI comprising bladder control, transfer, and mobility items in keeping with 1 of the 3-item SF-BI previously described in the literature. There is redundancy in the original BI; we have demonstrated internal and external validity of a 3-item SF-BI that should be simple to use.

"Should I stop or should I go? The role of associations and expectancies": Correction to Best et al. (2016).

Reports an error in "Should I stop or should I go? The role of associations and expectancies" by Maisy Best, Natalia S. Lawrence, Gordon D. Logan, Ian P. L. McLaren and Frederick Verbruggen (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 2016[Jan], Vol 42[1], 115-137). In the article, there is an error in Table 3 of the Results and third paragraph of the Results section labeled Test phase. In Experiment 4, the study performed an exploratory post-hoc test of the go reaction times in the training phase, contrasting stop-associated and go-associated items. Control items were excluded. Instead of reporting the results of the full analysis (with all three items types included), the authors incorrectly reported the results of this post-hoc analysis in Table 3 and in the main text. The correct analysis is presented below. Note that all other analyses reported in the tables and main text are correct. The R code shared via Open Research Exeter data repository (http://hdl.handle .net/10871/17735) is also correct. The interaction between image type and block is no longer significant when control items are included (p .094; p .037 for the post-hoc test). (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2015-40003-001.) Following exposure to consistent stimulus-stop mappings, response inhibition can become automatized with practice. What is learned is less clear, even though this has important theoretical and practical implications. A recent analysis indicates that stimuli can become associated with a stop signal or with a stop goal. Furthermore, expectancy may play an important role. Previous studies that have used stop or no-go signals to manipulate stimulus-stop learning cannot distinguish between stimulus-signal and stimulus-goal associations, and expectancy has not been measured properly. In the present study, participants performed a task that combined features of the go/no-go task and the stop-signal task in which the stop-signal rule changed at the beginning of each block. The go and stop signals were superimposed over 40 task-irrelevant images. Our results show that participants can learn direct associations between images and the stop goal without mediation via the stop signal. Exposure to the image-stop associations influenced task performance during training, and expectancies measured following task completion or measured within the task. But, despite this, we found an effect of stimulus-stop learning on test performance only when the task increased the task-relevance of the images. This could indicate that the influence of stimulus-stop learning on go performance is strongly influenced by attention to both task-relevant and task-irrelevant stimulus features. More generally, our findings suggest a strong interplay between automatic and controlled processes. (PsycINFO Database Record

The time course of erythrocyte membrane fatty acid concentrations during and after treatment of non-human primates with increasing doses of an omega-3 rich phospholipid preparation derived from krill-oil

BackgroundA commonly used measure to reflect the intake of the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA is the omega-3 index, defined as the sum of EPA + DHA as % of total fatty acids in erythrocyte membrane. When the omega-3 index changes it follows that the relative fractions of other fatty acids in the membrane are also changed. In the present study, increasing doses of a preparation of omega-3 rich phospholipids extracted from krill oil were administered orally to non-human primates for 12 weeks and the time course of EPA, DHA and 22 other fatty acids in erythrocytes was determined bi-weekly during treatment and for 8 weeks after cessation of treatment. Plasma concentrations of six endocannabinoid-type mediators being downstream metabolites of some fatty acids analyzed in erythrocytes were also determined.MethodsSix diabetic, dyslipidemic non-human primates were included, three in a vehicle control group and three being treated with the omega-3 rich phospholipid preparation. The vehicle control and test items were given daily by gavage and the test item doses were 50, 150 and 450 mg phospholipids/kg/day. Each dose level was given for four weeks. Blood was sampled at baseline and thereafter bi-weekly. Fatty acids were determined in erythrocytes by methylation followed by gas-chromatography. Endocannabinoids and endocannabinoid-like mediators were analyzed in plasma by liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry.ResultsThe treatment resulted in a dose-related increase in the fraction of EPA and DHA in erythrocyte membranes and a dose-related decrease of other poly-unsaturated fatty acids, in particular omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Erythrocyte concentrations of saturated fatty acids remained unchanged throughout the experiment. Plasma concentrations of endocannabinoids and endocannabinoid-like mediators changed accordingly as those being downstream arachidonic acid decreased, downstream of the saturated palmitic and oleic acids remained unchanged while a downstream EPA metabolite increased.ConclusionIncreasing the omega-3 index by administering an omega-3 rich phospholipid extracted from krill oil did not alter the ratio of unsaturated vs. saturated fatty acids in the erythrocyte membranes but only the relative concentrations of unsaturated fatty acids, in particular unsaturated omega-6 fatty acids. Concentrations of saturated fatty acids remained unchanged.

Effects of a purified krill oil phospholipid rich in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids on cardiovascular disease risk factors in non-human primates with naturally occurring diabetes type-2 and dyslipidemia

BackgroundHigh serum levels of cholesterol, in particular low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, are considered a significant risk factor for development of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, rigorous treatment regimens with statins and other pharmaceuticals have been used extensively to reduce elevated cholesterol levels. Literature data have not clearly concluded whether long-chain omega-3 fatty acids reduce, increase or leave circulating cholesterol unaffected. In the present study a novel krill-oil derived preparation of omega-3 rich phospholipids, mainly phosphatidylcholine, was administered orally at increasing doses for 12 weeks to dyslipidemic non-human primates, and cholesterols and several other risk factors for cardiovascular disease were measured before, during and after treatment.MethodsSix dyslipidemic non-human primates suffering from naturally occurring diabetes type-2 were included, three in a vehicle control group and three being treated with the omega-3 rich phospholipid preparation. The control and test items were given daily by gavage and the doses of the test item were 50, 150 and 450 mg phospholipids/kg/day. Each dose level was given for 4 weeks. Plasma concentrations of the omega-3 fatty acids were measured in connection with change in dose and the omega-3 index in erythrocytes was determined bi-weekly. Blood lipids, apolipoproteins and diabetes, inflammatory and safety biomarkers were determined either weekly, biweekly or every 4 weeks. For the blood lipids and apolipoproteins, control-adjusted mean values are presented while absolute values are presented for the other parameters. Due to the low number of animals in each group, no statistical analyses were done.ResultsThe only detectable effects measured during dosing with the lowest dose were an increase in HDL-cholesterol and apolipoprotein A1. The intermediate and high doses decreased total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, apolipoprotein B100 and triglycerides and increased HDL-cholesterol and apolipoprotein A1. No effects were seen on the diabetes and inflammatory markers and on safety biomarkers.ConclusionsThe results indicate that the omega-3 rich phospholipid preparation had a positive impact on cardiovascular disease risk factors by reducing total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides and increasing HDL-cholesterol. These findings justify further investigations of this preparation in animal models of dyslipidemia and, provided the current findings are confirmed, in human trials.

Chaos Control and Anticontrol of the Output Duopoly Competing Evolution Model

In the process of social development, there are a lot of competitions and confrontations. Participants in these competitions and confrontations always have different interests and goals. In order to achieve their goals, the participants must consider the opponent’s strategy to adjust their own strategies to achieve the interests of the optimization. This is called game. Based on the definition and its stability of the passive system, the passive control items are designed to the output of the duopoly competition evolution model, and the efficacy of the control methods is shown by the Lyapunov indexes. Then, the optimal function control method is taken to carry on the chaotic anticontrol to the chaotic system, and the Lyapunov indexes illustrate the control result. At last, the chaotic game of the system is introduced by combining the chaos control and anticontrol.

The Research of Discrete Mean - Variance Portfolio Problem with Time-Delay

Due to the financial sector complicated variety of events, each financial problems from changes to know its essence, the change rule, from the change of strategy to formulate relevant policy and policy into effect, etc., the process inevitably has a certain lag. Therefore, in order to better reflect the actual situation, we study the portfolio model with delays in this paper. By joining our delay control item, the optimization model was established, the goal is to maximize earnings expectations. In this paper, it studies the continuous time without delay the mean - variance portfolio problems on the basis of existing research. It established auxiliary problem using the stochastic linear quadratic optimal control theory. Using the maximum principle, the solution of the optimal investment strategy are given and it analysis the case, the conclusion is in conformity with the actual. It studies the existing time delay portfolio strategy problem in discrete time case. Based on the stochastic LQ (linear quadratic) optimal control theory, it established the discrete time model with time delay. The paper has carried on the solution and example analysis.

Perceiving Organisational Culture Influence on Knowledge Management Performance

In this paper we analyze the relationships between certain knowledge management, organizational culture, and the results of petrochemical industries. Facing high competitive market, the enterprises should be encouraged to reform and develop knowledge management performance. The objective of this research is to identify petrochemical firms by using Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) approaches to solve this KM adoption problem, and ranks the gaps of the KM aspects in control items to achieve the aspired level of performance. This paper is matrix method-oriented, and the depth of investigation into any individual case is limited. Therefore, the methods proposed in same fields of study should preferably be used to associate deeper and more practical implications.

Daily Management Meeting in Healthcare Institutions for the Development of Control Items and Data Collection

Daily Management Meeting in Healthcare Institutions for the Development of Control Items and Data Collection

Multi-directional incremental sheet forming—a novel methodology for flexibly producing thin-walled parts

How to perform sheet metal forming in a rapid and cost-efficient way, especially for the small-batch productions, has been a challenge to the manufacturing industry for a long time. Incremental sheet forming (ISF) has vast potentials in rapid and economical production of small-batch thin-walled parts, but so far, the technology is mainly applied in a limited forming range of planar sheets, most with a deformation mode of bi-axial stretching. To establish a more complete forming chain based on ISF and then take full advantage of it, this paper proposed a new methodology called “Multi-directional Incremental Sheet Forming (MISF),” particularly aiming to accomplish the non bi-axial stretching formation of thin-walled structures such as flanging, curling, and localized forming of planar sheets and hollow profiles. The method can not only extend the application of conventional ISF, but also can fabricate some special-shaped shell components which are hard to integrally form by any other ways. Thus, it can provide a strong support to realize the lightweight of structures. The progress review of MISF was presented, and the mechanical features during forming, including the complex coupled elastic-plastic deformation, buckling and post-buckling, the combination of constrained and free deformations, etc., were summarized. Moreover, key items of defect control were addressed.

Perception and Satisfaction of Patients Versus Staffs in Three Psychiatric Wards in Tehran in 2010 and 2011

Objectives: To evaluate the perception and satisfaction of patients versus staffs in three psychiatric wards in Tehran. Methods: 219 participants (patients and staffs) from Imam Hossein, Taleghani and Rouzbeh hospitals were evaluated using WAS (ward atmosphere scale), WES -10 (working environment scale), Moos and VSSS (verona service satisfaction scale- 32) questionnaires. Results: 217 participants including 121 patients (55.2%), 58 staffs (26.4%) (nurses and assistant nurses) and 38 doctors (17.3%) (Psychiatrist and residents) were evaluated. The highest mean score in WAS for patients was in order and organization (0.57 ± 0.13) and for staffs was in anger and aggressive behavior (0.58 ± 0.13) items, moreover the lowest mean score in patients and staffs was in autonomy. The mean scores for patients regarding order and organization, staff control and clarity items were higher compared to staffs and in other items the staffs scored higher than patients. Involvement with therapy strongly correlated with Verona (+ 0.75). MOOS showed direct significant correlation with self-realization and indirect significant correlation with nervousness, conflict and work load in WES-10. Conclusions: Staff and patients perceive the treatment environment differently, moreover staff consider ward atmosphere more suitable than patients, but staff satisfaction did not correlate with their perception from treatment environment.

Neural Correlates of Learning from Induced Insight: A Case for Reward-Based Episodic Encoding.

Experiencing insight when solving problems can improve memory formation for both the problem and its solution. The underlying neural processes involved in this kind of learning are, however, thus far insufficiently understood. Here, we conceptualized insight as the sudden understanding of a novel relationship between known stimuli that fits into existing knowledge and is accompanied by a positive emotional response. Hence, insight is thought to comprise associative novelty, schema congruency, and intrinsic reward, all of which are separately known to enhance memory performance. We examined the neural correlates of learning from induced insight with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) using our own version of the compound-remote-associates-task (CRAT) in which each item consists of three clue words and a solution word. (Pseudo-)Solution words were presented after a brief period of problem-solving attempts to induce either sudden comprehension (CRA items) or continued incomprehension (control items) at a specific time point. By comparing processing of the solution words of CRA with control items, we found induced insight to elicit activation of the rostral anterior cingulate cortex/medial prefrontal cortex (rACC/mPFC) and left hippocampus. This pattern of results lends support to the role of schema congruency (rACC/mPFC) and associative novelty (hippocampus) in the processing of induced insight. We propose that (1) the mPFC not only responds to schema-congruent information, but also to the detection of novel schemata, and (2) that the hippocampus responds to a form of associative novelty that is not just a novel constellation of familiar items, but rather comprises a novel meaningful relationship between the items—which was the only difference between our insight and no insight conditions. To investigate episodic long-term memory encoding, we compared CRA items whose solution word was recognized 24 h after encoding to those with forgotten solutions. We found activation in the left striatum and parts of the left amygdala, pointing to a potential role of brain reward circuitry in the encoding of the solution words. We propose that learning from induced insight mainly relies on the amygdala evaluating the internal value (as an affective evaluation) of the suddenly comprehended information, and striatum-dependent reward-based learning.

Real-life study showing uncontrolled rhinosinusitis after sinus surgery in a tertiary referral centre.

RationaleThe European Position Paper on Sinusitis (EPOS) guidelines provide composite criteria to evaluate chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) control, taking into consideration the severity of patients’ symptoms, aspect of nasal mucosa and medical intake as parameters of CRS control.ObjectivesTo study the degree of CRS control using novel EPOS control criteria at 3–5 years after a functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) and correlate these data to symptoms scores.MethodsAdult CRS patients (n = 560) who had undergone bilateral FESS for chronic inflammatory sinonasal disease 3–5 years prior to the study were included. Patients received a postal questionnaire asking for control items according to EPOS control criteria, visual analogue scale (VAS) scores for total and individual sinonasal symptoms, sinonasal outcome test (SNOT)‐22 and Short Form (SF)‐36 questionnaires.Measurements and main resultsAbout 19.5% of CRS patients were well controlled, with 36.8% of patients being partly controlled and 43.7% uncontrolled. The levels of control corresponded to mean total VAS, SNOT‐22 and SF‐36 scores. Subgroup analysis revealed that female gender, aspirin intolerance and revision FESS were associated with higher prevalence of uncontrolled CRS, whereas allergy, asthma and smoking status did not alter the percentage of patients in each category of control. In 81 patients attending the outpatient clinic, nasal endoscopy changed classification in only four patients (4.9%).ConclusionsBased on the novel EPOS control criteria, at least 40% of CRS patients are uncontrolled at 3–5 years after FESS. Therefore, better treatment strategies leading to higher disease control are warranted in CRS care.

Is anterior N2 enhancement a reliable electrophysiological index of concealed information?

Concealed information tests (CITs) are used to determine whether an individual possesses information about an item of interest. Event-related potential (ERP) measures in CITs have focused almost exclusively on the P3b component, showing that this component is larger when lying about the item of interest (probe) than telling the truth about control items (irrelevants). Recent studies have begun to examine other ERP components, such as the anterior N2, with mixed results. A seminal CIT study found that visual probes elicit a larger anterior N2 than irrelevants (Gamer and Berti, 2010) and suggested that this component indexes cognitive control processes engaged when lying about probes. However, this study did not control for potential intrinsic differences among the stimuli: the same probe and irrelevants were used for all participants, and there was no control condition composed of uninformed participants.Here, first we show that the N2 effect found in the study by Gamer and Berti (2010) was in large part due to stimulus differences, as the effect observed in a concealed information condition was comparable to that found in two matched control conditions without any concealed information (Experiments 1 and 2).Next, we addressed the issue of the generality of the N2 findings by counterbalancing a new set of stimuli across participants and by using a control condition with uninformed participants (Experiment 3). Results show that the probe did not elicit a larger anterior N2 than the irrelevants under these controlled conditions.These findings suggest that caution should be taken in using the N2 as an index of concealed information in CITs. Furthermore, they are a reminder that results of CIT studies (not only with ERPs) performed without stimulus counterbalancing and suitable control conditions may be confounded by differential intrinsic properties of the stimuli employed.

Safety Status of Schools in Shiraz and its Related Factors

Objectives: Due to the high impact of school safety on students’ health, this study was conducted to determine safety status of the schools of Shiraz and its related factors. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 310 schools of Shiraz during year 2013 were selected by randomized multi-stage sampling. Our data-gathering tool was a valid and reliable researcher-made questionnaire which was designed based on the school health guideline standardized by Institute of standards and industrial research of Iran. Using this questionnaire, 12 items of school safety were evaluated. Safety status of the schools, overall and in each item, was calculated from the total score of 100. The relationship between school characteristics and its safety status was also evaluated using the SPSS software and the following statistical tests: Spearman’s correlation, independent sample t-test, one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with Tukey’s post-hoc test. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: The mean of the overall school safety was 63.72 ± 8.97. Among safety items of the schools, the mean of the fire control item had the least score (34.03 ± 14.16). Overall school safety was significantly better in larger schools, in schools with more land area (P = 0.009), more yard surface area (P = 0.044), higher number of classes (P = 0.003), and higher number of staffs (P = 0.006). However, there were no significant differences between overall safety scores of elementary, middle, and high schools (P = 0.098), as well as between governmental and private schools (P = 0.954). Conclusions: Safety status of Shiraz schools, especially in fire control item, was not desirable. Therefore, interventions for improving the status are necessary. Safer heating system should be used in schools and all schools should have appropriate fire extinguishers. These interventions are necessary for all school grades, including elementary, middle and high schools, and for both governmental and private schools.

Cognition

It has recently been suggested that order recall in short-term memory tasks is influenced by the level of activation of items in the lexico-semantic network. According to the Activated Network view, increasing the level of activation of an item would increase the probability of observing a migration of the item toward the beginning of the list (Poirier et al., 2015). We tested this prediction by manipulating the orthographic neighbourhood of to-be-recalled items. In Experiment 1, the first three items of a 7-item list were orthographic neighbours of the target item in Position 5. As predicted, at recall, the target item migrated more toward the beginning of the list than control items. In Experiment 2, all list items were orthographic neighbours of the target item located on Position 4, 5, or 6. Compared to control items, the target item migrated more toward the beginning than the end of the list.

A Study on Control Item of ISMS in the Financial Industry

A Study on Control Item of ISMS in the Financial Industry