Intensity Dimensions Research Articles

Is facebook involvement associated with academic engagement among Filipino university students? A cross-sectional study

The use of Facebook among university students is a controversial issue in the literature as studies point to both positive and negative impacts of this social networking platform. However, little is known about how students’ personal Facebook use may relate to specific domains of academic engagement. In this study, the association of Facebook intensity dimensions (i.e., persistence, boredom, overuse and self-expression) with domains of academic engagement (i.e., agentic, behavioural, cognitive and emotional engagement) was assessed among 700 Filipino undergraduate students (nfemale = 402 female and nmale = 298 male; Mage = 19.80, SDage = 4.26). The results of hierarchical regression analyses showed that self-expression positively predicted agentic engagement even after controlling for relevant demographic covariates such as age, gender and year level. Boredom positively predicted behavioural engagement, while overuse negatively predicted behavioural engagement. The results provide interesting insights into the adaptive and maladaptive aspects of Facebook involvement in the academic context.

The influence of personal and environmental factors on typically developing children’s activity participation

ABSTRACTParticipation is a multidimensional concept that has evolved from the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health as one’s engagement in life. This study investigated the impact that personal and environmental factors have on typically developing children’s activity participation (n = 18). Children and parents/caregivers completed self-report questionnaires. Children completed the Children’s Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment & Preferences for Activities of Children (CAPE/PAC) and the Children’s Leisure Assessment Scale (CLASS) while parents completed the Children Participation Questionnaire (school-aged) (CPQS), Performance Skill Questionnaire (school-aged) (PSQS), and Environmental Restriction Questionnaire (school-aged) (ERQS). Pearson correlations were performed to determine whether there were correlations between the independent variables (PSQS and ERQS) and dependent variables (CAPE, PAC, CLASS, CPQS), total scores and subscale scores. The Pearson r correlation analyses were also bootstrapped. Linear regressions analyses were used to determine whether the positive correlations identified between the variables were predictive. Personal factors (which included the child’s motor, process, and communication skills) were predictive of five out of the six dimensions of participation, diversity (40.8% variance accounted for in the dependent variables), intensity (32% variance), where (54.3% variance), with whom (30% variance), and enjoyment (54% variance). Environmental factors that include the child’s community, educational, and home environment were predictive of all six dimensions of participation. Diversity (32.4% variance accounted for in the dependent variables), intensity (32.8% variance), where (22.4% variance), with whom (25.3% variance), enjoyment (44.9% variance), and preference (49.1% variance). The results indicated that motor, process, and communication skills were significantly predictive of a child’s diversity and intensity of participation, with whom and where they completed activities, their enjoyment and parental satisfaction. Community and education environments were also found to be predictive of these elements of participation, while the home was predictive of a child’s activity preference.

Are Differences in Physical Activity across Socioeconomic Groups Associated with Choice of Physical Activity Variables to Report?

Despite being challenged in recent years, the hypothesis that individuals of higher socioeconomic status (SES) are more physically active than their lower SES counterparts is generally considered a fact. Recent reviews, however, have suggested that differences across groups might be related to which physical activity (PA) domains have been investigated. In the present review, searches for relevant studies were performed in the MEDLINE, ISI Web of Knowledge and SPORTDiscus databases. Search terms included “socioeconomic”, “socio-economic”, “socio economic” and “social class” to meet all variations of the variable “socioeconomic status” in combination with the term “physical activity”. Studies were included when applying the dimensions of intensity, frequency, type/mode, and duration in measuring PA. Fifty-six studies were included and were subsequently split into four PA domains: transport PA (TPA), occupational PA (OPA), housing PA (HPA) and leisure time PA (LTPA). It turned out that the positive relationship held only for LTPA, whereas the relationship was non-existent or even opposite for all other domains. It is concluded that the assumed positive relationship between SES and PA is mainly a relationship between LTPA and SES. It is further suggested that the PA domain should always be considered when studying said relationships.

A multicenter examination and strategic revisions of the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale.

To examine the internal consistency and distribution of the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) scores to inform modification of the measure. This cross-sectional study included 617 participants with a tic disorder (516 children and 101 adults), who completed an age-appropriate diagnostic interview and the YGTSS to evaluate tic symptom severity. The distributions of scores on YGTSS dimensions were evaluated for normality and skewness. For dimensions that were skewed across motor and phonic tics, a modified Delphi consensus process was used to revise selected anchor points. Children and adults had similar clinical characteristics, including tic symptom severity. All participants were examined together. Strong internal consistency was identified for the YGTSS Motor Tic score (α = 0.80), YGTSS Phonic Tic score (α = 0.87), and YGTSS Total Tic score (α = 0.82). The YGTSS Total Tic and Impairment scores exhibited relatively normal distributions. Several subscales and individual item scales departed from a normal distribution. Higher scores were more often used on the Motor Tic Number, Frequency, and Intensity dimensions and the Phonic Tic Frequency dimension. By contrast, lower scores were more often used on Motor Tic Complexity and Interference, and Phonic Tic Number, Intensity, Complexity, and Interference. The YGTSS exhibits good internal consistency across children and adults. The parallel findings across Motor and Phonic Frequency, Complexity, and Interference dimensions prompted minor revisions to the anchor point description to promote use of the full range of scores in each dimension. Specific minor revisions to the YGTSS Phonic Tic Symptom Checklist were also proposed.

Multiple Dimensions of Work Intensity: Ambulance Work as Edgework

Working life in public sector professions is undergoing significant change and becoming increasingly demanding. This article explores work intensity in NHS ambulance services in England, describing four distinct but interrelated dimensions of intensity: temporal; physical; emotional; and organizational. We use the concept of edgework to explore the complexities involved in how emergency workers attempt to negotiate the rewards and risks associated with multidimensional work intensity. Although certain parts of ambulance work may be intrinsically intense and can provide an important source of validation, organizational elements have the potential to push work intensity to unnecessary extremes. Ambulance services are ‘professionalizing’, but as work in ambulance trusts continues to intensify, issues over dignity, staff retention and the meaning of work are becoming ever more challenging, just as they are in other public service professions.

Luminous intensity correction method for misalignment-induced measurement error of light-emitting diode arrays

To eliminate axial misalignment-induced measurement errors of discrete light-emitting diode arrays in the far-field condition, a robust and effective method for correcting the measured luminous intensity distribution is proposed. The precision of the correction can be determined beforehand by setting a criterion which can also be used to determine the required test distance. To validate the feasibility and practicability of the proposed approach, numerical simulations of light-emitting diode arrays with three kinds of typical luminous intensity distributions were performed. In addition, the test distances as a function of the light-emitting diode luminous intensity distribution, packing density and dimensions under translational misalignment were analysed. Some beneficial operating methods and rules for practical application are summarised. Finally, physical measurements of several experimental examples were collected. The correction results agreed with the desired data and again proved the utility of the presented method.

Validation of the Stanford Leisure-Time Activity Categorical Item (L-Cat) using armband activity monitor data.

SummaryObjectiveAccurate assessment of physical activity (PA) in public health and healthcare settings remains a challenge given limitations of existing brief assessment tools. The Stanford Leisure‐Time Activity Categorical Item (L‐Cat), a single item with six categories, has previously demonstrated excellent reliability and adequate validity relative to pedometer steps. However, pedometers cannot assess key dimensions of PA intensity or duration.MethodsWe evaluated the L‐Cat's criterion validity and sensitivity to change relative to objectively measured Sensewear armband activity monitors among 76 adults with overweight/obesity (mean age 50.8 ± 11.9 years, BMI = 33.1 ± 3.4 kg m−2) at baseline and end of a 6‐month behavioural weight management pilot trial.ResultsAt baseline, L‐Cat category was associated with armband‐measured daily steps (Spearman's ρ = 0.41, p < 0.001), total weekly minutes of moderate/vigorous‐intensity PA (MVPA) (ρ = 0.40, p < 0.001) and weekly minutes of MVPA accumulated in bouts ≥10 min (ρ = 0.47, p < 0.0001). Participants increasing ≥1 L‐Cat category from baseline to 6 months had greater increases in steps (1,110.1 ± 1,852.1 vs. −18.0 ± 2,005.6 steps/d, p = 0.032), total minutes of MVPA (145.7 ± 180.6 vs. −2.1 ± 215.8 min/week, p = 0.007) and greater weight losses (−7.4 ± 7.7% vs. −3.1 ± 4.8%, p = 0.013) than those who stayed the same/decreased L‐Cat categories.ConclusionThe L‐Cat demonstrated adequate criterion validity and excellent sensitivity to change relative to objectively measured PA among behavioural weight management pilot trial participants. The L‐Cat may be particularly useful for identifying individuals at lower activity levels and when using all six categories.

Paradigmatic variation of vowels in expressive speech: Acoustic description and dimensional analysis.

Acoustic variation in expressive speech at the syllable level is studied. As emotions or attitudes can be conveyed by short spoken words, analysis of paradigmatic variations in vowels is an important issue to characterize the expressive content of such speech segments. The corpus contains 160 sentences produced under seven expressive conditions (Neutral, Anger, Fear, Surprise, Sensuality, Joy, Sadness) acted by a French female speaker (a total of 1120 sentences, 13 140 vowels). Eleven base acoustic parameters are selected for voice source and vocal tract related feature analysis. An acoustic description of the expressions is drawn, using the dimensions of melodic range, intensity, noise, spectral tilt, vocalic space, and dynamic features. The first three functions of a discriminant analysis explain 95% of the variance in the data. These statistical dimensions are consistently associated with acoustic dimensions. Covariation of intensity and F0 explains over 80% of the variance, followed by noise features (8%), covariation of spectral tilt, and F0 (7%). On the basis of isolated vowels alone, expressions are classified with a mean accuracy of 78%.

Physical behaviour is weakly associated with physical fatigue in persons with multiple sclerosis-related fatigue.

Fatigue affects 80% of persons with multiple sclerosis and is associated with daily physical functioning. Both fatigue and physical behaviour are multidimensional concepts. To study the association between the dimensions of physical behaviour and multiple sclerosis-related fatigue. Cross-sectional analysis of 212 persons with multiple sclerosis. Participants were severely fatigued, with a Fatigue Severity Scale median (interquartile range): 5.4 (4.8-5.9) and were minimally to moderately neurologically impaired, based on the Expanded Disability Status Scale: 2.5 (2.0-3.5), 73% had relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Fatigue was measured by questionnaires (i.e. Checklist Individual Strength, Modified Fatigue Impact Scale), and the dimensions subjective, physical, cognitive and psychological fatigue were distinguished. Physical behaviour was measured using an Actigraph GT3X+, and outcomes were categorized into the dimensions of activity amount, activity intensity, day pattern, and distribution of activities. The physical behaviour dimensions were significantly associated with only the physical fatigue dimension (omnibus F-test: 3.96; df1 = 4, df2 = 207; p = 0.004). Additional analysis showed that the amount of activity (unstandardized beta coefficient (β) = -0.16; 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.27 to -0.04; p = 0.007), activity intensity (β = -0.18; 95% CI -0.31 to -0.06; p = 0.004) and day pattern of activity (β = -0.17; 95% CI, -0.28 to -0.06; p = 0.002) were the physical behaviour dimensions that were significantly associated with physical fatigue. Physical behaviour is weakly associated with physical fatigue and is not associated with other dimensions of fatigue.

Selective Antecedents of Competitive State Anxiety Dimensions During High Stakes in Elite Competition

This present study investigated the influence of competitive state anxiety antecedents on the intensity, direction, and frequency dimensions of elite athletes during high stakes in table tennis competition. Thirty-three (N= 33) purposively sampled elite table tennis players from Ghana completed the modified version of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2, incorporating the direction and frequency of intrusion subscales during breaks within competitive matches. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses on intensity dimension revealed that cognitive anxiety was significantly predicted by only the age factor while no predictors emerged for somatic anxiety. Self-confidence was significantly predicted by only competitive experience. For directional dimension, gender and age emerged as significant predictors of cognitive anxiety. However, none of the factors were found to significantly predict somatic anxiety and self-confidence. Regarding frequency dimension, cognitive anxiety was significantly related to competitive experience and age whereas no predictors emerged for somatic anxiety. Competitive experience factor was also significantly associated with self-confidence. Findings underscore the need to measure these anxiety dimensions concurrently because they are triggered by different antecedents. Psychological skills interventions should be idiosyncratic based, targeting more self-confidence management strategies in alleviating the effect of cognitive anxiety during competitive matches when demands are very high.

A study on optimization of acid sites concentration versus pore dimensions in modified solid acid catalysts for biodiesel production

ABSTRACTThe acid sites concentration of silica sulfuric acid was optimized against pore dimensions depending on the intensity of silanol groups as a key for binding modifier molecules. The texturally modified rice husk silica, of determined intensity of silanol groups, was functionalized with different loadings of SO3H groups to produce solid acid catalysts with different concentrations of acid sites and different sizes of the pore systems. The catalysts were employed in trans-esterification of waste-cocking oil. The obtained optimum catalytic activity was attributed to the proper compensation between acid sites intensity and pore dimensions. The estimated TOF for methyl ester production was found to decrease with the increase of SO3H loading on the catalyst surface. The role of compatibility of the reactants phase with the catalyst nature could be validated by the observed much higher activity of sulfonated lignin in the studied esterification reaction than the modified RHS-acid catalysts under study.

Meeting the mental health needs of today’s college student: Reinventing services through Stepped Care 2.0.

A new stepped care model developed in North America reimagines the original United Kingdom model for the modern university campus environment. It integrates a range of established and emerging online mental health programs systematically along dimensions of treatment intensity and associated student autonomy. Program intensity can be either stepped up or down depending on level of client need. Because monitoring is configured to give both provider and client feedback on progress, the model empowers clients to participate actively in care options, decisions, and delivery. Not only is stepped care designed to be more efficient than traditional counseling services, early observations suggest it improves outcomes and access, including the elimination of service waitlists. This paper describes the new model in detail and outlines implementation experiences at 3 North American universities. While the experiences implementing the model have been positive, there is a need for development of technology that would facilitate more thorough evaluation. (PsycINFO Database Record

A concept analysis of young adults; Perception of HIV Counselling and Testing

Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate perceptions of young adults regarding HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) and the factors contributing to either negative or positive perceptions towards the programme. This article is a report of a concept analysis of young adults' perceptions of HCT that were collected during the study.Background: Perception forms the core of HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) use by young adults, because it is from these perceptions that young adults will decide to follow an HCT programme or not, depending on how they perceive the programme. HCT as an entry point in HIV and AIDS services should be accessible and young adults' perceptions towards the programme be promoted in order to assist them to develop positive perceptions towards the programme, which will enhance its uptake.Data sources: A literature search was undertaken using internet search engines, different journals, websites and electronic literature indexes. A sample of 60 documents met the criteria. The inclusion criterion was any article addressing perceptions in psychology, social sciences, nursing and education were reviewed.Review method: A concept analysis was conducted according to the steps of Rodger andKnafl (2000); Walker and Avant (2005) and Wilson (1963).Results: Perception has been defined as a constructive process that relies on a top-down processing. This entails that people make inferences about what they see and try to make a best guess as to what the object is all about. Attributes for perception were defined as intensity and physical dimension of stimulus, past experiences, and attention factors such as readiness to respond to the stimulus, motivation and emotional state of the subject. Consequences include increasedHCTuptake by young adults, a positive lifestyle, a reduction in the spreading of HIV and AIDS and lowered HIV statistics amongst young adults.Conclusion: The study findings related to HCT and perceptions paved the way towards a further understanding of HCT as an entry programme in HIV/AIDS services or programmes in relation to young adults. The ability of young adults to use their auditory senses to hear the nurses talk about HCT and HIV, the ability to see the attitudes displayed by HCT counsellors, and their perceptions with regard to lack of privacy, together with a lack of treatment for HIV made young adults to perceive HCT programme as being of less importance to them.

Geographies of digital skill

In an era of rapid technological change, especially considering the rise of robotics and AI, there is widespread anxiety about the impacts of digital technologies across a vast range of industries. Policy responses to this changing employment landscape champion the necessity for growing ‘digital skills’. However, we argue that these dominant macropolitical interpretations draw on a restricted understanding of spatiality where digital skills are discretely located in particular bodies and in particular geographical locations. The paper develops a novel geographical response through an exploration of the micropolitics of digital skills. This focuses on the material and practical dimensions of work with digital technologies that produces a more dynamic spatiality and thus a more complex politics of labour. We argue that the dynamic spatiality of digital skills can be evaluated according to: (1) site-specific dimensions, as digital skills are co-minglings of humans and technologies; (2) extensive dimensions, as digital skills are networked across geographically dispersed sites; and (3) intensive dimensions, as digital skills emerge across bodies and environments through repetitive practices. This analysis suggests that policy declarations of digital skills ‘shortages’ are problematic, since they overlook the contested and shifting forms of enablement and constraint that labour practices involving digital technologies give rise to. Unpacking this labour politics therefore requires geographical approaches that are adept at grasping these complex spatialities of labour.

Symptom experience of multiple myeloma (syMMex) patients treated with autologous stem cell transplantation following high-dose melphalan: a descriptive longitudinal study.

High-dose melphalan and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) are associated with high symptom burden. This study aimed to explore multiple myeloma (MM) patients' experience of symptom frequency, intensity, and distress during therapy. This descriptive longitudinal study enrolled 29 MM patients who completed the 43-item PROVIVO questionnaire, measuring symptom experience across the dimensions of frequency, intensity, and distress at four assessment points: hospital admission (T0), leucocyte nadir (T1), discharge (T2), and 30days post discharge (T3). Symptom assessment covered five categories: (1) physical, (2) emotional, (3) cognitive, (4) male/female urogenital symptoms, and (5) follow-up care planning (e.g., financial problems). Results were displayed as heat maps and bubble graphs for each patient, differences between T0 and T4 individually assessed, and intensity (IMS) and mean distress scores (DMS) calculated on a scale from 0 to 4. The most frequent, intense, and distressing physical symptoms were fatigue, diarrhea, and decreased appetite. As expected, peak symptom intensity (decreased appetite 2.79) and distress (diarrhea 2.11) were reported during high-dose melphalan and the leucocyte nadir (T1). Thereafter, most symptoms' intensity and distress improved. Items on urogenital symptoms remained predominantly unanswered or patients were sexually inactive. PROVIVO enabled exploration of various dimensions of MM patients' symptom experiences, which differed substantially before and after ASCT. Our results suggest that high-dose melphalan, ASCT, and other intensive novel agent therapies warrant targeted symptom management programs that include focused patient support.

Snap back to reality: Examining the cognitive mechanisms underlying Snapchat

This paper identifies and examines the factors that make Snapchat a unique social medium. Snapchat departs from mainstream media forms in that they are fundamentally visual and occur real-time, thus demonstrating a stronger sense of “being present” in multiple spaces at the same time. Specifically, we argue that what adds to the appeal of Snapchat is a focus on Social Presence as well as on Theory of Mind, a construct that could potentially play a key role in the degree of Social Presence generated by a medium. A sample of 656 Snapchat users, aged from 18 to 29, showed significant links between measures of various precursors and components of Theory of Mind with dimensions of Social Presence, Snapchat Intensity, and frequency of Snapchat usage patterns. Further, the results of a mediation analysis suggest that increasing elements of Social Presence underlie the relationship between mechanisms of Theory of Mind and the intensity of a social media (Snapchat) in users’ daily life. Taken in context of different social media platform uses, the results highlight how a platform that emphasizes such visual and real-time features over other features can fulfill a desired gap in established social media platforms and their practices.

Pistas somáticas para um estudo da corporeidade: uma aprendizagem das sensações

This text intends to present some clues for a study of the corporeity from the methodology of somatic learning evidencing it as a learning of / by the lived and experienced body through the habitation of its intensive and heterogeneous material dimension, producer of space-time othernesses. To do so, we will get closer to the somatic approach developed by Body Mind Centering. We will present accounts of experiences recorded in a logbook and in interviews that will search to highlight the aesthetic-sensitive nature of the body as a propellor of learning through sensations. The accounts set out an investigative field in which the body, in self-experimentation, become the compass of an errant process of searching for the legitimation of the body as a full, potent and vital reality.

A quantitative study on the diffusion of public policy in China: evidence from the S&T finance sector

With the deepening of the reform and opening-up process, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and other relevant ministries in China have jointly promulgated thousands of policies and regulations in the last few decades. The objective has been to adjust science and technology (S&T) finance policy tools, and to continually optimize an environment of financial support for S&T innovation and related public policies. Studying the diffusion mechanisms of the S&T finance activities in the policy documents jointly issued by these ministries cannot only reflect the intersection and linkages between S&T activities and finance and taxation affairs, but can also create a scientific and feasible research path for the ‘black box’ that is the S&T finance policy process. Based on a review of policy diffusion theory and related literature, and taking China’s S&T finance policy as the research subject, 367 central government policies and 3869 local government policies issued between 1981 and 2015 were collected using the Tsinghua University Government Documents Information System (GDIS). By analyzing the external attributes of the policy literature network, and the timing of keywords used by the internal tools of the policy literature, the process and characteristics of the policy diffusion of S&T achievements transformation were observed along the four dimensions of intensity, breadth, speed, and direction.

Interaction between Gender and Skill on Competitive State Anxiety Using the Time-to-Event Paradigm: What Roles Do Intensity, Direction, and Frequency Dimensions Play?

Background and purpose: The functional understanding and examination of competitive anxiety responses as temporal events that unfold as time-to-competition moves closer has emerged as a topical research area within the domains of sport psychology. However, little is known from an inclusive and interaction oriented perspective. Using the multidimensional anxiety theory as a framework, the present study examined the temporal patterning of competitive anxiety, focusing on the dimensions of intensity, direction, and frequency of intrusions in athletes across gender and skill level.Methods: Elite and semi-elite table tennis athletes from the Ghanaian league (N = 90) completed a modified version of Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2) with the inclusion of the directional and frequency of intrusion scales at three temporal phases (7 days, 2 days, and 1 h) prior to a competitive fixture.Results: Multivariate Analyses of Variance repeated measures with follow-up analyses revealed significant interactions for between-subjects factors on all anxiety dimensions (intensity, direction, and frequency). Notably, elite (international) female athletes were less cognitively anxious, showed more facilitative interpretation toward somatic anxiety symptoms and experienced less frequency of somatic anxiety symptoms than their male counterparts. However, both elite groups displayed appreciable level of self-confidence. For time-to-event effects, both cognitive and somatic anxiety intensity fluctuated whereas self-confidence showed a steady rise as competition neared. Somatic anxiety debilitative interpretation slightly improved 1 h before competition whereas cognitive anxiety frequencies also increased progressively during the entire preparatory phase.Conclusion: Findings suggest a more dynamic image of elite athletes’ pre-competitive anxiety responses than suggested by former studies, potentially influenced by cultural differences. The use of psychological skills interventions that require effective structure, content, and timing in a composite manner is suggested.

Stereological correction method based on sectional texture analysis for the liberation distribution of binary particle systems

Accurate assessment of liberation state of ore sample is important in mineral processing. In practice, the ore sample is mounted in resin, sectioned, and polished before its liberation state is measured by sectional analysis. This approach typically overestimates the degree of liberation in two-dimensional (2D) measurements. Several models have been proposed to overcome this stereological bias and correct this error in well-examined samples. However, their versatility remains poorly understood. Herein, a stereological correction method was developed for the liberation distribution. First, the complexity of particle sectional texture was assessed using the fractal dimension of the image intensity. Next, the magnitude of stereological bias and 2D measureable parameters such as fractal dimension was correlated by an all-encompassing simulation of various texture types. Finally, stereological correction indices were exclusively estimated from 2D measureable parameters obtained through the correlation. This model exhibited high versatility based on the all-encompassing simulation. The model was validated using nine different irregularly shaped binary particle systems and assessed using areal difference and maximum difference between liberation distribution curves in two and three dimensions. This error indices improved by approximately 80% for the former error index and 90% for the latter index.