Explanation For Use Research Articles

High Autistic Traits or Low Social Competence? Correlates of Social Camouflaging in Non-Autistic Adults.

Autistic traits have been linked with the use of social camouflaging behavior by non-autistic people. In addition, low social competence (i.e., poor social skills) has also been posited as a possible explanation for the use of social camouflaging by non-autistic people. In this study, we investigated the comparative influence of autistic traits and social competence on three components of social camouflaging (compensation, masking, and assimilation) in a sample of non-autistic adults. Using a cross-sectional design, we recruited 284 undergraduate students (28.5% male; 69.7% female; 1.8% not specified) who reported that they had never been diagnosed with autism. Participants completed standardized measures assessing social camouflaging, autistic traits, social competence, and psychological distress via an online questionnaire. We found that women reported greater use of social camouflaging, and greater social camouflaging use was associated with worse psychological distress. We also found that both social competence and autistic traits were associated with the use of social camouflaging, with higher autistic traits influencing camouflaging use to a greater degree than low social competence. Compared with the use of compensation- and assimilation-based social camouflaging, masking was the least well explained by the current predictors. We conclude that social competence and autistic traits are important factors influencing the use of social camouflaging by non-autistic adults. However, there are other (unknown) factors that contribute to the use of each aspect of camouflaging by non-autistic individuals, and a deeper understanding of the individual motivations for social camouflaging use is still needed. In turn, this may allow for the development of psychosocial interventions to offset the need for social camouflaging and mitigate the negative psychological consequences often associated with its use.

Prevalence, Clinical Correlates and Explanatory Models of Substance Use among Patients with Schizophrenia: A Cross-sectional Study from a Tertiary Care Hospital, Southern India

Introduction: Prevalence rates of Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) in patients with schizophrenia are reported to be about twice of that of the general population. Co-morbid SUDs in these patients can affect the natural course of the illness, quality of life and treatment compliance. Increased rates of hospital admissions, longer duration of inpatient stay, more severe psychopathology, increased rates of criminal activity and violent behaviour have also been reported in this group of patients. Data from the region on substance use in patients with schizophrenia is sparse. Aim: To study the prevalence of SUD’s in patients with schizophrenia and the risk factors associated with SUD’s and patient Explanatory Models (EM) regarding the same. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted in the Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic at Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India, from November 2016 to May 2017 in 103 consecutive patients with schizophrenia. Symptom severity was assessed using the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS), substance use patterns with the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and Fagerstrom’s Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and patient EMs for substance use with a semistructured questionnaire. Socio-demographic and clinical details were also recorded. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 16.0.1. Chi-square test and the student’s t-test were used to assess the significance of association for categorical and continuous variables respectively. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient was employed to assess the statistical significance of the association between two continuous variables. A p-value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The mean age of the participants was 37.54 years. The majority of the participants were males (n=60, 58.3%), 62 (60.2%) were married, 97 (94.2%) were literates and 54 (52.4%) participants were employed. The prevalence of substance use was seen in 30 (29.1%) participants. Nicotine was the most common substance of abuse (n=21, 20.4%) followed by alcohol (n=19, 18.4%). Male gender, being employed and a family history of substance use were factors significantly associated with any substance use with p-values 0.001, 0.001 and 0.01, respectively. Patient’s explanations for the use of the nicotine included the feeling of relaxation it produced (n=13, 61.9%), and feeling more energetic and active (n=12, 57.1%). Making one more relaxed and social (n=14, 73.7%) was the most common patient explanation for alcohol use. Conclusion: Alcohol and nicotine were common substances of abuse among the participants in this study. It is useful to understand patient’s explanations for substance use in order to develop effective intervention programmes tailored to the individual patient’s beliefs.

Explanations for use of dietary- and muscle enhancing dietary supplements among university students: a\xa0national cross-sectional study

BackgroundUse of dietary supplements (DS) and muscle enhancing dietary supplements (MEDS) is frequent among students despite the lack of evidence of effects and health risks related to consumption. We need to increase our understanding of students’ motivation, examine potential gender differences, and explore explanatory factors, to address preventive measures related to use. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the frequency of, and the reasons for, DS use among university students, as well as explanatory factors for use of MEDS.MethodMale and female students from nine Norwegian universities participated in this cross-sectional study. Participants responded to questions about demographics, DS and MEDS use, internalization of body ideals, physical activity- and exercise level, motives for exercise, and exercise context. Independent t-test, Chi-square test, Pearson’s correlation, and logistic regression were used to investigate between group differences, associations, and explanatory factors for use, respectively. P-values ≤ 0.05 were defined as significant.ResultsA total of 1001 males (34%) and females, with a mean(sd) age of 24.21(4.76) years, participated. The frequency of DS use was 42% and 40% (p = .414) in males and females, respectively, in which more males than females used DS to improve physical or mental performance (p = < .001), increase muscle mass (p = < .001) and weight for health (p = .014), and improve appearance (p = < .001). In males and females, respectively, 25% and 10% used MEDS (p = < .001). In males, being a fitness center member (OR:3.80), exercising to improve muscle mass (OR:1.96), and a higher physical activity level (OR:1.09) positively explained MEDS use, while exercising to increase endurance (OR:0.49) and being an exercise science student (OR:0.47) negatively explained MEDS use. In females, internalizing the athletic body ideal (OR:1.78) and exercising to improve muscle mass (OR:1.74) positively explained MEDS use.ConclusionsOur main findings indicate that a surprisingly high percentage of male and female Norwegian students use DS and MEDS, and that reasons for use, and variables explaining the variability in frequency of use, differ between genders. Longitudinal studies to investigate direction of associations are needed in future research.

Некоторые проблемные вопросы получения объяснений при проверке сообщения о преступлении

The authors of the work point out that among other ways to verify the report of a crime, obtaining explanations stands out. It has a great cognitive meaning and widely used by law enforcement. Despite the prevalence of the application, the legislative enactment of this verification act has many gaps. The relevance of this work is determined by the urgency of expanding the interpretation and giving a clearer legal regulation of obtaining explanations for use on practices. The tasks of this work: to determine the importance of obtaining explanations, as verification action, to identify the problems of its legal consolidation, their analysis and ways to solve them.

Why We Should Care About the Sex of Specimens in Cadaveric, Animal, and Cell-Based Orthopaedic Research: Commentary on an article by Jessica Bryant, MD, et al.: "Potential Sex Bias Exists in Orthopaedic Basic Science and Translational Research".

Commentary As orthopaedic surgeons, we are well aware of the important role that sex plays in the epidemiology and treatment of many orthopaedic conditions. Some conditions have a strong bias toward men (such as Achilles tendon rupture)1 or women (such as de Quervain tenosynovitis)2, and surgical treatment plans can also be influenced by sex. Using the knee as an example, women at the time of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction are at a higher risk for an excessively small gracilis and semitendinosus combined autograft diameter3. Women also tend to have relatively narrower distal parts of the femora (in medial-lateral dimension) than men do, which, in part, led to the design of sex-specific implants for use in total knee arthroplasty4. Historically, women have been severely underrepresented in human clinical trials, which led to the Revitalization Act of 1993 and the requirement to include women in clinical research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Under this policy, enrollment rates of women in modern NIH-funded clinical trials are now higher than those of men5. However, little attention has been paid to sex bias among animals or cells utilized in basic science research. In 2014, the NIH leadership unveiled future plans to roll out policies that require balanced use of female and male animals and cells in basic science research6. The rationale for these proposed policies is that elimination of sex bias at the preclinical stage will lead to improved clinical study design and more reliable translation of results to clinical practice. This proposal has had mixed support in the basic science community. Routine use of male and female cell lines and animals as well as comparison of experimental results by sex may unnecessarily increase experimental costs and variability7; if there is no physiologic basis for sex to play a role in certain experiments, why should it be investigated? However, proponents of the proposal suggest that the extra cost and effort needed to equally include male and female specimens are justified by the downstream costs of failing to do so, namely, failed clinical trials, misdiagnosis and inappropriate therapies for women, and omission of fundamental biological principles8. In the current review, Bryant et al. investigated the potential for sex bias in orthopaedic basic science research. The authors identified all cadaveric, animal, and cell-based studies shown in 4 of our top journals in 2014 (Journal of Orthopaedic Research, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, The Bone & Joint Journal, and The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery) and determined that sex is not reported in more than one-third of the included studies. Among studies that did include sex, there was a predilection toward use of male specimens, and authors reported sex-specific results in only 13% of studies that included both sexes. The predilection for male specimens in animal studies, in particular, is based on the unfounded (and debunked)9 assumption that variability in results is intrinsically higher in females because of variability in estrogen cycles. Clearly, we need to do a better job of consistently reporting sex in basic science research within our field. The current review highlights an important topic and reminds us to, at a minimum, actively consider the sex of specimens when interpreting study results or designing a new basic science experiment. Standardized reporting of the sex of included specimens should be a requirement, as well as an explanation for use of samples from one sex if a balanced sample (of male and female specimens) is not used. This has the potential to increase discovery of previously obscured sex-specific relationships and to improve the clinical applicability of basic science studies within our field.

USE OF THE PHRASE “PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS”: TOWARD A COMPREHENSIVE INTERDISCIPLINARY EXPLANATION

AbstractWhen people use the phrase “personal relationship with Jesus,” how does one explain its significance? Normally attributed to evangelical Protestant Christians, use of the phrase “personal relationship with Jesus” is a complicated phenomenon, and an explanation of it requires drawing upon resources from across multiple disciplines rather than a single discipline only. Attempts to explain exactly what the phrase “personal relationship with Jesus” means frequently can be mystifying, on the one hand, or dismissive and simplistic, on the other hand. This article moves potentially toward a better context for understanding use of the phrase “personal relationship with Jesus” by drawing upon insights from multiple disciplines, including (1) rhetorical and cultural‐historical studies, (2) evolutionary and cognitive psychology, and (3) biological/behavioral and social/anthropological studies in order to set forth some basic lines of explanation for use of the phrase “personal relationship with Jesus.” The article concludes with some possible testable statements for future empirical studies.

Sustaining Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functions: Economic Issues, by Clement A.Tisdell. Published by Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, UK, 2015, pp. 426 pages. ISBN: 9781782544395, AU$175

Sustaining Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functions: Economic Issues, by Clement A.Tisdell. Published by Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, UK, 2015, pp. 426 pages. ISBN: 9781782544395, AU$175

Towards a Regulatory Cycle? The Use of Evaluative Information in Impact Assessments and Ex–post Evaluations in the European Union

As a part of its Better Regulation agenda, the European Commission increasingly stresses the link between different types of regulatory evaluations. Predictions made by Impact Assessments (IAs) could be verified during ex–post legislative evaluations, while ex–post evaluations in turn could recommend amendments to be studied in future IAs. This article combines a dataset of 309 ex–post legislative evaluations (2000-2014) and a dataset of 225 IAs of legislative updates (2003-2014) to show how many ex–post evaluations of the Commission use IAs and vice versa. This way, it explores if the Commission's rhetoric of a ‘regulatory cycle’ holds up in practice. Building on the literature of evaluation use, we formulate the hypotheses that the timeliness, quality and focus of the IAs and evaluations are key explanations for use. Our results show that so far only ten ex–post evaluations have used IAs of EU legislation, while thirty three IAs have used ex–post legislative evaluations. Using Fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis, we find that timeliness is a necessary condition of the use of ex–post evaluations by IAs, suggesting that for the regulatory cycle to function properly, it is crucial to complete an ex–post evaluation before an IA is launched. Future research could repeat our analysis for evaluations of non–regulatory activities or study the causal mechanisms behind our findings.

Revised Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA): Extending the CONSORT statement

The Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) were published in five journals in 2001 and 2002. These guidelines, in the form of a checklist and explanations for use by authors and journal editors, were designed to improve reporting of acupuncture trials, particularly the interventions, thereby facilitating their interpretation and replication. Subsequent reviews of the application and impact of STRICTA have highlighted the value of STRICTA as well as scope for improvements and revision.

Using the international classification of functioning, disability and health to expand understanding of paralysis in the United States through improved surveillance

BackgroundSurveillance on paralysis prevalence has been conceptually and methodologically challenging. Numerous methods have been used to approximate population-level paralysis prevalence estimates leading to widely divergent prevalence estimates. Objective/hypothesesTo describe three phases in use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a framework and planning tool for defining paralysis and developing public health surveillance of this condition. MethodsDescription of the surveillance methodology covers four steps: an assessment of prior data collection efforts that included a review of existing surveys, registries and other data collection efforts designed to capture both case definitions in use and prevalence of paralysis; use of a consensus conference of experts to develop a case definition of paralysis based on the ICF rather than medical diagnostic criteria; explanation of use of the ICF framework for domains of interest to develop, cognitively test, validate and administer a brief self-report questionnaire for telephone administration on a population; and development and administration of a Paralysis Prevalence and Health Disparities Survey that used content mapping to back code items from existing national surveys to operationalize key domains. ResultsICF coding led to a national population-based survey of paralysis that produced accurate estimates of prevalence and identification of factors related to the health of people in the U.S. living with paralysis. ConclusionsThe ICF can be a useful tool for developing valid and reliable surveillance strategies targeting subgroups of individuals with functional disabilities such as people with paralysis and others.

Hedonism as a Decision Factor and Technologic Usage

In the current selection and use of technological products, consumers prefer to adopt products which include new service packages and features. This article presents that all-in-one or integrated products are hedonic but explanation for use thereof is utilitarian. This paper analyzes factors of technological integration, hedonic and utilitarian behavior, in addition to the more traditional environmental factors of price, budget, brand, and choice. All variables presented can be considered decision factors or factors that change preference, given the inclusion of several integrations. Accordingly, we assessed smart phones with different services integrated, such as Internet, wireless, music, video, and camera functions. Our findings support our assertion that consumer preference is based on the integration of product features for both enjoyment and pleasure of use.

Revised STandards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA): Extending the CONSORT Statement

The Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) were published in five journals in 2001 and 2002. These guidelines, in the form of a checklist and explanations for use by authors and journal editors, were designed to improve reporting of acupuncture trials, particularly the interventions, thereby facilitating their interpretation and replication. Subsequent reviews of the application and impact of STRICTA have highlighted the value of STRICTA as well as scope for improvements and revision. To manage the revision process a collaboration between the STRICTA Group, the CONSORT Group, and the Chinese Cochrane Centre was developed in 2008. An expert panel with 47 participants was convened that provided electronic feedback on a revised draft of the checklist. At a subsequent face-to-face meeting in Freiburg, a group of 21 participants further revised the STRICTA checklist and planned dissemination. The new STRICTA checklist, which is an official extension of CONSORT, includes six items and 17 sub-items. These set out reporting guidelines for the acupuncture rationale, the details of needling, the treatment regimen, other components of treatment, the practitioner background, and the control or comparator interventions. In addition, and as part of this revision process, the explanations for each item have been elaborated, and examples of good reporting for each item are provided. In addition, the word "controlled" in STRICTA is replaced by "clinical," to indicate that STRICTA is applicable to a broad range of clinical evaluation designs, including uncontrolled outcome studies and case reports. It is intended that the revised STRICTA, in conjunction with both the main CONSORT Statement and extension for nonpharmacologic treatment, will raise the quality of reporting of clinical trials of acupuncture.

Revised STandards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA): extending the CONSORT statement (Chinese version)

The STandards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) were published in five journals in 2001 and 2002. These guidelines, in the form of a checklist and explanations for use by authors and journal editors, were designed to improve reporting of acupuncture trials, particularly the interventions, thereby facilitating their interpretation and replication. Subsequent reviews of the application and impact of STRICTA have highlighted the value of STRICTA as well as scope for improvements and revision. To manage the revision process a collaboration between the STRICTA Group, the CONSORT Group and the Chinese Cochrane Centre was developed in 2008. An expert panel with 47 participants was convened that provided electronic feedback on a revised draft of the checklist. At a subsequent face-to-face meeting in Freiburg, a group of 21 participants further revised the STRICTA checklist and planned dissemination. The new STRICTA checklist, which is an official extension of CONSORT, includes 6 items and 17 subitems. These set out reporting guidelines for the acupuncture rationale, the details of needling, the treatment regimen, other components of treatment, the practitioner background and the control or comparator interventions. In addition, and as part of this revision process, the explanations for each item have been elaborated, and examples of good reporting for each item are provided. In addition, the word "controlled" in STRICTA is replaced by "clinical", to indicate that STRICTA is applicable to a broad range of clinical evaluation designs, including uncontrolled outcome studies and case reports. It is intended that the revised STRICTA checklist, in conjunction with both the main CONSORT statement and extension for non-pharmacological treatment, will raise the quality of reporting of clinical trials of acupuncture.

Revised STandards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA): Extending the CONSORT Statement

The STandards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) were published in five journals in 2001 and 2002. These guidelines, in the form of a checklist and explanations for use by authors and journal editors, were designed to improve reporting of acupuncture trials, particularly the interventions, thereby facilitating their interpretation and replication. Subsequent reviews of the application and impact of STRICTA have highlighted the value of STRICTA as well as scope for improvements and revision. To manage the revision process a collaboration between the STRICTA Group, the CONSORT Group, and the Chinese Cochrane Centre was developed in 2008. An expert panel with 47 participants was convened that provided electronic feedback on a revised draft of the checklist. At a subsequent face-to-face meeting in Freiburg, a group of 21 participants further revised the STRICTA checklist and planned dissemination. The new STRICTA checklist, which is an official extension of CONSORT, includes six items and 17 sub-items. These set out reporting guidelines for the acupuncture rationale, the details of needling, the treatment regimen, other components of treatment, the practitioner background, and the control or comparator interventions. In addition, and as part of this revision process, the explanations for each item have been elaborated, and examples of good reporting for each item are provided. In addition, the word "controlled" in STRICTA is replaced by "clinical," to indicate that STRICTA is applicable to a broad range of clinical evaluation designs, including uncontrolled outcome studies and case reports. It is intended that the revised STRICTA, in conjunction with both the main CONSORT Statement and extension for nonpharmacologic treatment, will raise the quality of reporting of clinical trials of acupuncture.

Revised STandards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA): extending the CONSORT statement.

The STandards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) were published in five journals in 2001 and 2002. These guidelines, in the form of a checklist and explanations for use by authors and journal editors, were designed to improve reporting of acupuncture trials, particularly the interventions, thereby facilitating their interpretation and replication. Subsequent reviews of the application and impact of STRICTA have highlighted the value of STRICTA as well as scope for improvements and revision.To manage the revision process a collaboration between the STRICTA Group, the CONSORT Group and the Chinese Cochrane Centre was developed in 2008. An expert panel with 47 participants was convened that provided electronic feedback on a revised draft of the checklist. At a subsequent face-to-face meeting in Freiburg, a group of 21 participants further revised the STRICTA checklist and planned dissemination.The new STRICTA checklist, which is an official extension of CONSORT, includes 6 items and 17 subitems. These set out reporting guidelines for the acupuncture rationale, the details of needling, the treatment regimen, other components of treatment, the practitioner background and the control or comparator interventions. In addition, and as part of this revision process, the explanations for each item have been elaborated, and examples of good reporting for each item are provided. In addition, the word ‘controlled’ in STRICTA is replaced by ‘clinical’, to indicate that STRICTA is applicable to a broad range of clinical evaluation designs, including uncontrolled outcome studies and case reports. It is intended that the revised STRICTA checklist, in conjunction with both the main CONSORT statement and extension for non-pharmacological treatment, will raise the quality of reporting of clinical trials of acupuncture.

Block Buying and Choice of Issue Method in UK Seasoned Equity Offers

Abstract: Much of the new equity declined by existing shareholders in UK SEOs is bought in a few large blocks, both by other existing holders and by new investors. The paper argues that a placing process via negotiation with investors facilitates the purchase of large blocks better than the alternative method of selling rights on the market, and that this helps to explain the decline of rights issues in the UK. Other explanations for use of the placing method appear to be of limited relevance, except perhaps certificaton of issuer value.

Block Buying and Choice of Issue Method in UK Seasoned Equity Offers

Much of the new equity declined by existing shareholders in UK SEOs is bought in a few large blocks, both by other existing holders and by new investors. The paper argues that a placing process via negotiation with investors facilitates the purchase of large blocks better than the alternative method of selling rights on the market, and that this helps to explain the decline of rights issues in the UK. Other explanations for use of the placing method appear to be of limited relevance, except perhaps certificaton of issuer value.

Signal Interception and the Use of Soft Song in Aggressive Interactions

AbstractSong sparrows, like many species of songbirds, produce songs of especially low amplitude during aggressive contests. Such ‘soft songs’ have been shown to be reliable signals of intention to attack in song sparrows. Low intensity is a paradoxical feature in a highly aggressive signal, in that it seems likely to make the signal less intimidating to an opponent. A hypothesis that resolves this paradox is that use of soft songs benefits a signaler by limiting the interception of his signals by third party receivers. Here, we test this hypothesis with respect to song sparrows and two classes of third party receivers, predators and conspecific males. We tested whether selection to avoid predation is responsible for use of soft song by examining whether male song sparrows increase production of soft song in an aggressive context when they also receive signals (alarm calls) that indicate a predator is present. We found that the proportion of soft song produced by male song sparrows was actually significantly lower in the predator context than in a control context, directly contradicting the prediction. We tested whether avoiding eavesdropping by conspecific males is a benefit of soft song by removing territory owners and simulating interactions on their territories using playback from two loudspeakers. We found that intrusions by third party males were more likely in trials in which the simulated owner countered an intruder's songs using soft songs than in trials in which the simulated owner countered with loud song, again directly contradicting the hypothesis. We conclude that limiting interception by predators and conspecific males does not provide an explanation for use of soft song by song sparrows.

WinSAAM: application and explanation of use.

The WinSAAM modeling software is an integrated package of mathematical, simula-tion, and graphical tools for analysis of biokinetic data. WinSAAM is the Windows version of SAAM, the Simulation, Analysis, and Modeling computer program. SAAM, a collection of scientific subroutines, was created in the 1950s by Dr. Mones Berman to meet the mathematical needs of his research program. Over the decades, SAAM has been continually developed and enhanced (Berman and Weiss, 1978; Boston et al., 1981), and today, WinSAAM is an elegant and powerful tool for mathematical and compartmental modeling.

Different somatic and germline HPRT1 mutations promote use of a common, cryptic intron 1 splice site. Mutation in brief no. 259. Online.

Aberrant hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HUGO-approved gene symbol HPRT1; MIM# 308000) RNA splicing promoted by splice site mutation or loss is a common mechanism for loss of the purine salvage enzyme HPRT1 from human cells. We report here two in vivo somatic HPRT1 mutations in human kidney tubular epithelial cells that disrupt HPRT1 intron 1 splicing and lead to the inclusion of intron 1 sequence in mature mRNA. Analysis of these mutations and of 14 additional HPRT1 intron 1 inclusion mutations provides an explanation for use of a common, cryptic intron 1 splice donor site by all 16 mutations.