Mean Values Of Scale Research Articles

Rythu Bharosa Kendram: Rejuvenating the Indian Rural Economy

Rythu Bharosa Kendram (RBK) serves as one stop shop for all of the needs of farmers at the Panchayat level. They offer services like e-crop booking for crop insurance, an agricultural input store, farmer knowledge centers, a technical advisory team, YSR Rythu Bharosa, Polambadi (Farmer Field School), CCRC cards, D-Krishi Seed distribution, and others. The objective is to study the extent of adoption of technologies and services of RBKs by the farmers. The present study is conducted in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh state as it is has significant area under crop cultivation. Multi stage simple random sampling technique has been adopted to select the sample farmers for the study. The data was collected from 75 respondents by personal interview method and analyzed using statistical analytical techniques such as Mean scale value and adoption Index. The study revealed that the majority of respondents 58.67% adopted technology at a medium level followed by low adoption 26.67% and high adoption 14.67% levels. The study concludes that RBKs are vital in serving farmers, with moderate adoption levels influenced by farmers’ age and education.

Motivation to Lead: A Study of the Supportive Nursing Leadership Environment

Background. With projected nursing shortages, an aging workforce, and the imminent retirement of nurse leaders, nursing leadership shortages are a concern. While several studies have indicated the interest of nurses in pursuing leadership positions, limited research has focused on examining the influence of the leadership practice environment on nurses’ motivation to lead. Aim. The aims of the study were to (1) assess the relationship between the leadership environment and the motivation of nurses to lead and (2) determine whether there are particular aspects of the leadership environment that influence motivation to lead. Methods. A cross‐sectional research design was used to collect data from 435 nurses working in 16 public and private hospitals in Oman. Leadership Environment Scale and Motivation to Lead Scale were used to assess participants’ perceived leadership environment and their motivation to engage in formal leadership roles, respectively. Multivariate linear regression was used to assess the relationship between the perceived leadership environment and the motivation of nurses to undertake leadership roles. Findings. Nurses reported a mean scale value of 3.208 out of 5 (SD = 0.467) for their motivation to lead, which exceeds the midpoint, indicating a strong motivation to engage in formal leadership roles. Nurses reported a mean score of 3.194 out of 4 (SD = 0.661), which exceeds the midpoint, suggesting a favorable perception of leadership environment. The findings showed a significant relationship between the leadership environment and nurses’ motivation to lead. Specifically, self‐organization (β = 0.185, p = 0.001, CI = 0.086–0.378), agents (β = 0.221, p = 0.002, CI = 0.124–0.474), and transformative exchange (β = 0.100, p = 0.037, CI = 0.101–0.142) were characteristics of the leadership environment that were associated with greater motivation to engage in leadership. Conclusion. This study emphasizes the importance of cultivating a supportive leadership environment as a potential strategy to attract nurses to assume formal nursing leadership roles. Implications for Nursing Management. Strategies to improve nurses’ motivation to lead in a complex healthcare environment include improving nurses’ active involvement in their organization, creating a collegial supportive and mentoring leadership culture, and improving transformative exchange by supporting career and educational advancement.

Extent of Adoption of Rythu Bharosa Kendra’s Technologies and Services in Ananthapuram District of Andhra Pradesh

Rythu Bharosa Kendras are the one stop shops for all farmers needs at Panchayat level in Andhra Pradesh. They provide services like e-crop booking to avail crop insurance, Agri-input shop, Farmer Knowledge Centres, Technical Advisory team, YSR Rythu Bharosa, Polambadi (FFS), CCRC cards, D-krishi (Seed distribution), etc. A sample of 90 beneficiaries were randomly selected from Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. Descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, mean scale value were used to analyse the data. The findings of the study indicated that, majority of the respondents (81.11%) having medium level of adoption followed by high (12.20%) and low (6.70%) levels of adoption.

Infeksi Ganda Pepper Yellow Leaf Curl Virus dan Chilli Veinal Mottle Virus dalam Menimbulkan Penyakit Daun Kuning Keriting Cabai

Yellow leaf curl disease is the primary disease in chili plants with up to 100% losses. Detection from the field showed a mixed infection between Geminivirus or Pepper Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (PYLCV) and several viruses, including Chilli Veinal Mottle Virus (ChiVMV) and Cucumber mosaic Virus (CMV). Therefore, this study aimed to determine the role of PYLCV and ChiVMV dual infection in influencing the development of chili yellow leaf curl disease. This study used a completely randomized design (CRD) with six treatments and ten replications. The treatments used were multiple Geminiviruses and ChiVMV infections simultaneously, before ChiVMV co-infection, after Geminivirus infection, single infection and whithout infection viruses. The results showed that the presence of ChiVMV infection before, after, and concurrently with Geminiviruses infection could increase the yellow leaf curl disease intensity and reduce plant height and wet weight growth. The mean scale value of ChiVMV infection before, after, and concurrently with Geminiviruses infection were 3.38, 3.90 and 3.58 compared to single Geminiviruses infection (scale of 3.20) and single ChiVMV (scale of 1.33). The interaction analysis of ChiVMV and geminiviruses infections based on the percentage reduction in plant growth height and wet weight showed additive interaction. ChiVMV co-infection further exacerbated the incidence of yellow leaf curl diseases in chilies.

User Experience Analysis on Mobile Application Design Using User Experience Questionnaire

Nowadays, it is essential to use all concepts of Human-Computer interaction to understand mobile application design usability. This manuscript aimed to analyze a mobile application user experience (Grab online transportation), especially Grab foodservice users, using a user experience questionnaire since we noticed some Grab food users' complaints. Researchers collected data from 90 respondents within six were not used because the excel data analysis tool found that there were suspicious. We finally analyzed using an excel data analysis tool. The findings have shown that all six scales of the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ) are good except the dependability scale. In addition, the mean scale value computed is favorable, and all values are more significant than 0.8 compared to the UEQ benchmark. The findings can be used for dependability improvement to reduce complaints from users.

Traditional chest drainage versus drainage by thoracotomy: a prospective randomized study.

ABSTRACTObjective To compare the chest tube drainage by the same thoracotomy intercostal space with the traditional approach in patients undergoing muscle-sparing thoracotomy.Methods We evaluated 40 patients aged ≥18 years who underwent elective muscle sparing thoracotomies. Patients were divided into two groups of 20 patients. One group underwent thoracic drainage by the same intercostal space of thoracotomy and the other by traditional chest drainage approach.Results The mean length of hospital stay for the intercostal drainage group in the intensive care unit was 1.5 day (1.0 to 2.0 days) and 2.0 days (25.1 to 3.0 days) for the traditional chest drainage group (p=0.060). The intercostal drainage group had mean length of hospital stay (p=0.527) and drainage (p=0.547) of 4 days, and the traditional chest drainage group and 2 and 5.5 days, respectively. Dipirona and tramadol doses did not differ between groups (p=0.201 and p=0.341). The mean pain scale values on first postoperative was 4.24 in the drainage by the same intercostal group and 3.95 in the traditional chest drainage (p=0.733). In third postoperative day, mean was 3.18 for the first group and 3.11 for the traditional group (p=0.937). In the 15th day after surgery, drainage by the incision was 1.53 and the traditional chest drainage was 2.11 (p=0.440), 30th days after drainage by incision was 0.71 and traditional chest drainage was 0.84 (p=0.787). Complications, for both groups were similar with 30% in proposed drainage and 25% in traditional approach (p=0.723).Conclusion Drainage by the same thoracotomy intercostal space was feasible and results 30 days after surgery were not inferior to those of the traditional chest drainage approach.

Comparison of cytological adequacy and pain scale score in ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration of solid thyroid nodules for liquid-based cytology with with 23- and 25-gauge needles: a single-center prospective study

In ultrasound (US)-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of solid thyroid nodules (STN) using liquid-based cytology (LBC), the most appropriate needle size for LBC remains unclear. This study compared the cytological adequacy and complications associated with using 23- and 25-gauge needles in US-guided FNA of STNs using LBC. US-guided FNA was performed in consecutive patients by one radiologist to diagnose STNs ≥ 5 mm in the largest diameter. The one-sampling technique through a single needle puncture and multiple to-and-fro needle motions was used in each patient. The 23- and 25-guage needles were used consecutively each day. After FNA, the pain and complications experienced by each patient were investigated by a nurse, who was blinded to the information of needle gauge used. A cytopathologist retrospectively analyzed the cytological adequacy and cellularity of the cases. Of the 99 STNs, eight (8.1%) exhibited inadequate cytology (4 each with 23- and 25-gauge needles). The rate of cytological adequacy was not statistically different between the groups (p = 0.631). The mean pain scale values with 23- and 25-gauge needles were 2.1 ± 1.3 and 1.6 ± 1.3, respectively (p = 0.135). There were no significant complications in either group. In conclusion, both 23- and 25-gauge needles are useful in LBC because cytological adequacy and complications were not statistically different with both sizes of the needles.

Inclusive Research: Validation of the General Self-Efficacy Scale in Simple Language in a Sample of Students with Special Educational Needs

Approximately 7% of pupils in Germany have special educational needs. This is accompanied by a general reduction in social participation, partly due to a reduction in language comprehension. The endeavour for social inclusion therefore includes the provision of text information in simple language. Since written surveys play an important role in social science and clinical research, this also applies to psychometric questionnaires. Comparison of psychometric quality of the original scale measuring self-efficacy (German version: SWE, English version: GSE) and a version of the same scale translated into simple language (SWE-LS). Both versions of the SWE were completed by N=94 pupils aged between 12 and 19 years with special educational needs from 7 special schools in Thuringia. Internal consistency and convergent validity of both scales were measured. Both scale versions achieved satisfactory internal consistency (SWE:=0.74, SWE-LS:=0.78). However, the mean scale values differ significantly. The convergent validity was r=0.69, whereby 3 items did not correlate significantly (-0.01<r>0.21). The proportion of missing values is significantly higher for the original SWE with 16% listwise and 6.7% pairwise than for the SWE-LS with 3.2 and 0.5%, respectively. Overall, the SWE-LS translated into simple language has a better psychometric quality than the original scale. The lower proportion of missing values also speaks for the use of the SWE-LS. The translation of standardised questionnaires into simple language offers the possibility of also including groups of participants who have so far been excluded or who have only been surveyed indirectly (e. g. through caregivers). The cost of translation is comparable to that of translation into other languages. In the case of simple language, however, a back translation and thus a verification of the validity of the content are not possible.

Beneficial effects of leptin substitution on impaired eating behavior in lipodystrophy are sustained beyond 150 weeks of treatment

AimMetreleptin treatment in lipodystrophy patients improves eating behavior with increased satiety and reduced hunger. However, no data are available whether effects are maintained beyond 52 weeks of treatment. MethodsA prospective study with measurements at baseline and at >150 weeks of metreleptin treatment was performed. Five female lipodystrophy patients with indication for metreleptin were included. Behavioral aspects of hunger- and satiety regulation were assessed by validated eating behavior questionnaires and visual analog scales assessing hunger and satiety feelings before and after a standardized meal. ResultsHunger rated on visual analog scales at 120 min after the meal significantly decreased from 46 ± 10 mm at baseline to 17 ± 6 mm at long-term assessment. Furthermore, satiety at 5 and 120 min after the meal significantly increased from baseline to long-term assessment (5 min: 70 ± 7 mm to 87 ± 3 mm; 120 min: 43 ± 10 mm to 79 ± 8 mm). On the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire, the mean value of factor 3 (hunger) significantly decreased from 9.2 ± 0.2 at baseline to 2.6 ± 1.5 at long-term assessment. In the Inventory of Eating Behavior and Weight Problems Questionnaire, mean values for scale 2 (strength and triggering of desire to eat) and scale 7 (cognitive restraint of eating) significantly decreased from baseline (31.6 ± 4.8 and 11.4 ± 2.2, respectively) to long-term assessment (14.0 ± 2.1 and 10.0 ± 1.9). ConclusionFirst evidence is presented that long-term metreleptin treatment of >150 weeks has sustained effects on eating behavior with increased satiety, as well as reduced hunger and hunger-related measures.

Association of Supergranule Mean Scales with Solar Cycle Strengths and Total Solar Irradiance

Abstract We analyze the long-term behavior of the supergranule scale parameter, in active regions (ARs) and quiet regions (QRs), using the Kodaikanal digitized data archive. This database provides century-long daily full disk observations of the Sun in Ca ii K wavelengths. In this paper, we study the distributions of the supergranular scales, over the whole data duration, which show identical shape in these two regimes. We found that the AR mean scale values are always higher than that of the QR for every solar cycle. The mean scale values are highly correlated with the sunspot number cycle amplitude and also with total solar irradiance (TSI) variations. Such a correlation establishes the cycle-wise mean scale as a potential calibrator for the historical data reconstructions. We also see an upward trend in the mean scales, as has already been reported in TSI. This may provide new input for climate forcing models. These results also give us insight into the different evolutionary scenarios of the supergranules in the presence of strong (AR) and weak (QR) magnetic fields.

Identification and antifungal activity analysis of two biocontrol antagonists to Colletotrichum musae

AbstractPostharvest anthracnose of banana caused by Colletotrichum musae is one of the major diseases resulting in huge economic losses worldwide. To control this disease using biocontrol agents, two antagonistic strains SD7 and NB20 with significant inhibitory effects on mycelial growth and conidial germination of C. musae were identified and evaluated in this study. The inhibitory effects of cell‐free culture filtrates of SD7 and NB20 on conidial germination of C. musae were both 100%, and those on mycelial growth of C. musae were 97.7 ± 0.9% and 95.0 ± 0.6%, respectively. The antifungal activities of cell‐free culture filtrates of both strains were still stable after they were stored at 4°C for 6 months. The control efficacies of cell‐free culture filtrates of SD7 and NB20 on postharvest anthracnose of banana were 55.9 ± 4.1% and 33.2 ± 3.9%, respectively. The disease severity (mean scale value) in banana fruit fingers was significantly lower after the treatment with a cultural suspension of the bacterial strain SD7 (1.4 ± 0.49) or actinomycete strain NB20 (2.0 ± 0.63), compared to that in the control (4.8 ± 0.40). After subculturing for 10 generations, the antifungal efficiency of NB20 remained stable, whereas that of strain SD7 declined obviously. Lastly, based on the morphological, physio‐biochemical and molecular characteristics, the bacterial strain SD7 was identified as Burkholderia cepacia, while the actinomycete strain NB20 was identified as Streptomyces katrae. The results from this study will provide the basis for developing an effective and novel biofungicide to control banana anthracnose disease.

Do Hospitals Affiliated With the Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences Perform Efficiently? Non-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis

Background: One way to improve the performance of hospitals, the largest resource-consuming units in the healthcare sector, is to continuously evaluate their performance.Objective: The current study assessed the performance of hospitals affiliated with the Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences using data envelopment analysis (DEA).Methods: This retrospective descriptive-analytic study used DEA to assess efficiency types (technical, managerial, and scale) in hospitals of the Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences (n = 12) in the years 2007 to 2011. The number of active beds, nurses, physicians (general and specialist), and other staff were inputs; inpatient admission and occupied bed days were outputs. Stata version 12 was used for data analysis.Results: The mean technical, scale, and managerial efficiency values were 0.85, 0.89, and 0.95, respectively. The highest and lowest slack inputs were nurses and active beds, respectively.Conclusion: The findings indicate that Kurdistan hospitals were less than appropriately efficient during the studied period. They also suggest that there is a capacity of about 15% for enhancing output in hospitals (compared with the most efficient studied hospitals) without increasing costs or inputs.

Analysis of awarenees of the nurses about the safety and health of staff by using the scale of culture of safety and health of staff

In recent years, although the applications which features the safety of patients seems one step ahead of safety and health of staff, health and safety factors are important both for patients and for staff equally indeed. Purpose:This study aims to reveal the thoughts of nurses working at clinics about the Occupational Health and Safety practices implemented by Konya Seydisehir State Hospital and to contribute to set the awareness of safety and health of staff. Method:This study was made on clinical 54 nurses working at Konya Seydisehir State Hospital in February 2014. The data was collected by the scale of culture of safety and health of staff (CSGKO) which is developed by Yorgun and Atasoy (2013). Cronbach's Alpha was found as I± = 0.925. Obtained data were analyzed by applying descriptive statistical methods (frequency, mean, standard deviation) and Independent Samples Test (independent t-test) methods of SPSS 16.0 (Statistical Package of Social Sciences) application. Results exist in confidence interval with a percentage of 95% and P value was found as fewer than 0.05. Findings:The followings were detected: 50% of staff have associate degree, 90,7% of them have training on safety of staff, the average value of the scale of culture of safety and health of staff (CSGKO) is3.3064 ±, 53,523, average values of subscales varies between 2,7642 and 3,8426, food safety has the least average values of subscales with a value of 2,7642± 0,85262,infection prevention has the top average value as 3,8426±,52925, there is significant relationships (p <0.05) between the average values of scale variable of having training on staff safety and subscale variables. Result:It was detected in this study that the awareness of safety and health of staff of the nurses working at Konya Seydisehir State Hospital clinics is high (average 3.3064 ±, 53523) and there is significant differences (p <0, 05) between the staff who have training on safety of staff and the ones who have not in terms of general mean scale values.

Four‐year outcomes of palatal implants for primary snoring treatment: A prospective longitudinal study

The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of palatal implants as the treatment of primary snoring. Prospective longitudinal cohort study. This study compared snoring outcomes before and after soft palate implantation for patients diagnosed with primary snoring (no sleep apnea). Snoring severity was obtained by the subjects' sleep partners on a 10-point Likert scale. A paired Student t test compared the mean scale values preoperatively at week 52 and at the current 4-year follow-up. Body mass index for each patient was also compared to evaluate for any significant confounders. Data were obtained from 23 patients out of 26 who were followed for the full study term. The follow-up time was on average 4 years following palatal implantation. A statistically (P < .016) and clinically significant improvement in the snoring scale was noted when comparing snoring severity between the preoperative and 4-year period and between the 52-week and 4-year scores. Although statistically significant improvement was found between the preoperative period and 52 weeks, there was a clinical deterioration in snoring scale scores between 52 weeks and 4 years. The mean (standard deviation) preoperative score was 9.5 (0.5), mean week-52 score was 5.0 (1.6), and mean 4-year score was 7.0 (1.8). Body mass index did not change through the observation interval. Soft palate implantation is a possible surgical technique with which to attempt to achieve subjective improvement of primary snoring severity. Subjective improvement, however, deteriorates significantly over time, and is only minimally sustained at 4 years postoperatively. This study provides new information on long-term palatal implant effectiveness.

Developing inventories for satisfaction and Likert scales in a service environment

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to produce up‐to‐date inventories for satisfaction and Likert scales that contain commonly used scale point descriptors and their respective mean scale values and standard deviations.Design/methodology/approachAll data were collected online using the SSI Survey Spot Panel. This panel is national (USA) in scope. Thirty‐nine satisfaction items and 19 agreement items were tested on a random sample consisting of individuals 21‐65 years old.FindingsThe mean value and the standard deviation were calculated for each of these descriptors. Even though only six of the items that had been tested by Jones and Thurstone (1955) were included in the list of satisfaction scale descriptors, the semantic meanings of those six have changed very little over the years.Research limitations/implicationsOne limitation might be that scale point descriptor inventories developed within the context of health insurance might not be valid in other service contexts.Practical implicationsSince the present study focuses on Likert and satisfaction scales which are frequently used in service environments, the major contribution of this study is to provide services marketers with quantitative measurement of the meanings of commonly used scale point descriptors. This permits the development of successive and/or equal interval scales and thus aids in the analyses of data sets. It will thus help service marketers to develop questionnaires that more accurately reflect actual consumer satisfaction and opinions.Originality/valueThe development of up‐to‐date inventories for satisfaction and Likert scales.

MMPI-2 clusters of alcohol-dependent patients and the relation to Cloninger’s temperament-character inventory

Psychometric research in the field of alcohol dependence has concentrated on identifying certain (personality) characteristics (i.e. typologies). This paper is aimed to identify such typologies and studies the relation of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) and Cloninger's temperament-character inventory (TCI). To find MMPI-2 scales associated with maximization of group differences between 222 DSM-IV alcohol dependent inpatients and a control group of 222 normal subjects, discriminant analysis was used. In addition, a cluster analysis was performed with these scales, and the MMPI-2 mean scale values of the resulting patient clusters were examined for their TCI-correlates. The discriminant analyses showed several MMPI-2 scales that could clearly distinguish between alcohol-dependent patients and the normal controls. Cluster analysis resulted in semantically different MMPI-2 profiles implying qualitatively different groups of patients. When related to TCI scales, these differences revealed harm avoidance, self-directedness, and persistence, amongst others, as important elements in the description of the clusters. Evidence for the validity of MMPI-2 constructs as well as those of the TCI in the assessment of alcohol-dependent patients was provided.

The experimental study of captopril and valsartan on the preventing and treatment of diabetic retinopathy in diabetic mice

To evaluate the action of Angiotensin II (AngII) on the occurrence and development of diabetic retinopathy and the effect of captopril and valsartan on preventing and treating diabetic retinopathy. Male C57BL/KsJ db/+ mice were obtained at 3 weeks of age and maintained on diets enriched animal fat for 4 weeks. After exposure to high-fat diet for 4 weeks, mice were injected intraperitoneally with streptozotocin (STZ) 100 mg/kg body weight. After 2 weeks, nonfasting plasma glucose concentration was measured by nipping the distal part of the tail. Mice whose plasma glucose concentrations were higher than 11.1 mmol/L were selected for the study as model groups. Starting from day 2, captopril 12.5 mg/kg or valsartan 40 mg/kg was given to treatment group via the oral route After treatment for 4, 8, 12 weeks, respectively, eyeballs of mice from each group were enucleated, embedded in paraffin to make tissue sections for immunohistochemistry analysis. The instrument for computer image-analysis was used to analyze the expression of AngII and VEGF in ganglion cell layer. The analyzed indices were mean gray scale value and area density value. With increased duration of diabetes, the mean gray scale values of AngII and VEGF decreased significantly. At the same time, area density values of AngII and VEGF increased significantly. The area density values of VEGF in captopril treated-group was significantly lower than that in valsartan-treated group for the same duration. Moreover, the area density values of VEGF at 4 weeks was significantly lower than that at 8 weeks or 12 weeks. The area density value in captopril treated-group had a significant negative correlation with diabetes duration. AngII had significant positive correlation with VEGF. AngII possibly participated directly and/or indirectly in the occurrence and development of diabetic retinopathy via the upregulation the expression of VEGF. Early treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) and angiotensin 1 type receptor (AT1R) antagonists could improve diabetic retinopathy to some degree and protect the retinas. The effect of treatment with ACEi was better than that with AT1R antagonists in short term situation.

Evaluation of quantitative ultrasound tissue characterization of the cervix and cervical length in the prediction of premature delivery for patients with spontaneous preterm labor

OBJECTIVE: This study was to evaluate the predictive value of the uterine cervix tissue with the use of quantitative ultrasound gray level analysis for preterm delivery. STUDY DESIGN: Sixty-eight patients with preterm labor between 20 and 35 weeks of gestation were included. When two-dimensional transvaginal ultrasound measurement of cervical length was completed, a region of interest of constant size was defined in the midsection of the posterior wall, and the tissue-specific gray scale was determined. Preterm delivery of <37 weeks of gestation was sought. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients (41.2%) were delivered preterm. The risk for preterm delivery was increased significantly in patients with cervical length of ≤2.5 cm (odds ratio, 7.67; 95% CI, 2.4-24.45), with Bishop score of ≥4 (odds ratio, 3.44; 95% CI, 1.21-9.75), and with decreased mean gray scale value (odds ratio, 12.13; 95% CI, 3.69-39.88). Parity and uterine contractions were not significant as predictors for preterm delivery, although the risk for preterm delivery increased with higher parity (odds ratio, 1.8; 95% CI, 0.68-4.79). The risk for preterm delivery remained nearly the same by uterine contractions (odds ratio, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.28-3.01). A mean scale value of ≤6.54 had the best cutoff value for the prediction of preterm delivery. For preterm delivery, a mean gray value ≤6.54 had a sensitivity of 82.1%, a specificity of 72.5%, a positive predictive value of 67.6%, and a negative predictive value 85.3%. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that, even when other variables are considered simultaneously, the mean gray scale value is the single best predictor of preterm delivery. CONCLUSION: Quantitative ultrasound tissue characterization of the uterine cervix predicts premature delivery and provides additional information in the prediction of potential premature delivery.

Perceptual characteristics of Cantonese hypokinetic dysarthria

The aims of this study were to provide a perceptual speech ‘profile’ for Cantonese speakers with hypokinetic dysarthria, to examine the reliability of non‐expert listeners in perceptual judgements of dysarthric speech, and to investigate cross‐language differences in profiles of hypokinetic dysarthria. Participants included 19 speakers with Parkinson's disease and 10 speech‐language pathologists who served as listeners. Listeners rated 21 speech dimensions, using seven‐point interval scales. Mean intralistener agreement was 94.52% and mean interlistener reliability was 0.88 (Cronbach's alpha). Mean scale values (MSV) for each dimension ranged from 3.37 to 1.36. The perceptual profile of Cantonese hypokinetic dysarthria was largely similar to profiles for English and Japanese speakers; notable differences are discussed. Possible reasons for the relatively high reliability obtained are presented.

Beliefs in parapsychological events or experiences among college students in a course in experimental parapsychology.

16 undergraduate students completed Crawford and Christensen's 1995 12-item Extrasensory Perception Survey about attitudes toward extrasensory perception events or experiences before and after taking a 'special topics' course in experimental parapsychology. There were no significant differences in scale values (1-5) (within subjects) between beliefs before versus after the course. Combined (pre- and posttest) mean scale values showed that belief in life after death, belief in the existence of extrasensory perception, and belief in precognitive experiences in dreams ranked highest in endorsement while beliefs in out-of-the-body experiences, auras, or psychokinesis, ranked lowest.