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Reference Groups (reference + groups)
Selected AbstractsA courtly welcome: observations on the research initiativeBRITISH JOURNAL OF LEARNING DISABILITIES, Issue 4 2003Patricia Noonan Walsh Summary The Department of Health's research initiative in learning disabilities is being implemented in a set of projects. This article reflects the experience and critical appraisal of a member of the Reference Groups from outside the UK. [source] Influences on the supply of accounting graduates in Australia: a focus on international studentsACCOUNTING & FINANCE, Issue 1 2009Beverley Jackling M41 Abstract This paper examines the influences on the potential supply of accounting graduates in Australia with reference to the personal and social influences on the decision to major in accounting using the Theory of Reasoned Action and focusing on differences between local and international students. Responses from 437 accounting majors' found that personal attitudes linked to ,intrinsic interest' and ,extrinsic interest' was influential in choice of major. ,Reference groups' were an important social influence for international students. The findings have implications for government policy and the accounting profession in terms of attracting students and particularly international students, who are sufficiently interested in accounting as a career choice to address the skill shortage in Australia. [source] A 3-year comparison of dental anxiety treatment outcomes: hypnosis, group therapy and individual desensitization vs. no specialist treatmentEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCES, Issue 4 2002Rod Moore Outcomes of hypnotherapy (HT), group therapy (GT) and individual systematic desensitization (SD) on extreme dental anxiety in adults aged 19,65 yr were compared by regular attendance behaviors, changes in dental anxiety and changes in beliefs about dentists and treatment after 3 yr. Treatment groups were comparable with a static reference control group of 65 anxious patients (Dental Anxiety Scale ,,15) who were followed for a mean of nearly 6 yr. After 3 yr, 54.5% of HT patients, 69.6% of GT patients and 65.5% of SD patients were maintaining regular dental care habits. This was better than the 46.1% of the reference group, who reported going regularly to the dentist again within the cohort follow-up period, and 38.9% of a control subgroup with observation for 3 yr. Women were better regular attenders than men at 3 yr. Specialist-treated regular attenders were significantly less anxious and had more positive beliefs than regular attenders from reference groups. There were few differences between HT, GT and SD after 3 yr. It was concluded that many patients can, on their own, successfully start and maintain regular dental treatment habits with dentists despite years of avoidance associated with phobic or extreme anxiety. However, it also appears that these patients had less success in reducing dental anxiety and improving beliefs about dentists long-term than did patients who were treated at the specialist clinic with psychological strategies. [source] The interface of mental and emotional health and pregnancy in urban indigenous women: Research in progress,INFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 3 2010Barbara A. Hayes Research among indigenous women in Australia has shown that a number of lifestyle factors are associated with poor obstetric outcomes; however, little evidence appears in the literature about the role of social stressors and mental health among indigenous women. The not-for-profit organization beyondblue established a "Depression Initiative" in Australia. As part of this they provided funding to the Townsville Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Service in the "Mums and Babies" clinic. The aim of this was to establish a project to (a) describe the mental health and level of social stressors among antenatal indigenous women and (b) assess the impact of social stressors and mental health on perinatal outcome. A purposive sample of 92 indigenous women was carried out. Culturally appropriate research instruments were developed through consultations with indigenous women's reference groups. The participants reported a range of psychosocial stressors during the pregnancy or within the last 12 months. Significant, positive correlations emerged between the participants' Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS; J. Cox, J. Holden, & R. Sagovsky, 1987) score and the mothers' history of child abuse and a history of exposure to domestic violence. A more conservative cutoff point for the EPDS (>9 vs. >12) led to 28 versus 17% of women being identified as "at risk" for depression. Maternal depression and stress during pregnancy and early parenthood are now recognized as having multiple negative sequelae for the fetus and infant, especially in early brain development and self-regulation of stress and emotions. Because of the cumulative cultural losses experienced by Australian indigenous women, there is a reduced buffer to psychosocial stressors during pregnancy; thus, it is important for health professionals to monitor the women's emotional and mental well-being. [source] Model explaining the predisposition to donate blood from the social marketing perspectiveINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NONPROFIT & VOLUNTARY SECTOR MARKETING, Issue 3 2009Asunción Beerli-Palacio The purpose of this research is to develop a model of the explanatory factors that determine the predisposition to donate blood in order to improve the effectiveness of donor recruitment and retention programs. A personal survey was conducted on a sample of 303 potential donors between 18 and 60 years old and from both sexes, who are resident in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain) and have either never donated blood or not donated in the last 3 years. The findings lead us to say that the predisposition to donate blood is positively influenced by the information that the potential donor has about the requirements to become a donor, and by the motivations to donate blood. It is negatively influenced by the inhibiting factor of fear of the extraction procedure and its after-effects. However, prior experience as a donor and links with reference groups who are donors do not have any direct influence on the predisposition. These findings suggest that it is necessary (1) to design communication campaigns in which information and education are the goals, and which aim to make donation a habit; (2) to clarify to society the need for blood donation and to describe the process of donation in order to eliminate those inhibitors linked to fear and the perception of risks; (3) to design advertising campaigns focused on rational messages since information exercises a greater influence on the predisposition to donate than motivations linked to altruism; (4) to recommend that no great efforts be made to recapture previous donors, since experience is not a direct antecedent of the predisposition to donate but an indirect antecedent via information and (5) to stimulate word-of-mouth among reference groups using member-get-member programs whereby current donors bring new donors to the system. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha ,308G>A Polymorphism Is Associated with Dementia in the Oldest OldJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 8 2004Helle Bruunsgaard MD Objectives: To test the hypothesis that the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) ,308 G>A promoter gene polymorphism is a risk factor in age-related dementia and longevity. Design: A cross-sectional and a longitudinal study. Setting: A population-based sample of Danish centenarians. Participants: One hundred-year-old Danes (n=122) from "The Longitudinal Study of Danish Centenarians." Octogenarians (n=174) and healthy volunteers aged 18 to 30 (n=47) served as reference groups. Methods: Whether the distribution of TNF ,308 GG/GA/AA genotypes were different in centenarians than in younger age groups was investigated (Fischer exact test). Furthermore, whether the TNF ,308 G>A polymorphism was associated with the prevalence of dementia (logistic regression analysis), the plasma level of TNF-, (analysis of variance), and mortality in the following 5 years (Cox regression analysis) within the cohort of centenarians was tested. Results: The distribution of TNF ,308 genotypes was not different across the three different age groups, but the GA genotype was associated with decreased prevalence of dementia in centenarians. The few centenarians with AA carrier status had higher mortality risk and tended to show higher plasma levels of TNF-,, but the significance was questionable due to a low number of subjects with this genotype. Conclusion: It is possible that the TNF ,308 A allele is maintained during aging because subjects who are heterozygous for this polymorphism possess the optimal inflammatory response with regard to protection against age-related neurodegeneration. [source] Ion release in patients with metal-on-metal hip bearings in total joint replacement: A comparison with metal-on-polyethylene bearingsJOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH, Issue 5 2002L. Savarino Abstract Polyethylene (PE) wear has been shown to be a problem in long-term joint replacement using metal-on-PE bearing. The use of metallic heads articulating with metallic cups could solve this problem: success will be enhanced if wear and corrosion of the articulating surfaces are maintained at a low level. New models with metal-on-metal bearing have been proposed, to be used mainly for young subjects: such coupling seems to have a reduced release, but it is unclear yet if the medium-term corrosion rate is really negligible or, on the contrary, it is significantly higher than in the metal-on-PE bearing. Aim of our study was the comparison of ion release in the serum of two groups of patients who had the same type of stable cementless prosthesis, but different bearing: twenty-six patients with metal-on-metal (Group A) and fifteen patients with metal-on-PE bearing (Group B) were examined. The follow-up was 14-38 months for group A and 18-34 months for group B. The serum concentration of chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co) and molybdenum (Mo) was measured. Twenty-two patients before surgery were used for comparison (Group C). The reference values were obtained from a population of twenty-two healthy subjects (Group D). Our findings indicate that metal-on-metal bearings produce a significantly higher systemic release of cobalt and chromium (ng/ml) when compared with levels found in metal-on-PE, pre-surgery and reference groups. Such a high release should induce to improve the bearing materials or, at least, to study the biologic fate of metal ions and consequently their long-term effects. In such a way a risk-to-benefit ratio for the patient could be established. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res (Appl Biomater) 63: 467,474, 2002 [source] Porphyrinuria in childhood autistic disorder is not associated with urinary creatinine deficiencyPEDIATRICS INTERNATIONAL, Issue 4 2008Robert Nataf Abstract Background: Urinary metabolite measurements are often normalized to levels of the ubiquitous metabolite creatinine (CRT) to take account of variations in fluid export. Following CRT normalization, excesses of porphyrins and isoprostanes have been reported in the urines of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. It was suggested (Whiteley et al., 2006, Pediatr. Int. 2006; 48: 292,297) that urinary CRT levels may be depressed in children with autism spectrum disorders. This prompted re-evaluation of CRT levels in such children. Methods: First matinal urinary CRT levels were compared between subjects in different diagnostic categories including autistic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and hyperactivity, before and after correction for age and gender. A larger reference group, consisting of subjects with unrelated disorders and Asperger disorder, with no reported porphyrin excess, was also compared to the group with autistic disorder, both for CRT and for porphyrin (coproporphyrin, COPRO) excess. Results: No significant difference in CRT was observed between any of the categories analyzed, also when corrected for age and gender. In contrast, urinary COPRO levels were significantly higher in autistic disorder versus reference groups, either when expressed as absolute values (independent of CRT levels) or when normalized to CRT. Conclusions: These data do not support a systematic reduction in urinary CRT levels in subjects with autism spectrum disorders including autistic disorder and PDD-NOS. Urinary COPRO excess in autistic disorder was not associated with or consequent upon urinary CRT deficiency. Differences between affected and control subjects in age and sampling time, as reported by Whiteley et al., may underlie the apparent CRT reduction. [source] The psychosocial impact of parental cancer on children and adolescents: a systematic reviewPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 2 2007Tessa Osborn Abstract This review aimed to identify (i) whether early stage parental cancer is associated with an increased risk of psychosocial difficulties amongst children and adolescents; (ii) which factors are associated with variations in psychosocial functioning amongst these children and adolescents. Searches of four electronic databases and the reference lists of relevant articles revealed 10 studies which satisfied the inclusion criteria for the first review question and thirteen studies for the second. Limitations in methodological quality and modest numbers of studies examining the same variables, restricted the conclusions which could be drawn. Overall, the evidence suggests that children and adolescents do not generally experience elevated levels of serious psychosocial difficulties compared to reference groups, but they are at a slightly increased risk for internalising type problems. Adolescent daughters appear to be the most negatively affected group. The prevalent use of measures of child psychopathology may be masking more context-specific problems and lower levels of distress. Family variables, especially family communication/expressiveness, are consistently associated with child/adolescent psychosocial functioning and there is suggestive evidence for the role of maternal depression/adjustment and parenting variables. There is little evidence that medical/treatment variables are important predictors of child outcomes. These findings have implications for identifying families with children most in need of support and indicating variables to target in interventions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] THE SECTILIA PANELS OF FARAGOLA (ASCOLI SATRIANO, SOUTHERN ITALY): A MULTI-ANALYTICAL STUDY OF THE GREEN, MARBLED (GREEN AND YELLOW), BLUE AND BLACKISH GLASS SLABSARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 3 2010E. GLIOZZO Analyses at the Cu,K, Fe,K and Mn,K edge were performed to study the green, marbled (green and yellow), blue and blackish (deep greyish olive green) glass slabs decorating three sectilia panels from the archaeological site of Faragola. Results indicate that all slabs were made by mixing siliceous sand with natron, sometimes probably mixed with small percentages of plant ash. Cu2+ and Pb antimonates should be responsible for the opaque green colours. The dark green and yellow portions of the marbled slabs are respectively comparable to the slabs comprising only one of these colours. Cu2+ together with Ca antimonates probably produced light blue slabs, whereas cobalt was used to produce dark blue slabs. We consider it possible that the abundance ratio of Fe2+/Fe3+ and the complex Fe3+S2, would have an effect on the blackish slabs. The contribution of Mn cannot be ascertained even if it could have played a role in darkening glass colour. The comparison between the chemical composition of Faragola samples and several glass reference groups provided no conclusive evidence of provenance; whereas, the presence of a secondary local workshop can be hypothesized. [source] BYZANTINE CERAMIC PRODUCTION FROM CUMA (CAMPI FLEGREI, NAPOLI),ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 1 2009C. GRIFA Samples of table and cooking ware, dating back to the Byzantine period of the ancient Greek colony of Cuma, were analysed by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy, in order to reconstruct the main technological properties of these manufactures. The comparison of minero-petrographical data from these samples with those of some kiln wastes allowed us to hypothesize a local manufacture for most of the investigated specimens and to confirm the relative reference groups. A restricted number of samples did not link with the main groups, indicating a regional (or maybe extra-regional) production, in agreement with the widespread circulation of this high-medieval ceramic production in southern Italy. [source] Neutron Activation Analyses of ,Falke-Group' Stoneware,ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 2 2003A. Schwedt Fragments of late medieval highly decorated Falke-group stoneware have been found in excavations all over central and northern Europe. The distribution of the finds points to an origin in Saxony, but the exact centre of production is still unknown. Therefore, a set of samples has been analysed with Neutron Activation and the data compared with Saxon reference groups. The results point to production in a single workshop. The data can be clearly distinguished from all reference groups in our databank. However, the most similar group is that of Zittau, Saxony. Also, one sherd, which is typologically very similar to the Falke group, and which was made in Zittau, suggests that production was based there. [source] Alterations of Na, K and Rb concentrations in Mycenaean pottery and a proposed explanation using X-ray diffractionARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 2 2002J. Buxeda i Garrigós One of the most important reference groups for Mycenaean pottery is the Mycenae/Berbati (MB). In several studies, a second group has been identified (MBKR). The chemical compositions were similar to MB, but with important differences in the Na, K and Rb contents. The present study suggests that these differences are due to selective alteration and contamination processes that are indirectly determined by the original firing temperature. Therefore, groups MB and MBKR should be considered as a single reference group. [source] Chemical and Mineralogical Alteration of Ceramics from A Late Bronze Age Kiln At Kommos, Crete: the Effect On the Formation of A Reference GroupARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 3 2001J. Buxeda I Garrigós The formation of reference groups comprises an important procedure in chemical provenance studies of archaeological pottery. Material from ancient kilns is thought to be especially suitable for reference groups, as it comprises a definite unit of past production. Pottery from the Late Minoan IA kiln excavated at Kommos, Crete was analysed in order to produce a reference group in this important area of Minoan ceramic production. The samples were characterized by a combination of techniques providing information on the chemistry, mineralogy and microstructure of the ceramic body. Initially, the study was unable to establish, in a straightforward manner, a chemical reference group. Different ceramic pastes and a range of selective alterations and contaminations, affected by variable firing temperatures and burial environment, were shown to be responsible for the compositional variability. Procedures are described to compensate for such alterations and the perturbations in the data that they produce. [source] Determinants of price mark-up tolerance for green electricity , lessons for environmental marketing strategies from a study of residential electricity customers in GermanyBUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 5 2010Torsten J. Gerpott Abstract This paper develops hypotheses on the effects of various attitudinal and perceptual variables as well as socio-demographic characteristics of residential electricity customers on an individual's willingness to pay a mark-up for electricity generated from renewable energy sources compared with the price due for electricity from conventional sources. The hypotheses are tested with data from a standardized telephone survey of 238 household electricity consumers in Germany. 53.4% of the participants are willing to pay a mark-up for green electricity. 26.1% report a price tolerance equal to a 5,10% increase in their current electricity bill. Binary logistic and ordinal regression analyses indicate that price tolerance for green electricity is particularly influenced by attitudes (1) towards environmental issues and (2) towards one's current power supplier, (3) perceptions of the evaluation of green energy by an individual's social reference groups, (4) household size and (5) current electricity bill level. The findings are used to derive suggestions for energy related informational activities of public institutions, green marketing strategies of energy companies and future consumer research regarding demand for pro-environmental goods. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Twelve-month neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm infants with and without intrauterine growth restrictionACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 10 2010Nelly Padilla Abstract Aim:, To evaluate the neurodevelopmental outcome at 12 months' corrected age in preterm infants with and without severe intrauterine growth restriction. Methods:, This prospective follow-up study included 37 infants with severe intrauterine growth restriction and 36 appropriate-for-gestational-age infants born between 26 and 34 weeks. Neonatal and infant data were prospectively recorded. Infants were assessed at 12 ± 2 months' corrected age with the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination and the Bayley Scale for Infant Development version-II. Results:, Both groups were similar in demographic characteristics and perinatal status. No significant differences in neurodevelopmental performance were found. The mental development index was 98.8 (SD 9.0) vs 98.4 (SD 13.1) (p = 0.9) and the psychomotor development index was 91.7 (SD 9.9) vs 95.5 (SD 13.4) (p = 0.2) for the study and reference groups respectively. Neurological assessment showed no significant differences between the two groups. Conclusion:, Although the study group showed a non-significant trend towards a lower score in the psychomotor development index than the reference group, significant differences at 12 months could not be demonstrated. IUGR infants continued to have significantly lower weight, length and head circumference at 1 year. [source] | ||||||||||||||||