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Selected AbstractsAre within-individual causes of delinquency the same as between-individual causes?CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 1 2002David P. Farrington PhD Background Previous studies of the causes of delinquency have been based on between-individual correlations. This paper aims to study the causes of delinquency by comparing within-individual and between-individual correlations of risk factors with delinquency. Method A total of 506 boys in the oldest sample of the Pittsburgh Youth Study were followed up in seven data waves between ages 13.8 and 17.8 on average. Results Poor parental supervision, low parental reinforcement and low involvement of the boy in family activities were the most important causes of delinquency according to forward-lagged within-individual correlations. Poor housing was positively related to delinquency for boys living in bad neighbourhoods but not for boys living in good neighbourhoods. Conclusions Forward-lagged within-individual correlations provide more valid information about the causes of delinquency than do between-individual correlations. Peer delinquency was the strongest correlate of delinquency according to between-individual correlations but was not a cause of delinquency according to forward-lagged within-individual correlations. Copyright © 2002 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] A visual skills inventory for children with neurological impairmentsDEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 10 2007D L McCulloch OD PhD FAAO Children with neurological impairments often have visual deficits that are difficult to quantify. We have compared visual skills evaluated by carers with results of a comprehensive visual assessment. Participants were 76 children with mild to profound intellectual and/or motor impairment (33 males, 43 females; age range 7mo,16y; mean age 5y 1mo [SD 4y 2mo]) who completed a visual skills inventory before attending a special vision clinic. The inventory included 16 questions about visual skills and responses to familiar situations. Responses were augmented by taking a structured clinical history, compared with visual evoked potential (VEP) and/or acuity card measures of visual acuity, and examined using exploratory factor analysis. Acuity ranged from normal to no light perception, and was positively associated with responses to individual questions. After excluding four uninformative questions, an association between the remaining questions and two significant independent factors was found. Factor 1 was associated with questions about visual recognition (e.g. ,Does your child see a small silent toy?') and these items were correlated with both the VEP and acuity card thresholds. Factor 2 was associated primarily with questions about visually mediated social interactions (e.g. ,Does he/she return your silent smile?'). Evaluation of visual skills in children with neurological impairment can provide valid information about the quality of children's vision. Questions with the highest validity for predicting vision are identified. [source] Laser desorption/ionization techniques in the characterization of high-molecular-weight oil fractions,Part 2: de-asphalted oilsJOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY (INCORP BIOLOGICAL MASS SPECTROMETRY), Issue 7 2007Andrea Rizzi Abstract The composition of the de-asphalted oil fraction obtained from two different Italian fields was studied by laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. These fractions were treated with different solvent mixtures, and subfractions containing saturates, aromatic and polar compounds were obtained and analyzed by the same instrumental approach. The investigation showed clear differences between the samples coming from the two oils. The instrumental approach did not lead to an accurate description of the different components in terms of elemental composition and structures; however, valid information could be obtained on the molecular weight distribution of the components of the different fractions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Acupuncture in xerostomia , a systematic reviewJOURNAL OF ORAL REHABILITATION, Issue 6 2005E. JEDEL summary, The aim of this systematic review was to assess the efficacy of acupuncture in the management of xerostomia. Assessing quality of studies aim to efficiently integrate valid information and provide a basis for sound decision making based on the best available evidence. Articles of controlled clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of acupuncture in the management of xerostomia were obtained by searching through the databases MEDLINE and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to September 2003. Three articles met the criteria for inclusion and a criteria list was used to assess the quality of these studies. The studies were considered to be of high quality or low quality in accordance with the criteria list utilized. The results of the trials were considered positive, negative or indifferent based on statistically significant between group differences. The criteria list utilized indicate that one of the three studies was of high quality and it presents indifferent results. One of the two studies of low quality presents positive results and one presents indifferent results. An analysis of the results degree of evidence resulted in no evidence for the efficacy of acupuncture in the management of xerostomia. This systematic review shows that there is no evidence for the efficacy of acupuncture in the management of xerostomia. There is a need for future high quality randomized controlled trials. [source] Developing an Oral Communication Strategy InventoryMODERN LANGUAGE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2006YASUO NAKATANI This study focuses on how valid information about learner perception of strategy use during communicative tasks can be gathered systematically from English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. First, the study attempted to develop a questionnaire for statistical analysis, named the Oral Communication Strategy Inventory (OCSI). The research project consisted of 3 stages: an open-ended questionnaire to identify learners' general perceptions of strategies for oral interaction (N= 80); a pilot factor analysis for selecting test items (N= 400); and a final factor analysis to obtain a stable self-reported instrument (N= 400). The resulting OCSI includes 8 categories of strategies for coping with speaking problems and 7 categories for coping with listening problems during communication. The applicability of the survey instrument was subsequently examined in a simulated communicative test for EFL students (N= 62). To validate the use of the instrument, participant reports on the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) were compared with the result of the OCSI. When combined with the oral test scores, it was revealed that students with high oral proficiency tended to use specific strategies, such as social affective strategies, fluency-oriented strategies, and negotiation of meaning. [source] Effectiveness and safety of treatments for degenerative ataxias: A systematic review,MOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 8 2009M.Mar Trujillo-Martín PhD Abstract The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness and safety of available treatment alternatives for degenerative ataxias (DA). We systematically reviewed studies that assess pharmacological, rehabilitative, or psychological treatments in patients with DA. Studies were included if they fulfilled prespecified criteria. All included clinical trials were scored for methodological quality. Main outcome measures were clinical status of neurological disorder, adverse events, and patient-based factors. Twenty-five studies were included. Most studies were of small sample sizes, wide age variations, and low scientific validity. Only one study gave information on physical rehabilitation and none on psychological therapy. The remaining 24 studies reported on the effects of different pharmacological treatments. Outcomes such as functional capacity and psychological functioning of patients were evaluated by few studies. Some evidence supports that 5-hydroxytryptophan is more effective than placebo improving neurological symptoms in patients with Friedreich ataxia (FA), olivopontocerebellar atrophy, or cerebellar atrophy. Idebenone is more effective than placebo for halting and reversing the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy associated with FA, but it seems unable to improve neurological semiology. Limited evidence for other therapies was found. No relevant side effects for drugs that shown some degree of effectiveness were reported. Availability of quality studies to evaluate the safety and efficacy of treatments for most DA is scarce. No valid information on the actual value of physical rehabilitation and psychological support as treatments for DA is available. Further investigations with improved trial designs are necessary. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society [source] Developments in asbestos cancer risk assessment,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 11 2009Michael A. Silverstein MD Abstract Background Efforts have been made for 25 years to develop asbestos risk assessments that provide valid information about workplace and community cancer risks. Mathematical models have been applied to a group of workplace epidemiology studies to describe the relationships between exposure and risk. EPA's most recent proposed method was presented at a public meeting in July 2008. Methods Risk assessments prepared by USEPA, OSHA, and NIOSH since 1972 were reviewed, along with related literature. Results and Conclusions None of the efforts to use statistical models to characterize relative cancer potencies for asbestos fiber types and sizes have been able to overcome limitations of the exposure data. Resulting uncertainties have been so great that these estimates should not be used to drive occupational and environmental health policy. The EPA has now rejected and discontinued work on its proposed methods for estimating potency factors. Future efforts will require new methods and more precise and reliable exposure assessments. However, while there may be genuine need for such work, a more pressing priority with regard to the six regulated forms of asbestos and other asbestiform fibers is to ban their production and use. Am. J. Ind. Med. 52:850,858, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||