Career aspirations: Similarities and differences between adolescence with learning disabilities and adolescence not receiving special education services

The Self-Directed Search (SDS) and Career Advisement Questionnaire: Adolescent Form were administered to a group of high school students who were either classified with a learning disability (LD) or who were not receiving special education services. The SDS and Career Advisement Questionnaire: Parent Form were administered to a subset of parents of students with LD. Results indicate that students with LD differed in their work personalities compared to students not receiving special education services and compared to their parents’ estimates of their work personalities; specifically, students with LD held lower self-estimates about their own abilities compared to peers. Students with and without LD received similar career advisement from their parents. These findings have significant implications for parents and school personnel who work with students with LD, as more focus needs to be placed on developing self-efficacy in students with LD

Development and initial testing of the self‐care of chronic illness inventory

Aim The aim was to develop and psychometrically test the self‐care of chronic illness Inventory, a generic measure of self‐care. Background Existing measures of self‐care are disease‐specific or behaviour‐specific; no generic measure of self‐care exists. Design Cross‐sectional survey. Methods We developed a 20‐item self‐report instrument based on the Middle Range Theory of Self‐Care of Chronic Illness, with three separate scales measuring Self‐Care Maintenance, Self‐Care Monitoring, and Self‐Care Management. Each of the three scales is scored separately and standardized 0–100 with higher scores indicating better self‐care. After demonstrating content validity, psychometric testing was conducted in a convenience sample of 407 adults (enrolled from inpatient and outpatient settings at five sites in the United States and ResearchMatch.org). Dimensionality testing with confirmatory factor analysis preceded reliability testing. Results The Self‐Care Maintenance scale (eight items, two dimensions: illness‐related and health‐promoting behaviour) fit well when tested with a two‐factor confirmatory model. The Self‐Care Monitoring scale (five items, single factor) fitted well. The Self‐Care Management scale (seven items, two factors: autonomous and consulting behaviour), when tested with a two‐factor confirmatory model, fitted adequately. A simultaneous confirmatory factor analysis on the combined set of items supported the more general model. Conclusion The self‐care of chronic illness inventory is adequate in reliability and validity. We suggest further testing in diverse populations of patients with chronic illnesses

Exploration of Changes in Residential Locational Choice as Measured by Household Head's Journey to Work for 1974 and 1977

This study was my first attempt at exploratory research, and as such, has been very enlightening. In this type of study, one is never quite sure where to turn or how to approach the subject at hand. In the case of housing and commuting behavior, there were so many overlapping, yet diverse elements that it was easy to get carried away with the possibilities that presented themselves. On the other hand, as my committee members kept reminding me, this was not supposed to be a life's work, just a master's thesis, so it had to be necessarily limited in what could be addressed. Essentially the main thrust of this study was to have been to determine whether the rising costs of commuting had influenced the housing location choices of our nation, i.e. were people adjusting their home-work distance by moving closer to their workplace. While the present study approaches this question indirectly, the data did not lend itself to longitudinal study of particular households and their commuting behavior since it is based on housing units. Also, before exploring peoples' attitudes about their commuting and housing choices, it was necessary to determine if any changes had actually taken place in the time period studied.Occupational and Adult Educatio

Disease mapping of early- and late-stage cancer to monitor inequalities in early detection: a study of cutaneous malignant melanoma

We consider disease mapping of early- and late-stage cancer, in order to identify and monitor inequalities in early detection. Our method is demonstrated by mapping cancer incidence at high geographical resolution using data on 10,302 cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) cases within the 3.7 million population of South-West Sweden. The cases were geocoded into small-areas, each with a population size between 600 and 2600 and accessible socio-demographic data. Using the disease mapping application Rapid Inquiry Facility (RIF) 4.0, we produced regional maps to visualise spatial variations in stage I, II and III–IV CMM incidences, complemented by local maps to explore the variations within two urban areas. Pronounced spatial disparities in stage I CMM incidence were revealed by the regional and local maps. Stage I CMM incidence was markedly higher in wealthier small-areas, in particular within each urban area. A twofold higher stage I incidence was observed, on average, in the wealthiest small-areas (upper quintile) than in the poorest small-areas (lower quintile). We identified in the regional map of stage III–IV CMM two clusters of higher or lower than expected late-stage incidences which were quite distinct from those identified for stage I. In conclusion, our analysis of CMM incidences supported the use of this method of cancer stage incidence mapping for revealing geographical and socio-demographic disparities in cancer detection

Anwenderperspektive auf FEM-Software

Der vorliegende Artikel befasst sich mit der Nutzerperspektive auf FEM- (Finite Elemente Methode) Software. Es wird eine Umfrage unter Anwendern durchgeführt und ausgewertet, die die aktuelle Nutzung sowie Benutzerwünsche nach Weiterentwicklung des Forschungsfeldes untersucht.This article deals with the user’s perspective on FEM (Finite Element Method) software. A user survey is undertaken and evaluated which examines the current use as well as the user’s wishes for further development in the research field

Resistance to Gray Leaf Spot of Maize: Genetic Architecture and Mechanisms Elucidated through Nested Association Mapping and Near-Isogenic Line Analysis

Citation: Benson, J. M., Poland, J. A., Benson, B. M., Stromberg, E. L., & Nelson, R. J. (2015). Resistance to Gray Leaf Spot of Maize: Genetic Architecture and Mechanisms Elucidated through Nested Association Mapping and Near-Isogenic Line Analysis. Plos Genetics, 11(3), 23. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1005045Gray leaf spot (GLS), caused by Cercospora zeae-maydis and Cercospora zeina, is one of the most important diseases of maize worldwide. The pathogen has a necrotrophic lifestyle and no major genes are known for GLS. Quantitative resistance, although poorly understood, is important for GLS management. We used genetic mapping to refine understanding of the genetic architecture of GLS resistance and to develop hypotheses regarding the mechanisms underlying quantitative disease resistance (QDR) loci. Nested association mapping (NAM) was used to identify 16 quantitative trait loci (QTL) for QDR to GLS, including seven novel QTL, each of which demonstrated allelic series with significant effects above and below the magnitude of the B73 reference allele. Alleles at three QTL, qGLS1.04, qGLS2.09, and qGLS4.05, conferred disease reductions of greater than 10%. Interactions between loci were detected for three pairs of loci, including an interaction between iqGLS4.05 and qGLS7.03. Near-isogenic lines (NILs) were developed to confirm and fine-map three of the 16 QTL, and to develop hypotheses regarding mechanisms of resistance. qGLS1.04 was fine-mapped from an interval of 27.0 Mb to two intervals of 6.5 Mb and 5.2 Mb, consistent with the hypothesis that multiple genes underlie highly significant QTL identified by NAM. qGLS2.09, which was also associated with maturity (days to anthesis) and with resistance to southern leaf blight, was narrowed to a 4-Mb interval. The distance between major leaf veins was strongly associated with resistance to GLS at qGLS4.05. NILs for qGLS1.04 were treated with the C. zeae-maydis toxin cercosporin to test the role of host-specific toxin in QDR. Cercosporin exposure increased expression of a putative flavin-monooxygenase (FMO) gene, a candidate detoxification-related gene underlying qGLS1.04. This integrated approach to confirming QTL and characterizing the potential underlying mechanisms advances the understanding of QDR and will facilitate the development of resistant varieties

Autoantibody Profiling for Lung Cancer Screening Longitudinal Retrospective Analysis of CT Screening Cohorts

Recommendations for lung cancer screening present a tangible opportunity to integrate predictive blood-based assays with radiographic imaging. This study compares performance of autoantibody markers from prior discovery in sample cohorts from two CT screening trials. One-hundred eighty non-cancer and 6 prevalence and 44 incidence cancer cases detected in the Mayo Lung Screening Trial were tested using a panel of six autoantibody markers to define a normal range and assign cutoff values for class prediction. A cutoff for minimal specificity and best achievable sensitivity were applied to 256 samples drawn annually for three years from 95 participants in the Kentucky Lung Screening Trial. Data revealed a discrepancy in quantile distribution between the two apparently comparable sample sets, which skewed the assay’s dynamic range towards specificity. This cutoff offered 43% specificity (102/237) in the control group and accurately classified 11/19 lung cancer samples (58%), which included 4/5 cancers at time of radiographic detection (80%), and 50% of occult cancers up to five years prior to diagnosis. An apparent ceiling in assay sensitivity is likely to limit the utility of this assay in a conventional screening paradigm. Pre-analytical bias introduced by sample age, handling or storage remains a practical concern during development, validation and implementation of autoantibody assays. This report does not draw conclusions about other logical applications for autoantibody profiling in lung cancer diagnosis and management, nor its potential when combined with other biomarkers that might improve overall predictive accuracy

Geographical patterns in blood lead in relation to industrial emissions and traffic in Swedish children, 1978–2007

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Blood lead concentrations (B-Pb) were measured in 3 879 Swedish school children during the period 1978–2007. The objective was to study the effect of the proximity to lead sources based on the children's home and school location.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The children's home address and school location were geocoded and their proximity to a lead smelter and major roads was calculated using geographical information system (GIS) software. All the statistical analyses were carried out using means of generalized log-linear modelling, with natural-logarithm-transformed B-Pb, adjusted for sex, school year, lead-exposing hobby, country of birth and, in the periods 1988–1994 and 1995–2007, parents' smoking habits.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The GIS analysis revealed that although the emission from the smelter and children's B-Pb levels had decreased considerably since 1978, proximity to the lead smelter continued to affect levels of B-Pb, even in recent years (geometric mean: near smelter: 22.90 μg/l; far from smelter 19.75 μg/l; p = 0.001). The analysis also revealed that proximity to major roads noticeably affected the children's B-Pb levels during the period 1978–1987 (geometric mean near major roads: 44.26 μg/l; far from roads: 38.32 μg/l; p = 0.056), due to the considerable amount of lead in petrol. This effect was, however, not visible after 1987 due to prohibition of lead in petrol.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results show that proximity to the lead smelter still has an impact on the children's B-Pb levels. This is alarming since it could imply that living or working in the vicinity of a former lead source could pose a threat years after reduction of the emission. The analysis also revealed that urban children exposed to lead from traffic were only affected during the early period, when there were considerable amounts of lead in petrol, and that the prohibition of lead in petrol in later years led to reduced levels of lead in the blood of urban children.</p