Measuring cultural intelligence: a new test of the CQ scale

Despite an increasing number of publications on cultural intelligence (CQ), the operationalization and conceptualization of this construct demand further attention. In this replication study among 308 experienced overseas Chinese respondents, a two-dimensional structure seems to better represent the data than the original four-dimensional CQ scale. The results of the analysis identify two new dimensions: internalized cultural knowledge and effective cultural flexibility, both of which exhibit satisfactory levels of reliability and validity. A series of regression analyses also provide assessments of the nomological validity of the new CQ dimensions in relation to their antecedents and consequences

On-site laboratory support of Oak Ridge National Laboratory environmental restoration field activities

A remedial investigation/feasibility study has been undertaken at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Bechtel National, Inc. and partners CH2M Hill, Ogden Environmental and Energy Services, and PEER Consultants are contracted to Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, performing this work for ORNL`s Environmental Restoration (ER) Program. An on-site Close Support Laboratory (CSL) established at the ER Field Operations Facility has evolved into a laboratory where quality analytical screening results can be provided rapidly (e.g., within 24 hours of sampling). CSL capabilities include three basic areas: radiochemistry, chromatography, and wet chemistry. Radiochemical analyses include gamma spectroscopy, tritium and carbon-14 screens using liquid scintillation analysis, and gross alpha and beta counting. Cerenkov counting and crown-ether-based separation are the two rapid methods used for radiostrontium determination in water samples. By extending count times where appropriate, method detection limits can match those achieved by off-site contract laboratories. Volatile organic compounds are detected by means of gas chromatography using either headspace or purge and trap sample introduction (based on EPA 601/602). Ionic content of water samples is determined using ion chromatography and alkalinity measurement. Ion chromatography is used to quantify both anions (based on EPA 300) and cations. Wet chemistry procedures performed at the CSL include alkalinity, pH (water and soil), soil resistivity, and dissolved/suspended solids. Besides environmental samples, the CSL routinely screens health and safety and waste management samples. The cost savings of the CSL are both direct and indirect

Gender differences in respiratory symptoms in 19-year-old adults born preterm

OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence of respiratory and atopic symptoms in (young) adults born prematurely, differences between those who did and did not develop Bronchopulmonary Disease (BPD) at neonatal age and differences in respiratory health between males and females. METHODS: DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Nation wide follow-up study, The Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: 690 adults (19 year old) born with a gestational age below 32 completed weeks and/or with a birth weight less than 1500 g. Controls were Dutch participants of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Presence of wheeze, shortness of breath, asthma, hay fever and eczema using the ECRHS-questionnaire RESULTS: The prevalence of doctor-diagnosed asthma was significantly higher in the ex-preterms than in the general population, whereas eczema and hay fever were significant lower. Women reported more symptoms than men. Preterm women vs controls: asthma 13% vs 5% (p < 0.001); hay fever 8% vs 20% (p < 0.001); eczema 10% vs 42% (p < 0.001). Preterm men vs controls: asthma 9% vs 4% (p = 0.007); hay fever 8% vs 17% (p = 0.005); eczema 9% vs 31% (p < 0.001) Preterm women reported more wheeze and shortness of breath during exercise (sob) than controls: wheeze 30% vs 22% (p = 0.009); sob 27% vs 16% (p < 0.001); 19-year-old women with BPD reported a higher prevalence of doctor diagnosed asthma compared to controls (24% vs 5% p < 0.001) and shortness of breath during exercise (43% vs 16% p = 0.008). The prevalence of reported symptoms by men with BPD were comparable with the controls. CONCLUSION: Our large follow-up study shows a higher prevalence of asthma, wheeze and shortness of breath in the prematurely born young adults. 19-year-old women reported more respiratory symptoms than men. Compared to the general population atopic diseases as hay fever and eczema were reported less often

From Hapless Victims of Desire to Responsibly Choosing Citizens. The Emancipation of Consumers in Low Countries' Consumer Credit Regulation

Legal history can help to date shifts in social attitudes, because it shows how, when, and often also why norms changed. We demonstrate this by examining when consumer credit became widely accepted in the Netherlands and Belgium, because general access to credit may serve as a good indicator of the advent of a consumer society. That shift in attitudes happened in both countries during the 1960s, when legislators came to accept that credit is part and parcel of modern life for everybody. The consequent equality of consumers before the law then became more and more fragmented in European regulation, sacrificed to its leading principle, the idea that well-informed consumers choose rationally and are therefore responsibly for their choices

Chronic lung disease of the neonate; Pathophysiology and treatment after the first weeks of life

Chronic lung disease of the neonate sometimes occurs as a residual condition following respiratory distress in preterm infants. - Improvements in neonatal intensive care treatment will in future lead to a greater number of children surviving chronic lung disease and reaching adulthood. - The symptoms of the disease are hypoxaemia, hypercapnia, tachypnoea, subcostal and intercostal retractions, fluid retention, a reduced exertion tolerance and hyperreactive airways. - The treatment after the first weeks of life is symptomatic and consists of: - providing supplemental oxygen via a nasal mask or cannula (0,1-1 l/min); rapid downward adjustment of oxygen therapy may lead to more complaints and poorer growth; - a normal fluid therapy; if there is a tendency towards fluid retention, then diuretic therapy is indicated and in severe cases fluid restriction as well; - in the case of bronchial hyperreactivity: inhaled corticosteroids (the lowest effective dose for a period of several months) and a trial treatment with beta-agonists; in the case of persistent complaints or functional limitations, lung function tests can distinguish obstructive and restrictive disorders; - vaccinations according to the national programme; consider vaccinations against influenza (age: 6-12 months) and respiratory syncytial virus (age &lt; 2 years).</p

Chronic lung disease of the neonate; Pathophysiology and treatment after the first weeks of life

Chronic lung disease of the neonate sometimes occurs as a residual condition following respiratory distress in preterm infants. - Improvements in neonatal intensive care treatment will in future lead to a greater number of children surviving chronic lung disease and reaching adulthood. - The symptoms of the disease are hypoxaemia, hypercapnia, tachypnoea, subcostal and intercostal retractions, fluid retention, a reduced exertion tolerance and hyperreactive airways. - The treatment after the first weeks of life is symptomatic and consists of: - providing supplemental oxygen via a nasal mask or cannula (0,1-1 l/min); rapid downward adjustment of oxygen therapy may lead to more complaints and poorer growth; - a normal fluid therapy; if there is a tendency towards fluid retention, then diuretic therapy is indicated and in severe cases fluid restriction as well; - in the case of bronchial hyperreactivity: inhaled corticosteroids (the lowest effective dose for a period of several months) and a trial treatment with beta-agonists; in the case of persistent complaints or functional limitations, lung function tests can distinguish obstructive and restrictive disorders; - vaccinations according to the national programme; consider vaccinations against influenza (age: 6-12 months) and respiratory syncytial virus (age &lt; 2 years).</p

Avaliação da preferência, quanto ao sabor, do iogurte de "leite" de soja adicionado de leite de vaca perante o tradicional

A test was made to evaluate flavor preference between cow milk added soybean milk yoghurt (85 and 15% respectively), and traditional yoghurt. The results of the application of the sequential two-sided paired preference comparison test in the organoleptic evaluation of the flavor of the yoghurts showed that the preference is for the traditional yoghurt, not with standing the acceptable flavor of the new product.Estudou-se a avaliação de preferência, quanto ao sabor, do iogurte de "leite" de soja adicionado de leite de vaca (85 e 15%, respectivamente) perante o tradicional, ambos nos sabores coco e morango. Os resultados da aplicação do teste sequencial bicaudal pareado - preferência na avaliação organoleptica do sabor dos iogurtes, mostraram que a preferência ê pelo tradicional, embora o novo produto seja aceitável quanto ao sabor

Chronic lung disease of the neonate; Pathophysiology and treatment after the first weeks of life

Chronic lung disease of the neonate sometimes occurs as a residual condition following respiratory distress in preterm infants. - Improvements in neonatal intensive care treatment will in future lead to a greater number of children surviving chronic lung disease and reaching adulthood. - The symptoms of the disease are hypoxaemia, hypercapnia, tachypnoea, subcostal and intercostal retractions, fluid retention, a reduced exertion tolerance and hyperreactive airways. - The treatment after the first weeks of life is symptomatic and consists of: - providing supplemental oxygen via a nasal mask or cannula (0,1-1 l/min); rapid downward adjustment of oxygen therapy may lead to more complaints and poorer growth; - a normal fluid therapy; if there is a tendency towards fluid retention, then diuretic therapy is indicated and in severe cases fluid restriction as well; - in the case of bronchial hyperreactivity: inhaled corticosteroids (the lowest effective dose for a period of several months) and a trial treatment with beta-agonists; in the case of persistent complaints or functional limitations, lung function tests can distinguish obstructive and restrictive disorders; - vaccinations according to the national programme; consider vaccinations against influenza (age: 6-12 months) and respiratory syncytial virus (age &lt; 2 years).</p

Calcific myonecrosis

Background: A 71-year-old man presented with a slow-growing mass for the past 6 years in the right lower leg. He had a history of a motor vehicle accident as a 12-year-old boy, when a truck ran over his legs. He had already undergone a trans-tibial amputation of the left leg 24 years earlier