Sex differences in the relationship between sensation seeking, trait emotional intelligence and delinquent behaviour

Levels of sensation seeking peak in adolescence and there is a well-documented association with delinquency and other risk taking behaviours. The present study investigated the potential moderating effect of trait Emotional Intelligence (EI) on this relationship. Trait EI encompasses high levels of empathy and emotion regulation and is associated with positive outcomes and wellbeing. 96 young adults (48 female; overall Mage = 19.76) completed measures of sensation seeking, trait EI and self-reported delinquent behaviours since age 12. Results indicated that sensation seeking and frequency of delinquent behaviours were positively associated, but this effect was moderated by trait EI for male participants - those with lower trait EI showed a greater increase in delinquency in line with a rise in sensation seeking. No moderation effect was observed for females, and females with higher levels of trait EI reported more delinquent behaviours. The results are discussed in terms of the protective role of trait EI in supporting self-regulation and whether, for some females, high levels of EI might predispose to antisocial relational behaviours

A Stowaway on the Steamship of Modernity: Pushkin and the Futurists

The declared intention of the Russian Futurist poets to ‘throw Pushkin from the steamship of Modernity’, expressed in their manifesto Poshchechina obshchestvennomu vkusu, has come to define their attitude to Russia’s pre-eminent poet and the literature of the past in general. However, its ubiquity has led to a reductive approach to Futurism in the scholarship of Pushkin reception and Russian Modernism. This thesis will contribute to both fields, and to our understanding of Futurism, by showing how, contrary to their reputation, three signatories of Poshchechina—Velimir Khlebnikov, Vladimir Maiakovskii and Aleksei Kruchenykh—engaged with Pushkin and his legacy in complex ways throughout their careers. Pushkin will be shown to play an essential role in the strategies adopted by the Futurists to articulate their identities, both collectively and as individuals, and in the related project of the presentation of a radical new model of literary evolution. Close reading of specific works and broad theoretical contextualization will reveal two tendencies: iconoclasm, which continues to be an important, and sophisticated, aspect of Futurist identity, and a less obvious transformative impulse which treats Pushkin’s life and work as myths which can be adapted to help the poet respond to contemporary imperatives. After examining the development of a collective persona in the manifestos in the first chapter, I will devote a chapter each to the work of Khlebnikov, Maiakovskii and Kruchenykh, focusing on the way in which they use a specific motif or element of intertextuality to facilitate their self-expression. The notion of the poet as a sort of prophet will be analysed in relation to Khlebnikov’s conceptualization of time; Maiakovskii’s relationship with the state will be elucidated by examining his attitude to monuments and moving statues; Kruchenykh’s innovative use of quotation will be understood as a response to new forms of mass reception

Did the accuracy of oral amoxicillin dosing of children improve after British National Formulary dose revisions in 2014? National cross-sectional survey in England.

OBJECTIVES: Inaccurate antibiotic dosing can lead to treatment failure, fuel antimicrobial resistance and increase side effects. The British National Formulary for Children (BNFC) guidance recommends oral antibiotic dosing according to age bands as a proxy for weight. Recommended doses of amoxicillin for children were increased in 2014 'after widespread concerns of under dosing'. However, the impact of dose changes on British children of different weights is unknown, particularly given the rising prevalence of childhood obesity in the UK. We aimed to estimate the accuracy of oral amoxicillin dosing in British children before and after the revised BNFC guidance in 2014. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: We used data on age and weights for 1556 British children (aged 2-18 years) from a nationally representative cross-sectional survey, the Health Survey for England 2013. INTERVENTIONS: We calculated the doses each child would receive using the BNFC age band guidance, before and after the 2014 changes, against the 'gold standard' weight-based dose of amoxicillin, as per its summary of product characteristics. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE: Assuming children of different weights were equally likely to receive antibiotics, we calculated the percentage of the children who would be at risk of misdosing by the BNFC age bands. RESULTS: Before 2014, 54.6% of children receiving oral amoxicillin would have been underdosed and no child would have received more than the recommended dose. After the BNFC guidance changed in 2014, the number of children estimated as underdosed dropped to 5.8%, but 0.5% of the children would have received too high a dose. CONCLUSIONS: Changes to the BNFC age-banded amoxicillin doses in 2014 have significantly reduced the proportion of children who are likely to be underdosed, with only a minimal rise in the number of those above the recommended range

Direct detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in respiratory samples from patients in Scandinavia by polymerase chain reaction

ObjectiveTo investigate the use of DNA amplification by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis directly in human respiratory specimens.MethodsThe PCR assay employed was the Amplicor M. tuberculosis Test (Roche Diagnostics, Switzerland), which uses the 16S rDNA as the target template. Nine hundred and sixty samples from 741 patients in two clinical microbiology laboratories in Norway and Sweden were processed by routine culture analysis and PCR.ResultsOf the 56 specimens containing cultivatable M. tuberculosis, 49 (87.5%) were detected by PCR. Among the 904 culture-negative specimens, 897 samples were negative also by PCR and seven (0.8%) were positive by PCR. In comparison with culture, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of PCR were 91.7%, 99.6%, 94.2% and 99.4% for laboratory 1 and 80.0%, 98.7%, 76.2% and 99.0% for laboratory 2, respectively. For both laboratories combined the values were 87.5%, 99.2%, 87.5% and 99.2%.ConclusionsThese results indicate that multiple (two or three) respiratory samples from each patient should be tested, to allow sufficient accuracy in detecting M. tuberculosis in the specimens. Still, the labor-intensive format of this test necessitates strong clinical indications and patient prioritization to provide a service feasible within the current limits of routine laboratories

2018 GJMPP Monograph Series: Grace Jordan McFadden Professors Program

The Grace Jordan McFadden Professors Program (GJMPP), formerly the African American Professors Program (AAPP)/Carolina Diversity Professors Program (CDPP) at the University of South Carolina, is honored to publish its seventeenth edition of this annual monograph series. GJMPP recognizes the significance of offering its scholars a venue through which they have the opportunity to engage in research and to publish their refereed papers that continually contribute to their respective academic areas. Parallel with the publication of their manuscripts is a venue to gain visibility among colleagues throughout postsecondary institutions at national and international levels. Scholars who have contributed papers for this monograph are acknowledged for embracing the value of including this responsibility within their doctoral milieu. Writing across disciplines adds broadly to the intellectual diversity of these manuscripts. From neophytes to quite experienced individuals, the chapters have been researched and written with vigor. Founded in 1997 through the Department of Educational Leadership and Policies in the College of Education, AAPP was designed originally to address the under-representation of African American professors on college and university campuses. Its mission is to expand the pool of these professors in critical academic and research areas. Sponsored historically by the University of South Carolina, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and the South Carolina General Assembly, the program recruits doctoral students for disciplines in which African Americans and others are underrepresented among faculty in higher education. The continuation of this monograph series is seen as responding to a window of opportunity to be sensitive to an academic expectation of graduates as they pursue career placement and, at the same time, to allow for the dissemination of products of scholarship to a broader community. The importance of this series has been voiced by one of our 2002 AAPP graduates, Dr. Shundelle LaTjuan Dogan, formerly an Administrative Fellow at Harvard University, a Program Officer for the Southern Education Foundation, and a Program Officer for the Arthur M. Blank Foundation in Atlanta, Georgia. She recently completed an appointment as Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs Manager for IBM International Business Machines in Atlanta and is currently a consultant with a focus on philanthropy and social impact. She is currently Assistant Vice President for Social Impact and Innovation at Emory University. Dr. Dogan has written an impressive Foreword for the 2014 monograph. In a personal letter, which is cited in an earlier monograph, Dr. Dogan penned: “One thing in particular that I want to thank you for is having the African American Professors Program scholars publish articles for the monograph. I have to admit that writing the articles seemed like extra work at the time. However, in my recent interview process, organizations have asked me for samples of my writing. Including an article from a published monograph helped to make my portfolio much more impressive. You were ‘right on target’ in having us do the monograph series” (AAPP 2003, Monograph, p. xi). The Grace Jordan McFadden Professors Program purports to advance the tradition of spearheading international scholarship in higher education as evidenced through inspiration from this group of interdisciplinary manuscripts. I hope that you will envision these published papers to serve as an invaluable contribution to your own professional and career enhancement. John McFadden, PhD The Benjamin Elijah Mays Distinguished Professor Emeritus Director, Grace Jordan McFadden Professors Program University of South Carolina Columbia, South Carolinahttps://scholarcommons.sc.edu/mcfadden_monographs/1010/thumbnail.jp

Over-The-Counter Codeine: Can Community Pharmacy Staff Nudge Customers into Its Safe and Appropriate Use?

The misuse of opioids, including codeine which is sold over-the-counter (OTC) in United Kingdom (UK) community pharmacies, is a growing public health concern. An educational Patient Safety Card was developed and piloted to see if it nudged customers into the safe and appropriate use of OTC codeine. Exploratory analysis was conducted by (i) recording quantitative interactions for people requesting OTC codeine in community pharmacies; and (ii) a web-based pharmacy staff survey. Twenty-four pharmacies submitted data on 3993 interactions using the Patient Safety Card. Staff found the majority of interactions (91.3%) to be very or quite easy. Following an interaction using the card, customers known to pharmacy staff as frequent purchasers of OTC codeine were more likely not to purchase a pain relief medicine compared to customers not known to staff (5.5% of known customers did not purchase any pain relief product versus 1.1% for unknown customers (χ2 = 41.73, df = 1, p [less than] 0.001)). These results support both the use of a visual educational intervention to encourage appropriate use of OTC codeine in community pharmacy and the principles behind better self-care

Firth Ballad

The Oxfordshire tragedy, or Rosanna's overthrow . .