Proposed scoring scheme for qualitive thematic analysis

Drawing on the work of psychotherapy researchers Robert Elliott, Clara Hill and colleagues, the following scheme has been proposed for the write up of qualitative thematic analysis when describing the ‘weighting’ of codes or categories (i.e. the number of interviews that the code/category appeared in). The intention is to use ‘plain English’ terms to describe the frequency of occurrence. For example the term ‘around half’ is used to describe 50% plus or minus one interview, and ‘nearly all’ is used to describe 100% minus one or two interviews. The table below sets out the proposed scoring scheme for studies with various numbers of participants, from 6 to 20. It is not envisaged that this scheme is applicable to studies of less than six participants, however the scheme could well be extended beyond 20. The scoring tends to be ‘understated’, such that ‘Around half’ equates to a half and slightly more rather than a half and slightly less. Additionally, the ‘Nearly all’ is restricted to All-1 until there are more than 11 participants in a study

Morphology of the inner and peripheral ear of the loricariid catfish Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps K.

The morphology of the peripheral and inner ear structures was studied in the loricariid catfish Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps. Specimens (n=6) were preserved in fixative (4% paraformaldehyde, 2% glutaraldehyde in 0.1M phosphate buffer) and dissected for examination of the gross morphology (using light microscopy) and ultrastructure of the auditory sensory epithelia (using scanning electron microscopy). One additional specimen was cleaned in a dermestid beetle colony in order to examine the osteology of the skull. The swim bladder of P. gibbiceps is divided along the midline of the fish into two reduced but equal lobes residing in two laterally oriented bony encapsulations. Immediately lateral to the swim bladders, fenestrations were observed in the pterotic + supracleithrum. A single Weberian ossicle was attached to the medial apex of the bladder, which translates external sound pressure energy into interaural hydrodynamic motion of the fluid within the pars inferior. The single ossicle bends 90o through a bone which acts as a pivot point allowing linear motion at the extreme ends of the ossicle. Otoliths (solid calcareous bones in the inner ear) were similar in shape to those of other loricariids. The asteriscus was disk-like and had a large crescent shaped sulcus that covered the macular striola. Sagittae were slender at their caudal apex and exhibited two wing-like projections about the rostral region of the otolith. Utricular otoliths were thick, having a bulbous rostral region and a laterally flattened triangular caudal region. On its ventral surface there was a deep sigma-shaped sulcus which was not in contact with the utricular maculae. Auditory endorgan-specific patterns of the orientation of sensory hair cell kinocilia were observed on each macular surface. Maculae exhibited areas of reversed hair cell orientation called the striola. Sacculi possessed a vertical striolar pattern. The lagenar patterns were crescent shaped in similar fashion as the sulcus of the otolith, and the pattern of the utricle was unlike the shape its otolith and curved sigmoidally to terminate at the lateral extremities of the otolith. In general, while there are unique peripheral auditory structures in P. gibbiceps (bi-lobed and encapsulated swim bladders and a single Weberian ossicle), the inner ear maculae and striolar patterns found in P. gibbiceps are similar to those found in other catfishes

A 45-year-old Female with an Atypical Presentation of Pharyngitis

Introduction: Emergency physicians are trained to treat a variety of ailments in the emergency department (ED), some of which are emergent, while others are not. A common complaint seen in the ED is a sore throat. While most sore throats are easily diagnosed and treated, less common causes are often not considered in the differential diagnoses. Therefore, the purpose of this case study was to present an atypical case of sore throat and discuss differential diagnoses.Case Presentation: The patient was a 45-year-old female who presented to the ED with a three-day history of sore throat that was exacerbated by eating and drinking. The patient was not on any prescription medications, but tried over-the-counter medications for the sore throat without any improvement in symptoms. Review of systems was positive for sore throat, fevers, and chills. Physical examination of her oropharynx revealed mildly dry mucous membranes with confluent plaques and white patchy ulcerative appearance involving the tongue, tonsils, hard palate, and soft palate. Rapid streptococcal antigen, mononucleosis spot test, and KOH test were performed and found to be negative.Discussion: After initial testing was negative, a follow-up complete blood count with differential and complete metabolic profile were ordered. The patient was found to have decreased lymphocytes and platelets. Based upon those results, a diagnosis was made in the ED, the patient was started on medication, and further laboratory workup was ordered to confirm the diagnosis. ED providers should consider non-infectious as well as infectious causes for a sore throat, as this might lead to a diagnosis of an underlying condition

Identification of a novel response regulator, Crr1, that is required for hydrogen peroxide resistance in Candida albicans

Peer reviewe

Psychometrics of the personal questionnaire : a client-generated outcome measure

We present a range of evidence for the reliability and validity of data generated by the Personal Questionnaire (PQ), a client-generated individualized outcome measure, using five data sets from three countries. Overall pre-therapy mean internal consistency (alpha) across clients was .80; within-client alphas averaged .77; clients typically had one or two items that did not vary with the other items. Analyses of temporal structure indicated high levels of between client variance (58%), moderate pre-therapy test-retest correlations (r =.57), and high session-to-session lag-1 autocorrelations (.82). Scores on the PQ provided clear evidence of convergence with a range of outcome measures (within-client r = .41). Mean pre-post effects were large (d = 1.25). The results support a revised caseness cut-off of 3.25 and a reliable change interval of 1.67. We conclude that PQ data meet criteria for evidence-based, norm-referenced measurement of client psychological distress for supporting psychotherapy practice and research

Empirical Model Development for Predicting Shock Response on Composite Materials Subjected to Pyroshock Loading

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) received a request to develop an analysis model based on both frequency response and wave propagation analyses for predicting shock response spectrum (SRS) on composite materials subjected to pyroshock loading. The model would account for near-field environment (approx. 9 inches from the source) dominated by direct wave propagation, mid-field environment (approx. 2 feet from the source) characterized by wave propagation and structural resonances, and far-field environment dominated by lower frequency bending waves in the structure. This report documents the outcome of the assessment

More than just a measure: Exploring clients' experiences of using a standardised self-report questionnaire to evaluate counselling outcomes.

The past few decades have seen an increasing need for counsellors to evidence their practice using client self-report outcome questionnaires. However, little research has been undertaken on the experience of clients completing such questionnaires. This qualitative study investigated participants' experiences of completing a standardised outcome measure before and after therapy. Seventeen clients attending a community counselling service in Scotland, United Kingdom, were interviewed about their experiences of completing the measure, and the usefulness of the measure for discerning change from before to after therapy. Thematic analysis was undertaken to identify helpful and unhelpful aspects. Participant experiences were categorised into two beneficial themes ("A 'ruler' to measure against" and "A 'checklist' of common problems") and three hindering or problematic themes ("Restrictive," "Debilitating," and "Misaligned"). Implications for practice are discussed, including the possibility of utilising outcome measures as a valuable adjunct to therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of New Zealand Journal of Counselling is the property of New Zealand Association of Counsellors and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.

Averages of quadratic twists of long Dirichlet polynomials

We investigate averages of long Dirichlet polynomials twisted by Kronecker symbols and we compare our result with the recipe of [CFKRS]. We are able to compute these averages in the case that the length of the polynomial is a power less than 2 of the basic scaling parameter on the assumption of the Lindel\"of Hypothesis for $L$-functions of quadratic characters, and we show that the answer is consistent with this recipe. This corresponds, in terms of the recipe, to verifying 0- and 1-swap terms.Comment: 30 page

Empirical Model Development for Predicting Shock Response on Composite Materials Subjected to Pyroshock Loading: Appendices

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) received a request to develop an analysis model based on both frequency response and wave propagation analyses for predicting shock response spectrum (SRS) on composite materials subjected to pyroshock loading. The model would account for near-field environment (approx. 9 inches from the source) dominated by direct wave propagation, mid-field environment (approx. 2 feet from the source) characterized by wave propagation and structural resonances, and far-field environment dominated by lower frequency bending waves in the structure. This document contains appendices to the Volume I report