Behavioral self-handicapping among male and femal athletes

Self-handicapping is a term used to refer to the strategic creation of obstacles that interfere with successful performance of a task. Self-handicapping allows a person to credit failure to an external cause (the handicap) or to credit success to an internal cause (e.g., ability to overcome an obstacle), thereby protecting self-esteem in either case. The general consensus among researchers has been that women do not behaviorally self-handicap. The goal of the present study is twofold. The first goal is to explore possible paradigms in which females behaviorally selfhandicap. It is proposed that self-handicapping women do choose behavioral handicaps in high importance, real-life situations. The performance task in the present study is competition in NCAA Division III college athletics at a small mid-western liberal arts college. Based upon current literature on behavioral self-handicapping in groups and in athletes, it is further hypothesized that members of individual sports will behaviorally self-handicap more than members of team sports. The sample included males and females from four different sports (basketball, soccer, track, and swimming). Sixty-six athletes received, completed, and returned a behavioral self-handicapping survey via campus mail. The experimental design was a 2 (men vs. women) X 2 (team vs. individual sport) factorial design. The results, analyzed in a two-way ANOVA, support the hypothesis that individual athletes behaviorally selfhandicap significantly more than team athletes and that there are no sex differences

Efficiency of gratings for silica fiber-coupled internal Smith-Purcell radiation and Cherenkov diffraction radiation -- a quantitative numerical study

We propose a setup for measuring visible and near-visible internal Smith-Purcell radiation and Cherenkov Diffraction Radiation, based on silica and silicon, and perform quantitative numerical analysis of its radiation efficiency. We calculate the total radiated energy per electron and the spectral distribution of different radiation orders, taking into account material dispersion and absorption. For an optimized silica grating of 200 micrometer length, the total radiated energy reaches 2~eV per electron for 2 MeV electrons. Above the Cherenkov threshold, in most cases the energy of Cherenkov diffraction radiation is several times higher than the energy of internal Smith-Purcell radiation, but for some geometries and frequency ranges first or second order radiation may dominate over Cherenkov radiation (zeroth order). Radiation up to the 4th order is detected in the simulation. The spectrum of Cherenkov radiation is highly resonant, with local minima for frequencies where maxima of the other radiation orders occur. The spectrum of Cherenkov radiation takes a frequency comb-like shape for a uniform layer of Si on SiO2 substrate, due to a Fabry-Perot effect occurring for the evanescent field of the moving electron. The proposed setup could become a prototype of a non-invasive particle beam monitor for both conventional and laser particle accelerators

Mycobacteria in Nail Salon Whirlpool Footbaths, California

In 2000, an outbreak of Mycobacterium fortuitum furunculosis affected customers using whirlpool footbaths at a nail salon. We swabbed 30 footbaths in 18 nail salons from 5 California counties and found mycobacteria in 29 (97%); M. fortuitum was the most common. Mycobacteria may pose an infectious risk for pedicure customers

Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among Patients With Arthritis

Introduction: Previous studies suggest that people with arthritis have high rates of using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches for managing their arthritis, in addition to conventional treatments such as prescription medications. However, little is known about the use of CAM by diagnosis, or which forms of CAM are most frequently used by people with arthritis. This study was designed to provide detailed information about use of CAM for symptoms associated with arthritis in patients followed in primary care and specialty clinics in North Carolina. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, we drew our sample from primary care (n = 1,077) and specialist (n = 1,063) physician offices. Summary statistics were used to calculate differences within and between diagnostic groups, practice settings, and other characteristics. Logistic regression models clustered at the site level were used to determine the effect of patient characteristics on ever and current use of 9 CAM categories and an overall category of "any use." Results: Most of the participants followed by specialists (90.5%) and a slightly smaller percentage of those in the primary care sample (82.8%) had tried at least 1 complementary therapy for arthritis symptoms. Participants with fibromyalgia used complementary therapies more often than those with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or chronic joint symptoms. More than 50% of patients in both samples used over-the-counter topical pain relievers, more than 25% used meditation or drew on religious or spiritual beliefs, and more than 19% used a chiropractor. Women and participants with higher levels of education were more likely to report current use of alternative therapies. Conclusion: Most arthritis patients in both primary care and specialty settings have used CAM for their arthritis symptoms. Health care providers (especially musculoskeletal specialists) should discuss these therapies with all arthritis patients

Case Report Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in a Branchial Cleft Cyst without a Thyroid Primary: Navigating a Diagnostic Dilemma

We report a rare case of papillary thyroid carcinoma incidentally found within a branchial cleft cyst. Only four other cases have been described in the literature. A total thyroidectomy and selective neck dissection was performed, and no evidence of occult primary disease was found after review of fine sections. Branchial cleft cysts are the most common lateral neck masses. Ectopic thyroid tissue within a branchial cleft cyst is an unusual phenomenon, and papillary thyroid carcinoma arising from this tissue is extremely rare. Clinicians are left with a diagnostic dilemma when presented with thyroid tissue neoplasm within a neck cyst in the absence of a thyroid primary-is this a case of metastatic disease with a missed primary or rather carcinoma arising in ectopic thyroid tissue? A thorough discussion of the etiologies of these lateral neck masses is reviewed including the embryogenesis of thyroid tissue in a branchial cleft cyst. The prognosis of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma in lateral neck cysts without a primary site identified appears to be good following excision of the cyst and total thyroidectomy. Other management recommendations regarding these unique lateral neck malignancies are also presented

Rickettsia parkeri Infection after Tick Bite, Virginia

We describe a man with a febrile illness and an eschar that developed at the site of a tick bite. Rickettsia parkeri was detected and isolated from the eschar. This report represents the second documented case of R. parkeri rickettsiosis in a US serviceman in eastern Virginia

The enhanced cognitive interview: Testing appropriateness perception, memory capacity and error estimate relation with report quality

The Enhanced Cognitive Interview (ECI) has been widely studied. However, research has overlooked witnesses’ attitudes toward the interview and how error estimate and memory capacity relate to report quality. Participants watched a mock robbery video and were interviewed 48 hours later with either the Portuguese version of the ECI or a Structured Interview (SI). Participants interviewed with the ECI provided more information without compromising accuracy, particularly in free recall. Report accuracy was stable across interview phases and information categories. A higher perception of interview appropriateness (how witnesses evaluate the appropriateness of the interview procedure used) was linked with more detailed reports and more interest in being an interviewee. Participants over-estimated their error rate, and their memory capacity was not related to witnesses’ recall. It is essential to take into account their perception of interview appropriateness and use alternative methods to evaluate report quality. Major implications for real-life investigations are discussed

Improving uptake and engagement with child body image interventions delivered to mothers: Understanding mother and daughter preferences for intervention content

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd Mothers are a key influence on adolescent girls’ body image. This study aimed to improve understanding of mothers’ and daughters’ preferences for content in body image interventions designed to assist mothers to promote positive body image among their daughters. British mother–daughter dyads (N=190) viewed descriptions of five evidence-based influences on body image (family, friends, and relationships; appearance-based teasing; media and celebrities; appearance conversations; body acceptance and care). Mothers and daughters each selected the two most important influences to learn about in these interventions. Overall, both mothers and daughters most frequently opted for family, friends, and relationships and body acceptance and care, whereas media and celebrities was their least preferred topic. While the overall sample of mothers and daughters agreed on preferences, Fisher's exact tests showed that within-dyad agreement was low. Recommendations for improving parent and child engagement with, and effectiveness of, child body image interventions delivered to parents are discussed