Does the choice of header images influence responses? Findings from a web survey on students' housing situation

Online questionnaires can easily be complemented by logos, graphics and images. Yet visual cues can influence responses – adding images to survey questions has proven to alter reported frequencies and attitudinal judgments. Our experiment, which was embedded in a web survey on students’ housing conditions (N=4,676), addresses the effects of continuous exposure to a content-related image. Participants saw one of three different residential scenarios or no image, respectively, in the header of each page throughout the whole survey. It is expected that different pictures influence self-rated satisfaction with the current housing situation and the evaluation of city attributes. Contrary to the hypotheses, the choice of image has no effect on answers to attitudinal questions. Possible implications of image positioning and repetition are discussed in the light of this surprising finding

Interviewers' and Respondents' Joint Production of Response Quality in Openended Questions: A Multilevel Negativebinomial Regression Approach

Open-ended questions are an important methodological tool for social science researchers, but they suffer from large variations in response quality. In this contribution, we discuss the state of research and develop a systematic approach to the mechanisms of quality generation in open-ended questions, examining the effects from respondents and interviewers as well as those arising from their interactions. Using data from an open-ended question on associations with foreigners living in Germany from the ALLBUS 2016, we first apply a two-level negative binomial regression to model influences on response quality on the interviewer and respondent level and their interaction. In a second regression analysis, we assess how qualitative variation (information entropy) in responses on the interviewer level is related to interviewer characteristics and data quality. We find that respondents' education, age, gender, motivation and topic interest influence response quality. The interviewer-related variance in response length is 36%. Whereas interviewer characteristics (age, gender, education, experience) do not have a direct effect, they impact on response quality due to interactions between interviewer and respondent characteristics. Notably, an interviewer's experience has a positive effect on response quality only in interaction with highly educated respondents

Die Bedeutung der Begriffe „Links“ und „Rechts“ in verschiedenen sozialstrukturellen Kontexten

War die sozialstrukturelle Verortung der politischen Richtungsbegriffe „Rechts“ und „Links“ lange unzweifelhaft, so ist diese Klarheit spätestens seit der Entstehung der mehrheitlich aus bürgerlichen Verhältnissen stammenden „Neuen Linken“ und der bevorzugt ökonomisch Benachteiligte adressierenden „Neuen Rechten“ passé. Während die soziale Stellung heute kein eindeutiger Indikator mehr dafür ist, ob jemand sich als „Links“ oder „Rechts“ einordnet, kann sie jedoch die ideologische Bedeutung, die den Begriffen „Links“ und „Rechts“ beigemessen wird, maßgeblich prägen. In der Forschung zur subjektiven Bedeutung der politischen Richtungsbegriffe wurde bereits verschiedentlich gezeigt, dass die verbreitete Annahme eines eindeutigen und kollektiv geteilten Verständnisses von „Links“ und „Rechts“ nur sehr eingeschränkt zutrifft. Mögliche sozialstrukturelle Zusammenhänge wurden dabei bisher allerdings weitgehend außer Acht gelassen. Wir stellen daher folgende Fragen: Welche kohärenten Konzepte von „links“ und „rechts“ gibt es in der deutschen Bevölkerung? Inwiefern ist die Sozialstruktur – unter Konstanthaltung der politischen Positionierung – hierbei ein strukturierender Faktor? Wir verwenden Daten aus dem ALLBUS 2008, in dem die Assoziationen der Befragten mit „Links“ und „Rechts“ offen abgefragt wurden und analysieren diese mit CAGalt, einer Variante der Korrespondenzanalyse für Textdaten. Wir zeigen, dass auch bei Befragten mit der gleichen politischen Selbstverortung unterschiedliche Assoziationen mit den Begriffen „Links“ und „Rechts“ auftreten. So lassen sich ökonomische, kulturelle oder politisch-systemische Konzepte sowie eine diffus-emotionale Reaktion abgrenzen, die mit Bildung, Region (Ost/West) und Alter assoziiert sind. Wir argumentieren, dass die auftretenden Muster für zwar unterschiedliche, aber jeweils in sich konsistente Konzepte von „Links“ und „Rechts“ sprechen. Unsere Analyse zeigt, dass die vermeintliche Auflösung sozialstrukturell bedingter politischer Bindungen sich zumindest für das ideologische Verständnis nicht bestätigen lässt und dass die Sozialstruktur mithin ein bedeutender Faktor politischer Verortung bleibt

Molecular Identification of Burkholderia Cepacia Complex and Species Distribution Among Cystic Fibrosis Patients Seen at the Reference Center in Southern Brazil

Background: Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are associated with decline in lung function and reduced survival. The potential transmissibility of Bcc among CF patients has been reported, indicating that strict segregation of CF patients with Bcc is crucial.Aims: To standardize the PCR-RFLP (polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism) assay in order to identify Bcc species and to establish the prevalence of Bcc species and their susceptibility profile among CF patients seen at the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA).Methods: The classification of the clinical isolates recovered from respiratory tract specimens of CF patients as Bcc was achieved using the API-20NE® phenotypic commercial system. The identification of the Bcc species was performed using PCR-RFLP. The antimicrobial disk diffusion susceptibility testing was performed according to the CLSI (2006).Results: API-20NE® was able to identify Bcc isolates (244 specimens), such as B. cepacia, indicating that it was not able to distinguish among the Bcc species. The PCR-RFLP molecular method discriminated the eight reference Bcc species, thus validating the method for clinical isolates. Bcc prevalence determined by PCR-RFLP was 10.6% (26/244). The molecular analysis identified B. cenocepacia in 53.8% (14/26) of infected patients, B. multivorans in 15.4% (4/26), and B. vietnamiensis and B. ambifaria in 7.7% (2/26). The antibiotic resistance profile was variable among Bcc species.Conclusions: The PCR-RFLP method was validated for the identification of Bcc species. B. cenocepacia proved to be the most prevalent species among the CF patients seen at the HCPA

Nurses\u27 Alumnae Association Bulletin - Volume 5 Number 8

Calling All Nurses Financial Report Calendar of Events Lest You Forget! Attention Review of the Alumnae Association Meetings President\u27s Report Barton Memorial Division Oxygen Therapy Welcome, White Haven Alumnae Clinical Use of Penicillin in Infections of the Ears, Nose and Throat Address - Graduation of Nurses, 1945 Miscellaneous Items The Blood that Kills The Story of Malaria Program Prizes - May, 1946 Capping Exercises The Economic Security Program of the Pennsylvania State Nurses\u27 Association The Clara Melville Scholarship Fund Card of Thanks The Poet\u27s Corner The Hospital Pharmacy Jefferson Medical College Hospital School of Nursing Faculty Jefferson Hospital Gray Lady Unite, A.R.R. The Volunteer Nurses\u27 Aides Salute Jefferson Nurses Changes in the Staff at Jefferson Hospital Red Cross Recruits Did You Know That The Pennsylvania Nurse Medical College News Magazine and Newspaper Items Central Dressing Room and Transfusion Unit Rules Concerning Central Dressing Room Radios and Electrical Appliances Attending College Nurses in Anesthesia Condolences Marriages New Arrivals Deaths The Bulletin Committee Attention, Alumnae New Addresse

DESENVOLVIMENTO DE LESÕES POR PRESSÃO EM PACIENTES ACAMADOS: A PERCEPÇÃO DE PROFISSIONAIS DA ÁREA DA SAÚDE

RESUMOAs lesões por pressão são um grande problema de saúde no âmbito hospitalar, principalmente nas unidades de terapia intensiva. Assim, o objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar a percepção de profissionais da área da saúde que atuam em ambiente hospitalar sobre os fatores que predispõem os pacientes acamados ao desenvolvimento de lesões por pressão e quais as medidas adotadas para a prevenção. O estudo é de natureza aplicada e de caráter observacional descritivo, realizado sob o paradigma qualitativo. O campo de estudo foi um hospital situado no Vale do Caí, RS. Como ferramenta de coleta de dados foi realizada uma entrevista semiestruturada, junto a 6 profissionais da área da saúde. A análise dos resultados das entrevistas ocorreu a partir do método de categorização, que evidenciou cinco categorias, sendo estas as que mais chamaram a atenção: a mudança de decúbito e a falta de comprometimento com os cuidados de prevenção. Desta forma, entende-se que seriam necessárias ainda mais práticas de incentivo com os profissionais da área da saúde, para que os mesmos realizem de forma correta todas as medidas de prevenção das lesões por pressão, podendo assim diminuir também os gastos hospitalares.Palavras-chave: Fatores de risco. Lesões por pressão. Prevenção. Saúde.ABSTRACTPressure injuries are a major health problem in the hospital setting, especially in intensive care units. Thus, the objective of the present study was to verify the perception of health professionals working in the hospital environment about the factors that predispose the development of pressure injuries in bedridden patients, and what measures are adopted for prevention. The study is developed through applied research and has a descriptive observational method, being performed under the qualitative paradigm. The field of study was in a hospital located in Vale do Caí, RS. As a data collection tool, a semi-structured interview was conducted with 6 health professionals. The analysis of the interview results was based on the categorization method, which revealed five categories, being the ones that attracted attention the most: the change of position and the lack of commitment to prevention care. Therefore, it is understood that further incentive practices would be necessary with health professionals, so that they can correctly perform all measures of prevention of pressure injuries, thereby reducing hospital expenses.Keywords: Risk factors. Pressure injuries. Prevention. Health

Enhancing tuberculosis diagnosis by polymerase chain reaction: An experience at a tertiary hospital

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) persists as a severe global public health issue. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the performance of an in-house TB PCR (polymerase chain reaction) in sputum.Methods: DNA from sputum specimens were submitted to a nested-PCR protocol for the IS6110 region detection. PCR results were compared to those of the traditional methods for TB diagnosis, i.e., acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear microscopy and culture. We analyzed sputum samples obtained from 133 patients.Results: A total of 48 (36%) cultures yielded indeterminate results due to contamination. This high contamination rate may be explained by the fact that samples from fibrocystic patients were included in this study. Additionally, other five samples were positive for nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). Therefore, it was possible to compare 80 patients for M. tuberculosis detection. We found 14 positive samples: five presented positive results in the three methods (5/14; 35.7%), two were positive in culture and PCR (2/14; 14.3%), one was positive in AFB and PCR (1/14; 7.1%), five were positive only in PCR (5/14; 35.7%) and 1 was positive only in culture (1/14; 7.1%). Thus, positivity rates for each technique were: 7.5% for AFB (6/80), 10% for culture (8/80) and 16.25% for PCR (13/80). Among the 48 patients who had indeterminate results in sputum culture, two samples were positive in PCR.Conclusion: Considering the limitations of the traditional methods, the use of PCR as a molecular technique could be advantageous for TB diagnosis.

Enhancing tuberculosis diagnosis by polymerase chain reactio : an experience at a tertiary hospital

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) persists as a severe global public health issue. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the performance of an in-house TB PCR (polymerase chain reaction) in sputum. Methods: DNA from sputum specimens were submitted to a nested-PCR protocol for the IS6110 region detection. PCR results were compared to those of the traditional methods for TB diagnosis, i.e., acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear microscopy and culture. We analyzed sputum samples obtained from 133 patients. Results: A total of 48 (36%) cultures yielded indeterminate results due to contamination. This high contamination rate may be explained by the fact that samples from fibrocystic patients were included in this study. Additionally, other five samples were positive for nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). Therefore, it was possible to compare 80 patients for M. tuberculosis detection. We found 14 positive samples: five presented positive results in the three methods (5/14; 35.7%), two were positive in culture and PCR (2/14; 14.3%), one was positive in AFB and PCR (1/14; 7.1%), five were positive only in PCR (5/14; 35.7%) and 1 was positive only in culture (1/14; 7.1%). Thus, positivity rates for each technique were: 7.5% for AFB (6/80), 10% for culture (8/80) and 16.25% for PCR (13/80). Among the 48 patients who had indeterminate results in sputum culture, two samples were positive in PCR. Conclusion: Considering the limitations of the traditional methods, the use of PCR as a molecular technique could be advantageous for TB diagnosis