8,607 research outputs found
The SF-36: a simple, effective measure of mobility disability for epidemiological studies
No full textBackgroundMobility disability is a major problem in older people. Numerous scales exist for the measurement of disability but often these do not permit comparisons between study groups. The physical functioning (PF) domain of the established and widely used Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire asks about limitations on ten mobility activities.ObjectivesTo describe prevalence of mobility disability in an elderly population, investigate the validity of the SF-36 PF score as a measure of mobility disability, and to establish age and sex specific norms for the PF score.MethodsWe explored relationships between the SF-36 PF score and objectively measured physical performance variables among 349 men and 280 women, 59-72 years of age, who participated in the Hertfordshire Cohort Study (HCS). Normative data were derived from the Health Survey for England (HSE) 1996.Results32% of men and 46% of women had at least some limitation in PF scale items. Poor SF-36 PF scores (lowest fifth of the gender-specific distribution) were related to: lower grip strength; longer timed-up-and-go, 3m walk, and chair rises test times in men and women; and lower quadriceps peak torque in women but not men. HSE normative data showed that median PF scores declined with increasing age in men and women.ConclusionOur results are consistent with the SF-36 PF score being a valid measure of mobility disability in epidemiological studies. This approach might be a first step towards enabling simple comparisons of prevalence of mobility disability between different studies of older people. The SF-36 PF score could usefully complement existing detailed schemes for classification of disability and it now requires validation against them
Sample sizes for the SF-6D preference based measure of health from the SF-36: a practical guide
No full textBackground Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) measures are becoming more frequently used in clinical trials and health services research, both as primary and secondary endpoints. Investigators are now asking statisticians for advice on how to plan and analyse studies using HRQoL measures, which includes questions on sample size. Sample size requirements are critically dependent on the aims of the study, the outcome measure and its summary measure, the effect size and the method of calculating the test statistic. The SF-6D is a new single summary preference-based measure of health derived from the SF-36 suitable for use clinical trials and in the economic evaluation of health technologies. Objectives To describe and compare two methods of calculating sample sizes when using the SF-6D in comparative clinical trials and to give pragmatic guidance to researchers on what method to use. Methods We describe two main methods of sample size estimation. The parametric (t-test) method assumes the SF-6D data is continuous and normally distributed and that the effect size is the difference between two means. The non-parametric (Mann-Whitney MW) method assumes the data are continuous and not normally distributed and the effect size is defined in terms of the probability that an observation drawn at random from population Y would exceed an observation drawn at random from population X. We used bootstrap computer simulation to compare the power of the two methods for detecting a shift in location. Results This paper describes the SF-6D and retrospectively calculated parametric and nonparametric effect sizes for the SF-6D from a variety of studies that had previously used the SF-36. Computer simulation suggested that if the distribution of the SF-6D is reasonably symmetric then the t-test appears to be more powerful than the MW test at detecting differences in means. Therefore if the distribution of the SF-6D is symmetric or expected to be reasonably symmetric then parametric methods should be used for sample size calculations and analysis. If the distribution of the SF-6D is skewed then the MW test appears to be more powerful at detecting a location shift (difference in means) than the t-test. However, the differences in power (between the t and MW tests) are small and decrease as the sample size increases. Conclusions We have provided a clear description of the distribution of the SF-6D and believe that the mean is an appropriate summary measure for the SF-6D when it is to be used in clinical trials and the economic evaluation of new health technologies. Therefore pragmatically we would recommend that parametric methods be used for sample size calculation and analysis when using the SF-6D.sample size; health-related quality of life; SF-36; preference-based measures of health; bootstrap simulation
Validity of the SF-36 Health Survey as an outcome measure for trials in people with spinal cord injury
No full textThe SF-36 was interviewer-administered to 305 subjects at recruitment. Feasibility, content validity and internal consistency were assessed. We tested a priori hypotheses about discriminative, convergent and divergent validity. Interviewer-assisted administration was feasible. The content validity of several domains (Physical Function, Role Physical, Social Function and Role Emotional) was compromised by the irrelevance of some items and response options. Resultant ceiling and floor effects may limit the SF-36?s ability to detect changes over time. The SF-36 was able to discriminate differences between people with: tetraplegia versus paraplegia (in the Physical Function and Physical Composite scores); injuries that were recent ( 4 years) (in the Vitality, Social Function and Mental Health domain and Mental Composite scores), and who were employed versus unemployed (in the Physical Function, Social Function, Mental Health and Mental Composite scores). It was not able to discriminate between groups dichotomised by age, injury completeness or gender. The convergent and divergent validity of all SF-36 domains was as in other populations, except for correlations involving the Physical Function scale which were poor. Internal consistency was similar to that in other populations (Cronbach?s alpha from 0.75 to 0.92); the SF-36 has sufficient precision for population-based and clinical research in spinal cord injury. The SF-36 is useful for comparing the health status of people with spinal cord injury to that of other populations, but supplementation with a disease-specific health status measure may be necessary for trials of interventions in people with spinal cord injuries.Quality of life, outcome measures, sf-36
SF Gospel: Blog contents, 2006-2015
No full textSF Gospel (2006-2015) was a blog exploring religious and theological themes in science fiction and popular culture by Gabriel Mckee, author of The Gospel According to Science Fiction. The primary PDF contains the textual content of the blog, along with most images that accompanied the original posts. The appendix PDF contains guest posts written by Mckee for other blogs and websites (including SF Signal, Holy Heroes, Nerve.com, and Religion Dispatches) during the course of SF Gospel's existence
Introduction - SF Now
No full textCollection of 14 essays (including Graeme MacDonald's Pioneer Award-winning 'Improbability Drives: The Energy of SF'), 5 interview (with Junot Diaz, Steve Fuller, Kij Johnson, Stephen Graham Jones, Nnedi Okorafor) and 2 reviews, developed from the SF/F Now conference
Additional Files for Master Thesis "Framing Diets for Policy to Fight Climate Change"
No full textAdditional files for Master Thesis "Framing Diets for Policy to Fight Climate Change: Using video messages to measure the effect of goal framing on attitudes and intentions to reduce beef and dairy consumption to fight climate change"
Datasets
Intervention Framed Videos
Written within the M.Sc. Public Policy and Human Development at Maastricht University MGSoG/UNU-MERIT
Author: Sten Ritterfeld
Supervisor: Michelle González Amador
Submission date: July 12, 202
Aggression in dogs revisited
No full textAggression in Dogs revisited Clinical animal behaviour therapy has now reached a stage of development comparable to human psychology in the early part of this century. At present, the perception of animal behaviour varies with country and culture and this results in differing definitions making international dialogue difficult. This was clearly demonstrated by a discussion on separation anxiety in Birmingham in 1997. At the same meeting, Karen Overall pointed out in her lecture that it is essential to try to agree upon a structured set of uniform definitions so as to facilitate the international exchange of knowledge. This would promote a reduction in the differences in the cultural perception of animal behaviour which already have developed and indeed still are developing, and potentially arrest and reverse them.In this talk the author proposes a new look at aggression. At present, aggressive behaviour is usually either defined by the stimulus that triggers the behaviour or according to the object against which it is directed. Consequently, there is a high degree of overlap in the current set of definitions, leading to confusion simply because the same type of behaviour is at the root of a number of apparently different definitions. By taking an ethological approach it is possible to formulate a cohesive model which allows aggression to be considered in the context of the underlying cause rather than according to the stimulus or the object at which it is directed. This approach opens opportunities for replacing emotionally charged expressions such as dominance aggression with neutral scientific terms. This, in turn, could lead to a change in the perception of aggression in dogs, promoting a more emotionally relaxed approach to dog aggression with the promise of a more successful way of dealing with it.This will be demonstrated by some interesting case histories.<br/
SF 550 Tutorial: Formational Reading- E.Stanley Jones”
No full text• A Song of Ascents, E. Stanley Jones • Selections from E. Stanley Jones, edited by James K. and Eunice Jones Matthews • Three of Jones’ books (see attached bibliography for suggestions)https://place.asburyseminary.edu/syllabi/3494/thumbnail.jp
The influence of the owner on the development of aggressive behaviour in dogs
No full textAggressive behaviour in dogs has become a major topic of scientific research in Northern Europe, particularly in England and France, and also in the USA. It ranks amongst the top problems presented to animal behaviour therapists.Research into the influence of owner’s interactions with their dog on the development of the dog’s behaviour in general and problem behaviour, including aggression in particular, has yielded contradictory results. While some authors could not establish significant links between the way dog owners treated their dog and development of behaviour problems, others did. Furthermore, in animal behaviour therapy, the owners’ behaviour has proved to be a major and very influential factor in influencing and changing the animal’s behaviour, including aggressive behaviour.In principle, aggressive behaviour in dogs can be considered normal, species-specific behaviour, essential for survival. Like all behaviours, it is the product of different factors. Learning and genotype both play an important role, as do physical and physiological factors like the dog’s health, its hormonal and reproductive status, and the individual situation and context in which the aggressive behaviour occurs. The degree of adaptability of a species depends to a high degree on the learning capacities of the individual. The variety of situations in which dogs live and the diverse tasks they accomplish for humans show that they, like humans, have a large capacity for learning throughout their lives. Thus, in dogs, aggressive behaviour is, to a large extent, influenced by learning. Because the principles of learning are relatively unknown to the general public and rarely applied deliberately and systematically in everyday dog training, normal human behaviour is bound to reinforce aggressive behaviour in dogs. This will be demonstrated in case studies
Treating animal behaviour problems with sex hormones: an animal welfare issue
No full textIn England and Germany, the methods used to modify unwanted animal behaviour in veterinary practices were investigated by questionnaire. The samples were created by a systematic section. Of the 216 questionnaires posted in each country, 66 replies from Germany (30.5%) and 76 from the UK (35.2%) were obtained and evaluated.The majority of veterinarians in both countries considered hormones effective in treating behaviour problems, but English veterinarians do so significantly more for cats and dogs. However, only a minority use cortisone, androgens and oestrogens. Progesterone is used by about 75% of veterinarians in the UK but by fewer than 50% in Germany.There is evidence that the effectiveness of hormones is restricted to sexually dimorphic behaviours and that, even there, is of limited success (Hopkins et al., 1976; Hart, 1980). Furthermore, the use of hormones has been shown to be accompanied by serious side effects, for example a high risk of pyometra, cancer of the mammary gland, and induction of diabetes mellitus in prediabetic patients.It is common medical practice that methods with serious side-effects that are not very effective are discarded as soon as better treatments are available. In fact, in such cases the further use of such methods is considered a grave medical fault. In scientific research, as well as in human medicine, the principles of behaviour modification have proven to be highly effective (Köhlke and Köhlke, 1994; Martin and Pear, 1996). Some psychoactive medication used for the treatment of humans has been recently approved for use in dogs. Thus, to ensure the welfare of the animals in question, the use of sex hormones in the treatment of animal behaviour should be regarded as inappropriate and obsolete and abandoned in favour of behaviour therapy and modern psychoactive medication
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