Workplace Prosocial Activities and Daily Well-Being During COVID-19

Workplace prosocial activities, such as providing unpaid assistance to colleagues, has been linked to better well-being. However, little is known about how these associations unfold in daily life. This study examines how prosocial activities at work are associated with daily well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 22 employees (aged 22-69 years) from a wealth management firm reported their daily activities and well-being on 10 consecutive workdays. On days when individuals provided help to someone they work with, they experienced higher positive affect, and greater enjoyment and interest at work, compared to days when they did not provide help. Individuals who provided more help reported greater meaning at work. Initial findings suggest that workplace prosocial activities have positive implications for daily well-being during the pandemic. Subsequent analyses will examine whether these findings replicate in a separate sample of working adults. Age differences in helping and meaning will be discussed.

Urdu translation and validation of clinically useful anxiety outcome scale in Pakistan: ‘an observational study’

Objective: To translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Clinically Useful Anxiety Outcome Scale on Urdu-speaking population. Method: The observational validation study was conducted in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan, from January 2018 to December 2019 in two phases. In the first phase, the Clinically Useful Anxiety Outcome Scale was forward and backward translated, while in the second phase, the translated scale was validated on a human sample comprising subjects in clinical and nonclinical settings. Item-to-total correlation, internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities were checked with inter-group comparisons. To find out the level of language equivalence between the original and the translated versions, a separate sample of bilingual participants was raised. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. Continue

Seed Biologists Beware: Estimates of Initial Viability Based on Ungerminated Seeds at the End of an Experiment May Be Error-Prone

Seed viability is routinely measured on seeds that fail to germinate at the end of an experiment. Together with the number of germinants, this is used to estimate viability of the seeds at start of the experiment (i.e., initial viability) and provides the comparative basis on which germination success is determined. Perusal of the literature shows that sometimes (perhaps often, as the problem has yet to be recognized or reported) prolonged duration in the treatment, especially the control where little germination occurs, can lead to loss of viability. This results in underestimation of initial viability if that treatment is used. I caution against the routine use of end-of-trial germination and viability of ungerminated seeds as an estimate of initial viability in determining germination success of various treatments. I explore ways to deal with the problem but the preference is for estimates of initial viability to be undertaken on a separate sample of seeds concurrently with the experiment as this avoids the risk of seed death during the trial.

Seed Biologists Beware: Estimates of Initial Viability Based on Ungerminated Seeds at the End of an Experiment May Be Error-Prone

Seed viability is routinely measured on seeds that fail to germinate at the end of an experiment. Together with the number of germinants, this is used to estimate viability of the seeds at start of the experiment (i.e., initial viability) and provides the comparative basis on which germination success is determined. Perusal of the literature shows that sometimes (perhaps often, as the problem has yet to be recognized or reported) prolonged duration in the treatment, especially the control where little germination occurs, can lead to loss of viability. This results in underestimation of initial viability if that treatment is used. I caution against the routine use of end-of-trial germination and viability of ungerminated seeds as an estimate of initial viability in determining germination success of various treatments. I explore ways to deal with the problem but the preference is for estimates of initial viability to be undertaken on a separate sample of seeds concurrently with the experiment as this avoids the risk of seed death during the trial.

Seed Biologists Beware: End-of-Trial Estimation of Initial Viability May Be Error-Prone Due to Unexpected Seed Death during the Experiment

Seed viability is routinely measured on seeds that fail to germinate at the end of an experiment. Together with the number of germinants, this is used to estimate viability of the seeds at start of the experiment (i.e., initial viability) and provides the comparative basis on which germination success is determined. We used this standard procedure on 40 Leucadendron species subjected to oscillating temperatures, heat and/or smoke pre-treatments to examine the extent to which they raised germination levels above that of the untreated controls. 16 species showed significantly different levels of estimated initial seed viability between treatments when they should have been unaffected. Loss of viability during the trial was an order of magnitude greater than annual loss during cold storage, which was usually negligible. Lowest levels of estimated initial viability occurred among the poorly germinating controls and confirmed that the heat and smoke treatments had little effect on viability. Species with soil-stored seeds were more vulnerable to this artefact than those with plant-stored seeds. We caution against the routine use of end-of-trial germination and viability of ungerminated seeds as an estimate of initial viability in determining germination success of various treatments. The preference is for estimates of initial viability to be undertaken on a separate sample of seeds in association with the trial.

The Impacts of Two Revisions of the China’s Environmental Protection Fee on Firm Performance: Evidence From Stock Markets

This comparative study aims to investigate how China’s environmental protection fee affected firm performance in two separate sample periods, namely 2001–2006 and 2012–2017, as this policy was revised twice in 2003 and 2014. With the Difference-in-Differences (DID) estimation, we find that the second revision of environmental protection fee had a negative impact on heavy polluting firms, while the influence of the first revision seemed to be insignificant. Moreover, the environmental protection fee had a limited impact on other firms, implying that such a policy had achieved its designed effect by precisely governing heavy polluters. Besides, our additional tests show that the environmental protection fee had stronger impacts on non-connected firms and non-SOEs than politically connected firms and SOEs. Our results are robust to various potential endogeneity issues.

Development and Cross-Validation of a Simple Model to Estimate Percent Body Fat in Persons with Multiple Sclerosis

Background: Persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) have higher body composition variability compared with the general population. Monitoring body composition requires accurate methods for estimating percent body fat (%BF). We developed and cross-validated an equation for estimating %BF from body mass index (BMI) and sex in persons with MS. Methods: Seventy-seven adults with MS represented the sample for the equation development. A separate sample of 33 adults with MS permitted the equation cross-validation. Dual-energy xray absorptiometry (DXA) provided the criterion %BF. Results: The model including BMI and sex (mean ± SD age: women, 49.2 ± 8.8 years; men, 48.6 ± 9.8 years) had high predictive ability for estimating %BF (P < .001, R2 = 0.77, standard error of estimate = 4.06%). Age, MS type, Patient-Determined Disease Steps score, and MS duration did not improve the model. The equation was %BF = 3.168 + (0.895 × BMI) – (10.191 × sex); sex, 0 = woman; 1 = man. The equation was cross-validated in the separate sample (age: women, 48.4 ± 9.4 years; men, 43.8 ± 15.4 years) based on high accuracy as indicated by strong association (r = 0.89, P < .001), nonsignificant difference (mean: 0.2%, P > .05), small absolute error (mean: 2.7%), root mean square error (3.5%), and small differences and no bias in Bland-Altman analysis (mean difference: 0.2%, 95% CI: −6.98 to 6.55, rs = −0.07, P = .702) between DXA-determined and equation-estimated %BF. Conclusions: Health care providers can use this developed and cross-validated equation for estimating adiposity in persons with MS when DXA is unavailable.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE SEVERITY OF INTERNET ADDICTION IN STUDENTS OF EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THE REGIONS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

om Arkhangelsk, Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Nadym and Simferopol. The analysis of the results included two stages. At the first stage of the study, the integral and scale indicators of the severity of Internet-dependent behavior were calculated separately for each sample of students from different regions. At the second stage of the study, the group profiles of Internet-dependent behavior were evaluated by comparing the severity of each symptom of Internet addiction within a separate sample. A common trend among modern young people of older adolescence is the tendency to develop Internet-dependent behavior, regardless of the region of residence. The analysis of group profiles of Internet-dependent behavior by comparing the severity of each symptom within a separate sample allowed us to establish general and specific characteristics of the formation of Internet-dependent behavior in students from different regions of Russia. It was revealed that with a moderate level of Internet addiction severity (the average indicator for the groups is from 47.64 to 50.63 points), all the studied samples have a uniform formation of the main addictive symptoms, which are most likely in close relationship with each other. The variability of responses of respondents from the northern and southern regions was found at the level of different sensitivity to the negative consequences of excessive Internet use. There are reasons to assume that the» threshold of susceptibility» to the negative impact of the Internet environment, beyond which intrapersonal problems and health problems arise in respondents living in the Arctic zone, is lower than in respondents from the southern region. Uncomfortable natural and climatic conditions of living in the Arctic zone, associated with extremely low temperatures, light and oxygen starvation, instability of barometric pressure, as well as with specific isolation due to distance from the mainland, cause tension in all body systems, deplete adaptive reserves and have an adverse effect on health. Thus, with a high degree of probability, the revealed differences between the samples may be due to the climatic and geographical factor, as well as closely related socio-cultural and psychophysiological factors.

Developing a coding taxonomy to analyze dental regulatory complaints

Background As part of their mandate to protect the public, dental regulatory authorities (DRA) in Canada are responsible for investigating complaints made by members of the public. To gain an understanding of the nature of and trends in complaints made to the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO), Canada’s largest DRA, a coding taxonomy was developed for systematic analysis of complaints. Methods The taxonomy was developed through a two-pronged approach. First, the research team searched for existing complaints frameworks and integrated data from a variety of sources to ensure applicability to the dental context in terms of the generated items/complaint codes in the taxonomy. Second, an anonymized sample of complaint letters made by the public to the RCDSO (n = 174) were used to refine the taxonomy. This sample was further used to assess the feasibility of use in a larger content analysis of complaints. Inter-coder reliability was also assessed using a separate sample of letters (n = 110). Results The resulting taxonomy comprised three domains (Clinical Care and Treatment, Management and Access, and Relationships and Conduct), with seven categories, 23 sub-categories, and over 100 complaint codes. Pilot testing for the feasibility and applicability of the taxonomy’s use for a systematic analysis of complaints proved successful. Conclusions The resulting coding taxonomy allows for reliable documentation and interpretation of complaints made to a DRA in Canada and potentially other jurisdictions, such that the nature of and trends in complaints can be identified, monitored and used in quality assurance and improvement.

Temporal dynamics in viral shedding and transmissibility of COVID-19

ABSTRACTWe report temporal patterns of viral shedding in 94 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients and modelled COVID-19 infectiousness profile from a separate sample of 77 infector-infectee transmission pairs. We observed the highest viral load in throat swabs at the time of symptom onset, and inferred that infectiousness peaked on or before symptom onset. We estimated that 44% of transmission could occur before first symptoms of the index. Disease control measures should be adjusted to account for probable substantial pre-symptomatic transmission.