ABSTRACT
A focus on results and impact should be at the heart of every project's approach to research and dissemination. This article discusses the potential of Google Analytics (GA: http://google.com/analytics ) as an effective resource for measuring the impact of academic research output and understanding the geodemographics of users of specific Web 2.0 content (e.g., intervention and prevention materials, health promotion and advice). This article presents the results of GA analyses as a resource used in measuring the impact of the EU-funded CyberTraining project, which provided a well-grounded, research-based training manual on cyberbullying for trainers through the medium of a Web-based eBook ( www.cybertraining-project.org ). The training manual includes review information on cyberbullying, its nature and extent across Europe, analyses of current projects, and provides resources for trainers working with the target groups of pupils, parents, teachers, and other professionals. Results illustrate the promise of GA as an effective tool for measuring the impact of academic research and project output with real potential for tracking and understanding intra- and intercountry regional variations in the uptake of prevention and intervention materials, thus enabling precision focusing of attention to those regions.
Subject(s)
Bullying , Education/methods , Internet , Bullying/psychology , Computer-Assisted Instruction/methods , Computer-Assisted Instruction/standards , Education/standards , Humans , Program Evaluation , SoftwareABSTRACT
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes and asthma are chronic illnesses that affect a substantial number of people. The continued high cost of clinic- and hospital-based care provision in these areas could be reduced by patients self-monitoring their condition more effectively. Such a move requires an understanding of how to predict self-monitoring compliance. Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour (TPB) makes it possible to predict those clients who will comply with medical guidelines, prescription drug intake and self-monitoring behaviours (peak flow or blood sugar levels). Ninety-seven clients attending a medical centre located in a large urbanised area of Northern Ireland completed TPB questionnaires. Significant amounts of variance explained by the TPB model indicated its usefulness as a predictor of self-monitoring behaviour intentions in the sample. The results also highlighted the importance of subjective norm and perceived behavioural control within the TPB in predicting intentions. The utility of the TPB in this study also provides evidence for health promotion professionals that costly clinic/hospital treatment provision can be reduced, whilst also being satisfied with ongoing client self-monitoring of their condition.
Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus/psychology , Forecasting/methods , Lung Diseases, Obstructive/psychology , Patient Compliance/psychology , Psychological Theory , Surveys and Questionnaires , Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring/psychology , Chronic Disease , Diabetes Mellitus/blood , Female , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Intention , Lung Diseases, Obstructive/physiopathology , Male , Middle Aged , Northern Ireland , Patient Compliance/statistics & numerical data , Peak Expiratory Flow Rate/physiology , Regression Analysis , Self Care , Urban PopulationABSTRACT
This study evaluated the test-retest reliability of the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity short-form. 39 Northern Irish undergraduate students completed the measure on two occasions separated by one week. Stability across the two administrations was high, r = .92, and there was no significant change between Time 1(M = 25.2, SD = 5.4) and Time 2 (M = 25.7, SD = 6.2). These data support the short-term test-retest reliability of the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity short-form.
Subject(s)
Attitude , Christianity , Surveys and Questionnaires , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Reproducibility of Results , Time FactorsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggests that chloride channels may be involved in ischemic preconditioning (IPC). In this study, we tested whether the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channels, which are expressed in the heart and activated by protein kinase A and protein kinase C, are important for IPC in isolated heart preparations from wild-type (WT) and CFTR knockout (CFTR-/-) mice. METHODS AND RESULTS: Hearts were isolated from age-matched WT or CFTR-/- (B6.129P2-Cftr(tm1Unc) and STOCKCftr(tm1Unc)-TgN 1Jaw) mice and perfused in the Langendorff or working-heart mode. All hearts were allowed to stabilize for 10 minutes before they were subjected to 30 or 45 minutes of global ischemia followed by 40 minutes of reperfusion (control group) or 3 cycles of 5 minutes of ischemia and reperfusion (IPC group) before 30 or 45 minutes of global ischemia and 40 minutes of reperfusion. Hemodynamic indices were recorded to evaluate cardiac functions. Release of creatine phosphate kinase (CPK) in the samples of coronary effluent and infarct size of the ventricles were used to estimate myocardial tissue injury. In WT adult hearts, IPC protected cardiac function during reperfusion and significantly decreased ischemia-induced CPK release and infarct size. A selective CFTR channel blocker, gemfibrozil, abrogated the protective effect of IPC. Furthermore, targeted inactivation of the CFTR gene in 2 different strains of CFTR-/- mice also prevented IPC's protection of cardiac function and myocardial injury against sustained ischemia. CONCLUSIONS: CFTR Cl- channels may serve as novel and crucial mediators in mouse heart IPC.
Subject(s)
Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator/deficiency , Myocardial Reperfusion Injury/prevention & control , Animals , Chlorides/metabolism , Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator/antagonists & inhibitors , Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator/genetics , Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator/physiology , Gemfibrozil/pharmacology , Ion Transport/drug effects , Ischemic Preconditioning , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Inbred CFTR , Mice, Knockout , Myocardial Ischemia/complications , Myocardial Ischemia/genetics , Myocardial Ischemia/pathology , Myocardial Reperfusion Injury/genetics , Oligopeptides/administration & dosage , Oligopeptides/pharmacology , Species Specificity , Ventricular Function, LeftABSTRACT
There is great value in exploring the prevalence of school bullying from a cross-national perspective. Smith, Morita, Junger-Tas, Olweus, Catalano, and Slee in 1999 presented a cross-national perspective on the nature, prevalence, and correlates of school bullying that encompassed a wide range of countries. However, Northern Ireland was not included, despite potentially being an important country to include, given its volatile social, ethnic, and religious history--leading to the concern that the population has become somewhat habituated to low level aggression. Thus, the present paper provides a review of the current literature on school bullying in the Northern Ireland school system. Evidence presented suggests that the incidence of school bullying in Northern Ireland may be higher than that in the rest of Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Subject(s)
Aggression/psychology , Culture , Interpersonal Relations , Students/psychology , Students/statistics & numerical data , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Northern Ireland/epidemiologyABSTRACT
A sample of 149 university students completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales together with the Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity. The data indicated that university students classified as Feeling Types hold a more positive attitude toward Christianity than those classified as Thinking Types. These findings replicate the 1999 report of Jones and Francis.
