A Psychometric Study of a Trait and State Assessment of Sexual Pleasure - The Amsterdam Sexual Pleasure Inventory.

We studied the Amsterdam Sexual Pleasure Inventory's (1.0) psychometric properties. The ASPI, a revised self-report battery designed to measure domains of state and trait sexual pleasure in diverse gender, sex, and relationship populations, is based on a recently proposed conceptual framework of sexual pleasure. We collected quantitative (n = 1371) and qualitative data (n = 637) using a cross-sectional multi-method design targeting the general (German-speaking) population. After pre-processing, we conducted analyses on a sample of n = 706 participants. The theory-based 5-factor exploratory structural equation model and the principal component analyses of the two general exploratory index-scales showed good and acceptable structural validity evidence respectively. Measurement invariance was confirmed separately for male and female participants and for those with sexually functional-scoring and dysfunctional-scoring levels. Coefficient omega indicated that all scales, except those of one facet, showed acceptable to very good internal consistency. The ASPI's convergent and discriminant associations with sexological and psychological constructs demonstrated good overall construct validity. Participants understood the items as intended and felt that the ASPI covered relevant facets of sexual pleasure. The ASPI might help understand how individuals differ in experiencing sexual pleasure and how different contexts enable some people to experience pleasure while disadvantaging others.

Correlations after quantum quenches in the XXZ spin chain: failure of the generalized Gibbs ensemble.

We study the nonequilibrium time evolution of the spin-1/2 anisotropic Heisenberg (XXZ) spin chain, with a choice of dimer product and Néel states as initial states. We investigate numerically various short-ranged spin correlators in the long-time limit and find that they deviate significantly from predictions based on the generalized Gibbs ensemble (GGE) hypotheses. By computing the asymptotic spin correlators within the recently proposed quench-action formalism [Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 257203 (2013)], however, we find excellent agreement with the numerical data. We, therefore, conclude that the GGE cannot give a complete description even of local observables, while the quench-action formalism correctly captures the steady state in this case.

Use of imported folk remedies and medications in the Wisconsin Hmong community.

The Marathon County Health Department and the Wisconsin Division of Public Health evaluated several imported drugs and folk remedies that were being used by 2 Hmong families. These included a powdered blend of folk remedies that had been purchased in California and 5 packets of medication that had been imported from Thailand. The powdered folk remedy contained arsenic sulfide as a principal ingredient. The drug packets contained acetyl aspirin, acetaminophen and chloramphenicol. The purity of these drugs was not assessed, and their dates of manufacture could not be determined. To discourage use of folk remedies and imported drugs, the county health department issued a press release that was published in a Hmong community newsletter. Despite these efforts, many Asian immigrants may continue to use these products.

Effect of different grouping strategies in developing estimates of personal exposures: specificity versus precision.

There has been increasing interest in recent years in developing strategies in epidemiology for the summarization of occupational exposures, strategies that serve to clarify observed relationships between occupational exposure and health outcomes. Where source occupational exposure data are scarce, it is common to assemble exposure groups with the goal of increasing the extent to which data-based exposure estimates are available for an entire cohort. There has been little guidance, however, on the effect of different grouping strategies on the observed fit between exposure and health outcome. This investigation examined the effect of the use of different exposure summarization strategies on observed relationships between dust exposure and lung function decline among coal mine workers. The dust exposure and spirometry data employed were gathered in the National Study of Coalworkers' Pneumoconiosis. An analysis of variance procedure was carried out to characterize the variability of the dust exposure data, employing single variables relating to mine identity, occupation, and year, as well as two- and three-way multivariate combinations of these variables. The resulting combinations were ranked according to the standard deviation of the observed exposure range to reflect the relative specificity of the various approaches. Sequential arrangements of single- and multiple-variable combinations were constructed, alternately employing highly specific codes or broad categories for mine, occupation, and year. Annual exposure estimates were constructed on the basis of these sequences and used in tandem with longitudinal change in forced expiratory volume (FEV1) in linear multiple regression procedures. Height, age, smoking status, and dust exposure were employed as predictor variables. The results show that the use of broad categorization approaches had a substantial impact on observed regression coefficients. The largest change was observed for categorization according to occupation, which resulted in two- to three-fold increases in the magnitude of observed regression coefficients. These results suggest that the use of highly specific exposure summarization approaches may result in regression outcomes which are marked by a high degree of attenuation, and that consideration of the precision of summarized exposure estimates is an important component of an effective exposure assessment strategy.

Correlation of urinary nickel excretion with observed 'total' and inhalable aerosol exposures of nickel refinery workers.

An investigation of the relationship between observed nickel aerosol exposures and urinary nickel excretion was undertaken at a Scandinavian nickel refinery. The goal of the study was to assess the impact of nickel aerosol speciation, the use of particle size-selective sampling instrumentation and adjustment of urinary levels for creatinine excretion on the usefulness of urinary nickel excretion as a marker for exposure. Urinary nickel measurements and paired 'total' and inhalable aerosol exposure measurements were collected each day for one week from refinery workers in four process areas. The mean observed urinary nickel concentration was 12 micrograms L-1 (11 micrograms of Ni per g of creatinine). The strongest relationships between urinary excretion and aerosol exposure were found when urinary nickel levels were adjusted for creatinine excretion and when exposure to only soluble forms of nickel aerosol was considered. No significant difference was observed between measures of 'total' and inhalable aerosol in the ability to predict urinary excretion patterns. In the light of these results, it is recommended that consideration be given to the chemical species distribution of nickel aerosol in the use of urinary nickel measurements as a screening tool for cancer risk in occupationally-exposed populations.

Assessment of particle size distributions of health-relevant aerosol exposures of primary lead smelter workers.

Experiments were conducted at a primary lead smelter to investigate the particle size distributions of lead-containing aerosol to which workers were exposed, using personal inhalable dust spectrometers (PIDS) in specific smelter process areas. A total of 46 PIDS samples were evaluated, taken from the ore storage/mill, sinter plant, blast furnace and dross furnace process areas. Continuous particle size distributions were derived from the raw PIDS data employing a recently-developed optimisation routine, enabling determination of the percentages of inhalable, thoracic and respirable aerosol (in terms of lead content) as fractions of total lead aerosol. In addition, the mass ratios thoracic/inhalable and respirable/inhalable were also determined. Although the parameters of the measured particle size distributions ranged widely, some clear trends emerged. Firstly, the aerosols were coarser than had been expected based on measurements of previously reported workplace particle size distributions. This is thought to be due to the fact that the PIDS collects larger particles more efficiently than other instruments which have been used for such measurements. Secondly, there were significant differences in particle size distribution between process areas, in particular that the aerosol in the blast furnace area was generally finer than in the sinter plant. Such results may be used to support the results of workplace studies (reported elsewhere) into the differences between exposures to inhalable and 'total' aerosol as measured using different sampling instruments, especially when they are used together with knowledge of the physical processes governing the performances of such instruments.

Comparison of methods for personal sampling of inhalable and total lead and cadmium-containing aerosols in a primary lead smelter.

It has been proposed that future occupational aerosol exposure standards be based on particle size-selective sampling criteria that more accurately reflect worker exposure. In relation to methods currently used for determining individual workers' lead exposures, the widely used 37-mm, closed-face, plastic sampling cassette is known from laboratory wind tunnel studies to undersample significantly compared with estimations of aerosol actually inhaled, especially for large particles. The present study investigated the degree to which this is borne out in field sampling by using side-by-side sampling in selected work sites in a primary lead smelter. Exposures to "total" airborne lead and cadmium as measured using the 37-mm sampler (E37) were compared with exposure measurements using the institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) personal inhalable aerosol sampler (EIOM). There were 166 good sample pairs for lead and 55 for cadmium. The ratio (reflecting the fractional undersampling of the 37-mm sampler, as represented by the ratio EIOM/E37) was consistently greater than unity, by factors obtained by regression analysis ranging (for different parts of the plant) from 1.39 to 2.14 for lead and 1.29 to 2.12 for cadmium. The factor tended to be greater for parts of the plant characterized by coarser aerosol, consistent with the physical sampling characteristics of the two instruments. This research is important (1) in assessing the impact of implementation of new standards for lead- and cadmium-containing aerosols in the primary lead production industry, and (2) in the development of new occupational exposure limits based on the inhalable aerosol fraction.

Investigation into the impact of introducing workplace aerosol standards based on the inhalable fraction.

Since the late 1970s, there has been considerable discussion about describing human aerosol exposure in terms of a scientific criterion based on the efficiency with which particles are inhaled through the nose and/or mouth during breathing. As international agreement on the quantitative form of this criterion has emerged, progress is quickening towards workplace and environment aerosol standards in which the current 'total aerosol' approach will be replaced by one based on 'inhalability'. Wind tunnel investigations of a range of personal samplers currently used in workplaces for sampling 'total' aerosol have shown that many of these are not adequate for collecting the inhalable fraction. Such experimental evidence is supported by considerations of the physical sampling characteristics of the various samplers. Studies have been conducted to investigate workers' exposures to 'total' and inhalable aerosol in the workplaces of several industries in several countries, using side-by-side sampling in which participating workers wear two samplers, one for 'total' aerosol and the other for inhalable aerosol. The results from the several hundred sample pairs taken so far show that the level of exposure based on inhalable aerosol consistently exceeds that for 'total' aerosol. The observed ratios between the inhalable and 'total' aerosol exposures range from 1.2 to > 3, tending to be greater for workplaces where the aerosol is expected to be coarser. Such results may be used to assess the impact on industry of new limit values based on inhalable aerosol. It is clear that measured levels of exposure will tend to rise, so that there will be generally increased proportions of exposure measurements where levels will come close to, or exceed, current exposure limits. Those proportions may be greater still if new, lower limit values for 'total' aerosol currently under consideration for some substances are implemented. This paper examines these issues by reference to examples of exposure data taken from a range of industries and proposes options for how such information might influence the setting of future occupational exposure limits.

Assessment of particle size distributions in workers' aerosol exposures.

A full description of the regional dosimetry of inhaled workplace aerosols requires information about the particle aerodynamic size distributions of inhaled aerosols for appropriate health-related species. Therefore, since the late 1970s, interest has risen in how to assess workers' aerosol exposures in terms of particle fractions which may be inhaled and penetrate down to different parts of the human respiratory tract. The personal inhalable dust spectrometer (PIDS) was proposed as a versatile sampling instrument for assessing workers' exposures along these lines. Raw data from this cascade impactor-based instrument are obtained initially in terms of discrete particulate masses collected on the individual impactor stages. Recovery of the desired particle size distribution is difficult because the mathematical inversion problem is 'ill-posed' (i.e., there are many possible solutions that would be consistent with the observed masses). However, a routine has been developed that involves considerations of the detailed deposition characteristics of the impactor stages, measurement errors and a priori assumptions about the shape of the expected particle size distribution (e.g., log-normal). These differ from other such routines in that account is taken not only of aerosol deposited at the impactor stages but also that collected inside the entry system. Hence the final result covers the whole inhalable range, for particles up to and exceeding 100 microns in aerodynamic diameter. The PIDS has recently been used in studies in several industries to examine inhalable particle size distributions for individual exposed workers. This paper considers the results of such studies, and discusses how they may be used to provide information not only about the inhalable, thoracic and respirable fractions identified in the latest particle size-selective sampling criteria (upon which it is expected that future aerosol standards will be based), but also other health-related fractions that may be defined numerically (including, for example, alveolar deposition fractions for workers with different breathing patterns relevant to the type of work undertaken).

Vibratory stimulation and rectal probe electroejaculation as therapy for patients with spinal cord injury: semen parameters and pregnancy rates.

PURPOSE: The conception rate of patients with spinal cord injuries following penile vibratory stimulation and rectal probe electroejaculation in conjunction with self-insemination, intrauterine insemination or assisted reproductive technique is poorly documented. We reviewed our success rates with penile vibratory stimulation and rectal probe electroejaculation, and the pregnancy rates achieved with self-insemination, intrauterine insemination and assisted reproductive techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 78 consecutive patients with spinal cord injuries had a complete neurological examination and was treated initially with penile vibratory stimulation. If unsuccessful, rectal probe electroejaculation was performed to obtain an ejaculate. The ejaculate was then used with self-insemination, intrauterine insemination or assisted reproductive techniques and pregnancies were monitored. RESULTS: Vibratory stimulation was successful in 20 of 37 patients (54%) with a cervical lesion, 14 of 26 (54%) with a lesion at or above T10 and none of 15 when the lesion was below T10. All patients except 2 who elected followup rectal probe electroejaculation had antegrade or retrograde ejaculate. Six patients (7.7%) with extremely poor semen quality were not candidates for assisted fertilization. Of 27 couples who attempted conception 17 were successful (5 self-insemination, 5 intrauterine insemination and 7 assisted reproductive techniques). CONCLUSIONS: Penile vibratory stimulation should be used as first line therapy in patients with lesions above T10 while rectal probe electroejaculation should be considered as a second option. Motivated patients can achieve success with self-insemination, intrauterine insemination and assisted reproductive techniques.

Identifying sources of disease in agriculture: a role for occupational health nurses.

1. Agriculture is one of the most hazardous industries in the United States, vying with mining and construction as the industry with the highest work fatality rate. 2. Over 40% of Midwestern farm operators also work off the farm. Understanding the disease risks of farming can help the occupational health nurse provide comprehensive care to these dual workers. 3. Sources of disease in agriculture may be physical, chemical, biological, or psychosocial in nature. 4. Effective strategies in the control of agricultural hazards include engineering modifications, use of personal protection products, and educational efforts.