Project description:This article aims to use contemporary (terrestrial) animal welfare science as a lens to evaluate the state of knowledge concerning welfare in fish species, focusing on farmed fishes. We take advantage of the vast expertise-including previous pitfalls and accomplishments-in the investigation of welfare in terrestrial vertebrates, borrowing questions and methodologies from terrestrial animal welfare science in order to (1) better understand the challenges and opportunities in the study of welfare in fish species, and (2) propose strategies for filling knowledge gaps.
Project description:BackgroundFreeman et al. (2020a, Psychological Medicine, 21, 1-13) argue that there is widespread support for coronavirus conspiracy theories in England. We hypothesise that their estimates of prevalence are inflated due to a flawed research design. When asking respondents to their survey to agree or disagree with pro-conspiracy statements, they used a biased set of response options: four agree options and only one disagree option (and no 'don't know' option). We also hypothesise that due to these flawed measures, the Freeman et al. approach under-estimates the strength of the correlation between conspiracy beliefs and compliance. Finally, we hypothesise that, due to reliance on bivariate correlations, Freeman et al. over-estimate the causal connection between conspiracy beliefs and compliance.MethodsIn a pre-registered study, we conduct an experiment embedded in a survey of a representative sample of 2057 adults in England (fieldwork: 16-19 July 2020).ResultsMeasured using our advocated 'best practice' approach (balanced response options, with a don't know option), prevalence of support for coronavirus conspiracies is only around five-eighths (62.3%) of that indicated by the Freeman et al. approach. We report mixed results on our correlation and causation hypotheses.ConclusionsTo avoid over-estimating prevalence of support for coronavirus conspiracies, we advocate using a balanced rather than imbalanced set of response options, and including a don't know option.
Project description:Maximizing is a topic that has received significant attention from researchers and corporate organizations alike. Although extensive previous research has explored how maximizers behave in a decision scenario, a fundamental question remains about why they prefer a larger assortment regardless of whether the decisions are important or not. This study attempts to explore the underlying mechanism of this phenomenon. Four surveys were conducted, and participants from Mturk or Credamo online platforms were recruited (N = 922). The maximizing tendency was measured by either maximization scale or maximizing tendency scale, and perceived importance and preference for a large assortment were measured in different decision scenarios. Across four studies, we find that maximizers perceive the same decision as more important than satisficers (Study 1), and perceived importance serves as the mechanism underlying the maximizers’ preference for a large assortment (Study 2). In other words, in maximizers’ perceptions and interpretations, even seemingly trivial decisions are important enough to spend great effort on a large assortment. We additionally identified a boundary condition for the effect – cost salience (Studies 3a and 3b). These findings illustrate a pioneering empirical exploration of the difference in the way maximizers and satisficers perceive their decision importance and the reason for maximizers’ preference for a large assortment.
Project description:BackgroundLoop diuretics are commonly used for patients with heart failure (HF) but it remains unknown if one loop diuretic is clinically superior.HypothesisBiomarkers and proteomics provide insight to how different loop diuretics may differentially affect outcomes.MethodsBlood and urine were collected from outpatients with HF who were taking torsemide or furosemide for >30 days. Differences were assessed in cardiac, renal, and inflammatory biomarkers and soluble protein panels using the Olink Cardiovascular III and inflammation panels.ResultsOf 78 subjects, 55 (71%) were treated with furosemide and 23 (29%) with torsemide, and 25 provided a urine sample (15 treated with furosemide, 10 with torsemide). Patients taking torsemide were older (68 vs 64 years) with a lower mean eGFR (46 vs 54 ml/min/1.73 m2 ), a higher proportion were women (39% vs 24%) and Black (43% vs 27%). In plasma, levels of hs-cTnT, NT-proBNP, and hsCRP were not significantly different between groups. In urine, there were significant differences in urinary albumin, β-2M, and NGAL, with higher levels in the torsemide-treated patients. Of 184 proteins testing in Olink panels, in plasma, 156 (85%) were higher in patients taking torsemide but none were significantly different after correcting for false discovery.ConclusionsWe show differences in urinary biomarkers but few differences in plasma biomarkers among HF patients on different loop diuretics. Olink technology can detect differences in plasma protein levels from multiple biologic domains. These findings raise the importance of defining differences in mechanisms of action of each diuretic in an appropriately powered study.
Project description:BackgroundAlterations in the number of copies of genomic DNA that are common or recurrent among diseased individuals are likely to contain disease-critical genes. Unfortunately, defining common or recurrent copy number alteration (CNA) regions remains a challenge. Moreover, the heterogeneous nature of many diseases requires that we search for common or recurrent CNA regions that affect only some subsets of the samples (without knowledge of the regions and subsets affected), but this is neglected by most methods.ResultsWe have developed two methods to define recurrent CNA regions from aCGH data. Our methods are unique and qualitatively different from existing approaches: they detect regions over both the complete set of arrays and alterations that are common only to some subsets of the samples (i.e., alterations that might characterize previously unknown groups); they use probabilities of alteration as input and return probabilities of being a common region, thus allowing researchers to modify thresholds as needed; the two parameters of the methods have an immediate, straightforward, biological interpretation. Using data from previous studies, we show that we can detect patterns that other methods miss and that researchers can modify, as needed, thresholds of immediate interpretability and develop custom statistics to answer specific research questions.ConclusionThese methods represent a qualitative advance in the location of recurrent CNA regions, highlight the relevance of population heterogeneity for definitions of recurrence, and can facilitate the clustering of samples with respect to patterns of CNA. Ultimately, the methods developed can become important tools in the search for genomic regions harboring disease-critical genes.
Project description:BackgroundOveractive bladder (OAB) syndrome has a diverse etiology that disrupts quality of life domains in affected patients. OAB is significantly under-recognised and undertreated, especially in the primary care setting. In order to educate primary care providers about OAB recognition, evaluation and management, we created a virtual live-streamed and enduring education program.MethodsWe evaluated the impact of education on provider knowledge and self-efficacy via qualitative interviews with a sample of education participants. We analysed participant responses via constant comparative method, an iterative approach that allows for exploration of a priori issues and identification of emergent themes.ResultsWe identified four key themes: (a) taking OAB seriously; (b) variations in therapy; (c) patient motivation; and (d) education value. Participants were proactive about screening for and managing OAB and recognised urgency as a key symptom; some participants used diagnostic tests that are not are not considered necessary in the workup of uncomplicated OAB patients. Participants varied in their descriptions of initial approaches to treatment and most participants described a longer-than-recommended follow-up window to monitor patients. Some participants characterised patients as looking for a "quick fix" in ways that could lead to provider inaction in relation to behavioural/lifestyle interventions. Overall, participants felt that the education validated their current practice and provided new knowledge about evaluation, initiating behavioural treatment, and combination therapy.ConclusionsParticipant responses were congruent with education messages, which likely reflect their "readiness to learn". The rationale for diagnostic tests and evidence on the effectiveness of behavioural regimens represent ongoing areas of unmet educational need.
Project description:It is a common refrain amongst phenomenologists, disability theorists, and feminist legal theorists that medical practice pays insufficient attention to people's embodiment. The complaint that we take insufficient account of people's embodiment isn't limited to the clinical interaction. It has also been directed at healthcare regulation and welfare policy. In this paper, I examine the arguments for taking embodiment seriously in both medical practice and welfare policy, concluding we have good reasons to take better account of people's embodiment. I then set out two challenges to taking embodiment seriously in public policy. First, given the amount of variation in how people are embodied, there is strong possibility that adjusting policy to benefit particular individuals based on an appreciation of their embodied experiences could be detrimental towards other individuals. The second challenge concerns how to ensure that people's testimony about their first-person embodied experience is subject to adequate scrutiny without this resulting in epistemic injustice. I argue that the solution to both of these challenges is to devise a just procedure for soliciting people's testimony and taking it into account in the policy development process. As such, I also provide an outline of what a just procedure should look like.
Project description:Understanding and using symbolic fractions in mathematics is critical for access to advanced STEM concepts. However, children and adults consistently struggle with fractions. Here, we take a novel perspective on symbolic fractions, considering them within the framework of relational structures in cognitive psychology, such as those studied in analogy research. We tested the hypothesis that relational reasoning ability is important for reasoning about fractions by examining the relation between scores on a domain-general test of relational reasoning (TORR Jr.) and a test of fraction knowledge consisting of various types of fraction problems in 194 second grade and 145 fifth grade students. We found that relational reasoning was a significant predictor of fractions knowledge, even when controlling for non-verbal IQ and fractions magnitude processing for both grades. The effects of relational reasoning also remained significant when controlling for overall mathematics knowledge and skill for second graders but was attenuated for fifth graders. These findings suggest that this important subdomain of mathematical cognition is integrally tied to relational reasoning and opens the possibility that instruction targeting relational reasoning may prove to be a viable avenue for improving children's fractions skills.