This study examines the association between state and county unemployment rates and individuals' body weight status during the latest recession in the U.S. We used the U.S. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data in 2007, 2009 and 2011, which were collected from 722,692 American adults aged 18 or older. Overweight and obesity were defined as body mass index (BMI) ≥25, and ≥30, r...

The clinical course of bronchiectasis is unpredictable, posing a challenge both in clinical practice and in research. Two mortality prediction scores, the bronchiectasis severity index (BSI) and FACED scores, have recently been developed. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of these scores to predict long-term mortality and to compare the two scores.The study was a single-centre ret...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to identify factors that contribute to the development of burnout among physiotherapists with different length of service in physiotherapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS The following research tools were used to study burnout: the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (LSQ), based on FLZ (Fragebogen zur Lebenszufriedenheit) by Frahrenberg, Myrtek, Schumacher, and Brähler...

Bornhop et al. (1) had shown that interactions between protein molecules in solution can be detected bymeasuring the solution refractive index shifts using a technique referred to as backscattering interferometry (BSI). The origin of the BSI signal was unclear. In a recent article in PNAS, Bornhop et al. (2) claim to provide an explanation of its origin. Based on a large body of published liter...

The aim of this study was to investigate risk factors of suicide ideation in general population. A total of 1,116 adults were sampled with randomization in an urban area. After excluding 116 participants due to incomplete answer, 1,000 participants (500 males; mean age 39.6 ± 11.6) completed self-report questionnaire including the Center for Epidemiologic Study Depression Scale (CES-D), the Bec...

We explored the effects of feedback on symptom reporting. Two experimental groups (n=15 each) were given a scenario with the option to exaggerate symptoms. Compared with a control condition (n=15), both groups scored significantly higher on the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology. Next, one group was confronted in a sympathetic way about their symptom validity test failure, wherea...

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to assess the acceptability and feasibility of a new tailored intervention for informal caregivers: the Ensemble (Together) program. METHODS An open pre-post within-subject comparison pilot study was conducted. Twenty-one informal caregivers completed the five-session Ensemble program. Two measurement tools were used: The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and the Life ...

In this chapter we discuss the development of solutions from two viewpoints: Commercialization: We explain why firms need to use customer-value research in order to create a deep understanding of customers’ business realities. The key questions here focus on what creates value for the customers and how do customers measure success. Industrialization: We show that the cornerstone of a successful...

Heritability calculated for characteristics evaluated in behavioural tests can be used as a tool to select different kinds of service dogs. The evaluation was based on the test results of 13 10 German shepherds and 797 Labrador retrievers. The heritability for all evaluated characteristics of the two breeds was significantly different from zero with the exception of the characteristic prey driv...