The Impact of Disordered Eating Behavior on College Relationships: A Qualitative Study

The authors explored how college students’ disordered eating behaviors affect their peers. Participants were 8 undergraduate students from a northeastern university with a peer who currently or previously engaged in eating disorder (ED) behaviors. Results from a consensual qualitative analysis provided preliminary evidence that students’ EDs negatively affect peers. Outreach and interventions such as cognitive behavior therapy could be used to assist peers of students with EDs. Researchers should investigate the impact of students’ ED behaviors on peers’ health and academic performance.     

A fluorescence based method for the quantification of surface functional groups in closed micro- and nanofluidic channels

Surface analysis is critical for the validation of microfluidic surface modifications for biology, chemistry, and physics applications. However, until now quantitative analytical methods have mostly been focused on open surfaces. Here, we present a new fluorescence imaging method to directly measure the surface coverage of functional groups inside assembled microchannels over a wide dynamic range. A key advance of our work is the elimination of self-quenching to obtain a linear signal even with a high density of functional groups. This method is applied to image the density and monitor the stability of vapor deposited silane layers in bonded silicon/glass micro- and nanochannels.     

The Health Risks of Doping during the Cold War: A Comparative Analysis of the Two Sides of the Iron Curtain

This article compares East Germany's Cold War-era approach to doping to that of the USA's in terms of their respective impacts on medical risk. Although deserving of criticism on many levels, the GDR doping programme featured a number of safeguards designed to minimise medical dangers. Unlike their East German counterparts, American governmental units were not directly involved in the administration of performance-enhancing substances. The US approach to doping was not ideal in terms of medical risk, however. As a result of the country's regulatory approach to doping, the country's athletes frequently turned to black market sources for doping agents. It was also relatively common for American athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs without the benefit of medical supervision. The US approach to doping was in these ways inferior to that of East Germany's on the subject of medical risk.     

Maximal Criterion Validity and Scale Criterion Validity: A Latent Variable Modeling Approach for Examining Their Difference

This article studies the difference between the criterion validity coefficient of the widely used overall scale score for a unidimensional multicomponent measuring instrument and the maximal criterion validity coefficient that is achievable with a linear combination of its components. A necessary and sufficient condition of their identity is presented in the case of measurement errors being uncorrelated among themselves and with a used criterion. An upper bound of the difference in these validity coefficients is provided, indicating that it cannot exceed the discrepancy between the maximal reliability and composite reliability indexes. A readily applicable latent variable modeling procedure is discussed that can be used for point and interval estimation of the difference between the maximal and scale criterion validity coefficients. The outlined method is illustrated with a numerical example.     

The Willed Body Donor Interview project: Medical student and donor expectations

The Anatomical Donations Program at the University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) has begun a multiphase project wherein interviews of donors will be recorded and later shown to medical students who participate in the anatomical dissection course. The first phase of this project included surveys of both current UMMS medical students and donors concerning their perceptions of such a program. A five‐question survey administered via Qualtrics software was electronically mailed to all current medical students at UMMS, and a survey was mailed to registered and potential donors requesting information from the UMMS on anatomical donations. A total of 224 medical student responses (response rate 33%) and 54 donor responses (response rate 27%) were received. Seventy‐four percent of students and 81% of donors reported they would participate in this program if it existed. Students and donors supported the implementation of this program for varying reasons, though many felt strongly they would not want to participate in a donor interview program. These qualitative results support those of previous studies that show a majority of students desire a closer personal relationship with the donor, and these are the first results to be reported on donor perceptions of a donor interview program. Although many students and donors are in favor of instituting this program, others feel strongly that such an experience could be traumatic. The causes of these differing reactions need to be further explored, and the opinions of those who object to this study will be respected by maintaining voluntary participation in future phases of this study. Anat Sci Educ 6: 90–100. © 2012 American Association of Anatomists.     

Depression,suicide, and the gifted student: A primer for the school psychologist

Growing up gifted often means growing up “different.” As schools struggle to provide appropriately designed interventions for student mental health issues, the role of the school psychologist is becoming increasingly important. In the present article, the role of the school psychologist is discussed, particularly as related to helping gifted students who may be manifesting symptoms of depression, suicidal ideation, and potentially suicidal behavior. Further, a holistic intervention approach is advocated and that accounts for four growth factors—intrapersonal, interpersonal, environmental/contextual, and developmental. Importantly, the specific strategies discussed are designed to help the school psychologist in their many capacities of helping gifted students thrive. Increasingly, however, it must also be recognized that the role of the school psychologist has expanded in recent years, and thus many of the intervention strategies offered may require a team of professionals to effectively implement. Regardless, the strategies discussed are designed to help gifted students thrive in the school setting.     

Naomi's Birth

A first-time mother, who is also a nurse, tells the story of her drug-free birth at a free-standing birth center.     

Correlational analysis of ordinal data: from Pearson’s r to Bayesian polychoric correlation

Correlational analyses are one of the most popular quantitative methods, yet also one of the mostly frequently misused methods in social and behavioral research, especially when analyzing ordinal data from Likert or other rating scales. Although several correlational analysis options have been developed for ordinal data, there seems to be a lack of didactically written literature illustrating the appropriate use and differences among them. The purpose of this paper is to provide a synthesis of correlational analysis options when analyzing ordinal data. These options span from the traditional methods, such as Pearson’s r, to more recent developments, such as Bayesian estimation of polychoric correlations. An illustration of these methods utilizing a contemporary dataset is provided.