Wofford College

About: Wofford College is a education organization based out in Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Carmichael number. The organization has 223 authors who have published 317 publications receiving 4421 citations. The organization is also known as: Wofford.

One- and two-item measures of pain beliefs and coping strategies

Abstract: Pain-related beliefs and pain coping strategies are central components of current cognitive-behavioral models of chronic pain, and have been found in numerous studies to be associated significantly with psychosocial and physical disability. However, the length of most measures of pain-related beliefs and coping restricts the ability of clinicians and researchers to perform a thorough assessment of these variables in many situations. The availability of very brief versions of existing scales would make possible the assessment of a range of important pain beliefs and coping strategies in settings where subject or patient assessment burden is an issue. In this study, one- and two-item versions of the subscales of several commonly used measures of pain beliefs and coping strategies were developed using both rational and empirical procedures. The findings support the validity of these brief subscales. The appropriate use and limitations of these measures are discussed.

Effects of spouse-assisted coping skills training and exercise training in patients with osteoarthritic knee pain: a randomized controlled study.

Abstract: This study tested the separate and combined effects of spouse-assisted pain coping skills training (SA-CST) and exercise training (ET) in a sample of patients having persistent osteoarthritic knee pain. Seventy-two married osteoarthritis (OA) patients with persistent knee pain and their spouses were randomly assigned to: SA-CST alone, SA-CST plus ET, ET alone, or standard care (SC). Patients in SA-CST alone, together with their spouses, attended 12 weekly, 2-h group sessions for training in pain coping and couples skills. Patients in SA-CST + ET received spouse-assisted coping skills training and attended 12-weeks supervised ET. Patients in the ET alone condition received just an exercise program. Data analyses revealed: (1) physical fitness and strength: the SA-CST + ET and ET alone groups had significant improvements in physical fitness compared to SA-CST alone and patients in SA-CST + ET and ET alone had significant improvements in leg flexion and extension compared to SA-CST alone and SC, (2) pain coping: patients in SA-CST + ET and SA-CST alone groups had significant improvements in coping attempts compared to ET alone or SC and spouses in SA-CST + ET rated their partners as showing significant improvements in coping attempts compared to ET alone or SC, and (3) self-efficacy: patients in SA-CST + ET reported significant improvements in self-efficacy and their spouses rated them as showing significant improvements in self-efficacy compared to ET alone or SC. Patients receiving SA-CST + ET who showed increased self-efficacy were more likely to have improvements in psychological disability. An intervention that combines spouse-assisted coping skills training and exercise training can improve physical fitness, strength, pain coping, and self-efficacy in patients suffering from pain due to osteoarthritis.

Border collie comprehends object names as verbal referents

Abstract: Four experiments investigated the ability of a border collie (Chaser) to acquire receptive language skills. Experiment 1 demonstrated that Chaser learned and retained, over a 3-year period of intensive training, the proper-noun names of 1022 objects. Experiment 2 presented random pair-wise combinations of three commands and three names, and demonstrated that she understood the separate meanings of proper-noun names and commands. Chaser understood that names refer to objects, independent of the behavior directed toward those objects. Experiment 3 demonstrated Chaser's ability to learn three common nouns--words that represent categories. Chaser demonstrated one-to-many (common noun) and many-to-one (multiple-name) name-object mappings. Experiment 4 demonstrated Chaser's ability to learn words by inferential reasoning by exclusion--inferring the name of an object based on its novelty among familiar objects that already had names. Together, these studies indicate that Chaser acquired referential understanding of nouns, an ability normally attributed to children, which included: (a) awareness that words may refer to objects, (b) awareness of verbal cues that map words upon the object referent, and (c) awareness that names may refer to unique objects or categories of objects, independent of the behaviors directed toward those objects.

The genomics education partnership: successful integration of research into laboratory classes at a diverse group of undergraduate institutions.

Abstract: Genomics is not only essential for students to understand biology but also provides unprecedented opportunities for undergraduate research. The goal of the Genomics Education Partnership (GEP), a collaboration between a growing number of colleges and universities around the country and the Department of Biology and Genome Center of Washington University in St. Louis, is to provide such research opportunities. Using a versatile curriculum that has been adapted to many different class settings, GEP undergraduates undertake projects to bring draft-quality genomic sequence up to high quality and/or participate in the annotation of these sequences. GEP undergraduates have improved more than 2 million bases of draft genomic sequence from several species of Drosophila and have produced hundreds of gene models using evidence-based manual annotation. Students appreciate their ability to make a contribution to ongoing research, and report increased independence and a more active learning approach after participation in GEP projects. They show knowledge gains on pre- and postcourse quizzes about genes and genomes and in bioinformatic analysis. Participating faculty also report professional gains, increased access to genomics-related technology, and an overall positive experience. We have found that using a genomics research project as the core of a laboratory course is rewarding for both faculty and students.

Car following decisions under three visibility conditions and two speeds tested with a driving simulator.

Abstract: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration web site reports that rear-end collisions in the United States exceed 1.5 million per year, or approximately 23% of all vehicle crashes. Car following behavior and the decision-making habits of drivers seem fundamental to understanding how to avoid these rear-end crashes. The present research aimed to reveal factors that govern car following under conditions of reduced visibility. It employed a KQ-Vection high-fidelity driving simulator to measure the behavior of automobile drivers following a lead vehicle at 13.4 m/s (30 MPH) or 22.4 m/s (50 MPH) under three visibility conditions—clear or one of two densities of simulated fog. At the higher speed, fog conditions separated participants into a group that stayed within visible range of the lead car, even though the headway time violated the NHTSA recommendations for the speed involved, and another group that lagged beyond the visible range. Data were compared to the model of Van Winsum for car following (The human element in car following models. Transportation Research Part F 2, 1999). Contrast and image size measurements allowed comparison to a standard contrast sensitivity function and allowed estimation of the JND term in the Van Winsum model.