Papers by James Schreiber
Frontiers in Pharmacology, Jul 12, 2022
This two-part series describes how to test hypotheses on molecular mechanisms that underlie biolo... more This two-part series describes how to test hypotheses on molecular mechanisms that underlie biological phenomena, using preclinical drug testing as a simplified example. While pursuing drug testing in preclinical research, students will need to understand the limitations of descriptive as well as mechanistic studies. The former does not identify any causal links between two or more variables; it identifies the presence or absence of correlations. Parts I and II of this educational series encourage the student to 1) ensure the sensitivity and specificity of their measurements, 2) establish or optimize an appropriate disease model, 3) find pharmaceutical drug doses/concentrations that interfere with experimental disease processes, 4) leverage the literature and exploratory datasets to craft a mechanism-oriented hypothesis on drug binding and downstream effects, 5) and design a full-factorial experiment to test the hypothesis after sketching potential outcomes and imagining their interpretations. These creative goals facilitate the choice of the appropriate positive and negative controls to avoid false data interpretations. Here, Part II describes in detail how to test for a causal link between drug-induced activation of biological targets and therapeutic outcomes. Upon completion of this two-part series, the new student will have some of the tools in hand to design mechanistic studies, interpret the outcomes of their research, and avoid technical and theoretical pitfalls, which can otherwise decelerate scientific progress and squander human and financial resources.
Frontiers in Pharmacology, Jul 1, 2022
Many discoveries in the biological sciences have emerged from observational studies, but student ... more Many discoveries in the biological sciences have emerged from observational studies, but student researchers also need to learn how to design experiments that distinguish correlation from causation. For example, identifying the physiological mechanism of action of drugs with therapeutic potential requires the establishment of causal links. Only by specifically interfering with the purported mechanisms of action of a drug can the researcher determine how the drug causes its physiological effects. Typically, pharmacological or genetic approaches are employed to modify the expression and/or activity of the biological drug target or downstream pathways, to test if the salutary properties of the drug are thereby abolished. However, experimental techniques have caveats that tend to be underappreciated, particularly for newer methods. Furthermore, statistical effects are no guarantor of their biological importance or translatability across models and species. In this two-part series, the caveats and strengths of mechanistic preclinical research are briefly described, using the intuitive example of pharmaceutical drug testing in experimental models of human diseases. Part I focuses on technical practicalities and common pitfalls of cellular and animal models designed for drug testing, and Part II describes in simple terms how to leverage a full-factorial ANOVA, to test for causality in the link between drug-induced activation (or inhibition) of a biological target and therapeutic outcomes. Upon completion of this series, students will have forehand knowledge of technical and theoretical caveats in mechanistic research, and comprehend that "a model is just a model." These insights can help the new student appreciate the strengths and limitations of scientific research.
Frontiers in Pharmacology
Background: No Arabic translation exists for the medication management patient satisfaction surve... more Background: No Arabic translation exists for the medication management patient satisfaction survey (MMPSS), a 10-item psychometrically valid patient satisfaction survey tool developed to assess patient satisfaction for comprehensive medication management. The objective of this study is to translate the medication management patient satisfaction survey into Lebanese Arabic while culturally adapting and assessing the psychometric properties of the translated survey in the outpatient setting.Methods: Guidelines for translation, adaptation, and validation of instruments for cross-cultural healthcare research were followed. The process included forward translation, expert panel review, back-translation, pretesting, and cognitive interviewing. Participants were approached after picking up their medications from the pharmacy at a primary care facility. The medication management patient satisfaction survey was administered verbally by two trained data collectors. Instrument psychometric ana...
Journal of Educational Psychology, Aug 1, 2021
Previous research has demonstrated that student motivation and engagement can take different form... more Previous research has demonstrated that student motivation and engagement can take different forms across a variety of tasks at school or college. However, no research has yet examined the forms of student momentary engagement that emerge in response to a single task. Adolescent students (N = 196) from two low-income secondary schools in Dublin, Ireland, were given the same English grammar task to complete in a ten-minute period. We used systematic observation and post-task self-report measures to collect data on momentary cognition, emotion, motivation, and behavior. Using Latent Profile Analysis, we discovered seven main forms of momentary (dis)engagement: fully engaged, attentive but amotivated, attentive but disinterested, attentive but disaffected, distracted but motivated, disengaged, and deeply disengaged. Gender, ethnicity, academic self-efficacy, peer support and classmate cognitive engagement were notable predictors of group membership. The results should be useful to educators wanting to understand why students in their classrooms have a variety of responses to the same task.
Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, 2019
It is common for organizations to hire workers based on their knowledge, skills, and abilities. H... more It is common for organizations to hire workers based on their knowledge, skills, and abilities. However, despite capable workers being hired, productivity may suffer if employees' motivational needs are not satisfied. We developed an agent-based model to simulate the completion of tasks by teams of workers in an organization. Each worker is described by an ability value and a 3-parameter motive profile expressing the individual's needs for affiliation, achievement, and power. During each time step, each worker contributes to an assigned task at a rate determined by the worker's ability and motive profile, the task's difficulty and proximity to completion, and the team's experience. When a task is completed by a team, the workers are reassigned to a new team and task. At the end of 365 time steps, the model outputs the total number of completed tasks, which is the primary measurement of productivity. Model simulations demonstrate that hiring workers based on their ability and motivational strengths can lead to increased productivity. Additional model simulations illustrate the benefit of identifying failing tasks and reassigning new teams to these tasks in real-time.
Identifying the Developmental Trajectory of Anxiety in Children and Adolescents
PsycEXTRA Dataset
Educational research: The interrelationship of questions, sampling, design, and analysis
Frontiers in Education
This study was an investigation of the possible relations and interactions between traditional fe... more This study was an investigation of the possible relations and interactions between traditional feminine ideology, and social and relational aggression within a sample of female children and adolescents. Participants included 45 female students (8-19 years of age) who completed measures assessing beliefs about and behaviors feminine ideology, body image (including body objectification), relational and social aggression, and interpersonal maturity. Analyzes revealed that participants who rated themselves as having a weaker internalization of the objectification of one’s body (a subtype of traditional feminine ideology) rated themselves as less likely to use socially-aggressive tactics than those with higher levels of body objectification. No other significant findings were noted. Implications for these findings and directions for future research are discussed.
Statistics and Data Analysis Literacy for Nurses
Statistics and Data Analysis Literacy for Nurses
Exploring Screening Practices for Child Sexual Abuse in School Settings: An Integrative Review
The Journal of School Nursing
Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a pervasive public health problem. If left undetected, CSA can result... more Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a pervasive public health problem. If left undetected, CSA can result in immediate and long-term health problems, which can be mitigated through early identification. Schools are an ideal environment to implement screening measures, and school nurses (SN) are uniquely poised to intervene and respond early. The aim of this review was to systematically examine and synthesize the international evidence related to screening for early identification of CSA in schools. Themes emerging from the analysis were SN behaviors relative to screening, potential instruments or approaches for screening, and SN and school professionals’ beliefs about CSA screening practices. This review found little evidence that CSA screening is occurring in schools. However, SNs are aware that screening falls within their scope of practice and many SNs feel they should be screening for it. A constant proactive approach by SNs is necessary to improve early identification and subsequent in...
Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 2021
This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the ad... more This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 2020
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to describe the complex relationships among patient safety cu... more OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to describe the complex relationships among patient safety culture, nurse demographics, advocacy, and patient outcomes. BACKGROUND Why has healthcare lagged behind other industries in improving quality? Little nursing research exists that explores the multifactorial relationships that impact quality. METHODS A convenience sample of 1045 nurses from 40 medical/surgical units was analyzed using a correlational cross-sectional design with secondary data analysis. Data sources included survey results for patient safety culture, nurse perceptions of patient advocacy, and patient experience and fall and pressure ulcer rates. RESULTS Significant findings included a positive correlation between patient safety culture and advocacy and a negative correlation between safety culture, advocacy, and years of experience as a nurse. No significant correlations were found between safety culture and patient outcomes or advocacy and patient outcomes. CONCLUSIONS New...
Curator: The Museum Journal, 2018
The authors present research comparing different measures of experience quality. Using data from ... more The authors present research comparing different measures of experience quality. Using data from visitor studies at the Denver Zoo, they claim that a question that asks visitors to rate their overall experience, when used together with fully grounded five‐point ordinal response scales with a category beyond Excellent, provide better results than a number of other, commonly‐used scales, including Net Promoter Score. With data from the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, they demonstrate how this measure can be used to compare and evaluate visitor responses across exhibitions.
New paradigms for considering statistical significance: A way forward for health services research journals, their authors, and their readership
Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 2019
This commentary discusses the new American Statistical Association forty-three article issue in T... more This commentary discusses the new American Statistical Association forty-three article issue in The American Statistician. I cover some history of p-values, misunderstandings, along with NHST and the Neyman-Pearson model. Special focus is placed on Student [W. Gosset] and Fisher's work. Finally, a list of recommendations is provided.
Parenting, childcare, and children’s pre-kindergarten skills: exploring moderation by race and ethnicity
Early Child Development and Care, 2017
ABSTRACT This study evaluated whether parenting and childcare experience across infancy and toddl... more ABSTRACT This study evaluated whether parenting and childcare experience across infancy and toddlerhood were associated with children’s reading, math, and social–behavioural skills prior to kindergarten entry. Analyses also examined whether race or ethnicity moderated associations. A representative sample of Hispanic, Black, and White children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Birth Cohort (N = 4550) was used. Parents’ responsiveness in infancy and supportiveness in toddlerhood, as well as the home learning environment in toddlerhood, related to academic and social–emotional and behavioural readiness. Associations between certain parenting behaviours and child outcomes varied as a function of race. Additionally, compared to parent-only childcare, attendance in centre-based care at two years of age related to higher early math skills. Findings highlight the need for culturally specific early intervention to support parents in shaping early social–emotional skills in children, and suggest that exposure to centre-based childcare in the toddler years may benefit math readiness.
Confirmatory Factor Analyses and Structural Equations Modeling: An Introduction and Reveiw
The Journal of Educational Research
ABSTRACT
Gender Identity and Relational Aggression in Late Adolescence
PsycEXTRA Dataset
Young Adult Social Behavior Scale
PsycTESTS Dataset, 2009
Resilience, Trauma, and Epistemology of College Students: Follow-Up Study
PsycEXTRA Dataset
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Papers by James Schreiber