Publications by authors named "Alexander McKay"

Article Synopsis
  • Some researchers said that data from Amazon's MTurk was not very good, claiming it was only 2.6% valid.
  • We think they made some mistakes in how they designed their study and collected information, which made their results not so strong.
  • In our response, we share tips on how to get better and more reliable data from online surveys.
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Background: Sexual health education delivered in school, provided by parents, or provided by other formal sources has been associated most closely with increased rates of condom use and improvements in many other sexual risk behaviours. Friends and the internet are other information sources, although quality and accuracy are not always as high. Nationally representative Canadian data about where adolescents obtain their sexual health information are lacking.

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The discovery and utilization of RNA-guided surveillance complexes, such as CRISPR-Cas9, for sequence-specific DNA or RNA cleavage, has revolutionised the process of gene modification or knockdown. To optimise the use of this technology, an exploratory race has ensued to discover or develop new RNA-guided endonucleases with the most flexible sequence targeting requirements, coupled with high cleavage efficacy and specificity. Here we review the constraints of existing gene editing and assess the merits of exploiting the diversity of CRISPR-Cas effectors as a methodology for surmounting these limitations.

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Background: Sexual and reproductive health are key issues for adolescents and young adults. Detailed national Canadian data about sexual behaviours, condom use and other contraceptive use by youth are lacking.

Data And Methods: Data from the 2015/2016 Canadian Community Health Survey were used to examine sexual behaviours, condom and other contraceptive use, and reasons for non-use by selected characteristics.

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Despite midlife adults accounting for a substantial and growing segment of the population, few large-scale studies have investigated factors which distinguish highly satisfying relationships from less satisfying ones in midlife. In a subsample of partnered 40-59-year-old Canadians (705 men, 743 women), relationship characteristics, sexual activity and communication, and health were investigated individually and simultaneously as predictors of high emotional and sexual satisfaction. Though the vast majority of participants reported being at least somewhat satisfied in their current relationship, less than half reported high satisfaction.

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Research suggests the relationship between pleasure and condom use during penile-vaginal intercourse (PVI) is associated with relationship status. This online study examined pleasure ratings and condom use at last PVI, stratifying by partner type, among a national sample of Canadian university students. Participants were 715 undergraduates (60.

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Objectives: We developed and validated a set of self-administered, multi-dimensional indicators of sexual health among Canadians aged 16-24 years.

Methods: This study used a mixed-method qualitative and quantitative approach to develop and validate indicators of sexual health. We used the four-stage Dillman method to identify, focus-test, pilot-test, and validate key metrics to measure sexual health.

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